Your words won’t reach them. (3)

Baek Cheon found himself involuntarily biting his lower lip. His wide-open eyes were locked onto Danjagang, who had no idea where to look amidst the ferocious onslaught from Chung Myung and Jang Ilso.

“Hey…”

Truly, it was a remarkable spectacle. Even with Chung Myung’s extensive training, the incredible speed of the battle made it difficult to keep up with every detail. Despite not seeing everything, he could sense the intensity of the combat with his very skin. It wasn’t through his eyes but rather through his senses that he could fully grasp the situation.

“These crazy bastards…”

To seize every fleeting opportunity, they engaged in a life-or-death struggle, dealing with demonic enemy’s attacks as if they anticipated them.

The high-speed combat, which felt more like a well-choreographed scene than a battle, was turning into a captivating drama. The frantic exchange was relentless and fast-paced, more like a breathtaking performance.

“Sasuk…”

“Indeed.”

Upon hearing the voice from behind, Baek Cheon nodded heavily.

“They’re pushing ahead.”

Whenever Chung Myung’s sword danced like a venomous snake, the enemy… the Bishop of the Demonic Cult and was retreating.

Kwaaaah!

When Chung Myung swung his sword a wild hurricane erupted, and a fierce howling wind surged through the air. Baek Cheon tightly clenched his fist until his knuckles turned pale.

‘That guy….’

Looking at the current Chung Myung, it became clear. Whether in his sparring with them or in his battle against the Black Dragon King, there was not a single trace of Chung Myung’s true strength.

‘No. That’s not it.’

Chung Myung hadn’t particularly hidden his true strength. It was just that they, or the Black Dragon King, couldn’t extract all of Chung Myung’s power. And that meant, in other words, the Bishop was powerful enough to draw out all of Chung Myung’s skill.

But what caught Baek Cheon’s attention the most now was not the impressive swordplay of Chung Myung or his unyielding spirit.

‘Jang Ilso….’

It’s not about determining which side is more impressive. It’s just that Baek Cheon was quite bewildered. Jang Ilso, of all people, was perfectly synchronized with Chung Myung, without a care for what was happening behind him.

‘Is this even possible?’

Anyone who knows Jang Ilso wouldn’t say he’s the type to assist others, giving up his own control. Wasn’t he the one who used anything in the world as a tool to serve his purposes?

Anyone who knows Jang Ilso would give the same answer. Even if you asked any random Sapa on the street, their response wouldn’t differ much.

But, being such a formidable force, now, without a word of complaint, he was offering the initiative to Chung Myung. He concentrated on blocking Danjagang’s counterattacks, which burst forth every moment, and seized any opportunity.

He couldn’t believe that it was Paegun Jang Ilso, an enemy, who made such a choice.

But even more astonishing was how well their movements synced. To the point that they seemed to match each other more and more as the battle continued,

‘How is that even possible?’

Baek Cheon knows. He’s had more experience than anyone in supporting this crazy guy. Supporting Chung Myung’s is something he knows as incredibly challenging.

To describe Chung Myung’s sword, it’s like an ever-changing divine dragon or, to put it bluntly, a salt-sprinkled catfish. You can’t predict what it will do, and you can’t anticipate where it will suddenly spring off to.

Even Baek Cheon, who has become familiar with Chung Myung’s sword to the point of being an expert, has to keep his focus razor-sharp to barely keep up with Chung Myung’s movements. It took a tremendous amount of mental energy.

But now, Jang Ilso, matching his movements with Chung Myung for the first time, was managing this challenging task as if they had practiced countless times, like a professional duo.

‘That damned guy!’

Putting aside the grudges against Jang Ilso, there was no denying his exceptional skill.

Kwaaah!

As Chung Myung shot forward, Jang Ilso’s bracelets shoot forward, emitting a fearsome aura. Ten golden lines precisely blocked the range of Bishop’s movements, preventing him from escaping Chung Myung’s sword.

It’s a perfectly synchronized move tailored for Chung Myung. At the same time, Jang Ilso stuck closely behind Chung Myung, preparing for any sudden counterattack.

‘Neither of them is in their right mind.’

Jang Ilso, who rules over half of the Central Plains and is the leader of Sapaeryeon, chooses to support Chung Myung’s, at least for this moment – is the same as Chung Myung, who despises the wickedness of Sapa, but is entrusting his back to Jang Ilso without a second thought.

However, the insane harmony of these men was producing terrifying results, relentlessly pressing the fierce Bishop.

Swish.

Baek Cheon unconsciously bit his lip.

The situation itself was awe-inspiring, but even so, Baek Cheon couldn’t just watch it with a good heart.

The position Jang Ilso had taken was originally one that should have been filled by the disciples of Hwasan.

‘We are still not enough.’

Baek Cheon glared at Jang Ilso with a fierce look in his eyes.

‘Anyway… we must win now!’

Regardless of the method, it was important to defeat the Bishop and block Demonic Cult from spreading further.

He suddenly looked back.

In the fleeting moment when he had vague confidence in the outcome, he finally had the opportunity to look back. It was still unknown how the cultists would react the moment the Bishop died by Chung Myung’s sword. So he needed to check their movements in advance.

However, when Baek Cheon turned to look at the cultists, he froze in place.

‘What’s going on?’

It wasn’t that there was any noticeable reaction. In fact, the absence of a reaction puzzled Baek Cheon. Demonic cultists remained in the same position as when the bishop first appeared, prostrating themselves on the ground and chanting.

