"Ak Clan, raise your spears!"
The Ak Clan martial artists moved in perfect unison at Ak Yeonhwa's command. Some climbed onto temporary watchtowers, carrying bundles of spears on their backs. Notably, these spears were shorter and lighter than those used by the other Ak Clan spearmen.
"The javelins of the Ak Clan indeed live up to their reputation." Nodding, the Fire King addressed the instructors. "Let's lend them our strength! Support the Ak Clan with arrows!"
The reason for that soon became clear.
A massive cloud of steam erupted from the collision of ice and fire.
"Javelin Squad, equip your atlatls!"
"Equipping atlatls!"
The spearmen on the watchtowers repeated the order as they nocked their spears onto their atlatls,1 specially crafted by the Ak Clan for enhanced power. Although an unusual weapon for martial artists, the Shandong Ak Clan had been a military family before joining the murim. Even now, they continued to uphold military discipline within their ranks and train in soldierly arts such as javelin throwing.
Ak Yeonhwa nocked a spear onto her own atlatl. Gauging the distance to the advancing enemy, she drew her shoulder back sharply, her eyes blazing furiously as she glared at the enemies who had brutally executed an Ak Clan martial artist in front of everyone.
Finally, the Undying Supreme Demon, who was watching from a distance, ordered his sorcerers to retreat.
"Fire!" she thundered.
Dozens of javelins rained down in a volley of death, streaking across the sunset sky and signaling the start of a battle that would be recorded as the first official clash between the Blood Cult and the jianghu of this era.
The figures lying on the ground stirred. Slowly, they staggered to their feet, leaning on the spears sticking out of their bodies for support. The sight was both bizarre and oddly surreal.
THUD THUD THUD THUD!
One by one, the Blood Cult soldiers at the forefront went down. Normally, even imperial soldiers could easily deflect projectiles, but the force of a javelin thrown by a martial artist with inner qi was on a whole other level.
Crimson flames licked the air, halting the Blood Cult's advance. Fearing the intense heat, the Blood Cult wariors hesitated to advance.
"The javelins of the Ak Clan indeed live up to their reputation." Nodding, the Fire King addressed the instructors. "Let's lend them our strength! Support the Ak Clan with arrows!"
In an instant, the wall of flames was pushed back, and the frigid wind expanded its territory.
The instructors drew their bowstrings and released at once. Although bows had less destructive power than javelins, they could be fired in rapid succession and had a longer range. While taking down a martial artist required a master archer, the sheer number of arrows were enough to stall the enemy's charge and fill the gaps between javelin volleys.
Now that the Second Apostle had taken on the most troublesome opponent, he was confident that disposing of the old, frail relic wouldn't take long. In the meantime, he planned to storm the Ak Clan Branch Estate. There was no reason to drag things out any longer.
Under the shower of arrows pouring down at the narrow canyon entrance, the Blood Cult's advance slowed. Seizing the opportunity, the Ak Clan's Javelin Squad readied their atlatls once more.
"Fire!"
Once again, the thunder of sonic booms reverberated through the air. Dozens of spears scoured the earth, gouging deep craters. Embedded in the ground alongside the bodies of Blood Cult soldiers, the spears continued to quiver violently for a long time.
"Woooooah!"
The Fire King gestured toward them with the grace of a phoenix unfolding its wings. "Vile abominations! Burn and disappear."
Cheers erupted from behind the estate walls as the students celebrated the swift defeat of the enemy vanguard. In contrast, the Ak Clan spearmen remained reserved, but an air of pride swelled in their faces.
Only the Fire King and Noh Goonsang, veterans of the previous war with the Blood Cult, acted cautiously. Not wanting to dampen their allies' spirits, they whispered to each other.
The moment the line was breached, their loved ones and students would be in danger.
"Hey, Goonsang. Don't those bastards seem a bit clumsy to you?"
"The Undying Supreme Demon is a cunning man. The vanguard he chose were either meant to assess our capabilities, or..."
He stepped forward amid billowing flames, his robes fluttering violently in the inferno.
"Look!" one of the Ak Clan's spearmen shouted, pointing at the corpses on the ground.
