Chapter 82

Support for the Akan Branch (2)

At Namgung Jun's question, the woman muttered as though she couldn't believe it.

"You don't recognize me?"

Looking at him with disappointed eyes, Dan Sohye recalled their first meeting.

Namgung Jun. My first opponent in the placement examination.

It was probably a memory that would remain vivid no matter how many years passed.

It couldn't be helped.

It had been the first truly crushing defeat she had experienced as a martial artist.

Even now, it gives me chills. How was a sword strike like that even possible?

She had faced Namgung Jun as her very first opponent during the placement examination and suffered a humiliating defeat in which her sword was broken in a single blow.

Everything had happened so quickly that it almost felt like a dream.

The current situation felt much the same.

The man who had suddenly appeared and saved her was Namgung Jun.

"We can talk later."

Dan Sohye couldn't take her eyes off him.

Namgung Jun, however, was focused on the demonic cultists appearing one after another from behind.

Trying to remember the identity of a woman he couldn't recognize wasn't important.

Right now, his attention belonged on the enemies before him.

Especially since several of them appeared to be Bright Cult Guards, masters who had reached the Peak Realm.

Bright Cult Guards.

Meeting them again brought back old memories.

Is this the first time since my first mission?

Back then, the difference between them had been overwhelming.

The Bright Cult Guards had already reached the Peak Realm, while Namgung Jun had been little more than a novice who had only recently begun learning martial arts.

That life-and-death battle had been won entirely by relying on the power of his previous life.

At the time, a Bright Cult Guard had been a formidable opponent.

Not anymore.

The cultists before him posed no threat whatsoever.

Even though they were stronger than the Bright Cult Guard he had faced during that first mission.

"I am Namgung Jun of the Changcheon Society."

He announced his name proudly.

As Namgung Jun stepped forward, the cultists instinctively stepped back.

The two Bright Cult Guards leading the detached force, Jeok Mungeom and Ho Gongno, were no exception.

While Namgung Jun casually rested a hand on his sword hilt, tension filled their faces.

Namgung Jun? I've heard the name somewhere before.

Hasn't he been active outside Jiangxi? No title comes to mind.

Yet neither of them lowered their guard.

His exact identity didn't matter.

The aura surrounding him was impossible to gauge accurately.

And despite his youth, he wore the insignia of Three Clouds.

That alone was enough to mark him as a swordsman worthy of caution.

"Attack!"

After staring at Namgung Jun for a moment, Jeok Mungeom chose to strike first.

There were three Three-Cloud members on the enemy side, but the difference in numbers wasn't overwhelming.

Moreover, the Akan Branch survivors had been running for a long time and were far from their best condition.

In a situation like this, seizing the initiative was the smartest option.

The detached force led by Jeok Mungeom and Ho Gongno charged toward Namgung Jun's group.

Jeok Mungeom took the lead.

I'll keep this brat occupied while Ho Gongno deals with the others.

After that, they could slowly wear Namgung Jun down and finish him off.

They would capture the Akan Branch survivors and kill several Three-Cloud members of one of the Changcheon Society's Ten Halls.

An opportunity to double their achievements.

Jeok Mungeom twisted his sword upward from a low position, preparing to slash.

Then—

"Huh?"

His breathing abruptly stopped.

It couldn't be helped.

A massive blue sword wind was rushing toward him with terrifying speed.

It was so enormous and dense that no path of escape existed.

The only option was to meet it head-on.

Yet Jeok Mungeom realized instantly—

Impossible.

He knew his own abilities better than anyone.

The only solution available to him would fail.

All he could do was twitch helplessly.

"Ah..."

BOOOOOM!

A single sword strike.

The upward slash, rising from below with a twist of the wrist, shattered Jeok Mungeom's weapon and severed his head in the same motion.

It was a beautiful sword path in which the destruction of the weapon and the execution of its wielder occurred within a single breath.

The battle had not even properly begun.

Yet Namgung Jun had already decapitated the Bright Cult Guard leading the enemy force with one strike.

"Huh? Jeok Mungeom?"

"What?!"

"No way!"

"The Bright Cult Guard!"

