Chapter 207
As Yeo Un-hwi flashed a dark smile, space began to ripple.
Under that tremendous aura and pressure, the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts trembled involuntarily.
“W-What……”
“Guh…… It's hard to breathe.”
“That thing is……”
“Dangerous. Dangerous. Dangerous.”
Only the people they served could make them tremble with such fear.
But where on earth had someone like that come from?
It was utterly unbelievable.
When people are overcome by fear, their reactions generally fall into two categories.
They either flee without looking back or lunge forward as though possessed.
The Poison-Heart Five Ghosts chose the latter.
Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoooosh!
The Poison-Heart Five Ghosts burst forward and swung their scythes savagely at Yeo Un-hwi.
Their scythes targeted Yeo Un-hwi from every direction, leaving him no way to escape.
“Oh?”
Yeo Un-hwi raised one eyebrow slightly at their fairly swift response.
First to strike wins (先手必勝).
Perhaps that had been the ideal choice for people who had passed through countless battlefields.
But,
Swish.
Once again, Yeo Un-hwi's body vanished like smoke.
The four scythes cut through empty air.
“What?”
“He dodged that!”
“W-Where did he go?”
They had been certain that this attack had landed.
The Poison-Heart Five Ghosts hurriedly searched their surroundings.
Then it happened.
“Here.”
Yeo Un-hwi's voice came from behind one of the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts.
All five Ghosts wore startled expressions after having their backs taken in an instant.
But instead of drawing his sword, as they had expected, Yeo Un-hwi raised his fist.
At that sight, the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts laughed as though they found it absurd.
“I suppose we seemed utterly laughable to you.”
“What do you think you can do to us with a mere fist?”
“Our bodies won't even flinch at a crude attack……”
One of the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts, who had not even tried to dodge, was struck squarely in the face by Yeo Un-hwi's fist.
Pwaaaack!
A chilling sound unlike that of a sword slash pierced through the space like an awl.
Then,
Kwaaang!
All the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts went flying, piled atop one another, and crashed into the opposite side.
With a tremendous boom, the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts went sprawling in every direction.
“Graaaargh!”
The Ghost who had taken the punch squarely to the face thrashed in agony, spewing blood.
Every tooth and even his nasal bones had been shattered, and his face was completely caved in beyond repair.
“Ghk, grrrk……”
Soon, his body went limp.
He was not dead, but he seemed to have lost consciousness because he could not withstand the horrific pain.
Yeo Un-hwi gave a faint chuckle at the sight.
“Ah. My apologies. I think you said something a moment ago, but I didn't hear it. Right. What were you saying?”
“……”
The remaining Poison-Heart Five Ghosts were left speechless.
They had seen all too clearly what their companion had become from a single punch.
‘N-No way. Am I dreaming?’
And now, the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts were not the only ones shocked by Yeo Un-hwi's martial prowess.
The young woman who had been pursued by them stood there with her mouth hanging open, watching the scene unfold.
Even among Black Darkness's known forces, the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts were classified as one of the stronger groups, yet this unidentified man was overwhelming them with unbelievable ease.
She had heard that, aside from her own Heavenly Ghost Unit, fewer than ten beings could properly contend with Black Darkness, excluding those called the Twelve Supreme Venerables.
She was completely confused about what was happening.
Then it happened.
“This won't do. He's strong. We can't handle him as we are now. We have to use it.”
At the urgent words of one of the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts, the other Ghosts' faces stiffened.
“But if we use it, we'll become mixed together.”
“There'll be no going back.”
“This is no time to worry about that. At this rate, we'll all die without being able to do anything.”
Soon, all the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts nodded as though they had reached the same conclusion.
“All right. Then we have no choice.”
They quickly scattered.
Then they approached the companion who had been sent sprawling far away by the young woman and the one who had been knocked unconscious by Yeo Un-hwi's punch, reaching toward their faces.
A black, smoke-like substance poured from their hands and covered the men's faces.
“Graaaargh!”
The two men's bodies shriveled as though all the vitality within them were being sucked away by the black smoke.
What on earth were they doing?
Yeo Un-hwi's eyes narrowed at the sight.
Meanwhile, the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts who had absorbed the vitality gathered in one place and began absorbing one another's vitality.
Tsssss.
Before long, thick black mist rose around them.
Soon, their figures were completely obscured by the mist.
“W-We have to stop them!”
The woman who had been watching the situation until then cried out urgently at the sight.
“Hmm?”
“They're devouring each other's power. Once those bastards fuse, they'll become a monster with even more terrifying power. Hurry, before that happens……”
“Even if you say that, it looks like we're already too late.”
“Huh?”
At the spot Yeo Un-hwi pointed to, the black mist had already vanished, and one of the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts stood alone.
The other four lay at his feet as shriveled corpses.
It would be more accurate to call him the Poison-Heart Ghost (毒心鬼) now, rather than the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts.
“Hoooh.”
Black smoke flowed from the Poison-Heart Ghost's mouth.
His once-gaunt body had somehow become muscular.
His muscles had swollen to an enormous size, completely unlike before, and continued to make crunching sounds.
But his muscles were not the only thing that had changed.
His very presence had become ferocious beyond comparison.
