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Chapter : 05
The ship rocked violently.
When their supply of fire arrows ran out, the leader of the Shui tribe, Wang Cheogi, decided on a final charge, ramming the bow of his ship forcefully into the enemy’s vessel.
Although there was a noticeable size difference, the bow of the Shui ship had a sturdy metal protrusion, allowing it to smash into the opposing ship without issue.
Wang Cheogi’s ship sank in as if taking a bite, and he looked upward.
Because of the size difference between the ships, the enemy’s deck was a full zhang (approximately 3 meters) higher than theirs.
“Raise the hooked spears and rope ladders, and board their ship!”
He made sure to blow the horn loudly twice afterward.
Buuuuu! Buuuuuuu!
The ominous sound pierced the ears.
As the heads of the Shui warriors began to appear at the bow, Yeonhwa lightly tapped the hilt of her sword with her fingertips.
While the frontline Shui soldiers drew the attention of the Shishin Corps and the Guardian Squad on the deck, the side boats gradually closed in from another direction.
It seemed the Shui’s plan was to board this ship and attack in coordination before their arrows ran out.
Bad things always come in clusters.
“Ahhh! Th-the sail is on fire! Move!”
The repeated chaos continued.
Had the Guardian Squad leader calculated this far in advance?
Even if reinforcements were prepared separately to appear later, human casualties seemed unavoidable.
Tap.
Yeonhwa’s fingertips lingered on the sword hilt instead of letting go, unlike before.
And at the moment when screams filled the air and the shadow of death loomed over many heads…
Srrrk!
She pushed up on the hilt, gripped it tightly with her palm, and drew her sword.
“Miss!”
Even the Hyunmu Corps, who had been focused on keeping Yeonhwa safe in a relatively secure area, were shocked as a chill ran down their spines.
“What can you do by going there? Stay here! The Guardian Squad leader and deputy are still standing! If they step in, it’ll be over… soon… ugh!”
A Hyunmu member tried to grab her but twisted his body as Yeonhwa’s support-type companion jabbed his abdomen with a scabbard.
“You mutt!”
“Do you think it’s less embarrassing to get hit by a mutt? Shut your mouth and stay put. It’s mortifying to be in the same Hyunmu Corps as people who can’t even recognize their own master!”
After silencing him, Yeonhwa gave him a nod of approval and immediately sprang onto the deck.
She deflected the incoming fire arrows, using her fellow warriors’ shoulders as stepping stones to reach the mast quickly.
Without hesitation, she leapt and grabbed onto the mast.
The sail was already on fire, and everyone nearby had stepped back, so no one interfered.
Yeonhwa swiftly climbed the seven- or eight-zhang mast in a single motion.
Crackle, crackle!
The burning sail flapped violently, scattering ashes and sparks everywhere.
Clang!
Unknown fragments flew past her face, stinging her ears.
As if it were nothing, Yeonhwa brushed them off with the back of her hand, quickly forgetting the pain, and squinted to check the direction of the wind moving the sail.
Confirming the wind, she focused her internal energy into the sword in her right hand.
Then, she plunged the sword into the rope connecting the mast and sail, and leapt.
Thud-thud-thud!
The blade cut through the rope, severing the connection between the mast and sail.
“Ah! Aaahhh!”
The sail wobbled after being cut, nearly falling onto the deck, causing screams to erupt.
“Crazy! Someone stop her!”
It was too late to stop her, but Yeonhwa had a plan.
As soon as she landed, she ran and grabbed the end of the half-burnt sail, spreading the remaining portion toward the wind.
Once the sail caught the wind properly, she let go of it, sending it flying backward.
The fire arrows became sparser than before but continued.
Thunk! Thunk!
The arrows landed on the airborne sail before hitting the deck, feeding the flames.
The sail, burnt and blackened, eventually…
“Uh? Uh uh uh?”
…fell onto the Shui side boats surrounding the rear.
The remaining sail wasn’t large enough to cover all of the boats, but it was enough to cause serious damage to several.
Screech! Squeeeak!
The boats wobbled, the Shui warriors onboard leapt into the river screaming for help, and the flames spread as the boats collided with each other.
Even the Shui warriors couldn’t counter this.
“Save me!”
Their tight formation, meant to concentrate arrow attacks, became their undoing.
With a single sword strike, Yeonhwa halted their rear attack and countered, leaving her no time to care about the horrified stares of her enemies.
“The Shui are climbing up the hooked chains!”
Mun Jeongmyeong and Mudeok shouted, peering down from the left railing.
Since many Shui warriors had already boarded the bow, the left side couldn’t be left undefended.
Yeonhwa moved to the left railing.
Sure enough, every hooked chain connecting the enemy boats was crowded with Shui warriors.
As she lightly stepped onto the railing, a thick hand reached up from outside the railing beside her.
Looking down, Yeonhwa made eye contact with a man trying to enter the deck from the side of the ship.
Seeing her sword raised, the man shook his head frantically.
“Ah, no… p-please spare me!”
“Then you shouldn’t have attacked.”
Or at least, he could have stopped before she drew her sword.
Muttering softly, Yeonhwa raised the sword higher.
Thwack!
Blood spurted along the path of her sword as it pierced between the man’s neck and shoulder.
“Gahh!”
The man gave a final groan and fell into the river.
Splash!
Yeonhwa wasn’t the only one witnessing this.
The Shui climbing the chains below froze in shock.
Yeonhwa glanced at the chains, the hooks above her, and the railing in front.
“What are you waiting for? Cut the chains!”
Mun Jeongmyeong judged that it was easier to cut the chains than to remove the large hooks, and struck them repeatedly with his sword.
Clang!
Finally, the chains broke.
The hooks, now detached, fell, taking the Shui warriors with them into the river.
Only about half of the hooks along the railing remained intact.
Someone grumbled that they must have been specially reinforced, making them harder to cut.
Even for an elite Shishin Corps warrior, cutting ordinary chains isn’t always easy without manifesting sword energy, so it was hard to verify.
Recalling what she had just heard, Yeonhwa tilted her head and lifted her small foot.
Someone realizing what she was about to do shouted:
“Idiot! No! You’ll get hurt kicking that metal!”
But Yeonhwa, hearing the voice for the first time and determined to proceed, went ahead.
Thud! Whack!
“Hah…!”
Those watching gawked in astonishment.
Unlike their expectation of injury…
Crack! Crackle!
Yeonhwa wasn’t striking the hooks.
She was smashing the railing holding the hooks—a much more effective target.
Even if the wood had been reinforced and painted, it couldn’t withstand her strike empowered by internal energy.
The railing shattered, leaving the hooks unsupported, and they fell.
When Yeonhwa looked back, the Shishin and some Baekho warriors cutting the chains lowered their eyes, realizing how simple and effective her method was.
Soon, everyone broke the railings in the same way, severing all connections to the enemy boats.
The Hyunmu ship, previously leaning left from the hooks and chains, straightened with a screech.
