Chapter 213
‘No! This won’t do!’
Crimson Yaksha instinctively realized that he had to protect his consciousness.
Because if he inadvertently let these mysterious people learn anything about Black Darkness, everything would be over.
But now that a situation like this had arisen, there was only one thing he could do.
‘Yes. That’s the only way.’
Before Yeo Un-hwi could even ask a question, Crimson Yaksha quickly made up his mind, rolled his eyes back, and trembled all over.
Then he went limp.
“Ha. So that’s the way you’re going to play it?”
Yeo Un-hwi chuckled.
***
“…Haha! I did it. I did!”
The dark world of the abyss.
A single room floating through that endless expanse.
Clack.
Crimson Yaksha locked the room’s door and grinned.
He had cast an illusion on himself and fled Yeo Un-hwi’s grasp by taking refuge in an entirely different mental world.
He had also locked it so that no one could intrude into the room where he was.
This way, though his body might be irreparably damaged, he could at least protect his mind.
And if he stayed here, eventually other comrades from Black Darkness would come to rescue him.
After that, he would simply enter another prepared body.
Honestly, for someone as proud as him, using a method like this was terribly humiliating, but he had no choice.
The enemies he had encountered today were far, far too strong.
He had never heard of such powerful people before.
Crimson Yaksha could not understand where such experts had suddenly appeared from.
In any case, he had to report this to his superiors quickly.
To do that, surviving had to come first.
Crimson Yaksha believed he had made the right choice.
And he was confident.
That, at least here, he was safe.
That no one could intrude upon the place where he was.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and grind his teeth.
“You never imagined I had a trick like this up my sleeve, did you? Damn you bastards. I don’t care about the rest of you, but that arrogant bitch who uses that strange sword technique—I’ll make sure I deal with her myself someday…….”
That was when it happened.
Ruuuuumble.
The room he was in shook violently.
“Ugh? Wh-what is this…….”
Crimson Yaksha’s eyes wavered at the sudden anomaly.
This was impossible.
No one could intrude upon this world unless they were one of the six absolute beings protected by the exalted Black Dragon.
But then,
Ruuuuumble.
Once again, the room shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
And then,
Creak. Creak-crrrk.
The massive door he had locked began to rattle.
Craaack.
KABOOOOOM!
It was torn apart and smashed to pieces.
What appeared before his eyes was a Black Phoenix with enormous black wings.
And the moment he met the gaze of that enormous phoenix,
“…Guhhhhhh!”
Crimson Yaksha awoke once more in his physical body.
He wheezed, gasping for breath.
It looked as though someone who had been submerged deep underwater had been forcibly dragged back up.
“Wh-where am I…….”
After barely catching his breath, he looked around.
And then he realized.
That he had been dragged back into reality.
Yeo Un-hwi and the Four Guardians were looking down at him with chilly eyes.
“You’ve realized it now, haven’t you? That trying to run is completely pointless.”
Yeo Un-hwi smiled faintly.
Crimson Yaksha looked up at him with trembling eyes.
Who in the world was this man?
He could not understand at all how something like this was possible.
Could it be—
‘Is he on the same level as the six absolute beings of Black Darkness?’
It was absurd.
But otherwise, there was no explaining what he had just experienced.
One thing was certain: there was nothing he could do now.
Fear and despair clouded Crimson Yaksha’s eyes.
“Now then. Let me ask you. Black Darkness—what is your purpose?”
“To destroy this rotten old age… and open the way to a new world.”
“What bullshit. Where is Black Darkness’s headquarters?”
“…….”
“Can’t you hear me?”
Yeo Un-hwi tilted his head the other way.
A flash of red passed through the gaze directed down at Crimson Yaksha.
Thud. Crimson Yaksha felt as if something heavy had dropped into his mind.
He must not answer.
Yet his lips, overcome by an unknown force, opened of their own accord.
“…I-I don’t know. The Sixteen Demon Generals merely travel throughout the martial world and carry out orders handed down from above. The place and time we’re summoned are different every time. Only the executives above us know its location and can enter and leave it. No, perhaps a few of the Sixteen Demon Generals who serve as its heads may know as well.”
