The Vulture Siblings (6)
Bae Jonggwan roared toward the Justice Alliance with a booming voice.
— "I am Bae Jonggwan, the eldest of the Five Eagle Siblings! Out of all five hundred brothers of the Justice Alliance, is there truly no one left who dares to face me?!"
Since Bae Jonggwan had felled Yang Ho-ung, not a single challenger had stepped forward from the Justice Alliance's side.
Unable to wait any longer, he bellowed provocatively. Yet even then, none dared to come forth.
Yang Ho-ung had been considered one of the greatest among the Justice Alliance's first-class warriors—possessing enormous strength, innate agility, and superb battle instincts. Even among his peers, he was someone to avoid.
And yet, Bae Jonggwan had silenced him with a single punch that shattered his jaw. Who could possibly step up against such a man?
As their supposed trump card lay broken, Hwang Jang-gon's face grew more and more distorted.
In contrast, the Sword Mountain Sect Master, Heo Gyeong, burst into raucous laughter among his men.
"Wahahahahaha! Oh, this is priceless! Out of five hundred men, not a single one dares to step forward?! Wahahahahaha! Refreshing! Truly delightful!"
He could not recall a time in his life when he had felt such satisfaction. If he could, he would have rushed straight across to see Hwang Jang-gon's expression up close.
After laughing his fill, Heo Gyeong suddenly sobered and called for the Outer Commander, Heo Jeonsam.
"Outer Commander!"
Startled, Heo Jeonsam—who had also been laughing contentedly beside him—snapped to attention.
"Y-Yes, Sect Master!"
Heo Gyeong looked at him with eyes full of fire, then suddenly lunged forward and embraced him tightly.
"Uwah!"
"Well done! Well done indeed! Where on earth did you find such talents?! All this is thanks to you! I owe you my gratitude!"
While Heo Gyeong rejoiced, a voice suddenly shouted out from among the Justice Alliance warriors.
"Hmph! So you grew arrogant after defeating Yang Ho-ung with nothing more than cheap brute force! Now, this elder will deal with you!"
The ones who leapt out were none other than the Five Swift Blades—renowned saber masters who had made quite a name for themselves in Sichuan.
All five were first-class warriors, famous not only for their fast saber techniques but also for their swift footwork.
Hwang Jang-gon, who had been scowling over whom to send out, let out a low murmur of approval when they charged forward on their own.
He could guess what they had in mind.
A warrior at his side asked cautiously:
"Will that be enough? The Five Swift Blades are skilled, but they're not stronger than Yang Ho-ung."
Hwang Jang-gon nodded knowingly.
"True, they are weaker. But tell me, have you seen that Bae Jonggwan move quickly even once?"
"Eh? Ahh… no."
"Precisely. They must intend to use their speed to confuse him, then find his weak point to strike."
Meanwhile, Seonu Jin—watching from concealment—had a similar thought.
'If this goes well…'
He quickly spoke to Bi Sa-yeong at his side.
"Sayoung! Go to Lady Cheongyeon right now and relay my words to her."
"Huh? What words?"
"If…"
When Bi Sa-yeong heard, his eyes widened in shock.
"What?! Is that really possible?"
"Probably."
"Heh, got it. I'll go right away!"
As Bi Sa-yeong hurried toward the Sword Mountain side, Seonu Jin explained the rest of his plan to Sak Muhun.
After hearing it all, Sak Muhun nodded.
"Understood. I'll do as you say. But… are you sure that man will be fine? From the looks of it, the enemy's plan to exploit his lack of speed doesn't sound entirely wrong."
But Seonu Jin only smiled faintly.
"Jonggwan is indeed slow—compared to me or Sayoung. But lately, he's devised counters for faster opponents as well."
At that moment, Cho woo-seon, eldest of the Five Swift Blades, stood across from Bae Jonggwan, blade aimed from a distance.
"If you could withstand Yang Ho-ung's axes with your body, then your weak points must be all the more fatal. I'll take my time uncovering them."
