Swish!!
“Phew.”
With a sigh, Feng Ying Hall Master managed to suppress the Blood Person targeting a Martial Forest Alliance member by throwing Hidden Weapons at the last moment.
The resistance from the Blood Sect was fierce.
They used the highly detrimental Blood Burst technique without hesitation, pouring out unfamiliar Blood Sect techniques without restraint.
Though the Martial Forest Alliance had the upper hand in skill and numbers, they couldn’t escape hardship against the Blood People who used bizarre and foul techniques without hesitation.
However, as time passed, the Martial Forest Alliance gradually began to seize the advantage.
This was primarily because their combat power outmatched that of the Blood Sect.
“Surrender! We will spare your lives if you do so!”
Moyong Seo shouted at the Blood Person before him.
“Ha ha ha!! You’re kidding!”
The Blood Person, already bleeding from using the Blood Burst technique internally, turned away while scoffing at Moyong Seo’s words.
It was just then that Moyong Seo frowned and opened his mouth to say something.
“Blood Sect’s Resurrection, Unite the World!”
“Blood Sect’s Resurrection, Unite the World!”
A slogan that began to resound from somewhere quickly spread like wildfire.
“Blood Sect’s Resurrection, Unite the World!”
Feeling a sense of foreboding at the Blood Person shouting the slogan, Moyong Seo attacked the opposing Blood Person, but the Blood Person moved first.
Rushing towards somewhere without hesitation to expose their back.
‘They are trying to assist the Saber Beast!’
“Martial Forest Alliance members, listen!! The Blood People are targeting the Brain Knife Outcast!”
Moyong Seo shouted with internal power, pursuing the Blood Person who had turned their back and swinging his sword.
Thud!
Moyong Seo’s sword pierced the Blood Person’s back, but.
“Ha ha ha!!”
The Blood Person had already sent the scattered blood mist flying toward Ho Cheon-an’s group, who were fighting the Saber Beast.
“No!”
The blood mist might be fatal in the duel between the Saber Beast and Ho Cheon-an.
As Moyong Seo’s mind painted a grim future for not being able to stop the Blood Person scattering the blood mist in time, something flew towards the flying blood mist.
‘A tile?’
Swish!
Seeing the tiles flying in and neatly dealing with the blood mist, Moyong Seo turned his gaze to the direction from which the tiles flew.
There was Feng Ying Hall Master, holding a roof tile, situated atop the Palace Hall.
Observing the surroundings, it seemed that the Blood People were crashing in like moths to a flame, but it was already a desperate struggle of a beaten group. With the Escort Team blocking in front and Martial Forest Alliance members dealing with those Blood People from behind, they could sufficiently hold them off before attacking Oh Seong-jin.
Though the Blood People couldn’t break through the defensive line, the attacks of those throwing Blood Bullets and Blood Mist were being blocked by Feng Ying Hall Master.
Only after confirming that the battle situation was stable did Moyong Seo breathe a sigh of relief, only for his gaze to fall on a fallen Blood Person.
‘These ruthless guys.’
Moyong Seo shook his head.
To attack Ho Cheon-an’s group, even at the cost of their own lives!
The swift reaction to the slogan meant they had already set up a strategy.
No matter how much protecting the Entity was the path to victory, Moyong Seo shuddered at the Blood Sect’s callousness in devising a strategy where people willingly tossed aside their lives for victory.
Kraaaang!!
Moyong Seo’s gaze turned back to the battlefield between Ho Cheon-an’s group and the Saber Beast.
Hyeok Gi-rin and Miss Yeo Il-ye displayed swift starts and stops. The movements of the Black Cat were reminiscent of flowing water. Dokgo I-seol dazzled with footwork that misled their opponents while Ho Cheon-an exhibited straightforward movements yet stayed ever-ready to strike.
The dynamic, harmonious movements of the Ho Cheon-an group matched seamlessly with the actions of the Saber Beast, making it hard to believe they were in the midst of an Array Formation.
Moyong Seo absorbed that sight without missing a beat.
The group of the Blood Sect inside Botamun had been mostly subdued. The success of the operation depended on the outcome of the duel between Ho Cheon-an’s group and the Saber Beast.
‘Unique and astonishing.’
