Chapter 371: Fight with Style

TL: FoodieMonster007

Baek Jagang was genuinely moved.

Three men now stood where Beoncheon should have fought alone. They could launch a joint attack without damaging Beoncheon's honor before his subordinates. Who else could have achieved this against the Green Slayer Ghost?

He had once scoffed at the idea of being bewitched by the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, but now he had to admit it.

How could one not be captivated by such a person?

Above all, he was grateful for the chance to raise his hand for his disciple. The raw emotion on Bi Sayin's rugged face was plain when he raised his hand. Baek Jagang felt deep regret for ever doubting such a disciple.

This was why he would not trust Geom Mugeuk. Knowing Geom Mugeuk could captivate even him, he would trust him even less. After ninety-nine truths, a single lie could ruin the Evil Alliance. Still, he had to show his gratitude.

Baek Jagang gave Geom Mugeuk a slight nod.

It was not a greeting to the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. It was a greeting from the martial artist Baek Jagang to the martial artist Geom Mugeuk, ignoring age or status. It was a thank you for protecting their honor and their faith in a disciple.

Geom Mugeuk, his expression now serious, bowed his head respectfully in return.

Watching them, the Green Slayer Ghost understood. Geom Mugeuk had orchestrated this from the start. He knew he had been provoked, but he never imagined Geom Mugeuk was working at the Chairman's request.

He wanted to curse Geom Mugeuk, but it would be like spitting into the wind. Instead, his anger turned toward the three men before him.

"Did you think the outcome would change just because there are three of you? You would've died with dignity, but now you'll just die disgracefully, tangled up with each other."

The Green Slayer Ghost believed the result would not change. The fight would only end when one side was annihilated. It was just a matter of order.

"Who should I kill first?"

The three men secretly exchanged telepathy. Bi Sayin took the lead.

[I'll take the center, so please support me from both sides. We must stay within two steps of each other. He'll try to toy with us at first, so we can't miss that chance.]

Bi Sayin burned with determination to kill the Green Slayer Ghost. He did not show it, but he was afraid and trembling. His opponent was a master stronger than them, and the Evil Alliance Chairman and his martial artists were all watching.

He had fought many battles, but he had never trembled like this. The tension came from a single thought.

If I make a mistake, First Wolf and Commander Beoncheon will die.

As the worry made him stiffen, Geom Mugeuk's telepathy arrived.

[Don't worry about the other two.]

Bi Sayin nearly shouted, 'Are you inside my head!'

[If you fight defensively, you'll lose. Fight like it's a one-on-one battle, whether they live or die. That's the only way you can win.]

[!]

He instinctively knew Geom Mugeuk was right. He had to trust the other two. If he tried to protect them, all three would die.

[Fight with style.]

Geom Mugeuk's final advice was unexpected. It was not a command to fight desperately or cautiously. With style. Bi Sayin knew it didn't just mean to be flashy. The strange words felt like a guide.

Right, with style.

Bi Sayin drew his sword, and Beoncheon and First Wolf drew theirs. The martial artists of the Thirteen Evil Wolves and the Extreme Army roared their support. The Fighting Wolfs shouted back, not to be outdone.

Amid the roars, Bi Sayin attacked first. He did not use the Chairman's martial arts, of which he only knew the First Technique. Instead, he used his own fully mastered Four Soul Chasing Swords.

He unleashed the First Sword, Jeolhon. A pure white sword qi raged from his blade like a wave. The Green Slayer Ghost did not evade. He met the attack head-on with a palm technique.

"……"

The ground shook from the explosion. The Green Slayer Ghost blocked the attack without moving a step, as if boasting of his inner arts. At the same time, Beoncheon and First Wolf launched sword qi from the left and right.

Again, the Green Slayer Ghost thrust out both palms and neutralized their attacks. A cloud of dust rose from the explosions.

They expected him to mock them, but the Green Slayer Ghost vanished with the dust cloud.

SHWAAAAK!

In a flash, he appeared behind Bi Sayin, striking down with a palm.

Bi Sayin twisted his body and barely dodged, but he could not avoid the follow-up strike. It was too fast. As Bi Sayin raised his protective qi to brace for impact, First Wolf rushed in and thrust his sword.

First Wolf used the Heavenly Yang Seven Hands. He unleashed the Fast Sun Stance, the fastest of its seven techniques. His attack was desperate, willing to sacrifice himself to save Bi Sayin.

The Green Slayer Ghost abandoned his attack on Bi Sayin and dodged. The fight was in his favor, so there was no need to risk injury. As he dodged, Beoncheon's attack flew at him.