Ho Gongno and the cultists advancing from both flanks froze in horror.

Their opponent had been a Bright Cult Guard.

Granted, individual strength varied greatly, but compared to the Changcheon Society, a Bright Cult Guard was roughly equivalent to a Three-Cloud member.

The gap between them should never have been large enough for a fight to end in a single strike.

Yes! That's exactly it!

Standing nearby, Dan Sohye witnessed Namgung Jun's sword strike from close range.

Unlike the others, she wasn't shocked.

Instead, she felt strangely delighted.

Because she had experienced it herself.

During the placement examination for the First Clouds of the Changcheon Society.

As Namgung Jun's very first opponent, she had lost both her weapon and the match to a single sword strike.

It had been an utterly crushing result.

The clean strike that had just killed Jeok Mungeom reminded her vividly of the placement examination duel.

Of course, the level of the sword had become completely different since then.

It hasn't even been a year yet...

Watching Namgung Jun's back, Dan Sohye found herself filled with questions.

How was something like this possible?

She herself was still a First Cloud.

Only recently had she begun preparing for promotion to Second Cloud.

According to the senior members of the Akan Branch, even that was considered remarkably fast progress.

Though she hadn't shown it outwardly, she had felt rather proud of herself.

But after seeing Namgung Jun, every trace of pride in her accomplishments vanished completely.

"Man Yewon, help the Akan Branch members."

Namgung Jun gave no specific orders to Heo Il or Gong Junam.

Yet the two seemed to understand his intentions perfectly and immediately took positions on his left and right flanks.

"One Bright Cult Guard and twenty ordinary cultists remain. Still quite a large number."

"While Namgung Jun handles the remaining Bright Cult Guard, we'll clean up the rabble."

The three Third Clouds, including Namgung Jun, moved at the same time.

The Sun Moon Demonic Cult's detached force, which had briefly hesitated, began collapsing as it met the three swordsmen head-on.

"Ghk!"

The one most shaken was the elderly Bright Cult Guard, Ho Gongno.

It was only natural.

Jeok Mungeom, who had been stronger than him, had lost his head to a single strike.

Did the Changcheon Society teach him demonic arts or something?!

His footwork seemed capable of extending freely in any direction.

Yet the body supported by those feet advanced with overwhelming pressure, as though no obstacle in existence could impede it.

I can't stop that charge before it reaches me.

Analyzing Namgung Jun's martial arts in an instant through decades of experience, Ho Gongno thrust both palms forward.

From the beginning, he intended to unleash his ultimate technique, force Namgung Jun back, and use the opening to retreat.

He was even prepared to sacrifice his own subordinates as bait.

Survival came first.

"Impossible."

However, Namgung Jun was not merely a talented young martial artist.

The experiences of the Sword Emperor from his previous life erased the weakness of his short cultivation history.

With his only flaw compensated for, there was no martial artist present capable of stopping him.

"Huh?"

Ho Gongno's eyes widened just as he was about to unleash his ultimate technique.

It wasn't the overwhelming heavy sword that had severed Jeok Mungeom's head.

It wasn't a massive sword wind carrying monstrous force.

Instead, a sword strike descended with such speed that it seemed capable of folding space itself.

It was lightning.

A young swordsman wielding lightning-fast swordsmanship.

Only then did Ho Gongno remember Namgung Jun's title.

"The Blue Star Sword!"

Those were his final words.

The sword thrust pierced through his outstretched palm and penetrated his heart in one motion.

Just like Jeok Mungeom, it ended in a single exchange.

"Two Bright Cult Guards with a single strike each?"

"Who in the world is that boy?"

"The Blue Star Sword! The greatest young talent of the righteous path! That must be Namgung Jun!"

Even the surviving members of the Akan Branch couldn't hide their amazement.

Who could have imagined that a young Third Cloud member who appeared out of nowhere would display such overwhelming martial prowess against Bright Cult Guards?

At the very least, one would expect such a performance from a Hall Master of the Fourth Cloud rank.

Dan Sohye stared blankly at Namgung Jun.

I heard the rumors after the Songshan Assembly—that he had been acknowledged as the greatest young talent of the righteous path.

