< Cheonma (1) >
A man in black robes looking down while floating in the air, wrapped in the wind.
Although he appeared to be in his thirties, Cheonma had already been active thirty years earlier.
‘For such a monster to come forward like this.’
Everyone’s bodies froze.
The abbot of Shaolin Temple, the divine monk Mujin Daesa, was a master of the realm of the underworld and was considered one of the best martial artists in the Jeongpa martial arts world.
But the fact that he was defeated by Cheonma…
“···Hehehe. I guess I’m getting older and my body isn’t as good as it used to be. It’s all because I don’t have enough monks.”
Pussuk—
But fortunately, an old monk, covered in dust and digging through the rubble of the collapsed Buddhist temple, slowly walked out.
Of course, his appearance wasn’t that good compared to his opponent who didn’t seem to have any significant impact.
He closed his torn monk’s robe with one hand, glanced at his right arm, which was severed below the elbow, and answered calmly, clasping his hands together with only his left hand.
“More than that, it seems like the Heavenly Demon Lord has become stronger than before. Did he eat something good for his health?”
“Huh—yes, I ate something really good. Thanks to that, I feel like I’m flying. If you want, I can share some with you, too.”
“Amitabha, I appreciate your generous heart, but I will decline. I am a follower of the Buddhist law, so I cannot practice anything that deviates from the right path.”
“That’s too bad. You’re more than qualified. If you change your mind, just tell me.”
The tone of their speech was very friendly, but no one present took it at face value.
Because with each word exchanged, as if thorns were stuck in them, the tension that felt like walking on the edge of a knife rose up little by little.
Cheonma seemed to enjoy the stiff atmosphere, leisurely looking around and raising the corners of his mouth.
It was the first full-fledged introduction of a doctrine that had been kept quiet for a long time.
It is only natural that we are satisfied with the way such an event is being held so successfully.
‘This flow can never be reversed. Now, there is nothing left in this world that can stand in the way of this doctrine… Hmm?’
But his smile, which seemed to be savoring the gazes of the political thugs filled with tension and fear, did not last long.
His arrogant expression, which had always been relaxed, suddenly hardened.
“···What are you?”
The cold voice that flowed from his mouth resonated softly as if it would freeze everything.
Those who were very nervous about this each raised their weapons, but Cheonma’s eyes remained fixed in one place without moving an inch.
‘Oh, I knew this would happen. I paid extra attention this time, but it turned out like this.’
To Hugo, who was secretly sweating, but was trying hard to avoid eye contact.
Of course, the other person didn’t pay any attention to his efforts.
“Why—why are you still in this world?”
A word filled with unknown emotions.
The problem was that it didn’t end with a simple expression of emotion.
‘Ugh, this is···!’
I feel your gaze.
That was all, but the air around him began to press down heavily like a lump of iron, and his entire body began to malfunction.
Perspective was disrupted, balance was disturbed, and brain activity was cut off.
Of course, his thinking ability was not limited to just one terminal entity called Hugo, so his consciousness itself did not break off, but it was inevitable that he lost control of his body because of that.
‘···I can’t believe Cheonma was like this. If it’s at this level···.’
Indeed, there was a reason why the same Hyun Kyung-in, Ambassador Mujin, was pushed back helplessly.
In this case, Hugo, who had not yet reached the state of Hwagyeong, could not dare to fight back in any way.
All he can do is hope for the other person’s mercy.
At that moment, I was contemplating whether I should finally release the summons.
“Huh—!”
Suddenly, as the clear air poured into his lungs, he realized that his shattered senses were starting to return to normal.
Along with the fact that he had not been breathing all this time.
‘···It’s terrible. It’s not like I used any special internal energy, but I can make someone like this just by willpower. And if it’s at its peak, it’s not that low of a state.’
And as he raised his head, trying to catch his breath, he saw the hem of the monk’s robe fluttering before his eyes and realized how he had come to his senses.
The abbot of the Shaolin Temple, who had been standing slightly away just a moment ago, was now blocking his path.
