Chapter 92 : Chapter 92

Chapter 92. You’re Still the Same (1)

Hell Gate and the Limitless Gate collided head-on.

Numerically, Hell Gate held the advantage.

Although Jo Bi had thinned their numbers through hit-and-run tactics, they still possessed over three hundred elite fighters.

Which meant—

“We win.”

“Of course we win.”

“I’ll kill them all.”

The Hell Gate disciples were confident of victory.

They were Hell Gate, one of the Eight Gates of the Evil Way.

There was no way they would be inferior in quality to the disciples of a newly formed sect not even ten years old.

With both numerical and qualitative superiority, how could they lose?

THUD!

“Guaaaah!”

One Hell Gate disciple who thought that was struck heavily in the solar plexus and sent flying backward.

The man who knocked him down was a muscular warrior with the characters Ultimate and Hero engraved on his chest.

“Not a single one will get past here.”

His stance was so refined that anyone could tell at a glance he was a high-level fist master.

“That bastard….”

“He’s pretty good!”

“Kill him!”

Three Hell Gate disciples charged at him simultaneously.

When encountering a strong opponent, using numbers was the natural rule of the Evil Way.

And this was a battlefield—there was no need for restraint.

A saber, a sword, and a mace attacked at once.

Facing the assault barehanded, the Eon Clan warrior remained calm.

He carefully calculated the distance.

And the instant the attacks were about to reach him—

“Hyaaah!”

His fists and kicks seemed to multiply into dozens, repelling the attacks and striking back instead.

“Ghk….”

“You bastard—gah!”

“Urgh!”

Having repelled all three attackers at once, the Eon Clan warrior did not let go of his advantage.

Clenching his fists, he leapt forward and shouted.

“Jang Choga of the Jinju Eon Clan stands here!”

Eon Clan Fist.

Once ranked among the top ten martial arts of the martial world, the Jinju Eon Clan’s art was being displayed here in Akyang.

Empowered by the internal cultivation method received from Han Cheong-un, Eon Clan Fist began to unleash its true might.

A single Jinju Eon Clan warrior easily handled four or five Hell Gate disciples.

Because of their efforts, Hell Gate could not advance as easily as expected.

Though they had charged fiercely, the frontline fell into a stalemate.

The Jinju Eon Clan warriors held their formation firmly, pushing back the enemy without overextending.

And while they bought time, Eon Sohui prepared the next move.

“Captain Jo Bi!”

Eon Sohui called out.

Jo Bi responded loudly.

“We’re ready.”

Unlike his usual self, Jo Bi answered seriously without joking.

Seeing this, Eon Sohui smiled faintly.

His equipment had changed.

Spears, bows, javelins, hand axes—Jo Bi and his cavalry had once carried a variety of weapons, but now they were armed only with spears.

In exchange, they wore sturdy armor, and their horses were fitted with barding that protected their heads and necks.

They had shifted from versatile light cavalry to heavily equipped heavy cavalry.

“Go.”

At Eon Sohui’s command, Jo Bi took the lead and shouted.

“Move out! Don’t fall behind—follow me properly!”

“Yes!”

His subordinates answered energetically, morale surging, and Jo Bi led them in a charge.

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD….

Perhaps because of the increased weight, the Jo Clan Cavalry began to run with a heavy rumble, sweeping widely around the battlefield.

Their target was Hell Gate’s flank.

Riding at the front, Jo Bi sharply identified the weakest point along the enemy’s side.

“No matter how chaotic martial world battles are, a powerful flank attack always causes confusion.”

Jo Bi clenched his teeth, fixed himself with his legs, raised his spear high with both hands, and roared.

“Follow me!”

With him at the point, the entire Jo Clan Cavalry formed a massive wedge and charged.

“Hyaaah!”

[ Zhao Family Spear Art: Piercing Thrust Spear ]

Jo Bi’s strike unleashed a terrifying spiral of qi, tearing through the enemy.

“Aaagh!”

“Aaah!”

Sending two or three flying in a single blow, Jo Bi pressed the attack without stopping.

“Wipe them all out!”

Jo Bi personally drove the enemy back from the front.

From this moment on, there was no retreat.

If they stopped, they would be surrounded and killed.

Only charging forward was the answer.

“Wooooo!”

Jo Bi rampaged fiercely, hurling spear qi in all directions.

The cavalry followed closely, thrusting and smashing their spears into the enemy.

“Die!”

“Hyah!”

Individually, their martial prowess could not match that of Hell Gate disciples.

But once cavalry gained momentum, they were extremely difficult to stop.

The Jo Clan Cavalry dug deeply into Hell Gate’s side.

Attacked from two directions, the Hell Gate disciples panicked.

“Damn it, what is this?”

“Hall Master, the enemy is attacking from the flank—!”

“Ignore the flank! Just push forward and take that woman’s head!”

The Hell Gate officers urged their subordinates, trying to restore order.

Ordinary soldiers would fail, but warriors with high individual skill could still recover.

Yes, still—for now.

“Send the signal.”

“Yes!”

Judging that Hell Gate’s momentum had broken, Eon Sohui gave the order.

A subordinate shot a whistling arrow high into the sky.

WHEEEEEEE!

As the arrow screamed through the air, the sound of drums began to echo from somewhere.

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD….

The Hell Gate disciples were shaken.

Was there more waiting for them?

What appeared before them was a group of large ships that had been hidden beyond the forest on the opposite side of Dongting Lake.

Five large ships owned by the Limitless Gate lined up side by side.

And atop them—

“Draw your bows!”

