Chapter 385
Chapter 385
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 385
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Whiiiiiing—!
The snow was intensifying.
Fwoosh…
The swords drawn by Yurim and Shinyu emitted an eerie energy.
Fwaaaah—!
Kicking off the piled snow, Shinyu charged forward.
Kaaaaang—!
His sword clashed with Yurim's, sparks flying.
The fight had begun.
Now, Yuhyun's three disciples would dance across the snowy field.
Survivors of different hells.
They intertwined like a crossroads.
Kikikik—!
Drawing on the Yaksha's power, Yurim matched Shinyu in physical prowess alone.
That was the nature of a Yaksha.
Zzaaaak—!
[Uses Black Flower.]
[Shadow Hands unleash a flurry. Each strike deals damage equal to a Shadow Hand, and hits on the same target apply 20% additional damage per consecutive strike.]
Whiriririk—!
Thick Shadow Hands emerged behind Yurim, unfurling like wings.
Chwaaaak—!
Chwaaaaak—!
Shinyu sliced through every Shadow Hand with a blank expression.
Though they were elemental attacks prone to mishandling, his sword cut through the danger effortlessly, as if it were omnipotent.
Paat—!
Whick!
Kaaaang!
Yurim pressed close to him.
She judged that distance would only heighten the risk. It was the closest thing to the right answer in that moment.
Of course, it wasn't the true answer.
Paaaaang—!
“Ugh…”
Shinyu's solid kick struck Yurim's sword dead-on.
Ziiing…
The impact shook the hand gripping her blade.
A swordsman unable to hold their sword properly might as well be stepping onto the battlefield without armor.
Tswiiiik—!
A flying sword.
Flinch!
But Shinyu had no choice but to recall his midway.
Something pitch-black had targeted his position.
Pat—!
Shinyu leaped back.
What aimed for him was a Dark Tendril.
Kwaaaaaang—!
A crater formed where his fist slammed down right after.
It looked like a perfect dodge, but Yurim had bought Kang Seol the time to prepare that much power.
Fwoooong…
There was one more.
Kwajiiik—!
“Hmm…”
Shinyu held his sword horizontally, blocking the Dark Tendril's fist.
Swept up by the punch, the third Dark Tendril awaited him.
Kang Seol's ability had advanced; he could now sustain three wolf-sized Dark Tendrils.
Positioned in advance, they unleashed a barrage at the incoming Shinyu.
Glance…
Shinyu missed the second, but pinpointed the third's location.
Thus, he resolved not to yield ground.
[Shinyu uses Ground Slip.]
[Half the incoming impact is absorbed into the terrain.]
[The ground may collapse.]
[Extremely long cooldown.]
Kwaaaaaang—!
With half the damage nullified, Shinyu didn't budge. Instead, the mountainside crumbled from the shockwave.
Having endured the onslaught, it was now Shinyu's turn.
Zzaaaak—!
The Dark Tendril formed its arms into a shield.
Clank…
Shinyu had a sword perfectly suited for such foes.
[Shinyu uses Iaijutsu: River Cleaver.]
[Swiftly draws the sheathed blade to inflict massive damage on a single target.]
[Unavoidable attack.]
[Deals 50% fixed damage to large targets.]
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
In one slash, Shinyu beheaded the wolf-sized Dark Tendril.
But Kang Seol had anticipated this.
His inspiration flowed ceaselessly like a fountain.
A power recalled from the fragments of the beast faced in the first gateway of the Ebony Labyrinth.
The dispersing Dark Tendril remnants spawned countless more.
“…What?”
The power was feeble, but in such numbers, it would blind them momentarily.
Paaaah—!
Flinch!
The Yaksha's mask appeared.
Through the gaps of the tiny Dark Tendrils, Yurim's attack slipped in.
“Hmm!”
Clank…
[Shinyu uses Zephyr.]
[Sword winds sweep across a wide area.]
……
Kwaaaaaaaa—!
An omnidirectional assault centered on Shinyu. As if resolved to stand alone, he devastated his surroundings.
In the end, Yurim was forced to retreat. Shinyu took a longer breath here.
Whick…
[Shinyu uses Fox Rain.]
[Consecutive defenses convert 20% of mitigated damage into true damage.]
Paaaang—!
Piiiit—!
Dodging the thrust, Yurim instinctively mirrored Shinyu's move.
[Yurim uses Fox Rain.]
[Consecutive defenses convert 20% of mitigated damage into true damage.]
Paaaang—!
Piiiit—!
“Ha!”
After a fruitless clash, they finally pulled back to catch their breath.
