Ah, This Is Bad

They did not simply allow themselves to be beaten because they could no longer use internal energy.
They were martial artists whose abilities had been recognized by the Jeokyang Clan, one of the Four Great Families.
Even across the entire realm, they were worthy of being called prodigies.
After seeing what happened to the others, they quickly adapted.
The forms of their sword art and battle formation changed.
The Soul-Extinguishing Black Extremity Sword, which only direct descendants could learn, and the clan’s Black Nether Killing Sword were martial arts centered on qi.
That was why they used the Black Cloud Sword.
It was a sword art that could be learned even by those who did not share the Jeokyang Clan’s blood.
A foundational art learned before the Black Nether Killing Sword.
It was a crude sword art devoid of elaborate techniques.
However, it also had advantages.
Its limited variations made it well suited to coordinated formations.

‘A prestigious clan really is different.’

Gyo-ha marveled at the swords pouring toward him from every direction.
His admiration was mixed with delight.

‘It would’ve been disappointing if it ended like this.’

He would not have been able to test the martial skill he had newly created.
The fiercer his enemies’ attacks became, the more Gyo-ha enjoyed himself.
Swords poured toward him from all directions.
Gyo-ha stomped the ground.
The ground split, sending chunks of stone flying in every direction.
The swords wavered as the stones struck them. Gyo-ha’s eyes flashed at the sight.
He slipped through the narrow gaps between the swords in an instant.
A sword pierced one of his immobile arms, but he paid it no mind.
His arms were useless anyway.
Being stabbed there had no effect on him.
Having broken through the swords, Gyo-ha extended his foot.

Kwagagang!

The formation’s balance collapsed in an instant.

“Keuheok!”
“Reform the formation! The wounded, fall back!”
“Damn it! He’s a monster! Treat him like you’re fighting a bear, not a man!”

Screams and shouts rang out from every direction.
Their offensive was fierce, but not enough to contain the beast that was Gyo-ha.
Gyo-ha soon broke free of the coordinated formation and began rampaging once more.

Kung.

The instant his rear foot touched the ground, Gyo-ha’s body surged forward.
He pushed off the ground with his rear foot, then rotated around his axis when his front foot landed.
It was more difficult to put power into such an attack than one performed with a proper stomping step.
Naturally, circulating qi through it was also difficult.
There was a reason martial artists devoted themselves to techniques. A technique was itself a form of dynamic cultivation.
Internal energy moved in accordance with the form of the technique.
That was why Gyo-ha’s martial skill was incompatible with conventional internal-energy methods.
However, Gyo-ha’s body ignored all of that.
The rotation of his ankle and hips alone produced terrifying force.

Kwagang!

Their swords blocked the attack, but the enemies couldn’t withstand the impact and were sent flying backward.
Gyo-ha advanced toward the fallen enemies.
He intended to finish them off.
At that moment.
A sword drove into Gyo-ha’s side.

“…!”

Gyo-ha twisted aside.
Blood sprayed into the air. When Gyo-ha looked to the side, he saw an old man watching him with gleaming eyes.

“Did you evade that through instinct alone?”

Drops of blood clung to the tip of the old man’s sword.
However, the wound was shallower than expected. The old man had thought the thrust landed cleanly, but Gyo-ha had reacted immediately.

‘What a beast.’

That was not the only surprising thing.

“…How fascinating.”

He spoke while looking at his sword.
The haze rising from the blade swayed unsteadily.
Unlike the others’, however, it maintained a distinct form.

“Third Elder and the Unit Leader should rely on technique forms alone.”

Only then did Gyo-ha realize that others stood behind the old man.
There was a middle-aged man who gave off the same feeling as those Gyo-ha had fought until now.
The other was another old man like the one standing at the front.
The two nodded with grave expressions.
The old man at the front, however, looked intrigued.

“The Patriarch’s judgment was correct. You could indeed become a threat to our clan.”

That was precisely why they needed to recover him.
Gyo-ha stared intently at the old man before him.
Unlike the others, no presence could be felt from him.
Gyo-ha had not even sensed him when the attack came.
The old man appeared completely at ease.
That told Gyo-ha everything he needed to know.
The old man was already walking his own path, within a world of his own.

