The Return of the Sw Chapter 38 : Peerless. -03

Chapter 38: Peerless. -03

In an instant, when two Deputy Stronghold Masters t their deaths, those surrounding Geum Sangryong spread killing intent and snarled.

However, in Ban Hojin’s eyes, they instead looked utterly terrified.

It was like a cat bristling its fur to hide its fear.

As if Geum Sangryong and the escort unit did not even exist, the Deputy Stronghold Masters fixed their gazes solely on Ban Hojin.

“Kill him!”

“Let’s deal with that bastard first!”

As if they had read that intent, the Deputy Stronghold Masters from each stronghold, their faces grotesquely twisted, charged toward Ban Hojin all at once.

Two had died, but there were still more than fifteen left on this side.

Moreover, although he seed to possess considerable martial prowess, his outward appearance looked no more than soone who had just co of age, so they all thought the sa thing inwardly.

No matter how strong the bastard was, there was no way he could handle a coordinated attack.

“Arrogant bastard. You’d better not think of dying easily!”

“I’ll flay you alive!”

“They sure all spout the sa nonsense.”

Crack.

The head of the shaggy giant who had swung his axe first toward Ban Hojin snapped.

Twisted at an unnatural angle, he collapsed to the ground.

And that was just the beginning.

Kooong! Thud! Koo-kung!

Ban Hojin struck down the charging Deputy Stronghold Masters one after another.

He did not even draw the sword at his waist, simply using both hands to grab and twist.

That did not an he was unleashing any special techniques either.

He rely reached out, seized their necks, and crushed their cervical vertebrae with nothing but pure grip strength.

“M, madman!”

As ten charging Deputy Stronghold Masters died in the blink of an eye, those following behind let out cries of shock.

That was how unreal the scene before them was.

Even if it had been a reckless joint attack, they were still Deputy Stronghold Masters of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds.

Yet despite their fierce onslaught, not a single blow touched Ban Hojin’s body.

Crack!

And it was not only the Deputy Stronghold Masters who were stunned by the sight.

Geum Sangryong, who had narrowly been spared by sheer luck, as well as Seonwu Bang and Seo Joun watching from behind, were all shocked.

There was no need to even ntion the escort unit and the warriors of the Geum Family Estate.

The only ones who were not surprised were the escort unit who had already seen Ban Hojin back when Iron King Samugung was around, including Geum Hoyeon.

“If you just stay still, that works out better for .”

Ban Hojin slowly approached the Deputy Stronghold Masters who were unconsciously retreating step by step.

There was no need to even employ lightness skill; he advanced with leisurely ease.

Elsewhere, bloody battles were raging, but around Ban Hojin, it was quiet.

At that mont, one of the stronghold masters of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds who had yet to step forward landed on the ground with a thunderous roar.

Kooong!

“You fools! Are you really frightened by a re whelp!”

“B, but……!”

“Excuses are unnecessary! A true man of great resolve should—!”

The burly middle-aged man, who looked like the very image of a typical bandit, had his words cut short.

Not by his own will, but by another’s.

“For bandits to prattle on about being true n of great resolve is a bit much, don’t you think. Mountain bandit trash talking about true n. You lot are just vermin.”

“Ugh!”

There was clearly still so distance between them, yet when Ban Hojin suddenly appeared right before him, the middle-aged man’s eyes bulged like lanterns.

But there was nothing he could do.

Just like the Deputy Stronghold Masters who had died before him, Ban Hojin’s left hand was gripping his neck.

“Pests should be killed on sight.”

Crack!

As if crushing a real insect, Ban Hojin tightened his grip.

With frightening ease, the neck bone snapped, and the middle-aged man’s head lolled limply toward his back.

The back of his head touched his spine.

“W, what……!”

“Gasp!”

Seeing the middle-aged man get caught and killed without putting up even the slightest resistance, the Deputy Stronghold Masters were once again horrified.

He was not just so random bandit, but one of the stronghold masters of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds, and yet he died so helplessly that they could not tell whether this was a dream or reality.

But Ban Hojin did not care in the slightest and continued walking toward the cliff without ever drawing his sword.

Crunch! Snap!

