Chapter 64

Those hit by the Fiery Fowl Great Handprint are utterly crushed. Meanwhile, those skilled in footwork manage to avoid it, but it doesn’t matter.

Because I am now successfully on the front foot.

As soon as I land on the ground inside the mark left by my palm, I manifest the Fire Chicken on my right hand, as if I am about to launch another Fiery Fowl Great Handprint attack.

As my hands are painted red from the only place where the moonlight is reflected…

The scumbag faction all backs away in unison.

This is only natural when they see the many bodies sprawled around them after being hit by the Fiery Fowl Great Handprint.

The leaders of the enemy’s side have their men line up like shields and retreat further.

Like this, I become the center of attention with just one attack.

A man who uses an ultimate attack to get the first word instead of directly killing off those scumbags, that’s just who I am.

“Where is Silver Phantom Yoo Sa-cheong? He’s hiding. Where’s that rat and bat-like Muak Sect Leader? He must be in hiding, too. I heard the crazy Lady Iron Toad who throws hidden weapons is also allied with you? Ah, she’s here. Everyone, listen carefully. I killed the vice leader of Cloud Rain Society.”

I point my finger beyond their troops and at Elder Hornless Dragon, who is glaring at me.

“And there he is. Because of that senile old geezer who eats whatever Dae Na-chal gives him as he ages, you must die today, remember that.”

Phew, that was short and sweet.

With this, I have managed to provoke all of the enemy’s figureheads.

When a battle breaks out, it is ideal to be the provoking party. They tend to start blaming their allies when casualties increase.

Unsheathing the Black Hare’s Tooth from my waist, I say.

“What are you looking at? Come at me all at once, you imbeciles.”

At that moment, I hear a thudding sound behind me. A smattering of people dies as they are caught up by Dokgo Saeng and his twin swords. The Twelve Generals also surge forward, alongside the Black Rabbit Union with So Gun-pyeong at the front, completing the siege from the rear.

I smile as I shrug my shoulders in the center of the enemy.

“The moonlight is spectacular, my subordinates are in good spirits, and I’m in a good mood too.”

The blade shines red as soon as the Fire Chicken is instilled into Black Hare’s Tooth.

As I suddenly advance, the scumbags all back away. They’re still in formation to protect their leaders, though.

What I’m always concerned about is the enemy’s psyche. Because of that, I use my footsteps and words to engage them in a mental battle.

“Get out of my way, dirtbags. I only kill the leaders and chiefs.”

When I suddenly chuckle and rush forward with a sword in hand, the scumbags, who are supposed to be human shields, collapse in horror.

I’m not going easy on these scumbags, of course.

I shoot out Sword Wind towards the backs of the fleeing men, chase them down, and then slash my sword down like how Jang Deuk-soo would slaughter pigs.

Screams and shouts are mixed in a bloody flash.

Meanwhile, Brother White Tiger’s calm voice resounds from the back.

“Red Sister, take care of those folks at Big Brother’s rear. The other Four Generals should work together to assist Big Brother.”

Baek-in seems to understand my strategy by seeing the bigger picture.

I can also clearly hear the conversation of the Low-Down Sect members under Dokgo Saeng.

“Chief, what about us?”

Dokgo Saeng answers without halting his moves.

“Just kill them all.”

When Dokgo Saeng’s words finish, a scream shoots into the sky. So Gun-pyeong is urging his men by cursing at them. For the most part, the curses all roughly translate to various ways of telling them to get a hold of themselves.

I advance with just the Black Hare’s Tooth in my hand to conserve some energy. When your enemies take a step back, the correct thing to do is always to advance just a little bit faster than they retreat. Since I didn’t use much energy to take out the dregs, my mouth feels itchy.

“Today… you’re really unlucky, aren’t you?”

I slash a man’s shoulder with Black Hare’s Tooth.

Pwark!

