Chapter 251: Demon Sword vs. Demon Lord
Chapter 251: Demon Sword vs. Demon Lord
Blue-robed Demon Commander Hyo Chi-gon stood at the bow of the ship, arms folded, gazing forward.
As they departed, the surrounding vessels hurriedly veered away, clearing a path for them.
It was only natural, given that they flew the banner of the Demon Sovereign.
Hyo Chi-gon paid them no mind, instead thinking about the scoundrel named Inparang who was in the cabin.
'The young brat's got some nerve.'
The truth was, Hyo Chi-gon had been displeased that the Demon Sovereign had ignored the Hengshan Sect's proposal and extended a hand to Inparang.
He had believed that with the Hengshan Sect's orthodox faction, they could surely crush the Fujian Yong Clan and get themselves out of Daenam Island.
'If that were to happen, there'd be no need to move to Hainan Island, just as the Great Head said.'
So Hyo Chi-gon had planned to provoke this Inparang fellow somehow, to cause trouble.
His intention had been to kill the scoundrel without hesitation if he started trouble first.
But the scoundrel had shown no reaction whatsoever to his provocation.
He had neither flared up in anger nor cowered in fear.
He had simply said this to him:
'Whether I am a tiger cub or a kitten seems to be for the Demon Sovereign to judge.'
To Hyo Chi-gon, those words had sounded exactly like this:
A message telling him not to waste his energy since he wasn't the decision-maker anyway.
Hyo Chi-gon had been able to immediately realize that the scoundrel had seen right through his intentions.
And had, in fact, communicated his own intent back to him.
The intent that this was not a matter for him to interfere in....
Somehow, it felt like he'd been dealt a blow.
'Tch, cocky little bastard.'
He was thinking such thoughts as he gazed at the vast blue horizon stretching out ahead.
That was when it happened. Suddenly, he spotted other ships cutting into their route.
"Hm?"
Hyo Chi-gon's eyes twitched.
Because it was an exceedingly rare occurrence for other ships to cut into the route of a vessel flying the Demon Sovereign's banner.
At that moment, a subordinate standing behind him shouted.
"Commander! We're being encircled!"
Encircled?
At those words, Hyo Chi-gon abruptly scanned his surroundings.
He then realized that not only from the front but from all around, ships of unknown identity were closing in on them, surrounding them.
He finally erupted in fury.
"Who dares to encircle us?!"
It was then that Hyo Chi-gon's eyes suddenly caught sight of a black ship revealing itself from behind the vessel blocking their path forward.
It was a ship he knew all too well.
"That's!"
"Th-the Black Dragon Ship! It's the Hainan Sect bastards! Looks like they've been waiting for us!"
The Black Dragon Ship.
It was the Black Dragon Ship, the finest warship of the Hainan Sect's naval force.
Hyo Chi-gon hastily scanned the thirty-odd ships surrounding his own vessel.
He was then able to confirm that a full seven Black Dragon Ships were mixed among them.
He finally muttered, his face twisted.
"These bastards, they've been waiting for us to bring Inparang out."
***
Among the Black Dragon Ships encircling Hyo Chi-gon's vessel, the largest was the Black Dragon Flagship.
Standing on its deck, Hainan Sect Leader, the Hainan Demon Sword Jin Tae-do, wore a nasty grin as he muttered.
"How thankful I am. Going so far as to personally capture that scoundrel and deliver him to me upon the sea. What shall I do to repay such a favor?"
They had arrived at Shantou Port immediately after the Blue-robed Demon Commander Hyo Chi-gon had reached Shantou.
Thanks to this, Jin Tae-do had been able to ascertain Hyo Chi-gon's presence before his opponent could do the same.
And after pondering for a moment on what to do with them, Jin Tae-do simply decided to wait until they found Inparang first.
He had figured that if they themselves found Inparang, the man would try to flee, but if Hyo Chi-gon found him and joined up, he could be caught easily.
"Just like this."
Jin Tae-do watched with a satisfied smile as Hyo Chi-gon's ship desperately tried to change direction and slip out of the encirclement.
At the bow of the ship, Hyo Chi-gon was screaming, urging on the crew.
"Turn the bow to starboard! The encirclement is thinnest there! Prepare to fire the cannons immediately! All martial artists, prepare for battle!"
Following Hyo Chi-gon's orders, the ship smoothly turned to starboard.
Five ships were waiting in that direction as well, but at least there was no sign of the black Black Dragon Ships there.
That was why Hyo Chi-gon had judged that direction to have the thinnest encirclement.
However, even if there were no Black Dragon Ships there, it made no difference—they were still the elites of the naval force.
