214
The battle was over.
The Tang Clan warriors paralyzed the attackers and went around methodically castrating them.
"Kuaaaak!!"
"If you tried to violate the Tang Clan, you should be prepared to be violated in return. Instead of violating anyone, we'll make sure you can never act like a lustful beast again."
The Tang Clan warriors began to seriously deploy their Poison Arts.
Some cut off the manhood, and others left the manhood but cut off the testicles. Those were the lucky ones.
"I hear the government office will come arrest you in two hours. For two hours, I'll take your blood and use it as a material for poison."
"Taste the poison I've newly concocted. It causes a disease that makes your lower half harden like stone, but even I don't know when it will break out. Keh-keh!"
"Let me test the efficacy of my Qi Response Needle."
Regarding the attackers who committed arson, the Sichuan Governor showed consideration for the Tang Clan.
Since they hadn't killed them, the Tang Clan couldn't be punished for murder or penalized for excessive force, and the scale of the arson was so severe that the government actually wanted to side with the Tang Clan.
"I will mobilize the government troops in two hours and arrest them all."
From a strictly neutral standpoint, the Sichuan Governor arrived at his conclusion. During the two hours granted, the Tang Clan used the captured attackers to carry out their bloody revenge.
"......Quite a tough bunch, these guys. I might not even need to step in."
The young girl looked down at the Tang Clan from a distance and smiled with satisfaction. Behind her, a figure dressed in black martial attire landed.
"Confirmation is complete. The one who controlled the flames is Dang Seo-hee."
"What? Seo-hee did? ...I didn't expect her to step up. Surprising. Bloodlines really are important."
The young girl brushed off her bottom and rose to her feet.
"Anyway, those Demonic Cult bastards don't know moderation. Moderation. In my day, they didn't dare to even think of getting within a hundred paces of the Tang Clan's vicinity. Tsk tsk."
"...Lady Yejin."
"Why are you suddenly calling my name?"
The young girl, Lady Yejin, waved her hand and withdrew.
"Has the name Poison Immortal gone to the dogs? ...Ah, right."
The young girl, Dang Ye-jin, bit her lip and muttered.
"That strange bastard who had Immortal Qi and Demonic Energy all mixed up, where did he go just now?"
* * *
'Wol Yeong Seonghui Sword, huh.'
It was different from the name I knew, but it was unmistakably the martial art of the Demonic Sword Consort and the Sword Pavilion Master.
Shrrk.
Every time she swung the sword, Sword Qi flashed. The sword's trajectory evoked a crescent moon, and its path sparkled like stars hanging in the night sky.
Illusion Sword.
If Mount Hua's sword hides its path within plum blossoms, then the Sword Pavilion's sword hides itself within moonlight. The moment you see the starlight glinting in the darkness, the sword is already within an inch of your vital point.
Clang!
I straightened the twin swords I'd been dangling downward and blocked the strike. The starlight blurring my vision scattered like a heat haze. I steadily bore down on the twin swords formed of Sword Aura and closed the distance until our breaths could touch.
"Dealing with Illusion Swords isn't my first or second time."
"Tsk...!"
The Demonic Sword Consort drew back to create distance and spun her body. The horizontally rotating sword drew a semicircle aimed precisely at cutting my neck.
This time it was a Slash. With this single strike, I could once again clearly perceive the nature of the Demonic Sword Consort's Sword Qi.
The Demonic Sword Consort's sword is specialized in cutting. Just as her First Strike was a slash meant to sever my manhood, this time she swung the sword horizontally to take off my neck.
"Not a chance!"
I placed one sword diagonally and deflected her blade upward. When the attack failed, the Demonic Sword Consort frowned and stepped back two paces.
When a dual-wielder parries a single-wielder's sword with one blade, the advantage is clear until the sword is recovered. I thrust my sword toward the Demonic Sword Consort's shoulder.
Shrrk.
The cloak was cut. Only her clothes were cut, leaving no injury, but it was the Demonic Sword Consort who frowned even deeper.
"You bastard...!"
I had precisely intended to cut only the clothes, and indeed the Demonic Sword Consort's shoulder was without a scratch. Skin like white jade was revealed in the moonlight, and the Demonic Sword Consort recovered her sword and leaped back a great distance.
"You wretch... what sword art is that!"
"Heavenly Dragon Emperor Twin High Sword."
"Don't mess with me, you bastard!"
"I'm not joking."
Geomdam's martial art is the Dragon Emperor Sword. I showed off the twin swords in my hands and took the Dragon Emperor Sword starting stance.
"Did you not hear what my martial art is?"
"Do not lie. Even at a glance, the fundamentals of the Emperor Sword Form are clearly embedded within it, yet you dare to deceive me?"
"...Heh heh."
As expected, it didn't work. She isn't the Sword Pavilion Master for nothing, nor a former-generation Sword Demon for nothing. Like a woman mad for the sword, the Demonic Sword Consort read my sword art in an instant.
