Chapter 459

Chapter 459
Chapter 459. Uncertain Conviction (1)

—

That ominous manifestation billowed out like dense vapor. Shortly after, it assumed a distinct contour—a human shape (*In-hyeong*) that onlookers recognized. It is human nature to feel a sense of comfort with figures that look like themselves. Yet, when that configuration swelled to twice or three times its normal proportions.

“U-Heok!”
“What in the world is that thing!”

It sowed raw dread and hopelessness. This applied not just to the Mosan Sect, who had been targeted for annihilation, but also to the Black Coffins, who had arrived as their comrades.

“What just occurred!”
“I-I am uncertain. The Captain plunged into the Ten Thousand Fog Formation, and the moment he was thrown back out, he suddenly……”
“Are you saying that entity is Heo Gwan-jung?”
“L-Look over there……”

Numerous cords of essence were linked like yarn to the midsection of the colossal dark mist mannequin. Those strands extended directly toward Heo Gwan-jung, who was salivating while emitting a crimson ocular glow.

“W-What course of action should we take? No matter how one perceives it, does it not resemble demonic energy (*Magi*)?”

Hearing the report from the Black Coffins, the Vice-Captain offered no reply.

“Vice-Captain.”
“Tell me. Have you ever encountered demonic energy yourself?”
“Pardon……? What are you implying by that……”
“You have never even laid eyes on true demonic energy, yet you confidently declare that entity to be demonic energy?”

In truth, why would a member of the Black Coffins, whose primary duty was to investigate the inner workings of the Martial Alliance and its associated organizations, ever have a reason to encounter genuine demonic energy? Their understanding was purely theoretical, gathered from lessons on forbidden techniques and dark magic.

“…….”

The Black Coffin quickly grasped the underlying meaning of the Vice-Captain’s words. This officer intended to abandon the Captain entirely. Had he not spent every day spitting curses, complaining that a novice half his age had stolen the title of Captain from him?

But was this really an issue that could be disregarded so easily? The presence of someone harboring demonic energy within the ranks of the Black Coffins meant that their very authority to conduct inspections was entirely invalidated.

“…….”

As long as the Captain remained incapacitated in that condition, the chain of command fell entirely to the Vice-Captain.

“Order the Black Coffins to pull back.”
“Understood.”

As the Black Coffin turned away, he caught the faint whisper of the Vice-Captain.

“With this turn of events, perhaps we can wipe out both Mosan and the Captain simultaneously.”

*Kwang!*

Geum-pyo gritted his teeth at the immense shock traveling through his *Geum-gang* Shield.

“What in the……”

Without fail, each time that ethereal yet tangible entity slammed its fist down, it felt as though a massive boulder was hurtling toward him at breakneck speed.

“How can a mere cloud of vapor possess such brute force!”

*Kwang!*

He attempted to redirect the impact by desperately tilting his *Geum-gang* Shield, but as expected, it proved incredibly difficult.

“*Hyung*! Are you holding up?”
“I am not!”
“Then hang on just a bit longer!”

He ground his teeth at the anxious shout from Eun-ho. Yet, he could not step away. If he did not draw the creature’s focus, the onslaught would rain down upon his younger brothers and sister.

*Kwang!*

While Geum-pyo obstructed the fist of the vaporous behemoth, Eun-ho, Dong-ryong, and Sa-ryeon launched themselves toward the primary target. It was blatantly obvious to everyone that the giant’s power was being drawn directly from Heo Gwan-jung.

As they flanked his rear by executing the Tae-eul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps, the monstrosity’s back rippled like a gathering storm cloud, and a third appendage manifested, clawing violently at the ground.

*Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gak.*

A profound furrow, impossible to replicate with ordinary mortal power or implements, was carved into the earth, striking chill into the hearts of Eun-ho and Sa-ryeon.

“*Sa-jeo*, are you unharmed?”
“I am fine. But where did Dong-ryong go?”

The moment she scanned the area for Dong-ryong, who had been right beside her, she spotted his figure already closing in on the main body of Heo Gwan-jung.

*Keu-reu-reung—*

Heo Gwan-jung, salivating like a wild beast that had entirely surrendered its intellect, directed a crimson ocular glow straight toward Dong-ryong.

“You brat……”

At that exact moment, the Eighteen Azure Claws erupted from his hands. This happened despite his fingers having been severed, a condition that should have rendered him incapable of executing the technique. Dark ethereal currents shaped like monstrous talons, blossoming from Heo Gwan-jung’s fingertips in the same manner as the smoke colossus, shredded the atmosphere.

