Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 450 – Arrangement (3)

Mortal.

Cheong-ryeong called out in a somewhat worried voice.

The composure disappeared from Mok Gyeong-un’s face.

-Is he strong?

To this question, Mok Gyeong-un stared intently at the masked figure and replied using sound transmission.

-I can’t sense anything.

-What?

-Exactly as I said. That masked man… Even though I’m looking at him with my own eyes, it feels like he doesn’t exist.

‘!!!!’

Cheong-ryeong couldn’t hide her internal surprise at Mok Gyeong-un’s words.

The current Mortal was arguably at the highest level in the entire current martial arts world.

Even Wicked Granny Cheol Su-ryeon, who was one of the strongest in the old martial arts world and called a great villain, had acknowledged him.

Yet this Mok Gyeong-un couldn’t sense anything at this distance?

Just who on earth is that person?

As she was wondering,

-Who are you talking to using sound transmission?

‘!?’

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed at those words from the demon-masked figure.

Does this person know about sound transmission?

Otherwise, there’s no way he could recognize sound transmission just from a slight throat movement.

But Mok Gyeong-un was genuinely surprised by the demon-masked figure’s next words.

-The faint spirit energy I sense from your bosom… Are you talking to that being?

“What?”

-Why are you so surprised? The basics of sound transmission involve imbuing energy into the air vibrations caused by sound, so if one can read those waves well, there’s nothing that can’t be understood.

He not only knew whether sound transmission was being used or not, but he heard what was said?

Mok Gyeong-un’s gaze sharpened with wariness.

Whoever this demon-masked man was, he seemed to have many strange abilities, not to mention being undetectable through energy sensing.

-Suk!

Not knowing if he was friend or foe, preparation was necessary.

Mok Gyeong-un tried to raise a sharp sword energy through his sword hilt.

Then the demon-masked man chuckled and said,

-Perhaps because it originates from Demon, it’s certainly sensitive and aggressive. Innate nature…

-Seureuk!

It was before his words could finish.

Mok Gyeong-un swung his sword hilt towards the demon mask.

A large formless sword appeared in the air, attempting to slice the demon-masked man sitting on the rock in half.

-Chwaaaaaak!

-Hoo. Better than expected.

-Suk!

The demon-masked man reached out his hand towards the giant formless sword flying at him.

Then the formless sword made of true energy that was cutting through the air suddenly oxidized like smoke and disappeared.

-Passssssss!

‘!?’

Mok Gyeong-un’s pupils shook at this sight.

Did he just forcibly disperse the true energy of the formless sword called the Sword Extreme?

Mok Gyeong-un couldn’t help but be bewildered by this completely unexpected technique.

This was the first time he’d seen someone break through a formless sword, which only those who have reached the Life and Death Realm could use, in such a way.

At that moment, Cheong-ryeong shouted.

-Mortal! Behind you!

‘Behind?’

In Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes, the demon-masked man was still sitting on the rock.

But why did she shout about behind when he couldn’t sense anything?

The doubt was momentary, and Mok Gyeong-un moved instinctively.

-Seureuk!

He deployed the Clear and Manifest Water Crossing Steps, moving his body at ultra-high speed, but no sooner had he taken two steps,

-Chwak! Kwang!

A sharp sound of air being cut and a thunderous noise rang out from behind.

As he turned his head while taking his third step, he saw the demon-masked man holding something like a tree branch, and noticed a sword mark where he had swung.

‘A tree branch?’

Did he just produce such power with a tree branch?

Of course, even Mok Gyeong-un himself could cut someone by imbuing sword energy into a tree branch.

But that sword mark had an unreasonably powerful force.

If he hadn’t used his ultra-high-speed movement technique, his body would have been cut in half.

-Mortal, above!

At Cheong-ryeong’s shout, Mok Gyeong-un twisted his body and leaned back.

Then, the demon-masked man’s fist flew over his leaned-back head, and Mok Gyeong-un tried to use the Scripture of Transferring True Qi technique to create a wave and,

-Paaaang!

Attempted to repel him in reverse.

However,

-Paaaang!

The moment he activated the Scripture of Transferring True Qi, a wave of ripples also erupted from the demon-masked man’s fist, causing Mok Gyeong-un’s body to be driven into the ground.

-Kwaaaang!

