Chapter 5
Chapter 5
5.
Dark Shadow Eye Demon (3)
Hong Ryu-yeon rose to her feet, her right hand sharpened like an eagle's claw.
"Dieeee!"
No questions asked.
It was a single strike swung to kill Un-hyeok in an instant.
But Un-hyeok could clearly see where Ryu-yeon was aiming.
However.
'Damn this body.'
Spot-!
The tip of her fingernail grazed his cheek, drawing blood.
His body wasn't cooperating with his mind.
Whoosh! Swish! Whoosh!
Hong Ryu-yeon frowned deeply.
"You rat!"
Hong Ryu-yeon's claw technique became even more violent.
Slicing through the air, they flew in rapid succession.
'My stamina is terrible too.'
He hadn't even landed a proper blow yet.
Un-hyeok was already out of breath.
'Damn it, once this is over, I'm definitely getting my body fixed.'
Meanwhile, Hong Ryu-yeon was feeling impatient.
'This can't be. How can this insignificant wretch keep dodging my attacks?'
Flying Eagle Claw.
A martial art taught by Woo Mun-so, capable of crushing even steel like tofu once it gets a grip.
Of course, she couldn't imbue it with internal energy due to the Meridian-Dispersing Poison right now.
But the technique itself was still incredibly powerful.
Crack-!
A part of the stone pillar was gouged out.
Swish-! Swish-! Shushushushush-!
Despite the fierce barrage, Un-hyeok's eyes didn't waver.
He followed the tip of Hong Ryu-yeon's fingers from beginning to end.
'Why…!'
A fragile man who couldn't overcome the grief of his mother's death and drove himself to ruin.
That was the Dok Un-hyeok that Ryu-yeon knew.
But the man before her now seemed fearless.
'Why aren't you afraid!'
A graze would result in at least a serious injury.
It could even lead to death.
Normally, a person's body would freeze up.
But Un-hyeok had already been through the wringer in the martial world.
Compared to the countless battlefields he had crossed and the life-or-death situations he had faced, this felt like child's play.
'Damn it!'
Just as Ryu-yeon was feeling anxious.
Thud!
Un-hyeok's steps finally came to a halt.
A wall blocked him from behind.
Hong Ryu-yeon could finally wear a smile of victory.
"Heh heh heh! You've been dodging and weaving, but now you have nowhere left to run!"
"……."
The tip of Hong Ryu-yeon's fingers trembled.
She seemed to be gathering her remaining strength for one final blow.
Creak-!
"This is the end!"
In that instant, Un-hyeok's eyes flashed.
'Her movements have become bigger.'
A gap!
The reason Un-hyeok had been holding back his counterattacks was for this very moment.
Pat-!
A few strands of Un-hyeok's hair were cut off.
At the same time, Un-hyeok plunged into Hong Ryu-yeon's arms.
"Wh, what is this…!"
Thump-!
Un-hyeok grabbed her arm tightly.
"Hmph!"
He twisted his body and pulled with all his might.
Hong Ryu-yeon's body floated into the air and slammed straight into the ground.
Bang-!
"Kuh-uh-uh…!"
A dizzying shock traveled through her waist.
But Un-hyeok's counterattack was only just beginning.
Crack-!
He kicked Ryu-yeon in the face.
Bang! Bang!
Her nose bones shattered.
Her teeth broke, and blood splattered.
Hong Ryu-yeon desperately raised her arms to protect her face.
But Un-hyeok smirked at the sight.
"There's so much space on this canvas, you think I'd only paint there?"
Un-hyeok grabbed a chair within reach and smashed it down.
Crack-!
"Ugh!"
Splinters of the chair flew.
Blood trickled from the corners of Hong Ryu-yeon's mouth.
Unable to protect herself with internal energy, she had definitely suffered internal injuries.
But even in the midst of it, Ryu-yeon was trying to figure out a way to escape.
'I can't let myself get swept away by his momentum like this. I need to get back on my feet and regain my stance.'
Hong Ryu-yeon rolled to the side to avoid Un-hyeok's attacks.
But even that was within Un-hyeok's calculations.
Un-hyeok struck Ryu-yeon's knee with the leg of the broken chair.
"Kuh, kuh-ah-ah…!"
It was so painful that tears welled up in her eyes.
Clang-!
Un-hyeok threw away the chair leg and dusted off his hands.
"Tsk, tools are… not my style."
Now, she was completely unable to escape.
A shadow fell over Ryu-yeon's face.
Un-hyeok looked down at Ryu-yeon and grinned.
"Well then, shall we enjoy ourselves slowly?"
'What on earth is going on…?'
Meanwhile.