Swish.
When he picked up the scythe stuck in the ground and swung it lightly, a tremendous blast of wind arose.
That alone showed how powerful the Poison-Heart Ghost had become.
Apparently sensing it himself, he wore a confident smile.
“Ah, ah. It's too late……”
The young woman's face was filled with despair.
At that level, it would take at least two squad leaders from the Heavenly Ghost Unit to subdue him.
No matter how strong the man beside her was, she felt that it would be impossible for him to face the monster alone.
Nor was she in any condition to help.
She had already exhausted all her strength, and all she could do was remain standing.
‘Damn it. To be this powerless……’
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became at her own foolishness.
She had thought it was merely a matter of subduing a single demon.
So she had believed she could handle it alone.
Driven by her overflowing enthusiasm and desire to earn recognition from her superiors, she had been far too foolish.
In the end, she could only blame herself for bringing about this worst-case scenario.
Then,
“Honestly. Those guys really do all sorts of disgusting things.”
Yeo Un-hwi slowly stepped forward.
There was not the slightest hesitation in his stride.
“W-Wait a moment.”
The woman tried to stop Yeo Un-hwi, but it was already too late.
Before she knew it, Yeo Un-hwi was standing face-to-face with the Poison-Heart Ghost.
“Heh. Either you're fearless, or you simply can't feel my power.”
The Poison-Heart Ghost looked down at Yeo Un-hwi as though he found him laughable.
“Well, I suppose that's possible. My power is so tremendous now that someone like you can't fully sense it. You were quite something until a moment ago, but things won't go your way anymore. Heh heh.”
“Good grief. You certainly are talkative. Is it because you're speaking for five men at once?”
“What?”
“I don't have time to waste on you, so let's finish this quickly.”
“You crazy bastard…… Guaaagh?”
The Poison-Heart Ghost's eyes bulged as though they were about to tear.
Yeo Un-hwi had kicked him directly between the legs.
“Ghk! Ghk! Greeeeugh……”
The Poison-Heart Ghost dropped to his knees.
Overcome by horrific pain, the Poison-Heart Ghost glared up at Yeo Un-hwi with bloodshot eyes.
In an instant, he had been reduced to a truly ridiculous sight.
“Y-You……”
“Wow. Even in that monstrous form, your groin is still a weak point. I’d wondered about that for a while, but I’ve learned something very interesting.”
“Greee…… You cowardly bastard.”
“Cowardly? Who would call me a coward for kicking a monster in the groin? Wouldn't you agree? You should have acted like a human in the first place.”
“Ghk, y-you……”
The Poison-Heart Ghost writhed in rage. No—in excruciating pain.
He had never imagined that he would suffer such an absurd attack.
What kind of bastard was this?
Leaving the Poison-Heart Ghost clutching his groin in agony, Yeo Un-hwi turned around.
His gaze settled on the woman, who was watching the situation in a daze.
The woman wore an utterly bewildered expression.
Understandably so, because she had never in her life heard of or seen anyone deal with Black Darkness like this.
Could that really work?
“Hey. You there.”
“Yes?”
“If I suddenly started prying into your secrets, you’d only grow wary and clam up. I’m going to show you something interesting, so watch closely.”
What on earth did he mean? What did he mean by showing her something interesting?
Puzzlement flashed across the woman's eyes.
Then,
Vwoooong.
As though answering her curiosity, brilliant golden energy burst from Yeo Un-hwi's hand.
The woman's eyes widened as though they were about to pop out.
“This is……”
“Ah? Ah, no! W-Wait. I haven't even properly shown you my strength……”
Sensing that something was terribly wrong, the Poison-Heart Ghost startled and tried desperately to back away.
But it was already too late.
“A proper Demon-Slaying Palm (滅魔掌).”
As Yeo Un-hwi spoke, the entire area was engulfed in golden light.
It was as though the sun in the heavens had fallen to the earth.
Fwaaaash!
Then the ground shook with a tremendous roar, as though a natural disaster had struck.
Krrrroooom!
The woman covered her face with both arms, unable even to open her eyes amid the enormous shock wave.
Rumble.
How much time had passed?
“Mmm.”
Only after the dust storm had somewhat settled could the woman finally open her eyes properly.
And then she saw the sight spread out before her.
Whoooosh.
Not even a corpse remained where the Poison-Heart Ghost had stood, and half of a small mountain behind him had vanished.
Since Yeo Un-hwi had already driven every living creature from the surrounding area with his foot-stomp, the only life lost had been that of the Poison-Heart Five Ghosts.
‘T-This…… was the Demon-Slaying Palm?’
Such absurd power.
It was worlds apart from the technique she had used.
This was at least the level of the Heavenly Ghost Unit's top squad leader—or its commander. No, perhaps even beyond that.
No, before that, how could this man use the Demon-Slaying Palm……
Her mind became utterly confused.
Then,
“Well, then. Now that we've cleared away the ones who needed clearing away……”
Yeo Un-hwi dusted off his hands and slowly approached her.
At last, Yeo Un-hwi stood before the woman and gave her a broad grin.
“Shall we have a little chat now?”
The woman nodded involuntarily.
Only he could calm the confusion in her mind.
Who on earth was this man?