novelraw Chapter 211 : Self-Destruction
Chapter 211 : Self-Destruction
Chapter 211: Self-Destruction
‘Why didn’t he block it?’
Though the method was unclear, Seo Ryeom’s hidden technique was sharp. However, with Ha Do-gwang’s skills, he should have been able to block it easily.
‘He acted as if he must not be hit.’
Now that he thought about it, Ha Do-gwang had been dodging or deflecting attacks all along. If it were from those weaker than him, the lightning surrounding his body alone should have been enough to block them.
At first, Jang Woo-hyun thought it was because Ha Do-gwang was confident in his speed, but now he realized it wasn’t that.
Jang Woo-hyun thought the reason he felt uncomfortable was because Ha Do-gwang was desperately avoiding getting hit.
Since he couldn’t be certain, Jang Woo-hyun changed his approach and began to engage Ha Do-gwang more directly.
Jang Woo-hyun charged in, unconcerned about getting injured.
He exposed his side to target Ha Do-gwang’s neck, forcing the latter to stop his attack and parry Mukya away.
When he gave up his left shoulder to strike at the abdomen, Ha Do-gwang quickly retreated and dodged.
It was only twice, but Jang Woo-hyun was convinced.
‘He’s trying to avoid getting hit at all costs.’
It wasn’t just a reluctance—he was absolutely determined not to be struck.
Then what was the reason?
‘He’s weak in defense.’
His offensive power and speed were excellent, but his defense hadn’t caught up.
‘Does that make sense?’
If he could wield this much energy, he should be able to protect himself with Protective Energy, but something felt off.
‘A trap?’
That thought came to mind but was soon dismissed. He had a hunch.
‘It’s because it’s not his own power.’
His realm had risen, but it was awkward—like the martial artists of Twin-Winged Lotus.
Like Won Gong and Neung So-yeon, who had only gained speed.
Because the power wasn’t cultivated by himself, gaps formed, resulting in absurd weaknesses.
The side effect of raising one’s level with externally sourced power.
Jang Woo-hyun’s guess was not wrong.
‘I’ve found the weakness.’
He had the answer, but he couldn’t act on it immediately.
Even if Ha Do-gwang was weak in defense, it would only matter if the attack landed. If it didn’t, the weakness meant nothing.
Jang Woo-hyun sped up his thoughts to find a solution.
‘I need one strike.’
He didn’t know the exact level of Ha Do-gwang’s defense. If he attacked carelessly, he might lose his only chance. So, he had to use his strongest attack in one blow.
Jang Woo-hyun thought about what he could do—and acted on it. He would use himself as bait to hook Ha Do-gwang.
Having decided on a plan, Jang Woo-hyun used Giant’s Breathing Technique to absorb all the energy around him. At the same time, he activated Dragon King’s Scales.
Cha-reuk.
The blades of Dragon King’s Scales split into hundreds.
He imbued each one with Will-Form Qi and controlled them. In midair, hundreds of martial arts techniques unfolded.
Sensing the ominous energy, Ha Do-gwang transformed into the Giant of Lightning and targeted Jang Woo-hyun.
Mak Ya-wol and Seo Ryeom, sensing Jang Woo-hyun was preparing something, stepped forward to block him, but they couldn’t hold out for long.
The Giant of Lightning pushed the two away, and Ha Do-gwang fell like a bolt of lightning through the gap.
Jang Woo-hyun charged straight at him without retreating.
Their strikes clashed in rapid succession. Mukya and Ha Do-gwang’s golden hands collided nonstop. In the seemingly endless exchange, Jang Woo-hyun pretended to falter and created an opening.
Puhk!
Ha Do-gwang struck at that opening.
His lightning-covered golden hand pierced through Jang Woo-hyun’s abdomen.
“Captain!”
Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol shouted in shock, and Ha Do-gwang’s eyes gleamed.
Jang Woo-hyun smiled through the pain. Then he reached out and grabbed Ha Do-gwang’s arm.
