Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 24
>Chapter Title: Branch Leader (3)
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It was because from the moment Eldest Senior Brother's energy focused on me, I felt a threat to my life.
My body, desperate for survival, sharpened its focus to the extreme, and before I knew it, the world was flowing in slow motion.
I could even vaguely make out Third Senior Brother's kicking sword, which I normally couldn't follow with my eyes.
Even as the world crawled along slowly, Eldest Senior Brother was closing in at an insane speed, filling my entire field of vision.
Third Senior Brother's swung sword carved a wound into Eldest Senior Brother's forearm, but he charged at me as if such a scratch meant nothing.
In an instant, the madman's greatsword was right in front of my nose, flying down to cleave my body in two.
And wrapped around that greatsword was a massive red energy, far larger still.
A terrifying blazing energy incomparable to my paltry internal power.
But I couldn't die like this.
The world might be moving slowly, but the problem was my body moved just as sluggishly, like a fat grub.
‘Move!! Move!!!’
Did that furious thought reach it?
From the moment Eldest Senior Brother charged, the hand gripping my sword finally drew it in a flash of the Soul-Stealing Ready Sword, following the instincts honed from training.
The stance I unleashed perfectly intersected the path of Eldest Senior Brother's greatsword.
My blade, carrying energy feeble in comparison, collided with his greatsword and veered off in a strange twist.
It was an attempt to deflect the power riding the greatsword, drawing on the subtlety of the Soul-Enticing Sword, the seventh form of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword.
Clang!!!
But perhaps because the gap in power was too vast, my sword shattered without altering the greatsword's path much.
Still, that fleeting moment bought by the Soul-Enticing Sword was enough.
The instant I unleashed it, I was already pulling my body back.
Of course, the residual force from the imperfect deflection sent me flying backward, but at least I avoided instant death.
I had survived by seamlessly combining the Soul-Stealing Ready Sword, Soul-Enticing Sword, and footwork in one go.
Even I myself had no idea how I'd pulled it off.
It just felt like my body had moved on its own in that extreme crisis.
And what flew into my eyes as I tumbled away was Third Senior Brother closing in on Eldest Senior Brother in a flash, swinging at his back.
But Eldest Senior Brother twisted his body sideways as if he had eyes in the back of his head, narrowly dodging Third Senior Brother's ambush that left not even a shadow behind.
In that moment, Jin Ha-yeon burst in from the side, thrusting her twin palms at Eldest Senior Brother's flank.
As expected, she must have been holding back as much as possible during our spars—her hands were now fully enveloped in pure white frost, radiating a chilling, razor-sharp aura.
But no matter how icy her Bare Hand Demon Art's chill was...
Whoosh.
It was nothing compared to Eldest Senior Brother's Explosive Demon Net Sword Art, verging on Transcending Demon.
The blazing energy cloaking his swung greatsword melted her frost in an instant.
Boom!!!
Unable to withstand that immense force, Jin Ha-yeon went flying off into the distance.
Thud!
“Ugh...”
And I, finally coming down from midair, crashed into the wall and spat out a choked breath.
If I hadn't mixed in the Soul-Enticing Sword at the last second to bleed off even a little power, my spine would've shattered outright.
But this wasn't the time to lose my mind to the pain.
“Oppa!!”
Was it rage at seeing me attacked?
Seon-a's eyes burned even redder than usual as she let out a furious shriek and charged at Eldest Senior Brother.
It was insane. Even Jin Ha-yeon, far stronger than her, had been sent flying in one exchange.
But fortunately, the gruesome sight of Seon-a being bisected didn't come to pass.
“Miss!”
A Hyeok-ryeon family guard who had just entered Wind Rock Hall moments ago dashed up to the berserk Seon-a and struck her pressure points, knocking her out cold.
Whoooosh!
As payment, Eldest Senior Brother's greatsword, aimed at Seon-a, turned toward the guard.
“Gah...”
The guard couldn't last even one exchange and went flying back as well.
He had at least managed to shield Seon-a in his arms amid the chaos, fulfilling his duty as a guard, but the situation was spiraling toward the worst.
In just three swings, he had taken down me, Jin Ha-yeon, the guard, and Seon-a. Only Third Senior Brother remained standing unscathed.
“Run!”
Shouting that, Third Senior Brother—his gloomy aura belying his resolve—stood alone to block Eldest Senior Brother.
But it didn't look like he could hold out long.
Third Senior Brother's martial arts were specialized for ambushes and sneak attacks, not frontal clashes, and there was a gap in skill besides.
He was like a candle in the wind, barely enduring.
Of course, if I just bolted to save my own skin, I might survive.
‘But everyone else dies without me.’
The berserk Branch Leader might take out his grudge against me on everyone here.
But I had no way to stop that monstrous madman...
“!!!”
A idea flashed—maybe a way for everyone to survive. I bolted toward Wind Rock Hall's main gate as if fleeing.
And just before exiting Wind Rock Hall,
I yelled at full volume toward the Branch Leader, who was in the midst of tormenting Third Senior Brother.
“Hey, you brainless meathead fuck!!! Is that head of yours just for show?!”
With a whatever, fuck it mentality, I shouted that and sprinted out of Wind Rock Hall at top speed.
“I'll kill you!!!”
Boom!!!
A massive explosion and roar erupted, and the Branch Leader monster shot into the air straight toward me.
“You motherfucking shiiit!!!”
Feeling the colossal energy from behind closing in rapidly, I screamed curses and ran for my life.
Screeech!!
A chill raced up my spine, and sensing a chunk of that massive energy flying at me from behind, I hurled myself sideways.
