Chapter 361
Chapter 361
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 361
Chapter Title: Beyond Heaven (2)
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A moment after clashing chaotically with the Blood Cult's Archbishop.
Having fully gauged him out, I unleashed the Heaven-Splitting Solo Strike to send him flying, then caught my breath for a bit.
Kaang!!!
Dokgo Cheol sent me a transmission.
[I'm not sure if you noticed on your way here, but this ship... it was using sails made of silk.]
On the way here, riding massive waves that could swallow us into the sea if we slipped even slightly, I had been utterly focused.
'Silk sails?'
Once I arrived, all my attention had been on sizing up the Archbishop's level.
But now that he mentioned it, the material of the sail hanging from the broken mast did look unusual.
'A Brocade Sail Ship...'
That realization connected with the guesses I'd made before coming here, allowing me to deduce who the Archbishop was.
[It's Sa Gyeom of the Myriad Mirror Blood Pirates.]
[Yes! The Chairman's prediction was spot on! Our organization is so compartmentalized that it's incredibly hard to know the higher-ups, so how did you know it was Sa Gyeom?!]
Dokgo Cheol was unusually shocked by my words, prompting Master to ask curiously.
- A prediction? Didn't you gain certainty through deduction after arriving here, Yong-un? I don't recall the Archbishop ever being called Sa Gyeom...
'Master's memory is correct.'
After judging that he was likely a pirate—given his expertise on the seas and his disregard for the Hainan Sect or Southern Sea Dragon Palace—I had simply gathered intel on the pirate lords dominating this area.
- But why is Cheol acting like that?
It wasn't incomprehensible.
Human memory often distorts under stress.
'...He must have been in a state of extreme tension until I arrived. Looks like he got it mixed up.'
It would only deepen Dokgo Cheol's faith in me, so no harm done.
Swaeaek!
Just as I was answering Master's question.
Sa Gyeom, who had been sent flying, regained his balance and charged back in, wildly swinging his cutlass.
Swaek!
Swaeaek!
I dodged his slashes nimbly here and there while sending Dokgo Cheol a transmission.
[Anyway, Cheol, cooperate with the other True Blood Squad members to keep anyone from interfering in my fight with Sa Gyeom!]
[Yes!]
Perhaps due to his seasoned pirate life.
Sa Gyeom picked up on the atmosphere and addressed me.
"...Getting Dokgo Cheol to move? Are you from the Blood Heaven Asura Palace?"
He seemed to have inferred from my use of blood arts and manipulating Dokgo Cheol, but it was a complete misread.
From his perspective, he had no clues about who I was.
'I wonder what face he'd make if I said I came from the Righteous Martial Academy.'
His eyes were suspicious, but his tone cautious.
A smile tugged at my lips.
But I suppressed it and organized my thoughts.
'Anyway, as Sa Gyeom, he's a heavyweight among the great pirates.'
That was based solely on the intel I'd compiled separately.
He never appeared in the original story.
'Which means... he was purged.'
In other words, he stirred up something that got him purged without any external meddling.
'But what if I give him a push?'
He'd either defect to the True Blood Squad or become a bomb within the Blood Cult.
With that conclusion in my mind, laughter bubbled up naturally.
This time, I let it out in an old man's voice.
"Heh heh heh."
Sa Gyeom shed his subtle deference and ground his teeth.
"Is the Blood Demon abandoning me? Or is this the work of the old fogies in the church?"
I ignored his question, just laughing mysteriously, which seemed to incense him.
I suppressed another laugh and scratched at his nerves again.
"Heh heh. You're in no position to question this old man."
The reaction was immediate.
Sa Gyeom furrowed his brow fiercely and bellowed.
"I'll make you spill it!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Sa Gyeom bellowed at me and took a deep breath.
"Sss."
He clenched his left hand, the one I'd wounded earlier.
His pupils turned red, veins bulging around his eyes.
At that moment, the cutlass swings from his hand accelerated beyond before.
Swaek! Swaek!
Swaeaek!!
He seemed to be using a blood control technique similar to the ones I'd employed occasionally.
'Blood Frenzy Technique?'
I let out a small exclamation.
The Blood Frenzy Technique wasn't something any Blood Cult martial artist could use just by learning their demonic arts.
It required perfect control of the blood rings that formed the foundation of blood control arts, then spreading Heaven-Splitting internal energy throughout the body.
Even I suffered exhaustion if I overused it.
'Well, it probably has severe side effects for him.'
Looking at his veiny face, it was clear the technique burned his life force as fuel.
'He thinks I'm an executioner sent from the Blood Heaven Asura Palace. Can't entirely blame him.'
As someone who wielded blood control arts on a completely different level, I wanted to click my tongue.
"Tsk tsk."
"Ghost-Faced Elder! I'll see how long you can keep up that attitude!"
However, the cutlass swings themselves couldn't be ignored; they packed real power.
Diagonal to straight, straight to diagonal again.
Swaeaek! Swaek!
Swaeaek!!
If you isolated the hand movements, they looked like frantic, desperate slashes.
But thanks to the technique, his body was faster.
Swaek! Swaek!
Swaeaek!!
His unique footwork, freely riding the slippery deck, made his slashing trajectories writhe like living serpents.
Kang!!!!
But I'd trained for combat in such environments.
And I had deeper mastery of the Blood Frenzy Technique than he did.
Sahak—
In an instant, I circulated Heaven-Splitting internal energy infused with blood control arts through my body.
Time seemed to stretch.
Swaeaek—
I toyed with his slashes, dodging effortlessly.
Killing him would be easy if I wanted, but Sa Gyeom was a card to play.
