Chapter 285. Yaksha (5)
Clang!
Clang!
In midair, spears clashed against each other.
Alice, who had manifested the ‘Blood Lord,’ wielded her spear with ease.
To be precise, it was closer to controlling it with magic rather than swinging it with her hands.
Thunk.
Alice landed lightly and spun the Blood Spear like a windmill.
“This suits me much better than a rapier.”
Her long silver hair fluttered in the air.
At the same time, the spear tip exploded towards Chae Hong Ah’s heart.
A strike so fast it was nearly impossible to avoid.
Boom!
“Gah!”
With a burst of flames, Chae Hong Ah’s body was flung backward.
“Hehe.”
Alice glanced in Jinhyuk’s direction.
She looked like a dog eagerly waiting for praise, ears perked up and fists clenched.
Of course.
Jinhyuk’s mind was entirely focused on the Yaksha.
Alice became irritated.
“Still not watching? Not even now? How about now?”
Her spear movements grew even more intense.
The thrusts that erased afterimages were exquisite beyond description.
But the expected fish didn’t bite, and an unexpected response came instead.
“Impressive. Among the warriors of Murim and even the Empire’s knights, few can withstand more than ten strikes from this spear.”
Chae Hong Ah, who had honed her spear skills to perfection, could see it clearly.
Just how skillful Alice was at controlling the distance.
“You must have crossed countless life-or-death situations and fought many battles. You might even be stronger than that man.”
“I’m… stronger than him? Stronger than my contractor?”
“In terms of experience, yes. I didn’t realize it when you were masked during the Heavenly Demon War, but to think you’re this young. It’s even more surprising.”
“Praise me more.”
“What?”
“Much more. A lot more. Praise me a lot.”
Alice’s eyes sparkled brightly.
Even her voice had taken on a dignified tone.
“Hurry up. From the beginning. Tell me how great and wonderful I am. I want to hear it all night!”
Alice’s nose rose to the heavens.
Jinhyuk, who was watching, clicked his tongue.
Hmm.
It seemed she had a lot of pent-up frustration.
Well, as the head of the proud Ataraxia, she’d been enduring a lot of abuse and contempt daily, so her mind had suffered quite a bit.
Though she was a queen to her core, she was treated like an untouchable in reality, making her thirsty for someone’s recognition.
While Alice and Chae Hong Ah’s fight paused.
Wolyoung faced Dokgoryong.
“Damn it. Wolyoung! How dare you point a sword at me? The one who couldn’t even look me in the eye now dares to challenge me!”
“That was once true. You were in a position so high that I couldn’t even compare.”
“Once? Are you saying that’s no longer the case?”
“As you can see.”
Wolyoung extended his sword forward.
“Unbelievable. It’s not like you’ve suddenly improved significantly. What makes you so confident now?”
The reason?
There was nothing special.
It’s just that…
“I was under someone much stronger than you.”
Fought alongside them. Watched how they fought. And learned how to fight.
Their terrifying strength was a given.
Their ruthlessness in thoroughly crushing both friend and foe alike was so intense that it was honestly frightening even to be on the same side.
It was like stabbing with a knife, then salting the wound and dancing in front of them.
You’d think it was merciful to kill them quickly.
After experiencing all that…
“You’re nothing to me.”
Dokgoryong, who once seemed like a tiger, now looked like a mere cat.
“Heh… Haha! It seems time has made you forget how terrifying I am. If you dare challenge me alone, time truly is the path to oblivion.”
Swish!
Dokgoryong’s arm turned green.
Poison Lotus.
A deadly poison that rots flesh upon contact.
But just before the poison cloud reached Wolyoung.
Goguma’s mouth opened wide from behind.
“Tweat! Tweat! Tweeat!”
[Goguma uses ‘Acid Breath’!]
Crackle! Crackle!
A darker green flash crossed the green cloud.
“A poison more potent than mine?”
Dokgoryong’s mouth fell open.
But before he could even process his shock, he had to fend off Wolyoung’s surprise attack from behind using ‘Shadow Assassination.’
Jinhyuk assessed the overall battle.
‘The Ghostblade Squad is formidable, but they can’t match the Spirit Beasts.’
Thanks to rigorous training, the five Spirit Beasts moved as one.
Goguma and Wolyoung were pushing their opponents effectively. Except for Alice, who was playing queen, there didn’t seem to be any significant variables.
Now, the only thing left was the ferocious beast baring its fangs.
At that moment.
Step.
The Dark Emperor approached Jinhyuk.
His face was filled with complicated emotions.
Jinhyuk already knew the reason.
“You’re here.”
“Judging by the traces on the ground, you used the first and third forms of the Black Heavenly Demon Art.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve been curious from the start. How can an outsider of the Tower use my unique martial art so naturally?”
The aura that exuded experience wasn’t something achieved overnight.
It must have been backed by countless efforts and training.
“That’s because…”
Jinhyuk trailed off.
“It’s alright. I wasn’t trying to interrogate you. It’s enough if you can’t say.”
The Dark Emperor waved his hand lightly.
