Chapter 38
"I am Ju Gwang-do, the leader of this Muho Mountain Stronghold!"
His fierce aura and appearance, reminiscent of a giant wild boar, was terrifying enough to make any ordinary person's knees buckle.
The superhuman strength he displayed was also incredible.
But despite his dramatic entrance, the White Wolf Unit showed no signs of fear.
After all, they had an even greater monster among them.
"Tsk tsk, quite the loud mouth for a mere mountain bandit," Gu Tae-san stepped forward.
He looked at Ju Gwang-do, whose muscles were bulging as if about to burst, with utter disdain.
Ju Gwang-do snarled fiercely in response.
"I've never lost a contest of strength to anyone before, you ignorant pup who doesn't know to fear tigers!"
Gu Tae-san laughed heartily at Ju Gwang-do's boastful words.
"Is that so? What a coincidence. The same goes for me. Shall we see right here who's really the frog in the well?"
"Hmph! You dare!"
With those words, Ju Gwang-do swiftly launched his body towards Gu Tae-san.
It was an incredibly swift and sharp movement that didn't match his huge build at all.
Then he raised his massive axe high and swung it down with all his might.
As if intending to cleave Gu Tae-san in two with a single strike.
The sound of the axe cutting through the air was deafening.
But then,
*Crash!*
Ju Gwang-do's axe, which should have split Gu Tae-san's head in two, struck the ground once again.
Somehow, Gu Tae-san had appeared behind him.
Ju Gwang-do, having failed his attack, gritted his teeth and raised his axe again.
"You coward!"
"Coward?"
"Yes, you talk of testing our strength but then cowardly dodge without shame!"
"Haha. You must be the only person in the world who calls dodging an opponent's attack in a fight cowardly. Are you ignorant or just stupid?"
"You bastard!"
This time, Ju Gwang-do swung his axe even faster and wider, as if determined not to let Gu Tae-san dodge again.
But Gu Tae-san easily avoided that attack as well.
"At this rate, you won't even graze me. Even a turtle would be faster than you. Tsk tsk."
"Shut up! I'll split your head in two! Die!"
Thoroughly provoked, Ju Gwang-do swung his axe fiercely once more.
This attack was aimed precisely at Gu Tae-san's neck.
But,
*Clang!*
Gu Tae-san swung his greatsword with one hand and blocked Ju Gwang-do's full-power attack. No, he deflected it.
"Urgh!"
Ju Gwang-do nearly lost his grip on the axe. His hands were that numb.
*No, how... This can't be happening!*
Ju Gwang-do was utterly shocked right now.
He had never once been overpowered in a simple contest of strength before. This was his first time experiencing something like this.
He was simply dumbfounded and at a loss.
"What's wrong? Surprised? Looks like you're the frog in the well after all."
"W-What? You bastard! Getting cocky over one lucky break! Fine, I'll tear you to pieces today!"
Ju Gwang-do's shock and confusion turned to rage at Gu Tae-san's words.
He then swung his axe with all his might.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The axe cut through the air with a vicious sound.
With each massive swing, the ground was gouged and trees were felled.
But Gu Tae-san dodged those attacks with ease.
"Eek!"
Realizing this wasn't working, Ju Gwang-do suddenly pulled out his ultimate technique.
"I won't hold back anymore!"
His eyes gleamed.
"Great Strength Slash!"
Twisting his body with all his might, he swung the axe in the opposite direction, putting every ounce of strength into it. Even at a glance, the attack looked terrifying.
That fierce attack flew towards Gu Tae-san as if it would cut him in two horizontally.
But Gu Tae-san's face remained unimpressed as he watched the attack approach.
"You're less impressive than I thought."
Just as the axe blade was about to strike him,
"Hah!"
Gu Tae-san's eyes flashed open and he swung his greatsword diagonally to meet the incoming axe blade.
*Clang!*
With a pain like his hand was being crushed, Ju Gwang-do's axe flew far away and embedded itself in the ground.
"Argh!"
His palm was torn and bleeding profusely.
While Ju Gwang-do trembled in pain, clutching his hand, Gu Tae-san looked at him with an unperturbed expression.
Ju Gwang-do was now completely defenseless.
Gu Tae-san raised his sword high and grinned.
"Is this all you've got?"
"W-What?"
"Then let's end this. I've lost interest now. Farewell, frog in the well."
"N-No! W-Wait!"
Though Ju Gwang-do tried to cry out in panic, Gu Tae-san struck him down as if there was nothing more to see.
*Slash!*
Gu Tae-san's sword sliced Ju Gwang-do's neck, but due to how thick his neck was, he narrowly avoided instant death.
However, the ground was already soaked with his blood.
"Gurgle."
Death seemed unavoidable.
But in the midst of coughing up blood, he suddenly started cackling.
"Heh... hehehe!"
Laughing? At the moment of death?
Gu Tae-san and the others watching all wore puzzled expressions.
"Foolish bastards... You don't even realize... you've walked into your own graves..."
