Chapter 127
Chapter 127
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: The Opening Clash
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After Hyeok Mulin's speech, Seok Mae raised his voice toward the spectators.
"Then let the Madou Martial God Tournament begin now!"
"Wooooaaahhh―!"
Buoyed by Hyeok Mulin's stirring words, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers at the tournament's kickoff.
Seok Mae calmed the boiling atmosphere and spoke again.
"Very well. Who among you will grace us with the first match of the Madou Martial God Tournament?"
"……."
"……."
"……."
The arena fell into sudden silence at Seok Mae's question.
The demons, who had been cheering wildly moments before, exchanged glances with one another, while the spectators looked around in confusion.
Yet no one stepped forward eagerly.
Most demons wanted to observe how the tournament unfolded and gauge their opponents before jumping in.
Thus, there were hardly any who charged in headlong from the very start.
"No challengers to take the arena stage?"
Seok Mae scanned the entire spectator area and asked once more.
But most demons remained arms crossed, unmoving.
As they eyed each other warily, holding their positions...
Boom!
Someone stomped from the spectator stands, shattering the silence as they leaped onto the arena stage.
A young man landed on the stage, kicking up dust from between the slabs of azure stone.
All eyes in the arena focused on the source of the resounding noise.
Soon, as the dust settled, the people recognized the identity of the one standing on the stage.
He wore deep crimson martial robes, with three overlapping octagonal emblems on his chest.
At his waist hung twin swords, their sheaths blackened at the tips.
Those who inferred his identity from this began raising their voices.
"Ooooh!"
"That guy...!"
"It's Lion Fang Pavilion's rising star, Grandblade Blood Wolf Do Yugrak!"
The Lion Fang Pavilion was located in the western outer fortress of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
They dominated the western outer region from the shadows, backed by their pavilion master's overwhelming might.
As such, most taverns in the area paid them tribute under the guise of protection fees.
With the wealth thus amassed, they had bought up vast lands in the west and built an estate rivaling a small fortress, boasting tremendous power.
And Do Yugrak was the young later-generation talent rising hottest within that Lion Fang Pavilion as of late.
The crowd went wild at the sight of his bold entrance.
"Grandblade Blood Wolf jumps in right away!"
"Isn't this too strong from the start?"
Do Yugrak swept his gaze over the spectator stands before slowly opening his mouth.
"I am Do Yugrak of Lion Fang Pavilion. Any who wish to spar with me, step up."
Seok Mae nodded at his bold declaration and added,
"Do Yugrak of Lion Fang Pavilion! Any who wish to face him?"
"A Lion Fang rising star for the first match."
"Wonder if anyone dares face him."
The people murmured while eyeing Do Yugrak, and the gazes of demons eager for the tournament grew complicated.
The reason they hesitated to take the stage was simple.
He had too massive a backing: Lion Fang Pavilion.
The pavilion was infamous for never forgetting even the slightest grudge, their viciousness rivaling the Central Plains' Sacheon Tang Clan.
Thus, even in a spar, facing a later-generation talent under Lion Fang's protection felt like considerable pressure to the demons.
Not everyone felt that way, however.
"No one at all?"
As Seok Mae tilted his head in puzzlement at the lack of challengers...
Whoosh!
A warrior descended in a spinning arc from midair.
He wore cyan martial robes, his bare hands wrapped in layers of plain white cloth.
The eyes of those who saw him widened.
"Demon Hand Sect's South Star Mad Tiger Gwa Bi!"
The Demon Hand Sect was based in the southern outer fortress, having unified numerous sects in the southern region.
They thus gripped the south tightly in their grasp, and Gwa Bi was the most recent later-generation talent to rise to vice-commander of the sect master's guard in the Demon Hand Sect.
"South Star Mad Tiger shows up here."
"A head-on clash between Lion Fang Pavilion and Demon Hand Sect."
"You won't see a match like this anywhere else."
Lion Fang Pavilion and Demon Hand Sect held the west and south of the outer fortress, respectively, leading to frequent border encroachments.
They were sworn enemies as a result but had never truly clashed outright, each having too much to lose.
But right now, confident later-generation talents from both sides had stepped up, igniting a proxy war in the Madou Martial God Tournament.
"Ho."
The rivalry between Lion Fang Pavilion and Demon Hand Sect was common knowledge.
Hyeok Mulin, well aware of it, watched the stage with half-lidded eyes full of interest.
Do Yugrak and Gwa Bi glared at each other like mortal foes.
In the midst of this, Do Yugrak snorted and spoke.
"Persistent lot. How long will you chase Lion Fang Pavilion's shadow?"
"Seems you've misunderstood. I'm here to smash you and trample Lion Fang Pavilion's prestige."
"Demon Hand Sect can never surpass Lion Fang Pavilion. Don't you know that's the way of the world?"
"Long tongue on you. Scared already before we start?"
"Not worth responding to. Fine."
Shing!
Do Yugrak drew his twin swords and continued.
"I'll let my blades do the talking."
Gwa Bi took a stance, aiming both hands at him.
"Today, I'll carve the word 'humility' into that thick skull of yours."
Even before the match began, the provocations had the arena heating up.
Do Yugrak and Gwa Bi glared with bulging eyes.
Seok Mae, watching from the center, spoke up.
"Looks like you're both ready."
He nodded and said,
"Then, from this moment..."
Step.
Seok Mae smoothly stepped back and declared,
"The first match begins!"
Tatata!
Thud thud thud!
No sooner had the words left his mouth than both warriors charged straight at each other.
