Chapter 284: Yaksha (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 284: Yaksha (4)
[Two unique abilities are fusing!]
[Three unique abilities are fusing!]
Multiple Fusion.
Attempting different combinations based on four abilities.
A sharp, heavy pain pierced his entire body.
Having fought fiercely and fused multiple abilities simultaneously, his body was severely overloaded.
Because of this, he almost lost consciousness for a moment.
Damn it.
'Focus... I need to focus.'
Jinhyuk pulled himself together.
His brain felt like it was burning and his vision blurred, but a single mistake here could cost him his life.
He was fusing the Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art, which he had not yet fully mastered.
On top of that, the other abilities he was combining with it were also of the highest grade.
His 'Adaptive Stat' worked to alleviate the pain, struggling to overcome the gap and the harsh reality of the obstacle before him.
Right then.
[Successfully fused 'Tombgrave's Leg (Unmeasurable)'!]
The first notification of success rang out.
A leg created by combining the 'Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art' with 'Tombgrave's Right Arm' as the base.
Crack, crackle!
Three black blades sprouted from the back of Jinhyuk's calves.
The rapidly vibrating blades possessed the ability to not only accelerate his movements but also serve as weapons.
In addition to that...
[Successfully fused 'Sword Demon Thousand Spirit Steps (Unmeasurable)'!]
[The level of 'Sword Demon Emperor Stepss' is inherited directly.]
Another skill was created right after.
This time, it was the result of fusing the 'Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art' and the 'Domain of Wind' with 'Sword Demon Emperor Stepss' as the base.
Sword Demon Thousand Spirit Steps.
As a higher-tier footwork technique than the Sword Demon Emperor Stepss, it was a martial art that normally required a body trained to its absolute limits to even execute.
Needless to say, it required countless hours of practice.
Even with his past experience, this was on a completely different level from his previous skills, which he could use immediately upon fusion.
But...
With these legs...
'It's possible.'
He could withstand it.
No, perhaps he could do even more.
'Whew.'
Jinhyuk's eyes grew cold and calm.
'With my newly acquired legs...'
'I will unleash my newly acquired ability.'
And so,
at this very moment.
[Lv. 12 'Sword Demon Thousand Spirit Steps' is activated!]
He surpassed the realm of perception.
Godspeed.
Step...
Jinhyuk's body vanished.
* * *
Boom!
The Yaksha's head snapped to the left.
"...!?"
Crunch!
As he turned his head, a heavy impact slammed into his left flank.
His balance crumbled, centering around his waist.
"Ugh!"
The physical damage wasn't that great.
However, the mental shock was incomparable to anything he had felt so far.
'I... lost track of his presence?'
That was impossible.
Even with his sensory perception raised to its absolute maximum, failing to track even an afterimage was utterly unthinkable.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
His six arms clawed wildly at the empty air.
Yet, they struck nothing.
Tap... tap. Swish.
When he looked behind, the boy was in front.
Crash!
Boom!
When he looked in front, the boy was behind.
Even then, he could only estimate the general location through the lingering traces of energy; pinpointing his exact position was impossible.
It felt like wandering through a dense fog.
Grit!
This couldn't be happening.
An opponent he couldn't catch while using Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits...
"There's no way such a thing exists!"
[The Yaksha uses Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits: 'Dancing Lantern Wild Cannon'!]
A blue light flashed from his six arms, and soon, it began to incinerate everything in sight.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The terrain itself was reshaped.
Scorching heat rose from the glowing red, sheared surfaces of the earth.
It was a bombardment akin to indiscriminate rapid fire.
'With this, I can at least pinpoint his location.'
The Yaksha widened his eyes.
Right then.
Something finally caught his eye.
Found you.
Ten meters directly ahead.
At this distance...
His six arms converged toward a single point.
Six beams of light spiraled in a straight trajectory to pulverize Jinhyuk.
However,
through the wildly raging storm...
...a path opened.
Evading the beams of light as if flickering out of existence, Jinhyuk closed the distance to the Yaksha's face in an instant.
