Eve, Psyche, and the Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Part 2
To be honest, Man Hanseok hadn't trusted and followed Yoon Gomyung from the very beginning. Gomyung's unspoken attitude of 'Whether you like it or not, you're hanging out with me,' combined with him forcing Hanseok to eat dishes packed with all sorts of medicinal herbs, had been a bit overwhelming. In a way, it could even be seen as selfish.
Because of that, Hanseok hadn't intended to get so close to him. But as they spent more time together, he began to notice a change in himself. Most notably, the weight issue that had plagued him for years was resolved, and the secrets hidden within his own martial arts were easily unraveled. Hadn't he gained so much when he first attended the Beggars' Gang banquet with Yoon Gomyung? He had received the title of Mount Tai New Hero, and he had even met Dang Go-hye, who was currently by his side.
In the end, Man Hanseok had no choice but to admit it: whenever he got involved with Yoon Gomyung, things always turned out for the better. And now, Gomyung's training was about to bear fruit.
Clang!
Blocking two scimitars with his long spear, Man Hanseok felt the sheer weight of the impact.
They're strong...!
Though they were weaker than the master he had faced initially, his arms were already trembling slightly from blocking their assault. But he couldn't let it show. Man Hanseok was a man, after all. He wanted to look perfectly fine and cool in front of the girl he liked.
"Is this all you've got?"
At Hanseok's blatant, clumsy bluff, Dang Go-hye pursed her lips to hide her expression.
There's a limit to bluffing. Is that really going to work?
She wanted to tease him instantly, calling him a 'loser who can't even bluff right,' but she held it in for now.
"Fearless bastard."
"We'll teach you a lesson."
Spitting out their respective threats, the two men lunged forward with ferocious momentum. Hanseok's bluff had actually worked.
Unbelievable.
Is this what male pride is? Dang Go-hye shook her head in disbelief as she watched the two men fall so easily for such cheap provocation.
Clang! Cl-cl-clang!
As Man Hanseok's spear clashed repeatedly with their scimitars, a chilling frost began to scatter into the air. As an unnatural coldness, entirely unsuited for late summer, spread through the clearing, the skinny man of the duo shouted.
"This brat practices demonic arts!"
The chubby man replied.
"The Captain was right!"
Captain?
For Man Hanseok and Dang Go-hye, who had been too busy fleeing to identify their pursuers, this was a crucial piece of information.
'Sister Yuyu, Grandpa Cheolung... they were all taken away and never came back...'
'They told us to get into a cauldron filled with purple water every day...'
An unknown sect was kidnapping dozens of people to refine them into Poison Humans. And these three before them were willing to make an enemy of the Tang Clan just to retrieve the boy, who was essentially the sole witness.
They are definitely from an unorthodox sect.
"Don't lose!"
With Dang Go-hye cheering him on, Man Hanseok felt his determination surge. He absolutely could not lose.
'Illusion and change are important, but what is ultimately the core of the Ice Limit Spear?'
'Uh, the spear?'
'It's literally in the name. Ice. Cold.'
Recalling the advice Yoon Gomyung had given him during their spars, Hanseok unleashed his technique.
Unleashes a frost so bitter it can freeze even a boiling valley stream.
As he spun his frost-laden spear with both hands, whipping up a freezing gale, the two men who were about to attack flinched in surprise.
"...Is he truly the son of the Cold Soul Spear?"
"His martial prowess lives up to his title."
With those words, the two exchanged a quick glance, silently coordinating their next move, before launching an even fiercer assault.
"Ugh!"
Bam! Bam!
As heavy blows rained down, forcing Man Hanseok's massive frame backward, Dang Go-hye quietly slipped a needle from her sleeve. She glanced around warily, then gestured to the boy.
"Hand."
"Pardon?"
"Give me your hand. Quick."
When the boy hesitantly held out his hand, Dang Go-hye pricked his finger with the needle.
"......?"
"I'll treat you later."
While Dang Go-hye meticulously prepared her move, Man Hanseok kept the enemies' attention focused entirely on him.
