“Huh!”
The moment the Blood Brings Rest was extended, Seol-Hwi immediately used the Taiji Heavenly Leak.
It was a technique under the Taiji Wisdom Sword. This was what he was trying to respond with.
Soon, the white steel-like form was created at the tip of the sword and flew at Sima Ryang.
Chung!
The Demonic Sect and Justice Faction, the absolute two sides of the wall, their martial arts were in the air.
“…!”
Seol-Hwi’s expression went stiff.
At first, the sword shield of the opponent moved and was just half the size of the human body, but it began to grow in size as it moved.
And when he countered it, it had changed to the size of a house. On the other hand, he only knew the Taiji Heavenly Leak.
He did not use it until then. He could not help but worry if he could destroy the opponent with his attack.
Kwaaaang!
The two opposite forces clashed heavily as the air began to spew out fragments of energy .
It could be seen that the white steel was getting softer. It was clearly him who was inferior.
Kukuku.
“Ah…”
As expected, as soon as white steel vanished, the huge sword shield flew.
Because the range of it was so wide and swift, Seol-Hwi could not even lift the hand.
He was not sure, but he did not expect to be pushed back so easily.
Is this the end for me?
The shadow of death was looming over him.
But then…
Paaaat
—came the fiercely approaching sword shield of the opponent which lost its light. When it came to Seol-Hwi, it was like a gentle air, yet Seol-Hwi raised his hand reflexively.
Tssss
The flow of the energy touching his fingertips, feeling it, his eyes widened.
The Wisdom Sword’s essence.
Like a wave of water, like a tsunami, the opponent’s energy shot was impossible to match with his. Despite different energies touching, an explosion did not happen.
That meant that the energy had not been subdued yet.
This is the Taiji Heavenly Leak…
It was not a martial art created with the purpose to kill.
Rather, it was a martial art designed to block the hostility of the opponent and turn it into nothing. So it offset the fierce energy of the sword shield and turned it into a single air current.
“Ha, ha!”
When the attack was blocked again, Sim Ryang laughed, thinking the situation was absurd. This time, he was intent on destroying the man.
More than anything, the fact that it was not done with demonic arts was more shocking.
“You bastard! Did you unleash the Taiji Wisdom Sword!”
If nothing else, the Taiji Sword was quite famous in the Demonic Sect. Among them, the Wudang’s sword was known to hold the essence of Taiji.
Be it the Demonic Sect or not, it ended up nullifying the opponent’s attack, so they were bound to recognize it. When Seol-Hwi did not answer, he raised the voice and said,
“How did a demon of this sect learn those arts!?”
“Well, I must have gotten lucky…”
“Luck? Bullshit… no, what nonsense is…”
The face of Sima Ryang began to change little by little.
Along with that a new window appeared in front of his eyes and began to give information to Seol-Hwi again.
<The number has dropped significantly.> <50% of the will of Sima Ryang has fallen.>
Will?
Seol-Hwi looked at Sima Ryang. Sudden text had popped up. From the experience he knew what 50% meant, it was half.
However—
If it is the will… the will to fight?
Could it be that they could stop fighting and move on from this situation? That was what he guessed though.
“Ha, you are one who makes it hard to cross hands.”
The eyes of Sima Ryang changed. A few of his best attacks had failed, despite drawing out his most powerful attacks to put an end to it, it had been all for nothing.
Of course, if they tried to fight someone when it meant dying, winning first made it worth it, but Seol-Hwi was someone the old man met for the first time.
A chance like this will never come again!
But as his force decreased, the strength of Seol-Hwi rose.
Sima Ryang was the strongest opponent to him. At first he thought he would be beaten to death, but for some reason, the old man was backing down now.
Did he realize the strength of the Taiji Wisdom Sword?
Then, what would happen if he continued to attack?
Maybe!
The idea of respecting strength above all else was unique to the Demonic Sect. If he could push through his skills and treat them with the proper attitude, he might bring them in as allies. This would be better since the choice before hinted at it.
