Chapter 54: Scholar [1] —Slice
A horrifying sound.
At the same time, one of the scholars standing beside Changgwon fell sideways.
A fountain of blood was spurting from his neck.
"Strike down these damned bastards!"
Changgwon shouted at the top of his lungs as he wildly swung his short sword.
Its power was miserable, but his spirit was tremendous.
It was enough to make the Japanese raider who had cut down the scholar retreat a step.
"Uaaagh."
But things were not like that elsewhere.
Screams were breaking out all over the place.
Their side was desperately thrusting with bamboo spears, but it achieved little.
On the other hand, every time the Japanese raiders swung their swords, one person fell without fail.
"Be careful!"
Yeoni shoved Kanghyeok to the side.
—Clang.
One Japanese raider with protruding teeth swung his sword at them.
Compared to Yeoni's skill, he was pathetic, but her leg was getting in the way.
Instead of cutting him down at once, Yeoni could only block his blade.
"You son of a bitch."
Kanghyeok, who had stepped back, swung his house-call bag in a hurry.
"Urk."
The protruding-toothed raider's sword snapped, and he went sprawling backward.
The material had been tough to begin with, and on top of that, it seemed to be wrapped in some mysterious power, so its force was considerable.
"This thing's good."
The bag was better than a sword he could not even use properly.
If necessary, it was good as a shield too.
Just like now.
—Bang
With a dull sound, another Japanese raider was knocked away.
Somehow, not even a scratch appeared on it, no matter how many swords struck it.
Yeoni did not miss the opening and drove her sword in.
"Young master."
"Mm."
"You might as well put the sword down..."
"Ah, I was thinking the same thing."
Kanghyeok threw the sword at the approaching Japanese raider.
By chance, the sword lodged in the bastard's forehead, which only made Yeoni continue her absurd misunderstanding.
"Your stone-slinging truly is superb, Young master."
"Ah, haha."
It was so ridiculous that laughter escaped even on the battlefield.
Though it was obviously not a situation where laughter could last long.
"Urk."
Another scholar beside them collapsed. The rear was in even worse condition.
For some reason, the scholars handled blades better than the farmers.
If I'd stayed in the back, I'd already be dead.
Kanghyeok shuddered as he looked at the people strewn about miserably.
A lot of Japanese raiders had died too, but there were still more farmers' corpses.
Just as he was hesitating over whether to run or not, Changgwon shouted loudly.
It was as he struggled to bring down another Japanese raider.
"Come on, there aren't many left now! Keep fighting!"
His arms and legs were covered in wounds, big and small.
And yet, he seemed more fired up than before.
He looked even more gallant than Shin Rip had the last time Kanghyeok saw him.
At his encouragement, the villagers' morale reversed.
"Waaah!"
The Japanese raiders' momentum faltered.
That little man is incredible.
Kanghyeok felt almost ashamed for having cursed him as a Joseon old fossil all this time.
As rigid as he usually was, his spirit was just as firm.
He was the very image of a true scholar.
A man whose words matched his actions.
"Ugh."
The villagers and scholars, their spirits raised, began swinging their weapons frantically.
The Japanese raiders started dropping one after another.
Cut down by swords, stabbed by bamboo spears.
To begin with, there had been fewer Japanese raiders, so victory was starting to tilt toward the village.
Then Yeoni screamed.
She was pointing at someone with the tip of her sword.
"Ah, Young master!"
"That bastard...!"
A Japanese raider was walking out from among the wavering foot soldiers.
He wore a black mask and carried a sword a palm longer than everyone else's.
It could not be the same one as yesterday, but it had to be one of the same kind.
Without a word, he immediately swung his sword.
As a result, the head of one Japanese raider who had been retreating flew off.
Blood shot up like a fountain.
Naturally, the mask remained expressionless.
"Ugh."
Even Changgwon, who had been bravely standing his ground until now, turned pale.
So there was no need to look at the others.
The masked raider had stolen the atmosphere of the battlefield without even crossing blades with anyone.
That cold-bloodedness of cutting down one of his own and that extraordinary ability to sever a head in a single strike.
He clearly was no ordinary raider.
"Bakayarō."
The man shoved the headless corpse aside and kept walking forward.
"Uht."
With that, the entire village retreated one step.
Changgwon also stepped back with them, then suddenly came to his senses.
It must have been the spirit of a straight-backed scholar that lashed him forward.
While everyone else retreated, only Changgwon advanced.
"We cannot fall back!"
The hand holding his sword was trembling violently.
Even so, his steps did not stop.
"Teacher!"
Several scholars, inspired by Changgwon, rushed forward.
Because of that, the tide turned a little, but the masked raider merely laughed.
"Kuk kuk kuk."
The grotesque laughter that came from him as he approached was pure terror.
And Kanghyeok knew better than anyone how terrifying these masked bastards were.
This one looked even stronger than the one from the previous day.
First of all, he was bigger, and up close, his sword was longer too.
"Should we run?"
Kanghyeok turned to look behind him with tense eyes.
It felt odd to call it fortunate, but thanks to the farmers fighting like mad, there was now a gap in the Japanese raiders' formation.
If they truly ran for their lives, it looked possible.
"Run?"
Yeoni shook her head calmly.
"There are more of us. If we hold our ground, we can win."
"But you know how skilled those bastards are."
"Yesterday I was alone. Today there are many of us."
The thought of leaving her behind and running flashed through his mind, but he could only swallow it.
Because the masked raider suddenly started charging from right nearby.
He was so fast that he was in front of them before Kanghyeok could even take a breath.
—Swiik
With the sound of wind being cut, one of the scholars collapsed.
Only afterward did blood burst out, and no one could even tell where he had been cut.
