Seven Pillars Unmasked
Found you.
Amid the debris scattering like autumn leaves in the wind, Ren Lan of the Seven Pillars revealed himself.
“The Seven… Pillars!”
Upon confirming Lan’s face, Hui drew in a sharp breath before letting out a deep sigh of relief. It was an exhale that carried the meaning that this place was now safe.
The sudden surge of immense power from where Jin stood added certainty to that feeling, yet at the same time, he could not hide his astonishment.
How? How can a single being contain this much power?
Step. Step.
While Hui was distracted by the auras of Feltics and Lan, Lan quietly approached the motionless Jubern and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You held the line well in my absence. You may lower your sword now.”
“...”
Lan’s expression flickered with surprise at the lingering traces of Jeonroe on Jubern’s body, but he erased it just as quickly and moved past him.
“My lord…”
Shing. Clack.
Jubern could not allow himself to collapse pathetically in front of his lord. Forcing his body to obey, he spoke.
“I have fulfilled my lord’s command.”
Only after offering a final sword salute to Lan did he lose consciousness while still on his feet.
“How dare you…”
Flinch!
Hui shrank back like a herbivore facing a predator the moment he met Lan’s icy gaze.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear such an angry expression. Was he one of yours?”
Yet unlike Hui, Ampon showed no trace of fear.
He had been momentarily flustered by Lan’s unexpected arrival, but he quickly regained his composure. Even if the mission failed, he was confident he could at least escape with his life intact.
If a powerhouse of the Seven Pillars level fought with true intent, the entire area would be reduced to ash. And if that happened, the people Lan needed to protect might get caught in the crossfire.
Besides, a battle between equals would only end in mutual destruction.
These calculations lay at the foundation of Ampon’s thinking, which was why he still carried himself with leisure.
However, there was a critical blind spot in his calculations.
It was the presence of Feltics, who had arrived alongside Lan.
With Feltics’s power, protecting bystanders from the aftermath of a clash between Lan and Ampon would be entirely possible.
“Hah, I must have been too engrossed in playing with that one. I didn’t even notice you arriving…”
Whoosh!
Before Ampon could finish speaking, Lan vanished with the sound of rushing wind.
“...!”
Crack!
Ampon crossed both arms in an X to form a defensive stance, deflecting the arm Lan thrust toward him.
“Kuh…! If you start fighting in earnest, your little subordinates will get dragged into it, you know?”
“...”
Lan narrowed his eyes and continued the assault without offering a single word in reply.
He was furious at the sight of Jubern’s wretched state, but his rigorously trained mind and body prevented him from being ruled by emotion.
Instead, he calmly and coldly analyzed the situation and moved to resolve it.
If I let him live this time as well, he will undoubtedly cause similar trouble again in the future. Even if it means pushing myself a little, I must finish him here.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak—!!
An invisible blade of wind mercilessly tore across Ampon.
The gale continued past him, shredding everything in its path, yet it only left shallow cuts across Ampon’s body.
“Tsk.”
Ampon clicked his tongue at the stinging pain from the torn skin across his body.
Had he been at full strength, he would have blocked it without injury, but his reaction had been a fraction too slow.
The lingering effects of Jeonroe still clung to his body; every attempt to operate his Ineung brought an irritating sense of interference.
In a battle between absolute powerhouses, even the smallest factor could decide the outcome. Ampon decided to bide his time for another opportunity.
I should withdraw for now. This isn’t the only chance, after all. To think I’d run into this guy right after fighting someone who uses Jeonroe…
Rumble—!!
Whether by some trick of Ampon’s, the ground beneath Lan suddenly split apart, and he sank into the earth.
Immediately after, an enormous volume of water erupted from the collapsed crater like a volcanic explosion, and a gigantic shape burst from the flood.
“Come forth, Leviathan.”
What had leaped from the sunken depths was a mythical monster that had only ever existed in legend.
That creature had now manifested in reality through Ampon’s power.
Swish!
The instant the ground plummeted into the abyss, Lan lightly kicked off the air, his figure shooting high into the sky in the blink of an eye.
“Swallow everything.”
The moment the fully revealed Leviathan opened its massive maw to devour Lan—
BOOOOOOM—!!
The mythical monster, whose colossal body looked capable of swallowing mountains, was torn to shreds and exploded in a single instant.
Lan, floating in midair, had descended at more than twice his previous speed and ripped the beast apart.
Ampon blinked repeatedly at the incomprehensible scene before his eyes.
What… is this? How did he do that?
Lan soon answered the question himself.
“I possess it as well. Jeonroe.”
“You… bastard.”
“It is time to pay for the crime of committing such deeds.”
Pazzzzt—!!
“Kuh…!”
Light reminiscent of lightning bolts erupted in every direction.
By the time the flashing radiance subsided, Lan had already vanished.
His speed, now clad in Jeonroe, had reached an entirely new level.
Every place he passed was scorched pitch black, leaving only sparkling remnants of lightning in his wake.
Unable to keep up with Lan, Ampon could only predict his path from the traces of electricity.
Hmm. I have a hidden Ineung, and the other members of the Seven Pillars each keep one secret as well. The fact that he revealed it means he is determined to kill Ampon here at all costs.
Feltics glanced backward and shielded the exhausted Haru and his companions from the aftershock of Lan’s Jeonroe.
Meanwhile, Lan closed the distance to Ampon and fused Jeonroe with the atmosphere to launch a surprise attack.
