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Chapter 7: The Descent of Darkness

“Whoosh–!!”

“Boom–!!”

At the end of a massive fist, strong energy whirls.

The condensed and compressed front swiftly descends.

Finally, it meets the ground.

“Crash! Ka-boom—!!!”

The floor shatters as fragments scatter in all directions. Qi erupts explosively, creating a gust of wind.

A tremendous vortex.

Inside it, overwhelming destructive power is vividly apparent.

Even more so.

“Boom–!”

“Boom! Boom–!!”

The shock doesn’t end there; it continues to produce thunderous sounds.

“Crack! Smash–!!”

Only once the movements continue does the sound arise.

Speed surpassing the speed of sound.

Such was the realm of speed showcased by the two.

“Flap–!” The yellow robe flutters as the giant tucks himself in.

Golden Qi surged at the toes of the crouched figure.

“Fierce Tiger Fist Techniques!”

“Growl–!!!”

Using the recoil, a punch swings, and energy takes on the form of a tiger, charging towards the opponent.

“Gah–!”

Seeing this, the elder swings his club fiercely to shatter the tiger, but he failed to block them all, taking a shock instead.

“Boom—!”

The body that met the energy wobbles and crashes from the air.

Watching this, the man, Huangbo Yeolwi, renowned for his Tiger Fist Techniques, leaps quickly towards the falling elder.

“Tightening–!”

Focusing energy in his clenched fist, he unleashes “Fierce Tiger Multiple Strikes.”

The fist, taking the form of a tiger, rapidly rains down towards the elder.

In this scenario, dodging is out of the question.

The elder grits his teeth in dread and—

“Swish–!”

With one hand—two fingers pinched together, he demonstrates a peculiar action.

At that moment.

“Ka-boom—!!”

Huangbo Yeolwi’s fist lands directly, and heavy destructive force erupts in all directions.

“Hmm!”

Glancing at his swung fist, Huangbo Yeolwi frowns.

There’s something off.

Of course, it’s understandable.

“What are you?!”

Huangbo Yeolwi turns at the voice, where the elder, just hit by the attack, speaks.

This implies he didn’t hit the attack after all.

“Just who the hell are you?”

The elder questions, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

“I am the leader of the Huangbo Clan…”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

From the earlier introduction, that much was already known.

He wasn’t asking for the repeated answer like a parrot.

“How can you see me?”

His expression was one of disbelief.

How is it that this person could see him?

The elder was filled with questions.

As he murmured, he brushes his chest.

“Whoosh.”

A subtle energy that others couldn’t sense.

Confirming this, the doubts grew deeper.

‘Surely, the sorcery is intact.’

It was a spell inscribed on him over several nights leading up to the battle.

Normally, it should have lasted at least an hour and wasn’t something those outside the pavilion should easily notice.

But how is this person capable?

‘What on earth could make him see me properly?’

It was an unfathomable situation.

Moreover, there were others also unable to believe what they were witnessing.

“Was the clan leader of Huangbo this powerful…?”

“Just now… that strike was…”

Indeed, the onlookers were within the pavilion, observing the fierce battle.

The unexpected onset of conflict.

Huangbo the leader, who had not been present before, seemed to be intervening now.

Everyone watched with wide eyes at Huangbo Yeolwi’s showcased strength.

“Did the Tiger Fist Techniques reach such strength?”

“Rumors said he was frail… Did they turn out to be complete nonsense?”

“Frail? No way… He seems to have gained tremendous enlightenment over these years.”

It was well-known that the Huangbo Clan’s martial arts were filled with destructive power.

Due to this burden, their martial artists usually retired at a younger age than average.

So seeing Huangbo Yeolwi, who hadn’t appeared for years, everyone assumed he was no different.

“Right now, that appearance is….”

It seemed all those words were mere rumors.

Huangbo Yeolwi presented a form much stronger than before.

Those watching all understood he was mighty.

Each of his actions had incredible power, far more than what he had previously shown.

“Huff.”

Huangbo Yeolwi inhales deeply.

As for the question of how the elder perceived him, he didn’t bother to answer.

He simply focused on preparing his body for what was to come.

“Tighten.”

He slightly extends his closed fist while bracing his gaze.

His entire body felt light.

The surging energy was enough to warm his flesh, and unlike the heavy force around him, his feet were as light as a feather.

He stretched out as desired, and the force burst forth even stronger than he hoped.

It felt like he was crossing a barrier.

As if his former prime returned.

Unaccomplished tasks began to proceed naturally; how splendid it felt.

Huangbo Yeolwi felt he might explode with power at any moment but was doing his utmost to contain it.