If the opponent was someone else, Seol-Hwi would not have gone this far. However, was he not the sajae to the Heavenly Demon?
It was surely someone worth trying and risking his life to recruit.
<Supreme Demon ON>
Clack
Seol-Hwi changed the method and ten illusions popped around at the same time. It was the start of the Heavenly Demon Steps.
“You are a bizarre one!”
Swish
Sima Ryang’s response to this was simple.
He drew a horizontal line with his sword. And—
Swisssh-kwang!
As before, the land around began to go up in flames. No, a stronger power than before was raging this time.
Chik!
Explosion occurred and another figure moved through the flame. Seeing that, the eyes of Sima Ryang narrowed.
He noticed that the opponent had created ten illusions this time.
“Like that… euk!?”
The sword which extended, stopped. Because the form rushing to him vanished in an instant.
Surely I thought he used the Heavenly Demon Illusion technique!?
Sima Ryang instantly felt goosebumps rise.
He did not think much, and his body reacted swiftly. Disturbing the energy, he turned his body and swung the sword to the back.
Kang!
Seol-Hwi, who disappeared, was there. He managed to closely block it.
“As expected, the sajae to the Heavenly Demon…”
“This, you cheeky!”
Chiik!
When the sword was loaded with energy, Seol-Hwi got pushed back more.
Chiing!
And this time, the offensive of Sima Ryang began.
<Supreme Master ON> <Tomb of Taiji is being used.>
Seol-Hwi immediately changed his state and cast the technique as he doubted the eyes.
Ssasasal
As the opponent swung the sword, the sword flew to him at once.
What is this…
Seeing this new thing for the first time, Seol-Hwi could not believe it. The opponent just swung the sword. But now instead of just from the front, the sword attacks were coming from all around?
“hHaa!”
Eventually, as expected, Sima Ryang swung the sword at him, and Seol-Hwi did not respond with an attack.
He just rolled back on the ground and, at that moment—
Kwaaaang!
Six pillars of flames soared from the ground where Seol-Hwi was standing.
Shit…!
It was an attack he could never understand despite seeing it with his own eyes. Obviously there was just one opponent, but several attacks came in at the same time.
Is this possible? Performing such arts at the same time?
Footwork works in its own way, but to unleash sword techniques at the same time? This was one which was impossible both theoretically and in practice. Because the direction to move and hand to swing would be tough.
“Huh, you predicted that?”
Sima Ryang did not rush in. Each time Seol-Hwi escaped like a mouse, he would wait and check.
“Thank you for taking your time. Elder.”
“Just die… what kind of guy are you?”
He sighed.
<Number drops to 25%.> <25% of the will of Sima Ryang has fallen.>
Seol-Hwi was a bit shocked as he watched the text in front of him. Judging from the look on his face now, the opponent did not seem to be so into the fight anymore.
No more. I need to catch him now.
Not thinking more on it, Seol-Hwi decided to act now.
He had two martial arts in mind.
First, it would be the flame of Four Peak Demonic Martial Arts.
<Supreme Demon ON>
Shhh.
Seol-Hwi’s sword rose in flame. Part of the flame turned purple and then turned into the shape of a snake which flicked its tongue.
“T-this…”
Sima Young’s eyes widened because he knew what this was.
But he could not avoid it.
The flame spread into the air without a clear direction. It was unknown when and how this flame would move and aim for the opponent.
Because the flame of the martial arts was known to be so vicious.
“This time, senior should be careful too!”
“…How is this!”
Jjkkk
When the circle began to get close to him, Sima Ryang realized it. The opponent was trying to use the Great Annihilation and Destroying Arts.
“Fine. I will handle it.”
Grrrk!
The area where the martial arts touched began to change. Against this…
The answer is to respond with a better technique.
“Great Annihilation and Destroying Arts.”
“Heavenly Demon Explosion Arts.”