*Jjuaaaa-ak—*

Dong-ryong’s frame twisted violently out of the way of the detonating talon energy, yet the lacerating force of the claws still managed to slice across his back.

*Pu-ak—*

A fountain of blood sprayed out, painting his back a vivid crimson. Despite the injury, Dong-ryong refused to utter a single cry of pain and immediately targeted Heo Gwan-jung’s throat.

*Chaeng!*

When his Black Dragon Sword was deflected, Dong-ryong capitalized on the rebounding momentum to launch his body, pivoting in the reverse direction. It was a swift blade meant to sever space itself.

*Swaaaa-eaek—*
*Ka-kang!*

Even so, Heo Gwan-jung’s darkness-infused palm caught Dong-ryong’s Black Dragon Sword as though it were child’s play.

“Do you genuinely believe I would fall for the identical gambit twice?”

In that fleeting instant, the Great Solar Palm was unleashed from Dong-ryong’s free hand.

*Pu-kak—*

The Great Solar Palm completely engulfed the man’s upper torso, but once the palm’s destructive force dissolved, Heo Gwan-jung’s exposed face showed not a single scratch.

“Did you honestly think you could inflict injuries upon me using nothing but the techniques of the Tae-eul Sect!”

*Peong!

Heo Gwan-jung’s fist detonated forward, sending Dong-ryong’s body crashing backward.

“Keu-heok.”

Strangely enough, however, the one who let out a sharp gasp of discomfort was Heo Gwan-jung.

“This brat…… intentionally……”

His palm, which had been gripping the Black Dragon Sword with demonic energy just a second prior, was now dripping with fresh blood.

‘Did he manage to rotate the blade in that split second?’

The ragged lacerations were unmistakably left by sword-qi. The precise moment he faced the counterattack, Dong-ryong had channeled his internal energy into the Black Dragon Sword with every ounce of his strength while simultaneously wrenching and spinning the blade free. It was an extraordinary display of sharp reflexes to be labeled as mere quick thinking.

“You are fully aware that your current state is abnormal…… are you not, sir (*yo*)?”

Dong-ryong glared at the vaporous titan with a savage intensity. He glared at that hazardous monstrosity that was threatening his *Hyung*s, his *Sa-jeo*, and the members of the Mosan Sect.

“There is nothing abnormal about it. I have simply reclaimed my inherent strength.”
“It appears that even your sanity has deteriorated…… sir (*yo*).”
“We shall find out how long you can maintain that conceited attitude.”

*Kwa-kwa-kwa.*

The Eighteen Azure Claws were unleashed once more. They unleashed a severing capability and cataclysmic power that completely eclipsed their previous versions.

*Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!*

It was not restricted to Heo Gwan-jung alone. The smoke giant mimicked the creation of razor-sharp talons just like Heo Gwan-jung and lunged at its targets.

*Kwang!*

Because a hand larger than an entire human frame was executing a talon technique, the sheer force of the impact was impossible to parry or withstand.

“*Hyung*!”

In the end, Geum-pyo’s body was hurled three *jang* into the distance. Yet Geum-pyo roared out to keep them back.

“I am alright! Do not move to assist me!”
“That is not the issue. We are completely defenseless against the onslaught!”
“You miserable piece of trash!!”

Geum-pyo charged straight back toward Heo Gwan-jung, moving even quicker than the velocity at which he had been flung away, as though channeling all his fury into his stride.

*Kwang!*

However, a fist resembling a structural pillar swung from the smoke giant’s arm, obstructing Geum-pyo’s path.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Exploiting that brief opening, Eun-ho slipped through, leaped forward, and slashed his blade toward Heo Gwan-jung, who met him by deploying the Eighteen Azure Claws. Finally, Sa-ryeon, who had been lingering within a blind spot, unsheathed the *So-hwa* Sword and thrust it straight toward Heo Gwan-jung’s heart.

“Where do you think you are going!”

At that critical juncture, the structure of the smoke giant imploded inward, entirely obscuring their sight.

“W-Where did he disappear to!”

Even when they extended their senses to locate his position, it was impossible to differentiate anything because the vapor itself was the physical embodiment of his energy. Then, the dark mist surged violently toward one side. The mist reassembled into an unnatural configuration, taking the shape of a doll once again. And right beneath it.

“I am right here.”

Heo Gwan-jung flashed a sneering, victorious grin.

“Perish!”

*Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!*
*Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!*

The behemoth’s ruthless Eighteen Azure Claws tore through the air repeatedly. The disciples of the Tae-eul Sect ultimately had no alternative but to fall back.