But she hadn't realized the gap had become this large.

How could someone become so strong?

I trained so hard hoping to avenge my defeat in the placement examination.

Looking at the current Namgung Jun, it seemed impossible.

Her competitive spirit vanished, leaving only curiosity behind.

How had Namgung Jun become this powerful?

Her gaze remained fixed on his back.

***

"I see the swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Hall."

A middle-aged man wearing three cloud insignias spoke.

"You have rendered us great assistance. I am the Branch Leader of the Akan Branch."

As the Branch Leader introduced himself, Namgung Jun's group returned the courtesy.

The moment he caught his breath, the Branch Leader asked,

"Did you happen to encounter any warriors from the Iron War Camp on your way here?"

"The Iron War Camp has not appeared yet. Why do you ask?"

"I have learned that not only the Sun Moon Demonic Cult, but the Iron War Camp has also dispatched its warriors to Mount Okhwa."

At the mention of another major force of the Eight Great Heterodox Powers entering the situation, Heo Il narrowed his eyes.

"I heard there was a possibility the Iron War Camp would intervene, but that's troublesome. If they also decide to overwhelm us with numbers, things will get complicated."

The Branch Leader pulled out a bloodstained letter from inside his robes.

"The reason the Sun Moon Demonic Cult relentlessly pursued the Akan Branch all the way to Mount Okhwa. The reason the Iron War Camp is gathering here as well. It's all because of this."

He held up the carefully written document.

Blood from his wounds stained every corner of the paper.

"This must be delivered personally to the Heavenly Sword Hall Master."

Everyone was curious about its contents, but uncovering the details could wait.

The important matter was overcoming the arrival of this new enemy.

Namgung Jun quickly led the Akan Branch survivors down the mountain.

Now that they knew the Iron War Camp was moving, they had to reunite with Lee Seha as quickly as possible.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Boom!

"Left flank! Increase the distance!"

"Hold your positions!"

When they arrived at the designated rendezvous point, they found the Heavenly Sword Hall driving back the Sun Moon Demonic Cult.

At the center stood Lee Seha.

Leading from the front, he cut down the cultists pressing in from both sides with incredible speed.

The veterans riding the momentum created by Lee Seha thoroughly suppressed the enemy's advance.

"Oh? The youngster's coming back."

"Already?"

"This mission will be over soon."

Upon spotting Namgung Jun's group, the Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen gradually advanced.

Their goal was to ensure the safe protection of the Akan Branch survivors who had joined them.

"Master. A complication has arisen."

"You mean those?"

Pulling his sword smoothly from a cultist's chest, Lee Seha pointed beyond a distant ridgeline.

The location was still beyond the reach of Namgung Jun's spiritual senses.

Yet his eyes could clearly see it.

A massive cloud of dust rising beyond the ridge.

Within the swelling dust cloud, countless silhouettes gradually emerged.

"So those are the Iron War Camp forces."

"Most likely. If someone is causing this much trouble in Jiangxi Province, it can only be them."

The Akan Branch Leader had been correct.

A new presence could now be felt in the distance.

Their numbers seemed to be around fifty.

Yet their perfectly unified aura swelled so powerfully that it felt as though an army of a hundred martial artists was advancing.

Simply marching in formation created the same oppressive pressure as a grand sword formation.

It was military aura in its purest form.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire."

"Those troublesome bastards finally showed up."

"Everyone, steady your breathing."

The Heavenly Sword Hall clearly held the advantage.

Under Lee Seha's command, they had slain every Bright Cult Guard present and maintained their momentum through overwhelming quality.

However, there were still many surviving cultists fighting desperately.

The arrival of the Iron War Camp at such a moment was unwelcome.

Yet the Heavenly Sword Hall felt no fear.

Without receiving any additional orders, each swordsman calmly moved to their assigned position.

The members of the Heavenly Sword Hall gathered around Lee Seha.

Naturally, Lee Seha stood at the center.

With the entire Heavenly Sword Hall at his back, he spoke.

"Formation."

It was the very first moment that the Great Convergence Sword Formation, refined by Namgung Jun's own hands, revealed itself on the battlefield.