Chapter 100
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The Outlaw of the Divine Cult (4)
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“It seems to have begun.”
“I see.”
“Is it alright for you to be here, My Lord? I heard the Garden of Joy is in an uproar over tomorrow's tournament.”
“It’s fine. I have many people I can trust to handle things.”
“I see.”
“And…”
A murderous glint appeared in So Yeonsim’s eyes.
“I must see it. The culprit, bound and helpless.”
“Even if we catch the culprit now, we can only detain them. The day we announce their crimes to the world is tomorrow. That is when the energy-suppressing shackles will be placed on their wrists.”
Even as he spoke, Go Gu felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Of course, we’ll have to gather every last piece of evidence before then.”
This was, in a manner of speaking, a sting operation. But without physical evidence, the plan was to capture him first, then find definitive proof overnight.
And if no evidence turned up even then?
That was when Seo Ryang planned to step in.
That was why Go Gu had shuddered at Seo Ryang’s plan.
That damned Third Young Master was trying to use not only the sting operation but the Festival of Papiyas itself.
And right in front of the Cult Leader, no less.
‘Then again, conducting a sting operation against someone who isn't even a member of the Divine Cult is problematic from the start.’
If he could, he wanted to crack open Seo Ryang’s skull and see what was inside.
How could the man come up with a plan that didn't just toe the line of the law, but plunged headfirst into a swamp of illegality?
“Therefore, the real showdown will be tomorrow.”
“I don’t mind. It’s a sight I want to see again and again.”
Go Gu gazed at her face for a moment, then nodded.
“Understood.”
“Will you be alright, Hall Head?”
“What do you mean?”
“Swooping in at the decisive moment to arrest the criminal… It might seem cunning at a glance, but once this becomes widely known, all the credit will go to the Third Young Master.”
“Meanwhile, the prestige of the Hall of Punishments will take quite a hit.”
“The Hall of Punishments is not an organization that prevents crimes, but one that deals with crimes that have already occurred and delivers punishment. It’s what we’ve always done, so there’s nothing new about it now.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“And…”
Go Gu looked off into the distance.
Toward the place where countless members of his Hall had erected a sound-dampening barrier to ensure the criminal could not escape.
“Isn’t it the truth? That the Third Young Master is the one who achieved this.”
“…”
“Though I’ll have to seriously consider whether I should be arresting the Third Young Master before we even talk about credit.”
* * *
Craaang!
Ma Dongpil was steadily pushed back by the aberration’s brutally powerful hand techniques.
But he showed no signs of panic. His opponent’s martial arts were formidable, but he, too, had grown strong enough.
Fwoosh!
Dispersing the impact with exquisite footwork, Ma Dongpil advanced and swung the Silent King Sword.
The movements—from retreat to halt to advance—were as natural as flowing water.
And fast. Not an ounce of power was wasted, and there was no wavering in his internal energy.
Boom!
Ma Dongpil faltered.
He had attempted a counterattack with a combination of footwork and swordplay, but his opponent was too strong.
Beyond mere skill, the gap in their internal energy was just too vast. A single wave of the hand stirred a typhoon; a single kick could send a boulder flying. The man was no different from a monster.
But still, Ma Dongpil did not panic.
Readjusting his posture with an impeccable sense of balance, he suddenly aimed for the aberration’s neck with a flurry of incredibly swift strikes.
Chiiiiing!
The Silent King Sword struck the creature’s forearm, producing the sound of metal on metal.
‘Incredible sword energy technique!’
This was no simple hand-blade. It was as if his entire arm, beyond just his hand, was as hard as a divine weapon. By concentrating all his internal energy into one arm, it was left without a single scratch even after clashing with the Silent King Sword.
Vwoooom!
An azure luminescence radiated from the aberration’s arm.
‘It’s coming.’
Fwhaaaa!
The hand-blade, swung like lightning, created a massive wave of blue sword energy.
Ma Dongpil’s eyes wavered.
The crescent-shaped wave of sword energy was overwhelming. It wasn't just its speed; the density of true energy concentrated within it was beyond imagination.