'If I'm not careful, I'll have all my tricks exposed.'
The Demonic Sword Consort had an immense knowledge of martial arts. Even though I deliberately disrupted the Emperor Sword Form's shape with the twin swords and executed a simple thrust, the Demonic Sword Consort saw through my swordsmanship in a single exchange.
"Do you know of the Dragon Emperor Sword? What if the Heavenly Dragon Emperor Twin High Sword shares the same essence as the Namgung Clan's art?"
"Hmph, nonsense. The principles they pursue may be the same, but the depth of their roots is different, so how can you say their essence is the same?"
The Demonic Sword Consort threw the scabbard she had at her waist at me. I swung the twin swords forward in a crossing motion to deflect it.
Poof!
As soon as the scabbard touched the Sword Aura, white smoke erupted from within. There was no smell, but an ominous sensation made me plant my feet and swing my swords upward.
"Soaring Dragon!"
Sword Wind erupted from the two swords, scattering the smoke left and right. It was already dark, and with the Demonic Sword Consort concealed in the smoke, she was hard to spot.
But the Red Eyes glinting crimson within the smoke were clearly visible. I pierced through the fog and thrust my sword toward the crimson glint.
Clang!
The Demonic Sword Consort blocked my sword with her blade held diagonally. Having blocked my strike, she smiled slyly, raising the corner of her lips.
"Softness overcomes hardness."
'A counter!'
The Demonic Sword Consort's body scattered like mist. She stretched one leg straight toward me and lowered her body. Her sword slipped past the two Sword Auras and was already aimed at my crotch.
"It is over!"
The Demonic Sword Consort's Sword Qi was shining even more brilliantly than before. If the First Strike was mere Sword Qi, this was now clearly Sword Aura. One wrong move and I'll be cut!
"Huap!"
Claaaang!
I blocked the Demonic Sword Consort's sword. I released my qi and clamped down on her blade. The Demonic Sword Consort's expression contorted in disbelief.
"You crazy son of a bitch?"
"...Ahem. I didn't think it would actually work."
I concentrated my Qi Aura at the point where the Demonic Sword Consort's sword would strike. My Protective Qi Aura burst forth and extended like a blade. In effect, the Sword Aura emerging from that spot clashed with the Demonic Sword Consort's own Sword Aura.
The consumption of Internal Energy was enormous, but I could protect my vital spot.
"You wretch, what do you take the sword for!!"
"...Doesn't every man carry his own sword around at least once?"
"Bastard!!"
The Demonic Sword Consort turned bright red up to the top of her head. Unlike a typical woman using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, she had quite a lot of hair. To the point that my gaze went to the top of her head rather than her sword, I had some leisure.
Because the Demonic Sword Consort's eyes were also on my sword.
'As expected of the Blood Cult Leader.'
The Demonic Sword Consort simply could not tear her eyes away from my sword, which closely imitated the near-perfect member crafted by the Blood Cult Leader.
"It's embarrassing if you keep staring hotly like that."
I struck away her blade with my twin swords and created distance. Once I had enough space, I pulled up my pants so she could fully concentrate on the sword dance.
"Hmph, so now you know shame!"
"Oh, really? Shall I pull them down again?"
"......."
The Demonic Sword Consort's eyes looked extremely conflicted. I sneered at her and straightened my clothes neatly.
"Why did you interfere? Did you develop some camaraderie as a former-generation Sword Demon?"
"......!! You, don't tell me you violated that child knowing who she was?"
"Of course. Isn't she the Thunder Demon?"
"You Lust Demon scoundrel! How could you so brutally violate a woman who has just come of age!"
"?"
I carefully replayed the Demonic Sword Consort's words in my head, picking up on the detail that contradicted the truth. I pinpointed the one piece of information that directly clashed with what I knew.
"Just come of age?"
"Yes! Could you not tell at a glance! The Thunder Demon, that child is one who inherited the title of the previous Thunder Demon, and...."
"She's over seventy?"
"......! You madman, a taboo that must not be spoken...!! No, you violated the Thunder Demon knowing that...?!"
At the Demonic Sword Consort's words, I recalled the physiology of the Ten Great Demons of the Demonic Cult. And I realized why the Demonic Sword Consort was trying to deceive me.
"Hohoho. She must have employed a Return to Youth to rejuvenate herself? The old crone has no shame."
"Shut up! I can never forgive you for violating the matriarch of a hundred thousand demons!"
"So, are you trying to kill me to silence me?"
The Demonic Sword Consort threw her sword at me. I twisted my body to dodge the thrown sword flying in a straight line.
"Haha! You've been tricked!"
"......!"
And then, the thrown sword spun in place and, as if wielded by an unseen hand, tried to cut my neck. I swung my twin swords to block the Wol Yeong Seonghui Sword's martial form, which was unfolding without the Demonic Sword Consort's hand.
