Appearance of the Iron Ogre – 3
In my past life, when the Iron Ogre first appeared, Squad Thirteen of Unit Five was completely annihilated.
Dok Su-gwang also died there along with the other squad members.
And the damage didn't stop there.
Even the members of Squad Two, who had rushed in after receiving the emergency signal, suffered devastating casualties.
Yet, despite all that, we had to consider ourselves lucky in hindsight.
Because within our Squad Thirteen, there was Miss Tang Yeo-eun from the Tang family.
Soon, all the peak masters of Squad Thirteen joined forces to face the Iron Ogre, and even though not a scratch was left on its skin, Miss Tang hurled every last bit of poison she had at the creature.
It was, after all, like clutching at straws.
But that reckless method ended up revealing the way.
The way to kill that monstrous Iron Ogre.
And now, before my very eyes, the familiar face of the Iron Ogre I had already seen in my past life was rising to its feet.
Its sticky, crimson gaze licked over me.
"Seonu Jin! It's dangerous! Fall back!"
That was the worried cry of Squad Leader Han Gyo-seong of Squad One.
But I simply gave him a small smile and answered,
"I'm fine, Squad Leader."
At that, Dok Su-gwang, standing nearby, scowled deeply and shouted,
"Don't act so cocky! Unless you're a peak master, you can't possibly face that thing—?!"
But his shout broke off midway, his face turning to shock.
Because the sword I had half-drawn was wrapped in a vivid, pale-violet aura.
Even Han Gyo-seong's blade aura wasn't any clearer, and seeing that, Dok Su-gwang muttered in disbelief,
"…Peak?"
He could no longer say anything.
But Squad Leader Han Gyo-seong shouted again,
"Even so, you can't do this alone! Blade aura doesn't work on that thing!"
As I watched the Iron Ogre, which was growling like a beast and slowly approaching me, I replied,
"I know. And I never said I'd fight it alone."
At that moment, beside Han Gyo-seong landed Squad Leader Seol Pung, Lady Cheong Yeon, and Miss Tang.
Tak!
Catching sight of them, I immediately rushed toward the Iron Ogre.
Baaang!
"Grrrrrrr!"
The Iron Ogre swung its arm at me like a ferocious beast.
Booaang!
But my charge was a feint. I leapt up, vaulting over the monster's head.
Startled, its gaze turned upward after me, but at that same moment, Squad Leader Seol Pung, who had followed like a meteor, drove a strike into the creature's stomach.
Boooom!
In an instant, the monster's body was flung away like a cannonball.
But Seol Pung was even faster than the creature being hurled back.
He chased it down, spun once midair, and kicked it with full force.
Thud!
The Iron Ogre, which had been flying backward, crashed down vertically under the overwhelming shock.
Above, Seol Pung flipped his body downward and dropped like lightning, slamming into it.
Kwaaang!
It was truly like a meteor strike.
But the squad leader didn't stop there.
He poured down a storm of chained strikes, as though he meant to drive the Iron Ogre straight into the ground.
The vivid red aura coating his fists left afterimages like the thousand arms of Avalokitesvara.
"Wadadadadaat!"
Kwakakakakakabang!
Even if a mountain had stood there, that relentless storm of strikes would have shattered it down to the bedrock.
Everyone stared in awe at the dazzling onslaught.
But even so, the Iron Ogre did not die.
When it tried to swing its arm to smash Seol Pung away, the squad leader lightly leapt back, retreating.
Landing beside me, he watched as the Iron Ogre staggered back to its feet.
Shaking his head, he said to me,
"Just as you said—it's incredible."
"…Yes. Truly incredible."
For him, those words were about the Iron Ogre.
But for me, they were about him.
Because his attacks had not been entirely useless against the Iron Ogre.
The monster's chest, as it rose, was sunken in multiple places.
Its bones inside must have been shattered.
Seol Pung's ferocious assault had literally beaten the creature's body to pieces.
To think of someone smashing an Iron Ogre with their bare fists—
That was something I had never once seen, even in my past life.
Gulp.
I had no way of gauging just what had happened while I was gone, or just how far Seol Pung's strength had advanced.
And yet, the Iron Ogre still moved, scanning the surroundings with its red eyes.
