Chapter 302

Chapter 302

More tenacious than expected.

Jjeoeoeoeok!

As Ghost King opened his mouth wide, flashing his teeth and charging, Namgung Hyeon and Seonwoo Gang immediately exchanged glances and poured out sword energy while creating distance. Simultaneously, Baek Risan violently raised flames to distort their vision.

True Flame White Fire Art

Bright Mountain Flame

Devouring it.

Even while devouring the surging flames, Ghost King frowned and looked around while repeatedly opening and closing his jaw with clack clack sounds. This situation had been repeating since earlier.

—Must eat…

Originally, it’s said that most high-grade yokai have excellent intelligence, but strictly speaking, that’s incorrect. Because it’s not that high-ranking yokai have excellent intelligence, but rather that yokai with excellent intelligence are more likely to rise to high levels.

Once they gather a certain amount of demonic power and construct intelligence above a certain level, escaping the line of inferior yokai, from that point on, the yokai’s demonic power is used to develop their own characteristics rather than to increase intelligence. It’s more like their intelligence only grows up to their predetermined limit.

It’s natural that in all worldly affairs, the more knowledgeable and wise one is, the easier it is to survive.

This principle isn’t an exception for yokai either, so most excellent yokai similarly possess excellent intelligence. Just as there are no yokai among the Seven Great Yokai, the pinnacle of yokai, who have intelligence inferior to humans.

But that’s a story applicable to other yokai.

It wasn’t a story applicable to Ghost King. Because.

Though he had ultimately been defeated by Muhyeong and had his existence devoured, Ghost King’s ability was sufficiently powerful even without intelligence.

“Eat.”

Kwak—!!!

“Urk…!”

The moment Ghost King opened his mouth wide and chomped once, Seonwoo Gang reflexively released his sword at the sensation of something roughly twisting and gripping his blade. Simultaneously, Seonwoo Gang’s sword was being crunch crunch chewed in midair.

“Damn it, my sword!!!”

“Go buy one!”

“That sword was custom-made by Heavenly Artisan Cheon!”

Crunch crunch.

At the sight of Seonwoo Gang screaming and shouting, Ghost King, who had been making chewing motions in the air, spat and looked at the sword. A sword that, though it had some teeth marks, wasn’t breaking.

—Hard…

Was the sword’s material excellent?

That wasn’t it. However, the narrative attached to the sword seemed to hold the sword’s cohesion more firmly together. A sword that, while not enough to call it a divine weapon, could sufficiently be called a famous blade.

—Jaw hurts.

“Then don’t freaking eat it!”

Seonwoo Gang, who grabbed the sword Ghost King had thrown away while screaming, glanced to the side. It was a situation with no answer.

—What should we do?

—…

—I can’t even get a sense of how that ability activates.

Devouring internal power, biting empty air, chewing up swords.

They roughly understood that ‘eating’ was Ghost King’s ability. However, they couldn’t know anything about where the limits were, what happened when he ate something, or how they could subjugate him.

—Think carefully. He aimed for the sword with his first strike.

—…

—If he was aiming, targeting people would have been more certain for dealing with us, yet he aimed for the sword. Conversely, that means he could only target the sword.

—What are you saying… Ah?

Baek Risan, who had been frowning at Namgung Hyeon’s voice transmission, opened his eyes wide as if understanding.

—He didn’t do it because he couldn’t?

—Right.

What had Ghost King devoured so far?

He ate internal power and swords. He devoured things that ‘couldn’t originally be eaten.’ He did so even while knowing it was inefficient.

Why did he do that?

—It means his ability is either the power to eat ‘things that can’t be eaten,’ or there’s a high probability it’s an ability that can’t eat living things.

—Hmm.

—Either way, he can’t use that ability directly on us. If he could have, he would have done so long ago, but seeing that he hasn’t until now makes it clear. Devouring internal power or swords and the like must be his limit.

What should they do?

After hearing Namgung Hyeon’s story and making a judgment, Baek Risan took a step forward and extended his sword. The appearance of the Uicheon Sword shining in the sunlight.

—I’ll go forward.

—What?

—Your swords are probably quite sturdy too, but the Uicheon Sword is on a different level. It doesn’t break at all.

The Uicheon Sword, the key to the divine artifact Uicheon Manor.

Therefore, the Uicheon Sword had the characteristic of absolutely never breaking. It was a story he had directly heard from Baek Riyun while training before, so it must be true.

—If it absolutely won’t break, even if he bites it, it won’t be a major problem. This side has the highest possibility of enduring long.

—But.

—Besides, I’m the one who should be at the front anyway. You’re not confident you can avoid getting caught up, are you?

—…True.

At the sight of Baek Risan speaking while looking at the white flames he had raised, Namgung Hyeon nodded. Certainly, unlike himself who had developed in the direction of delicately controlling all sword energy, or Seonwoo Gang who put power into each strike, hadn’t Baek Risan’s martial arts developed in a way that occupied space?

—Then I’ll leave it to you.

—Leave it to me.

Whew.

Taking a deep breath, Baek Risan quietly drew up his internal power and took a step. At that moment, Ghost King charged.

‘Plant both feet firmly on the ground so they don’t get pushed back.’

Techniques start from the lower body.

‘The waist flexibly, so power can be twisted and loaded.’

The started technique gains more power from the waist, then again from the shoulder, from the elbow, from the wrist. To change from the originally faint power through squares and squares into earth-shaking tremendous force.

‘True Flame White Fire Art operates based on internal power.’

If the ultimate of the Baek Ri Family is ultimately understanding all internal power and wielding that ultimate compatibility, then True Flame White Fire Art is no different from something to make them deeply understand the operation of internal power to reach that point. That’s why True Flame White Fire Art is a martial art that’s both strong and incomplete.

