BSW 138

138

“……”

At that time, he couldn’t hear any sound. His body, defying the wind, became lighter than a bird, as if he could fly into the sky. Ho-eun’s shadow floated slowly over the rapidly passing white ground. His outstretched arms looked just like wings. It felt so unreal. Ho-eun thought.

Could he truly be dreaming?

Was he dreaming of soaring while embraced in Tae-muk’s arms?

But before he could even blink once.

“Kugh……”

Thud! He fell onto the horse’s back. In that instant, the vanished noise, wind, and cold rushed at Ho-eun all at once. Ho-eun froze for a moment, then quickly hugged the horse’s neck before he could slip off. The soft yet tough mane of the horse came into his grasp.

“I did it……”

He made it. He survived.

A small smile slowly bloomed on Ho-eun’s lips. And it was at that moment, as he straightened his back.

Suddenly, his temple throbbed. At the same time, a heavy dizziness surged. Even though his eyes were open, his vision darkened, and his body limply swayed backward.

“Ah……”

Ho-eun groaned faintly.

“Young Master!”

Gil-sang’s shout was heard. Ho-eun wanted to reply, but his mouth wouldn’t move. The horse’s mane he was holding slipped through his fingers. His arms were raised forward, and his Braided Hair fluttered before his eyes. Then, the sky filled his vision completely.

“……”

Ho-eun was staring at it blankly. He seemed to think that his inadequate body was finally taking his life. And as he slowly closed his eyes.

Thud.

Someone caught Ho-eun’s falling back. Then, pushed by tremendous force, he landed back on the horse’s back. Ho-eun, who had inadvertently grabbed the reins, was dazed for a moment, then belatedly turned around.

“Are you alright?”

Gil-sang was there. Like when he saved Jeong-woo in Ramjae Town, Gil-sang had wrapped his legs around the horse’s waist and lowered his upper body. After lifting Ho-eun up, he grabbed the reins like a rope and climbed back onto his own horse.

“Yes. I’m, I’m alright.”

“Then just look ahead and go.”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

Ho-eun followed his words and turned his gaze forward. After gripping the reins in his hands, tucking his feet firmly into the stirrups, and starting to gallop in earnest, he realized.

That he was running not on land, but on a lake.

A thick layer of white snow covered the entire surface, but patches of ice were visible here and there. The lake, frozen as it rippled, was smooth yet uneven, and hard. Each time the horse’s hooves struck the ice, the coldness and hardness were transmitted to Ho-eun’s body.

“……”

A lake. Such a vast lake. And the lake was all frozen. He was running on a frozen lake. So many people, horses, and Devouring Ghouls were running, yet it was still intact.

Just as Ho-eun was marveling at the unimaginable situation, a horse ahead of him misstepped on the ice and slid. The two soldiers riding on it cried out, “Aaaagh!” and tumbled together. They tried to get up immediately but were struggling, pinned under the horse.

“Oh……”

Ho-eun involuntarily turned his head toward them.

“Young Master! Look ahead!”

Gil-sang shouted. At those words, Ho-eun snapped his gaze back forward.

And at that moment, with a thud! his body, or rather, the horse, became lighter. Gil-sang had kicked the plank connecting the horse and the cart. The wooden plank shattered as if crushed by the blow. As one side broke, the other rod snapped in half on its own.

The cart, separated from the horse, rattled and spun erratically before sliding backward and disappearing.

Fortunately, Ho-eun and Gil-sang were in the very last row, so no soldiers were hit by the cart. Instead, two or three Devouring Ghouls following behind collided with the cart. Several Devouring Ghouls following them tripped and fell over the overturned ones.

Just as the Devouring Ghouls were slowing down a bit, the other Devouring Ghouls trampled over the fallen ones and resumed their pursuit. The cart, trampled by their feet and arms, was crushed to pieces. The tent carried on the cart flew into the sky like a flag that had lost its flagpole.

“……”

Ho-eun bit his lower lip. Just as he was feeling a sense of emptiness, as if his home had disappeared.

Heeeeeigh!

The horse neighed loudly, as if stretching. It seemed to like that its body had become lighter. The horse let out a thick puff of breath and began to run at a speed incomparable to before. In an instant, the Devouring Ghouls receded, and the Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers who had been ahead drew closer.

And around that time, Ho-eun belatedly wondered about Tae-muk’s whereabouts.