And with the small voices came the explosion.
Kukukung! Kwaaang!
A truly tremendous explosion happened. Both explosion arts which amplified the damage and created destructive flames. And the two exploded at the same time.
Kukukukung!
The explosion happened for a long time. And the aftermath of it was a continued explosion which shattered everything around.
Seo Ryeong, who watched this fight between the two, avoided the area and moved as she turned to see the explosion.
“Kuak!”
In the midst of the thick dust, someone staggered and sat on one knee.
Seol-Hwi—
Alive? I hope he didn’t die.
With his vision going faint, Seol-Hwi checked that Sima Ryang was alive.
To be honest, he wanted them to die. Because the blow was so terrifying. If asked to fight again in the same way, he did not have the confidence to win.
Where?
While the dust began to clear, Seol-Hwi found him.
Well, since he did not die, it could be called a win, but he wanted to see what happened to the opponent.
While he waited and looked—
<The number has fallen completely.> <The will to fight of Sima Ryang is 0%.>
The information came.
Right. Sima Ryang was down. Even with the tremendous title he had as the sajae to the Heavenly Demon.
“Damn it, just a little more…”
Seol-Hwi felt bad.
The opponent was strong. And when they fought he realized it even more, a skilled man who went past Supreme Demon.
And such a person disappeared because of such a fight?
He was a bit disappointed because he was prepared for death.
“Commander!”
“Are you alright?”
The members came running in time, and seeing Seol-Hwi all alone, they seemed to be relieved.
“Right. I am fine.”
Seol-Hwi waved his hand and then looked at a place far away which could not be seen.
“I see, it is a loss.”
“…Uh?”
“…Just such a thing.”
Seol-Hwi looked away.
Sima Ryang. When will he meet him again?
A person whom he would not like as an enemy, but as an ally.
He got lucky this time, but the next time would not be like this. He thought so and sighed, but suddenly this thought popped up.
<Would you like to save?>
“…”
Somehow, this made more sense.
“Huh!”
The moment the Blood Brings Rest was extended, Seol-Hwi immediately used the Taiji Heavenly Leak.
It was a technique under the Taiji Wisdom Sword. This was what he was trying to respond with.
Soon, the white steel-like form was created at the tip of the sword and flew at Sima Ryang.
Chung!
The Demonic Sect and Justice Faction, the absolute two sides of the wall, their martial arts were in the air.
“…!”
Seol-Hwi’s expression went stiff.
At first, the sword shield of the opponent moved and was just half the size of the human body, but it began to grow in size as it moved.
And when he countered it, it had changed to the size of a house. On the other hand, he only knew the Taiji Heavenly Leak.
He did not use it until then. He could not help but worry if he could destroy the opponent with his attack.
Kwaaaang!
The two opposite forces clashed heavily as the air began to spew out fragments of energy .
It could be seen that the white steel was getting softer. It was clearly him who was inferior.
Kukuku.
“Ah…”
As expected, as soon as white steel vanished, the huge sword shield flew.
Because the range of it was so wide and swift, Seol-Hwi could not even lift the hand.
He was not sure, but he did not expect to be pushed back so easily.
Is this the end for me?
The shadow of death was looming over him.
But then…
Paaaat
—came the fiercely approaching sword shield of the opponent which lost its light. When it came to Seol-Hwi, it was like a gentle air, yet Seol-Hwi raised his hand reflexively.
Tssss
The flow of the energy touching his fingertips, feeling it, his eyes widened.
The Wisdom Sword’s essence.
Like a wave of water, like a tsunami, the opponent’s energy shot was impossible to match with his. Despite different energies touching, an explosion did not happen.
That meant that the energy had not been subdued yet.
This is the Taiji Heavenly Leak…
It was not a martial art created with the purpose to kill.
Rather, it was a martial art designed to block the hostility of the opponent and turn it into nothing. So it offset the fierce energy of the sword shield and turned it into a single air current.
