Chapter 18 Ghost Gate

Chapter 18 Ghost Gate

Yang Kwae and Yang Jeong shouted for retreat, yet their bodies were poised to charge forward.

Namgung-woo had protected them from the Spectral Fiend. He had even personally demonstrated how to wield Thunder Qi. He wasn’t their master, but he was certainly a benefactor. The Yang brothers felt compelled to repay any kindness they received. Watching Namgung-woo confront the Form-Stealing Fiend, the brothers waited for their moment to lend a hand.

It was a self-evident truth that retreating was often more dangerous than advancing. Even Namgung-woo might expose a weakness when trying to disengage. Therefore, they believed they should join the fray and create an opening for Namgung-woo to safely withdraw.

Yet, the blades they gripped found no opening to intervene, their tips merely twitching and trembling.

Was it because the fight was too fierce?

No.

It was because it was too overwhelming.

The Form-Stealing Fiend, which was said to neutralize even a Peak Master’s Sword Qi, seemed nothing more than a toy to him. The young man, who skillfully scattered his Sword Qi to leave sword wounds on the Form-Stealing Fiend, existed on a plane entirely different from the brothers, who were still fumbling at the threshold of Peak Transcendence.

Then, when the Form-Stealing Fiend exploded with ferocious momentum, as if it could no longer tolerate the situation, and charged forward, the brothers were convinced that their chance to help had finally arrived.

That was, until Namgung-woo gripped his sword with both hands and assumed the Middle Stance.

A halo of light, originating from his two hands gripping the sword, soon became lines that enveloped the Sword Body. Like warp and weft threads weaving a fabric, these luminous lines encircling the sword gathered to form a surface.

And watching this spectacle, the brothers finally understood its true nature.

“Force… Aura?”

“…It’s Sword Aura. It’s Sword Aura!”

The realm of Sword Aura manifestation, transcending the realm of a Sword Qi Master. It was a profound Martial Art, symbolizing a supreme Martial Artist who had reached Peak Transcendence.

It was an unbelievable achievement.

A wondrous talent.

The sight of a young man, barely past the Age of Twenty, manifesting Sword Aura so naturally, felt utterly alien even in a world where the unreal had become reality.

However, that sense of alienation soon vanished with the vertical sword path that was drawn.

It was a beautiful sword.

And at the same time, an incomparably powerful sword.

A line of light, imbued with platinum lightning, slashed vertically down upon the Form-Stealing Fiend, which had seemed utterly insurmountable. Following that trajectory, the colossal Spectral Fiend body of the Form-Stealing Fiend split apart.

The Form-Stealing Fiend was known for arbitrarily changing its form. But this grotesque distortion was by no means an intentional transformation. The Sword Aura, unleashed in a dazzling platinum flash, literally incinerated and erased the Form-Stealing Fiend’s incomprehensible Spectral Fiend body.

“Grrrk, grrrrk, grhaaaa…!”

From the Form-Stealing Fiend’s grotesquely twisted mouth burst a scream filled with agony, not the mocking laughter it had used to taunt its playthings. Its Spectral Fiend body began to crumple, emitting a bizarre shriek that was impossible to believe came from a living creature.

“Y-young hero! Retreat!”

“You’ll die if you stay there!”

Yang Jeong and Yang Kwae cried out in utter panic. There was a saying that the Form-Stealing Fiend wouldn’t die alone. It was truly a vengeful spirit. The most malicious of Demonic Beasts. This was partly due to its illusory nature, which rendered it immune to attacks not imbued with Sword Qi, but a greater reason for its infamy was its tendency to shroud the surrounding area in its Demonic Energy upon death, dragging companions to the underworld with it. A Peak Transcendence Martial Artist who had achieved Sword Aura manifestation might not die from a Form-Stealing Fiend’s self-destruction, but they could at least suffer Internal Injury, or worse, be corroded by the Demonic Energy, lose their original Martial Prowess, and fall into Qi Deviation. Peng Mu-ho and Peng Ha-ryeong had been battered even after taking down just one Form-Stealing Fiend precisely because they couldn’t withstand the aftereffects of such an explosion.

“Damn it, it’s too late!” Yang Kwae exclaimed in dismay, seeing the Form-Stealing Fiend’s Spectral Fiend body swelling as if about to burst.

And at the same time, the twin brothers launched themselves forward. Even though they would be in more danger than this mysterious master, the brothers chose to repay their benefactor. No matter that he had reached the Peak Transcendence realm, given his age, his Internal Energy reserves couldn’t be vast. Even if his comprehension was so exceptional that he could freely control Force Aura, there had to be a limit to the absolute amount of Internal Energy, which could only be accumulated over time. Judging by the Sword Qi he had displayed so far, his Internal Energy would far surpass that of his peers, but after using so much Sword Qi and then manifesting Sword Aura, even immense Internal Energy would surely be reaching its limit. The fact that he stood still after cleaving the Form-Stealing Fiend with a wondrous single sword strike must mean his Internal Energy was depleted, leaving him in a temporary state of exhaustion.

Without needing words, the brothers exchanged glances and divided their roles.

‘I’ll grab the young hero and pull him back.’

‘Then I’ll use a full-power single sword strike to scatter the Demonic Energy as much as possible.’

But Namgung-woo, once again, far surpassed the Yang brothers’ expectations.

Flutter!

His sleeves fluttered.

KWA-AANG!

His True Stomp shook the ground.

