Chapter 69
Battle of Huai River (2)
The Sa Do-ryeon’s river crossing was now almost complete.
During the process, nearly two thousand people drowned or were swept away by the current.
Even so, about eight thousand successfully crossed the river and joined the battle.
The sword masters of the Namgung Clan formed their battle lines and fought valiantly against those numbers.
However, as their casualties slowly mounted due to being outnumbered, the early advantage they’d held began to slip away.
“Grandfather, shouldn’t we send out the Tiger Sword Unit?”
Namgung Jin advised, referring to the elite guards who remained at Namgung Hwang’s side.
But Namgung Hwang silently continued to gaze down at the battlefield.
The Vermilion Bird Unit, too, had yet to join the fight — at the request of Je Gal-rin.
“It’s suspicious that Wind-Slaughter Swordsman Gu Jin-mo and his Human-Slaughter Unit still haven’t shown themselves.”
Je Gal-rin had been poring over a map of the area for quite some time, trying to locate their missing movements.
Namgung Hyuk, having overheard this, began to suspect the same thing.
‘They wouldn’t just sit this one out. Could they have crossed elsewhere, beyond our sight?’
Je Gal-rin was likely checking all potential crossing points on the map with that same thought in mind.
But if they had prepared rafts elsewhere, Namgung’s forces — who had been monitoring the opposite bank the entire time — should have noticed.
‘Wait a minute!’
A sudden realization struck him.
Namgung Hyuk immediately rushed into Je Gal-rin’s command tent.
“I need a word.”
Je Gal-rin lifted his head from the map. But before Namgung Hyuk could speak—
“You! Why aren’t you guarding outside? How dare you barge in here!”
It was Namgung So-gang, his sharp voice cutting in.
Namgung Hyuk ignored him and continued,
“I don’t think the Human-Slaughter Unit used rafts to cross the river.”
“You mean… they crossed without any boats?”
Je Gal-rin immediately understood what he meant.
If they lacked the means to cross, that didn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t.
‘Indeed, it wouldn’t be easy to cross such a wide river without a vessel…’
But that only applied to ordinary men.
Martial masters — superhumans — were capable of acts far beyond common sense.
“Ha! What nonsense! Even those trained in water techniques wouldn’t dare attempt to swim across the raging Huai River!”
Namgung So-gang scoffed incredulously.
He wasn’t wrong — swimming across a strong river while armed and armored was something even masters would hesitate to attempt.
One mistake and they’d be dragged under.
But Namgung Hyuk stood firm.
“The Demonic Faction doesn’t care about honor or risk. They’ll do anything to win. Isn’t that enough reason to believe they might try?”
“Tch…”
Namgung So-gang grimaced in frustration.
Je Gal-rin thought for a moment, then returned his attention to the map.
After studying it closely, she pointed at a particular spot.
“If they wanted to use the current to hide their movement, they’d have crossed here.”
She then traced her finger across the river, stopping at a location on the opposite side.
“Their likely landing point would be around this area.”
If so, that position would allow them to strike the Namgung Clan’s army from the rear.
Je Gal-rin turned to Namgung Hyuk.
“Go tell Clan Head Namgung Hwang immediately. I’ll be fine here — go lend your strength on the battlefield.”
“Understood.”
Namgung Hyuk moved to leave — but Namgung So-gang blocked his way.
“Wait! You’d send our forces based on nothing but speculation? We should send scouts to confirm first!”
“If we delay, it might already be too late.”
“Namgung So-hyup is right,” Je Gal-rin interjected. “But the decision belongs to the Clan Head — and time is of the essence. Go now.”
Reluctantly, Namgung So-gang stepped aside, glaring but yielding.
Namgung Hyuk strode out.
“You two stay here,” he told Kim Ji-seok and Dang San. “Protect Lady Je Gal-rin.”
Then he hurried toward Namgung Hwang.
As if sensing his approach, the old master turned before Hyuk could even speak.
“What is it?”
“I bring urgent news,” Hyuk said, and relayed everything Je Gal-rin had deduced.
When he finished, Namgung Hwang’s expression remained unreadable.
“If that is true… what would you do?”
He was asking for Hyuk’s judgment before making his own decision.
Namgung Hyuk answered honestly.
“Even if they began crossing before the battle, it would have taken considerable time to traverse such a wide river. Their stamina and inner energy would also be depleted — now would be the perfect moment to strike.”
Namgung Hwang turned to Namgung Jin.
“Do you agree?”
“…Yes, Grandfather. I do.”
After hearing both, Namgung Hwang nodded slightly and called out to Lee Ja-ryong, who had been standing nearby.
“Take these two and head there immediately.”
“As you command.”
And so, Lee Ja-ryong led Namgung Hyuk, Namgung Jin, and the Vermilion Bird Unit away from the main battlefield to hunt down Gu Jin-mo and his Human-Slaughter Unit.
