“No! Stop, I said stop!”
Dokgo Ryong’s voice boomed as he arrived a step too late.
The old man, despite his appearance, indeed had an impressively booming voice.
But it was already too late.
[The seal has been released!]
[Yaksha (夜叉) awakens!]
Along with the short system message…
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The chains that had been sealing Yaksha’s arms shattered.
“Hoo…”The Yaksha, who had been tied to the pillar, began to exhale slowly as it took its first breath.
A massive, mountain-like pressure engulfed the atmosphere.
Indeed, it was fitting for a hidden card prepared by Samaja, the Left Marshall, to capture the Demon King.
‘This… seems to be on a level similar to my master?’
Jinhyuk swallowed nervously.
It was fortunate they had not been able to inject the refined ‘Goblin Fire’ into it.
If those guys had been able to control this monster at will, the situation would have become incredibly troublesome.
Of course, whether Yaksha was brainwashed by the Goblin Fire or not, the fact that its power was off the charts remained unchanged.
“How could this…?”
“The seal has been… broken.”
Filled with despair, Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong Ah, who had joined by now, let out despondent sighs.
Not only was the great undertaking they had meticulously prepared for teetering on the edge of failure…
But the nightmare of the past seemed to be replaying as well, hence their despair was natural.
“What kind of foolish thing have you done! Do you know how much we struggled to capture that thing… Damn it! Don’t you know that if Yaksha runs amok, it could turn the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains into a field of ruins again?”
The Great Mountains turning into a field of ruins.
Certainly, it was possible.
“So what do you want me to do?”
“What… what did you say?”
“Whether everything turns to chaos or mountains explode. That’s your affair, not mine. Besides, if you were so worried, you shouldn’t have tried to kill me in the first place.”
Was there a fleck of conscience in them to make such a statement?
To ask the very person they tried to kill to protect their own home.
“Ha, but the Left Marshall is also part of our… “
“Oh my. You even try to conscript an unrelated master now. Do you know? If I know my master’s temper, he would scold you for even attempting to talk when you should be killing someone trying to take his life, right?”
“……”
Dokgo Ryong became as mute as if he had swallowed honey, unable to refute the sound reasoning.
“Don’t get entangled with such nonsense. Our first priority is to block that guy before he gets out.”
Chaehong Ah pointed her spear forward.
“Yes… I understand.”
Dokgo Ryong shifted his gaze away from Jinhyuk.
He then gripped the blue flame he had been concealing within his robe.
Hwaruruk!
A suffocatingly brilliant light blazed from the flame.
The ‘Goblin Fire’.
Although it wasn’t perfectly refined, it wasn’t completely without effect.
He had to play his winning hand with this.
＊＊＊
Just then.
Kwaaaaang!
As a loud roar echoed, the pillar binding the Yaksha crumbled to pieces.
“Kyaaaaaa!”
A thunderous roar resounded.
The freed Yaksha released an exclamation that seemed to burst from its depths.
Although there were still chains wrapped around its arms, such things were no more than an annoyance.
Ssssslash!
As the chains swept across the ground, a cloud of dust swirled up.
The sheer wind pressure was enough to cause internal damage just by itself.
Yaksha’s gaze fell upon Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong Ah.
“Oho! Found prey as soon as I woke up! You two must be lackeys of that filthy bastard, huh? What was the name again? Saha… Samaja. Yeah, Samaja. That bastard.”
A foe it had once battled.
And at the same time, the one who had dealt it a painful defeat.
“Still licking the boots of that detestable Left Marshall or whatever?”
“Do not speak so carelessly. He is not someone a creature like you should mention so casually.”
“Yeah, you guys are consistently good… Huh?”
Yaksha’s gaze was diverted to another.
A new face it had never seen before.
Should have seen all the experts of the Demon Cult during the eventful Night of Yaksha’s Right?
What was this, a new player?
Yaksha’s eyes narrowed.
‘Something is… different.’
Not just in terms of strength or weakness.
