Chapter 44: Blood (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Blood (4)
The masked men erupted into a chaotic stir at the sight of my transformation.
"H-His hair turned red!"
"Those eyes..."
"They’re just like the Young Lady’s."
I had been half-doubting myself, but fortunately, the same phenomenon that occurred when I reached the heights of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art manifested again.
I couldn't be certain, but this might have been because I had absorbed the Spirit Fragment containing the Blood Demon’s lingering resentment.
-Un-hwi. Are you okay?
The voice of the Lesser Conversation Sword echoed in my mind.
'I'm fine.'
-You startled me. I thought your body had been snatched by that wraith again.
-I was surprised as well, Un-hwi.
It seemed even those two were taken aback by my sudden change.
Regardless, as I expected, channeling the Blood Demon’s Mental Focus caused an external transformation. Thanks to that, the masked men were hovering between shock and bewilderment.
The reactions of the others didn't matter. Only one person was important: Fourth Blood Star Do Jang-ho, the man who controlled them all. How would he react?
"I can wield the Blood Demon Sword, Fourth Blood Star."
At my words, the Fourth Blood Star frowned, remaining silent. Looking at his trembling eyes, he was clearly wavering.
'I have to deceive them, no matter what.'
To be honest, I didn't fully understand this phenomenon myself.
-What an interesting fellow. You don't even know what's mixed in your own blood.
I had acted on a sudden impulse, remembering what the Blood Demon Sword had told me. I didn't know what secrets lay between my mother and the Flying Moon Hero Sect, but I had to use whatever I could to overcome this crisis.
Just then, Unit Leader Mun, who had been as shocked as the other masked men, spoke up.
"Do not waver! The only ones who carry his blood are our Young Lady and Lady Baek Ryeonha!"
He tried to suppress the growing unrest. At his shout, the masked men looked torn, unsure of what to do.
I shouted toward them.
"Can you not believe what is right before your eyes? How can you be so sure only two remain?"
To hell with it. I’d already crossed the line; there was no reason to hold back now. I looked directly at Unit Leader Mun and pressed on.
"Can you be certain of that by your own standards? And are you truly going to ignore the Statutes of our Cult even after seeing this?"
"That is..."
Unit Leader Mun was momentarily speechless. Bringing up the Statutes must have flustered him. The owner of the divine Blood Demon Sword is the next Cult Leader—the Blood Demon.
Even as the words left my mouth, I thought myself incredibly bold. In a way, I had just declared myself the new Blood Demon in front of these Blood Cultists.
-Hahahaha! A fine mindset. It was worth making you my subordinate.
'Shut up.'
This whole mess happened because of you.
Then, Fourth Blood Star Do Jang-ho, who had been keeping his mouth tightly shut, finally spoke.
"You have a talent for surprising me every time we meet."
"...Will you not acknowledge it?"
"Another successor who inherited his blood..."
Shring!
'!?'
Wait, this wasn't what I intended. Fourth Blood Star Do Jang-ho drew his sword from its scabbard and pointed it at me. Seeing this, color returned to Unit Leader Mun’s face.
"Fourth Blood Star!"
However, Do Jang-ho held out a hand, signaling him to stay back. As Unit Leader Mun looked on in confusion, Do Jang-ho spoke to me.
"Show me. Show me if you truly inherited his legacy."
Flash!
The moment the words left his lips, Do Jang-ho’s figure lunged toward me. His sword shadows split into eight directions simultaneously, closing in on me from the outside.
Is he trying to test me through a direct exchange? If so, I have no choice but to show him.
'Whew.'
As I focused my mind, the dot of Heavenly Authority on the back of my hand glowed a deeper crimson. I had wanted to test it, but I never imagined I’d use it like this.
As the Mental Focus in my Upper Dantian reacted, my body moved on its own, as if I had practiced these martial arts for a lifetime. The Blood Demon Sword traced a crimson trajectory, drawing a circle as fluidly as flowing water.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
The sword shadows closing in from eight directions were deflected outward. In that state, I thrust my sword forward. Do Jang-ho quickly blocked it with the flat of his blade.
