Chapter 152: Yama Blood Monk, Chuk Ho-tak-1
Chapter 152: Yama Blood Monk, Chuk Ho-tak-1
No thought, no image.
Self-obliteration, become one.
These were the things I felt while running with the Heavenly Wind Movement Technique deployed in the state of the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance's Flying Moon.
When I erased all worry for my father and all impatience about possibly being too late and focused solely on the single thought of running like the wind, at some point I truly became the wind and flowed.
I could not feel the weight of my body, nor the presence of my flesh, nor even the sensation of time passing.
I was simply flowing like a fluid in an endlessly free floating sensation.
Then, at some moment, when I saw the signboard of the Seonwoo clan, I finally realized it.
The realm of the Heavenly Wind Movement Technique—which was said to become a handful of wind that no one could catch when pushed to the extreme—had ascended another level.
I, who had always lagged behind Bi Sa-yeong in movement technique alone, had finally reached the same level as him or perhaps even surpassed him.
'If that bastard Bi Sa-yeong finds out, he'll be sulking for a while.'
Just thinking about it was an undeniably satisfying thing.
But now was the time to focus on the situation unfolding before my eyes.
The very first thing I checked after leaping over the wall was my father's safety.
I had worried that something might have happened to him, but mercifully, my father was unharmed.
Rather, surprisingly, the martial artists of the Seonwoo clan seemed to be holding their own against the demon heads of the Blood Cult.
'Good!'
Only then could I relax a little, and I turned my gaze toward the two transcendent peak masters.
Toward the beautiful woman and the burly monk who were engaged in a fierce battle of an entirely different caliber from their surroundings.
Both were faces I had never seen before, but as soon as I saw the woman's erhu, which seemed to be her weapon, I felt I could immediately tell who she was and what the situation was.
'That must be So Nan-so, the Chaos Soul Witch, the former branch leader of the Hao Gate in Guiyang. Did she come to help the Seonwoo clan? On purpose?'
I already knew a certain amount of information about her.
Because No Sam-ryong, the branch leader of the Hao Gate in Gaeyang, had sent me a detailed account of her movements.
When I had heard the information at the Hao Gate branch in Sichuan, No Sam-ryong had clearly said that he had not been a very cooperative figure toward her, the former Hao Gate branch leader.
But judging by the information he had sent to me, I did not get that impression at all.
'There was a bit of a feeling that he was subtly trying to give a good impression of her. That made me wonder... .'
Perhaps the fact that she had come here was due to No Sam-ryong's influence.
If it was him, he would have accurately grasped the situation between us and the Blood Cult.
In any case, having quickly grasped all of that, I did not hesitate and lunged straight at the thuggish monk-like figure.
The Four-Sun Sword Technique, First Form.
One Strike One Kill.
Shu-haaak!
It was an ultra-high-speed sword strike launched while charging at maximum speed, deployed from the state of the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance's Flying Moon.
I could be certain.
'The fastest sword strike I have ever unleashed!'
With this, I thought, even a transcendent peak master could be finished in a single sword strike.
Because even to my own senses, it felt as if I had become a ray of light itself.
At the very last moment, when the bastard suddenly looked back and our eyes met, I definitely still thought so.
But....
Twoong!
"!"
The next moment, I was hurled backward and was forced to realize once again.
That the realm of the transcendent peak was, after all, different.
The bastard's Eagle Claw Hand, swung desperately in an incomplete stance, had precisely caught the tip of my sword.
When the thick red energetic force enveloping the Eagle Claw Hand like a gauntlet collided with my sword, my blade, which had slightly penetrated into it, was ultimately forced to rebound from the powerful repelling force.
"Tch!"
Repelled by the recoil force of the collision, we retreated swiftly in opposite directions.
It was with the Chaos Soul Witch lying collapsed between us, bleeding from her mouth.
Thereupon, the monk of burly build snatched the giant red wheel that had circled back through the air and demanded of me.
Teok!
"Such a young brat. Who are you?"
I retorted with a grin.
"It is not a name I will tell the likes of you, Chuk Ho-tak."
