Chapter 64 The Powerful Demon – Part 2

Chapter 64: The Powerful Demon – Part 2

Georyeongma Jeo Ungwon was furious to the point of boiling over.

You idiots! I sent two men with over seventy years of cultivation each, and you both screw up and come back alone?

According to Gwijando Soyo-neung, one subordinate would be safe, but that too was something only certain upon his actual return.

If that guy couldn’t make it back either, the group that started with ten members would now be reduced to just five.

This was a rather serious problem.

It wasn’t that the Demon Lord valued his subordinates’ lives; it was because if he failed to properly carry out the task ordered by the Demon Lord’s disciple, Siyang, his own life would also be in danger.

“You stupid bastard!”

As Jeo Ung-won couldn’t contain his surging rage and let out a roar, Su Yong-ryeong knelt down and bowed his head deeply.

He felt the urge to smash that irritating head, but he had to hold back.

Killing him would leave only four men remaining.

Besides, wasn’t Suo Yuling the most useful subordinate among the remaining ones?

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

With no outlet for his boiling rage, Jueongwon roared, then suddenly remembered the woman he’d left behind with his subordinate.

He turned to her with eyes blazing like fire.

She was the sixth woman among the ten he had brought.

Of the ten women sent by the temple master, five had already been killed after being played with.

Even that outcome was only possible because Miss Sa-won had warned him not to draw any more attention. So, instead of capturing women from elsewhere, he had carefully preserved the ones he already had, bringing them out one by one in turn.

That’s why five were still left…

But with how he felt today, he simply couldn’t bring himself to do that.

I figured the only way to feel even a little better was to play with it to my heart’s content and then smash it to pieces.

“Bring that bitch here!”

Jae Woong-won turned to the subordinate holding the woman, his eyes blazing.

The woman, already weeping uncontrollably, now filled with the light of despair.

It seemed like everything was truly over.

That was when it happened.

“Whoa!”

Suddenly, a figure clad in black and wearing a mask leapt over the wall and landed in the courtyard.

The Blood Cultists who saw him cried out in shock.

“Who is it?!”

“Who the hell are you?!”

But the masked figure seemed startled as well.

He shouted even louder.

“What?! You’re that powerhouse, Jeo Ung-won?!”

Then, Jueongwon’s eyes—which had been staring at him with a look that said, ‘What kind of guy is this?’—suddenly widened at the voice of someone who recognized him.

He recognized me?! How?!

Jewoongwon shouted urgently.

“You…?!

But Jueongwon couldn’t finish his sentence.

The man flung himself over the wall and fled.

Thud!

Stunned by the lightning-fast escape, the Blood Sect members quickly snapped out of their daze and leapt after him together.

“You bastard!”

“Stop!”

But Joo Woong-won shouted at them.

“Stop! You stay here and guard this place! I’ll go catch him!”

Leaving his subordinates frozen in place by his voice, Jeo Ung-won’s massive frame leapt over the wall like a swift swallow, chasing after the masked man.

‘He recognized me? I absolutely cannot let him live!’

If that bastard spread word of his existence, he was truly finished.

This time, he would surely meet his end at the hands of the Small-Faced Demon General.

Leaving it to his men made him uneasy.

He had to handle this himself.

Jueongwon raced off at top speed.

But the distance between him and the masked man, who didn’t seem particularly strong, wasn’t closing.

He must be a master of the divine arts.

But Yeo Woong-won couldn’t tell.

That even this current speed was being deliberately maintained by Bi Sa-yeong to draw him out.

Bisaeng was controlling his speed, maintaining a constant distance from Jeo Ungwon.

‘He’s quite fast, then…’

Jeo Ung-won began to concentrate his internal energy.

***

At the same time.

As Jeo Ung-won leapt over the wall in pursuit of Biseoyoung, Sak Muhun sent me a telepathic message.

– We don’t know when he’ll return. Go now!