The closest approaching ship was turning its bow to expose its broadside.
It appeared to be preparing to fire its cannons.
But the Blue-robed Demon Commander Hyo Chi-gon did not wait for them to fire.
Before the enemy ship could turn completely broadside, he was the first to leap out toward them.
"Ee-yaaaaaap!"
Chat! Chat!
The Blue-robed Demon Commander's form, having leaped out like lightning, stepped twice upon the waves and soared high into the air above the naval force warship.
The naval force martial artists who witnessed his figure craned their necks toward the sky and raised alarmed shouts.
"Enemy attack!"
"It's the Blue-robed Demon Commander! Be careful!"
But their reactions were far too late to block the attack of the Blue-robed Demon Commander, one of the Four Evils of Daenam.
Because Hyo Chi-gon, who had raised the guandao strapped to his back high into the sky, had already unleashed a ferocious slash with it even before landing on the ship.
"Hwaaaaaap!"
Chwaaaaaak!
A massive blade energy extending nearly a full jang from the guandao ferociously tore through the naval force martial artists, the cannons being prepared to fire, and even the very deck they stood upon.
It was a strike that ordinary martial artists could do absolutely nothing about, a catastrophe in the truest sense.
"Kwaaaaaak!"
"Uwaaaaaak!"
Amidst the screams, the bodies of the martial artists were split apart.
And in that instant, Hyo Chi-gon was already swinging his guandao toward the other martial artists on the deck.
Puhaaaaak!
"Kuaaaaaak!"
"Aaaaaaak!"
Before Hyo Chi-gon, one of the Four Evils of Daenam, the difference between peak-level and first-rate martial artists might as well have been nonexistent.
In the blink of an eye, the forces of a single naval force warship were being annihilated.
Meanwhile, Hyo Chi-gon's own ship was smoothly passing by the side of that vessel.
Seeing his ship safely slipping away to the side, Hyo Chi-gon, as a final touch, hurled a ganghwan at the entrance of the cabin.
Shuhak!
Kwaaaaang!
Without even confirming that the cabin was smashed to pieces, he leaped out toward the next ship.
Pabak!
If he could just deal with two or three ships like this, it seemed his own ship would be able to slip away during that time.
Chwak!
His form, having stepped upon a wave like a seagull skimming the water's surface, soared high into the air above the next ship.
"Two ships down!"
Then, just as he was raising his guandao high into the sky again to bring it crashing down, it happened.
Suddenly, a ganghwan of terrifying speed came hurtling at his back.
Shuhak!
"!"
Startled, Hyo Chi-gon frantically twisted the direction of his guandao and swung it toward the ganghwan.
Buaaaaang!
Kwaaaaaaang!
"Keuk!"
His hands went numb from the powerful shock.
A ganghwan of immense power—whoever had launched it was definitely not inferior to him.
And Hyo Chi-gon, having landed on the deck, was immediately able to identify who had hurled the ganghwan at him.
It was because a middle-aged man with a clean-cut impression, holding a sword, was flying toward him with a grin.
The man flying gently and slowly through the sky, as if carried by the wind, had a face Hyo Chi-gon knew all too well.
Hyo Chi-gon ground out the man's name with a twisted expression.
"Jin Tae-do! You bastard!"
At that, Jin Tae-do answered as he slowly descended toward the deck like a feather.
"It has been a while, Blue-robed Demon Commander. Has it been seven years?"
Hyo Chi-gon gritted his teeth.
He had thought it unlikely, but for Jin Tae-do to have come personally—this was the worst possible situation.
Though Jin Tae-do did not often display his martial prowess openly, Hyo Chi-gon, having clashed with him seven years ago, knew all too well that the man possessed martial power befitting one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World.
At least as far as he knew, among the Demon Sovereign's crew, there was no one besides Manhaksung who could face him.
Jin Tae-do slowly approached him as if taking a stroll and spoke.
"It is a pleasure to meet you again like this. And I am even more grateful that you brought that scoundrel to me in my stead. So... I shall send you off without pain."
Hearing this, Hyo Chi-gon clenched his teeth fiercely.
Even if his opponent was Jin Tae-do, he had absolutely no intention of being treated like this.
He, too, was the Blue-robed Demon Commander Hyo Chi-gon, a demonic head who ruled the Southern Sea.
"You arrogant brat! Your pride has touched the heavens...!"
But Hyo Chi-gon, in the middle of his outburst, suddenly had to whirl his guandao around due to a chilling sensation that assailed him.
Hwiririk!
Clang!
Then, Jin Tae-do's sword strike was deflected off his guandao. It had been a strike he blocked almost purely on instinct.
