A Reliable Backing
I, Yoon Gomyung, am a true man. And I was taught never to kick away an opportunity when it presents itself. It might look a bit petty, but hey, it's not the strong who survive—it's those who survive who are strong. Swallowing my pride, I yelled out.
"My lady, stomp him!"
"Huh? Oh!"
Limping over to Double Bat Talons, I joined Seonwoo Seol, who had been standing there dazed with her fists raised. Without wasting another second, we both began to stomp on the face-down martial master.
"Y-you dirty, underhanded bastards!"
As the old saying goes, there's nothing quite like a good old-fashioned gang-up. We channeled our internal energy into our feet and stomped away. Soon, a sickening, crunching sound echoed through the clearing. It definitely wasn't the sound of cracking open fresh chestnuts in the middle of summer; more likely, it was the sound of perfectly good bones shattering into splinters.
"Are you two truly the rising stars of the Orthodox factions?!" Double Bat Talons shrieked in sheer indignation, but I couldn't care less. Technically, only Man Hanseok could be considered Orthodox. Dang Go-hye was a daughter of the Tang Clan, which sat squarely in the neutral zone between Orthodox and Unorthodox, and Seonwoo Seol was literally the Little Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult. As for me? Please. I was no Orthodox hero. If anything, I was neutral at best.
Just as our one-sided beatdown was reaching its peak, a low, guttural growl rumbled from deep within Double Bat Talons. "Ugh... Arghhh...!" It wasn't a cry of pain, but a beastly howl of pure, unadulterated rage. My instincts flared. I wanted to ignore it and keep stomping, but the ominous energy swirling around him was growing too thick to ignore. Before I could say anything, Seonwoo Seol spoke up first.
"He's trying to ignite his Latent Power!"
Latent Power. Literally, it meant hidden strength, but in the martial world, it referred to the desperate act of burning all of one's remaining internal energy to unleash a temporary, explosive surge of power. In his case, he was probably igniting both his original cultivation and the stolen energy he had gathered using the Heaven-Absorbing Great Art. The moment it ignited, he would gain monstrous strength, but at a terrible cost: he wouldn't be able to use martial arts for a long time, and his internal energy would be completely depleted. Rebuilding lost cultivation was incredibly difficult, so the fact that he was willing to throw it all away here meant he was absolutely, utterly furious. I wanted to keep stomping him, but pushing him any further would be like throwing oil onto a raging fire. I immediately grabbed Seonwoo Seol, pulled her close, and executed the Mad Dog Avoiding Steps to retreat.
Then came a sickening sound from Double Bat Talons.
Crack! Crunch! Snap!
With the sound of twisting bones and tearing muscles, Double Bat Talons rose to his feet. His skin flushed a deep, angry crimson, radiating an aura completely different from before. Seonwoo Seol grimaced. And honestly, I couldn't blame her. He looked like he had just overdosed on expired steroids. By igniting his Latent Power, Double Bat Talons had transformed into a grotesque, roided-out monster.
Heaving heavy, ragged breaths, Double Bat Talons slammed his hands downward. His long nails were no longer blood-red; they had turned a cold, metallic grey, looking like freshly forged steel. He looked like a bizarre hybrid of that sunglasses-wearing Korean character and the green beast-man from those old fighting games. One thing was certain: this was about to get a lot harder.
"Huu... Huu..."
"Did you blow up your vocabulary along with your Latent Power?" I taunted.
"Shut... up...!"
Thud! Thud! Whoosh!
In just two massive strides, Double Bat Talons closed the distance and lunged at Seonwoo Seol and me, his claws slashing through the air between us.
"Whoa, holy crap!"
This was on a completely different level. The sheer force of his swing felt like a massive greatsword trying to cleave us in two. We had no choice but to leap backward to create space, and Double Bat Talons seized the opportunity to swing his hands in a frenzied, relentless assault.
"I'll slice you... all to pieces...!"
A storm of pure qi erupted from his hands, incomparably stronger than when he had been toying with Man Hanseok earlier. His claws tore through the air, whipping up a gale of wind and dirt that quickly obscured our vision. As Seonwoo Seol and I struggled to defend against his claw techniques, minor cuts and scrapes began to accumulate on our forearms and fists.
"Kahahahaha!" Double Bat Talons laughed maniacally. There was no way simple chip damage would work against a monster wielding this kind of power. We needed something far more devastating than our previous stomping. But if I tried to use my still-unstable Hundred Poisons Zen Kick again, my qi channels would twist so badly I might lose the use of my leg permanently. What the hell was I supposed to do?
"Let's just do what we can!" While I was hesitating, Seonwoo Seol abandoned her defensive stance and went on the offensive. Crack! The Demonic Thunder Divine Fist bursting from her hand happened to strike the underside of his long claws.
"Arghhh...!"
Wait, his reaction... did that actually hurt him? Could it be that because his claws were so long, striking them from underneath pried them back against his nail beds, causing him immense pain?
