Chapter 91
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: The Fusion of Two Men
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I alternated glances between Paeng Daesan, who had crawled out of the crater, and the Bloodpath Guest standing beside me.
Full-river first-rate martial artist Paeng Daesan and full-river peak martial artist Bloodpath Guest.
To fuse the two, their power levels had to be balanced at the same tier. Otherwise, something grotesque and utterly fucked up would emerge for sure. Fusion clichés always played out that way.
I first poured my intent into Paeng Daesan.
"Enhance."
"Grraaaah...!"
Paeng Daesan's muscles screamed and writhed across his entire body. Like he'd just done a massive pump session, his frame swelled up twice as burly in an instant.
Peak Paeng Daesan.
But this wasn't enough.
"One more time."
At my words, Paeng Daesan's eyes rolled back. His bloated muscles contracted wildly inward this time, compressing with insane density. The flashy, showy bulk vanished, leaving behind only rock-hard, high-density muscles forged from decades of grueling labor. He looked slimmer at a glance, but the power packed into them was incomparable to before.
Rhythm-game-master no-life dad's real-combat compressed muscles.
Peak-peak Paeng Daesan.
Perfect. Paeng Daesan was ready for now.
I turned my gaze to the Bloodpath Guest. He silently readjusted his grip on his sword, waiting for his turn.
I shot my intent toward him.
"Enhance."
Fwaaaaah—!
An explosive aura incomparable to before burst from the Bloodpath Guest's body. Crimson blood qi rose around him like a shimmering haze. He gave a wry smile and murmured softly.
"I was just a little short of breaking through on my own power... What a shame."
Unlike his voice laced with regret, lightning-like ferocity flashed in his eyes.
Peak-peak Bloodpath Guest.
Preparations complete.
"Both of you, stick together."
At my command, Paeng Daesan and the Bloodpath Guest faced each other and closed in. I cast the fusion suggestion toward them both.
Srrrrk...
The exact same phenomenon as with Left Elder and Right Elder earlier. Paeng Daesan and the Bloodpath Guest's bodies lost their boundaries and began melting into each other.
And moments later, a new being stood in their place.
Skin moderately tanned, eyes blending Paeng Daesan's stolid honesty with the Bloodpath Guest's sharpness. A lean frame topped with no-life real-combat compressed muscles so dense they took your breath away just looking at them.
He opened his mouth. His voice was a bizarre overlap—somehow both Paeng Daesan's and the Bloodpath Guest's at once.
"What's my name?"
I told him.
"Your name is Paeng Dogak."
He looked deeply satisfied.
"Paeng Dogak... Nice."
Paeng Dogak turned his head to look at me. His eyes burned with absolute obedience.
"Master. What do you desire?"
I pointed off into the distance at the tonkatsu grinder on the verge of shredding Byeok Cheonwi.
"Turn that Paeng bastard into mincemeat."
"Understood."
With his reply, Paeng Dogak kicked off the ground and launched himself skyward.
Kwaaaang—!
His body became a single cannon shell rocketing straight toward Left-Right Elder. Without a thought of dodging or blocking, he hurled himself right into the storm of madly spinning blades.
And then, with both hands, he seized the whirling blades.
Kagagagagagak—!
The horrific screech of human flesh clashing against steel blades drowned out the battlefield. Paeng Dogak's body got caught in Left-Right Elder's rotational force and began spinning wildly along with it.
But he never let go. He gripped the blades tight with both arms, holding firm.
Those real-combat compressed muscles had mass on a whole other level. Left-Right Elder's movements grew increasingly unstable as it had to spin along Paeng Dogak's superhuman weight and strength.
Kikikikikik—!
The rotation speed visibly slowed before grinding to a complete halt with a nauseating metallic whine.
The Paeng machine had stopped.
Paeng Dogak, still clutching the blades with both arms, turned back toward me and shouted.
"I've got it pinned. Finish it off."
At that instant, Left-Right Elder's two faces twisted in fury simultaneously as it tried to rev up the spin again.
Kik—!
But that attempt was thwarted by the Alliance Leader's formless sword.
"Thunderclap Jade-Shattering Slash."
Chjeeeng—!
A ferocious impact hammered the axis once more, forcibly killing the spin. Seizing the opening, Byeok Cheonwi—who'd been scampering like a rat this whole time and was now seething with rage—veins bulging on his forehead, roared and charged in.
"Kraaaaaah! You goddamn mongrel!"
His ultimate technique, infused with all his fury and humiliation—Wall Heaven—slammed precisely into Left-Right Elder's torso.
Kwakwakwakwakwa—!
Amid earth-shaking thunder, Left-Right Elder's body warped violently, but it still refused to die.
"Look at this bastard grit its teeth and endure!"
