novelraw Chapter 97 : Entry into the Tiger’s Den (2)
Chapter 97 : Entry into the Tiger’s Den (2)
Chapter 97: Entry into the Tiger’s Den (2)
“Block them!”
As she stretched out her hand, So Ryeonghwa moved first.
A silver mist bloomed, obscuring their vision. The mist scattered the torchlight of the Assassins of Death.
Immediately after, the Gale Spirit Guest summoned a gust of wind. The strong wind thickened the mist even further. In an instant, the valley they were in was wrapped in dense fog.
The mist was so thick they couldn’t see an inch ahead. Horses neighed in alarm.
At that moment, Baek Seonnyeo unleashed a blade of moonlight. A silver blade flew toward the pile of rocks on the mountain ridge.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The rocks split like paper and crumbled.
Massive boulders rolled down the slope, blocking the path of the Assassins of Death.
“We blocked the path!”
Yeon Sohye began to run, supporting Gugwi.
Jang Unhyeok also fused three spirits together. The flames of the Blazing Fire Warrior, the wind of the Wind Sword Wolf, and the hammer of the Iron Flame Monk became one. A massive lava bomb was formed. Red lava bubbled intensely on its surface.
“Flame-Wind Destruction!”
Jang Unhyeok shouted and hurled the lava bomb behind them.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion erupted.
The ground shook, and trees were uprooted. The Assassins of Death in pursuit were caught in the blast and pushed back.
Startled horses reared up, and cavalry fell off their mounts.
The Iron-Flame Captain borrowed the strength of the Blazing Fire Warrior and Wind Sword Wolf to erect a massive stone barricade. He stacked layers of rock as hard as steel to form a high wall.
“This way!”
Jang Unhyeok shouted, pointing in a direction.
Jin Geonmu guarded the rear. From his spear flowed a torrent of red energy like a waterfall.
One Assassin of Death leapt over the wall in pursuit.
It was a martial artist clad in black armor wielding a spear.
“Where do you think you're going!”
The assassin lunged with the spear.
From the tip burst a dark energy.
Jin Geonmu grinned.
His grin seemed to say, ‘A spear, huh? Do you really think a spear will work on a peak-level spearman?’
Shing!
He unleashed his newly awakened Blood-Crushing Chain.
First came the Blood-Breaking Strike, aiming directly at the assassin’s chest.
The assassin hastily blocked with his spear, but the tip of Jin Geonmu’s weapon pierced through the armor. A hole opened in the armor, and blood spurted out. Immediately, the Blood-Wind Flurry struck like a storm. Six consecutive thrusts flew with the swiftness of wind.
The assassin was struck repeatedly where he stood.
He had already suffered a fatal wound from the first strike and was killed instantly by the flurry.
Jin Geonmu finished with the Blood-Wall Severance.
Boom!
The Assassin of Death was hurled away before he could even scream.
His chest was riddled with holes like a honeycomb. Blood poured out as if filling a basin. Even so, he convulsed, desperately clinging to life.
The other assassins hesitated.
Their steps momentarily froze at such inhuman spear arts.
Terror!
Fear filled the eyes of the Assassins of Death. The terror of death.
—
The four of them slid down the mountain slope in escape. They rolled down the steep incline.
Sand and gravel scattered in all directions.
Gugwi kept moving even through the pain.
“You okay? If it’s too much, we can stop and rest.”
Yeon Sohye said.
“I’m fine. Keep going.”
He was anything but fine. The tremors from the Spirit Flow Core were intensifying. His chest felt as though it might explode.
Suddenly, an illusion appeared before his eyes. His father!
His father stood there, dressed in white robes. His face was calm, but his eyes were sorrowful.
“Gugwi.”
His father opened his mouth. His voice was faint like the wind.
“Make your choice.”
“Father….”
Gugwi murmured.
It wasn’t a spoken voice, but a cry from his heart.
“The Spirit Flow Core has already become an object of greed for many. You may not want to use it, but you’ll be forced to… Yet if you use it, the Manifest Demon Emperor will return.”
Guun continued speaking.
