Chapter 92: Chapter 92
Jang I-seo shook his head at the fuming Mao.
The boy’s simplicity was endearing, but he didn’t know the meaning of “moderate.”
Leaving the dumbfounded Fifth Young Lady behind, he spoke calmly to Mao.
“Seventh Young Master. Remember that feeling well. The conviction that sometimes you must clash even if it means breaking. The conviction that if you must fight, you will win. That is where it begins.”
“Feeling…?”
“Yes. For now, that is enough. And lower your sword. In situations like this, a subordinate steps forward first.”
Jang I-seo smiled warmly and pressed Mao’s raised blade down, as if an adult praising a child for a job well done.
Mao felt something strange.
Somewhere deep in his chest rang a tremor, and both his hands clenched tight.
It was an emotion too complex to put into words.
But one thing was certain: his fear of tomorrow had diminished compared to before.
“Can you even win? The opponents are Wang-wang and a crazy bitch.”
Wang-u, probably.
“We have to try.”
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll unseal the Azure Dragon Blade.”
“Yes, if I fall, avenge me.”
“Begin.”
Mao stepped back, and Jang I-seo stepped forward.
Maeng Won-won let out a breath as if she had seen something unbearable and muttered.
“What are you talking about. Are you joking? Just answer already! What’s it going to be? Are you going to do as I say?”
“…I will give you my answer. Not a single one of the things you demanded will be done. Furthermore, I will formally request compensation from the Maeng Family for the destroyed gate of the Seventh Small Palace and the medical expenses for the woman.”
“Whaaat? Hahahaha! You really are amusing. Now I see why Maeng Hwi followed you. You’re fearless, not knowing your place and running your mouth. Unlike him. But what a shame. Now I’m curious. Whether you’re truly fearless. Or whether you simply haven’t encountered a situation frightening enough yet.”
Maeng Won-won gestured, and THUMP, KUNG! Along with a booming sound, a heavy shadow loomed over Jang I-seo.
The Great Giant Wang-u.
He had stepped forward to face him.
Jang I-seo absorbed his oppressive aura with his entire body and muttered.
“An attack between adjutants means war between heirs. Are you certain this is what you want?”
“Kkkk! War requires matching tiers. What, having second thoughts now that you’re actually about to fight? You’re supposedly from the Seventh Grade Ghost rank. Experience it for yourself. Just how high up the upper world is. Wang-u. Teach him.”
KUOOOH! The moment her command fell, Wang-u raised his clenched right fist high above his head. So high it seemed to reach the roof.
And the moment it aligned with his body in a straight line.
FWOOM!
It began to plummet.
An overwhelming presence, like a meteor falling from the sky.
Above all…
‘He’s fast!’
THWACK!
“J-Jang I-seo!”
“Adjutant Jang!”
Mao and Hong-ran cried out in alarm. Meanwhile, Maeng Won-won burst into mocking laughter as if she had expected it.
“Mmm…”
Jang I-seo, who should have dodged, had allowed the blow to connect with his shoulder and was driven down to one knee.
He had crossed both arms to block, but it was futile.
His contorted expression alone told how immense the pain was.
“What. You couldn’t even dodge that one? And you were running your mouth all this time? How boring, Jang I-seo.”
It was infuriating, but he had nothing to say.
As Mao gripped the Azure Dragon Blade and was about to step forward.
“…With this.”
Jang I-seo’s mouth opened in a low voice.
“War has begun.”
Pop! At the same moment, Wang-u’s descending right arm was lifted back up just as fast as it had fallen.
And Jang I-seo’s palm drove into his unprotected chest!
『Iron Shattering Palm』
BAM!
“KUAAGH!”
Skrrrt! Wang-u staggered backward three meters, clutching his chest.
“W-Wang-u?!”
Maeng Won-won’s eyes widened like saucers.
What had just happened? Had her adjutant just been pushed back? Impossible. But the twin grooves carved into the floor didn’t lie.
Above all.
“From this moment on, by cult law, the Fifth Small Palace is considered an enemy. I will face you properly.”
He was serious. Jang I-seo.
“Ridiculous!”
At this, something inside Maeng Won-won snapped with a ping.
She had revealed who she was. She had spelled it out this clearly.
Then he should have stopped his nonsense and known his place.
‘What are you relying on to run your mouth like this?’
Rage blazed within her.
Maeng Won-won stared him down with clear eyes and spoke with conviction.
“Wang-u, destroy him!”
Then.
“KRAAAAAH!”
Wang-u unleashed a roar of fury and leapt into the air. FWOOM!
A man the size of a house possessed such leaping power. It was hard to believe even watching it happen.
His interlaced fists crashed down onto the spot where Jang I-seo had been standing.
KWAANG!
“Kuh?!”
The earth shook, and rubble erupted from the shattered ground.
The shockwave reached Mao standing behind him.
A smile spread across Maeng Won-won’s lips.
‘Faster and stronger than before. He won’t survive this one.’
Yes. That might be true.
If Jang I-seo had simply taken the hit.
“N-no!”
Maeng Won-won’s face froze instantly.
Jang I-seo, who should have been crushed, was perched atop Wang-u’s hunched back.
And he had already drawn a sharp dagger.
FWISH!
The blade fell toward the back of his neck.
He was serious. He genuinely intended to kill.
However.
CLAANG!
“Hm?”
Along with a friction sound that could never come from human skin.
“KRAAAAAH!”
Wang-u reached behind, seized Jang I-seo, and hurled him away.
Skrrrt!
Fortunately avoiding an ugly tumble, Jang I-seo landed on his feet.
Looking at the dagger in his hand, the blade was visibly chipped.
