“This bastard?”
Sensing the unnatural qi surging from Bu Eunseol’s body, Tak Il-hwang poured his soul into his blade, unleashing a torrent of steel.
Roar!
Blue Blade Energy cascaded like a tsunami, threatening to swallow Bu Eunseol whole. But in that split second, Bu Eunseol’s Dark Sword shivered. Like a ghost, it began to chase the shadows of the incoming avalanche.
Supreme Heavenly Flow, Fifth Form. Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin.
It was a supreme art that perfectly mirrored the enemy’s techniques by tracing the trajectory of their intent.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
With a delay of mere milliseconds, Bu Eunseol’s Dark Sword collided with Tak Il-hwang’s blade, point for point. This time, however, he had no intention of merely analyzing the art or dismantling the technique.
Tak Il-hwang was a master of the Ten Great Blade Demons. His skills were synonymous with Jeon Il-hon, without a single inch of difference.
“Kuh.”
After exchanging over forty moves in a single breath, a groan escaped Tak Il-hwang’s lips. Every time their weapons kissed, he felt his skeleton rattle and his wrist scream in protest. Bu Eunseol’s internal energy was so formidable that each collision shook his muscles and bones like the Gate-Severing Blades of the Peng Clan.
At this rate, far from claiming his head, my own wrist bones will shatter first.
He realized that Bu Eunseol intended to break him physically and end the fight right here. Moreover, the technique felt horrifyingly familiar. Tak Il-hwang, a veteran who had roamed the Gangho for decades, instantly recognized that the sword path of the Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin was identical to his own Blood-Stained Blade.
Ziiing!
Deciding instantly, Tak Il-hwang’s blade blurred, scattering like mist.
Thud.
Bu Eunseol’s Dark Sword, which had been scattering radiance in all directions, lost its target and dropped toward the ground. When Tak Il-hwang aborted his attack to employ a chaotic variation, the Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin—which relied on stealing the opponent’s path—was forcibly interrupted.
Step.
In that interval, Tak Il-hwang retreated, regulating his internal breath and reorganizing his stance. And just as he prepared to launch his counter-offensive—
Flash!
Bu Eunseol frowned as a brilliant light erupted from the silver-glinting Blood-Stained Blade. Tak Il-hwang had maneuvered himself to stand with his back to the sun.
A heaven-sent opportunity.
He possessed a unique blade technique, a sure-kill art that promised victory if the sun was at his back. He knew now that Bu Eunseol was not an opponent he could guarantee victory against in a contest of pure power. There was no need to risk his life; he would sever the thread of fate in one stroke.
“Good!”
Pa-at!
With a spirited yell, he soared into the air, leaping above Bu Eunseol’s head. Simultaneously, he unfolded the Blood-Stained Blade, pouring down sixteen strands of blade light.
The radiance split into thirty-two. Then, the thirty-two fractured again, becoming hundreds of rays pouring down onto Bu Eunseol’s head like a rain of needles.
Try striking this down as you have done until now!
Tak Il-hwang wore a cruel smile.
The moment you try, you are finished!
Just as Bu Eunseol moved his Dark Sword to intercept the deluge of light—
Thud.
Before anyone realized it, Tak Il-hwang’s body had circled behind Bu Eunseol. The leap into the air had been an illusion born of the Blood-Stained Blade marrying the sunlight.
Phantom Shadow Mirage.
It was a supreme art of illusionary blades that cast a hallucination when backed by the sun, allowing the user to sever the opponent’s breath in a single, unseen stroke.
This ends now!
Tak Il-hwang swung his blade without hesitation at Bu Eunseol’s exposed back. But the sensation was wrong. The blade sliced through the image, yet no resistance traveled to his hand.
Flash!
A tiny point of light bloomed in front of Tak Il-hwang’s eyes. A long streak of sword light trailed it, passing effortlessly through his brow.
“…”
Tak Il-hwang looked at Bu Eunseol with unfocused eyes. The boy, whom he was certain he had cut in two, was calmly sheathing his sword.
Drip.
A single bead of blood wept from the center of Tak Il-hwang’s forehead.
Plop.
As the drop hit the dusty ground, the realization struck him.
“So that was it.”
When he unfolded the Phantom Shadow Mirage, Bu Eunseol had not countered. He had simply vacated the space entirely.
Shadowless Supreme Speed.
That secretive and rapid movement technique had left an afterimage for Tak Il-hwang to strike.
“The one who saw an illusion… was me.”
Those were his final words.
Thud.