‘I didn’t expect to meet a peak master this soon.’

Gyo-ha licked his lips.
Even among the Four Great Families, peak masters could not possibly be common.
Even the Namgung Clan, one of the Five Great Clans, had only four.
Just as Gyo-ha expected, he could not steal the Heretical Qi of a peak master.

‘The other two are at the very edge of first-rate.’

He could infer that from the old man’s words.
They were at roughly the same level as Jeokyang Hu. If so, they were not especially threatening.

“The rest of you, withdraw.”

The man called Unit Leader gave the order.
The others spread out and withdrew. Third Elder and the Unit Leader, however, remained where they stood.
They had even drawn their swords.
Gyo-ha spoke when he saw them.

“…It looks like you’ve crossed the wall, yet you’re going to gang up on a child?”

The old man chuckled at Gyo-ha’s question.

“We simply do not know the true nature of your power, so we are exercising caution.”

Gyo-ha was impressed. The old man was both strong and thoroughly cautious.

‘This won’t be easy.’

People like him were frightening. Only then did Gyo-ha understand why the others had been sent away.
They would only get in the way.
Even if the two relied only on technique forms, their experience and proficiency were on an entirely different level.
They were the only two capable of coordinating with the old man before him.
That made them threats as well.
Heretical Qi flowed from the old man’s body.
It enveloped even the two beside him.
Gyo-ha stepped toward the old man.
The instant his foot touched the ground, his figure disappeared.
A strange light appeared in the old man’s eyes when Gyo-ha suddenly appeared before him.

“Ho.”

He had not expected Gyo-ha to attack first.
The force behind Gyo-ha’s foot was anything but ordinary.
The old man swung his sword and blocked the attack.
Gyo-ha showed no disappointment despite the failed attack.
The moment his attacking foot returned to the ground, his other foot moved.
Gyo-ha aimed for the old man.
However, he couldn’t continue his attack.
Swords were approaching from both sides.
Their attacks were different from those of the opponents he had faced until now.
Although they carried no internal energy, they were still remarkably fierce.
As Gyo-ha retreated, blood fell to the ground in a steady patter.
Gyo-ha blinked.
His chest burned. He had not even noticed the sword approaching.

‘They really are different from Jeokyang Hu.’

Gyo-ha wiped away the blood flowing down his chest.
What the old man displayed was the true Soul-Extinguishing Black Extremity Sword.
Gyo-ha caught his breath.
However, the three had no intention of standing by while he did so.
Violet energy slowly seeped from the old man’s body.
At the same time, Third Elder and the Black Shadow Unit Leader launched themselves forward.
When Gyo-ha evaded their attacks, the old man’s sword came for him without fail.
This time, blood sprayed from his thigh.

Tat!

Gyo-ha leaped far backward.
The distance between them opened in an instant. The three didn’t pursue him.
They slowly closed the distance while maintaining their coordinated attack formation.
Gyo-ha clicked his tongue.

‘I need to think.’

Gyo-ha’s mind raced.
There was no answer.
Amid his thoughts, his gaze met the old man’s.

‘That old man isn’t attacking aggressively.’

Gyo-ha soon understood why.
The Soul-Extinguishing Black Extremity Sword was an illusion sword art. It concealed the true blade amid dazzling Sword Qi.
However, the old man was releasing even more qi because of the two beside him.
Heretical Qi flowed from the old man’s body.
He was producing Sword Qi on behalf of the other two as well.
Understanding the cause did not make it easy to overcome.
The old man did not appear to be overexerting himself.
His face remained completely relaxed. He appeared more than capable of sustaining it.
He might even have chosen this method to assess Gyo-ha’s ability rather than merely defeat him.
However, Gyo-ha shook his head.

‘First, I need to get rid of that.’

Gyo-ha bit his lip. He had no answer in his current state.
Because the old man was holding back, it was difficult to defeat the other two as well.
But how?
While Gyo-ha considered his options, the three began their attack.
Three blades approached without a sound.
However, what Gyo-ha saw before him was a manifestation of Sword Qi.
Manifesting qi clearly enough to be distinguished with the naked eye was extraordinarily difficult.
It was far beyond what Gyo-ha’s internal energy could accomplish.
A sword sliced across his arm.
Because the arm had grown numb, he felt only that it had been cut, but there was no pain.

