Chapter 177
Chapter 177: Cheol So-a (3)
Dong Bong-soo entered the Main Hall's great hall.
A five-story pavilion built with red bricks and iron statues standing guard like totem poles in front of it, easily over three meters tall, greeted him at the entrance.
Trudge, trudge.
He climbed the pavilion stairs while carefully checking for any formations that might be installed. However, there was no one to obstruct his progress, nothing at all.
An undefended territory.
The Main Hall, supposedly the Iron God Society's final stronghold, was currently in such a state.
"An unfamiliar face."
Upon reaching the fifth floor and opening the door to the Society Leader's office, a middle-aged man's heavy voice drifted from the deepest part of the dim inner chamber.
Iron Soul Cheol Hon.
The Society Leader of the Iron God Society.
"Since you've come this far, there's no one left to stop you. Unless my daughter arrives in time."
Despite being seated in meditation, he was an impressive figure with a magnificent build and a beard grown long like Guan Yu's. [ED/N—Guan Yu (c. 160–220 AD) was a legendary Chinese military general who served under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Renowned for his unwavering loyalty and martial prowess, he has since been deified as a god in Chinese folk religion, Taoism, and Buddhism.]
"Then may I hear why you attacked us?"
Dong Bong-soo made no reply to Cheol Hon's words. He merely approached slowly.
Halt.
When the distance between them narrowed to three meters, Dong Bong-soo stopped.
Even so, Cheol Hon didn't stand up but remained seated, looking up at him.
"Are you an assassin hired by Single Eye Gate?"
"No."
"A Demonic Sect member who received a commission from Black Wind Hall?"
"No."
"You've probably heard this many times on your way here. But I'll ask again."
"......"
"Are you a Cultivation Seeker sent by the Seven Star Immortal Assembly?"
"Because the Iron God Society deserves extermination."
[Spirit Eyes] showed no reaction to Cheol Hon. Which made it all the more deserving of extermination.
Swooosh—
A long black sword materialized in Dong Bong-soo's right hand as if energy was condensing. It was the [Demon-Expelling Annihilation Wheel Sword], revealing itself outside the Inventory for the first time in a while.
"......!?"
At that sight, intense interest rose in Cheol Hon's eyes, which had been calm until now.
Soul Ring, or Void Heaven Pouch.
A device that hides objects in a space normally invisible.
He'd heard such things existed, but this was his first time actually seeing one.
For someone at his level who hadn't even reached the Core Formation Stage, it was a Dharma Treasure among Dharma Treasures, completely beyond his means.
Though Dharma Treasures had become much more common compared to the past, they were still extremely rare. Ordinary mortals couldn't even dream of them, and even if they happened to acquire one by chance, they could never keep it.
Such was the world, such was the era.
"......You must be an honored personage. I don't know why you've come to such a humble sect."
The material of that pitch-black sword that 'emerged' from that person's hand was also extraordinary. As the Society Leader of the Iron God Society, Cheol Hon had lived his entire life with iron. He had learned martial arts imbued with the soul of iron and had seen weapons made from every type of iron existing in the Nine Provinces and Eight Desolations.
Yet this was iron he'd never seen before.
'Either Heavenly Star Mystical Iron or Great Void Divine Iron.'
Cheol Hon was certain of that person's 'place of origin.'
"This humble one has done nothing deserving of extermination."
Step by step.
Dong Bong-soo didn't open his mouth anymore and slowly closed the distance.
At this, Cheol Hon couldn't continue the conversation. Because he felt a sense of oppression and heavy pressure that he could hardly believe a human could emit.
Clang—!
A heavy blade cry echoed through the inner chamber. Overcoming his difficulty, Cheol Hon had drawn his blade.
Cheol Hon rose from his seat and, holding his blade, assumed a cupped fist salute.
Given who his opponent was, he was maintaining courtesy even in this situation.
Of course, Dong Bong-soo didn't observe such things.
Srrrrring—
Only the merciless sword cry emitted by the [Demon-Expelling Annihilation Wheel Sword] paid its respects.
A sword is a sword. A weapon whose entirety is killing well and cutting well.
Dong Bong-soo rushed at Cheol Hon without a moment's hesitation.
***
Tap tap tap—!
Cheol So-a was flying back to the Iron God Society. It was Iron Shadow Step, the Iron God Society's exclusive Lightness Arts. It was a Movement Technique specialized in making the body hard as iron to pierce straight through air resistance.