“Kaaahk…!”
Struck directly by the Jeonroe, Ampon groaned and collapsed on the spot.
Lan’s Jeonroe was on a completely different level from Jubern’s.
Setting aside the way all strength fled his body in an instant, his body was paralyzed and refused to move.
Ampon, coughing up blood, barely managed to raise his head in search of Lan, but he could not find him.
His current speed could no longer be described as merely fast.
He was literally invisible.
I can’t even detect him with my own eyes. Does he have something else hidden besides Jeonroe?
Even Feltics could not perfectly track his movements.
“Do you know why the Sixth Seat removed you from the Pillar’s position instead of me?”
Lan’s voice slipped into Ampon’s ear as the latter frantically searched for him.
“What did you say? You dare—!”
Shwaaaaaaaaak—!!
Horizontal Slash
Yongjo
Dragon's Claw
“That is because you were the weakest among the Seven Pillars.”
Ampon would never learn the reason.
His body and head had already been separated by Lan and were rolling across the ground.
“Atone for your sins with death.”
At the exact moment Lan severed Ampon’s head—
“Lord Lan.”
Wolhyang, who had been handling the Yokai alone in the rear, called out to him.
Three blocks of ice floated beside her. Inside them were the three Yokai that had blocked the Seven Pillars earlier, each with eyes wide open as though they had witnessed something utterly shocking.
“Huu… I have killed them all.”
She exhaled deeply, breathing roughly in a manner quite unlike her usual self.
She had faced three Marquis-rank Yokai simultaneously while carefully controlling her power so their bodies remained intact. Even for her, it had been a considerable strain.
Papapapapapak!!
Immediately afterward, the Danju led by Beorti rushed onto the scene.
“What in the world happened here? G-greetings to the great Pillars of the Continent!!”
“The Danju of Hwabaek? You’re all terribly slow.”
The Danju who arrived panting looked around in confusion at the scene before them, unable to comprehend what had occurred.
With three members of the Seven Pillars all radiating killing intent, anyone whose eyes were not knotholes could tell the atmosphere was anything but ordinary.
“W-wait, that person… Why does the White Whale only have his head left…?”
Even after stepping down from the Pillar seat, those who had once held a position among the Seven Pillars enjoyed immense privileges.
Seeing Ampon’s head and body lying separately on the ground, the Danju’s minds simply stopped working, unable to process the situation.
“Do not move a single finger.”
At that moment, Lan issued a frigid command to the Danju, his eyes sunken and cold.
“If anyone disobeys, I will execute them on the spot, regardless of reason.”
It was a precaution in case any of them were colluding with the Yokai.
“Kuh, ugh…!”
The Danju each swallowed groans at Lan’s uncharacteristic demeanor.
Lan, publicly regarded as the gentlest of the Seven Pillars, was now extremely on edge for some unknown reason.
Moreover, the former Pillar Ampon lay dead at their feet.
If they ignored his order and tried to speak casually, losing their heads would not be surprising.
“P-Pillar! We only just arrived and do not know the details, but first—!”
However, the Fifth Danju of Enor, who had followed behind Beorti, ultimately ignored Lan’s warning and opened his mouth.
Shaaak!
“Ugh…!”
The instant Enor looked around in panic after Lan’s figure disappeared, a chilling voice flowed into his ear from directly behind him.
“I clearly ordered you not to move.”
Thud.
Enor, struck by instantaneous terror of death, immediately dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead against the ground.
“F-forgive me…!”
“...”
The air was so tense that even swallowing saliva required caution.
Boom! Boom!
At just the right moment, Unhak approached from afar.
In his grip was a Yokai crushed beyond recognition.
“Gr… ugh…”
The captured Yokai let out a pained groan. It was barely clinging to life.
“What is going on here?”
““...””
Perhaps due to Lan’s threat, the Danju remained silent even at Unhak’s question, their faces filled with distress.
These kids all look like hell. Hm? Isn’t that the White Whale, that brat? Why is that punk suddenly dead… ah?
Having roughly pieced together the situation, Unhak let out a hearty laugh, casually tossed the Yokai aside, and walked over to Lan.
“Greetings to the great Pillars of the Continent.”
“Have you been well, senior?”
“It seems my juniors are quite furious about this matter. For my sake, how about lowering that killing intent? If any problems arise, I will take full responsibility.”
“...Understood, senior.”
Since Unhak had lowered his stance first, even Lan and the other Pillars could not simply disregard it. There was such a thing as proper respect for one’s predecessor.
“Huu, huu…!”
Only after being released from Lan’s pressure did the Danju finally catch their breath and relax.
“Now then, clean up every trace so that nothing that happened here leaks outside. As quickly as possible.”
At Unhak’s command, the Danju began moving busily.
“Lord Haru, are you alright?”
Leaving the bustling Danju behind, Lan approached Haru and asked.
“Yes, I am fine. However, everyone is heavily exhausted, and Junior in particular is badly injured. Thanks to Maru his condition has improved somewhat, but we should move him to a safe location and treat him immediately.”
“I see. Understood. Though it looks like you should receive treatment soon as well, Lord Haru. I will head out first.”
“Understood.”
Leaving the rest to Feltics, Lan took charge of Junior as Haru requested and left the area ahead of the others.
“Fuck… fuck…!”
Meanwhile, Teraden lay sprawled on the ground, covering his face and cursing repeatedly.
For some reason, his voice sounded as if he were sobbing.