The one brandishing his sword wildly among the Water Bandits was none other than Namgung Cheongun.
Seolhwa's father.
What she had hoped for had come true; the Namgung had arrived far faster than expected.
‘He recognized the marks I left!’
For him to have caught up so quickly meant he must have searched for the marks all night without rest. It was a testament to how desperately he had scoured the wide area.
Bang! Craaash!
It wasn't just Namgung Cheongun. Through the breached entrance, the Namgung's Yellow Dragon Unit was pouring in, and among them, Hwarin's parents, Namgung Cheongsan and Moyong Yeonhwa, could be seen.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Moyong Yeonhwa, befitting a daughter of the Moyong family, wielded a gentle yet strong sword, cutting down the Water Bandits blocking her path. Her twin sword technique, which swiftly felled her foes, was a quiet but powerful sword, unlike Cheongun’s, which scattered blue sword energy.
“Shoot! Shoot the arrows! Take down the woman!”
Someone shouted.
Immediately, dozens of arrows were shot toward Moyong Yeonhwa.
However. Clang-clang-clang-clang! Clang!
A greatsword deflected the incoming arrows, and those it couldn't deflect were blocked by the flat of the blade.
“Who dares harm my wife!”
It was Namgung Cheongsan.
Craaash-!
The massive figure kicked off the ground and shot forward, instantly rushing toward the Water Bandits who had fired the arrows.
“Guk!”
“Kuaaak!”
The Water Bandits fell without even being able to resist the greatsword that swung with a fierce wind.
“Give me back my daughter, you bastards!!”
Hwoong- Hwoooong- Cheongsan’s greatsword tore through the heart of the Water Bandits. He literally tore through them. The Water Bandits couldn't even think of fighting back against the sword strikes, which held neither hesitation nor mercy, and were swept away.
“R-Run!”
“Uwaaak…!”
That merciless attack.
Clang-!
A sharp spear tip blocked it.
“Stand back.”
It was the Fortress Master of the river bandits, Maeng Deungho.
Woooong….
A fierce energy coiled around Maeng Deungho's spear. It was a sword aura that only those who had reached the level of a consummate supreme master could wield freely.
“…!”
A look of bewilderment spread across Namgung Cheongsan's face.
“Dodge it!”
Moyong Yeonhwa shouted. But it was already too late for Cheongsan to avoid it. Whoosh- With a sound of cutting through the air, the thick spear shaft swung toward Cheongsan.
Cheongsan reflexively raised his blade to block the attack, but.
Craaash!
“Kuaaak!”
With a tremendous roar, Cheongsan’s body was sent flying into the air. It was in the direction where fragments of the broken fence lay scattered. Moyong Yeonhwa kicked off the ground and leaped up, gathering energy in both her hands.
Spreading her palms toward the flying Cheongsan’s back, she blocked his body as if using a palm technique. The lingering energy from Maeng Deungho in Cheongsan’s body and Moyong Yeonhwa’s energy collided in mid-air, creating another explosive roar.
“Keoheok!”
Namgung Cheongsan coughed up a handful of blood.
“Keuk….”
Moyong Yeonhwa, too, could not escape the impact. The two of them rolled on the dirt ground. With Moyong Yeonhwa’s strength, twisting the direction of their fall was the best she could do.
“Cheongsan! Sister-in-law!”
Cheongun, who had been dealing with the Water Bandits, was shocked and ran towards the two.
“F-Fortress Master!”
“The Fortress Master is here!”
The Water Bandits cheered. Now that a supreme master had appeared, relief that they would live spread across the Water Bandits' faces. Maeng Deungho's appearance had instantly turned the tide.
“Are you alright?”
“Keuk… I’m fine.”
“I’m alright too.”
After checking on the two, Cheongun glared at Maeng Deungho with fierce eyes. The blue energy within his pupils flickered.
“I will take care of that man.”
“By yourself, Elder Brother?”
“Considering the masters he brought with him, we are already at a disadvantage.”
In addition to the four Supreme Realm masters who were already there, four more had joined with the Fortress Master. Cheongun’s party had at most six Supreme Realm masters.
‘This was reckless.’
To think that a single river fortress had so many masters. He knew the Fortress Master’s martial strength was at the supreme master level, but the martial strength of his subordinates was not to be ignored either. With this level of martial force, they would be considered among the stronger of the river fortresses.
Cheongun gripped the hilt of his sword and stood up. He stood face to face with Maeng Deungho, who was at the center of the Water Bandits' cheers. Seolhwa's expression darkened as she watched the entire situation from her hiding place.
‘This fight will be lost.’
From the moment she saw the Namgung forces that stormed the river fortress, Seolhwa had anticipated this situation. Although her father, Namgung Cheongun, was at the supreme master level, he was in an unstable state, having reached it only recently.
