Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Blood Demon Hunt
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*Shing*
The Soul-Severing Sword, with its black blade and ghastly red eye, instilled a primal fear in all who beheld it.
All the more so when wielded by the Sword Demon, a master who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
"W-What..."
"What in the world is that..."
The outlaws of the Red Feather Gang were seized by fear upon seeing Unmyeong and the Soul-Severing Sword.
Even the leader of the Red Feather Gang, who had maintained an arrogant attitude and tone, swallowed dryly, his eyes fixed on Unmyeong.
"Sohwal, who are they?"
"They're men from the Red Feather Gang. It seems they've come for revenge over what happened at the inn."
"I see."
As Unmyeong's gaze shifted toward the Red Feather outlaws, they flinched and stepped back.
"Soul-Severing Sword, I'll let you see plenty of the blood you love so much."
[Good. You go on a rampage, too. I'll lend you all the power I've held back until now.]
Unmyeong let out a smirk, releasing a dense demonic energy in all directions.
*Rumble*
Merely unleashing the demonic energy he had suppressed within his body was enough to make the surrounding Red Feather outlaws freeze, unable to even breathe properly.
Unmyeong, the Grand Master of the Heavenly Demon Cult and the one who held the title of Sword Demon among the Seven Demons.
His level of mastery was none other than that of a master who had achieved 'Demonic Possession'.
Demonic Possession is a state achieved when a practitioner of demonic arts reaches the Pinnacle of Mastery.
The inner demon in one's heart torments the mind more fiercely, but the destructive power gained from it can sometimes surpass even a master at that level.
That was why the demonic energy he possessed was laced with a venomous aura, unlike that of an ordinary demonic practitioner.
*Fwoosh*
The violet-black sword aura that Unmyeong summoned blazed fiercely over the Soul-Severing Sword.
A moment later, the demonic sword's red eye flashed brightly, emitting a powerful gleam that further strengthened the sword aura.
The furiously burning violet-black sword aura reminded onlookers of the flames of hell.
"All of you, refrain from any futile struggles. It will only prolong your suffering."
*Wooooom*
Unmyeong took a drawing stance, his hand on the Soul-Severing Sword.
Sohwal instantly understood what he was about to do. She immediately used her lightness technique to exit the battlefield through the hole in the wall Unmyeong had entered from.
*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*
The demonic energy in the room surged, beating like a drum.
Seeing the demonic energy vibrating with increasing intensity, the Red Feather leader realized something was terribly wrong and shouted to his men.
"That bastard! He's trying to pull something! Go kill him now!"
"Y-Yes? B-But..."
When his men hesitated, paralyzed by fear, the Red Feather leader ground his teeth and summoned a red sword aura on his broadsword.
"I am also a master who can wield sword aura, so don't be afraid! I will lead the charge!"
As their leader charged forward with his sword aura blazing, his men found their courage and followed.
"K-Kill him!"
"Follow the boss!"
"He's alone! Swarm him all at once!"
Countless martial artists rushed toward Unmyeong simultaneously.
But,
*Wooooom*
they had given him too much time.
His draw was already prepared.
*Kiiiiing*
"Accept your fate. 'Ghost Cleave'."
*Fwoosh!*
His sword swung in a wide, crescent arc, and the violet-black demonic energy that shot from his blade passed through the Red Feather outlaws.
It didn't stop there. His sword aura spread out in all directions, even piercing through the building's walls.
"W-What...?!"
"Hey, there's some kind of line on your body..."
A violet-black line marked the path where Unmyeong's aura had passed.
A moment later, the outlaws' bodies slid apart, bisected as if cut in one clean stroke.
*Splurt*
A gruesome sound erupted from all around.
From the clean cross-sections of the severed outlaws, crimson blood spurted like fountains before falling like heavy raindrops.
[Ah, I really like this.]
Bathed in blood, the Soul-Severing Sword emitted a satisfied red glow.
