Translator: FenrirTL
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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Chapter 371: Fight With Style
Baek Jagang was genuinely moved.
The place where Beoncheon had once stood alone was now occupied by three people. They could now engage together without damaging Beoncheon’s honor and pride in front of their subordinates.
Who else could have achieved such an outcome against the Blue Death Ghost?
He had scoffed inwardly at the idea that Il-rand and Bih Sa-in had been swayed by the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. But now, he had to admit it. How could anyone not have been swayed by someone like this?
More than anything, he was thankful for the opportunity to raise his hand for his disciple. When he raised his hand, the way Bih Sa-in was overcome with emotion had been clear on his rugged face. He felt genuinely sorry for ever having doubted such a sincere disciple, even for a moment.
That was why he would not trust Geom Mugeuk. He knew Geom Mugeuk could sway even himself, and that was exactly why he wouldn’t trust him. One single lie after ninety-nine truths could completely destroy the Unorthodox Alliance. Still, gratitude should be expressed. 1
Baek Jagang gave a slight nod toward Geom Mugeuk.
It wasn’t a greeting to the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. Regardless of age or status, it was a greeting from the martial artist Baek Jagang to the martial artist Geom Mugeuk. A thank you for protecting their honor and belief in his disciple.
Geom Mugeuk also bowed his head respectfully, his expression completely devoid of mischief.
The Blue Death Ghost, upon witnessing that, felt it clearly. Geom Mugeuk had planned this situation from the beginning. He had provoked him deliberately, but to think he had been acting on the Alliance Leader’s request from the very start.
He wanted to curse Geom Mugeuk with something starting like ‘flapping your filthy tongue’, but it was obvious it would just be spitting into the wind. 2
That misplaced fury instead lashed out at the three people standing before him.
“Did you think the outcome would change just because the three of you joined forces? You’ll just die in a mess, tangled up disgracefully instead of dying with dignity.” 3
The Blue Death Ghost believed that the outcome wouldn't change anyway.
Today’s battle would only end when one side was completely annihilated. It was only a matter of order and process.
“Who should I kill first?”
In the meantime, the three were discreetly exchanging sound transmissions. Bih Sa-in took the lead, giving instructions to the other two.
―I’ll take the center and lead the attack, so please support me from the sides. We must not be more than two steps apart. He’ll definitely try to toy with us at the start, and we can’t afford to miss that opening.
Bih Sa-in burned with the determination to kill the Blue Death Ghost.
He hadn’t shown it outwardly to the other two, but in truth, he was afraid and trembling. Their opponent was a master stronger than all of them. And this battle was taking place under the watchful eyes of the Unorthodox Alliance Leader and its martial artists.
He had experienced real combat several times, but never before had he trembled like today. What decisively made him tense was this:
‘If I make a mistake, Il-rang and Division Leader Beon will die.’
That very worry was what stiffened him—until Geom Mugeuk’s sound transmission reached him.
―Do not concern yourself with the other two.
Bih Sa-in almost shouted aloud, ‘Are you inside my head or something!’
―If you fight to protect, you’ll lose. Whether they live or die, fight as though it's one-on-one. That’s the only way we can win.
―!
Instinctively, he felt Geom Mugeuk was right. He had to trust the other two. If he tried to protect them clumsily, all three of them would die.
―Fight with style.
The final piece of advice from Geom Mugeuk was the most unexpected.
He hadn’t said to fight desperately, nor to fight cautiously.
With style.
Bih Sa-in knew well that it didn’t mean to fight with empty flashiness. On the contrary, that mismatched word now felt like a clear guide for how he should fight.
‘Right, with style.’
As Bih Sa-in drew his sword, Beoncheon and Il-rang followed suit.
The martial artists of the Thirteen Wolves and the Extreme Forces Brigade who were cheering for them all roared in unison.
Not to be outdone, the Fighting Wolves also shouted all together.
Amid the cheers, the one who launched the first strike was Bih Sa-in.
He didn’t use the Unorthodox Alliance Leader’s martial arts, of which he had only learned the First Form. Instead, he unleashed his own mastered technique—the Soul-Chasing Four Swords.
When the first sword of the Soul-Chasing Four Swords, Soul Severing, was unleashed, a wave of pure white sword energy surged from Bih Sa-in’s blade like a crashing tide.