Even the experienced Moyong Seo found this type of Array Formation to be unprecedented.
He was impressed by the motions of Ho Cheon-an’s group.
With five people showcasing distinctly different martial arts so freely, even Moyong Seo found it difficult to decipher the complex movements of Oh Seong-jin.
Was that all?
Though Miss Yeo Il-ye’s internal power was exceptional, it was astonishing that they held an advantage against the Saber Beast with only five individuals.
‘But it’s regrettable.’
However, as the amazement faded, Moyong Seo began to notice the flaws of Oh Seong-jin.
The advantage of the Array was its nimbleness.
To achieve that nimbleness, they had to limit their numbers.
If they performed such complex movements, the difficulty of the Array would exponentially increase with each additional person.
And with the necessity to maintain a small group, they’d lack the strength to engage powerful Entities head-on.
The reason Ho Cheon-an and his group couldn’t easily take down the Saber Beast was due to this limitation.
While Ho Cheon-an’s group held an advantage against the Saber Beast, they still couldn’t finish it off, which was peculiar.
Moyong Seo pursued the battle between Ho Cheon-an’s group and the Saber Beast with his eyes as he contemplated his thoughts.
‘No, this is not primarily a matter of brute strength.’
The downside was speed.
To be precise, it was the speed of changing the Array.
If the types of the Array varied, naturally, the transitions between types should flow seamlessly to exert full power, but Ho Cheon-an’s group did not manage to achieve that.
They exhibited agility that was surprising for an Array but not enough to keep up with the movements of the Saber Beast.
If they could exchange techniques while maintaining a fluid flow in the tactics, Ho Cheon-an’s performance of the Array would become a top-tier technique recognized across the world.
While Moyong Seo was evaluating this internally,
The clash between the Saber Beast and Oh Seong-jin reached its climax.
Even with the regenerative power to recover from wounds, the relentless offense started to weaken the Saber Beast’s body.
Though it may have been weakened, it still unleashed the power in its front paw strong enough to propel dirt into the air.
Matching the Saber Beast’s attack, Oh Seong-jin took on a form resembling ice.
Crash!!
From the dual-wielding of the Black Cat came a torrent of Nine Yin techniques.
The Nine Yin attacked not just the Saber Beast’s front paw but the ground it disrupted. The rapidly freezing ground made it difficult for the Saber Beast to extract its claws.
As the Saber Beast shifted its weight backward to roughly pull out its front paw, it was already a step too late given how drained it was.
Boom!!
Before it could fully regain its center of balance, the thunderous roar echoed.
Moyong Seo felt the force of the thunder that exploded the Array’s Qi coursing through his entire body. Just the slight impact that leaked out was enough to leave one’s body tingling.
Riding that force, Ho Cheon-an’s sword collided with the Saber Beast’s giant teeth, and soon cracks began to appear in those teeth before they ultimately shattered.
Thud!
Ho Cheon-an’s Great Sword pierced through the roof of its mouth all the way to its head, and following in Ho Cheon-an’s wake, the explosive energy from the thunder ripped through the Saber Beast’s head.
The Saber Beast’s head tilted to the side.
Kuuong!!
With a large vibration, the Saber Beast’s head hit the ground. Its gaping mouth showed no signs of closing, and its drooping tongue hinted that the Saber Beast’s life had ended.
As Ho Cheon-an observed the Saber Beast’s head while withdrawing his sword, Moyong Seo raised one hand high.
“We’ve defeated the forces of the Blood Sect!”
“Waaah!!”
Revealing the ambition of uniting the world, the Blood Sect appeared alongside the Entity.
This was the first successful counterattack from the Martial Forest Alliance against the Blood Sect.
* *
They reclaimed Botamun.
With faces full of emotion, the nuns and tearful Buddhist Disciples returned to the damaged Botamun.
Considering the situation where Botamun had been destroyed and set ablaze at the hands of the Blood Sect, it wasn’t an environment conducive to human habitation, but for the disciples of Botamun, the environment wasn’t what mattered.
Meanwhile, interrogations against the surviving remnants of the Blood Sect were in progress.
The interrogation was ongoing, but so far, nothing had been revealed, and even when it was completed, it seemed unlikely they would obtain any useful information.
Those interrogated had never met an Entity or seen its hidden lair, aside from the Saber Beast.
