Chapter 275
Chapter 275
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 76
>Chapter Title: Blood Star (1)
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[The foundation of illusion arts lies in deceiving the five senses.]
[And what are the five senses?]
[Exactly as it sounds. The five senses you possess. They can be sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch.]
[And how do you deceive them?]
[Humans can unconsciously recall sensations they've experienced before.]
[What do you mean by that?]
[For example, doesn't your mouth water automatically when you think of delicious food?]
[Ah...]
[That's the unconscious recollection of a sensation.]
[So, does illusion arts deceive by exploiting this?]
[It makes you unconsciously envision a situation and accept it as natural.]
She had learned everything there was to know about illusion arts from her master.
Excluding her master and the one who had taught him this secret art, she was confident that no one could match her in this domain.
Clutching her nose, she stared at Mok Kyung-un with eyes full of disbelief.
'Why didn't it work?'
Extremely self-destructive illusions were incredibly difficult because the body or mind unconsciously rejected them with fierce resistance.
However, temporarily redirecting hostility like this was surprisingly easy.
All it required was unconsciously fixating on a specific target for enmity.
Yet this guy hadn't fallen for the illusion at all.
'That can't be possible.'
Of course, illusions weren't foolproof.
They wouldn't work on someone whose enlightenment had reached the pinnacle, fully transcending the mortal shell, or on someone with even stronger mental fortitude than her own.
But from crossing hands with him, he didn't seem to fit the former, and the latter was utterly impossible.
She had lost track of time after being imprisoned in the underground Golden Prison, but even counting from before her capture, over 160 years had passed.
Neither her lifespan nor her mental resilience—forged through endless torture and decades without food—could be surpassed by some young punk.
'Did I make a mistake?'
With a flicker of doubt, she stared piercingly at Mok Kyung-un, silently reciting an incantation and snapping her fingers.
-Snap!
'Now go kill your comrades.'
"...What are you doing?"
"Huh?"
She was dumbfounded.
The illusion truly hadn't worked.
For someone who could ensnare foes with mere sounds from her hands—even if their eyes and mouth were covered—this was incomprehensible.
Mok Kyung-un spoke to her.
"I don't know what you were trying to do, but how about we call it quits here? If I were really a Golden Guard, I'd be doing everything to stop you."
"..."
"Instead, I helped you break free, so attacking me like this doesn't seem like proper gratitude toward your benefactor."
"Nonsense!"
"It's not nonsense."
"Do you think I'd believe a word you say?"
"Is there no reason to believe me?"
"Reasons not to? They overflow. You lot tried every trick to extract what you wanted from me—interrogations, torture, all sorts of temptations. When I wouldn't talk, you cut off even my rations, starving me for decades."
"D-Decades?"
Mok Kyung-un furrowed his brow.
Did she just say she'd been starved for decades?
Was her mind fraying?
How could anyone survive decades without food, let alone days?
Humans grew pallid after just a few days without eating, and prolonged starvation left them skeletal.
Yet she showed no signs of it.
Puzzled, he heard her continue.
"You're pretending this was a 'mistake' to intentionally release me, give false hope, then crush my will once more. But I'll make you realize this pathetic blunder of yours."
-Roooar!
No sooner had she spoken than energy surged from her body.
Her true qi was so potent it whipped up gusts of wind.
Sighing at the sight, Mok Kyung-un shook his head.
He'd thought her a pawn he could exploit easily, but prolonged imprisonment seemed to have frayed her mind—she trusted no one.
'She sees even this situation as a trap?'
If so, words wouldn't get through.
Irritated, Mok Kyung-un eyed her.
He was in a hurry, yet snagged in this irrelevant mess.
'Ah.'
His gaze sharpened as he looked at her.
Then he muttered softly.
"No helping it, then."
Better to just kill her swiftly.
As Mok Kyung-un moved to assume a stance, he sensed a presence behind him and turned.
A Golden Guard captain stood there, face etched with shock.
The cave passage had trembled from the claw gang qi; it would've been odd if he hadn't come.
"Damn it all..."
The captain panicked at the sight of the escaped prisoner.
Right then—
-Snap!
A finger snap echoed.
The captain's eyes suddenly glazed over.
Then he charged at Mok Kyung-un, bellowing.
"Die!"
'Huh?'
The man, who had been startled by the escapee, now rushed him with killing intent—Mok Kyung-un couldn't hide his confusion.
But the captain's skills were merely at the peak's early stage.