I cleared my throat lightly and spoke to Miss Tang Yeo-eun.
"Miss Tang, as I mentioned before—I'll leave it to you."
She looked at me and nodded silently.
Up until now, I had deliberately left the Iron Ogre to Seol Pung, so he could experience it himself.
I had wanted to show everyone that no matter what, this creature could not be destroyed.
And then, as a foundation for our future plans, to show them how it could be dealt with, working together with Miss Tang.
But now…
"…It actually broke?"
I hadn't expected the thing could be beaten into such tatters.
Truly, it was overwhelming.
Looking a little embarrassed, I said to Seol Pung,
"Squad Leader—its gaze."
He gave me a small nod, then once again charged at the beast.
Pababak!
The Iron Ogre growled and swung its arm.
Booaang!
But this time, the squad leader was the bait.
He vaulted up and dodged overhead, drawing the creature's gaze after him.
That was when I darted in, seizing its arm.
The next instant, the monster's body lifted into the air—
And then slammed into the ground.
Thud!
It was the Golden Na Technique of the Gale Thirteen Grapples, the Parktu Martial Arts of the Seonwoo Clan.
Smashing its face into the dirt, I pinned one of its arms behind its back and shouted,
"Squad Leader! The other arm!"
At once, Seol Pung flew in and pressed down its opposite arm.
For a brief moment, we had the creature restrained.
What came next went without saying.
Miss Tang Yeo-eun leapt forward, scattering a straight line of Huogolsan poison across the back of its neck, and then swiftly retreated.
So did we.
"Grrrrrrr!"
As soon as we retreated, the Iron Ogre rose, growling like a wounded beast as it glared around at us.
Perhaps because it remembered being beaten down by Squad Leader Seol Pung, it didn't recklessly charge in this time.
It seemed to be assessing the situation.
But everyone's attention wasn't on the cunning behavior, uncharacteristic of a demon, that it showed—
It was fixed on its back.
Chiiiiik!
From the back of its neck, where Miss Tang had scattered Huogolsan, came the sound of something melting, accompanied by rising white smoke.
Han Gyo-seong exhaled a sigh as he muttered,
"So…it really worked."
I stepped forward slowly and explained,
"From what I've heard, it is extremely intelligent, but it still hasn't fully escaped a demon's instincts. That's why it tends to remain fixated on its very first opponent. Its mouth is still a weak point, but it rarely opens it. Meaning, it has almost no exposed vulnerabilities. However, when Huogolsan touches its skin, the tissue begins to weaken over time. That's why we must scatter the powder and then wait. The longer it takes, the stronger the effect will become."
Then I looked at Squad Leader Seol Pung and said,
"Squad Leader, one more time, please."
He nodded once and hurled himself at the Iron Ogre again.
This, too, was to draw its gaze.
As Seol Pung soared upward and the monster's eyes followed him, I was already behind it.
I stared at the rising white smoke on its nape and gripped my sword hilt.
I had no intention of using blade aura this time.
Instead, I recalled what Mukrang had once told me:
[批大卻 (Bi Dae-gak), 導大窾 (Do Dae-gwan), 因其固然 (In Gi-go-yeon).
Slip the blade into the gap and cut.
It is nothing more than following what already exists.]
And then, I drew my sword.
A white arc of swordlight sliced through the air as lightly as the wind.
For a moment, it felt as though I had cleaved the world itself.
A sensation so smooth it seemed nothing had caught on the blade.
By the time I slowly sheathed the sword again, the Iron Ogre's neck had begun to slide forward.
Its massive body collapsed to the ground with a resounding thud moments later.
***
After the battle, the gathered members began recovering the bodies of the fallen Squad Five members and the corpse of the Iron Ogre.
Of Squad Five's eleven members, seven had perished.
So despite the victory, the atmosphere remained somber and heavy.
Seol Pung touched the Iron Ogre's corpse as they collected it.
Its hide felt unfamiliar—hard and stiff, like whale skin.
It must have been human skin once, yet it had endured blade aura with such density.
A bitter laugh escaped him.
At that moment, Han Gyo-seong approached and spoke,
"You actually managed to beat that thing to pieces. I couldn't even scratch it."