After cutting the neck of a man who tried to attack me from the side, I spring into the air and crush someone’s face with my knees.

Thud!

“Did you think this was your chance after Dae Na-chal died?”

I stab Black Hare’s Tooth into the neck of the guy whose face I crushed with my knee.

Plorkk!

When I pull out Black Hare’s Tooth, a long line of blood splatters over the heads of those backing away.

“Why are you running away? Hmm?”

I speed up and wield my sword.

As I use my sword, I continuously blabber while launching side kicks, front kicks, turning kicks, flying kicks, and palm forces. I sometimes lose track of what I’m saying, but it doesn’t matter.

The crucial point is to talk while killing the enemy, but coherence isn’t important.

They’re just words and actions that maintain the battle in my favor.

Thanks to this, it is not difficult for my men to know where I am. Naturally, a charge with me at the forefront is unfolding.

“Why did you kill Dae Na-chal, you lunatic? Why did you kill him?”

I use the Great Absorption Method to grab the speaker by the collar and pull him over before asking him calmly.

“Why do you think I did it?”

I smack the stuttering man’s forehead with Black Hare’s Tooth handle.

Punch!

Now, more people are stepping back whenever I turn my gaze. But I deliberately chase down the ones who are obviously backing away from me.

“Why do you think he died? Answer me, you bastards.”

For the first time, someone shouts ‘Ack!’, turns back, and runs away. I let out a scream as well as if I were mimicking the enemy.

“Ack!”

“…”

As I grab their attention, I gather up the Fire Chicken and breathe it into the blade.

“Ha—ah. So hot.”

The Fiery Fowl Fragrance swirls around the blade.

“This is the Fiery Fowl Great Stride (炎鷄大刀行).”

The man who says his techniques aloud, that’s me.

In fact, it’s just a different name. The technique is not much different from the Fiery Fowl Great Handprint. It’ll look very different for the enemies who are seeing solid red threads wrapping around my blade, though.

“Die.”

I make my way forward, swinging around the bright red threads like a whip of Fire Chicken energy. Each swing tears up four or five bodies. As I walk forward while giggling, I can feel that a third of the enemies are running away. In fact, more and more people are straying from the battle line.

Some lose their necks due to Mister Su and Elder Hornless Dragon attacking them after just a few steps.

I look at Mister, who is cutting the throats of his escaping subordinates, and shout.

“Mister Su!”

Mister Su stares at me with wide-open eyes.

I speak to him as if I’ve known Mister Su for a long time.

“Why didn’t you believe me, sir? I killed your vice leader. Weren’t their heads split open with an ax? Am I wrong? It was an ax, right?

Mister Su’s face turns bright red.

“That nutjob…”

I trudge towards Mister Su with a Black Hare’s Tooth dripping blood in my hands.

“They were killed using the ax from the incinerator. I’m the culprit.”

The officials of the Cloud Rain Society are blocking the path to Mr. Su as I rush in. Now I can clearly hear the enemy’s chatter.

“Mister Su, please stay calm. There are still more of us.”

That is Elder Hornless Dragon’s voice.

“Everyone, gather up. He’s the leader.”

This voice must be Lady Iron Toad.

But in the end, Yoo Sa-cheong didn’t speak up. I ask them a question as I deal with the officials of the Cloud Rain Society.

“Officials, where’s the guy called Yoo Sa-cheong? That guy must’ve set the stage.”

I cut up an official’s podao like a dumpling with Black Hare’s Tooth and carved a straight red line into his face.

“Kyak!”

As I plunge Black Hare’s Tooth into his throat, I yell.

“Yoo Sa-cheong. I’ll put up a wanted poster in the central district. It’s no use in running away. I’m going to have fun hunting you down. I’ll especially split you up with an ax.”

A sudden surge of palm force gushes in from the left.

Booooooooom!

I respond accordingly, using my left palm as I am shoved to the side due to wielding a sword. Of all things, the direction I am retreating towards is where a meteor hammer is coming in quick.