With Byeok Cheonwi's shout, the Alliance Leader swung his sword once more. The two hammered away at Left-Right Elder like blacksmiths pounding a slab of iron—formless sword and greatsword thudding relentlessly.
Finally.
Crack—!
Cracks spiderwebbed across Left-Right Elder's body, finally pushed to its limit. It split back into Left Elder and Right Elder, and the two severed forms dissolved into motes of light, scattering into the air and vanishing completely.
Silence at last settled over the rubble-strewn clearing, once filled with roars and destruction.
The first to break the quiet was Byeok Cheonwi.
"Huuuuuuh—!"
He heaved out a long, ragged breath, expelling all the air from his lungs. His face bore the exhaustion of brutal combat, mingled with a strange sense of refreshment from a job well done.
"Tough sons of bitches."
I turned to look at the Alliance Leader. He stared blankly at the spot where they'd crumbled to dust, his face as impassive as ever. His flat voice echoed lowly through the empty space.
"Followed."
Followed what?
Before the question could fully form, Byeok Cheonwi turned toward us with a hearty laugh.
"We're bandits from here on out. And you lot are the official Murim Alliance delegation."
"......"
Ah, got it.
I scanned the Alliance Leader, Byeok Cheonwi, and Jegal Seg—who was still trembling behind me.
From the start, Jegal Jin had never intended to send just me and Jegal Seg as the sole delegation to the Orthodox-Demonic Alliance.
We were nothing more than figureheads. The official Murim Alliance delegation sent to congratulate the formation of the Orthodox-Demonic Alliance.
And the Alliance Leader and Azure Dragon Squad Leader—these two heavyweights—were straight-up bandits here to completely trash the "Orthodox-Demonic Festival" celebrating its birth.
By doing so, they'd etch into the minds of the entire Central Plains murim that the Orthodox-Demonic Alliance couldn't guarantee peace on its own power. A massive incident like this at the newborn alliance's grandest festival would tank their authority to the ground, leaving the Central Plains no choice but to rely on the Murim Alliance's strength.
Fucking cowardly, but a fucking solid plan.
These were the same guys who'd been spying on civilians back when I was a med student at the Healer Immortal Sect, and who'd clear out inns of guests whenever Murim Alliance goons showed up to hog the place. No surprise now.
"But as bandits, is it okay to walk around with our faces fully exposed like this?"
The Alliance Leader, Dokgo, answered my question. His voice held zero emotional fluctuation.
"Jun said it's fine."
If the strategist said so, what could I say? Still, where the hell was that guy? His daughter nearly died, and not even a glimpse of him.
Just then, a faint tug pulled at my sleeve. It was Jegal Seg.
"V-Vice Squad Leader... Are you okay? Any injuries...?"
"Me? I'm fine for now."
My mental energy was scraping bottom, on the verge of passing out, but I looked intact on the outside.
Right then.
"Uwaaaaaang—!"
Another familiar yet alien scream echoed from the sky.
We all reflexively looked up.
There in the sky, Bang Soso was falling. Or more precisely, a tall woman with perky white bunny ears was plummeting while princess-carrying her like a damsel. And in the bunny's other arm dangled Ha-eun.
The bunny spun gracefully once in midair before landing softly on the ground without a hint of impact. Feather-light, even carrying those two hefty passengers.
Bang Soso hopped down from the bunny's arms and lit up with a radiant smile the moment she spotted me.
"Senior Brother!"
She toddled over and threw herself into my arms without a second's hesitation.
In that instant, her signature sweet, soft body scent wafted to my nose. And her massive, voluptuous breasts pressed firmly against my chest.
At the same time, my nearly depleted mental energy began surging back at a rapid clip. Like a parched sponge greedily sucking up water, my empty mind filled with the comfort and warmth she provided. Yeah, this is the stuff.
Meanwhile, Ha-eun, who had been set down from the bunny's embrace, was deathly pale. She staggered, hand clamped over her mouth, mumbling.
"Ugh... I think... I'm gonna hurl..."
Bile-mixed saliva dribbled between her fingers. The urge to lap it up crossed my mind, but with the Alliance Leader and Squad Leader right there, I couldn't act on it. Too many eyes watching.
No need to ask how they'd ended up falling from the sky. Same reason as Paeng Dogak.
That was when it happened.
Flash—!
A blinding flash scorched the world white, and in an instant, the sky began dyeing blood-red.
The blue heavens vanished, replaced by an eerie, ominous spectacle—like a colossal blood curtain draping over the entire world.
"Wh-what is this...?"
Jegal Seg whimpered in terror.
But Byeok Cheonwi, standing beside me, merely curled his lip in interest at the crimson sky.
"It's starting."
The Alliance Leader nodded silently in agreement.
The two of them already knew what this was.
What the hell is it?
Come on, give us a briefing already.