The technique of the Scripture of Transferring True Qi is to reverse and send back not only the received force but also one’s own power.

But when he was hit with the Scripture of Transferring True Qi while deploying it himself, the power was so strong that his body was driven into the ground, causing it to cave in more than five jang deep.

The form of the demon-masked man who had slammed Mok Gyeong-un disappeared as if scattering.

-Seureureuruk!

Even the form that had swung the tree branch was the same.

As the two forms that had seemed like分身 (avatars) disappeared, the demon-masked man sitting on the rock muttered.

-This is really beyond expectations.

As he said this, Mok Gyeong-un could be seen walking out of the sunken pit, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

The demon-masked man clapped his hands as he watched Mok Gyeong-un.

-Clap clap clap!

-This is excellent. I predicted you might have learned the Scripture of Transferring True Qi technique because you possess Plundering-killing Sword, but to disperse that overlapped power…

The demon-masked man was genuinely impressed with Mok Gyeong-un.

With that technique just now, even a master who had reached the Life and Death Realm should have been caught off guard and unable to respond properly, resulting in severe injuries.

Yet in that instant, he dispersed more than eighty percent of the energy.

He truly possessed monstrous battle instincts.

-Ssssssss!

As Mok Gyeong-un wiped away the blood, black energy began to flow from his entire body.

From the black energy rising like a heat haze, an extremely ferocious and ominous aura was surging.

Seeing this, the eyes faintly visible inside the demon mask narrowed.

-Demon. So that’s your essence.

“You, what’s your identity?”

-Identity? Well, compared to you, I’m just an ordinary human.

“I am… just myself.”

-Kwang!

No sooner had those words ended than Mok Gyeong-un stomped on the ground with true force.

The moment he stomped, the ground began to shake and split as if hit by an earthquake.

That crack and shockwave instantly reached the demon-masked man sitting on the rock.

-Pat!

Along with this, Mok Gyeong-un’s form moved.

He used one of the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques, the Art of Suppression, to control the opponent’s movement even if he couldn’t completely subdue them, aiming to exploit an opening.

But then an astonishing sight occurred.

-Dak!

The demon-masked man suddenly flicked his finger.

-Paaaang!

Then, a shockwave spread out from him, completely neutralizing the wave of Art of Suppression.

Not only did he block it so easily,

-Seureuk! Seureuk! Seureuk!

Three forms sprang out from the seated demon-masked man, instantly closing the distance to Mok Gyeong-un and launching a combined attack.

At that moment,

-Chwak!

Mok Gyeong-un’s form blurred and a black line appeared in the air.

He concentrated his power to pass through these avatar-like beings in one go, aiming to cut down the demon-masked man in a single stroke.

-Heumchit!

Against this strike with concentrated power emanating black energy,

-This might be a bit difficult as is.

-Chang!

The demon-masked man, who had never moved from sitting on the rock until now, finally drew his sword.

-Chaeaaaaaang!

As Mok Gyeong-un’s demonic sword Evil Commandment Sword, imbued with concentrated power, clashed with the demon-masked man’s sword, the air rippled as if torn apart, accompanied by an ear-splitting metallic sound.

‘He even blocked this.’

Mok Gyeong-un was genuinely impressed by his opponent’s strength.

The sword strike he just unleashed, with concentrated power, had reached an even higher level after his bout with Wicked Granny Cheol Su-ryeon.

Yet this demon-masked man easily blocked this heightened power strike.

Moreover, he had his left foot on the rock and only stepped forward with his right foot, but there was no sign of wavering at all.

He wasn’t dispersing the force, yet he seemed utterly at ease.

‘The energy is continuously flowing.’

Only upon clashing swords did Mok Gyeong-un realize.

From this person’s sword, an energy like that of the infinite was surging, reminiscent of the Supreme Great Ability of the fallen monk Ja Geum-jeong, as energies from the surroundings were gathering.

Is he producing such power using only the surrounding energy, not his own?

As he was wondering,

-Woong!

At that moment, a resonating sound flowed from the demonic sword Plundering-killing Sword at his waist.

That resonating sound was like a strong killing intent.

At this, without time to think, Mok Gyeong-un drew Plundering-killing Sword with his left hand and attempted to cut down the demon-masked man with a concentrated power strike.

-Pat!