The command imposed upon him was not that.

—Is that person… the leader of Huangbo Clan?

—Why is the clan leader suddenly here…?

—Who is he fighting? Can’t see anyone…?

Voices murmur.

There were still spectators trapped inside. They gazed at Huangbo Yeolwi with expressions filled with unease.

The one that spoke has said this:

That those watching now would one day become outstanding mouths to be feared and praised.

Furthermore, that through this, he would obtain what he desired.

He had said so, and recalling this, Huangbo Yeolwi merely stepped forward.

“Thud—!”

A short leap.

As his body approached the elder, a sound followed.

“Fierce Tiger Lash!”

“Whoosh–!!”

Strong energy-laden legs extend towards the elder.

The elder raised his club to defend himself.

“Bam–!!”

The club failed to absorb all the shock.

The elder’s body was sent flying, bouncing off the ground.

“Thud—! Crash—!”

“Ugh!”

He barely manages to catch himself on the ground, or else the shock could have penetrated his insides.

‘This….’

The elder intensely crinkles his forehead.

It was an unexpected problem.

The sorcery that allowed him to see was troubling; moreover, the fact that this was someone he found quite difficult to deal with made it a problem too.

‘…There’s still time left for the sorcery to complete.’

Looking up at the sky.

The lines appeared clearer than before, soon looking as if they might completely connect, but still, a little more time was needed.

The elder grasped this and gritted his teeth.

Could he endure that time?

‘This is the point of chaos; thus, the Great Lords might arrive earlier than planned.’

He tangled the sorcery up to buy time until the other Great Lords reached here.

This would have originally been no trouble.

‘This situation has become entangled with their appearance.’

That Huangbo the leader was here in Hanam, meant he must have gathered information on those here and already knew this much.

However, he never anticipated that Huangbo would come to this place to engage him.

Even more so.

‘To think he’s this strong.’

It differed completely from the prepared estimate.

He thought he would at most be a little stronger than a novice.

Given his weakening physical form post-prime, it was expected he’d be that level.

‘This…’

Confronting him directly, he realized it wasn’t that level at all.

At this point, he felt.

‘He should have been tied up within the pavilion like some weakling.’

How could the leader of Huangbo possess such strength?

It was an astonishing matter, but there wasn’t a moment to consider such things.

For now.

‘It’s best to get out of here.’

Feeling humiliated, having plans go awry due to a mere individual was absurd.

It’s laughable that just one person caused such issues.

‘I can’t ruin the plan over a trivial sense of pride.’

The elder reminded himself of what was more important.

Rather than dealing with this unforeseen event, he would escape the scene first.

Initially, he planned to convey a message and leave, so this was aligned with his original intents.

As he readied to move again, fingers pinched together—

“Hmm!”

“Boom—!!”

“…Hah!”

Huangbo Yeolwi, as if unwilling to take this lying down, charged toward the elder, shattering the ground beneath him.

So fast!

With such speed, he would reach the elder before he could even attempt the sorcery.

“Ugh!”

Just as the elder made up his mind to raise his club in defense—

[That’s far enough.]

“…!”

“…!!”

Slammed down!

Whew—!!!

Huangbo Yeolwi’s fist halted right in front of the elder’s face.

The condensed energy burst forth with wind swirling violently around.

“Ahhhhhh—!”

Fragments mixed in with the wind, causing a few onlookers to scream in shock.

Suddenly halted, Huangbo Yeolwi began to sweat profusely.

What’s happening?

It was undeniably an odd situation.

Yet all those inside were too busy staring into the void rather than at Huangbo Yeolwi .

“…Something’s… something is there.”

“Who is it? Could it be… reinforcements are here?”

Eyes focused on the center of the void.

There was indeed something there.

Woosh—!!!

The first sight was a darkened sphere.

Beneath the strange lines and dark clouds above, a sphere was floating, and beneath it, similarly, someone was rising as the elder did.

Once more, it was in a black martial robe.

With arms crossed, the quietly fluttering robe was not much different from the elder’s, yet everyone who confirmed this went rigid.

“That… what on earth is that?”

It’s different.

There was something on a level beyond comprehension.

Thump—! Thump—!

His heart trembled.

A powerful presence was felt.

Just gazing sent shivers down their spines, as if the hairs on their bodies were standing on end.

Intuition struck next.

The reason Huangbo Yeolwi froze in place with his fist outstretched.

Could it be because of that ungraspable existence?

The Tiger Fist Techniques just now exhibited such might, yet for some unknown reason, he remained frozen, unable to move.