Figuring out his identity was not difficult.
Since he was a vicious monk who wielded a giant Blood Wheel, he was clearly none other than Chuk Ho-tak, the Hell's Blood Monk.
He was a transcendent peak master on the same level as Tamhyeolmugun Ji Gwang-ok, who had clashed with Squad Leader Seolpung in the Poison Forest long ago.
At this, the bastard's face contorted with rage.
"You dare! A mere whelp...!"
In that instant, I launched myself toward him first.
Pabak!
It was a cannonball-like charge deploying the Explosive Advance Step.
The bastard did not dare underestimate me and flinched in surprise, taking up a defensive stance.
But what I was aiming for was not him.
After charging halfway, I had snatched up the collapsed Chaos Soul Witch, So Nan-so.
And then I immediately changed direction and threw myself toward where my father was.
"Jin!"
My father, who had just jointly killed another demon head in a combined attack with Great Elder Heo Jin-guk, called my name joyfully.
I smiled brightly and spoke to my father.
"Please look after the Hao Gate branch leader, Father."
And then I murmured to her via telepathic sound transmission.
- Thank you for helping my father, Senior So.
At that, a light of surprise arose in her eyes.
And seeing that gaze, I could be certain.
Though I did not know the reason, she was by no means in a state consumed by the madness of Blood Cult martial arts.
I had been skeptical when I received the information from No Sam-ryong, but the gaze I saw with my own eyes seemed even clearer than that of most orthodox faction members.
'She has mastered Blood Cult martial arts to the transcendent peak level and yet remains free of madness?'
If so, there was no reason not to trust her.
Having already received help from Elder Seok Gyeong-dal before, I was perhaps more free of prejudice against Blood Cult members than any orthodox faction martial artist.
Rather, if things went well, it seemed I could gain a good ally.
But that was a matter for later. For now, I had to deal with the man before my eyes.
That Hell's Blood Monk, Chuk Ho-tak, who appeared to be greatly enraged at the thought of having been tricked by me.
"You arrogant little brat!"
Buaaaaang!
The massive Blood Wheel he had hurled with all his might was hurtling toward me ferociously.
Its savage momentum was such that it felt as if a giant dragon whirlwind compressed together would look like that.
'Shit!'
That was an attack I had to dodge.
Its force seemed utterly impossible for me to block with my current internal energy.
But the problem was that if I dodged it, my father, who was behind me, and the other martial artists of the Seonwoo clan would take that attack.
I had no choice.
Eudeuk!
Clenching my teeth, I urgently deployed the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance again.
Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance, First Form.
Flying Moon.
Hwaaaak!
The world was overlaid with hazy colors once more.
But even as I accelerated my senses and perceived it in slow motion, the Blood Wheel's speed still appeared fast.
As expected of an attack from a transcendent peak master.
Gripping Mukrang tightly with both hands, the moment the Blood Wheel just entered my domain, I focused all my internal energy and swung at the side of the flying Blood Wheel.
"Uuhaaap!"
Twoong!
In that instant, I felt a tremendous colossal force from Mukrang, which had received the Blood Wheel.
It was a savage momentum that seemed as if it would ignore my attack entirely, push through, shatter Mukrang, and tear me to shreds.
Gagagagak!
The Blood Wheel rotated fiercely and pushed in as if to grind Mukrang away.
Eudeuk!
I clenched my teeth.
If I was pushed back here, it was the end of all of us.
Letting out a martial shout, I pushed it back with all my might.
"Uuaaaaap!"
At that, the Blood Wheel's trajectory began to shift little by little.
'Just a little more!'
Eudeudeuk!
"Keuaaaap!"
Gritting my teeth and squeezing out every last ounce of strength I had since infancy, I finally succeeded in changing the Blood Wheel's trajectory.
The Blood Wheel, having bypassed me, changed course and flew off into the empty air.
Wiiiiing!
But Chuk Ho-tak's attack was only beginning.
Right behind the Blood Wheel, the bastard was descending upon me.