Lee So-ye was watching the scene unfold with a dumbfounded expression.
Flying Eagle Claw was one of the Magnificent Gate's superior martial arts, and So-ye had never dreamed that Hong Ryu-yeon could wield it so skillfully.
'Was she hiding her skills?'
So-ye compared her skills to Ryu-yeon's.
Could she beat Ryu-yeon if they fought in perfect condition?
Objectively speaking, she would lose seven times out of ten.
That was how powerful Ryu-yeon's claw technique was.
That was why she couldn't understand.
'How on earth is Young Master Dok able to overwhelm Ryu-yeon?'
His movements themselves weren't that impressive.
But like Sun Wukong in the Buddha's palm.
Un-hyeok moved half a beat faster than Ryu-yeon could do anything.
And as a result.
Crack-!
Crunch-!
Only gruesome sounds of destruction filled the room.
"Ugh…"
"That's the stuff."
Un-hyeok relentlessly targeted Vital Blood Points.
Ryu-yeon struggled to the end, but her counterattacks were easily blocked by Un-hyeok.
Ryu-yeon's movements gradually slowed down.
Thwack-!
Thud-!
Gathered Bamboo, Middle Man, Bright Eyes, and so on.
He had thoroughly beaten her,
She was already battered and bruised, but Ryu-yeon thrashed about, screaming.
"Kuaaah! Die, die!"
"You're awfully noisy."
Thwack-!
A powerful impact struck the Brain Door.
With that final blow, Hong Ryu-yeon convulsed and then slumped over.
"Krrrr…"
Lee So-ye gasped.
Even though she had seen it with her own eyes, she couldn't believe it.
"Haa…"
Un-hyeok, wiping the sweat from his forehead, looked somehow refreshed.
So-ye asked.
"…Who exactly are you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Not only did you know that Ryu-yeon was a spy, but you also handled a master of this level like a child. You…"
So-ye's question hit the nail on the head.
"Are you really the Dok Un-hyeok I know?"
As expected of the Dark Shadow Eye Demon.
A rather sharp question.
It was proof that her insight was not ordinary.
"Well, how do I look to you? Don't I seem like Dok Un-hyeok?"
"It's not that, but…"
"Yes, I am Dok Un-hyeok of the Poison Demon Sect."
The core was different, but the shell was the same.
"Why did you hide your skills when you have this much power?"
"Who knows? Figure it out yourself."
In fact, Un-hyeok didn't have a good excuse, so that's what he said.
So-ye's mind was racing like crazy.
Information about Dok Un-hyeok.
The current state of the Demonic God Church.
Combining various things, one hypothesis came to mind.
'Could it be because of the Water Demon Cave!'
What was the Water Demon Cave?
It was the arena for the test held to select the disciple of the Demonic God, the Sacred God of the Demonic God Church.
A place where countless talents gathered and engaged in fierce competition for survival.
'The Poison Demon Sect would naturally send Dok Mu-won.'
Un-hyeok was called the shame of the Poison Demon Sect, while his younger brother Dok Mu-won was praised as a genius among geniuses.
'But what if even this was intended by Dok Un-hyeok?'
So-ye had experienced it herself.
She had almost lost her life because she had underestimated Un-hyeok.
Surely others would be the same.
'That's it. The reason Young Master Dok hid his skills was to put everyone off guard.'
Cold sweat ran down So-ye's spine.
'A terrifying man.'
How much time had he spent meticulously planning to achieve a single goal?
That tenacity and the scheme he held in his heart.
That might be the real poison that Dok Un-hyeok possessed.
Such a man had extended his hand to So-ye.
'He might be a terrible opponent as an enemy, but if he becomes an ally, it would be hard to find someone as reliable as him.'
So-ye had already finished her calculations in her head.
The alliance was pretty much a foregone conclusion.
Then Un-hyeok spoke.
"By the way, what do you think? Was I right?"
"Ah…"
A bitter expression appeared on So-ye's face as she faced the tragic reality.
"…Yes."
Ryu-yeon was a spy for Woo Mun-so.
"Even if it was Woo Mun-so's order, why did Ryu-yeon go this far?"
"Listen carefully. It's not your fault. This guy is just…"
Un-hyeok kicked Hong Ryu-yeon, who was lying on the floor.
"A hideous monster created by a distorted mind."
This was the story that Un-hyeok later found out.
Hong Ryu-yeon was born as a man but dreamed of living as a woman.
But that was impossible.
Living in self-loathing in the shackles of a life like a divine punishment, she encountered Lee So-ye.
Lee So-ye had everything that Hong Ryu-yeon wanted: the face, the life.
Envy turned into jealousy, and jealousy turned into hatred.
