The pirates surged forward, filling the riverbank like a relentless tide.
Were they like a pack of hyenas smelling blood? No, it was more fitting to call them a pack of sharks driven by the scent of blood.
Their eyes were wild with madness as they shouted evil cries, targeting the flesh of the Namgung family.
The battle lines were drawn.
The sight of the pirates, engulfed in madness and charging ahead while screaming like animals rather than humans, was enough to fill the hearts of those barely holding on with despair.
"Kaahhaaa!"
The rushing pirates finally leaped over the Namgung family's heads. Their forms rose up, blocking the sun and casting long shadows over the Namgung family members as if foreshadowing their fate.
"Ahhhh!"
But the ones who were struck were none other than the Namgung family.
Even with despair looming over them, their instincts naturally guided them to the sword movements. Before they could think, their swords struck the pirates first.
Puak! Puak!
The Namgung family's iron swords pierced the pirates' bodies in unison. Blood gushed from the wounds, pouring down like rain on the Namgung family swordsmen.
The sensation of hot blood on their faces jolted the swordsmen from their dazed state.
But this was just the beginning.
"DIEEEEE!"
"Put a harpoon through their throats!"
The pirates, undeterred by the bloodshed of their comrades, rushed at the Namgung family with sharp blades without a moment's hesitation.
The madness of the battlefield.
A person alone could not face death with dignity. However, when the heavy breathing of another was felt from behind, they forgot their own mortality.
The pirates charged in, over corpses and blades.
They were overpowering.
The Namgung family swordsmen desperately swung their swords to fend them off, but the pirates, in a fit of rage, swung their spears until their heads were severed.
"Ackkkk!"
The battlefield was a land ruled by morale. The swordsmen, overwhelmed by the momentum, couldn't find their way to move and wield their swords. If they were in perfect condition, the situation might have been different, but the Namgung family's swordsmen had already exhausted all their qi.
So… all that was left was to collapse.
Crack!
A sharp spear dug into a shoulder and emerged through the side.
"Kuak…"
A burning pain spread through the body.
However, the pirates' grasp didn't even allow him time to slowly savor the approach of death.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The relentless spears continued to pierce his collapsing body. With dozens of holes, the swordsman fell on the spot, leaving not even a corpse intact.
Slash!
A violently swung sword shattered everything and tore through a neck. Yet, in response, a sword thrust out, deflecting a spear to the side and piercing a spleen.
The battle line suddenly disrupted, and the two camps tangled into chaos.
"Hold the defense line! Damn it, you cannot mix in!"
Namgung Myung shouted as if coughing up blood.
The Namgung family was outnumbered compared to the pirates.
Of course, each was a warrior whom the pirates dared not approach. However, this was not such a place. No matter how great one's skills were, screams and deaths were rampant on the battlefield. How could one stop the weapons flying from behind in such chaos?
The moment the battle line collapsed, annihilation was inevitable.
"Stop it! Stop it!"
As soon as Namgung Myung shouted, he drew his sword and rushed forward. He knew it was not the time to give orders from behind but to step ahead and repair the collapsing battle lines.
As he moved, the elders who had been waiting also sprang forward in an instant.
Paat!
The sword swung like a lightning bolt.
"You cannot get past here until you kill me!"
"Come! Dogs of the waters!"
The elders were quite desperate.
The ones dying in front of them now were none other than their sons, grandsons, and disciples. Their swords, which had been clenched and held down even in the face of their own relatives' deaths, finally had the chance to move and cut through the bodies of the pirates in one go.
"Ackkk!"
"C-cough! T-this fucking… bastard…"
However, the situation didn't change as easily as expected.
The warriors, who had reached considerable growth, were swept away by the many pirates. The number of pirates advancing was so great that it was shocking.
Namgung Myung's eyes were red.
'If only it wasn't here.'
If only this place wasn't an island with nothing but a barren plain, they wouldn't have been crowded like this. However, there was no place to hide or lean on the island. And now, those pirates were attacking them from all sides.
Even the buildings where they could hide were completely destroyed by the cannon fires. All that was left for them were the iron swords in one hand and their comrades leaning against their shoulders.
No, NO!
They still had something left.
"OHHH!"
Along with the roar that seemed like it would burst their eyes, a dazzling white sword qi fell on the heads of the pirates rushing ahead like cannons.
"Ahhh…."
The eyes of the pirates who had been rushing in without looking back turned blank for a moment. When their focus, which had been lost for a moment in shock, returned, their eyes began to fill with shock and fear, not madness.
Kwakwakwakwang!
The flying white sword Qi was sweeping away and crushing the pirates.
