Chapter 237: The Person Who Sent Me
Chapter 237: The Person Who Sent Me
Ya Yul-han released the full, crushing weight of his aura.
Whirrrrrrrr!
A literal gale of frost began to howl. The frigid energy was so intense that one’s lungs felt as if they would freeze solid with every breath. Intertwined with that chill was a malevolence so wicked it defied description. The massive pressure seemed to speak aloud:
How dare a mere insect challenge me?
But Geom Mu-geuk did not falter. He kept walking, his eyes locked onto Ya Yul-han’s.
“That might have worked on everyone else, but it won’t work on me.”
Geom Mu-geuk pushed his own aura to its absolute limit and unleashed it.
The two forces collided.
Ya Yul-han staggered, shaken by the sheer impact of Geom Mu-geuk’s presence.
An aura was not powerful simply because one possessed vast internal energy. It was the physical manifestation of a martial artist’s nature, talent, values, and the very essence of the arts they had mastered. It was the sum of their entire being. To clash with an aura was to touch the very soul of the opponent.
And the aura Ya Yul-han felt radiating from Geom Mu-geuk was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
At first, it felt soft and refreshing, like gazing up at an infinitely vast, clear blue sky. In fact, Ya Yul-han felt as if he were standing alone in the midst of that boundless blueness. The heavens, the walls, the floor—everything had dissolved into a cerulean expanse.
He reached out a hand. Splash.
In that moment, he realized it wasn’t the sky; it was water, impossibly clear. What he was seeing was the sky reflected on the surface of a Great Ocean.
An invisible force dragged Ya Yul-han beneath the surface.
He continued to sink. When he looked down, he couldn’t see the bottom. The primal terror of the deep sea seized his heart.
How can a brat that young possess an aura like this?
Geom Mu-geuk, walking toward him, suddenly seemed like a titan.
Geom Mu-geuk, for his part, was contending with a formidable pressure of his own. He felt as though he were trekking through a violent blizzard. He couldn't see what lay ahead, and there was no end in sight—only the sensation of walking alone across a snowy plain in bone-chilling cold.
However, Geom Mu-geuk was neither afraid nor lonely. He simply moved his feet in silence. He had walked this path before. This agonizingly lonely path was the one he had walked his entire life.
Once he passed through the fierce snowstorm, Ya Yul-han was standing there under a clear sky. Ya Yul-han had also managed to swim up from the bottomless depths to stand before him.
Ya Yul-han asked in a trembling voice, “Who... who are you?”
“I am…”
Geom Mu-geuk leaned in and whispered, “Didn’t I tell you? I’ll let you know the moment you die.”
Swish!
Geom Mu-geuk’s sword cut through the air in a lightning-fast strike.
Clang!
Ya Yul-han barely managed to block it. He had been so mesmerized by Geom Mu-geuk’s aura that he had nearly lost his head.
The realization that he might actually die sent a rush of adrenaline through Ya Yul-han. Joy preceded his anger. This was the first time he had ever experienced a fight this maddeningly intense.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their swords clashed repeatedly, erupting in blinding flashes of light. The attacks were more powerful than before, but neither man yielded an inch.
Geom Mu-geuk knew exactly where the other man's strength came from. The elixirs bought with blood money squeezed from the innocent, and the results of countless atrocities that had driven so many to their deaths—all of it was piled up within Ya Yul-han's dantian.
Clang!
Sword met sword. From behind the locked blades, Ya Yul-han glared with murderous intent and shouted, “Just who the hell raised a monster like you?!”
“You did!”
“What?”
“I was born to devour bastards like you.”
A cold, murderous light flickered in Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes. For a split second, Ya Yul-han saw an illusion. From within a pitch-black, shadow-like form, a pair of blood-red eyes glared back at him.
Ya Yul-han tightened his grip on his sword. “Eat me if you can!”
Emotions were finally surfacing on Ya Yul-han’s face—anger, fear, excitement. As the dam holding back his feelings broke, a torrent of power poured out.
Rumble!
Ya Yul-han’s massive killing intent became an avalanche, crashing down toward Geom Mu-geuk.
Geom Mu-geuk’s Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art activated, preventing his body from buckling under the pressure. Had it not, the attack flying toward him now would have been fatal.
Swoosh!
It was Ya Yul-han’s sword qi, but it was different from anything he had shown before. It was a strike that carried the illusion of an ice demon flying forward with a blade in hand.
Geom Mu-geuk did not dodge. Instead, he unleashed the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, Fourth Form: Blazing Heaven Form.
Ya Yul-han’s attack was a dynamic sword qi that seemed alive; Geom Mu-geuk knew that if he tried to dodge half-heartedly, it would simply hunt him down.
Two violent, overbearing sword qis tore through the air and collided.
