The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

The surprise attack spread quickly like a spark that suddenly caught fire on the mountain. The highly skilled Blood Flow Thousand Wolves Corps members seemed flustered at first but responded skillfully, while other warriors died bleeding.

“Be careful.”

Eun Do appeared and blocked in front of me. At that moment, a dull and sharp sound rang out. An enemy who had appeared from nowhere swung his sword at Eun Do.

I didn’t feel anything. Neither the approach nor even the sword swing. Is he a higher level master than me? I pushed Jeok Biwol back and drew my sword to look around.

The enemies suddenly appeared as if tearing through space. While I was rolling my eyes and looking around, unable to understand how such a thing was possible, Eun Do, who had dealt with the rushing enemy, approached.

“It seems to be a formation.”

“A formation?”

“Yes. They set up a formation in the densely wooded areas on both sides to hide and attack when the time was right. That’s why we couldn’t feel anything until they came close. If we had been suspicious and scouted in advance, we would have discovered it, but it seems we were caught off guard because it was unreasonable to think of such a thing.”

As he was speaking, an enemy appeared from the empty sky and swung his sword down. Eun Do pierced his heart and threw him to the ground, frowning.

“People like me with a lot of experience in stealth and surprise attacks can deal with it without much problem, but it will be difficult for ordinary martial artists.”

As if to prove his words, Eun Do thrust his sword into the air. Then blood burst out and an enemy fell to the ground with his chest pierced. Eun Do looked down at him and frowned.

“The situation is not good. If the entire Yeonwi Left Army has been mobilized, it will be difficult to deal with them with just the people we have now.”

While I was gritting my teeth and looking around, Yoo Doha approached. He was already covered in blood and breathing heavily as if he had just been through a battle. He looked at me and asked urgently:

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. More importantly, what about the others… no, what about Dojin?”

“The Young Cult Leader moved directly to face Geum Hyul.”

“What about Man Do?”

“There are too many Yeonwi Left Army forces in front, so he’s dealing with them. Although it hasn’t been confirmed exactly yet, it seems the entire Yeonwi Left Army has been mobilized, and other military groups seem to be included as well.”

While Eun Do was blocking the front, Yoo Doha exhaled and wiped the blood flowing over his eyes with the back of his hand. The blood stretched out like a tattoo.

But Yoo Doha had no time to care about such things, and after examining me and Jeok Biwol, he spoke quietly:

“For now, please hide yourselves. When a path for retreat is prepared, I’ll come right away to escort you.”

“I’ll help too.”

I stepped forward one step holding my drawn sword. Yoo Doha glanced at me slightly and nodded. He looked around and bit his lip tightly. Then he leaped back into the enemy lines. I watched his back and turned to look at Jeok Biwol. She also seemed flustered but appeared to be calmly thinking of ways to handle the situation.

After leaving Jeok Biwol alone for a moment to organize her thoughts, I approached Eun Do’s side and dealt with the rushing enemies together.

“Are you alright?”

“This much is no problem.”

After answering briefly, I looked around to check Moyong Do’s position. It was difficult to find Moyong Do in the battlefield full of blood and severed flesh.

While drawing up my inner power and dealing with the soldiers, a huge roar and screams rang out from the front.

“Awoooo!!”

The huge wolf, Harang, revealed himself. Harang pressured the enemies with his massive size and fast speed.

Before, everyone had been scared and retreated at Harang’s appearance, but it seemed the information had already been shared, as they were dealing with Harang using swords and nets as soon as he appeared.

Fortunately, the surrounding warriors were helping so he wasn’t being overwhelmed, but the front was also in a precarious situation that could collapse at any moment.

“It seems there are too many.”

“And they’re strong. If the entire Yeonwi Left Army has been mobilized, we probably won’t be able to survive.”

“Then should we run away?”

“…If they made this much preparation, they probably blocked all escape routes too.”

Eun Do swung his sword again to cut down an enemy, then caught his breath and spoke in a low voice.

“The only way to survive is to kill them all.”

Eun Do turned his gaze and looked towards where Geum Hyul was. An incredible battle with tremendous sounds and powerful inner forces bursting out was continuing.

The clash between a Demonic Realm master and a Flowering Realm master caused massive damage to the surroundings.

Therefore, no one rashly approached their fight. Recalling what Eun Do had said before about Geum Hyul, I spoke quietly:

“Will Dojin be alright?”

“In a one-on-one fight, the Young Cult Leader won’t lose to Geum Hyul. However, the problem is that he can’t win easily, so it will take time.”

Even while we were talking, enemies kept rushing in. I dealt with them too, but it was clear they were not easy opponents as those rushing in didn’t easily expose their vital points.

Moreover, perhaps because it became known that I was here, the number of attackers increased even more than before.

After kicking away the enemy I was dealing with, cutting off his arm with my sword energy, I stepped back. I quickly dealt with an enemy rushing at Jeok Biwol and spoke to her.

“Do you have any good ideas?”

“No. There’s no way. If there was one, I could release poison into the air, but unfortunately poison doesn’t have the ability to distinguish friend from foe. Moreover, it’s such a deadly poison that if infected, everyone would be annihilated instantly. The only people who could survive would be those with immunity to all poisons or myself who has immunity to it.”

“That’s useless then. Anything else?”

Jeok Biwol shook her head. She looked around nervously, scrunching her face.

“How on earth did they figure it out? I created six fake processions to deceive their eyes, but how did they accurately realize this was the real procession?”

“There must have been a spy.”

Jeok Biwol frowned and bit her lip hard, growling.

Blood trickled down from her lip. Jeok Biwol looked around and then up at the sky.

Jeok Biwol’s expression slowly relaxed, then her face changed slightly. Following her, I looked up at the sky and heard a voice from beside me.