Seonwoo Seol seemed to notice it too, her expression turning into one of puzzled realization. Because he had been swinging his claws so fast, we hadn't managed to land a clean hit on them until now. But now that we knew? We had to exploit it. Having even a single weakness made a world of difference compared to having none.
"The claws!" I shouted, signaling her to focus her attacks there. Using the fluid movements of the Jeonjeonbancheok, I swiftly dodged his wild swings and delivered sharp, upward strikes to his nails. Thwack! Thud! Since they were hard claws, the impact didn't have that satisfying, meaty thud, but the sheer agony twisting Double Bat Talons' face made every strike incredibly rewarding. Seonwoo Seol caught on quickly, a faint smirk playing on her lips. With his long claws being violently jarred back and forth, he was bound to be in absolute agony.
"Y-you... underhanded...!" Howling like a wounded wolf, Double Bat Talons roared in frustration, pushing his Latent Power even further. "Graaaah!" Thinking he was just trying to steady his posture, I prepared to strike his claws again. But right then— "Ah!" Seonwoo Seol, who had been lunging for another strike, let out a sharp cry and pulled her fist back.
"He's using a Counter-bounce Art...!" Seonwoo Seol gasped in disbelief. It was a technique that reflected the exact force of an attack back at the attacker. It didn't seem intentional; rather, as he pushed his Latent Power to its absolute limit, his body was violently expelling any foreign qi. Just to be sure, I tried striking his claws myself. Boing! "Ugh..." Even though I had coated my fist in qi, the entire force of the impact rebounded directly into my arm. Okay, this was getting ridiculous.
Since he was burning his life force, this burst of power wouldn't last long, but the problem was that we might go down before he did. Seeing us hesitate, Double Bat Talons grinned and began to stomp toward us once more. "Heheh, hehehe...!"
"You're one creepy old man," I spat. "At your age, you should be giving allowance to your grandkids, not gritting your teeth to beat up the younger generation."
"Hehehe, of course I should...!"
Look at him, actually proud of himself. If he weren't a legendary devil of the previous generation, Seonwoo Seol and I would have beaten him like a dusty rug in the monsoon season. Just as Seonwoo Seol and I exchanged glances, trying to figure out our next move—
Swish! Thwack!
The sharp whistle of something small cutting through the air was instantly followed by the sound of it sinking into flesh.
"...?" Confused, Double Bat Talons blinked and reached behind his neck. "A needle...?" Feeling his nape, he pulled his hand back to look at a tiny silver needle resting in his palm. On closer inspection, it was actually a broken silver needle—he had snapped it when he roughly swiped at his neck. The other half of the needle was still embedded deep in his flesh. Given his current state, even Seonwoo Seol's and my attacks were being deflected. For a mere silver needle to pierce through his defense, there was only one person capable of such a feat.
"My apologies. Am I too late?"
Our reliable backing, the Poison Dragon Dang Mieon, strolled out of the shadows, his hands clasped casually behind his back.
"Double Bat Talons... or should I say, Gok Bin. Were you truly so desperate to fight the younger generation that you resorted to burning your Latent Power?"
So Double Bat Talons' real name was Gok Bin. What a peculiar name. As I watched, the old devil began to tremble violently at the mention of it.
"Y-you... how are you here...?"
"Does the Tang Clan not return favors twofold and vengeance tenfold? You laid a hand on a daughter of the Tang Clan. Naturally, you must pay the price." Dang Mieon let out a dry chuckle, driving the nail in. "Though, seeing how you forgot such a simple truth, the previous Heavenly Demon's lesson must have been truly severe. It seems to have damaged your memory." With those words, Dang Mieon tapped his temple with a finger. It was basically the same insult I had used, but delivered with infinitely more class. This is why education matters.
"You... Poison Dragon...! You...!"
"Finish your sentence. I am giving you the chance, am I not?"
Wait, something was wrong with Double Bat Talons. Unlike the perfectly composed Dang Mieon, the old devil's body was slowly beginning to sag. Watching him collapse, Dang Mieon shook his head, his hands still tucked behind his back. "Tsk. Is the medicine kicking in already?"
"What... what did you do...?"
"I coated my hidden weapon in a Paralysis Powder potent enough to knock out an elephant. Did you really think you would be fine?"
At Dang Mieon's shameless admission of using anesthetics on his needles, Double Bat Talons glared at him with utter betrayal. "And you... call yourself... a martial artist...!"
"My surname is neither Zhuge nor Namgung. I am a Tang, through and through. What is wrong with a member of the Tang Clan using poison?" Dang Mieon smirked at the resentful glare. "Seeing you slaughtering Tang warriors and threatening my companions, I thought you had achieved Ten-Thousand Poisons Immunity. Apparently, I was mistaken."
At Dang Mieon's mocking words, Double Bat Talons' face went completely blank, and he collapsed onto the ground with a dull thud. Seeing him crumble so easily made me think of that mustache detective who always gets put to sleep by a kid detective.
