Finally... I've Found Him
Crack! Crack!
Blood Tiger, electrocuted by Ak Hu’s lightning, convulsed and collapsed. Smoke rose from his massive frame as he lay unconscious, twitching only in occasional spasms.
“Whoops. Did I go a little hard?”
Ak Hu scratched his head as he looked down at the fallen Blood Tiger.
“Eh, he’s not dead, so it’s fine.”
Nang Hyeon and Jang Mu-eon were still reeling from the shock. To subdue one of the Blood Shadow Ten so easily… the Sado Alliance’s reputation was no empty boast.
“Hey. You’re the head of deliveries, right?”
Ak Hu turned to Jang Mu-eon.
“Yes. My name is Jang Mu-eon.”
“Ah. That was it. From the Black Wind Association, yeah? Anyway, you said there were more of them. Know where they are?”
Jang Mu-eon answered.
“The western market and the eastern market…”
“East and west? Got it.”
Ak Hu’s figure vanished in an instant.
“…Fast.”
Jang Mu-eon murmured in admiration. At that moment Nang Hyeon pointed at the fallen Blood Tiger.
“What do we do with this one?”
“Tie him up for now. We can deal with him later.”
In the end, Blood Tiger never got the chance to deliver Ak Hu’s message to the master of the Blood Shadow Tower.
Eastern alley.
“Hohoho. It’s over now.”
Blood Lotus approached Yeong-ho with a seductive smile. Poison needles bristled from Yeong-ho’s entire body; he no longer had the strength to move. The venom was spreading, blurring his vision.
Is this… how it ends…?
Yeong-ho looked at the fallen Black Wind Association men. All of them had fallen trying to protect him.
I’m sorry… everyone…
Blood Lotus drew her final poison needle. It gleamed a vivid red—the last strike, coated in an instant-death toxin.
“I was going to make you scream until the Absolute Martial God showed himself… but this is taking too long. I’ll just send you off.”
The needle shot toward Yeong-ho’s heart.
At that exact moment—
Zzzzt!
Blue lightning incinerated the needle mid-air. Blood Lotus’s eyes flew wide.
“What?”
“Auntie, what do you think you’re doing in someone else’s neighborhood? Who told you you could go around spraying poison wherever you like?”
Ak Hu appeared with that leisurely voice, residual lightning still crackling around his hands. Blood Lotus’s face hardened.
“Ak Hu… of the Sado Alliance?”
“Oh, you know me? Then this’ll go quick. Stop causing a scene and get out of here. Or you’ll end up half-dead like that Blood Tiger guy.”
Ak Hu jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the central plaza. Blood Lotus ground her teeth.
“Even if it’s you… are you looking down on the Blood Shadow Ten?”
In an instant, crimson mist rose from Blood Lotus’s body—a poisonous fog thick with lethal toxins. The grass around them withered in the blink of an eye.
Ak Hu watched with interest.
“Ohh? Not bad for poison arts. But you know…”
Fwaaaah!
Blue lightning qi exploded from Ak Hu’s body. A powerful barrier of thunder formed and purified every last wisp of the poisonous mist.
“You picked the absolute wrong opponent. Lightning burns everything. Poison doesn’t stand a chance.”
Blood Lotus’s face went pale. Her strongest secret art had been neutralized this easily. Yang-aspected arts were known to counter poison techniques, but she had never imagined being crushed so thoroughly.
“This is…”
“Alright, my turn.”
Ak Hu took a single step forward.
That alone made Blood Lotus instinctively retreat.
What is this pressure…?
Thud.
Ak Hu kicked off the ground and shot toward her. His fist flowed out like water, lightning energy spreading in every direction and engulfing Blood Lotus.
Puff-puff-puff—!
“Kyaaaah!”
With a scream, Blood Lotus crumpled. Her entire body was paralyzed; she couldn’t move a finger. Ak Hu walked over to the fallen Yeong-ho.
“Hey, you okay? …Whoa! Nope, definitely not okay.”
Yeong-ho’s face had already gone past blue and was turning black. Ak Hu squatted beside him.
“Yikes, you’re stuck full of needles. Hold still.”