At that moment, I am forced to swing Black Hare’s Tooth to hit the meteor hammer, which then wraps itself around my blade.

I forgot.

“Ah, a Meteor Wanderer. It’s nice to meet you.”

At the same time, something flashes in front of me. A hidden weapon that I believe to be an iron toad flies by.

As I try to pull my sword away from the meteor hammer, I turn my body in a somersault to avoid the incoming iron toad. At the same time, I exchange palm force attacks with Elder Hornless Dragon, who has finally appeared from the left with his white hair fluttering all around. As he is being cautious, Elder Hornless Dragon doesn’t come close even though he is launching both palm wind and palm force at me.

I smirk.

“Old geezer.”

At that moment, the tight ropes around the meteor hammer break away from Black Hare’s Tooth. Hong-shin had appeared and cut the ropes with a dagger.

As I collide palm forces with Elder Hornless Dragon one more time, I let out a giggle.

Subsequently, Baek-in, Cheong-jin, Baek-yu, and Hong-shin, arriving after killing dozens of scumbags, take position behind me and stare.

Sometimes, everything is decided in a moment (一合) during war. There are also times when starkness and competition repeat themselves, such as what is happening now.

In a state of starkness, I touch my mask and look around.

We are lacking in terms of numbers at the start, but the corpses lying on the floor are all the enemies.

Cha Sung-tae, an underling official who has followed me without killing anyone so far, points at a guy and shouts.

“Hey, right there!”

The crowd’s eyes gather on Cha Sung-tae. Cha Sung-tae then speaks with great confidence.

“You’re the Silver Phantom, Yoo Sa-cheong, right?”

Cha Sung-tae stares at a plainly dressed, normal-looking man who looks bored.

Shaking blood off the Black Hare’s Tooth, I ask Cha Sung-tae.

“How can you be sure that’s him?”

Cha Sung-tae replies as if he sees through the truth.

“He’s standing there doing nothing, like me. In this mess.”

“You’re quite the detective (名探偵).”

I can’t think of an idiom while appreciating Cha Sung-tae’s greatness, so I just randomly utter out.

“I guess even dog shit is useful. Good job.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Even though I am staring at him, I can see no facial changes on the face of the man who Cha Sung-tae is accusing of being Yoo Sa-cheong.

If he is a scumbag, usually, he’d already look scared.

Suddenly, judging that there’s no use hiding his identity, Yoo Sa-cheong smiles.

He looks average when expressionless, but when he smiles, he seems like a different person.

Yoo Sa-cheong then tells me.

“You’re not the leader of the Black Rabbit Union. Did you find out about my identity faster, or was it me who saw through you first? You can’t find me just by my name. Keep fighting since both sides have laid your claims. We have to decide the winner.”

Yoo Sa-cheong is speaking as if his identity is greater than everyone else. Surprisingly, Yoo Sa-cheong even threatens his allies, the Elder Hornless Dragon and Mister Su.

“Elder Hornless Dragon and Mister Su. Is this how you’re gonna fight after taking my money? I think it hasn’t been too long since you bragged about conquering the South and compensating me handsomely after raising your forces.”

For a moment, I choose to refrain from taking off my mask.

‘Would you look at this guy?’

I observe Yoo Sa-cheong’s aura closely. He may look young at first, but upon closer inspection, he seems to be over 40. Through his posture and gaze, there are signs that he’s skilled.

Meanwhile, I have a sudden thought.

If you look closely at the world, a person who lends you money is the worst.

Rather than killing them right away after catching them, it’s best to make them suffer for a long time.

He is a man who would torture unconditionally and find out everything he has to know.

This is an assumption without any specific or solid proof.

Because I’m a man who does things without foundation or proof.

As if the real ringleader has just been revealed, Yoo Sa-cheong issues an order.

“Then keep fighting until the winner is decided. You unorthodox faction pests.”