Chapter 282. Yaksha (2)
“No! Stop! I said, stop!”
Dokgo Ryong shouted as he arrived, a step too late.
For an old man, his voice was surprisingly powerful.
But it was already too late.
[The seal has been broken!]
[Yaksha (夜叉) is awakening!]
Along with the brief system notification.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The chains binding Yaksha’s arms shattered.
“Phew…”
Yaksha, who had been tied to the pillar, began to take his first breaths.
The overwhelming pressure felt as immense as a mountain.
Indeed, it was fitting that the Left Guardian Sama had prepared this hidden card to capture the Heavenly Demon.
‘This… feels like it’s on par with Master.’
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly.
It was fortunate they hadn’t managed to inject the fully refined ‘Goblin Fire.’
If they had been able to control this monster, it would have been an enormous headache.
Of course, whether or not Yaksha was brainwashed by the Goblin Fire, his overwhelming power remained unchanged.
“This can’t be happening…”
“The seal is… broken?”
Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong, who had joined him, let out deep sighs of despair.
Their grand plan, which they had prepared for so long as if walking on thin ice, was on the verge of turning to dust…
And the nightmares of the past were about to be reenacted, so it was natural for them to feel despondent.
“Do you have any idea how much we suffered to imprison that bastard? If Yaksha goes wild again, the Ten Thousand Great Mountains will turn into a wasteland once more!”
The Ten Thousand Great Mountains turning into a wasteland…
That could certainly happen.
“So, what do you want me to do about it?”
“What… what did you say?”
“Whether it turns into chaos or explodes, that’s your problem. Do I have to care about that? And if you were so worried, you shouldn’t have tried to kill me in the first place.”
Do they have any conscience?
They’re asking the person they tried to kill to protect their territory.
“But the Left Guardian is also part of our cult…”
“Wow. Now you’re trying to sell out my master too. Do you know that if my master were here, he’d kill anyone who tried to take his life without even talking about it?”
“…”
Dokgo Ryong was left speechless by the truth in Jinhyuk’s words.
“Don’t get swayed by his nonsense. We need to stop him before he gets out.”
Chaehong thrust his spear forward.
“Yes… I know.”
Dokgo Ryong turned his gaze away from Jinhyuk.
He then grabbed the blue flame hidden in his sleeve.
Fwoosh!
The suffocating, brilliant light of the flame.
It was the ‘Goblin Fire.’
Though it wasn’t perfectly refined, it wasn’t completely ineffective either.
They had to gamble with it somehow.
＊＊＊
At that moment.
Boom!
With a thunderous sound, the pillar binding Yaksha was completely destroyed.
“Graaa!”
A deafening roar echoed.
Yaksha, having regained his freedom, let out a roar from deep within.
Although chains still bound his arms, they were more of a burden than a restriction.
Crash!
As the chains swept across the ground, a cloud of dust rose.
The sheer force of Yaksha’s stretch was enough to cause internal injuries.
Yaksha’s gaze fell upon Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong.
“Oh! Prey spotted as soon as I wake up! Aren’t you the lackeys of that worm? What was his name again? Saha… Sama. Right. That guy.”
An opponent he had fought once before.
And simultaneously.
The enemy who had dealt him a bitter defeat.
“Are you still licking the feet of that annoying Left Guardian?”
“Watch your mouth. He’s not someone a mere monster like you can talk about.”
“Sure, sure. You guys are consistent… huh?”
Yaksha’s mocking gaze turned to another person.
A face he had never seen before.
If he were one of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s experts, he would have seen him during the Night of the Yaksha.
Who is this new guy?
Yaksha’s eyes narrowed.
‘There’s something… different.’
It wasn’t just a matter of strength or weakness.
To put it simply.
A sense of incongruity.
A strong sense of discomfort that irritated his instincts.
“You… you’re interesting.”
Yaksha’s lips curled upward.
It had been a long time since he felt this excited.
Not since his fight with the Left Guardian… no, the Heavenly Demon himself.
“I hope you don’t disappoint me.”
Clang! Clang!
The chains shot into the air, seemingly about to smash Jinhyuk’s head.
Boom!
The ground cracked like a rag.
Just the impact of the attack felt like a large monster was rampaging.
If hit by that, a person wouldn’t even leave a trace behind.
But.
“Oh?”
He didn’t feel the crucial sensation.
The feeling of a skull splitting.
Crack!
Jinhyuk, manifesting the ‘Dark Heavenly Demon Art,’ was gripping the chain with his bare hands.
With a completely calm expression.
“Good. I won’t be disappointed.”
No more words were necessary.
Strong.
“Hey, who is this guy? Did he recently join the Heavenly Demon Cult?”
“Join? Don’t be ridiculous! That guy is trying to interfere with us…”
“No, he’s indeed a new expert we recruited.”
Chaehong interrupted Dokgo Ryong.
“Chief Chaehong, what do you mean…?”
Dokgo Ryong asked, but Chaehong nodded as if to leave it to him.
“He’s a junior who can easily subdue you. So, he won’t be lacking as an opponent. Of course, that’s if you still have the strength you used to.”
“If I still have the strength I used to? Ha! Are you trying to provoke me with such words? What do you take me for?”
Yaksha clicked his tongue in disgust.
Surely, such words wouldn’t fool someone like him…
“Obviously, I’m stronger just by looking at it. Trying to shake me with such talk… it won’t work on me.”
…He was dumb.
They had forgotten.
