Chapter 296: The Two of Us (4)
“Uh, u-uh, excuse me. Lady Baek?!”
“What is it?”
“Isn’t it too dangerous to go in any further…?”
So Cheon glanced at Baek Sang-ah with a nervous face.
“It’s already dangerous as it is… If we’re not careful, we might get devoured.”
What So Cheon was referring to was the overwhelming demonic energy filling the area, laced with venomous qi.
“And yet, Young Master So Cheon, you seem to be holding up quite well yourself, don’t you?”
“I’ve had similar experiences before…”
Ignoring So Cheon’s words, Baek Sang-ah continued walking along the dark mountain path.
“I never forced you to follow me. If you think you can’t handle it, you can go back.”
“……”
So Cheon pouted but didn’t voice any further complaints.
After Jin Yeomyung and Old Han had entered the heart of the ritual site.
Jungcheon Peak, which had been endlessly spewing demonic energy, began to stabilize after erupting like a volcano.
While Saber King and the others cheered, believing Jin Yeomyung and Old Han had managed to stop the ritual, the real problem was that even after several days, the two of them showed no signs of emerging from the center.
“The surroundings may have stabilized, but the demonic energy enveloping the peak hasn’t dissipated. Something must have gone wrong.”
Baek Sang-ah’s assertion caused Saber King to show concern.
“But even so, all we can do right now is wait.”
“I will go. Since the demonic energy has settled, someone like me, who has reached the Extreme Demon Realm, shouldn’t be affected much.”
At her words, Wisdom Talent, standing nearby, exclaimed in alarm.
“No! The poisonous qi still fills the entire mountain! And who knows how many demonic beasts might be lurking around!”
“There are no demonic beasts.”
“W-what?”
At Baek Sang-ah’s firm declaration, Wisdom Talent’s expression slightly shifted.
Since the mountain’s energy had stabilized, it had ironically become more difficult to assess the situation inside.
It felt as if a black glass wall was blocking the view.
However, Baek Sang-ah seemed unconcerned by that.
“I can sense it because I, too, have surpassed my limits and become a demon. There are no demonic beasts inside.”
“Huh?”
So Cheon, who had been quietly listening, supported her statement.
“Lady Baek is right. When the energy in the center violently exploded a few days ago, it felt like everything got swept away.”
Wisdom Talent and Blood Talent nodded in agreement.
“Hmm, since the Third Strategist’s eyes are sharp…”
“If even the Third Strategist says so, I have no choice but to trust it.”
“…I’m not the Third Strategist, you know.”
So Cheon protested vehemently, but his protests were completely ignored.
Letting out a sigh, So Cheon spoke.
“I can’t let Lady Baek go alone, so I’ll accompany her for now.”
The others let out exclamations at his words.
“Hmm, if it’s the Third Strategist’s skill, it’s reassuring!”
“Especially with that mysterious technique of his…”
“…I swear, once this is over, I’m going back with Myeong-oh.”
So Cheon gritted his teeth and glared at those who kept calling him the Third Strategist.
But the ones determined to keep So Cheon tied to Black Lotus Union did not back down even under his glare.
In the end, it was So Cheon who gave up first.
And so, it was decided that Baek Sang-ah and So Cheon would ascend Jungcheon Peak.
Although Saber King expressed concern until the very end, he couldn’t strongly oppose it after witnessing the unbelievable capabilities of So Cheon’s Myriad Image Supreme Art.
And so…
The two of them stood before the central altar at the peak of Jungcheon Peak, where the ritual had taken place.
“…Huh?”
So Cheon blinked as he looked at the massive black sphere enveloping the altar.
“What’s wrong, Young Master So Cheon?”
“It feels like… the space has been distorted.”
“Distorted?”
“It definitely looked extremely dangerous the last time I saw it…”
After staring intently at the sphere for a while, So Cheon reached a conclusion.
“It might… not be as dangerous as I thought?”
As the holder of the Myriad Image Supreme Art, So Cheon instinctively sensed that the space beyond was different from before.
It was something only possible thanks to his extraordinarily sharp intuition.
“Hmm, still, we can’t afford to take any reckless risks, so let’s stop here—”
“Let’s go.”
“Wait, what?!”
Baek Sang-ah stepped through the sphere, trusting So Cheon’s words.
In truth, she had planned to enter regardless of the danger, but So Cheon’s words had simply given her a bit more confidence.
So Cheon hurried after her, whining as he followed.
“Ah, come on! Who knows what could be ahead… huh?”
Both So Cheon and Baek Sang-ah were rendered speechless by the sight before them.
They had expected to step into a hellish demon-infested landscape, but beyond the black sphere lay a serene seaside scenery that couldn’t have been more peaceful.
