Chapter 245

Chapter 245
## Chapter 245. Today’s Fortune (4)

Because I had intentionally amplified the destructive force to its limit, a detonation loud enough to rupture eardrums reverberated through the space, yet I detected no movement from anyone outside.

‘Is this a Mystic Gate Formation designed to completely isolate the interior?’

I wasn’t entirely certain.

Right from the moment of my arrival, this had been a dreadfully convoluted Mystic Gate Formation.

Reflecting on the fact that Il-myeong, who had accompanied me inside, had still failed to breach the inner chamber, this was undoubtedly some bizarre Demonic Cult Mystic Gate Formation that remained entirely outside my sphere of knowledge.

Regardless, it appeared I had arrived in the nick of time, but…….

As the blizzard of documents that had been flung into the air drifted back down to the floorboards, Gun Yu-hyeon was unmasked amidst the debris, fixing his gaze forward with an icy stare.

“……How did you deduce it?”

What in the world is this?

Weren’t you supposed to be just a clerk who handles paperwork?

Why are you standing there completely unscathed?

“Did I not inform you previously? I possess mastery over the Mind-Reading Art.”

“……Are you truly jesting even when backed into a corner like this?”

“Why does everyone doubt my words? I utter nothing but the absolute truth.”

Unsheathing the Black Dragon Sword, I unleashed the Twin Heaven Sword Formula.

SHRING-RING-RING-RING.

Beginning from his lower legs, an endless torrent of razor-sharp arcs began to carve through Gun Yu-hyeon’s frame in rapid succession, however—

CRACKLE, CRACKLE.

Bizarrely, wherever the tempest of steel tore through, nothing but solid fragments of frost splintered and scattered away. Not a single scratch manifested on his skin.

What kind of monster is this guy?

Gun Yu-hyeon, remaining completely rooted to his position, inquired with total composure,

“The undercover operatives were a faction assembled in extreme haste, meaning one could argue they possessed flaws…… but by what means were you able to unmask even my true persona?”

As though he possessed absolute certainty regarding his own preservation, he appeared far more intrigued by the riddle of how I had unveiled his masquerade than by the perilous circumstances currently enveloping him.

Did he harbor that much conviction in his personal prowess?

Or was he entirely indifferent to the survival of his own flesh, much like the fanatical Twin-Shadow Vicious Demon Brigade?

His countenance, painted solely with unadulterated inquisitiveness, felt monstrously distorted given the immediate crisis.

“The parlor for wagering.”

“……That place, you say?”

“How many mortals exist across this earth who prize something more dearly than coin?”

“……Armed with nothing more than that?”

Naturally, that was far from the entire story.

Nevertheless, I needed to withhold a few answers to keep him curious if I intended to extract the truths I desired, did I not?

“Now the tables have turned.”

I leveled the tip of the Black Dragon Sword toward him.

“Are you the mastermind behind the Twin-Shadow Vicious Demon Brigade?”

“The Twin-Shadow Vicious Demon Brigade……!”

His pupils dilated instantly.

Yet within moments, Gun Yu-hyeon’s features settled back into a placid mask.

“I never anticipated that specific title would pass through your lips.”

He offered a slow, reluctant shake of his head as though his hand had been forced.

“My original plan was to simply depart, but now that option is closed to me.”

“Your plan was to simply depart?”

I cast a quick glance to assess Dam-ak’s state.

He was hemorrhaging heavily like a mauled beast, but by some miracle, the breath had not yet left him.

After executing a slaughter like this, he genuinely believed he could just walk away.

Does the phrase “simply depart” carry a different definition when uttered by the zealots of the Demonic Cult compared to the common tongue of the Jianghu?

Ah, what does it signify anyway?

“From your very origins, you lunatics have been warped to the core!”

Minor Heaven Sword Art.

Jegal’s Three Forms.

Demon-Subduing Form.

A lethal technique re-engineered exclusively for the eradication of Demonic Practitioners.

WHOOSH—

The Black Dragon Sword cut through the air with unprecedented velocity, lunging for Gun Yu-hyeon’s throat in the span of a single breath.

SHNK.

The trajectory of the Black Dragon Sword proved just a fraction swifter than the barrier of frost he conjured.

Pff.

Fsssh.

A narrow laceration split along his neck, and crimson drops began to seep outward.

“Oh dear…….”

Gun Yu-hyeon, fixing his gaze upon his own spilled blood, appeared momentarily disconcerted as his eyes darted between my expression and my weapon hand.