Seol Pung replied with a wry smile,
"It was useless in the end, wasn't it? In the end, as Seonu Jin said, it was Huogolsan that killed it."
"Hmph. Still, I feel like if you'd hit it a bit more, you could've just beaten it to death outright. Honestly, I don't think I could ever win against you now. You've gotten far too strong. Did you perhaps gain some kind of great fortune during your assignment?"
His eyes gleamed with thick envy.
But it wasn't a poisonous envy—
It was the earnest look of someone recognizing another's strength and yearning to learn from it.
For Squad Thirteen, accustomed only to seeing lazy strength in others, such a look was unfamiliar.
But that was the very same spirit that had once earned Han Gyo-seong the title of Genius.
Seol Pung smiled and answered,
"I gained some insight into what Sword Saint had taught me earlier. I suppose I was too dull to understand it until now."
"The Sword Saint, huh… If he ever returns, I'll have to seek his guidance as well."
While Seol Pung and Han Gyo-seong were speaking, Seonu Jin was collecting the severed head of the Iron Ogre.
He studied its face closely.
Without the crimson gleam in its eyes, its face looked anything but savage.
In fact, with its tightly pressed lips and masculine features, it even carried the dignity of a righteous hero.
And Seonu Jin thought—perhaps that wasn't wrong.
Before becoming an Iron Ogre, the man's true identity may very well have been a great hero of the orthodox sects.
They wouldn't have taught martial arts after he became a demon. These supreme martial skills must have been his own from the start. And as Old Man Seok said, it must have taken quite a long time to complete the transformation into an Iron Ogre. Which means…
Seonu Jin tried to deduce where this man might have been captured by the Blood Cult.
That place would be the first one to investigate.
Likely, it was where demons were being manufactured….
As he pondered that, staring at the Iron Ogre's head, Tang Yeo-eun quietly approached him from behind and asked,
"Do you recognize this face?"
Having already sensed her presence, Seonu Jin smiled faintly and answered naturally,
"No. Just speculating—about where this person might have come from."
Then, suddenly, he asked her,
"Ah, Miss Tang. Would there be anyone in the Tang family capable of analyzing this kind of skin?"
"Yes. I've heard they're already researching Gan Ogres, Hyo Ogres, and Zhu Ogres."
"Perfect. Then, could I ask you to have this Iron Ogre examined as well? To find out how such skin is possible, why it's weak to Huogolsan, and if there might be any other methods beyond Huogolsan. And, if possible, to learn who this man once was."
At his words, Tang Yeo-eun responded with a clear smile.
It was a bright smile she rarely showed in front of others.
"Of course. In fact, the family will probably be delighted."
Then, after a brief hesitation, she softly added,
"I'm glad you returned safely. I was worried."
Having said that, Tang Yeo-eun quickly turned and walked away.
Though her head was bowed and she turned before he could see her face, Seonu Jin caught sight of the slight flush at her ears.
Somehow, his chest warmed as he watched her retreating figure, and he smiled.
But two people were watching him.
One was Dok Su-gwang.
His burning gaze was fixed on Seonu Jin.
A low-born from a nameless sect, a piggish fool who had barely been second-rate when he first entered Squad Thirteen, a simpleton who had crawled into Seol Pung's squad because he idolized him….
And yet, somehow, that fool had surpassed Dok Su-gwang, returning as a peak master.
Dok Su-gwang could not bring himself to accept it.
That Seonu Jin had slain a demon he himself could do nothing against.
That Seonu Jin was now greater than him.
Jealousy burned hot in Dok Su-gwang's eyes.
The other watching was Hae Cheong-yeon.
Since leaving the Mountain Sword Sect, she had once again let her hair fall to cover her eyes.
From behind that veil of hair, she stared wordlessly at Seonu Jin and Tang Yeo-eun.
At Seonu Jin's expression as he spoke with Tang Yeo-eun.
At Tang Yeo-eun's rare blush as she walked away with a face so unlike her usual coldness.
And at Seonu Jin smiling warmly as he watched her retreating figure.
No one could see it, for her face was expressionless—
But beneath the curtain of her hair, her hidden eyes trembled violently, like raging waves.
Just like her heart.
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