Crossing rooftop after rooftop while surveying the entire Western Road,
The corpses of Iron God Society members were scattered throughout the streets. Collection agents collapsed in front of shops. Surveillance members left in alleys with broken necks. Executive-level warriors with holes pierced through their chests.
All the bloodstains led to the Iron God Society headquarters.
'It's already started.'
Iron Shadow Step was no longer enough.
Swish—
She deployed the secret Lightness Arts of 'that place' that her father had told her to hide until the very end.
Moonlit Flowing Shadow.
She crossed space as if a shadow was gliding.
If Iron Shadow Step was a first-tier Lightness Arts that overcame air resistance with force, Moonlit Flowing Shadow was a superior Lightness Arts that recognized the areas with the lowest air density and slipped through like a shadow.
Swish swish swish—
She pushed the Lightness Arts to the extreme. Even just grazing the rooftop with her toes, she flew several meters. Her black night clothes fluttered as if tearing in the wind, even revealing the secret tattoo on the inner part of her thigh—seven circles representing the phases of the moon—but she didn't care.
'Please, please don't be late.'
However,
"Ah......"
A groan of despair flowed from her mouth as she arrived at the Iron God Society.
The training ground was a sea of blood. Mountains of corpses piled up.
Severed limbs were scattered here and there, and iron fragments were embedded everywhere like tombstones.
She staggered for a moment but soon came to her senses and flew into the Main Hall. Her legs trembled with anxiety, but she skipped dozens of steps at a time.
Having traversed the spiral staircase in an instant, she soon reached the fifth floor.
"Pl...... Please."
The door to the Society Leader's office was wide open.
With desperate hope, she entered, but her knees immediately buckled.
Cheol Hon was dead. A huge hole was pierced through his chest. Blood presumed to be his formed a puddle on the floor.
And.
A man was sitting astride that corpse.
Black clothes, black hair, and above all, empty eyes.
Void.
It wasn't expressionlessness. Rather, he was a young man in his early twenties who seemed to have no emotions whatsoever, exuding a dangerous smell somewhere. Like an anteater that had just finished licking up an entire ant colony and was lounging about, that emotionless kind of person.
"......Why on earth?"
Cheol So-a's voice naturally trembled.
"Because I'm a hero."
His brief reply.
"A hero?"
Hero.
A guest who exercises righteousness.
Fire blazed in her cold pupils for a moment.
"Hero...... hero? You bastard! You who committed such brutal atrocities without batting an eye claim to be a hero!"
"Because I must be a hero."
Tears flowed from her eyes. Tears mixed with rage and sorrow.
"What kind of hero anywhere kills other people's families at will?"
"What about you?"
"What?"
"Haven't you trampled, sold, and devoured countless people's families?"
Grrrind—
The sound of teeth grinding flowed from Cheol So-a's clenched mouth.
"You...... you killed all my, all our people for just...... just such a reason?"
Dong Bong-soo rose from his seat without further response.
An interesting opponent.
A person who had indiscriminately killed, devoured, and sold others was spouting such self-contradictory words. Of course, most humans are fundamentally self-contradictory and inconsistent by nature.
And.
Such things didn't matter.
Because the fact that she must die didn't change regardless of what reasons were attached.
Even [Spirit Eyes] was quiet.
She was an existence not even worth fighting.
He'd thought there might be someone as strong as Bukgung Ri since this was supposedly a power rivaling the Seven Star Immortal Assembly in Gangdo.
But there wasn't.
Swish—
Dong Bong-soo closed the distance with her in one bound.
"I'll grind you into......!?"
She tried to leave some last words, but Dong Bong-soo's fist was merciless.
Whirrrrrrr—
His fist, beginning Ultra Rotation, struck directly into her abdomen.
Bwoooong—!
With a roar like striking a huge drum, her slender form bent like a bow and flew. Outside the Society Leader's office, flying far away to crash directly into the training ground floor.
She was driven down so hard that dust puffed up, turning the entire area hazy.
However,
․ Disband the Iron God Society.
├─ Progress: 91.1%
└─ Reward: Hero History +5
The quest wasn't resolved yet.
After killing Cheol Hon, it had gone from 72.6% to 91.1% and remained there.
'She wasn't weak though?'
He'd definitely struck with proper internal energy.
Yet she's alive?
At that moment.
Swoosh—!