Soon after, the building's pillars and walls were also severed, and it began to groan.
*Crumble*
With a single draw of his sword, Unmyeong had sliced everything around him in two.
*Crack, crumble*
As the building began to collapse, debris fell from above, covering the corpses of the bisected outlaws.
Not a single outlaw had survived, so no screams were heard.
[If you just stand there, you're going to get crushed too.]
"Don't worry."
*Swoosh!*
Unmyeong swung the demonic sword toward the sky, and the debris above split in two, falling to either side.
He then bent his knees and leaped high into the air.
A moment later, the inn where he had been standing completely collapsed with a tremendous roar.
*Crash, rumble*
Soaring high in the air, Unmyeong gazed down indifferently at the scene of the massacre he had caused.
The cool night wind brushed through Unmyeong's black hair, and the blue moonlight in the sky illuminated his back.
"It seems the ones inside weren't all of them."
From his vantage point in the sky, Unmyeong looked down at the Red Feather outlaws waiting around the collapsed inn below.
Then, spotting a densely packed group in one area, a smile naturally formed on his lips.
"Did you like what I did earlier?"
[It was the absolute best. So, one more time?]
Unmyeong answered with a smirk.
"Yes. Go!"
He pulled the Soul-Severing Sword back, then spun his body once and launched it toward the ground at incredible speed.
*Swoooosh*
And so, a violet-black meteor fell from the blue-lit night sky.
"W-What is that?!"
"Dammit, get out of the way!"
"Move! Everyone, move! Don't just stand there, mo—!"
*KABOOOOM!*
The Soul-Severing Sword, cloaked in violet-black demonic energy, collided with the ground, erupting in a massive explosion.
The people below were instantly torn apart and crushed, their blood and flesh mixing with stone and dust as they scattered in all directions.
Some corpses were so obliterated that their forms were unrecognizable, leaving behind only crimson stains.
And in the midst of that thick cloud of dust, the red-eyed demonic sword calmly revealed its presence.
The Soul-Severing Sword offered its assessment of the scene.
[Neatly smashed.]
*Swoosh, thud*
Having fallen from high above, Unmyeong landed lightly and picked up the Soul-Severing Sword.
"It's a good sight, being cleaned up so refreshingly."
[There's nothing as fun as crushing insects.]
The thick dust cloud scattered and disappeared in the cool night breeze.
The outlaws who had been a little farther away were merely thrown back, but when they regained their senses and stood up, they witnessed their comrades dead and turned to pulp.
"H-Huuuugh!"
"M...onster..."
"A demonic practitioner of this level... why..."
The residual energy of the demonic sword crackled like electricity around the blade, creating an intimidating presence.
*Crackle, spark*
"I'll take care of the ones in front. You handle the small fry in the back."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
Sohwal, who had taken cover and was waiting, appeared behind Unmyeong and replied.
Meanwhile, facing Unmyeong and Sohwal, the Red Feather outlaws retreated, completely terrified.
It was only natural, as their strongest fighter, their leader, had entered the building only for the inn to be instantly demolished, his fate unknown.
Furthermore, after witnessing the technique Unmyeong displayed from the sky—the 'Meteor Drop'—most of them had lost their will to fight.
*Slice*
Unmyeong cut down the outlaw at the very front, and once again, crimson blood sprayed into the air.
Seeing this, the Red Feather thugs lost their minds and fled.
"U-Uwaaaaaah!"
"S-Save me!!!"
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
"The Demonic Cult! It has to be the Demonic Cult!"
They turned their backs in such a pathetic display, it was hard to believe these were the same men who usually swaggered around, showing off their power to the townspeople.
As the enemies fled in a panic, Unmyeong calmly swung his sword, launching projectiles of aura.
Each time he swung the demonic sword, the screams of the fleeing outlaws erupted, followed unfailingly by the sound of bodies hitting the ground.
[Ah, they're just running away. How boring.]
