The Roar That Shakes the Heavens

"It’s the Murim Alliance!" With a demonic practitioner's shout, the attack by the assailants—presumed to be from the Murim Alliance—began. The sound of steel clashing against steel. The faint, lingering scent of blood. Screams filling the area. My hesitation was brief; my judgment was swift.

Seo-ah immediately turned her gaze away from the Dark Cloud Scholar and So-yul, who were on the platform surrounded by a dozen or so attackers. The Master would protect So-yul well enough. Now was not the time to waste on things I couldn't control; I had to do what I could, and do it quickly.

Seo-ah shouted to her group, "Get a grip! Run for the main gate! Now!"

"Wh-what?!"

"T-to the main gate?!"

"Got it! Boss!"

Baek-ak, So-so, and Baek-ran answered in turn.

"No time for long explanations! Move!"

At the very least, the assailants' targets wouldn't be small fry like us. They were likely planning to deal with the Dark Cloud Scholar or the Cult figures gathered in this area. Seo-ah figured that as long as we could just get out of this vicinity, we wouldn't be killed by a stray blade. They wouldn't have the luxury of wasting their steel on students or maids fleeing the scene when they had bigger fish to fry.

"T-to the main gate!"

"Students, evacuate!"

"Those who haven't learned martial arts, evacuate to the main gate!"

Whether my shout reached them or they reached the same conclusion on their own, the instructors of the Gyomaguan seemed to have made the same judgment. With the evacuation order given, we hurriedly threw ourselves into the crowd heading for the main gate.

— *Whiz!*

With a sound cutting through the air, a stray blade fell toward Baek-ak, who was in the lead. Like the elite student of the Gyomaguan he was, Baek-ak didn't panic and deflected the sword. The owner of the stray blade was a white-clad warrior of the Murim Alliance. He looked like a second-class martial artist, much like the twins. Having recovered his sword, the white-clad warrior unleashed a series of attacks toward the twins again.

The twins immediately unleashed the Swift White-Shattering Sword. Only then did Seo-ah understand why it was called the Swift White-Shattering Sword.

'So "shattering" doesn't necessarily mean "overpowering"!'

The white-clad warrior was using a very orthodox sword style. On the other hand, the twins' Swift White-Shattering Sword was fast and erratic. At a glance, it looked so reckless that it seemed to lack any consistent form. The Swift White-Shattering Sword was a style literally designed to "shatter" the orthodox warriors of the White Faction who wielded their swords by the book.

'But... the gap isn't closing.'

They had the advantage in style compatibility. They had the advantage in numbers. Yet, the gap remained. The reason was simple: no matter how much of a genius the twins were called, they had only been learning the sword for a year. The white-clad warrior, on the other hand, had likely been swinging a sword for at least a few decades and had experienced various real-life battles. He was just stuck at that level because he lacked talent. The difference in experience was like heaven and earth.

But more importantly...

'There is hesitation in their swords.'

We had performed countless training exercises in the Gyomaguan under the guise of real combat, but the real thing was on a different level. The screams and the sound of clashing steel around us, the smell of blood—it was all making our minds chaotic. The pressure of knowing you could die if you slipped up, the burden of having your precious ones taken away, and the burden of potentially taking another's life—it was all preventing their swords from moving straight.

Seo-ah read that emotion from the twins and decided to give them a little push.

"Don't hesitate! Don't hold back!"

At my sharp words, the twins flinched, then unleashed the Swift White-Shattering Sword even more aggressively. Seo-ah had been watching the white-clad warrior's sword carefully.

'Now!'

Thanks to that, Seo-ah was able to throw her hidden dagger at the perfect moment. The white-clad warrior, not expecting a mere maid like me to throw a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dagger, tripped over his own feet while trying to dodge it in a hurry. Baek-ak didn't miss the moment and plunged his sword into the warrior's gut.

