Chapter 283. Yaksha (3)
A black aura slowly enveloped Jinhyuk’s body.
Simultaneously, the purple mist released by Phantom Illusion began to be absorbed into Jinhyuk’s right fist.
The weaker energy.
Was being absorbed by the stronger one.
“…Ho?”
Yaksha felt the energy.
A sigh of admiration mixed with interest and anticipation escaped his lips.
“To think you have the skill to form such a technique…”
“Does this mean he was hiding his true power even during the Heavenly Demon War?”
Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong’s voices trembled slightly.
It was understandable.
The ‘Form’ of each martial art is its very essence.
Although stages were later assigned numerical labels, only those who had completely mastered the martial art could use its true techniques.
But to use the form of the Dark Heavenly Demon Art with such perfection?
‘So he wasn’t just capable of releasing energy?’
Dokgo Ryong’s eyes grew cold.
If there was a small Dark Emperor here…
‘…He might be more troublesome than Yaksha at this point.’
He must be killed.
Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong felt an immense sense of dread.
However, the lower-tier goblins whose peripheral nerves had been eroded by Phantom Illusion could not feel this dreadful aura.
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“Kee hee hee!”
“An arrogant human…!”
The lower-tier goblins charged all at once.
In an instant.
‘Dark Heavenly Demon Art. First Form.’
From his head, through his shoulders, to his fingertips.
‘Dark Wheel Crushing Fist.’
The condensed magical energy exploded in an instant.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A black whirlwind swept through the midst of the goblins.
“Eeeeek!”
“Screeech!”
Shredded pieces scattered everywhere.
The lower-tier goblins died instantly just from being caught up in it.
Even the mid-tier goblins suffered serious injuries.
It was hard to believe this was the power of a single punch.
Only the high-tier goblins barely withstood the Dark Crushing Fist.
Their naturally high physical and magical resistance saved them.
“Grrr…”
“A strong human. Let’s kill him together.”
The giant goblins with blue skin and white glowing eyes drew their weapons.
Three of them attacked Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong. The remaining ten approached Jinhyuk.
[Blue Goblin activates ‘Bottle of Poisonous Gas’!]
Buzz!
A faint gas spewed from the bottle.
Weapons made of gas filled the air.
Spears, swords, maces, crescent blades, and even harpoons and nets.
The variety and number of weapons were staggering.
Yaksha looked at Jinhyuk with interest.
As if asking how he would handle this.
And to that silent question.
A slight smile.
Jinhyuk responded with a smile.
Watch closely.
In the face of this step…
‘Numbers are meaningless.’
Boom!
The black aura converged once more.
With each step, the dark aura thickened.
“Grr!”
“Kill…him!”
Buzz!
Whoosh!
The weapons made of gas attacked all at once.
Numerous lights, resembling a meteor shower, surged towards Jinhyuk.
Front, back, left, right.
There was nowhere to escape.
At that moment.
First Step.
A gentle breeze arose.
Heat rose from the ground.
The weapons flying in the first line were all burned to ashes by the blackened steam.
Crack!
The blue blades turned black and crumbled.
And with the second step.
Flare!
The gentle breeze turned into a scorching hot wind.
The suffocating heat lasted only briefly.
Terrible pain penetrated the brain.
“Graaa!”
“M-My body. My body is burning!”
“It’s…hot.”
The nearby goblins writhed in pain.
Jinhyuk took another step.
The third step was the final one.
The wind stopped, and soon the sound vanished too.
Like the calm before a storm, everything fell into deep silence.
The compressed power.
The dark and cold energy.
Dug into the ground.
Crackle!
This was different from before.
Previously, he had focused his punch on a single point.
This time, the entire ground became the stage for the third step.
‘To my master…’
The true meaning of the three steps.
The last step he had not yet reached.
‘I will reach it.’
This is.
The end of the Three-Step God Fist.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A massive black flame erupted from the ground.
＊＊＊
Sizzle!
The earth and stones burned away.
The pillars standing to the sides barely maintained their shape.
Of course, the goblins at the epicenter were completely vaporized, not even leaving bones behind.
And in the midst of it all, only Jinhyuk remained.
Magnificent.
Unmatched in magnificence.
That was the symbol of the power of the Dark Heavenly Demon Art.
“Krr… Hahaha! As expected, this is fun. Fun. Is this the power you have? Wow. This is spine-chilling, huh?”
Yaksha’s hair stood on end.
He could hardly contain his excitement, his lips twitching constantly.
‘His defense is on a different level than the goblins.’
Despite the attack that wiped out even the high-tier goblins, Yaksha remained unscathed.
All he suffered was a slight burn.
“Stop grinning like a child.”
Jinhyuk beckoned to Yaksha with his finger.
“Come at me.”
“Haha! Of course. I’ve been waiting for this!”
[Yaksha activates his unique ability ‘Godly Strength and Madness’!]
Godly Strength and Madness.
An ability that encompasses bizarre and extraordinary power.
This ability manifests in various ways depending on the user.
In Yaksha’s case…
He becomes a monster specialized in close combat.
[Strength, stamina, physical defense, and magic defense each increase by 30%!]
[Fear resistance increases by 100%!]
A red status window appeared before Jinhyuk’s eyes.
A terrifying aura emanated from Yaksha’s body.
From above.
To below.
Boom!
Yaksha’s first strike marked the beginning of the battle.