Infinite Steps, One Step Shakes Heaven. He pushed the power of his True Stomp to its extreme, unleashing a Combat Step that emitted an Aura forward, blocking the surging wave of Aura of Evil. The Internal Force Wave, imbued with the energy of thunder and lightning, halted the Aura of Evil like a colossal cliff. The two clashing energies rubbed violently together, sending sparks flying.

He had only taken a single step. It was a marvel whose profound Internal Energy and the wondrous principles of Footwork were impossible to fathom. Peng Mu-ho, who was right behind the Yang brothers, also gasped, swallowing his exclamation of awe. The collision of the platinum lightning Internal Force Wave and the grayish-white, sinister Demonic Energy created an illusion of stepping into a scene from a myth.

Masters truly had different Footwork. It was a sight that finally revealed the true meaning of a famous adage in the Martial World.

“His Footwork really is different…” Yang Kwae’s unintentional murmur seemed to represent the feelings of all three present.

Namgung-woo, who had created this spectacle, paid no mind to the reactions of others. Instead, he was absorbed in his own achievement.

‘I perfectly controlled the emission of Internal Force.’

He had aimed to generate just enough Internal Force to halt the wave of Demonic Energy. And he had succeeded. He observed with his Azure Serenity Eyes, calculated with his mind, and stomped his foot to generate Internal Force. These three processes occurred seamlessly, without any loss or delay. His control was now at a level where he could confidently claim to wield his Internal Energy as easily as his own limbs.

As the clash of the two Auras, which had drawn a boundary in the air, subsided, and the energies, shaped by humans and Demonic Beasts, began to dissipate back into the great nature, Namgung-woo turned around and pointed at the Ghost Gate.

“That, does it need to be closed immediately?”

Unlike the Yang brothers, who were still reeling from shock, the experienced Peng Mu-ho quickly regained his composure and replied. “The sooner, the better. The Ghost Gate expands over time, and if it does, even stronger Demonic Beasts will appear.”

“And you know how to close it?”

“You just have to destroy it. Before it opens, the Ghost Gate is merely a mass of energy, leaving Martial Artists helpless. But once it opens, it takes on a physical form and materializes. Even just Sword Qi is enough to destroy it.”

“In that case, I’ll take care of it myself.”

“…I’d be grateful.”

Namgung-woo had already grasped the general method with his Azure Serenity Eyes, but only after confirming with questions did he begin to move. Seeing something for the first time, and considering he believed he had crossed dimensions once before, Namgung-woo’s actions were extremely thorough.

The Ghost Gate’s form was surprisingly ordinary. It was not much different from an Eastern-style main gate. However, the energy flowing from within it was utterly sinister, unlike anything found in great nature. Just approaching it made his skin feel sticky.

“What is this?” Namgung-woo muttered inadvertently, having discovered something strange.

Strange energies covered the Ghost Gate. They felt distinctly different from the Aura of Evil emanating from the Ghost Gate itself.

‘Is this how Ghost Gates normally are?’

If Namgung-woo had seen other Ghost Gates before, he would have immediately noticed the anomaly, but this was his first time seeing one.

However, Namgung-woo possessed a power almost akin to cheating. As he amplified the abilities of his Azure Serenity Eyes, Namgung-woo’s eyes turned pale blue.

‘Right. Someone has tampered with it artificially.’

Artificial traces were visible on the Ghost Gate. What could this mean? Namgung-woo channeled Heavenly Thunder Qi into his hand and performed a hand technique. The faint Qi barrier covering the Ghost Gate burst like foam and vanished under Namgung-woo’s touch.

“This is…” Namgung-woo furrowed his brows at the true nature of the Ghost Gate he witnessed after removing the Qi barrier.

‘What lies beyond cannot be the world I lived in.’

Namgung-woo was certain the moment he pushed aside the turbidity surrounding the Ghost Gate’s entrance and peered beyond. It was a bizarre world. A collection of oddities that could not possibly belong to Earth’s ecosystem. Namgung-woo closed his eyes, blocking the visual information. Then, covering his eyes with his hand due to the rapidly surging fatigue, he circulated Azure Sky Qi instead of Heavenly Thunder Qi to calm his throbbing head and stomach.

“Huu…”

Destroying it was the right choice. This particular Ghost Gate might be unique, so future Ghost Gates would need continued observation. However, there was no reason to keep this one open now. Namgung-woo then poured Heavenly Thunder Qi into the sword he held.

Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes, Eighth Form: Roaring Thunder Annihilation. An extreme Yang powerful strike, embodying the principles of might and dominance, crushed the Ghost Gate.

That was the end of it.

Without exploding like the Form-Stealing Fiend had upon its death, the Ghost Gate vanished without a trace, as if the world was erasing a foreign substance, suppressed by the energies of great nature. For the Ghost Gate was not originally of this world. The moment Namgung-woo shattered the framework that had been deceiving the world, the world rejected it.

“The last thing…” The Ghost Gate was closed. The battle was over. However, one task remained. Namgung-woo walked towards Peng Mu-ho, who was tending to the sole injured person behind him. More precisely, towards Peng Ha-ryeong, who was breathing heavily with ragged gasps.

And when Namgung-woo approached within five steps of Peng Ha-ryeong, that’s when it happened.

“That’s far enough.”

“Stop.”

“Keep your distance from the Young Lady.”

Three Martial Artists surrounded Namgung-woo.