Chapter 1261: Kill Them All (Part 1)

Thud!

With each step on the ground, the shock traveled from his legs to his chest.

That was probably why. The reason why his chest felt like it was about to burst right now.

'Faster!'

His feet were pounding the ground like crazy, but strangely, his body felt slower than usual, infinitely sluggish.

The distance to the battlefield was not far. Normally, it would have taken a few minutes to arrive with time to spare. But strangely, no matter how much he ran, the distance didn't seem to narrow.

Had he become weaker? No, that wasn't it.

Guo Hansuo knew. It wasn't that he was slow; it was that they were fast. He was running faster than usual, concentrating more than ever, but their abilities were so outstanding that Guo Hansuo couldn't even be compared to them.

'Damn it!'

In his desperate mind, Guo Hansuo pounded the ground even more urgently.

"Sahyung! Sahyung!"

A scream, as if gasping for breath, came from behind, but he didn't slow down at all.

'Here!'

Thud!

Guo Hansuo's body shot forward even faster.

'This is the Southern Island Sect!'

Mount Hua might be stronger than them. It might be natural that the Tang Family and the Namgung Family were stronger than them.

But this was a war to protect Southern Island.

Even if the Southern Island Sect was weaker than them, it was impossible to leave everything to them.

However, the envoys of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, who entered into battle with the enemy first, were fiercely attacking the Myriad Manor members with tremendous momentum, completely unaware of Guo Hansuo's sentiments.

It was as if they had decided to turn the disciples of the Southern Island Sect into straw men.

"Haaaahhh!"

Guo Hansuo shouted as if his chest would burst, rushing forward. The elders, including Kim Yang Baek, seemed to share the same sentiment, swiftly shooting toward the enemies like arrows fired by a bow.

'Faster!'

Like a leopard stalking its prey, Guo Hansuo ran toward the stunned Myriad Manor members.

"This is the Southern Island Sect! You sons of bitches!"

Paaaaah!

The fierce and overwhelming Wind Wave Sword Technique of the Southern Island Sect, resembling rough ocean waves, unfolded. The wave-like sword energy emanating from Guo Hansuo's sword instantly engulfed the members of the Spirit Unit.

"Huh, what!"

Whether it was because of the sudden rush of their numbers or because they had not yet escaped the aftermath of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance's attack, the Myriad Manor members who were trying to resist were swept away by Guo Hansuo's sword energy without any resistance.

"Aaaah!"

From the sliced chest, red blood spurted out. At the same time, intense heat surged in Guo Hansuo's chest.

Blood!

As a disciple of a righteous sect, he didn't dare say it out loud, but how long had he yearned for the blood of these Evil Sect members? How much did he wish for this moment of cutting them down with his sword?

Thud!

Guo Hansuo, who forcefully stepped forward, shouted until his throat burst.

"Defeat all the enemies who invaded Southern Island! Don't fall behind the Heavenly Comrade Alliance!"

"Yes, Sahyung!"

Guo Hansuo rushed straight ahead. Now he clearly understood what it felt like when one's blood boiled

'This is real battle!'

At that moment, he realized it. Until now, he had never properly cut down a person.

He, as a disciple of the prestigious Southern Island Sect, had dedicated his life to mastering martial arts. It might sound somewhat unusual for someone like him to claim that this was his first time cutting down a person. However, up until now, disciples of the Southern Island Sect had never engaged in a life-and-death struggle with anyone. Firstly, conflicts rarely occurred within Southern Island. Additionally, due to the nature of the island, it was uncommon for enemies to venture in.

Amidst all this, the fact that the first opponents he faced in actual combat were none other than the Myriad Manor members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance! It was something he couldn't help but be excited about.

Guo Hansuo tightly gripped his sword.

Tales of Mount Hua's martial arts prowess had reached even the distant Southern Island. How could Guo Hansuo not know how formidable they were?

Every time he heard such news, the heart of the solitary Guo Hansuo surged. His competitive spirit also boiled. Someday, like them, he vowed to stand against enemies and fight.

Today, in this place, he would fulfill that long-cherished aspiration.

'I can do it too!'

With an exclamation, Guo Hansuo rushed forward like a bolt of lightning.

"Taah!"

His sword swung fiercely.

The sensation of the ground touching his feet.

The overflowing vigor of the abundant inner energy throughout his body.

The feeling of the sword handle (劍柄) in the palm of his hand!

And above all, the sense of pride!

Becoming one with the sword, the phrase was meant for situations like this.

Guo Hansuo's sword fiercely descended in a straight line toward the head of the Spirit Unit member, who remained full of confusion.

Kaah!

At that moment, Guo Hansuo unknowingly opened his mouth wide, stunned by the excruciating pain that suddenly gripped his wrist.

His sword was blocked by a large, shining blade. Despite exerting all his strength in the strike, the Spirit Unit member's sword perfectly thwarted his attack, as if it were an unyielding cliff.

'No...'

Perplexed, Guo Hansuo looked into the eyes of the Spirit Unit member. Through the gap where their swords crossed, he saw bloodshot eyes, and at that moment, the fervent blood in Guo Hansuo's veins began to cool down.

The Spirit Unit member sneered and murmured.

"This brat..."

Thud!

With a deafening explosion, Guo Hansuo staggered backward, disoriented. The palm that had touched the sword was torn, and blood flowed profusely.

However, Guo Hansuo didn't even have the leisure to feel the pain. The enraged Spirit Unit member, unleashing his anger, charged directly at him.

"Nooh!"

Guo Hansuo instinctively blocked the flying blade, and his body was thrown back. The sword he held seemed to twist from his shoulder to his entire arm. Blood welled up in his throat as if he had sustained internal injuries.