Clang, clang, claaang!
Even though she clearly wasn't swinging the sword directly, the sword was as fierce as if the Demonic Sword Consort personally wielded it and executed the Martial Form. The momentum was such that if I reacted even a little late, my body would be sliced apart along with my Protective Qi Aura.
'What to do?'
I kept thinking as I blocked the sword. How exactly could I deceive the Demonic Sword Consort's Qi Sense, her vast experience, and her sharp eyes?
"......I read it!"
I deliberately shouted loudly and hurled my sword. I threw one of the Sword Aura blades forward, precisely intercepting the Qi-Controlled Sword, and with the remaining sword in my hand, I drew upon the power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Sukeok!
The starlight gleamed red in the trajectory of the Slash cutting through space. I executed a Martial Form of the 'Wol Yeong Seonghui Sword' based on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Whooooosh---
Wind blew through the bamboo forest. A scabbard with a sharply crafted end was aimed at my neck, and at its tip, a blue-tinged Sword Qi had formed.
And the Sword Aura I had extended was aimed at the Demonic Sword Consort's neck. The Demonic Sword Consort stared at me with wavering eyes.
"Your pursuit of victory is amazing! To retrieve the discarded scabbard with Void Object Retrieval and use it like a sword!"
"H-How...!"
She wouldn't understand if I said I violated the future Demonic Sword Consort. So I thought of an appropriate 'excuse.'
"It's my ability. Do you think I'm called Geomdam (Sword Talk) for nothing? I can make the sword art of anyone I cross blades with my own. Heh heh heh."
"W-Where does such nonsense exist!!"
"There's a woman who wraps electricity inside her pussy and roasts a guy piercing it with his dick using an electric shock, so it's not impossible for a guy like me to exist."
While the Demonic Sword Consort was flustered, I lifted my leg and quickly kicked her knee.
"Keuk!"
The Demonic Sword Consort dropped the scabbard and rolled sideways, not even caring about rolling on the dirt floor. As she dodged, I threw my sword forward.
Suk!
The sword embedded itself next to the Demonic Sword Consort's hand. I picked up the scabbard that the Demonic Sword Consort had dropped. And I summoned her, the Sky-Shattering Divine Sword, into my body.
Breaking Sword technique—a skill devised to counter opponents wielding Qi-Controlled Swords in a sword duel. The special technique that had rendered the three swords of the Blood Jiangshi useless, after he'd violated the Taiji Sword Empress and mastered the Taiji Wisdom Sword.
"Sheathe!"
I grabbed the end of the scabbard and swung it to catch the Demonic Sword Consort's Qi-Controlled Sword, which was aimed at the back of my head.
Clack!
The Demonic Sword Consort's Qi-Controlled Sword slid perfectly into her own scabbard. I stabbed it straight into the ground. Coincidentally, that spot was the damp mud where the Thunder Demon had climaxed and lost control, releasing her electric shock.
Puh---ook!
The sword was planted into the ground handle-first. I quickly stepped on the handle with my foot, then formed a hand blade and struck the scabbard sideways.
Kang!!
"Kyaaak!!"
The Demonic Sword Consort screamed as if her own spine was breaking.
"My Waning Meteor Sword?!"
The beloved weapon shook violently inside the scabbard. I grabbed the sharp tip of the scabbard—the same one that had been aimed at my neck earlier—and struck again with a hand blade.
Thwack.
The hand blade deeply dented the scabbard. The Demonic Sword Consort, now collapsed, looked up at me with a hollow gaze.
"How...."
"Hoot."
"You laugh? How can you! What do you think a sword is!!"
"A weapon for killing people!"
At my answer, the Demonic Sword Consort's eyes turned bloodshot. That answer about the sword, given by the Sky-Shattering Divine Sword—which had drawn fierce backlash from existing swordsmen—made the Demonic Sword Consort tremble in her limbs.
"And...."
I pulled out the sword still in its scabbard. Though it was severely bent, like a broken bone, it was enough to achieve my purpose.
"A coercive tool for violating women?"
Shrrk!
I raised Sword Qi at the tip of the sword and cut the Demonic Sword Consort's clothes. The black garment was torn long vertically from the lower abdomen, and before the Demonic Sword Consort could escape, I reached out my hand.
"If you wanted to object, you should have beaten me."
Rip!
I grabbed and tore the clothes with my hand. The Demonic Sword Consort couldn't make any response to the hand that was quicker and more precise than using the sword.
"Oh."
I pulled down the Demonic Sword Consort's black underwear. There was no prickly sensation to the touch.
"So this is where the side effects of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art went...!"
Was it because of her heaven-defying fate of using White Path martial arts while belonging to the Demonic Cult?
"This is a White Treasure...!"
The Demonic Sword Consort's lower parts were like a pure white treasure.