Shinyu's expression remained unchanged.
It was so icy cold that he seemed the one wearing the mask.
“…Are you going to spend your life just mimicking others' swords? Yurim.”
Whiririk…
Chwaaa…
Yurim shook the moisture from her blade without reply. Kang Seol stepped before her and countered instead.
“Isn't that the same for you?”
“…Now that you mention it, yeah.”
Shin Rip, Shinyu, and even Shin Kang.
He had mastered the Shin family's swords, but none were truly his.
Whiriririk—!
Kang Seol raised the fallen Dark Tendril.
“Pointless.”
Shinyu pointed out Kang Seol's persistent fighting.
“…Why are you so confident?”
“Because I've finally grasped it.”
“…What?”
Shinyu raised his sword, reflecting his own eyes in it as he spoke.
“My brother's sword.”
A resolute tone.
“The ancient past hidden within.”
And an awkward smile.
“It's not even a full stanza complete yet, but…”
A chilling sensation…
Seeing Shinyu's casual grin, Kang Seol felt immense unease.
“I told you once. Our brothers' swords were fragments of our ancestor's lost blade, pieced together.”
“…You did.”
“I figured it out.”
“…What?”
“Thunder and rain, and wind. Our ancestor's inspiration.”
Soooo…
His breath breathed life into the sword.
Pajik…
Pajijijik…
“Family records say the ancestor was a ronin. Others claim a fugitive mountaineer fleeing exploitation.”
“…What does that matter?”
“The ancestor left records of his enlightenment. Most are illegible, but… something was chasing him.”
Pajijijik…
Lightning flashed in his eyes.
“That day on the cliff, I realized it. The power our ancestor feared. And that power…”
Fwoooooooong…
The sword vibrated wildly.
“There is a path of brothers. First brother Shin Rip, second Shin Hyun, third Shin Kang…”
Shinyu raised his sword high, steeling himself.
“And me, Shinyu. All here.”
Pajijijijijijik—!
“Yurim! Dodgeee!”
“This is my sword.”
Kwaruuung—!
[Shinyu uses Ultimate: Storm (暴風雨).]
[Incomplete swordsmanship.]
[Imposes enormous strain on the body.]
[It rages.]
Zzaaaak—!
The moment Kang Seol witnessed the swirling thunder, wind, and rain, he threw himself aside. Simultaneously, all Dark Tendrils gathered before Yurim.
Puuuung—!
Dark Tendrils exploding, unable to withstand the slash. Kang Seol detonated them deliberately.
Hoping the blast would offset some of the slash's force.
Puuuung—!
Puuuuung—!
Kang Seol flew off with Yurim.
“Keok…”
“Heok…”
Puhwaaaaaak—!
Kwajijik…
Fortunately, Yurim crashed into a distant tree but showed no major injuries.
The problem was Kang Seol.
“Cough…”
Half his body was gone.
One arm torn clean off, he barely held in what threatened to spill from below his ribs.
“Hah… hah…”
The Primordial Blood couldn't ignore such wounds and kept regenerating his body.
In about ten seconds, it'd be as if nothing happened. The pain would linger, though.
“…That body of yours is monstrous.”
“Hah… Says the one to talk…”
“Have you realized resistance is futile?”
Overwhelming power.
The god of the dream world seemed to favor Shinyu.
“Kuk… kukuku…”
Kang Seol suddenly grinned.
And replied.
“I decide that.”
“Your resistance won't reach me—”
Whooooooo…
What Kang Seol had researched over the years.
One possibility.
Recalling memories as research fodder—events in the Ebony Labyrinth.
Why he couldn't shed the shell.
Why the shadows consumed him instead.
In his twenty-seventh year, he uncovered the reason.
‘Fear.’
He feared the shadows.
Feared drawing near this unknown power.
But if the shadows were born of Kang Seol himself.
The outcome would differ.
Whooooooo—!
A newly risen Dark Tendril.
Zzaaaak—!
It soon dispersed into darkness, enveloping Kang Seol's body.
Heavy darkness eroded him.
No—he eroded the darkness.
Yurim panicked at Kang Seol's form she'd never seen.
Shinyu was stunned too.
“Seol-ah…”
“That form…”
Whiririk…
Patsuzuzuzut…
[Takes the form of Night Crow.]
……
Patsutsuzuzut—!
A previous failure, a painful memory.
But time allowed him to accept that power.
[Encases body in complete darkness.]
[Approaches the true origin of shadows.]
[Physical abilities surge dramatically.]
[Absorbs all Dark Tendril powers.]
