Chapter 88
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Dark Soul Guest Hwa Mu-geom
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He hailed from the Dark Soul Gang, one of the Five Great Killing Gates. After the Dark Soul Gang disbanded for unknown reasons, the Yama King Sect recruited him while he wandered.
Hwa Mu-geom's skills were so exceptional that even the Killer Ghost Valley Leader acknowledged them. It was only natural that he took command of the Dark Shadow Brigade, one of the Yama King Sect's four great martial organizations.
Over the past dozen years, Hwa Mu-geom had led the Dark Shadow Brigade and successfully completed countless missions.
As such, he had no doubt that he would succeed in this one as well.
‘We can handle this ourselves.’
Hwa Mu-geom was displeased that others beyond the Dark Shadow Brigade were being mobilized just to deal with around thirty people.
‘Hmph, I’ll take care of them all before you even step in.’
Still, he couldn’t afford to be careless. There was at least one expert who had reached the Martial Soul Realm.
First, Hwa Mu-geom stepped out alone and eliminated the four North Wind Brigade members standing guard.
He then infiltrated the inn and ignited Dream Soul Incense. It was far more reliable than crude poisons.
Once he confirmed the Dream Soul Incense had spread throughout the inn, he immediately deployed the Dark Shadow Brigade assassins.
To handle them all at once, one assassin was assigned per target. To prepare for any contingencies, Hwa Mu-geom monitored the entire inn.
But then Seol Hwa-un suddenly awoke, and everything went awry.
‘Even those immune to all poisons can’t withstand Dream Soul Incense. How did he regain his senses so quickly!’
With Seol Hwa-un’s lion’s roar, his companions all woke up, and the ambush largely failed.
Once detected, it was difficult for assassins to survive a fight against martial artists using their proper techniques.
Yet even after the plan had effectively failed, Hwa Mu-geom didn’t flee. He waited, under strict orders to kill Seol Hwa-un no matter what.
He was confident he could do it, relying on the Invisibility Veil that concealed him even in broad daylight and the pinnacle of stealth arts, the Heavenly Escape Technique.
But Seol Hwa-un proved more vigilant than expected. Though he couldn’t pinpoint Hwa Mu-geom’s position, Hwa Mu-geom had no assurance of a ten-out-of-ten success on an ambush.
‘The effects of the Dream Soul Incense should still linger… Impressive for such a young man.’
He waited quietly for an opportunity. When Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won appeared, he saw his chance in their demeanor.
‘That’s it.’
The two assassins linked to him spiritually ambushed the pair at his command.
As expected, Seol Hwa-un moved to save them, finally exposing an opening.
‘Die.’
The moment his dagger plunged toward Seol Hwa-un’s chest, Hwa Mu-geom locked eyes with him.
But the instant he saw that chilling gaze, he realized something was wrong.
‘You were waiting for this?!’
Just as the dagger touched Seol Hwa-un’s robe, his fist was already smashing into Hwa Mu-geom’s skull.
Boom!
Crack!
“……!”
Hwa Mu-geom’s skull shattered, sending his body flying.
“Guh…!”
The last thing he saw before dying was the assassins who had ambushed Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won being bisected by the North Wind Brigade Leader’s sword.
‘Damn it….’
Seol Hwa-un stared down at the fallen Hwa Mu-geom with a chilling gaze.
“…….”
This assassin had been more formidable than expected.
‘That was close.’
The moment he saw Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi in peril, unable to sense the enemy’s presence at all, his body had moved on instinct.
But soon, Seol Hwa-un’s mind cooled sharply.
‘What if the assassin was waiting for this exact moment?’
He judged quickly.
‘Trust Eom Mu-hwi, Dong Ho-won, and the North Wind Brigade Leader!’
Seol Hwa-un maximized his senses around him and soon grasped Hwa Mu-geom’s movements.
The North Wind Brigade Leader, who had dispatched the assassin, along with Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won, rushed over.
“Young Palace Lord, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
The North Wind Brigade Leader glanced at Hwa Mu-geom’s corpse and said,
“It seems this one was the leader of these assassins.”
Seol Hwa-un nodded.
“Looks that way.”
At that moment, Seol Hwa-un’s expression changed.
“……It seems it’s not over yet.”
“Pardon?”
Only then did the North Wind Brigade Leader sense the presences around them.
“Hmm!”