He cleared away those blocking his path with absurd ease.

Like walking through an empty field, Ban Hojin crossed the battlefield.

Leaving piles of corpses stacked on either side as he went.

Whether they were re bandits, Deputy Stronghold Masters, or stronghold masters made no difference to Ban Hojin.

“Just who is he?”

“There was a master like that?”

By the ti Ban Hojin had crossed about half the battlefield, there were no bandits left blocking his way.

Even the stronghold masters of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds could not last a single exchange, so no one dared step forward.

No, rather, they cleared a path for him on their own.

“Who is he?”

“He looks young…….”

Thanks to that, the three people Geum Sangryong had brought were able to catch their breath.

The nine stronghold masters who had been attacking them had withdrawn.

At the sa ti, the battlefield itself fell into a lull.

Step. Step.

Ban Hojin, who had quietly brought the battlefield to a halt, moved forward at an unhurried pace.

With no one blocking him, he even clasped his hands behind his back and walked toward the cliff where the Green Forest Great Lord and Jo Yang-hyeok were standing.

“I never heard there was a master like you. Who are you.”

“If you ask, do I have to obediently answer?”

“Huh!”

When Ban Hojin, who looked as though the blood on his forehead had not even dried yet, suddenly spoke informally, the Green Forest Great Lord wore a look of disbelief.

On the other hand, the face of Wall-Severing Blade beside him flushed bright red.

No matter that they were bandits, there were still rules of propriety in Jianghu.

And not just any bandit—when soone spoke so casually to his sworn elder brother, the Chief Escort Slayer, Jo Yang-hyeok could not endure it and drew his blade.

Shraaang!

Living up to his reputation as one of the strongest among the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds, Jo Yang-hyeok’s strike was fierce.

As if to prove that the epithet Wall-Severing Blade was not given lightly, he aid for the crown of Ban Hojin’s head with a bold and powerful slash.

Swoosh.

It was truly a lightning-like strike, but Ban Hojin dodged it with ease.

Ban Hojin’s accumulated experience was never shallow enough to let him take a blow whose target was obvious at a glance.

Rather, Ban Hojin possessed more experience than anyone present here.

Because Ban Hojin was a seasoned martial artist who had been through every kind of battlefield, he avoided Jo Yang-hyeok’s ensuing slash using the Iron Plate Bridge technique.

“Impudent!”

After his attacks were evaded twice in succession, rage flared in Jo Yang-hyeok’s eyes.

Failing to land a hit on Ban Hojin, who was far younger than him, felt like humiliation.

However, Jo Yang-hyeok’s thoughts could not continue any further.

Claaang!

Ban Hojin, still holding his hands behind his back, lifted his foot at the mont his back and head were about to touch the ground.

As Jo Yang-hyeok’s blade brushed past his upper body, Ban Hojin viciously kicked it aside with the tip of his foot.

“Khk!”

A suppressed groan escaped Jo Yang-hyeok’s mouth at the unexpected counterattack.

The shock transmitted through the blade was bad enough, but the internal force that instantly tore through his insides made Jo Yang-hyeok flinch.

And Ban Hojin did not miss that opening.

Thud!

What might have been only an instant to Jo Yang-hyeok was not so for Ban Hojin.

At the sa ti he kicked the blade with his foot, Ban Hojin rose to his feet and imdiately swung his opposite leg.

It was not any particular form, just a simple kick, yet Jo Yang-hyeok failed to react at all and took the blow head-on, rolling across the ground.

“Yang-hyeok!”

Seeing Jo Yang-hyeok vomiting blood as he rolled on the ground, the Green Forest Great Lord flew into a rage.

At the sa ti, his pupils trembled slightly.

Jo Yang-hyeok, his sworn younger brother and one of the top three experts even among the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds, had been defeated so futilely that it shocked him.

“Are you coming down? Or should I go to you?”

“……You arrogant little brat.”

“We’re not exactly in a relationship where we need to mind our manners, are we? Then why keep bringing up age? One of us is going to die anyway.”

“Well said. There’s no need to talk about manners with soone who’s about to die. But I wonder—will your companions survive?”