“Hehehe, Cheonma Siju. You are still playing pranks on your young juniors.”
“Get out of the way.”
“Amitabha, do you really intend to see it through to the end? If we keep clashing like this, it won’t be good for either of us.”
“I guess I can’t say it out loud.”
Cheonma’s expression, which had been cold and frozen, distorted subtly.
Hugo’s presence must have meant more to him than he thought, as his reaction was so sensitive that it felt a bit excessive, unlike when he first appeared.
“Bokmadaeju.”
“Heavenly Demon Lord, Manma Angbok! Jang Cheol-ik, the Black Horse Lord of Bokmadae, has arrived!”
Clang!
At his call, a large black man with a black chain wrapped all over his body stepped forward and fell noisily to the floor.
It was one of the cultists who had arrived here and surrounded the area.
“Don’t let anyone escape from here. In particular, don’t let that guy over there go. I have something I want to ask you, so just leave your ears and mouth alone.”
“Your Majesty! I will follow your solemn command!”
Cheonma, who had personally given orders to his subordinates, especially to the master of Hwagyeong, twisted the corners of his mouth as he looked at Hugo, who was still hiding behind Shinseung.
It was such a heavy and thick ridicule that it was impossible for the recipient to understand what was happening.
‘Oh, this is a big problem.’
Hugo smiled awkwardly as he was the center of attention not only of the cult members but also of the surrounding sect members.
No matter how much he likes the attention, this kind of one-sided obsession is out of the question.
‘I can’t help it.’
——————
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He let out a small sigh as he gripped his sword tightly once more in preparation for the enemies that would soon swarm him.
It seemed like I had to hurry a little more.
***
Near the Shaolin Temple gate.
Chae-ae-aeng!
Geumseong Namgung Woo frowned and glared at the cross-eyed old man who was crossing his sword with him.
A black sword engraved with the image of a ghost that is not pushed back at all by his sword filled with great power.
The owner was the Demon Sword Master Yeo Mun-cheol, one of the absolute masters who was active at the same time as him and reached the realm of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s Dharma Guardian.
“Hehehe. You’ve gotten old, Namgung Woo. Is this all you can do?”
“Huh— It seems like only yesterday that you were running away from me, losing an eye, but you speak so well, Yeomuncheol. How can you be so arrogant with the power you’ve accumulated through ill-gotten gains?”
“Hehe, that’s funny. Are you saying something like that when you’ve been eating more elixirs than food since you were little?”
“You rascal, don’t treat the life and elixir of an innocent person the same!”
“What’s different? Isn’t that also a power gained through external help?”
Chae-Ang—
Although they were active at the same time, had similar main weapons, and had similar talents and levels of skill, they had already clashed several times in the past.
The conclusion of the fight was a decision victory for Namgung Woo, who lost one eye.
Now that the conflict has been going on for nearly twenty years, things are different.
‘You’ve really been determined to do this.’
The expression on the swordsman’s face hardened at the heavy repulsive force transmitted from his hand.
For now, Shin Seung was holding Cheonma alone, but he already knew that it wouldn’t last long.
Because he also personally felt the monster’s immense momentum.
However, I couldn’t just leave the Demon Sword Master alone, so I planned to quickly defeat him and join them while Shin Seung held on to the Heavenly Horse and held on for as long as possible…
“Thinking about something else? I guess you still have some free time.”
“Huh!”
The opponent’s power was greater than expected.
It is impossible to reach a conclusion in the current situation in a short period of time.
If we overworked ourselves, we would be the ones to get hurt first.
Geomseong gritted his teeth.
Of course, I was worried about others as well, but more than anything, I couldn’t stand worrying about my grandson and granddaughter who were still there.
These kids came all this way, believing only in themselves. What kind of disgrace is this?
“Hehehe— You’ve lost focus, Namgung-woo. Should I take one eye first?”
In that atmosphere, as the offensive and defensive battles continued, the swordsmanship of the blacksmith began to become a little distorted.
