Chapter 201
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: The Day of the Decisive Battle (3)
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I had never truly understood the expression "the upper dantian opens" until now.
The most I could dimly imagine with my twisted imagination was some 28th-century cyberpunk wuxia-style human modification, cracking open the skull and inserting a martial arts chip.
However.
Now I finally understood it completely.
The reason Master Weiji Ryang had clicked his tongue and given me that look, as if to say, "You could bash your head against it for a hundred days and all you'd get is a cracked skull."
The reason Master Seo Dohee had always been on guard, watching for any chance they might strike first with the Sword Extinguishing Formation, yet never once hinting at the Fire Transformation Realm.
Now I finally understood it completely.
No matter how profound one's understanding of martial arts, this was a realm on a whole different dimension, something that couldn't be explained through the human dao.
At the end of the journey where I'd only followed the path until now, a vast unknown universe stretched out endlessly before me.
Finally.
My will had touched the world.
I glanced around me.
Astonishment, terror, awe.
The sensations of countless emotions pouring toward me brushed against my skin raw, and I lowered my head to look at my hand.
"What the fuck."
No, I had only hoped to reach the Harmony Realm.
I'd never wished to awaken some Cosmic Fear mode as Geum Sihyeon.
As if I'd reached the level of a calamity god, demonic qi surged from my dantian like a cry of "Makiyatohou!" and enveloped my entire body, manifesting as black armor.
"Mangas...!"
One of the Gale Wind Temple soldiers who met my eyes let out a sigh and dropped his weapon.
What the hell.
Why was manga suddenly coming up here?
Well... even I had to admit my current appearance was pretty shocking and violent.
Chaos, destruction, ruin.
I seemed to have become a monster embodying it all.
This... no way.
Was it not the Harmony Realm, but Extreme Demon or something?
For a split second, I wondered if I'd gone down the wrong tech tree because of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and hurriedly circulated the Minor Cosmic Orbit, but fortunately, my lower dantian's main stream was still the Northern Bright Divine Art.
No one to ask, damn.
Whether misfortune or fortune.
"You bastard—!"
From afar, the aura of a supreme expert began drawing closer.
It was definitely the Gale Wind Temple's leader, who had been clashing with my father-in-law and the Pang family head.
What?
Had the dual swords and half-sword both failed?
Swallowing such useless thoughts, I looked at the bandit chief flying toward me, spear in hand as if performing a great downward thrust.
And—
I saw it.
Countless spear trajectories overlapping his form like illusions.
Throws it—no, thrusts while gripping the spear—no, spins the spear to block my counter—no, twists his body sensing my palm strike—no, lightly dodges the Six Meridians Divine Sword and hurls the spear at my opening—
Countless phantoms overlapped on his body.
As if.
Holograms displaying every possible way he might attack me had popped up.
The closer he got, the more illusions vanished one by one.
Until finally, only one remained.
Shweeeek—!
A single spear charging at me with the harsh sound of cutting wind, and with it, the sight of him grabbing another spear from the ground via void grasp while charging forward.
Cheol Mok-ung's judgment was simple and straightforward.
Before it grew more accustomed.
Before it grew stronger.
Even if it meant some losses.
He had to slay that monster here and now.
"Kuh...!"
"Gahk!"
By concentrating his energy to a single point with some strain and landing a surprise strike on the old man clutching his saber, momentarily disrupting the balance.
Cheol Mok-ung charged at the newly born monster.
Had it sensed his presence too?
Its blazing red eyes crossed with his own.
And.
Cheol Mok-ung felt fear for an instant.
Those indifferent eyes, deep as an abyss, seemed to pierce through everything about him, even the emotions harbored in his heart.
How would it respond?
Should he once more strain himself and hurl the spear infused with his will?
No, if it dodged that strike, he'd be at a momentary disadvantage.
Then charge straight in and pierce its heart with the spear— that alone wouldn't deliver a fatal wound, and a counterattack would surely follow.
"...!"
In that instant, Cheol Mok-ung sensed danger and steadied his stance.
His left hand held nothing, yet strangely, the mere twitch of those fingers triggered his survival instincts, screaming that he was in dire peril.
No matter what preemptive attack he launched.
A sense of powerlessness washed over him, as if transcending all cause and effect, his attacks would never connect.
But.
Cheol Mok-ung gritted his teeth.
On the battlefield, hesitation was a luxury.
As he always had, per his initial judgment.
Throw the spear.
Fists alone were tricky to counter, so simultaneously use void grasp to pick up the conveniently fallen spear—
"What the—?!"
Just before Cheol Mok-ung's hand could grasp the new spear shaft.
