The unorthodox faction members were facing the orthodox faction members with two buildings at their backs.

As I secretly landed on the roof from outside their line of sight and examined the qi sense inside the building, I could feel the presence of the martial artists holding the hostages.

Unless there was a hostage negotiation system based on international trust like in modern times, these unorthodox faction members would all die anyway, but if there were civilian casualties in the process, that would also be troublesome.

Especially from the Shaolin Temple’s perspective.

There was the ethical issue, but for them, who had to secure influence in the central part of Henan Province and show the trust of the orthodox faction to the people, the fewer casualties, the better.

‘Prioritize the safety and stealth of the hostages.’

First, after laying down a concealment formation on the roof so that no sound would leak out, I cut it with the Martial Arts Sword.

Seo-geok-!

After that, I controlled the falling roof fragments with psychokinesis to reduce the noise, and then I flew the First Blade in a curve in the direction of the qi sense I had observed and pierced the enemies’ necks.

The unorthodox faction members who collapsed as corpses and then landed slowly on the floor due to psychokinesis.

‘Were there only two enemies on the second floor?’

Since their role was to watch for enemies coming from outside the window, their numbers were not large.

‘In a situation like this, it’s standard for the remaining enemies to be gathered on the first floor.’

I raised my super-senses and examined the number of people on the floor below. Five martial artists who seemed to be below the peak level. Ten hostages.

‘I have to kill them all at once.’

Because if a commotion arose, I didn’t know what the agitated unorthodox faction members outside would do.

If I had my way, I would have wanted to install a soundproof formation, but a soundproof formation that could cover a whole building was not easy to make.

Since I had already killed two of them, it was also a race against time from now on.

‘I have no choice. I have to do my best.’

Although it was a quite tricky situation, it wasn’t that there was no way. While the hostages were all bound and kneeling, the unorthodox faction members were sitting on chairs or standing.

Among them, one guy was restlessly pacing back and forth at the entrance.

The moment that guy turned his back to the second-floor stairs in his path.

I rushed to the first floor, wrapped in shadow.

First, I blew off the heads of two with the First Blade flown in a curve.

And then I took down another with the Second Blade shot with psychokinesis, and then I rushed to the entrance and cut off the neck of another.

All that was left was one who was loitering around restlessly.

The moment the guy, who had belatedly sensed something strange, turned his head, my sword blade flashed.

The opponent, with fear-filled eyes, collapsed with his head and body separated, without even being able to let out a death rattle.

To think that a guy who had killed the weak without a second thought would end up like this when it was time to pay for his sins. It was absurd.

In an instant, the room was littered with the corpses of five people. I stood alone in the center and looked back at the hostages.

And then I immediately used psychokinesis to strike the chins of some of the hostages whose lungs were swelling.

Thud-

The three hostages who collapsed with their eyes rolled back.

“Ah.”

I had intended to shut their mouths so they couldn’t scream, but I couldn’t control my strength and ended up knocking them out.

Although it was an embarrassing situation, the remaining hostages were so frightened that they couldn’t even make a sound.

For a smooth rescue, I had to reassure them first.

In a situation where they were held hostage by fearsome unorthodox faction members, if a man who had dealt with those unorthodox faction members in an instant appeared, they would have no choice but to be scared.

However, since I had no talent for persuasion, I sent a telepathic message with the current situation.

– I am Zhuge Cheonwu, an intermediate student of the Martial Academy. I have come to save you in alliance with the Shaolin Temple, so please do not worry.

At those words, the atmosphere became somewhat reassured. Since I had a rather noble-looking face, it seemed to have worked well.

– Within the next half a shichen, I will save the others and eliminate the unorthodox faction members. For now, please go up to the second floor without making a sound and hold your breath until the martial artists from the Shaolin Temple side come.

I additionally suggested an action to the hostages and then carried the fainted ones and guided them to the second floor.

It was in case they were on the first floor and got caught up in the subsequent elimination of the unorthodox faction members.

I finally entrusted the situation control to the middle-aged man who was the most experienced and calm among the hostages, and then I leaped up to the roof I had broken through.

