Chapter 313
Chapter 313
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 313
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
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“Kang Seol! It’s Kang Seol!”
“Weren’t all the obsidians wiped out with the death flower?”
Seolhong’s group had just concluded that he was missing in action, presumed dead.
Until just moments ago, that is.
Jang Du panicked at the sight of Kang Seol’s changed appearance. The dark hue was par for the course, but where on earth had that long hair and armor come from?
“What the hell is...”
Taeyul muttered in a daze with unfocused eyes.
“He was alive... He was alive...”
At that moment, his jade stone summon Masong shouted at him.
“Taeyul! We need to escort the Supreme General!”
Hearing that, Taeyul snapped to attention and yelled.
“Protect the Supreme General! Don’t let their demonic hands reach him!”
The Supreme General had fallen from his horse, landing in an extremely vulnerable position. Especially with Maegu having noticed his importance, retrieving him wouldn’t be easy.
“You think I’ll just let you?”
Shrieeeek—!
A gale of blade winds whipped up from Maegu’s elongated nails. The blade winds flew straight toward the fallen Eulryong’s chest.
Claaaaang—!
But Seolhong swung her sword to block the attack. Thanks to her, the group safely rescued the Supreme General.
Seolhong’s sword remained unscathed even after blocking Maegu’s strike.
It was a sword specially made for her by Hawon.
It had no special abilities, but it wasn’t tainted by ghostly energy and possessed tremendous durability.
Hawon had crafted a whopping twelve such swords and handed them over to Seolhong.
It was astonishing that he could produce swords of such quality in that short time.
“Seolhong... you?”
Taeyul eyed Seolhong gripping the sword with unfamiliarity. And what was that alien energy emanating from her?
“Seolhong!”
Even at Sin Yo’s call, Seolhong didn’t turn to look.
Taking her eyes off Maegu would be suicidal.
She had temporarily inherited Yuhwa’s power, but she couldn’t fully make it her own.
She probably never would, even in a lifetime.
The image of the silver fox Maegu reflected in Seolhong’s pupils.
As a bewitching aura flowed from Maegu, Seolhong raised her sword to her chest and gathered her energy.
Whooooom...
The golden energy bestowed by Hye Myeong continued to swell. Maegu, instinctively repelled by it, twisted her lips and said.
“You possess that bizarre energy too. Is that why you’re so bold in front of me?”
Seolhong concealed her cold sweat and maintained a stoic expression.
Taeyul hurriedly drew his sword to step forward.
“Seolhong! I’ll help—”
“Don’t come any closer!”
Seolhong flatly rejected his offer.
Taeyul froze mid-draw, his eyes seeking answers.
“Why...”
“Please don’t interfere in this fight. It’s too dangerous...”
“What are you talking about? The Khan’s enemy is—”
“This isn’t a ghost you can overwhelm with numbers. We’d only put ourselves in danger.”
She phrased it politely, but it meant that no matter how many weaklings pitched in, they couldn’t even scratch Maegu.
They might even become a liability.
Humans were creatures bound by intangible values like loyalty, after all.
Heh...
Maegu chuckled.
“At least you know your place.”
Meanwhile, Taeyul understood but trembled with rage.
“You want me to... just stand by and watch...”
“...Please believe in me.”
“...Seolhong!”
Kwaaaaaang—!
Another massive clash echoed.
This sound came from the Yaksha and Kang Seol’s direction, as expected.
They had already entered full-scale combat.
Seolhong and Chiwu exchanged glances.
Nod...
It was time to show the results of their training.
Shoooo...
A thick white mist descended.
[Maegu uses Gloomy Dawn.]
[Up to 30% of mana used in sorcery within the mist is refunded.]
[This applies to enemies too, but at half efficiency.]
Crackle...
[Yakgwang-gwi uses Rapid Freeze.]
[During duration, stacks ‘Loosened Frost’ on damaged foes.]
[Stacks up to 100; every certain stacks, the foe suffers negative effects.]
Yakgwang-gwi froze the surroundings and prepared for battle.
Sssslip...
Maegu melted into the mist and spoke.