Beoncheon's sword poured down like a torrent. He used the Soul Shocking Sword Technique, a style based on speed and extreme yin.

SHWIK SHWIK SHWIK SHWIK SHWIK!

The Green Slayer Ghost stayed just ahead of the blade's tip, never letting it pierce his body.

The Green Slayer Ghost's speed was incomprehensible for his old body. His movements explained how he had survived for so long.

Bi Sayin unfolded the Second Sword of the Four Soul Chasing Swords, the Soul Binder. Five streams of living sword qi curved through the air to engulf the Green Slayer Ghost.

The Green Slayer Ghost leaped into the air, and the sword qi changed direction to pursue him. They were like dragons chasing a Yeouiju, but they would not get the pearl this time.

After dodging mid-air, the Green Slayer Ghost shot down like a beam of light. His new target was First Wolf.

The Green Slayer Ghost unleashed a series of palm techniques as he descended.

KWANG! KWAAAANG!

The ground where First Wolf had stood exploded and overturned.

First Wolf threw himself aside to dodge. The dust cloud before him parted, and the Green Slayer Ghost charged through. A palm glowing with pure white light flew toward him.

It was the White Bone Piercing Palm, filled with the energy of extreme yin. A direct hit would cause a severe injury.

Too late.

An injury would make him a burden, so First Wolf thrust his sword, intending to trade his life for an arm.

I'm sorry, Young Alliance Chairman! This is as far as I go.

At that moment, the White Bone Piercing Palm changed direction. The Green Slayer Ghost disappeared.

KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAK!

Sword qi swept through the spot where he had been.

It was the Third Sword of the Four Soul Chasing Swords, Cheolhon. The Green Slayer Ghost could have killed First Wolf, but it would have cost him a severe injury, so he twisted away. Bi Sayin had saved First Wolf.

First Wolf had no time to offer thanks. The Green Slayer Ghost was already attacking Beoncheon.

KWAAAANG!

Overpowered, Beoncheon was pushed back. First Wolf flew to him, caught him, and pushed qi into him, stopping their slide.

Bi Sayin unleashed a barrage of attacks to prevent a follow-up. The other two joined in. They fought without thinking of what came next. Conserving inner arts against the Green Slayer Ghost was arrogant. They had to pour everything out before they were depleted.

The Green Slayer Ghost was stronger. His every move was a stream of killing intent, yet in this perilous situation, Bi Sayin felt a glimmer of hope.

We can do this!

Their coordination was better than he had feared, precisely because they were not trying to coordinate. If they had tried to match moves, the fight would have been harder. They would have hesitated, afraid of interfering with an ally's technique. It would have become a series of one-on-one fights.

But now it was different. Bi Sayin fought as if in a duel, unconcerned if his own sword qi injured First Wolf and Beoncheon. The attack that saved First Wolf was a direct result of Geom Mugeuk's advice. He hadn't attacked to save, but to kill. The result was the same, but the mindset was different.

This was only possible because First Wolf and Beoncheon fought better than he expected. In the end, Geom Mugeuk was right. Trusting them and focusing on the fight was the best way.

The leisure vanished from the Green Slayer Ghost's face. The fight was not as easy as he had thought. He had overlooked one fact. All three of them were fighting with their lives on the line.

Beoncheon fought for the honor of the Extreme Army Commander, First Wolf fought to protect Bi Sayin, and Bi Sayin fought for the Chairman and the Evil Alliance.

Frustrated, the Green Slayer Ghost vented his anger on an unrelated target. A palm technique aimed at Bi Sayin suddenly flew toward the watching martial artists of the Extreme Army.

The attack was too fast and powerful for them to dodge. Their deaths would shatter Bi Sayin's focus and satisfy his anger. The men at the front unleashed their own palm techniques and shouted.

"Get back!"

Since they could not dodge, they resolved to use their full power to save their comrades behind them.

KWAAAANG!

An explosion erupted in a cloud of dust. The martial artists at the front looked at each other, unharmed. They should have been swept away by the palm technique.

Baek Jagang had neutralized the attack. His hand was extended, but his gaze remained fixed on the Brawling King. Baek Jagang slowly withdrew his hand.

All the Extreme Army martial artists bowed their heads respectfully. They would be dead if not for the Chairman.

The Brawling King could have attacked, but Geom Mugeuk released his energy as a warning.

If you move, I move.

The Brawling King did not move. He was certain that if he failed to kill Geom Mugeuk today, Geom Mugeuk would become a great threat later, even if he became the Evil Alliance Chairman. Could he stop a prepared Geom Mugeuk?

