Chapter 80: Half-Corpse (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: Half-Corpse (1)
—Un-hwi, it’s your father-in-law!
The one who had fired the steel balls was none other than Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak.
I never thought I’d be so glad to see him, considering how difficult he always was to be around. He had appeared at the perfect moment to help. It seemed I had narrowly avoided revealing all my hidden cards.
Sama Chak glanced at me and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, tsk. I thought you wouldn’t go around getting beaten up, but it seems you were overfilled with confidence.”
“...I apologize.”
He had every right to scold me. I had gone up against one of the five greatest monsters in the current martial world. I almost made Sama Yeong a widow before we even had the wedding.
Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon.
She was a peerless master, terrifying enough to live up to her infamous reputation. The problem wasn't just her martial prowess; she knew how to utilize her bizarre evil arts at the perfect moments during combat, making her an incredibly troublesome opponent.
—But she’s showing caution toward your father-in-law, isn't she?
It was just as the Sodam Sword said. Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon hadn't shown a hint of wariness toward me, but ever since Sama Chak appeared, she hadn't taken the head of her staff off him for even a second.
Frowning, Cheol Su-ryeon spoke.
“The Blood Demon’s father-in-law?”
“That’s right. He is my son-in-law.”
At those words, Cheol Su-ryeon spoke as if she couldn't understand.
“...Lies. He must be related to that man.”
“What are you talking about?”
It seemed my father-in-law had truly just arrived. He didn't understand what Wicked Heart Granny was saying. She had been rambling about betraying a master and such for a while now—did she mistake me for one of the Jonju’s people because she saw my recovery ability?
“Cheol Su-ryeon. I have nothing to do with the Jonju. I’ve never even seen him, so how could I...”
Swish!
It happened then. Before I could even finish my sentence, Cheol Su-ryeon lunged at me in a surprise attack. Her staff traced a dizzying trajectory as it aimed for me. I hurriedly threw myself backward.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
The figure of Cheol Su-ryeon before my eyes blurred like a shadow. It was Shape Transformation. Before I knew it, she was trying to block my retreat, but something streaked through the air toward the spot where she had been standing.
Zip! Zip!
It was two steel balls fired by Sama Chak using Flicking Finger Divine Power. The steel balls were aimed precisely to pierce the head and heart of Cheol Su-ryeon, who was attempting to take my rear via Shape Transformation.
In that instant, her blurred form solidified, and the Cheol Su-ryeon who was about to appear behind me vanished. Then, she suddenly reappeared in mid-air about twenty feet away.
—She’s incredibly fast!
I knew. At this level, she was comparable to my father, Merciless Wind God Jin Seong-baek, when he performed the Wind Shadow Eight Streams.
As Cheol Su-ryeon swung her staff at me from her position, my legs felt as if they were being driven into the ground, as if someone had performed the Thousand-Pound Press on me.
‘You’re underestimating me far too much!’
“Hah!”
Thud!
I plunged the Blood Demon Sword into the ground. The sword power traveling through the blade cracked the earth, and red killing intent erupted around me like a surging wave.
Rumble! Splash!
It was the martial form of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword - 7th Form: Blood Stillness Sword Stance.
As Cheol Su-ryeon struck down with her staff like a saber from mid-air, she lightly cleaved through the upward-surging red killing intent.
“Hmph! You brat!”
To block an attack of this caliber so easily—she really was a monster. The ground around me had been hollowed out in a rippling pattern like spreading waves, yet the section Cheol Su-ryeon had cleaved remained perfectly intact.
Slide!
Cheol Su-ryeon suddenly appeared right in front of me. Her left hand, tipped with long nails, lunged for my throat. I tried to dodge using the Wind Shadow Step, but she pulled her hand back mid-thrust.
Clang!
If she had been a moment later, her hand would have been severed by the blade of my father-in-law, Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak.
“Father-in-law!”
“He is not an opponent you can handle yet.”
Push!
Sama Chak lightly shoved my chest. My body was sent flying backward by a profound surge of energy. Simultaneously, Sama Chak twisted the trajectory of his sword toward the space between Cheol Su-ryeon’s brows.
Cheol Su-ryeon raised her staff to block it.
Claaaaang!
At that moment, the space where the sword and staff of the two great masters collided distorted. Layers of air rippled with shockwaves, creating a massive aftereffect. It looked as if the very earth was vibrating.
BOOOOOM!
“Ugh!”
I raised the flat of the Blood Demon Sword like a shield to block the shockwave radiating from the two of them. Even though I blocked it with ten stars of internal power, my body was pushed back, sliding across the ground.
Screeeeeech!
I wasn't pushed back just a few steps, but several dozen feet. The power of the two peerless masters was truly earth-shattering, enough to crush the surrounding ground like tofu from the mere aftermath of their collision.
‘Ha!’
