Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Elder Selection Test (5)
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And so, with the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor's victory, the second Great Elder selection test concluded, and the third test began.
The next turn belonged to Do Cheon-ju.
Like the two matches before him, he secured an easy victory. The fourth contestant, Eum Cheon-ju, also claimed a brilliant win using his unique sound techniques.
With only two Great Elder positions remaining, the fifth selection test began.
A man holding a paper marked with the number 8 stepped onto the training ground.
His name was Gwon-ho.
He was the captain of the Assault Squad, which served directly under the Cult Leader, and was known for wielding a long staff with a weight at one end.
As the youngest of the finalists, he had wanted to face the oldest elder, but his interest waned significantly when the old elder became the first Great Elder.
So, without any particular intention, he chose the second-oldest opponent for his test.
His opponent was a man named Elder Goe, who held a significant position in the Council of Elders. He was a formidable warrior, strong enough to earn the moniker 'Sword Fanatic'.
Judging by the two combatants alone, this match promised to be quite exciting.
Unlike the previous matches where one side was clearly stronger, creating an imbalance from the start, the gap between these two was not readily apparent, suggesting the fight would be a long one.
Of course, Gwon-ho thought differently.
He wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible to make a good impression on Maeng Ak, his new master.
How should I put it?
He was like a general with a thirst for power, perhaps?
In that respect, he was similar to his opponent, Elder Goe.
He, too, possessed a considerable lust for power and had held a key position in the Council of Elders.
He also wanted to make a good impression in this match.
*Thud!*
Gwon-ho slammed his staff onto the ground and spoke to Elder Goe.
“I'll end this as quickly as possible, so you old man can go get some rest.”
Elder Goe fired back with a taunt of his own, heating the atmosphere of the duel.
“You look about as old as I am. Shouldn't you be the one resting?”
*Shing.*
At the same time, the sword drawn from his scabbard sang.
Gwon-ho paid him no mind, snorting through his large nostrils.
“Hmph! You'll regret those words.”
“We'll see about that.”
Elder Goe readjusted his grip on the sword and watched his opponent.
The match began as the Great Guardian disappeared from the training ground, and the two charged straight at each other.
Gwon-ho swung his staff wide, whirling the round weight at its end menacingly, while Elder Goe, true to his 'Sword Fanatic' moniker, executed a clean, single slash.
As they clashed in the middle, the two pieces of forged steel created a deafening roar.
*Claaang!*
A fierce exchange of blows ensued, with neither man backing down.
Gwon-ho used the weight on his staff to shift its center of gravity at will, unsettling Elder Goe. Though surprised by the unfamiliar attack style, the elder skillfully defended himself with his seasoned experience.
When some distance opened between them, Elder Goe capitalized on his superior speed, skimming low across the ground.
He was able to strike at his opponent's opening.
*Shunk!*
A large gash was nearly carved into Gwon-ho's back.
Gwon-ho narrowly blocked the attack by bringing his staff behind him, then used the force of the blow to launch a counterattack. Elder Goe had to pay the price for his failed surprise attack.
*Kwoong!*
Gwon-ho had swung the weighted end high into the air, adding momentum before bringing the staff crashing down.
Elder Goe barely managed to block it by raising his sword above his head, but the strain seemed to have caused an internal injury, as a trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Elder Goe's time left in the fight had just been drastically reduced.
In the end, Elder Goe poured his remaining strength into his sword, forming an ultimate technique.
A blue aura of energy surged from his beloved blade.
It was a display of truly immense internal energy and meticulous control.
Even Gwon-ho could not take this attack lightly.
He, too, assumed a serious stance, imbuing his staff with internal energy to prepare his defense.
“Hyaaap!”
Elder Goe kicked off the ground, launching himself into the air and swinging his sword.
A heavy, massive blade aura flew toward the well-prepared Gwon-ho.
To Maeng Ak, watching from the VIP seats, its power was comparable to the blade aura that Geom Cheon-ju had unleashed on him before his death.