Clang!
The moment they collided, the tip of the Blood Demon Sword quivered with a high-frequency vibration. Simultaneously, a powerful impact slammed into his blade.
Crack! Boom!
"Ugh!"
Do Jang-ho’s body was thrown back, sliding about five paces.
Wrooooooom!
Do Jang-ho’s sword let out a cry, the entire blade trembling. A strange light flickered in his eyes.
I was also inwardly shocked, even though I was the one who had performed the move.
'So this is the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword.'
It was the secret sword technique of the Blood Demon.
Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword, 3rd Form: Meridian of No Blood.
It was a technique that concentrated energy at the tip of the sword to produce the effects of explosive force or Penetration Scripture. It was the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
"I see. Then how about this?"
Do Jang-ho used his footwork to retreat another five paces and loosened his grip on the sword hilt. Then, he lowered the tip of his sword until it touched the ground.
"Try to take this."
With those words, Do Jang-ho charged forward, dragging his sword along the ground.
Screeeeeech!
Blue sparks flew from the friction of the sword tip scraping the floor. In that state, Do Jang-ho traced a unique trajectory, and blue flames clung to the sword technique, creating a blinding light.
"Ohhh!"
"Sword Thunder!"
Exclamations erupted from the masked men. This must be the famous Sword Thunder of the Fourth Blood Star. I had wondered why the word 'thunder' was attached to his technique, and it certainly lived up to its reputation.
-Impressive. Show him. Show him Blood Rain Fills the Sky.
The voice of the Blood Demon Sword reached me. Just as it spoke, the moment I saw Do Jang-ho’s technique, the 5th Form of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword, Blood Rain Fills the Sky, flashed through my mind.
As if performing a sword draw, I pulled my sword to the left and twisted my waist to the maximum. Then, I unleashed the strike.
Swish-swish-swish-swish!
In that instant, my body spun rapidly like a top, and countless crimson sword trajectories exploded toward Do Jang-ho’s Sword Thunder like a torrential downpour.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Do Jang-ho forced his way forward as if piercing through the rain. However, the blue flames eventually lost their light, and Do Jang-ho’s figure was pushed back.
Slide!
As he skidded backward, sword marks were left all over his body. Still, he was impressive; he had managed to block all his vital points.
However, the surroundings were swallowed by silence. Glancing around, I saw the masked men staring, utterly dumbfounded. The ground where our techniques had collided was gouged with dozens of sharp sword furrows, as if a violent storm had passed through.
'Ha!'
I couldn't believe it myself. If we had fought using only the power of the Middle Dantian, Do Jang-ho’s martial prowess would have been one or two levels above mine. But by drawing out the power of the Blood Demon’s Spirit Fragment, I had actually gained the upper hand.
However, the consumption of Mental Focus from the Upper Dantian was immense. For now, it seemed my limit for maintaining the Blood Demon’s power through Heavenly Authority was half a kyeong at most.
-Tsk tsk, you're still far from enough.
The Blood Demon Sword clicked its tongue. I knew that much. Since it wasn't power I had refined myself, I couldn't perfectly manifest the techniques at the Blood Demon’s level. Still, this was enough for now.
Fourth Blood Star Do Jang-ho stomped his foot against the ground.
Thump!
Several cracks spread across the floor from his sole. He was expelling the sharp killing intent that had invaded his body.
'As expected of the Fourth Blood Star.'
He truly lived up to his status as one of the Blood Cult’s top experts. Everyone watched him and me alternately with tense faces.
Then, Do Jang-ho steadied his breathing, pointed his sword tip downward, and gave me a fist-and-palm salute.
'!?'
The masked men were shocked by his sudden display of respect. Regardless, Do Jang-ho spoke to me.
"Fourth Blood Star Do Jang-ho greets the Young Master."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. The respect he showed now was equivalent to acknowledging me as one of the successors of the Blood Cult. When one of the cult's highest-ranking officials showed such respect, the masked men hesitated.
