Chapter 202
-Yoryeong, Moyong Family
"Hooooop!"
With a single shout, the wooden doll made of ebony shattered into pieces.
"Wow...!"
"Brother Yi Baek is no joke."
"He trains all day except when he's eating and sleeping... Of course, he's getting stronger."
The one who had shattered the wooden doll with a single punch was So-ah's disciple, Yi Baek, and the young men and women of the Moyong family who were impressed by him exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Hoo..."
However, Yi Baek himself didn't seem to care about people's gazes or admiration, merely wiping away the sweat that was trickling down his face with an indifferent expression.
'Is Master doing well?'
So-ah came to Yi Baek's mind.
Before leaving for the subjugation.
So-ah had expressed his apologies to him.
He was sorry for not being able to take better care of him.
He said he would guide him more diligently as soon as the matter was over.
Also...
'He told me to become strong, no matter what.'
Yi Baek knew that his master's expectations for him were not small.
'I must live up to them. He accepted a worthless person like me as his disciple, and he stayed up day and night, reducing his own sleep, to brew medicinal water and even perform the Anma-doin technique for me. I must not disappoint him!'
Yi Baek had repeated the arduous training with the sole intention of repaying his kindness.
He was so diligent that even the senior members of the family praised his efforts and were eager to teach him one more thing.
'Master and Head of the Family. And the elders of the family. I will learn diligently. Because all I can do is try.'
Yi Baek clenched his two fists.
At the same time, a low word flowed from his mouth.
"Alright! Everyone, let's start the afternoon training."
At those words, the young men and women who were training with him flinched and stealthily backed away.
'That's... not a person, not a person!'
'Dunce or not, if that guy keeps this up for just three years, he'll become a peerless master. How can he be so relentless?'
'Is it okay for the son of a chaebol family to have that much grit?'
How would they know?
That all the family members of Yi Baek's family, the Yi family of Shandong.
That they put their heart and soul into everything they do, even when just cooking rice.
***
As the day grew dark...
Yi Baek, who had woken up before sunrise and had immersed himself in training with all his might until sunset, visited the nearby bamboo forest that he had climbed with So-ah every day.
On his neck, Geom-dung-i, who had grown in size, was hanging, and next to him, Hin-dung-i let out a small roar, then yawned once and lay down limply on the ground.
"Hin-dung-ah... you've gotten so old."
Yi Baek lowered his posture, sat down, and stroked Hin-dung-i's body as he spoke.
As he said, traces of time were evident all over Hin-dung-i's face.
Hin-dung-i followed Yi Baek well.
Especially after So-ah left, he treated Yi Baek like his master, and because he had been raised by human hands since he was a cub, his instincts as a beast of prey had completely disappeared.
"Hin-dung-ah, Geom-dung-ah. Just wait a little longer. Master will be here soon."
He had entered the Moyong family as an external disciple to learn martial arts, and had suddenly become the nanny of animals that ordinary people could not even imagine (Geom-dung-i, the great ape of the Southern Man, and Hin-dung-i, the white tiger of Sichuan), but Yi Baek was also a person who loved animals, so he was happy.
Geom-dung-i squealed and burrowed into Yi Baek's arms.
Perhaps by this time next year, Geom-dung-i would have grown so much that he could no longer be held.
'Master... please come back soon. They must miss you too.'
Lost in his own amusing thoughts, Yi Baek shifted his gaze to the stars in the night sky.
For some reason, the face of his 'Hell Instructor' master flickered before his eyes today.
***
"Kekeke. Do you know what my lifelong regret is? It is that I could not kill the God of War and the Heavenly Demon with my own hands. But today, I can finally resolve that regret. By taking your bodies and souls, I will fulfill my lifelong wish!"
A mad laugh spread across the Blood Demon's face.
So-ah and Wi-ji Chan's provocations did not cause him any mental agitation.
He was just excited by the expectation that he could kill the disciple of the God of War and the grandson of the Heavenly Demon.
On the other hand,
[Brother Chan. You know, right? That man is a master of a level that is simply unfathomable.]