No match for Mok Kyung-un, naturally.
-Swish!
He easily dodged the sword aimed at his neck,
-Thwack!
then smashed the captain's wrist, disarming him.
Before the sword hit the ground, Mok Kyung-un kicked it toward her.
-Shing!
It hurtled toward her forehead with piercing force.
"Hmph."
She jerked her head aside; her qi-infused long hair clashed with the blade, embedding it in the wall.
-Thunk!
But it didn't end there.
"Ugh!"
The illusion-struck captain flew toward her.
'Huh?'
She frowned in that instant.
Then, toward the incoming captain, she unleashed claw gang qi with her crimson hand, shredding him to pieces.
-Slashslashslashslash!
His body split into dozens of chunks, blood spraying everywhere.
Through that gap, someone darted in, thrusting sword fingers at her throat.
It was Mok Kyung-un.
-Stab!
Caught off guard, her left shoulder was pierced by the qi in his sword fingers.
'This guy?'
Her eyes flashed.
Throw his comrade to block my view, then strike in the opening?
What game was he playing?
-Slash!
Dodging his follow-up to her throat with graceful footwork, she created distance.
-Thudthudthudthud!
As she retreated, the wound on her shoulder stopped bleeding, flesh wriggling to heal.
Spotting it, Mok Kyung-un's eyes narrowed.
'The wound?'
The healing speed surpassed human limits.
His own recovery was quick, but hers dwarfed it.
Healing almost immediately wasn't mere recovery—it was super-regeneration.
'Does death qi heal it too?'
Death qi dispersed inner force.
Yet it couldn't halt her body's regeneration.
Then he saw lightning energy arcing from her wound.
That power must be fueling the regen.
As he marveled—
-Slash!
He twisted aside from her counter claw gang qi.
Then aimed an elbow strike at her wrist, mid-claw gang qi.
She changed moves to evade, targeting his throat.
-Thudthudthudthudthud!
In a flash, their hands clashed six times, forcing both back.
-Scraaaape!
-Scraaaape!
Retreating, she raised one eyebrow, staring at her crimson hand.
'Blood Jade Hand infused with gang qi, yet in those split seconds, some eerie gang qi blocked it.'
Her art, where hands turned blood-jade hue, fused close and long-range strikes—potent enough to crush rock barehanded or tear iron.
Adding gang qi made it unrivaled in bare-hand combat.
Yet an ominous gang qi had parried it each instant.
Unlike ordinary gang qi in power.
'Just who is this guy?'
He looked barely twenty.
Even if his body hadn't fully loosened or unleashed its power, a kid under twenty matching her evenly was unbelievable.
She'd thought to subdue him easily, but that wouldn't fly without going all out.
Clicking her tongue inwardly, she spoke.
"You're no ordinary punk."
"That's what I wanted to say to you."
Mok Kyung-un was inwardly astonished by her prowess too.
Her movements were so agile and vital, it was hard to believe she'd been locked in the underground Golden Prison for ages.
Her inner strength and power exceeded expectations.
Like an inexhaustible spring, endlessly surging. How had they contained such a monster?
According to Cheong-ryeong, her power neared the transcendent realm; barring the six heavenly peaks' apex, few among the era's top eight stars could oppose her.
And he'd run into one so soon.
'...Gu Blood Sect, was it.'
Come to think of it, Mongmu-yak and Cheong-ryeong had said ancient demonic martial arts levels surpassed the present—masters far stronger.
Seeing her confirmed it.
'I'll have to get serious.'
Deep in the underground cave, he'd been throttling his power.
Only flaring demonic qi in clashes.
But that wasn't enough against her.
So Mok Kyung-un released his restraint, circulating demonic qi through his entire body.
-Roooooooar!
A vicious black aura poured from him.
Wariness flickered in her eyes.
'Well, now?'
She'd deemed him decent but killable in thirty exchanges if she went all out.
Seeing his demonic qi changed her mind.
Even at full power, it wouldn't end in thirty moves.
'I need to stay sharp.'
-Cracklecracklecrackle!
Blue flames erupted across her body, lightning coiling around her.
As she revealed her hidden lightning power, Mok Kyung-un moved first.
To end it before she fully unleashed.
-Thud!
Kicking off twice, whirlwind gusts split his form in two, charging her.
Wind God Step, stolen from Golden Guard Thousand Tiger Mara-hyeon.
Her eyes widened at his profound, bifurcating lightness skill.
'Th-This is?'