Boom!
The impact sent both men sliding backward. Surprise registered on Ya Yul-han’s face. He blocked even that?
Geom Mu-geuk’s expression provided the answer: I told you it wouldn't work.
Whirrrr! Ping!
Between the two men who had momentarily drifted apart, a blood wheel and a finger wind crossed paths. The battle between the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon and the Blood Wheel Calamity was still raging.
The power of the blood wheel had noticeably diminished. However, Geom Mu-geuk could not celebrate. He had seen blood on the wheel.
Geom Mu-geuk didn't spare a single glance for the Smiling Demon. The moment he showed he was worried, it would be seized upon as a fatal weakness. That was why, since the fight began, he hadn't looked at their battle once. Not that he had the luxury to do so anyway.
It was then that Cha Hwan leaped in.
Seeing Geom Mu-geuk and Ya Yul-han slide back after exchanging massive blows, he judged this to be his opening. He had been waiting for this single moment throughout the entire fight.
Shhh!
Just as he lunged his sword toward Geom Mu-geuk in a surprise attack—
Splat!
Cha Hwan’s chest split open as something flew out like a bolt of light. It was as if he had launched a hidden weapon from within his own breast.
Blood sprayed from Geom Mu-geuk’s arm. It was a terrifying attack that would have pierced his heart had he not barely evaded it with Blink Step.
Cha Hwan stared blankly down at the gaping hole in his chest.
The sword qi Ya Yul-han had unleashed from behind had pierced through his own subordinate's chest to reach Geom Mu-geuk.
Ya Yul-han was cold-blooded. He had used the moment his subordinate blocked his line of sight as a murderous opportunity.
Cha Hwan had never imagined it. He never thought the man he had served so loyally would use him and discard him like trash.
What is this?
Cha Hwan was in total shock. While others had small tattoos on their chests, he had covered his entire body in ink for the man. He had served him every single day without rest. If he had at least used Voice Transmission to say, "Sacrifice yourself," Cha Hwan would have been willing to give his life.
But not like this…
Indeed, those who use others always act this way.
Still, dying this miserably is an embarrassment to the dragon on my skin…
Cha Hwan’s breath ceased with the final thought that even a discarded broom in a corner held more value than he did in his final moments.
At the moment Cha Hwan’s life ended, the other battle was reaching its conclusion.
Until then, the Smiling Demon and the Blood Wheel Calamity had been fighting with everything they had. Initially, the Blood Wheel Calamity had chosen a war of attrition. His internal energy was superior, and his opponent was already injured.
If I hold out, I win!
He focused on blocking the Blood Calamity Finger rather than throwing his blood wheels recklessly. However, as the fight progressed, he found himself drawn into the combat against his will. There were two reasons for this.
The first was an inexplicable heat. Looking into the brilliant blue light emanating from the eyes behind the mask, his internal energy surged involuntarily, and his blood began to pump faster. Before he knew it, he was hurling his blood wheels at the Smiling Demon in a frenzy.
The second reason was the clear difference in skill. The Smiling Demon never moved according to his opponent's intentions. A war of attrition? Who decided that?
If the Smiling Demon hadn't suffered internal injuries, the fight would have been over long ago. However, his management of internal energy was not smooth.
The Blood Wheel Calamity had been confident he could win when the fight started. But as it continued, fear began to grow.
Just die already! You damn demon!
The Blood Wheel Calamity pushed the Smiling Demon with the last of his strength.
Whirrrrrrrr!
Unleashing a hidden secret technique, the blood wheel performed a dance of death. The Smiling Demon’s movements became increasingly precarious.
This is it! Just a little more!
The Blood Wheel Calamity even deployed his final hidden weapons.
Whir! Whir!
Small blood wheels used like throwing stars sliced through the air to join the assault. Just as the chaotic, dizzying, and violent blood wheels were cornering the Smiling Demon—
Ping! Thwack!
The sound the Smiling Demon had been waiting for finally rang out.
Crash!
The blood wheel that had been dancing through the air plowed into the ground, smashed through a wall, and came to a halt. The smaller blood wheels were flung haphazardly across the floor.
The Blood Wheel Calamity watched the scene with a look of shock. Why did I suddenly lose control?
Then, something began to trickle down his face. He absentmindedly wiped it with his hand.
It was blood. Blood was streaming down from his forehead.
The Blood Wheel Calamity picked up a small blood wheel he was holding and looked at his reflection. He saw himself with a clean, dark hole bored straight through his forehead.
When did he…?
With that final question, the Blood Wheel Calamity’s body collapsed.
Incredibly, the Smiling Demon had fired a Blood Calamity Finger through the tiny hole in the center of the frantically spinning blood wheel. He hadn't missed the split second when that hole aligned perfectly with the Blood Wheel Calamity’s forehead. The man had never expected such an attack, and because his own weapon had obscured his vision, he had been unable to block it.
