Chapter 62: Crazy Bitch VS Three Demons-3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 62: Crazy Bitch VS Three Demons-3
Like two giant bulls locking horns in a contest of strength, Namgung So-yeon’s sword and the Sword Demon’s greatsword clashed, neither side yielding an inch.
Their postures remained almost frozen, yet the sheer force required to maintain that stalemate was immense.
"Wow... you’re still as strong as an ox, aren't you?"
With the screech of grinding metal as her background music, Namgung So-yeon offered a look of genuine admiration.
The Sword Demon shoved back against the blade that was inching closer to his chest.
"How dare you!"
While the two were locked in their struggle, the Spirit Demon and the Fist Demon began moving toward where In-ho was. Namgung So-yeon was not about to let them pass.
The dark red energy blooming from her shoulders took shape, transforming into hooks that pursued the Spirit Demon and the Fist Demon.
"To manifest internal energy into physical form... This is truly absurd."
The Sword Demon muttered bitterly, recognizing the realm of the Divine Sword—a level of mastery where even a plucked tree branch could become a lethal blade.
"Are you finally starting to feel a little scared of me?"
"Not at all. Compared to the Sect Leader, your skills are merely crude. I am simply amazed that one can reach such a realm through such inhumane methods."
When she bared her teeth in a grin, the Sword Demon merely snorted.
"Hmph. Just admit you're jealous."
"I seek strength through the Righteous Path of cultivation. I am nothing like you."
Perhaps he had struck a nerve, for Namgung So-yeon gnashed her teeth and manifested her energy into the shape of a scorpion’s tail.
"Is that so? Then die."
The tail lunged toward his face.
To dodge her attack, he would have to let go of his sword and retreat. But the moment he released his blade, Namgung So-yeon’s sword would cleave him in two.
Boom!
A gust of wind from the Fist Demon’s punch struck the energy tail directly. Having lost its cohesion, the Thunder Sword’s energy dissipated into the air.
The hooks that had been chasing the other two vanished as well.
"It’s solid, but... it doesn't seem impossible to destroy, does it?" the Fist Demon said as he loosened his muscles, as if providing a status report to the Sword Demon.
"So it seems."
When the Sword Demon relayed those words back to the Thunder Sword, her face contorted savagely.
"Oh, really? Then try blocking this too!"
Disengaging her sword, Namgung So-yeon leaped backward and took a deep breath.
Like petals blooming, countless threads of energy erupted from behind her back.
"Uh..."
The Fist Demon was momentarily speechless at the sight of the energy threads, so dense they were impossible to count. The Spirit Demon tensed her entire body.
As the energy shifted from intangible to tangible, casting a massive shadow, the Sword Demon remained silent but tightened his grip on his sword.
The threads wove together to form sharp awls, their points all swiveling toward the trio.
"Hey... didn't the Sect Leader do something similar back in the day?" the Fist Demon asked, nudging the Spirit Demon with his elbow.
"Instead of flapping your mouth, you should be thinking about how to dodge," the Spirit Demon rebuked him.
"Here it comes."
The moment the Sword Demon spoke in his heavy voice, the awls began to rain down on them mercilessly.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Unlike a single blast of wind or sword-qi, these weapons were woven from energy, meaning they could be retracted and launched again. They were incredibly difficult to deal with.
"Argh, get off me, damn it!"
The snake-like movements pursued them relentlessly.
"We're wasting too much energy this way."
"Can you buy me a little time?"
As the Sword Demon reached this conclusion while parrying hundreds of bundles with his sword, the Spirit Demon reached for her waist.
"Of course."
The Sword Demon thrust his sword forward, and the resulting sword-wind scattered the energy threads momentarily.
The Spirit Demon lunged toward the opening, which looked like a hole in a net.
As she flew through the air, a silver thread shimmered faintly at her waist.
With one of them breaking through the net, Namgung So-yeon was forced to divide her energy.
Tracking the movements of the three with her kinetic vision wasn't difficult, but having another area to worry about made her internal energy management complicated.
"Kh!"
Even with the massive internal energy she had gained through Qi Absorption, there was a limit to how much she could manipulate at once. Using it in this manner doubled the rate of consumption.
She suppressed the boiling energy within her and sent a portion of it to chase the Spirit Demon.
The Spirit Demon was agile. She darted between the energy threads with hair-breadth precision, distracting Namgung So-yeon, while the Sword Demon and the Fist Demon slowly advanced.
If this keeps up, I’ll be pushed back... Me? Pushed back?
How many lives had she taken to obtain this power?
And yet, she couldn't defeat a mere three people? Then what had she been doing all this time?
She was clearly the one pressuring them, yet she couldn't understand why she felt like she was losing.
"You annoying little rats!"
Spitting out curses, Namgung So-yeon fixed her gaze on the Spirit Demon. She withdrew some of the energy directed at the Sword Demon and the Fist Demon and sent it toward her.
It was the result of the Spirit Demon successfully grating on her nerves by occasionally throwing hidden weapons.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Realizing her energy threads might not catch the Spirit Demon, Namgung So-yeon began firing off waves of sword-qi with her blade.
A few of those attempts grazed the Spirit Demon’s shoulder and waist, but they failed to inflict a fatal wound.
Instead, her internal energy began to deplete at an even more rapid pace.
"Brother, the energy is getting weaker."
The Fist Demon spoke as he punched away the threads, which were noticeably feebler than before.
"I know. But not yet."
Watching the Spirit Demon twist her body gracefully in mid-air to evade the pursuit, the Sword Demon took another step forward.
The Spirit Demon, who had been crouched low to the ground like a frog, suddenly sprang into the air. The silver thread still shimmered behind her.
Reaching the apex of her jump, she used the principles of the Ten Thousand Pound Drop to dive straight toward the Thunder Sword’s head.
"Tricks!!"
Completely forgetting about the Fist Demon and the Sword Demon, the Thunder Sword gathered all her energy and fired it into the sky. The Spirit Demon dodged the attacks with minimal movement.
"Ugh..."
Of course, she couldn't dodge everything. Her cheek was sliced, and a piece of flesh was torn from her shoulder, yet the Spirit Demon did not retreat.
"Haaah!"
With a sharp cry, the Spirit Demon was about to collide with Namgung So-yeon, but the Thunder Sword twisted her body to dodge. The Spirit Demon tumbled ungracefully across the ground.
"Hahaha! What was that? I thought you were doing something grand... Huh?"
Namgung So-yeon, about to mock the dust-covered Spirit Demon, stopped mid-sentence as she felt something strange.
A silver thread was glinting in the fallen Spirit Demon’s hand.
"This is... Iron Wire!!"
She had used the same iron wires she had employed in their previous encounter.
By the time Namgung So-yeon realized it, it was too late. The objects the Spirit Demon had snagged while moving around began flying toward her.
Discarded weapons, stones, tents, wood, boulders...
A chaotic assortment of debris flew at her from all directions.
"Kh!"
The junk swamped her body, momentarily pinning her in place.
Above her head, the Sword Demon, now free from his restraints, leaped into the air with his greatsword raised high.
"Noooooooo!!"
Namgung So-yeon screamed as she saw the shadow of the descending greatsword. Without hesitation, the Sword Demon cleaved through her upper body.
Thud.
The debris surrounding her was sliced apart by the Sword Demon’s blade and rolled across the ground. Namgung So-yeon’s body, severed from shoulder to hip, collapsed hollowly.
"I think we got her," the Fist Demon muttered, watching the body fall.