Having closed the distance to nearly point-blank before I knew it, the bastard shouted at me with red eyes radiating killing intent.
"D i e!"
The bastard's Eagle Claw Hand, imbued with red energetic force, was raining down upon me like a meteor.
It was an attack whose speed seemed not far behind my One Strike One Kill and whose destructive force felt as though it could easily rend even an iron plate.
Lacking the confidence to dare block it, I flowed sideways using the Heavenly Wind Movement Technique to evade it.
Seureureuk!
At that, the bastard's Eagle Claw Hand immediately transformed.
It seemed to waver slightly in the air, then bent as flexibly as a snake, pursuing my figure.
What was worse, the bastard's single Eagle Claw Hand had split into three hand shadows.
Hwaaak!
"!"
The three hand shadows each targeted my throat, my right arm holding the sword, and my abdomen—three separate points.
Astonishingly, all of them were real strikes.
'Damn!'
Judging that I absolutely could not block them, I immediately deployed the Explosive Advance Step and kicked off the ground.
I had to escape the bastard's domain.
Pabak!
As I widened the distance in an instant, the bastard, whose movement technique could not keep up with mine, laughed nastily and said,
"Heh, at least your movement technique is worthy of acknowledgment, brat. Quite impressive."
But on the bastard's face as he spoke those words, composure was once again overflowing.
It seemed he had confirmed that while my movement technique was formidable, I posed no threat whatsoever to him.
And that was an accurate judgment.
Even in the state of the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance's Flying Moon, the gap in skill was so enormous that I could not even begin to imagine doing anything.
'Indeed, is this the difference from the transcendent peak?'
My mouth tasted bitter at the gap in levels I was forced to newly realize.
When Squad Leader Seolpung was at a similar realm to me, he had apparently still clashed with Tamhyeolmugun Ji Gwang-ok to some extent.
The bastard, having caught the flying Blood Wheel with his hand again, abruptly swept his gaze over the martial artists of the Seonwoo clan.
Then he laughed nastily and said,
"From this moment on, I am going to kill everyone over there. Try to stop me if you can, or run away if you cannot."
I had heard that the Hell's Blood Monk was a fox-like schemer, and indeed, his cunning was no small matter.
He must have noticed right away from that single exchange that I had deflected the blood wheel to protect the Seonwoo family members behind me.
And so he was taking them hostage, forcing me not to flee.
'Shit!'
When I glanced back, the Seonwoo family martial artists had already finished off the other demon heads and were watching us with tense eyes.
Defeating four Blood Cult demon heads with only their strength was certainly an impressive feat.
It was undeniably an astonishing achievement that I hadn't expected.
But I also knew full well that it was only possible because those were demon heads at the entry level of peak realm.
If the Seonwoo family martial artists were to face that Hell's Blood Monk Chuk Ho-tak, the outcome would be all too obvious.
Just him hurling that blood wheel around would probably annihilate them all in an instant.
So the situation was now clear.
I had to deal with that bastard Chuk Ho-tak with my own hands, one way or another.
I chuckled dejectedly and muttered.
"As I thought, the very idea of resolving this without pushing myself was arrogance. Come to think of it, even squad leader pushed his body beyond the time limit. Considering that, I don't really have grounds to feel wronged, do I?"
At that, Chuk Ho-tak furrowed his brow and asked.
"...What are you mumbling about? Have you already lost your mind?"
I smirked and answered.
"Not yet. But I am scheduled to lose it soon."
I took one deep breath.
And then I immediately deployed it.
This form of the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance that Master Gwanggeom had not yet permitted.
'They said it was too much for me to handle yet, but at least it's better than dying, right? Here goes!'
Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance, Second Form.
Dark Moon.
Hwaaaaaak!
Soon a dizzying sensation, an ecstatic feeling, began to fill my entire body.
It was a sense of omniscience, as if everything around me was entering my perception, as if I could perceive everything in the world.
Every single grain of soil that made up the ground entered my sight.
Every vein of the blades of grass on the ground, every tiny droplet of water caught in a spiderweb—all of it entered my perception with perfect clarity.
