Chapter 78

Danwooseong’s brain-piercing technique shot out like rays of light.

Wherever those rays passed, the area brightened as if lanterns had been lit.

Darkness transformed into light.

Left Minister Yan Jihong barely parried the lightning spear with his crimson hand, which had enveloped Jin Hongshu.

Yet the lightning spear merely coalesced its energy like a long spear; only the portion that struck Jin Hongshu vanished as if extinguished, while the tail end of the spear, its momentum intact, slammed into Yeon Je-hong’s body.

Thud!

Yeon Je-hong was flung out in a long, straight line, still in the posture he had been in when he struck. Lightning energy was seeping into his entire body.

“Krah!”

Yeon Je-hong, trembling violently in midair as he resisted the lightning strike, channeled his inner energy and unleashed it from his entire body. His clothing was torn to shreds by the force of the energy, leaving him ragged and tattered. His jaw was chattering uncontrollably. It was a painful martial art, much like when he had been struck by demonic energy.

Meanwhile, Dan Woosung, who had closed the distance, was already thrusting his fist forward.

Yeon Je-hong parried Dan Woo-seong’s fist and shouted.

“Right Envoy!”

Reinforcements?

Dan Wooseong continued his attack without any sign of disturbance.

Of course, it was a feint.

Thud!

Yeon Je-hong, who had blocked Dan Woo-seong’s fist with his double-edged sword, was sent flying backward a considerable distance. He then dropped to his knees and bellowed.

“Spare me!”

The moment Dan Woo-sung took a step forward, he swung his left foot to kick Yeon Je-hong’s head…

Whoosh!

Yeon Je-hong leaped like a frog, hopping sideways, rolled once, and fled again.

Dan Woo-sung was utterly stunned even while chasing him.

He was momentarily stunned.

If the martial world had become a realm of demonic arts, the position of Left Minister there would be a high rank, deserving to be called the second or third most powerful figure in the world. Calling for reinforcements that hadn’t even arrived yet, kneeling and begging for mercy—it was a pathetic act that shattered Dan Woo-sung’s imagination.

It was chilling to see him pull off such a despicable act with such brazen confidence. Neither the righteous nor the wicked would dare such behavior.

Left Minister Yeon Je-hong dashed forward, then suddenly shouted toward the darkness on the right as if greeting someone.

“Right Guard! Help me!”

This time, it seemed genuine. His voice carried genuine warmth.

The moment Yeon Je-hong stopped, he lunged at Dan Woo-seong. He poured out a relentless barrage of strikes with every ounce of strength. After curling his fingers into hooks, he began slashing with a single-point red flood technique.

Shwaaang!

Dan Woo-seong ducked his head sharply, then tripped Yeon Je-hong’s leg, sending him tumbling.

Then Yeon Je-hong flipped his body, unleashing a surge of force onto the floor, and shot upward into the air like a bursting signal flare.

Yeon Je-hong burst into a long laugh.

“Hahahahaha…”

Yeon Je-hong, who had been streaking out in a curve, landed and then backed away while speaking to Dan Woo-seong.

“Hey, there’s a cow shed around here. Let’s call it quits. I can’t join you right now because I’m in the middle of taking a dump. If I stop shitting to join you, you’re dead meat. Let’s just call it a day. I’ll let you off easy, so let’s stop, ah, let’s stop!”

As Dan Wooseong charged forward expressionlessly, Yeon Jehong began fleeing for his life once more. His lightness skills weren’t faster than Dan Wooseong’s to begin with, so he couldn’t escape far.

Suddenly, his entire short life flashed before his eyes like a galloping horse. Wasn’t this a sign that the crisis he faced now was truly dangerous?

It hadn’t been a particularly interesting life.

“Damn it.”

From the moment I was born, I learned I had to seek revenge. I lived with the belief that I had been wronged, instilled in me. Before I even became an adult, my mind was tainted by the path of darkness. But by the time I did become an adult, I was enjoying this life. Because I liked the idea that, for revenge, I could do whatever I wanted. Murder and rape were highly addictive.

Just as things were about to get more fun…

To get caught by the King of Power’s disciple? What kind of shitty situation is this?

After fleeing for a while, Yeon Je-hong was startled to discover a true ally.

“Demon Sword! Help me!”

Was it a dream, or was it real? A black sword and black ceremonial robes… It was harder not to recognize them. Only their rank remained unknown.

The eighth of the Twelve Demon Swords narrowed his eyes and drew his sword first.

“Left-hand?”

“Behind! He’s the disciple of the Fist King.”

In an instant, Danwooseong followed up, but the Eight Swordsman struck his strike with his sword. As Danwooseong opened his fist, he grabbed the demon sword and twisted it.