“Hey, you fraudulent bastard. Do you truly believe you have the luxury to loiter around like an absolute imbecile?”

WHOOSH—

Accompanying the sharp rending of the atmosphere, the Black Dragon Sword surged forward like a bolt of illumination, fracturing into wild trajectories targeted directly at his critical Vital Acupoints.

His vision, windpipe, solar plexus, core, respiratory organs, and lower abdomen.

Merely by lifting his arm, he manifested a shield of solid frost, obstructing the onslaught of the Minor Heaven Sword Art.

Yet I was in no position to concede ground so readily.

“Why do you withhold the answer to my inquiry?”

Retracting the Minor Heaven Sword Art, I unleashed the expansive Great Heaven Sword Art.

While it materialized fewer phantasmal blades than the variant utilized in the Ascendant Form, the speed of the Demon-Subduing Form was vastly superior.

He curved his lips into that characteristic, amicable smirk.

“Because the premise of your inquiry is flawed.”

PING. PING. PING. PING. PING.

Inconceivably, Gun Yu-hyeon identified and deflected every genuine blade concealed within the illusionary projections with nothing more than casual snaps of his digits.

For someone supposedly operating as a mere commander of a syndicate of killers, he was separating illusion from reality with far too much precision.

How in the world is this wretch deciphering them?

The tier of his martial prowess transcended ordinary boundaries.

Furthermore, observing that the Red Phoenix Bracelet remained entirely inert, it was evident he had not cultivated an ounce of Demonic Qi.

There existed not a single shred of data regarding a figure of his description within the vast archives stored inside my mind.

Right at that juncture.

“What are you implying……. Twin-Shadow Vicious Demon……?”

What? He hadn’t lost consciousness entirely?

The fractured, trembling utterance of Dam-ak drifted into my perception.

“Just what…… is the true nature of that individual…….?”

Mirroring Gun Yu-hyeon, it appeared that even while balancing precariously on the precipice of eternity, Dam-ak prioritized the appeasement of his curiosity over his own survival.

What an eccentric pair of individuals.

“The Demonic Cult.”

“The Demonic Cult?”

To the Dam-ak of this current timeline, it was undoubtedly an entirely alien concept.

Dam-ak had not initially been born into the affairs of the Jianghu, and even among seasoned martial artists, there was virtually no one who genuinely understood the true nature of the Demonic Cult at this point in time.

I provided a brief clarification for Dam-ak’s benefit.

“Those abominable monsters who were reported to have vanished from the world half a millennium ago.”

“Vanished, you claim…….”

The individual who replied to my statement was not Dam-ak, but rather Gun Yu-hyeon.

He tilted his head slightly to one side.

“So that is the manner in which the chronicle has been transmitted down through your lineage.”

“Does that version diverge in any way from reality?”

“They proclaim that historical records are penned exclusively by the triumphant party…… yet you have been recklessly tossing around a term that remains wholly intolerable from our perspective.”

Gun Yu-hyeon flashed that same pleasant, trustworthy grin as before.

Yet the atmospheric Qi Waves erupting across his form were anything but pleasant.

“We never ceased to exist.”

The air became so heavily saturated with malice that it felt as though the underworld itself was preparing to manifest once more.

WHOOSH.

All around Gun Yu-hyeon, who had relied strictly on barriers of ice until this moment, torrents of flame intense enough to sear human flesh erupted in a flash.

He possesses the capacity to channel Yin-Style Qi Arts and Yang-Style Qi Arts simultaneously…….

Damn it, what sort of absurdity is this! Are you some secret lineage of Jang Sambong?!

Gun Yu-hyeon extended his arm and articulated each syllable with absolute clarity.

“The Jianghu was plundered from our grasp.”

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Spheres of concentrated flame erupted from both of his palms, hurtling forward with the force of artillery strikes.

SWISH—

I cleaved through the incoming fireballs using the Black Dragon Sword saturated with my inner energy, but the bisection caused the remnants to collide directly with the surrounding walls, detonating instantly.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

As the chamber was densely packed with texts and wooden decor, an inferno ignited in a flash, making oxygen rapidly scarce.

Pull me out of this, you absolute bastard…….!

“……Was the martial world ever an entity that could be plundered or claimed as property to begin with?”

Perhaps I failed to relate because I had never once held dominion over the martial world myself, but Gun Yu-hyeon appeared thoroughly incensed that the realm had been wrested away from them.

“……Your kind will never comprehend. The sheer grievance of our people, who held the rightful claim, being forced to abandon our ancestral lands and drift like ghosts for five centuries.”