‘Impenetrable skin?’
Similar to the Slave Lord of the Ma Family. A body where ordinary blades couldn’t even leave a scratch.
“Wang-u, what are you doing! Are you going to keep disappointing me? Just destroy him already!”
“Grrr…”
Wang-u let out a low groan.
Though he couldn’t speak, he too was a being with reason.
He knew full well how important his master’s commands were.
He had been trained that way from the start.
But the man standing before him was not someone who could be eliminated so easily and quickly.
‘You… are strong.’
Wang-u was a monster by nature.
His instincts were near those of a beast.
In that sense, Maeng Won-won hadn’t yet realized it, but his eyes could see it clearly.
A tremendous power was hidden within Jang I-seo’s small frame.
And that once it awakened, someone like him would be no match at all.
The Heavenly Demon Ghost.
Though he had no way of knowing its name, Wang-u could definitely sense it.
However.
‘You… are still but an egg. An egg that has not yet hatched.’
Therefore.
‘I win.’
“KRAAAAAH!”
Wang-u’s eyes rolled back as he unleashed a monstrous cry and began attacking indiscriminately.
It was like watching a rampaging gorilla.
His power and speed only grew fiercer, eventually catching up to Jang I-seo’s movements.
“Gah!”
His ribs took a direct hit. His body bent like a bow, and spittle flew from his mouth.
BANG! BANG! KWAGWAGWANG!
Having seized the momentum, Wang-u didn’t let the opportunity slip, unleashing a flurry of blows.
“Hahaha! Yes, that’s it! That’s what I’m talking about!”
Maeng Won-won stomped her feet in excitement.
As expected, he was nothing special. All talk and no substance. Now that it had come to this, she might as well use the battered Jang I-seo to threaten Maeng Hwi.
Hands, feet. She could slice them off one by one and send them as gifts. He’d probably love that.
As Maeng Won-won indulged her chilling fantasies with glee.
‘It’s over.’
And Wang-u too was certain as he looked down at the sprawled Jang I-seo.
This man could no longer stand.
So the moment he turned his body away.
“You’re definitely… strong. They say adjutants are all monsters, and it’s true.”
Jang I-seo staggered to his feet.
The laughing Maeng Won-won and the turning Wang-u both had deep shadows fall across their faces.
‘How is he standing?’
Wang-u turned with an expression of disbelief.
His attacks had definitely connected.
Yet the man who took them was standing up perfectly fine.
Was it a bluff?
No, that was impossible. No one had ever done that before. No matter how strong they were, no one had ever endured his attacks so readily.
But how…
“Jang I-seo, are you insane? You’re supposed to dodge! What are you doing taking all those hits?”
“I had something to verify. Though I doubt I could endure a second time.”
“You call that words!”
Mao and Jang I-seo exchanged words.
Hearing this, Wang-u was stunned.
‘He took them on purpose?’
This was beyond comprehension. It was infuriating. This kind of bravado wasn’t just foolish, it only provoked more anger.
But his words were undeniably true.
Jang I-seo had been testing a technique he had learned in the Heavenly Demon Treasury but never once verified.
The first secret art utilizing the Art of Creation.
The Qi Guard, which protected his internal energy and body with yin and yang energy.
‘I almost got done in. The Qi Guard leans more toward protecting internal energy rather than guarding the body.’
What he had inwardly hoped for was something like Mao’s Iron Bucket Defense.
He had tried to send the yin and yang energy he had grasped to cancel out the impact.
Though there had been some cancellation, it hadn’t blocked everything.
Instead, it was more effective on the inside.
It had protected the Heavenly Demon’s demonic qi, ensuring his energy circulation never ceased even while taking blows.
“Jang I-seo, if it’s too much, say so. Do-ryong is ready to go.”
“Quiet.”
Jang I-seo stepped forward again.
Wang-u too regarded him with a solemn face.
How he had endured didn’t matter.
The outcome wouldn’t change regardless.
“KRAAAAAH!”
Wang-u roared again and leapt into the air. FWOOM!
And as he descended, a storm of consecutive blows rained down.
FWOOM! FWOOM!
Gale-force winds swept through the area like a typhoon, and Jang I-seo dodged while mounting counterattacks.
BAM BAM BAM!
A clash without a single inch of retreat.
Wang-u thought.
‘You are strong. Your movements, free of any wasted motion, are top-tier. Combined with the immense demonic qi that penetrates from within and speed that doesn’t lag behind. But unfortunately, you are no match for me. Attacks of this level cannot deal any shock to me. Therefore…’
Jang I-seo, driven into a corner.
Above his head, Wang-u’s interlaced fists rose high.
‘I am the one who wins!’
“KRAAAAAH!”
The twin fists crashed down like divine punishment with a monstrous scream.
Fast!
There was no way out, only one path to take.
Dash!
Jang I-seo kicked off the wall and drove a palm into his chest.
BAM!
However.
“Mm…”
He didn’t budge. Wang-u stood rooted in place and looked down at Jang I-seo.
Then, as if he had anticipated it, he swept his long arm around and wrapped it around Jang I-seo’s lower back.
“J-Jang I-seo!”
He lifted him high and began to squeeze, as if to shatter his spine.
“Kuh!”
“Kkkk! Well done! Crush him!”
Victory and defeat had been decided.
Wang-u’s two fists were thicker than the waist of an average grown man, and his arms were longer than his legs.
Caught helplessly in those monstrous hands, there was no escape.
Joy and sorrow crossed faces, and Maeng Won-won and Wang-u were certain of victory.
But.
Light touch.
At that very moment, Jang I-seo’s right palm settled onto Wang-u’s chest like a feather.
With an enigmatic smile.