Episode 349

Two streams of palms, creating black afterimages, rise with formidable momentum.

The suddenly enlarged hand shape obscured Neung Seo-hyun’s figure.

All that could be seen were two palms shrouded in layers of Demonic qi.

Crash!

The startled Jinmu dug his heels into the ground, leaning his body backward.

“…!”

The two hands that should have grazed past his chest suddenly fell like a waterfall.

Their target was…damn, the groin?

Suddenly? Openly? As if flaunting it?

So surprised, he awkwardly brought his knees together and stuck his hips out, causing Jinmu to lose his balance.

Crack!

“Ugh!”

Jinmu’s chin shot upward.

Fortunately, he twisted his head just in time, or else his jawbone might have shattered.

Without any chance to stagger, Neung Seo-hyun’s hand quickly thrust into Jinmu’s territory.

Jinmu, about to be struck directly in the chest, swiftly retreated backward.

Seizing the advantage, Neung Seo-hyun did not let Jinmu escape.

Her hand, curving like a whip and forming a dark trajectory, flew towards Jinmu’s wrist.

Jinmu twisted his wrist to flick her hand away.

But as if she anticipated it, her hand vanished without a trace and grabbed his collar.

Swish!

Her body, spinning like a whirlwind, seemed to touch Jinmu’s as the hand gripping his collar drew a parabola and pulled outward.

Whoosh!

“…!”

What is this sudden, novel sensation of my body floating?

Crash!

In the instant he felt airborne, Jinmu’s body was driven deep into the ground.

“Ugh!”

The moment he crashed violently to the ground, the shock of his spine crumbling resonated through him.

“Haaap!”

Before he could clearly grasp what was happening, Neung Seo-hyun, who was airborne, thrust a powerful strike towards the ground. And it was filled with intense qi.

A life-or-death, critical moment.

If he got hit by that, even with qi shielding him, he would have to brace for shattered ribs.

Damn it… It’s been a while since this has happened.

In such situations, there’s only one way to avoid it.

The ultimate evasive move.

Lazy Donkey Roll.

Would you compare me to a lazy donkey? I’m the one who taught Chung Woo to roll like a flash of lightning.

Swish!

As Jinmu’s body spun fiercely on the ground like a spinning top, dust rose everywhere, obscuring Neung Seo-hyun’s view.

Boom!

At the same time, the earth trembled violently from the impact of the descending strike.

“……”

Neung Seo-hyun, who had left a handprint the size of a giant beast’s footprint on the overturned ground, turned her head.

Pararararak!

Jinmu, who was still rolling despite having long escaped the range of attack.

After some time, Jinmu, covered in dust, stopped spinning and slowly got up.

“Well, geez….”

Jinmu, barely standing, straightened his back and brushed off his clothes, smiling nonchalantly at Neung Seo-hyun, who was staring at him.

A truly peculiar martial art.

They say it’s called the Hand of the Specter, and it’s no lie.

Not only was it fast, but the movement Neung Seo-hyun displayed was a technique never seen before in his life.

“You roll…well.”

“……”

Neung Seo-hyun’s voice was indifferent, yet it was full of mockery.

The Grotto-heaven Lord observers nearby wore smirks of derision, but Jinmu was not one to be embarrassed by such trivialities.

What Jinmu was observing was something different.

Neung Seo-hyun. More impressive than expected.

Warriors generally focus on growth and neglect techniques.

This tendency becomes more pronounced after achieving a certain level. They just recklessly expend qi to attack, not paying attention to the detailed execution of techniques.

She used efficient movements and just the right amount of internal qi to drive herself.

When she seized the upper hand, she knew how to release all her qi for a decisive strike.

In other words, what seemed like an easy battle now promised to be quite interesting.

“That was good. I almost had my jaw and chest bones shattered.”

“……”

Neung Seo-hyun’s eyes cooled.

The first attack used to rattle Jinmu, the groin.

Though cruel, the ancient history of the Demonic Cult held pride in their martial arts just as much as the Justice Faction.

To attack an opponent with such a petty method was something worthy of others’ criticism.

Yet, instead of blaming her, he simply performed the disgraceful Lazy Donkey Roll to evade it.

Is he not angry? Not even embarrassed?

Jinmu’s expression and smile.

He wasn’t pretending to be unfazed; he truly wasn’t affected.

Nung Seo-hyun’s smile deepened.

“An interesting fellow. Very interesting.”