Gwon-ho gritted his teeth and executed several maneuvers, then used the momentum to smash the weighted end of his staff into the blade aura.
*Shatter!*
In mid-air, the weight on his long staff shattered the blade aura.
Seeing this, Elder Goe sheathed his sword and stepped down from the training ground.
After a close battle, Gwon-ho had claimed victory.
Thus, the fifth Great Elder position went to Gwon-ho.
Like Nang Ah-ryang before him, he repeatedly played to the crowd, inciting cheers.
“Kuhahaha! This is the great Gwon-ho's victory!”
His hearty laughter heated the atmosphere of the main plaza.
Though he was quickly restrained by the Great Guardian who came down to restore order, Gwon-ho had achieved his goal of leaving a deep impression.
Only after sending Gwon-ho, who was about to jump into the stands, off the training ground could the Great Guardian prepare for the next test.
The last to step onto the training ground was a man named Geom Eon-ryeong, who had suffered a grave injury during the golden age of the old Demonic Cult and had entered secluded training.
He ascended with the final opponent, a saber user, and true to his quiet and calm nature, he didn't utter a single word before the test began.
But as soon as the test started, he moved with such stealth that he was behind his opponent in an instant.
The final test ended in a truly anticlimactic fashion.
With Geom Eon-ryeong's silent maneuver to get behind his foe.
His opponent, a skilled saber master who had also held a position in the old Council of Elders, was defeated in an instant.
Very few had noticed his movement: the Great Guardian, the winners of the previous tests who had already become Great Elders, and Maeng Ak.
“So there was another old monster hiding.”
Even Maeng Ak was impressed by his astonishing move.
It was a truly flawless movement.
As soon as the test began, he had moved with incredible speed into his opponent's blind spot, then used a movement technique to get behind him—a move akin to an assassination.
Watching him, the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor even wondered if Geom Eon-ryeong might be a candidate for the vacant First Squad Leader position.
Of course, it wasn't as shocking as his first encounter with Maeng Ak.
In any case, the Great Elder selection test ended just like that.
The new Great Elders were decided: starting with the Old Elder, then the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor, Do Cheon-ju, Eum Cheon-ju, Gwon-ho, and Geom Eon-ryeong.
As a reward, each was granted the right to form their own corps of about 500 members, with the authority to appoint a corps commander and vice-commander.
All that remained was the selection test for the Minor Elders, which had been temporarily postponed.
The Great Guardian, thinking that pitting the same opponents against each other again would yield similar results, used his head.
He paired Do Gwang with Jang Pyeong-su, another saber user, and matched Jo Gwang-uk against Geo Pyeong for the re-test.
Fortunately, the four had finished their previous tests without serious injury, so they were able to begin immediately after the Great Elder tests concluded.
First, Do Gwang and Jang Pyeong-su stepped onto the training ground.
They looked at each other and scowled, clearly dissatisfied.
However, they couldn't afford to not give the test their all.
If one of them lost while their rival won, wouldn't they end up with a lower rank than their rival?
“Tch, I wanted another match with that bastard Jo Gwang-uk...”
“Huh? You think I wanted to fight a loser like you?”
“L-Loser? Ha! As a fellow saber master, I'll have to show you what it means to be in a league of your own.”
The taunts had successfully lit a fire between them.
Riding the heated atmosphere, they each gripped their sabers and took their stances.
As soon as the Great Guardian left his position, the two hot-blooded saber masters kicked off the ground.
They engaged in a head-on clash in front of everyone.
In terms of strength, Do Gwang, who had partially mastered the heart technique of the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger, had the upper hand.
He slowly pushed Jang Pyeong-su back, and the moment one of Jang Pyeong-su's knees buckled, he deflected his saber and sent him flying.
“Keuk!”
Suddenly sent rolling across the training ground, Jang Pyeong-su righted himself and prepared for Do Gwang's follow-up attack.
