The distant mountain wall, once shrouded in thick mist, now stood completely clear.
"It's gone."
"You stubborn fools."
Yuna Ji had already rushed forward. I stared blankly at the massive hole General White Plume had punched through earlier—now it was gone, filled in with rocks. Only a small section remained visible at the top.
A roar echoed—it was General White Plume. Yuna Ji was already flying toward us. General White Plume crouched, his slender sword raised high in the air.
"So strong."
All around us, white smoke curled upward. Then, tiny flames began to appear. The air itself burned from that earth-shattering strike. Yuna Ji held her cheek—on her skeletal face, a clear wound was visible.
Yuna Ji was no match for General White Plume. That thought flashed through my mind, and Mr. Brown started laughing beside me.
"It's normal to lose. There's no real difference between attacks from the 'surface' and the 'core.' When you reach the limit, it all comes down to who fights better. Yuna Ji specializes in the surface, not the core. Her subordinates are all trapped inside their bones—their ghost energy can't escape. Over time, they've mastered the core to its extreme. Her nine commanders are tough opponents."
I looked at Mr. Brown and, after a moment's thought, asked him a question.
"How many of them can you handle?"
Mr. Brown chuckled.
"Not all of them, but I could handle five. If there are more than five, I'd be at a disadvantage."
Yuna Ji grew quiet. She didn't attack right away, seemingly waiting for General White Plume to make a move. Without the Netherstone, she'd lost all connection to her nine commanders and couldn't issue them any orders.
"Did you see that, Crimson Plume? To lose to an opponent like this—and get captured too—how utterly disgraceful."
General White Plume shouted. In a flash, Yuna Ji rushed before him, her twin daggers slashing toward his shoulder blades. But General White Plume's reaction surprised me—he simply sidestepped, easily dodging her attack, then immediately swung his sword.
With a metallic clang, Yuna Ji blocked General White Plume's attack with her two daggers, sliding backward. Instantly, General White Plume lunged forward, his slender sword stabbing at Yuna Ji several times—his speed was astonishing.
Yuna Ji, unable to dodge, was thrown into crisis. My heart skipped a beat—I wanted to intervene but Mr. Brown's outstretched hand stopped me.
In an instant, Yuna Ji spun in midair, completing a full turn. She hurled her two daggers at General White Plume—two sharp clangs rang out as the green daggers were deflected. As she landed, Yuna Ji rolled to the side. With a thunderous crash, a large hole appeared in the ground, then the earth around us split open, sending shards of stone flying.
Yuna Ji rose to her feet, and for a moment, she seemed to smile. She was wounded in several places.
I glanced back, noticing that the skeletons we brought along hadn't advanced—they only watched from afar. After so much time had passed, the reinforcements still hadn't arrived. This left me deeply uneasy.
“Distant water can't put out a nearby fire. Clearstream and Ice Lance aren’t fools; they wouldn’t abandon the siege just because their rear is threatened. This General White Plume clearly made a calculated decision when the Nine Generals were captured—he immediately led the main force to assault the city while destroying the enemy’s rear. A clever strategy. Ice Lance isn’t stupid either.”
I nodded, and at this moment, General White Plume seemed a bit suspicious.
"Who are you, really?"
With a furious shout, General White Plume dropped his sword. Yuna Ji said nothing, only laughed coldly, then with a wave of her hand, the pair of green sickles spun back into her grasp.
In this Netherhell, anyone with consciousness is invaded by the will of battle. I’m still suppressing the boiling fighting spirit within me, but Yuna Ji seems to be affected as well.
The two combatants clashed again. This time, Yuna Ji was even faster, her movements more ruthless. General White Plume barely managed to respond, no longer as composed as before.
I saw some skeletons climbing up the high tower, trying to release the Nine Generals from the cage.
"What are you doing over there?"
General White Plume shouted.
"You still have the mind to worry about others in the midst of battle."
Yuna Ji grinned wickedly, letting out two chilling laughs. General White Plume responded with a guttural roar, stepping back. Though he blocked one strike, a skeleton’s arm flew high into the air. Yuna Ji danced with her sickles, her body twisting elegantly.
General White Plume appeared furious, slamming his fist down. The cage atop the high tower crashed to the ground, and several skeletons with many arms and legs began to open it. They freed the Nine Generals, who still held their crimson twin swords.
The layer of black mud covering her shattered kneecap was peeled away. Some skeletons, clutching bundles of small leg bones, shuffled past. The Nine Generals chose a suitable place to settle, standing up.
Yuna Ji’s battle continued, her attacks growing sharper and more relentless. General White Plume was no longer as calm as before, constantly crossing blades with Yuna Ji. The two traded blows, neither giving ground. The Nine Generals opposite them did not move, merely sitting on the ground as if resting.
Suddenly, Yuna Ji ducked under General White Plume’s sword. Her sickles flashed, slicing into his abdomen and pressing against his skull.
"Looks like I win."
Yuna Ji murmured softly. But just then, General White Plume roared, a guttural cry echoing. His chest split open with a sickening crack, and his thin sword slammed against Yuna Ji’s left shoulder, sending both combatants flying apart.
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Yuna Ji clutched her shattered left shoulder. General White Plume bared his teeth, the bones of his arm completely fractured. In that instant, he did not dodge, but blocked directly, using his broken arm to trap Yuna Ji’s sickle. Though he suffered severe wounds, he also dealt a heavy blow to Yuna Ji.