When Ak Hu reached out, fine threads of lightning qi swept through Yeong-ho’s body. The needles came free one by one, and the toxins began to neutralize.
Sizzle—!
The venom burned away, releasing acrid smoke. Ak Hu waved a hand to disperse the residual poison mist.
“They used some seriously nasty stuff. Those Blood Shadow Tower bastards really don’t mess around. He won’t die from this. Leave the rest to a physician.”
Ak Hu stood and muttered to himself.
“Still have to hit the west side… what a pain.”
But a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Western street.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Cheol-san’s sword and Blood Sword’s twin blades clashed again and again. The situation was hopeless. Cheol-san’s body was so covered in wounds it was a miracle he was still standing, while Blood Sword wore an expression of pure leisure.
“Heh heh heh… watching you suffer is quite the treat. But I’m starting to get bored…”
Blood Sword’s twin blades crossed in an X, aiming for Cheol-san’s neck.
So this is how I die…
The moment Cheol-san closed his eyes—
Grab—!
“Hold it.”
Someone caught both flying blades bare-handed. Realizing he was still alive, Cheol-san opened his eyes in shock. Ak Hu stood there.
“Man, you’re seriously brutal. Using twin swords to chop someone’s neck like a radish?”
Crunch!
Ak Hu squeezed. The twin swords snapped like dry twigs. Blood Sword stared in horror.
“Wh… what?! My swords—with bare hands?!”
Ak Hu casually tossed the broken blades aside and spoke to Blood Sword.
“You’re the last one, so consider yourself lucky.”
He slung Cheol-san over his shoulder and left the area at high speed. His destination was the West Lake Number One Inn. He judged that Jang Mu-eon, Myeong-wol, and Yeong-ho would already have returned after escaping their crises. Sure enough, Jang Mu-eon and the Black Wind Association martial artists stood anxiously in front of the inn.
“A… Young Master Ak!”
The moment Ak Hu appeared, Nang Hyeon hurried over. Ak Hu set Cheol-san down on the ground.
“A few others had pretty bad wounds. I couldn’t grab them. Send people to collect them.”
Ak Hu glanced sidelong at the West Lake Number One Inn.
“Where’s Yeon-hyung?”
Nang Hyeon answered.
“He was just about to go inside. Young Master Kang still doesn’t know about any of this…”
“No way.”
Ak Hu continued.
“You know who Yeon-hyung is and you’re saying that? You really think he doesn’t know? Who do you think sent me out here?”
He had claimed he stepped out because the area in front of the inn was too noisy while blocking the Blood Shadow Tower, but in truth Ak Hu had moved only after receiving Kang Yeon’s sound transmission. Without that, he would never have bothered going to this much trouble.
“Anyway, things seem mostly cleaned up, so now…”
At that moment, murderous intent poured toward Ak Hu from every direction as the remaining members of the Blood Shadow Ten launched their ambush. Ak Hu surveyed the surroundings and sighed.
“Haa… this part wasn’t in the calculations.”
Sword auras, palm winds, and hidden weapons rained down on him from all sides. It looked as though Ak Hu would be torn apart at any second.
But then—
Wuuuung!
Explosive lightning qi burst from Ak Hu’s body. A massive thunder storm rose and blocked every attack. Immediately afterward came his counter.
Ak Hu’s eyes flashed.
“I was ready to call it quits, but you lot just had to poke me.”
Kra-kra-kra-boom!
Dozens of lightning bolts fell from the sky. The Blood Shadow Ten screamed as they collapsed.
“Keugh!”
“This… this is impossible…”
The gap in power was absolute. In an instant, every one of the attacking Blood Shadow Ten lay sprawled on the ground. They weren’t dead, but they wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.
Ak Hu scratched his head.
“Seriously? Ten of you show up and this is all you’ve got? I thought you were the elite of the elite. Is the Blood Shadow Tower that overhyped? Ah… no, I just got too strong.”
Not long ago, under Kang Yeon’s guidance, Ak Hu had broken through to a new realm. At his previous level he never could have handled the Blood Shadow Ten this easily. The earlier assault by seven of them would have been genuinely dangerous.
He shifted his stance. With the urgent matters settled, he intended to tidy up the remaining fallen members of the Blood Shadow Ten. Once a fight had broken out, grudges had been formed—there was no reason to leave loose ends.