That was not all.
The wind brushing against my skin, the fine hairs swaying with it—I could feel every single movement with brilliant clarity.
It felt as though all things in the world had entered into my perception.
At that ecstatic elation, I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Wahahahahaha!"
***
Hell's Blood Monk Chuk Ho-tak furrowed his brow as he watched the young brat, who had been muttering incomprehensible words to himself, suddenly burst into raucous laughter.
"...Has he gone mad?"
Judging by his eyes, which had suddenly turned hazy as if slightly drunk, that thought seemed entirely plausible.
Or perhaps he was just pretending to be crazy.
At any rate, wasn't this the first young brat he had ever seen who seemed as outstanding as Gu Yu-sang, whom he had resolved to serve as the next Blood Demon?
He wasn't yet a match for himself, but he absolutely could not let his guard down.
Chuk Ho-tak decided to simply ignore whatever the brat did.
'Whether he's mad or sane, it won't matter once he's dead.'
Having made that decision, Chuk Ho-tak rallied his fighting spirit once more.
Then he drew back the arm holding the blood wheel with all his might and swung it fiercely.
"Uaaaaap!"
Buaaaaaaang!
Then the blood wheel, spinning furiously, shot toward Seonwoo Jin with terrifying force.
And regardless of whether it hit or not, Chuk Ho-tak also began charging toward the brat.
This was his specialty—a chain attack utilizing the blood wheel.
The brat's response was no different from before.
Just like before, he was trying to swing his sword with full force to deflect the blood wheel's trajectory.
Sure enough, he was clearly thinking of the safety of the Seonwoo family martial artists behind him.
Twung!
The blood wheel glanced off slightly and flew into the air.
Even though he had thrown it with more force than before, it somehow felt as though it had been deflected more easily.
But it didn't matter.
He was no match for him anyway.
"Die!"
Chuk Ho-tak's Eagle Claw Hand plunged down toward the brat like a hawk seizing its prey.
It was an even fiercer and sharper momentum than before.
Chyuaaaaak!
But just as the Eagle Claw Hand was about to tear through Seonwoo Jin's throat,
Seonwoo Jin's form suddenly scattered like flower petals shattered by the wind.
Though Chuk Ho-tak wouldn't have known it, this was the secret technique of the Heavenly Wind Divine Art—Heavenly Wind Flower Petals.
Pususus!
"What?!"
Seonwoo Jin's form, scattered in all directions, was now drifting lightly around Chuk Ho-tak like it was being carried by the wind.
It was nothing short of an astonishing movement technique he had never seen before.
The Seonwoo family martial artists watching the duel also exclaimed in amazement.
"Oooh!"
"Such a movement technique!"
But Chuk Ho-tak, a transcendent peak martial artist, was not flustered in the slightest.
"Hmph!"
He scoffed, caught the returning blood wheel as it spun back, and hurled it once more at Seonwoo Jin's afterimages.
Since new force had been added to its already flying momentum, its power was even greater than before.
Buwaaaaang!
The fiercely spinning blood wheel began sweeping away Seonwoo Jin's afterimages as it circled around Chuk Ho-tak.
The afterimages drifting in all directions, the moment they touched the blood wheel, melted away like snow hitting water.
Seuseuseuk!
And then Chuk Ho-tak's sharp eyes managed to instantly spot one afterimage that was moving smoothly to evade the blood wheel among the rest.
His eyes flashed.
"There you are!"
Chuk Ho-tak's form shot fiercely toward Seonwoo Jin.
As if determined not to miss this time, dozens of Eagle Claw Hands, splitting like a thousand-armed Guanyin, came swarming from all directions.
Shwaaaaa!
"Die!"
On the other hand, Seonwoo Jin's feet, lifted to evade the blood wheel, had not yet touched the ground.
So no matter how exceptional his movement technique was, he surely could not evade this time.
At that desperate situation, the Seonwoo family martial artists watching cried out in anguish.
"Young master!"
"Jin!"
Chuk Ho-tak's lips twisted into a bloody grin.
As he had expected, Seonwoo Jin could not evade.
