Chapter 313: The Fight of the Dead (2)

Undead.

Those who do not die even in death.

Their characteristic was to endlessly drift and covet the living.

And.

The apex of the sword commanding them…

Was the ‘Knight of Death, the Death Knight.’

[Tibon activates the Lv15 ‘Darkness Blade’!]

Fzzzt!

Following the white blade, a black aura surged forth.

Deep fury lit up within the hollow eye sockets.

Gone was the playful demeanor that Tibon previously exhibited.

Now, there was only the knight who obeyed his master’s command.

“Hiiiiyah!”

Thud!

Tibon, gripping the reins of his spectral steed, charged forward.

Though the distance was too short to take advantage of the heavy cavalry’s speed, it did not matter.

To a ghostly horse, acceleration was not a product of build-up, but an inherent trait.

“Kieeek!”

“Keeek!”

The blood puppets rushed in reflexively.

Strengthened by their formation, they had nothing to fear from the hopping undead.

With their nails sharp enough to slice through iron and their legs that had drastically increased in speed.

With these two attributes, they could easily tear apart the mounted soldiers.

The blood puppets crowded together in a dense formation.

“Break through.”

Tadadadadada!

Tibon led the charge, accelerating further.

The other ancient soldiers also thrust their long spears forward.

Wedge formation.

Maximized destructive force penetrated through the heart of the blood puppets’ formation.

Boom boom boom!

In an instant, the front row of blood puppets shattered into pieces.

Tibon swung his sword, slicing through enemies, followed by the ancient soldiers who executed measured thrusts.

Like bullets.

Thud!

Thwack!

The bodies of the blood puppets were perforated with round holes.

And through the gaps Tibon and the ancient soldiers had opened.

Clatter! Clatter!

Countless skeletons pressed forward like a tidal wave.

This was the undead legion.

“How can this be…”

The necromancer commander’s eyes bulged open.

He had heard of sorceries from other realms that could manipulate the dead.

But.

To overpower the blood puppets while using ‘Legion Command’?

Was that even possible?

With this many blood puppets, a branch of a righteous faction could be turned into ruins in a half-day.

Yet.

Boom!

The sinister aura emanating from the skeletal knights overshadowed all fights.

The rest of the knights and skeletons were just as bothersome.

Nearly half of the blood puppets were already incapacitated.

At this rate, annihilation was only a matter of time.

“…Pretty good. I hate to admit it, but blood puppets are no match.”

The necromancer commander nodded.

Then.

Whoosh!

Moved by the sound of wind, the blood puppets covered in white flares were in motion.

They were the Yin-Yang Puppets brought specially to oppose peak masters.

A red left hand contrasted with a white, frozen right hand.

Yin and Yang.

Polar opposites locking onto Tibon’s neck.

“Three should be sufficient.”

A cruel smile hung on the necromancer commander’s lips.

Right then.

Vroom!

[A unique ability ‘Star’s Blessing’ activates!]

A sacred light descended from the sky.

Clad in white armor, Theresa inserted herself between Tibon and the Yin-Yang Puppets.

Clang!

Nails rebounded off the shield.

“I shall join the battle.”

Golden hair gleamed between the visor slits.

‘Coeur de Jeanne,’ the relic of Joan of Arc, and the Holy Cross Sword granted by the Holy Empire unleashed blinding brilliance.

“Kieeek!”

“Keeek!”

The blood puppets screamed in agony against the holy light.

Sacred power was anathema to the undead.

Theresa’s mere presence was fatal to them.

In addition.

[‘Blood Spear’ is activated!]

Voooom…

Boom boom boom boom!

Spears of blood impaled the Yin-Yang Puppets.

“Argh!”

Speared by the barbs, the Yin-Yang Puppets flailed helplessly.

“Hmm, quite durable.”

Ebony hair fitting for her dark pupils.

Elise, in the guise of a martial artist, summoned spears in rapid succession.

“Not a single one shall pass!”

“Yes, High Priest!”

“We can’t leave everything to the outsiders.”

Owned by So You-myeong and his disciples, the protective formation was robust, befitting those who’d been trained rigourously since childhood.

＊＊＊

“Ugh… what a bother.”

As the situation ran contrary to expectations, the necromancer commander spat out an annoyed voice.

After all, as long as ‘Legion Command’ was active, the rest were merely standing their ground.

If they could only eliminate those ghostly horsemen, the tide would turn back in their favor.

With things as they stood, there was no choice but to step in personally.

Annoying, but a little effort was all it would take.

Slish!

The necromancer commander drew twin daggers.

Uniquely shaped like crescent moons, the blades were revealed.

But.

“You haven’t forgotten, have you? That you’re facing me.”

A chilling voice whispered in the necromancer commander’s ear.

“How did you get behind me!?”

Jinhyuk had taken position at the commander’s back.

Crack…!

Just as the fangs were about to pierce the neck, the commander angled his daggers to deflect the attack.

The sharp clash resonated.

“Five Yin-Yang Puppets were assigned to watch you… have you dealt with them all?”

“Dealing with mere five isn’t too hard.”

He should’ve left at least a few Asura Destroying Blood Puppets to buy more time.

Climbing the tower alone.

In the past, he alone faced all the blood puppets.

There had been many failures and frustrations.

Of course.

He had to resolve an almost impossible task all by himself, without anyone’s help.

However.

This time he was not alone.

He had comrades to trust and rely upon.

With such steadfast support…

He was certain he would not fail.

Let’s see this fight to the end now that everyone else is fighting so hard too.”

The stage was set.

It was time to climax the spectacle gloriously.

“Do you think you can defeat me here, where the blood sorcery has been laid out?”

Forced nerfing of all abilities.

Indeed, fighting against a mighty opponent like the necromancer commander within this sorcery was no easy task.