At this, Unit Leader Mun shouted with a distorted face.
"Fourth Blood Star!"
Do Jang-ho turned his gaze toward him and said, "Did you not see? There is no doubt he has mastered the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art. Therefore, the Young Master is indeed a successor who has inherited his blood."
Unit Leader Mun bit his lip hard. Since even the Fourth Blood Star had acknowledged it, it was difficult to deny. One by one, the masked men began to show their respect.
"Stop!"
Unit Leader Mun shouted at them. Then, pointing his sword at me, he said, "Fourth Blood Star. Even if that is true, have we not sworn our loyalty to the Young Lady? Then there is only one thing for us to do."
"......"
"We must seize that sword and present it to the Young Lady!"
When Unit Leader Mun defied the Fourth Blood Star, the masked men who were about to show respect stopped. Their hesitation was evident.
Thinking I needed to shake them further, I put strength into my voice and shouted toward Do Jang-ho, Unit Leader Mun, and the masked men.
"Do you intend to violate the Statutes? As long as I hold this sword, I am the Blood Demon of this cult."
'!!!'
At those words, Do Jang-ho’s eyes narrowed. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Seeing his ambiguous stance, Unit Leader Mun decided he couldn't wait and shouted to the masked men.
"Deploy the Blood Demon Sword Formation! Our only Blood Demon is the Young Lady—"
It was then.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted from the direction of the An family house. Turning around, I saw someone strode out from the shattered wall, radiating an intense aura.
"Master!"
It was none other than Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon.
-Oh! The crazy old man recovered!
The Lesser Conversation Sword shouted to me in excitement. Just as it said, looking at the energy radiating from Hae Ak-cheon, he had definitely recovered. It took longer than the time he had boasted, but he had successfully expelled the Energy Dispersal Poison.
"V-Venerable..."
When Hae Ak-cheon appeared, everyone, including Unit Leader Mun and the masked men, could not hide their consternation. They seemed overwhelmed by the aura radiating from his massive frame.
Finally, all the pieces were in place.
[It was worth the struggle.]
I sent a welcoming sound transmission to Hae Ak-cheon. However, Hae Ak-cheon looked at me with a peculiar expression before sending a sound transmission back.
[I have clearly understood your will.]
[Pardon?]
While I was wondering what he meant, Hae Ak-cheon stepped forward. Then, he shouted toward the masked men in a voice so loud it made their eardrums ring.
"Who dares to stand tall in the presence of the Blood Demon! Kneel!"
'!?'
What on earth are you talking about? I only did this as a temporary measure to buy time.
However, not long after Hae Ak-cheon’s shout ended, more than half of the masked men collapsed to their knees and began to show their respect.
Startled, Unit Leader Mun urged them on.
"Y-You fools, do you realize what you are doing? Get up this instant! Get up!"
Despite his shouts, the masked men on their knees did not budge. While he was at a loss, Fourth Blood Star Do Jang-ho spoke.
"Venerable Elder. It has been a long time."
"Hmph! Long time or not, are you not going to kneel?"
At Hae Ak-cheon’s prodding, Do Jang-ho looked at me. Then he said, "The world is truly unpredictable. It must be fate that brought me here."
"What nonsense are you babbling?"
"I must hope my judgment is correct."
After uttering those cryptic words, Do Jang-ho turned his gaze toward Unit Leader Mun.
"Unit Leader Mun. In accordance with the Statutes, I shall serve the Young Master as the new Blood Demon from this moment on. But you won't, will you?"
"Fourth Blood Star! How could you betray the Young Lady—"
Slash!
Before he could even finish his sentence, Do Jang-ho’s sword swept across Unit Leader Mun’s neck. His throat was slit, and Unit Leader Mun’s head fell to the ground.
'!!!'
It was something no one had expected. After beheading Unit Leader Mun, Do Jang-ho knelt on one knee before me and said, "Blood Demon. Please give the order. I shall eliminate the sources of trouble."
The "sources of trouble" Do Jang-ho referred to were the masked men who had not yet knelt.