Chapter 156: Salvation (1)

"Shut up!"

After a brief moment of consideration, Il-mok finished his internal debate and launched himself at the bandits like a madman while screaming into the empty air.

"I knew it! You're all Demonic Cult bastards!"

"You're the one who should shut the hell up, you fucking asshole!"

Two bandits flanked Il-mok from left and right, swinging their curved sabers at him.

But instead of backing away to dodge their blades, Il-mok boldly took another step forward.

But for some reason, there was no sword in his hand.

'If I don't want to draw my sword, then I just won't draw it!'

Il-mok quickly sheathed his sword back into its scabbard, and the various martial arts he'd witnessed flashed through his mind.

The Asura Blood Fist of Hall Master Yeom Ga-hwi that he'd recently encountered, or Chu Il-hwan's Black Thunder Demonic Palm that he'd directly clashed with. Even Jin Hayeon's White Hand Demonic Art, which he'd sparred with hundreds of times before entering the Demonic Hall, and Seol-ah's Blood Fox Crimson Claw Art flashed in his mind.

Among all the various martial arts he could unleash with bare hands, Il-mok chose the White Hand Demonic Art.

But he didn't copy the White Hand Demonic Art perfectly. From the start, Il-mok didn't handle yin energy, so perfectly replicating it was nearly impossible.

'If I gained sword insights from fist techniques, then the reverse should also be possible!'

Il-mok mimicked the forms of the martial art Jin Hayeon had displayed, but the intent contained within was his own understanding.

Slipping between the two bandits in an instant, Il-mok's hands struck at their openings.

Thwack!

With a single move, he used a grappling technique to subdue both men by striking their vital acupoints. When he looked around, he saw the battle was proceeding quite favorably.

Since they were outnumbered two to one, each person was facing two or three enemies, but there was quite a significant skill gap.

The bandits had learned some martial arts, but they couldn't compare to Demonic Arts.

Only the disciples who were still at low levels and lacked real combat experience were struggling a bit.

Slice!

With a gruesome sound, a man let out a horrific scream as something was severed from his body.

"AAAHHHHH!"

Instructor Xiao Hong was looking down at the man with a sneer.

"Not so lively now, are you?"

Il-mok, who had been casually looking around, unconsciously felt his lower regions clench.

‘D-Did I almost end up like that guy that night?’

A cold sweat broke out on his brow as he remembered the night Xiao Hong had come to his room.

The man's agonized screams served as a catalyst.

"R-run away!"

Only after more than half of them had been slaughtered in a short time did the bandits realize their situation and choose to flee.

Il-mok, who was still unconsciously protecting his groin, let out a faint sigh at the sight of the fleeing bandits.

"Hah."

It wasn't because he found their cowardice pathetic.

'Chasing them would be such a pain.'

He had no desire to chase after them. That’s when he assumed a stance.

The stance of Asura Blood Fist that the Hall Master Yeom Ga-hwi had demonstrated in the past.

He infused his fist with the principle of speed he had mastered through the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword, then unleashed a barrage of punches at tremendous speed.

Each punch of his fist caused winds to shoot out like cannonballs one after another.

Boom boom boom boom!

A series of impacts followed, and several of the fleeing bandits went tumbling across the sandy plains.

But those hit by Il-mok were the lucky ones.

Right after, the White Sparrow Corps members each swung their weapons through the air, sending various qi dancing through the sky to slice the legs and necks of the fleeing bastards.

"Phew."

Just as Il-mok was letting out a sigh of relief after confirming that not a single one had escaped.

"Hahaha! Absolutely excellent!"

The White Sparrow Corps Leader, who had cut off the bandit chief's head, approached Il-mok with hearty laughter.

With a face full of curiosity, he asked Il-mok.

"But wasn't Disciple Il-mok learning swordsmanship? Why did you deliberately use fist techniques?"

At that question, Il-mok pondered very briefly.