“...Got you.”
“Don’t tell me you think you’ve trapped me?”
Ha Do-gwang laughed incredulously at Jang Woo-hyun’s reaction and used his power.
With a thunderclap, lightning exploded from his body. He intended to burn Jang Woo-hyun to ashes.
The writhing lightning spread in all directions. The ferocious energy made it impossible for Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol to get close.
“Ghhh...”
Even as his entire body was being torn apart and his soul felt like it was burning, Jang Woo-hyun didn’t let go of Ha Do-gwang’s arm.
“This much is...”
...bearable.
He had known that grabbing Ha Do-gwang, who could become lightning, would bring pain like this.
Because he expected it, he believed he could endure it.
‘Compared to the Elemental Spirits... this is nothing.’
Compared to the pain inflicted by the five Elemental Spirits of the Five Elements Cult, what Ha Do-gwang gave was ordinary.
“You bastard, what trick are you pulling!”
Even as his own power was tearing him apart, Jang Woo-hyun didn’t let go.
Ha Do-gwang tried to pull his hand free and move, but his body suddenly jerked to a stop, as if caught on something.
Just like when helping Gwak Yu-chan, Jang Woo-hyun had enveloped his hand in a cutting energy, grabbing at Ha Do-gwang’s very core.
Realizing he couldn't free himself easily, Ha Do-gwang decided to kill Jang Woo-hyun on the spot.
But at that moment—
Ku-gu-gu-gung—
A massive pattern completed itself above their heads.
A brilliant mandala design emitted light toward Ha Do-gwang and Jang Woo-hyun.
“This kind of insane stunt!”
Enraged, Ha Do-gwang’s body transformed into lightning. The hand lodged in Jang Woo-hyun’s chest swelled, trying to tear him apart completely.
Kwa-reu-reu-reung!
At the moment a sound like the world collapsing rang out, Jang Woo-hyun’s body suddenly transformed.
“What!?”
The chest where Ha Do-gwang’s hand was embedded suddenly turned to soil, and his grasped hands were enveloped in flame and water. Simultaneously, lightning burst from his body in all directions.
Ha Do-gwang’s face was stained with shock. And behind him, countless beams of light poured down.
The last thing he saw was Jang Woo-hyun’s face, contorted in pain—yet still smiling.
Nayuta Sword Mandala.
“This lunatic...”
At the sight of hundreds of thousands of techniques pouring out at once, curses burst from Seo Ryeom’s mouth. It was his first time witnessing such a sight, so his astonishment was only natural.
It was said that the boundary between sorcery and martial arts blurred as one rose in realm, but this was excessive. It was questionable whether it could even be called martial arts.
Perhaps only if all the martial artists of a grand faction gathered and unleashed their techniques at once could something like that be possible.
“...Captain, what is that?”
“For once, you’re not calling me Vice Captain but Captain?”
Even during the fight with Ha Do-gwang, Seo Ryeom had kept a playful tone—but this time, he asked seriously.
“This isn’t the time for jokes. What on earth is that?”
“What else? That’s the martial art the Captain uses.”
“Martial art? That looks like a martial art to you? Have you seen it before?”
“Yeah, back when we fought the Twin-Winged Lotus leader. You remember—we split off from the others. He crushed a cultivator empowered by a True Immortal with that technique.”
“Heh...”
Normally, Seo Ryeom would’ve grumbled about being the only one left out and acted hurt. But perhaps because he had just seen its overwhelming power firsthand, he didn’t show the slightest hint of resentment this time.
“Let’s move. Who knows how far the Captain might’ve fallen. To think he’d fire off that monstrous technique at himself. Our Captain really is insane. Then again, it’s that madness that made even the Wind-Passing Great Sage and us follow him.”
Grinning slyly, Mak Ya-wol moved first. Seo Ryeom chuckled and followed behind.
The two descended along the endless cascade of falling techniques.