……
Notifications rose beneath.
[Perfectly balanced power!]
[No restrictions imposed.]
[Ultimate: Night Crow description updated.]
……
A power once lost.
Now reclaimed by his own hand.
Smirk…
Shinyu smiled.
“You weren't just sitting idle.”
“Can't do that with a guest coming.”
Kang Seol turned to Yurim.
“Yurim, can you stand?”
“Shut up… please… just shut up…”
A momentary glimpse of the past Yaksha.
Her precarious power maintained calm now, but teetered on collapse anytime—that was the Yaksha.
“Yurim!”
“S-Seol-ah… I…”
Stroke…
Kang Seol extended a hand to her.
“Grab it.”
“……”
“We have to advance.”
The tremor in Yurim's body ceased.
She placed her hand in his.
“Yeah!”
He rose, whispering softly.
“Help me, Smiling Face… so I can remain Yurim.”
The Yaksha didn't reply.
Paaaaang—!
The three charged again.
The blizzard showed no sign of stopping.
As if the world yearned to bury them in snow and forget.
Weather befitting their end.
Kaaaang—!
Kaaaaaaaang—!
Surely, they had a chance.
Yurim, merging with the Yaksha, moved twice as fast and ferocious as before. Kang Seol, wielding the true power of the Night Crow, could match Shinyu's pace.
Whiririk—!
Kaaaaaaaang!
Kikikik…
Shinyu's movements slowed.
That incomplete slash had burdened his body greatly.
‘Our chance is now!’
Hoooop…
[Uses Black Flower.]
[Shadow Hands unleash a flurry. Each strike deals damage equal to a Shadow Hand, and hits on the same target apply 20% additional damage per consecutive strike.]
Using his body as host for Black Flower, Kang Seol's surged abilities exploded the Shadow Hands' intensity, speed, and power.
Kagagagang—!
Shinyu blocked with his one-handed sword and was pushed back.
This time, he couldn't sever them.
Shinyu tried to distance from Kang Seol and Yurim; they closed in.
Haaa…
Fwoo…
Paaaaang—!
Close enough to feel each other's breath.
Not just invading a swordsman's domain—they faced off with blades at each other's throats.
Kagak—!
[Yurim uses Iaijutsu: River Cleaver.]
[Swiftly draws the sheathed blade to inflict massive damage on a single target.]
[Unavoidable attack.]
[Deals 50% fixed damage to large targets.]
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
As time passed, Yurim stole Shinyu's techniques near-perfectly.
Her talent blazed like a comet from this moment.
“Hahaha!”
“Hup!”
The three entangled, laughing.
As if in joyful play.
They had regressed to their childhood selves.
Desperate against each other, they could acknowledge one another.
A frozen world.
Paradoxically, the three moved more fiercely than ever.
Paaaang—!
Shinyu parried Kang Seol's fist, then smacked his cheek with the hilt.
Crack…
“Keuk…”
He couldn't deliver greater impact.
This was his best.
Yurim would exploit the gap.
Paaaang—!
[Yurim uses Fox Rain.]
[Consecutive defenses convert 20% of mitigated damage into true damage.]
First stanza of Rainfall Sword: Fox Rain.
Paaaaang—!
Clean motion.
Shinyu, who understood the brothers' swords best, dodged easily.
But the next attack caught even him off guard.
Kkirik…
Flinch!
Familiar motion.
Coiling like a snake, unleashing ten strikes in an instant.
[Yurim uses Downpour.]
[Delivers 10 consecutive strikes.]
[If target takes damage, evasion drops 10% per hit; swordsman's attack multiplier rises accordingly.]
Paaaaaaaaaang—!
A torrent of slashes at blinding speed.
Had it not been a technique he knew—or one he himself wielded—he'd have suffered greatly.
Puuuuk…
Out of ten thrusts, Shinyu allowed only one.
“You haven't shown it…”
“…I read it.”
Yurim inferred the rest from the opening, like guessing a book's end from its start.
Her talent for piercing movements fully bloomed.
However.
“That's as far as you go.”
Taaang—!
Shinyu's sword entangled Yurim's.
Bwoooong—!
“Ugh…”
Shinyu disrupted her stance along with her blade.
This could lead to a fatal wound.
Tswiiiik—!
Right then, Kang Seol struck from Shinyu's flank.
“Knew you'd do that.”
Pajiiiik—!
Shinyu kicked Yurim away.
This was the moment he aimed for.
Kang Seol always took the risk himself when Yurim was in danger.
No exceptions.
Always.
Now, time to pay.
