Chapter 85
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Setting a Trap (2)
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Setting a Trap (2)
On a dark night, the waning moon had crossed the halfway point of the sky.
A man and a woman were walking down a small path between the trees.
Lowly, filthy nobles.
A voice as cold as biting frost escaped the lips of the man walking in front, Beil.
Beil had barely managed to suppress the urge to kill every single person who had attended his retirement ceremony.
All they can do is eat and bark. Being around those pigs, I feel like Ive started to reek of their filth myself.
The nobles at the royal palace had outwardly expressed their regret, begging Beil not to leave, but inwardly, they were celebrating his departure with both hands raised.
Once this is over, Ill have to tear them to shreds too. This isnt enough to satisfy me.
On the way here, Beil had killed several people to lift his spirits, and his fingernails were already stained with blood.
The sharp-eyed woman walking behind him said nothing, merely following in his footsteps.
Are the preparations complete?
All squad leaders, except for those currently on missions, have been assembled in the safe houses basement.
Any news on that Yuren brat?
No information has come in from either the Marquis Loxs territory or the Iocal side. Weve even investigated the Magic Tower, but theres no trace of him anywhere.
Where the hell did he disappear to? The little bastard is really getting on my nerves. Yuren Lox
Beil spoke Yurens name, his voice laced with a venomous killing intent. Before long, they arrived in front of a mansion as silent as a grave.
This safe house will be abandoned after tonight. Get ready and wait.
Understood.
The sharp-eyed woman went around to the back door of the mansion, while Beil briefly surveyed the surroundings before opening the outer gate and stepping inside.
At that moment.
Wooooong.
What the!
Beil felt the space around him twist and invert. Up and down, sky and earth, the world was shifting.
Wooooong.
Overwhelmed by the strange, new sensation, Beil was mesmerized and unconsciously took another step forward.
Hes caught!
Beil was a paranoid maniac who memorized everything, even the angle at which the safe houses outer gate was closed and the state of his surroundings.
Thats why I hadnt touched anything outside the gate. Instead, I had set up an illusionary maze formation just inside, where it couldnt be seen.
Hes completely trapped in the formation. And whats more
Thanks to that, Beil failed to see through the illusion and was now trapped inside. But my trap didnt end with just one formation.
Plop.
The ground Beil stepped on, disoriented and confused, collapsed beneath him, revealing a boiling liquid of mixed purple and yellow.
This is!
It was Chunggwieunso, the Hidden Ghost Swamp, a technique I unlocked by absorbing the poison of the Luto Desert Ghosts in the desert.
So means swamp.
Chunggwieunso creates a swamp infused with poison. Just like with the Luto Desert Ghosts, the moment your skin touches the swamp, even for an instant, the poison takes effect.
Damn it! What is all this!
Now for the third trap.
Beil screamed as he leaped out of the Chunggwieunso to his right. But that wasnt a path to life; it was a path to death.
Keuk! What is this now!
The place where Beil landed after escaping the swamp was covered in poisoned caltrops. He, of course, had no idea and stepped right on them.
Theres one wolf coming in through the back door, but Ive prepared for that as well. It should be fine.
I could sense someone moving toward the back door, but that area was also well-prepared.
Kraaaaaah!
A red energy began to burn from Beils poisoned body.
Hes activated Sal-gwi.
That rising red aura was the first phase of Sal-gwi.
In this state, his physical power isnt that strong, but his regenerative abilities and senses transcend human limits. If I left him like this, he might detoxify himself, rendering the poisons useless.
I cant let that happen.
As I dropped down, I simultaneously unleashed twelve daggers.
Twelve Daggers: Falling Flowers.
Like unpredictable falling leaves, each of the twelve daggers descended upon Beil, every one of them carrying a profound and subtle change in trajectory.
Chachachang!
Papak.
Even in his state, Beil reacted, deflecting eight of the twelve daggers and allowing only four to pierce his body.
Keuuk! You, youre
Beils body trembled as he bared his teeth at me, who had just landed before him.
You were looking for me, werent you? You must have gone through a lot of trouble, sending your subordinates all over the continent.
Grrr. Yuren Lox!
A growl that was not human, not even animal, erupted from Beils mouth.
Beil, no. Should I call you Sal-gwi of Sephiroth?
How did you
I know because I know, you bastard.
Keuuk!
With every word I spoke, a new vein bulged on Beils face.
Just as you were hunting me, I was hunting you. I was just faster, so dont feel too wronged.
