Chapter 398
Chapter 398
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 398
Chapter Title: 398화
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 398
Chapter Title: Clash of Lightning and Demons
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Lee Soo-hyuk and the Heavenly Demon ran side by side.
The two said nothing. To an outsider, they might have looked like comrades, running so close together.
At their level of skill, they could draw their swords and go for the throat in an instant from that distance.
But neither paid the other any mind. They focused straight ahead as they ran. They were far removed from the site of the ongoing faction war.
The rest of the group followed at a safe distance behind them. They rode Vulcanus alongside Hails.
A place untouched by human feet, devoid of any sign of life.
The two finally stopped in an appropriate spot.
It was an open plain stretching in all directions. Grass and flowers bloomed beautifully, and a gentle breeze rustled through.
"Picked a romantic spot, huh."
"No interruptions here."
The Heavenly Demon had chosen the location.
His criteria? A place with nothing to hinder the fight.
No unnecessary interference. No obstacles in sight. Nothing at all to consider. The perfect battlefield.
And yet...
The Heavenly Demon glanced back at the dragon that had caught up belatedly.
Clink. The sound of a blade slipping slightly from its sheath.
"No need to worry about them."
Lee Soo-hyuk stopped the Heavenly Demon.
"You'll fight me alone at first."
"...I know."
The color of the Heavenly Demon's eyes changed as he gripped his sheath.
"It's getting hard to hold back now."
"The Heavenly Demon Soul?"
The Heavenly Demon nodded at Lee Soo-hyuk's question.
"You sure about this?"
"We'll see."
"It won't be easy."
"I know. But keep this one thing in mind."
Thud. Vulcanus descended to the ground.
The group riding on his back dismounted. Anxiety and tension filled their gazes as they looked at Lee Soo-hyuk.
"My top priority is them. Killing the Heavenly Demon Soul is second. Saving you is third. Got it?"
"Understood."
The Heavenly Demon nodded.
"But you understand this too."
Kieeeek—.
As ghostly wails echoed, the Heavenly Demon's eyes turned blood-red.
"...You might die first."
Soon, the plain filled with the cries of ghosts.
The ear-piercing shrieks made the hairs on their bodies stand on end.
The Heavenly Demon Soul, suppressed by Jin Ha-ryeong, was awakening.
A chilling sensation, like their bodies were being shredded, heightened the tension.
Lee Soo-hyuk gazed at the Heavenly Demon, who was beginning to succumb to madness.
'It's been a while.'
The Heavenly Demon in that state was truly dangerous.
The Heavenly Demon remembered by the world. The absolute evil that reigned as a symbol of terror.
Lee Soo-hyuk had witnessed it awaken only once.
Compared to that time...
'Not fully yet.'
The Heavenly Demon Soul had only half awakened.
The figure before him could still be called the Heavenly Demon.
A half-and-half mix of the Heavenly Demon Soul and Jin Ha-ryeong.
Shing—.
Lee Soo-hyuk and the Heavenly Demon drew their swords simultaneously.
Tzzt, tzztzt—.
Rumble—.
Ghosts blanketed the surroundings, and dark clouds gathered in the sky.
Ghosts and lightning clashed everywhere, sparking violently. The air itself felt precarious, as if a natural disaster could strike at any moment.
"I've waited a long time."
Lee Soo-hyuk's words weren't just about this match.
"Over twenty years, right?"
The long years when he had been absent.
Words for the Heavenly Demon, who had waited in loneliness through that endless time.
Of course, they had clashed a year ago as well.
But the Heavenly Demon hadn't acknowledged that version of Lee Soo-hyuk. Nor had Lee Soo-hyuk.
"Took you long enough."
"Whose fault do you think that is?"
"Don't blame others. You're just too weak."
"You're going to lose to this weakling today. Just like before."
The moment those words ended...
Craaaang—!
A flash, and the two were already clashing swords.
Lee Soo-hyuk bared his white teeth.
"I'll kill that rotten mind of yours."
Flash—!
Lightning pierced through both their bodies.
Boom—!
With the thunderclap, blue bolts wrapped around them. The Heavenly Demon lightly slashed the lightning with his sword.
In that interval, Lee Soo-hyuk's sword assaulted again. Bang! The heavy blade came crashing down from above.
The Heavenly Demon didn't dodge. An invisible aura protecting his body blocked Lee Soo-hyuk's sword. A red demon coiled around him, serving as his hands and feet.
"This much won't work."
"I agree."
Tzzt—.
Lee Soo-hyuk stepped on the lightning and changed direction.
From above to below, then sharply sideways again.
It felt like swords were thrusting from all directions at once. Lee Soo-hyuk started the fight with fundamentals.
Clang, clatter!
The Heavenly Demon deflected all of Lee Soo-hyuk's strikes.
With that, the two clashed swords and ascended into the sky.
Rumble—.
The thunder from the dark clouds mixed with the sound of clashing blades. The onlookers' gazes naturally turned upward.
The two fought like shooting stars. They collided, fell, and rose again. Blades cut flesh, clouds parted.
Boom—!
Then, fists met. Pushed back by the impact, they flew apart—only to charge at each other again as if by prior agreement.
Swords flying across space aimed for each other's throats. It was a strike prepared for mutual destruction, and neither dodged.
"No!"
The moment Hyo-min screamed involuntarily...
Slash.