“Shall we see what you’ve got?”
Her form vanished.
All that remained was the sense of something massive shifting in the smoke.
* * *
Claaaaang—!
“Urgh...”
“......”
A stifled groan from Kang Seol.
Taking Yaksha’s sword head-on made his hands tremble uncontrollably.
He had shaken off the ghostly energy and morale drain.
This was pure strength.
Swish...
Yaksha lowered his stance, as if preparing to draw.
[Yaksha uses Coral Swordsmanship: Amber Slash.]
[If hit by Amber Slash, chains into Amber Drop.]
A hemispherical sword strike surged up.
Fwoosh...
No escaping it.
He had to take it squarely.
Claaaaang—!
“Ugh...”
His arms trembled violently.
Right now, Kang Seol and Karen had precisely split control of Night Raven.
This was their optimal division.
Creak...
Before Yaksha could follow up, Karen kicked him in the gut.
Yaksha flinched and blocked the Night Raven kick with his elbow. The kick lacked expected power.
Which naturally meant a follow-up was coming.
Fwoooosh—!
Flames erupted massively, dwelling in Karen’s sword.
Yaksha’s stance shifted.
Flash—!
[Yaksha uses Convection Mountain Swordsmanship: Water Strider.]
[The thrust pushes the target multiple times. Hitting a wall adds damage equal to push distance.]
Taaaaang—!
“Urgh...”
Thud... Thud... Thuuud...
Night Raven slid backward.
This was it.
The second reason Yaksha was a nightmare opponent.
The first was his sword absorbing foes’ energies; the second was using those stolen sword arts freely.
Unpredictable.
Unfathomable.
The energies in his sword were utterly contradictory.
Sometimes light as a feather, sometimes heavy as an iron flail.
Thus, Yaksha couldn’t be treated as a single swordsman.
‘Dozens... hundreds of swordsmen...’
Of course, not every swordsman he devoured was top-tier, so he’d mainly use the finest few arts. And indeed he did.
Yet he was still strong.
In contrast, Night Raven wielded only one style: Montral swordsmanship.
He’d learned some Eastern styles with Karuna back then, but only to a degree. It wasn’t reliable as a mainstay in a life-or-death fight.
Karen’s sword was straightforward; Yaksha’s was ever-changing.
Did that mean Yaksha had the edge?
“Haat!”
Slaaaaash—!
Karen’s overhead slash shot straight, reaching the distant Yaksha.
Kriiiiish—!
Yaksha’s leg buckled momentarily.
Karen wasn’t yielding to Yaksha.
Kang Seol used the brief separation to gauge Yaksha’s level visually.
[Usurper Yaksha]
Rank: Transcendent
Estimated Level: Unknown
Yaksha’s origins are unknown.
However, Yaksha has existed for ages, and countless beings who wielded it lost their lives to foolish greed.
Yaksha kills foes and steals their power. This vile monster treats lives as tools.
Flee upon encountering Yaksha. Death won’t save you from this monster.
Base Abilities: [Unknown]
Special Abilities: [Unknown]
Yaksha’s true nature was revealed.
Or so Kang Seol wasn’t entirely sure if this even counted as revelation.
‘Transcendent...’
Transcendent rank.
Few ascended to Immortal, but the rank above—Transcendent—was reserved for monsters who could shake Pandea itself.
Yaksha, devourer of countless souls. His sword arts weren’t overwhelmingly superior to Karen’s, but absorbing powers and devouring the boundary stone had decided his rank.
As Kang Seol suppressed his anxiety upon confirming this, Karen suddenly laughed.
“Kahahahaha!”
“...Why are you laughing, Karen?”
The helmet rattled.
“Because my heart’s racing! He’s strong, that guy. It’s a blessing for any swordsman.”
“Blessing?”
“An amazing swordsman is right in front of me. Perfect timing. A blessing for both of us! Raine always said!”
“Said what?”
“Uh... something like that!”
Kang Seol understood why Karen called this encounter a blessing.
But he shook his head inwardly.
Sword vs. sword, it might be a blessing...
From his perspective, it was a curse.
A curse of eternal torment if not severed.