Ugh!
Beil probably never dreamed he would be attacked in his own safe house. His bloodshot eyes said it all.
Are you not on good terms with Samgong? Where is Sageom, and what is he doing?
Who Who the hell are you!
Who else? Im Yuren Lox, the scoundrel of the Lox House you were looking for.
Dont give me that nonsense!
Sssss.
Keugh, you! You filthy bastard!
I had been continuously releasing poison while talking to him, and it seemed he had only just noticed. Beil glared at me as if he wanted to tear me to pieces.
You noticed?
Lets see if you can still be so smug when your limbs are torn off! Grrrk!
The sound coming from Beils throat no longer seemed human. It was like a roar from a machine.
Rumble.
The blood-red aura erupting from Beil began to cover his entire body. The earth and air started to vibrate as if swept up by its power.
Kraaaaaah!
With a scream that felt like it would burst my eardrums, Beils blood-red aura intensified, enveloping his whole body. His form was no longer human; he had transformed into a giant monster with red skin.
An aura of killing intent. Seeing it firsthand is chilling.
That red light was an aura forged from killing intent. It was the power of bloodlust born from the will to kill an enemy, growing stronger the more one desired their opponents death.
Straight to Phase 2.
If Phase 1 of Sal-gwi enhanced regeneration and senses, Phase 2 was a stage focused entirely on destruction. He would lose all reason and devote all his power to killing the enemy before him.
Activating the State of Ascension.
I activated the State of Ascension, a skill I could now control at will since reaching the stage of mastery. I felt my internal energy draining rapidly, but it was a necessary ability for a fight against a strong opponent.
One more thing.
Fwoom!
I also activated the Self-Destructive Smoke, a skill that had proven its worth today.
Shhh.
The smoke debuffed all beings within it, except for me.
Im not confident about losing.
Kraaaaak!
Fwoooosh!
As if he had located me within the smoke, Beils left hand, its aura transformed into a giant wolfs claw, slammed down on the ground where I had been standing.
With the State of Ascension and the debuff from the Self-Destructive Smoke, I had more than enough leeway to dodge his attack.
Zzzzt.
Using the Lightning Blade Body Technique, I easily escaped his attack range.
KABOOOOM!
A crater, as if five cannonballs had exploded at once, was gouged into the spot Beil had struck.
Kakakakang!
Beil swiped horizontally with the claws of his right hand toward where I had dodged. Hearing the air rip apart, I used the Lightning Wing of the Lightning Blade Body Technique to dive not backward, but into his close range.
Fweee!
The reason I moved into his range was to attack while evading. I unleashed the two White Light Orbs in my hands right in his face.
Boom!
Grrrrrr!
The white light shattered the red aura and pierced his body. Beil, having already surrendered his body to his killing intent, didnt seem to feel any pain and continued to charge at me.
Zzzzt.
Using the Lightning Shadow of the Lightning Blade Body Technique, I moved behind him, dodging his attack while sinking a dagger into his shoulder before retreating.
CRASH!
Beil slammed his shoulder into the wall where I had been, causing about a fifth of the mansion to collapse.
A tank. Hes a tank.
Every attack Id landed so far was laced with poison. For now, his aura of killing intent was blocking it, but the moment that dam broke, he would crumble.
KABOOM!
Shwaaa!
Beil continued to attack me relentlessly, but I stayed in his close range, throwing my daggers and easily evading all of his attacks.
Kraaaaaah!
His speed and power were gradually decreasing due to the poison and blood loss, but I didnt let my guard down. The third phase would begin soon.
Zzzzzzzzt!
Here it comes.
I heard the sound of the air tearing and splitting, and then Beils monstrously swollen, blood-red aura compressed to the size of armor. The size had decreased, but its color had become even more chillingly red.
Phase 3, Jin Sal-gwi.
This was the final stage, the true form of Sal-gwi.
To take the Sal-gwi form so quickly, what in the world did you
Beil, having regained his senses, stared at me in disbelief.
You dont have to thank me so much.
I was still speaking teasingly, but inwardly, I was tense.
That form was the complete state, combining the senses and regeneration of Phase 1, the destructive power of Phase 2, along with enhanced speed, reason, and an even stronger aura enveloping his body.
One slip-up, and everything I had built up until now would be gone in an instant.
Clang!
A dagger I threw as a test failed to pierce his aura and bounced off. A normal dagger and throw couldnt break through his armor of killing intent.