If one had to express it,
It was dissonance.
A heavy feeling of dissonance unpleasantly tingled its instincts.
“You… you’re an interesting one.”
The corners of Yaksha’s mouth curled up.
It had been a while since it felt such excitement.
After its battle with the Left Marshall… No, the first time since its encounter with the Demon King.
“I hope my expectations are not misplaced.”
Sssssssssssssh!
The chains shot high into the air only to come down towards Jinhyuk’s head, seeking to obliterate it.
Kwaaaaang!
The ground was torn apart as if it were mere fabric.
Even a simple blow felt like the rampage of a massive beast.
To be hit by this could crumble a human being into nothingness.
However.
“Hmm?”
The important sensation of feeling a skull getting crushed was absent.
Crack!
Jinhyuk, having activated ‘Black Heaven Demon Emperor Technique,’ had effortlessly grabbed the chains with his bare hands.
With an utterly calm expression on his face.
“Good. Looks like I won’t be disappointed.”
Further flattery was unnecessary.
He was strong.
“What’s this guy? Someone recently recruited by the Demon Cult?”
“Recruited? Don’t make me laugh! That brat is an obstruction to us….”
“No, he is actually a newly recruited expert of ours.”
Chaehong Ah interrupted Dokgo Ryong’s words.
“Chaehong Ah, what are you…?”
As Dokgo Ryong questioned her, Chaehong Ah just nodded as if to say leave it to me.
“With his skills, he can easily subdue you. There should be no lack for a foe for you. Of course, that’s assuming you still have the power you once possessed.”
“Still have the power I once possessed? Ha! Are you trying to provoke me with those words? What do you take me for?”
Yaksha snorted dismissively.
Indeed, it would be ridiculous to think…
“That I would be swayed by such talk. No matter how much psychological warfare you attempt, it’s futile against me.”
…it was stupid.
I had forgotten.
It was due to its brute strength and lack of intelligence that it fell for Samaja’s strategies in the past, getting captured alive.
If the brain had hardened over time, it certainly hadn’t softened.
Jinhyuk sighed softly.
“No, wait a minute, why is the conversation going this way? They’re obviously stalling for time. While I’m dealing with me, they’ll have backup forces or something else prepared.”
“Hmm. That could be possible.”
“That’s right? So…”
“However, I want to have fun with you right now. Besides, any annoying flies, no matter how many, can be swatted away.”
“……”
Words fell on deaf ears.
Or, perhaps it was a lost cause from the start.
Considering the extent to which instinct had kicked in, it was a mistake to attempt communication.
Jinhyuk felt curses rise to his throat, but the time for dialogue had come to an end.
Sssssssssh!
The excited Yaksha once again set the chains in motion.
“Let’s have a blast. Until my body is satisfied for all the patience I’ve had to endure!”
“Finally managed to get rid of Cheon Yuseong, but now an overgrown version pops out. Just how much bad karma have I accumulated…?”
“Kuhahaha!”
What followed was a furious storm of whirling chains.
Ordinarily, the trajectory from the wrists where the chains began to the weights on their ends should have been visible in sequence…
But Yaksha’s chains moved too fast to be seen.
It defied the very mass of the material, moving at an unimaginably high speed.
Kaang!
Jinhyuk swung his fist reflexively.
Tingling!
Even at full magical power, the force reverberated to the bone.
Now to the side.
Whoooooosh!
He couldn’t dodge this one.
“Tsuk!”
Kwaaaaang!
Jinhyuk twisted his shoulder to catch the second chain flying at him from the side.
Or so he thought.
For a split second, his body was lifted a few dozen centimeters off the ground, and then he was flung against the opposite wall.
Crash…
Fragments of the broken wall tumbled down.
‘Twice that and I’d probably break something.’
Jinhyuk brushed off the dust from his body irritably.
At the last moment, had he not absorbed the impact with the ‘Sword Demon Emperor Defense,’ he would have been turned into a curve.
