Chapter 206
Chapter 206
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: Clash (2)
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'Too strong.'
The elder of Sword Pavilion, Hwang Ye—who had shared a particularly bitter enmity with the Blood Cult since ancient times—knew better than anyone just how powerful and ruthless they were. That was why, even when Yagul Hon, who looked not a day over thirty, stepped up to face him, he didn't dare underestimate the man and gave it everything he had.
The result was unbelievably devastating.
In less than half a ke (an incense stick's time), amid dozens of exchanges, he hadn't landed a single proper strike. Far from succeeding, he could barely hold on against the terrifying energy pouring from his opponent's sword.
Even that had reached its limit.
He couldn't withstand Yagul Hon's relentless assaults and was now plunged into a desperate crisis.
'Ah!'
As the opponent's sword—having nullified his final counterattack—came charging fiercely, Hwang Ye bit his lip hard.
He could clearly see the blade flying toward him, but the aftermath of their recent clash had left him without the strength to block it.
Hwang Ye closed his eyes without realizing it.
Even as Sword Pavilion's elder, he felt a deep sense of shame at being pushed back so helplessly against a Blood Cult expert, no matter who they were.
But Yagul Hon was no ordinary Blood Cult expert. He was the most cherished blood kin of the Blood Cult's leader, Yagul Jae, and the heir apparent who would one day inherit the cult. Naturally, he had received every privilege from childhood, and with his exceptional talent, he had already grown into one of the top ten masters within the Blood Cult before even turning thirty.
Shiiik!
Just as Yagul Hon's sword was about to sever her neck, another blade flew in, targeting his back.
Yagul Hon's eyes flickered slightly.
He could still take Hwang Ye's head if he pushed it, but he wouldn't escape injury himself. With no choice, he withdrew his sword, twisted his body, and deflected the incoming strike from behind.
The woman—Elder Seo Yoryeong—who had launched the surprise attack staggered back under Yagul Hon's counter. Her eyes widened in shock.
Hwang Ye, who had sensed death looming, opened his eyes.
There stood Seo Yoryeong's slender yet utterly reliable back—the companion he had shared his life with since the age of seven.
"You okay?"
Seo Yoryeong asked without even turning around.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
At Hwang Ye's low voice, Seo Yoryeong let out a sigh of relief.
Thanks to her, Hwang Ye caught his breath and reignited his fighting spirit. A sigh escaped Yagul Hon's lips.
'I should have eliminated him even if it meant overextending myself.'
Yagul Hon regretted missing the chance to finish it decisively just moments ago, watching as Hwang Ye and Seo Yoryeong approached from both sides like a pincer attack.
Regret always comes too late, no matter how swift. Yagul Hon steadied his mind, his sword now thrusting toward Hwang Ye, who was relatively more fatigued than Seo Yoryeong.
Hwang Ye cautiously maneuvered his sword to meet Yagul Hon's assault.
The moment their blades were about to clash, Seo Yoryeong's sword qi shot forth, aiming for Yagul Hon's throat. As if anticipating it, he twisted away, redirecting the incoming qi—originally meant for him—toward Seo Yoryeong.
It was already too late to dodge.
The startled Seo Yoryeong rolled her body aside.
Countless strands of sword qi rained down around her as she evaded with the Thunder Dragon Ride technique.
Fortunately, she avoided fatal injury, but blood seeped from where the qi had grazed her body in several places.
To save Seo Yoryeong, Hwang Ye desperately swung his sword.
Exhausted as she was, her blade—aimed at Yagul Hon's life—was still swift and sharp.
Yagul Hon, who had been relentlessly pressing Seo Yoryeong, swiftly changed his sword's trajectory to block Hwang Ye's attack.
Kwang!
With a fierce clash, Yagul Hon's body wavered for an instant. The power behind Hwang Ye's sword was far greater than he had anticipated.
"Die!"
Seo Yoryeong, not missing Yagul Hon as he lost his balance, unleashed her full power in a barrage of strikes. Hwang Ye, sensing this was their last chance, gritted his teeth and swung with all his might.
Faced with attacks surging from both flanks, Yagul Hon's face paled.
In this moment of life and death, Hwang Ye and Seo Yoryeong instinctively knew they had seized the advantage, seeing Yagul Hon unable to move properly.
Right then, Yagul Hon thrust his left hand toward Hwang Ye.
A beam of light extended following the motion of his hand.
Hwang Ye noticed the light beam and tried to react, but the distance was too short. All he could do was twist his body and raise his arm to protect his vital points.
Three darts embedded deeply into his shoulder and forearm.
Kwang!
Seo Yoryeong's sword slammed into Yagul Hon's blade.
Using the recoil from the clash, Yagul Hon's form shot toward Hwang Ye at tremendous speed.
Before Hwang Ye could react, Yagul Hon rammed his shoulder straight into the man's torso.
With a sharp cry, Hwang Ye flew through the air, trailed by a streak of blinding light!
It was the Blood Sea Demon Lord's ultimate technique, Radiant Flash.
"No!"
Seo Yoryeong screamed, but Yagul Hon's sword perfectly severed her neck.
"Arrrghhh!"
Fueled by rage at Hwang Ye's death, Seo Yoryeong charged with tears of blood streaming down her face.
Her attacks disregarded death itself. Yagul Hon, having dispatched Hwang Ye and regained some leisure, moved his sword with a chilling smile.
Sima Geon wielded the Heavenly Demon Sword.