Dang Mieon clicked his tongue at the sight, then turned his gaze to Seonwoo Seol. "It seems the Little Heavenly Demon and Chef Yoon have quite the affinity for legendary devils. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Tell me about it," Seonwoo Seol grumbled, rubbing her knuckles with a sigh of regret. "First the Drunken King, and now this guy. I should have gathered the Sacred Cult's warriors to stomp them into retirement so they could never act like martial artists again." Dang Mieon chuckled. Her voice sounded genuinely frustrated, which made it even funnier.
"Ah, Chef Yoon. I believe you should check on Young Master Man over there."
"Huh? Oh, right! Hey, Hanseok! You okay?"
"You're finally looking my way," a weak voice replied.
Man Hanseok, whose clothes had been shredded to leave him half-naked, was currently resting his head comfortably on Dang Go-hye's lap. Fortunately, the bleeding seemed to have stopped, but his pale face still looked quite pitiful.
"You crazy bastard. You got sliced up like that and you're still cracking jokes?"
"Ugh... but thanks to Lady Dang stopping the bleeding, I'm alright."
"Thank you, Lady Dang," I said. "For taking care of this big oaf."
"...No, it's fine. It was the least I could do," Dang Go-hye murmured, gently stroking Man Hanseok's hair. Seeing her so docile was a shock. I guess surviving a life-or-death battle together really did wonders for bringing people closer.
"Still, I didn't expect him to get beaten so easily," Dang Go-hye added.
"Once we get back to the academy, I'm going to train him ragged," I declared.
"Wait, Chef Yoon... shouldn't we focus on my medical treatment first...?"
"I know your eight extraordinary meridians are perfectly fine, you punk. It's obvious you're just staying down because you want to lie on Lady Dang's lap."
Aside from being a bit pale from blood loss, he was perfectly fine. The kid was just playing it up. But even after hearing my teasing, Dang Go-hye didn't push his head away. In fact, the way she looked down at him was no longer filled with her usual venom and sharp hostility; her eyes had softened into something deeply affectionate. Seonwoo Seol and I exchanged a glance and shrugged. Well, who wouldn't fall for a guy after he coolly risked his life to protect her?
"Leader!"
The Tang Clan warriors finally arrived, carrying stretchers. They carefully loaded Man Hanseok onto one, while others sealed Double Bat Talons' pressure points, bound him tightly with heavy ropes, and dragged him away. Watching the warriors clean up the aftermath, I finally let out a long sigh of relief. Ah, it was finally, truly over.
The academy's infirmary.
"Say ah."
"Really, I can eat porridge on my own..."
"I said, say ah."
"Ah..."
Lying in his hospital bed, Man Hanseok had a thoroughly reluctant expression as he swallowed the spoonfuls of porridge Dang Go-hye was carefully blowing on and feeding him. After gulping down a mouthful, he looked at me and whined.
"Chef Yoon, can't you please get Lady Dang off my back?"
"How are we supposed to pull her away when even the Poison Dragon himself can't manage it?"
Man Hanseok practically begged me with his eyes, but of course, it was useless. Ever since I brought over the porridge I had made, I had tried to subtly suggest that Dang Go-hye go get some rest, but she stubbornly insisted that she had to be the one to nurse him. Even Seonwoo Seol and Gongson Yeongji, who had come along to visit, were walking on eggshells around her. It seemed that when it came to sheer intensity, no woman could match Dang Go-hye.
"I'm staying at the academy to nurse you until you're fully recovered, so don't even think about moving. Understood?"
"But I'm already well enough to go for a walk..."
"If you move, you're dead."
Man Hanseok shot her a pleading look, but it didn't stand a chance. Seeing him already whipped, I could practically see the future of the Donhwa Sect growing leaps and bounds under the terrifying backing of his future in-laws, the Sichuan Tang Clan.
"What's going to happen to the Poison Human boy now?" Man Hanseok asked. He had been knocked out by Dang Mieon's Paralysis Powder earlier, so he had no idea how things had been wrapped up.
"For now, the nearby branch of the Murim Alliance has agreed to take him in," Seonwoo Seol explained. "Sichuan is too far, after all. In the meantime, Uncle Dang is going to investigate exactly what's going on behind the scenes."
"That's a relief... Oh, right. Lady Dang, did you tell Chef Yoon about that thing?"
"Which thing?"
"You know, the thing on the back of the hand of the first guy we took down."
"Ah, that tattoo?"
A tattoo? What tattoo?
"It had four characters written on it: Bo-won-i-hyeol, meaning 'repay resentment with blood.'"
"What?"
"Excuse me?"
Seonwoo Seol and I gasped in unison, completely taken aback.
"Wait, those were the last words the Drunken King left behind!"
To be precise, those were the exact words we had heard right after Seonwoo Seol and I smashed the Drunken King, who had been hiding out in the Hyeondong Merchant Guild. Just what in the world was going on here?