“Even if you were to lie, it wouldn’t matter. There must be a reason. I’ve already decided to accept you.”
Yes…
The master was always like this.
One of the few beings you could rely on in a world where players had all left.
Back then, he thought of the master as just another NPC in the Tower without a personality.
So he didn’t want to get attached.
Showing affection to a mere part of a program would only leave scars.
But as he climbed the Tower, as he got closer to the top, he regretted keeping his distance more and more.
‘…Once is enough for regret.’
“I’ll formally ask for your name.”
“Kang Jinhyuk.”
In response to the Dark Emperor’s question, Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth.
“My name is… Kang Jinhyuk.”
“Given the circumstances, I’ll substitute the disciple’s greeting with sharing a drink.”
In Murim, betrayal and deceit are commonplace. Even if someone says they will walk together, they might stab you in the back in this survival-of-the-fittest world.
However.
A master never betrays their disciple.
Just as parents can’t abandon their children, and children can’t abandon their parents.
A master and disciple never turn their backs on each other.
“Jinhyuk. You will be the first and last disciple I take.”
Therefore.
Anyone trying to harm the disciple cannot be forgiven.
“Observe and learn. For you, this will be a valuable lesson.”
The Dark Emperor stood before Yaksha.
“Grrr…”
Yaksha, eyes white, growled lowly.
Even with its lost reason, it instinctively sensed the threat of the figure before it.
“The miasma in your body isn’t what was originally there. Did those fools put in a demon fire? Haha. And someone even tampered with it. Your body is in a mess.”
The Dark Emperor looked at Yaksha with troubled eyes.
As he said, Yaksha’s state was visibly deteriorating.
The overloaded power not only surpassed its peak but was now causing a breakdown.
It was consuming itself like burning with the wrong fuel.
“Graaah!”
“I was hoping to fight you again someday, but not like this. I’ll release you from your pain now.”
Rumble!
Black energy surged around the Dark Emperor.
Black Heavenly Demon Art.
12th form.
Ultimate Convergence.
The 12th form of the Black Heavenly Demon Art, and the Dark Emperor’s strongest technique.
He knew.
That movement. That stance.
Every single detail…
Normally, it would take at least a year of training to reach this level.
Even knowing it theoretically, without the backing of inner strength and training, the technique was just a dance.
But why?
‘For some reason… I feel like I can do it.’
Jinhyuk’s body twitched reflexively.
Just then.
Yaksha and the Dark Emperor clashed head-on.
Boom!
An immense surge of internal energy collided.
A pure contest of strength without any finesse.
With no retreat in mind, every attack was a life-threatening move aimed at taking the opponent’s life.
Yaksha, enveloped in demonic strength, swung its fists wildly.
The Dark Emperor countered with the 12th form of the Black Heavenly Demon Art.
He could see the energy being drawn from the lower abdomen to the upper body.
Surely next would be…
‘Dimensional Convergence’
A black circle appeared between the Dark Emperor and Yaksha.
That was the start of forming the ultimate point.
And without realizing it, Jinhyuk…
Followed that movement.
‘Celestial Convergence’
A white circle appeared behind Yaksha.
The Dark Emperor’s eyes widened in shock.
“This… can’t be.”
The 12th form was meant to end the suffering of the corrupted Yaksha.
It was also to show his disciple what the Black Heavenly Demon Art should strive towards.
But to imitate it after seeing it once?
This wasn’t within the realm of talent or effort.
It was impossible.
‘…The true monster is here.’
The Dark Emperor looked at the circle Jinhyuk had drawn with disbelief.
Thus.
The culmination of the 12th form, meant to be a single convergence.
[12th Transcendent Form, ‘Dual Convergence’ has manifested!]
A line connecting the two poles was formed.
Black and white.
Light and darkness pierced Yaksha’s heart.
Thump!
In its final moment, Yaksha didn’t block the attack.
Nor did it attempt to regenerate.
When its blurry eyes regained focus, it was faintly smiling.
“…”
Thanking him for freeing it from this damned nightmare.
Thud!
Yaksha’s body fell to the side.
At that very moment.
Numerous status windows appeared before Jinhyuk.
Ding! Ding!…
[Your contribution has been recognized at 70%.]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level…up!]
[…Level up!]
[You have met the conditions to copy due to Yaksha’s death.]
[Successfully copied the unique ability ‘Demonic Strength’.]
[Demonic Strength]
Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable
Details: A unique ability for close combat that manifests in various forms depending on the user. It grants resistance to fear and increases physical and magical defense by 30%.
[You have obtained ‘Yaksha’s Wristguards’.]
[You have obtained the special item ‘Mountain Sword’.]
[You have obtained ‘Yaksha’s Elixir’.]
[You have obtained ‘Yaksha’s Secret Manual’.]
Eight levels up.
Along with a new ability and some intriguing items.
However, despite the messages of victory…
There was no sign of joy on Jinhyuk’s face.
The ‘Eyes of Gluttony’ didn’t just see status windows about items or rewards.
The sense of unease he felt from the moment Yaksha was engulfed in demon fire.
Now he knew the reason.