Club Upheaval (4)
No Gae-cheol stood in front of the shattered glass window in the club restroom.
Looking at his battered face made his rage boil over. Smashing the mirror wasn't enough to vent it.
Lee Jung-tae had gotten beaten too, but he'd take it out on No Gae-cheol. After all, it was No Gae-cheol who'd brought that woman. If Lee Jung-tae lost it and went berserk, No Gae-cheol wouldn't be able to handle him. He wasn't exactly polite himself, but Lee Jung-tae was the undisputed king of rudeness.
"Fuck! This sucks."
With so many broken teeth, his speech was slurred, and every word brought unbearable pain.
Just then, someone entered the restroom—a young man who looked so innocently naive he seemed a bit dim.
"Get lost, you punk!"
No Gae-cheol assumed he was club staff. He'd seen the other customers chased out by the Murim Alliance warriors earlier.
"I said get out, you retarded fuck!"
His slurred words must have been unintelligible, because the man kept coming inside.
No Gae-cheol, looking for someone to take out his anger on, thought it was perfect timing.
"Ugh! Just die!"
No Gae-cheol swung at the man. Loaded with internal energy, it was an attack he absolutely shouldn't use on a civilian. He couldn't control his surging fury.
The man easily dodged and grabbed No Gae-cheol's throat.
"Gurk!"
The instant the man's hand touched his neck, No Gae-cheol felt all strength drain from his body. He couldn't even twitch a finger.
Surprisingly, the man was Baek Sang-du. His other hand covered No Gae-cheol's face.
Hwoooo!
Black energy began flowing from the large palm. At the same time, Baek Sang-du rapidly chanted an incantation.
The black energy started getting absorbed into No Gae-cheol's eyes, nose, and mouth. Once fully absorbed, No Gae-cheol's skin began turning black.
As Baek Sang-du's chant continued, control over No Gae-cheol's body slipped away to another.
Finally, the chant ended, and No Gae-cheol's eyes snapped open. They were completely black.
Baek Sang-du moved his lips, issuing the final command.
A fierce black light burst from the pupils, then quickly returned to normal. Both eyes and skin reverted to their original state.
No Gae-cheol passed the broken mirror and left the restroom. He glanced at his reflection in the remaining mirror. Appearance, expression, gait—everything looked the same as when he'd entered, but he was now someone else.
Baek Sang-du slumped onto the toilet, breathing heavily.
"Huff... huff... huff."
Considering his abilities, the massive mental strain in such a short time was evident.
After catching his breath, he pulled a palm-sized cloth doll from his pocket, as if this weren't the end. Eerily lifelike, it resembled him perfectly.
No Gae-cheol returned to the club main hall where everyone was gathered.
Lee Jung-tae, being dragged out by the warriors, spotted him.
"You bastard! Where the hell were you hiding? Get over here!"
Under Lee Jung-tae's barrage, No Gae-cheol sheepishly ran to him.
"Sorry. Just the restroom for a bit."
Lee Jung-tae wasn't one to go quietly alone. He shouted as if wronged.
"This guy's in on it too. He suggested filming first. We have stuff together."
Lee Heo-su, stunned by his son's words, bellowed.
"You! Shut up!"
"He suggested it first! He was the one who spiked the drinks at the start. I just followed orders without knowing better."
"I said shut it!"
But the atmosphere had already turned icy. He'd confessed his crime himself. Traces might remain on the seized phone, but a lawyer could have gotten him out. Now, confessing publicly in front of everyone left no escape.
"I'm innocent! I tell you, innocent!"
It was right then.
Puh-wook!
"Aaaargh!"
Lee Jung-tae let out a wretched scream.
Something blood-red protruded from his chest. It was No Gae-cheol's hand from behind.
"Grab him!"
By the time Joo Won yelled to his subordinates, No Gae-cheol was already using the lifeless Lee Jung-tae as a shield, charging at Cheon Myeong-jin.
The sudden ambush was unexpected, but Cheon Myeong-jin was a Murim Alliance leader for a reason.
He leaped back, dodging the attack.
No Gae-cheol hurled Lee Jung-tae's corpse at Joo Won, who was rushing in, then surged toward Cheon Myeong-jin.
His movement technique nearly matched Cheon Myeong-jin's speed. His eyes were pitch black, and dark haze roiled over his entire body.
Cheon Myeong-jin and No Gae-cheol's palms clashed once.
Boom!
With an ear-splitting explosion, both were pushed to opposite walls of the club.
Similar distances meant equal power in the strikes.
Cheon Myeong-jin drew his sword. No Gae-cheol charged again without slowing.
Shick! Shick! Shick!
Dozens of darts flew at No Gae-cheol from Bi Ryong Dae warriors seizing the chance.
No Gae-cheol ignored the projectiles and flew at Cheon Myeong-jin.
Several darts hit, but he didn't care. Whether enduring pain or feeling none, his movements didn't slow.
He aimed only to kill Cheon Myeong-jin.
Cheon Myeong-jin swung his sword; No Gae-cheol countered with both arms. Hard as steel, they clanged against the blade.
Their entangled exchange was too fast for Bi Ryong Dae warriors to intervene; they could only watch.
Clang! Kang!