“……This is driving me completely insane.”

At that exact moment, recognizing that no one remained to obstruct his path, Heo Gwan-jung prepared to launch an immediate assault on the Ten Thousand Fog Formation.

*Swaaaa-eaek—*

Accompanied by a piercing whistle of cleft air, a brilliant golden beam erupted toward the smoke giant.

*Kwang! Kwa-kwa-kwang!*

The reaction was entirely different from when it absorbed the earlier strikes. The smoke giant lost its cohesion with every subsequent detonation, looking as though chunks of its physical form were being ripped away. What on earth was taking place…….

“*Dae-sa-hyeong*!”
“*Dae-sa-hyeong*!”

Simultaneously with the frantic shouts of the Tae-eul Sect followers, including Eun-ho.

*Swaaaa-eaek—*

Jin So-un, wielding the Red Light Sword that blazed with a golden aura, descended as if soaring through the sky and swung a wave of golden sword-qi. A sickly green talon essence coated the fingertips of the re-formed smoke giant, which instantly lashed out its arm to shred Jin So-un to pieces.

*Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak.*

The grating shriek of grinding steel echoed without pause, sending concussive waves rippling across the battlefield.

*Kwa-deu-deuk, kwa-deu-deuk.*

The smoke giant collapsed and demolished a structure. Right after, just as it attempted to dissolve its shape and gather back around Heo Gwan-jung to avoid further disadvantage.

**Demon-Severing Light Whip.**

The golden Flying Dragon Claw extending from his left arm lashed out like a whip. In an instant, it snared the swirling vapor and bound it immovably.

“Assault the main body this instant!”

Before Jin So-un could even finish his command, the four companions had already charged directly at Heo Gwan-jung.

“You insufferable wretches!”

Heo Gwan-jung’s eyes blazed crimson as he discharged waves of demonic energy in every direction. The talon aura, which had expanded by an entire foot, severed anything that brushed past the tips of his claws.

“Keua-ak!”

Nonetheless, lacerations began to accumulate across his body piece by piece under the relentless coordination of the four martial artists, who moved in perfect sync as if guided by a single mind.

“Do you honestly believe…… I can be brought down!”

A crimson mist began to spiral out over Heo Gwan-jung’s shoulders. At the same moment, he sent Geum-pyo soaring through the air in a single instant, demonstrating an incredibly vast, monumental strength.

“Why must it always be me!!!”

The very moment Jin So-un yanked the smoke giant to disrupt Heo Gwan-jung’s balance.

*Kwa-kwa-kwang!*

The Eight Directions Stone Heaven Gold Lock Formation shattered into pieces, and a figure clad in snowy martial robes emerged.

“Yong So-ah……”

He cast a glance at Heo Gwan-jung and the members of the Tae-eul Sect on the grounds before immediately hurling himself directly into the Ten Thousand Fog Formation.

“That bastard has finally moved!”

*Peo-peong! Kwa-kwang! Kwa-reu-reung!*

The second Yong So-ah stepped inside, the Ten Thousand Fog Formation erupted with brilliant flashes and released massive thundering detonations, resembling a tempestuous cloud crackling with lightning.

“The rest of you, you can manage to hold the line, correct?”

Eun-ho replied with grandiose confidence.

“Absolutely not!”
“Very well. Do not overexert yourselves needlessly and just focus on holding them back!”
“I just said no! We cannot hold……!”

Before the sentence could even finish, Jin So-un, who had unraveled the Demon-Severing Light Whip, instantly plunged into the Ten Thousand Fog Formation. The dark monolith reared its towering torso once more. Eun-ho grimaced deeply as he bore witness to that sight.

“Blast it, I told him we couldn’t……!”

Deep within the Ten Thousand Fog Formation, Yong So-ah was locked in a brutal, mortal conflict against the phantom beasts. To be exact, these were entities that Gu Song-baek had conjured through intricate illusion techniques. An Azure Dragon spat waves of searing flame, a Vermilion Bird whipped up a devastating gale, and a Black Tortoise attempted to crush his frame underneath its weight, yet.

Yong So-ah remained completely unhindered by any of those maneuvers. His single-minded focus was detecting a momentary vulnerability to sever Gu Song-baek’s neck with a solitary strike.

*Peong! Peo-peong!*

Under the assault of the sword-qi unleashed by Yong So-ah, the Azure Dragon was decapitated, and the Vermilion Bird’s wings shattered, reverting into ruined scraps of talismans. At that precise juncture, the Black Tortoise and the White Tiger blocked the path leading to the Geon-cheong Hall. Yong So-ah intended to instantly cleave through Gu Song-baek’s throat and.