“Hmm.”
Yeo Un-hwi continued his questions.
“Who leads Black Darkness? And where are they now?”
Flinch.
“Answer me.”
“Th-that is…….”
“……”
“N-no. At the very top of Black Darkness are the six absolute beings… absolute beings. B-but the absolute beings are waiting for ‘Him’ to come… come…….”
“Him?”
“Y-yes. He, he is… Nghhhhh.”
Suddenly, Crimson Yaksha’s condition began to change.
Ever since he had uttered the word ‘Him,’ his body had been trembling violently.
“N-no. Don’t ask anymore. You mustn’t ask any further.”
Crimson Yaksha pleaded.
But that was no reason to heed his pleas.
Yeo Un-hwi firmly dismissed his plea and asked once more.
“No. Answer me. Who is this ‘Him’ you’re talking about?”
“H-he is, he is… Aaaaaaaaargh!”
Under Yeo Un-hwi’s continued questioning, Crimson Yaksha let out a horrific scream.
And at that moment,
“Kgh! Guaaaargh!”
His entire body began swelling grotesquely.
It had swollen enough to seem dangerous.
“My lord. Step back!”
The Four Guardians, who had been watching the situation, stepped in front of Yeo Un-hwi.
KABOOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted.
Powerful enough to shake the ground where they stood.
Its force was tremendous.
But,
Wooooooong.
The enormous Azure Dragon’s aura enveloped the Four Guardians, including Yeo Un-hwi.
It had completely shielded them from the blast.
Soon, the Azure Dragon withdrew its qi and looked at Yeo Un-hwi.
“Are you all right, my lord?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Not at all. It was only natural.”
This was the first time Yeo Un-hwi had experienced someone stepping forward to protect him, so it felt strange to him.
Was this what it felt like to have companions one could trust and go into battle alongside?
“That aside, he blew himself up.”
“Do you think he intended to?”
“No, but even so……”
It was more accurate to assume that a restriction had been placed on him.
The moment he brought up the word ‘Him,’ a drastic change had occurred in Crimson Yaksha’s body.
“They’re truly despicable. To resort to something like this.”
It was truly cruel.
No matter how you looked at it, placing such a horrifying restriction on one’s subordinate was monstrous.
“Black Darkness, huh.”
Was it the pull of fate?
Somehow, even while doing nothing, he felt as though he was gradually drawing closer to its true nature.
He definitely needed to be more careful.
One thing was certain: even a figure at the level of an action commander possessed power surpassing the Ten Great Experts.
Moreover, who knew how many experts like Sama Ryang, whom they had defeated in the Sado Alliance, existed above him?
Their forces were far more formidable than he had expected.
By comparison, the martial world of the Central Plains was woefully unprepared.
“This won’t do. I’ll have to hurry things along.”
Yeo Un-hwi’s expression suggested that he had made some decision.
And just as he was about to lead the Four Guardians away from that place—
“My lord. What should we do with that person over there?”
At Zhuque’s words, Yeo Un-hwi turned his head.
There, the woman whose consciousness had been sealed by Crimson Yaksha and who had been dragged around like a puppet was sitting slumped on the ground.
***
At the same time.
…Wooooooong!
On top of a large mountain far from Hebei, a huge building stood.
It was the place where Sword Emperor Jeok Jachung, one of the Twelve Supreme Venerables and known as the First Sword Under Heaven (天下第一劍), had resided for a long time.
Because of the eccentric Sword Emperor’s dislike of noise and uninvited guests, the mountain was always quiet.
No one dared cause a commotion anywhere nearby.
But now, an enormous boom was coming from the place where the Sword Emperor lived.
KABOOOOOM!
Someone was sent flying straight into a wall.
Then he fell to the floor with a groan.
Unbelievably, it was none other than Sword Emperor Jeok Jachung.
“Nghhhhh…….”
He staggered and barely managed to rise.
Then he stared at something with eyes filled with disbelief.
