novelraw Chapter 112 : Turning Point Through Clash (2)
Chapter 112 : Turning Point Through Clash (2)
Chapter 112: Turning Point Through Clash (2)
Ma Ungyeol raised his spear above his head.
Moonlight reflected off the blade, creating a silver flash. His muscles tensed tautly, veins bulging, and a red aura surged along the spear’s edge, glinting like lightning.
The air began to heat up.
Murderous intent blazed in his eyes, dyeing his irises crimson.
“Eleventh True Army. I heard something about you. You enjoy the hunt… but don’t show up unless it’s time to rip someone’s throat out, huh?”
“Heh! Is that what they say?”
“So is now one of those times?”
“No need to fuss over whether it’s the right time or not to kill someone like you. It’s not like you’re anything special.”
“I’m special, though. How the hell do you even know me?”
“Yap all you want after you’re dead! Haaah!”
A thunderous roar echoed.
He kicked off the ground and charged. The spear’s tip split the air with a sharp whistle.
A deadly strike aimed straight at the center of Gugwi’s chest.
The ground trembled as shards of stone scattered in all directions. Every step Ma Ungyeol took cracked the rocks beneath.
“Hooop!”
Gugwi took a deep breath.
Cold air rushed deep into his lungs. At the moment of summoning Un Serim, a shudder coursed through his entire body.
A blue glow enveloped him. The air rippled like waves, infused with Un Serim’s energy. The spear gripped tightly in his hand gained weight, and the muscles in his wrist grew taut.
Whoooosh!
As he swung his spear high, a blue vortex began to bloom at its tip. The whirlwind swelled, extending toward Ma Ungyeol’s red spear.
The moment of their clash drew near.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted.
The two spears collided head-on, and sparks scattered in all directions. The sound of tearing air ripped at the ears, and a shockwave surged outwards, shaking the surrounding trees.
“Urgh!”
Gugwi was driven backward.
Had his heel not caught on a rock, he would’ve been pushed back even farther. From a single clash, the impact coursed through his entire body, making his insides feel twisted.
A numbing sensation spread from his wrist to his shoulder.
Ma Ungyeol’s power was overwhelming. The difference in inner strength built up over decades was palpable. Gugwi had only practiced Soul-Summoning Arts for a year, while the other was a master of the Eleventh True Army.
“Still far from ready, are you!”
Ma Ungyeol sneered and swung his spear again.
This time, it swept sideways. The blade carved through the air with a vibrating hum. The red aura drew a semi-circle, flashing like lightning toward Gugwi’s flank.
‘No time to dodge.’
Gugwi instinctively raised his spear to block.
Clang! Clang!
A sharp metallic clash rang out.
The force of the blow sent Gugwi tumbling sideways. His shoulder slammed against the rocky ground with a dull thud.
A deep gash tore into his shoulder bone.
A moment later, crimson blood trickled down, soaking his collar. Hot liquid streamed down his arm.
“Was it always this easy? Hah! Not going to unleash the Spiritless Zone? That’s your specialty, isn’t it?”
Whooosh!
Ma Ungyeol spun his spear as he spoke.
Un Serim wasn’t weak. Gugwi simply hadn’t drawn out his full power. What he thought had been perfect spirit contact was only sixty or seventy percent at best.
“Red Blood Spear King Samaun. You really are strong. That strength… you’re a beast.”
Gugwi gritted his teeth and stood up.
Then suddenly, something strange happened deep within the Realm of the Threshold. Without Gugwi even realizing, a burst of light shot out as if shoved by an unseen hand.
Yes. That movement was anything but natural. It was the kind of sudden shift that came from being thrown—clearly forced.
The moment that light reached the Spirit Flow Core—
Pop!
With a soft explosion, something materialized into reality.
A figure clad in a long robe from head to toe—unarmed, hands dangling low, silently staring. But the stench of blood hung heavily from his body.
It was a spirit Gugwi had never seen before.
