"Dammit!"
An unusual curse burst from Ma Dongpil's mouth. As he kept retreating, he suddenly turned and swung his leg.
Thud!
With a single kick, the large wolf was sent flying several meters away. If an ordinary person saw it, they would have been too shocked to close their gaping mouth.
But only for a moment.
Growl.
The wolf shook its head a few times and wrinkled its snout again.
Crack!
As it clenched its claws, cracks spread across the ground. Its blood-red fur gradually puffed up, making it look one and a half times bigger than before.
Ma Dongpil's eyes wavered.
"No impact?"
It was a sudden kick, but it was an attack with considerable internal energy. Yet, the wolf only staggered a few times after taking that kick?
"Where on earth did these monsters come from?"
"Argh!"
One of the guardians screamed as he was bitten by the giant wolf. His face turned pale blue as the sharp teeth pierced through his upper body.
Blood poured out.
A series of cracking sounds followed, and soon he went limp. His heart was pierced, and his neck was broken, leading to his death.
The wolf spat out the corpse and roared.
Roar!
It was a sound that couldn't possibly be called a wolf's howl. It was a sound on a different level from a dog's bark, echoing through the area like a tiger's roar.
And it wasn't just one or two.
Whoosh!
Ma Dongpil quickly rushed forward and swung his sword fiercely.
Slash!
His sword cut a long gash on the wolf's hind leg. But it couldn't be considered a fatal wound. Although there was quite a bit of blood, it was merely a flesh wound.
"How can this be!"
The wolves moved so fast that they had no choice but to engage in a quick battle. There wasn't even a moment to spare to form a sword aura, so they had to fight with pure swordsmanship and internal energy.
Still, this was too much. Even after being cut by his sword, which could slice through rocks, the wolf's lower body wasn't severed; it only suffered a flesh wound.
Whoosh!
The wolf's response was dazzling. Without threatening or glaring, it immediately lunged to bite Ma Dongpil the moment it was cut.
"Fast!"
He could see the fierce teeth inside the giant wolf's mouth. Those teeth, as hard as steel and as sharp as a treasured sword, were stained with the blood of his subordinates.
Ma Dongpil's eyes were filled with demonic energy.
Bang!
He dove in and lifted the wolf into the air.
It was a strategy not easily chosen. Having fought all sorts of bizarre creatures in the Ghost Bamboo Forest, Ma Dongpil was effectively driving the wolves into a corner.
Buzz!
Demonic energy gathered clearly on Ma Dongpil's sword. He intended to reduce their numbers first, regardless of a quick battle.
Whirl!
With a swirling gust, a sharp sword aura shot toward the wolf. No matter how fast the wolf was, it couldn't avoid this strike.
Thud!
Blood spurted from the wolf's chest. Finally, a proper killing blow landed.
Ma Dongpil's eyes, filled with cold and heavy killing intent.
"Sorry."
The immediate mourning for the fallen comrade had to be brief. True mourning could wait until after these monsters were all defeated.
Ma Dongpil looked around.
"...!"
The area was a complete mess.
The transport team, centered around the carriage, and the three groups of guardians surrounding them were struggling against the wolves, but it was insufficient.
The wolves, whose origin was unknown, were faster than the guardians' footwork, their skin was like steel, and their ferocity resembled that of mad demons.
Moreover, they used tactics, striking and retreating skillfully when they sensed danger.
"Wolves forming a formation? Did they learn such tactics?"
It seemed unbelievable. Even the creatures of the Ghost Bamboo Forest didn't use tactics as a group.
"Damn it!"
But there was no time to be merely surprised.
As Ma Dongpil was about to spring into action after spotting a wolf's weakness, he felt a straightforward and vicious killing intent from behind.
Ma Dongpil swung his sword forcefully. It was his unique heavy and powerful sword strike.
Thud!
His sword cut through the wolf's front leg. It made a dull sound, like chopping wood with an axe.
"When did it get here... huh!"
Ma Dongpil was shocked.
The wolf attacking from behind was the one he had struck down with his sword aura earlier.
Blood was pouring from its chest, and its tongue hung limp, but its eyes were still fierce.
"Not dead?!"
How could this be? He had clearly hit the overlapping area of the heart and lungs.
"Hah! Hah! Roar!"
The wolf, making a deflated sound, lunged again. Unlike the other wolves forming a formation, it acted independently because its injuries were too severe to keep up.
Buzz!
Ma Dongpil pushed his demonic energy to the limit.
Thrust!
Avoiding the wolf's jaws, he climbed onto its back and stabbed its eye.
Thud!
The trembling wolf soon collapsed. The long sword had pierced through its eye and into its brain.
"Huff! Huff!"
Ma Dongpil's breathing became quite rough.
To take down just one wolf, he, a master of the highest level, was this exhausted. There was no time to rest.
Whoosh!
As Ma Dongpil dashed into the center of the battlefield, a powerful explosion reached his ears.
"Yelp!"
The wolf, which had flown several meters and fallen, was covered in white frost. It staggered to its feet but seemed unable to continue fighting immediately.
"Chief Zhu!"
"Huff, huff!"
After a series of rough breaths, Zhu Hua shouted clearly.
"Transport team, move further inside and wait!"
It might sound quite harsh to the escorts who needed every hand they could get, but Ma Dongpil thought her judgment was correct.
Even among demons, if they hadn't matched their skills, it was better to pull back.
Crack!
Two members of the third group fell, coughing up blood.
Zhu Hua's eyes turned cold.
Whoosh!
Filling the gap in an instant, she swung her twin palms.
Clang!
The two wolves, trying to break through the gap, hesitated and retreated with frost on their faces.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Ma Dongpil, who had leaped high into the sky, descended at a terrifying speed.