All external arts practitioners had their jowon—weak points where their body could not be hardened. The higher one's level, the more critical those weaknesses became.
Thus, Cho woo-seon was announcing his intent to expose and strike Bae Jonggwan's jowon.
Without a word, Bae Jonggwan reached behind him, pulled down the short saber and long staff strapped to his back, and quickly assembled them into a long guandao.
It was the very weapon Seonu Jin had once gifted him after taking it from the Black Elephant Gang.
Seeing this, Cho woo-seon scoffed.
"Hmph! Extending your reach to keep me at bay? Clever. But don't think such a trick can catch my footwork. Now then, shall we begin?!"
He crouched low, preparing to spring forward.
But in that instant—
Pababak!
Bae Jonggwan's massive frame exploded forward first.
He charged like a boulder flung from a catapult.
"Wh-What?!"
Caught just as he was about to advance, Cho woo-seon's eyes went wide as he twisted to evade.
But at that very moment, Bae Jonggwan's guandao swept horizontally in a colossal arc.
Buaaaang!
The enormous half-moon slash left Cho woo-seon no time. He swung his saber desperately to deflect it.
"Yaaahhh!"
But it was futile.
Chaekang!
The moment the guandao, powered by Bae Jonggwan's monstrous strength, struck, Cho woo-seon's saber shattered like a reed.
"W-What?!"
And it didn't stop there.
The guandao continued, brutally cleaving through Cho woo-seon's body.
Puhaaaak!
"Gughk!"
In a single strike, his torso and legs were severed apart.
The carnage was reminiscent of Yang Ho-ung's earlier brutality—but far more devastating in scale.
For a moment, silence blanketed the field.
Both Justice Alliance and Sword Mountain warriors stared, mouths agape.
Then, the cheers erupted—this time from the Sword Mountain side.
"Waaaaaahhh!"
"Amazing!"
"Bae Jonggwan!"
"The Five Eagle Siblings!"
The remaining brothers of the Five Swift Blades also cried out, but in grief.
"Eldest Brother!"
"You bastard!"
"My turn next! I'll kill you myself!"
"No, woo-sang! It's my turn! Wait your turn!"
"But Second Brother!"
As the siblings argued over who would go next, Bae Jonggwan lowered into stance again, his face cold.
To face such opponents one by one was troublesome.
While Cho woo-yeong was still saying, "If I fall, then avenge me, U-sang…!" he never finished.
Because—
Pababak!
Bae Jonggwan suddenly launched forward without warning, charging straight at them.
"You bastard?!"
"What's he doing?!"
The brothers panicked, raising their blades.
But by then, Bae Jonggwan was already upon them, sweeping his guandao once more in a devastating half-moon arc.
Buaaaang!
Like their eldest, they too could not withstand it.
Chaekang! Puhaaaak!
"Guaaahhh!"
"Ughhh!"
"Khuuurgh!"
"Graahhh!"
In a single blow, all four were split apart with their weapons.
Even hardened warriors accustomed to slaughter found the sight surreal.
The Justice Alliance fell silent in horror.
The Sword Mountain sect, after a stunned pause, erupted in the loudest cheer yet.
"Waaaaaahhh!"
"The Diamond Titan, Bae Jonggwan!"
"The Reborn Xiang Yu, Bae Jonggwan!"
Even Hwang Jang-gon of the Justice Alliance and Heo Gyeong of Sword Mountain stood slack-jawed, staring at Bae Jonggwan.
At that moment, Heo Jeonsam, having received a sound transmission from Hae Cheongyeon, urgently whispered to Heo Gyeong.
"Sect Master! Now is the time!"
"Huh? What do you mean, now?"
"You must strike now! A chance like this may never come again!"
"Huh?"
Heo Gyeong blinked at the sudden words, but then realization dawned.
He looked around.
The Sword Mountain warriors' morale was at its peak. The Justice Alliance warriors' spirits were utterly crushed.
It was undeniably the perfect moment, one that would never come again.