Meanwhile, at the same time…
“Of the sixty-seven who started, fifty-eight made it across.”
“Tch tch tch. Losing that many just crossing a river… it’s all because their training’s lacking.”
Gu Jin-mo clicked his tongue at the report. He showed no sorrow for his drowned men — only cold disdain.
He looked around.
His warriors were resting and meditating in shifts, recovering their inner energy.
The last group was finishing up, meaning they’d soon be ready to act.
‘Heh… Saho Mok-cheon called this plan reckless? I’ll crush his pride today.’
Though their numbers had dropped, each member of the Human-Slaughter Unit was a top-tier master.
Their plan was simple: strike from the rear and take the Namgung Clan’s head.
Then the glory of this entire battle would belong solely to Gu Jin-mo.
He smirked in anticipation — but his grin didn’t last.
“Enemy sighted!”
“What?!”
Gu Jin-mo shot to his feet.
A group of figures was charging straight toward them.
‘They knew we’d land here?!’
Even if their plan had been exposed, pinpointing the exact landing spot along the vast river was nearly impossible.
Gu Jin-mo couldn’t fathom how Je Gal-rin had predicted it so precisely.
But surprise quickly turned to confidence.
“Heh. Doesn’t matter how they found us. We’ll just cut them down and move on!”
With a grin, he unsheathed his blade and sent a storm of blade energy toward the approaching Vermilion Bird Unit.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The air split with the force of his strikes.
The ones who met his assault head-on were Lee Ja-ryong and Yang Mi-ryeong.
“So he really was here.”
“Everyone, attack!”
At Yang Mi-ryeong’s command, the forty-odd Vermilion Bird members charged like hungry wolves.
The Human-Slaughter Unit roared back in defiance, their killing intent surging.
Clang! Clash!
Namgung Hyuk’s gaze locked onto Gu Jin-mo.
‘That one’s mine.’
He wasn’t about to let anyone else have this fight.
Ignoring Namgung Jin’s shout of “That’s too reckless!”, he leapt forward.
The Human-Slaughter warriors moved to intercept him, blades flashing with murderous precision — a perfectly trained formation designed to block any advance.
But Namgung Hyuk slipped through them effortlessly.
Thanks to his Heavenly Thunder Qi, his reflexes were far beyond human.
‘How can he move like that?!’
Namgung Jin, watching from behind, could scarcely believe it. Even at his best, he couldn’t have passed through that formation unharmed.
Whish!
Dodging the last strike, Namgung Hyuk closed the distance.
“You must be the Wind-Slaughter Swordsman!”
“Who the hell are you?”
“Namgung Hyuk — the man who’ll take your head!”
Without hesitation, Hyuk unleashed Flying Dragon Form.
Gu Jin-mo jerked backward, barely dodging.
“Insolent brat!”
With a roar, he countered with his signature Wind-Slaughter Blade Technique, sending violent whirlwinds of slashing energy in every direction.
But Hyuk stepped forward fearlessly, piercing straight into the storm.
‘Exploding Dragon Form!’
His sword aura erupted, shattering the wind blades like paper.
CRACK!
Gu Jin-mo’s sword clashed against Hyuk’s, only to splinter apart.
Hyuk’s sword carried thunder — the energy of Sword Lightning — which tore through the demonic aura surrounding the blade.
‘Impossible!’
Gu Jin-mo’s eyes widened in disbelief as his beloved weapon crumbled.
He tried to muster his remaining energy for a final strike—
—but Hyuk’s sword was already at his throat.
Slash!
“Kh… guh…”
Gu Jin-mo staggered, clutching his neck as blood poured out. His disbelieving eyes glazed over as he collapsed.
The duel was over in just a few exchanges.
[Level Up!]
A familiar notification flickered in Namgung Hyuk’s vision.
‘Finally… I’m getting close to Level 50.’
That was the level at which a hunter could be considered a true veteran.
In his past life as Hunter Gong Si-woo, he’d reached that level shortly before retirement.
And now, he’d done it without fighting monsters or raiding dungeons — just by facing countless martial masters.
He looked down at Gu Jin-mo’s corpse.
‘Huh. He wasn’t as strong as I expected.’
He’d anticipated a fierce battle, but the fight had ended far too easily.
His relentless training in the “Room” had paid off more than he realized.
Slash!
Nearby, Namgung Jin cut down another foe with his Ghost Soul One Sword, glancing at Hyuk with awe.
The Vermilion Bird members, too, were astonished by Hyuk’s display of skill.
Clang! Clang!
With their leader dead, the Human-Slaughter Unit quickly crumbled. Their infamous brutality meant nothing now — they were wiped out within moments.
‘That’s one threat eliminated…’
But danger still lingered.
Suddenly—
Hyuk froze.
He turned sharply, sensing an overwhelming presence approaching from the direction he had just come.