“Then your people should never have unleashed such an atrocious cataclysm using your profane Demonic Arts!”

As I unleashed a wave of Sword Force, the incinerating furniture was cleaved apart as effortlessly as parchment.

Even so, Gun Yu-hyeon by himself continued to execute hand seals with absolute leisure.

Hah…… observe this lunatic cloaking his entire frame in a layer of frost simply because the ambient heat is bothersome.

He smirked derisively as his gaze locked onto me.

“To draw boundaries around your own restrictions and designate it as the true way. As anticipated, Black Flame Dragon, you are a hypocrite perfectly suited for the righteous factions.”

Incredible, I have finally received validation as a practitioner of an Orthodox Path sect.

And this time, it comes courtesy of a minion of the Demonic Cult.

……Setting that aside, the pressing dilemma at present was that the further this engagement dragged out, the more perilous my situation became.

I remained ignorant of his methods, but that wretch Gun Yu-hyeon had deployed a Mystic Gate Formation within the confines of this room, severing the interior from the external world.

Consequent to this setup, I was gradually being suffocated by the blistering temperatures while he maintained his comfort through his frosty barriers.

‘Azure Dragon Bracelet, Red Phoenix Bracelet.’

When forced to confront a reality-bending anomaly, the Fixed Will and Principle within seemed to agitate, their forms shifting as they yearned to manifest themselves outwardly.

Yet Dam-ak was still observing this entire conflict with an completely lucid mind.

Regardless of how much benevolence the Fixed Will and Principle harbored toward me, their actual manifestation took the shape of absolute horrors, meaning I could under no circumstances employ them carelessly in this environment.

……If I succumbed to that temptation, I truly risked being branded an entity far more vile than the outlaws of the Black Path or the zealots of the Demonic Cult.

‘I must secure Dam-ak’s evacuation above all else.’

Il-myeong, who had breached the perimeter alongside me, must still be trapped within the labyrinth of the Mystic Gate Formation, considering I could not detect even a whisper of his presence.

That completely incompetent monk.

While these reflections crossed my mind.

“Jin So-un……. abandon me here.”

Dam-ak must have reached his absolute limit, given that he began uttering nonsense.

Uh, hm…….

You are forbidden from expiring.

If you perish here, I will be left to confront those monsters entirely on my own in the future.

I cast a glance toward Dam-ak and gave a firm shake of my head.

“Banish those thoughts. I am not engaging in this conflict on your behalf.”

For a brief flash, a peculiar gleam ignited within Dam-ak’s eyes.

“Just what sort of man are you truly……?”

I offered him a wide smirk.

“I must unmask this bastard’s true identity.”

Particularly if Gun Yu-hyeon represented the authentic authority directing the actions of the Twin-Shadow Vicious Demon Brigade, I was obligated to subdue him right here, irrespective of the cost.

“So preserve your remaining strength and keep breathing.”

I intend to exploit your usefulness thoroughly down the line.

Fixing my gaze forward once more, I tightened my grip upon the hilt.

As I manifested the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula, six distinct constructs of the Ten Thousand Swords materialized in the air.

I had never previously summoned this volume of armaments to contest a singular adversary, but the foe before me was a Demonic Practitioner capable of manipulating dual Yin-Yang energies.

Regardless of how extravagant the measure appeared, it was barely sufficient.

Allocating half of the constructs, I initiated the Minor Heaven Sword Art, while deploying the remaining half to execute the Twin Heaven Sword Formula.

Amidst the swirling vortex of weapon trajectories, the sharp edges precipitated downward like a barrage of thunderbolts.

Initially, Gun Yu-hyeon frantically deflected the incoming strikes utilizing nothing but Finger Wind, but he quickly resorted to sweeping his expansive sleeves repeatedly to construct barriers of solid frost.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.

The moment he erected a wall, I shattered it, and the instant he conjured another, I obliterated it once more.

This sequence replayed itself numerous times.

In the blistering environment, the pulverized remnants of ice rapidly melted across the floorboards, and soon a pool of water collected to the point that every stride produced a drenched, heavy squelch.

I bellowed across the room at Gun Yu-hyeon.

“It appears you harbor immense pride in your internal reserves?”

“……Was it not remarked that the denizens of the martial world trivially gauge an individual’s mastery based solely on the volume of their internal energy?”

“Precisely, that is the way of things.”

Gun Yu-hyeon scoffed aloud, as though he found the concept entirely farcical.

