Heaven-and-Earth Dragnet (3)

This place was Murim, but that didn't mean it was like the settings that usually appeared in novels. Most martial worlds were based on ancient China.

'This is just... a completely different world.'

A martial world had simply developed on some unfamiliar continent. If China's martial world was World A, this felt more like World C.

There was nothing strange about that, since gates themselves were fragments of other worlds.

In any case, since I'd planned to run from the outset, I'd already looked over all the fortified cities along potential escape routes and the sects within them.

'Hanrim City.'

Its walls stood ten meters high, and the Lee family of the Martial Alliance ruled within them.

'Come to think of it, I killed their eldest son.'

Lee Jehyeong, the older-looking man. He'd attacked me alongside three other orthodox fighters, only to get killed instead.

They would have received the news by now. They were probably grinding their teeth at the thought of me.

'They say the martial families here can order the authorities around, too.'

That was how this world's Murim worked. Mutual noninterference between the government and the martial world?

It went far beyond that. The authorities practically had to bow and scrape in welcome.

The reason was simple.

'The martial world produces an unrivaled powerhouse every hundred years.'

What good were vast numbers of soldiers or masters when they couldn't so much as touch the truly strongest fighter?

If those who obtained the clue to ascension had continued living here, martial artists might simply have become emperors, generation after generation.

'Good thing they go up to heaven.'

From what I'd heard, they ruled the roost for a few decades, then abruptly vanished one day. No doubt they went to the heavenly realm, just like Mutakta.

Anyway, after getting cut to pieces a few times like that, the authorities had apparently begun bowing their heads of their own accord.

Being able to order the authorities around easily

= getting horses whenever you wanted.

= commanding the city's soldiers as you pleased.

That was roughly what it meant.

'Well, sending soldiers beyond the walls would probably be difficult...'

I'd heard the Lee family was fairly powerful, but it was still just one of the many families belonging to the Martial Alliance.

The imperial government still had its dignity to maintain. It wouldn't let every small fry take complete control of its troops.

Only the Martial Alliance, Unorthodox Alliance, or Demonic Cult itself could pull something like that off.

Wait.

Hadn't all three joined forces?

'... If they spot us, they'll swarm us like a pack of dogs.'

For now, they were probably still pursuing us with easy smiles, keeping up appearances. But what if we proved harder to catch than expected and escaped farther away?

They might drag out all the soldiers in the cities and send them sweeping across the land.

'Is that why it's called the Heaven-and-Earth Dragnet?'

Damn it.

Ultimately, it was a race against time.

In the dark night, a city with its gates firmly shut came into view in the distance. Between the blazing torches, I could even see soldiers standing guard.

"Here. Take these."

I handed her several potions.

[Somewhat Strange Invisibility Potion]

[Grade: Common+]

[A potion that looks as though it will turn you invisible when drunk. However, it also seems likely to have side effects.]

[Effect 1. Turns the user invisible for 20 minutes upon consumption.]

[Effect 2. Causes a random side effect upon consumption.]

"... Somewhat Strange Invisibility Potion?"

She tilted her head as she examined it.

The skeletons had made them. Initially, the effect had lasted five minutes, but as their crafting grade rose, it had increased to twenty.

"... It says there are side effects."

"I've tested it. They're nothing serious. Your stats just drop a little for a few hours. A small price for turning invisible."

"How good is the invisibility?"

"Since it's the middle of the night, people up to around level 200 shouldn't be able to spot us."

Novices wouldn't find us, but intermediate fighters would. That was about its limit.

'Still, it should be useful.'

It would easily keep us out of sight of the soldiers on the walls.

Ordinary health, mana, and stat-boosting potions were common. But potions with unusual abilities like this couldn't be made without acquiring a recipe or being taught the method. As a result, there were practically none on the market.

Fortunately, that wasn't a problem for the skeletons, who had been taught directly by elves.

'Elves aren't called masters of alchemy for nothing.'

They could casually brew potions an ordinary human alchemist couldn't make after a lifetime of effort.

Just like dwarves.

"The plan is simple. I'll go inside and open the gate on the far side. Yerim, you find horses. As many as you can."

"To throw off pursuit?"

I nodded.

Bags counted as equipment, too. Thanks to Equipment Binding, even when the skeletons were unsummoned, their equipment and bags of junk remained intact.

What if I got horses and put skeletons on them?

'The weight will be similar.'