At that moment.

[It was quite a show, I must say.]

Swoosh.

The figure hovering in the void gradually descends toward the ground, and as the distance closes, the distinctive features of the individual become clearer.

“…Hah!”

“That’s him…!!”

As they recognized the figure, reactions erupted from all around.

The body appeared larger than eight chi.

In a black martial robe and with long, dark hair.

Plus, a cracked and unidentifiable mask covering his face.

That impression was undoubtedly something they had heard before.

Especially, the expression on Geomseon’s face was one of intense shock.

“…That guy is….”

It was the same impression of the fiend that had assaulted Wudang.

From behind the white mask shone purplish eyes.

The figure, with an overwhelming presence that drew everyone’s attention, began to speak as he gazed at the scene.

[Simply a show.]

Gugugugugu—!!!

As he spoke, vibrations echoed at the same instant.

It was difficult to tell whether the vibration had always been there or if he had manifested it.

Whew—!

In an instant, dark energy erupted from his shoulders, soaring to the heavens.

Without a doubt, it was vast energy.

This energy seeped into the dark sphere hovering above, and then—

“Wham—!!!”

The dark sphere became a launching pad, creating areas of influence in all directions.

In mere seconds.

As that brief moment passed, there was an pervasive darkness settling throughout the surrounding area.

“Hi… hii—!”

“W-What is this… what in the world is happening?!”

An unfathomable proclamation of energy.

The dark mist and areas of influence were enough to instill terror in the onlooking crowd.

Those who yelled to get out of the way or to plead for their lives were suddenly silenced.

An overwhelming sense of dread made speaking impossible.

Thump.

The figure’s feet finally touched the ground, precisely between Huangbo Yeolwi and the elder.

[Apologies for interfering with your pathetic festival.]

The weight of his voice was nearly deafening.

Swoosh.

As the figure released his arms behind his back, one hand lowered.

[Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have entered like this… but unfortunately, a problem arose.]

At that moment.

“…Cough cough!”

Suddenly, Huangbo Yeolwi, who had been nearby, screamed and was flung back.

Not just him.

Boom—! Crash—!!

With the force he had been thrown, he crashed into the ground, rolling far aside.

“…Cough!!”

He spat blood repeatedly and ended up collapsed, trembling a few times before falling limp to the floor.

It seemed he had lost consciousness.

“…That’s…!!”

Someone within the pavilion exclaimed in shock.

“Wh-When did he attack?!”

They couldn’t conceal the cold sweat rolling down their faces.

From their perspective, it only looked like he had lowered his arms, yet Huangbo Yeolwi had fallen so violently!

“…I didn’t even see the moment of attack.”

“It looked as if he was still. Just how fast is he…?”

“W-What on earth is this person’s identity?!”

It had only been a moment prior that they were shocked by Huangbo the leader’s level.

That the clan leader of Huangbo had become an incredible master was just something they had witnessed moments ago.

And yet, Huangbo Yeolwi lay there, defeated like that.

Moreover, they hadn’t even seen the moment of the strike.

Thanks to that, expressions of disbelief rose from the others’ faces.

And then.

‘…Hmm….’

This was also the perspective of the man in the mask.

Gu Yangcheong was similarly surprised.

He was staring at the collapsing Huangbo Yeolwi and thinking.

‘…That guy.’

Why.

‘…Why is he acting so well?’

It was a genuine puzzlement.

He’d simply instructed him to fake fainting, yet who would expect him to scream and collapse like that?

Thanks to that, he had opened his mouth in astonishment.

If he hadn’t been wearing a mask, his expression would have surely given him away.

“…C-Cult Leader….”

Beside him, Pildu Ma, looked at him with sparkling eyes, as if he were impressed.

He didn’t want to get such attention from such an old man.

Anyway.

While concealing his surprise, Gu Yangcheong gazed at the scene.

Every single expression was a sight to behold.

Had Huangbo Yeolwi performed even better than expected? The reactions were far from ordinary.

Yes, this was exactly the expression Gu Yangcheong desired.

In fact, it might be said to exceed what he had hoped for.

It didn’t matter.

Anything more was better than less.

Thus, Gu Yangcheong declared.

[It is a pleasure to meet you.]

He finally brought up what he had longed to say.

This was the starting point of a plan meticulously prepared over a long period.

[This is I.]

On a day similar to today in a past life.

[The Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Sect, whom you will come to fear and praise in the times to come.]

The curse uttered by the woman who tore through the Martial Alliance and appeared from the Demonic Gate.

[Tian Ma (Heavenly Demon).]

It was the same phrase as before.

 

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