“Ha, ha!”
When the attack was blocked again, Sim Ryang laughed, thinking the situation was absurd. This time, he was intent on destroying the man.
More than anything, the fact that it was not done with demonic arts was more shocking.
“You bastard! Did you unleash the Taiji Wisdom Sword!”
If nothing else, the Taiji Sword was quite famous in the Demonic Sect. Among them, the Wudang’s sword was known to hold the essence of Taiji.
Be it the Demonic Sect or not, it ended up nullifying the opponent’s attack, so they were bound to recognize it. When Seol-Hwi did not answer, he raised the voice and said,
“How did a demon of this sect learn those arts!?”
“Well, I must have gotten lucky…”
“Luck? Bullshit… no, what nonsense is…”
The face of Sima Ryang began to change little by little.
Along with that a new window appeared in front of his eyes and began to give information to Seol-Hwi again.
<The number has dropped significantly.> <50% of the will of Sima Ryang has fallen.>
Will?
Seol-Hwi looked at Sima Ryang. Sudden text had popped up. From the experience he knew what 50% meant, it was half.
However—
If it is the will… the will to fight?
Could it be that they could stop fighting and move on from this situation? That was what he guessed though.
“Ha, you are one who makes it hard to cross hands.”
The eyes of Sima Ryang changed. A few of his best attacks had failed, despite drawing out his most powerful attacks to put an end to it, it had been all for nothing.
Of course, if they tried to fight someone when it meant dying, winning first made it worth it, but Seol-Hwi was someone the old man met for the first time.
A chance like this will never come again!
But as his force decreased, the strength of Seol-Hwi rose.
Sima Ryang was the strongest opponent to him. At first he thought he would be beaten to death, but for some reason, the old man was backing down now.
Did he realize the strength of the Taiji Wisdom Sword?
Then, what would happen if he continued to attack?
Maybe!
The idea of respecting strength above all else was unique to the Demonic Sect. If he could push through his skills and treat them with the proper attitude, he might bring them in as allies. This would be better since the choice before hinted at it.
If the opponent was someone else, Seol-Hwi would not have gone this far. However, was he not the sajae to the Heavenly Demon?
It was surely someone worth trying and risking his life to recruit.
<Supreme Demon ON>
Clack
Seol-Hwi changed the method and ten illusions popped around at the same time. It was the start of the Heavenly Demon Steps.
“You are a bizarre one!”
Swish
Sima Ryang’s response to this was simple.
He drew a horizontal line with his sword. And—
Swisssh-kwang!
As before, the land around began to go up in flames. No, a stronger power than before was raging this time.
Chik!
Explosion occurred and another figure moved through the flame. Seeing that, the eyes of Sima Ryang narrowed.
He noticed that the opponent had created ten illusions this time.
“Like that… euk!?”
The sword which extended, stopped. Because the form rushing to him vanished in an instant.
Surely I thought he used the Heavenly Demon Illusion technique!?
Sima Ryang instantly felt goosebumps rise.
He did not think much, and his body reacted swiftly. Disturbing the energy, he turned his body and swung the sword to the back.
Kang!
Seol-Hwi, who disappeared, was there. He managed to closely block it.
“As expected, the sajae to the Heavenly Demon…”
“This, you cheeky!”
Chiik!
When the sword was loaded with energy, Seol-Hwi got pushed back more.
Chiing!
And this time, the offensive of Sima Ryang began.
<Supreme Master ON> <Tomb of Taiji is being used.>
Seol-Hwi immediately changed his state and cast the technique as he doubted the eyes.
Ssasasal
As the opponent swung the sword, the sword flew to him at once.
What is this…
Seeing this new thing for the first time, Seol-Hwi could not believe it. The opponent just swung the sword. But now instead of just from the front, the sword attacks were coming from all around?
“hHaa!”
Eventually, as expected, Sima Ryang swung the sword at him, and Seol-Hwi did not respond with an attack.
