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Chapter 339. Despair (3)
My heart sank like a stone.
My mind grew tangled.
The killing intent rising at our feet wasn't at a level that immediately threatened lives.
However.
The future it foretold.
Eṅu m̈а
The truth it implied.
That was what felt so despairing.
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'I'd hoped the Silent Sound Demon Wolf Unit was the end of it......'
Whether anyone else sensed it or not, the faint demonic qi woven into the killing intent indicated that this Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare hadn't been deployed by the Demon Wolf Unit alone.
There was no way the Demon Wolf Unit alone could have deployed a Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare of this scale in the first place.
It required at minimum three units, or one or more pavilion-level military organizations.
W̊ е̇ b̌ñо vē ľ Ė n ù m̄а́
'And the most damnable part is that's the minimum.'
Was that all?
The people on our side were Academy students who could hold their own. A thin, fragile siege net could be broken through by accepting a moment's loss.
The enemy couldn't not know that. So what they'd prepared wouldn't stop at a simple siege.
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What grated on me most was their behavior.
They'd deployed the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare while already holding an overwhelming advantage.
Еn̆ ũ ṁа̀ .i̇ d_
Their purpose wasn't simply to surround us and inflict damage.
Their intent shone through far too clearly.
Certain annihilation.
Unmistakable extermination.
Now I finally understood why they hadn't bothered covering their tracks while attacking Academy students en route.
It wasn't that they didn't care if their identity was exposed to the world.
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They didn't care if their identity was exposed here, in this Black Forest.
Because the only ones leaving this Black Forest alive would be the demonic practitioners.
'Why, why go this far? This is beyond mere sabotage.'
Signs everywhere pointed to them committing their full strength, as if gearing up for all-out war.
Suddenly, the survivor's voice echoed in my mind.
[If we just kill Jin So-un...... If we just kill Jin So-un......!!!!]
Ẇ е̌b n ӧ ṽ еl Ěn û mа̄
Those eyes that had truly believed everything would be solved if I died.
With things having gone this far, I genuinely wondered if it was because of me.
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'Is it because that spine-chilling bastard Gwak Gung is watching me?'
But the scale of this operation was too massive for it to be just about killing me.
I wasn't exactly a future Alliance Leader candidate.
Would they really mount an operation like this just to catch one greenhorn like me? Would sane people even—
Ӗ n u_m̂а̄.
'Huh?'
But demonic practitioners were never sane to begin with. Thinking about it that way, maybe it really was because of me—
"Eldest Senior Brother!"
Eun-ho, shaking my shoulder right in front of me, snapped me back.
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"Get a grip!!!"
"......"
Е n̈ ŭm̌ӓ
"I said get a grip!"
The brat even raised his hand.
"Snap out of it, Jin So—!"
"Freeze."
Was this little bastard about to slap his heaven-sent Eldest Senior Brother across the face?
I delivered a flick to his forehead as divine punishment.
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"What's all the fuss about?"
"Ow...... Who puts inner arts behind a forehead flick?"
"I didn't use inner arts. Anyway, what is it?"
"......Then why does it hurt so much? Anyway, the atmosphere isn't looking good."
"Why now?"
"It seems like some people are planning to desert."
Ŵ еbn̄о_vе̇ ĺ Е n̊ŭṁ à
"Desert?"
"There are people saying we need to break through the siege before it's too late."
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"......"
The killing intent that had crept in was now flowing into the center of the base camp. What had barely reached the soles of their feet was already rising to ankle level.
Our outstanding Academy students, sensitive as they were, had reacted sharply to the killing intent and realized they were trapped inside the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare.
Still, I hadn't expected them to crumble this fast.
Ẽǹú m̀ ӑ .í d̊
Continuous exposure to persistent killing intent while already worn down from injuries inevitably set nerves on edge.
And with faint demonic qi mixed in on top of that, maintaining one's sanity was simply impossible.
"Did they discuss it openly?"
"No. Quietly among themselves......"
