Chapter 157
Chapter 157
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Demonic Blood Battle Formation
Fiend.
"Quaking Demon Blood Battle Formation."
Darkness swallowed us whole.
And all that came into view was me and Bang Mujin, the two of us alone.
"Welcome, fledgling. And this place will be your grave."
Bang Mujin spoke with utter confidence.
I scanned my surroundings.
A space shrouded in nothing but darkness.
'Annoying.'
An intangible pressure bore down on my body like a formless weight.
My frame felt heavier than usual.
It wasn't added mass—it was a bizarre force steadily draining my strength bit by bit.
'He has every reason to be so smug.'
An incredibly troublesome power.
Bang Mujin gazed at me with a cocksure grin.
No one could interfere here.
A sure-kill technique tailored for one-on-one duels.
An absurd ability that let him boast he could hold off even a level 9 long enough to prevail.
The leader of the Hao Clan had warned me.
Bang Mujin in this state was extremely dangerous.
The first ability of the Quaking Demon Blood Battle Formation: it suppressed the foe while boosting his own physical attributes.
"Heh heh..."
Creak.
Bang Mujin quietly hoisted his iron flail.
'Holy Sword, Holy Bow.'
I called out to the two entities.
But they offered no response.
The formation even warped their ability to intervene.
'Unity...'
A feat no two or three ordinary gifts could hope to match.
A power that bent the world's laws to its wielder's whim and forced compliance upon the enemy.
The prize for reaching level 7 and merging mind, mana, and body into one.
'Definitely a pain.'
[What do you have to fear?]
A voice whispered in my ear.
I sensed a presence at my back.
My eyes flicked to Bang Mujin.
Yet he seemed oblivious to the entity behind me.
It wasn't hard to guess.
The Heavenly Demon's soul stone.
The moment I claimed it, I'd gained the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
And when I'd sought to slay Bang Mujin, that art had lent me its strength.
[It defies reason for one who's claimed my power to falter against mere trash like that.]
'Shut up.'
The Heavenly Demon's prodding irked me, so I silently told it to pipe down.
In that instant...
Bang Mujin struck first.
"Hup!"
Clank, clank.
His iron flail began to rattle and shake of its own accord.
S-rank Gift: Vibration.
Bang Mujin wielded it to pulverize any obstacle in his path. By channeling mana into it, he converted vibrations into raw destructive force.
The effect was straightforward, but it granted him overwhelming might.
Clank, clank.
He hefted the wildly thrashing flail.
I thrust forward my fist cloaked in black clouds, calm and steady.
The elevated flail hummed with vibration.
I fixed it with cold eyes.
'What makes the Quaking Demon Blood Battle Formation so tricky...'
Is how it expands the flail's attack radius.
No guaranteed hits, but the arena itself wasn't vast. Fifty meters across at most.
Close in, and the vibrations would crush me.
Strike from range, and he'd counter with the flail.
The most infuriating foe for offense and defense.
"Let's see you take this!"
The flail spun toward me.
I darted forward with swift steps.
Crack.
Even after dodging well clear of its range, a fissure spiderwebbed across my mask.
Monstrous power. I ducked low and pressed on.
'Heavenly Demon Divine Art.'
Roar...
Black flames flickered to life in my grasp.
And with this...
Black clouds.
The sensation of seizing them as they morphed like burning vapors, then swinging.
"...!"
Bang Mujin clenched his jaw and blocked my strike.
BOOM!!
A deafening blast erupted as he held his ground.
"Impressive."
Drip.
Blood trickled from the corner of Bang Mujin's mouth.
Internal damage. But the harm was lighter than expected.
'Less the black flames' fault...'
Was he shielding his body with vibrations?
His defenses were thicker than I'd figured. In that moment, Bang Mujin jabbed a finger my way.
"That black flame of yours... trickier than I thought."
"......"
I met his gaze with icy resolve.
The Quaking Demon Blood Battle Formation's final ability.
"In this space, you can't wield that power."
Seal.
The black flames began to wane. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art lingered, the inferno scorching my insides.
Sizzle.
I tried to summon it outward, but the flames melted away.
'Knew it the second I heard.'
This ability was even more vexing up close.
I narrowed my eyes at Bang Mujin.
His smug triumph grated on me.
But...
With the black flames sealed, the crushing pressure on my body lifted.
And...
'His movements have dulled.'
Bang Mujin's aura had dimmed.
Not so much dimmed as...
'The physical boosts from unity have weakened. That's the precise term.'
Did he lack the discipline to temper mind, body, and mana?
Whatever the case, victory glimmered on the horizon.
I balled my fist.
The moment I lunged...
[Yield your body to me.]
