Chapter 217
Chapter 217
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: The Green Forest King's Final Stand
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Green Forest King Kwak Cheon-geuk gripped his sword tightly.
He's definitely holding it. But he can't swing it rashly.
The opponent is a true Sado Leader, an expert who has reached the Enlightenment Realm.
Even though he's pushing past the peak of the Fusion Realm, that realm is on another level entirely, so he can't just reach out carelessly.
...But.
That doesn't mean he has no foundation to believe in.
Kwak Cheon-geuk thought of the poison tucked in his bosom. Right after hearing that the Heavenly Net Formation had been smashed, he'd grabbed the Poison-Scented Blood Water.
No matter the expert, the moment it touches them, it'll turn them into a puddle of blood. He'd already witnessed its power once. A deadly poison that works even on Fusion Realm masters. And it should be the same for the Enlightenment Realm.
Just once.
If he sprays it right, something will happen to her body. As an Enlightenment Realm expert, she'll defend against it, but her balance will surely crumble. After that, it's simple.
Just jam the sword into the wounded area. Channel in sword energy to make it explode from the inside, and even the Sado Leader will roll on the ground.
Then it's over.
Everything is over.
"......."
The key is when and how to use it.
Green Forest King Kwak Cheon-geuk watched for the moment. Without flinching at the Sado Leader's taunting fingers, he simply focused on the tip of her sword.
It can't miss. He has only one chance.
"What are you doing? Planning to stand there all day?"
"......."
He didn't fall for the provocation.
Feeling the flow of qi.
In a state of focus unlike anything he'd ever experienced in his life, Kwak Cheon-geuk finally took a step.
The surrounding scenery flashed by in an instant. Sword energy burning to its limits.
A massive green aura moved to smash the enemy. And with it...
The Poison-Scented Blood Water flashed out from his bosom like lightning, assaulting her body.
"You bitch!"
---Kwaaaang!!
Her sword strike was naturally blocked. But at the same time, the scattered poison completely engulfed the Sado Leader.
Even if it doesn't kill the enemy, the acrid smell and spraying blood will neutralize her.
Kwak Cheon-geuk, whose shoulder was pierced as he swung his sword, rolled across the ground. But forcing himself up for the pleasure that would come after, ignoring the stinging pain.
Even if the opponent loses, he doesn't think he'll be able to truly ravage her.
Just...
He's satisfied with the thought of ruining that confident face of hers.
"Uhahaha! You damn bitch! How's that! You strutted around like you were hot shit, and look at you now...!"
"Ah. Fuck."
With curses, Kwak Cheon-geuk rolled on the ground once more. This time, his right thigh.
Unable to even see the strike clearly, he spat up blood.
"Wha... what...?!"
He barely lifted his gaze. The Sado Leader, who should be staggering and wailing, was casually brushing off the poison as if nothing happened.
And it wasn't just any poison. A deadly one, proven by melting a Fusion Realm expert.
Yet she's wiping it off like dirt on her body. She even sniffs the smell and grimaces.
"You fucking bastard. I already went through hell because of something similar, and now you're trying to bring back those filthy memories?"
---Kwaduduk!!
A foot burrowing into his abdomen. Kwak Cheon-geuk curled up from the kick.
Mad pain surges in. But even more surging is the bewilderment.
"H-how... the Poison-Scented Blood Water... how are you fine after...?"
"It stings, you fuck. But what can you do? My poison resistance is already sky-high because of some crazy bitch."
She flicked off the sticky poison.
"I took it thinking you might have some hidden trump card, but you just spray shit that looks exactly like hers to the end. Man. You're really hopeless."
"...W-wait..."
Before he could finish, the sword flashes.
Kwak Cheon-geuk let out a silent scream.
"Wait my ass. We're not in a position to ask each other to hold on, are we?"
.
.
.
Green Forest Seventy-Two Branches.
One of the groups symbolizing the Sado League.
The news of its collapse spread quickly. When the group that had publicly declared they would capture the Windless Asura fell instead, countless stories filled people's mouths.
Those speculating someone was behind the Windless Asura.
Survivors' testimonies of seeing not one, but two.
Even the mad laughter calling it not human, but a monster.
What mattered was that one pillar upholding the Sado League had crumbled.
Yes.
What matters...
Is that perhaps everything crumbled to a single warrior.
"......."
Seated on her jade throne, Youngwol irritably drummed the chair.
The sudden fall of the Green Forest Seventy-Two Branches. He'd heard they were pursuing the Windless Asura alone, but...
He hadn't expected it to lead to this.
"...How in the world...?"
Even if it's two instead of one, it's a problem. Defeating that massive force with just two is absurd.
Above all, why did that monster called Windless Asura massacre the Green Forest Seventy-Two Branches? For what reason?
His head ached. First, he needed to capture the Sado Leader, but even that showed no progress...
The person who should be inside the Heavenly Net Formation had vanished like she'd soared into the sky. Everyone at the scene insisted she must be hiding somewhere, but even that was hard to believe.
