Dong Bong-su quietly turned his head to survey the unfolding situation once more.
The ships that had recklessly rushed toward Chaochuan had already all sunk.
Following that, the fast ships that had done so were already closing in on this vicinity.
The ships here had suddenly changed direction but hadn't managed to move much toward land yet.
Thunk! Thunk!
Their ramming horn attacks hastily resumed.
Because of that, the fleet's battle line swayed overall. However, the ships remaining here were relatively larger and sturdier than the ships that had been smashed earlier, so they didn't easily sink from the ramming horn attacks.
Aaaahh!
"Don't leave a single one alive, slaughter them all!"
Someone's shout and screams became the signal for close combat. With the desperate thought of 'all or nothing' anyway, the congratulatory guests aboard the ships at the rear boarded the fast ships that had collided with them.
The water bandits' side likewise climbed onto the Namgung Family's sailing ships and engaged in chaotic battle.
Fortunately, there were quite a few masters among the congratulatory guests, so when close combat began, they could easily push back the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds' water bandits.
The problem was numbers. The enemy's fast ships were surging in endlessly, and this side's numbers were continuously decreasing. At this rate, they would be annihilated before even reaching shore.
"Damn it! We've been thoroughly played by those bastards..."
Tang O let out a low groan while watching the fierce engagement.
He vividly realized they had been dancing in the enemies' palm from the beginning. Not just Namgung Byeok or the Namgung Family, but even himself had been floundering around within their thorough plan.
The only thing he could believe in now was 'that person's' appearance. Though he didn't know if he was enemy or ally, it was certain that person wasn't on the side of Heavenly Demon Castle or the Yangtze Waterway Strongholds.
The enemy of my enemy is an ally for now—it was an overly naive and optimistic thought.
'If only that person would appear, the two of us could somehow manage...'
Though the situation was unfolding urgently, he decided to wait just a bit longer.
Sswish swiish swish swish swiissh swissh!
Arrows rained through the night sky and covered the entire fleet once more. However, since masters like Tang O were densely concentrated, the water bandits' arrow attacks couldn't achieve great effectiveness.
Even so, this side's situation didn't improve at all.
The ships were barely turning direction and heading toward land, but their speed was absurdly slow.
The distance from here to land was roughly fifty meters. The distance to the enemies was at arm's reach. The rear was already engaged in close combat, and even the flanks were gradually being taken by the enemies' fast ships.
Knowing there were quite a few masters on this side, the enemies deliberately didn't completely surround them and were driving the allied ships toward the shore.
Only the rear was engaging in hand-to-hand combat. By fighting at the rear, they were greatly agitating the other ships.
Before even a quarter hour had passed, the three sides were finally completely taken by the water bandits. Now if they reached the shore in this situation and lost even the remaining side to the demonic soldiers, it would be a perfectly surrounded formation. Though no one was rowing anymore, the ships were still moving toward shore by the inertia of their motion.
Aaaah! Clang! Crash! Plop!
The sounds of swords, sabers, and spears clashing, the death cries people emitted while dying, and the sounds of Namgung Family servants jumping into the water.
All those sounds and noises mixed together, making the chaotic situation even more confused.
The number of water bandits dying was still far greater than the congratulatory guests, but the number of congratulatory guests was gradually decreasing too. If this state continued for some time, it was obvious that when they reached the critical point, they would be completely pushed back.
"Damn it... This is as far as I can go."
Tang O had been waiting for 'that person's' appearance until now, but he couldn't just stand by any longer. However, he couldn't leave Tang Hwa and Namgung Hye on this ship and go to the rear to fight the water bandits either.
Now he had to make a decision.
If they remained here like this, they would ultimately either be caught and killed by the water bandits or be buried at sea with the ship—one of the two. If it were just him alone it wouldn't matter, but beside him were his granddaughter Tang Hwa and his dead sworn brother's granddaughter Namgung Hye.
He clenched his fist until it bled, then suddenly rushed at Namgung Hye and pressed her fainting point, knocking her unconscious. Then he immediately tucked her under his left side.
"Grandfather, why...?"
Tang Hwa opened her mouth in surprise at that sight. She didn't know what he was thinking.
On the other hand, Dong Bong-su knew what Tang O was trying to do. And he realized the 'time' had finally come.
Tang O's indifferent gaze and Dong Bong-su's cold gaze entangled in midair.
"I'm sorry. Right now I have no choice."
Dong Bong-su nodded as if nothing was wrong. As if it had nothing to do with him.
"It's fine. That side will make me feel more comfortable too. Please go quickly."
"..."
Even in this situation, Tang O felt it was a waste.
A talent who read his heart with just a glance without saying anything. No, perhaps he had already predicted it watching how the situation was unfolding...
