Chapter 133
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: There's No Set Time for Learning (3)
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Mobilize the troops and strike the inner court. You have permission to kill any who resist.
Jong Risan was taken aback by the sudden command. How could he issue an order to attack the inner court, no matter how disrespectfully the other party had acted?
But Wi Hongryeon neither panicked nor hesitated.
*Wheeeet!*
A sharp whistle, laced with internal energy.
Simultaneously, a terrifying demonic energy began to surge in the distance. It was the perilous aura emanating from the Second Squad of the Berserk Demon Unit.
Jo Yang, who had been gasping in shock, gritted his teeth and pushed himself up.
“You...!”
*Crack!*
Jo Yang, who had barely managed to get up, collapsed again. Struck by the heavy scabbard of the Tiger Roar Sword, it seemed he wouldn't wake for half a day.
*Fwoosh!*
Wi Hongryeon shot forward.
Having consumed the elixir from the Valley of Faint Fragrance and opened all the energy channels in her body, her martial arts were completely different from before. While her finesse had somewhat diminished from being unable to control her overflowing power, the aura she emanated was far more intense.
*Chaaang!*
The drawn Tiger Roar Sword, an ancient and malevolent weapon, radiated an extraordinary aura.
With the sword drawn, it was too late to resolve the situation peacefully. Jong Risan slammed his spear into the ground.
*Kooong! Flash!*
A dark blue demonic energy erupted from the silver longspear, the Sea Dragon Spear. The force, seeming powerful enough to tear the sky asunder, even made Wi Hongryeon's advancing figure falter.
Jong Risan shouted in his characteristically deep voice.
“Sea King! Relay the order to the Third Division!”
*Rumble!*
As his power surged like a tidal wave, fine cracks spread across the ground where he stood. His voice, carrying the full weight of that power, reached the Sea King Guard waiting outside the Fighting King House.
A look of surprise spread across Ma Dongpil's face.
*'Incredible.'*
He had gauged the level of the Seven Houses' lords after seeing the Lord of the Demonic Sword House and the Lord of the Red Snake House.
Jong Risan was different from the lords he had seen so far. Their realms were similar, but their dispositions were completely different. When he fully unleashed his demonic arts, it became difficult to breathe.
“I'll leave this place to Guard Ma.”
*Fwoosh!*
Tossing out the brief remark, Jong Risan executed a movement technique and vanished. He intended to block the Fighting King House's forces approaching the inner court.
Ma Dongpil unknowingly tightened his grip on the Silent King Sword.
Even without Jong Risan's words, he had to protect this place. The young master was engaged in a fierce battle in the distance.
But he felt a strange sensation.
None other than a lord of the Seven Houses was entrusting this place to him. It was a level of trust he had never received as the Third Squad Leader of the Hall of Protectors.
*'It's not just because my position has changed.'*
Jong Risan, too, had seen through to Ma Dongpil's level. Though he had yet to draw his sword, Ma Dongpil was skilled enough to be considered reliable even in the eyes of a lord of the Seven Houses.
Ma Dongpil's eyes hardened with determination.
*'Young Master.'*
*KABOOOM!*
It was Jo Gwang who was sent flying back with a deafening explosion.
His distorted face was filled with dismay. His hair was disheveled, and his lower garments were torn and scorched in places. He was in a sorry state for the lord of a house.
*Whoosh!*
Seo Ryang emerged, cutting through the thick cloud of dust.
His eyes, gripping the Dragon Scale Saber with both hands, radiated a chilling killing intent.
*Flash! Krrrrrumble!*
Even dodging was difficult. It wasn't just the speed; the crushing pressure of the saber made it hard to move his body freely.
Jo Gwang, using all his strength, once again escaped the saber's path.
“Can you not stop this instant!”
Without a word, Seo Ryang flicked his left hand. It was a light motion, as if brushing away a flying insect.
Jo Gwang, who had been preparing to counterattack, unable to guess his opponent's intention, was soon startled.
*Pooow!*
Jo Gwang flailed and staggered back a dozen steps.
*'Hidden energy?!'*
It was definitely hidden energy, but on a completely different level from the ordinary kind. It was twice as subtle as usual, and the speed at which it was projected, like a long-range palm strike, was also much faster.