The problem was that the white-clad warrior, as if to say he wouldn't go down ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠alone, had also stabbed his sword into Baek-ak's stomach. Unlike the warrior, who gritted his teeth as if used to such pain, Baek-ak, who had a hole in his stomach for the first time, screamed in agony.

"Aaaaaah!!"

"Baek-ak!! You bastard..."

Baek-ran worried about Baek-ak, her eyes turning toward the white-clad warrior as if she wanted to tear him to shreds. As Baek-ran tried to finish him off by cutting his throat, the warrior rolled on the ground with a Naryeotagon (a movement technique), retreated, and threw a hidden dagger from his robes at Baek-ran. Baek-ran's right shoulder was pierced.

"Baek-ran! Are you okay?!"

Baek-ran gritted her teeth and nodded. Fortunately, the white-clad warrior only glared at us from a distance and didn't chase us. Seo-ah hoisted the severely wounded Baek-ak onto her back and shouted again.

"Let's go, quickly!"

Baek-ran, while still glaring at the warrior, hurriedly moved her feet. Revenge was important, but right now, this area was crawling with white-clad warriors. If we wasted time for no reason, who knew when or who would be killed by a stray blade. We had to move quickly.

At that moment.

— *Chill!*

Seo-ah turned her head toward the platform where this chill was emanating from. No, was it just Seo-ah? The group. The white-clad warriors who had been fighting us. The big shots in the area. All the assailants looked toward the platform. Dark clouds were gathering in the sky above the platform.

'Is that... a Transcendental Realm master...'

It was a sensation like facing an incomprehensible monster that couldn't be compared to a Peak Realm master. My hands and feet were trembling. If that was a master of the Transcendental Realm... then what kind of people were the masters of the Realm of Creation, called the Holy Sovereigns or Demonic Monarchs of the Cult?

— *Kwoooooong!*

With a roar that shook the heavens, an immense wave of qi poured out from the platform. At the same time, a familiar voice reached my ears.

— Can you hear me?

It was the voice of the Dark Cloud Scholar.

— I will throw So-yul toward you now. Do not miss her.

What? There was no time to ask back. There was no way to do so, either. Seo-ah handed the limp Baek-ak, whom she had been carrying on her back, to So-so and had to catch the limp So-yul ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flying through the air.

***

'One master between the Transcendental and Peak realms. Nine Peak Realm masters, is it?'

The Dark Cloud Scholar scanned the assailants surrounding him with eyes as fierce as if he would tear them to shreds.

'How dare you...'

Pitch-black clouds enveloped the Dark Cloud Scholar, and then the Dark Cloud Scholar multiplied into two. The Dark Cloud Scholar frowned.

'I've sustained internal injuries.'

It was an unfortunate event that occurred because I hadn't expected them to hide thunder-bombs inside their bodies. If it were just me, it would be one thing. But because I had to protect So-yul while considering my own injuries, I hadn't had the time to block the thunder-bombs.

'I cannot lose her after finding her with such difficulty.'

The Dark Cloud Scholar had been searching for a disciple to inherit his true teachings for a long time. There are three main categories of demonic arts: demonic arts that are difficult to even enter, demonic arts that are easy to enter but have great side effects, and demonic arts that combine the two above. The Dark Cloud Scholar's demonic art fell into the third category. To learn the Dark Cloud Demonic Art, one had to satisfy both outstanding talent and the difficult conditions required to learn the demonic art. In that sense, So-yul was a child the Dark Cloud Scholar had to protect at all costs.

'Because I will never be able to find a "Body of Extreme Demonic" again.'

That was also the reason why the Dark Cloud Scholar, who was a master of the Transcendental Realm, couldn't just grovel to So-yul even if he looked down on her and she acted out. Outstanding comprehension. A body suitable for learning demonic arts. The Body of Extreme Demonic, which possessed all of these, was a constitution that appeared maybe once in a hundred years.

The Dark Cloud Scholar parried the blades flying at him and looked at So-yul. So-yul was exchanging moves with one Peak Realm master, but So-yul's condition couldn't be described as good by any stretch of the imagination.

