"Damn it! Finally! We finally made it!"
Jo Gul ground his teeth.
His eyes took in the sight of Mount Wudang ablaze. It was a horrifying scene, but even in that chaos, Jo Gul noticed that the flames had not yet reached the peak of Mount Wudang.
"Sasuk! It's me!"
"I know!"
Baek Cheon shouted without slowing down.
"No, ahead! Sect Leader's deputy! The front is our priority!"
"Hmm?"
Baek Cheon looked down at the urgent voice of Hye Yeon.
He saw the sight of the ground below the mountain shaking.
'What?'
No, that's not it! It's impossible for the mountain to move. What he saw was the army of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, which had been densely packed at the foot of the mountain, now turning towards them.
Even for Baek Cheon, who had gone through countless battles, this sight was dizzying.
"What should we do?"
Baek Cheon glanced back at Yoon Jong's voice.
As the deputy sect leader of Mount Hua, his position was only that of a sub-leader. By now, the sect leaders should be stepping in...
However, when Baek Cheon looked back, he did not see his sect leader. Instead, he saw Jin Geum Ryong's annoying face.
"What."
"Huh?"
Jin Geum Ryong snorted briefly.
"Why are you looking back now? You've done everything your way until now."
"N-no!"
"What? Are you scared seeing them? Coward?"
Baek Cheon's face twisted in frustration.
"What the hell are you saying?"
"If not, keep your head forward and give an order!"
Jin Geum Ryong gestured forward with his chin, as if to say don't even think about looking back.
"The one to give orders now is you."
At that moment, Jin Geum Ryong raised his sword, slightly displaying it to Baek Cheon.
"I'll watch closely to see if you behave like a proper human."
"..."
"What are you doing?"
"Ugh."
Baek Cheon glared at Jin Geum Ryong with a boiling face and quickly turned his head forward.
'Damn it!'
His personality!
There's only one person in the world who can annoyingly say, 'I'll support you with all my strength' like this: Jin Geum Ryong.
Chung Myung can make people angry in a different way, but they are almost equal in how annoying they can be.
But still.
"Sasuk! So, what should we..."
"What do you mean what should we do! Idiot!"
Swoosh!
Baek Cheon's sword was drawn like a flash.
"Yoon Jong! Jo Gul!"
"Yes!"
"Hit the enemy's flanks! Scatter them!"
"Yes!"
No further explanation was needed for Yoon Jong and Jo Gul.
"I'll break through the center! Namgung Dowi! Hye Yeon! Help me!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Heavenly Comrade Alliance's forces, which had been moving as one, split into three.
They moved like a seasoned army that had been working together for decades.
"No retreat! Break through in one go!"
"Yes!"
"Everyone!"
Baek Cheon raised his sword and pointed it forward.
"Crush the Evil Sect's forces!"
"Let's gooo!"
Swoosh!
Before his words were finished, two figures brushed past Baek Cheon, charging ahead.
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
Jin Geum Ryong and Yoo Iseol.
The two, who had jumped forward at the right time, briefly looked at each other with stern faces. But only for a moment.
Swoosh!
Without hesitation, they dashed forward at high speed towards their enemies.
"Move aside! Woman."
"You're in the way."
Their swords, moving like the wind, pierced through those who didn't know what to do.
Crunch! Crunch!
"Ahhh!"
In an instant, Jin Geum Ryong and Yoo Iseol created holes in the bodies of dozens of enemies. They glanced at each other again, their faces still stern.
"Get out of the way!"
"I said you're in the way!"
Swoosh!
The two plunged into the enemy lines. Even before those pierced by their swords could fall.
"We, we must stop them!"
"A-mi-ta-bul!"
"Haaap!"
As soon as they tried to react to the rapid onslaught, a majestic roar and a tremendous shout echoed in their ears.
Golden light and a massive white sword aura descended upon the heads of the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors, attempting to subdue those who had infiltrated.
Boom!
A storm of overwhelming energy raged.
The Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors, struck by the power and sword aura, were thrown in all directions, like waves crashing against a cliff.
"What, what is that?"
Battle was second nature to the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors.
But even for them, the full force of Shaolin's greatest talent and the Namgung Family's Sogaju was nothing short of terrifying.
Being skilled and having destructive power are not the same. Few in the world might be able to defeat those two, but the sheer force they displayed in a single move was unparalleled.
That display of power was fully absorbed by their opponents.
"Such monsters!"
But they didn't have much time to dwell on that power.
"Pierce through!"
Yoon Jong and Jo Gul, leading their forces on the left and right, now bore down on them like the fangs of a beast.
They broke through the center and cut down the flanks.
Their coordinated attack happened naturally, without needing extensive discussion.