While Baek Sang-ah looked around in disbelief—
Whoosh!
“…Huh?”
She suddenly realized her body was being pulled backward.
The culprit was none other than So Cheon, who had suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and yanked her toward him.
She tried to protest against his sudden action.
“Young Master So Cheon! What are you—”
Before she could even finish.
Swiip!
A thin streak of ‘sword qi’ sliced through the spot where she had just been standing!
“…Huh?”
Baek Sang-ah repeated the same word she had just uttered moments ago.
And then it hit her.
‘A sneak attack!’
An ambush that had perfectly evaded her senses, even though she had reached the Extreme Demon Realm!
Had it not been for So Cheon, she would have been sent straight to the afterlife without even realizing what happened!
Baek Sang-ah quickly drew her sword and scanned her surroundings.
“…I don’t know who it is, but they’re clearly highly skilled. I’ll thank you later—Young Master So Cheon?”
Drip.
Baek Sang-ah’s eyes widened when she saw cold sweat streaming down So Cheon’s face.
This man, who never lost his sly demeanor no matter the situation, was now showing this level of panic for the first time.
“Young Master So Cheon, what’s going on…?”
"Be careful."
So Cheon cut Baek Sang-ah off.
"A killer demon whose strength I can’t even gauge is targeting us."
"A... killer demon?"
So Cheon didn’t answer.
Instead, he desperately heightened his Myriad Image Supreme Art and scanned the surroundings.
And then, it happened.
"Heh, hehe… I thought I’d found a new youngest, but I guess not this time?"
Without them noticing, Killer Demon God So Jeong appeared right before their eyes.
"……!"
"……!!"
An appearance without the slightest warning or detectable presence.
So Cheon and Baek Sang-ah couldn’t hide their shock.
"H-How…"
While the two stood in disbelief, So Jeong looked them over with an amused expression.
"Heh, hehe… One built up demonic energy with qi flow, and the other seems to have been taught by Master…"
Amazingly, So Jeong had seen through the origins of their inner energies at first glance.
"Neither of you are formal disciples, huh? What should I do with you…"
"Who… are you?"
Baek Sang-ah swallowed hard.
The opponent hadn’t declared hostility yet.
But depending on their response, that could change at any moment.
She didn’t know why such a transcendent expert had suddenly appeared, but her instincts were screaming at her to avoid a fight at all costs.
"Hmm. Uh-huh. Hmmm?"
After looking back and forth between Baek Sang-ah and So Cheon for a while, So Jeong suddenly brightened and fixed his gaze on So Cheon.
"Ah, you… You’re my descendant, aren’t you? And the one beside you is your lover, I see."
"D-Descendant!?"
"L-Lover?!"
The two of them stood there with their jaws hanging open at the absurd misunderstanding.
"Yeah, yeah. If you’re my descendant and their lover, there’s no need to kill you. Master did mention that someone connected to the youngest might show up."
"W-What do you mean?"
"Actually, this works out nicely. I always regretted not being able to pass down my martial arts to the youngest. Maybe you two will be the ones…"
Flinch!
From So Jeong’s words, both of them felt an ominous chill.
"Young Master So Cheon, dodge!"
"Lady Baek, move!"
Almost at the same time, they shouted at each other and sprang apart.
So Jeong let out a whistle at the sight of the two splitting off in perfect sync.
"Oh, I see your timing is perfect, just like a couple should be."
"We’re not a couple!"
Baek Sang-ah fiercely denied it.
"Well, whether you are or not doesn’t really matter. You two are going to inherit my ultimate art."
Crackle! Crackle-crackle!
Golden lightning surged through So Jeong’s fingers.
Nine Heavens Thunder Death Art
Transcendent Technique
Thunder Net Death Killing Formation
"…Huh?"
"W-What?"
So Cheon and Baek Sang-ah blinked in confusion.
It felt like something had flashed past them, but they didn’t even have time to register the sensation.
Because their heads had already been severed from their bodies.
"Let’s start with about a hundred deaths or so, to get you familiar with the sensation of dying. Hehehe…"
So Jeong’s martial art, which required the practitioner to face death endlessly, was infamous among the senior disciples for being the hardest to inherit.
That was why So Jeong was delighted at the appearance of what he believed to be his successors.
If they could endure this trial and grasp the meaning of 'Death Killing'…
Then a pair of reapers who would scatter death across Murim would be born!
***
Heavenly Demon Resonance - Great Nirvana Catastrophe.
Until now, this technique had been the symbol of the bond between me and Yura.
It had always inflicted devastating blows on enemies beyond our level and had never once been broken.
However—
"Keugh!"
"Ugh!"
For the first time today, our resonance had failed to overcome the opponent’s wall and was completely dismantled.
'I expected this, but it’s still overwhelming!'