“Regrettably for you, such metrics hold no relevance within our Heavenly Cult.”

“Is that so?”

I returned his amusement with a grin of my own.

“Then endure this regardless. It so happens that my own internal reserves are quite substantial.”

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE.

Both of my arms dropped heavily with concentrated weight.

Energy that manifested as though it were on the verge of detonating at any second accumulated layer upon layer, emitting a low, predatory vibration.

“Receive this! Observe the impact of righteousness!”

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!

The Radiant Heaven Divine Palm erupted outward in rapid succession, completely saturating the narrow confines of the chamber.

The compact interior fractured violently as though caught in the throes of a massive seismic event, and ultimately, the entire structural space was completely turned inside out.

Once the incinerated manuscripts and wooden decor disintegrated into nothingness, and even the suffocating thermal energy dissipated entirely.

“……The flavor leaves much to be desired.”

Gun Yu-hyeon’s silhouette, having sustained the unmitigated impact of the Radiant Heaven Divine Palm, came into view.

His physical state was utterly ruined.

His digits were twisted into unnatural angles, and lacerations both shallow and deep covered his entire frame.

However, the critical factor for me was that he remained sufficiently intact to vocalize his thoughts.

“Well, there is little I can do if it fails to satisfy your preferences. This happens to be a renowned regional dish from Anhui Province.”

With that, I maneuvered the Ten Thousand Swords and unleashed the Minor Heaven Sword Art.

The precise instant a barrier of frost materialized to obstruct the torrent of Sword Qi descending from every conceivable angle—

I unleashed the singular technique I had kept concealed until the ultimate moment.

Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven.

First Form.

‘Extreme Swiftness’

SWIIIIISH—

An invisible trajectory of Formless Sword Qi cut through the air, seemingly cleaving through the fabric of space itself.

The frosty shield constructed to disperse the generic Sword Qi of the Minor Heaven Sword Art possessed no capacity to react to the sudden intervention of the Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven in time.

The Sword Qi imbued with ‘Extreme Swiftness’ exploited that exact vulnerability, seeking to impale Gun Yu-hyeon’s center in a solitary, instantaneous thrust.

SCREEEEEECH.

The grating, horrific screech of metal grinding against metal echoed out as though it would rupture the ears of anyone listening.

Regardless of what manner of defensive mystical garment he possessed, the sheer kinetic violence of ‘Extreme Swiftness’ ought to have guaranteed an agonizing, debilitating trauma.

Just as I anticipated the immediate spilling of Gun Yu-hyeon’s lifeblood.

CLANG.

The reality that manifested as the barrier of frost disintegrated was nothing short of staggering.

“……What?”

Gun Yu-hyeon stood entirely unharmed, completely devoid of any physical trauma whatsoever.

‘There was unequivocally an audible collision.’

Observing him with greater scrutiny, I detected that Gun Yu-hyeon was outfitted with a deep-toned bracer encompassing his right forearm.

The precise instant my eyes registered the swine emblem etched upon the forearm guard, I was struck with absolute horror.

“Ha…… Devouring Gauntlet?”

Slipping from my awareness that Dam-ak remained conscious, an abhorrent recollection from my previous existence escaped my lips in a whisper.

In response to my muttered realization, Gun Yu-hyeon’s pupils narrowed significantly instead.

“Hmm……. You even retain familiarity with the designation of this artifact……. Just what manner of entity are you truly?”

Gun Yu-hyeon now went so far as to massage his lower jaw, inspecting me with a gaze saturated with profound intrigue.

In stark contrast, any semblance of calm completely evaporated from my demeanor.

The Devouring Gauntlet was an item recognized as one of the legendary Thirteen Demonic Artifacts native to the Demonic Cult.

It was an anomaly that defied natural laws, capable of neutralizing not only refined Sword Qi, but even pure physical momentum.

The materials used in its original fabrication remained a complete mystery.

Yet a singular reality was undeniable.

Had the Demonic Cult possessed the capacity to outfit their entire rank-and-file with Devouring Gauntlets, the ultimate collapse of the Murim Alliance would have been accelerated by a margin of several years.

And the master associated with that detestable instrument of darkness was…….

“You wretch. You are one of the primary operatives serving under Demon Brain.”

“……!”

Yin-Yang Twin Demon Je Geum-hak, one of the elite septet of disciples apprenticed to Demon Brain, who would in a future era ascend to the rank of Guardian Dharma King.

That cursed identity belonged to none other than Gun Yu-hyeon.