Everyone here saw Yaksha as a monster.
They viewed the mask and swordsman as one.
Only Kang Seol and Bitan cared for the swordsman ensnared by Yaksha. And only Kang Seol knew his past.
“Incoming!”
Flash—!
Yaksha closed in instantly.
Kang Seol swiftly dispelled stray thoughts.
‘The strongest foe I’ve faced yet!’
No room for distraction.
Screech—!
Screeech—!
Yaksha’s eerie spin.
That move didn’t suit the sword he held. Likely originally for a shorter blade than this longsword.
[Yaksha uses Turing Swordsmanship: 13 Branches.]
[Uses 13 strikes.]
[Total damage fixed, but distribution adjustable.]
‘Damn it! Turing Swordsmanship!’
A vicious Eastern style.
Even the One-Armed Sword Saint had clashed with a Turing user in an underground arena and gotten injured.
That injury came from this exact 13 Branches.
The moment Kang Seol recognized it, he yanked control from Karen.
She yielded without resistance.
‘The inflection points will be at 3, 7.’
Whoosh—!
Whish!
Two feints with big sounds but little power.
Next was the third branch.
Claaaaaaang—!
Kang Seol gasped.
‘The sword shortened on its own!’
Knowing the treachery in the third branch saved him; relying on distance alone would’ve spelled disaster.
Like Bitan, Yaksha’s sword could extend or shorten.
Key intel noted.
Shrieeek—!
Whish!
Slipping Yaksha’s brutal moves like an eel, Kang Seol timed his counter.
‘Seventh branch incoming.’
Adjustable damage distribution was a trap. Movements weren’t flexible; only distribution was.
Thus, Turing Swordsmanship had fixed inflection points for counters.
The One-Armed Sword Saint had been wounded for not knowing this.
‘But now I do!’
Flash—!
Kang Seol leaped airborne and lunged forward.
With his center of gravity forward, Yaksha had to block.
‘Good luck with that?’
The seventh swept low, sword turning whip-like then.
Slaaaash—!
Same this time.
Yaksha’s sword changed not just length but shape. A demon sword twin to Bitan.
However, the low sweep couldn’t reach with Kang Seol charging.
Scraaaape!
Night Raven’s blade scraped Yaksha’s pauldron, inching in. A bit more and it’d wound him.
But.
“Urk...”
Fwoooooosh—!
A hidden projectile from Yaksha’s other hand.
Had Kang Seol not retreated, it would’ve pierced his skull.
Claaaang—!
Yaksha parried Bitan meanwhile, retracted Turing style, and caught his breath.
“......”
Kang Seol did the same.
“Haa... haa...”
Not more intense than usual, but the weight left him breathless.
Karen reclaimed control.
‘How to take him down...’
As Kang Seol pondered while staring at Yaksha, an odd sound rang out.
Crunch...
Crunch...
Startled, Kang Seol looked at Bitan.
Bitan was chewing something.
A fragment.
【Bitan’s here!】
During a clash with Yaksha’s blade, it had bitten off a piece.
Yaksha checked his blade, his eye sockets narrowing angrily.
【Great Captain Bitan will save you!】
That’s when it happened.
“Bi... tan?”
A voice emanated from Yaksha.
‘He reacted?’
Yaksha’s eye sockets widened round.
Shock.
‘Not Yaksha speaking?’
The voice came from the swordsman’s will trapped within.
“Save... me... wait for... me...”
Now, words echoed in Yaksha’s mind.
- I’ll save you for sure! ...Wait!
- Wait... wait...
Whose voice was it?
“Wait... who... am I waiting for?”
Bzzzzzzzt—!
Lightning crackled from Yaksha’s sword.
[Yaksha uses Thundercloud Swordsmanship: Crimson Thundercloud.]
[Attacks add lightning damage; ignores armor for extra damage.]
Yaksha’s sword became lightning.
“Who for?”
He charged, swinging the thunderblade.
As always, he closed in instantly.
Claaaang—!
Bzzzzt...
“Urghhh...”
“...Who for?”
Yaksha muttered, unleashing a barrage.
