By Zephyria Is this living? (7)
Seong Mu-yeon blankly watched the battle. He knew Baek Ryeo-il was strong. But seeing him fight with his own eyes was a different feeling.
Baek Ryeo-il kicked off the head of a man in black and leaped into the air. His black hair fluttered in the air.
A red Sword Energy plunged down on the head of the man in black.
“Aaaargh!”
“Aack!”
Blood sprayed in all directions. Baek Ryeo-il didn’t care at all about being covered in the blood and raged even more madly. There was nothing superfluous in his movements. He achieved maximum efficiency with minimal movement.
Incredible.
That was the only way to describe his martial prowess…
“Young master. This won’t do. At this rate, the men in black will be annihilated.”
“Ah, right.”
Seong Mu-yeon reluctantly tore his gaze away from the battle and did what he had to do.
Seong Mu-yeon dragged out Namgung Cheon-chu, whom he had been hiding behind him. Then he put a knife to his throat.
“Baek Ryeo-il! If you don’t want this man to die, surrender!”
“……!”
Baek Ryeo-il, recognizing Namgung Cheon-chu, was visibly shaken. He never expected to see Namgung Cheon-chu, who had been missing for several days, here. Namgung Cheon-chu was bound and gagged, unable to speak.
“There are dozens more hostages besides this one. You’d better not think about resisting!”
“You…! Keuk!”
Geo-ryang’s glaive deeply pierced Baek Ryeo-il’s thigh. He hadn’t missed the opening he’d shown.
Baek Ryeo-il no longer counterattacked fiercely. He simply alternated his gaze between Namgung Cheon-chu and Seong Mu-yeon. The men in black also stepped back and waited.
“Namgung Cheon-chu… I knew that incompetent fool would get me someday.”
Baek Ryeo-il muttered.
Namgung Cheon-chu seemed to want to say something, but only unintelligible sounds came from his blocked mouth.
“Drop your weapon.”
“…….”
At Seong Mu-yeon’s command, Baek Ryeo-il dropped his sword with a thud.
A man in black quickly retrieved the sword.
“Bring him here.”
Geo-ryang ruthlessly pulled out his glaive. Baek Ryeo-il staggered, briefly furrowing his brow at the pain. Geo-ryang roughly shoved his back, not caring whether he was in pain or not. Fresh blood streamed from his pierced thigh.
“…Useless Namgung Clan bastards… They still haven’t found Namgung Cheon-chu.”
The closer Baek Ryeo-il got, the stranger Seong Mu-yeon felt.
He had the ability to wipe out all the Demonic Cult gathered in this place by himself, yet he surrendered willingly. Only to save Namgung Cheon-chu.
In fact, the two were not that close. Just a loose sense of camaraderie between the Great Sect and the Namgung Clan, and occasional exchanges.
Even so, he stopped attacking, even though he could have been in danger.
Finally, Baek Ryeo-il and Seong Mu-yeon stood face to face.
Baek Ryeo-il’s eyes were different than before.
Seong Mu-yeon, who had been entangled with Baek Ryeo-il in various ways for a short time, realized that he had never shown him genuine animosity.
This was the real thing.
This was the face Baek Ryeo-il made when he looked at an enemy. It was so oppressive and cold that it chilled his heart. A weak-hearted person would lose the will to fight just by looking at his eyes.
“Ptooey.”
Baek Ryeo-il spat out the blood that had pooled in his mouth. His cheeks were flushed red, as if his mouth had burst from being hit.
“…….”
“……Young master?”
The branch leader called out cautiously when Seong Mu-yeon didn’t move for a long time.
Only then did Seong Mu-yeon come to his senses and hand Namgung Cheon-chu over to the branch leader.
“Don’t get too close!”
“It’s okay.”
That’s what he said, but Seong Mu-yeon wasn’t okay.
He hadn’t been afraid of Baek Ryeo-il before. At least then, it was just bluster.
Now that he was facing real anger… it was hard to even make eye contact.
“Baek Ryeo-il.”
Seong Mu-yeon tried to calm his trembling voice and called out as if he were calm, but he didn’t answer.
He just looked down at him haughtily. Now there was no reason to even talk to Seong Mu-yeon.
His cold eyes scanned Seong Mu-yeon from top to bottom. As if he would cut off his breath as soon as he saw the slightest gap.
It was then.
“Eup, eup!”
Namgung Cheon-chu began to thrash his bound body and resist.
“Can’t you stay still!!”
“Eup, eup, eup!”
The flustered branch leader tried to grab Namgung Cheon-chu again. Geo-ryang even ran towards him in the commotion.
Now was the time.
“Listen carefully from now on, Master Baek. You have to trust me.”