I think she's doing something back there, but...
It was frustrating not being able to look back. However, he had neither the time nor the luxury to worry about what was happening behind him.
Drawing upon the residual power of the half-consumed Great Clarity Elixir, Man Hanseok swung his spear with brute force.
Whoosh!
Startled by the immense pressure of the swing, the two men tried to leap backward, but—
Crack!
The skinny man, who had been preparing a heavy strike, was clipped and sent stumbling back, while the chubby man barely managed to block with his scimitar. Hanseok felt a pang of regret at the strike's power.
If only I had eaten the entire Great Clarity Elixir by myself...
He would have possessed the legendary strength to pluck mountains from the earth and a spirit that could dominate the entire Central Plains.
But what was done was done. Channeling the half-elixir's power, Hanseok charged forward recklessly, letting out a wild roar.
"Raaaaagh!"
As he unleashed a flurry of unpredictable spear strikes alongside his roar, the two men flinched and retreated. He moved like a wild beast.
While the two struggled to cope, Dang Go-hye watched for her opening. The moment Hanseok wound up for a massive swing, Dang Go-hye shot a dark-red needle right through the gap under his arm.
Swish! Thwack!
The two men, entirely focused on defending against Hanseok's onslaught, didn't even realize they had been pricked.
Yes!
Dang Go-hye pumped her fist, then turned her sharp gaze to the man standing behind them, who appeared to be their leader. He was undoubtedly a master of the martial world, possessing a realm of power far beyond her estimation.
A master of that caliber doesn't just fall from the sky... Where on earth did they find someone like him?
While Dang Go-hye pondered, Man Hanseok was slowly being pushed back.
As expected, fighting two at once is tough.
If it were just one, he could have frozen them with the cold qi of his Ice Limit Spear and beaten them to a pulp, but handling two made that strategy nearly impossible. Though he could manifest cold qi at will now, the volume he could produce was still quite limited. It was enough to overwhelm one opponent, but insufficient to freeze both simultaneously. Still, he had to give it everything he had.
"Aaaaargh!!"
The two men desperately blocked Hanseok's mercilessly swinging spear.
"Y-You crazy bastard!"
With a sharp slash, the skinny man sliced Hanseok's forearm. It was a relatively shallow wound, but the stinging pain was incredibly distracting.
"I... will not... lose!"
Despite being wounded, Hanseok used his massive build to launch a brutally straightforward counterattack. The two men clicked their tongues in frustration as they fought back.
Screeech!
Even as their scimitars flashed toward his neck and ribs, Hanseok didn't flinch.
If I fall, Lady Dang will get hurt!
They had barely managed to escape this far; he couldn't afford to collapse here. He swung his spear in massive, threatening arcs to keep them from getting anywhere near him.
"Raaagh—cough!"
The roar died in his throat. Along with the sickening sound of tearing flesh, his strength rapidly drained away. He had been cut. It felt like his flank. A searing heat bloomed in his left flank, followed by a strange, agonizing pain he had never experienced before. A burning sensation, like liquid fire, seemed to spread from his flank up to his chest, but Hanseok gripped his spear even tighter.
I can't fall.
He had someone to protect; he couldn't collapse here. Forcing his buckling knees to lock, he kept his upper body moving, desperately trying to appear unfazed.
"You think a scratch like this can bring me down?!"
As Hanseok forced a grin and bellowed defiantly, the expressions of the two masked men stiffened beneath their cloths.
"He's a complete lunatic!"
"Let's see if you can block this—"
The skinny man started to speak, but suddenly choked on his words.
"...You underhanded bastard!"
Hanseok wanted to tilt his head in confusion at the sudden outburst, but restrained himself.
What's with him all of a sudden?
As the skinny man stumbled, the chubby man also realized something was terribly wrong with his own body.
"...Poison!"
Poison?
As the two men suddenly lost all strength and faltered, Hanseok instinctively tried to look back.
"What are you doing? Attack them now!"
"Oh, right!"