Blocking was impossible. He had to dodge this at all costs.
Ma Dongpil leaped high into the air.
Shffk!
The projected sword energy carved a massive scar into the earth.
It was a sword strike that pierced endlessly into the solid ground. It was so sharp that it made almost no sound.
Ma Dongpil’s judgment had been correct. If he had tried to block that attack, the Silent King Sword might have been fine, but his own two arms would have been severed at the very least.
Flash!
The aberration looked up into the air.
Ma Dongpil, suspended high above, was wide open. Unless one was a supreme master capable of Air-Walking, no one could move freely in the air.
Chiiiiing!
A dozen small crescents of energy formed around the aberration's arm, ready to be fired all at once to inflict a fatal wound on Ma Dongpil.
Just then, a blue demonic energy flickered on the Silent King Sword.
Darker and murkier than the aberration’s true energy, this was Ma Dongpil’s sword energy.
“Soul Sever, Heaven’s Return.”
Swiiiiish!
Ma Dongpil’s secret technique was quite similar to the aberration’s sword energy. The only difference was that his was smaller, yet gave off a thicker, more solid feeling.
The aberration swung its arm, sensing that this sword energy was anything but ordinary.
It was at that moment.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The aberration’s body staggered.
“Ganging up on one guy ain’t really my style, but what the hell!”
Wi Hongryeon, who had appeared out of nowhere, swung her Roaring Flame Sword again with a crazed laugh. Her attack was aimed at a position the aberration could evade.
In that instant, Ma Dongpil’s sword energy reached the space right before the aberration’s nose.
KRA-BOOM!
An explosion erupted.
It was different from the aberration’s sword energy. While Ma Dongpil’s was plenty sharp, his martial art itself was specialized more for solid, heavy power than for sharpness, and the resulting roar was deafening.
Fwoosh!
Wi Hongryeon landed beside Ma Dongpil.
“Did we get him?”
“Not a chance.”
“Shit, I knew it. That bastard’s body is as tough as ten-thousand-year-old cold iron.”
“Indeed.”
“By the way, when did you get so strong? It’s because of that sword, isn’t it? It has to be.”
Vzzzt!
From within the thick cloud of dust, an azure light began to glow intensely.
Ma Dongpil’s eyes flashed.
“This is no time for idle chatter!”
Whoosh!
Two streaks of sword energy shot through the dust, aiming for Ma Dongpil and Wi Hongryeon.
BOOOOM!
“Kugh!”
“Gahck!”
Ma Dongpil’s face turned pale. Wi Hongryeon, who had been thrown back five steps further than him, even coughed up blood.
This was the result of blocking just a single strike. Forget sharpness or heaviness; their levels of internal energy were simply different.
‘Power that overwhelms even enlightenment! If the quality and quantity of one’s internal energy are this dominant, even a master several levels higher is in danger.’
Fssshhh.
The aberration walked out, brushing aside the dust.
A blue light was already gathering in its hand—a sword energy even stronger and sharper than before.
“Sh-shit! What the hell is with that bastard? Does he have an infinite supply of internal energy?”
She sure could shout for someone who just coughed up blood. Proof that she was still kicking.
Thud.
The aberration slightly lowered its upper body.
Ma Dongpil’s eyes trembled. It was the first time his opponent had taken a proper stance.
It radiated the will to kill its enemy with all its might. And beyond that killing intent, an unconcealable greed flickered.
A greed directed at the Silent King Sword.
Fwoosh!
The moment the aberration seemed to move, Ma Dongpil also swung his sword.
Surprisingly, the technique he used was not his greatest art, but the Demon Warding Sword Style.
The Demon Warding Sword Style, the basic sword art of the Hall of Protectors.
While it could be called a first-rate art in its own right, it was not suitable for a life-or-death battle.
But Ma Dongpil had a reason for using it.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Craaang!
Sword energy clashed with sword energy.
Thwack!
Quickly slinging Wi Hongryeon over his shoulder, Ma Dongpil kicked the aberration and used the recoil to instantly create a distance of fifty feet.
