Chapter 779 – 779. The Ascent To Brightness
779. The Ascent to Brightness
Shin Jong-woo and Eun Josa’s inner force battle. On the surface, it looked like they were evenly matched. But if you looked closely, you could see that Shin Jong-woo’s complexion was worse than Eun Josa’s.
‘There’s a difference in the inner force they possess, but ultimately, it’s a difference in experience.’
Eun Josa was a sorcerer who had lived for hundreds of years. Even if he was exhausted from the previous battle, he was still a sorcerer with at least the Five Qi realm. He had the upper hand in terms of experience and skill.
“Rin. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Gaga.”
I and Namgung Rin ran towards the battle site. First, we would help Shin Jong-woo and kill Eun Josa. Shin Jong-woo could betray us at any moment, but Eun Josa couldn’t.
‘Right now, the most troublesome one here is Eun Josa.’
Eun Josa glanced at me and Namgung Rin, then grabbed his feather cloak with one hand and shook it. Numerous feathers fell from his cloak in all directions. These weren’t ordinary feathers. Each and every feather was imbued with energy. It was no exaggeration to say they were small daggers.
“Dodge!”
Shin Jong-woo shouted and reached out towards Eun Josa. Black energy shot out like a laser.
“Your energy art is decent, but too predictable.”
Eun Josa jumped into the sky to avoid the attack. His feather cloak transformed into giant wings. Eun Josa shattered the roof of the hut and floated into the sky. It wasn’t sorcery, but the effect of that feather cloak.
Eun Josa whistled. The energy-infused whistle echoed loudly and long throughout the forest. Flap, flap. The birds in the forest all took to the sky at once and gathered around him.
“Kill them.”
The birds all swooped down towards us. They were attacking us, even sacrificing their lives, having lost their survival instincts.
I first cut down a sparrow flying like a missile with my sword. Clang! I successfully cut it down, but it didn’t feel like cutting down an ordinary creature.
‘An ordinary bird has been enhanced.’
My arm was tingling. Then, other birds came flying like arrows. The birds’ wings, beaks, and claws. Individually, they were nothing special. But there were too many of them. Even a drizzle can soak your clothes if you’re exposed to it long enough. This situation wasn’t good.
“Kyaaaaak!”
I quickly turned my head to the side at Namgung Rin’s scream. There were twice as many birds targeting Namgung Rin than when they were targeting me. Namgung Rin’s position was perfect for an attack.
‘That’s dangerous.’
Unlike Shin Jong-woo, Namgung Rin was the weakest of the three of us. I ran towards her in one stride. I had been planning to conserve my mana as much as possible, but there was no time for that.
‘Thunderbolt!’
Zzzzzzzzzzz!
Blue lightning bolts that spread out in all directions from me swept away the birds flying in the air.
Thud, thud, thud.
The birds that had been fried by the lightning fell to the ground with a thud.
I first checked on Namgung Rin’s condition. She didn’t seem to be hurt.
“Chieftess. Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Thank you for helping me, Young Master Sung.”
Namgung Rin got up. There were still birds flying in the sky.
“These birds. We can’t ignore them. Let’s take care of all these birds and go help Jong-woo.”
“Yes. I’ll follow Young Master Sung’s lead.”
“It’s fortunate that they’re not all attacking at once.”
The birds attacked us again. I roughly understood their pattern. The birds that were enhanced and suicide-attacking came in groups of 10 at a time. The other birds were just trying to distract me and get on my nerves.
‘It’s impossible to enhance that many birds at once. Especially since Eun Josa is fighting Shin Jong-woo right now.’
Shin Jong-woo was also flying in the sky using his energy art and fighting Eun Josa. Demonic energy was being shot from Shin Jong-woo’s hands, and feathers were scattering from Eun Josa’s body.
‘Good. The two of them are fighting each other and weakening… Heh heh.’
Eun Josa seemed to have the advantage, but Shin Jong-woo wouldn’t fall easily.
I and Namgung Rin began to take care of the birds. By actively spreading and using thunderbolts, we were able to quickly kill the birds.
We killed all the birds. I was fine, but Namgung Rin was panting, looking exhausted. Her face was covered in sweat.