He just rolled back on the ground and, at that moment—
Kwaaaang!
Six pillars of flames soared from the ground where Seol-Hwi was standing.
Shit…!
It was an attack he could never understand despite seeing it with his own eyes. Obviously there was just one opponent, but several attacks came in at the same time.
Is this possible? Performing such arts at the same time?
Footwork works in its own way, but to unleash sword techniques at the same time? This was one which was impossible both theoretically and in practice. Because the direction to move and hand to swing would be tough.
“Huh, you predicted that?”
Sima Ryang did not rush in. Each time Seol-Hwi escaped like a mouse, he would wait and check.
“Thank you for taking your time. Elder.”
“Just die… what kind of guy are you?”
He sighed.
<Number drops to 25%.> <25% of the will of Sima Ryang has fallen.>
Seol-Hwi was a bit shocked as he watched the text in front of him. Judging from the look on his face now, the opponent did not seem to be so into the fight anymore.
No more. I need to catch him now.
Not thinking more on it, Seol-Hwi decided to act now.
He had two martial arts in mind.
First, it would be the flame of Four Peak Demonic Martial Arts.
<Supreme Demon ON>
Shhh.
Seol-Hwi’s sword rose in flame. Part of the flame turned purple and then turned into the shape of a snake which flicked its tongue.
“T-this…”
Sima Young’s eyes widened because he knew what this was.
But he could not avoid it.
The flame spread into the air without a clear direction. It was unknown when and how this flame would move and aim for the opponent.
Because the flame of the martial arts was known to be so vicious.
“This time, senior should be careful too!”
“…How is this!”
Jjkkk
When the circle began to get close to him, Sima Ryang realized it. The opponent was trying to use the Great Annihilation and Destroying Arts.
“Fine. I will handle it.”
Grrrk!
The area where the martial arts touched began to change. Against this…
The answer is to respond with a better technique.
“Great Annihilation and Destroying Arts.”
“Heavenly Demon Explosion Arts.”
And with the small voices came the explosion.
Kukukung! Kwaaang!
A truly tremendous explosion happened. Both explosion arts which amplified the damage and created destructive flames. And the two exploded at the same time.
Kukukukung!
The explosion happened for a long time. And the aftermath of it was a continued explosion which shattered everything around.
Seo Ryeong, who watched this fight between the two, avoided the area and moved as she turned to see the explosion.
“Kuak!”
In the midst of the thick dust, someone staggered and sat on one knee.
Seol-Hwi—
Alive? I hope he didn’t die.
With his vision going faint, Seol-Hwi checked that Sima Ryang was alive.
To be honest, he wanted them to die. Because the blow was so terrifying. If asked to fight again in the same way, he did not have the confidence to win.
Where?
While the dust began to clear, Seol-Hwi found him.
Well, since he did not die, it could be called a win, but he wanted to see what happened to the opponent.
While he waited and looked—
<The number has fallen completely.> <The will to fight of Sima Ryang is 0%.>
The information came.
Right. Sima Ryang was down. Even with the tremendous title he had as the sajae to the Heavenly Demon.
“Damn it, just a little more…”
Seol-Hwi felt bad.
The opponent was strong. And when they fought he realized it even more, a skilled man who went past Supreme Demon.
And such a person disappeared because of such a fight?
He was a bit disappointed because he was prepared for death.
“Commander!”
“Are you alright?”
The members came running in time, and seeing Seol-Hwi all alone, they seemed to be relieved.
“Right. I am fine.”
Seol-Hwi waved his hand and then looked at a place far away which could not be seen.
“I see, it is a loss.”
“…Uh?”
“…Just such a thing.”
Seol-Hwi looked away.
Sima Ryang. When will he meet him again?
A person whom he would not like as an enemy, but as an ally.
He got lucky this time, but the next time would not be like this. He thought so and sighed, but suddenly this thought popped up.
<Would you like to save?>
“…”
Somehow, this made more sense.
