Great Demon (2)
The Great Demon Ma Jeo-ungwon was livid, fury boiling to the very top of his head.
Idiots! He had assigned not one, but two men with over seventy years of inner strength, and yet they had squandered it all and returned with only one survivor.
So Yu-reung claimed that one subordinate might still return, but even that would only be known if the man truly came back alive.
If not, their number—once ten—would be reduced to five.
This was no small problem.
Not because Jeo-ungwon cared for their lives, but because failure to fulfill Minor Demon General Sa Won-yang's orders could well cost him his own.
"You worthless fool!"
Unable to contain his rage, Jeo-ungwon roared.
So Yu-reung knelt with head bowed low, trembling.
The urge to smash that bothersome skull was nearly overwhelming.
But he had to restrain himself.
If he killed him, only four would remain.
And besides, So Yu-reung was still the most capable of those left.
"Raaaghhh!"
With nowhere to vent his wrath, Jeo-ungwon bellowed like a beast. Then suddenly he recalled the woman left in his subordinate's care.
His blazing eyes turned to her.
She was the sixth of the ten women Sa Won-yang had sent him.
The other five he had already played with to death.
Only because Sa Won-yang had warned him not to draw too much attention had he refrained from abducting more women. Instead, he had rationed those ten, one after another, preserving them for later.
That was why five still remained.
But tonight, in this mood, he could not hold back.
Only by using her and breaking her utterly would his rage abate.
"Bring me the wench!"
Jeo-ungwon barked, glaring at the subordinate holding the woman.
Her eyes, already streaming tears, now brimmed with pure despair.
It was over.
And then—
"Hup!"
A figure in black, masked head to toe, suddenly vaulted over the wall and landed in the courtyard.
The Blood Sect cultists shouted in alarm:
"Who goes there?!"
"What bastard dares?!"
But the masked intruder himself feigned shock, crying out loudly:
"What?! You're the Great Demon Ma Jeo-ungwon?!"
Jeo-ungwon, glaring with a look that said Who is this fool?, froze the instant he heard the words.
He recognized me?!
Jeo-ungwon shouted in panic:
"You—who are you?!"
But he never finished.
The masked man suddenly leapt back, springing over the wall to flee.
Fwip!
So swift was his escape that the Blood Sect cultists scrambled in confusion, only then coming to their senses and leaping after.
"Get him!"
"Stop right there!"
But Jeo-ungwon barked:
"Halt! You stay here and guard this place! I'll catch him myself!"
His subordinates froze at his command as the Great Demon's massive frame bounded over the wall like a swallow, pursuing the intruder.
He recognized me. I can't let him live!
If word of his presence spread, he was finished.
Sa Won-yang would kill him with his own hands.
He could not entrust this to others. He had to do it himself.
Jeo-ungwon ran at full speed.
But the masked man—who looked no stronger than an average martial artist—did not fall behind.
If anything, their distance held steady.
A master of movement techniques?
What Jeo-ungwon did not know was that Bi Sa-yeong was deliberately adjusting his pace, maintaining just the right gap to keep him chasing.
Impressive speed. In that case…
Jeo-ungwon began focusing his inner strength.
At the same time—
As Jeo-ungwon vaulted over the wall after Bi Sa-yeong, Sak Muhun sent me a soundless transmission.
— We don't know when he'll return. Let's strike now!
But I stopped him.
— Wait, hyung-nim. Just a moment longer.
Rushing in now would guarantee nothing.
The enemy force still inside consisted of one early-stage peak master, another with at least seventy years of inner strength, and two elite first-class fighters.
On our side, only Sak Muhun and I—one early-stage peak, and one seventy-year master.
A head-on clash would almost certainly leave us at a disadvantage.
Sak Muhun replied, his tone taut with urgency.
— To reach them, we must charge straight into the manor's courtyard. No chance for a real ambush. Better to crash in with momentum than hesitate.
He had a point.
The enemy stood in the open yard, beyond any chance of stealth. And the Great Demon could return at any moment.
But still, I saw another possibility.
