The Flies Just Won't Stop Coming
BOOM!
Hyeol Ho's massive iron mace slammed into the earth. A burst of crimson energy exploded outward, cracking the stone pavement like a spiderweb. Shards of rock sprayed in every direction, and the shockwave set nearby shop signs rattling in their frames.
Shing.
Jang Mu-eon swept the Heavenly Thunder Sword. Blue lightning raced along the blade and split the air. With a sharp crack that tore through the night, his sword qi collided with Hyeol Ho's mace.
CRACK!
The difference in raw power was overwhelming. The impact hurled Jang Mu-eon backward. His feet skidded across the ground, carving deep furrows, and both knees trembled.
This is bad… I can't match him in pure strength.
Cold sweat beaded on Jang Mu-eon's brow. The hand gripping the Heavenly Thunder Sword tingled with residual shock.
"Kyahahaha! A mere martial artist of the Black Wind Association dares to stand against one of the Blood Shadow Ten!"
Hyeol Ho sneered and raised the mace once more. The oppressive aura rolling off his enormous frame crushed down on Jang Mu-eon like a physical weight.
"Leader!"
Myeongwol's hands flashed. Silver light streaked from her sleeves. Dozens of silver needles she loosed rained toward Hyeol Ho from every angle, each one aimed at a vital point.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
What followed defied belief. The moment the needles touched Hyeol Ho's skin, they bounced away as if they had struck a steel plate. A few even bent double.
Hyeol Ho threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"You thought toys like that could pierce my Iron Skin Art?"
Even a single exchange was enough. Jang Mu-eon ground his teeth. Two of them fighting together still weren't enough to handle Hyeol Ho.
"Brats, now it's my turn!"
Hyeol Ho swung the mace in a wide arc. Crimson energy whirled up like a tornado and swallowed everything around them.
At the same moment, in an eastern alley of West Lake—
"Kh!"
Yeongho coughed blood and dropped to one knee. Dark-crimson poison needles studded his arms and legs. The toxin was already spreading; his vision blurred.
"Hohoho… To think you dared face the Blood Shadow Pavilion with skill this meager."
A woman in scarlet light armor stepped out of the mist—Hyeol Ryeon, another of the Blood Shadow Ten. A seductive smile curved her lips as poison needles glinted between her fingers.
"Lord Yeongho!"
Black Wind Association fighters rushed Hyeol Ryeon to protect him. She merely spun, graceful as a dancer.
"Fools."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three men collapsed in an instant, needles buried precisely in throat, chest, and dantian.
"S-spare me…"
One reached out, gasping, then frothed at the mouth and went limp.
"You're not dead yet. You'll die slowly… very slowly, and in agony. That's the Blood Shadow Pavilion way."
Hyeol Ryeon approached Yeongho.
"You I'll kill a little more specially. I'll make you scream until the Absolute Martial God shows himself."
On the western street, slaughter unfolded as well.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Cheolsan's sword met Hyeol Geom's twin blades. Metal rang without pause. The net of steel the two swords wove was as seamless as the Heavenly Net itself.
"Hah… hah…"
Sweat poured down Cheolsan's face. Cuts large and small covered his body; blood still streamed from the deep wound in his left shoulder.
"How disappointing. I heard you were fairly strong. You can't even endure me playing around. Is this really all you have?"
Hyeol Geom's voice was ice. Beneath the white mask, the corner of his mouth twisted in contempt.
"Lord Cheolsan, we'll help you!"
Black Wind Association martial artists drew their swords. Cheolsan flung up a hand to stop them.
"Stay back! You're no match for him!"
The warning came too late. Hyeol Geom's twin blades moved like lightning.
Slash— slash—
Two subordinates clutched their chests and fell. Blood fountained.
"Weaklings are useless even in a pack."
Hyeol Geom flicked the blood from his blades.
"If the Absolute Martial God doesn't come this way, you're of no further use. Your turn, Cheolsan."
