Chapter 57
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: A Tyrant Can Also Be a Hero (2)
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*Slice!*
A chunk of Hong Wi-mun’s hair was sheared off.
*Rip!*
Seo Ryang’s sleeve was torn open.
‘Quite impressive.’
Hong Wi-mun’s martial arts, with his King of Slaughter Demonic Arts fully unleashed, were truly formidable. At a glance, it seemed as if he had been completely consumed by the demonic art, but that wasn't the case at all.
Though his movements were more beast than martial artist, his body completely stained in violet, Hong Wi-mun’s mind was exceptionally clear. It was just that a fierce rage and bloodlust, as clear as his mind, had consumed him.
He swung his hand.
*Crash!*
The side of a building’s roof was torn away and sent flying.
It was truly incredible power. To be able to produce such destructive force with a single claw strike, he could easily be called a master a cut above Wi Hongryeon or Song Gyeong.
If his opponent had been Wi Hongryeon or Song Gyeong, he could have killed them within ten exchanges. Though Hong Wi-mun was a notch above them, he was no difficult opponent for Seo Ryang, who walked a much higher path.
The problem was that Hong Wi-mun had mastered a more advanced demonic art than those two. And that demonic art was making the environment quite tricky.
‘What an annoying bastard.’
*Fwoosh!*
In an instant, Seo Ryang slipped into Hong Wi-mun’s guard and grabbed him by the collar.
Even with his eyes wide open, Hong Wi-mun couldn't see how he had moved. His hands reflexively gripped Seo Ryang’s wrist.
‘Not here, you fool.’
*Crack!*
Seo Ryang’s feet dug three inches into the ground.
*Boom!*
Seo Ryang moved again, still gripping Hong Wi-mun’s collar.
*Crrrack!*
The veins on Seo Ryang’s forearm bulged. Hong Wi-mun, caught by the collar, was thrashing about like a madman.
‘This son of a bitch!’
*Slice!*
A long gash appeared on Hong Wi-mun’s cheek. He had dodged the blade aimed to pierce him with an almost bestial instinct.
*Craaack!*
As if in revenge, Hong Wi-mun’s fist struck Seo Ryang in the chest, making his body tremble.
A surge of anger rose with the sharp pain. He couldn't understand why he had to go through such trouble just to catch this one devious man.
‘Dammit! They’re all just a bunch of demonic bastards anyway, who cares if they get swept up in this!’
But a thought was just a thought.
Now that he had realized that demonic practitioners were people too, he couldn't let innocent bystanders get involved. Besides, wasn't he the one who had attacked first?
Just then, Hong Wi-mun’s right hand struck Seo Ryang’s side.
*Thwack!*
‘Ugh.’
Impressive. The destructive force was so strong that if not for the energy barrier of the Dark Shadow True Demonic Art, he would have suffered a severe internal injury.
But Hong Wi-mun had been aiming for something else.
*Stab!*
Seo Ryang’s eyes wavered. Hong Wi-mun’s index finger had pierced his side.
*F-f-f-fwoosh!*
The two figures trembled violently before crashing to the ground.
*Thud! Crack!*
They were thrown apart in opposite directions.
Hong Wi-mun was the first to leap to his feet. Thanks to the overflowing demonic energy, he felt neither pain nor shock.
Seo Ryang was different.
*Hiss!*
A stream of violet energy flowed from his side. Hong Wi-mun had directly injected his serpent's venom into the wound pierced by his finger.
“Is it painful?”
Hong Wi-mun spoke for the first time during the battle. It meant he had regained his composure.
“I injected the poison directly into your body. If you try to burn it away with demonic energy, your organs will cook as well.”
*Fwoooom.*
A thick, violet demonic energy gathered in both of his hands.
He prioritized the venom over raw power. His intention was to slowly and painfully corner his opponent.
“You made a mistake touching me.”
*Fwoooosh!*
Hong Wi-mun swung his palms. He had decided there was no need to get close.
*Boom!*
Seo Ryang’s body flinched. He had been struck squarely by the Snake Shadow Poison Palm.
Hong Wi-mun was not satisfied with just one hit.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
As Seo Ryang’s body repeatedly jerked, a violet poisonous mist began to rise around him where he lay.
It was a fog created by the serpent's venom from the Snake Shadow Poison Palm accumulating inside Seo Ryang’s body.