He didn’t know when or how this one had entered his soul. Yet the moment the robed figure raised both hands, dark energy spread out in all directions.
The color and feel of that energy bore a strange resemblance to someone’s spirit.
Gugwi couldn’t recall, but those observing from afar—members of the Black Blood Unit—gasped and recoiled in shock. Their faces twisted in confusion.
“What… what is that?”
“Dark Blood Point Technique—Jin Mukgyeol! That’s the Spirit Union martial artist from the Tenth True Army! Then that means the Tenth True Army is here? But even if they are… why would they attack Ma Ungyeol? What the hell is going on?!”
“Don’t tell me… the Tenth True Army is colluding with that guy….”
Their voices were filled with bewilderment.
The newly appeared Spirit Union martial artist looked far too similar to Jin Mukgyeol, the fourth spirit of the Tenth True Army.
Their eyes, visible through their masks, trembled with unease.
They wondered if the Tenth True Army had sided with Gugwi and turned Ma Ungyeol into an enemy. If the Tenth attacked the Eleventh… Ma Ungyeol’s chances of losing were high. Objectively, Sasaha was known to be stronger than Ma Ungyeol.
Ma Ungyeol’s face twisted. His brow furrowed deeply, creasing his forehead.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
His roar, thick with fury, split the night air.
His voice trembled, betraying the depth of his rage.
Shweeeee!
He swung his spear fiercely, his murderous intent toward Gugwi intensifying.
Gugwi was unable to adapt to the newly appeared spirit. He didn’t even know its name—how was he supposed to command it? Where had this spirit even come from?
Still possessed by Un Serim, he launched his attack.
Shreeeeek!
His spear lunged for Ma Ungyeol’s chest.
But just then, the robed spirit moved its hands. Black energy oozed from its fingertips, riding the air as it spread—like the mist of Yeon Sohye.
“Damn it!”
Ma Ungyeol had summoned Red Blood Spear King Samaun in full.
A warrior clad in massive armor appeared, wielding a spear. Crimson energy wrapped around the blade, flaring like fire.
The two spirits collided head-on.
The Red Blood Spear King swung his spear. A red trajectory slashed through the air toward the robed spirit. Heat radiated from the spear’s tip, warming the air.
The robed spirit dodged to the side.
The spear grazed by, tearing the hem of the robe. But at that moment, his fingers darted toward Red Blood Spear King’s wrist. He aimed precisely between the armor gaps—right where the acupoint lay.
The Red Blood Spear King drew his arm back, blocking with the spear shaft.
Clack! Clack-clack!
A sharp sound rang out as the finger collided with the spear shaft.
The robed spirit immediately twisted its body to attack from a different angle. This time, it aimed for the acupoint beside the neck. The fingers moved with lightning speed.
The Red Blood Spear King ducked his head to evade.
Shwek! Zzzzing!
The fingers grazed his helmet. The screech of metal scraped the ears.
A counterattack followed instantly.
The spear tip lunged toward the robed spirit’s chest. A red aura wrapped around the spear blade, scorching the air. The robed spirit unfolded its footwork, and its body dispersed like smoke, avoiding the strike.
Shweeek!
The spear slashed through empty space.
Re-materialized, it now appeared behind the Red Blood Spear King. Its fingers tried to dig into the gap in the armor. The Red Blood Spear King quickly rotated the spear shaft backward to block. But the spirit’s other hand targeted his side, and its fingertips pierced through the armor. The Red Blood Spear King's body stiffened for an instant.
“Graaaagh!”
The Red Blood Spear King groaned and stumbled backward. Black blood seeped from his armor.
The robed spirit gave no opening and chased him down.
Its footwork was ghostly swift, and the Red Blood Spear King couldn’t shake it off.
Its fingers struck the acupoints in rapid succession—shoulder, elbow, behind the knee. All critical points.
The Red Blood Spear King's movements began to dull.
His acupoints were blocked, disrupting the flow of qi. The speed of his spear slowed, and the red aura weakened.