Slash!
With a more powerful strike than ever, the necks of two wolves were split. He intended to decapitate them, but only managed to cut halfway. They died, but it was still astonishing.
"Huff!"
The excessive energy he had poured out in an instant left Ma Dongpil's face pale.
He took a short breath and shouted.
"Whirlwind Formation!"
Clatter!
The forty remaining guardians formed a line and rotated left and right. It looked like large and small wheels spinning in opposite directions.
Zhu Hua's eyes wavered.
"Dangerous."
Even at a glance, she could tell it was an extraordinary formation. The reason Ma Dongpil activated it only now was clear.
To constantly and quickly rotate, confuse the enemy's vision, and block the allies' gaps would surely consume a lot of stamina.
Ma Dongpil had thrown his own gamble.
"Combine!"
Boom!
The wolves at the front were pushed back. The power of the Heavenly Water spread like silk, striking the ground.
That wasn't all. Zhu Hua quickly moved to the rear and unleashed the Heavenly Water again.
Boom! Boom!
Zhu Hua, moving around and rapidly lowering the temperature of the ground.
The cold and powerful force made the Blood Wolf Brigade retreat and growl.
Watching the scene from afar, Yul Rang's eyes deepened.
"Impressive."
Jung Ilryong nodded.
"Their ability to handle the situation is considerable. They don't seem to have much combat experience, though."
His eyes were fixed on Zhu Hua. Despite his age, his clear eyes, filled with a subtle yearning, were full of greed.
"Will the Blood Wolf Brigade be okay? It might just be a stalling tactic, but they won't be able to approach easily."
"Of course, they'll be fine."
Buzz.
Yul Rang's eyes turned blue.
Simultaneously, the wolves at the front all leaped forward. Even though they instinctively knew they should retreat, they responded immediately to Yul Rang's command.
Zhu Hua and Ma Dongpil quickly swung their sword and palm at the wolves.
Screech! Boom!
The wolves, which had been charging, flipped their bodies and retreated. They had charged explosively, but their retreat speed was remarkable. Except for the five or six that stumbled and fell, all retreated stably.
At the same time.
Whoosh!
Zhu Hua's eyes wavered.
"Oh no."
As if waiting, the wolves at the rear flew through the air and attacked.
She hadn't let her guard down, but she fell for a simple tactic. The killing intent from the wolves at the front had been so fierce.
At that moment, a blunt and quick voice reached her ears.
"Soul Sever."
Buzz!!
A powerful wave of force flowed along the sword blade.
Ma Dongpil, who had noticed the rear wolves' attack a beat earlier than Zhu Hua, urgently pulled out a secret technique.
"Return to Heaven!"
Flash!
A massive sword aura drew a crescent moon and shot toward the wolves.
Slash! Boom!
Four wolves were cut in half. Three suffered deep wounds to their abdomens, and two, swept away by the sword aura's aftermath, were flung left and right.
"...!"
Zhu Hua's eyes widened.
"Amazing."
In a single strike, he had cut four of those monsters and inflicted fatal wounds on three. It was an incredible swordsmanship technique rarely seen even during internal conflicts.
But Ma Dongpil's condition was not good.
"Cough!"
Kneeling and coughing up blood, his face was as pale as a corpse.
The fierce battle had already consumed a significant amount of his internal energy. He was in a situation where he needed to conserve his strength, yet he had risked internal injury to unleash a secret technique.
Buzz.
The demonic energy became rough, his breathing unstable, and the unique sharpness of a swordsman dulled instantly.
"Third Group Leader!"
"Don't worry about me, just hurry..."
Boom!
A wolf that had seized the opportunity flew back, coughing up blood. It had been directly hit by the full force of the Heavenly Water.
Ma Dongpil bit his lip.
"Damn it!"
Why hadn't he used the secret technique to kill the wolves earlier?
Because he feared a situation like this. If Zhu Hua hadn't blocked it just now, he would have become wolf food.
There was no other choice now. Ma Dongpil spat blood and shouted.
"Open the Formation! Everyone, charge in!"
Buzz! Clang!
The guardians, who had been rotating in place, spread out in a circle.
They switched from a purely defensive formation to an all-out attack. It was no longer a fight to protect but a fight for survival.
Zhu Hua bit her lip. The leader of the guardians, who valued the mission more than life, had abandoned the formation and declared a chaotic battle. It meant the situation was at its worst.
"Transport team, fight! At least one person must return alive!"
Yeon Yi shouted.
"Everyone, scatter! Run to the branch as fast as you can!"
Uproar!
The demons, who had been tightly maintaining their formation, moved chaotically. They confused the wolves' vision and attempted to escape simultaneously.
Watching the scene from afar, Jung Ilryong clicked his tongue.
"They're making a boring choice."
"..."
"What will you do? They're rampaging more than expected. And the Blood Wolves have suffered quite a bit."
"..."
"They may be demons, but if you provoke the Demon Sect beyond a certain point, there will be repercussions..."
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Yul Rang's figure moved at an incredible speed.
Ma Dongpil, who was trying to muster his strength and swing his sword, instinctively raised his sword at the sudden surge of killing intent.
Bang!
Ma Dongpil, who flew through the air, crashed into a large tree and fell.
"Third Group Leader! Huh?!"
Thud!
Zhu Hua coughed up blood. She had been hit squarely in the abdomen.
"You twisted your body at the last moment to avoid a vital spot. Good reflexes."
Slash!
Zhu Hua's face swelled up as she was slapped.
Grabbing her hair and even sealing her acupoints, Yul Rang looked around and shouted.
"If you don't want to see your superior being eaten alive, don't even dream of escaping."