As if he had made up his mind, Hong Wi-mun launched dozens of lethal poison palms.
*Boom! Boom! Thud!*
Soon, Seo Ryang’s figure became invisible to the naked eye. A violet poison mist, spanning a radius of twenty feet, had completely erased him from sight.
*Chiiiing!*
Hong Wi-mun withdrew his Snake Shadow Poison Palm.
Growing sharp, pitch-black nails once more, he smirked. He couldn't remember the last time he had smiled so genuinely.
“I won’t kill you right away. Try living as a cripple.”
“*Gack!*”
Just then, the sound of someone vomiting blood came from within the mist.
*Fwoosh!*
Hong Wi-mun charged forward.
He didn't let his guard down just because his opponent was weak. He had found his composure, but he wouldn't become complacent and miss his chance.
Incapacitate the opponent with poison and then devour them. His actions were no different from a venomous snake.
*Whoosh!*
Entering the mist, Hong Wi-mun could pinpoint Seo Ryang’s location precisely.
Through the hazy vision, he saw the sight of Seo Ryang, collapsed forward, spitting up blood.
‘Farewell, you tiresome bastard.’
Hong Wi-mun struck out with his Black Bone Snake Shadow Hand, aiming for Seo Ryang’s shin.
It was then.
*Crack!*
‘Huh?’
What? Where did Seo Ryang go?
‘This bastard again?!’
Did he still have energy left?
As he hurriedly looked around, Hong Wi-mun suddenly felt a sharp pain rising from his forearm.
Looking down at his right arm, his eyes widened.
“Uh…?”
The joint was bent backward.
‘Why is it broken?’
*Whoooooosh!!*
In that moment, the poison mist that had covered the area began to swirl, caught in a whirlwind rising from the ground.
The wind speed was incredible. The gusting gale instantly compressed the poison mist and sent it flying high into the sky.
His vision cleared, and the stuffy air became fresh and cool.
But it didn't take long for that cool air to vanish without a trace.
*Fwoooosh!*
The blazing demonic energy sucked in the air, erupting with even greater firepower.
*Crackle! Sizzle!*
Crimson lightning whipped around the flames. The one emitting this magnificent demonic energy, enough to intimidate anyone, was none other than Seo Ryang.
“Ptui!”
Spitting out the last of the poison along with blood-tinged saliva, he pointed his saber toward the sky.
*Wooooong!*
A crimson sphere glowed brilliantly at the tip of the saber.
Seo Ryang let out a sharp cry.
“Hah!”
*Boooooom!*
The crimson sphere shot high into the sky, and upon touching the poison mist, it spread in all directions like a spark falling on oil-soaked paper.
*Fwoooosh!*
The violet poison mist completely evaporated. The mist that Hong Wi-mun had painstakingly built up had vanished so futilely.
“You little shit, you were so annoyingly sneaky, and now I see your martial arts are just like your personality.”
Hong Wi-mun couldn't understand.
“How…?”
“What? Oh, this?”
Seo Ryang touched his own side.
“It’s not even that serious of a wound.”
It was a very serious wound.
The abdomen is dangerous because it houses the internal organs. The human body's internal pressure is incredibly strong, so if a hole is made, the organs try to spill out.
On top of that, a lethal dose of highly toxic serpent's venom had been poured in. Dozens of times.
It was a fatal wound among fatal wounds, one that even a great immortal would hesitate to treat.
“I’m the kind of guy whose work ethic is so strong, I can smile and eliminate my target even with broken limbs and a few holes in my stomach.”
“Wh-what did you say?!”
“This is just a scratch, you punk!”
*Booooom!*
Instantly closing the distance, Seo Ryang swung his saber.
His footwork and his slash were both too fast. Hong Wi-mun quickly executed the Flood Dragon Steps.
*Crack!*
“Keuk!”
Blood burst from Hong Wi-mun’s mouth. Seo Ryang had kicked him in the face.
Just like when his arm was broken, he hadn't seen how he'd been hit.
“That’s not how you use footwork.”
Sparks flew from Hong Wi-mun’s eyes.
*Fwoosh!*
His left hand shot up diagonally from a short distance. Despite being an impromptu move, the form of his Black Bone Snake Shadow Hand was perfectly executed.
Seo Ryang swung his saber mercilessly.
*Slice!*
“Argh!”
The middle and ring fingers were severed by a joint, and the nails of his index and pinky fingers were half-torn off. The pain was enough to force a scream.
