Chapter 56

"Attack!"

At the bandit leader's command, the bandits rushed forward, swinging their weapons.

Raon narrowly dodged the bandit's attack by tilting his neck and then swung his sword. A straight, swift strike.

"Ugh!"

The bandit, unable to even think of dodging, fell with his heart pierced.

Squish!

Seizing the opportunity, the bandit on the right thrust his spear. Raon deflected it with his sword and simultaneously cut the spear shaft and the bandit's neck.

The bandit, unable to believe his own death, died with his eyes wide open.

-How can someone so young be so resolute?

'These kinds of people don't deserve to live.'

Raon scanned the bandits with a cold gaze.

They had burned a village and taken children as hostages. He felt no guilt in killing them.

"Get him! Attack all at once! He's just a kid!"

"Die!"

"Ugh!"

Twenty bandits, armed with swords, spears, and axes, charged at him simultaneously.

Whoosh!

The moment Raon raised his sword, a silver coldness rose from the ground, enveloping the bandits. It was Lu Nan, who had released the coldness to slow down the bandits' movements.

Thud!

He nodded slightly to Lu Nan and moved to the left of the bandit with the sword.

"You, you bastard!"

The bandits struck their weapons simultaneously. Raon did not dodge but charged forward.

As the bandits' swords swished past, he raised his sword and slashed.

The red-stained blade cut through two bandits at once.

"Die!"

A bandit behind him thrust his spear. The sharp spearhead aimed for Raon's heart.

Raon bent his waist. His hair, cut by the spear, fluttered in the air.

"Ha!"

Following that, a bandit with a sword and another with an axe charged at him simultaneously.

Swish!

Raon slid backward, cutting the neck of the bandit who had let his guard down.

"Chase him!"

"That, that little rat!"

"No need."

Raon stepped with the Garimbo technique, turning his ankle. His body leaned forward and shot out like lightning.

"I'll come from this side."

Raon plunged into the lower ranks of the pursuing bandits, drawing the Flexible Sword Technique.

Swish!

The storm of sword techniques sent four bandits' heads flying.

"Huff."

Just as Raon paused to catch his breath, a strong killing intent surged from behind.

'It's him.'

It was the bandit leader who had been waiting for an opportunity. Without turning around, he leaned to the side.

The bandit leader's large sword sliced past his bangs. His golden hair fluttered in the air.

"How did you—!"

"Good."

He aimed his sword at the startled bandit leader's neck.

Clang!

Though his stance was not fully set, the bandit leader could not withstand the sword strike and was pushed back.

"Strike! Tear him apart!"

"Ugh!"

The bandit leader and various weapon-wielding bandits surged forward like a wave. Rusty swords and spears aimed for his heart, and a heavy axe swung at his head.

Thud!

Raon took a deep breath and stepped with the Jinjue technique. The sword, imbued with the power of Manhwa Gong, was drawn from left to right.

Manhwa Gong. Yeonpung.

A blade of heat, riding the wind, split the bandit leader and the bandits simultaneously.

"Ugh…."

"What, what?"

The bandits, unable to believe their own deaths, fell in two pieces.

"Ugh!"

"A monster."

"How can a kid like that…."

The remaining bandits, now few in number, trembled with their weapons and took a step back.

"You, your leader is now…."

"Ha, unbelievable."

A man with his shirt unbuttoned emerged from the bushes. He looked to be around thirty, with a young face and a vicious aura. It was clear from his malevolent presence that he was the mastermind behind everything.

"Leader!"

"Chaeju!"

Hope returned to the bandits' faces, which had been filled with fear. Indeed, this man was Seolho Chaeju.

"Is it right to die to a kid? If we join the North-South Alliance like this, we'll only bring shame upon ourselves."

The man put a bottle hanging from his waist to his mouth and chuckled. He didn't seem particularly angry that the bandits had died; he found the situation amusing.

"You look like a rich kid. From a well-off family, I assume?"

The bandit leader grinned and pointed at Raon and Lu Nan in turn.

"Actually, that's good. I was worried the gift might be insufficient, so I'll take you as hostages. Even the heavens don't abandon me."

The bandit leader, who had revealed his name as Bukan, drew the sword on his back. The thick sword spun like a leaf.

'So, he is the leader.'

His name matched what Rimer had told him. He seemed to be an upper-level Aura User in terms of strength.

The strongest opponent he had faced so far.

But he wasn't nervous. He could easily defeat him.

"Come on. As a young master, I'll give you a few moves."

Bukan chuckled and wiggled his four fingers.

"Alright."

Raon sent a calm look to Lu Nan, telling her to stay put, and stepped forward.

"Let's see how strong a kid can be…."

As Bukan spoke carelessly, Raon aimed his sword at the man's neck.

Swoosh!

