Chapter 433: Cheol Ryu-heun vs Gun Mu-ak
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Hae Su-yeon, having adjusted her grip on her sword, quietly asked.
“Great Prelate Gun’s transformation…… is due to the Demon God’s influence, right?”
Cheol Ryu-heun replied with a disinterested nod in place of an answer.
Right at that moment.
-Urureureung…… Kuuuung……!
The atmosphere and ground shook in unison.
Additionally, dense dark current surged greatly.
Over there, at a distance of five jang.
It was the demonic energy Gun Mu-ak released outside his body.
It transformed into a pitch-black giant in an instant.
That’s right.
A giant black demon god form, the unique manifested demonic energy of Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
JJEOJEOJEOJEOJEOK, JJEOJEOJEOJEOJEOK, JJEOJEOJEOJEOJEOK……!
With Gun Mu-ak at its center, the ground cracked, exploded, and groaned.
Along with it, the surrounding air pressed down as heavy as a boulder mountain.
Just looking at it gave the feeling of being turned to dust and vanishing by that enormous power.
Dark demonic energy harmonized with formless bearing seemed to dominate the battlefield as it swept over them.
Like the feeling of the vanished night suddenly returning.
Wasn’t he just kicked, flying far away?
Yet his stance showed no impact whatsoever.
He was glaring at Cheol Ryu-heun while gripping the Demon God Sword at an angle.
It was a bearing full of composure.
No, it was something beyond a tyrannical aura.
After all, who was Gun Mu-ak?
He was an unprecedented genius and super demonic being who was elevated to Great Prelate at the youngest age in Heavenly Demon Cult history.
Just from the majestic title Extreme Heaven Demon Emperor alone, one could guess that awe-inspiring martial power.
An unapproachable presence.
He was truly close to being an avatar of the first Cult Master Heavenly Demon.
One would expect anyone to feel fear……
Yet far from being scared, everyone’s hearts burned hot.
Seeing Cheol Ryu-heun receiving the gaze Gun Mu-ak shot with an expressionless face.
It felt as if the terrifyingly fast-approaching darkness was suddenly blocked by vast light.
Including Namgung Sang-rin, everyone marveled anew.
‘As expected, Sect Master Cheol is……’
The indifferent words of Cheol Ryu-heun that had just reached their ears.
He said it wouldn’t take long.
That confident remark offset the fearsome and powerful presence of the super demonic being Gun Mu-ak.
He was a light opposing darkness.
The Martial God of radiance, positioned at the opposite pole of the dark demon god, reigning supreme.
His appearance thoroughly proved the caliber of this era’s greatest through an attitude that was the very extreme of nonchalance.
Each person’s gaze sent out a great cry in place of their mouths.
Yes, now we need only leave all matters to that person!
We just need to do what we’re supposed to do!
It was faith made even more solid.
Thus, Namgung Sang-rin, Hae Su-yeon, and the other martial alliance forces moved swiftly to annihilate the remnants of the enemy camp.
PAT, PAPAPAT, PAT… !
Everyone was scattering quickly when Eun Yi-bi, while checking the condition of the unconscious Ya Baek-ji, let out a quiet voice.
“Sect Master Cheol, currently the Great Prelate……”
Cheol Ryu-heun cut off her words and answered briefly.
“I know. Don’t worry.”
He had already read her mind.
What Eun Yi-bi was worried about was Gun Mu-ak’s wellbeing.
Currently, he had merged with the soul-body fragment and become a different entity.
His internal power had also increased to an astonishing degree.
To subdue such a person, wouldn’t Cheol Ryu-heun also need to use killing techniques based on extreme martial power?
That was precisely what Eun Yi-bi was worried about.
Because Cheol Ryu-heun’s remark earlier about it not taking long registered to her as meaning it would end once he poured out all his strength and killed him somehow.
“You mean you can subdue the Great Prelate without taking his life…… is that what you’re saying?”
“I never even thought about killing him from the start. Have you already forgotten?”
“……?”
“That we are an alliance transcending factions. We gathered our hearts and boarded the same boat. Would the Demonic Path be an exception?”
“Ah……!”
“No one dies here. Everyone will definitely return alive. That fellow is no different. Enough, just watch. How I do it.”
Even though matters had turned out this way, nothing was changing.
That everyone would return alive together until the very end… those words resonated greatly in her heart.
Eun Yi-bi, inwardly moved, immediately paid respectful courtesy.