'Strong...'

It was unbelievably strong. it was beyond belief that just a moment ago, they seemed to be swept away effortlessly.

'Why?'

At that moment, Guo Hansuo realized what mistake he had made. The reason they appeared weak was simply that the members of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance were stronger. In fact, regardless of what anyone said, the people he was fighting were the members of the Myriad Man Manor who had terrorized the world.

So, originally, Guo Hansuo could never have faced such formidable opponents alone.

The fact that his first attack had succeeded was because they had lost focus due to the previous onslaught. If they were to confront each other directly, relying solely on skill, he would never be able to face them.

Due to the excitement that surged from head to toe and the confidence that his first attack had been successful, he momentarily overlooked this fact.

'Such a mistake...'

But as always, regret comes a step late.

"Die!"

Without proper time to regret his mistake, the Spirit Unit member's sword flew towards Guo Hansuo's chest.

"Ugh!"

Clang!

Guo Hansuo somehow managed to twist his sword to block the incoming blade. With a forceful push of his inner strength, he successfully diverted the trajectory of the flying sword. The problem was that his sword was knocked out of his hand.

At that gap, the Spirit Unit member's sword, faster than before, once again soared toward Guo Hansuo's exposed neck.

"Sa, Sahyung! Nooo..."

The world seemed to slow down. Lee Ziyang's scream stretched out as it were heard underwater. The sword that had flown like an arrow seemed to approach in slow motion.

'Ah...'

However, within that slowed-down world, Guo Hansuo felt it. No matter how he twisted his body and wielded his sword, there was no way to avoid the sword flying towards his neck.

'Damn it...'

Just as Guo Hansuo sensed impending death and was about to close his eyes, something unexpectedly intervened in his field of vision.

'A sword?'

A thin white sword swiftly flew in, blocking the path of the sword aiming for Guo Hansuo's neck.

However, to Guo Hansuo, it seemed like futile resistance. Wasn't it common sense that in a clash of strength, a heavy broadsword like the one wielded by the Spirit Unit member would have the upper hand over a slender sword?

Yet, what unfolded before his eyes completely shattered that common sense.

Kaaah!

As the sword and broadsword collided, the sword slightly twisted, channeling all the force contained in the broadsword. Simultaneously, the released energy from the sword pushed the heavy broadsword backward like a sheet of paper.

'What?'

Guo Hansuo clearly saw the distortion in the Spirit Unit member's face. Judging by the trembling wrist, it seemed that the pain Guo Hansuo felt a moment ago was now inflicted upon the Spirit Unit member.

The sword didn't stop after deflecting the broadsword.

Paaah!

The white sword curved, drawing an illusory trajectory in the air. It was straight but curved, sharp yet soft. Observing the sword flying towards his neck, the Spirit Unit member recoiled in horror, twisting his neck to avoid the strike.

Swish.

The sharp blade grazed the Spirit Unit member's neck. Once again, within the sensation of time slowing down, Guo Hansuo observed it keenly. The sight of the Spirit Unit member's skin tearing apart, and from those torn wounds, a few droplets of blood splattering.

'He dodged...'

Guo Hansuo's eyes widened. He witnessed the sword that had passed by the Spirit Unit member's neck suddenly stop in mid-air, then quickly retracted more forcefully than the initial thrust.

In that moment, Guo Hansuo saw it.

The sight where the retrieved sword, drawing a trajectory distinctly different from when it was thrust, swiftly beheaded the Spirit Unit member.

Squelch!

The sense of relief on the Spirit Unit member's face that had successfully avoided a fatal blow was gradually replaced by shock. That shock slowly turned into despair, and then transformed into vivid horror.

Thud.

From the fallen Spirit Unit member's neck, blood sprayed out, mingling with the white sand. Guo Hansuo couldn't utter a single word. A shiver ran down his spine, not because he narrowly escaped death but for an entirely different reason.

'This... their skills.'

He saw and felt it clearly. The immense gap that existed between him and the members of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

Among those present, how many would know that the fallen member had succumbed not to an ordinary sword but to this extraordinary one?

If Guo Hansuo hadn't felt as if time had slowed down due to the overwhelming fear, he might have mistakenly thought that the Spirit Unit member's neck was severed by the initial sword strike.

Perhaps, if there were to be an occasion to inspect the corpse of this Spirit Unit member later, only then would he wonder why there were not one but two wounds on the neck.

He realized. True skill wasn't something that was clearly visible to the eye, but rather was hidden fleeting moments that ordinary people didn't notice.

"Are you okay?"

"…Yes? Oh... yes!"

Guo Hansuo absentmindedly looked up. A handsome man adorned in a white hero's headband stood before him.

"Ah..."

"You're not fighting alone! You're fighting alongside your martial brothers. Don't forget that this is not a battle of the Guo line but a war of the Southern Island Sect." [idk last part]

Guo Hansuo nodded his head absentmindedly, and the man nodded back as if responding.

"Well then..."

The man spun around. Baek Cheon, with a casual swing of his sword, flicked off the blood at the tip and spoke.

"Let's go seize the ships."

"…Yes!"

Watching Baek Cheon's retreating figure, Guo Hansuo, who had been staring blankly, clenched his teeth. Then, he shouted.

"Follow Deputy Sect Leader's lead!"

"Yes, Sahyung!"

The Southern Island Sect disciples, dressed in blue robes, rushed forward like rough waves crashing onto the shore, covering the Spirit Unit members in a violent surge.

The blue glint of swords scattered like foam over the azure waves, and crimson petals bloomed brilliantly over the picturesque Southern Sea.