The sword, filled with the power of Manhwa Gong, soared toward Bukan's neck.

"Huh!"

Bukan let out a gasp and swung his sword. The spinning sword, like a windmill, deflected the sword's path.

Clang!

With a loud impact, Raon and Bukan were pushed back simultaneously.

"Ho, that's the level, huh?"

Bukan's eyes gleamed like a hungry beast.

"This is going to be fun!"

He burst into laughter and charged forward, adding more spin to his sword.

Raon did not clash head-on but twisted his waist to dodge the attack.

Boom!

The sword struck the ground, splitting it. The power was immense.

"Ha ha ha!"

Bukan laughed maniacally and struck his sword repeatedly. As the massive sword dominated the space, Raon's room to move gradually decreased.

"If you keep dodging, you'll end up getting cut and dying."

"That's none of your concern."

Raon maintained a calm gaze, continuing to step with the Garimbo technique and blocking the sword strikes.

"Tsk, if that's all, there's no need to watch anymore."

Bukan stuck out his lip and swung his sword. The large sword, riding the wind, flashed with a blue light, releasing a powerful aura.

"Die right there!"

As his sword rose to the sky, increasing its movement, a red lightning bolt struck Raon's eyes.

Manhwa Gong's first move.

Hwa Ryeong.

A flame bud, blooming from the tip of the silver blade, spread with the wind.

Clang!

The fierce aura in the small flame cut through Bukan's sword and tore his waist.

"Ugh!"

Bukan, clutching the sword embedded in his side, screamed.

"You, you bastard!"

His strength in pushing the sword away was immense, as if he were a true leader.

"Die!"

Bukan, holding the sword embedded in his side with his left hand, aimed for Raon's neck with the sword in his right hand.

"It's useless."

Raon narrowly dodged the half-broken sword by tilting his neck and used Bukan's strength to push the sword further to the right.

"Ugh!"

A terrifying amount of blood spurted from Bukan's waist. He let go of the sword and took a step back.

"What, what are you doing? Kill him! Do you want to die here?"

"Ugh!"

"Let's go!"

"Save Chaeju!"

At Bukan's command, the remaining bandits charged.

"Huff."

Raon caught his breath and swung his sword. Using the basic Ziegfried sword technique, he beheaded a charging bandit and slashed his leg.

"Ugh!"

"Ugh!"

"Ugh!"

The wall of bandits collapsed with screams.

'Where is he?'

Raon swung his sword, searching for Bukan's position. He was gone, and his presence could not be detected.

'He escaped!'

Using his subordinates as a shield and escaping was a typical bandit move.

Grinding his teeth, Raon released his aura.

'Time is running out.'

Unlike him, Bukan would have already mapped out the surrounding area. Once he escaped, it would be hard to catch him.

Whoosh.

He maximized Manhwa Gong and struck the ground.

The red-stained blade fell like lightning, severing the heads of the bandits in front of Raon.

"Ugh…."

"Ugh!"

The bandits, unaware of their own fate, fell with blank stares.

"Ugh!"

"No, no! We can't beat him! He's a monster!"

"Chaeju! Chaeju! What?"

"That bastard escaped!"

"Surrender! We surrender!"

The remaining bandits, now few in number, screamed. Upon realizing that Chaeju had escaped, they all dropped their weapons and knelt.

"Lu Nan!"

After scanning the surrendered bandits, Raon looked at Lu Nan.

"I'll chase Chaeju. If these guys try anything, don't hesitate to kill them."

"Okay."

Lu Nan, holding the children tightly, replied confidently. The bandits' faces turned pale.

"Alright."

Raon, using the Ring of Fire and Manhwa Gong, pushed off the ground.

Entering the forest from which the bandits had emerged, he opened his senses and rolled his eyes.

'Where?'

The bandits had used the forest extensively, making it difficult to find traces.

But he couldn't hide the sound.

'Southwest.'

His enhanced hearing, cultivated by Seol Hwa, caught the sound of bushes rustling in the southwest.

Thud!

He ran like a gale in the direction of the sound. Soon, he detected Bukan's presence, and the man's back came into view.

'What?'

Bukan was not alone. He was carrying a woman in his arms and running through the forest like a madman.

"That's far enough."

Raon stepped with the Garimbo technique to the maximum, blocking Bukan's path.

"Shit! How did you catch up!"

Bukan's lips trembled as he stepped back.

"Don't come any closer! I'll kill her if you do!"

He pressed his sword to the woman's neck, threatening.

"I can't see anything now. I'll kill her if things go wrong!"

"You'll die too."

Raon did not yield to Bukan's threats. Using Manhwa Gong and the Ring of Fire, he slowly approached.

'Showing weakness because of a hostage is the worst.'

Showing that the hostage is useless is the way to make the other side panic.