It would confuse the pursuit all over again.

"Once you find them, intimidate them with your aura or whatever works. Just bring them to me. Then we head out through the gate I've opened."

We'd escape on horseback. The horses should keep running hard for about a day, at least. After that, they'd be too exhausted to ride.

'We'll worry about that when the time comes.'

We'd been running all day without any sleep. If we couldn't get horses, this would end in collapse from exhaustion.

She nodded.

"I'll circle around and head for the gate over there, then. Once the commotion starts, bring the horses over."

"All right."

We split up.

'I'll draw their attention first.'

Quite a few skeletons had been unsummoned by now—roughly five hundred. That didn't mean ten entire groups had been wiped out, though. A few from each group had been unsummoned. They were probably the ones hiding in caves or deep in the mountains.

With Dolsoe, Cedric, and about five hundred skeletons...

'Opening a gate will be a piece of cake.'

It would be a surprise attack in the dead of night. Would they even imagine that just the two of us would assault the city?

'I doubt it.'

They would have received word, so they'd be keeping watch, but that was probably all.

'Security isn't all that tight.'

There were few martial artists, with patrolling soldiers making up the shortfall. I'd gotten a rough idea of the patrol schedule. Now it was time to get inside.

I drank an invisibility potion.

[You become invisible for 20 minutes!]

[As a side effect, Strength and Agility decrease by 10 each for two hours!]

Once a soldier passed, I leaped toward the top of the wall with all my strength. My powerful stats let me clear even ten meters in a single bound.

Perhaps because it was night, the city inside was very quiet.

'No guards down below, either.'

I dropped down and ran forward. After about twenty minutes, the opposite gate came into view.

Here, too, a handful of martial artists and a larger number of soldiers stood guard.

I drew my sword and charged.

"Who's there?!"

The martial artists sensed me a moment before the soldiers did. But I was already right on top of them.

A skeleton burst from the ground and smashed its mace into a warrior's leg.

"Gah!"

As the warrior fell with his leg shattered, a skeleton severed his neck with an axe. I also dispatched a charging warrior in a single move.

"W-we're under attack!"

The entire city erupted into commotion.

* * *

Lee Wonpyeong, head of the Lee family, awoke to the commotion outside.

"What's going on?"

"M-my lord! We have a crisis! The fugitives wanted by our Alliance have appeared!"

"... What? You're saying they entered the city?"

"Yes. They reportedly broke through the north gate and fled with dozens of horses!"

Lee Wonpyeong's hair stood on end.

Baek Socheon and Choi Aengaeng.

He'd heard their whereabouts had yet to be discovered. No one even knew whether they would come toward the city, and even if they did, he'd naturally assumed they would circle around it.

What madman would enter a city and cause havoc while an enormous army was pursuing him?

It was practically shouting his location to the entire world.

'Baek Socheon, you son of a bitch...'

Lee Wonpyeong ground his teeth.

He'd heard the boy had passed a trial in which everyone but three had to die. He might be the enemy who had murdered his eldest son. Judging by his score, the possibility was far from small.

Even so, the Alliance's blockade orders had forced him to remain cooped up inside the city, unable to leave.

But this changed things. Their location had already been established.

He was free to pursue them.

"Send a carrier pigeon to the Alliance immediately and assemble the family's warriors! I'll personally pursue those two bastards!"

"Yes, my lord!"

He soon sprinted to the government office at full speed. The office was already in an uproar over news of the intruders.

Lee Wonpyeong approached the official in charge of Hanrim City.

"Lord Gam! May I borrow the government troops?"

"... Haven't we already actively assisted with the blockade? That is as far as we can go."

"They're traitors being hunted by the Alliance! You must cooperate fully!"

"... That is not what 'traitor' means. They would have to commit treason first."

"... Lord Gam. You'll be in trouble over this. Do you think the Alliance will let it slide when they hear?"

"Then do you have a document bearing the Alliance's seal, as you did earlier?"

"..."

Lee Wonpyeong fell silent.

Earlier, when he'd ordered the city sealed, he'd been able to get the authorities to act by presenting the document from the Alliance.

But this was different. The fugitives had only just been discovered. However fast the carrier pigeon flew, it would take hours to reach the Alliance. There was no way he could have a sealed document yet.

"Without one, I cannot send soldiers outside the city. We have a duty to protect His Majesty's lands and subjects."