The Blue Death Ghost didn’t dodge; instead, he released tension energy to clash directly with the incoming sword energy.
Bang!
With an explosion, the ground quaked. As if to flaunt his inner strength, the Blue Death Ghost blocked the attack without retreating even a single step.
At the same moment, Beoncheon and Il-rang launched sword energy from his left and right.
Even then, the Blue Death Ghost stood in place and swept his arms outward to neutralize their attacks.
With a series of explosive sounds, clouds of dust rose.
He had expected the enemy to mock them and merely show off his power—but within the dust, the Blue Death Ghost’s figure vanished in an instant.
Ssshhhhaaaak!
Before anyone knew it, the Blue Death Ghost had appeared behind Bih Sa-in and swung down a palm strike.
Bih Sa-in twisted his body and barely dodged it, but he couldn’t avoid the follow-up palm. It was fast. Far too fast. Just as Bih Sa-in raised his Protective Energy and braced for impact—
Il-rang, who had already dashed in, thrust his sword at the Blue Death Ghost.
Il-rang’s sword art was Cheonyang Seven Hands.
He used the fourth hand technique, Quick Yang Form, the fastest move among the seven.
He had resolved to throw his own body in place of Bih Sa-in’s should he fall into danger. That was why Il-rang’s strike was so desperate.
The Blue Death Ghost gave up on attacking Bih Sa-in and dodged Il-rang’s blow instead. It was already a favorable fight for him—there was no need to risk an injury by forcing an attack.
The next strike targeting him came from Beoncheon.
Beoncheon’s sword flew in like a downpour. His technique, Startling Soul Sword Art, was a style based on speed and extreme Yin.
Shwik, shwik, shwik, shwik, shwik!
The tip of the sword was always on the Blue Death Ghost, but unfortunately, it failed to pierce his body.
It was hard to believe how someone with such an old body could move so quickly. His speed alone answered how he had survived until now.
The Second Sword of the Soul-Chasing Four Swords, Soul Suppression, was unleashed, sending five streams of sword energy spiraling like living serpents to envelop the Blue Death Ghost.
He leapt into the air to evade, and the sword energy twisted direction to pursue him. It was like dragons chasing a magic pearl—but sadly, this ascent would not grant them the pearl.
Twisting in the air to dodge the sword energy, the Blue Death Ghost shot downward like a streak of light.
This time, his target was Il-rang.
Descending rapidly, the Blue Death Ghost unleashed continuous bursts of tension energy.
Boom! Bwaaang!
The space where Il-rang had been standing exploded, and the surface of the earth flipped over.
Il-rang barely managed to dodge by throwing himself aside, but as the rising cloud of dust split, the Blue Death Ghost charged through it.
A palm came flying at Il-rang, glowing pale white!
It was the White Bone Piercing Heart Palm, filled with the force of extreme Yin.
If it landed, it would cause serious injury.
‘Too late.’
If he got hurt, he'd only become a burden. Il-rang thrust his sword with a mindset to die together. He was ready to give his life in hopes of at least taking an arm with him.
‘I’m sorry, Young Alliance Leader! This is as far as I go.’
At that moment, the White Bone Piercing Heart Palm changed direction.
And just as he vanished—
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The space the Blue Death Ghost had occupied was swept by sword energy.
It was the Third Sword of the Soul-Chasing Four Swords, Iron Soul.
The Blue Death Ghost could have killed Il-rang, but doing so would have caused him serious damage as well, so he turned away to avoid the blow. This time, it was Bih Sa-in who saved Il-rang.
Il-rang didn’t even have the time to say thank you.
The Blue Death Ghost was already attacking Beoncheon next.
Kwaaaang!
Overwhelmed in internal energy, Beoncheon slid backward uncontrollably. Il-rang flew to catch him and channeled his internal energy into him. Only then did the two of them manage to stop retreating.
Bih Sa-in launched attacks toward the Blue Death Ghost to prevent him from following up.
The other two also joined the offensive. None of them thought about what came after. Trying to conserve internal energy against the Blue Death Ghost would be sheer arrogance. They had to pour everything out and finish it before they were depleted.