Jang Hyun, the famed archer of the Limitless Gate, stood with ronin at his side.

Seeing them, Eon Sohui smiled.

“Now, this is the finishing blow.”

At her words, Jang Hyun’s command rang out.

“Fire!”

At that moment, countless arrows flew from the five ships.

Rising in arcs, they soon fell like rain upon the ground.

From Hell Gate’s perspective, it was a rain of death.

“Aaagh!”

“No! Noooo!”

“Gaaah!”

Eon Clan warriors held them from the front.

The Jo Clan Cavalry hammered their flank.

And finally, the rain of arrows from the ships.

Under the three-sided assault, Hell Gate collapsed helplessly.

“How absurd. Is this really a martial world battle? It’s no different from an army’s war.”

Watching the battlefield from behind, Hellfire Dragon Yado spoke curtly.

A subordinate beside him asked.

“Shall you step in personally?”

This was a complete disadvantage.

To turn it around, an absolute master would have to step in and overwhelm the enemy with sheer might.

But—

“Hmph. Why would I bother with something so troublesome?”

Hellfire Dragon Yado had another method.

“I have a far more elegant way.”

A cruel smile formed on his lips.

***

“Hah!”

“Die!”

A man coated his saber with flaming qi and clashed fiercely with an Eon Clan warrior.

He was a squad leader-level fighter commanding ten subordinates within Hell Gate.

He was confident in his skill, but his opponent was no pushover.

An ironclad defense and precise strikes pressed him hard.

“You’re good.”

“You as well.”

It had been a long time since he had faced such a worthy opponent.

Their warrior blood boiled as they focused entirely on each other.

“Let’s finish this.”

Determined to defeat the enemy before him, the Hell Gate disciple raised his internal energy.

Then—

“Urgh!”

Suddenly, a burning heat flared inside his abdomen.

His torso swelled grotesquely, followed by his arms and legs ballooning unnaturally.

“Th-this…?”

With a face full of despair, he turned around.

In the distance, Hellfire Dragon Yado stared at him with a cruel smile.

Terror filled his eyes.

“No… noooo!”

But it was already too late.

“Pop.”

With Hellfire Dragon Yado’s short utterance, the man’s body exploded.

CRAAAAASH!

The blast was like a detonating bomb, turning the area into chaos.

“Aaagh!”

“My… arm… my arm…!”

“Uuugh….”

It was a living hell.

Friend and foe alike were injured.

And it was not limited to this spot.

CRAAASH!

BOOM!

BANG!

CRASH!

Explosions erupted in a chain all around.

Every one of them was a Hell Gate disciple fighting on the front lines.

As they detonated simultaneously, the defensive line held by the Eon Clan warriors collapsed.

“Uugh….”

“Aaagh… ghk….”

“No… nooo… ugh….”

Hell unfolded in the mortal world.

And the one who painted this horrific scene into reality was, of course, Hellfire Dragon Yado.

“Good. Very good.”

Hellfire Exploding Lotus.

All Hell Gate disciples learned the Hellfire Flame Divine Art internal cultivation method from Hellfire Dragon Yado.

It rapidly increased internal energy and allowed skilled manipulation of flame qi, but it had one distinctive feature.

At the start of cultivation, one had to receive a seed of flame essence from someone who already possessed it.

All Hell Gate disciples received this seed from Hellfire Dragon Yado.

He did not do this out of affection or to strengthen his disciples.

It was so he could use them as bombs at any time.

Those who received the flame essence became subordinate to the one who bestowed it, and Hellfire Dragon Yado could cause their flame qi to go berserk and detonate them at will.

To him, every disciple was a bomb.

He stood up and shouted.

“Advance! From now on, all useless ones will be used as bombs!”

At his words, the Hell Gate disciples trembled, then reacted immediately.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Die! Die!”

Driven mad, the Hell Gate disciples charged forward.

It was domination through absolute terror.

To avoid becoming human bombs, they threw aside all concern for their own bodies and rushed blindly ahead.

“Ghk… this….”

“Urgh….”

The Limitless Gate was pushed back heavily.

Eventually, the Eon Clan’s defensive line collapsed, and Hell Gate and the Limitless Gate became tangled in chaotic melee.

“Cease fire!”

Jang Hyun issued the command quickly.

With enemies and allies intermingled like that, providing cover fire with arrows was impossible.

More importantly—

“What if another human bomb explodes in that mess?”

A chill ran down his spine.

Jang Hyun turned his head sharply, his gaze landing on Hellfire Dragon Yado, who was leisurely observing the scene from the rear.

“That bastard….”

Uttering an uncharacteristically rough curse, Jang Hyun ground his teeth.

“Yu Chung!”

“Yes, Commander!”

“Take command of the ships.”

“What will you do—!”

Before Yu Chung could finish speaking, Jang Hyun leapt from the deck.

He stepped on a small piece of floating driftwood on the surface of Dongting Lake—

WHOOSH!

—and lightly sprang forward.

Stepping across scattered debris on the water’s surface, Jang Hyun advanced straight toward Hellfire Dragon Yado.

Against a master of that level, shooting arrows from afar would not suffice.

He needed to close the distance.

But—

“Can I really do this?”

No matter how skilled Jang Hyun was, there was no way he could handle Hellfire Dragon Yado alone.

Then—

“This is ridiculous.”

Jang Hyun smirked.

He saw two men charging toward Hellfire Dragon Yado even faster than himself.

Having already reached close proximity, they shouted loudly.

“Die!”

“Drop dead!”

As Jo Bi’s spear and Junggang’s massive fist flew forward, Jang Hyun released an arrow.