Chapter 161
“How did you just…!”
Sword King’s eyes widened in surprise as I blocked his sword.
However…
Spin-.
Soon after I turned the blocked sword to the side…
Paat-!
…he unleashed the stance of the Unknown Killing Sword at me once again.
“…Tch.”
Seeing that, I tried to counter with Unknown Sword-Breaking again.
But then…
[…Uh.]
Seureuk-.
Once again, my hand moved, guided by the Heavenly Demon Sword, and drew out a stance slightly different from Unknown Sword-Breaking.
Pababat-! Clang-!!
“…!”
“…!”
Witnessing that stance, not only I but even Sword King was astonished.
Until now, Sword King hadn’t shown any particular emotion on his face other than joy and anger. But his face changed drastically.
“Y-you…, how did you counter that just now?”
“…”
“That Martial Art just now…, what on earth was it…!”
I don’t know either, fuck.
But there was no need to teach the enemy everything.
Instead, I took this opportunity to bluff Sword King…
“Everyone has a hidden move up their sleeve, after all.”
“…!”
Taking advantage of the moment his Stance briefly collapsed, I thrust my sword straight in.
Chwaang-!!
He hastily extended his sword again to defend against my attack, but he had no choice but to step back.
Kudangtang-!!
As soon as the distance widened, I immediately thought of my next move.
I didn’t know what principle the Heavenly Demon Sword operated on, but it only activated when my life was in danger and didn’t budge at all when I was attacking.
That meant when cutting Sword King’s neck, I had to do it solely with my own strength.
[What should I do? Should I move on to the Second Stance, or even the Third Stance of the Pajeon Divine Art?]
Then, I racked my brain for an efficient way to cut Sword King’s neck.
“…Ha, hahaha.”
“…?”
Unlike me, who was thinking hard, Sword King had a somewhat dazed expression, and now he was even laughing.
But it wasn’t simple madness.
“…I saw it.”
“…!”
Ssaa-.
In that moment, what I felt was disgust.
It felt exactly like going to the kitchen at 1 AM because I was thirsty, seeing something black in the corner, picking it up, and realizing it was a cockroach.
And rightfully so…
“…I saw it. Haa…, I saw it.”
“…”
…Why is that old man getting horny looking at me?
“Haa…, haa…”
Sword King’s breathing was heavy, and his face was red.
No…, why is his face red…?
Ososo-.
…I got goosebumps.
“One more time…, show it to me one more time…”
“F-fuck…! Don’t ask me to show you with that kind of expression!”
“Show me-! Pacheonmun Sect Leader! Show me-!!”
It was then that I raised my sword, feeling like my ears would rot if I listened to that perverted old man’s voice any longer.
Rustle-!
Tadadadak-!
“…!”
The surroundings became noisy, and suddenly, sounds of people could be heard from all over.
And the owners of those presences were…
“Leader-!!”
“Yu Family Head!!”
“Is everyone safe?!”
…my subordinates and the Zhongnan Sect Leader.
It seemed they had taken care of the other Demonic Cult Bastards and were heading this way.
There were other Demonic Cult bastards stationed all over this place too, but anyone could see we had the numerical advantage, so we would be able to push in quickly.
If so…
[We can just gang up on him, right?]
It isn’t the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering right now, so there is no need to fight one-on-one.
And our Executives were skilled in one-versus-many fights from the Executive Scramble they had been doing.
Besides…
“…The sword! Let me see the sword!”
…Sword King was drooling like a dog in heat, looking only at me.
In addition, Salwang was also severely injured, making it difficult for her to escape from here.
[I didn’t plan on having such a flashy debut match…]
It seemed like I could catch two elders today.
“Uh, come. Come and look all you want.”
“Hahaha-!”
As I flicked my finger and aimed my sword at Sword King, he smiled brightly and prepared to leap straight at me.
But it was then.
Grab.
“…!”
There was someone blocking my plan to somehow keep Sword King tied down here.
It was…
“You…”
…Salwang.
She grabbed Sword King, who was about to leap, and shook her head.
She didn’t speak, but anyone could tell what it meant. It was a nod meaning to retreat.
Sword King must have noticed it too, as he erased the bright smile he had been directing at me and lowered his voice toward Salwang.
“Let go of this.”
“…”
“…Do you think I can’t cut you down?”
Hwiik-!
Taking advantage of their conversation, I leaped at Sword King first.
It was because it would be troublesome if Salwang somehow persuaded Sword King to retreat.
But then…
Kwaak-!