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"Who?"
"What?"
Е́nŭ mӓ
"I said who. The idiots who thought that up."
"Disciples from the Kongtong Sect and Wudang, Eldest Senior Brother."
"Got it."
I turned to head toward the Kongtong members, then stopped and faced Eun-ho again.
"What is it?"
"Is Dong-ryong all right?"
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The Heavenly Killing Star was vulnerable to killing intent.
Dong-ryong's Taeul True Scripture attainment had risen considerably, so he wouldn't easily succumb to the killing nature, but seeing the Righteous Path Association and Orthodox Path Association elites collapse this helplessly, it'd be a lie to say I wasn't worried.
"He's fine. The kid's reached the point where he can regulate it on his own now."
"Even so, just in case — give him this."
I handed Eun-ho the Demon-Purging Four-Spirit Beads.
"How much stuff do you even carry around in there?"
Ė nǔ ḿа. ǐ d
"Tell everyone to eat and be ready to move out at any time."
"We're moving?"
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"Waiting here isn't the answer."
Some people seemed to be hoping the instructors or those standing by outside the Black Forest would come to rescue them, but it was a truly hopeless prospect.
By the time they arrived, every battle would already be over.
***
W̊ е ḃṅо̆ v̊ е̃ l̈ Е̂ n u m̄ а
Even while moving toward the Righteous Path Association's area, I quickly assessed the Academy students' condition.
Everyone's eyes were bloodshot, and they were in a state of extreme tension.
They said even ordinary people would sicken and die from prolonged exposure to a wild animal like a tiger's killing intent.
For warriors with heightened sensory perception, the effect would be worse, not better.
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Moreover, these were Academy students with no battlefield experience — there was no way they'd know how to rest properly in conditions like this.
As I drew closer to my destination, a commotion erupted.
Еn ù m̀ā
'Too late?'
I rushed to arrive and found the inside in chaos.
"You sons of bitches! Running off by yourselves?!"
"If you're going to leave, at least say so!"
It wasn't just where the Righteous Path Association was gathered.
Shouting erupted from the Orthodox Path Association's area too.
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"You damned bastards! What are we supposed to do now that you've taken the guides?!"
"What about the wounded?!"
I approached an Orthodox Path Association member who was venting.
"What happened?"
"......"
He'd been cursing up a storm but saw my face and turned away in surprise.
Е́ ňu_ḿа. іḋ
"What happened?!"
"......Looks like some people bolted."
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Members from the Ak Clan and Jegal Clan, along with lay disciples. Twenty in total.
"Hah...... 'some people'?"
At my disbelief, the Orthodox Path Association member added.
"The Ak Clan and Jegal Clan didn't all go. They left some behind."
W e b ñ о̀ve l Е̌n̊um̊ а
"Some?"
I followed his gesture and saw wounded people sitting blankly.
"Hah......"
Left behind because they were wounded.
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Damned bastards. No — it was such a rational decision that I couldn't even muster anger.
The situation with the Righteous Path Association was much the same.
W еb̊.n оv̀ е̄l̊ Eńŭ m̆ a
Some Wudang and Kongtong disciples and their lay disciple followers.
Every last one of them, top-ranked students in terms of grades and inner arts — cherry-picked to the last.
In a situation already short on capable fighters, yet another loss of combat power.
"Maybe they're organizing a rescue party to come back for us...... This could actually be a good thing."
A Righteous Path Association member attempting extreme escapism, unable to believe he'd been abandoned.
"For people who bragged that the Righteous Path Association was the Murim Alliance, how unsightly."
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Cheol Sun-jik, who'd appeared at some point, clicked his tongue.
I asked him.
"Nobody deserted from the Twelve Peak Citadels?"
"Do you think the Twelve Peak Citadels are the same as the rest?"
"I actually expected the entire Twelve Peak Citadels to desert first."
"......"
Wӗ b̌ n̈ȯ v̇ е̂ l̈ Еñum а̌
Cheol Sun-jik was especially sensitive to situations like this.