How dare you!
In this state, Beil could withstand the aura of a top-tier knight and annihilate an entire knight order in an instant. It wasnt strange that my dagger couldnt get through.
Wham!
Hup!
Beil rushed at me with a speed far greater than in Phase 2. Moreover, his movements were now fluid, unlike before. His destructive power was weaker, but he was ten times more dangerous than in his second phase.
Shiaaang!
An aura of killing intent that seemed capable of splitting the heavens shot out from his claws. As I used the Iron Plate Bridge technique to dodge the aura, Beil channeled aura into the tip of his foot and launched a crescent-shaped blade of aura.
Swish!
Chang!
I dodged the attack with Lightning Shadow and tried to plunge a dagger into his side, but as expected, it didnt penetrate.
Hes a perfect test subject.
Truthfully, if I just left him be, the poison I had inflicted on him would eventually take effect, but I couldnt let such a good test subject go to waste.
Tap!
I put some distance between us and held the Gwiwangsal with my thumb, index, and middle fingers.
Let me show you something new.
A piece of scrap iron like that is useless.
Is this really just a piece of scrap iron?
What?
Beils dark eyes narrowed as he recognized the color of the Gwiwangsal in my hand.
To make such a crude thing from a tooth!
It wont be crude!
Fweee!
Using a newly learned throwing technique, I hurled the Gwiwangsal. Beil reached out to catch it, but the Gwiwangsal dipped slightly downward and pierced his solar plexus.
Pabababak!
Kraaaaaaaak!
A terrible scream echoed through the mountains. The Gwiwangsal spun madly, shattering Beils aura of killing intent.
I imbued the Gwiwangsal with Spiraling Force. He wont be able to withstand it.
It wasnt just the power of the Gwiwangsal itself, but the power of the throwing technique, Spiraling Force, which sent it flying like a drill.
Keo-heok!
Lord Beil!
Unable to pull out the Gwiwangsal lodged in his solar plexus, Beil trembled in agony. Just then, the female informant I had seen before in the Lox territory appeared at his side.
Lord Beil!
Seeing her condition, I deliberately chose not to stop her from approaching him.
Thwack!
Kyaaak!
Grrrrr.
Ah
The moment she reached him, Beil plunged his claws into her heart and began to absorb her blood.
Khuhuhu.
As if he had recovered his strength by absorbing her blood, his cracking aura began to regenerate. I watched the scene with a blank expression.
My apologies. This dagger is a very dangerous object.
What will you do now? Ive recovered from all the damage you inflicted, and Ive figured out your fighting style. Now, Ill tear you to huh?
Crack.
C-crack.
W-what!
As Beil spoke, the aura on his right shoulder shattered like glass. The aura covering his face also began to break into pieces.
Thud.
Beils right arm, which was holding the Gwiwangsal, trembled like an aspen leaf and dropped it to the ground.
T-this is!
Its starting to circulate now.
W-what have you done!
You happily absorbed that womans blood, didnt you? If you had looked closely, you wouldnt have done that.
Just in case, I had set poison traps at the back door as well. That woman had already been afflicted with multiple poisons while breaking through the illusionary maze to get to Beil when she heard his voice.
The blood of the woman you devoured was already severely poisoned. And you yourself are in the same state. With poison stacked upon poison, you ended up like this. To walk right into a trap I didnt even set for you.
Ah
Beil fell weakly to his knees. His aura was fading, and the skin all over his body was crumbling like sand.
Even if I die! You! I will kill you!
As a last act of desperation, Beil began to gather the last of his killing intent aura into both hands. The aura condensed, forming a single spear.
Kigigigigi.
It was the final ability of Sal-gwi, the Sal-geuk, the Killing Halberd. A demonic spear of killing intent that would bring death within seconds with a mere scratch.
Shaaaaak!
The blood-red flaming spear flew toward me. The Sal-geuk was imbued with will; even if I dodged it, it would follow me like a guided missile. There was a way to neutralize it, but I couldnt use it right now.
No need to neutralize it, either.
I stood still, watching the Sal-geuk fly toward me, and then uttered a single word.
Levitas
Flash!
A golden dragons head emerged from the Luminous Dragons Robe I wore underneath and swallowed the blood-red spear, the Sal-geuk, whole.
Ah
Beils expression as he watched was beyond disbelief; it was as if his soul had left his body and circled the underworld three times. Seeing that look, I smiled and threw him a final remark.
Nothing else left, right? Then just take it.