But the most astonishing thing was its absurd explosive power. If he hadn't instinctively erected a barrier of internal energy, one of his internal organs would have been shattered.
“Why?”
*Whap!*
Closing the considerable distance in just three steps, Seo Ryang's fist aimed for Jo Gwang's chest.
“I thought you liked to fight?”
*Pooow!*
Jo Gwang's body wavered.
“So I'm joining you!”
“You bastard!”
*P-p-p-pow!*
Seo Ryang's left sleeve burst apart. It was the price for blocking Jo Gwang's lightning-fast fist.
*'Hmph!'*
*Fweee!*
Spinning like a top, Seo Ryang executed the Dark Dragon Kick.
The Dark Dragon Kick wasn't a series of short, quick strikes, but a technique that struck with the grand, heavy force of a writhing dragon.
It wasn't the kind of martial art one would use against Jo Gwang, whose reaction speed was exceptionally fast. Yet, for some reason, Jo Gwang couldn't avoid the heavy blow of the Dark Dragon Kick.
*THWACK!*
Jo Gwang's eyes became bloodshot.
A sharp pain shot through both arms that had blocked the kick. The impact was so heavy that the shock lingered intensely, enough to shake his entire upper body.
*'This reckless brat!'*
*Ssssk.*
Like a snake slithering secretly through the grass, or a leaf falling without a sound.
Reaching Jo Gwang's face from a low stance, Seo Ryang swung the Dragon Scale Saber upward.
*Splurt!*
Finally, a saber wound was carved into Jo Gwang's body. The gash, running from his lower left abdomen to his shoulder, was deeper than expected.
Of course, Jo Gwang didn't just take the hit.
*Rat-a-tat-tat! Crack!*
His lightning-fast Twelve-Chain Kick struck Seo Ryang's body. He deflected half with the flat of his saber, but the other half landed squarely.
Seo Ryang staggered back.
Jo Gwang, about to press his advantage, suddenly bent over as blood rushed up his throat.
“Uweeegh!”
The amount of blood he vomited was no small matter.
Seo Ryang smiled, though the pain from the blows threatened to twist his expression.
“You can't let your guard down. This is a fight for your life.”
“You...!”
A small hole had appeared in Jo Gwang's side. It was the mark left by Seo Ryang's finger wind, fired at the brief opening Jo Gwang had shown while executing his Twelve-Chain Kick.
It wasn't just a simple finger wind. Though he lacked the time to imbue it with even a tenth of its full power, it was a finger wind that carried the principles of the Mountain-Shattering Energy.
Because it contained such a high-level martial principle, the finger wind's speed was slow. As Seo Ryang had said, it was an attack he wouldn't have allowed to hit if he hadn't been careless.
In the end, Jo Gwang spat out a childish curse he had never once uttered before.
“You cheap bastard!”
“What's cheap or not cheap in a fight?”
“Shut up! Did you really think you'd get away with causing such a ruckus in our main house's inner court?!”
“Yeah.”
“W-What did you say?”
*Krrrrrumble!*
Seo Ryang's body became invisible, shrouded in red demonic energy.
Anyone encountering the Gate-Piercing Heavenly Manifestation form of the Nine Hells Demonic Art for the first time was bound to be flustered. The amount of demonic energy released in an instant would double, leaving them dumbfounded.
“The higher-ups have ordered your house to be sealed.”
“...?!”
“Everyone in the demonic martial world knows of the Fighting King Demonic House's hot-blooded nature. All I have to do is report that the Fighting King Demonic House refused the order to be sealed and initiated a violent conflict.”
Horror dawned on Jo Gwang's face.
He never imagined the word 'sealed' would come from the mouth of this young inspector.
“S-Sealed? What are you talking about!”
“Are you curious?”
*Clank!*
Seo Ryang readjusted his grip on the Dragon Scale Saber.
*Whoooooosh!*
In the renewed storm of blades, a surprisingly dense, cold air emerged. He had skipped the second stance, the Ultimate Avici Saber, and moved on to the third stance, the Blood-Weeping Great Crimson Lotus.
“If we had talked calmly, I would have satisfied your curiosity. A shame.”
“You brat! Explain yourself this instant!”
“Be quiet!”