Back in the central market, Jang Mu-eon sensed his subordinates' peril. The Blood Shadow Pavilion would never have attacked him alone. The others who had scattered were surely under assault by more of the Blood Shadow Ten.
His face hardened.
At this rate… they'll all die.
After mastering the Heavenly Thunder Sword Art, he had believed he could handle anyone on the level of Dark Shadow Assassins. But these were the Blood Shadow Pavilion's absolute elite—the Blood Shadow Ten. Even he was struggling against one of them. His subordinates stood no chance.
BOOM!
The mace came again. Jang Mu-eon barely dodged, yet the exploding qi wave shredded his clothes. Pain like broken ribs stabbed through his side.
"Kyahaha! Worried about your underlings? Don't be. You'll all meet soon enough… in the underworld!"
Hyeol Ho's mad laughter rang out.
Just then—
"You bastard!"
A sudden shout, and a fist of raw qi streaked toward Hyeol Ho, painting the night sky with beautiful force.
KRAAAANG—!
Hyeol Ho hastily raised his mace and blocked, but the unexpected strike drove him back a step. For the first time, alarm flickered across his face.
"Wh-what is this…"
Nang Hyeon now stood in front of Jang Mu-eon. Gone was the usual playful air; a strange dignity radiated from him.
"I will never forgive anyone who lays a hand on the people of our inn!"
"Master Nang!"
Jang Mu-eon's eyes widened. At the same time, something warm flared in his chest.
"Oho? So you're the Money-Fighting Demon Nang Hyeon they said lives at the inn. The rumors made you sound weaker than this."
Interest glittered in Hyeol Ho's eyes. His massive frame turned fully toward Nang Hyeon.
"Don't tell me the Absolute Martial God taught you martial arts?"
Nang Hyeon settled into a fighting stance. Heat shimmered off his body.
"That's none of your business. All you need to know is that I will never allow anyone to harm the family of the inn!"
"Heh… No point hiding it now. Still refusing to show himself—has the Absolute Martial God wet himself with fear?"
Nang Hyeon let out a disbelieving snort.
"A newborn pup that doesn't know to fear the tiger."
"And you think you're that tiger?"
Without another word Nang Hyeon stamped the ground and charged. Great Cloud Fist unfurled; his fist drove straight at Hyeol Ho.
Whoooom.
Hyeol Ho swung the mace to intercept, yet a heavy force made him frown slightly.
"Not bad. Power worthy of something taught by the Absolute Martial God. But…"
In that instant crimson energy erupted from Hyeol Ho's body like a storm of blood.
"A brat who only just stepped into Super-Peak Realm. Fundamentally, you are not my equal."
BOOM!
His mace smashed the earth. The ground split open in a vast fissure; along the crack, red energy snaked outward like serpents.
CRASH!
The earth heaved and exploded. Stone shards flew like cannonballs.
"Kh!"
Nang Hyeon and Jang Mu-eon scrambled aside. One fragment still grazed Nang Hyeon's side; blood welled.
"Master Nang!"
Myeongwol started forward—then froze.
"This should be enough to stop the rumors. Playtime with children is over."
Hyeol Ho was already standing right in front of them. His speed was terrifying. The mace rose high. Death's shadow fell.
Whooooom.
The iron head swept toward Nang Hyeon. He raised his fists to block, knowing it would not be enough.
"Damn it."
Then—
THUD—!
The descending mace stopped dead in midair. Hyeol Ho's face twisted. And an unexpected figure appeared before Nang Hyeon.
"Hold on—why the hell are you causing a ruckus right in front of someone else's inn?"
The man who had stepped between them was Ak Hu. Ilyeong Inn stood on the central-market side from which Jang Mu-eon had come. The noise outside had drawn Ak Hu out; recognizing Nang Hyeon, he had intervened.
Hyeol Ho poured more strength into the mace.
"And who are you?"
Ak Hu fed internal energy into the arm that had grown suddenly heavy.
"Me? Owner of Ilyeong Inn."
Hyeol Ho's brow furrowed.