Hundreds of newly arrived foes had already surrounded Seol Hwa-un’s group.
‘To think I didn’t notice so many approaching.’
In truth, all his focus had been on Hwa Mu-geom, so it was unavoidable.
Amid the tense atmosphere, a woman in ornate robes stepped forward from the crowd. Her pale face and shadowed expression evoked an inexplicable chill.
Clank, clank.
Iron chains dangled from both her hands, connected to collars around the necks of two men.
One was a muscular brute of a man, the other a slender, delicately handsome youth who could pass for a woman in drag.
Both wore only tattered pants, their eyes unnaturally vacant. They gazed at the woman with expressions of desperate craving.
The eerie woman smiled.
“At last, we meet face to face. How delightful.”
Seol Hwa-un asked,
“Who are you?”
“Oh my, so you’re the famous North Heaven Dragon? You’re even more handsome than I imagined.”
Her eyes narrowed seductively.
“You have the allure of my Twin Slaves fused into one. Such a pity. If not for the Pursuit Kill Order, I would have made you my third male slave.”
“……!”
At her words, the Twin Slaves glared at Seol Hwa-un with bulging eyes, brimming with monstrous jealousy.
“Calm down, Twin Slaves. Oh, right—I’ve been remiss in introductions. I am the Maitreya Divine Maiden.”
“Maitreya Divine Maiden?”
Seol Hwa-un quickly realized her identity.
“So you’re the Heavenly Chaos Church’s Raksha Witch.”
Raksha Witch.
The Heavenly Chaos Church Lord, the Demon Sovereign Heavenly King, had one queen and three consorts. The most infamous among those three consorts was the Raksha Witch.
Her madness was often compared even to the Demon Sovereign Heavenly King’s.
“Raksha Witch? I detest such worldly titles. Call me Maitreya Divine Maiden, won’t you?”
“Enough pointless chatter.”
“Hohoho, so spirited. You must be eager to plunge into Naraka.”
The Raksha Witch exuded terrifying killing intent.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un remained unfazed, scanning the encirclement. Even at a glance, there were over five hundred.
‘As expected of the Heavenly Chaos Church. Such numbers.’
Most appeared to be second- or third-rate, but sheer numbers couldn’t be ignored.
Moreover, his group was still affected by the Dream Soul Incense. The best course was to break through quickly.
‘If we focus on one direction, it shouldn’t be too hard.’
As if reading his thoughts, the Raksha Witch spoke.
“Oh? Planning to break through my church’s followers? That won’t do.”
She raised both hands high.
“Followers, this is a holy war! Send these heretics who deny Heavenly Chaos Bliss straight to Naraka!”
“Oooh! Divine Maiden!”
“Holy war!”
The Heavenly Chaos Church followers muttered in a trance, pulling black pills from their bosoms.
Seol Hwa-un’s eyebrow twitched.
“Those are…?”
They swallowed the pills in one gulp.
Gulp.
Soon, veins bulged on their faces, turning them faintly red.
“Grrrrr!”
“Urgh!”
Their eyes rolled wildly as their muscles swelled across their bodies.
“What the hell?!”
Seeing Dong Ho-won’s shocked expression, Eom Mu-hwi said gravely,
“It’s the Heavenly Chaos Church’s Chaos World Demon Pill. A drug that explosively boosts one’s latent power temporarily.”
“Huh? Then after it burns through all their power?”
“……They die.”
“What? Even if they’re insane, how do they swallow that so easily?”
“Heavenly Chaos Church followers don’t see it that way. They believe dying from it sends them to paradise.”
“Crazy!!”
The followers, their reason numbed, charged at Seol Hwa-un’s group.
“Raaargh!!”
Seol Hwa-un swiftly commanded.
“I and the North Wind Brigade Leader will break through the front! Everyone else support and follow behind!”
“Yes, Young Palace Lord!”
Seol Hwa-un surged forward, targeting the Raksha Witch. He judged it better to eliminate the leader—and evident expert—early rather than leave her at the rear.
Even as Seol Hwa-un charged with ferocious momentum, the Raksha Witch remained calm.
“You seem in quite a hurry. Twin Slaves?”
At her call, the two men lifted their heads.
“Bite.”
“……!”
The moment she released the chains, they shot forward like lightning. Their target: Seol Hwa-un.