*
The battle between Geom Mu-geuk and Ya Yul-han was also reaching its climax.
When even the move using Cha Hwan failed, the look in Ya Yul-han’s eyes changed. His dark pupils vanished completely, and both his irises and whites turned a deep, glowing blue.
Geom Mu-geuk sensed it. The man was about to unleash his final secret technique.
Considering the power he had shown so far, it was time for Geom Mu-geuk to launch his own final move. He prepared the final sword form of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique.
It was the Eighth Form: Returning Heaven Form, a technique he had never used in actual combat even after reaching Twelve-Star Great Achievement.
The Returning Heaven Form was a 44-Hit Combo Technique. It was devastatingly powerful, but it had one fatal weakness: it consumed an enormous amount of internal energy. It was a martial art that required almost every drop of energy one possessed.
Therefore, it was truly a final move—if he failed to kill his opponent, he would be the one left defenseless.
Now, not just his eyes, but Ya Yul-han’s entire body began to turn blue.
Primordial Extreme Cold!
It was the final secret technique of the Primordial Spectral Sword Art, which gathered all the energy in the body to slay the opponent. It was a technique that exerted power far beyond one's normal capabilities, and like Mu-geuk's, it was a final gamble.
Geom Mu-geuk unleashed the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, Eighth Form: Returning Heaven Form.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
With the sound of wind brushing against fabric, lines of sword light began to be etched across Ya Yul-han’s body. Exuding extreme cold, Ya Yul-han swung his sword to block. If he managed to parry every strike of the Returning Heaven Form, Geom Mu-geuk would die.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The speed at which the sword lines were drawn grew faster and faster. Ya Yul-han’s sword did not falter as it met the attacks.
Zing—
The Black Demonic Sword hummed. This was the first time the blade had vibrated like this during an attack. Geom Mu-geuk felt the sword becoming one with him, releasing demonic energy to protect him from the foul, evil energy Ya Yul-han was emitting.
Yes, let’s end this together!
Geom Mu-geuk poured every ounce of his mental focus into the blade.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Fifteenth strike, sixteenth, seventeenth…
Ya Yul-han blocked them tenaciously.
Twenty-third strike, twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth…
“Is this all you’ve got?!” Ya Yul-han screamed.
The sword lines were drawn even faster.
Thirty-fourth strike, thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth…
Ya Yul-han was using his Primordial Extreme Cold to block attacks that were almost too fast for the eye to follow. If it reached the forty-fourth strike like this, Geom Mu-geuk would lose.
But Geom Mu-geuk did not feel anxious; he believed in himself. Yes, you must have worked hard to reach that position. But you didn't work harder than me!
Thirty-seventh strike, thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth…
At the moment the sequence rushed toward its end—
Thwack!
The flashing sword light stopped along with the sound of tearing flesh. The sound of clashing blades also ceased. It was the forty-second strike.
Geom Mu-geuk’s sword was buried in Ya Yul-han’s heart. In the end, Ya Yul-han had failed to block the Returning Heaven Form.
Ya Yul-han’s body, which had turned deep blue, began to return to its original color. Looking into Ya Yul-han’s eyes, which were filled with shock, rage, and fear, Geom Mu-geuk spoke.
“The person who sent me is a father who had to watch his family die before his eyes.”
Ya Yul-han’s expression was one of utter incomprehension. He likely expected he was dying because of a conspiracy by the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader or the Demonic Cult—some grand, sweeping reason.
That was why this moment was an even greater punishment. I’m dying for a reason like that? It felt unjust. It felt small.
“Even though he saved your subordinate’s life, you killed the physician’s entire family just because he continued to treat the patient he was already helping.”
For a moment, Ya Yul-han’s eyes wavered. It was as if he remembered, or perhaps as if he were demanding to know if he was really dying for such a trivial reason he couldn't even recall.
“You had a principle that anyone who disobeyed orders must die, right? This is the Demon Doctor’s answer to your pathetic principle. It is the answer of a husband who lost his wife and a father who lost his child! Go to hell!”
Squeltch!
As the Black Demonic Sword was ripped out, blood erupted from his heart like a fountain.
Splatter!
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
Ya Yul-han let out a wretched scream as he sprayed blood. His life poured down like rain.
Geom Mu-geuk did not dodge it. Drenched in the rain of blood, he slowly turned toward the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon.
The Smiling Demon, having finished his own fight, was standing there looking his way. Geom Mu-geuk looked at him and smiled brightly.
“It’s all over, Lord Smiling Demon.”
The moment he took a step toward him—
The Smiling Demon began to slowly collapse, his body finally giving way.