As Unmyeong continued his merciless slaughter, the rubble of the collapsed inn suddenly stirred.
*Rumble, shift*
"Hmm?"
Unmyeong, who was mopping up the remaining enemies, sensed something strange and immediately turned his head to look at the collapsed inn.
*Rumble, shift*
Just then, a human hand burst through the inn's debris.
[Oh? Was there a survivor?]
Unmyeong frowned and looked more closely.
"Guuuuuh!"
Soon, the debris was pushed aside, and the owner of the hand revealed himself.
"Kuaaargh. That damn well hurt!"
His fancy clothes were now in tatters, but it was undoubtedly the leader of the Red Feather Gang.
[What, he was alive?]
Unmyeong observed the leader with a slightly baffled expression.
"That's impossible."
'I'm sure I cut him cleanly. I saw it with my own two eyes. How can he be perfectly fine?'
The Red Feather leader then pulled his nicked broadsword from the rubble, summoned a red sword aura, and shouted at Unmyeong.
"You bastard! How dare you do this to me! I'll kill you for sure!"
Just then, Unmyeong's gaze fell upon the red sword aura.
[That red energy he's using. It's unusual.]
"Yes. That's no ordinary energy."
An energy thick with a ghastly deathly aura and yin energy.
'I was uncertain when I saw it briefly before, but now I know for sure.'
Unmyeong replied in an endlessly cold voice.
"That is blood energy."
[Blood energy, you say? Why is an insect from the Blood Cult here?]
Unlike before, Unmyeong walked toward the Red Feather leader with a gaze filled with a much deeper killing intent.
"You bastard, answer my questions properly."
"S-Shut up! Do you know who I am—!"
*Slice*
The Red Feather leader's right arm was severed by a violet-black aura projectile, and red blood gushed out like a fountain.
"Kuaaaaaargh!"
His pained scream was short-lived, as his arm began to regenerate at an astonishing speed.
[That is...]
"I cut him just in case, and it's just as I thought. He's not just someone who learned the Blood Demon Arts. He's a 'Blood Demon'."
"Kuaaaargh! Guuuh!"
Even as his severed arm was nearly finished regenerating, the Red Feather leader writhed in agony.
*Slice*
*Splurt*
But before the arm could fully regenerate, it was severed again by Unmyeong's demonic sword, spraying blood once more.
"Gyaaaaaah! Aaaargh!"
"I'll give you three seconds. Shut your mouth. Three."
"Kuuuuugh! Guh!"
"Two."
"Kugh. Huk."
"One. Good. The quiet is nice."
Unmyeong stood before the Red Feather leader and kicked him squarely in the abdomen.
*Thwack*
The kick was infused with internal energy, so the Red Feather leader felt a pain like his organs were bursting as he vomited blood.
"Kuhuuuuk!"
"If you feel like vomiting blood, swallow it. It's filthy."
The Red Feather leader shouted at Unmyeong, his face a mixture of rage and pain.
"You bastard! Why are you doing this to me! For what reason—!"
*Slice*
As Unmyeong sliced off the regenerating arm yet again, the Red Feather leader's eyes rolled back and he let out a pained scream.
"Gyaaaaaah!"
"I told you to shut your mouth. It seems you've already forgotten. I'll give you three seconds again. Three."
"Gyaaaaaah! Aaargh! Aaaaargh!"
"Two."
"Huuuh..."
"One."
Unmyeong then sliced the Red Feather leader's thigh, forcing him to his knees.
*Splurt*
"Aaaaaargh! Why?! I was quiet, so why?!!"
"Our eye levels didn't match. Kneel before me. And from now on, do not open your mouth unless I permit it."
"Hyaaaah! Huuuk..."
Amidst the brain-searing pain, the Red Feather leader barely managed to regain his composure and shut his mouth.
Looking down at him coldly, Unmyeong asked in an indifferent voice.
"How many lives are inside you right now?"