“…Maybe there could be a way.”

“A way?”

Darkness was settling in. The battle wasn’t ending quickly, and fires were rising up here and there. Jeok Biwol narrowed her eyes.

“That person must have already smelled the blood plenty.”

The sun had already sunk behind the mountains. Only the sound of blades clashing echoed in the mountains where deep darkness had settled.

Jeok Biwol, who had been looking up at the sky, slowly smiled and looked into my eyes. I also looked into her eyes and swallowed. There was only one person who could be referred to as ‘that person’ as she said.

“…It feels like entering a tiger’s den to escape from a wolf.”

“If there’s a way to survive, this is the only one.”

“But there’s no guarantee he’ll appear in time. What if he appears after everything is over?”

“Then he’ll at least kill these guys and avenge us.”

Jeok Biwol leaned against the carriage and grinned.

“That would make it less unfair.”

“You’re saying that now…”

“Aaaagh!”

While our conversation was continuing, someone fell between Jeok Biwol and me with a harsh scream.

Startled, I looked down to see a man with a caved-in chest dying, bleeding. While blankly staring at that sight, I turned my head at the continued screams coming from behind.

The wind flowed quietly. Just as I thought I could smell the scent of blood, I could feel an immense killing intent in the wind brushing my cheek.

A dense killing intent I had never felt before. Just feeling that killing intent made my whole body stiffen.

“…He’s here.”

Along with Jeok Biwol’s laughter, I felt three immense energies colliding.

Geum Hyul, Hyuk Dojin, and the madman.

I hurriedly gripped my sword again and moved quickly. The closer I got to the back, the more I felt my blood drying up from the dense killing intent.

The surrounding warriors were also stiff, and some were trembling as if they had given up fighting anymore.

The killing intents of masters who could easily kill people with just their aura were entangled. The moment I felt that killing intent head-on, I felt the energies sleeping in my whole body jumping up.

I stopped in my tracks due to the pain surging from my dantian, and while calming the energies by circulating my inner power technique, I looked ahead.

Fires were lit here and there, so I could clearly see what was happening. Hyuk Dojin and a man thought to be Geum Hyul were being heavily pressured by a middle-aged man.

‘That person…’

The madman of Fujian that Jeok Biwol had mentioned.

A monster who had collapsed unable to cross the wall of the Manifest Realm. Even at a glance, he was a man possessing considerable inner power.

Moreover, he was rushing in while narrowly dodging the attacks Hyuk Dojin and Geum Hyul were launching at him right before their eyes.

It was a dangerous method that ordinary people couldn’t do, but because it was so unfamiliar, Hyuk Dojin and Geum Hyul were being pushed back helplessly.

“You must not go close.”

Yoo Doha approached behind me, who had stiffened, and grabbed my shoulder. He looked around while breathing roughly, then spoke quietly:

“That’s not a place we can intervene. So for now, retreat…”

“Ugh!!”

In that brief moment I looked at Yoo Doha, I hurriedly turned my head at the groan that burst out in a familiar voice.

Hyuk Dojin was lying collapsed after flying backwards while clutching his stomach. I couldn’t know exactly what had happened, but judging by Geum Hyul’s sword pointing at Hyuk Dojin, it seemed he had attacked Hyuk Dojin while seizing an opportunity.

It was a moment when Hyuk Dojin was caught too helplessly, perhaps thinking they would first take down the madman and then settle the score, like mutual non-aggression.

“Dojin!!”

“Young Ma…!”

I forcibly shook off Yoo Doha’s hand grabbing my shoulder and moved urgently. There was no time to think at the sight of Hyuk Dojin collapsed.

Geum Hyul was slowly backing away, widening the distance. It looked like he was trying to throw Hyuk Dojin as food to the madman and escape the situation.

“Get out of the way!!”

I quickly approached while roughly cutting down those blocking my way. Forgetting even the chills all over my body from the killing intent, I grabbed Hyuk Dojin’s shoulder.

“Are you alright?!”

“So… wol. Get… away.”

Hyuk Dojin, who was coughing up blood while kneeling, let out a labored voice along with a dying breath as soon as he saw me. When I grabbed his shoulder and lifted him slightly, a groan full of pain burst from Hyuk Dojin’s mouth. When I struck away the hand pressing on his stomach, I saw a wound so large it seemed almost like a hole.

“Sowol…!”

I shook my head at him worrying about me in a situation where he had received an unbelievable serious injury, then raised my head.

The madman, who had been exchanging swords with Geum Hyul, turned his gaze towards us instead of chasing after Geum Hyul as he slowly backed away.

The madman with disheveled hair stared intently at us, then slowly approached. His sword dragged along the ground.

Hyuk Dojin tried to push me away, but he had already been severely injured and couldn’t even muster the strength to push me away.

I bit my lip tightly. After staring blankly at Hyuk Dojin’s stomach, I turned my head to look at Yoo Doha’s face. And I sent a voice transmission.

Yoo Doha seemed surprised by my voice transmission and stiffened, then frowned and nodded while biting his lip.

After receiving his confirmation, I let out a small breath and stroked Hyuk Dojin’s head.

“You must… get away, Sowol… Please… please…”

“It’s okay. It’s alright. There won’t be any problem.”

After quietly murmuring to Hyuk Dojin who was losing consciousness, I stood up. The madman, who had somehow approached within ten paces, was staring blankly at me. I slowly raised my sword.

“There won’t be any problem. Surely…”

After quietly murmuring as if speaking to Hyuk Dojin or to myself, I drew up my true qi. I just need to hold out twice.

The time for Yoo Doha to take Hyuk Dojin and escape with the other members.

I adjusted my stance. Thinking that this might be my last, I exhaled faintly.