Bzzzt!
Bzzzzzzzt!
“Eek...”
A jolt rocked Karen; she clenched her fist and smashed Yaksha’s mask.
Craaaaaack—!
Rooooooooll...
Yaksha tumbled away.
“......?”
Even Karen, who landed the punch, was stunned at how easily he rolled.
Why had Yaksha left himself open?
The reason soon emerged.
Zzzzzzt...
‘As expected... it activated!’
The most dangerous moment against Yaksha, as anticipated.
Zzzzzzt—!
The boundary stone he’d swallowed began its effect.
Space warped around them.
Kang Seol shouted.
“Jamad!”
A massive troll appeared behind him.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Shoooo...
Jamad emerged with darkness, palms facing as he invoked sorcery.
[Jamad uses Shadow Sorcery: Tail Bite.]
[All in range bound to limited space.]
[Space pursues teleport, escape, or flight attempts.]
Sssslip...
Jamad scowled after activating the boundary sorcery.
“Damn... that boundary stone he absorbed is way stronger than expected! I’ll bounce non-combatants out!”
Issues arose mid-battle. Kang Seol had anticipated some.
Likely, extraneous people cluttering space prevented Jamad from fully tracking the stone.
Decision made, action swift.
Kwaaaaaang—!
Everyone except Kang Seol’s group fighting the ghost was flung from the space.
Sin Yo and Taeyul’s group, plus the Supreme General and central army, were ejected.
Taeyul called to Seolhong as he flew out.
“Seolhong!”
“Leave it to me!”
Bzzzzzzzt!
A transparent barrier formed, slicing away the world as they vanished somewhere.
The remnants could still see them.
Faintly, like afterimages rather than reality.
* * *
- Zhongxiao City -
One of the cities hit hard by Yaksha, now under repairs.
“Wow... seamless.”
“Seamless my ass. Can’t you see the city in ruins?”
“Mister, they say that faceless bastard never shows up twice in the same spot. Look on the bright side.”
“Urgh...”
“And that’s why people are flocking to spots he ravaged—they feel safe. Otherwise, you couldn’t reopen shop.”
Exactly.
Yaksha never revisited the same place.
Like some rule.
“Finish eating and quit yapping, come help! With this!”
“Why the signboard again? Repairs aren’t done, and you wanna hang it first, you old coot? Needs to collapse once more to wise up?”
“You’ve never run a shop. This is prime time—with others’ signs wrecked, hang a shiny one and it sticks in passersby’s minds, right?”
“...Flashy. Spent a bit, huh... What a tiring life.”
“Less talk, more help.”
“Sigh...”
The transmigrator climbed the roof to assist.
But such favors weren’t always pleasant.
“Hang it after repairs... Not labor, bossing me around... Treating regulars too casually...”
“Hey! You owe me that much in tabs...”
Then.
Crackle...
“...Huh?”
Craaaaaackle!
“M-Mister!”
“Wha?!”
“Fuck!”
The man yanked the shopkeeper out just in time.
Collapse began.
Kriiiiiish—!
A massive rift tore through the building.
The rift displaced space.
Witnesses to the battle within screamed.
Unforgettable, impossible to forget.
“G-Gho-ghoooost... A ghost!”
“Ghost?”
The transmigrator who saved the shopkeeper gaped at the rift.
“Ugh... you okay?”
“...Mister.”
“Hey! What’s wrong!”
“It’s him...”
“What?”
“He’s... back...”
The monster always in a bizarre mask, summoning ghosts. Currently the Khan realm’s most notorious savage.
Yaksha.
And now, someone opposing him.
Claaaaaaang—!
Flames and lightning engulfed them; people scattered.
Wheeeeennn...
Amplifiers blared citywide alert.
“Kya aaaah!”
“R-Run!”
“Why here again!”
“Who are those people?”
Kang Seol’s group, beyond Jamad’s boundary, spotted them but stayed unshaken.
At first, they had been.
Until this scenario had unfolded over three times now.
Kriiiiish!
The new signboard tilted and fell.
Currently, this bizarre phenomenon rocked the entire Khan realm simultaneously.