Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Making the Nachar open his mouth didn’t take very long.

“I must destroy the formation axis to release the formation?”

“Y-yes…….”

“And I must destroy the same formation axis from inside and outside to release it…… Hmm.”

Ureureung—!

As I spoke while infusing internal energy into my sword, the Nachar crawling on the ground pressed his forehead to the ground.

“It’s true! The only way to naturally release the formation before the scheduled release time is that. If you want to break it with power, even among the Sipcheon, only Geomje or Manwang, who have particularly powerful strikes, could come and at least attempt to break it, the caster said……!”

“Hmm. Geomje or Manwang.”

I stroked my chin and nodded. Both martial artists the Nachar mentioned had records of dominating battlefields with a single strike. He was saying I’d need world-covering martial arts to break it.

‘Still difficult for me.’

My martial arts sacrifice defense relatively to gain extreme offensive power.

If judging purely by the power of a single strike, I might be able to reach the tail end of the Sipcheon. But if the standard rises to Father or the Sado Alliance Leader level, that’s still impossible for me.

“It’s hard to believe it needs such complicated release. How were you originally planning to release it?”

“We had no intention of releasing it……!”

At my question, the Nachar, blood streaming from his eyes, spoke desperately.

“That formation dissolves in a week anyway! A week is enough time for the great plan to be completed. We had no intention or need to release it!”

“That’s strange. Isn’t your plan to awaken and recover the seeds? To recover an awakened seed, you’d need to release the formation.”

“How do you know that……!”

“Just answer what I ask.”

At my casual question, the Nachar who’d jerked his head up to glare at me like a death god pressed his face to the ground again.

“……Awakening the seed was our objective. But after awakening, it wasn’t our concern……!”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know either! Damn it. Only the Cult Leader and the Grand High Priest know the details of the great plan……! Whether the awakened seed lives or dies doesn’t affect the great plan. That’s what I heard, so we set up the formation like that!”

“I see.”

They weren’t using the awakened seed—the awakening itself was the purpose.

Understanding the Nachar’s words, I lowered my sword and brought it to the Nachar’s neck. At the cool sensation of the blade against his neck, the Nachar’s body flinched.

“Then this is the last. Answer honestly and I’ll send you off comfortably.”

“You won’t…… spare me.”

“Even if I said I’d spare you, could you believe it?”

“……Hehe. Of course not.”

The Nachar, who let out an eerie laugh as if giving up, looked at his severed arms and shook his head.

“Ask.”

“Is there a means of communication with the inside?”

“There’s no means of communication. It’s impossible to observe the outside from inside. But there is an artifact that can see from the outside.”

“This?”

At the Nachar’s eye gesture toward his chest, I flipped his body with my foot, pulled out a telescope, and brought it to my eye. Indeed, the telescope clearly projected images, penetrating the darkness.

“Now kill me.”

“I should.”

Finally I can be freed.

Watching the Nachar quietly close his eyes with such an expression, I slowly raised my foot. And.

Peoeokeok!

“Kkeuheokeok……!”

The next moment. I kicked and destroyed the Nachar’s dantian.

“What the hell……!”

“Because you might have lied.”

I hadn’t even applied proper torture, and he wasn’t a trustworthy opponent. Cross-verification of information was essential.

After confirming his internal energy had completely dispersed so he couldn’t commit suicide, I infused internal energy to dig up the ground. A hole forming in an instant.

“I’m in a hurry, so I’ll bury you for now and come back if things go wrong.”

“You, vicious demon-like bastard……!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Glancing with a smile at the Nachar shouting high praise, I stroked my chin.

Now then, what to do.

‘I can observe the inside, but I can’t intervene inside.’

From what I heard, of the twelve formation axes that must be destroyed to release the formation, two are outside and three inside.

The remaining seven could cause the formation to go berserk if destroyed incorrectly. If the disciples destroy formation axes indiscriminately to release the formation, it could cause problems instead.

‘If there were someone well-versed in formations inside, the story would be different, but…… that’s unlikely.’

Even I, who can recognize most formations, am seeing this spell-formation for the first time. Expecting the disciples to figure it out on their own would be wishful thinking, wouldn’t it?

What should I do?

After thinking briefly, I first raised the telescope to check the disciples’ condition. I wanted to at least judge whether the situation was urgent or not.

“Hmm. I can see. Let’s see…….”

A moment later.

The moment I saw the scene hidden behind the darkness, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

Please use martial arts on the wall.

Letters in a familiar handwriting were written on every tree in the direction I looked.

If it’s lightning technique, it can pass through.

Inside the formation.

“It’s Sect Leader-nim.”

“……What?”

“That thunder sound!”

At the thunder sound that reached her, Seohwa’s eyes flew open as she clenched her fist and spoke. The faint thunder sound from beyond the darkness.

“Our Sect Leader-nim’s martial arts is a technique that handles lightning energy. Thunder sounds when he uses it. Sect Leader-nim must be nearby!”

“Couldn’t it just be lightning?”

“Of course, that possibility isn’t completely absent, but…….”