“……”

“But, wasn’t it a bit embarrassing for a warrior like you to show such a side in front of so many? When will you prove your strength?”

Oh, provocation.

Try flaunting in front of a chrysalis all you want.

Provocation has always been my specialty.

In any case, I’ve figured her out. She’ll do anything for victory without hesitation.

Despicable? Shameful?

What does it matter?

All that’s left is to bring her to her knees.

“Ah, I’m about to start.”

Jinmu chuckled softly and took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Whew…”

As he exhaled slowly, his chest returned to normal, and a chilling black aura flashed in Jinmu’s eyes.

“You called Spectral Shadow Demon Hand? It was quite refreshing. It’s the first time I’ve been hit like that.”

“……”

“Now, I’ll break you the same way.”

Paak!

He kicked off the ground lightly.

As his slightly tilted waist straightened, his body stretched out like a taffy.

“…Bowing Catapulting Form?”

Jinmu’s figure, which had been quite far away, suddenly approached right before her eyes.

Why are you always so surprised with this?

Compared to techniques like One Swift Step movement or Void Air Movement, this is third-rate, just third-rate.

Neung Seo-hyun urgently moved her hand toward Jinmu’s smile, which had come up close.

As her hand, pointed straight with her middle finger, shot toward his face like a spear, Jinmu dodged by tilting his head and swung his fist widely.

Missing her target, Neung Seo-hyun’s hand twisted like a snake, encircling Jinmu’s incoming fist.

Ssswish!

Jinmu quickly twisted away and grabbed Neung Seo-hyun’s collar with his open hand.

Pak! Papapak!

The exchange between the two in an instant was a battle of hands.

The fingertips when blocking were spears, and the edge of the hand when slashing was a sword.

Blocking was like a sturdy shield, and when extending a clenched fist, it was as blunt as a giant sledgehammer.

Their hands moved even faster to seize a small fragment of victory, and their feet kicked up thick clouds of dust in the struggle for dominance.

Eventually, their figures were obscured by the dust…

Pop, whoosh! Thud, smack, crash!

The sound of their clashes echoed all around, shaking the air.

The martial arts used by Neung Seo-hyun and Jinmu.

Grappling techniques.

They subdue their opponent by seizing them and neutralize them with various attacks using fists, feet, palms, fingers, and claws.

Within the swift gestures and movements of his feet, Jinmu meticulously observed each of Neung Seo-hyun’s actions.

There was no interruption in her movements.

Her fluid and seamlessly connected motions resembled a whirlwind.

Her hands and feet created small whirlwinds, which connected and stretched out like a storm.

Jinmu smiled, feeling as if he were trapped within the wind.

Twisting, bending. Change occurs here.

A touch that shifts like the blowing wind, without a constant rhythm.

One should not try to grasp it. One must be assimilated into its flow.

“…!”

As the form progressed, Neung Seo-hyun felt a growing frustration.

She was certain she almost had it, but suddenly, it felt as if she was the one being pursued.

Yet, Jinmu’s movements. They seemed so familiar from somewhere…

No, it was more than just familiar. That was surely her own Spectral Shadow Demon Hand?

He mimicked it in such a short time?

That’s absurd. There’s no way.

Neung Seo-hyun was a warrior who dedicated her life focused solely on one thing: the Seize-and-Lock Technique.

In other words, she was more specialized than anyone else to use it…

Swoosh.

“…!”

She was caught.

Whooosh!

Jinmu’s body burrowed in like a twisting whirlwind, and Neung Seo-hyun was lifted into the air.

‘This, this bastard!’

Thud!

But the impact of being slammed into the ground made her head ring, rendering her unable to continue her anger.

Could it be next…?

Neung Seo-hyun searched for Jinmu’s figure with wide eyes.

Jinmu, with a sinister smile as if he was a demon that had torn through space and burst out of the void, thrust his fist straight.

Exactly the same attack method as before.

She never imagined she would fall for the exact method she had just used on Jinmu.

What can be avoided is…

As soon as she thought of it, Neung Seo-hyun rolled her body to the side…thud.

Thud? Thud?

Something was preventing her.

What Neung Seo-hyun saw, shocked, were Jinmu’s two legs.

She didn’t feel it.

Neung Seo-hyun’s body was caught between Jinmu’s legs, and the two legs firmly held her like pillars, preventing her escape.

Damn it…

Neung Seo-hyun’s face twisted.

Jinmu’s fist came crashing down fiercely toward that face.

Thud.