Cheon Myeong-jin's sword sliced No Gae-cheol several times, but his body didn't yield.
Cheon Myeong-jin realized normal attacks wouldn't kill him.
After a clash, he retreated to create distance.
Shwaaaa!
Sword aura erupted from Cheon Myeong-jin's blade.
The wave-like aura swept through the air, but No Gae-cheol charged straight in.
Overreaching, his body met the aura. It should have shredded him, but the black energy coating him acted as a shield.
Tsss.
As the black energy tore, No Gae-cheol unleashed a palm strike at Cheon Myeong-jin.
But no matter how fast or protected, he couldn't beat Cheon Myeong-jin.
Dodging, Cheon Myeong-jin thrust his sword at the gap in the torn black mist.
Puk!
The blade finally pierced his chest.
Yet No Gae-cheol didn't stop.
"Raaargh!"
Roaring, he charged with the sword through him.
Even Cheon Myeong-jin was startled.
As he raised his protective qi to block the palm—
Shiiiing.
A sharp wind sliced across No Gae-cheol's neck.
Instantly, his head separated from his body and hit the floor.
Queen had flashed in like light, severing his neck in one clean strike. Swift and precise.
Whoosh.
With the head gone, black smoke dispersed from the body, then ignited.
Freed from external control, his life fully ended.
It also severed the long-standing grudge between Jang Cheon and Gwang-sa-mun. Queen had finished it.
Everyone backed away from the corpse, holding their breath. A poison specialist from Bi Ryong Dae checked the air. Fortunately, no toxins in the smoke.
Queen had watched the fight, timing her entry perfectly. Interfering in the Murim Alliance leader's battle from the start was impossible; precise intervention when needed was harder than fighting from the outset.
Cheon Myeong-jin politely cupped his hands in thanks.
"Thanks to you, heroine, my life was saved."
Queen returned the gesture politely.
"No need. You could have handled it alone, but knowing your esteemed status, I stepped in just in case. Forgive my rudeness."
"Rudeness? Truly grateful."
Cheon Myeong-jin bowed again; Queen bowed in unison.
He looked for Jang Cheon, but he was gone. He'd expected his help—where was he?
As if reading his mind, Queen sent a transmission.
[As you saw, he was under powerful sorcery. Jang Cheon said to tell you there's likely someone inside the club who cast it, and he's gone to catch them.]
[Ah, I see. Thank you for letting me know.]
Cheon Myeong-jin was curious about Jang Cheon and Queen's relationship but deemed it improper to ask her. He'd inquire with Jang Cheon later.
Queen cupped her hands in farewell.
"I'll take my leave first."
"Go safely."
After Queen left, the Murim Alliance warriors fully sealed the club.
Before his son's corpse, Lee Heo-su said nothing.
No wailing, no grief. At that moment, he thought it was for the best. With his son dead, they wouldn't punish him harshly.
Beside him, steam rose from No Gae-cheol's charred corpse—Yang Do-hwa's hope that he wouldn't return.
Jang Cheon was pursuing a man.
When No Gae-cheol revealed black energy, Jang Cheon knew it was Black Spirit Art. Among mind-control sorceries, it maximized the target's abilities. Power varied wildly by caster.
Though factions differed and the exact martial art was unknown, targeting the Alliance leader meant top-tier.
He immediately searched the club interior. Possible only because he trusted Cheon Myeong-jin and Queen.
Moving fast after No Gae-cheol appeared, he spotted a man slipping out. Hooded, he mounted a motorcycle in the alley beside the club and fled.
Jang Cheon gave chase with lightness skill. Not capturing immediately to uncover connections.
Leaping building tops like Spider-Man, he tracked from above, like a police chopper tailing a car.
No matter the speed or twists, he evaded Jang Cheon's eyes not.
The bike left downtown, stopping at a suburban house. The man entered.
Jang Cheon scanned quietly. No other presences. Seemed like home, not a hideout.
No CCTV or traps around.
When lights went out, Jang Cheon silently unlocked and entered with energy—no sound.
But as if waiting, a man sat in the dark living room center. Eyes met; Jang Cheon raised protective qi and leaped back.
As he exited—
Bang!
The man exploded, black smoke filling the house. Not mere smoke—potent poison mist.
Harmless to Jang Cheon, but acting avoidance for any watchers.
The pursued wasn't human—a humanoid dummy.
A trap to lure and poison. It was the doll Baek Sang-du pulled in the restroom.
Jang Cheon realized.
Double trap!
No Gae-cheol targeted the leader; this anticipated his pursuit.
By now, the real one had escaped the club leisurely.
The escaping poison mist dissipated in the air. Target gone, so did it.
Peak Black Spirit Art. Jang Cheon's first encounter with such potent sorcery.
Success would have killed the leader and him.
Watching the precisely vanishing mist as he left the area, Jang Cheon murmured low.
"Not bad."
In a downtown love hotel room, Baek Sang-du sat.
Cross-legged, black haze rose around him.
In the tub lay a woman from the bar, now a shriveled corpse.
Baek Sang-du slowly opened his eyes.
Despite exhaustion needing rest, both Black Spirit Art casts had failed.
Now he understood U Myeong-hwan's fixation on Jang Cheon. The words Jang Cheon once said slipped from his lips.
"Not bad."