“Sect Master Cheol, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! Then I shall stay here and tend to Vice General Ya’s body.”
“Do as you please.”
With gruff words, he walked forward.
Toward Gun Mu-ak, who was spreading an aura of terror as he approached.
Meanwhile.
The remaining enemies soon gathered in one direction.
And about two hundred poison creatures as well.
HWIWHIHWIK, HWIHWIK, HWIWHIHWIK……!
Everyone formed a formation with uniform movements.
Like creating a crescent-shaped barricade.
CHACHACHACHA CHACHACHACHAK…
It was a defensive formation combining people and poison creatures.
There was no more ground to retreat to.
Because the place where those personnel had gathered was right in front of the sealing formation Shin So-sul and Zhuge Bi had created.
That’s right.
It was a last-ditch defense.
Every single one of them felt this was the final battle.
Even so, not a single person surrendered.
Rather, determination was visible in each of their expressions.
However.
That was not courage.
It was the final resistance due to strong brainwashing.
Like animals that had been trained over a long period of time repeatedly……
Thus, the two camps exchanged the final offense and defense.
KWAKWAKWANG, KWAKWAKWANG, KWAKWAKWANG……!
Before anyone knew it, the distance between Cheol Ryu-heun and Gun Mu-ak had narrowed to about one jang.
An atmosphere on the brink of explosion.
The expressions of the two contrasted starkly.
Cheol Ryu-heun was still nonchalant.
On the other hand.
Gun Mu-ak had completely lost that nonchalant countenance.
In its place, the eye light of fierce killing intent and a smile of madness were clearly embedded.
Soon.
CHEOK.
Neither one stopping first, they halted their steps.
SEUREUREUK…
The giant black demon god-shaped manifested demonic energy of Heavenly Demon Divine Art quietly gathered in.
Immediately after the formless energy wind from Gun Mu-ak’s form spread like ripples and vanished.
HUUUUK……
Cheol Ryu-heun felt the darkness densely touching his skin and let out a dry voice.
“After leaving here, you’ll need to train more. Having your reason taken by a mere fragment.”
Thereupon, Gun Mu-ak wore a sneer.
“KEUKKEUK, who are you talking to? This fellow has lost his self-awareness.”
“Nonsense, it’s not lost but just momentarily suppressed.”
“……”
“If I eliminate you hiding in his head, he’ll return again.”
“Words are so easy!”
Having burst out a shout, Gun Mu-ak kicked off the ground.
HUUUUNG… SSWAEEEEAEK… !
The Demon God Sword traversing space, closing the gap like a flash.
It was truly a lightning-fast sequence.
KKAAAAAAAAAANG… KWAAAAAAAAAANG!
When the Demon God Sword and Gan Jiang collided head-on, the ground in a one-jang radius was mercilessly destroyed.
Dust and stone mixed together and flew chaotically in the midst.
JJEOEOEOONG, JJEOEOONG, JJEOEOEOONG!
Gun Mu-ak manipulated the Demon God Sword in an offensive one-sided manner and fiercely pressured Cheol Ryu-heun’s front.
But.
Cheol Ryu-heun’s defending form was unshakeable.
As if his two legs were rooted infinitely deep in the ground.
That provoked Gun Mu-ak even more.
“You’re holding on? HUT.”
After smirking, his internal power suddenly surged steeply.
It was the increase in internal power brought about by the consumption of life.
From then on, various extreme techniques within Heavenly Demon Divine Art were displayed ferociously and brilliantly through the Demon God Sword.
KKWAKWANG… !
The power of Heavenly Demon World-Destroying Step finally made Cheol Ryu-heun retreat.
In sequence with that, Gun Mu-ak advanced at rapid speed.
SEUPAAT!
His movement was a fast wind invisible to both eyes.
The Demon God Sword and Gan Jiang clashed diagonally.
KWACHAHAAANG!
Immediately after, black and blue flashes crossed in succession.
Metallic sounds ringing ceaselessly.
The explosive sounds accompanying them spread earth-shaking shockwaves.
The power assimilated from the soul-body fragment was indeed tremendous.
Current Gun Mu-ak’s martial prowess was impossible to estimate.
Yet.
He held on.
Cheol Ryu-heun, on the defensive throughout, was still unshakeable.
There was absolutely no sign of retreating.
That triggered Gun Mu-ak’s stubbornness.
He used more of the accumulated life to increase his internal power.
“KEUK, let’s see how long you last!”
With a scornful shout, he wildly swung his sword.