Fortunately, the dust had obscured his vision enough to afford him a moment to catch his breath.
But right then.
He caught onto something with his senses.
It wasn’t from Yaksha, but from behind.
‘Could it be?’
The twisted magic emanating from the inside of Dokgo Ryong’s sleeve.
The ‘Goblin Fire’.
Initially too faint to notice, his suspicion turned to certainty as the magic gradually intensified.
So that was it.
I thought they were waiting for reinforcements, but those weren’t in the cards for them from the start.
‘They’re thinking of seizing Yaksha at any cost without caring about the risks.’
If they could brainwash Yaksha with the incomplete Goblin Fire, it would be a bargain.
And even if they failed, there was nothing to lose.
‘So while I’m having a tough time, you plan to reap the benefits from the back, is that it?’
I can’t let that stand.
Now that it’s come to this, I’ll turn it into a melee.
Pluck!
Jinhyuk launched into motion once again.
Yaksha, who had been eagerly waiting for him to make a move, reacted instantly.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
The chain followed the afterimage of his magic.
But then.
“Ugh!?”
“That damned brat!”
Jinhyuk’s target was the space between Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong Ah.
“Why not fight together instead of just watching from behind? Come and join the fray.”
Jinhyuk gave a sly smile.
A brief second passed.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The chains swept away the spot where the three were standing.
＊＊＊
Coughing sounds filled the air.
Dokgo Ryong and Chaehong Ah had been exposed to the sudden attack, receiving an unexpected blow.
“That damn… creature…”
“There is no honor or pride. To think you’d stoop to such tactics.”
Chaehong Ah managed to offset the attack with her spear, but she couldn’t fully absorb the impact.
Consequently, the flow of ‘Goblin Fire’ Dokgo Ryong had been preparing was disrupted.
Yaksha was equally enraged.
“Annoying thing. Hey, don’t fool around and fight properly, will you? Why hold back and play around? Huh? Do you find me funny?”
Yaksha bared its sharp teeth.
Then.
“I’m not taking you lightly. I too have things I want to try out.”
Jinhyuk emerged from the debris.
“Try out? Against me?”
“Yeah. If I’m in the martial world, I need to practice martial arts.”
He could have fought using his unique abilities and skills, but that was not the point.
If that was the case, there was no need to come to the Demon Cult.
The master’s unique martial art ‘Black Heaven Demon Emperor Technique’.
To master it.
And to reach the last realm his own master never had.
That’s why he was here.
Not just to defeat enemies and overcome challenges, but for the necessary steps to reach the top of the tower.
“Purposely using only martial arts… that’s quite audacious. You’ll face me with such half-hearted power, seriously?”
“Frankly, it won’t be easy, but I don’t like taking the easy route.”
Jinhyuk shrugged his shoulders.
That signaled the start.
“Hahaha. Ridiculous. This is a goblin’s test of patience, right here. Fine, then I’ll make it worth your while.”
The playful smile previously on Yaksha’s face vanished completely.
…It was getting serious.
[Yaksha activates Lv?? ‘Spirits of Illusion and Chaos (魑魅魍魎)’!]
The surroundings began to change.
A dense purple mist rose up, enveloping the environment with an ominous aura.
“Giggle giggle!”
“Kyahaha!”
It was at that moment the sharp laughter rang out.
From within the mist, pairs of glaring yellow eyes flickered.
Spirits of Illusion and Chaos (魑魅魍魎).
“Welcome to the land of goblins.”
From the lowest-grade goblins to the massive, high-ranking ones.
Countless troops that resembled an army bowed their heads towards Yaksha.
“You damn humans.”
This was the king of goblins.
A beast that recreated the mystique of the Orient.
Yaksha (夜叉).
At the same time.
“The king has a rather pathetic army.”
[Black Heaven Demon Emperor Technique (黑天魔皇功) ‘First Form (第一式)’…]
The black ‘Form’ began to take shape, answering Jinhyuk’s call.
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