I sent her a telepathic message.
-Rin. Now, conserve your strength as much as possible and focus on backstabbing Shin Jong-woo.
-…Yes. Sung Gaga.
Shin Jong-woo and Eun Josa fell to the ground. Finally, their stamina and inner force were starting to hit rock bottom.
“Damn it…. The difference between you and me is clear. Even without the birds, I shouldn’t lose in a one-on-one fight. But your martial art, a martial art that’s on a different level, has made you and me equal. What is that martial art?”
Shin Jong-woo’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a martial art, but it was also an energy art. However, in this world, energy arts were also included in martial arts.
“……”
Shin Jong-woo shut his mouth tightly, expressing that he had no intention of speaking.
The reason Shin Jong-woo didn’t openly reveal his martial art was because the Heavenly Demon Divine Art itself was already famous in this world.
‘Just like the famous Namgung Clan, the Heavenly Demon Cult also exists in this world.’
The Heavenly Demon Cult was a force that couldn’t even be compared to the Namgung Clan. Even proud martial artists would immediately lower their tails and back down at the mention of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s name.
And the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a famous martial art used by the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult. If Shin Jong-woo went around bragging that he had mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? The members of the Heavenly Demon Cult would be out for his blood, trying to kill him.
“You arrogant bastard. Are you saying I’m not even worth telling?”
“……Please send us out of the forest. There’s no need for us to risk our lives here.”
I and Namgung Rin approached Shin Jong-woo. There were three of us, and only one Eun Josa. Eun Josa’s face hardened, feeling the pressure.
“You underestimate me too much. Do you think I’d back down to the likes of you?”
Eun Josa growled. He took off his feather cloak and threw it into the sky. All the feathers of the feather cloak fell and stuck to Eun Josa’s body.
We were shocked and stared at Eun Josa with wide eyes. Eun Josa’s body began to transform like a bird. His arms became wings of gray feathers, his legs became thin and hard. His head grew larger, his mouth became a beak, and his eyes bulged out.
“That’s not a very good look. Do you really have to go that far?”
“Don’t talk such nonsense after coming this far.”
Eun Josa flew up. I was about to jump out, but Shin Jong-woo raised his arm and stopped me.
“Shin Jong-woo?”
“I’ll do it. I was the one who dragged you into this and put you in danger, so it’s only right that I finish it.”
“…Okay. I understand.”
I stepped back. He was going to weaken himself, so there was no need for me to step in.
“……”
Shin Jong-woo quietly raised his energy. The black demonic energy around him began to materialize.
I checked on Shin Jong-woo, who was focused on the battle, and then touched Namgung Rin’s butt. Namgung Rin was startled and looked at me. Her eyes were asking if I really had to touch her butt in this situation. Of course, I had to touch it now. I confidently met her eyes.
Actually, I wanted to rub her chest, not her butt. I was compromising with her butt because I was worried Shin Jong-woo would notice.
“Ugh….”
My fingers slipped between her buttocks.
‘He’s doing a good job fighting while flying around.’
Shin Jong-woo raised his hand. A sword made of black energy appeared in the sky and cut Eun Josa’s wing.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Eun Josa fell to the ground. The fallen Eun Josa urgently said to Shin Jong-woo.
“S-stop! As you said, as you said, let’s end it here… Aaaaaaah!”
Shin Jong-woo didn’t listen. He covered his whole body in demonic energy and fell on Eun Josa. Bang! A loud noise and dust rose up.
“Cough.”
Shin Jong-woo, who had staggered and barely regained his balance, coughed. Blood mixed with his saliva came out of his mouth.
“Young Master Shin!”
Namgung Rin approached and grabbed Shin Jong-woo’s shoulder.
“Young Master Shin! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine…. More importantly, we need to get away. It’s not over yet…!”
“Damn it….”
Eun Josa got up. The reason he wasn’t dead was because of the Irin Black Armor he was wearing. The Irin Black Armor had taken a fatal blow that would have killed him.
“I’ve lost my precious Irin Black Armor. As much as I’ve lost the Irin Black Armor… I will thoroughly study you. From your blood to your intestines, to the intestines inside your head! You must offer everything to me!”