[I know, So-ah. That's why I followed you. You won't be able to catch a guy like that alone.]
In a fleeting moment, So-ah and Jeon Woo-chi exchanged opinions through telepathy.
Although both of them had maintained a confident attitude towards the Blood Demon from beginning to end, they knew.
'He's an unimaginable master.'
'He might be as strong as my grandfather!'
Perhaps.
...the fact that they might have to risk their lives.
...it was the Blood Demon who had killed hundreds of people just by manipulating the aura emanating from his body.
Undoubtedly, the most intense and desperate struggle of their lives would unfold...
So-ah and Wi-ji Chan's resolve could not be ordinary.
[Brother. There's only one chance. In the beginning, when that old man is still off guard. Let's go all out.]
[Good, So-ah.]
No more conversation was needed.
They had even prepared for death, and both of them would go all out.
And only heaven would know the result of the victory or defeat.
At the same time, dust rose from beneath So-ah's body.
He had untied the black iron lumps that he usually wore on his wrists and ankles.
Seeing that, the Blood Demon smiled sinisterly.
"Kekeke. A brat trying to use cheap tricks..."
However.
The Blood Demon's words, which were mocking So-ah, could not be finished.
"Are you laughing? You old geezer?!"
Swae-ae-ae-aek—
Because So-ah's body, which had been freed from the black iron that had been binding him, moved towards the Blood Demon at a speed that was hard to believe even after seeing it.
'Fast!'
Although it was sudden, Wi-ji Chan was astonished.
The mystery of the Bow God's Arrow?
No.
That could not explain So-ah's speed.
'So-ah overwhelms me in every aspect!'
Only then did Wi-ji Chan become convinced that So-ah was the true talent of the world.
He had already realized in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains that So-ah's martial arts had surpassed the profound realm and had reached the heavens, but he had not known that his movement technique would be so ethereal.
But the surprise was only for a moment.
So-ah, who had narrowed the distance with the Blood Demon in an instant, began to strike the Blood Demon, using all parts of his body as weapons.
Fist!
So-ah's Heaven-Shattering Consecutive Cannon, which was filled with a terrifying force that could crush even iron, flew dozens of times in a single blow and struck the Blood Demon's body.
In an instant, the Blood Demon, who had been struck by the fist, had to take five steps back and absorb the shock.
But,
"You think I'll let you go?"
Unfortunately.
So-ah was faster than the Blood Demon.
So-ah did not lose sight of the Blood Demon's body and closely followed him, slamming the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Strike (knee attack) into his flustered lower abdomen.
So-ah did not use the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Strike in most situations.
Especially, during his time as an instructor, he had never used the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Strike against the cadets, because of the formidable killing power of the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Strike.
—So-ah. Among the Ten-Second Invincible Arts, the move with the most powerful force is the Taesan Yeokrip, which corresponds to standing grappling. Also, the moves that are versatile and can be used in various situations are the Heaven-Shattering Consecutive Cannon and the Tsunami Kick. But the moves that are most optimized for killing people are the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Strike and the Human Sword Strike. Even among bare-handed fighters, those who use their elbows and knees are rare. The more dangerous the opponent, use the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Strike and the Human Sword Strike to turn the tide of the battle.
"Keu-eu-eut!"
As So-ah's sharp knee, like a well-honed sword, slammed into his lower abdomen, the Blood Demon felt an explosion like a thunderbolt going off in his stomach, and at the same time, a terrible pain.
'The impact is great. It went in properly!'
So-ah drew a triumphant smile as he felt the impact of his knee piercing through the Blood Demon's protective ki and crushing his internal organs.
But.
'This is just the beginning.'
So-ah did not miss the moment when the Blood Demon's body staggered and, with 100% of his power in the Human Sword Strike, he slammed it down on the Blood Demon's face.
At that, the sound of heaven and earth opening up echoed.
It was because the force in So-ah's elbow was so ruthless.
