Chapter 282: Yaksha (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 282: Yaksha (2)
"No! Stop. I said stop!"
Dokgoryong, who arrived a step too late, roared.
For an old man, he sure has a booming voice, completely at odds with his appearance.
But it was already too late.
[The seal has been broken!]
[Yacha is awakening!]
Along with the brief status windows,
Crack, crash!
The chains binding Yacha's arms shattered.
"Huuu..."
Bound to the pillar, Yacha slowly took his first breath.
An immense pressure, heavy as a mountain, weighed down on the room.
He was indeed a fitting hidden card prepared by Left Dharma Protector Samaja to capture the Heavenly Demon.
This guy... feels like he's on a similar level to Master.
Jinhyuk swallowed hard.
It was a stroke of luck that they hadn't managed to inject the refined 'Dokkaebi fire' into him.
If they had been able to control this monster at will, things would have become incredibly troublesome.
Of course, whether Yacha was brainwashed by the Dokkaebi fire or not, the fact remained that his power was off the charts.
"T-this can't be..."
"The seal... is broken."
Chae Hong-ah, who had joined Dokgoryong at some point, let out a despair-filled groan.
The grand ambition they had meticulously prepared, walking on thin ice, was now on the verge of going down the drain...
And with the nightmare of the past about to repeat itself, it was only natural for them to feel utterly devastated.
"What foolishness have you committed?! Do you have any idea how much blood, sweat, and tears we shed to lock that bastard up... Damn it! Don't you know that if Yacha runs wild, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains will be reduced to ruins once again?!"
The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains reduced to ruins, huh?
Sure, that could happen.
"So what?"
"W-what?"
"Whether this place turns into a shitshow or the mountains explode, that's your problem. Why should I care about any of that? Besides, if you were so worried, you shouldn't have plotted to kill me in the first place."
How shameless do you have to be to say something like that?
They were asking the very guy they tried to kill to protect their own backyard.
"B-but the Right Dharma Protector is also a member of our Cult..."
"Wow. Now you're trying to use someone else's master as a shield? Let me tell you something. Knowing my master's personality, he'd probably scold me for talking to the people who tried to kill him instead of just slaughtering them on the spot."
"..."
Faced with such undeniable logic, Dokgoryong was struck dumb.
"Don't let his words get to you. Our priority is to stop that monster before he gets out."
Chae Hong-ah pointed her spear forward.
"Right... I know."
Dokgoryong averted his gaze from Jinhyuk.
Then, he gripped the blue flame hidden inside his robes.
Whoosh!
The flame burned with a breathtaking, brilliant light.
It was none other than the 'Dokkaebi fire'.
Even if it wasn't perfectly refined, it wouldn't be completely useless.
He had to make his move with this, no matter what.
* * *
Right then.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the pillar binding Yacha shattered completely.
"Kyaaaah!"
A thunderous, resonant roar.
Having regained his freedom, Yacha let out a cry of pure, unadulterated joy from deep within.
Chains still bound his arms, but they were hardly a burden to him.
Clatter!
As the chains swept across the ground, a thick cloud of dust kicked up.
It was a monstrous stretch, packing enough wind pressure to cause internal injuries.
Yacha's gaze shifted to Dokgoryong and Chae Hong-ah.
"Oh! Prey right after waking up! You two are the lackeys of that insect, aren't you? What was his name again? Saha... Sama. Right. Samaja. That bastard."
They were opponents he had fought before.
And at the same time, the enemies who had handed him a bitter defeat.
"Are you still licking the asshole of that obnoxious Left Dharma Protector or whatever he is?"
"Watch your mouth. A mere beast like you has no right to speak of him."
"Yeah, yeah. I love how consistent you guys are... Hm?"
Yacha's mocking gaze shifted to another person.
It was a face he had never seen before.
I should have seen all the experts of the Heavenly Demon Cult during the Night of Wildflowers...
What is he, a newcomer?
Yacha's eyes narrowed.
Something... is different.
It wasn't a matter of simple strength or weakness.