The needle Dang Go-hye had thrown was coated in the blood of the Poison Human boy. Since he was a Poison Human, every fluid in his body was a lethal toxin—so potent that even the grass around him had withered in seconds. Because the two men had been circulating their inner qi to fight Hanseok, the deadly poison had rapidly spread to every corner of their meridians, taking effect almost instantly.
Hanseok didn't know it was the Poison Human boy's toxin, but he knew for certain that Dang Go-hye, who was guarding the boy, had worked some magic. Following her command, he focused entirely on taking down the two men. The sudden realization that he now held the overwhelming upper hand gave him a surge of energy, making him completely forget the burning pain in his flank.
"If you're going to cut my flesh!"
Thwack!
"You'd better be prepared to have your bones broken!"
Crack!
It wasn't a single stroke of a brush, but a single sweep of a spear. With every relentless swing of his weapon, victory drew closer to Man Hanseok.
"W-Wait... the antidote... *cough!*"
"You ruthless... *ack!*"
It was a rather underhanded tactic, but in a life-or-death struggle, who cared about playing fair? Hanseok didn't waste a single second feeling guilty as he ruthlessly swung his spear.
"Raaaaagh!!"
As Hanseok roared until his face turned beet red, Dang Go-hye quietly averted her eyes.
He's reliable, sure, but this is a little embarrassing...
Crunch!
"Gack."
The skinny man, who had barely been holding up his defense, finally took a heavy blow to the temple and collapsed. The chubby man met the same fate. If anything, the chubby man was more pitiful; because of his slightly better resilience, he had to take two full hits before finally passing out.
Now, the only one left is...
The final man stood there, watching them with an air of complete leisure. As Man Hanseok caught his breath and glared at him, the man slowly stepped forward. Hanseok watched his relaxed approach, his expression tightening with tension.
He's strong.
He had realized early on that the first two men were slightly superior martial artists to himself, but the man before him was on an entirely different level. Moreover, a sinister, wicked energy emanated from his entire body. This was an aura that could only belong to a notorious demon of the unorthodox sects.
"So, you are the Mount Tai New Hero?"
"......"
"To think you possess such martial prowess when you've barely passed the age of fifteen."
Like the other two, the man wore a mask, concealing his face. But the moment Hanseok heard his voice, he knew instantly: this was an elder master, somewhere between middle-aged and elderly, likely older than his own father.
Watching from behind, Dang Go-hye also sensed the gravity of the situation. She quietly stood up and slowly drew her Rope Dart from her sleeve.
"Do you truly believe a couple of greenhorns who have barely stepped into the First-class realm can defeat me?"
Bristling at the man's condescending tone, Hanseok snapped back.
"Does death care about age or order?"
"Ha! For a brat built like a mountain, you certainly have a mouth like a magpie."
"Cut the chatter and come at me."
As Hanseok bared his teeth, his fighting spirit burning hot, the man let out a dry chuckle.
Is he... trying to protect us?
Dang Go-hye was stunned to see Hanseok, who was usually too gentle to even speak harshly to her, talking back so fiercely to this dangerous master. Normally, she would have scolded him for being reckless, but in their current peril, his protective stance looked incredibly reliable.
"Very well. I shall grant your wish."
With those words, the man lowered his hands, curling his fingers into a strange, half-bent claw shape as he channeled his inner qi. Hanseok stared in confusion at the bizarre hand posture—neither fully clenched nor fully open—but his face paled as the man's fingernails began to turn a deep crimson and grow longer.
"The Twin Bat Claws...!"
Hearing his title, the man smirked.
"As expected of a daughter of the Tang Clan. You recognize me."
Man Hanseok also knew who the Twin Bat Claws was.
A legendary demon of the previous generation.
The Drunken King of Northern Yuan, whom Yoon Gomyung and Seonwoo Seol had defeated, was a demon of the current generation. Unlike the Drunken King, who had only recently built his infamous reputation, the Twin Bat Claws was a wicked demon who had terrorized the land thirty years ago. He had founded a ridiculous unorthodox sect called the Bat Sect, but after receiving a brutal beating from the previous Heavenly Demon, he had vanished from the martial world. That was the last anyone had heard of him.