Hyo Chi-gon felt a cold sweat run down his spine at the attack he had barely managed to block.
A high-speed thrust that had been entirely invisible to his eyes.
The quick sword of the Hainan Jin Family, the art that had earned Jin Tae-do the name Hainan Demon Sword, had just been unleashed right before his eyes.
Jin Tae-do burst out in exclamation with an admiring expression.
"Ho-oh! To block that, indeed, Blue-robed Demon Commander, you are impressive!"
To be admired for merely blocking a single strike of his sword—his words and actions were the height of arrogance.
But Hyo Chi-gon, unable to even refute the statement, tensely and hesitantly retreated backward.
He had no confidence that he could react to Jin Tae-do's quick sword if the distance closed any further.
'I thought it was terrifying seven years ago, but it's gotten even faster...!'
Clang! Clang!
As he retreated, Hyo Chi-gon barely managed to block two more sudden sword strikes.
At that, Jin Tae-do smiled brightly and praised him again.
"Oh-oh! You blocked that as well, you say? Well then, let's see..."
Cheocheochang!
"Keuk!"
Hyo Chi-gon barely blocked a triple-strike that had been completely invisible to his eyes.
But he couldn't be sure whether he had blocked it or whether the scoundrel had simply thrust his sword onto the guandao.
It was because he himself had barely reacted at all.
On top of that, Jin Tae-do was speaking again, seemingly delighted.
"Oh-ho! This too? Well then, let's see..."
At that, Hyo Chi-gon's heart grew urgent.
The man's words were no bluff.
His sword strikes, already so fast they were difficult to react to, were gradually speeding up even more.
If they became any faster, he had absolutely no confidence he could respond.
In the end, Hyo Chi-gon decided to make one final desperate struggle.
If he just kept defending like this, he felt he would die without having accomplished anything.
"Euhwaaaaap!"
Hyo Chi-gon let out a martial shout and charged toward Jin Tae-do.
Blue protective strong qi blazed out from his entire body.
Hyo Chi-gon's thought was simple and clear.
He intended to endure the man's attacks with his protective strong qi and slip inside the reach of his sword.
'His thrusts are fast, but light. So if I can just get inside his sword strike and drag this into close combat!'
It was clearly not a bad idea.
It was also an idea that only Hyo Chi-gon, who had already experienced Jin Tae-do seven years ago, could have.
But in that instant, the corners of Jin Tae-do's lips curled up nastily. And for the first time, a martial shout erupted from his mouth.
"Haaaap!"
Jinyong Sword Technique, Ninth Form.
Ferocious Dragon Piercing the Sea.
Shuhaaaak!
The final form of the Jinyong Sword Technique, the secret sword art of the Hainan Jin Family.
It was the sword strike of a ferocious dragon, piercing through the sea.
Puuuuuk!
Hyo Chi-gon was horrified.
It was because the man's sword, spewing a dense blue sword qi, had, before he knew it, pierced straight through his protective strong qi and his body as well.
It was a sword strike of such extreme speed that he had been utterly unable to react.
"This is.... Keureuk!"
Blood spurted from Hyo Chi-gon's mouth.
With his chest pierced clean through as if by a massive pillar, he couldn't even manage a single proper sentence.
Jin Tae-do lightly retrieved his sword and asked Hyo Chi-gon.
"What do you think? A sword like this, wouldn't it seem capable of working even against your Great Head, the Demon Sovereign?"
But the already dead Hyo Chi-gon could not possibly give an answer.
Thud!
Jin Tae-do continued speaking as he looked at the corpse of Hyo Chi-gon, which had collapsed on the deck with its chest pierced clean through.
"I have two minds about it. A mind that never wishes to see the Demon Sovereign again, and a mind that wishes to meet him once more to try this sword on him. But which mind is stronger, even I don't quite know."
Jin Tae-do, who had been speaking gently as if talking to an old friend, suddenly turned his head to look at Hyo Chi-gon's ship.
He could then see all the martial artists aboard the vessel staring at him with utterly horrified faces.
Tadak!
Jin Tae-do lightly launched his body and leaped over to Hyo Chi-gon's ship.
Then he spoke to the martial artists on the ship.
"Now, will you kindly guide me to this child called Inparang?"
At his words, Hyo Chi-gon's subordinates nodded their heads, their eyes filled with terror.
There was no way they could defy a man who could kill their commander, the Blue-robed Demon Commander, so easily.
Guided by Hyo Chi-gon's subordinates, Jin Tae-do thought about Inparang.
Finally, the time had come to end this long, ill-fated tie.