“Not bad.”

The old man spoke in admiration.
Gyo-ha was evading remarkably well despite being unable to use either arm.
However, Gyo-ha pouted at the praise.

‘It’s like he’s making fun of me.’

Because of the old man’s interference, Gyo-ha couldn’t launch a proper attack.
Meanwhile, his wounds continued accumulating.
Gyo-ha bit his lip as he continued evading their attacks.

‘There is a way.’

However, it wasn’t a normal method.
The Yokai Qi within Gyo-ha’s body.
The Heretical Qi he absorbed while fighting his enemies was being converted directly into Yokai Qi.
Much of it was lost during the conversion, but even considering that, the remaining quantity was substantial.
Moreover, that was not all.
There was also the yokai power he had absorbed from Myeong-gong and his subordinates.
Even against an elder of one of the Four Great Families, Gyo-ha did not believe he would be overwhelmed.
However.

‘Will this thing actually obey me?’

Even releasing a small portion made his body itch.
Perhaps because he had absorbed so much yokai power in such a short time, something felt wrong.
It felt as though something were bubbling inside him.
It seemed dangerously close to bursting out at any moment.
The problem was that Gyo-ha’s body was where it would erupt.
He had already lost both arms.
There was more yokai power than when he had lost both arms, and it had grown even more ferocious.
If anything went wrong, he might lose not merely a leg but his life.
However, when the old man’s sword cut across his chest once again, Gyo-ha made his decision.

‘Right. If I’m going to die either way, it makes no difference.’

In that case, it was better to try everything he could.
Gyo-ha released all the Yokai Qi he had confined within himself.

Goooooooooooooooo.

It was incomparable to the amount he had released to absorb Heretical Qi.
The Yokai Qi erupted outward in every direction.
The three stopped their attacks.
Third Elder and the Black Shadow Unit Leader cautiously looked around.
The old man, in contrast, narrowed his eyes and stared at Gyo-ha.
Something had changed.

Ossak.

A primal fear rose within the First Elder.
He could not see the yokai power, but he could tell that something had changed.
The wind and the scent had changed.
It felt as though the surroundings had darkened.
It was not because of the old man’s Heretical Qi. His once-intense energy was losing force and being pushed back.

“…What did you do?”

Gyo-ha slowly raised his head.
The three flinched at the sight of his golden eyes.
They were utterly alien and didn’t look human.
Gyo-ha soon opened his mouth.

“…Ah, this is bad.”

The old man frowned at the unexpected remark.
However, he could tell one thing.
Gyo-ha’s expression grew increasingly strained, and confusion appeared in his eyes.

‘I don’t know exactly what happened, but something appears to have gone wrong.’

It was an opportunity for them.
The three exchanged glances.
They moved immediately.
However, they were soon forced to stop.

“What…?”

As they approached, internal energy was being drawn from the Third Elder and the Black Shadow Unit Leader.
It was being pulled toward Gyo-ha even though they had not deliberately produced Sword Qi.
No, it was different from before.
Rather than entering Gyo-ha directly, it was mixing with something unknown surrounding him.

“Evil sorcery?”

At that moment.
Gyo-ha’s figure blurred.

Kwang!

The Black Shadow Unit Leader was hurled backward.
Gyo-ha had moved so quickly that even the old man failed to follow him.
Gyo-ha didn’t stop there and targeted the Third Elder.

“Geureureu.”

A sound like an animal’s growl came from Gyo-ha’s mouth.

“Not so fast!”

The old man hurriedly swung his sword.
Gyo-ha spun away and retreated before lowering his stance.
Unlike before, killing intent now flowed from his eyes.
The old man looked back at the startled Third Elder.

“…Third Elder, withdraw.”

Even now, merely remaining nearby caused his internal energy to be drained.
It would become dangerous if this continued.
Third Elder understood that and nodded.

“First Elder, please be careful.”

Third Elder retreated.
Gyo-ha’s eyes followed him before returning to the old man.

“Grrrrr.”

Gyo-ha bared his teeth.

“…Now you truly resemble a beast. A beating is the best medicine for a beast.”

The old man, First Elder, looked at him coldly.
Their figures collided an instant later.