'I must make a decision.'

The Dark Cloud Scholar raised all ten levels of his internal energy while in a state of internal injury. It was a dangerous decision that could leave him a cripple, but... a warrior of the demonic path does not fear danger.

— *Kwoooooong!*

With a roar that shook the heavens, the sky began to be covered in dark clouds. A deep fog spread, and dozens of "himself" emerged from the mist. After exploding the head of the Peak Realm warrior attacking So-yul with a single strike, the Dark Cloud Scholar shifted his gaze toward where Seo-ah would be. To help his only disciple, who could inherit his true teachings, escape.

***

— I will throw So-yul toward you now. Do not miss her.

As soon as Seo-ah received the Dark Cloud Scholar's telepathic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠message, she immediately handed Baek-ak, who was on her back, to So-so, and then raised her internal energy to catch So-yul.

"So-yul, are you okay?!"

"Boss... I'm sorry for being a burden..."

"What are you saying? Just rest."

Seo-ah tried to hoist the unconscious So-yul onto her back and move, until she saw the white-clad warrior, who had retreated with a Naryeotagon, running toward us again.

'That bastard!'

It seemed he judged that it was doable now that the number of people we had to take care of had increased by one. He ran toward us with his eyes wide open, as if he were resentful that he had a knife wound in his gut. Seo-ah handed So-yul to Baek-ran, who looked like she was having trouble holding a sword due to the wound on her shoulder.

"Baek-ran! Hold So-yul!"

"What? What about you, Sister!"

"No backtalk!"

After handing So-yul to Baek-ran, Seo-ah hurriedly drew a sword from the scabbard of the unconscious Baek-ak. Fortunately, it didn't feel awkward because it was a sword she had heard of before. Seo-ah channeled her internal energy into the sword and blocked the white-clad warrior's sword. Then, she felt a pain as if her blood vessels were tearing.

'What is this!'

Was it because she had channeled internal energy into the hidden dagger she threw earlier? It was a fact she hadn't known until now because she had just been throwing things and they would fall down. In other words, among Jingishin (Essence, Energy, and Spirit), her physical body, the Jing (Essence), couldn't keep up with the Shin (Spirit) that had gained enlightenment. Her body couldn't accept Seo-ah's reckless operation of internal energy.

— *Clang!!*

In the end, Seo-ah had to face the white-clad warrior with only her brute strength and the internal energy in her body, without being able to infuse her intent into the sword. Fortunately, thanks to watching the white-clad warrior's sword carefully, she was able to block the sword safely. Seo-ah shouted.

"You guys, go! Go!"

"B-but! What about you, Sister!"

"I'll follow you soon, so just go!"

When Seo-ah shouted as if she were filled with spite, Baek-ran and So-so finally ran toward the main gate. The problem was that the main gate was closing. Seo-ah didn't care and continued to parry the white-clad warrior's sword. The reason this was possible for Seo-ah, who hadn't even been learning martial arts for a week, was the massive internal energy she had gained from the Ash Body Pill and the fact that she could roughly infer the white-clad warrior's path. In other words, it was a fluke.

It was overwhelming just to maintain this situation, let alone counterattack against a skilled second-class warrior who had reached the peak. Perhaps the white-clad warrior noticed that fact, too. He swung his sword with a dark smile. Then, for a moment, the white-clad warrior's sword path twisted. It wasn't the sword style he had used until now. It was a sword style with properties similar to the Swift White-Shattering Sword that the twins had unleashed. It was a sword style close to the Evil Faction, or the Demonic Path.

'What!'

Had he been hiding his skills until now? Why on earth? What benefit was there? However, she wasn't given time to think for long. Seo-ah rolled on the floor to avoid the sword, just as the white-clad warrior had done, to create distance. However, the white-clad warrior followed her fiercely, and just as he was about to bring his sword down on her head, the white-clad warrior's head was severed.