And after repeating the same process in the next building, I came up to the roof again.

‘Now, all that’s left are the unorthodox faction members who are holding a sit-in below the building.’

It seemed they were flustered because the other unorthodox faction members who had gone inside the building hadn’t come to relieve them, as they kept glancing at the first-floor door.

‘If their attention is divided, it’s easy to deal with them.’

Since the Shaolin Temple side, which was standing in front, had already been watching my performance, I sent a telepathic message and communicated with them.

– Great Mage! Don’t tell me, you’ve eliminated all the enemies?

– That’s right. Now let’s coordinate our timing and attack together.

The reason they hadn’t rashly stepped forward was solely because of the hostages inside the building.

Because if even a little commotion arose, the hostages inside would also be killed.

Now that the hostages inside the building were gone, all that was left was to blow off the heads of the unorthodox faction members with the attacks of the super-masters, a simple task.

However, since we had to eliminate all twenty unorthodox faction members, it required perfect role division and timing.

‘This will be the last of my magic for today.’

I squeezed out my remaining mana and floated in the air.

And then I communicated via telepathy and measured the timing.

– Three, two, one!

Simultaneously, the First Blade, which had been floating in the blind spot of the unorthodox faction members, was shot in a curve and pierced the heads of three, and ice magic was shot and pressed down on the crowns of five.

Next, the Second Blade and the Martial Arts Sword took the lives of one each, and a total of ten unorthodox faction members on the right edge were killed.

On the left, thanks to the super-masters such as Baek Hasin and Gu Ja-beom flying daggers and restrained sword qi, silence fell on the area in an instant.

A total of about twenty unorthodox faction members slowly collapsed, leaving the hostages behind at the same time.

In that scene, the hostages screamed, and some collapsed, bursting into tears of relief.

At the same time, the waiting Shaolin Temple martial artists entered the building and checked on the safety of the hostages.

“Everyone is safe!”

The shouts of the martial artists that were heard with their voices.

Every time a hostage was helped out, cheers erupted from all directions.

At that news, the residents of the city, who had been watching this scene, trembling in fear, cautiously opened their windows and checked on the safety of their neighbors and families.

Soon, they came out to the street with joyful faces and raised their voices.

“Waaaaaah!!”

“Long live the Shaolin Temple! Long live the Great Mage!”

For a while, shouts of relief echoed here and there in the city.

It was a perfect hostage rescue operation.

***

“Y-you dealt with all of this?”

The abbot of the Shaolin Temple, who had come to praise my hard work, gaped at the sight of the mountain ridge where hundreds of bandits were frozen solid.

“Yes.”

The subjugation of half of the unorthodox faction branches in the central part of Henan Province, the defeat of the fortress master of the Eighteen Fortresses of the Green Forest, and the annihilation of over 300 subordinate bandits, including the vice-fortress master.

On top of that, the rescue of the common people, creating a miracle of zero casualties from the unorthodox faction’s hostage situation.

It was truly a tremendous achievement.

And this was even before the subjugation of the unorthodox faction was finished.

Of course, since the remaining branches, which had already lost their central point, were being taken care of by the martial artists of the Shaolin Temple, there was no need for our side to step forward any more.

But it was also necessary to ask out of courtesy.

“Is there anything else we can help you with?”

“No! Since the enemy’s leader has disappeared, the rest is enough for us, of course!”

The abbot of the Shaolin Temple waved his hands and declined.

It was probably because if I were to be active until the very end here, the reward they would have to give later would be even greater.

“Then we will return first. And, we will gratefully receive all the matters you have promised. To think you would treat us so generously for just doing a good deed, the generosity of the Shaolin Temple is truly like the great sea.”

Before any other words could come out, I received a confirmation and we moved our feet toward the Shaolin Temple.

As if the rumor had already spread, on the way, there were quite a few people who recognized our party or gave a silent bow.

‘This is a good sign. With public opinion like this, the Shaolin Temple will have no choice but to increase the reward.’

We were treated like distinguished guests and passed through the cities to arrive at the Shaolin Temple.