A black moon appeared on the 'Fang' held in his left hand.
A dark crescent moon that looked ready to swallow everything whole.
"The true power of Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits isn't long-range. Just because you're frustrated, don't forget the essence of your ability."
"What does a mere insect like you know about my ability to spout such nonsense?! What do you know?!"
"Well,"
"if you want to argue, why don't you try reaching the top of the Tower at least once?"
"What?"
His confusion didn't last long.
[Black Moon Night falls.]
Slash!
A red line was drawn across the Yaksha's skin.
And upon it,
Tap.
Jinhyuk's left hand made contact.
"Just fall already."
Heavenly Slaughter Penetrating Force.
The interior, already twisted once by the Blood-Earth Penetrating Force,
Rumble...
was shaken once more.
Boom!
The Yaksha's back bent backward like a shrimp.
A massive shockwave erupted from behind his back.
Three sonic booms spiraled in circles, reaching all the way to the ceiling.
"Cough! Keuh... ugh..."
A torrent of crimson blood erupted from the Yaksha's mouth.
But it didn't end there.
The black blades on Jinhyuk's legs mercilessly hacked away at the Yaksha's entire body.
Slash! Slash!
Clang! Clang!
Red lines were carved across him in rapid succession.
Though the Yaksha desperately guarded his vital spots with both hands, Jinhyuk continuously shifted his position, unleashing a barrage of kicks.
"Haa... haa..."
The Yaksha stumbled backward to create distance.
His wounds healed rapidly.
However, perhaps because he had pushed himself too hard this time, his body swayed noticeably.
"For me to bleed... pushed back by a mere bastard like that! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all!"
His energy was weakening.
His ferocious, overbearing aura was also dying down.
And that
"Aaaargh!"
was only the beginning.
The Yaksha suddenly grabbed his head.
* * *
"We finally succeeded."
"We were lucky. Well, it's thanks to that man weakening the Yaksha beforehand."
Dokgoryong and Chae Hong-ah spoke.
In their hands was a flame that had turned purple before anyone noticed.
It was none other than a Dokkaebi fire.
The change in color meant the brainwashing was successful.
"Did you... kill all the High-Grade Dokkaebi?"
Jinhyuk turned his head.
Blood dripped from the tip of Chae Hong-ah's spear.
To think they had killed all of them without making a sound.
As expected of the one hailed as the Demonic Cult's First Spear.
"It was laughable that they thought they could do anything to the two of us with just six of them. Still, to think you would actually be of help. A single battle with you drained far more of his energy than starving him for several years would have. I'll at least offer my thanks before I kill you."
"Do people express gratitude by killing others these days? Even if the world has gone to ruin, that's a bit much..."
"Fufu. It is all for the sake of our grand cause. Die with a joyful heart."
Dokgoryong infused even more of his internal energy into the Dokkaebi fire.
Whoosh!
The flame burned with an even deeper hue.
"Graaaah!"
The whites of the Yaksha's eyes rolled back.
His consciousness was beginning to fade completely.
They had waited for this exact moment.
The moment when all the pieces perfectly fell into place, and they would obtain their ultimate trump card.
"Now, let's put him to the test."
Dokgoryong flicked his finger.
"Attack."
"Kyahaha!"
Boom!
The Yaksha lunged forward.
Since he was brainwashed, his attack patterns had become much simpler.
A straight-line attack was fast, but not particularly threatening.
However, unlike before...
Whoosh!
"...Hup!"
Jinhyuk, who had tried to dodge the Yaksha's arm with minimal movement, abruptly changed direction.
A crimson wave pierced through the air.
It was Chae Hong-ah.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Her left hand, gripping the front of the spear, dictated its trajectory.
Her right hand, gripping the rear, rotated to maximize acceleration.
'It's like a bullet.'
No, a bullet is just a piece of metal once the magazine runs dry.
But this was like a gun with an infinite magazine.
Furthermore, the blood poison emitted by Dokgoryong stung his nose.
"Make sure he cannot escape under any circumstances."