Gu Ok-kyung. Where the hell is she? Does she have an accomplice? But even with one, escaping the Heavenly Net Formation should be impossible.
To begin with, her body is wrecked.
Even with help, she couldn't move on her own. Using internal energy would only make it worse.
Yet if an accomplice fully extracted her...
"...The escaped Chief Officer?"
No. He doesn't have that power. He's an expert, sure, but only Fusion Realm. He can't surpass his limits.
There's definitely a hole in the plan, but Youngwol couldn't tell where it connected from.
Gu Ok-kyung. She's poisoned right now. So she can't be the Windless Asura. She's dying in real time as we speak.
Then who the hell is the Windless Asura? Really just a hidden expert jumping into the jianghu? Just because they hate civilians getting hurt by warriors?
Youngwol swept his face. For now... for now...
He definitely needs to set aside the Windless Asura. With the Green Forest Seventy-Two Branches destroyed, leaving it be will undermine the Sado Leader's prestige.
He has to pull some troops from the front lines to track its traces. The elders were pressuring him. Catch the Windless Asura first by concentrating forces now, worry about the fake Sado Leader later.
But he had no sense of how many troops to send. If it wiped out the entire Green Forest Seventy-Two Branches, it must be at least an Enlightenment Realm expert...
To catch such an expert, he'd need quite a few troops. Naturally, they must be experts, methodically drain stamina and strength, then overwhelm in one go in the worst case-that's the proper way.
...But.
Didn't the Green Forest Seventy-Two Branches already fail at that?
"...Windless Asura."
Muttering the moniker, Youngwol leaned back on the jade throne. Come to think of it, the Black Forest Hall fell to him too, didn't they?
Its influence has grown too big to ignore now. He heard a group has formed supporting and following him.
"......."
For now...
For now, pursue it. He has to.
Disband the Heavenly Net Formation chasing the Sado Leader. He can pursue her anytime, so better invest elsewhere. Dealing with the elders' pressure will allow him to chase Gu Ok-kyung again later.
Everything must be done quickly.
That way, he can have her by his side even a day sooner.
But even as Youngwol made the decision, he scratched his eerily cold nape for some reason.
Something...
Feels like things are happening beyond what he knows.
But it's fine. Doesn't he have one more card to play?
No Enlightenment Realm expert could withstand a joint assault from him and 'that'...
"...Would it have been easier with Jin Baek-cheon?"
Realizing he'd muttered the traitor's name unconsciously, Youngwol panicked belatedly.
What did I just say? Rather than relying on him often, I'd rather die.
Youngwol finally rose from the jade throne.
With everything flowing untrustworthily, moving himself was best.
Windless Asura. I don't know who you are...
But you'll die in the end. By my hand.
.
.
.
We completely massacred the Green Forest Seventy-Two Branches. Only after killing the very last one did I sheathe my sword.
The bloody scent stinging my nose was intense. Corpses littered the mountains and ground, and flesh hung on the fences fed the surrounding birds to their fill.
"You really went all the way to the end. Ahh! Feels so refreshing!"
Gu Ok-kyung, stretching grandly, clung to me.
"This should have drawn all of the Sado League's eyes. Windless Asura. How do you feel?"
"Nothing special."
Not bad, not good.
Feeling emotions while cutting down beasts would be the weirder thing.
I pulled out a canteen and wet my face. After roughly wiping off the blood, I turned to Sado Leader Gu Ok-kyung.
Her face was just as messy as mine. So I handed her water and slowly wiped her face.
"Uhmp...?"
"Stay still."
Both of us would be treated like ghosts if civilians saw these faces. The blood had soaked even inside our masks.
We have to wash, but first, emergency measures. This much to keep our faces from getting sticky.
Gu Ok-kyung, quietly entrusting her face to my hands, chuckled softly. Once the simple washing ended, she poked my side with her elbow.
"Only the chief physician can touch the Sado Leader's face freely... You're in big trouble. Does that mean you're coming to me?"
"How's the spot from the poison earlier?"
"Getting good at changing the subject? It's fine. That shit didn't even hit properly to begin with. I told you before, right? No need to worry about it. I mostly redirected it with my internal energy? Trying to poison me right in my face was way over the line."
Gu Ok-kyung shook off her hands.
"Contact is almost done anyway. Now we just go dark for a while. Until all preparations are complete. Might as well rest up fully..."
"Leader!"
Chief Officer Song Nam-cheon.
He urgently sought her. The man who'd been following us at a distance raised his voice, as if with new information.
"The Sado League has made an official statement! Windless Asura! They've formed a subjugation force to pursue that name!"
"Why the fuss? We already expected that much?"
"There's one unexpected thing mixed in! The one who'll command the subjugation force...!"
Song Nam-cheon sharply inhaled.
"It's the current Sado Leader!"
"...What?"
Gu Ok-kyung's brow twitched.
"...Well, look at that... The queen bee we need to catch crawls out of the hive...? Fuck, this is an unmissable golden opportunity, isn't it? Things are falling into place even easier?"