This time too, Salwang grabbed Sword King’s clothes, pushed him back, and…
Chwaang-!!
…received my sword herself instead.
And as Sword King shouted upon seeing that…
“Salwang!! Do you know what you are doing right now!! With the Pacheonmun Sect Leader, I…!”
Puk-!
“…!”
She thrust a Flying Dagger straight into Sword King’s body.
“…Huh?”
If she were trying to fluster me, it was a success.
I froze in bewilderment at the sudden team kill.
However, …
“…”
…Sword King, who had been struck by Salwang’s Flying Dagger, didn’t seem to be in pain at all; instead, the excitement began to fade from his face, and…
“Huu…”
…he soon returned to his initial calm expression.
[Fuck, did she coat the Flying Dagger in a sedative or something.]
Given the circumstances, that seemed to be the case. Otherwise, Sword King’s change made no sense.
Thus, Sword King returned to the emotionless expression he had when we first met and looked down at Salwang, who had stabbed him, while Salwang opened Sword King’s palm and wrote some characters on it.
“…!”
As if the meaning had been conveyed, Sword King raised an eyebrow and asked Salwang.
“Hmm…, you really intend to do that?”
Nod.
“If that is your will…”
Eventually, their conversation ended, and Sword King turned to me with calm eyes.
“Pacheonmun Sect Leader…”
“Did this old man suddenly get neutered? Why don’t you come at me with those horny eyes like before?”
“I would like to do that too. However…”
Pasak-!
It was then.
“Leader-!!”
Finally, the presences that had been heard from afar approached closely, and my Subordinates began to reveal themselves.
And at the same time…!
“In the end, one must live to be able to swing a sword again, right?”
“…!”
Sword King said so and turned his back.
It seemed he had decided to run away since the tide of battle had turned against them.
“Did you think I would let you go?”
Paat-!
As soon as Sword King turned his back, I immediately leaped.
I was confident I could catch him. Sword King used the sword insanely well, and his Martial Arts were profound, but his body was senile.
At the very least, I was confident I could catch him with my Lightness Skill.
But then…
Paat-!
“…?!”
Unlike Sword King, who turned his back and ran away…
Clang-!!
…Salwang immediately charged at me with Flying Daggers in both hands.
At first, I thought it was a trick by Salwang to buy time and escape together.
But it wasn’t.
Chwachwachwachwang-!!!
There was no holding back in Salwang’s movements.
If so, could it be…
[Self-sacrifice…?]
She was sacrificing her own life instead of letting Sword King escape safely…?
If so, it was a terrifyingly rational strategy.
In the first place, Sword King was objectively a step above Salwang in combat power. Moreover, Salwang was already severely injured, so if only one of them could survive, it would be more helpful to the Demonic Cult for Sword King to live.
“Fuck-! This cowardly old man-!”
At this, I also tried to somehow break through Salwang and catch up to Sword King, but…
“We will see each other again soon.”
…Sword King left those words and immediately vanished without a trace.
And as I looked at his retreating back in vain, Salwang lunged at me.
Pabababat-!!
“Fuck…”
It was already too late.
Even if I chased after him more from here, I wouldn’t be able to catch Sword King.
If so, I had to settle for the chicken instead of the pheasant.
“If you want to die that badly, then die.”
I changed my path toward Salwang, who was rushing at me, instead of the already departed Sword King, and swung my sword.
She crossed her two Flying Daggers and tried to meet my sword, but….
Kwaang-!!!
Ulkeok-!
“……!”
The instant she took my sword, dark red blood gushed from her already torn shoulder.
In Salwang’s current condition, she was no match for me.
And perhaps Salwang felt it too….
Huuung-!!
…She spewed demonic energy from her whole body.
‘Shit.’
It was Demonic Transformation. And one done with mutual destruction in mind, at that.
Hwaaaa-!!
Right after, as the demonic energy burst from her body, my vision was dyed black.
* * *
“…….”
What kind of technique was this now?
It was so dark around me that I couldn’t see a thing. Even concentrating Internal Energy into my eyes to strengthen my eyesight made no difference.
Even….
‘I can’t see my own hand.’
Not being able to see my hand even when I brought it right in front of my eyes meant this wasn’t simply the surroundings going dark.
Besides….
“Leader-!!”
“Muyeon-!!”
“Damn it, I can’t see anything….”
…It seemed I wasn’t the only one whose sight had been blocked.
‘But I can still hear?’
In case my Subordinates got taken out by Salwang, I shouted loudly to everyone around me.