Instead of lethal strikes, I opened my mouth.
"Heh heh. Pirate scum. Is that your full power? You said you'd see how long I could keep this attitude... Looks like I can maintain it until this time next year."
Sa Gyeom ground his teeth again.
"Gah!!!"
He slashed even more ferociously than before.
Swaeaek!
To parry his all-or-nothing slashes, I stopped taunting and unleashed the Heaven-Splitting Solo Strike once more.
Kaaaang!!!!!!!
At that instant.
Sa Gyeom deflected my strike with the flat of his cutlass, then whipped his left hand out.
Blood droplets sprayed from his swung left hand.
Shuk! Shuk! Shuk! Shuk! Shuk!
They coalesced into small orbs and hurtled toward me like bullets.
'Blood Orb Full Kill?!'
It was the ultimate technique of the Reverse Blood Asura Great Law, turning foes into sieves—and we were close.
Underestimate it, and I'd lose my life.
But it was worth trying.
Shuuk—
I drew blood from the wound on my left hand.
Using it like paint, I drew a kanji in the air.
Chwaak! Chwaaak!
My blood staining the air formed a force field.
It caught all of Sa Gyeom's Blood Orb Full Kill.
Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk!
As his ace move went to waste.
I split the instant, redirecting the blood of the force field at Sa Gyeom.
Shuung shuung shuung shuung shuung!!!!!
The principle was simple.
Just block quickly and fire back the blood.
But to Sa Gyeom's eyes, it looked like his own technique rebounding.
"?!"
He panicked, crossing his arms to shield his head.
He must have thought it'd honeycomb him.
In truth, my blood orbs carried no qi—just ordinary droplets.
Chok! Chok! Chok! Chok! Chok!
They merely splattered him, painting him red like watercolor.
"......"
The realization hit harder.
"...You altered the nature of the blood orbs?"
Sa Gyeom stammered blankly.
"You had the chance to kill me... Why?"
"Is that a question, or a plea to be killed?"
"...Who the hell are you? And why are you doing this to me?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ At Sa Gyeom's completely shifted attitude.
I chuckled and spoke.
"Heh heh. Is that the attitude of someone asking questions?"
Sa Gyeom let his cutlass clatter to the deck.
Confirming he had no intent to fight further, I sheathed Regret at my waist.
Clasping my hands behind my back, I spoke.
"Pirate. Are you satisfied with the Blood Heaven Asura Palace's actions?"
"...Pardon?"
"At this moment, when the Blood Cult has finally broken away from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and must proclaim its birth to the world, do you think it's right for the Blood Heaven Asura Palace to be obsessed with stealing the Blood of Ten Thousand People?"
"......"
Sa Gyeom hesitated at my question.
I spoke first.
"I think it's wrong. When we should be pondering the path to Blood Flame World Domination endlessly, it's laughable that the main branch is fixated on a mere branch matter."
"......"
"Worse, isn't the Blood of Ten Thousand People the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's sorcery? Countless believers shed blood in the Southern Jiang to declare independence, yet clinging to that is as far from the true path to Blood Flame World Domination as heaven from earth."
At my words.
Sa Gyeom muttered cautiously.
"The true path to Blood Flame World Domination that Dokgo Cheol mentioned... Does it relate to you, Ghost-Faced Elder?"
"Indeed. This old man has long harbored the intent to sweep away the vermin cluttering the Blood Demon's eyes and ears from the Blood Heaven Asura Palace and open the true path to Blood Flame World Domination."
As I continued.
Master let out a hollow laugh.
- ...Long harbored the intent, my foot. How does he spout such nonsense without blinking? That loose-lipped devil fits him perfectly.
Sa Gyeom asked gravely.
"...Why appear before me now and say this?"
"I came to this sea to destroy the Blood of Ten Thousand People."
Mentioning the Blood of Ten Thousand People, I pointed west, where the Blood Cult's main branch lay, and continued.
"If it reaches the Blood Demon, it might aid his inaction. But the believers' loyalty to him would crack."
"......"
"One man's power can't topple the unyielding Orthodox Murim world. The first Heavenly Demon of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains failed, and so did the second."
"......"
"Plus, you'd incur Orthodox Murim's wrath. For our nascent cult to bear that would be walking a thorny path. We can't reach true Blood Flame World Domination relying on something like the Blood of Ten Thousand People."
Gazing toward the Blood Heaven Asura Palace, I spouted plausible words, then turned back to Sa Gyeom.
"What say you, Sa Gyeom? Will you join this old man, the True Blood Squad's cause?!"
"It's hard to take the Ghost-Faced Elder's words at face value..."
"Hmph. So you still think I'm an executioner from the Blood Heaven Asura Palace testing your loyalty?"
"......"
"Then I would've killed you earlier without this hassle. And I was the first to speak blasphemy."
"......"
"The choice is yours, Sa Gyeom. Join the True Blood Squad, or report that someone like me exists to the Blood Heaven Asura Palace."
As I persuaded Sa Gyeom.
Kigeok!
Kigeogeok!!
The sound of great ships rowing and prows cutting waves approached.
A fleet appeared on the horizon.
- Judging by their silk sails, they must be Sa Gyeom's subordinates.
'...Seems so.'
- Heh, even you would struggle if all those aboard that fleet swarmed you, Yong-un.
As I exchanged words with Master.
Sa Gyeom spoke first.
"...Those are my men. They must have seen the great waves and come this way."
"So what? Planning to charge with your subordinates this time?"
"I've felt that you're a being from beyond heaven. I'm not fool enough to make that stupid choice."
"Then?"
"This Sa Gyeom will join the True Blood Squad. How can I assist you?"