Thinking about it, that haunting chant had never stopped, not even once, since the battle began, even as it became clear that the Bishop was being pushed back.

Perhaps it was simply a manifestation of fanaticism. After all, faith doesn’t consider circumstances. Even if they displayed unwavering belief in their leader without a plan, it wouldn’t be surprising, as they were originally fanatics.

But…

‘No, something’s different!’

They seemed to know something, that this battle wouldn’t end as it appeared.

‘Chung Myung!’

Baek Cheon’s gaze turned sharply to the front.

Chung Myung was rushing at Danjagang with lightning-fast sword strikes.

Swish!

Chung Myung’s sword passed right by Danjagang’s neck, leaving behind a sinister, gaping wound. Blood gushed out of it. Danjagang’s long robe was now stained black with the flowing blood.

Aaargh!

Chung Myung’s sword relentlessly pressed Danjagang without giving him a moment to catch his breath. The sword changed mysteriously, sometimes pursuing him fiercely, sometimes engaging in reckless and mad attacks.

Whenever attacks that seemed almost impossible to handle with only Chung Myung’s strength were unleashed, Jang Ilso rushed to intercept them without a hint of hesitation.

‘This is…’

A sinister glint flashed in Danjagang’s eyes.

Kwoong!

He firmly stepped forward as he closely watched Chung Myung’s sword, which was flying towards his head. Simultaneously, demonic energy exploded from his body, radiating in all directions.

Kwaaaargh!

Caught in the aftermath of the explosion, Chung Myung was sent flying backwards like a leaf in a hurricane. After flying back for a while, he spun in mid-air and landed lowering his body.

“Huff! Heuk! Huff!”

Rough breaths poured out from Chung Myung’s mouth as if he was violently expelling his lungs onto the ground. His entire body was drenched in sweat and even his hair was dripping wet.

He continued his relentless attacks, restricting his breathing. It was a brutal drain on his mental and physical strength.

However, with the same intense determination in his eyes as at the beginning, Chung Myung stared at Danjagang, who was hiding behind demonic energy.

After a moment, as demonic energy dissipated, Danjagang revealed his presence.

“Maybe I… underestimated you too much.”

If you were to look at Danjagang right now, the first words that would come to your mind would be “covered in wounds.”

But Chung Myung knows better. Among the injuries etched into that body, there are very few that could truly be called fatal. Considering that Danjagang had mastered an abnormal regeneration technique known as Demonic Corpse Arts, this fact was even more evident.

“However… I still can’t understand.”

Danjagang muttered in a low voice.

“Is this really all you’ve got?”

He firmly stamped the ground.

“If the strength of the Central Plains is just this, then… why was the Church ruined by you and driven out to the barren lands?”

Numerous questions swirled in Danjagang’s mind.

Why was the Heavenly Demon caught off guard by this people?

Of course, sometimes even tigers are bitten by venomous snakes. But can there be a tiger that was bitten to death by ants? Are they something more than ants?

“This can’t be all you’ve got, can it?”

As his anger swelled, a bloodthirsty glint emanated from Danjagang’s eyes once again.

“Tell me, people of Central Plains. Surely this isn’t all you have. If not…”

Dark demonic energy swirled around Danjagang’s body like malevolent spirits, and an immense pressure began to weigh down on the surroundings.

“…You will die here!”

Kwaaaaah!

Danjagang dashed forward at an astonishing speed, an action that resembled more of Shortening-Steps* [축지(縮地)] than mere movement. His physical form reached Chung Myung in the blink of an eye, almost as if he had materialized out of thin air.

Chung Myung’s eyes widened.

In that instant, Danjagang’s hand pierced into Chung Myung’s side without hesitation.

Chung Myung instantly raised his sword to block the incoming hand, but the force behind Danjagang’s attack was so unbearable, that it pierced through Chung Myung’s side with his sword stuck onto it.

Kwaahhhhh!

The sound of colliding energies and the sound of bones shattering mixed together as Chung Myung’s body was flung away like a pebble that was kicked with ones all might.

Kwaang!

Danjagang pursued retreating Chung Myung with a frightening speed. In the blink of an eye, he caught up to Chung Myung and raised one hand toward the sky.

A surge of demonic energy billowed from his entire body, spiraling up through his hand and gathering at his fingertips.

Initially, the malicious energy, which had only resembled a human head, expanded rapidly, growing larger than a house in an instant. The darkness was so deep that the black demonic energy appeared to devour everything around it, resembling a flickering black sun.

Just as Danjagang was about to strike down with his hand, numerous surges of vibrant blue flame energy poured forth in front of him. Each one possessed incredible force, enough to shatter even solid stone.

But without a hint of hesitation, Danjagang continued to lower his hand.

“Ohhhhh!”

The blazing black sun swallowed and crushed the blue flames and continued on it’s path.

Demonic energy, now sweeping away everything in its path, swallowed Chung Myung’s body completely.

Kwaaaaahhh!

The black sun seared the earth, causing the entire world to tremble. Even the devoted followers of the Bishop were thrown around by the colossal explosion, unable to withstand its force, and were sent flying in all directions.

“Ch…..”

Baek Cheon’s eyes widened as if they were about to burst.

“Chung Myung-ahhhhh!”

His desperate scream was completely drowned out by the consecutive thunderous roars.