Seong Mu-yeon whispered to Baek Ryeo-il in a low, fast voice.
Namgung Cheon-chu had sacrificed his whole body to buy him time, but Baek Ryeo-il snorted and didn’t listen at all.
This was not the time to argue.
Seong Mu-yeon glanced behind him and grabbed his collar to pull him down. No, that’s what he was trying to do. But Baek Ryeo-il, standing upright, was not pulled down at all.
‘Augh.’
Nothing goes as planned.
“Namgung Cheon-chu will be safe. Go wild. But… don’t leave anyone alive.”
Only then did Baek Ryeo-il look straight into Seong Mu-yeon’s eyes.
“……What?”
“It’ll be easier to kill everyone here.”
“Hmph! I finally caught him!”
Finally, they succeeded in subduing Namgung Cheon-chu. Namgung Cheon-chu was slumped over, probably having been punched in the stomach for thrashing around. It was amazing that he was still alive in that condition.
“Tie up Baek Ryeo-il too!”
Seong Mu-yeon had to turn around because the branch leader had ordered his men. Until the very end, Baek Ryeo-il looked confused.
Seong Mu-yeon took Namgung Cheon-chu back from the branch leader.
“The orthodox sect bastards never know when to give up. Be careful! He might thrash around again!”
“Give me a knife first.”
It was the moment Seong Mu-yeon received the knife from the branch leader. In a very short moment, Baek Ryeo-il and he exchanged glances.
It was the last moment to decide whether Baek Ryeo-il would trust him or not. Seong Mu-yeon sent him a look filled with desperation.
‘Please trust me.’
“……Ha.”
Baek Ryeo-il scratched the back of his head irritably. Meanwhile, the men in black were gradually closing in to tie him up.
If he didn’t believe Seong Mu-yeon, he would have to be tied up quietly. That was the way to save Namgung Cheon-chu for now.
But what if he believed him…?
“Augh!”
Finally, Baek Ryeo-il made a decision. Instead of being tied up quietly, he kneed Geo-ryang in the chin.
“Keo-eok!”
Geo-ryang’s huge body fell backward at once. The men in black, including the branch leader, were flustered by the unexpected situation.
“B-Baek Ryeo-il! What are you doing! Do you not care if Namgung Cheon-chu dies!”
“Kill him or not, whatever!”
Baek Ryeo-il shouted.
From then on, Baek Ryeo-il was unstoppable. He knocked down Geo-ryang with his bare hands without a sword and sent the men in black flying.
“Euaak!”
“Hey, catch him! He doesn’t even have a weapon now!”
Even without a weapon, they were no match for Baek Ryeo-il. The clearing quickly turned into a scene of carnage.
“I-Is that guy really from the orthodox sect?”
“W-Well, I don’t know… Haha…”
“Young master, please take shelter for now! I’ll take care of him somehow.”
“Okay! I understand!”
Seong Mu-yeon quickly left the scene with Namgung Cheon-chu. One warrior accompanied them.
Seong Mu-yeon secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was alive because Baek Ryeo-il had moved as he intended. His body trembled as he recalled the cold gaze he had shown him earlier.
They returned to the hideout not far away.
Seong Mu-yeon shouted to the warrior who had come with him.
“What are you doing here? The branch leader is suffering outside, so go and help him!”
“Ah, yes, yes!”
Seong Mu-yeon turned his head to the warriors guarding the hallway.
“You too! You too! All of you go and help! The branch leader is in danger! Baek Ryeo-il is rampaging!”
Seong Mu-yeon meticulously went around and urged the warriors.
“Is Demonic Cult life so comfortable? If the branch leader dies, will you take responsibility? Why aren’t you running out there?!”
At first, they were bewildered, but they hurriedly ran outside in the urgent atmosphere.
The hallway was soon empty.
“Young clan leader! Were you very uncomfortable? I’ll untie you right away.”
“…Thank you.”
Namgung Cheon-chu thanked him in a slightly hoarse voice. Seong Mu-yeon also bowed his head.
“Thank you for earlier. We would have been in big trouble if you hadn’t helped us, young clan leader.”
“……”
Namgung Cheon-chu had a bitter expression as if he had eaten shit. No wonder, he had worked with the son of the enemy leader, so he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Before moving to the clearing, Seong Mu-yeon had told Namgung Cheon-chu in advance. He told him that if he had a chance to talk to Baek Ryeo-il, he should make a fuss to attract attention.
“Then shall we go save the hostages?”
Seong Mu-yeon moved his feet, but Namgung Cheon-chu did not follow.
“Young clan leader. Is there a problem?”
Namgung Cheon-chu had a complicated face.
“…I don’t understand. Aren’t you the seventh young master of the Demonic Cult? Why are you helping us?”