Seohwa, who briefly considered Jang Il’s opinion, shook her head. It was an unlikely story.

“The air isn’t humid right now. That means there are few clouds.”

“Besides, you know lightning rarely strikes in winter, right?”

The season when lightning frequently strikes is usually from summer to fall.

Lightning striking in cold winter weather is uncommon. The probability of lightning striking at this very moment, of all times, was low.

“I’m certain. It’s Sect Leader-nim’s martial arts.”

“Hmm.”

Jang Il, nodding at Seohwa’s words, stroked his chin and fell into thought for a moment before speaking again.

“Let’s say young miss is right.”

“I am right.”

“Fine. Let’s say your Sect Leader is in this area. But what changes?”

“In the end, doesn’t it just confirm he can’t enter? He’s using martial arts like that while unable to enter from outside.”

“That’s…….”

It wasn’t wrong. If he could enter, Baek Riyun would have already come in and found them.

His voice doesn’t reach. No matter how much Baek Riyun shakes the thunder to inform of his position, there’s no way to convey opinions from inside. Even if they want to seek advice, there’s no way to do so.

‘What should I do…….’

How could they break through this situation?

As Seohwa agonized, her eyes suddenly flew open at a thought flashing through her mind.

It was strange from the beginning that Baek Riyun was using martial arts.

“Excuse me, may I ask something?”

“Hmm?”

“The fact that using martial arts on the wall won’t break through. How did you determine that?”

“You can tell just by looking, can’t you? That it’s that kind of formation.”

“Not that…… that the power is insufficient to break through with martial arts.”

“Because at a glance it’s a formation mixed with magic arts.”

Jang Il snorted and continued.

“I couldn’t identify this formation, but if you have abundant martial world experience, you’ll encounter a formation like this at least once. Despite blocking inside and outside, it doesn’t break, and even heals its own wounds.”

“These kinds of formations are mostly from people who use their heads. The Jegal Family’s Baegun Jin or Gwibulsa’s Yeomok Jin are like that. And do you know what characteristic those formations have?”

“What?”

“It takes tremendous effort to deploy once.”

If martial arts is study for cutting opponents, formations are study for confusing or blocking opponents.

Therefore, such large formations that anyone would consider beyond ordinary naturally have countermeasures against masters. Either the defensive power is so outstanding that even masters can’t break through, or even if broken, it quickly repairs.

“If someone has abundant martial world experience, they’d know roughly at a glance. ‘Ah, I can’t break this!’ they’d think.”

“That’s what you mean?”

“Yes.”

After thinking for a moment, Seohwa quietly continued.

“Why is Sect Leader-nim still using martial arts?”

“……What?”

“Right? Sect Leader-nim’s insight is tremendous, so he wouldn’t have failed to recognize it’s an unbreakable formation, and he’s not someone who’d do meaningless actions…….”

Is he fighting yokai?

Even thinking that was strange. According to Jang Il and others, while the yokai appearing and disappearing in this area were numerous, their strength wasn’t great.

Baek Riyun, who had single-handedly erased the Baekgwiyahaeng of Akyang in just over a moment, wouldn’t fight for this long.

Then what was Baek Riyun fighting? What was he fighting for?

“……The person who deployed the formation.”

“What?”

“He must be fighting the person who deployed this formation! Please lend me your sword!”

“Huh? Ah, alright.”

Seohwa’s eyes flashed as she borrowed Jang Il’s ornamental sword and began carving letters on the surrounding trees. The trees carved deeply with the power of internal energy.

“Why letters all of a sudden…….”

“If there’s someone outside who deployed the formation, they must have arranged a way to check inside. They’d want to visually confirm any variables that occur!”

“What if there isn’t?”

“Even if there isn’t, there’s nothing to lose. Just wasted effort and it’s over.”

What needed to be conveyed was one thing. If nothing else, the thunder sound reaches.

“Before, when explaining about internal energy, Sect Leader-nim said lightning energy has the power of Pasahyeonjeong.”

While all other sounds were blocked, only the thunder sound being heard probably meant some of the spreading lightning energy slightly penetrated the wall’s blockage.

“If it’s lightning technique, perhaps…….”

It might be able to break through.

“Please.”

With hope, Seohwa quickly carved letters on the trees, put down the sword, and stepped back. Letters carved densely.

‘This is the only way.’

A slim probability.

That Baek Riyun’s opponent was the one who deployed the formation, and the observation that the formation deployer had a way to check inside—all were merely hopeful speculation. Perhaps the lightning sound wasn’t even Baek Riyun’s, and the idea that lightning energy penetrates the formation wall might all be delusion.

But even so.

‘What I can do in this situation…….’

Was only this.

Confirming the thunder sound had stopped, Seohwa gripped her clothes tightly with sweaty hands and prayed. And after a while.

At the moment Seohwa closed her eyes and bit her lip at the continued silence of thunder.

“……Oh my.”

Jang Il took a step back, and.

Kwaaaaaaa—!!!!

A lightning bolt in the shape of a sword pierced the wall.

Along with a black robe wrapped around the sword handle.