Chapter 47
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Gates of Hell Open (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘Damn it! Damn it!’
I must have been crazy. I was a fool to let my guard down just because we got a little friendly after that purification rite.
Seo Ryang, who had been shooting forward at an absurd speed, came to a quick stop and looked around.
A massive stone statue of a demon stood in the center, with paths branching out in all directions. This was the central plaza, the heart of the inner compound.
Seo Ryang closed his eyes and expanded his senses.
But…
“Damn it! How am I supposed to find her with this?!”
The inner compound was as vast as three or four villages combined. No matter how rapidly his martial arts had grown, it was impossible to find Wi Hongryeon in such a wide area with his senses alone.
‘She’s going to find the Commander of the True Demon Unit herself? She can’t do that alone. She must have sent her people, right?’
Should I head to the Berserk Demon Unit’s barracks, then? Huh? But where are their barracks?
‘No! That damn troublemaker was itching for a fight so badly she wouldn’t have been thinking straight. She wouldn’t have sent her subordinates; she’d be running around looking for him herself.’
If that was the case, heading toward the True Demon Unit’s area was the right move. She would have gone there first to raise hell.
‘…No, that’s not it. If she had caused a commotion there, I would have at least felt a faint trace of fighting spirit.’
It wasn't just one or two people; it was an organization of over two hundred. If they had unleashed their demonic energy as a group, there was no way he wouldn't have noticed.
‘Should I rough up the members of the Berserk Demon Unit first? Don’t tell me…’
Seo Ryang bit his lip.
‘…She wouldn’t be so worked up that she’d be lying in wait at a tavern to lure him out.’
Just then, Ma Dongpil came running from a distance.
“Huff… huff! Young Master!”
He was only now catching up, a testament to how fast Seo Ryang had been moving. Even with a constitution of steel forged in the Solitary Bamboo Forest, he couldn't help but be out of breath.
Seo Ryang shouted.
“Dongpil! Where’s the Berserk Demon Unit?!”
“The, the Berserk Demon Unit, you ask? If you head northeast, you’ll see the inner compound’s unit assembly markers. If you read the sign there…”
“I’m going to their barracks! You go and search every tavern in the area!”
“What?!”
“Shut up and get moving!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
*Fwoosh!*
Seo Ryang was already gone before Ma Dongpil could finish, his face contorted with urgency.
‘You bitch! If I find you fishing for a fight in a tavern, I’ll break both your legs!’
Still, one thing was certain: it wouldn't be the Zami-ru. If she had any common sense, she wouldn't try to bait him there again.
“Dongpil! Skip the Zami-ru and check the other taverns first! Got it?!”
“As you command!”
* * *
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other one-on-one, hasn’t it?”
*Krrrrrrk!*
Sword met sword with a bizarre, grating sound. The two blades, locked in a stalemate with neither willing to yield an inch, trembled faintly.
Song Gyeong growled.
“Wi. Hong. Ryeon.”
“That damn mouth of yours still stinks.”
*Boom!*
Wi Hongryeon leaped back several paces. Song Gyeong did the same.
*Wooooong!*
A powerful demonic energy enveloped Song Gyeong’s longsword.
The blade quivered violently as if he intended to go all out from the start. The demonic energy that erupted in an instant spread in all directions, creating a menacing atmosphere.
Wi Hongryeon smirked.
“How did you manage to hold back at that money-grubbing affair? You wanted to kill me so badly.”
“Shut up!”
*Booom!*
He unleashed his movement technique at full power, charging across the short distance.
It was a frenzied charge, a desperate gamble to take her down with him. For Song Gyeong, who considered a long, cautious life the highest virtue, this uncharacteristic attack revealed just how much he wanted Wi Hongryeon dead.
“Hah!”
With a short laugh, Wi Hongryeon charged to meet him.
*Craaaash!*
The two swords collided, producing a deafening explosion that rattled the eardrums.
Typically, a woman’s martial arts were more delicate and ethereal than a man’s.