The figures lying on the ground stirred. Slowly, they staggered to their feet, leaning on the spears sticking out of their bodies for support. The sight was both bizarre and oddly surreal.
"Aim for the head!" Ak Yeonhwa hollered.
"They're not dead?"
"But we clearly pierced their chests..."
"H-How can such a monstrous thing exist...?"
Everyone stared at the sight, horrified.
The Fire King mumbled grimly, "Fuck! Blood Zombies."
The Undying Supreme Demon chuckled at the sight.
He stepped forward amid billowing flames, his robes fluttering violently in the inferno.
"At the time, I didn't accompany them to the joint training because I wasn't pleased with it," he said ruefully.
"Aim for their heads! There's no point attacking their bodies. You have to cut or smash the head completely to kill these zombies!" Noh Goonsang yelled to their stunned allies, instructing them on how to deal with the Blood Zombies.
The earlier excitement vanished abruptly, replaced by confusion.
Nevertheless, the blood zombies charged ahead. A few pulled the spears from their bodies, while others ran with them still embedded.
"Aim for the head!" Ak Yeonhwa hollered.
The Ak Clan spearmen hurriedly nocked their atlatls again. However, it was one thing to target a body, and another to accurately pierce a moving head. Moreover, the psychological pressure caused by their inhuman opponents led to even more misses.
"KIIIIIAAAAAK!"
The Fire King did not want that.
Several Blood Zombies relentlessly closed the distance, quickly approaching the canyon entrance. Riddled with spears and arrows, the nightmarish figures let out monstrous wails.
The Fire King gestured toward them with the grace of a phoenix unfolding its wings. "Vile abominations! Burn and disappear."
Flames blossomed from his fingertips, spreading and exploding on impact. Engulfed in flames, the Blood Zombies at the forefront shrieked incomprehensibly before crumbling into ash.
"Don't panic! Reform the ranks! As long as I'm here, these bastards will not pass!" he declared confidently.
""Yes, sir!""
With that single move, the Fire King had cemented his place in the hearts of those around him. The martial artists watching him cheered with relief and awe, putting an end to the chaos caused by the Blood Zombies.
"I'll leave it to you."
In murim warfare, a single master could often change the tide of battle, and the Fire King was a peerless master who had led the charge in the previous war against the Blood Cult. His very presence boosted morale.
Of course, more Blood Zombies surged forward behind the first wave, but the martial artists fended them off without much difficulty. The Ak Clan's javelins, the arrow barrage, and the Fire King's flames completely sealed off the canyon entrance.
Finally, the Undying Supreme Demon, who was watching from a distance, ordered his sorcerers to retreat.
"Kekeke! It seems that this old ginger is still quite spicy," he chuckled.
Regardless, the tension in the air remained high. The Blood Cult pulled back its forces, but no one believed the fight was over. What had happened was merely the initial, probing skirmish to assess each other's strength.
Noh Goonsang approached the Fire King, who was standing guard at the walls, his wrinkled eyes brimming with worry. "Hyung-nim! Please don't overexert yourself. That's likely what those bastards are aiming for."
To others, the Fire King might have seemed invincible, just as strong as he was in his prime when he belonged to the Ten Supremes, but he had grown old now. His stamina was not what it used to be.
Noh Goonsang sighed. Clearly, the Blood Cult's strategy was to exhaust the Fire King.
Of course, the Fire King was aware of this. "Tsk..." he clicked his tongue wearily, glaring at the retreating Blood Cult forces. "I can't do anything about aging. If I had undergone Body Reformation like Namgung Jaehak, I might still be flying around energetically, but..."
Noh Goonsang shook his head. "Body Reformation isn't something you can achieve just by honing your martial arts skills. You need a miraculous encounter. In any case, please go indoors and rest. I'll stand watch."
The Fire King sighed bitterly.
The Fire King shook his head, refusing to budge. Even if he were to rest, he wanted to stay somewhere he could see the enemy. "Goonsang! Look over there," he said, pointing to a certain person.
If the gates were breached, they would lose their geographical advantage, and the students would be forced into a chaotic melee with the Blood Cult.