There was no way he could defeat Maeng Deungho, who was a consummate supreme master, especially when he had stopped his training for the Heavenly Martial Tournament before he could even get used to the realm and stabilize his energy.
‘And also….’
The gap in the remaining forces was also large. The Namgung forces, which had been pushing in with spirit, were already beginning to be pushed back. Even if Seolhwa added her strength to the Namgung forces, it was a battle that would be difficult to win.
‘This won’t do. I have to find a way.’
A way to turn the tide of the battle…! Tat- Seolhwa moved quickly. Just as she was returning to where Yu Kang and Hwarin were.
“!”
Stopping her steps abruptly, Seolhwa lowered her body and looked over the roof of a tent. She saw Yu Kang holding Hwarin in his arms, and across from him….
‘Ma Jong-ui!’
Seolhwa kept her body low and listened to their conversation.
“I said, hand over the child.”
Ma Jong-ui was telling Yu Kang to hand over Hwarin. Yu Kang tightened his arm holding Hwarin and replied.
“I cannot! The Fortress Master ordered me to take good care of the child!”
“Ah- So. I’m the one who ordered your Fortress Master to bring this child, you see?”
“Unless it is the Fortress Master’s word, I cannot believe you!”
“This punk?”
“Think about it! The enemy has invaded, how can I trust someone I’m seeing for the first time and disobey the Fortress Master’s order? What if the enemy is hiding their identity and trying to take this child?”
Ma Jong-ui sighed, hah. It was absurd, but he was also right, so it was hard to refute. What could he say to someone who was suspicious out of deep loyalty to the Fortress Master?
“It’s been a while since I met someone who leaves me speechless like this.”
Ma Jong-ui clicked his tongue, tsk. With a face clearly showing his annoyance and irritation, he beckoned to Yu Kang with his finger.
“You’re just making things troublesome when we’re going to the Fortress Master anyway. Then you carry her and follow me. Tsk.”
Then he turned and walked ahead. Yu Kang swallowed dryly and followed behind him.
“It’s okay. Hwarin. It will be okay.”
Seolhwa, who had been watching Yu Kang follow Ma Jong-ui while patting Hwarin, moved again.
‘Ma Jong-ui will use Hwarin to induce the Namgung’s surrender.’
To Ma Jong-ui, Hwarin was nothing more than a card he held. So before Ma Jong-ui could play that card.
‘I have to make the first move.’
Seolhwa spread her senses to their fullest extent and searched for Jin Soyak. The fact that Yu Kang was here with only Hwarin meant that Jin Soyak had evacuated to a safe place.
‘Did he go to the Fortress Master’s tent?’
No. Unlikely.
Even last night, Jin Soyak did not go to the Fortress Master's tent. It seemed he had a separate tent where he actually lived. Should she search for it?
But how could she search through all these tents in time….
“…”
Seolhwa stopped walking. After thinking for a moment, she soon turned around and started running to one place. The place she arrived at was behind the Fortress Master’s tent.
Jin Soyak’s secret place.
Rustle.
After passing through the dog hole and pushing through the bushes, she saw the back of a child, crouched and trembling.
‘To think… he’s really here.’
She knew this was a special place for Jin Soyak. That’s why she came, just in case. She hadn’t expected him to actually be here.
Startled by the rustling sound, Soyak cautiously looked back. He was crying.
Sobbing.
Spotting Seolhwa, Soyak burst into tears, hwaaang, and threw himself into her arms.
Seolhwa frowned.
“I was sca-scared…! I-I was so scared I might get caught by the bad guys…!”
The child burst into tears again. The child, who had been holding back his tears, not wanting to show his pain to his father, was now letting them all out, unable to hold back.
‘A familiar fear.’
“…This isn’t the first time this has happened to you.”
“The bad guys caught me. They said they would kill me… and hurt my dad…. I was… so scared….”
‘So that was it.’
The reason why he didn't use Maeng Deungho's surname, used a separate tent, and didn't acknowledge him in the fortress. It seemed like a flimsy strategy at first glance, but it wasn't bad.
While anyone staying for a long time could easily figure out who the Fortress Master’s son was, those who suddenly stormed the fortress would probably never think Jin Soyak was Maeng Deungho's son.
‘Because… this is the Unorthodox Path.’
Taking a young and weak child as a hostage must be a frequent occurrence. Just as she herself had thought to do.
“Huuuhng….”
Seolhwa looked down for a moment at Soyak, who was trembling in fear and crying, then let out a long sigh. Seolhwa pressed down firmly on Soyak’s trembling shoulders and bent her knees to meet his gaze.
“Listen carefully.”
Soyak wiped away his tears and asked back with a stuffy nose, “Yes?”
“From now on, I am going to use you to threaten your father.”
“…Huh?”