He was captured alive in the past because he was simple-minded, strong but lacking in intelligence, easily fooled by Sama’s schemes.
If anything, his brain had hardened over time rather than softened.
Jinhyuk sighed softly.
“Wait, why is this conversation going this way? Clearly, they’re trying to buy time. While I’m dealing with you, they’re preparing reinforcements or something else.”
“Hmm. That’s possible.”
“Right? So…”
“But, I want to play with you right now. Besides, no matter how many pesky flies come, I’ll just kill them all.”
“…”
There was no reasoning with him.
No, maybe it was never possible to reason with him from the start.
Trying to converse with someone whose instincts ruled over rationality was a mistake.
The urge to curse welled up, but there was no more time for conversation.
Clang!
Yaksha, now fully excited, moved his chains again.
“Let’s have some fun. Until my body, which I’ve held back for so long, is satisfied!”
“I just managed to deal with Cheon Yoosung. Now this muscle-headed version pops up. What did I do to deserve this…”
“Ha ha ha!”
A storm of chains lashed out madly.
Normally, the trajectory of the chains from the wrist to the metal weight at the end should be visible, but…
Yaksha’s chains were so fast that their movement was invisible.
It seemed to disregard mass itself, moving at an unimaginable speed.
Boom!
Jinhyuk reflexively swung his fist.
Throbbing!
Even though he had maximized his magic power, the impact reached his bones.
This time, it came from the side.
Whoosh!
This one, he couldn’t avoid.
“Gasp!”
Boom!
Jinhyuk twisted his shoulder to block the second chain flying from the side.
No, he thought he blocked it.
In an instant, his body floated several centimeters off the ground, then flew towards the opposite wall.
Thud…
Fragments of the broken wall fell.
‘If I take another hit, I’ll definitely break something.’
Jinhyuk brushed off the dust on his body.
If he hadn’t absorbed the impact through the ‘Black Heavenly Demon Art’ at the last moment, he would have been crushed.
Fortunately, the dust obscured his vision, giving him a moment to catch his breath.
At that moment.
Something caught his senses.
Not from Yaksha, but from behind.
‘Could it be?’
The twisted magic power felt from Dokgo Ryong’s sleeve.
‘Goblin Fire.’
At first, it was so faint he didn’t notice.
But as time passed, the increasingly clear magic power turned suspicion into certainty.
So that’s what it was.
He thought they were waiting for reinforcements, but they never had that option to begin with.
‘They’re trying to take Yaksha without considering the risk.’
If they could brainwash Yaksha with the imperfectly refined Goblin Fire, it would be a huge gain.
Even if they failed, they had nothing to lose.
‘While I’m struggling, they plan to take advantage from behind?’
I won’t let that happen.
Given the circumstances, I’ll drag everyone into this chaos.
Thunk!
Jinhyuk lunged forward again.
Yaksha, who had been eagerly waiting for Jinhyuk to move, immediately reacted.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
The chains followed the trail of magic power.
But then.
“Gasp!”
“You damned brat!”
Jinhyuk headed towards the spot where Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong were.
“It’s tough alone, so let’s fight together. Don’t just watch from the sidelines.”
Jinhyuk smiled slyly.
A second later.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The chains swept over the place where the three were standing.
＊＊＊
Coughing sounds echoed.
Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong, exposed to the sudden attack, had to take the unexpected blow head-on.
“You damn brat…”
“You really have no honor or pride. To resort to this.”
Chaehong had managed to deflect the attack with his spear, but he couldn’t completely absorb the impact.
As a result, the energy of the ‘Goblin Fire’ that Dokgo Ryong had been preparing was disrupted.
Yaksha was equally furious.
“You’re annoying. Hey, why can’t you fight properly instead of playing dirty? Are you mocking me?”
Yaksha bared his sharp teeth.
Then.
“I wasn’t mocking you. I had a few things to test.”
Jinhyuk emerged from the debris.
“You wanted to test things? On me?”
“Yeah. If you come to the martial world, you have to train in martial arts.”
He could use his unique abilities and skills to fight, but…
Then there would be no point in coming to the Heavenly Demon Cult.
To master his master’s exclusive martial art, ‘Dark Heavenly Demon Art.’
To enter the final realm that even his master couldn’t reach.
That’s why he came here.
There were things he had to do, beyond just defeating enemies and overcoming challenges, to see the top of the tower.
“You’re intentionally using only martial arts… amazing. Do you really think you can face me with such half-assed strength?”
“To be honest, it doesn’t seem easy, but I don’t like easy things.”
Jinhyuk shrugged.
That was the signal.
“Ha ha ha. Damn. This is really pissing me off. Fine, I’ll make sure you have some real fun.”
The playful expression on Yaksha’s face vanished.
…He was getting serious.
[Yaksha activates Lv?? ‘Phantom Illusion (魑魅魍魎)’!]
The scenery changed.
Dark purple clouds rose, filling the area with a sinister aura.
“Kee kee kee!”
“Ha ha ha!”
Sharp laughter was heard.
Pairs of bright yellow eyes blinked within the mist.
Phantom Illusion.
“Welcome to the land of goblins.”
From lowly goblins to massive high-ranking goblins.
Countless beings, like an army, bowed their heads toward Yaksha.
“You damned humans.”
This was the king of goblins.
A monster embodying the mystique of the East.
Yaksha.
And simultaneously.
“What a pitiful excuse for a king’s army.”
[Activating the first form of ‘Dark Heavenly Demon Art’…]
The black form began to take shape in response to Jinhyuk’s call.