Ju Gwang-do pointed at the White Wolf Unit with his finger and sneered.
Even as dark red blood poured from his chest and mouth.
The sight sent chills down the spines of those watching.
"You'll all... regret... coming here. You'll all die... gurgle."
But soon after, his massive body finally collapsed to the ground with a thud.
For some reason, his face looked utterly resentful.
What could those final words of his have meant?
Were they simply a curse born of resentment? Or...
There was no way to ask the now-dead man his reasons.
In any case, Ju Gwang-do, the leader of the Muho Mountain Stronghold, met his end like that.
But as he watched this scene unfold, Yeo Un-hwi's eyes had narrowed.
He felt something was off.
Meanwhile, Gu Tae-san finished cutting off Ju Gwang-do's head and held it up high.
"I've taken the leader's head. The rest of you, throw down your weapons!"
Normally in this situation, the remaining subordinates would completely lose the will to fight and throw their weapons to the ground of their own accord.
That was how they typically surrendered.
But,
"Huff! Huff!"
None of the surviving bandits threw down their weapons and surrendered.
On the contrary, they gripped their weapons even tighter, as if unwilling to give up.
It was truly strange.
Looking closely, their faces were contorted with fear.
While it was natural to be afraid in this situation, the problem was that their fear didn't seem to be directed at the White Wolf Unit.
"I-If this continues, w-we'll all die. All of us."
"Y-Yeah. Everything went wrong from that day. Everything. Damn it. Damn it all."
Incomprehensible words spilled from their mouths.
"What, have these bastards all gone mad? I said surrender, or do you all want to die here together?"
O Chae-mu shouted again, but the response was the same.
While it was Peng Family Head Peng Mugang's law not to leave thieves alive, in cases like this where it wasn't active combat, handing over the surrendered remnants to the authorities took priority over indiscriminately slaughtering them.
Although it was the Peng Family's way not to let thieves live, it still felt unsettling to behead people who had completely lost the will to fight.
Above all, it wasn't something an orthodox faction should do.
In those cases, they left the punishment to the authorities.
But in this situation, even he was at a loss for what to do.
This was the first time they had encountered something like this.
It was then.
*Boom!*
The innermost building of the stronghold exploded.
The explosion was so massive it felt as if the ground itself was shaking.
Like an earthquake had struck.
Naturally, everyone's attention turned towards the enormous explosion.
But at that moment,
"Tsk. What fools dare disturb this venerable one's nap?"
An old man suddenly appeared among the White Wolf Unit members, unnoticed by anyone.
*When did he...!*
O Chae-mu's eyes widened.
It was an old man with a gentle, smiling face.
But for some reason, a wicked aura emanated from him.
Enough to send chills down one's spine.
Hmm?
Suddenly, O Chae-mu noticed a strange red mark on one of the old man's cheeks.
His eyes grew even wider.
Why was that person here...
But meanwhile,
"Hey, old man. Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Gu Tae-san, who was closest to the old man, frowned and approached him.
O Chae-mu shouted loudly.
"Tae-san! Get away from him! That man is...!"
"What?"
But the old man moved first.
He waved his hand once, and in that instant,
*Whoosh!*
Gu Tae-san's body flew at incredible speed and crashed into the opposite wall.
*Crash!*
"Urgh!"
Gu Tae-san collapsed just like that.
From a single wave of the old man's hand.
"Oh my, I meant to kill him in one go, but he's quite sturdy. Hehehe."
At the same time, a massive, sticky aura began to emanate from the old man's body, unpleasantly permeating the surroundings.
"You damned old geezer!"
As Gu Tae-san fell, the entire White Wolf Unit charged at the old man as if on cue.
"No! Don't!"
O Chae-mu reached out his hand and shouted, but it was already too late.
The old man spun around once, and immediately the entire White Wolf Unit was sent flying just like Gu Tae-san.
Almost all of them were knocked unconscious or collapsed, coughing up blood.
*Whoosh!*
Seizing a brief opening, Do-gyeong's arrow flew towards the old man's head, but,
*Snap snap.*
The arrow shattered in midair, and then Do-gyeong was struck head-on by an invisible force and collapsed.
"Uooh!"
Unable to contain his anger any longer, O Chae-mu swung his blade with all his might.
But the old man easily caught the sword with his fingers.
Then he lightly flicked his other hand, and the blade shattered as O Chae-mu's body was sent flying backwards.
"Urgh."
O Chae-mu barely managed to get up, but then coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Blegh!"
Everyone had been defeated like that.
It all happened in an instant.
"Yes, yes. Hehehe. I was getting bored, so this is perfect. I was starting to tire of slowly tearing apart the fools these stupid bandits brought me."
The old man's gentle smile deepened even further.
But that sight was horrifyingly chilling.
"...Extreme Evil Laughing Demon."
A title slipped from O Chae-mu's lips.
It was the name of the Great Demonic Master who had dyed the martial world in blood decades ago.
Yes. The unthinkable had happened to them.