But I tried to dissuade him.

– Hold on, Brother Sak. Please wait just a moment.

Even if we charged in right now, there was no guarantee we could defeat them.

Their forces included one who appeared to be just entering peak condition and one martial artist at the pinnacle, undoubtedly possessing over seventy years of cultivation. On top of that, there were two more who seemed to be top-tier masters.

In contrast, our forces consisted only of me, just entering my peak, and Sak Muhun, with over seventy years of cultivation.

So if we clashed head-on like this, we would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage.

Sakmuhin relayed the message in an impatient tone.

– Given our position, we’d have to advance deep into the manor’s inner courtyard to strike them anyway. The conditions aren’t right for a surprise attack. If that’s the case, it’s better to build momentum and charge in all at once.

His words clearly made sense.

We couldn’t ambush them in the middle of the courtyard, and we didn’t know when Georyeokma would return.

But even so, I saw one possibility.

– Just wait until you can count to ten. By then, those bastards will probably…

It was while I was sending that telepathic message.

The minions of the giant demon inside opened their mouths, staring at the woman they were holding.

“But boss, are we really just supposed to stand by and watch this bitch like this?”

I chuckled inwardly at that remark.

Typical Blood Cult bastards.

No need to count them.

Then the one who seemed the most skilled among them snorted in response.

“Ha! Why don’t you just stand by and watch? Do you want us to provoke him first, only to be torn to shreds by that already enraged Lord Danju?”

It was an uncharacteristically rational response for a Blood Cultist.

It was disappointing.

But just as I was feeling slightly let down by his firmness, his subordinates showed their true Blood Cultist grit.

They refused to give up despite his firm refusal.

That subordinate smiled slyly and said this.

“Of course, we can’t actually take her first, but just groping her a bit shouldn’t be a problem, right? It won’t leave any marks, after all.”

“Hm?”

He couldn’t answer that.

It seemed his interest was starting to be piqued.

After a moment’s hesitation, he gave the answer she’d expected.

“Well, just touching it probably won’t matter much, right? As long as we don’t get caught.”

The subordinate who had suggested it agreed with a bright smile.

“Yes, boss! That’s exactly it!”

“Hmm, then how about one of us keeps watch for the boss’s return while the rest of us enjoy ourselves?”

“Yes! That’s perfect, boss!”

The Blood Cultists cheerfully decided who would keep watch.

Naturally, the two at the peak of their abilities had no intention of keeping watch, so one of the two top-tier minions had to take the post.

And unfortunately, the one who ended up taking the watch was the minion who had voiced the initial suggestion.

“I… I can’t believe this…”

“Heh heh heh, too bad for you.”

“Just accept your fate.”

“If we had enough time, I’d switch with you, but you’d better keep a good lookout.”

As the lowly subordinate, now assigned to keep watch, trudged toward the wall with a look of utter defeat, the gazes of the remaining three turned toward the woman.

She was still frozen in place, unable to move, tears streaming down her face.

And at that moment, we moved.

– Now!

Thud!

As we burst out from behind the wall like lightning, the lowly guard walking toward us defenselessly widened his eyes in shock and hastily drew his sword.

“You…!”

Clang!

Swoosh!

But as we swept past either side of him, a thin stream of blood spurted from his slit throat.

It was the result of my sword clashing with his blade while Brother Sak’s sword lightly grazed his neck.

Then they charged straight at the enemies and both hurled their daggers.

“Haah!”

“Hooop!”

Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The men, distracted by the woman, were startled, but quickly regained their composure. By the time the front man died, they had already drawn their weapons.

They then spread out to the sides, dodging or deflecting the daggers we had thrown.

“Hmph!”

“Where?!”

Clang! Clang! Clang-clang!

Indeed, masters at the peak of their art couldn’t be disposed of so easily. But they weren’t top-tier either.

“Guh…”

The last remaining elite Blood Cultist grabbed my dagger lodged in his throat with his hand and fell backward.