"... Ha! What a lofty scholar you are!"

Who gave a damn about that emperor?

Barely swallowing those last words, Lee Wonpyeong spun around. It seemed horses were the most support he could hope to receive.

The fugitives were strong. Taking them on with the Lee family's forces alone was a daunting prospect. That was why he'd approached the authorities in the first place.

'No choice. We'll have to move on our own for now.'

The clue itself was at stake. Even buying a little time would earn him considerable credit.

Besides...

'They said they took a lot of horses.'

Was it to switch mounts along the way?

'No.'

If so, there was no reason to take so many. The rider's weight was the only difference, after all. After a day's running, all the horses would be exhausted.

'They're trying to confuse the pursuit.'

He'd heard they'd played tricks with the undead. They could do the same thing by putting them on horses, forcing the pursuers to split up again.

If he could pursue them now and identify their true direction...

'Becoming the greatest contributor would be no mere dream.'

Lee Wonpyeong's eyes gleamed.

When he arrived at the family estate, nearly four hundred mounted warriors were already waiting for him.

"We will catch them, no matter what. Ride as though your lives depend on it. Move out!"

"Yes, my lord!"

The pursuit force departed the city. Even after twenty minutes of riding, the mass of hoofprints continued straight ahead.

'I'll see through every last one of your tricks!'

If they split the horses into pairs to confuse the pursuit, he would divide his forces as well. Every squad carried signal fireworks, and the main force even had five carrier pigeons.

Only a family as prosperous as the Lees could possess that many.

It happened as they entered a straight forest path.

Lee Wonpyeong narrowed his eyes. Something glinted in the darkness—something even he, the most skilled among them, had barely noticed.

His eyes flew wide.

'Chains?!'

Thick chains had been strung between trees on either side, concealed by the darkness.

"Jump off!"

Lee Wonpyeong hurled himself to the side of the path. The warriors at the front followed without hesitation.

But the less skilled warriors were another matter.

Before they could react, the horses in front tripped over the chains. Tangling together, they crashed to the ground in all directions, taking their riders with them.

Skeletons burst from the woods on both sides and attacked the fallen warriors. Hundreds died helplessly in the devastating ambush.

Worse still...

THUD.

THUD.

As if the appearance of a gigantic monster made of bones wasn't enough...

'Baek Socheon! Choi Aengaeng!'

Two people with faces identical to those on the wanted notices emerged.

'They laid a trap!'

Lee Wonpyeong's eyes widened.

He'd expected them only to flee. He'd never imagined they would turn around and set a trap. His impatience to catch them had brought disaster.

"You bastards...!"

He ground his teeth.

One single trap had dealt a fatal blow. Nearly three hundred and fifty warriors had been slaughtered. Barely fifty elites remained.

And how large was the enemy force?

'Nearly two thousand.'

Undead filled the area in every direction.

Could a mere fifty warriors defeat the undead and those two?

No, could they even break out of this encirclement?

Everyone's expression darkened. A true master could easily take on dozens of other masters. And weren't these two monsters who had massacred the supposedly exceptional young talents at the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering?

Lee Wonpyeong looked at his men and shouted.

"Release the carrier pigeons! Now!"

The signal fireworks would be of little use. There were no forces nearby that could come to their aid.

His men hastily scribbled messages on paper and released the pigeons. Five birds took to the sky.

Just then, Choi Aengaeng took the bow from her back.

WHOOSH!

Her arrow pierced a carrier pigeon with perfect accuracy.

Lee Wonpyeong and the other masters stared wide-eyed at the unimaginable sight.

"S-stop that bitch!"

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!

Choi Aengaeng kept drawing her bow without pausing for breath. Four carrier pigeons died in an instant.

Only then did Lee Wonpyeong finally reach her. Eyes bloodshot, he thrust his sword at her.

"You bitch!"

CLANG!

Choi Aengaeng raised her sword and began fighting him. Only then could Lee Wonpyeong breathe a sigh of relief.

At least one bird had survived. He'd plunged into the heart of the encirclement, but he'd avoided the worst.

"Everyone, break through! Every man for himself!"

"Yes!"

The Lee family's warriors charged in all directions, hoping that at least one of them might survive.

As the battle dissolved into a chaotic melee, the sole surviving carrier pigeon was flying away when...

WHAM!

With a crash, its body crumpled like a compact car struck by a truck, and it began to fall limply from the sky.