Just one sword.
With that one sword, at least 20 pirates were turned into chunks of meat without leaving behind a proper corpse. The sword qi that exploded as it sank into the ground didn't leave even a single drop of blood on the floor.
Kwaaang!
The aftermath of the explosion swept through the surroundings. The pirates were each surprised by the spectacle and stopped in their tracks.
"What the hell is this…?"
"E-Emperor's Sword!"
No one wanted to be swept away by the sword qi. However, the battlefield didn't give them a moment to grasp the reality.
"Get out of my way, you morons!"
"Euhhhhh!"
Those who couldn't properly see the power of the sword qi because of the backs of their comrades, densely packed in front of them, just kicked away those who stopped and advanced ahead like moths rushing to a flame.
KWAAANG!
Once again, the white sword qi was released.
Emperor Sword, Namgung Hwang.
He was exhausted. However, his sword clearly proved why he was called the Emperor's Sword.
"DIEEEE!"
However, he, too, had just one body to use. The pirates surged in from all directions like swarms of ants, and his sword felt too short and his body too small to block them all.
"AHHHH!"
A convulsive scream burst out from Namgung Hwang's mouth.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwaang!
Every time the sword was swung, the fierce sword qi surged like a storm.
"Black Dragon KIINGGGG!"
Namgung Hwang's eyes were red.
"Are you going to come out only after all your subordinates die? You coward! A coward like you is the king of the Yangtze River? The world will laugh at you!"
The content was mocking, but the voice felt earnest. It was filled with the desperation to somehow provoke and drag the Black Dragon King out.
But the Black Dragon King was unwavering.
He simply watched Namgung Hwang, who was running wild like a wolf among sheep, with a bitter sneer on his face.
"Uh…"
Even though they were close enough to feel each other's gaze, Namgung Hwang couldn't rush to the owner of that gaze. He intuitively felt that the moment he pulled away, the Namgung family would be annihilated regardless of their match.
"Euhhhhh!"
Namgung Hwang severed the waist of the pirate charging at him, his entire body drenched in blood, with internal organs spilling from the pirate's torn midsection.
The heat and the stench of blood assaulted all his senses.
Amidst the chaos of the battlefield, Namgung Hwang screamed and screamed.
They were dying.
"Ahhhh!"
His disciple.
Another one was dying.
"Kuaak!"
His family.
The overwhelming difference in numbers was clear. For every Namgung family member that fell, more than ten pirates perished. It was a testament to the Namgung family's prowess.
But who could find joy in that?
Who would willingly exchange their life for an enemy's death?
"You bastardsss!"
Namgung Hwang witnessed it.
His son, Namgung Do-Wei, shed tears of blood as he cut down the pirates.
That sword was swift and powerful. Even in despair, it shone with a clear light—the light the Namgung family had pursued for so long.
But…
'Even that sword will be defeated now.'
Namgung Hwang, sensing the family's fate, finally shed hot tears.
Even if his arm were severed or a knife pierced his heart, this man would not cry. Yet, faced with his dying family and their doomed fate, he was nothing more than a weak human being.
It was all his fault.
All his fault.
If he could save even one more person, he would willingly descend into hell, where his body would turn to dust, and he would suffer for thousands of years. But heaven didn't even grant him the chance to sacrifice himself.
As if his life was too insignificant.
The blood of the pirates and the Namgung mingled on the ground. Alive, they were different, but in death, they were nothing more than the same corpses.
"Ughhh! U-euk! Save meee!"
"I-I want to live more!"
Everything was crumbling.
Even though they had fought steadfastly in the face of death, their will couldn't overcome the fear of the harpoon constantly aiming for them and the death of their comrades right next to them. One by one, they began to retreat, madly shedding tears and snot.
"Do not hold backkkk!"
"Hold the ground! Please! Please!"
The cries of Namgung Do-Wei and Namgung Myung echoed around, and the sky of Plum Blossom Island rang out fiercely.
At the last moment, he tried to protect the Namgung family's name and wished to die like a warrior. But the death they were facing now wasn't so romantic.
Name? Fame? Dignity?
What good would those things do to someone who had already become one with the ground?
They just wanted to live. Just one more moment. Even if it meant using their comrades as a shield instead of themselves, just one more moment…
"Uh… Uhhhhh!"
The roar of the lion burst from Namgung Hwang's mouth, engulfed in anger and despair.
His majesty was like a tiger standing among wolves. Even wolves with sharp teeth wouldn't dare to confront a tiger.
But there was a limit to what a tiger could do on the vast battlefield.
Peeng!
A head flew in from somewhere and landed on Namgung Hwang's chest.