Palgeom’s expression changed abruptly.

‘Thunder Qi?’

Yeon Je-hong, who had been waiting for an opening, unleashed a crimson-tinged palm strike.

Dan Wooseong countered with a left-handed strike while simultaneously unleashing his own thunder energy.

Crack! Whoosh!

Energy waves erupted from the three figures.

Palgeom’s eyes widened.

‘The disciple of the Sword King…’

Even now, the image of him fighting remained vividly etched in their minds, for he was the man they had captured with the aid of their lord, Sword Demon Yeonju.

Dan Woo-sung glared alternately at Yeon Je-hong and Pal Geom. Their martial prowess was sufficient. The three men’s minds raced.

Yeon Je-hong smiled.

‘You’re done for. This friend here is immune to blades.’

Dan Wooseong judged that forcing an internal energy duel would be disadvantageous. If reinforcements arrived, he could die while locked in an internal energy battle.

Dan Wooseong unleashed his inner force, violently shoving both men back.

Yeon Je-hong and Palgeom were instantly pushed back seven or eight steps before regaining their balance.

Yeon Je-hong burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha… Serves you right! I’ll let you have this Demon Sword. Grab it and absorb it! Let’s start by cutting off its limbs. Limbs first! The chance to climb the ranks has arrived!”

“Shut your mouth when we’re fighting.”

Palgeom scolded the Left Minister while swinging his Demon Sword. Even as the Left Minister of the Heavenly Demon, he wasn’t a superior to the Twelve Demon Swords due to their different affiliations.

Yeon Je-hong blocked Dan Woo-sung’s retreat, then unleashed the Golden Water Technique with his crimson-wrapped hand to seize him. From Dan Woo-sung’s left and right, Palgeom and Yeon Je-hong charged like two ravenous beasts, ready to tear him apart.

The sword’s energy carved gashes into the earth, while the crimson torrent sliced through the surrounding walls like tofu.

Danwooseong soared backward, spun once, and unleashed a torrent of force in midair. The recoil pushed his body backward.

For a moment, it seemed the tide had turned.

Danwooseong took a step back, glaring intently at the two.

Yeon Je-hong followed with a smile.

“Feeling the pressure now? Kneel and beg, and I’ll take you under my wing. How about it? You’re a man I like, aren’t you?”

Palgeom asked.

“Is he really the disciple of the Sword King?”

Yeon Je-hong nodded.

“I told you so. He’s conserving his energy, so be careful. He’s quite clever.”

Before he knew it, Danwooseong was standing with his back against the wall, arms hanging limply at his sides. He concentrated, scanning for anyone approaching nearby.

There was no one.

Creating this atmosphere of pressure was also Dan Wooseong’s choice.

He was merely shifting the flow of the psychological battle.

They might believe their combined strength gave them the upper hand, but Dan Wooseong didn’t think they’d actually coordinated their moves. He could tell just from their conversation. In fact, he expected the lack of coordination to create significant openings.

Standing with their backs to the wall like this was also part of the psychological warfare.

.

.

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The demon sword flew toward Dan Woosung’s face before smashing into the wall. When Dan Woosung struck Palgeom’s abdomen, Palgeom was pushed back with a hollow thud. Immediately after, Yeon Jehong unleashed a torrent of red energy toward Dan Woosung’s neck.

Sssshhh-

The wall was sliced diagonally, splitting clean in two. Dan Wooseong moved as if always accounting for space, even when evading attacks. He crouched like a cat, then sprang up like a lion, unleashing a torrent of energy.

Even then, he didn’t significantly increase his speed. By the time that range of speed became familiar to the magicians…

He moved explosively with the Transcendent Light Step.

Dan Woo-sung, who had leaped up on two feet, struck the head of the Eight Swords with his brain horn, then spun in mid-air to seize Yeon Je-hong’s head in a surprise attack before landing.

His original plan was to kill Yeon Je-hong first.

Even before executing the mid-air spin, Yeon Je-hong had already targeted Dan Woo-seong’s back.

He split the moment to attack the Eight Swords, then seized Yeon Je-hong, who had executed a clumsy counterattack as intended.

Dan Woosung injected a brain-piercing technique into Yeon Jehong’s head while executing his lightness skill. Yeon Jehong was dragged along, swept across the floor.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

Amidst the violent undulations like a fish thrashing, Palgeom aimed at Danwooseong and unleashed successive bursts of sword energy.

Dan Woosung flipped Yeon Jehong over and lifted him up, blocking the incoming sword energy. Even then, Yeon Jehong lashed out frantically with his twin swords, striking at the energy.