“General, where is the General……”

He naturally looked ahead first. Tae-muk was always at the front. But he wasn’t visible. That massive back, that overwhelming presence, was always noticeable no matter where he was, but he wasn’t there, whether he looked to the left or to the right.

“Where did he go……”

As Ho-eun frowned slightly, the soldiers at the front crossed the lake and reached the land first. Some familiar faces, like Dong-ja and Byeonguk, were visible.

But for some reason, they all stopped, pulling on their reins, dismounted, and approached the lake again. Those arriving behind them also dismounted immediately, grabbed their weapons, and prepared to fight the Devouring Ghouls. But they absolutely did not enter the lake.

Ho-eun busily scanned the soldiers surrounding the lake. But still, Tae-muk was not to be seen.

Soon, Ho-eun also reached the land with Gil-sang. Several soldiers who had been waiting rushed over and took the wounded soldier from behind Gil-sang and dragged him away somewhere. Not far away, the old man was hopping around, treating the wounded soldiers.

Gil-sang jumped off the horse. Then he drew his sword. Seeing this, Ho-eun also tried to dismount, but Gil-sang blocked his way as if guarding him.

“Don’t get off.”

“Ah, yes.”

Ho-eun obediently stayed on the horse without any particular question or resistance. He had adapted to being in a position to be protected in this situation. He also knew that this was another way not to cause trouble.

“……”

With a stern face, Gil-sang stared at the Devouring Ghouls running from afar. Meanwhile, Ho-eun continued to look around for Tae-muk, but eventually, unable to find him, he had to ask Gil-sang.

“I don’t see the General. Do you know where he went?”

He didn’t think Tae-muk would abandon him and the Crimson Rain Brigade. His absence in this situation meant that there was something more dangerous and more urgent to deal with. For example, he might have gone to deal with the Antenna Devouring Ghoul, the leader of those numerous Devouring Ghouls.

He was worried. He was worried that he might appear covered in blood again. He was worried that he might be hurt.

“……”

But Gil-sang turned his head slightly toward one side of the lake. As if Tae-muk was there. In response, Ho-eun also looked at the lake.

But all he could see were the swarming Devouring Ghouls. There were a few soldiers still on the lake who had not yet reached the land, but they were not Tae-muk.

Then what was Gil-sang looking at?

Ho-eun tilted his head and scanned the vast lake again. Something strange caught his eye.

Among the wave-like Devouring Ghouls, there was a particularly slow-moving area. It was in the middle of the lake, and whenever the Devouring Ghouls got close to that spot, they hesitated, twisted, tangled, and fell over. Some even piled up like small hills. It was as if someone had set a giant trap on the ice.

At that moment, Ho-eun foresaw some misfortune. He had seen something like that once in a small village.

“Could it be……”

Ho-eun’s cheeks, flushed with fever, turned pale. He leaned his upper body toward the lake and widened his eyes.

The snow-covered lake was pure white. There were also places where the snow had been dug up by the Crimson Rain Brigade and the Devouring Ghouls as they ran, but even those were a pale blue, like at dawn.

But only in the area where the Devouring Ghouls were tangled was there a pool of blood. The amount was so great that it seemed as if a new red lake had been created on the blue lake. It was as if the blue lake was badly injured and bleeding.

The Devouring Ghouls, intertwined in two or three layers, growled excitedly. Occasionally, some of them stuck out their tongues grotesquely long and licked the blood pooled on the ground. That meant that the blood pooled on the ground was mixed with human blood.

“No……”

Ho-eun felt his heart pounding wildly. His stomach churned. He felt like he was going to throw up, even though he had only eaten Herbal medicine for the past few days. His solar plexus ached as if it were being squeezed. So, without realizing it, he clutched his chest.

And then, among the wave-like surging Devouring Ghouls, he saw it.

“Ah……”

Tae-muk was swimming through them.

Standing on the ice with both feet, he was slaughtering the Devouring Ghouls as they came. He was tearing off the Helmet Bone of the Devouring Ghouls with his bare hands, using it to cut the necks or bodies of other Devouring Ghouls, grabbing and crushing the thighs of Devouring Ghouls trying to get ahead, and using one Devouring Ghoul as a shield to push back a dozen others.

Of course, the Devouring Ghouls were not just taking it. Without any armor, without any weapons, he was an irresistible prey.