"…."
Namgung Hwang turned his head away, unable to bear the sight of that head. Dark blood tears poured down from his chest.
'Yes. Let us all die here.'
He gritted his teeth and summoned all his strength. If he was going to die anyway, he had to take at least one more pirate down with him. He didn't even think about hope.
"Uh…."
But at that moment.
An unbelievable scream rang in Namgung Hwang's ears.
"Ughhh! They are here! They are hereee!"
He hurriedly looked in the direction of the sound.
"Shaolin! Shaolin is here! Shaolin has arrived!"
Shaolin?
When the news, like a shower of water, was delivered, the eyes of the Namgung family swordsmen, who were falling into despair, turned to shock and joy. Everyone looked across the river with desperate faces.
"Ah… AHHH…."
"AHHHHHHH!"
"Damn it! They are here! The reinforcements are here!"
The moment they confirmed that a group of people standing on the other side of the river were wearing yellow robes, all the Namgung family's swordsmen screamed at the top of their lungs.
"Shaolin is coming to help!"
"Endure it! Endure a bit more!"
"You damned bastards! I will kill you all!"
The appearance of Shaolin was a joy to the Namgung family, but it wasn't news that brought despair to the pirates.
"S-Shaolin?"
"Shaolin has come?"
The pirates, too, had eyes, so the moment they saw Shaolin on the other side, they began to regain their senses.
"W-why is Shaolin…"
"Damn it!"
They knew, too.
The river was too wide for ordinary people, but they were Shaolin monks. If they put their mind to it, they could cross the river in one breath and reach Plum Blossom Island.
The movements of the pirates paused for a moment.
Chaos and confusion continued to cover the Plum Blossom Island.
"Abbot!"
"Umm."
The abbot nodded, biting down on his lip.
"It isn't too late! No,… it is a little later, but not so much that it cannot be undone!"
If it had been even a moment later, there wouldn't have been anyone alive.
It was painful that a battle had broken out before they arrived, but the Namgung family hadn't been destroyed yet. Even if they could save half of their strength, they would definitely be able to talk about victory!
"Abbot! This isn't the time to delay!"
"Yes!"
A loud roar burst from the abbot's mouth.
"Listen, disciples! Cross the river and support the Namgung family! Drive the evil sect's pirates off the island!"
"Yes!"
The abbot's flag fluttered in the blowing wind.
'We have won it this time!'
The abbot clenched his fist.
This fight was originally a contest to see who would arrive first. Since they arrived there first, the fight was all but decided. No matter how great the pirates were, they couldn't handle Shaolin and Namgung at the same time.
It didn't matter how bad the Namgung family was. The likes of the pirates could be dealt with by Shaolin alone. Namgung had done their job by simply tying their feet to the island.
"Now! Go and defeat the enemies…!"
It was right at the moment when the abbot burst into a brave roar.
Flinch.
He, who had been shouting, flinched for a moment and stopped talking. Then he started shouting urgently.
"S-Stop! Everyone halt where you are!"
The Shaolin monks who were about to jump into the river looked back in surprise at the urgent voice coming from behind them.
"A-Abbot?"
Beop Gye also looked at the abbot with a face that seemed incomprehensible. Where was there any time for them to delay their help?
"…Abbot?"
However, the moment he saw the face of the abbot, he flinched. The abbot looked pale as if he had seen a ghost.
"What is it…"
"A-Ami… Amitabha…."
He was trembling horribly.
"Why… How! Why!"
Watching him explode in anger, Beop Gye slowly turned his head as if he noticed something. His gaze was directed to the upper side of the river that the abbot had been staring at first.
"Ah…"
Only then did Beop Gye see it.
A large fleet finally began to appear along the greatly curved river.
"Kuak…"
He couldn't have seen it wrong. He couldn't ignore it.
He had no choice but to confirm it with his own eyes.
Among the dozens of ships that appeared at the same time, the largest ship at the front. And the figure of the man standing on its bow.
There was no way he couldn't recognize it. How could he forget that figure? Anyone who saw that man even once would never forget him.
"J-Jang…."
An exhausted tone escaped from Beop Gye's mouth.
"Jang Il…so."
Jang Ilso, the Hegemony Lord.
He stood at the front of the fleet advancing to Plum Blossom Island and lifted one corner of his lips as he saw Shaolin lined up along the riverside.
"My, my. How fast must they have run here."
He covered his face with his hand, adorned with colorful rings, and smiled wickedly.
"What? What were you even expecting? Hahahahah! AHAHAHAHAH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH!"
Even the Yangtze River held its breath at Jang Ilso's laughter, which was full of joy and madness.