Only two Jiecheng members remained.

Exchanging a quick glance, Brother Sak and I immediately split to opposite sides and lunged toward the remaining peak-level opponents.

I took the one over seventy years old, while Brother Sak handled the one at the beginning of the peak.

“Haah!”

Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, First Strike.

Divine Response, Soaring.

My sword unleashed a brilliant blade light like spreading wings, closing in on the enemy.

But the bastard snorted in derision and immediately met my blade head-on.

“Hmph! What kind of cheap trick is that?”

Whoosh!

His sword energy sliced through space with fierce momentum.

Then, the wings created by my sword light were torn in two in a single instant.

But I was no longer behind those wings.

I had already slipped away like flowing water using the Heavenly Wind Technique, circling around to his rear.

Then, once more, Divine Response Soaring, I spread the wings made of sword light.

“Haah!”

Shwaaah!

Though the attack flowed as naturally and swiftly as water, the gap in skill meant I couldn’t expect it to land an effective blow.

He spun on his heel and drew his sword horizontally once more. With that single strike alone, my sword formation scattered once again.

“Damn trick!”

Swoosh!

And in that instant, my form was already shifting behind him once more.

It was a tactic: blatantly using the sword’s flash to draw his gaze, then exploiting my superior footwork to strike from behind.

Though he held the upper hand in skill, he seemed irritated at being unable to land a decisive blow and being forced to chase me.

He scowled fiercely and shouted.

“Useless nonsense! Are you trying to play ghost games?!”

Ghost tricks…

Not exactly wrong.

The reason Brother Sak and I switched levels and took on each other’s opponents was precisely because I was skilled at that ghostly trickery.

Even if my opponent was more skilled than me, I was confident I could stall long enough.

Glancing aside, I saw Brother Sak unleashing a furious assault on his opponent.

The Blood Sect disciple’s swordplay, just entering its climax, seemed dizzying, suggesting it would likely end soon.

Then my opponent’s gaze also shifted that way, only to rush back at me with a panicked look.

Seems he wasn’t completely thick-headed after all.

“You bastard! Die!”

Chuwaaah!

The red-hued sword qi erupted from the enemy, tearing wide through space like a net as it crashed down.

It seemed designed to leave no room to evade.

The red sword energy, too powerful for me to handle at my level, spread wide like a net and closed in. It was a tactic perfectly suited for dealing with a subordinate like me, far inferior to the creature itself.

It would have been an extremely difficult situation.

Had I not mastered the Heavenly Wind Divine Technique.

But!

Dodging his attack like a ghost, I retreated and grinned as I unleashed the Heavenly Wind Divine Technique.

The Heavenly Wind Divine Technique’s ultimate art.

Heavenly Wind Blossom.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

My new form began scattering in all directions, leaving afterimages like petals scattered by the wind.

Heavenly Wind Blossom—a secret technique of the Heavenly Wind Divine Art that could only be used upon reaching the pinnacle of mastery, one that even Bi Sa-yeong had yet to wield.

The man, avoiding the cross-river strike, watched my scattered afterimages with a flustered look, his eyes darting about as he shouted.

“What… what is this?!”

Ever since I first mastered this technique, I’d realized how perfectly the Heavenly Wind Flower Petals complemented my use of the Illusionary Sword.

With the enemy still unable to pinpoint my true form, I immediately launched a counterattack.

Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, Thirteenth Strike.

Whirlwind Sword Technique.

Shwuuuuuu

In an instant, my sword split into dozens, hundreds of blades.

Then, surrounding him on all sides, it prepared to rain down like a meteor shower.

Whoosh!

“I… I can’t believe this?!”

The startled enemy swung his sword with all his might to defend himself.

I learned this fact when I fought Mayu Gyeom before: against an opponent whose realm was higher than mine, the Illusory Sword wasn’t a particularly effective attack method.

A clumsy Whirlwind Sword could actually expose openings to the opponent.