The Blood Sea Demonic Blade Tak Il-hwang, who had made the martial world tremble alongside the Twelve Staining Guests, collapsed. His end was utterly futile.
It is true that looking directly at the sun momentarily dulls the senses. However, Bu Eunseol had reached the state of Spirit Communion of the Empty Mind; he would suffer no hindrance even if he stared at the sun for an entire shichen.
“You chose your final move poorly.”
Bu Eunseol looked down at the corpse, whose eyes remained wide open in disbelief.
“You should have unfolded the essence of the Blood-Stained Blade Art, not a supreme art of illusionary blades.”
If Tak Il-hwang had fought with honest brutality, the victor might have been uncertain. But he had gambled on a trick for an easy win, and the house had won.
Cha-ang! Clink!
Meanwhile, the battle raged on. The Twelve Staining Guests were overwhelming masters, but under Hyeok So-jin’s command, the Rootless Squad displayed perfect coordination, moving as a single organism. Yet, victory remained elusive.
“Hmm.”
Bu Eunseol, observing the melee, let out a low groan. The squad was struggling despite the presence of a Transcendence Realm master like Hyeok So-jin because one of the Staining Guests possessed skill that defied logic.
One of the Twelve Staining Guests has entered the Transcendence Realm alone?
Flutter.
Launching himself instantly, Bu Eunseol drew his Dark Sword and targeted the anomaly.
Shing.
As the sword cried out, millions of points of light coalesced into a single beam.
Meteor Chasing the Moon.
Chwararak!
In response, the opponent’s wide blade glinted silver, spreading like a fan to create a broad screen of light.
Clang-clang-clang!
With a deafening metallic roar, the stance that could split heavens was halted cold. This warrior had blocked the Meteor Chasing the Moon—which possessed both blinding speed and the weight of a heavy sword—with a single defensive technique.
Step!
The Staining Guest who blocked the strike suddenly leaped forward, rushing into Bu Eunseol’s guard.
“Does the Blood-Stained Blade also have a chaotic sword technique?”
Bu Eunseol muttered low, swinging his Dark Sword to condense the edge. Just as he prepared to cut them down—
Shweek!
The Staining Guest formed a hand blade with their left hand and chopped toward Bu Eunseol’s chest.
“…!”
Surprise flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes. To abandon the perfectly fine blade and use a left-handed chop?
Flash!
It was incomprehensibly reckless, but Bu Eunseol slashed down without hesitation at the limb digging toward his heart.
Ka-ang!
Sword met flesh, but instead of bone shearing, a metallic clang rang out. The Dark Sword bounced off. This person had cultivated not only the Blood-Stained Blade but a terrifying Hand Art as well.
Shweek!
Not missing the opening, a soft white light pierced toward Bu Eunseol’s chest. Or rather, it should have.
Smack.
Bu Eunseol snatched the sharp hand of the Staining Guest with his bare palm.
How…
The figure stared at their trapped hand. Even iron tongs should have shattered upon impact. How could he catch it with bare flesh?
“You must have thought the Seven Forms of the Demonic Fist was merely a fist art.”
The Seven Forms of the Demonic Fist embodied the essence of both fist and palm, capable of manipulating force at will. Used here, it functioned as a superior grappling art.
Hweek!
Undeterred, the figure’s left foot moved secretly, digging deep toward Bu Eunseol’s lower body—the Iron Arrow Blood-Net Foot Art, a technique of unparalleled power at close range.
Predicting the blow, Bu Eunseol sidestepped and drove a single punch into the figure’s center.
Bang!
With an explosive sound, the body flew back, slamming into the wall.
Thud.
The Staining Guest rose quickly, but the force of the punch had torn the mask away, sending it fluttering into the wind. An unexpectedly dazzling face was revealed under the sun: lips stained rose-red, pale skin, and large, fierce eyes.
The skilled master was, surprisingly, a young woman.
“As expected, Do Cheon-rin did not send you…”
“What do you mean?” she demanded, glaring.
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly. “If he had sent an assassin, he would not have sent one so sloppily.”
Bu Eunseol had sensed something amiss from the start. Do Cheon-rin, the Ten Perfections Scholar, was a deep and calculating figure. He would never send a force as blunt as Tak Il-hwang and these guests if he truly intended to kill him.
“I see. You were Do Cheon-rin’s sister.”
Bu Eunseol possessed a memory for physiognomy that would shame a professional. The woman before him resembled Do Cheon-rin like a twin.
“Let go!”
The woman shook off Bu Eunseol’s arm and retreated nervously.