The Human Sword Strike, which could turn even a large rock into powder in an instant, had been slammed down on a human's face with 100% power, so,
It was only natural that the Blood Demon's face was dyed with blood.
Nevertheless, So-ah did not stop.
'I'll tear you to pieces, old man Blood Demon!'
From the beginning, he had not dreamed of an easy victory against the Blood Demon.
Just, in the early part of the desperate struggle where the Blood Demon would inevitably be off guard.
In other words, at this very moment when So-ah could take the advantageous position.
So-ah was just thinking of pouring out everything he had.
The Blood Demon, who was spewing blood from his crushed face, moved his body back.
In front of him, So-ah's body spun around.
At the same time, So-ah's kick, with added rotational force, was shot towards the Blood Demon's temple.
'The Heaven-Shattering Consecutive Cannon, the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Strike, and the Human Sword Strike all went in. If I succeed with the Tsunami Kick, no matter how strong the Blood Demon is, he will have no choice but to show a fatal opening.'
Even while launching the attack, So-ah's head was spinning rapidly.
Currently, So-ah had concentrated the internal energy of his awakened state into one point.
Even a Vajra Bronze-Man could not block this Tsunami Kick.
So-ah once again drew a triumphant smile and launched the Tsunami Kick.
'It's done!'
It went in.
The Tsunami Kick, which had flown with extreme force, struck the Blood Demon's temple directly.
'His skull must be broken!'
The Blood Demon's protective ki was comparable to the Vajra Indestructible Body, but since he had received four moves of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts directly, he could not be unharmed.
Although the explanation was long, the fantastic chain attack of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts, which consisted of the Heaven-Shattering Consecutive Cannon, the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Strike, the Human Sword Strike, and the Tsunami Kick, was all unfolded in the short time it took to blink an eye.
Moreover.
Wasn't Wi-ji Chan's Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, which had been compressing all the Heavenly Demon Art accumulated in his dantian into a single sword, striding through the air on its own and piercing the Blood Demon like a ray of light?
"Keu-a-a-a-a-ak!"
In an instant, the Blood Demon's upper body was pierced by the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.
It was the moment when the Blood Demon's blood-colored robe was actually soaked in human blood.
'It's a lightning-fast sword control!'
So-ah clicked his tongue as he saw Wi-ji Chan approaching, retrieving the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.
Because So-ah was relatively short on knowledge when it came to handling weapons, Wi-ji Chan's sword control technique must have been imprinted on him as mysteriously as the sorcery of Baek In-hwa or Jeon Woo-chi.
[Brother!]
[Let's push him, So-ah! We might be able to end this easily!]
[Yes.]
Seeing the Blood Demon, who had become a bloody mess and was staggering, So-ah and Wi-ji Chan joined forces.
A smoother fight than expected.
At least, that's what they thought at the time.
But.
A strange sound.
The moment the strange sound, which was derived from the transformation of matter, struck the hearing of So-ah and Wi-ji Chan.
The eyes of the two men widened like lanterns as if they had seen something they shouldn't have, and then distorted.
"You ridiculous brats... today will be your death anniversary, and this place will be your grave. I, who have been chosen by the Blood God... will punish, annex, and slaughter the foolish humans!"
The Blood Demon, who was spitting out a sharp remark.
His body was transforming strangely.
[Wh-What is that?]
[So-ah... it seems Tae-ho-gong has cast a wicked power and the sorcery of the unorthodox path on his own body.]
So-ah and Wi-ji Chan were still dumbfounded.
The place where the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword had pierced through was already completely healed, and huge and eerie tentacles had sprouted from the Blood Demon's body, which had been crushed by the Ten-Second Invincible Arts.
Furthermore,
The demonic aura that bloomed from the body of the Blood Demon, Tae-ho-gong, was emitting an extremely evil power that could not be described in words.
'No... what is this... I, who have surpassed the profound realm, just because of the murderous aura...'
Was I scared?
So-ah, for the first time, tasted the unfamiliar humiliation of his legs freezing at the opponent's murderous aura.
(End of Chapter)