— Just count to ten. By then, they may…
Even as I sent the thought, one of the Blood Sect cultists guarding the woman muttered:
"So what, we're just supposed to stare at her, hyung-nim?"
I almost laughed bitterly. As expected—Blood Sect scum.
No need even to wait for ten.
The senior among them snorted coldly.
"Hah! And what then? You want to get torn apart by our enraged commander? Touch her and we're all dead."
Unusually rational words for a cultist.
Disappointing.
But the others, true to their depraved nature, didn't relent.
One grinned slyly.
"Of course, we can't be the first to take her. But just touching? Stroking a bit—no one would know. No marks left behind, eh?"
"Hm?"
The senior hesitated. Temptation was sinking in.
And after a moment's pause, he gave the answer I expected.
"Hmph. If it's only touching… then perhaps. So long as we don't get caught."
The subordinate's face lit up.
"Exactly, hyung-nim! That's what I meant!"
"Fine then. One keeps watch for the commander's return, the rest of us… enjoy."
"Agreed!"
The four laughed, already choosing who would stand guard.
Naturally, neither of the two peak masters volunteered.
One of the first-class elites would have to do it.
And unfortunately for him, it was the very man who'd suggested it.
"Wh-what?! This can't be…"
"Kekeke, unlucky bastard."
"Accept your fate."
"We'll swap later—if there's time. Keep a sharp watch."
The dejected man trudged toward the wall, muttering.
Meanwhile, the other three turned hungry eyes on the immobilized woman.
She wept silently, unable to move, sealed at the pressure points.
And that was our cue.
— Now!
Fwip!
We shot over the wall like lightning.
The unlucky sentry froze in shock, fumbling for his blade.
"E-enem—!"
Clang!Shhk!
As we swept past him, my sword clashed against his saber—
and in the same instant, Sak hyung's blade brushed his throat.
A thin red line opened, spraying blood.
We surged on, flinging hidden weapons toward the remaining three.
"Haaa!"
"Hup!"
Whirr!Whirr!
Startled, they spun around, weapons already in hand. The frontman fell instantly, but the other two scattered, deflecting our flying blades.
"Tch!"
"Not so fast!"
Clang! Clash! Clang!
The two peak masters would not be so easy.
But the last first-class elite collapsed, clutching at the dagger lodged in his throat.
Now only the two peak masters remained.
I exchanged a look with Sak hyung, and together we split—each to face one.
Mine, with over seventy years of inner strength.
His, the early-stage peak.
"Haaap!"
The First Stroke of the Thirteen Swords of Seonu.
Soaring Response of the Flying Swallow.
My sword blazed like outstretched wings, radiant arcs of steel cascading toward my foe.
He only sneered, saber flashing up to meet me.
"Hmph! Petty tricks!"
Slash!
His saber cleaved through the air with a ferocious howl.
My wings of sword-light were ripped apart in a single stroke.
But I was no longer there.
With the Heavenly Wind Steps, my body had already flowed aside like a breeze, circling behind him.
Once more I spread my wings of sword-light.
"Haaap!"
Shooaaak!
It was a natural, flowing, swift strike.
But the gap in skill was too wide; such attacks could not hope to land a decisive blow.
The enemy spun and swept his saber in a wide arc, scattering my technique as if it were nothing.
"Pathetic trickery!"
Chwaaak!
And again, I had already flowed behind him.
It was an obvious strategy—using phantom blades to mislead his eyes, while relying on superior footwork to attack from the rear.
Despite his superiority, he was being dragged about, unable to counterattack. His face twisted in irritation.
"Enough nonsense! Do you take me for a ghost?!"
A ghost's game, he called it.
Not wrong.
That was exactly why Sak hyung and I had switched opponents.
This kind of "ghost play" was my specialty.
Even against someone stronger, I could stall them.
Glancing aside, I saw Sak Muhun hammering his own opponent with a fierce storm of blows. The Blood Sect cultist's blade work was already faltering—he wouldn't last long.
My foe noticed too. His eyes darted toward the other fight, and then, growing desperate, he lunged at me.
"Die!"
Shwaaak!
Scarlet saber-light erupted like a net, tearing through the space around me.
He was trying to deny me any room to evade.