KKWANG… KWAKWANG… KKWANG… !
With sounds growing louder, the surrounding ground shook and shattered.
An untimely storm covered the atmosphere.
It was the aftermath of the collision between transcendent levels of mighty energy.
Now no one could approach the two.
The moment one set foot in the range affected by the exchange, they would shatter like dust and perish.
That’s how frightening the internal power being exchanged in this battle was.
Gun Mu-ak executed Heavenly Demon Grand Sacrifice Ritual while delivering sword strikes.
The broken and shattered ground shook up and down.
KUKUKUKUKU, KUKUKUKUKUKUKU…… DEUDEUDEUDEUDEU, DEUDEUDEUDEUDEU……!
Before long, holes opened throughout the earth in all directions and pillars of dark demonic energy surged up rapidly.
KWAJIK, KWAJIK, KWAJIK… SYUSYUSYU, SYUSYUSYUSYU, SYUSYUSYUSYU… !
It was fully twenty of them.
A grand requiem mass performed by the god of all gods.
It was a magnificent and awe-inspiring spectacle.
Countless black demonic energies swirled toward the center like a whirlwind and expelled heavy pressure.
KWAAAAAAAAA… KWAAAAAAAAA… KWAAAAAAAAAAAA… !
It was demonic power that had vastly surpassed the existing limits.
In response, Cheol Ryu-heun met it with Evil Emperor Yul-Cheon’s unique sword barrier.
PEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPONG!
A series of explosive sounds rang out as the sword barrier and Heavenly Demon Grand Sacrifice Ritual faded away.
An exchange of offense and defense that had offset each other.
It was a scene that seemed to attest to the evenly matched power of the two.
Right at that moment.
SYUSYUSYUSYU, SYUSYUSYUSYU, SYUSYUSYUSYU…
Suddenly, Heavenly Demon Gravity Stars appeared from three directions.
An offensive encircling Cheol Ryu-heun’s left, right, and rear in a reverse-character (?) formation.
The scale of the Heavenly Demon Gravity Stars thus generated was enormous, enough to remind one of a giant mountain cave.
Darkness blocked three sides.
It was truly a bottomless pit.
Each entrance of darkness began drawing in Cheol Ryu-heun.
KUAAAAAA, KUAAAAAA, KUAAAAAAA……!
Both arms of Cheol Ryu-heun, drawn by that power, rose up.
The clothes covering his back also fluttered violently as if about to tear.
At the same time, the Demon God Sword rushed toward Cheol Ryu-heun’s front.
With the thought that this was the end.
Suddenly.
KUUUUUUUUUUUUNG!
With a heavy sound, tremendous formless energy explosively spread in all directions.
And.
KKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG, KKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG, KKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG……!
The Heavenly Demon Gravity Stars in all three directions were simultaneously shattered and vanished.
“Keok!”
Gun Mu-ak, having let out a pained sound, was sent flying backward by the rebounding force.
TEOTEONG!
The moment Gun Mu-ak barely stopped, a look of shock flashed across his expression.
‘How……!’
It was Cheol Ryu-heun’s internal power, which had suddenly surged in an instant.
It was a level that looked down even on his own internal power, which he had increased by using his lifespan.
Suddenly, Cheol Ryu-heun’s bland voice was heard.
“I compressed my pinnacle internal power five times and released it. It hurts quite a bit, doesn’t it?”
“What……!”
Gun Mu-ak was shocked again.
Compressing pinnacle internal power five times and then releasing it?
Like a kind of bomb that amplifies countless explosive forces into one?
The theory sounds plausible to the ear.
But it was something in an absolutely impossible domain.
The existence of a body that could withstand such tremendous power was impossible.
Yet…… hadn’t he just done it?
Cheol Ryu-heun had.
How such a thing was possible… his mind felt blank.
“Wuek!”
Gun Mu-ak coughed up blood.
It was because he had suffered internal injuries after being complacent thinking he was winning, then struck by a natural-disaster-level fearsome blow.
“Even so, among all the opponents I’ve fought until now, you were the strongest. Now then, let’s end this.”
Right at that moment, Gun Mu-ak desperately exerted maximum internal power and fiercely flashed his pupils.
Simultaneously.
CHEUCHUT.
His entire dark-red pupils turned completely to the color of darkness.
Following that, the corners of his mouth quietly rose ever so slightly.
‘HUT, for a fellow with an even more amazing body than this one to appear…… I shall now steal and possess that!’