“This father’s dilemma… take your own life. Now that the Spirit Flow Core is active, if you die, it will disappear forever. The Manifest Demon Emperor cannot be revived. Never… think you can defeat the Manifest Demon Emperor.”
Gugwi gripped his spear tightly. The pain in his veins was excruciating, but his will was unshaken.
“How can you be a father and tell your son to die? Can’t you just tell me to live well instead?”
“You were born the Gatekeeper’s bloodline with a Minor Mastery Body… You should resent being born that way.”
“Then what about the parents who gave birth to me that way?”
“That’s why I died.”
“Well done. But I feel like there could have been another way. Didn’t you choose the easy way out?”
“If your body is taken by the Manifest Demon Emperor, your soul will be annihilated. You won’t ascend. You won’t reincarnate… You’ll fall into the Eighteenth Hell and suffer for eternity.”
“You’re the one who shoved me toward that hell, Father.”
“Take your life.”
“Gugwi! Gugwi! Are you alright?!”
From nearby, the voices of Yeon Sohye, Jang Unhyeok, and Jin Geonmu called out in concern. Yet they sounded distant.
“What nonsense! Die? No! I have to fight!”
Gugwi roared.
His voice echoed far across the mountain range.
“Are you okay?!”
That voice snapped him back to his senses.
Everyone was looking at him with worried faces. They were still running to avoid the Assassins of Death, and he was slung over Jang Unhyeok’s shoulder. Yeon Sohye and Jin Geonmu stared at him intently.
“I’m fine. Really. Just saw a vision for a second. Let’s go!”
Paaaang!
At that moment, a blue light burst forth from the Spirit Flow Core.
He hadn’t intended to use it… No matter the situation, he wasn’t going to… But his father provoked him. Told him not to fight the Manifest Demon Emperor. That’s exactly why he would fight. No matter the outcome.
He would use the Spirit Flow Core, but not for the Manifest Demon Emperor. It was light for his comrades.
The blue light enveloped Yeon Sohye, strengthening her Phantom Triple Slash. The once-blurry spirits now appeared vividly, almost tangible. Her moonlight blades sharpened like razors.
Jang Unhyeok’s Flame-Wind Destruction grew even more powerful.
The lava hammer enlarged, forcefully pushing back the pursuers. Explosions rang out like thunder.
“Let’s rest here for a bit.”
Jang Unhyeok said, panting for breath.
A few Assassins of Death weren’t a big concern. What he truly feared was the approach of the Twelve True Armies. He now had some confidence to face even them… but perhaps he was still not ready. They already had more than four Spirit Union Martial Artists.
The four of them hid deep in the forest, catching their breath.
Gugwi did not waste the moment and re-entered the Realm of the Threshold.
‘I need to sever the link between the Spirit Flow Core and the Manifest Demon Emperor.’
Inside the Realm of the Threshold, he examined his heart from a third-person perspective. More precisely… he looked at the Spirit Flow Core attached to his heart.
Then, once again, an illusion appeared before him.
The figure of the Manifest Demon Emperor. Red smoke swirled, and within it, countless eyes glinted. Each eye glowed with a different hue. Arms and legs extended from the smoke. Its form kept changing—at times resembling a giant dragon, other times like a spider.
‘You will regret this.’
The Manifest Demon Emperor threatened.
His voice echoed like a reverberating hum in a cave.
‘Your comrades will die, one by one. Because of you.’
It seemed the Manifest Demon Emperor already sensed what Gugwi was attempting.
“I had my doubts, but I figured there had to be a way to sever the link. So I just have to find it.”
Gugwi smiled.
The image of the Manifest Demon Emperor swelled larger. The red smoke surged as if to engulf the sky.
‘Use my power. Then everything will become easy.’
“Sorry… but screw off!”
Shweeeek!
Gugwi swung his spear and slashed the illusion apart. A flash of blue light erupted from the tip of the spear.
The illusion shattered and vanished. But the pain remained.
“Un Serim!”
Gugwi called out to the Cloud Flow Sect Leader.
Within the Realm of the Threshold, a halo of bright light approached him. Though it had no defined form, he knew it was Un Serim.
Facing the light, he spoke.