The robed spirit prepared the final strike.
Tsssss!
It pressed two fingers together and targeted the center of his chest.
Shweeeek! Thud!
It pierced the Danjung Acupoint precisely.
The Red Blood Spear King’s body froze and he dropped his spear. The towering body collapsed to the ground.
The match was decided.
Ma Ungyeol’s face turned pale.
His strongest Spirit Union spirit had been defeated. And by a spirit from the Lord of the Tenth True Army.
“This… this can’t be….”
He muttered in disbelief.
Gugwi looked at the robed spirit. He didn’t know who it was, but its skill was undeniable.
The confusion among the Black Blood Unit deepened.
“Did the Tenth True Army really betray us?”
“The Eleventh is losing!”
Panic was evident in their voices.
Gugwi calmly raised his spear. Only a direct confrontation with Ma Ungyeol remained now.
“It’s your turn.”
A cold voice pierced the night air.
Ma Ungyeol clenched his spear with grit teeth. It wasn’t over yet.
The moment the Red Blood Spear King fell, Ma Ungyeol’s gaze shifted.
“Did you really think it would end like this!”
A new energy surged from his body.
This time, a woman’s afterimage appeared. A lithe female warrior holding a short spear overlapped with his figure.
Simultaneously, two massive shadows descended from the sky into reality.
On the left stood a martial artist wielding a massive long spear. His armor was mountainous in grandeur, and the aura from his spear tip made the earth tremble. On the right, a black-masked figure stood with a short spear. Darkness writhed around him, and killing intent slithered like a viper.
Ma Ungyeol raised his short spear.
Then, something unbelievable happened.
His arm appeared to split into two. No, three, four, five… in an instant, dozens of arms spread across the air. Each hand held a spear. It was a dazzling and mysterious sight, like the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara.
“I don’t know what trick you’re playing… but one thing’s clear. I need to kill you quickly.”
“Block it!”
With a roar, Ma Ungyeol sent dozens of spears flying at Gugwi.
Gugwi swiftly summoned General Madal and Muksoe.
General Madal charged at the Overlord Spear General with his massive blade. The clash of the two giants cracked the earth.
Muksoe, with agile movement, faced off against the Dark Spirit Spear Horseman. Stones flew from his hand like lightning, slicing through the darkness. So his martial art was stone-throwing? Fitting for a thief.
Both sides were locked in a fierce struggle.
The Overlord Spear General being evenly matched with General Madal was unexpected. Gugwi thought Madal would be much stronger. Likewise, seeing Muksoe contend with the Dark Spirit Spear Horseman was surprising.
But Gugwi himself—was being overwhelmed by Ma Ungyeol’s Mad Spear Technique. Dozens of spear tips targeted him from all directions. From above, the side, behind—there was nowhere to escape.
He tried to spin his spear and block, but it wasn’t enough. Block one, another came from elsewhere.
Shweeek!
A spear tip grazed his shoulder.
Flesh tore, and crimson blood splattered.
Another spear pierced into his flank. His clothes ripped as the wound split open.
Gugwi staggered backward, crashing into a rock. No—he had twisted his body just in time to avoid a flying spear.
Kwaaang!
Stone dust exploded in all directions.
“Stop flailing and die already!”
Ma Ungyeol shouted, confident of victory.
The dozens of spears moved even faster. Each traced a different path, hemming Gugwi in. Some came straight, some curved, others spun.
Ma Ungyeol was rushing to end the battle.
Afraid that Gugwi would trigger another unexpected turn… or perhaps because the robed spirit was still by his side.
Gugwi desperately dodged and blocked, but the wounds kept increasing. His arms, legs, and back were all streaked with crimson lines.
Ma Ungyeol’s spear technique was too extravagant.
The simultaneous movement of dozens of spears looked like a blooming flower.
A deadly flower of death, both beautiful and fatal.
“Haah… haah…”
Gugwi’s breathing grew ragged.
Blood from his wounds soaked the earth.