Chapter 91 : Chapter 91

Chapter 91. He Simply Forces His Will Through Power (2)

“Ghk….”

They clashed at the same time, but the result was obvious.

Jo Bi was shoved far back, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, while Hellfire Dragon Yado remained completely calm.

He looked at Jo Bi with leisurely confidence and spoke.

“Are you ready to die?”

“You look even uglier up close.”

“…You dare obstruct this lord’s procession? You must be prepared for the consequences.”

“Y-yesh no-mi gah-mi bong-jwa-ui….”

Sometimes there are people whose very existence is perfected at provoking and infuriating others.

For people like that, there is only one answer.

“Die!”

Hellfire Dragon Yado swung his saber with killing intent.

“Hmph!”

Jo Bi faced him with the reins in one hand and his spear in the other.

BOOM!

CRASH!

CRAAASH!

The exchange grew increasingly violent.

Jo Bi had boldly engaged Hellfire Dragon Yado to block his subordinates’ retreat, but honestly, the difference in raw power between them was considerable.

“A runt like you dares talk about strength….”

Jo Bi clenched his teeth.

He had experienced countless real battles against savage northern tribes.

Yet never once had he been pushed back so overwhelmingly in a one-on-one fight.

The martial world was indeed a place filled with monsters.

What troubled him most was being outmatched in strength.

Jo Bi usually pierced his enemies with powerful thrusts empowered by his mount’s momentum, but Hellfire Dragon Yado’s attacks effortlessly knocked his spear aside.

Each clash between sword and saber unleashed explosive heat that felt as though it might snap Jo Bi’s spear in two, and even the horse he rode was gasping, clearly reaching its limits.

“Damn it, this is dangerous at this rate.”

Jo Bi felt he would struggle to endure even ten more exchanges.

“It can’t be helped. Should I use that move?”

Jo Bi had a secret technique of his own.

He had survived countless life-or-death crises on hellish battlefields thanks to it.

“The martial artists call it a life-saving desperate move, or something like that?”

Jo Bi released the reins atop his horse and grasped two spears with both hands.

Then…

“Hoooo….”

Seeing Jo Bi steady his qi and regulate his breathing, Hellfire Dragon Yado snickered.

“Hmph! So you still have a trick left?”

“Good. Struggle all you like.”

Sensing the opponent’s killing intent and solemn resolve, it was clear that Jo Bi intended to unleash a final move before dying.

Hellfire Dragon Yado did not refuse.

Rather, he wanted to see the despair on the boy’s face when his secret technique failed.

“I will never let you die peacefully.”

He wanted to capture him alive, skin him, salt him, and watch him writhe to truly satisfy himself.

After finishing his preparation, Jo Bi shouted.

“I’m coming!”

“Come!”

Hellfire Dragon Yado accepted without hesitation.

Just as Jo Bi was about to charge forward…

“Huh?”

He suddenly looked utterly shocked.

As if he had seen a ghost, Jo Bi stared behind Hellfire Dragon Yado and cried out urgently.

“Noooo!”

Hellfire Dragon Yado was startled as well.

What had happened behind him?

Was there someone capable of perfectly concealing their presence and approaching his back?

Feeling danger, Hellfire Dragon Yado twisted his body and struck backward.

Hellfire Dragon Saber Art.

Hellfire Slash Blaze.

CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH BOOM!

The power was truly terrifying.

Blazing flame qi exploded over a wide area.

And Hellfire Dragon Yado, who had produced this result, stared blankly at the scene.

His saber strike had exploded magnificently.

But the problem was…

“Why is there nothing there?”

There was no sense of impact.

It felt as if he had simply swung at empty air.

It was as if…

CLACK CLACK CLACK….

Hellfire Dragon Yado snapped his head around.

When he looked forward again, what he saw was—

“Hey, you ugly bastard! If I get caught again, I’m dead meat! Be grateful I’m letting you off today!”

“….”

It was Jo Bi fleeing far away on horseback.

He was already more than twenty zhang away and still running desperately.

Which meant…

“You impudent baaaastaaaard!”

This was Jo Bi’s life-saving secret technique that had saved him on countless battlefields: Luring the Enemy and Escaping.

To lure.

Enemy.

To flee.

To escape.

It was a technique where one pretended to have something impressive, drew the enemy’s attention, and then fled swiftly.

Acting skill was crucial, and it worked especially well against powerful opponents in dire situations.

The one drawback was…

“I’ll kill youuuuu!”

It made the opponent extremely angry.