He merely swung his sword to meet the meteor shower of Eagle Claw Hands descending upon him.
Syuaaaak!
"Kuhuhuhuhu!"
Chuk Ho-tak expected this to be the end.
He thought it was nonsense that a brat of that level could withstand his attack head-on, that this was surely the finishing blow.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwa!
The Eagle Claw Hands, raining down like a meteor shower, bombarded Seonwoo Jin from all directions.
Within that tempest of attacks, Seonwoo Jin staggered as if he would be swept away at any moment, barely managing to swing his sword and deflect the Eagle Claw Hands.
Pababababababak!
A very brief moment passed.
Chuk Ho-tak's expression, as he poured out his onslaught, began to gradually furrow.
"Hmm?"
Something was strange.
The brat, whose internal energy couldn't possibly be more than eighty years, was somehow managing to fend off his Eagle Claw Hands.
Teoteoteoteoteong!
Even though he was clearly being pushed back badly, stumbling and flailing his sword about as if about to collapse at any moment, he was somehow managing to deny a single clean hit and was defending against everything.
It was like watching a small boat stubbornly holding on in a storm, seeming to sink but never quite going under.
Chuk Ho-tak ground his teeth and poured in his remaining power.
"This insolent brat!"
Puh-eong!
Then, under Chuk Ho-tak's enraged strike, Seonwoo Jin's body, which had defended with his sword, was helplessly sent flying backward.
It was a pitiful sight, like a scarecrow being swatted away.
But Chuk Ho-tak's expression, after sending Seonwoo Jin flying, was not particularly bright.
Because at last, Seonwoo Jin had endured his entire onslaught without allowing a single clean hit.
Chuk Ho-tak muttered.
"You're better than I thought."
But that didn't change anything.
Because at that moment, the blood wheel came spinning and flying into the side of the careening Seonwoo Jin.
Wiiiiing!
The horrified Seonwoo family martial artists shouted.
"Jin!"
"Third Young Master!"
Seonwoo Jin succeeded in bringing his sword to bear against the furiously flying blood wheel as well.
But the Blood Wheel Demonic Art, the ultimate technique of the Blood Cult, was not so trivial that it could be blocked at that level.
Teo-eong!
Seonwoo Jin's form was sent ricocheting like a cannonball and slammed into the ground with terrifying force.
Then he bounced off the ground several times and rolled helplessly.
Kudangtangtang!
"Ahh!"
"Third Young Master!"
It was a terribly pitiful sight, as though he had already been defeated.
But Chuk Ho-tak's expression as he watched that sight was still not bright.
Because he knew that the brat had just been grazed by the blood wheel.
It was because he himself had struck too hard in anger at the very end.
Thanks to that, the brat had been able to slip slightly out of the blood wheel's trajectory.
Chuk Ho-tak furrowed his brow and muttered.
"This bastard's luck is incredible."
His mood was steadily worsening.
Even though he was clearly dominating and driving the brat back overwhelmingly, he somehow felt more and more frustrated.
Eudeudeuk!
Grinding his teeth, Chuk Ho-tak caught the blood wheel once more and drew his arm back with all his might.
This time, he meant to end it for good.
"This time for certain, I will absolutely grind you to dust."
It was at that moment.
Suddenly, Seonwoo Jin, who had been sprawled out on the ground, began to chuckle.
"Keukeukeukeukeuk, kuk, wahahahahaha!"
At the sight of Seonwoo Jin, whose laughter grew louder and then suddenly turned maniacal, Chuk Ho-tak paused briefly and stared at the brat with a dumbfounded expression.
He himself was a demon head of the Blood Cult, but this bastard was someone whose thoughts he truly could not read at all.
Laughing while in that state—he seemed completely insane.
Then Seonwoo Jin finally stopped laughing and slowly got to his feet.
And then he spoke mockingly.
"You're weak, aren't you?"
Chuk Ho-tak, who had momentarily been at a loss for words, completely flew into a rage the very next instant.
He hurled the blood wheel with all his might and screamed.
"You lunatic!"