‘As I thought.’
As his own state had risen, his perspective on martial arts had become much more fluid.
The Demon Warding Sword Style was not an exceptional art, but in terms of defense, it was more than worthy of being called a supreme sword style.
Its counterattacking forms were also excellent, and it was specialized for receiving an enemy’s attack while maintaining one’s own freedom of movement.
‘This is an opponent I cannot defeat. In that case…’
Flash!
A blue demonic energy flickered on the Silent King Sword. Dark and murky, his gently flowing sword energy was reminiscent of the deep sea.
‘I will protect.’
Kwang!
Ma Dongpil coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Fortunately, the internal injuries were not as severe as he had expected. He had managed to deflect nearly half of the aberration’s attack with the Demon Warding Sword Style.
‘It’s working. It’s possible. But…’
Rumble!
‘Young Master.’
Thwack!
‘I don’t think I can hold out for long.’
Watching the scene from afar, So Yeonsim asked anxiously.
“When on earth is the Third Young Master coming? He should have intervened and subdued that thing by now.”
Go Gu replied in a grim voice.
“He sent a message saying he had to go somewhere urgently. He said it wouldn’t take long and told them to hold out until then.”
“…Dammit!”
“Let’s trust him. He’s not an irresponsible man, is he?”
Another explosion roared.
Krrrr-RUMBLE!
Ma Dongpil and Wi Hongryeon were continuously forced back.
They couldn’t hope for Go Gu and So Yeonsim to join the fight.
If it became known that the Cult’s leadership was involved in this incident, the political landscape of the Demonic Path would be thrown into chaos.
That was why they had spread false information that they were both in their offices, attending to their duties.
The worst-case scenario was that the aberration would escape.
The two of them would only move then. They were, in a sense, the reserve force.
Of course, everyone believed without a doubt.
That a situation requiring the reserve force would never come to pass.
“Kaaaaah!”
The aberration’s shriek spread in all directions, only to be absorbed and silenced by the sound-dampening barrier.
But for Ma Dongpil and Wi Hongryeon standing before it, the sound was a tremendous threat. They realized the aberration was about to unleash its final blow.
“Dammit!”
It was then.
BOOOOM!
With a powerful shockwave, the aberration’s body was sent flying thirty feet backward.
Considering that the combined, all-out attack of the two of them had only made it stagger, the sight was almost laughable.
The gentle yet powerful martial art that had repelled the aberration. Its name was the Golden Net Divine Palm.
Ma Dongpil’s face brightened.
“Young Master!”
“Aren’t you tired of playing the role of a bodyguard who needs protecting by the one he’s supposed to guard?”
“…I am ashamed.”
“I’m just messing with you, man.”
Seo Ryang strode toward them from a distance.
Beneath his fluttering robes, one hand gripped the Dragon Scale Saber. A crimson Nine Hells Demonic Energy was already swirling around it.
“Sorry I’m late. Had to get something from some idiot.”
Whoooosh!
A fierce wind gathered around the Dragon Scale Saber.
Ma Dongpil’s eyes widened.
“Y-Young Master! You don’t intend to kill him, do you?”
“Are you crazy? If I kill that thing, what was the point of all our legwork? I’m definitely not killing it.”
“But that saber art…”
He didn’t know the name of the art, but he knew what that vicious storm of blades was. No master could emerge unscathed after facing that tremendous saber wind.
“That’s the problem.”
“Pardon?”
Seo Ryang’s gaze blazed.
“That’s why you two were pushed back so hard. Because without this much power, you can’t subdue that thing.”
“…!”
Kwang!
As Seo Ryang stomped his foot down hard, a commanding presence erupted from his body.
Perhaps feeling threatened by the impact, the aberration, which had already stood up, unleashed a terrifying killing intent.
Seo Ryang grinned.
“Ready for round two, you psycho?”
The aberration, Ji Yeonghyeon, let out a monstrous scream.
“Uwaaaah!!”
“Nice pipes!”
Krrrr-RUMBLE!
The fiery red saber and the chilling blue sword clashed head-on.