Seol Hwa-un had no intention of dragging this out. He unleashed a full-powered fist from the start.
‘Fist Cannon One Split!’
Kuuuuaaa!
The immense fist pressure poured onto the muscular man, First Slave, who was charging in.
His eyes flashed, and he abruptly changed direction. Astonishing agility given his charging momentum.
Paaang!
Of course, he couldn’t fully evade Fist Cannon One Split’s range. First Slave staggered, shoved aside by the impact.
‘He took Fist Cannon One Split and…?’
Though imperfect due to the Dream Soul Incense hindering his energy control, it was still Seol Hwa-un’s strike.
Seeing his bronze skin, Seol Hwa-un recalled something.
‘No way—did he train Tianzhu’s Yoga Art?’
Tianzhu Yoga Art was a unique external art unlike Central Plains techniques, granting rubber-like elasticity to the body and allowing it to disperse and absorb ordinary impacts.
Rare in the Central Plains, but in his previous life during the Western Regions campaign, Seol Hwa-un had encountered it.
‘It was a nightmare to deal with.’
While Seol Hwa-un hesitated, the slender pretty boy, Second Slave, rushed in. Unlike First Slave, his speed was extraordinary.
Shuuu shuuu shuuu!
As he swung his hand blade, razor-sharp sword qi astonishingly poured out.
‘Hand Sword Qi?!’
Seol Hwa-un dared not underestimate it, unleashing fist qi repeatedly.
Kwa kwakwa kwaboom!
What Seol Hwa-un didn’t know was that Second Slave was a renowned hand sword expert.
One day, he caught the Raksha Witch’s eye, fell for her wiles, and became her slave.
But his personal martial prowess hadn’t vanished.
Shuuu shuuu shuuu!
Second Slave unleashed a barrage of sharp hand sword qi.
‘Tch!’
With urgency mounting, Seol Hwa-un blasted heavy fist force.
Kwa kwakwa kwaboom!
In an instant, the hand sword qi vanished, leaving Second Slave defenseless before the fist force.
“……!”
But First Slave, appearing suddenly, extended his hand. Seeing the technique, Seol Hwa-un’s eyes widened.
‘Esoteric Great Hand Seal?!’
Kwaaaang!
It clashed with Seol Hwa-un’s fist force. But unable to withstand it, First Slave’s body was hurled back.
“…….”
He took damage, but even that seemed fully absorbed by the Yoga Art.
‘Looks like that one’s a Tianzhu expert.’
Seol Hwa-un frowned.
‘A tougher combination than I thought.’
Meanwhile, as Seol Hwa-un struggled, the North Wind Brigade members fought fiercely against the Heavenly Chaos Church followers swarming from all sides.
The North Wind Brigade was far superior in skill, but the foes’ madness and Chaos World Demon Pill effects more than compensated.
Outnumbered, the North Wind Brigade, accustomed to group combat, barely held on.
As time passed, the Dream Soul Incense increasingly hampered them.
Fortunately, Dong Ho-won, Eom Mu-hwi, and the North Wind Brigade Leader felled Heavenly Chaos followers rapidly, but the endless waves meant the brigade felt no relief.
‘At this rate, the men won’t last. I need to take down their leader, the Raksha Witch!’
Assessing the situation, the North Wind Brigade Leader swiftly cut down the foe before him and swung his sword at the Raksha Witch.
Shuuuaaaak!
“Hm? You think I’m an easy mark?”
The Raksha Witch’s left hand moved.
‘Hm?’
Something flashed momentarily, but nothing seemed to change.
‘I don’t know what trick this is, but no chance…’
About to thrust his sword, the North Wind Brigade Leader felt a chilling premonition.
“……!”
He instinctively withdrew the thrust, raising his sword in defense.
Chaeng!
Something immediately struck his sword and passed.
‘What the hell?!’
He couldn’t see it. But if he’d been a fraction slower, his head would’ve been severed.
A chill ran down the North Wind Brigade Leader’s back.
“Hohoho, sharp instincts. To block my Flashing Shadowless Wheel.”
‘Flashing Shadowless Wheel?’
The Flashing Shadowless Wheel was the Raksha Witch’s signature weapon, claiming countless lives unknown to their victims.
A thicker smile crept onto the Raksha Witch’s lips.
“But can you block two?”
The moment she finished speaking, both hands flashed again.
“……!”