She was Do Chae-ryeong, Do Cheon-rin’s youngest sister. She had idolized her brother since childhood, watching him from the shadows. But recently, the name ‘Bu Eunseol’ had begun to haunt his lips.
—He is truly amazing! Excluding those ‘two guys,’ there is no one in our age group who would dare face him.
Her brother, whom she believed to be the apex of the world, had found someone he praised. Someone he claimed he must eventually kill. Driven by a twisted protective instinct, she had persuaded Tak Il-hwang to mobilize the Twelve Staining Guests. She intended to erase the man who held both her brother’s respect and hatred.
“Hmm.”
Sighing deeply, Bu Eunseol looked down at Do Chae-ryeong.
“With this, I owe him no debt.”
The Young Patriarch of the Blood-Stained Blade Clan, Do Cheon-rin, had consistently opposed Bu Eunseol’s rise. Yet, while the White Demon Monastery, Infernal Blood Fortress, and Evil Spirit Sect launched endless attacks, Do Cheon-rin had held the Blood-Stained Blade Clan back. He could have joined the slaughter to overthrow Bu Eunseol, but he had refrained.
That was likely his own twisted form of goodwill.
Turning his head, Bu Eunseol’s eyes glowed with a crimson hue. “But this is the only time. If you touch me once more, you will have to risk your lives. Not just you, but everyone in the Blood-Stained Blade Clan.”
Grind.
Biting her lip until it bled, Do Chae-ryeong looked at the corpses of Tak Il-hwang and her subordinates, clutching her bruised wrist.
“The main house will deal with the bodies, so leave them be.”
“I will.”
As soon as Bu Eunseol’s answer ended, she unfolded her movement technique and vanished from the scene.
***
Boom.
The massive gates of the Demonic Palace groaned open.
Two young men dressed in white and blue robes walked in slowly, shoulder to shoulder. It was Bu Eunseol and Hyeok So-jin.
Thud, thud.
Behind them filed figures covered in wounds, their uniforms torn and bloodied. Yet, their eyes burned bright, radiating a sharp, unyielding aura.
The Rootless Squad.
Martial artists passing by gaped in surprise. Was this the ruffian squad they usually scorned? Today, they walked with the gravity of battle-hardened veterans.
They arrived at the Grand Training Ground of the Demonic Palace. A dizzyingly high platform dominated the space, and atop it, dressed in the Black Dragon Robe, sat the Divine Demonic Emperor on his grand chair. Beside him stood the Grand Commander, Yeop Hyo-cheon. Below them were the Squad Captains of the Palace, embroidered with the Twin Dragons Contesting for the Pearl.
Thud, thud.
As Bu Eunseol and the Rootless Squad ascended the training ground, the sword-bearing warriors of the Guard Squad snapped to attention, paying their respects.
The Demonic Palace, an alliance of a million practitioners, was driven solely by power and merit. Unlike the hypocritical justice of the Martial Righteous Alliance, the Palace offered honest rewards for exceptional deeds.
—Deal with the Streaked Demonic Sect and the Streaked Demonic Sect Leader!
Bu Eunseol and his squad had completed an impossible mission. To commend their merit, the Divine Demonic Emperor and the key figures of the faction had assembled to greet them.
Rustle.
They halted below the platform. As Bu Eunseol gathered his hands to bow, Hyeok So-jin and the Rootless Squad members followed suit in solemn unison.
“Rootless Squad Captain Bu Eunseol.”
Bu Eunseol spoke, his voice low but magnificent, carrying across the silent training ground.
“I have completed the order given by the Divine Demonic Emperor and returned.”
Nod.
The Divine Demonic Emperor acknowledged him with a slight nod. Grand Commander Yeop Hyo-cheon stepped forward, his voice projecting authority.
“Although it was a mission to select successor candidates, the Rootless Squad Captain has once again made the dignity of the Demonic Palace known to the martial world and achieved great merit.” He turned to the Demonic Emperor. “According to the laws of this Palace, it is right to bestow a great reward.”
“Hmm.”
The Divine Demonic Emperor looked down at the young captain.
“Speak what you desire.”
Instantly, the assembled martial artists wore puzzled expressions. Destroying the Streaked Demonic Sect was a great feat, certainly, but was it enough to warrant a blank check from the Emperor himself?
Rustle.
At that moment, Bu Eunseol raised his head. He took a deep breath, his gaze steady, and spoke in a voice that left no room for doubt.
“I wish to officially become a Squad Captain of the Demonic Palace.”