True, they had agreed today to settle things with single combat, not open war. But that was Hwang Jang-gon's proposal, not something Heo Gyeong himself had sworn to.
Yet even so, he hesitated, muttering with an uneasy face:
"But… what about those two unknown peerless experts? If they reveal themselves, no matter how high our morale is, we could still lose…"
At that, Heo Jeonsam declared with full confidence.
"I made some inquiries myself, and it seems those experts have temporarily returned to the Justice Alliance's main headquarters. That means the only peerless master they currently have here is Hwang Janggon."
In truth, it wasn't his own investigation but information that Hae Cheongyeon had given him. Still, at this point, Heo Jeonsam would have believed her even if she said fish could fly through the heavens.
Being the daughter of the Sword Saint was reason enough to trust her—but coupled with the breathtaking feats of the Five Eagle Siblings thus far, his faith in her was absolute.
Heo Gyeong shared a similar sentiment toward Heo Jeonsam. If Heo Jeonsam was the one who had brought the Five Eagle Siblings here and enabled such accomplishments, then his words were certainly worth trusting.
With shining eyes, Heo Gyeong asked:
"Is that true, Outer Commander?"
"Yes! Without a doubt!"
Heo Gyeong smiled grimly and swept his gaze over the Sword Mountain warriors.
Then, raising his voice, he declared:
— "Hear me, disciples of the Sword Mountain Sect!"
The sudden call made the Sword Mountain warriors still their cheers and prick up their ears.
— "Those hypocrites of the Justice Alliance once launched a cowardly, unannounced ambush against us! In doing so, they slaughtered our Vice Sect Master and two hundred of our brothers!"
Of course, that was a lie. It hadn't been the Justice Alliance that struck first, nor were the deaths of the Vice Sect Master and two hundred disciples the result of a surprise attack. In truth, Sword Mountain had been the ones to propose a meeting and attempt an ambush themselves. But such details hardly mattered to men branded as heretics.
What mattered was that the Justice Alliance struck first, and because of that, the Vice Sect Master and two hundred of their brothers were dead.
With their morale already surging, the Sword Mountain warriors now erupted with uncontrollable fury.
"Cowards!"
"Hypocrites of the righteous sects!"
"Let us have our revenge!"
"Repay the blood debt of our brothers!"
Heo Gyeong waited a moment, letting the anger boil over, then raised his voice again in satisfaction.
— "Disciples! Can you forgive those hypocrites?!"
"Never!"
— "Can you forget the blood debt of your brothers?!"
"Never!"
— "Then what must we do?!"
With that, the Sword Mountain warriors unsheathed their weapons, raising them high to the sky as they roared with all their might:
"Revenge!"
Now, Sect Master Heo Gyeong leapt forward himself, shouting:
— "Yes! Revenge! And now is the time! Sword Mountain warriors, follow me!"
"Waaaaaaaah!"
At his lead, the Sword Mountain warriors surged forward like a crashing tide.
It was a furious charge, fearless and unstoppable.
"Fools! I was even going to spare you, but so be it!"
Caught off guard by the unexpected advance, Hwang Janggon snarled viciously and shouted at the Justice Alliance warriors:
"Prepare for battle! Show these heretical dogs the might of the Justice Alliance!"
Then he turned toward the rear and called out:
"You two as well—be ready! Let us strike Heo Gyeong together!"
Those two unknown experts—peerless masters whom the Alliance Lord had assigned to accompany him—were still waiting in the rear. He disliked their vague identities, but as long as they were there, victory was certain.
Even if his men's morale had plummeted, if he, together with those two peerless masters, killed Heo Gyeong, the enemy's spirit would be crushed instead.
Yet as Hwang Janggon looked back expectantly, he faltered.
The two peerless masters who should have been waiting in the rear did not move forward.
And in the meantime, the Sword Mountain warriors had already charged to within just ten jang.
Their chance to properly prepare a defense had slipped away.
Forced into a corner, Hwang Janggon tried to issue an order.