...Is the Poison Human boy back there really that important?
Hanseok's mind raced. He couldn't help but wonder why they would go so far as to summon a long-retired demon of the previous generation just to retrieve this boy. But he had no time to ponder.
"Kiiii-yaaaah!"
With a bizarre, high-pitched shriek, the Twin Bat Claws raised his arms and leaped at Hanseok. True to his title, he glided through the air like a bat, unleashing his claw techniques from above. Despite the comical battle cry, the claw strikes he unleashed were deadly serious. Even though Hanseok blocked with his spear, deep crimson gashes immediately bloomed across both of his forearms.
Ugh...
The cuts throbbed with a sickening, burning ache. It wasn't just a physical wound; that crimson energy seemed to be seeping into his arms. But he couldn't show any weakness. Hanseok tucked his spear under his arm and spun his body, desperately trying to force the Twin Bat Claws back.
Sweeps the ground with the spear to kick up a screen of dust, obscuring the user's movements like clouds hiding the sun and sunset.
"Paltry tricks!"
Whoosh!
With a swift swipe of his claws, like a hawk snatching its prey, the Twin Bat Claws dispersed the dust cloud in an instant, exposing Hanseok. Just as Hanseok tried to raise his spear to defend, the Twin Bat Claws let out another shriek and unleashed a chaotic flurry of claw strikes.
"Kiyooooo!"
Slash! Slash! Sla-slash!
A ferocious assault that contrasted sharply with his frivolous shrieks. It was the Twin Bat Claws' signature technique: the Thirteen Rapid Heavy Slashes.
"Argh...!"
Not just his arms, but his entire upper body was shredded by the claws. His clothes were reduced to blood-soaked rags, and blood splattered everywhere.
"......!"
This wasn't an attack meant to break his fighting spirit; it was pure, sadistic play. Unable to watch any longer, Dang Go-hye threw a needle and screamed.
"You crazy old bat!"
Ting!
"Stay out of this, girl of the Tang Clan!"
Deflecting the needle with a flick of his wrist, the Twin Bat Claws lunged toward Dang Go-hye. But his path was instantly blocked.
Thud!
"......?"
"Y-You... aren't going anywhere."
As the blood-drenched Man Hanseok blocked him with his spear, the Twin Bat Claws let out a hollow laugh.
"Do you think I'm bypassing you because I can't kill you?"
"I don't give a damn about that."
Hanseok wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand and growled.
"I said, you aren't passing through."
"The brat has finally lost his mind."
Smack!
The Twin Bat Claws slapped Hanseok's spear aside, the crimson qi on his claws flaring even brighter.
"Fine. I'll give you exactly what you want."
The sharp, murderous intent radiating from those claws was terrifying, but Hanseok didn't care. Swaying slightly on his feet, his eyes burning with unyielding defiance, he raised his fists.
"...Try and bring me down, then."
As Hanseok sneered, the Twin Bat Claws raised his right hand high.
"Die!"
As the claw swept down like lightning, Hanseok threw a desperate punch.
Just let me land one hit...
Anticipating the claws tearing through his flesh, Hanseok squeezed his eyes shut.
Swish—crack!
With the sound of a heavy object flying through the air, the Twin Bat Claws' head suddenly snapped forward.
"......?"
Hanseok opened one eye and looked down at himself, then at his opponent. He was completely unharmed. Meanwhile, the Twin Bat Claws was slowly turning his head back, his aura practically boiling with rage.
"What bastard dares interfere with our business?!"
"Hey, old-timer, aren't you embarrassed?"
A familiar young man stood there with a smirk, casually tossing a heavy stone up and down in one hand.
"Picking on a kid who's practically your grandson's age?"
"C-Chef Yoon?"
"Yep, it's me."
Looking perfectly neat and tidy, Yoon Gomyung offered a cheerful grin and waved his hand.