Right then—
Wuuuung.
The sky suddenly began to stain crimson. Clouds turned blood-red, and a terrifying pressure descended.
“This energy…”
For the first time, Ak Hu’s expression turned serious.
Whoosh.
A figure slowly descended from the sky. Black robes fluttered in the wind; beneath the mask, a cold smile was visible.
The man landed in front of the fallen Blood Shadow Ten and spoke to Ak Hu in an icy voice.
“Ak Hu of the Sado Alliance… why are you here?”
“Oh? Well if it isn’t the master of the Blood Shadow Tower himself.”
The man who had come down from the sky was none other than Mak Ri-u, master of the Blood Shadow Tower.
“You’re the one who reduced my subordinates to this state?”
Mak Ri-u’s voice was cold, laced with killing intent as sharp as ice. Ak Hu shrugged.
“Looks that way. You should train your people better. They’re way too loud when they come into someone else’s neighborhood.”
“Why did you interfere?”
“I was just eating near my friend’s inn when the racket got annoying, so I stepped out and found this mess. Figured I’d clean it up a bit. I hate noise during meals.”
Mak Ri-u’s eyes sharpened.
“You have a connection to the West Lake Number One Inn?”
“Yep. Their money-bag dumplings are incredible. You should try them sometime.”
The conversation sounded ordinary, yet a taut tension crackled between the two masters.
“Step aside, Ak Hu. My target is the Absolute Martial God.”
“Absolute Martial God? Who’s that? There’s only an inn cook here.”
A red light flashed in Mak Ri-u’s eyes.
“Enough games. I’ve already confirmed the Absolute Martial God is at this inn.”
“So what? Even if he is, I won’t stand for anyone attacking an inn run by my friend.”
The distance between them narrowed. The air grew heavy and still.
“Even the Sado Alliance cannot stop the Blood Shadow Tower.”
“And even the Blood Shadow Tower cannot ignore the Sado Alliance.”
In that instant, the two masters’ auras collided head-on.
BOOM!
Crimson energy and blue lightning qi smashed together, shaking the surroundings. The ground cracked; buildings trembled. Ak Hu’s pupils flickered slightly.
“Blood Demonic Art…”
The dark-red mist rising from Mak Ri-u’s body looked exactly like a fog made of blood.
“Four Emperors Lightning Fist. As expected, the reputation is well-earned.”
Blue lightning qi exploded from Ak Hu as well. Thunder rolled across the sky. Both masters moved at the same time.
BOOM—!
Fist and palm met. Shockwaves blasted outward in every direction.
“Not bad, Ak Hu.”
“You’re not half bad yourself, Mak Ri-u.”
They exchanged dozens of blows in the blink of an eye.
But as time passed, Ak Hu began to be pushed back, little by little.
BOOM—!
Forced backward, Ak Hu steadied his stance. A trembling impact still lingered in the hand that had blocked Mak Ri-u’s strike. He took a deep breath.
As expected… the Blood Demonic Art is strong.
Mak Ri-u’s Blood Demonic Art stood at the absolute peak among forbidden demonic arts.
And he had trained it to the extreme.
“Keh keh… do you understand now? You cannot stop me. Not even the Absolute Martial God can. The Blood Demonic Art is the strongest martial art.”
The moment Mak Ri-u prepared to deliver the decisive blow—
Creak.
The sound of the inn’s door opening reached them. It was the most ordinary of sounds, yet both masters froze simultaneously.
“Ak Hu, good work.”
A gentle voice accompanied the approach of a young man wearing an apron. An ordinary-looking youth.
Kang Yeon.
He looked at Mak Ri-u. Seeing the forbidden demonic art coiling around the man’s entire body, Kang Yeon slightly furrowed his brow.
“I’ll handle him from here.”
In that instant the plaza fell silent. Even the wind seemed to stop. Mak Ri-u’s eyes widened. The energy he felt from this seemingly ordinary young man belonged to an absolute being.
The corners of Mak Ri-u’s mouth curved upward.
“Finally… I’ve found him.”
His voice trembled—hatred and ecstasy tangled together.
“Absolute Martial God!”