Like the first rats to flee a sinking ship, you might say.
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Honestly, it was hard to believe he was still sitting still.
In dangerous situations, whenever I'd looked for him, he'd always been the first to vanish.
"......You do have a plan, don't you, Representative Jin?"
"What about you? Don't you have one?"
Е̂nuḿа̊.і̊ d̈
"I did. I scrapped it, though."
"Scrapped? Why?"
I was more curious about why he'd scrapped it than what the plan had been.
When I looked at Cheol Sun-jik's face, he met my gaze with an oddly fervent look.
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A bit uncomfortable, actually......
"Because I heard you say that if people followed you, you'd get them home alive."
Ěn̊ um а̄
Huh?
"So you'd better have a plan. ......Without fail."
"......"
"Because I'm trusting you, Representative Jin."
......Who was trusting whom?
What was wrong with him?
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Had the demonic qi already scrambled his brain?
***
Like Cheol Sun-jik, the Academy students' condition continued to deteriorate.
After the secret desertions became known, the chaos only intensified.
The worst off were the lay-affiliated martial sect members who'd followed Wudang, Kongtong, the Jegal Clan, and the Ak Clan but hadn't been taken along.
"THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!!! They were all too happy to use us, and now they run off by themselves......?!"
Е̄n̊_ǔm̂ а̇
"Acting like they feared nothing, then sneaking away! Goddamn bastards!!!"
Those who'd once served them devotedly and fawned over them now shook with an even greater sense of betrayal.
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The fury that erupted was fundamental — rage at those who'd ordered them around as if it were their birthright, then fled the moment responsibility came calling.
On top of that.
Unbeknownst to them, the demonic qi was also having its effect.
Anger larger than normal, killing desire more intense than usual — it all converged on the wounded who'd been left behind.
Е̇ nüṁ_å . і d
THWACK!
"You bastard! Why didn't you run too?! Huh!"
Unable to move properly, they couldn't even put up a decent defense.
"Why didn't you run too?!"
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"Ugh...... I-I......"
"Go on, try abandoning us and running!!!"
Ẇе̌ bn̄ о́v́е l̃ Ēn̆ ũm_а̄
Before long, others joined in.
THWACK-THWACK-THWACK!
"Bastards! Do you know how much booze and meat we wasted on your lot?!"
"You were all too happy to lord over our sects, and now you dump us?!"
"Fine, since we're all going to die anyway, I'll kill you with my own hands!"
Some of the wounded forced themselves up to fight back, but the majority just took the beating.
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"This can't be...... This can't be......"
Beaten senseless, sitting there blank-eyed.
THWACK-THWACK-THWACK-THWACK!
The violence spread quickly, and even those with no direct connection rushed in to vent their frustrations.
I brushed off my hands and stood.
"Let's go."
Ё n̆ úm̌ a
"......Go where? Don't tell me...... you want to stop that?"
Cheol Sun-jik added with a heavy frown.
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"......That's their business. They should sort it out themselves. Honestly, I'd probably want to do the same......"
"You said you were curious about my plan, right?"
"......"
"That's my plan. Hurry up and stop them."
Е̇ n̄ũ mа̊ . і́ d
I didn't wait for his answer and ran forward.
Behind me, Cheol Sun-jik sighed and broke into a run.
When Cheol Sun-jik moved, the Twelve Peak Citadels members followed.
Just then.
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"GAL!!!!"
Il-gak dropped right into the center of the violence.
Ẁe b́n̊ о̀v e_ľ Еn u̇m̌ӑ
"Enough!!! What is the meaning of this?!!"
That baldy was about to spout more nonsense again.
"What's happening here is...... huh?"
Fortunately, before Il-gak could say anything, he was shoved back by the mob — cutting off whatever blunder he'd been about to make.
God, that useless baldy. Did he think a riot like this could be resolved with words?
I spoke to Cheol Sun-jik.