The feathers that had been scattered everywhere flew and surrounded Shin Jong-woo. Shin Jong-woo was flustered and forcibly raised his inner force. Eun Josa used sorcery and completely focused on Shin Jong-woo.
‘This is my chance. A fleeting moment.’
I instantly lowered myself in front of Eun Josa.
“You?!”
The flustered Eun Josa tried to swing his leg at me. But before his leg could even reach his knee, my sword was piercing Eun Josa’s neck. Eun Josa opened his mouth. The sword went even deeper.
It was over. Eun Josa was dead. I pulled out my sword and cut off Eun Josa’s head. Eun Josa’s sorcery was released, and he returned to his original human form. But he was still just a corpse.
The feathers that had been targeting Shin Jong-woo also fell to the ground.
“Shin Jong-woo. Are you okay? I saw you spitting up blood earlier.”
“…It’s the aftereffects of using my inner force too much. I’ll be fine if I rest for a few days. I was planning to leave tomorrow… but it seems I’ll have to stay at the Namgung Clan a little longer. I’ll be in your care, Miss Rin.”
“No. You won’t be staying at the Namgung Clan.”
Shin Jong-woo stared at me. His face, which had relaxed after the battle, hardened. He realized that the atmosphere was not normal. He was a sharp one, after all.
“Sung Yoo-jin. That’s a bit strange. What do you mean by that?”
“You should know.”
When I said that with a smirk, Shin Jong-woo forcibly raised his inner force. He didn’t stop, even though he was spitting up blood. His momentum was unusual. Even though I was clearly in a superior position, I was surprised by his momentum and tensed up.
I had to give him credit for his relentless persistence.
But Shin Jong-woo made a mistake. He should have been more concerned about Namgung Rin, who was close to him, rather than me. Shin Jong-woo had trusted Namgung Rin until the end.
Thud.
Namgung Rin’s sword pierced Shin Jong-woo’s dantian.
“R-Rin… Miss?!”
Shin Jong-woo turned around. Namgung Rin was on the verge of tears. Her eyes were full of tears.
“…I’m sorry. I was ordered to kill you. I, I couldn’t help it.”
Namgung Rin was trying to put strength into the hand holding the sword. I sent her a telepathic message. Her hand lost strength after hearing the message.
“No way….”
The devastated Shin Jong-woo knelt down and sat down. If he had been an ordinary martial artist, he would have already been dead. The dantian was like life to a martial artist, and he was extremely exhausted. But Shin Jong-woo’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art was delaying his death.
I took out a chair from my inventory. Shin Jong-woo’s eyes widened at the sight of my ability. Namgung Rin already knew about my ability.
“T-that ability? No, that object…!”
“It’s not sorcery. Well, I don’t plan on telling you the details.”
“From the beginning. Was this your plan from the beginning?!”
“Yeah. Oh, I killed Dunmok, by the way.”
“Even the elder…! Why?! There’s no bad blood between us!”
“This bastard. He still hasn’t adapted to this world. Does a person have to have a grudge to kill someone? In this world, you can kill someone just because you don’t like them. If you have the power, you won’t even be punished.”
Sitting in the chair, I snapped my fingers and ordered Namgung Rin.
“Rin. Bring me the book that’s in Shin Jong-woo’s possession.”
“Yes, Gaga.”
Namgung Rin faithfully followed my orders. She took off Shin Jong-woo’s top and found a book wrapped in black bandages in his possession.
“Miss Rin! Why did you do that?! Did he take you hostage?!”
“Hostage….”
Namgung Rin trailed off. It was true that she was being held hostage. The reason she started listening to me in the first place was because of Namgung Seol.
But Namgung Rin shook her head.
“I can’t live without Sung Gaga anymore. I love Sung Gaga.”
“What is that….”
I chuckled. Shin Jong-woo’s expression was worse than when Namgung Rin had stabbed him with a sword.
Namgung Rin approached me with the book wrapped in black bandages. I took the book and unwrapped the black bandages.
“…Was the book your goal! Even if you have the book, you won’t be able to read it!”
I ran my fingers over the rough cover of the book.
“Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”
“……!!”
Shin Jong-woo’s eyes widened as if they were about to tear.