'If I said "to avoid enlightenment," I'd be treated like a lunatic, right?'

For those who had learned martial arts, what could be more precious than enlightenment?

'I was treated like a crazy person a few times at the Demonic Way too.'

Even Il-mok himself knew how idiotic that sounded by now. So, after a brief moment of thought, he came up with a perfectly serviceable answer.

"Because they weren't even worth drawing my sword for."

It was the kind of arrogant bullshit that the crazy bastards of the Demonic Cult would find acceptable.

"......"

"......"

Right after Il-mok's arrogant response, silence momentarily settled over the area.

The one who broke that awkward silence was the White Sparrow Corps Leader who had asked the question.

"Hahaha. If any other disciple had said that, I would have given them a good beating, but since it's you who said it, I'll let it slide this time."

It wasn't because Il-mok was the Heavenly Demon's disciple.

He turned his gaze to sweep over the bandits sprawled on the ground.

"After all, you subdued this many enemies without even using your sword."

There was no need to nag someone who had proven their arrogance with skill.

Instead of lecturing him, he suddenly burst into laughter with a relieved expression.

"Hahaha! To be honest, I was a little worried. I wondered if the reason you used your fists was because you were afraid of killing."

The Corps Leader, who had surveyed all the bandits sprawled on the ground groaning, turned to look at Il-mok with a smiling face.

"These men are villains who have killed the powerless and stolen what is precious to them. If you fear even killing scum like this, how could you ever properly carry out the will of our great Cult? Hahaha! But it seems my worries were needless, which is a relief indeed."

The White Sparrow Corps Leader was still smiling, but Il-mok felt an inexplicably eerie sensation.

'This was a test, wasn't it?'

It felt dangerous.

Honestly, among the reasons he didn't draw his sword, avoiding killing wasn't entirely absent.

Ever since being dragged here by his Master, Il-mok had indirectly participated in killings or witnessed people die, but he still hadn't experienced killing anyone with his own hands.

While Il-mok was internally sighing with relief, A cloud of sand billowed in the distance, and another group could be seen approaching.

They were Demonic Cult members who had rushed over after seeing the green smoke of the signal flare the White Sparrow Corps Leader had set off.

The one who showed the most conspicuous reaction was Dokgo Pae.

"This can't be!!"

He despaired with a face as if the sky itself had collapsed.

"Get back on your feet, you worthless bastards! Give me a chance at a real fight!!"

It was the sight of a complete lunatic.

Regardless of Dokgo Pae’s antics, the newly arrived White Sparrow corpsmen began interrogating the downed bandits.

"Where are you from?"

In a way, it could be said to be thanks to Il-mok.

Because he had fought only with his fists and grappling techniques, a good number of bandits had been subdued without being killed.

Right after finishing the brief interrogation...

Slice.

The White Sparrow Corps members cut off the necks of the bandits who had honestly spilled information.

It was obvious.

There was no reason to forgive bandits who had tormented the common people. They were followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, not Shaolin monks who pursued non-killing.

After finishing the interrogation and slaughter, the White Sparrow Corps Leader clicked his tongue.

"Tsk. More runaways from the Central Plains again."

"I pity the people of the Central Plains. There's no way the bastards who fought territory disputes with scum like these could be good guys who look after the people."

The Corps Leader nodded with a regretful face after hearing the Vice Leader’s words.

"Our Divine Cult must return to the Central Plains soon and save the people."

"Central Plain scums."

With their conversation ending, everyone present looked east with expressions mixing regret and anger. They gazed toward the Central Plains, home to the great clans and sects, and above all, the Imperial Court that had branded them traitors.

In that atmosphere full of determination, only Il-mok was struggling to manage his expression.

'Crazy cult bastards.'

If they found out his true thoughts, his head would roll on the ground just like those bandits.

***

Right after cleaning up the entire battlefield...

'Still, it's all over now, right?'

Il-mok was wearing a cheerful expression.