Fwoong…
Drew his sword, reversed grip, thrust forward.
Perfect stab.
Puuuuuk…
“Kk…”
“Slightly to the right.”
He barely avoided a heart strike, but Kang Seol's chest was pierced.
“Nooo!”
Yurim screamed.
Puhwaaaaaak—!
Shinyu twisted the blade out, carving a massive hole in his chest.
Puhwaaaak…
Viscous blood splattered the ground.
Even for Kang Seol's body, this would impair him for a while.
“U… uu…”
“Watch from there. I'll end it with Yurim.”
Rustle…
Rustle…
“Yurim, let's finish this.”
Shinyu strode toward Yurim.
Right then.
Puk—!
Pusss…
A snowball hit Shinyu's head.
He deliberately didn't dodge.
“…What are you doing?”
“…Wait. I haven't lost yet.”
“…What can you do in that state?”
Shinyu scowled.
“I found my path in hell. No matter how you struggle, you can't beat me.”
“Kik…”
Kang Seol spat blood, mocking him.
“Who here hasn't set foot in hell?”
“……”
“Don't make me laugh. We've all been through hell. Still so arrogant.”
“…Me, arrogant?”
“Yeah! You bastard! I'll snap you out of it right now!”
Gulp…
Gulp…
The scattered Primordial Blood returned to Kang Seol.
Something was beginning.
“You think you're the only one who gained from hell?”
Gulp…
Gulp…
Blood mixed with snow flowed back to him.
But it didn't look normal.
Kang Seol's veins bulged beneath his skin.
Bluish veins.
Repulsive, yet instinctively signaling something unnatural.
“…Seol-ah?”
Yurim wiped blood from her mouth and asked.
“Yurim. Again. One more choice.”
“D-don't! What are you trying to—”
“Not sure if it'll work. It's my last resort.”
“Don't do iiiit!”
“But… this is the only way. I might never… go back.”
“No… stop!”
“No, I must.”
Different hells.
Yurim became the Yaksha; Shinyu awakened Storm Sword.
Naturally, Kang Seol had gained something from hell too.
Agrus's implanted magitech veins.
A bizarre body infused with atrumil, a substance concentrating mana.
“Never thought I'd thank Agrus… Atrumil! Devour my body!”
Ziiiiiiing—!
The magitech veins glowed spasmodically.
[Blood Blessing activates.]
[Blood Arrangement awakens!]
[Primordial Blood remembers the host's form.]
[Primordial Blood takes effect.]
[Magitech veins collapse.]
[Chain collapse initiated.]
[Atrumil induces abnormal reaction in body.]
……
“Eugeuk…”
All of Kang Seol's veins swelled.
Pain beyond human limits—no, beyond that.
“Uwaaaaaah—!”
Even he, who endured agony, couldn't bear skin tearing from living flesh.
Jijijik…
What burst through wasn't blood.
It was the darkness within him.
Whooooooo…
Sooo…
Paaaaaaaang—!
Kang Seol's body literally exploded.
The body that withstood even atrumil burst as the inner darkness erupted at once.
Shinyu covered his mouth with his sleeve, watching.
Gooo…
Pitch-black darkness lingered there.
[Atrumil and Primordial Blood form a new physique.]
[Enlightenment! Awakens new ability.]
[Ultimate: Midnight awakens.]
[Ultimate: Midnight is born!]
[You are shadow.]
[You are origin state.]
Shinyu closed his eyes.
“So that's your grand plan? Becoming a monster? Any reason left in—”
Paaaak—!
The shadow lunged at Shinyu; he dodged leisurely.
If aimed to hit, it was exaggerated. Nothing special.
As Shinyu retreated, the shadow veered toward Yurim undiminished.
“…Rampage?”
While Shinyu observed from afar, the shadow reached Yurim.
She didn't flinch at its menacing approach.
“Seol-ah… you're in there, right?”
Whooo…
She reached out.
“You're there… right?”
Instead of answering, the shadow enveloped her.
Like devouring prey.
Yurim accepted that shadow.
Embraced it tightly.
Startled briefly by the invading darkness, she welcomed the warmth within.
Kang Seol was surely here.
Still alive.
“…I'm okay. So… show me your path too.”
Whoooooo…
The shadow formed a vortex.
Enveloping Yurim completely.
Then, a familiar phenomenon occurred.
Patsuzuzut…
“…No way?”
Patsuzuzuzut!
Pat—!
Shinyu hurriedly widened the gap.
[Attempts Night Crow with non-familiar.]
[Confirms bond with target.]
[Perfect match.]