The members of the Protector Corps surrounding him with the Soul-Exterminating Sword Formation unleashed their full power against the ferocious qi roaring toward them with a sharp whistle.
The dark sword qi surging from the formation collided head-on with the qi Sima Geon had unleashed.
Kwakwakwang!
The dark sword qi vanished without a trace, as if the violent clash had never happened.
"Damn it all!"
Gu Yanggyeong spat out a curse as the qi they had poured forth dissipated in an instant.
Several exchanges had already taken place, but aside from a brief surge at the start, they hadn't managed a decent attack—they were barely holding their defense.
He knew Sima Geon was strong. But he never imagined that the all-out assault of three Soul-Exterminating Sword Formations—fifteen masters—would be neutralized so easily.
His confidence that he and the Protector Corps could at least tie Sima Geon down shattered to pieces.
'What do we do now...'
Sima Geon gave him no time to think.
As dazzling qi erupted from the Heavenly Demon Sword, Gu Yanggyeong shouted urgently.
"Defend!"
Qi flowed from the Soul-Exterminating Sword Formation, wrapping around them like a sword veil to form a defensive barrier.
Kwang!
Sima Geon's unleashed qi hammered the barrier they had created without mercy.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
With each collision, the barrier shook violently.
They somehow endured the first couple of strikes, but the relentless barrage thinned the barrier rapidly, and the shock transmitted through their swords rattled their entire bodies.
'Is this the power of a human!?'
There were no words for it.
His breath came in choked gasps.
Their final bastion of a barrier seemed ready to shatter and scatter at any moment, and the impacts felt like sledgehammer blows threatening to pulverize every bone in their bodies.
"We have to do something."
Three Protector Corps members watching from the outer perimeter—unable to join the Soul-Exterminating Sword Formation—exchanged grave looks.
At first, the three formations had surrounded and attacked Sima Geon. Now, it seemed the reverse: the formations were trapped in the web Sima Geon had spun, unable to budge.
"If we wait too long, we'll all die."
They needed to create some turning point, somehow.
"Let's go!"
The three Protector Corps members rushed in to save their comrades.
Scattering in three directions, they cleverly slipped between the formations, targeting Sima Geon at the center who was completely dismantling the Soul-Exterminating Sword Formation.
As if their resolve for death was mere pretense, the three approached Sima Geon far too easily.
"Die!"
"Perish!"
The three bellowed as they attacked.
They believed Sima Geon couldn't dodge while keeping the formations in check. But Sima Geon had already seen through their movements. He hadn't blocked their attacks because he saw no need to—he had simply allowed them.
The moment their strikes touched Sima Geon's body, the terrifying rebound qi from his fully unleashed Ink Gang Asura Qi smashed into them.
All three who attacked Sima Geon flew back powerlessly, as if by prior agreement.
"Urk."
One man barely rose, dropping to his knees and vomiting blood for a long while.
He was the lucky one.
As he weakly turned his head, he saw his comrades' lifeless forms.
His gaze shifted to Sima Geon, who was crushing the Soul-Exterminating Sword Formation as if nothing had happened.
'Monster!'
Nothing else came to mind.
Gu Yanggyeong's face twisted in despair. He had pinned his last hopes on the outer comrades' attack. There was no strength left to hold out.
Only one method remained.
A final resort with slim chances of success—and even if it worked, no one would survive.
Gu Yanggyeong bit his lip until blood flowed.
"Explode!"
Before his shout finished, the three outermost comrades—as if anticipated—broke formation and charged Sima Geon.
Unlike before, Sima Geon had no intention of letting them approach.
The motion of the Heavenly Demon Sword, which had been shattering the Soul-Exterminating Sword Formation, suddenly changed.
The Heavenly Demon Sword accelerated dramatically.
The qi flowing from it enveloped all directions, layering like a barrier again and again.
It was the Iron Blood Demon Lord's ultimate Myriad Phenomena Sword technique, Sword Fire Overlap.
Kwang!
The three men who broke from the formation first and rushed at Sima Geon exploded in mid-air.
Their self-detonation did nothing to Sima Geon. The qi barrier already surrounding him in layers absorbed the shock entirely, dissipating it.
Even those preparing the second and third waves were swept up in Sima Geon's unleashed qi. With their protective barrier long gone, no one escaped the assault.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
Amid successive blasts, several men detonated their own bodies to block Sima Geon's attacks. But it was no counter—it was mere flailing to protect the comrades behind them.
Sima Geon leaped into the air.
Blazing flames erupted skyward from the Heavenly Demon Sword.
Gu Yanggyeong, knowing Sima Geon had acquired the Three Demon Lords' martial arts, instantly recognized the technique.
'Blazing Radiance!'
Confirming it was the Blood Sea Demon Lord's ultimate Blazing Radiance, Gu Yanggyeong's lips twisted savagely.
He took Sima Geon's choice of Blazing Radiance—not some other art—as mockery toward them, who revered the Blood Sea Demon Lord as their founder.
But there was no alternative.
With even the Soul-Exterminating Sword Formation fully neutralized, nothing could be done against the massive blaze covering dozens of paces in all directions.
"Kaaarrgh!"
"Urgh!"
Screams erupted from his comrades.
Everything engulfed in the flames vanished.
Tenacious weeds, lush trees, ancient trees that had stood nobly for ages—and the Protector Corps members preparing their final counter—all collapsed in unrecognizable, gruesome states.
Gu Yanggyeong was the only one whose breath stopped in a relatively intact state. And his gaze was not on Sima Geon, but on Yagul Jae battling the Sword Queen.