The demon-masked man flung his body backward to avoid this.

The sword force of Plundering-killing Sword, gathered with concentrated power, split the ground, cleaving half of the peak.

-Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes gleamed at the tremendous power of the sword force.

The moment he felt the killing intent flowing from Plundering-killing Sword, he was reminded of that sensation when facing Wicked Granny Cheol Su-ryeon, and swung the sword without hesitation, resulting in power beyond imagination.

-Huh?

Even the demon-masked man seemed not to have expected such power, clicking his tongue with an exclamation.

He instinctively avoided it due to the chilling killing intent flowing from the sword, but its power was truly earth-shattering.

This was a sword force capable of cleaving even a mountain peak.

If he hadn’t avoided it, he would have been in quite a predicament.

-Woo woo woong!

Then, a strong resonating sound spread from the demonic sword Plundering-killing Sword in Mok Gyeong-un’s left hand.

Mok Gyeong-un couldn’t hide his puzzlement at the resonating sound.

He was aware that its sword spirit was stronger than Evil Commandment Sword’s, but the sword was showing strong hostility towards that demon mask as if it were alive.

Then, as if sensing this hostility from Plundering-killing Sword, the demon-masked man,

-Still full of killing intent, I see. Plundering-killing Sword.

Was he actually addressing the sword?

At those words, the resonating sound from Plundering-killing Sword grew even stronger.

-Woo woo woong!

It was even trembling to the point where he could feel it in the sword handle he was gripping.

Though unclear why, this demon-masked man seemed to have an incredibly strong resonance with swords.

To even affect others’ swords to this extent.

‘Nothing else matters.’

This sensation right now was the only way to deal with that man.

So Mok Gyeong-un threw Plundering-killing Sword in his left hand at the demon-masked man like a javelin.

-Paaang!

The demon-masked man reached out his hand towards the flying Plundering-killing Sword.

It seemed he was trying to change its direction with true energy.

Then Mok Gyeong-un moved his sword hilt, using the subtlety of the Sword Control with Energy technique to make the demonic sword Plundering-killing Sword soar upwards.

-Pak!

At this, the pupils visible through the gaps of the demon mask naturally rose upwards.

In that gap, Mok Gyeong-un once again concentrated his power into a single point.

-Chwak!

A black line cutting through the air.

-Chaeaaang!

As if to say this level could be easily blocked even though his gaze had momentarily shifted upwards, the demon-masked man lightly blocked it with the iron sword he was holding.

As their swords clashed again, the demon-masked man first thrust the sword hilt in his left hand towards the acupoint on Mok Gyeong-un’s left shoulder.

It seemed like he was trying to preemptively stop Mok Gyeong-un from unleashing that sword force overflowing with killing intent again.

Mok Gyeong-un tried to grasp the demon-masked man’s sword hilt using the Geumna Tree technique as if snatching it, but the demon-masked man rotated it in a spiral and instead,

-Whirlick!

Wrapped and caught Mok Gyeong-un’s left arm.

In that state, as the demon-masked man tried to break that arm,

-Shuuuuk!

At that moment, the demonic sword Plundering-killing Sword, which had soared high above the demon mask’s head, came flying down with terrifying momentum.

‘I predicted this would happen.’

As if he had already anticipated this, the demon-masked man applied force to where their swords were meeting to push Mok Gyeong-un away and avoid it.

However, it was not an ordinary sword.

-Chwak!

At that instant, the demonic sword Plundering-killing Sword drew a black line in the air.

‘!?’

This was a concentrated power strike unleashed in the state of Sword Control with Energy.

Faced with this unexpected concentrated power strike, the demon-masked man released both the sword he was clashing with and Mok Gyeong-un’s wrist he was holding, trying to avoid it.

-Pak!

However, Mok Gyeong-un firmly grasped him using the Attach technique and the Geumna Tree technique.

Thanks to this, it seemed he couldn’t avoid it, but,

-Chang!

It was at that very moment.

Just as the swords were about to clash, a white line was drawn in the air, and something caused the path of Plundering-killing Sword’s concentrated power strike to curve.

-Puk!

As a result, Plundering-killing Sword’s sword deviated from its trajectory and plunged into an unintended place.

As Mok Gyeong-un was wondering what had happened, he saw a short sword spinning in the air as if it were alive.