*Swaaaa-eaek—*

I sliced toward Yong So-ah’s throat in a single fluid breath.

*Chaeng!*

As anticipated, the Whirlwind Sword intercepted the Red Light Sword as though it had been anticipating the strike all along. There was no longer any requirement for verbal exchanges to confirm where each of us stood. We simply clashed in the name of our respective versions of Justice (*Jeong-ui*).

*Chaeng-chaeng!*
*Chae-chae-chae-chae-chaeng!*

Lacerations manifested on Yong So-ah’s flesh. Incisions appeared across my own body. We anticipated and countered each other’s maneuvers seamlessly, like individuals who dueled while possessing full knowledge of the opponent’s next move. We sought to dominate through raw, aggressive pressure while constantly searching for an opening to counter by diverting the opponent’s momentum. It was as though the vision-blurring effects of the Ten Thousand Fog Formation held absolutely no sway over us.

“*Jin So-hyeop*! The barrier!”

When I diverted my attention slightly at Gu Song-baek’s frantic shout, I caught sight of the Eight Directions Stone Heaven Gold Lock Formation collapsing completely. The structural integrity that had barely kept it functioning must have finally hit its breaking point. As the Eight Directions Stone Heaven Gold Lock Formation dissolved to reveal its inner space, the Mosan disciples who had been concealed inside were exposed to the elements. And Heo Gwan-jung, who was observing the entire sequence.

“Heo!”

Heo Gwan-jung halted his advance toward the Ten Thousand Fog Formation and spun on his heel directly toward the crumbling Eight Directions Stone Heaven Gold Lock Formation. Gu Song-baek, unable to stand by and watch any longer, abandoned the safety of the Ten Thousand Fog Formation.

“I am right here, you freak!”

Gu Song-baek deployed forearm-length stakes all around Heo Gwan-jung and tossed numerous talismans high into the air. However, Heo Gwan-jung, who was already well-versed in countering phantoms, immediately neutralized the illusion techniques by destroying the ground where the stakes had been planted.

“Flee from this place!”

As the panicked members of Mosan recoiled before the grotesque entity, Gu Song-baek brandished his blade and charged the monster head-on.

*Pu-kak—*

Yet, failing to withstand even a single second of the onslaught, he sustained a deep gash across his chest and was violently thrown backward.

*Ki-gi-gi-gi-gig—*

While locking blades with Yong So-ah, I, witnessing the entire disaster unfold, demanded.

“Do you still maintain that the destiny you witnessed is absolute?”
“…….”

*Kwa-ga-ga-gwak—*

Beneath Heo Gwan-jung’s slicing talons, the Mosan disciples lost their lives without any means of defense. At this rate, not just Gu Song-baek but every last person from Mosan would perish. If the entire Mosan Sect is wiped out…….

‘Blast it all, Yong So-ah!’

Gu Song-baek, who had been caught and held in Eun-ho’s arms, forced himself up with desperate resolve once more and sprinted back toward Heo Gwan-jung. Beholding that sight, a single calculated maneuver flashed through my mind. No, in truth, it was closer to a reckless gamble.

“Yong So-ah! Open your eyes and look closely!! Would a man who battles a demon with such desperate fury truly choose to unite with one!”

Yong So-ah offered no response.

“Are you absolutely certain!”

He merely continued to gaze back at me with an unblinking, detached expression. Consequently, I pressed the point further.

“Honestly, if I were in Sect Leader Gu’s position, I would want nothing more than to obliterate the Martial Alliance even if it meant aligning with the Demonic Cult. After being subjected to such an atrocious injustice!”

I halted my offensive completely.

“If your conviction is so absolute, then go ahead and strike him down.”
“…….”
“Because it might very well be that your own choices force Sect Leader Gu to become that very monster!”

With those words, I immediately launched my body outward toward Heo Gwan-jung. He was an adversary whose convictions could never be altered through combat prowess or reasoning anyway. Therefore, the only thing I could achieve—the sole seed I could plant—was ‘Self-Doubt,’ forcing him to question his own choices.

The die was cast. Whether a wave of hesitation would ripple through his consciousness or not was entirely beyond my knowledge.

‘Damn it, he isn’t actually going to let him die, is he?’

Mercifully, no strike came from Yong So-ah by the time I exited the boundaries of the Ten Thousand Fog Formation. I hurtled toward Heo Gwan-jung like a projectile, unleashing a massive surge of internal energy.