*Flash!*
For a moment, Jo Gwang's eyes wavered.
*'He vanished...?'*
He had always prided himself that, aside from the Ten Great Masters of the World and the Nine Demonic Sovereigns, no one was faster than him in movement techniques.
But that pride was shattered in an instant. Even if his composure was shaken, to completely lose track of his opponent's movements?!
*Fwoooosh!*
A fierce, cold energy blasted from his upper right.
Jo Gwang's right arm moved instinctively. It was the Mountain-Piercing Thunderclap Fist, the pride of the Fighting King Demonic House.
*K-k-k-krackle!*
Frost formed on his right arm. However, the power of the Mountain-Piercing Thunderclap Fist was formidable, and the storm of freezing hell quickly lost its strength.
'...?!'
Jo Gwang's eyes wavered.
*'Why isn't the attack coming?'*
He had faced this nameless saber art once before. The blizzard of blades that had swept in after the unprecedented fiery power... if he hadn't exploited an opening to dodge, he would have been shattered into ice fragments.
But there was no attack.
The biting cold remained, but the storm of blades that should have accompanied it was absent.
*Shudder!*
Jo Gwang's head snapped to the left.
Seo Ryang, now empty-handed, had grabbed his left arm. After moving to the upper right, he had left only the Dragon Scale Saber behind and once again executed the Earth-Shrinking footwork.
*C-crack!*
He resisted his elbow being bent backward with sheer strength.
The demonic arts of the Fighting King Demonic House focused on maximizing the body's efficiency more than other martial arts. Though their physiques might seem smaller than others, they possessed far greater muscular strength than those with hulking frames.
That's why their reaction speed was fast, and with that speed, they pursued simplicity. There was no need to add complexity to martial arts that were already extremely fast and sufficiently powerful.
Seo Ryang's eyes flashed.
“Ugh-aaah!”
*K-k-krackle!*
“Kuaargh!”
But even such monstrous strength was useless against Seo Ryang.
Seo Ryang was a master of the killing arts, capable of killing a person with a single needle, without any internal energy. If their strength was evenly matched, there was no way to defeat Seo Ryang, who had a far better understanding of the human body's structure and nervous system.
*Thwack!*
Struck by a kick as well, Jo Gwang fell flat on his back.
*Whoosh! Thud!*
The Dragon Scale Saber, falling through the air, was caught by Seo Ryang's hand.
Just then, the shouts of the cultists could be heard from the distance.
“It seems to have begun.”
Jo Gwang gritted his teeth. His face was pale blue from his broken arm and the energy that had invaded it.
“Explain! Why in the world are you sealing our house?!”
The fight was no longer important to him. His house, which had stood for hundreds of years, was facing its first-ever sealing. This was no time for brawling.
“Are you curious?”
“You baaastard!”
“If you're curious, give an order to your men. Tell them all to stand by.”
“What?!”
Seo Ryang tapped his left shoulder, where an epaulet was fastened, bearing the characters for 'Chief Inspector of the Divine Cult'.
“Sealing is sealing, and inspection is inspection. I have not yet properly inspected your house. The Sealing Order will be carried out after the inspection is complete.”
Jo Gwang's jaw dropped.
“You probably know this, but since you don't seem to be in your right mind, I'll tell you: if you refuse the inspection, the matter will be reported directly to the Cult Leader.”
“...!”
“And you know very well what will happen to your house then, don't you?”
*Wooooong.*
The red light on the Dragon Scale Saber intensified. A red haze shimmered around the saber, where demonic energy was excessively concentrated.
“It was the same with the Red Snake House, and the same with the Giant Whale House. I gave them a choice. So, I will give your house a choice as well.”
Seo Ryang said coldly.
“To be sealed, or to be annihilated?”
“...”
“Choose, right here, right now.”
Jo Gwang made his choice.
***
As they were leaving the Fighting King House, Seo Ryang spoke.
“Lord.”
“Speak.”
“I must still visit the remaining four houses.”
“...”
“After I have visited all the other places, could you accompany me to just one more?”
“Where would that be?”
“The Red Snake House.”
“...!”
Seo Ryang's gaze deepened.
“If it was the place that opened the gates for this special inspection, it is only fitting that it be the place to conclude the inspection of the Seven Houses.”