Boom!!!
A red blast—presumably lobbed by Eldest Senior Brother—slammed into where I'd been a second ago, detonating violently.
Tumbling across the ground from the dive, I scrambled up and kept running.
“Where're you aiming, you dumb fuck!!”
“You filthy worm!! I'll hack off all your limbs!!!'
The completely unhinged madman's screams grew closer, and amid them, the red blasts he kept firing came hurtling one after another.
How long had I been running while provoking the Branch Leader monster like that?
It felt like eons with my life on the line, but in reality, not even ten seconds had passed.
Inevitably, I got caught by the Branch Leader murderer.
“Die!”
And the moment the Branch Leader murderer swung his greatsword at me again.
Clang!!
A spear, saber, and sword flew in from somewhere, blocking the madman's greatsword.
They were Heavenly Demon Divine Cult warriors from nearby—faces unfamiliar to me.
It was only natural. This was the massive estate at the heart of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's headquarters, teeming with its warriors everywhere.
A place where someone falling into Demonic Deviation or going berserk from mental illness was practically an annual event.
When someone rampaged like this, it was a given that nearby folks would step in to suppress them—this madhouse made it routine.
That was exactly why I'd deliberately provoked Eldest Senior Brother and lured him out here.
Waiting in Wind Rock Hall for reinforcements would've meant at least one death, so I'd reversed it: drawing him toward where warriors would be.
And while the three blocked Eldest Senior Brother's greatsword,
“We just need to hold out until Master arrives!”
Third Senior Brother, who had chased after Eldest Senior Brother, shouted that to the trio and joined them.
With three reinforcements, it seemed a bit more holdable than facing him alone.
Boom!!
“Guh...”
Or so one might think—another one failed to endure and went flying, smashing through a wall.
More demon folk were approaching from all sides, but the mood was that everyone here would die at this rate.
“Why're you harassing innocent people, you meathead?!”
I provoked Eldest Senior Brother again.
“You bastard!!!”
As expected, whether lost to rage or just brainless, he ignored the three surrounding him and charged straight at me.
Boom!!
And thanks to that obvious, simplistic move, the three blocked his attack far more easily.
Clang!!
Right in front of my nose.
“Eek.”
Startled, I stumbled back a few steps and watched the scene of them suppressing the rampaging fire boar.
“Not just a dumb head—your eyes suck too, huh?”
Every time they seemed to get pushed back a bit, I provoked Eldest Senior Brother again.
“I'll kill you! Kill you!! KILL YOUUUU!!!”
After doing that several times to draw his rage and attention,
Before I knew it, the rage-blind boar was surrounded by dozens of warriors.
As I watched Eldest Senior Brother swing his greatsword wildly, firing flames every which way like a solo fireworks show amid the crowd,
“Everyone, stand down.”
A familiar voice pierced my ears.
The lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—Master to both me and that rampaging fire boar over there—had finally arrived.
As if the words themselves carried power, the moment Master spoke, everyone around Eldest Senior Brother scattered back at once.
Eldest Senior Brother, already surrendered to fury, swung his greatsword at me now that his blockers were gone.
Boom!!
But Master casually blocked the strike with a sword drawn at some unknown point.
Hummmm.
Then, dark blue energy seeped out, centered on Master's body where the swords met Eldest Senior Brother's.
Not as violent as Eldest Senior Brother's, but it exuded an overwhelming pressure that crushed the surroundings.
Unable to bear that heavy aura, Eldest Senior Brother was finally pressed flat to the ground.
And with that, the rage-fueled rampage came to an end thanks to Master's intervention.
* * *
Eldest Senior Brother's rampage left nine injured in total.
Miraculously, no deaths—six seriously wounded, three lightly.
Considering Eldest Senior Brother's caliber, this was practically no casualties at all.
And I, among the seriously wounded, was lying in the infirmary taking a rest.
I'd taken hits all over blocking his attack and smashing into the wall—bruises everywhere, muscles shocked, and some internal injuries to boot.
Of course, I'd already been treated, so no need to stay in the infirmary, but with Wind Rock Hall half-destroyed, I was bunking here while repairs were done.
And by my side.
“Young Master. It's time to start your studies.”
Jin Ha-yeon, arms wrapped in bandages and splints, sat there with a blank expression.
During the clash with Eldest Senior Brother, the force had cracked her arms in places since she couldn't withstand it.
At least nothing shattered or broke outright, so it'd heal quick—lucky? She really wasn't right in the head.
“I'm injured, and so are you—what studies?”
I shot back incredulously, but as expected, she replied curtly.
“With these injuries, you can't train the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword or external arts, so use this time to catch up on the code of laws. That way, once you're healed, you can dive right back into external arts and Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword training with renewed vigor, no?”
“...”
Yeah, definitely not right in the head.
But I couldn't exactly chew out the woman who'd cracked her arms charging at that rage-blind monster to save my ass.
No, there was a more pressing issue.
‘My Demonic Cult life is fucked. Ha.’
In the heat of life-or-death desperation, I'd spouted whatever came to mind, but I'd turned the Heavenly Demon's eldest disciple—a top-tier master—into my enemy.
No matter the circumstances, I'd nonstop spewed the one thing he hated most: calling him stupid, enough to trigger his rage issues just hearing it.
“Then, let's begin the lesson. With my arms like this, Young Master, please open the book.”
Lost half in a daze amid Jin Ha-yeon's deranged nonsense and worries about my thorny path ahead in the Demonic Cult,
A commotion sounded from beyond the infirmary.