A single strand of finger wind from somewhere tore the spear shaft to shreds.
And.
"■■■■, ■■■—"
"■■■■, ■■■—"
A bizarre language that didn't sound human at all, echoing as if from all directions, burrowed into his mind.
Before he knew it.
The monster was right before his eyes.
All he could see was darkness.
In the place where eyes should be, only two red points flickered like the fires of hell, the sole remnants of what had once been human.
"Y-You monster...!"
"■■, ■■."
"■■, ■■."
With a chilling sensation he'd never felt before in his life, Cheol Mok-ung swung and thrust his spear in resistance to the approaching doom.
Again and again.
Again and again.
With great cause so near, how could he fall to such a monster? He repeated this resolve inwardly over and over.
More focused, with greater effort than when facing the two elders of the Central Plains.
Even if it meant burning everything he had, to press one step further toward great cause beyond that monster.
However.
"■■, ■■■■■......"
"■■, ■■■■■......"
It didn't connect.
Not even a graze.
As if reading every trajectory of his attacks.
As if peering into the future and toying with him.
All attacks ended in vain.
And.
"Kugh...!"
As wounds carved one line after another across his body.
A vast demonic qi coursed through his blood, slowly corroding him in a way he couldn't resist.
Since taking up the spear.
And since inheriting his father's essence amid tears, it was the first time he'd felt such powerlessness.
And finally.
Kuwoooong—!
When the monster before him merely set foot lightly on the ground.
He finally let go of the spear shaft he'd gripped like his own life.
A colossal pressure like the weight of half the cosmos crushed the earth, radiating outward from him.
As his mind grew hazy, the moment Cheol Mok-ung barely lifted his head.
"...!"
The monster was gone.
Standing there was merely an ordinary man in dark robes, wearing a pure white mask.
Then what had he been fighting all this time?
Turning his head in lost will to fight.
All the Gale Wind Temple warriors.
And even the Central Plains folk.
Had dropped their weapons from their hands, unable to utter a word, sunk in utter silence.
Even.
The two Central Plains warriors he'd been handling easily moments ago.
The instant he took in their sight.
Cheol Mok-ung intuited it.
The battle was over.
"Ha, haha..."
Moyong Danha let out a hollow laugh.
What on earth had he just seen and felt?
Not just him.
Everyone on this battlefield had seen and felt it.
That overwhelming presence beyond words.
A mighty, vast will that, though but an instant, stretched on like eternity.
As if.
For that fleeting moment, he'd transcended humanity and touched the realm of gods—even Moyong Danha felt awe.
Though it was a battlefield soaked in weapons, corpses, and blood.
That he wasn't alone in feeling it was clear—the entire field lay in silence and stillness.
However.
Moyong Danha had lived too rigid a life to indulge in such awe.
Moreover, the culprit who had wrought this scene, visible from afar.
The white mask from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Weiji Hyun.
No... his son-in-law, Geum Sihyeon.
The corner of his mouth twisted ever so subtly.
As Moyong Danha read it.
It was unmistakably satisfaction.
The same smile he'd worn while hurling that childish Invincible Meteor Strike into the Mongol camp every night, rating it "98 points today."
And as Moyong Danha saw it.
Geum Sihyeon had clearly drawn out every ounce of his power to create this situation.
Of course.
Because the only visible part through the mask—those puppy-like eyes—sparkled straight at him.
The same eyes he'd flashed after hurling the Invincible Meteor Strike, demanding a piggyback ride to show off.
The moment his thoughts reached that point.
Moyong Danha shattered the thick silence laced with wonder and approached Geum Sihyeon.
And.
"It's over. Everyone, go back."
He added the words on his behalf.
Of course, if he could have his way, he'd kneel right there and cleave off that damned Mongol bastard's head.
But doing so.
Would start the battle anew until death.
He didn't fear battle.
It was just that the Moyong blood that would spill there was far too precious.
"..."
Had his voice reached?
The Mongol leader staggered to his feet.
He too was a supreme expert beyond Fire Transformation.
Moyong Danha tensed fully, wary he might charge again upon noticing something odd about Geum Sihyeon's body.
"...Буцах."
But he muttered some incomprehensible word and slowly turned to walk away.
Soon.
Following him.
The Mongol remnants.
The Gale Wind Temple members.
One by one, turned toward the distant plains, following their leader.
And.
"As expected..."
He deliberately ignored the sparkling eyes from the masked face and the whisper.
No matter how he thought about it.
His son-in-law wasn't some great demon lord or Heavenly Demon—he was just a crazy bastard.
"Good work."
But that's why he liked him.