The Green Forest Great Lord, still standing inside the cave on the cliff, let his gaze pass over Ban Hojin and look beyond him.

He was deliberately staring at where Geum Hoyeon, Seonwu Bang, and Seo Joun were standing.

However, contrary to his intent, Ban Hojin did not move at all.

“If they die, then that’s as far as they go.”

“Cold-blooded.”

“That’s Jianghu. In the end, the only one who can save you is yourself. It’s also a place where dying because you’re weak is only natural.”

“Then you have no regrets. Even about dying by my hand.”

“How long are you going to keep flapping your mouth?”

Kooong!

Jo Yang-hyeok was large, but he was nothing compared to the Green Forest Great Lord.

With a height that seed to tower two heads above an average adult and a thick torso, he deserved to be called a giant.

Moreover, the weapon wielded by the Green Forest Great Lord was a horse-cleaving saber, the kind normally used from horseback.

Slamming the massive saber—nearly as tall as an ordinary man—into the ground, the Green Forest Great Lord rose.

“I was planning to step in anyway. I figured things would settle once I killed you.”

“Wow.”

The Green Forest Great Lord let out a faint chuckle.

He had never imagined there would be soone who dared order him around.

At the sa ti, he admired Ban Hojin’s nerve.

He knew well that such behavior could not co from ordinary courage.

‘Just who is he? Soone of that caliber doesn’t just drop out of the sky.’

Holding the horse-cleaving saber, the Green Forest Great Lord moved slowly while narrowing his brows.

Ban Hojin himself was a concern, but his sect could not be ignored either.

Moreover, he was a bandit.

Knowing full well that he would not bother arguing even if there were justification, the Green Forest Great Lord’s thoughts grew complicated.

“Judging by how you’re rolling your eyes, you’re curious about my sect? Where I belong.”

“You’re sharp.”

“One look is enough. But aren’t you getting ahead of yourself? Wouldn’t it be better to think about that after you defeat ?”

“Are you begging for your life?”

The Green Forest Great Lord did not take it lying down.

As if to show that he had not beco the Chief Escort Slayer by brute strength alone, he provoked Ban Hojin.

He aid to stir his blood, counting on his youth.

“That’s what you’ll be doing in a mont.”

“Kuahahaha!”

The Green Forest Great Lord’s roaring laughter thundered across the surroundings.

Even bandits standing far away flinched from it.

Yet Ban Hojin, standing closest of all, did not so much as snort.

Such childish tricks had no effect on him whatsoever.

Shrring.

So Ban Hojin calmly drew his sword.

He could deal with Wall-Severing Blade casually, but the Green Forest Great Lord was different.

Even so, he did not tense up.

With an indifferent face, he simply drew his blade.

“Good. Then let’s see your skill. Whether it’s worthy of acting so arrogant before .”

Wooooong!

The Green Forest Great Lord abruptly stopped laughing and raised his horse-cleaving saber.

A terrifying blade force filled with dreadful energy fell toward Ban Hojin’s crown, as though it could split even Mount Tai apart.

It was the exceedingly common Mount Tai Pressing the Peak form, but the one executing it was the Green Forest Great Lord who ruled the world.

Moreover, with blade force that could easily cut through steel, it was clear that the body would be split in two the instant it made contact.

Boom.

Yet that fearso strike was pushed aside by Ban Hojin’s single sword.

Just comparing their sizes, the horse-cleaving saber was several tis larger, but the mont Ban Hojin’s sword thrust touched it, its trajectory twisted.

Kwaaang!

As a result, the Green Forest Great Lord’s saber slamd uselessly into the ground.

Even so, the Green Forest Great Lord did not panic, despite Ban Hojin deflecting his slash with absurd ease.

He did not let his guard down just because Ban Hojin looked young.

Knowing that the stronghold masters and his sworn younger brother would never have fallen if Ban Hojin lacked skill, the Green Forest Great Lord calmly swung his saber once more.

Shraaaak!

Scattering tyrannical montum, the horse-cleaving saber tore through the air again.

This ti, the Sweeping Slash Across Heaven and Earth form was unleashed with the intent to cleave him in half from the waist up.

“Still just rampaging while trusting only in brute strength.”

“Hmm?”