Even if you approach it seriously, you can’t guarantee victory, so how can you fight properly when your mind is in a mess?
As his hands and feet gradually became disheveled, his appearance grew darker.
“Ouch, excuse me for a moment—!”
An uninvited guest that no one expected.
He suddenly barged into the fight.
“······!”
“What?!”
No matter how much they were focused on each other, they were still masters of the real thing.
The moment an unidentified person infiltrated the area in the blink of an eye, they reacted immediately and moved according to their own tendencies.
Geomseong took a step back, strengthened his defense, and assessed the situation, while the Demon Sword Master immediately swung his sharp sword towards his opponent.
So that you can immediately suffocate anyone you meet.
“···Oh my! You’re swinging something so dangerous at a person for no reason!”
And that vicious hand ended up offending someone who was just trying to pass by peacefully.
As someone who is called a great warrior, I cannot just sit by and watch this indiscriminate violence!
Kukugugu—
It’s not like I did anything special because I didn’t have time.
I just clenched my fist with all my might and slammed it into the attack flying in my face.
Of course, that alone was effective.
Kwaaaaang—!
“Ugh?!”
For a moment, the expression on the Demon Sword Master’s face distorted.
At the moment of impact, an enormous pressure surged into his hand that was holding the sword handle.
The sudden shock was so unexpected that I even suffered minor internal injuries.
It was never good news for him.
‘This is an ignorant level of physical strength. Even though I tried to absorb as much shock as possible, it’s still like this?’
He used the recoil from the collision to gain some distance and then properly held his sword again.
It was part of the work to be on guard against the opponent’s follow-up attack and respond immediately, but the opponent only glanced at him.
He happened to catch my eye at a time when I was annoyed and hit me with a punch, but that wasn’t what was important to him at the time.
The problem here was one that could have been solved later if I had come back.
“This fight was going really well, but I got in the way! I’m sorry! I’ll just pass by now, so don’t worry about it and go back to what you were doing!”
“Is that old man the Black Swordsman? Then the one who confronts him is… the one-eyed black demon sword. The Demon Sword Master? Then inside that is….”
“How long are you going to be standing there, buddy? Come here quickly!”
And then he forcefully led the man who was muttering to himself behind him away, waved his hand once as if he was embarrassed at the two old men who were wary of him, and turned around without any hesitation.
As if I was literally just blocking the road I was passing by and only intervened for a moment.
“···what?”
“······”
However, even the Demon Sword Master, who had just clashed with an uninvited guest, could not move carelessly.
That weirdo, despite his ridiculous appearance, was extremely skilled, so it was inevitable that many of his weaknesses would be exposed when dealing with him.
And the rival in front of me right now would never miss such a gap.
‘Who on earth is that? I’ve never heard of a monster with that kind of appearance.’
Geomseong, who had not yet heard the rumor about the new Gwangma, expressed his doubts.
Judging from the reaction of the Demon Sword Master in front of me, I could guess that he was not a member of the Demonic Cult, but for someone who suddenly appeared, his level was too high.
However, the thoughts floating in the head of the demon sword master were different.
‘···The mad horse and the monster impersonating him. How did they end up here? He said he would take care of it himself, but what on earth did the military do!’
It was a little late in my memory because I heard it in passing.
Of course, it was partly because I had just glossed over the gossip that was not worth paying attention to in the run-up to the event, but I couldn’t help but feel upset when the people involved showed up like this.
‘Why on earth did you two come here? Those guys probably don’t have much to do with the Jeongpa Murim.’
The existing mad horse was a person who did not belong to any faction, and strictly speaking, he was a person who was closer to the Sapha faction.
The monster impersonating him also didn’t seem to be much different…
But that subtle atmosphere was short-lived.
They quickly came to their senses, erased those who had already passed from their minds, and stared at each other blankly again.
and-.
Chaeng—! Chaeng! Kwaaang—!
After a brief break, the fierce fighting began again.
The most important task given to them now was to defeat the opponent in front of them.
< Cheonma (1) > End