As they continued downward, the scenery changed at some point.
“Huh?”
The blue sky vanished, replaced by a dull gray one. Below them was a thick fog of deep gray hue.
The moment they saw the mist, Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol’s faces stiffened.
“So Golden Frog Island was down this far?”
What appeared before them was the base and edge of the Central Heavens Realm—the Sea of Mist (霧海).
“What do we do, Captain?”
Seo Ryeom asked, but Mak Ya-wol had no answer.
That area was an unstable world. With space twisted and disordered, it was forbidden to enter recklessly.
It was nearly impossible to find someone inside—and equally difficult to get out once you entered.
That was where Jang Woo-hyun had fallen.
“Aaaaaargh!”
Amidst the downpour of attacks, Ha Do-gwang screamed. It seemed more like a desperate cry to survive.
Hundreds of thousands of techniques poured down like a waterfall. That space had become a torrent of techniques, a realm formed entirely of martial arts.
The thought of pulling his trapped arm free had long vanished. There was no time to worry about Jang Woo-hyun. The descending power was not something even Ha Do-gwang could ignore.
Ha Do-gwang drew upon all his strength to withstand the onslaught.
Golden light surged in all directions, and lightning writhed from his body like tentacles.
The entire space was dyed with Ha Do-gwang’s energy. Jang Woo-hyun felt pain each time, but he didn’t release Ha Do-gwang’s arm.
“Gah!”
Ha Do-gwang used everything he had, but enduring was no easy feat.
The Nayuta Sword Mandala was a technique into which Jang Woo-hyun poured everything he had.
It was created to face True Immortals, an attack that ignored all bounds and pressed down with sheer force.
If Ha Do-gwang had truly mastered his power, he might have withstood it. But as Jang Woo-hyun had suspected, his defense was lacking.
In the end, Jang Woo-hyun’s martial arts pierced through his force, unleashing countless attacks.
“Aaaaagh!”
The lightning cloaking Ha Do-gwang’s body dissipated. His body was slashed and pierced. In a single attack, Ha Do-gwang was collapsing.
And all the techniques continued past Ha Do-gwang, reaching Jang Woo-hyun.
Amid the downpour of techniques, the two were stabbed all over and fell downward.
They struck something along the way, shattered it, and continued to fall.
Eventually, the scenery changed.
The blue sky of the Central Heavens vanished, and gray fog filled the surroundings.
Even there, they continued to fall until they hit the ground.
Kwoong!
Their shattered bodies landed separately and slammed into the ground.
The impact from their fall caused the ground to tremble. Yet strangely, no crater formed, and no soil flew upward.
Only the gray fog rippled.
“Ugh...”
Letting out an incoherent groan, Jang Woo-hyun slowly pushed himself up.
Perhaps due to the accumulated damage, his body wouldn't move properly.
Jang Woo-hyun quickly assessed his condition.
He had been slashed and pierced all over, upper body and lower alike. His left eye and right arm were gone.
Not far away, the black blade lay embedded in the ground. Strangely, despite the shock, Mukya was unharmed and had landed near him—as if refusing to be separated.
‘Where’s Dragon King’s Scales?’
He glanced around just in case, but there was no trace of it. Only the fog surrounding him in all directions.
Jang Woo-hyun took a deep breath and surveyed the area.
‘The qi isn’t moving.’
He could feel natural energy around him, but it didn’t flow. If qi in the Central Heavens Realm or Lower Realm was like air or water, here it was like ice. Occasionally, it moved on its own like errant ice.
Everything was shrouded in gray mist, and he could only see what was nearby. Anything farther was invisible.
The fog was no ordinary mist. Even Jang Woo-hyun, a master in the Realm of Immeasurability, couldn’t see through it.
‘Is this the end of Central Heavens?’
Jang Woo-hyun knew the name of this place.
“Fog Sea Barrier (霧海障壁).”
The boundary of the Central Heavens Realm. The very end of the Central Heavens.