After that, as I was heading to the assigned guest room to rest, I, who had noticed that only the three of us were left, asked Gu Ja-beom.

“So, isn’t it about time you told us the purpose of our heading to Shaanxi Province?”

Since things had been so busy, I hadn’t even heard a proper explanation.

As if Baek Hasin was also curious, he chimed in from the side, and Gu Ja-beom guided us to the guest room.

When the door was closed and no presence was caught even by the qi sense of a Transformation master, he softly explained our goal.

“We are going to subjugate the remnants of the Blood Cult. They say there is a Blood Fiend and a special-grade formation master who have come over from Qinghai.”

“A special-grade formation master, you say?”

I asked back with a surprised look. A special-grade formation master, who was precious enough to be counted on one hand even in the central plains. Among them, if it was a special-grade formation master who had sided with the Blood Cult, there was only one.

Zhuge Ryu-hun, a man who was once one of the only two special-grade formation masters of the Zhuge family.

Although he was now excommunicated, he was an eccentric formation master whose ability was the real deal.

Perhaps he was an enemy that I, as a mage and a formation master, would have to overcome someday.

“I don’t know what they’re up to, but they say there’s also a Blood Fiend with Zhuge Ryu-hun.”

On top of that, a Blood Fiend. Thinking that things would get bigger than I thought, I revealed my honest feelings.

“That’s a dangerous mission. I don’t know whose idea it was, but it’s not something we can handle at the student level.”

“Is it as much as you, who broke into the Heretic Alliance’s headquarters with just three people? Other instructors will also join. We just didn’t run into them because we stopped by Henan Province.”

He then glanced at me, so I asked what I was curious about.

“You’re not going to use us for free, are you?”

“…When the mission is over, you will be given credits and a bounty.”

My pockets had been getting fatter since the war with the Blood Cult.

Certainly, as my name value rose and I started to catch important villains, wealth was coming in on its own.

‘Should I try investing with this?’

It seemed I could do something like making a spiritual medicine field indiscriminately in collaboration with the Golden Gate Trading Company.

As I was briefly having other thoughts, Gu Ja-beom gave me some advice.

“You shouldn’t think it will be like today. They are not easy opponents. Especially the Blood Fiend.”

The Blood Fiends were the beings with the highest martial power in the Blood Cult, excluding the Blood Demon.

No matter how much the Blood Demon’s whereabouts had become mysterious and his forces had been scattered, they were enemies that should not be taken lightly.

“By the way, from what I saw in the battle earlier, it seems your sword also needs some repairs.”

At those words, I drew my sword and examined the Martial Arts Sword.

The blade was quite damaged. It needed to be serviced before starting the next mission.

‘Even though I had it repaired after the war with the Blood Cult, it became like this so quickly.’

Since I had recently faced several super-masters and had fought considerable battles, it was perhaps a natural consequence.

“Isn’t it the same for you, professor?”

I asked back, looking at the greatsword that was on Gu Ja-beom’s back.

The blade had several nicks from Seo Chae-gang’s axe blows.

Gu Ja-beom nodded his head and answered.

“I know the best craftsman in Shaanxi, no, in the central plains. We’ll get ready there first.”

Now that I would receive the ten-thousand-year-old cold iron, there was no need to worry about the material problem either.

Since I had also been active, I would be able to receive more in addition to what was supposed to be given to Gu Ja-beom.

However, if there was one thing that was bothering me…

‘I can’t use ten-thousand-year-old cold iron on just a Martial Arts Sword.’

Although it wasn’t bad, the Martial Arts Sword was at best a high-grade sword.

There was no reason to make such an investment in a weapon that was not even a top-grade item, let alone an artifact.

Since we were going to Shaanxi anyway, I recalled a sword I had seen in a corner of a strategy guide someday.

‘That should be possible.’

The moment I was forming a plan to acquire a new weapon in my head, a voice calling us was heard from outside.

“The abbot is calling for you. Will you go now?”

At the polite voice, as if he was nervous, the corners of my mouth went up on their own.

It was now time to receive the reward.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep