Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Blood Chain Sickle
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As soon as Man Wu appeared on the martial arena, all eyes turned to him.
It was the unexpected emergence of a powerhouse on the very first day.
The crowd immediately plunged into a frenzy of excitement.
"The leader of the Black Liquor Demon Corps has come out…!"
"To see a powerhouse like that on the first day!"
"Is he here to avenge his subordinate?!"
Man Wu, leader of the Man Clan's Black Liquor Demon Corps.
He was infamous as the Slayer of Leaders, Ferocious Demon, a figure known for mercilessly severing his enemies' lives on the battlefield without mercy.
Everyone knew just how formidable the position of leader among the Seven Great Demon Clans truly was, so his mere appearance drew gazes filled with admiration and keen interest.
Naturally, the gazes directed at Jeok Mu-gun, his opponent on the opposite side, were tinged with pity.
"Tsk tsk. He's drawn the short straw."
"You never know. Who can say he'll lose?"
"Come on, that's nonsense. They might've caught the deputy leader off guard, but the leader is a warrior of a whole different caliber."
"He seemed like a promising newcomer, but is this where it ends?"
The crowd was already voicing skepticism about Jeok Mu-gun's survival.
No matter how swiftly he'd slain the deputy leader, facing the corps leader was an entirely different matter.
Man Wu descended onto the arena, his entire body radiating demonic energy laced with thick killing intent as he fixed his gaze on Jeok Mu-gun.
His eyes soon shifted to Man Gyun's corpse, shoved aside in one corner.
'Fool. Getting careless in a life-or-death duel.'
Man Wu knew it well.
Man Gyun had died without showing even a fraction of his true ability.
He had no notable title, and his opponent's shabby appearance had lulled him into dropping his guard unknowingly.
He'd approached without deploying his demonic arts or even his saber energy, only to be struck down in one exchange.
But what could be done?
'If you're careless, you die. That's the rule.'
Whether the foe was a child or an elder, a true warrior of the martial world stayed vigilant and gave their all.
The duel had been fair; his subordinate had simply been foolish.
Even so, Man Wu had no intention of letting the one who took Man Gyun's life walk away.
Shing―
Black demonic energy gathered along the blade as Man Wu drew his saber.
From the start, he unleashed his saber energy, determined not to hold back or grow complacent.
Seok Mae compared the two figures flanking him—Man Wu and Jeok Mu-gun—before stepping back and declaring,
"Then, the match begins now!"
Even after the duel commenced, Man Wu didn't charge in immediately.
Instead, he circled his opponent slowly, probing and keeping him in check.
After a brief period of testing, confirming that Jeok Mu-gun showed no special defenses or movements, Man Wu closed the distance in an instant.
And just as he thrust his saber toward the heart—
Clang!
Jeok Mu-gun leaped back dramatically, and from within his robes sprang a razor-sharp blade.
"What is…?!"
Not only Man Wu, but every spectator's eyes widened in shock.
From Jeok Mu-gun's windbreaker emerged a sickle attached to an iron chain.
Connected by the chain for ranged attacks, Jeok Mu-gun kept retreating while hurling the sickle at him relentlessly.
Clang!
"Tch!"
Man Wu swung his saber with a flustered expression.
But he could barely fend off the sickle whipping in from all directions.
He'd heard of some warriors using sickles as their main weapon, but this was his first time facing one.
Growing increasingly pressured and focused solely on defense in place, Man Wu made a snap decision.
Stay still, and it won't reach you.
So I have to break through and advance.
Claaang―!
Man Wu wasn't one to go down easily.
By shoving aside the chain rather than the sickle, disrupting its balance, he stomped forward with earth-shattering force.
Scraaaape!
As the approaching Man Wu unleashed a horizontal slash, Jeok Mu-gun parried with his sickle.
Saber versus sickle.
The wildly mismatched weapons clashed over a dozen exchanges in midair before Man Wu deployed his Proud Dragon Demon Saber.
Fierce saber strikes poured down like a dragon gaping its jaws to savagely tear into its prey.
Jeok Mu-gun tried to block with the flat of his sickle, but the onslaught was too vast to cover every angle.
A line was carved into Jeok Mu-gun's side, thick blood seeping out.
Splurt―
Yet Man Wu didn't halt even after landing the hit.
He leaped high into the air toward Jeok Mu-gun.
Sunlight silhouetted Man Wu's back as he raised his saber overhead.
The tip of the blade in his grip gleamed.
It was Man Wu's ultimate technique: Residual Soul Heavenly Light Saber.
'He's given up, I see.'
Man Wu smirked at Jeok Mu-gun, who stood frozen awaiting the strike.
He must not have anticipated such relentless aggression, remaining rooted in place.
His body probably seized up, unable to even think of dodging.
'Go say hello to Man Gyun.'
He wouldn't send his subordinate off alone into boredom.
With a curled lip, Man Wu prepared to bring the saber crashing down.
But at that exact moment—
Chaaaain!
The sound of a chain rattling from behind reached his ears.
Turning his head slightly in puzzlement, Man Wu's pupils dilated massively.
His opponent hadn't moved an inch.
Yet the sickle, flung far away, was spinning back toward him.
"No…!"
A brief gasp was all he managed before his death cry was silenced.
By the time the sickle returned to Jeok Mu-gun's grasp via Able Control Recall Sickle, Man Wu's head had already hit the ground.