Both their cheeks split open simultaneously. Minor wounds, but a slight deviation would have severed heads.
Their swords clashed repeatedly again. Flashes exploded in the sky. Lee Soo-hyuk's mana and the Heavenly Demon's demonic energy blended in different colors.
It was as if a war raged in the heavens.
The sky shook as if hundreds or thousands were battling.
"Not sure if I should say this, but..."
Hails watched the fight in awe.
"It's amazing."
Everyone nodded at her murmur.
They agreed.
Who among tower climbers wouldn't feel awe at that fight?
Even without full power, their skills were evident. The two seemed incompatible yet meshed perfectly.
Boom, boom, boom. Explosions rang out successively from the sky again.
The hundreds of flashes in the sky suddenly merged into one. It condensed into a single point and plummeted vertically.
Kwaaaang—!
The ground shook as if a small meteor had fallen. Thick dust billowed up.
Unbearably worried by the impact, Unhyang shouted.
"Soo-hyuk!"
Could he really survive that clash? Against the Heavenly Demon?
Her worry proved unfounded. A voice came from the thick dust.
"Brute."
Crack.
As the dust cleared, Lee Soo-hyuk's figure faintly appeared.
He was loosening his wrists. Minor scratches here and there, but fortunately no serious injuries. The wounds were cauterized by lightning.
Unhyang let out a sigh of relief. She looked at the Heavenly Demon this time.
His condition was similar.
Wounds on his face, shoulder, and waist.
Shallow cuts barely bled. Not just stanched—they were already regenerating fresh flesh.
One had to question if they were truly human.
"Close. A bit deeper and..."
"Same here."
The two eyed each other at a measured distance, probing.
That exchange had confirmed each other's prowess. The next clash would be more serious.
Tzztzt—.
Lee Soo-hyuk ramped up his output.
Thump.
His heart raced. In response, the Heavenly Demon Soul's hue burned redder.
"One question."
As Lee Soo-hyuk spoke, the Heavenly Demon, about to charge, paused.
"What?"
"How did you know I'm Lee Soo-hyuk?"
The Heavenly Demon looked like he was asking why such a pointless question.
But because it was Lee Soo-hyuk asking?
Anyone else might have struck first, but he didn't ignore it.
"The Heavenly Demon Soul sees not the flesh, but the soul."
With those words, the red aura around the Heavenly Demon wavered.
His eyes flickered crimson. The Heavenly Demon Soul dwelled in them too.
"I see it in my eyes. Who you are."
In the Heavenly Demon's gaze on Lee Soo-hyuk, two figures overlapped.
Past Lee Soo-hyuk.
Present Lee Soo-hyuk.
Different, yet the same. The maskless face overlaid with the mask. They became one.
"The shell doesn't matter. You're Lee Soo-hyuk. The shell differs, but the soul is the same. The shell is irrelevant. The soul is our essence."
"The soul, huh..."
Indeed, the Heavenly Demon Soul was deeply tied to souls.
The word "soul" was even in its name. Thus, another soul dwelled within the Heavenly Demon's body.
"Convenient ability."
"Why ask that now?"
A rebuke for the deflating nonsense mid-fight.
"No one believed me. That I'm Lee Soo-hyuk."
"Their eyes are narrow. Fools who think what they see is everything."
"Don't be too harsh. So what am I then?"
"Enough nonsense."
Whoosh—.
The Heavenly Demon charged again.
The sword qi slicing the air cracked the ground. Lee Soo-hyuk twisted his body, dodging the continuous strikes.
"Striking mid-conversation, that's dirty—."
Kihihihi—.
Ghostly wails rang in his ears.
Lee Soo-hyuk's senses reacted. His pupils dilated, vision expanding to illuminate all directions.
Hummm—.
Crimson souls had spread everywhere unnoticed. They leered at him like ghosts, laughing.
Ten Thousand Demon Blood Chains
Countless ghosts entwine like chains, forming sword qi. Once trapped, escape is impossible.
Innumerable ghosts intertwined like chains, forming qi. Once completed and ensnared, no escape existed.
If caught unaware, maybe. But having noticed, Lee Soo-hyuk wouldn't just take it.
Shoooo—.
Lee Soo-hyuk's body melted into the shadows.
Silently and swiftly. He burrowed into the gaps of the Ten Thousand Demon Blood Chains.
This moment before completion was critical. Even a brief hesitation would make escape impossible.
Pop, pop-pop—.
He navigated the sharp qi chains. This wasn't a test—it was a life-or-death battle, yet fear didn't touch him.
Rip, rip-rip—.
Countless minor gashes appeared where the chains grazed him.
Lee Soo-hyuk ignored the small wounds. Each injury sharpened his focus further.
The instant he broke through the crimson chains unhindered...
Shwaaaak—.
As if expecting it, the Heavenly Demon thrust his sword down like lightning from above.
Whoosh—.
The Heavenly Demon's blade sliced through Lee Soo-hyuk's body. But he dissolved into black mist right there.
He had borrowed the Black Soul Ring's power for stealth since escaping the chains.
Hidden, but not fleeing. Hiding from the Heavenly Demon's eyes indefinitely was impossible anyway.
He used the Black Soul's stealth for this exact moment.
Thud—.
A palm pressed against the Heavenly Demon's chest.
Kwawoong—!
Lightning erupted from the hand, blasting the Heavenly Demon's body away.
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