This was the true power of those who had broken through the wall within the wall. Just from them clashing with full force, a crater with a radius of sixty feet had formed from the shockwave alone. Seeing this, I realized clearly that Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak had not been using his full strength when he tested me.
—Wow, they’re total monsters.
The Sodam Sword marveled. I was equally speechless. Their internal energy seemed to be at least double mine. It made me realize just how much power those called the pinnacle of the martial world truly possessed.
‘The wall within the wall...’
To think it was this much.
Cheol Su-ryeon, who was locked in a stalemate against him, frowned and spoke.
“...So it is the Moon Evil Sword!”
Without even looking, she had identified my father-in-law’s identity after just one exchange. Sama Chak spoke with an expressionless face.
“It’s been a long time, old hag.”
“Your internal power has progressed since then.”
Huh? Did the two of them know each other? Judging by the way they spoke, it seemed they had met before.
It looked like the conversation might continue, but Sama Chak used a repulsive force to push her back and then immediately tried to slit her throat without a moment's hesitation.
Clang!
Cheol Su-ryeon blocked it easily and even counterattacked. The martial forms weren't complex; they looked simple, but everything had been sublimated into the essence of the principles.
Bang!
Sama Chak also blocked it with a sword formula. While blocking, he used the Principle of Adherence to prevent her from pulling the staff away, then unleashed his internal force.
I thought she might be hit by the force, but Cheol Su-ryeon momentarily let go of the staff and struck it with her palm, causing the surroundings to shimmer and neutralizing the force.
Woooooom!
To perform such high-level techniques every split second in a real battle where lives were on the line... It was truly magnificent. It was hard to take my eyes off it.
Clang! Cl-cl-clang! Clang!
The two figures, who were on the ground just a moment ago, collided repeatedly and suddenly soared into the air.
Whirrrrr! Rumble!
Tornadoes formed around them, generating sharp winds in the vicinity. Ordinary masters wouldn't even be able to get close.
‘Now is the chance.’
I wanted to witness more of the duel between masters who had surpassed the wall, but I needed to get A-Song out while I had the chance. Judging by the fight so far, it didn't seem like my father-in-law would be defeated easily. I should move A-Song quickly and then return to help.
Swish!
When I approached A-Song, he was still clutching his head in agony. Fortunately, because Cheol Su-ryeon was busy fighting Sama Chak and wasn't actively maintaining her evil arts, the bulging veins had subsided.
As I drew near, the boy tried to resist despite his pain.
“A-Song, I’m sorry. Just bear with it for a bit.”
Crack!
I dislocated both his arms and legs and twisted them behind him. I hadn't broken them, but having them bent toward his back should have been incredibly painful... or so I thought.
A-Song didn't seem to feel any physical pain at all. Instead, he struggled with all his might to escape me, moving his dislocated body.
“Stay still!”
Snip!
I generated a small amount of sharp killing intent and cut the threads sewn into his eyes. Once cut, his closed eyes snapped open.
‘!?’
What is this? The moment I saw his eyes, I was struck speechless.
—What? They look like a corpse’s eyes.
Just as the Sodam Sword said, his pupils were dilated and unfocused, as if I were looking into the eyes of a dead person. At a glance, it looked like he was under hypnosis, but it was completely different.
‘...His pulse is beating. But why does he look like he’s in a state of suspended animation?’
Just what kind of technique did Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon use? It would be hard to tell without a closer look.
‘Let’s move him first.’
I used Silver Smoke Thread to bind A-Song’s entire body—his limbs still dislocated and twisted back—and left the area. I moved him as far away as possible, gagged him with a cloth, and hid him in the bushes where he couldn't be seen.
Now, I had to go help my father-in-law. No matter how much of a master he was, could Cheol Su-ryeon hold out if I joined the fray? Just me lingering nearby would distract her.
Clang! Boom!
When I returned to where the two great masters were fighting, sharp winds were howling. I marveled at the sight of them fighting without either giving an inch. It was a fierce battle, a feast of ultimate techniques where every single move made me realize my own deficiencies just by watching.
—Un-hwi. Isn't something strange?
‘Huh?’
—Look at that old hag’s face.
I, who had been admiring every exchange between the two masters, looked at Cheol Su-ryeon’s face.
‘!?’
What was this? Unless my eyes were deceiving me, Cheol Su-ryeon no longer looked like a middle-aged lady, but was becoming closer to an old woman. Her wrinkles deepened, and her hair was turning white. It looked as if she were aging rapidly. I couldn't understand the reason.
—Is she going to die of old age at this rate?
It certainly looked that way. Looking at Cheol Su-ryeon’s expression, she seemed much less composed than before. However, seeing her condition, I knew this was the perfect opportunity.
Leap!
I kicked off the air and soared up. Then, cleaving through the tornado with the Blood Demon Sword, I dove into the center of their battle.
The moment I appeared nearby in the midst of their intense clash, both masters noticed me simultaneously. Their Qi Sense was incredibly sharp. Looking at Sama Chak’s frowning face, he seemed to be asking what on earth I was doing.