Thud.
A fountain of blood erupted from the headless torso, the head rolling away.
The brutal duel reached its conclusion.
"……."
"……."
"……."
The spectators were utterly stunned.
When he'd first taken down the Man Clan's deputy leader, they'd chalked it up to luck.
Man Gyun had clearly lost due to carelessness, failing to show his full strength.
But this was different.
Man Wu had unleashed his saber energy from the outset, fully prepared and exerting himself to the limit.
Yet the outcome was the same.
He'd lost his life, and the victor was the nameless warrior, Jeok Mu-gun.
Confirming Man Wu's death, Seok Mae nodded and declared the duel over.
"The winner is Jeok Mu-gun! The victor of this match is Jeok Mu-gun!"
"Waaaaah—!"
A thunderous roar shook the earth.
But Jeok Mu-gun, as if it were the expected result, calmly wiped the blood from his retrieved sickle.
Impressed by his composure, Seok Mae's eyes gleamed as he spoke.
"Impressive martial prowess. It's hard to believe you had no title until now."
The crowd nodded in agreement.
"Where did this guy even come from?"
"He single-handedly decimated the Black Liquor Demon Corps…!"
"Never dreamed he'd use a sickle as a weapon!"
Overhearing their chatter for a moment, Seok Mae turned to the crowd with a pleased expression.
"Does it make sense for the man who defeated the Slayer of Leaders, Ferocious Demon to still lack a title?"
"Right! Right!"
"Fresh wine calls for a fresh cup. Let us bestow upon him the title Blood Chain Sickle!"
"Blood Chain Sickle Jeok Mu-gun!"
"Blood glistening on that sickle—couldn't ask for a better fit!"
The spectators, witnessing a nameless warrior's birth as a new powerhouse, erupted in massive cheers.
Seok Mae slowly approached Jeok Mu-gun and asked,
"Do you intend to continue with another match?"
Jeok Mu-gun glanced at his side briefly, stowed the sickle in his robes, and shook his head.
"I'll stop here."
"Understood."
He had already claimed consecutive victories over two powerhouses.
No one would dare criticize him for halting now.
Jeok Mu-gun turned and leisurely descended from the arena.
"Ho."
Hyeok Mulin watched his retreating figure with a subtle smile.
At first, even Hyeok Mulin hadn't recognized him.
But when the chain sickle emerged, he pieced it together.
'So at this time, he was still a nameless wanderer.'
His skill was exceptional enough to fell two Man Clan elites, but he simply hadn't stepped into the world's spotlight yet.
In his previous life, he'd risen to fame over a decade later, accelerated by Hyeok Mulin's launch of the Martial Demon God Tournament.
'Two Man Clan warriors dead.'
The leader and deputy leader, no less—a catastrophe.
But given Man Ho's personality…
Hyeok Mulin's gaze shifted to the Man Clan section.
Sure enough, exactly as he'd predicted.
"An interesting one. Look into him."
"Yes. We'll investigate his features, origins, and motives thoroughly."
Man Ho showed no concern over his subordinates' deaths.
If anything, he seemed deeply intrigued by this new powerhouse who'd slain them.
Hyeok Mulin smirked at Man Ho.
'They won't find anything even if they dig.'
Not surprising—he was a drifter haunting dead villages, never settling in one place.
Hyeok Mulin's eyes returned to Jeok Mu-gun's back.
What he sought wasn't money or fame.
It was people.
"I've seen enough for today."
It had been a satisfying day, capped by that intriguing final match.
Hyeok Mulin rose slowly and left the tournament grounds behind.
The second day of the Martial Demon God Tournament.
Hyeok Mulin visited the tournament grounds again to watch the duels.
"The winner is Fist of Crushing Death! The victor of this match is Fist of Crushing Death!"
The crowd cheered at Seok Mae's shout.
Fist of Crushing Death had mercilessly targeted only his opponent's face, swelling it beyond recognition.
Leaving his foe barely able to breathe, he claimed victory and stepped down from the arena.
Once the combatants had exited, Seok Mae called for more challengers.
"Any who wish to participate, come down now!"
Whoosh―
A middle-aged man leaped lightly from the stands onto the arena.
His crisp hemp robes and angular bamboo hat drew murmurs from the crowd.
"Gold Ghost Wanderer Yeon Ga-so!"
"The ruler of the deserts has arrived."
"Never thought that money ghost would join the Martial Demon God Tournament."
He roamed the southern desert regions of the New Frontier, a ronin famed for subjugating bandits.
Of course, he didn't eradicate them for free.
He always extracted from nearby residents more gold than the bandits had plundered.
Some even called him a money-crazed ghost.
Though this reputation carried a hint of notoriety, his skills were beyond doubt, so the crowd welcomed the powerhouse with roaring cheers.
Seok Mae approached and greeted him.
"Didn't expect you to step up, but welcome regardless. Now, we'll accept challengers—"
"Hold on."
Yeon Ga-so interrupted mid-sentence.
As Seok Mae looked puzzled, he spoke.
"I have a specific reason for entering the Martial Demon God Tournament."
"Hm?"
"A reason?"
As puzzled faces turned toward Yeon Ga-so, a sly smile crept across his lips.
"Divine Demon Blood Death Squad."
His eyes, shadowed by the hat, burned with deep crimson bloodlust.
"I wish to challenge them."