But the original final technique of the Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, the Whirling Sword Technique, held no such weakness.

The sheer number of illusory swords created left no opening for him to exploit.

My illusory swords filled the surroundings, and his sword energy erupted like it was tearing apart the very fabric of space.

“Haahhah!”

Chuuwaaah!

Then, my illusory swords scattered like phantoms.

This was the most futile aspect of the Illusory Sword Technique.

Though it consumed immense energy to create dozens, even hundreds of illusory blades, they were all mere phantoms, incapable of inflicting real damage on the opponent.

And yet, to say it aimed to drain the opponent’s energy was strange, for it consumed even more of my own energy. That was the Illusory Sword Technique.

So I’ve held back from using it until now…

The gaze of the one who realized all the countless sword shadows that had descended upon him were merely illusions regained its composure.

Instead, his eyes turned mocking as he muttered.

“Useless nonsense…”

But despite all those drawbacks, there was a reason I used this, you know?

He still hadn’t pinpointed my location.

Moreover, in the midst of it all, he had swung his sword with an unnecessarily large, forced motion while trying to break through the illusory sword barrier.

In contrast, I now had a weapon equipped that I hadn’t possessed before.

It was the Four-Sword Technique of the Pointing Blade School, capable of piercing an opponent’s weak spot at lightning speed.

Emerging behind the enemy, I thrust my sword without hesitation.

Four-Sword Technique, First Strike.

One strike, one kill.

In an instant, my sword transformed into a streak of light, piercing through the enemy’s back.

Thud!

“Guh!”

Spitting blood from his mouth, he painfully turned his head to look at me.

His eyes were filled with nothing but disbelief.

I grinned at him.

I couldn’t hold back the laughter.

I never thought it would happen, but I’d actually managed to take down a master one rank above me.

My head was filling with pure exhilaration.

“Well now, don’t you think you’re putting me in an awkward position?”

I turned my head to see Brother Sak, who had just split his opponent’s chest open, looking at me with an expression of utter bewilderment and laughing.

“I was lucky. He let his guard down, thinking my skill was inferior to his.”

“Last time you nearly killed me, yet you seem to be the luckiest man alive. When luck repeats itself, it becomes skill.”

Embarrassed by his praise, we laughed awkwardly and decided to first release the pressure points on the woman who was staring at us in shock.

Then, her face streaked with tears, the woman thanked us in a calmer tone than expected.

“Jeongyeon, disciple of Ami, offers her gratitude to her benefactors.”

Hearing that, we couldn’t help but be utterly shocked.

“What?! You’re a disciple of the Ami Sect?!”

“Yes, I am the twenty-fifth generation disciple of the Ami Sect.”

That was something we never could have imagined.

Even though the Amipa’s status has declined since suffering heavy losses during the Great Blood War, I never imagined a disciple of the Amipa—one of the Nine Great Sects—would be captured here by the Blood Sect’s demons.

While we were stunned by such thoughts, she spoke again.

“In the basement of this manor, one of my fellow disciples and three other women are still being held captive. I know it’s a lot to ask, but could you also rescue them?”

She seemed unable to move properly, likely due to prolonged acupoint pressure that had been released but hadn’t fully subsided.

We readily agreed.

“Ah, yes. Of course. Don’t worry, my lady.”

We had to hurry.

There was no telling how long Biseaeng could keep the giant beasts distracted.

But then, something flew out from the forest.

It seemed to be the giant beast.

I hurriedly said to Sak Muhun.

“Sak-hyung! Please take care of that young lady! I’ll lure the beast back first…!”

But as I tried to say that, I couldn’t finish my words when I saw the giant beast, despite its massive size, flying as lightly as a bird and landing on the wall.

“What? More of those rats, I suppose?”

My eyes widened in horror.

In the hands of the creature staring at us with a sickening grin hung the limp body of Biseaeng, its life hanging by a thread.