"Everyone, cha—"
But he had forgotten something.
Someone had already broken ahead of the Sword Mountain charge.
"Steel Meteor!"
Like a charging rhinoceros, Bae Jonggwan smashed into the foremost ranks of the Justice Alliance warriors.
Kwaaaaaang!
"Uwaaaaahhh!"
"Gaaaahhh!"
"Guurghhh!"
With his sheer body slam alone, more than ten Justice Alliance warriors were flung through the air as if weightless. The sight was utterly surreal.
Having cleared the space around him in a single collision, Bae Jonggwan did not stop.
He stepped forward once more, spun his massive body, and unleashed his guandao in a sweeping arc.
Buaaaaang!
The massive full moon slash he carved through the air was dyed crimson in an instant.
Jjeojeojeong!
Puhwaaaak!
"Arghhh!"
"Gaaahhh!"
"Spare meee!"
No man, no weapon, could stop the bloody moon drawn by Bae Jonggwan's guandao.
For warriors below the level of upper first-class, his monstrous strength was nothing less than a calamity.
But the stronger ones—those of upper first-class or higher—quickly recognized two facts: Bae Jonggwan's guandao was not particularly fast, and every time he swung it horizontally, it left a gaping weakness above.
So as he slashed horizontally again, several first-class warriors leapt high, aiming to descend upon his exposed head.
Pababak!
"Got him!"
"Die, you bastard!"
Even if they could not pierce his hardened body right away, once they closed in and stabbed repeatedly, his weak points would eventually reveal themselves.
Or so they thought—until a figure suddenly shot out from behind Bae Jonggwan like a flying tiger.
A handsome man wielding a long spear, reminiscent of Zhao Yun of the Three Kingdoms.
"Haaaap!"
His spear split into a dozen streaks of light, sweeping away the Justice Alliance warriors who had leapt toward Bae Jonggwan.
Pusushushushuk!
"W-What?!"
"A master! He's a master!"
"Guuhhh!"
The dead could not realize it, but he was none other than the second of the Five Eagle Siblings—the one who had introduced himself as Seol Pung.
Behind him, the remaining three sisters of the Five Eagle Siblings surged into the Justice Alliance ranks.
Puhwaaaak!
"Aaaghhh!"
"Spare meee!"
And they were joined by Je Wonyeong, the Sword of Jeomchang, and three of his fellow disciples.
Shiiing!
"Guuhk!"
"W-What is this?! Aaaaghh!"
Of all Jeomchang's disciples, Je Wonyeong was acknowledged as the second greatest. Against his sword, no one lasted more than two strikes.
One after another, men fell without even glimpsing his blade.
Seol Pung, Hae Cheongyeon, Je Wonyeong—all three were peerless experts disguised as first-class warriors. There was no way the Justice Alliance could resist them.
Nor could they organize any defense.
"What are you doing?! We outnumber them! Just form ranks and—Guhhh!"
Every time a commander tried to rally the lines, he fell dead without understanding why.
— "That's twelve."
— "Seventeen, Seonu Jin. Still too few."
Hidden in the shadows, Sak Muhun and Seonu Jin were silently assassinating the Justice Alliance commanders.
Their formation collapsed at terrifying speed.
Then, as the Sword Mountain warriors struck with full momentum, the disparity between two hundred and five hundred men became meaningless.
Hwang Janggon could only grit his teeth as he watched the slaughter unfold.
He longed to rush in and stop the collapse, but he could not.
For before him now stood another peerless master—Sect Master Heo Gyeong of Sword Mountain.
Heo Gyeong sneered savagely.
"Hwang Janggon! Why don't you try flapping that mouth of yours again?!"
Hwang Janggon's face twisted.
By his estimate, Heo Gyeong was in the same realm as himself, a peerless master with seventy to eighty years of inner strength.
Victory would not come easily. Their duel would be decided not only by skill, but by the circumstances of the battlefield around them.
And when he looked around…
All he saw was the wholesale slaughter of his men.
It was utter defeat.