A seductive lilt hooked at me, enticing.
[I'll smash that fool flat. Let me show you true black flame.]
'No thanks. Pass.'
True black flame or whatever.
Truth be told, I was curious.
'But this guy's too sketchy.'
Everyone spoke of the Heavenly Demon like a walking hazard.
And yeah, it rivaled the Holy Sword or Holy Bow in prowess.
'It swapped out my gifts on the sly.'
I had no clue how.
But it was far too risky.
I drew a steady breath and fell back.
[You intend to rely on your native strength?]
The Heavenly Demon tittered.
I cracked my neck and eyed it coolly.
It wore that triumphant smirk, my black flames locked away.
'I don't like losing solo.'
Start light.
Steal Strike.
My hand lurched as if yanked somewhere.
Clatter...
"What...?!"
Bang Mujin faltered in shock.
Right before his eyes, I stowed his iron flail in my Hidden Space.
'This one triggers fine.'
He'd lost his weapon.
While he reeled, I kicked off hard toward him.
Fist clenched.
Hand spearing for his solar plexus.
"I don't know what trickery you're pulling, but...!"
Bang Mujin flung out his hand. Tiny particles in his palm thrummed with vibration.
'Irksome.'
Whoosh!
Wind surged. In a heartbeat, it swelled into a raging tempest.
Storm Giant's Heart.
The wind's fury born from it.
It birthed blades of air that hurtled his way.
Screeeeech!!
At the same time...
I charged, treading the gales themselves.
"Pointless...!"
Tiny grains vibrated around Bang Mujin's form.
They merged with others, bit by bit.
Hummm!!
Spawned a colossal vibration.
Flail gone?
Fine—he'd obliterate the space itself to hurl me away. I could feel his resolve.
"You put up quite the fight!"
Bang Mujin beamed, utterly convinced of his win.
He had cause.
That much power could level the whole area.
I gripped my black-cloud-shrouded fist tighter.
What I wielded: the Hero's orthodox fist arts, mastery over winds.
And black clouds.
Attack halved from before, sure.
'Doesn't matter.'
Bang Mujin was strong.
Compared to that elf swordsman from before? He'd edge her out.
But...
'Our matchup's perfect for me.'
One gift propping up both attack and defense.
Unity packed a punch, but...
I reached out.
'One gift juggling offense and defense.'
The elf swordmaster, Silvern, handled her blade like an extension of herself.
Bang Mujin, by contrast...
'Way easier.'
The cost of banking on a single gift all this time?
I slipped inside his guard.
Hummmm!!
As Bang Mujin unleashed his massive force against me...
"This ends it, fledgling... cough!"
Black blood spewed from Bang Mujin's lips.
His stance crumbled.
"You... what in the world did you...!"
"Nothing special."
Steal Strike once.
Layered two more powers atop it.
'This is still terrain, after all.'
The trap that'd exposed Volkan's opening.
And poison pumped into his veins.
Honestly figured he'd spot it right away.
'Sloppy as hell.'
A flaw in his vibration power.
One step's deflection: Formless Step.
"Sprinkled some poison, that's all."
"...!"
Bang Mujin bulged his eyes at me.
No helping it.
He poured everything in; I had to hide my hand.
'Swordsmanship and Thunder God's Extremity sealed. Call it even.'
Black clouds.
Fist clenched like grasping mist.
Pow!
Right hook aimed at his solar plexus.
Humm!
He parried my fist with vibration even now.
'Like an awl.'
Layered the Hero's orthodox fist arts.
Needle-sharp, to pierce a single point.
Crunch.
His gut sank deep into my knuckles.
Left hand—black clouds gripped—backhanded his face.
"Guh...!"
Level 7 or not, he mounted some defense amid it all.
'You gave me distance.'
A martial artist's nightmare: yielding space.
Internal wounds crippling his gift use.
No weapon to boot.
In that plight...
Black clouds coiled around my arm.
"Gack...!"
Thud thud thud!
Relentless fists hammered his flesh into ruin.
'Gruesome.'
Sword denied, down to bare-knuckle brutality.
His body warped grotesquely under my blows.
Not unsatisfying, but...
'Make it quick.'
Fist to palm heel.
The Hero's orthodox fist arts.
Unlike pinpoint thrusts...
'Sever.'
A chopping heel strike.
Slash!
Bang Mujin's right arm sheared clean off. Then...
Roar.
Black flames erupted in savage fury.
One limb lost, and he undid the seal on my black flames?
'...Fragile will, too.'
Exactly.
Roooar!
Black flames.
Compressed to a searing point.
'Die already.'
BOOM!!
The blast vaporized Bang Mujin's head in an instant.