Actually, I had just thought of a good idea.
‘I’m going to do this.’
I gathered my breath as much as possible. Then, concentrating all my internal power into my throat, I exhaled everything in my lungs.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!”
A master who has reached the Supreme Peak Realm can use the Lion’s Roar to load their voice with internal power, rupturing eardrums or causing internal injuries to an opponent. Furthermore, what if I, who had reached the realm of superhumans beyond the wall, performed a continuous Lion’s Roar with ten stars of internal power?
“Aaaaagh!”
Cheol Su-ryeon, who had been fighting Sama Chak, suddenly clutched her ears and screamed. I had tried it just in case, and it actually worked. My guess—that since she was blind and concentrated all her senses on her hearing, she wouldn't be able to respond to a Lion’s Roar as quickly as other masters—was correct.
“Aaaagh! You brat!”
Cheol Su-ryeon swung her staff indiscriminately toward the direction where I was. The space rippled, and dozens of streaks of sharp killing intent surged toward me simultaneously.
Slash-slash-slash!
‘Thousand-Pound Press!’
Since I had expected her to attack, I immediately made my body heavy with the Thousand-Pound Press. Even as I plummeted downward, I continued to scream the Lion’s Roar.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”
“Aaaaagh! You... you bastard!”
She was truly enraged at me. She looked ready to tear me apart if she caught me.
It was at that exact moment. Sama Chak didn't miss the opportunity and unleashed a domineering sword stance toward Cheol Su-ryeon. Perhaps because the sound was scrambled by the Lion’s Roar, she didn't seem to hear it, screaming until Sama Chak’s sword was right upon her.
However, she abruptly twisted her body just as the sword was about to strike.
‘Ah!’
She hadn't detected it through sound. It was the vibration of the air created as the sword stance flew toward her. She had sensed it through touch and dodged.
However...
Slash!
“Aaaagh!”
No matter how quickly she noticed it, it was the sword of the Moon Evil Sword. It was impossible to perfectly dodge it in a split second. Cheol Su-ryeon’s right arm was severed.
Without missing the opening, Sama Chak twisted his trajectory and lunged his sword straight for the center of her chest. Cheol Su-ryeon threw herself backward, but Sama Chak had no intention of letting her go. He pursued her, gliding like an eagle.
It was then.
Thump!
Cheol Su-ryeon turned her body and suddenly threw the pale child—presumably a corpse—she had been carrying on her back with all her might. It was an action that looked like a display of maternal love, trying to save at least the child. Did she hope that even if the child was dead, he wouldn't be harmed?
Stab!
As she threw the child far away, creating an opening, Sama Chak’s sword pierced Cheol Su-ryeon’s chest. It pierced her heart precisely.
Cheol Su-ryeon’s body trembled violently. Sama Chak spoke to her.
“You’ve lived for nearly two hundred years, so it’s time you died. Old hag.”
Two hundred years? So the rumors were true? I had thought it was just an exaggerated rumor about her living a long time.
Cough!
Black blood spilled from Cheol Su-ryeon’s mouth. Her face had aged even more than before, and she now looked like a woman in her eighties or nineties. She looked like she might collapse at any moment, but she grabbed the blade piercing her and spoke.
“This... isn't the end...”
Rip!
In that instant, Sama Chak twisted the blade, swept it upward, and then brought it down. It was a move without a shred of mercy. In a flash, Cheol Su-ryeon’s body was cleaved in half.
“Tell your nonsense to the underworld.”
Slide.
Sama Chak flicked the blood off the blade with two fingers and sheathed it at his waist. I felt relieved that he was on my side. He showed not a hint of lingering sentiment toward his enemies, ensuring there would be no future trouble.
‘Whew...’
I felt like I had witnessed a spectacle that couldn't be bought with any amount of money. Two absolute masters, ranked among the top five in the entire martial world, had vied for supremacy, and one of them had ended her life today.
“Hmm...”
Sama Chak looked down at Cheol Su-ryeon’s bifurcated corpse in silence. Was he feeling uneasy because the conclusion came easier than expected? I was also a bit disappointed. I needed to find out the Jonju’s secrets and what she had done to A-Song through her, but I hadn't expected her to die at Sama Chak’s hands like this.
Regardless, I had escaped a crisis thanks to him, so I had to express my gratitude.
“Father-in-law. Thanks to you...”
Sama Chak raised his hand, stopping me mid-sentence. While I was wondering why, Sama Chak spoke to me.
“Forget the greetings. Do you have nothing to say to me?”
“Pardon?”
Why was he suddenly asking if I had something to say?
“Father-in-law, is there something you wish to ask me...?”
At my question, Sama Chak took a deep breath, exhaled, and spoke in a cold voice.
“I am on my way back from stopping by the guest room where you are staying.”
‘!!!’
In an instant, my heart sank.