Do Gwang, moving as one with his saber, leaped into the air and brought his blade crashing down on Jang Pyeong-su with all his momentum.
*Kwaang!*
Jang Pyeong-su barely blocked the attack with a wide swing of his saber from left to right, but the large movement left him wide open.
Seizing the opportunity, Do Gwang unleashed the ultimate technique he had previously shown against Jo Gwang-uk.
“Frenzied Martial Saber Origin Slash!”
An ink-black aura erupted from his blade, aiming sharply for Jang Pyeong-su's side.
In the end, Jang Pyeong-su was defenseless and on the verge of defeat.
Unable to watch any longer, the Great Guardian intervened, knocking Jang Pyeong-su back and parrying Do Gwang's ultimate technique with his own sword.
This meant that Do Gwang was the victor.
Do Gwang snorted with an expression that said it was nothing special and descended from the training ground.
As he passed Jo Gwang-uk, who was ascending, he stared at him intently, giving him a look that said, "You'd better not lose."
In response, Jo Gwang-uk tapped Do Gwang's shoulder and said.
“Just shut up and watch. There's no way this big brother can't do what you did.”
Of course, Do Gwang made a rude gesture in response, but Jo Gwang-uk didn't see it as he stepped onto the training ground.
Geo Pyeong was slightly intimidated by Jo Gwang-uk's massive frame, but now that even his rival Jang Pyeong-su had been eliminated, he resolved that he, at least, had to win.
And so, the final match for the Minor Elder positions began.
As soon as the match started, Jo Gwang-uk stomped his foot with his massive body, sending shards of the ground flying up and obstructing Geo Pyeong's vision.
Taking advantage of the opening, Jo Gwang-uk, a fist-style martial artist, closed the distance and launched a fist aura.
“Ha!”
With a powerful shout, the fist aura flew toward Geo Pyeong.
For an opening move, it was quite threatening, and Geo Pyeong's tension spiked.
He succeeded in defending with a quick-draw technique, but he instantly realized his opponent was no pushover.
Unfazed by his first attack being blocked, Jo Gwang-uk crossed his arms and slammed his massive body directly into Geo Pyeong.
Then, he attacked the dazed Geo Pyeong with a side kick.
Geo Pyeong barely managed to turn his sword sideways to avoid a direct hit, but he was sent flying, scraping a long line across the training ground floor.
Fortunately, he managed to avoid being disqualified for going out of bounds by stabbing his sword into the ground to offset the momentum.
*Screeeech.*
He slid a considerable distance with the blade embedded in the ground, but the edge remained undamaged.
Geo Pyeong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, stood up, and readjusted his stance.
He then unleashed the same ultimate technique he had shown against Jang Pyeong-su on the charging Jo Gwang-uk.
“Dieeee!”
It felt like the desperate struggle of a man fighting a bear.
But the bear nonchalantly swatted away the man's desperate move with its thick limbs before bringing down a heavy fist.
*Thwack!*
Geo Pyeong's vision darkened as his body fell toward the training ground floor.
And so, with Geo Pyeong knocked unconscious, the final match ended in Jo Gwang-uk's victory.
With that, all the elder selection tests were over.
Like the Great Elders, the Minor Elders were also granted the right to form their own corps, each with a total of 300 members, and could appoint a corps commander and vice-commander.
The Great Guardian ascended the training ground, sent Geo Pyeong to the medics, and then summoned the six Great Elders and seven Minor Elders to the platform.
They turned toward Maeng Ak, who had risen from his seat, knelt on one knee, and bowed their heads.
The six Great Elders were in the first row, and the seven Minor Elders were in the second.
The crowd applauded and cheered at the sight, but fell silent again when Maeng Ak began to speak.
“I, Maeng Ak, as the Heavenly Demon of this era, guarantee the authority and honor that these six Great Elders and seven Minor Elders shall possess. You are to assist me and spare not your lives for the sake of the countless cult members gathered here.”
“Loyalty!”
And with that, the elder selection tests came to a close.