Thud! Thud! Swoosh!

Yeon Je-hong’s left hand was sliced off by the sword energy and flew away.

“Guh! You bastard!”

As Yeon Je-hong tried to grab Dan Woo-seong’s arm with his uninjured right hand, Dan Woo-seong channeled the full power of the Hundred Battles Ten Deaths Palm.

Yeon Je-hong’s hand froze mid-air, then went limp.

The eight swordsmen following behind took defensive stances with shocked expressions. As the tide seemed to turn once more…

Palgeom feigned a sword swing before leaping effortlessly over the wall.

The moment Palgeom cleared the wall, Danwooseong stomped down on Yeonjehong’s snout.

CRASH!

“You son of a bitch…”

The moment Yeon Je-hong’s head was smashed…

Dan Woo-sung climbed onto the wall and used his lightness skill to watch Palgeom, who was entering someone’s house.

Palgeom leapt onto the roof, then vanished into the distance, stomping through two or three houses’ roofs with each bound. His fleeing movements and the clatter of his footsteps carried his psychological state.

He was running for his life.

They were accustomed to passing tests, but unfamiliar with one-on-one combat.

After confirming the route, Dan Woo-sung descended onto the wall and unleashed his lightness skill. The frightened Palgeom was making a racket anyway, making it easy to pinpoint his location.

Dan Wooseong crossed the unfamiliar neighborhood, entered an alley, then leapt into the air. As his speed slowed, he kicked off the wall and landed instantly on the roof.

On the opposite roof, the Eight Swords held something resembling a signal flare in his hand.

Dan Woo-sung mimicked Yeon Je-hong’s One-Point Crimson Flood technique, raising a single finger to compress the lightning energy into a single point before unleashing it.

In the realm of Oryo, the brain was cast as intended.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The lightning bolt, flying at a speed Danwoo Seong hadn’t anticipated, fired a signal flare.

Thud!

Palgeom gazed at Danwooseong, his sword lowered to the lower right.

The distance between the two men standing on the roof was quite far.

Palgeom gestured with his left hand as if beckoning him to come over, then took a step back.

“Come on over.”

Of course, he wasn’t the type to just stand by and watch Dan Wooseong cross over.

Palgeom said.

“Come over.”

But then, Palgeom, while backing away, leaped off the roof.

Then Dan Woosung began running over the roof.

Palgeom feigned falling, then hung from the roof with his left hand. As Danwooseong leaned out, he sprang up and thrust his sword.

Shush!

Both men were pinpointing each other’s positions by sound.

The moment Danwooseong caught the sword thrusting toward his chin with his left hand, he stomped on Palgeom’s face with his right foot. He had already anticipated a counterattack, as he no longer heard the rustling of Palgeom’s clothes.

Thud!

The strike itself didn’t seem to faze him. Despite taking the kick, he didn’t let go of the sword. Dan Wooseong, still gripping the blade, yanked it upward and slammed it into the floor.

Using swords as their medium, they poured their energy into each other.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Of course, in this kind of exchange, Dan Woo-sung, trained in martial arts, held the upper hand. They channeled their energy into their swords while simultaneously engaging in hand-to-hand combat with one hand each.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Thud!

Dan Woo-sung stomped with his feet and struck with his fists, yet it felt like hitting iron. The Eight-Armed Sword was actually struggling more against the surging energy pressing down on his entire body.

When Dan Woosung aimed for his eyes with a finger strike, he surprisingly countered with a headbutt. Relying on his sturdy physique, his aggressive style resembled a street brawl rather than a martial artist’s fight.

As soon as Danwooseong withdrew his hand, he grabbed him by the collar and slammed him to the ground.

Kwaang!

Only then did the demon sword roll across the floor. Dan Woosung picked up the demon sword, then folded it in half, blending his internal and external energy.

Dan Woosung glared at the Eight Swords.

“You bastards, you just won’t die. How many people must one kill to gain such a body?”

The Eight Swords were exhausted, yet they were rising as if their corpses were being resurrected.

Dan Woosung surveyed his surroundings. They were at least five stories high. Just as the Eight Swords tried to flee, Dan Woosung seized the back of its neck with his teleportation skill and shot upward into the air.

The two moved away from the building in a curve. Only then did Palgeom, seized by terror, scream.

This was a scream born purely of instinct.

Danwooseong flipped Palgeom upside down in midair with his martial arts technique, then stomped his right foot between Palgeom’s neck and jaw. Naturally, Palgeom’s head was now facing the ground.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Amidst the prolonged scream, Dan Woo-sung fell from the building while still mounted on Palgeom.

Thud·········!

ⓒ Yoo Jin-seong