His swift response was surprising, but the delicate saber work was beyond surprising; it was dazzling. To swing a four-foot-long saber at such a close range was in itself a feat.
Seo Ryang’s face turned cold.
“You’re finished.”
*Thwack!*
Hong Wi-mun’s body flew backward.
The distance was just right. Most of the poison had dissipated, so there would be no secondary damage from poisoned blood even if he used his saber.
Seo Ryang aimed his saber at the staggering Hong Wi-mun.
*Crackle!*
Red lightning flickered from the blade. And an formless wind hovered around it.
Smoothly, naturally, and for the first time in a long while, he unleashed his secret technique.
“Wind Blade.”
*Whoooooosh!!*
A gale blew once more.
A wind of internal energy, unrelated to the weather, a terrifying saber wind, blew from all directions, clawing at Hong Wi-mun’s body.
*Slash-slash-slash! Fwoosh!*
No one can block the wind. Cuts appeared all over Hong Wi-mun’s body. Thanks to the King of Slaughter Demonic Arts, he wasn’t torn to shreds, but the wounds were not to be ignored.
But Seo Ryang’s attack had only just begun.
“Wintry Wind.”
*Riiiiip!*
The muscles on Hong Wi-mun’s back were torn open in a long gash.
“Guuuh!”
The pain of having muscles ripped raw is difficult to describe. It was a rugged wound, as if struck by an axe, not a saber.
*Rip! Riiip!*
Deep gashes were carved into his thigh, chest, and then his shoulder. Even the energy barrier of the King of Slaughter Demonic Arts couldn't block it.
“Nine-Fold Wind.”
*P-p-p-p-pak!*
Hong Wi-mun’s body shook uncontrollably.
One stance, nine forms; one form, nine strikes. The Nine-Fold Wind was a chain of slashes in itself. Not even the user knew which part of the body the next attack would target.
Hong Wi-mun’s body was covered in blood. The intense demonic energy immediately staunched the bleeding, but the amount of blood lost in that short time was significant, and the internal damage was not to be underestimated.
Seo Ryang’s saber danced.
“Wind of Death, Raging Wind.”
*Whooooooosh! Th-th-th-thud!*
“Aaaargh!!”
It was the loudest, most desperate scream he had let out so far. It was a pain and terror that pride or endurance could not withstand.
Seo Ryang’s eyes, glaring at him, slowly narrowed like those of a demon.
*Click!*
Now holding the saber with both hands, he swung the final stance of the chain art.
“Heavenly Wind Slaughtering Art.”
*Fwoooom!*
If the wind had weight, this wind pouring down from the high heavens would be like a house-sized steel ball.
And in the path of that large, heavy wind stood the staggering Hong Wi-mun.
*Th-th-th-thwack!*
Invisible blades rode on the clear, cool wind.
And Hong Wi-mun’s body, where that wind had passed?
*Fushaaaa!*
Spewing a large amount of blood, Hong Wi-mun’s form swayed.
*Thud!*
Finally, Hong Wi-mun fell to his knees.
As he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes were blank and unfocused.
‘What is this?’
What in the world was this martial art?
It was just a pure saber wind, without any sharp saber energy or overwhelming demonic aura, so why couldn't the King of Slaughter Demonic Arts block it? No, was this even a martial art in the first place?
*Slump.*
His vision darkened. On the ground that had seemed only red, he saw two unfamiliar feet.
‘Seo Ryang…’
A chill ran down the back of his neck. Seo Ryang had placed his saber on his shoulder.
“Any last words?”
Last words.
The words a person leaves right before they die. Far neater and more chilling than any curse-laden threat, the phrase made Hong Wi-mun’s pupils tremble.
‘Die? Me?’
He had never once imagined he would die like this. Even if he failed to seize power, he had always thought his end would be grand and tragic, in front of everyone.
To be defeated and forced to his knees in a one-on-one death match that didn't even feel like a proper duel? He was dumbfounded by this ridiculously empty conclusion.
“Thought so. What is there to say, anyway?”
*Wooooooong!*
A powerful demonic pulse flowed along the surface of the blade.
Seo Ryang’s gaze turned icy.
“That’s what dying is like. A person’s life scatters as emptily as the smoke from the cigarettes you used to puff on.”
“……!”
“Farewell.”
Seo Ryang swung the saber down.