The Path of Radiant Ascension
Seon Hae-do and Chu-jeo stared at each other with grim faces.
“Is it true that contact with the Assassination Corps Leader has been cut off?”
“Last night I sent a trusted martial artist to the Assassination Corps’ stronghold. He returned this morning. The place had been cleaned out completely.”
“…The Assassination Corps was attacked?”
“Not quite. They vanished with all their wealth. No signs of battle.”
“…They went into hiding? Abandoned the contract?”
“I doubt it. I know that leader well… the man is full of ambition. He isn’t the type to stop here.”
“Then… could he have…?!”
“Hard to believe. He’s cautious. When he moves personally, he never goes alone. Do you really think he could handle the Assassination Corps’ killers by himself? Someone else intervened.”
“……The Heavenly Demon Cult. It has to be the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“Exactly. Only the Heavenly Demon Cult. And if the Heavenly Demon Cult has moved directly…”
“It means the time left to us is short.”
“Yes. I wanted the bastard to suffer… but it seems we must finish this today. Around noon I’ll lure him to the plaza. After that… it’s up to you. Can you do it?”
“I will make certain his life ends.”
“Reliable. Let’s move. He may resort to underhanded tricks, so I’ll secretly set a formation in the plaza. It’s minor, but it should help you.”
“Thank you, Family Head.”
That was when it happened.
A massive boom shook the ground and the buildings. The explosive roar made it hard to call it a mere earthquake. They rose from their seats, threw open the window, and looked outside.
Seon Hae-do’s eyes flew wide. One of the Seon Family Estate’s annexes had half-collapsed and was burning.
“Aaaargh!”
“My arm!!”
“Martial artists, save the people first! The rest of you, bring water to put out the fire!!”
“This is an attack! Start reconnaissance now!”
Screams rose with the black smoke climbing high into the sky. In an instant the Seon Family Estate became a living hell.
KWA-AAAANG! KWA-AAAAAANG!
Explosions kept erupting.
Just as someone had said, this was an assault.
“This is insane! These are Thunder Bombs! The Heavenly Demon Cult is attacking with Thunder Bombs?!”
Seon Hae-do smashed his fist down on the window frame.
KWA-AAAANG!
An explosion tore through the main building where Seon Hae-do stood.
“Guhhh…!”
Lost in rage, his reaction came a fraction late. Burned across the back, he flung himself out the window.
“Aaaagh!”
Chu-jeo smashed through a wall and staggered outside. His left arm had been caught in the blast and was simply gone.
Seon Hae-do rushed to him and, with clumsy skill, pressed the pressure points on Chu-jeo’s left shoulder.
KWA-AAAANG! KWA-AAANG!
My body trembled at the sound of Thunder Bombs detonating.
Watching that dogshit Seon Family Estate get torn apart filled me with pure delight.
I was practically dancing in place without realizing it. That was how good I felt. Of course, still not as good as sex.
I was inside the Seon Family Estate. Cloaked by the Illusiter, I watched from a prime seat as the Thunder Bombs reduced the place to rubble.
I squeezed the button in my right hand. The eighth Thunder Bomb I’d roughly buried in the ground went off. Martial artists sprinting past it were hurled into the sky. They couldn’t withstand the blast; their bodies shattered like dropped porcelain. Arms and legs tore free; torsos that had rocketed upward rained blood and guts. A scene of pure despair.
Ninth explosion!
KWA-AAAAAANG!
The Thunder Bomb I’d dropped in the pond detonated. A water column shot up; carp flopped dead onto the ground.
Originally Thunder Bombs couldn’t be detonated remotely like this. They were more like grenades.
But this world has sorcery.
With help from Mi-ryeong, a Samjeong-level sorceress, I could set them off from a distance.
Continuous blasts up to number fifteen!
Explosions chained one after another. Flames swallowed the Seon Family Estate; black smoke blotted out the sky. The estate’s proud martial artists fell in pieces, thudding to the ground.
I kept triggering the planted Thunder Bombs as I walked forward. Soon I found Seon Hae-do. He was with Chu-jeo. I deactivated the Illusiter and revealed myself.
“Seon Hae-do. Good to see you again. How have you been?”
“You…! Yeom Gu-seok!!”
“This is your doing!!”
Chu-jeo and Seon Hae-do roared, drawing their swords and leveling them at me. Their bodies, hit by the Thunder Bombs, were far from whole. Chu-jeo especially had lost his left arm. Things were going even better than expected.
“You bastard!! Using Thunder Bombs—have you lost your mind?! Do you not fear the laws of the martial world?! Because of this the Heavenly Demon Cult will not escape the condemnation of the jianghu!!”
“Thunder Bombs? I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t use any Thunder Bombs.”
“Still denying it now?! You’re the only one who would use them!!”
“Don’t pin a crime on someone with nothing but suspicion. If you want to call me the culprit, produce evidence. Evidence. I simply saw the Seon Family Estate burning and came looking. I figured it was the perfect chance to kill Chu-jeo, who was hiding here. And as you can see, the situation matches my expectations. Heh.”
“Yeom Gu-seok…!! You’ll regret showing yourself before me. I’ll kill you right here, then use the power of the Heavenly Alliance if I must to hold the Heavenly Demon Cult accountable for this!!”