A fitting tactic against someone weaker.
A hopeless situation—
If I hadn't mastered the Heavenly Wind Steps.
But I had.
I slipped back like a phantom and smirked.
"Heavenly Wind Steps—Secret Art."
Blossoms Scattered in the Storm.
Shaaaaa!
My figure scattered like flower petals in the wind, phantoms whirling in every direction.
This was the ultimate secret of the Heavenly Wind Steps, usable only after reaching its pinnacle.
Even Bi Sa-yeong had yet to achieve it.
My opponent's eyes darted wildly, panic seizing him.
"W-what is this?!"
From the very start, I had known this technique paired perfectly with my phantom blades.
Now, with him unable to tell real from false, I struck.
The Thirteenth Stroke of the Thirteen Swords of Seonu.
Realm of the Phantom Blades.
Shuuaaaaa!
In an instant, my sword divided into hundreds.
They surrounded him, raining down like a meteor shower.
Whoooosh!
"Impossible?!"
He swung desperately, saber shredding the air, trying to block from every direction.
When I had fought Ma Yu-gyeom, I learned a truth: against those a realm above me, ordinary phantom blades were useless.
A clumsy phantom revealed more flaws than it concealed.
But this—
The original ultimate stroke of the Seonu Thirteen Swords—
Had no such flaws.
So many phantoms that there was no room for gaps.
The air was filled with my blades. His saber howled, crimson light exploding everywhere as he slashed wildly.
"Haaaaap!"
Shwaaak!
And then—my blades dissolved like mist.
That was the most frustrating part of the Realm of Phantom Blades.
A hundred illusory strikes, but not a single true edge.
They could exhaust an opponent, perhaps—
But the truth was, they consumed my strength more.
That was why I had avoided using it.
The enemy realized it too. Relief washed over his eyes, then mockery.
"Futile tricks…"
But that was exactly why I used it.
In his panic, he had overextended, swinging too wide.
He still hadn't located my true self.
And this time, I held a new weapon—
the Sail Sword Art of the Jeomchang Sect, with its lightning thrusts.
I emerged behind him and struck without hesitation.
Sail Sword Art, First Stroke.
Pierce Through in a Single Breath.
My blade flashed like a bolt of light.
Puk!
"Guhk!"
Blood sprayed as my sword pierced his back clean through.
He turned, choking, eyes filled only with disbelief.
I grinned at him.
I couldn't help it.
I had done it.
I had slain someone a whole realm above me.
Elation surged through me.
"Really now. You're making me look bad."
I turned.
Sak Muhun was smiling wryly, having just cleaved open his opponent's chest.
"It was luck. He underestimated me because he thought I was weaker."
"Heh. Last time you nearly killed me, and now this. Maybe you're not lucky—maybe luck is your skill."
I chuckled awkwardly at his praise, then we hurried to release the immobilized woman.
Her face was streaked with tears, but her voice was surprisingly steady.
"Disciple Jeong Yeon of Mount Emei thanks her benefactors."
We froze in shock.
"What?! You're a disciple of Mount Emei?!"
"Yes. I am the twenty-fifth disciple."
It was unthinkable.
Even if Mount Emei's prestige had waned since the Great War, it was still one of the Nine Great Sects.
And here was one of its disciples, captive to the Blood Sect.
As we reeled, she spoke again.
"In this manor's dungeon, one of my sisters and three other women are still imprisoned. Forgive me, but may I beg you to save them as well?"
Her limbs still trembled from prolonged sealing. She could hardly move.
We answered at once.
"Of course. Do not worry, my lady."
We had to hurry.
Who knew how long Bi Sa-yeong could keep the Great Demon occupied?
But then—
From the forest, an aura surged closer.
I felt it.
The Great Demon.
I turned to Sak Muhun urgently.
"Hyung-nim! Please, take the lady! I'll draw him away ag—"
But my words died in my throat.
For there, light as a bird despite his massive frame, Ma Jeo-ungwon alighted upon the wall.
"So. More rats were hiding here?"
My eyes widened in horror.
Dangling in his hand like a rag doll—
was Bi Sa-yeong, limp and motionless.