“Everyone, stop where you are and protect yourselves! Salwang is nearby!”
“L-Leader!”
“Understood-!”
As the guys calmed down, it went quiet around me, and I focused on sound too.
“…….”
At first, I couldn’t hear any presence at all.
So I wondered if she had run away, but soon shook my head.
What I had seen before my vision went black was Salwang’s demonic energy, overflowing as if about to explode.
She must have forced her demonic energy up at the risk of her life.
Running away would be pointless, so she would surely ambush me from somewhere close by.
And then, soon…!
Tok.
“……!”
Chwaang-!!
…Reacting to the sound of a drop of blood falling from her body, I was able to block the attack.
‘Right, the sound of blood.’
No matter how much she stanched it, she couldn’t stop all of that bleeding.
Reacting to the sound of her blood, I blocked her follow-up attacks as well.
Her attacks were definitely much faster than before, but….
‘Light.’
They were much lighter and more desperate than before.
‘Looks like she’s out of time.’
In her Flying Daggers, I could glimpse her intent to finish me off somehow before her Demonic Transformation ended.
And an impatient heart always leads to mistakes.
Paaaaa-.
This time, I could feel Salwang’s terrifying demonic energy even without hearing the drops of blood.
It was far removed from Salwang’s usual way of fighting, always striking stealthily at an opening, and….
Uuung-!
…It was the perfect chance to unleash Unknown Sword-Breaking.
Pachang-!!
The moment it met my sword, Salwang’s demonic energy crumbled, and the darkness lifted from my vision too.
At the same time, I found myself facing Salwang, whose eyes said she knew she’d blown it.
She sensed her blunder and tried to pull back at once, but it was already too late.
Kwaang-!
I poured more Internal Energy into my sword and sent her dagger flying into the air, then….
Deopseok.
“……!”
Puuk-!
…I grabbed her mask and drove my sword straight into her heart.
“……Keoheok-!”
Along with her death scream, blood sprayed everywhere.
Her mask had torn, revealing her face.
‘She was young.’
About the same age as the Haomun Leader…, maybe an even younger, childlike face came into view.
“……Ugh.”
Skewered on my sword, Salwang thrashed toward me.
As if she meant to kill me, even with the very last of her last strength.
Her eyes held a deep killing intent aimed at me.
“……Uuugh-!”
“…….”
I had no particular hobby of watching someone die in agony, so the sword already stabbed into her heart….
Pasak-!
“……!”
…I pulled it straight out, cutting through her lower abdomen.
Puhaaat-!
Blood beyond comparison with before formed a pool on the floor.
Thud-.
And Salwang’s corpse collapsed on top of it with a thud.
It was a certain death that no one could deny.
Seuk-.
Even so, after my experience with the Blood Demon Corpse King, I only stood up after touching her corpse and confirming she was definitely dead.
‘She’s definitely dead….’
I hadn’t caught Sword King, but should I be satisfied with this?
As I let out a brief sigh, my Subordinates, finally completely free of the darkness, spotted me and waved.
“Huh? Leader!”
“Under him…, that’s Salwang-!”
“The Leader killed Salwang-!! Waah-!”
It was just as I chuckled at my Subordinates celebrating like children and raised my hand.
Ssaa-.
“……!”
…How? I definitely killed….
But the only one who could send such intense killing intent at my back was the dead Salwang.
So I turned around…
“Th-this…, world…, sh-shit…, de-stroy….”
“……!”
…She was glaring at me, her eyes so bloodshot that the vessels had burst and turned them red.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t speak at all, since I could hear her voice, but her words were so slurred, maybe from a short tongue, that I couldn’t make them out.
Hwii-!
Holding a Flying Dagger in her blood-soaked hand, she charged at me. Her speed was very slow, but….
“De…, de,stroy it a…!!!”
“…….”
…Perhaps because the killing intent and resentment in her eyes were so intense, I couldn’t react for a moment.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt it, because I could sense that even my noisy Subordinates had frozen.
Paat-!
“What are you doing not dodging! That’s dangerous!”
Still, right before Salwang’s Flying Dagger reached me, Yongyong-i rushed in and pulled me back, and thanks to that, I kept my life.
And on Salwang’s side….
Puk-!
“Aaaaaagh-!!”
…Youngest, who had jumped in just like Yongyong-i, drove a sword into her chest.
Pasak-!
Youngest pulled the sword in her chest straight out through her shoulder, then…
“…D-Divine Cult…, im….”
Seogeok.
…Before Salwang could get out another word, Youngest cut her down, head and all.