It was truly ghostlike skill.
"Uaaaaah!"
As if taking that charge as a signal, the other Japanese raiders surged forward again.
The second melee was in even worse shape.
Because it took nearly five men, including Changgwon, to handle that one masked raider.
If not for Kanghyeok and Yeoni working together, their formation would have collapsed already.
"Die, you bastard!"
One Japanese raider fell after being struck by Kanghyeok's bag shield.
On the opposite side, another fell to Yeoni's sword.
"Young master."
Yeoni asked, sweat mixed with blood running down her face.
She looked utterly exhausted because of her injured leg.
"What?"
Kanghyeok was just as worn out.
Even giving a short answer left him breathless.
"I think... we need to take down that one."
The one Yeoni indicated with the tip of her sword was, of course, the masked raider.
Two of the people fighting him had already gone down.
If five men had barely been enough, how could three handle him?
"Ugh."
In the blink of an eye, one more fell.
Weren't they all scholars who normally just studied at the hyanggyo?
They were fundamentally different from men who had professionally swung swords all their lives.
"Damn it."
Even to Kanghyeok, it was obvious that once Changgwon fell, they would be next.
The glances the masked raider kept sending them in the middle of the fight were vicious beyond words.
With more than ten raiders already fallen to Kanghyeok and Yeoni, it made sense.
"Let's go, that bastard. Him."
"Yes, Young master."
Yeoni nodded as if she had been waiting for those words.
Because of the continuing battle, perhaps adrenaline was flowing through her, since she seemed to have forgotten the pain.
"Urk."
Even while Kanghyeok and Yeoni were running over, one more person fell.
The masked raider's sword must have been very old, because the tip snapped off and flew away.
Now only Changgwon remained.
The way his blood-soaked arm was hanging, he looked like he would die at any moment.
He looked like a lamp in the wind.
"Hyaaa!"
Yeoni deliberately shouted as she swung her sword.
It was to draw the masked raider's attention, and fortunately, it worked.
A voice like hers was not something often heard on a battlefield.
"Onna (woman)?"
At the sharp voice, the masked raider turned his head.
Then he swung his sword savagely and blocked Yeoni's blade.
—Whoom
Almost at the same time, Kanghyeok also swung his bag, but unfortunately, it did not connect.
The masked raider had twisted his body away with crafty precision.
"My thanks."
Changgwon, whose life had been saved, spoke with difficulty.
Kanghyeok kept swinging his bag over and over as he answered.
"We have to deal with that bastard first."
"Indeed."
Changgwon narrowed his brow and looked behind him.
They were barely maintaining an even balance.
If the masked raider broke free from here, they would be wiped out instantly.
As though he had made up his mind about something, he adjusted his grip on his sword.
The way he held it looked a little strange, but neither Kanghyeok nor Yeoni noticed.
"Oh, over there!"
At that moment, someone shouted.
The voice was full of joy.
—Dududududu
At the same time, the sound of hoofbeats thundered through the earth.
It was the cavalry led by Shin Rip. More than several hundred horsemen were charging toward the village.
As befitted Joseon's proud elite cavalry, their momentum was terrifying.
The Japanese raiders still spread out in the fields were falling like autumn leaves before them.
"....."
Even the masked raider looked shaken as he glanced toward the cavalry.
Then he charged in again with an even more vicious aura.
"Minna shine (Everyone die)!"
The other Japanese raiders also went wild.
As if they had resolved to die, they all started fighting like madmen.
Because of that, the number of dead on both sides increased exponentially.
"Did he suddenly go insane?"
The masked raider also kept swinging his sword without any regard for his own life.
If not for the bag, Kanghyeok would already have died several times over.
—Thump
The bag was unnaturally hard and had tremendous rebound.
"Nanda kore (What is this)?"
The masked raider shouted as he was flung backward.
Judging by how he staggered, the shock had been considerable.
Changgwon did not miss the opening and rushed in.
"Ik."
The masked raider hurriedly slashed and cut Changgwon's hand.
Because of that, the sword in Changgwon's grip fell away, but he did not stop.
He forced that small body onward and wrapped himself around the masked raider.
"Stab!"
"What?"
"I said stab him! If you don't, everyone here will die!"
The area around the village was packed with paddies and fields.
Because of that, the cavalry's mobility was reduced, and it was obvious it would take them a while to reach this spot.
If they did not kill the masked raider now, there was a high chance everyone here would die first.
The tip of Yeoni's sword trembled violently.
With shaking eyes, she looked at Kanghyeok.
Damn it.
When you lived as a doctor, there were times when you inevitably became involved in whether others lived or died.
Kanghyeok was no different.
But this kind of choice was absolutely a first.
A decision that meant killing someone.
"Aaagh!"
While they hesitated, another villager died.
They had to finish off the masked raider quickly and then go help the others.
Fuck.
In the end, Kanghyeok nodded.
"Fine, stab him!"
"Yes, Young master."
With a hardened face, Yeoni moved toward Changgwon's back.
"I'm sorry."
After a short deep breath, Yeoni's sword pierced through Changgwon's back.
"Ugh."
"Urk."
At the same time, it went through the masked raider's solar plexus as well.
When the sword was pulled out, the masked raider, who had looked impossible to kill, slowly toppled sideways.
"Kha..."
Dark red foam kept spilling from his mouth.
He had not died in one blow, but he would never get up again.
"Are you all right?"
Kanghyeok and Yeoni rushed to Changgwon.
Changgwon slowly shook his head.
A gush of dark red blood poured from his mouth as well.
"Help... help them."
"Yeoni, you go. I'll take care of Elder."
"Ah, yes! Young master!"
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