This was no mere name-bearing bout; it was a fight for the honor of Lion Fang Pavilion and Demon Hand Sect, leaving them no choice but to advance.
Blackish sword energy flared from Do Yugrak's advancing blades.
He swung his twin swords in a swift diagonal cross toward Gwa Bi.
The swords were shorter than average, yet his strikes seemed to stretch impossibly long in that instant.
Gwa Bi slid forward like he was skating on the ground, dodging and closing in for a counterattack.
With fist energy cloaking his hand, Gwa Bi unleashed a punch at Do Yugrak's lower abdomen.
Boom!
But he failed to land the hit.
Do Yugrak had already retracted his sword, twisting it backward to block with the flat using sword wave.
Locked in place, eyes meeting, the two erupted into fierce combat without taking a single step back.
Their demonic energies tangled chaotically.
After a few exchanges, then dozens, minor wounds accumulated, and blood began to flow.
At one point, Do Yugrak seized a split-second opening and unleashed Crimson Chaos Demon Sword.
Splattered blood around Gwa Bi obscured his vision, and from that blind spot, Do Yugrak thrust a blade.
'Got him!'
But the moment he was certain of the perfect strike...
Gwa Bi's eyes tracked the sword precisely.
Thwump―
In a flash, he executed Whirling Surge Fist, striking the blade's side with his fist to deflect its path.
As Do Yugrak's face stiffened at the failed attack, Gwa Bi pressed in with savage momentum.
Eighteen Martial Rage Battle Art.
It was the secret technique Gwa Bi learned from his master—a brutal fist art using hands, feet, arms, legs, elbows, knees, head, the entire body as weapons.
Unarmed, he charged as if Do Yugrak's swords held no fear.
Yet the situation began unfolding contrary to his intentions.
Gwa Bi had lured Do Yugrak into ultra-close range, but the latter refused to be swept up in the flow.
Normally, in a sword-versus-fist duel, the closer the distance, the more frantic the swordsman became.
But Do Yugrak was different.
He stayed calm, evading Gwa Bi's assaults without getting dragged in, patiently waiting for an opening.
And just as the final form of Eighteen Martial Rage Battle Art unfolded...
Do Yugrak twisted his right arm for a counterstrike.
"Futile!"
Gwa Bi grabbed the thrusting sword with both hands.
He sneered, but something flashed through his mind.
This guy uses twin swords.
If one is in my grasp, where's the other?
His eyes wavered as he tried to assume a defensive stance.
Too late.
Do Yugrak's other blade was already at his armpit.
Slash!
Blood sprayed as Gwa Bi's right arm flew into the air.
Gwa Bi hurriedly sealed the bleeding stump, sweat beading as he clutched his shoulder and faced forward.
Do Yugrak lowered his twin swords, fixing him with a cold gaze.
Gwa Bi bit his lip and glanced briefly at the spectator stands.
Sighs and laments burst from where the Demon Hand Sect elders gathered, and they averted their eyes from him.
Gwa Bi turned away, his hand trembling, and admitted defeat.
"I lose."
Confirming Gwa Bi's concession, Seok Mae declared the match's end.
"Gwa Bi admits defeat. The winner of this bout is Lion Fang Pavilion's Do Yugrak!"
"Waaaaahhh!"
"Do Yugrak takes the win!"
"Lion Fang Pavilion scores a crushing victory!"
The crowd cheered the intense first bout.
"Heh, anticlimactic."
Gwa Bi limped off the stage with feeble steps, ignoring Do Yugrak's smirk.
Seok Mae addressed the lone victor.
"Congratulations on your victory. Do you wish to continue fighting?"
Do Yugrak thought for a moment and shook his head.
Having crushed Demon Hand Sect, he'd gained all he could.
No further bouts would benefit him, so no reason to stay.
Thus, the victorious Do Yugrak ended his fights and descended the stage leisurely.
The top floor of the tournament arena.
Hyeok Mulin, who had watched the bout, curled his lips as Do Yugrak departed.
"Quite entertaining from the first match, wouldn't you say?"
Ji Wolhon nodded beside him.
"Indeed. The demons challenging the Madou Martial God Tournament seem to be of solid caliber."
"Already this level on the first day."
In truth, their skills were nearly equal.
The win was decided by composure and split-second judgment alone.
Do Yugrak didn't counter Gwa Bi's onslaught head-on.
He yielded the flow, biding his time for an opening.
Gwa Bi should have adapted, but stuck to Eighteen Martial Rage Battle Art to the end.
That was his fatal mistake.
'And a clean finish, too.'
Do Yugrak had ample chance to take his head at the end.
Yet he severed only one arm.
For him and Lion Fang Pavilion, it was the optimal outcome.
Even in a life-or-death duel, killing him would forge an even deeper enmity.
But lopping off an arm kept things from escalating too far while crippling a key fighter.
Gwa Bi was a fist fighter who wielded his hands as weapons.
'What if half that arsenal is gone?'
His limits exposed, his path as a warrior was effectively severed.
Demon Hand Sect was ruthless.
No matter that he represented them, they wouldn't take back a disciple who tarnished their honor and bore such wounds.
They'd cut him loose the moment his utility waned.
"He lost everything in a single fight."
In contrast, Do Yugrak would solidify his position within the pavilion, earning massive support and rewards for elevating Lion Fang's name.
One man's life soared nobly; another's plummeted miserably.
A razor-thin margin, yet starkly divided fates.
This was the Madou Martial God Tournament.