“…!”
Heavy.
Jinhyuk’s feet sank into the ground.
Even though he had manifested the Dark Heavenly Demon Art up to the fourth star, it was impossible to withstand Yaksha’s attack using Godly Strength and Madness.
Moreover.
A giant blue hand approached from behind Yaksha.
Two strikes in one.
The first attack from Yaksha.
The second attack from Godly Strength and Madness.
This is the first characteristic of Godly Strength and Madness, ‘No Retreat.’
The second strike, which makes you forget the initial one, is the true image of a tyrant.
Boom!
The palm crushed the ground.
Rumble!
The earth couldn’t withstand the pressure and screamed.
The blue flames turned the surroundings into a wasteland, digging deeper.
Thus.
A crater, like a meteor impact, was created.
“Hmm. This is good, but it’s too strong… Tsk. Did he die in one hit again?”
Yaksha approached the crater.
However.
There was no corpse crushed beneath his palm.
At that moment.
Thud!
“Ugh?”
Yaksha felt a dull impact on his back.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Yaksha rolled ungracefully on the ground from the sudden attack.
“When did he…?”
Yaksha’s face twisted in disbelief as he stood up.
He couldn’t believe that the human had disappeared while he was watching closely.
Black smoke rose from Jinhyuk’s legs.
“I admit I’m overpowered in terms of strength.”
But.
“I’m faster.”
“You say you’re faster? I’ve heard everything now. I’ll rip your head off right away!”
Yaksha swung his arm in fury.
His hand passed through where Jinhyuk’s head had been.
A giant blue hand swept through the area.
But this time too.
Jinhyuk had vanished like smoke.
Tch.
With a sound scraping the ground, Jinhyuk appeared right in front of Yaksha’s nose.
Close enough to feel his breath.
This was a provocation.
Hit me if you can.
In this proximity, try hitting me.
Phantom afterimage after phantom afterimage unfolded in a series of close-quarters strikes.
Bang! Bang!
Thud!
Yaksha’s body swayed back and forth.
“You, bastard… Ugh! If only my energy were fully recovered… Agh!”
Due to being bound for so long, Yaksha’s body was not in normal condition.
For years, all he had consumed was the morning dew.
Of course, such excuses mean nothing in a life-or-death battle.
“If I just catch you… If I just catch you once!”
“If you don’t catch me, it’s over.”
“Aaargh!”
Yaksha summoned another arm of Godly Strength and Madness.
A giant blue hand with outstretched fingers approached.
Jinhyuk bent his body slightly.
Timing it perfectly.
…Now!
He slipped between the fingers and climbed onto the arm.
Tat, tat… Tat!
Jinhyuk started running along the arm.
Using the momentum, he struck Yaksha’s face.
[Activating the third form of Dark Heavenly Demon Art ‘Blood Penetration Fist’!]
A force that tears apart from the inside.
Thud!
Yaksha’s neck snapped back.
A stream of blood ran down his face, bright red and grim.
However. Even at the perfect timing…
…All it did was draw a single drop of blood.
“I don’t like calling people blockheads, but that’s all I can think of right now.”
To be honest, he thought this would work, but it didn’t inflict a significant blow.
There was a reason Yaksha was one of the strongest monsters in the middle levels.
Even the disadvantage of depleted energy didn’t seem to serve as a meaningful handicap.
“You…!”
A short, harsh sound escaped Yaksha’s mouth.
His narrow pupils twisted with rage.
“No more flitting around like a pesky fly.”
[The second ability of Godly Strength and Madness is awakening!]
＊＊＊
If the first ability was specialized for one-on-one combat.
The second ability was tailored for one-versus-many, large-scale battles.
Six arms now bore the character for fire (火).
Fwoosh!
Blue flames enveloped all six arms.
When the character for wind (風) appeared, a gentle breeze brushed past Jinhyuk’s hair.
Though the size was reduced, the speed increased by two levels.
It was now fast enough to keep pace with the Demonic Emperor’s Step.
“Let’s begin again.”
Yaksha vanished.
Side… no, behind.
Whoosh!
Sharp claws grazed Jinhyuk’s cheek.
His body spun counterclockwise.
Using the rotational momentum.
‘Aim for the jaw.’
Whoosh!
Yaksha effortlessly dodged the counterattack.
The follow-up kick was also blocked with the back of his hand.
However, Yaksha’s attacks were also missing their mark.
In one breath, nearly a dozen exchanges took place. All without any significant hits.
‘Speed… is almost equal.’
Jinhyuk quickly put distance between them.
“Running won’t help. I can catch up to you now.”
Yaksha sneered.
He was definitely faster.
‘The longer this drags on, the worse it is for my stamina. The amount of magic power we have is on different levels from the start.’
In that case…
Jinhyuk clenched his teeth in determination.
He had wanted to complete his training with his master before attempting the fusion.
But given the situation, there was no choice.
With so much at stake, he couldn’t afford to worry about the strain on his body.
Buzzzz!
A massive bookshelf appeared behind Jinhyuk.
‘Tombgrave’s Right Arm’
‘Demonic Emperor’s Step’
‘Dark Heavenly Demon Art’
‘Domain of the Wind’
Four bookshelves flipped open in the all-encompassing library where his abilities were stored.
To create a new skill that surpasses ‘Swiftness’.
“I will fuse my skills.”