To put it into words:
A sense of incongruity.
A profound sense of incongruity was unpleasantly grating on his instincts.
"You... are an interesting one."
The corners of Yacha's mouth curled upward.
It had been a long time since he felt this excited.
The first time since his battle with the Left Dharma Protector... no, the Heavenly Demon.
"Please, don't let my expectations down."
Rattle!
The chains shot high into the air, then plunged straight down, aiming to crush Jinhyuk's skull.
Boom!
The ground tore apart like a wet rag.
The impact of a single, simple attack felt like a giant monster running amok.
If anyone took a direct hit from that, they would be pulverized beyond recognition.
However,
"Oh?"
The crucial sensation of impact was missing.
The satisfying feeling of a skull splitting open.
Screeech!
Jinhyuk, having activated the 'Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art', was gripping the chain with his bare hands.
His expression was completely nonchalant.
"Good. I won't be disappointed."
No more words were needed.
He was strong.
"Hey, who is this guy? A new recruit of the Heavenly Demon Cult?"
"A recruit?! Don't make me laugh! That bastard is trying to get in our—"
"No, he is indeed a master we recently recruited."
Chae Hong-ah cut Dokgoryong off.
"Captain Chae Hong-ah, what do you mean by...?"
Dokgoryong asked, but Chae Hong-ah simply nodded, signaling him to leave it to her.
"He's a junior who can easily suppress someone of your caliber, so he should be more than enough for you to handle. That is, of course, if you still possess the same strength you had in the past."
"If I still possess the same strength? Ha! You think a cheap provocation like that will work on me? What do you take me for?"
Yacha immediately clicked his tongue.
Right. No matter how simple-minded he is, there's no way he'd fall for such a—
"It's obvious at a glance that I'm stronger, so don't try to shake me with those words. No matter what psychological warfare you try, it won't work on me."
...He really is an idiot.
I forgot.
He was so simple-minded and lacking in intellect that he had been tricked and captured by Samaja's schemes in the past.
It seemed his brain had only hardened over time, rather than softening up.
Jinhyuk let out a soft sigh.
"Hey, wait a minute. Why is the conversation going this way? It's obvious they're just trying to buy time. While you're busy dealing with me, they'll bring in reinforcements or prepare something else."
"Hmm. That is certainly possible."
"Right? So..."
"But I want to play with you right now. Besides, no matter how many annoying flies gather, I just have to crush them all."
"..."
He was completely unreasonable.
No, perhaps communication had been impossible from the very beginning.
Trying to have a conversation with a guy whose instincts moved faster than his brain was a mistake in itself.
Curses welled up in Jinhyuk's throat, but the time for talking was already over.
Rattle!
Thoroughly excited, Yacha swung his chains once more.
"Let's have some real fun! Until this body of mine, which has endured for so long, is fully satisfied!"
"I finally managed to shake off Cheon Yu-seong, only for a macho version of him to pop up. What kind of bad karma did I accumulate to deserve this..."
"Kahahahaha!"
What followed was a furious storm of chains.
Normally, one should be able to trace the trajectory of the chains sequentially, from the wrist where they started to the iron weights at the ends...
But the movement of Yacha's chains was completely invisible.
It was an unimaginably fast speed, as if completely defying mass.
Crash!
Jinhyuk instinctively swung his fist.
Tingle!
Even though he had channeled his mana to the absolute maximum, the shock vibrated deep into his bones.
Next was from the side.
Whoosh!
He couldn't dodge this one.
"Hup!"
Boom!
Jinhyuk twisted his shoulder to block the second chain flying in from the side.
Or rather, he thought he had blocked it.
For a split second, his body lifted dozens of centimeters off the ground, before being sent flying toward the opposite wall.
Crumble...
Debris fell from the half-destroyed wall.
If I take another hit like that, something's going to break.
Jinhyuk grumbled as he brushed the dust off his clothes.
If he hadn't absorbed the impact using the Sword Demon Emperor Footwork at the very last second, his back would have been bent like a shrimp's.