And this hostage was truly meaningless.

"Damn it!"

Chaeju cursed and threw the woman he was carrying.

"Ah!"

Raon ran forward and caught the woman, who was falling to the ground, with his left hand.

"Thank you."

As the woman, with a clean face, nodded, a blue snake sprang from her sleeve.

"Enough!"

Bukan's triumphant cry echoed.

"What's enough?"

Raon laughed coldly and struck the ground with the sword in his right hand.

Thud!

The blade, piercing the snake's head, pressed into the woman's heart.

"Ugh, how!"

"You said there were 39 bandits. You were the last one."

"You, you counted…."

The woman, finding it absurd, did not close her eyes even as she died.

"You had a clean face for a hostage."

Actually, that wasn't all. The woman's finger had a red-lined ring. It was the mark of a snake sorceress.

The number of bandits and the ring, along with her clean face, revealed that she was not a hostage.

"You, what are you?"

Seolho Chaeju, Bukan, cursed. Realizing that running was futile, he crouched and trembled.

"You enjoyed killing, didn't you?"

Raon, holding the sword that had pierced the woman's heart, approached Bukan.

"Get, get lost!"

Bukan, cursing, swung his sword wildly. The fierce look in his eyes when they first met was now trembling with fear.

"Attacking a village, plundering, and taking children as hostages—actions even a demon wouldn't do."

-But there are quite a few demons who would do that. In fact, countless.

"..."

Raon ignored Las's words and approached Bukan.

"Shut up!"

Bukan, jumping up like a grasshopper, swung his sword. The blade, filled with Aura, glowed blue.

The Ring of Fire had already grasped all of Bukan's martial arts. He easily dodged and slashed.

Swish!

Bukan's right arm fell to the ground.

"Ugh!"

"You don't even deserve to scream."

"Wait, wait, I'll give you a spirit medicine! The spirit medicine I took from that village…."

Raon, without hesitation, beheaded Bukan. The ugly bandit's head fell and rolled away.

"Huff…."

He panted and sheathed his sword.

'Spirit medicine, he said.'

Bukan had attacked the village for the spirit medicine. It was definitely in his body.

Searching Bukan's clothes, he found a small pouch.

"This is it."

He opened the pouch. Inside was an unopened flower bud. Uniquely, half of the petals were blue, and the other half were red.

"For this?"

Raon, frowning, touched the flower bud.

This was the Two-Tone Flower, a spirit medicine that possessed both fire and water energies.

It was rare, but not so extraordinary that it warranted the destruction of an entire village.

"Tsk."

He regretted killing Bukan too easily.

-Human greed is like that. I see more desire in the human world than in the demon world. What a delightful world.

Raon did not respond to Las's words. He didn't ignore them; he had nothing to say because they were true.

"Hmm?"

Just as he was about to leave with a bitter taste in his mouth, a headache struck, and a piece of knowledge from Manhwa Gong surfaced.

Two-Tone Flower.

The true form of this unopened flower was not this.

'If I have this, it could be a spirit medicine with much more powerful effects… huh?'

Thanks to the knowledge from Manhwa Gong, he realized the true form of the Two-Tone Flower just as he sensed something moving in the southern bushes.

Rustle.

A young man emerged from the bushes. He wore a tiger-skin vest and a yellow headband. He looked like a hunter and a bandit.

"Ah? It's already over?"

He licked his lips, looking at the dead Seolho Chaeju at his feet.

"Looks like the wind to rescue him from Ziegfried's encirclement didn't come."

The man in the tiger-skin vest looked up and met Raon's eyes.

"Did you do this? Impressive."

"North-South Alliance?"

The yellow headband was a symbol of one of the Ohma, the North-South Alliance.

His appearance here, and his regret over Seolho Chaeju, revealed that he was from the North-South Alliance.

"I'm Rector."

He introduced himself without hiding it.

'Rector.'

Raon frowned upon hearing the name. He had heard it in his previous life.

A genius swordsman who entered the North-South Alliance with a single sword and became the owner of a large bandit camp in ten years.

Rector was a true martial artist, far above Seolho Chaeju.

"Did you take the spirit medicine that guy had?"

"What if I did?"

Raon nodded. He couldn't hide it since Rector had arrived while he was looking at the Two-Tone Flower.

"Bold. I guess your judgment is good for your age."

His gaze turned to the snake sorceress.

"Your strength is also excellent. That's why you have such confidence."

Rector's eyes, which had scanned the headless corpse of Bukan, returned to Raon.

"Descendant of a famous family. A direct descendant of the Six Yellow Ziegfried, I assume. You're still a trainee, judging by the lack of the Fire Sword emblem. Hmm, what should I do?"

He fiddled with the sword at his waist and licked his lips.

"Should I kill you?"