I grinned and pressed the button still in my hand.
KWA-AAAANG!
The Thunder Bomb set at the estate’s rear gate exploded.
“Seon Hae-do. I told you last time. I’d come back later and wipe the Seon Family Estate down to the last foundation stone. I’m the type who keeps most of my promises. I also said I’d rape and kill your wife, tear your daughter apart, and burn your retainers to death. But here’s the thing. Your wife was ancient. Far too old for me to bother with. And you have no daughter—just three sons. So I decided to simply kill them.”
I pointed with my index finger at one of the annexes. It sat right beside the main building—the house where Seon Hae-do’s family lived.
Press, press, press, press.
I stabbed the button four times in rapid succession.
The four Thunder Bombs I’d planted in the annex detonated at once. A single Thunder Bomb could erase an entire inn. Four of them was overkill.
“Hahaha! Your wife and brats are dead!”
Seon Hae-do’s face went blank for a heartbeat. Then it twisted as he screamed.
“You son of a bitch!!!!”
Seon Hae-do swung his sword. Sword energy rode the wind toward me. I sidestepped and slashed backward with my blade.
“Guh!”
The sword buried itself in the chest of Chu-jeo, who had been sneaking up behind me. He staggered. Without mercy I took his head.
“Chu-jeo, I’ve got eyes in the back of my head too.”
The Heavenly Eye had tracked Chu-jeo’s quiet movements without me even needing to turn.
The rage Seon Hae-do had been pouring out cooled into something icy. That fury had been an act to draw my gaze. He calmly raised his sword. I raised mine and pointed it at him in turn.
Normally I wouldn’t fight. Seon Hae-do was Ogi second stage; I was currently only Chulji second stage. The gap was obvious. If he went all-out I wouldn’t last ten exchanges before dying.
That’s if he were at full strength. He took Thunder Bomb hits. His back is burned, and the way the tip of his sword trembles means his shoulder isn’t right either. Even without releasing the seal, I have a chance of winning.
I drew up the demonic qi of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
“Heh. Just as I thought. You never gave a damn about your wife or kids, did you? Kept the old wife and children around for the reputation?”
“Are you going to call me a hypocrite?”
“No. I’m just laughing because it was exactly what I expected. The righteous martial world is always like this.”
“……I will avenge my wife and children. After I kill you and hold their funeral, I will rebuild the Seon Family Estate…!”
He kicked off the ground and charged.
Seon Hae-do of the Elegant Crane Sword.
His blade was said to be as lofty as a crane, as graceful as a deer.
But the swordsmanship before my eyes held neither loftiness nor grace no matter how hard I looked. All that radiated from his blade was razor-sharp killing intent and volcanic rage.
CLANG!
Our blades crossed. I was the one forced back by raw power. I retreated step by step, catching his attacks.
“Not bad for someone stuck at mere Chulji!”
If I had been an ordinary Chulji second-stage martial artist, the fight would already have been decided in his favor.
“Don’t flatter yourself on my account. The reason I catch your sword so easily is… because your sword is weak.”
“I’ll see how long you can keep spouting that. Don’t disappoint me…!”
Seon Hae-do put on a solemn expression.
…Is some ultimate finishing move coming?
Something came, all right.
A clod of dirt.
This bastard kicked dirt at me.
Dirt hit my eyes. I reflexively squeezed them shut.
“Got you.”
Seon Hae-do smiled in triumph. Sword aura flared along his blade and lunged for me. How did I know? I had been using the Heavenly Eye the entire time.
Charna.
Charna
Remaining stacks: 6
I stepped back and slipped past Seon Hae-do’s sword.
I dodged perfectly. Yet blood still sprayed from my body. From right shoulder to left flank—a diagonal slash.
This bastard is seriously annoying. The tip of his sword aura is transparent so you can’t see it. An Ogi master pulling cheap tricks like this.
Only after focusing hard did I finally spot it.
“You dodged. Lucky. But it’s only a matter of time. With your eyes still closed, you die.”
“You’re the one who dies.”
I pressed the button in my left hand.
The Thunder Bomb hidden under the ground went off.
KWA-AAAANG!
…The instant it exploded he wrapped a qi barrier downward to cut the blast as much as possible and leapt into the air.
He proved he hadn’t reached the Ogi realm for show.
He didn’t fully escape it. Right ankle gone, left ankle barely hanging on. He’s lost all mobility.
This was my win.
Seon Hae-do landed and still refused to give up. He hardened his face as if nothing were wrong and swung his sword at me.
Sword energy sliced the air toward me. With shattered ankles, all he could do was fling sword energy and hope I died.
I sneered and weaved left and right, dodging every blast of sword energy. I didn’t even need Charna.
“Damn it…!”
Seon Hae-do’s thrashing soon ended. Flinging sword energy like that was reckless internal energy waste. It couldn’t last long.
“Try begging for your life.”
“…If I beg, will you spare me?”
“No.”
I tossed a Thunder Bomb at him. Seon Hae-do watched it roll to his feet and let out a deep sigh. Then he glared at me with pure murder and shouted.
“I will curse you from hell!!”
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!!
The Seon Family Estate vanished without a single foundation stone left.
Mission complete.