It wasn't just because he had survived the crisis of having his inner thoughts exposed.

It was because they had dealt with the bandits who were the target of this expedition in just four days since starting the practical training.

And since they'd completed their objective, they now just had to return to the Demonic Way, right?

Il-mok's hope was mercilessly crushed.

"Since the mission ended sooner than expected, we'll spend the remaining time patrolling the surrounding area."

Following the White Sparrow Corps Leader's orders, they began moving again.

Not toward the west where the Tianshan Mountains Range was located, but toward the south.

But the atmosphere was quite different from before.

With no urgent business, they didn't push themselves with movement techniques or ride their horses at full speed. This gave both the corpsmen and the students some breathing room.

"Hahaha. So are you planning to apply to the combat unit after graduating from the Demonic Way?"

"Hmm. How about our White Sparrow Corps? We still have two vacant positions that we need to fill soon."

"It would be an honor to be able to serve with you, seniors!"

Maybe because they had more leisure time, they now engaged in all sorts of small talk while they traveled. The most common conversation was the corpsmen’s attempts to recruit the cadets into the White Sparrow Corps.

"I've been watching you for a few days, and it seems your lightness skill is a bit lacking. I don't practice the same one as you, but let me give you a few pointers."

There were also some corpsmen who offered advice on martial arts or life in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

Of course, even those giving advice would say the same thing after finishing their advice.

How about joining our White Sparrow Corps after you graduate from the Hall? I'll even give you some extra lessons. Hahaha."

The conversations buzzing from all sides made for a seemingly cheerful atmosphere, but there were also those being ignored.

The White Sparrow Corps members weren't thoughtlessly approaching just any disciple.

They were focusing on the ones they had observed over the past few days, the ones who seemed to have decent skill or grit.

Thanks to this, most of the disciples in the lower ranks of the Lower Class were ignored.

"I've long heard of your name, senior! I've always wanted to have a conversation with you!"

Among them, there were also disciples who took the initiative to approach the White Sparrow Corps members.

On the other hand, most of the Upper Class disciples were recruitment targets for the White Sparrow Corps members, but the corpsmen were having a hard time in the process.

"Hiiiik!!"

There was one disciple who would have a panic attack if you even approached her a little, let alone try to have a conversation.

"What do you think about our White Sparrow Corps..."

"I'm sorry, but I've already decided to dedicate my life to the Hidden Guard Pavilion!"

"Huh? Don’t be too hasty. With skills good enough to be placed in the Upper Class of the Demonic Way, choosing the Hidden Guard Pavilion as your choice of career would be a waste of your talent.”

"It's not hasty! My heart is steadfast. My only goal is to become Young Master Il-mok's attendant!"

There was a strange cadet who, no matter what anyone said, would just repeat her desire to become Il-mok’s attendant.

"Ohohohoh!"

"As expected of Mi-hwa!"

Then there was the weird student who only bragged about herself, no matter what was going on around her, and her best friend who enabled her.

There was even one disciple who boasted excellent grades even in the Upper Class, but whom the corps members couldn't bring themselves to approach.

The problem was that even though they were trying to avoid him, that disciple would come looking for them.

"Senior! The road is long and boring, how about a sparring match!"

The corpsmen let out sighs of despair thanks to the student who kept sticking to them no matter how hard they tried to get away.

The eldest son of a famous family known for his self-righteous personality. He was the kind of guy who would bring disaster upon the White Sparrow Corps if they recruited him, so despite his outstanding skills, they didn't dare make an offer.

While the White Sparrow corpsmen were busy mingling with, recruiting, and avoiding the cadets, their gazes would often drift toward a certain place.

There is a big fish among big fishes in this batch.

As if sensing the White Sparrow Corps members' earnest wishes, the White Sparrow Corps Leader finally made his move.

Toward Il-mok, who was snoring and dozing off on his horse.

And at the Corps Leader's blatant move…

Grumble.

A certain female instructor's stomach began to churn.