"No, no! Don't charge too far ahead! Sahyung! Jin Geum Ryong!"
Baek Cheon shouted desperately.
"Follow them! Don't let them get isolated!"
"Yes!"
As if pulled by each other, Baek Cheon's central forces surged forward at an incredible speed.
"Hmm."
Jong Rigok, the Sect Leader of the Southern Edge Sect, watched with a hardened expression.
'Is this even possible?'
The power was one thing, but with just a few commands, those who had never fought together moved as if it were second nature.
Jong Rigok knew how difficult it was to control so many according to one's will. Yet this impossible feat was unfolding before his eyes.
"What is this..."
"It's simple."
"Hmm?"
Jong Rigok turned his head.
There stood Im Sobyeong, drenched and panting.
"...Did you fall into water?"
"It's because it's simple."
Im Sobyeong, ignoring Jong Rigok's question, continued, still panting.
"No need to overthink it. The only command they've been given is to follow the sub-leader in front of them."
"Follow the sub-leader?"
"Yes. When it comes to offense, all that's needed is one point of attack."
Jong Rigok nodded.
'Indeed'
While there's no end to strategy, its structure is clear, especially in offense.
"One main attack and four supporting attacks."
"..."
"No strategy employs more than five attacking points. As long as those five points can move, any attack is possible. You understand, right?"
Jong Rigok let out a dry laugh.
"That's nonsense."
"Yes. It's not the best method. But..."
Im Sobyeong pointed forward with his chin.
"It's working, isn't it?"
"..."
Jong Rigok couldn't refute this.
"At this point, creating complex tactics and formations is impossible. Even after ten years, it wouldn't work properly. But there is a simple method."
"You mean to think of it as five people instead of five forces?"
"Yes. And assign them tasks they excel at."
Jong Rigok looked ahead again.
One force breaks through, two support, and two others scatter the enemy's flanks.
"The Five Elements?"
"Exactly."
This was the basic formation of the Five Elements. Anyone trained in martial arts would have practiced this countless times. The only difference was that now a whole unit was performing tasks usually done by one person.
"That..."
Jong Rigok understood.
With this approach, a complex command structure wasn't necessary. Those leading each unit could communicate with just a glance, having fought shoulder-to-shoulder in countless battles.
"Centering on the sub-leader for this reason?"
"Well, only the Chief would know that."
"Heh..."
Jong Rigok laughed dryly.
"It's utterly reckless. This only works because we're on the offensive..."
Suddenly, Jong Rigok froze.
As he tried to finish his sentence, he recalled something someone had said.
- This time, it's our turn to attack.
"...Attack?"
Not that they would attack, but that they had to. No, that they could only attack.
'Since when?'
It wasn't just about mixing the sects to curb their ambitions?
"Heh."
Jong Rigok shook his head.
He couldn't keep up. No, he didn't even dare to try.
"Now is not the time for admiration, Sect Leader. We need your strength."
"Aren't we of similar rank?"
"I'm a civil officer, though."
"...."
Jong Rigok sighed silently and stepped forward. He had no intention of standing idly by. Doing so would make him feel utterly useless.
"Even if my mind is not the sharpest, my sword has not dulled yet."
Jong Rigok's sword gleamed, proving his point.
"Strategist!"
Ho Gakmyung, standing below the blood-stained Baekanam, looked down the mountain. He could clearly see the forces of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance crushing the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors below.
"H-how did they get here so quickly?"
"...."
"Strategist! We must quickly devise a countermeasure!"
"Don't panic. We expected this."
"What?"
Ho Gakmyung's eyes darkened. The Heavenly Comrade Alliance was visible, but the presence of Ryeonju was not. This meant Ryeonju had succeeded in his plan, indicating that Chung Myung was not among them.
However, Ho Gakmyung meticulously scanned their forces several times. Once he was sure Chung Myung was not present, he nodded slightly.
"He's not there."
"...Strategist?"
"Then they're nothing but a disorganized mob."
Ho Gakmyung spoke coldly.
"Tell them to fight adequately and then retreat."
"But Strategist, their momentum..."
The subordinate, who was about to argue, shuddered under Ho Gakmyung's cold gaze and lowered his head deeply.
"I will follow your orders."
"Draw them into the mountain."
Ho Gakmyung's eyes sank deeper and deeper.
'Such an opportunity won't come easily again.'
His gaze shifted slightly upwards to Baekanam.
'If there's bait that can't be ignored, it must be utilized.'
Now, the only thing left was to catch the big fish.
Ho Gakmyung's gaze passed over the battlefield and into the deep darkness beyond.
"You will regret not coming, Plum Blossom Sword Demon."
Ho Gakmyung clenched his fist tightly.