When the two hemispheres collided, the power of our Heavenly Demon Resonance couldn’t hold for long and was completely devoured by the opponent’s resonance.
They called it the Mixed Origin Resonance, didn’t they?
Since they had, on average, reached a level higher than ours, it was only natural that their power would be overwhelming.
But!
"Jin Yeomyung."
Cheon Yura, barely holding her stance with her sword, smirked.
"We can manage this. Don’t you think?"
I, too, rose to my feet and stood shoulder to shoulder with Yura.
"…Yeah. We can."
The very fact that we were still alive was proof of that.
If our resonance had truly been overpowered, we wouldn’t be standing here. We would have been completely annihilated.
"What we used just now wasn’t our full strength. If we raise the power of our unity even further, it’s possible."
Just as she said, what we had unleashed earlier wasn’t our true pinnacle. It had merely been a combination of our qi forces.
However, even if I combined Yura’s Bright Night Sword with my Destruction of Heaven and Earth, there was still a problem.
To maximize the power of resonance, the forces had to be perfectly balanced at a five-to-five ratio.
Ideally, this was done by practitioners of the same level, but reality was never so accommodating.
'At this rate, it’ll be tough. I have to match Yura’s strength.'
Otherwise, we had no chance of winning.
Because—
"Hmph, barely managed to survive, huh?"
Ma Seoyeon sneered as she looked at the wreck I had become after the clash.
Yoo Jeon, who was standing nearby, let out a groan as he looked down at his sword.
“It’s definitely not easy.”
Yoo Jeon let out a bitter chuckle.
“It’s not easy to match the flow against the explosive momentum of Blood Demon Qi.”
At those words, Ma Seoyeon flinched slightly.
“If we keep working on syncing up, we’ll manage, First Senior Brother!”
“Well, I suppose so.”
Just as she said, this was their first time attempting to perform a resonance technique together.
The more they practiced and improved their coordination, the more their resonance’s power would increase exponentially.
‘We have to defeat them before their harmony becomes perfect.’
If they failed to do so, they’d eventually be overwhelmed by the difference in scale and would never pass this trial.
“By the way… Junior Sister Ma— no, Seoyeon.”
“Yes?”
Ma Seoyeon lifted her head in response to Yoo Jeon’s words.
“According to that junior… Resonance isn’t just about combining qi. They said that true power only comes when you unite your hearts and souls as one.”
“Uh… I think I heard that too, but I’m not really sure. I wasn’t paying much attention back then…”
“I’m certain that’s correct.”
While Ma Seoyeon tilted her head in confusion, unable to grasp where he was going with this, Yoo Jeon dropped a loaded statement on her.
“Seoyeon. We swore to put an end to our thousand-year-long senior-junior relationship and to walk alongside the youngest as a couple.”
“H-Huh?!”
Ma Seoyeon gasped, utterly flustered by Yoo Jeon’s direct statement.
“In that case, shouldn’t we start by changing how we address each other?”
“H-How we address each other?!”
“Yes.”
And then Yoo Jeon dropped a bombshell.
“Come on. From now on, don’t call me First Senior Brother. Call me Gaga.”
“……##$%#%!!!”
In an instant, Ma Seoyeon’s face turned redder than when she unleashed her Blood Frenzy Demon Form.
It felt like a silent scream was shaking the entire space.
“Hurry.”
Yoo Jeon urged her firmly.
After flapping her mouth like a goldfish for a while, Ma Seoyeon finally clenched her eyes shut and squeezed out her words in a voice as tiny as an ant crawling.
“Y-Yoo… Ga… Gaga…”
“……Hmm!”
Yoo Jeon nodded with a satisfied expression.
When he gently patted Ma Seoyeon’s head, steam started rising from her lowered face.
I watched the scene with a sour expression.
‘That’s actual steam.’
It seemed like the Blood Demon Qi rushing to her face was somehow reacting with her skin and the surrounding air.
…Normally, when qi rushes to the head like that, isn’t that a sign of Qi Deviation?
Well, since she was a master of the Transcendent Demon Realm, she’d probably manage it just fine, but that wasn’t the point.
‘Seriously, this is ridiculous.’
I glared at the two of them with a deeply irritated expression.
Of course, it was my idea to push my seniors into this situation to begin with.
But seeing them actually act like that in front of me made my stomach churn in the worst way.
At that moment, a chilling voice whispered in my ear.
“Jin Yeomyung.”
“Uh, y-yeah?”
For some reason, Cheon Yura’s eyes, as she watched the two of them, were blazing like an active volcano.
I was taken aback when I read the emotion in her eyes.
‘…Jealousy?’
Cheon Yura snapped her head toward me and glared fiercely.
“We can’t lose to them!”
…What exactly are we competing for?