The demonic martial world was no different. It wasn't a difference in the arts themselves, but in the physical differences between men and women, and the temperaments shaped by society.
In that respect, Wi Hongryeon was certainly a unique woman.
Her swordsmanship, which shattered all conventions of a woman’s martial arts, was even more ferocious and savage than Song Gyeong’s. It was an art befitting the Commander of the Berserk Demon Unit, specialized not only for direct confrontation but also for chaotic brawls.
Song Gyeong’s face twisted.
*Clang! Cla-clang!*
The swords clashed dozens of times in mid-air.
The flashing brilliance was as intense as the sun. The shockwaves generated by the colliding blades cracked the alley walls and sent stone fragments flying from the ground.
*Woooong.*
Wi Hongryeon’s pupils turned blue.
The true release of the Azure Profound Demonic Art. A deep blue luster emanated from her signature weapon, the Fang Sword.
She swung her sword and shouted.
“Take this, you bastard!”
*Rumble!*
The barrage of savage sword energy sent Song Gyeong staggering backward.
It was a technique that compressed and fired several layers of sword energy. The Great Phantom Beast Sword Style wasn't meant to cut or pierce, but to obliterate its target with sheer destructive power.
Song Gyeong grinned.
“Good! This is more like it!”
“Don’t act tough, you bastard! Your legs are shaking!”
*Rumble!*
This time, it was Wi Hongryeon who was forced back.
Her Azure Profound Demonic Art and Great Phantom Beast Sword Style were met with his Frost Heaven Demonic Power and Snow Mountain Ghost Sword.
While Wi Hongryeon’s demonic arts and swordsmanship were techniques forged through gritted teeth in real combat, Song Gyeong’s Frost Heaven Arts were renowned as the orthodox demonic studies of the Divine Cult.
In terms of purity, the Frost Heaven Arts were a step above. In terms of unpredictability and killing power, the Azure Profound and Phantom Beast styles were superior. Since their levels of mastery were similar, the fight was naturally destined to be a long one.
And they both knew this better than anyone.
“Just fucking die already!”
“You die, you son of a bitch!”
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Craaaack!*
As time passed, their sword techniques grew more and more violent.
There was no evasion, no parrying. Delicacy was nowhere to be found in this chaotic brawl of mad swings.
The battle itself was a testament to their accumulated rage for one another. Even warriors far weaker than them would never engage in such a reckless fight, knowing the consequences of such a head-on clash.
*Drip.*
Blood trickled from the corner of Wi Hongryeon’s mouth. Song Gyeong, too, had a stream of blood running from his nose.
It wasn't from an external blow. They had suffered internal injuries from failing to withstand the powerful shockwaves.
But neither had any intention of backing down. In fact, they weren't even aware of how injured they were.
Their consciousness was focused on a single goal: the complete annihilation of their opponent.
*Splaaash!*
External wounds followed the internal ones. A long gash was carved across Song Gyeong’s chest.
His eyes became bloodshot.
*Crack!*
Wi Hongryeon’s head snapped to the side. Song Gyeong’s leg had kicked her in the face.
*Thwack!*
Their fists, aimed at each other, met squarely in mid-air. Both were thrown back a full thirty feet.
“Hah! Hah!”
“Hoo! Hoo!”
Their breathing was ragged, their energy chaotic.
But their killing intent and madness only grew with time. The battle, though short, had been so fierce that cultists were beginning to poke their heads out.
“What’s going on?”
“Whoa! Hey, watch out!”
*Thwump!*
A chunk of stone flew out and embedded itself in a building wall.
“Ugh! I almost died!”
“What kind of crazy bastards are fighting at this hour—!”
In that instant, the eyes of Wi Hongryeon and Song Gyeong flashed.
*Booooom!*
Half of a building’s roof was blown away. The two had unleashed their sword energy in unison.
“Shut your mouths, you bastards!”
“Shove your heads back in if you don’t want to die!”
The cultists’ faces contorted.