“Break the curse. You know how. You fought the Dark Spirit Sect. Sever the connection between the Spirit Flow Core and the Manifest Demon Emperor.”
Un Serim spoke.
“Awakening.”
“Awakening?”
“The power of an awakened Spirit Flow Core is yours. An unawakened one belongs to the Manifest Demon Emperor. Awaken it.”
“And how do I awaken it?”
“Death. A chrysalis must die to become a moth, an egg must die to become a bird, and clouds must die to become rain. Your current form must die to become a new one. Awakening.”
“Okay, but how exactly do I do that?”
Srrrt.
Un Serim disappeared into the darkness.
“What the—? Is that a refusal so blunt I can’t even respond? Are you telling me I have no chance?”
“His fever is going down.”
She sighed in relief.
Jang Unhyeok supported Gugwi’s shoulder and spoke.
“You seem alright now. Your color’s come back.”
Jin Geonmu stood on alert nearby. The sound of pursuers had vanished.
“Did I…?”
“You passed out. Like, swoosh.”
“Really? I’m fine now. Should we keep moving?”
Gugwi stood as he spoke. Though not fully recovered, he could still move.
“No. Let’s rest here tonight. The Assassins of Death won’t catch up easily. We scared them good.”
Jang Unhyeok borrowed the Iron-Flame Captain’s strength to light a small fire.
The red flame pushed back the darkness and brought warmth.
Gugwi sat with his back against a rock. As the Spirit Flow Core stabilized, his body greatly recovered.
‘Why do I feel better all of a sudden? Did the Manifest Demon Emperor loosen his grip? Seems like it.’
“Now, tell us. What’s going on? We can’t know what’s happening inside your body.”
Yeon Sohye cautiously asked.
“It’s the Spirit Flow Core….”
Gugwi answered honestly. He felt there was no reason to hide anymore.
“The Manifest Demon Emperor is trying to use me to exert power. To force me into using the Spirit Flow Core.”
Yeon Sohye furrowed her brows.
“Then this’ll keep happening?”
“Probably. But I think I know how to deal with it now. I have to completely make the Spirit Flow Core mine. Cut off the Manifest Demon Emperor’s interference. I’ll still be influenced to some extent, though.”
Gugwi said, placing a hand on his chest.
Jang Unhyeok nodded.
“Is that even possible?”
“I have to. There’s no other way.”
Determination filled Gugwi’s voice.
He sat cross-legged. It was to enter deep meditation.
He closed his eyes… and focused his consciousness on the Spirit Flow Core.
A calm blue light pulsed in his chest. It flowed through his veins and spread throughout his body. But this time, it wasn’t pain. It was warmth. A comforting sensation, like soaking in warm water.
Gugwi focused deeper.
He delved into the center of the Spirit Flow Core.
There, he saw the red smoke linked to the Manifest Demon Emperor. It was coiled around the core.
‘I have to cut this.’
Gugwi concentrated his mental power.
He enveloped the red smoke with the blue light emitted by the Spirit Flow Core.
The smoke resisted. The Manifest Demon Emperor’s voice rang out.
‘You can’t. You are a part of me.’
But Gugwi did not give up. He exerted even stronger willpower.
The energy of Un Serim and General Madal supported him. Even the spiritual energy of the Nameless Martial Artist lent him strength.
Slowly, the red smoke began to sever.
‘You’ll regret this!’
The Manifest Demon Emperor’s final warning echoed, but Gugwi did not stop.
Paat!
At last, the red smoke was completely severed.
“Gugwi!”
From afar… Yeon Sohye’s worried voice echoed.
Something must have happened outside his body. That’s probably why they were calling in panic.
But Gugwi was fine. In fact, he felt far better. The Spirit Flow Core was now completely his. He could wield its power purely, free of the Manifest Demon Emperor’s interference.
‘It’s done.’
Gugwi smiled.
Of course, this severance was only temporary. It worked because the Manifest Demon Emperor was still weak. If he regained stronger power, no method could sever the link. And ironically… that power would grow every time Gugwi used the Spirit Flow Core.
What would he do then?
Paat!
Gugwi’s eyes faintly glowed with a blue light.