The Green Slayer Ghost's attack was a signal. The martial artists of the Extreme Army charged the Fighting Wolfs.

"Kill them!"

Both sides rushed each other, their fighting spirit already at its peak from watching the duel. The Thirteen Evil Wolves also joined the fray.

Baek Jagang and the Brawling King did not stop their standoff. They had to fight eventually. With the Thirteen Evil Wolves, the Evil Alliance had the advantage in numbers and skill.

Still, the Brawling King just watched. If he intervened, the Evil Alliance Chairman and Geom Mugeuk would jump in, starting a chaotic melee. He could not easily join even if he wanted to.

Meanwhile, Bi Sayin's fight reached its climax.

SHWAAAAAAK!

The Green Slayer Ghost's fingers bent into a claw as they dug toward Bi Sayin.

He was using his unique martial art, the Bloody Iron Claws, with the White Bone Piercing Palm. Bi Sayin had nearly died from that attack twice before.

The powerful Bloody Iron Claws, able to shatter flesh and bone with a graze, flew toward Bi Sayin's chest. Bi Sayin made a dangerous choice. He failed to completely evade, and the Green Slayer Ghost's fingers scraped across his chest.

KWADEDEUDEDEUK!

In the moment his chest was torn apart, the Green Slayer Ghost thought, Got him!

The fight's balance was broken. The Green Slayer Ghost turned toward Beoncheon with a triumphant smile, but Bi Sayin, who should have been dead, flashed his sword.

SHWIIIIING!

From point-blank range, he unleashed the Fourth Sword of the Four Soul Chasing Swords, Gwanghon.

"……"

Unable to dodge Gwanghon, the Green Slayer Ghost took the blow. He spewed blood from his shoulder and staggered. From the left came the Creation of Souls, the final technique of the Soul Shocking Sword Technique. From the right came the Taeyang Style, the final technique of the Heavenly Yang Seven Hands.

PUUK!

He dodged the Creation of Souls but not the Taeyang Style. As he staggered again.

PUUUUK!

Bi Sayin's sword pierced his chest.

Impaled, the Green Slayer Ghost coughed up blood and stared at Bi Sayin in disbelief.

"…But you were definitely hit by the Bloody Iron Claws?"

The Green Slayer Ghost's eyes fell on Bi Sayin's chest. Two layers of protective armor were torn away. The claws had ripped through the armor but had not reached Bi Sayin's body. The gamble had paid off.

Bi Sayin stared at him and said in a low voice, "Even up close, I'm still better looking."

"…damn it!"

PUK! PUUK!

First Wolf's and Beoncheon's swords flew in, embedding in his neck and heart. The Green Slayer Ghost collapsed, dead on the spot.

The three men sighed in relief. It was their first time coordinating, yet they had killed the Green Slayer Ghost. They exchanged heated glances. No words were needed. They were now comrades who had faced death together.

Bi Sayin looked first at the Evil Alliance Chairman. Baek Jagang gave him a bright smile, the broadest smile Bi Sayin had ever seen from his master. He felt their relationship would start anew from this day.

Bi Sayin's gaze then turned to Geom Mugeuk. He had won because of Geom Mugeuk's telepathy. He won because he poured everything out instead of fighting defensively. He won because he fought as if it were one-on-one.

My life debt to him keeps growing, yet he's looking at me with such a bright smile.

Then, a single line of telepathy arrived from Geom Mugeuk.

[Your fight had style.]

As if in response, the martial artists of the Thirteen Evil Wolves and the Extreme Army roared in unison.

Their battle was over. With the Thirteen Evil Wolves, there was no upset. All the Fighting Wolfs were dead, while the Evil Alliance's casualties were not significant.

Only the Brawling King and vice strategist Hyeok Sagun remained. Hyeok Sagun stood frozen and silent, but the Brawling King was composed. Everyone's gaze fell on the Brawling King.

Geom Mugeuk spoke calmly to him. "You thought from the start that it didn't matter if all these men died."

He was too composed about his men's deaths. Geom Mugeuk was certain he had another trick. He could not be trusting only in his own skill when his opponent was the Evil Alliance Chairman.

"What on earth is the card you've been hiding?"

The Brawling King did not answer, so Baek Jagang finally stepped forward. He walked forward slowly, his presence overwhelming everyone. Baek Jagang slowly drew his sword. An aura more menacing than the blade flowed from his small eyes.

"I'll hear that answer through my sword."