His Eightfold Sword Technique had not worked in the slightest.
As though his opponent knew every way to counter it.
“What the hell? I came here full of anticipation because they called you the First Sword Under Heaven, and this is all you’ve got? At this rate, it wasn’t even worth ignoring the others’ objections and coming here.”
A young-looking woman with gleaming eyes shrugged as though terribly disappointed.
“How can my sword technique not work on you? How do you know how to counter it?”
“What? Pffft-hahahaha!”
The woman burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.
“What’s so funny?”
“Hey, old man. Isn’t your ego a little oversized? What do you mean, ‘how to counter it’? It’s just a piece of trash swordsmanship.”
“What? Then how…….”
“I simply avoided the sword trajectories you swung because they were plainly obvious, then thrust into the openings I saw. It was very simple.”
“That’s impossible! My sword is the First Sword Under Heaven! Tell me what sorcery you used!”
“Haa.”
As the Sword Emperor shouted and raged like a madman, the woman sighed.
“There’s a limit to how much hot air you can blow, old man. Aren’t you ashamed to go around receiving praise like ‘First Sword Under Heaven’ and ‘Sword Emperor’ with skills that mediocre? Hmm?”
“H-how dare this little girl act so insolently without even knowing who I am!”
“Who else would you be? A senile old fool bloated with undeserved fame.”
“Gaaaaah! I’ll kill you!”
Sword Emperor gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.
Soon he drew out all the power he possessed.
The air around him began to distort.
The cold energy pouring from his body soon began to swallow up the space.
It was a sign that the descent of a mental world was beginning—the manifestation said to be possible only for those who had reached the absolute realm known as the Twelve Supreme Venerables.
But,
Fwoooosh!
Along with the sound of something being pierced, everything came to a halt.
“Huh?”
The Sword Emperor looked down, eyes wide.
The woman’s hand had pierced through his chest.
“I’d like to play with you a little longer, but you’re so predictable, old man. I’m getting sleepy, so let’s end this.”
“How could I… Gkrrk.”
The Sword Emperor’s body soon slumped limply.
For one of the Twelve Supreme Venerables who had ruled the martial world, it was an utterly miserable and pathetic death.
The woman then licked the blood from her hand and clicked her tongue.
“As expected, the blood of a stagnant, rotten man tastes awful.”
That was when it happened.
“It is time for you to return. We will clean things up here.”
“Hmph. Clean up? Burn everything.”
“Understood.”
“I came all this way hoping to have some fun, but the martial world’s level is such garbage. Don’t you agree? I wonder why we don’t just wipe them all out right now.”
“The other absolute beings must simply possess the noble desire to follow the ‘prophecy.’”
“What?”
The woman frowned and turned toward her subordinate.
Rumble.
An immense aura pressed down on him.
“Nghhhhh……”
“Are you saying I don’t possess such noble feelings?”
The male subordinate slammed his head to the ground and trembled as he offered an excuse.
“Nghhh… N-no, that’s not what I meant…….”
“Not what you meant?”
“I apologize. I spoke out of turn.”
“Watch your mouth. There won’t be a next time.”
In an instant, the immense aura vanished as though it had been washed away.
“Yes. Thank you.”
The man barely managed to draw breath.
Given the woman’s temperament, it would not have been surprising if he had died today.
He had truly escaped with his life by the narrowest margin.
“Ugh. Well, I’ve loosened up a bit, so shall we head back? I want to take a bath in some fresh blood when we return.”
“I’ll make the preparations.”
That was when it happened.
Ping.
The woman’s brow furrowed briefly.
“What is it?”
“Hmm. It seems one of the blue flames has gone out.”
“Pardon?”
Her subordinate’s eyes widened.
The blue flames represented the Sixteen Demon Generals.
Which meant……
“Hmm. Let’s see.”
When the woman casually closed her eyes, a fragment of someone’s final memory unfolded before her.
A gigantic and beautiful Black Phoenix.
The woman’s eyes soon widened.
“Oh-ho. Well, well.”
A smile spread across her lips.
A smile more chilling than anything else.