The Blue Death Ghost was undeniably stronger than they were. Every gesture he made was a deadly strike that led directly to death.
And yet, in that extremely dangerous situation, Bih Sa-in found hope.
‘We can do this!’
They were more in sync than he feared.
In fact, they meshed even better because they didn’t try to force it.
Had they initially tried to coordinate, the fight would have become much harder. Out of fear that they might interfere with an ally’s decisive move, they would’ve hesitated to jump in. In the end, it could have become a pattern of taking turns in one-on-one battles rather than a joint assault.
But now, it was different.
Bih Sa-in fought with the mindset of a one-on-one duel, even if his sword energy ended up injuring Il-rang or Beoncheon—it didn’t matter compared to the damage Blue Death Ghost could inflict.
Even the attack that saved Il-rang earlier was a direct application of Geom Mugeuk’s advice.
Though it was an attack that saved Il-rang, that wasn’t how Bih Sa-in saw it. It wasn’t an attack to save him, but an attack to kill the Blue Death Ghost. The result was the same, but the fight Bih Sa-in was engaged in was fundamentally different.
And all of this was possible because Il-rang and Beoncheon were fighting far better than expected. In the end, Geom Mugeuk had been right. Trusting the other two and focusing solely on the fight—that was the best course.
Before long, the composure on the Blue Death Ghost’s face vanished.
The battle wasn’t going as smoothly as he had expected. He had overlooked one crucial fact: all three of them were fighting with their lives on the line.
Beoncheon fought for the honor of the Extreme Forces Brigade. Il-rang fought to protect Bih Sa-in. And Bih Sa-in fought for the Alliance Leader and the Unorthodox Alliance.
As the battle dragged on, the Blue Death Ghost lashed out in frustration—at the wrong target.
What seemed to be an attack aimed at Bih Sa-in suddenly flew toward the martial artists of the Extreme Forces Brigade, who had been watching the fight.
Because it was a deliberate strike, it came too fast and too fierce for them to dodge. Their deaths would shake Bih Sa-in’s concentration, and above all, it seemed to be the only way the Blue Death Ghost could relieve his anger.
The ones standing at the front screamed while unleashing their own energy.
“Dodge!”
If they couldn’t avoid it, they would at least try to emit enough energy to protect the comrades behind them.
Kwaaaang!
An explosion erupted, and a cloud of dust rose.
The martial artists of the Extreme Forces Brigade at the front turned to look at one another. They had expected to be swept away by the blast, yet they were unharmed.
The one who nullified the attack was Baek Jagang.
His outstretched hand was still pointed towards the Extreme Forces Brigade, his eyes locked on the Battle King.
Baek Jagang slowly withdrew his hand.
All the martial artists of the Extreme Forces Brigade bowed their heads respectfully. Had it not been for the Alliance Leader, they would have all died.
The Battle King could have taken that moment to strike, but at that instant, Geom Mugeuk released his energy in warning.
If you go, I’ll go too.
The Battle King did not move.
He was certain: if he didn’t eliminate Geom Mugeuk today, even if he were to claim the seat of Alliance Leader, that man would become a massive threat. If Geom Mugeuk returned prepared next time—could they truly stop him?
Just then, the Blue Death Ghost’s attack had become the signal flare. The martial artists of the Extreme Forces Brigade charged fiercely at the Fighting Wolves.
“Kill them!”
Martial artists on both sides charged toward each other. Having watched the fight with their battle spirits boiling to the limit, they were already on edge. The Thirteen Wolves also joined the battle.
Baek Jagang and the Battle King didn’t try to stop them. They had to clash eventually, after all.
With the Thirteen Wolves involved, the Unorthodox Alliance now had both a numerical and technical advantage.
Even so, the Battle King merely stood back and watched. Of course, the moment he got involved, the Alliance Leader and Geom Mugeuk would jump in, and the fight would devolve into chaos. It wasn’t a situation where he could act recklessly, even if he wanted to.
Meanwhile, Bih Sa-in’s fight had already reached its climax.
Sssshhhhhaaaaak!
The Blue Death Ghost’s fingers curled inward as he lunged at Bih Sa-in.
He was attempting to use his signature technique, Blood Yin Iron Claw Hand, together with the White Bone Piercing Heart Palm. Twice before, Bih Sa-in had nearly died from that attack.