It would have been beneficial if they could grab on to even a hint about other Entities through the interrogation.
Both Nana and Black Cat sought out Moyong Seo wanting to participate in the interrogation, but he refused, saying,
“Your enthusiasm is commendable, but there are distinct roles. You two should prepare thoroughly for any potential Entity attacks.”
He was declining, saying not to waste energy on unnecessary tasks, as they were powers capable of responding to the Blood Sect’s entities.
In some way, it felt like being forced into a break.
While the disciples of Botamun were diligently moving to restore the temple, members of the Martial Forest Alliance were busy with interrogation and guarding Botamun, but.
“That person is the Brain Knife Outcast Great Hero!”
“Hey, I expected him to be a pretty boy leading several Misses, but I’m disappointed!”
“That lady beside him is too precious!”
…I found myself in a leisurely situation receiving a face evaluation from the children of Botamun peeking through the collapsed wall.
“These brats!!”
“Eek! Master!”
The kids were soon caught by a nun cleaning the premises and ended up getting scolded.
“Benefactor! I apologize. They are just children and don’t know better.”
“Ha ha. It’s alright.”
“Quickly, apologize!”
“Sorry for having an ordinary face!”
“Sorry for leading many Misses!”
“These brats!”
Ultimately, the girls received a smack on the head and left with a frown after offering a genuine apology along with the nun.
Black Cat chuckled watching their antics.
“I’m saying I’m precious, but you should focus, Senior, and do well.”
“Yes.”
For some reason, I couldn’t manage to expand my Qi in front of Black Cat. I turned my gaze towards the girls being dragged away by the nun.
They looked to be around the age of Sara from Podalap Palace. Yes, when curiosity was at its peak, and they were poking around everywhere.
I wondered how Sara was doing.
It suddenly struck me that performing a magic show for the little disciples of Botamun over here wouldn’t be a bad idea.
After all, someone had to keep an eye on the kids, so why not give it a try?
“Eh, but honestly, the face isn’t great…”
“I think Moyong Mo, the older brother from the Moyong Clan, is way better-looking!”
“I’m the Taoist from the Mu-dang Sect!”
The magic show is off.
Not because I was overshadowed by the Mu-dang Sect’s Taoist who was the head of the Escort Team or being judged as Ho Cheon-an under Moyong Mo, but because I had busy matters at hand.
“Sigh.”
I hadn’t really been hurt, but as I momentarily lost my thoughts, the scars left by the Saber Beast caught my eye.
Right, it was about that.
The Saber Beast.
The fight with the Saber Beast wasn’t easy. Somehow I won, but if I were to recount the process, it wouldn’t be strange to call it a half-victory.
While I held a slight advantage over the Saber Beast by thoroughly executing Oh Seong-jin’s basic form, in reality, that advantage wasn’t solely because of my own strength but rather thanks to the presence of Miss Yeo Il-ye within the Array’s members.
Due to Miss Yeo Il-ye’s substantial internal power, even with five people, the energy they operated was double that of their number.
Thanks to that situation, I could injure the Saber Beast’s hide without focusing my strength. It couldn’t be said that I had subdued it solely through the power of the Five Elements Array.
How should I put it?
It felt as if I had acquired newly increased martial arts and won by overpowering the opponent with internal power and strength instead of harnessing the nuanced techniques of my training?
Though I had won immediately, a lingering unease remained.
I hadn’t managed to avoid hardship against the Saber Beast, and there were still heaps of Blood Sect entities left to deal with.
The Saber Beast was certainly one of the stronger entities we had faced, but there likely would be even more powerful entities among the Blood Sect’s remaining forces.
It wasn’t without reason that Seo Mun-yeon had urged for strength in Oh Seong-jin.
…As I was lost in that thought, I began to feel a very cold gaze from the side.
The Black Cat narrowed her eyes, looking at me.
It was a chilling gaze that froze my spine.
“Senior, you aren’t having ominous thoughts, are you?”
“I’m not thinking anything ominous?”
“…Ugh. Just don’t say it.”
When I returned to the lodging with the Black Cat, who was blasting cold air,
“You’re back.”
Moyong Yeon-hwa was waiting for me, receiving the hostile gazes of the group.