“Who do those two think they are…”
“Hey! Shh! Shut up! Get over here!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“It’s the Commander of the Berserk Demon Unit and the Commander of the True Demon Unit!”
“Gasp!”
Finally realizing who the two were, the cultists hastily retreated.
Watching a fight might be the most entertaining thing in the world, but it wasn't worth losing your life over.
A clean death would be a blessing; getting on the wrong side of these two would mean ending up as fish food, likely while still alive.
The curious cultists scattered like cockroaches.
Wi Hongryeon laughed and roughly wiped the blood from her lips.
“Can you still go on?”
“That’s my line!”
“But before we start round two, can I ask one thing?”
“What? Getting winded already?”
“Is your one remaining ball doing okay?”
“You crazy bitch!”
*Booooom!*
Wi Hongryeon coughed up a mouthful of blood. This last blow had been so powerful that she had failed to dissipate most of the impact.
*Thud!*
But Song Gyeong, the attacker, couldn't follow up. The middle finger of his left hand was now bent back at a grotesque angle.
A sharp spike of pain made his rage falter. Wi Hongryeon’s reflexes, which had allowed her to block his follow-up attack with that single breath, were truly worthy of praise.
*Crunch.*
Wi Hongryeon’s eyes narrowed. Song Gyeong was baring his teeth in a grin as he popped his dislocated finger back into place.
She knew very well how much that must have hurt. It seemed his hatred for his opponent was so great that even pain was of little consequence.
*Craaaash!*
With a brutal charge, the two became a single entity, smashing through the outer wall of a building. Unfortunately for them, it was the first floor of the Zami-ru, which was currently under renovation.
It was a stroke of luck that the place was empty due to the construction.
“Die! Die! Dieee!”
He grabbed her by the collar and stabbed at her relentlessly, but Wi Hongryeon somehow managed to dodge every thrust. Her reflexes were truly godlike.
A look of elation appeared in Song Gyeong’s eyes.
‘I’ve got her!’
He hadn't landed a decisive blow, but he was undeniably pushing her back. He had gained a slight advantage.
‘Finally! A day like this has finally come!’
The Fourth Young Master had ordered him to bring Wi Hongryeon to the Hall of Punishments. In other words, the order presupposed her survival.
But Song Gyeong had no intention of following that pathetic excuse for an order. He planned to use this opportunity to tear her to shreds.
“I’ll turn you into jerky while you’re still alive and feed you to the fish—!”
It happened then.
He felt no particular presence, no killing intent, yet a chill ran down his spine.
An extremely unpleasant sense of crisis, and fear.
‘That look in her eyes…?’
Even while on the defensive, her eyes held an unexplainable ease.
No, they were closer to eyes that were rejoicing, as if to say, ‘This is perfect.’
‘I’ve seen those eyes somewhere before…’
…Ah?
“Keuk!”
*Fwoosh!*
Song Gyeong threw himself backward. He retreated so hastily that he shattered half a dozen tables and chairs on the first floor.
“What a shame.”
Wi Hongryeon flexed her foot. Her leg, extended with fluid grace, was level with Song Gyeong’s head.
“It seemed unbalanced, so I was going to shatter the other one for you.”
“…”
Her horrifying words, uttered so casually, would have made any man, young or old, shiver in terror. She looked like an incarnation of the Heavenly Demon Papiyas, the very being the Divine Cult worshipped.
*Zzzzziiing!*
A blue radiance bloomed from Wi Hongryeon’s fist. It had consumed a significant amount of internal energy, but not so much that she couldn't continue this life-or-death battle.
“Shall we begin again?”
*Rustle.*
Song Gyeong rose from the broken pieces of a table, the whites of his eyes no longer visible.
“You will die today.”
His fury had reached such a peak that he had become eerily calm.
Wi Hongryeon smiled, her teeth flashing white.
“I’ll finish bursting it for you.”
A moment of silence.
*Fwoooosh!*
The two charged at each other once more.
Amidst an atmosphere several times more ferocious than before, the clash between the two combat unit commanders was reaching its climax.