It was an overwhelmingly powerful move—if it even grazed you, flesh and bone would be pulverized. Now it flew toward Bih Sa-in’s chest, ready to shred it apart.
At that moment, Bih Sa-in made a dangerous choice.
The Blue Death Ghost’s fingers scraped across his chest—he hadn’t dodged in time.
Kwa-dd-ddddduk!
Just as his chest was being torn open—
‘Got him!’
The balance of the fight had shifted. As the Blue Death Ghost turned to Beoncheon with a victorious smile—
The sword that should have died with Bih Sa-in flashed.
Shiiing!
At point-blank range, the Fourth Sword of the Soul-Chasing Four Swords, Mad Soul, was unleashed.
Puaaak!
The Blue Death Ghost couldn’t dodge Mad Soul in time and staggered as blood burst from his shoulder.
From the left came the final move of the Startling Soul Sword Art, Genesis Startling Soul. From the right came the final move of the Cheonyang Seven Hands, Great Yang Form.
Puuk!
He managed to evade the Genesis Startling Soul, but not the Great Yang Form.
Just as he stumbled again—
Puuuuuk!
Bih Sa-in’s sword pierced through his chest.
Impaled on the blade, the Blue Death Ghost vomited blood and stared at Bih Sa-in with disbelief.
“……You clearly took a hit from Blood Yin Iron Claw Hand…”
Then, he noticed Bih Sa-in’s chest. Two Protective Armors had been torn apart. The layered armors had been shredded, but the attack hadn’t reached his body. The gamble had worked.
Bih Sa-in stared back at him and quietly said,
“Yup, even up close, I’m better looking.”
“……Damn it!”
Puk! Puuuk!
Il-rang and Beoncheon’s swords flew in next, stabbing into his neck and heart.
The Blue Death Ghost collapsed lifelessly, his death meaningless.
The three of them exhaled a long breath of relief at the same time.
Though it was the first time they had coordinated together, they had succeeded in slaying the Blue Death Ghost through joint assault. They turned to each other with burning eyes. What words were necessary? They were comrades who had just shared life and death.
Bih Sa-in turned his head and looked first toward the Alliance Leader.
Baek Jagang gave a radiant smile. It was the first time his master had smiled so brightly at him. He felt that their relationship would begin anew from this moment forward.
Bih Sa-in then turned his gaze toward Geom Mugeuk.
The reason they had been able to win this battle was thanks to the sound transmission Geom Mugeuk had sent before the fight. Because they had fought with all they had, not to protect but to pour everything out, they had won. Because they had fought as if it were a one-on-one duel, not a group assault, they had succeeded.
‘I keep piling up life debts, and yet he looks at me with such a bright smile.’
Then came another line from Geom Mugeuk, carried by sound transmission.
―Your fight was stylish.
Almost as if in response to that message, the Thirteen Wolves and the martial artists of the Extreme Forces Brigade all roared in unison.
Their battle had already ended as well. With the Thirteen Wolves joining, the result had been inevitable. All the Fighting Wolves were dead, while the Unorthodox Alliance had suffered minimal injuries.
Now, only the Battle King and the Deputy Strategist Hyeok Sagun remained. Hyeok Sagun stood frozen, silent, while the Battle King remained calm.
All eyes focused on the Battle King.
Geom Mugeuk addressed him in a composed voice.
“So from the beginning, you didn’t care whether these people lived or died.”
He had been far too indifferent to the deaths of his own comrades.
And Geom Mugeuk was certain that the man still had something else hidden. It wasn’t just confidence in his own strength—after all, his opponent was the Alliance Leader.
“What are you hiding up your sleeve?”
When the Battle King didn’t respond, Baek Jagang finally stepped forward.
He walked out slowly, emanating a presence that overwhelmed everyone around him.
Baek Jagang slowly drew his sword. From his small eyes, a cold gleam more chilling than the edge of his blade began to radiate.
“I’ll hear your answer—through my sword.”
1 : That’s a healthy wariness.
2 : And he would just grin at you while you would be helpless to do anything to him XDXDXD
3 : “Funny how you’re just talking about yourself there.” “Graaaahhh !!!” *Rage levels increase*