However,

‘True Flame White Fire Art isn’t the only martial art I’ve learned.’

Blue Moon Lesser Heaven Art?

No. It’s not a martial art trapped in the framework of the Baek Ri Family. Didn’t he already know from the start?

Hadn’t he already tasted the entrance to the extreme of what he pursued?

—Human. Eat.

Ghost King opens his mouth wide. Enormously, as if to chew up the world itself.

‘I can’t finish it. But.’

I can land a blow.

Looking into that mouth like a bottomless pit with no visible end, Baek Risan quietly raised his sword. And.

Kung!

Finally.

Kugugugugugugung—!!!!

The moment Baek Risan confirmed irresistible tremendous force rising from his ankles and being contained at the sword’s tip, he swung the sword.

Fire Heaven Sword Flow

Blue-white flames drew one line .

Simultaneously.

Pajijijijijik—!!!!!

“…!?”

Modified Baek Riyun Style

One Sweep

Ghost King’s body split in half.

—Uh, uuuh?

Ghost King, who had been stupidly looking down at his body slowly split in half, tilted his head back and forth while looking at Baek Risan. An expression of incomprehension.

—Eat, prey…

“…”

—Not this strong. How?

“I don’t know either, you bastard.”

Thud!

The moment Baek Risan burst into hollow laughter after finishing off Ghost King by deeply stabbing his head with the sword that still had energy remaining, Namgung Hyeon and Seonwoo Gang quickly approached Baek Risan. And a question followed.

“That strike just now… You, don’t tell me you were hiding your strength?”

“What are you talking about?”

“But that was…”

“It’s not my skill.”

Fire Heaven Sword Flow.

Of course, he couldn’t deny it was an excellent martial art. It was true he had brought out Fire Heaven Sword Flow thinking True Flame White Fire Art wouldn’t work. Fire Heaven Sword Flow was one step, perhaps even a couple steps further than True Flame White Fire Art.

However,

“No matter what, there’s no way I could take this down in one strike.”

“That means…”

“It means it’s not my skill.”

Taking a deep breath and extending the Uicheon Sword forward, Baek Risan lightly shook the Uicheon Sword. Soon, small lightning extending from the sword’s tip.

“What are you doing?”

—…

“If you’re caught, come out right now. Oppa.”

Silence.

At Baek Risan’s words, in the momentary silence that arrived, everyone turned their gaze to the Uicheon Sword. And at that moment, a softly resonating voice.

—I’m caught.

That was.

—As expected of my little sister, you’re quick to notice.

It was Baek Riyun’s voice.

***

I possessed the Uicheon Sword when Baek Risan was in the midst of confronting Ghost King.

[New functions of Uicheon Sword are being unlocked.]

[Calculating the most necessary function in the current situation…]

[Consciousness Synchronization  function has been unlocked!]

‘…?’

After frantically running to find Seohwa and coming to my senses, I was inside the Uicheon Sword that Baek Risan was holding.

Seeing him dealing with Ghost King, I roughly grasped the current situation, where this place was, and what I needed to do going forward. I also clearly understood that Baek Risan’s skill couldn’t handle Ghost King.

Therefore, I mixed my techniques bit by bit into Baek Risan’s attacks to guide his actions. And thanks to that, we were able to handle Ghost King.

—We were lucky.

“Lucky?”

—Right. That’s the only way I can express it.

At Baek Risan’s question, I quietly continued speaking.

—Thanks to you bringing the Uicheon Sword near me, the Uicheon Sword’s functions returned to me.

“…”

—Since the Uicheon Sword’s functions returned, my soul could dwell here and I could guide your actions. That’s not all.

The overwhelming difference between Ghost King and the Late-Stage Rising Stars.

Due to that difference, Ghost King didn’t have much vigilance toward these kids. By one chance in ten thousand, one chance in a hundred thousand—while a mouse might be able to bite a cat to death, it couldn’t bite a tiger to death, and there was that much difference between Ghost King and the children.

That is, unless I joined in.

—We struck the opening well. Originally, even this strike wouldn’t have worked on Ghost King. At best, would it have been enough to tear off one arm?

“…He was that strong?”

—Yes. At worst, he’d be at the level of a sect leader from the Nine Sects and One Gang.

If he had met the relatively young Sect Leader of Spear Window Sect, he might have been defeated.

“Hmm. Really?”

—…

“Got it. That aside.”

At my words, Baek Risan, who had been looking at the fallen Ghost King while making a nasal sound for a moment, shook his head vigorously and looked directly at me dwelling in the Uicheon Sword. And veins bulging on his forehead.

“What on earth were you thinking…!”

—Wait.

“…What?”

—San-ah. I understand what you want to say, but we don’t have time for that.

“We don’t have time, you say…”

—The other children are in danger.

“…The other guys? Which one of Seohwa, Wangpal, or Seomun Cheok?”

—All of them.

“What do you mean by that?”

At the sight of Baek Risan frowning as if not understanding, I urgently continued my explanation.

—I don’t have time to explain in detail, so I’ll explain briefly: right now, one of the Sipcheon has been eroded by a yokai and is trying to kill those children. Someone called Fist Spirit.

“…Fist Spirit?”

—Right. One of the Chilryun named Jeokyeol is somehow trying to stop the situation, but he’s being pushed back. In a head-on fight, he’ll definitely lose.

An assassin and a fist fighter.

Even aside from the difference in skill due to transcendence, you could tell without saying who was stronger in a head-on fight. The moment Jeokyeol’s appearance was exposed, his fate would be to have his neck bones broken with a crack.

—We must help.

“I understand that, but…”

After hesitating to answer while mumbling at my words for a moment, Baek Risan took a deep breath.

“What should I do?”

—Mm. It’s simple.

“…?”

—Lend me your body for a moment.