-Why am I so miserable, but you get to enjoy everything?
-Why are things that are a luxury for me a given for you!
-My reality is a gutter, but why only you, only you…!!
If I can't have it, no one else can.
Ryu-yeon decided.
-I'll destroy you, Lee So-ye.
-I'll drag you down to hell like me.
Ryu-yeon's madness was beyond imagination.
She even sacrificed her own face to gain So-ye's trust.
"She's a crazy bitch who even mutilated her own face to get rid of you. Don't bother trying to understand her. You'll only tire yourself out."
"……."
"Tsk, cheer up."
Betrayal by someone like family.
So-ye looked like a cat that had been drenched in the rain.
"I still… can't believe it."
"Let's just think of it as fortunate that you found out now."
He had prevented another tragedy that would have happened in the past.
In the past, So-ye had always made Human Skin Masks to hide her face, which had been mutilated by Hong Ryu-yeon.
And it was a face based on her former self.
'She was happy when I praised the Human Skin Mask, but she was somehow bitter.'
But that kind of appearance would no longer exist.
'Now all that's left is to finish the contract.'
But things in the world don't always go according to plan.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Suddenly, angry footsteps echoed through the hallway, and the voices of two people could be heard.
"Well, I had no choice but to make it because you asked me to… just in case."
"Un-hyeok, that bastard dares to…!"
Un-hyeok's heart sank.
'This is bad…!'
Chief Secretary Seok, that tattletale.
He couldn't resist and snitched to his father?
It was an urgent situation.
Un-hyeok hurriedly said to So-ye.
"It's best to get out of here quickly. Can you use Body Lightening Art?"
"…Huh?"
"Try drawing up your internal energy."
As Un-hyeok said, So-ye focused her mind on her lower abdomen.
'Oh… really? My internal energy isn't dissipating.'
"The Meridian-Dispersing Poison I gave you isn't real Meridian-Dispersing Poison. It's a temporary one that will naturally detoxify in about an hour."
It was made with easy-to-find herbs, but there was a slight disadvantage.
That was why he didn't make a separate antidote.
Meanwhile.
The sound of footsteps was getting closer and closer.
Un-hyeok urged.
"Leave this to me. Go now!"
Dok Ryeon-hwi would definitely ask the reason if he saw the ruined guest room.
If he explained without coordinating with So-ye, there was a high possibility that he would reveal the secret about Woo Mun-so.
So-ye thought the same as Un-hyeok, so she didn't say anything.
But before leaving, Un-hyeok made one request.
"If you go back, can you give me all the data that Dragon Brocade Hall has investigated about the Demonic God Church?"
"Why is that?"
He had Dang Un-hyeok's memories,
He also had Dok Un-hyeok's memories, but these were just fragments.
There was a possibility of distortion, and he thought there might be unexpected variables.
'First, I need to verify what the current situation of the Demonic God Church is like. I need to check if it matches the information I knew.'
But he couldn't say that as it was.
Un-hyeok made up an excuse.
"I want to see how much information Dragon Brocade Hall has. Since I showed you my abilities, Dragon Brocade Hall has to show me something that corresponds to it, or it won't be worth it, right?"
A fairly convincing reason.
So-ye nodded.
"Okay. If I return to Dragon Brocade Hall, I'll send you a message. Then…"
So-ye bowed her head,
Tap-!
Her figure disappeared far away in an instant.
It was then.
Dok Ryeon-hwi and Seok In-gu opened the door and entered.
Ryeon-hwi shouted without hesitation.
"Un-hyeok, you rascal! What on earth were you thinking when you asked Chief Secretary Seok for Meridian-Dispersing Poison…?"
Uh, uh?
In that instant, Ryeon-hwi lost his words.
An unharmed Un-hyeok.
A room in shambles.
Inside, there was a person, he couldn't tell if it was a woman or a man, covered in blood and unconscious.
"Who is that…."
"Th, that person is…!"
Seok In-gu recognized the fallen Hong Ryu-yeon.
"She's the chief of Dragon Brocade Hall!"
"Wh, what?!"
But why… was she lying there in this state?
Ryeon-hwi's gaze naturally turned to Un-hyeok.
"Don't… tell me?"
No, right?
Please, it shouldn't be.
But Un-hyeok shattered Ryeon-hwi's hopes as always.
"I did it."
"What?!"
"But don't worry. Everything has been resolved."
"Ah, ah……."
This reckless bastard!
Instead of resolving things, he had created an uncontrollable situation, and what?
He said things were resolved?
Feeling a stiffness in the back of his neck, Ryeon-hwi's face turned red.
"Immediately……."
His voice echoed loudly through the Poison Demon Sect.
"Get outtttt!!"