The immense force contained in the fist approached first, pressing down on the ground and burying her body into it.

She sensed the end.

That fist would not stop. It would crush her nose and slam into her face.

Whoosh!

The moment she thought it was over, a wind as strong as a typhoon struck her face.

The impact pushed her skin back as if it would tear, and her eyes naturally squinted.

The fist…stopped.

Jinmu, who had stopped his fist just an inch from her nose, smirked and leapt back.

“……”

Lying on the ground dented by the fist’s pressure, Neung Seo-hyun blinked.

Why?

With that one blow, the match was as good as decided.

Supporting herself up with her arms, Neung Seo-hyun looked at the retreating Jinmu.

“What are you doing, get up.”

“…?”

“I never intended to bring you down with mere imitation.”

What?

Neung Seo-hyun widened her eyes.

“How was it? Was it okay? I was a bit clumsy, wasn’t I?”

“……”

Jinmu’s smirking words only intensified Neung Seo-hyun’s shock.

’Did he just topple the Seize-and-Lock Technique, which I have honed my entire life, by merely mimicking it after seeing it once? And he was clumsy?

‘What on earth is he talking about?’

“There’s no need to be surprised. Haven’t you heard of ‘all rivers flow into the sea’? When you reach the pinnacle, you can replicate someone’s movements, internal qi manipulation, and even footwork just by observing. In fact, I’ve mastered hand techniques far superior to yours.”

“…You’ve mastered a more advanced technique of Seize-and-Lock Technique?”

Yes. Have you heard of it?

Wudang’s Tai Qing Dispersing Hands.¹

Jinmu wanted to boast that it was the ultimate philosophy, but now he was in no position to pay anyone due respect…nor could he call himself a master, so he left the rest unsaid.

“Well, it’s a matter of degree. Your martial arts are quite something. You’re the first to knock me down like that.”

“……”

Jinmu shyly waves his hand, feeling embarrassed.

“Alright, enough admiration. Now let’s really begin.”

“……”

“My specialty isn’t grappling techniques, but rather fists and kicks. I handle swords a bit too.”

Jinmu taps the ground with his foot and cracks his knuckles with clasped hands.

“……”

Watching him, Neung Seo-hyun couldn’t help but chuckle.

A strange fellow has appeared.

She thought it would be worth trying, but there’s no end in sight.

Playfulness holds sincerity, and light movements carry weight.

A great upheaval might indeed occur in the once quiet Demonic Cult.

’Cult Leader… You may face quite a formidable opponent.

‘And somehow, I find myself drawn to that young friend.’

“Haap!”

Neung Seo-hyun, smiling so brightly that the corners of her mouth reached her cheeks, unleashed all her qi.

Dark qi streamed out, forming black clouds, and accelerated her movements.

‘If I’m going to lose anyway, shouldn’t I fight without regrets?’

Paaang!

The air exploded where Jinmu and Neung Seo-hyun had been standing, and clods of earth kicked up, scattering in all directions.

In an instant, they vanished, colliding with intense smiles at the center of the swirling dust.

Jjeoong!

“……”

The tension rose among the Grotto-heaven Lords, including Geum Ma-young, as they watched the two exchange blows with excitement.

Neung Seo-hyun had fallen.

The fight continued, but the tide had already turned.

Neung Seo-hyun was fighting with all her might, while Mujin seemed to be teaching, noticing the flaws but choosing to attack obliquely.

She was an unparalleled master who had vied for the top position among the Twelve Grotto-heavens, alongside Dan Woo-gang and Baek Cheon-rip.

What if, after the ranking battle, she acknowledged Mujin’s hand?

He would become the ruler of the south.

When that time came, they would be powerless to stop him.

Neither martial prowess nor strategy would allow them to gain the upper hand.

They had reigned like emperors in their domain.

They did not want to lose it. They had to kill him.

Even if it meant abandoning their pride as followers of the Demonic Cult, as Neung Seo-hyun had said.

Geum Ma-young looked at the remaining three Grotto-heaven Lords.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Nods of understanding amidst the silence.

A tacit agreement.

Everyone shares the same sentiment.

Those who have do not wish to lose, and those who have risen do not wish to descend.

They glared at Jinmu and Neung Seo-hyun, brandishing their razor-sharp weapons.

And in their eyes, different shades of greed flicker.

Yes. If they kill the two of them…the positions of three Grotto-heaven Lords will be vacant.

And those positions will belong to those who survive.