But there was one thing.

One ability that wasn’t restricted within this sorcery.

-Cheonma Sin Gong (Heavenly Demon Godly Technique).

A martial art free from constraints and shackles, allowed only to the Heavenly Demon; the ultimate and the worst ability.

Jinhyuk quietly closed his eyes.

Crack!

An odd energy flowed from the tip of the sword.

He had not yet fulfilled the conditions to replicate it and thus could not utilize its full power.

That means.

What he was doing was merely an imitation.

It’s far from adequate compared to the original.

However.

He saw through the memory of the Heavenly Demon the intricacies of the technique and, more importantly, the essence of that martial art.

Haughtily. Arrogantly.

With no regret or attachment, solely focused on oneself.

“Watch closely. Who you have betrayed… and just how foolish it was to choose the likes of Samajara.”

He intended to teach them now.

Jinhyuk opened his eyes.

He was recreating it.

The sight he had seen then.

The Fang and the Twin Dragon Sword took different positions.

It was…

The beginning.

Boom!

‘The First Style.’

A tangible force accompanied the Fang burst forth explosively.

Boom boom boom!

Cheonryongchuldu (Heavenly Dragon Emergence)!

The sword wind following the strike devoured the necromancer commander’s entire body.

“Argh!”

Though he counteracted the assault through his crescent blade, he couldn’t withstand the overwhelming force of the blow.

His black robe was shredded, exposing his arms completely.

“That first move… No, how can you… How?”

The necromancer commander couldn’t even finish his sentence.

Shocked, his voice trembled violently.

It was to be expected.

Cheonma Sin Gong was a unique martial art that only the Heavenly Demon could use.

Hadn’t Samajara itself broken dozens of taboos to learn the Heavenly Demon Godly Technique?

Shivering before him, Jinhyuk adopted his stance again.

“Show me all the cards you have now… If you have any left, that is.”

Flames burst!

Enormous energy flared from the Twin Dragon Sword.

＊＊＊

A step away, watching.

The Heavenly Demon observed the battle in silence.

“….”

His feelings were complex.

His own martial art, which he could no longer use, was being executed by someone else.

“….”

He thought the battles had been forgotten by everyone.

He believed he endured a solitude that no one could acknowledge.

He accepted this as natural, having no regrets or second thoughts.

But.

He was mistaken.

Right before his eyes. The sequences he once deployed were now being re-enacted in order.

It all seemed to say.

The protector of the martial realm was not only the Heavenly Demon.

Grumble.

His teeth dug into his lip.

His trembling gaze betrayed an indescribable emotion.

“…Thank you.”

Words that should never be uttered by the Heavenly Demon.

At the same time, a silent gratitude not meant to be heard by the other.

＊ ＊ ＊

[‘Cheonma’s Dominion’ activates!]

[Due to lack of proficiency with the ability, the efficacy of the power is limited to 10%.]

10%.

But even that figure could not diminish the magnitude of Cheonma’s Dominion.

The fact that it was actualized was enough.

Boom!

Swords clashed.

Jinhyuk parried the attack that the necromancer commander had aimed from his blind spot.

Jinhyuk pressed into the gap created by the impact.

“….”

The Fang moved swiftly, attempting to pierce.

Sparks flew.

In the open air, the clashing blades were nearly impossible to track.

Almost simultaneously.

The Twin Dragon Sword slashed horizontally.

Crack!

“Ugh!”

The necromancer commander crossed his two blades just in time to block the strike.

But when he attempted to counterattack, Jinhyuk had already vanished.

The pace continued to quicken.

Dust kicked up, and the ground where they stepped was gouged out.

Now only their faint afterimages remained visible.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Boom!

The necromancer commander swung his crescent blades frenziedly.

His heart raced as if to burst, and his senses sharpened to their peaks.

It was not a battle of sight and reaction but of prediction and foresight that overreached.

He was exerting his whole might.

But.

“I can’t… keep up.”

Despite using all his ultimate techniques, he was slowly losing ground.

Squeak!

New wounds peppered the necromancer commander’s body.

At this rate, he was done for.

He did not hesitate.

“Who said it was one-on-one!”

The necromancer commander commanded all the blood puppets through ‘Legion Command.’

“Argh!”

“Keek!”

The Yin-Yang Puppets fighting Tibon and the others promptly turned their attack on Jinhyuk.

Even the ultimate ace, the Cheonhan Puppet, joined the fray.

It might seem cowardly.

It might be said he’d been outmatched.

But survival equals strength.

Thump thump thump!

The balance crumbled.

Surrounded, the Yin-Yang Puppets blocked the Fang and Twin Dragon Sword with their bodies.

The Cheonhan Puppets, far superior to the Yin-Yang Puppets, shredded Jinhyuk’s flesh.

Or so they thought.

[A unique ability ‘1-second Invincibility’ activates!]

Amidst the swarming puppets.

Jinhyuk smiled faintly.

“Yeah. I knew you’d play it like this.”

The only question was when.

He kept driving himself into a tight spot, confident they’d eventually deploy all the puppets.

Even the Cheonhan Puppets that hadn’t been part of the battle.

‘It was much more disadvantageous for us to fight while protecting the villagers.’

Perhaps not for Elise, but the rest were in danger.

That’s why he kept waiting.

Until all forces were concentrated in one place.

And finally, the moment he’d awaited arrived.

Energy, boundless and unseen, began to converge around Jinhyuk.

Vroom!

The mirage rising from the ground twisted.

It was a phenomenon induced by unimaginable magical power.

‘Cheonma’s Great Apocalypse’

An ultimate move boasting extreme destructive power.

The Cheonma’s sacred technique used against Shub Niggurath was invoked.

“Given this distance… it can’t be dodged.”

Jinhyuk extended both swords forward.