***

CRASH!

BOOM!

BANG!

Hellfire Dragon Yado, truly enraged, chased after Jo Bi while hurling flaming qi.

Jo Bi did not even look back, using his ghostlike horsemanship to evade every attack.

Whenever he sensed something flying at him from behind, he immediately twisted the reins and made his horse leap sideways.

His riding skill was so extraordinary that even northern nomads would admire it.

Among horse-riding peoples who lived their entire lives on horseback, fewer than ten could control a horse this well.

“Stop right there, you slippery bastard!”

Hellfire Dragon Yado chased him in a blind rage.

And Jo Bi…

“Good. Just a little farther.”

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

He was luring the enemy toward the destination perfectly.

Judging from the multiple presences he felt in the distance, the Hell Gate disciples left behind also seemed to be following Hellfire Dragon Yado.

Everything was going as planned, except for one thing.

“Stop right theeeere!”

CRASH CRASH CRASH!

“I’m going to die at this rate!”

Even at full gallop, he could not shake Hellfire Dragon Yado.

Considering that Jo Bi’s horse was one of the finest northern steeds, Hellfire Dragon Yado truly was a monster.

Soon, Jo Bi entered a canyon to reach his destination.

Once he passed through this canyon, he would arrive.

But then…

“Do you think I’ll let you go?!”

Upon reaching the canyon, Hellfire Dragon Yado drew up an enormous blade of flaming saber qi over two zhang long along his saber body.

“Die!”

[ Hellfire Dragon Saber Art: Flame Dragon Shattering Void ]

A massive blaze shaped like a fire dragon erupted from his saber and violently scraped along the canyon walls.

CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH!

Unable to withstand the rampaging fire dragon in the narrow canyon, the terrain began to collapse.

Cliffs crumbled and rocks fell into the canyon below.

Hellfire Dragon Yado smiled at the sight.

“I’ve finally got you.”

No matter how impressive Jo Bi’s horsemanship was, there was no escape in that situation.

With the retreat cut off, he would be no different from a rat trapped in a jar.

That was what Hellfire Dragon Yado believed.

However…

“Hoooo….”

Jo Bi focused, staring straight ahead.

Gripping the reins tightly and clamping his legs firmly around the horse’s belly, his gaze showed the same level of concentration Han Cheong-un displayed when manifesting a Domain.

He observed each collapsing rock in the canyon, perceiving everything three-dimensionally.

Falling speed, order, size—he analyzed everything meticulously and judged in an instant.

Death, death, death, death, death….

No matter where he went, all he saw were paths to death.

And within that, Jo Bi’s eyes gleamed.

“Found it.”

Jo Bi grabbed the reins with both hands and kicked his horse’s belly with all his might.

“Hah!”

The horse responded, leaping straight into the falling rocks.

And here, Jo Bi’s near-divine horsemanship unfolded.

THUD!

He dodged the first falling rock to the left, then yanked the reins sharply to halt the horse.

THUD!

A rock fell directly in front of him.

Jo Bi dodged it sideways and ran almost pressed against the cliff.

Several rocks fell right behind him as he passed.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

Perfectly controlling his horse, Jo Bi advanced while flawlessly evading the falling rocks.

The sight was so astonishing that even Hellfire Dragon Yado, watching from afar, momentarily gaped in shock.

It truly felt like witnessing the meaning of unity between man and horse firsthand.

And then…

“……!”

Several rocks fell side by side directly in front of Jo Bi as he was about to pass through.

There was no space to evade.

Yet Jo Bi hesitated not at all, pulling the reins and leaning his body sharply to the side while powerfully kicking the horse’s belly.

“Hiiiyaah!”

At that moment, the horse carrying Jo Bi understood his intent.

Humans and beasts should not be able to communicate, yet their wills aligned.

Not just anyone could do this, but Jo Bi was the world’s finest rider, and the horse he rode was also among the ranks of legendary steeds.

That combination created an unbelievable scene.

“Wh… what?”

Hellfire Dragon Yado’s jaw dropped.

He had lived a long life, but this was the first time he had seen something like this.

“The horse… the horse….”

“The horse is running on the wall?”

“That’s impossible?!”

The Hell Gate disciples who arrived late also gaped in awe.

With no space left to dodge, Jo Bi charged his horse straight onto the sloped cliff face, and the horse ran forward along the wall itself.

A master who had reached the pinnacle of Lightness Skill could run along walls, but a horse?

This was unheard of and unseen.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

“W-what kind of monster is that….”