"An innkeeper blocked a full-power strike of mine? You expect me to believe that?"
"Why do I have to make you believe it? If I say so, then that's how it is."
Hyeol Ho's temper snapped.
"You bastard! You dare stand in the way of one of the Blood Shadow Ten?!"
"Whoa, why the sudden rage? Anger-management issues?"
With one hand Ak Hu began to crush the mace he held. The power of a man who had reached the Transcendent Realm was unleashed.
Creeeak. Crunch.
Hyeol Ho recoiled in shock, releasing the weapon and leaping back. His beloved mace should never have crumpled so easily. Yet this man treated it like paper.
Thud.
Ak Hu tossed the ruined mace aside and grinned at Hyeol Ho.
"Funny. Anger management's always been my specialty."
The words were barely finished when Ak Hu's form vanished. In the next heartbeat he reappeared directly in front of Hyeol Ho. His hand extended as if by nature itself.
Woom.
Fierce internal energy shot toward Hyeol Ho's heart. Startled, the giant crossed both arms to block.
BOOOOM—!
The rebound hurled Hyeol Ho sliding backward. Ak Hu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oho? Not a complete weakling, then."
Hyeol Ho fought to still his violently trembling arms. Residual lightning qi still numbed them.
"Th-this is the Four Emperors Thunder Fist… Then you are…"
Ak Hu rolled his shoulders casually.
"Bingo. Sado Alliance. The Second Young Master."
Hyeol Ho's eyes flew wide. Color drained from his face until it was deathly pale.
"A-Ak Hu of the Sado Alliance…"
"Oh, you even know my name? Then no further introductions are needed."
Ak Hu took one step forward.
That alone made Hyeol Ho instinctively retreat.
"Stop. We move under the Pavilion Master's orders. Does the Sado Alliance intend to make an enemy of the Blood Shadow Pavilion?"
"So? What's that got to do with me? What's wrong with stopping someone who comes into my neighborhood and starts a riot? The Blood Shadow Pavilion is Unorthodox too—shouldn't you be watching the Sado Alliance's mood in the first place?"
Crackle!
Lightning qi sparked across Ak Hu's body. The air itself prickled.
"Besides, this is the inn where my friends live. You expect me to just stand by and watch? As a member of the Sado Alliance who values loyalty, that's impossible."
Hyeol Ho cursed inwardly.
The Sado Alliance talking about loyalty? Dogs would laugh themselves to death.
In that instant Ak Hu's expression turned ice-cold.
"Anyway, you just made a mistake."
Hyeol Ho tried to pull back and flee, but it was already too late.
KRAAAANG!
Ak Hu's fist split the air; a colossal bolt of lightning crashed down on Hyeol Ho. The giant screamed and poured every ounce of power into defense—
Sizzle! Sizzle!
Skin tempered by the Iron Skin Art charred under the lightning. Black burn marks spread across his entire body.
"GRAAAAH!"
Hyeol Ho dropped to his knees. Smoke rose from him in thick curls.
"Already over? Boring."
Ak Hu stood over him and looked down.
"Tell your Pavilion Master this: don't even think about causing trouble at West Lake. Oh, and one more thing."
His eyes glittered with cold light.
"West Lake Number One Inn is where my friends are. Touch it, and the entire Sado Alliance will move."
Hyeol Ho tried to lift his head. Ak Hu's foot stamped it into the dirt.
Thud!
His face smashed into the ground.
"Ah, right—one last thing."
Ak Hu pressed harder. A sickening crunch of breaking bone filled the air.
"Never show yourself in front of me again. Next time, you really will die."
Thud!
His final kick shattered Hyeol Ho's dantian. Internal energy exploded outward; the giant vomited blood.
"Guh…"
Hyeol Ho lost consciousness and collapsed. For all that the Blood Shadow Ten were the pride of the Blood Shadow Pavilion, before Ak Hu they were no more than children.
Ak Hu turned away, muttering to himself.
"Honestly… these flies just won't stop coming."