A strange sound of cutting through air, as if compressing dozens of layers of air, was felt. It wasn't heard. Because if something exceeded the speed of sound, it would already have arrived before the sound was heard.
The moment he felt it, Dong Bong-soo quickly crossed both arms in a "二" shape in front of his face.
Boom! Baboom—!
Only then, with the belatedly arriving sonic boom, did his form get pushed back like a shot pellet.
Along with that, a mechanical sound that seemed to tear through his mind.
[......An enemy with a level difference of 10 or more...... zzzzt...... from you has approached within 20 meters...... crackle...... 8.]
A level difference of 10 or more.
The warning sound that had now become a baseline for 'this is worth fighting' was ringing.
"Interesting."
He'd thought it might be possible, but this was the first one to actually deceive [Spirit Eyes].
Tap tap.
Cheol So-a stood at precisely eight meters away, brushing off the dust and blood that had gotten on her from being embedded in the training ground.
Her upper garment was completely torn at the abdomen, fully exposing her navel and area below her ribs. Her lower garment's thigh section was also torn vertically, exposing her entire smooth legs, but she didn't care.
Rather, she grabbed the sleeves of her torn upper garment and ripped them off. Her shoulders and arms were completely revealed. She did the same with her lower garment. She tore the skirt portion further, leaving almost only her undergarments.
"I don't need what gets in the way."
Her body was covered with secret patterns. Secret tattoos from 'that place' representing the phases of the moon, the harmony of Yin-Yang, and the circulation of the Five Elements. Things that were normally hidden by clothes.
The tattoos began to glow faintly.
Purple phosphorescence.
Creak creak.
Having finished her preparations, Cheol So-a approached while putting on her Iron Hand Gauntlet.
[7, 6, 5......].
"I don't know what kind of hero you are from where, what kind of pig bastard spawn you are, but you're going to die by my hand today."
The raging Cheol So-a's energy grew stronger and stronger.
"I'll tear you apart so finely, piece by piece, that all the scum of this Gangdo can each have a bite."
Now even without [Spirit Eyes], he could feel her violent killing intent on his skin.
Simultaneously.
Creak creacreak—
․ Disband the Iron God Society.
└─ Reward: Hero History +5
Click—
Progress: 91.0%
90.9, 90.8, 90.7.......
The Iron God Society disbandment quest's progress started going backward,
Clickclickclickclickclick—!
77.1...... 60.5...... 30.3.......
Downward, downward, racing madly downward.
Click—
Progress: 6.9%
Until it became a single digit.
'She deceived not just Spirit Eyes but the What is Hero system too.'
The meaning of progress going backward.
It could be interpreted simply.
Cheol So-a's weight within the Iron God Society, as originally calculated by the system, had overwhelmingly increased.
From 8.9% to 93.1%.
This is why reality is fun.
Because anyone can hide their trump card at the very bottom, until the very last moment.
Then.......
Dong Bong-soo's lips formed a thin line.
Click.
The [Demon-Expelling Annihilation Wheel Sword] appeared in his hand.
Click.
All the equipment Dong Bong-soo was wearing also changed completely.
Black clothing so intensely dark it would blend perfectly into darkness if worn on a moonless night.
However,
Enemy.
Only one splendid red character written in a dragon-and-snake-soaring script on the back of the upper garment would shine cruelly even in darkness.
Shing—
I should show a bit more too.
As a [Public Enemy of the Martial World], Dong Bong-soo raised the [Demon-Expelling Annihilation Wheel Sword] toward Cheol So-a.
[Demon-Expelling Annihilation Wheel Sword]
A sword holding secrets about the Nine Heavens Demonic Scripture.
Attribute: None Required
Class: Public Enemy of the Martial World (Tester) Exclusive
Required Level: 40
Minimum Attack Power: 100
Maximum Attack Power: 200
Critical Hit Increase Effect: ?
Minimum Martial Arts Attack Power: 150
Maximum Martial Arts Attack Power: 300
Martial Arts Critical Hit Increase Effect: ?
Additional Ability: Each time a Nine Heavens Demon Quest is completed, one Nine Heavens Demon Chronicle activates and the next Nine Heavens Demon Quest opens.
First Nine Heavens Demon Quest: Class change to Public Enemy of the Martial World. (Complete)
Second Nine Heavens Demon Quest: Learn all Illusion Evil's martial arts skills to Lv.3. (Incomplete)