Dokgoryong ordered the Thunder Spirit Squad Leader beside him.
The number of Thunder Spirit Squad members who had joined them after dealing with the magical beasts was twenty-seven in total.
Every single one of them was an elite of at least the peak realm.
"Do not worry. I will ensure not even an ant escapes."
Facing the Yaksha, two of the Ten Great Masters, and the entire Thunder Spirit Squad all at once...
was impossible.
There was no chance of winning.
He would only be thoroughly surrounded, have his stamina chipped away, and eventually die.
However,
even in this desperate situation where not a shred of hope could be seen,
there was still no trace of agitation or fear on Jinhyuk's face.
And for good reason.
"You guys might have been waiting for me to drain the Yaksha's stamina, but I wanted to buy as much time as possible too."
"What?"
"Our employees might lack in other areas, but their company loyalty is absolutely top-tier."
It was about time.
Having dragged things out for this long, it was more than enough time for them to break through, no matter how well the passage had been blocked.
As if to prove his words,
"Mooogiii!"
A beam of light pierced through the barrier made of spells.
A breath... no.
It was a composite skill mixing a Breath, the Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art, and even Blood Lord.
Rumble.
Familiar voices echoed from within the thick cloud of dust.
"I cast aside my work and came because the Cult was in such an uproar, only to find this. So, you dared to plot behind my back to kill my disciple and awaken the Yaksha?"
The Dark Emperor let out an annoyed sigh.
"T-The Right Dharma Protector!?"
"Of all people..."
Dokgoryong and Chae Hong-ah's faces stiffened.
They had run straight into the person they wanted to avoid the most.
They had sealed this place off precisely to avoid this situation.
They never imagined that the barrier constructed with powerful spells would be breached so quickly.
And beside the Dark Emperor...
"How dare... mere humans try to harm what is mine?"
"To dare attempt to kill my Lord. I will slaughter both of you."
Alice and Wolyeong came into view.
The two of them, in particular, were radiating a terrifying, murderous intent born of sheer rage.
"What do you think you're doing to our precious Master—not our exploitative Master!"
"What a shame, if only we could have finished him off more thoroughly... Ahem! Let's save Master, everyone!"
"Everyone, quiet down. My head hurts."
The spirit beasts gathered in one place, raising their voices.
Perfect.
With this, the tables were completely turned.
If there was just one thing bothering him, it was the energy emanating from the Yaksha's body...
As the Dokkaebi fire completely consumed his consciousness, a completely different kind of magical power began to fluctuate.
'That energy... I've felt it somewhere before.'
Where was it?
'It's definitely a familiar kind...'
It felt like a puzzle piece that was almost fitting, but not quite.
After pondering for a moment, Jinhyuk shook his head.
First, he had to deal with the matter at hand.
"Alice."
"Yeah?"
"Take Goguma and the spirit beasts and handle the rest. The Thunder Spirit Squad Leader aside, don't let your guard down against those two."
"I was planning on tearing them to shreds anyway. I went through quite a bit of trouble getting here."
Step.
As Alice walked forward, her attire began to completely transform.
Her Murim-style clothing vanished, replaced by a short skirt and black arm warmers that reached her wrists.
Her long silver hair was also tied back with a ribbon inscribed with red runes.
It was an outfit optimized for close-quarters combat.
Though she wasn't wielding her fully powered unique holy spear, she still exuded an equivalent amount of magical power.
[Alice summons 'Blood Spear'.]
A crimson spear made of blood, similar to Chae Hong-ah's, materialized.
"I'll sweep them all away by myself, so you guys just take care of any flies trying to escape."
Alice tossed her long ponytail over her shoulder.
"Understood."
Wolyeong melted into the shadows.
Goguma and the spirit beasts also took their positions.
"Do not be afraid, kill them all! If they make it outside, the Left Dharma Protector will kill us first!"
Along with Dokgoryong's desperate, near-screaming shout,
Boom!
Crash!
the battle erupted simultaneously on all fronts.