However,
As he had just said... right now there was no choice.
He couldn't let Tang Hwa or Namgung Hye die. Between the feeling of waste and the feeling of his heart being torn, it was easy to know which was heavier without putting it on a scale.
"...!"
Hearing Dong Bong-su's words, Tang Hwa finally realized what Tang O was trying to do. He was trying to leave this ship taking only herself and Namgung Hye before the four-sided encirclement was perfectly completed.
Her eyes suddenly met Dong Bong-su's. Dong Bong-su was smiling. As if saying farewell, as if saying go quickly—such a leisurely smile.
An apologetic look crossed Tang Hwa's eyes very briefly. After all, it had been Dong Bong-su who saved her life earlier. But that was only an extremely short moment.
From this distance to shore was a full distance of over fifty meters. No matter how skilled Tang O was, taking three people and flying at once would be too much. No, even alone he absolutely couldn't cross in one go.
Crossing such a distance with three people?
It was difficult. Even if possible, what would they do after reaching shore? Namgung Hye and Dong Bong-su wearing Sosam's mask didn't know martial arts. The idea of taking such two people and breaking through Heavenly Demon Castle's encirclement was nonsensical.
Tang Hwa's eyes quickly recovered their original color. Cold air filled them so much that one couldn't tell when an apologetic look had appeared in her eyes.
"Grandfather, let's go quickly. There are people swimming over there."
As she said, there were quite a few people swimming toward shore. They were almost entirely Namgung Family servants and their dependents who knew absolutely no martial arts.
They had jumped into the water as soon as the fighting started. Though torches filled the land side, even they felt land was safer than remaining on the ship.
Among them, those very skilled in swimming had already advanced about thirty meters. On the other hand, among those who jumped into the water without even knowing how to swim, some had already become corpses floating around.
Tang Hwa pointed at such people with her hand and then launched her body.
Thud, Thud!
"Hwa-ah!"
Tang O had originally intended to tuck Tang Hwa under his other arm and cross, but when she suddenly jumped into Chaohu Lake, he followed in surprise immediately. However, Tang Hwa was flying toward shore without any problem.
Instead, others lost their lives because of her.
She continued leaping toward land, stepping on the backs or heads of people swimming desperately.
Each time she leaped once, one person swimming desperately to survive became crippled or died with their head bursting. Those whose heads burst and died immediately were rather fortunate, dying without even recognizing they were dying.
Those whose shoulders or backs were crushed floundered in the water and slowly met death. Without even knowing why they were dying.
Crunch!
Tang Hwa finally crushed the head of the person swimming at the very front and jumped into the water. That place was roughly five or six meters from shore. There were no more 'human stepping stones' to step on, and even if she climbed onto shore alone, it was obvious she would die under concentrated attack from Heavenly Demon Castle members.
As she submerged in the water, Tang O displayed the Movement Technique of Walking on Duckweed Crossing Water, already flying over her head and landing on shore.
Thud—
He immediately attacked the Heavenly Demon Castle members with one hand. Though he couldn't use both hands, he was still an unparalleled master.
Thud, thud!!
Among those waiting, there were quite a few masters, but they weren't Tang O's match. Masters died in a few of his moves, and as soon as they disappeared, the rabble fell and died like straw bundles.
While Tang O opened the way like that, Tang Hwa swam and climbed onto shore.
She turned her head to glance once toward Dong Bong-su, who was now barely visible, then disappeared into the bushes along the lakeshore following Tang O.
Right after Tang O and Tang Hwa left the ship in that manner, masters began leaving the ships like bamboo shoots after rain. Everyone flew toward the shore Tang O had passed. That was because Tang O had already swept through once, creating a fairly large power vacuum on Heavenly Demon Castle's side.
Thud, thud, thud!...
Each time a master left the ship one by one, the people floating on the water were turning into corpses.
Most couldn't unfold Walking on Duckweed Crossing Water, so they stepped on 'human footstools' with all their might and advanced a few meters at a time. The congratulatory guests flew toward shore, indiscriminately stepping on Namgung Family servants, forgetting whether they were Orthodox or anything.
After some time like that, their brawl with the Heavenly Demon Castle members who had safely landed on the ground began.
"Die!"
Clang! Clang-clang!
The fighting was fierce, and naturally blood and flesh flew everywhere.
Of course, corpses were abundant on the water too. The end of those who merely tried to survive was, just as it had always been at the Namgung Family.
Just like that.
Dong Bong-su watched that sight calmly. Then he lightly opened his mouth and spat out a remark.
"Truly human-like."
It was a cold statement, but to him, such things were human.
The true appearance humans reveal when cornered at the end.
How human is it?
That's precisely what humans are.
"The reason I love humans."