If there was any silver lining, it was that the dust obscuring his vision bought him a moment to catch his breath.
But right then,
his senses picked up something.
Not from Yacha, but from behind.
Could this be...?
A distorted mana emanating from inside Dokgoryong's sleeve.
It was the 'Dokkaebi fire'.
It had been too faint to notice at first.
But as the mana grew clearer over time, his suspicion turned into certainty.
So that was their game.
He thought they were waiting for reinforcements, but they never had such an option in mind from the start.
They plan to acquire Yacha by any means necessary, completely disregarding the risks.
If they could somehow brainwash Yacha with the imperfectly refined Dokkaebi fire, it would be an absolute steal.
Even if they failed, they had nothing to lose.
So you guys want to sit back and reap the rewards while I sweat blood?
He couldn't let that happen.
Since things had turned out this way, he would drag them all into a chaotic free-for-all.
Tap!
Jinhyuk leaped forward once more.
Yacha, who had been glaring and waiting for Jinhyuk to move, reacted instantly.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
The chains surged forward, chasing the residual trace of mana.
However,
"Gasp?!"
"You damn brat!"
The place Jinhyuk had headed was right between Dokgoryong and Chae Hong-ah.
"It's a bit tough on my own, so let's fight together. Don't just stand back and watch."
Jinhyuk flashed a sly grin.
A mere second later,
Crash! Boom! Bam!
the chains completely swept through the spot where the three of them stood.
* * *
Coughing sounds echoed through the air.
Dokgoryong and Chae Hong-ah had been exposed to the sudden attack, forcing them to take the brunt of the unexpected disaster.
"Y-you bastard..."
"You truly don't possess a single shred of honor or pride. To think you would pull a stunt like this."
Although Chae Hong-ah had deflected the attack with her spear, she couldn't completely absorb the impact.
As a result, the energy of the 'Dokkaebi fire' that Dokgoryong had been painstakingly preparing was disrupted.
Yacha was equally furious.
"What annoying bastard. Hey, stop being a party pooper and fight me properly! Why are you hiding your strength and acting so half-hearted? Huh? Do you think I'm a joke?"
Yacha bared his sharp teeth.
At that,
"I don't think you're a joke. I just had a few things to test out."
Jinhyuk emerged from the debris.
"Things to test out? Against me?"
"Yeah. Since I'm in Murim, I should practice my martial arts."
He could have fought using his unique abilities and skills, but... well.
If he was going to do that, there would have been no point in coming all the way to the Heavenly Demon Cult.
His master's exclusive martial art, the 'Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art'.
To achieve grand mastery in it, and to step into the final realm that even his master had failed to reach, he had come here.
In other words, beyond simply defeating enemies and overcoming obstacles, there were things he absolutely had to do if he wanted to see the summit of the Tower.
"Using only martial arts on purpose... Ridiculous. Are you seriously planning to face me with such half-baked power?"
"To be honest, I don't think it'll be easy. But then again, I've never been one to like easy things."
Jinhyuk shrugged.
That served as the signal.
"Hahaha. Goddammit. You're really testing a dokkaebi's patience here. Fine, then I'll make sure you play properly."
The playfulness vanished completely from Yacha's face.
...He was getting serious.
[Yacha activates Lv.?? 'Evil Spirits and Demons'!]
His vision shifted.
A thick, deep purple cloud billowed up, and a sinister energy began to consume the interior.
"Kikikiki!"
"Kahaha!"
It was then that sharp, cackling laughter echoed.
Pairs of bright yellow eyes flickered through the clouds of mist.
Evil Spirits and Demons.
"Welcome to the land of the dokkaebi."
From the lowest-tier dokkaebi to the massive high-grade dokkaebi, a vast horde resembling an army bowed their heads toward Yacha.
"You damn humans."
This was the King of Dokkaebis.
The magical beast that embodied Eastern mystery.
Yacha.
At the same time,
"For a king, that's a rather pathetic army."
[Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art, 'First Form'...]
The black technique began to take shape at Jinhyuk's call.