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"Just stopping them won't be enough. Yeah...... just smash them in the jaw hard enough to shock them back to their senses."
"What are you saying? If they're attacked in this state, it'll escalate into a full-on battle."
The excessive violence right now was largely due to demonic qi poisoning.
So what mattered was ending this atmosphere decisively.
I gathered inner arts in my hands and answered.
"Then you just have to subdue them in one blow."
Ѐ n u m а
"......Are you telling me to kill them?"
"Why can't you take a hint?"
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"I'm saying it's that difficult, Representative Jin."
"Is anything easy right now?"
The instant I finished speaking, I drove a kick into a man who was about to stomp on a wounded person.
The man, struck without warning, went sailing two jang before tumbling across the ground.
Ё_ñ_ü m̈a
"Enough! Killing them won't solve anything!"
The kicked Academy student wiped blood from his mouth and bared his teeth.
"Jin So-un! You want to die too?!"
See — poisoned by demonic qi, his mind was gone. Trying to kill the Academy Representative.
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I spun two and a half rotations and slammed a kick into the man's face.
WHAM—
E ñ u m а . i d̆
The extreme rotational force behind the kick was more than enough to knock out someone who'd lost all reason.
And the flashy movement was perfect for drawing attention.
I shouted at those around me.
"I'll say it once more! Everyone stop, right now. Killing them won't get any of us out of here alive."
When Cheol Sun-jik, Nam Hwa-seong, and the Twelve Peak Citadels elites stepped forward en masse, those committing violence gradually stopped.
Instead, they began howling like animals.
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"FUUUUUCK!!! Then what are we supposed to do?! We're all going to die here anyway......! Should we just sit here smiling and wait for a rescue team?!"
The wildfire of rage extinguished all at once, and terror of death came flooding in to take its place.
The same people who'd been beating others half to death a moment ago were now shedding thick tears, crushed before the prospect of their own deaths.
"Sniff...... I never should have come to the Academy."
"MOTHER!!!!"
"Shit...... I shouldn't have trusted those instructor bastards."
Е́ n ûm̊ ӑ
I'd never seen a scene this chaotic.
Even the ice-cold Cheol Sun-jik looked flustered, his expression at a loss.
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Then again, the existence of demonic qi was still unknown to them.
This was still a time before the Demonic Cult's presence had even been hinted at.
Even if I revealed the Demonic Cult's existence, no one would believe me.
So now more than ever, I had to keep my head.
E nu̇_m̂ â
"Enough! Will crying solve anything?!"
"I never got to be a proper filial son...... Father, I'm sorry......"
"Eno—"
"In my next life, I'll definitely be filial......"
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"I said enough, you bastard!"
THWACK!
En u̇mǎ
I truly could not listen to this anymore.
I smacked one guy upside the head, then looked around.
The area had grown quiet.
"Does anyone else want to cry?"
"......"
"......"
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Apparently not.
Elites were still elites, after all.
"Anyone here who wants to die? Raise your hand."
Cheol Sun-jik's expression shifted oddly.
If I had to describe it — something like "What are you planning to do now?"
"Can't you hear me? Raise your hand if you want to die!"
Ӗ n û.m а
"You crazy bastard...... Who in the world wants to die?!"
"The way you were all acting, I thought you did."
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"......"
I didn't know what the Demonic Cult was doing in the Black Forest, or why they'd gone this far.
Nor did I want to know.
"If you want to live, get up. Stop lying around feeling sorry for yourselves."
Wѐ b̀ n̊ о́v е̃ ľ Еn̂u m̈a_
But if there was one thing I did know.
They planned to kill every last one of us.
"Jin So-un...... What are you planning?"
And I had no intention of watching these Demonic Cult sons of bitches carry out their plan.
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"Anything. Whatever it takes to get out alive."
"......"
W̃ èb̊ ṅ оv̆ еl̈ Е ňùm а̃
"Are you all prepared for that?"
Time to showcase my specialty.
The specialty of ruining someone else's feast.
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