For once, Hellfire Dragon Yado did not grow angry at his subordinates’ astonishment.

***

Jo Bi safely exited the canyon.

And waiting for him were—

“Excellent work, Captain!”

“Here, water!”

“Thanks to you, we lived, Captain!”

His cavalry subordinates looked at him with eyes full of respect.

Jo Bi accepted the water flask, drank deeply, and asked.

“Any dead or wounded?”

Of course not.

Jo Bi had stayed behind to take on the most dangerous role.

Thanks to that, every member of the Jo Clan Cavalry had retreated safely.

The cavalrymen, who had once viewed him as a frivolous captain who only chased women and joked around, now gazed at him with unreserved admiration.

He was a captain who had risked death to save his subordinates.

How could they not respect him?

Jang Chung approached Jo Bi and spoke.

“Captain Jo, are you all right?”

“I’m fine. More importantly, how are the preparations, Butler Jang?”

Jang Chung had once managed Jinju Tower, the most glamorous pleasure house in Akyang.

Now, as a member of the Limitless Gate, he had returned to his original position as the butler of the Jinju Eon Clan.

And his task was simple.

“Forty-two warriors of the Jinju Eon Clan. All prepared.”

“Good.”

Jinju Eon Clan warriors, the Jo Clan Cavalry, and in addition, Limitless Gate disciples and ronin gathered by Jang Hyun—around two hundred fighters in total.

They formed a battle formation, and Jo Bi muttered while looking into the distance.

“They’ll be coming soon.”

“So soon?”

The canyon had collapsed during Jo Bi’s escape, blocking the road.

Yet the gradually approaching explosions suggested that this was no real obstacle for Hell Gate.

“A monster really is a monster.”

With that kind of power, he could make a living doing construction work instead of committing evil.

That thought crossed Jo Bi’s mind.

“Form up and wait. We’ll finish this here.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The Limitless Gate set their formation near Dongting Lake, where few people passed.

This was the battlefield prepared under Eon Sohui’s instructions.

***

“Oh? I thought you’d fled far away, but it seems not.”

After forcing their way through the canyon, Hell Gate arrived.

At the front stood Hellfire Dragon Yado, who muttered while looking at the lined-up Limitless Gate disciples.

“Who among you is the representative?”

The crowd parted, and a single woman stepped forward.

Dressed in white court robes, she appeared gracefully like a fully blossomed pear flower.

The moment Hellfire Dragon Yado saw her, his gaze changed.

“Beautiful.”

At his frank remark, she slightly lowered her head and spoke.

“I am Eon Sohui, the head of the Jinju Eon Clan and the general administrator of the Limitless Gate.”

“So you are the descendant of the Jinju Eon Clan.”

Hellfire Dragon Yado nodded.

He had come to attack the Limitless Gate, so he naturally knew some information about Eon Sohui.

A descendant of the Jinju Eon Clan, once coveted by the Namgung Clan as a potential daughter-in-law.

She managed the finances of the Limitless Gate and, with outstanding business acumen, had multiplied its wealth like a rolling snowball.

“I only knew the bare facts.”

Hellfire Dragon Yado slowly looked her over from head to toe and said.

“Those incompetent Rogues’ Guild fools should have mentioned how pretty you are.”

Though he grumbled, his sticky gaze lingered on her.

Eon Sohui did not change her expression as she replied.

“Our Sect Leader is absent, so I will convey the stance of the Limitless Gate in his stead.”

“Go on.”

Hellfire Dragon Yado had become quite lenient upon seeing such a peerless beauty.

“This is the territory of the Limitless Gate. I advise you to withdraw peacefully. If you ignore this warning and attack….”

“And if we do?”

“Not a single one of you will be allowed to live.”

Eon Sohui’s presence changed.

The image of a gentle, virtuous lady of a noble family vanished, revealing the bearing of a heroic woman of her age.

“Hahahahaha!”

Hellfire Dragon Yado laughed heartily, then abruptly stopped.

“Good. Very bold. I like it.”

Pointing at Eon Sohui, he declared.

“I will not kill you. I will make you my concubine and cherish you for a long time.”

“How dare—!”

“What did he just say?!”

Sparks flew in the eyes of the Jinju Eon Clan retainers.

At that moment, Hellfire Dragon Yado became an irreconcilable enemy they wanted to tear apart.

There was no room for compromise.

In the martial world, there was only one answer.

“Attack!”

“Kill them all!”

Now, there was nothing left but to force one’s will through power.