Yulsa’s judgement was correct.
Cheon Gyun’s field of vision was covered by a grid of red lines.
This was one of the strengths of the Blood Strengthening Demonic Martial Arts.
Beyond just predicting the movements of their opponent, it can even grasp the enemy’s weaknesses.
The energy which erupted earlier wasn’t just to radiate momentum, but also to entangle the enemy’s mind.
What?
Cheon Gyun, who was about to move, was taken aback by what he saw.
The captain of the command unit was moving towards him. He was fast, but he wasn’t even using any martial arts.
Pitiful bastard.
This was the worst decision he could make.
As the opponent moved, the lines drawn in the air began to move with him. Like that, Cheon Gyun could recognize exactly from where his opponent was approaching, and where he’d move next.
Huh?
But something was strange.
The lines that should have reacted instantly according to the opponent’s movements, reacted slowly.
And when the opponent moved another time, the lines didn’t even seem to respond to him.
“…!”
Then, in a moment that seemed shorter than the blink of an eye… The opponent was right in front of Cheon Gyun.
“Kuak!”
Seol-Hwi’s fist launched Cheon Gyun off of the stage.
His body soared through the air, until it hit the wall of the boundary around the stage, and dropped to the ground.
That could have been a lot worse.
In the end, things worked out for Seol-Hwi.
Fortunately, he had used hardly any internal energy against his opponent, so it was expected that Cheon Gyun didn’t suffer any major injuries.
But no matter how many times I try, I can’t control it too well.
Supreme Low Temperature Ice.
While the movements of other objects were extremely slow, Seol-Hwi would move at a normal speed.
Near the end, he had gone in for an attack, and he even felt that his punch was faster.
That guy had a strange feeling surrounding him.
While he rushed towards his opponent, Seol-Hwi felt an unknown sensation engulfing his body. It was then that he decided to trigger Supreme Low Temperature Ice.
He moved faster, wondering if something more would happen.
Since Seol-Hwi was already faster than the speed of his surroundings, moving even more rapidly made his attack extremely powerful.
But what speed did I run at?
One question came to Seol-Hwi’s mind.
He had never used the technique like this, nor had he used it in front of someone else before. So he wondered how fast he became.
However, when he turned around, he couldn’t see any noticeable reactions. His subordinates had blank expressions on their faces.
Did I… do something wrong?
Seol-Hwi was bewildered at this kind of reaction.
“You didn’t kill your opponent…”
Yulsa spoke up. Unlike before, the way he looked at Seol-Hwi now was more cautious.
“I didn’t use internal energy…”
“That is what happened without even using internal energy?”
“Well…”
Seol-Hwi felt his words get caught in his throat.
He decided not to say anything else. Looking back on the situation, he thought there might be a misunderstanding.
Yulsa approached Seol-Hwi and asked him quietly,
“Who is your master?”
“Huh?”
“Shouldn’t you have a master? If you’re someone who has already reached Peak Demon level.”
“Peak Demon…?”
Seol-Hwi didn’t know how to answer.
[Elders] “That move just now! Did you see it?” “He suddenly disappeared! How can a simple tracking team's captain do that?” “Did I not tell you? The captain of that unit is quite good!” “Does anyone know who that kid is?"
An unusual atmosphere on the Elders’ side.
[Seven Messengers] “…Is it something else?” “No, it's martial arts. He didn’t cheat.” “It looks like a technique that lets him accelerate instantly. However, the form of it was a bit different...” “Is that possible at the level of a command unit?”
And the Seven Messengers were also having a similar talk.
[Fourth Army Squad] “He can't be just the captain of a command unit.” “How skilled is that man?” “It looks like he's at Peak Demon level. His attack clearly showed that. It was a move not just anyone could carry out.”
I think something is wrong…
Peak Demon?
Seol-Hwi was not at that level yet! So why did everyone seem to think he was?
And when he put on a troubled expression, wondering what to do,
“Captain, you won!”
Cheers erupted from Seol-Hwi’s subordinates.
“Woahhhh! He won!”
Enthusiastic cheers continued to come out, not just from Seol-Hwi’s own team, but from all of the command units.
It was a sharp contrast to the deathly silent Four Imperial Troops.
Huh? What?
Seol-Hwi was embarrassed, so he tried looking away to distract himself.
It was then that he saw one of the Seven Messengers approaching the Earth Demon. It looked like they were talking about something.
<You have won!>
A notification popped up, and quickly disappeared.
“Then…”
And when Yulsa was about to speak, someone came up onto the stage.
The eyes of everyone who had been watching Seol-Hwi gathered towards on other person.
But it was Seol-Hwi himself who was more surprised than anyone else.
“Do you want to fight?”
A member of the Seven Messengers had just challenged Seol-Hwi.
<A secondary event has been opened.> The Seven Messengers’ Seo Mugwi wants to fight. Will you respond? [On Victory] - Receive an offer to act as one of the Seven Messengers - Increased position in the sect - A number of additional pills, techniques, and treasures [On Defeat] - Get the attention of all the warriors under the Earth Demon
This is…!
Seol-Hwi understood right away - the ‘secondary event’.
This case was similar to when the Earth Demon offered him three different choices - three different paths. Each choice meant a completely different direction in the future.
No. Perhaps this is actually the key to the first path from the Earth Demon.
Seol-Hwi recalled the previous situation. At that time, what was suggested to him was ‘Become a Core Warrior of the Earth Demon’.
However, what he was now is a captain of a small tracking unit. There was no way a command unit captain, not even the Four Imperial Troops, was one of the Earth Demon’s Core Warriors.
Of course, sometimes he had a more important role, but that was only in special situations. To put it bluntly, all Seol-Hwi did in the Hidden Truth Corps was support the Seven Messengers.
If the road to the Seven Messengers opens…
A means to get even closer to the Earth Demon.
The Seven Messengers were the ones to swiftly carry out the Fourth Disciple’s missions.
Among those chosen by the Earth Demon, they were carefully selected and trained to work for him.
Wait. What will happen to my team…?
Seol-Hwi turned his head towards his subordinates who were sitting in the stands.
“Captain! You can do it!”
They were clenching their fists and cheering him on, with bright eyes.
Seol-Hwi could leave others behind, but these people were ones he had to take with him.
But if he actually became one of the Seven Messengers, can he still command them? Would he be able to take them on missions, where each subordinate needs to be superhuman?
“Well? Do you not want to?”
The man from the Seven Messengers asked Seol-Hwi again.
<Seo Mugwi [7th of the Seven Messengers] > Peak Demon level Health: 44.7 million/ 44.7 million Internal energy: 55 million/ 55 million Combat power: 30 million
It’s higher than the Supreme Pavilion Lord…
The combat power was similar, but his health and internal energy were greater.
Seol-Hwi could feel it. This fight would be a tough one for him.
<Would you like to... Accept/ Reject?>
After seeing that he could accept or reject the challenge, Seol-Hwi nodded in thought.
If it’s a question…
“I’ll do it.”
<You have chosen to accept.>
It didn’t matter if Seol-Hwi won or lost.
Because there’s no reason to deny a chance to fight someone who is stronger, without losing his life.
“Three hits.”
Seo Mugwi said this naturally, and Seol-Hwi accepted it. He wouldn’t reject the man’s offer. Rather, he was planning on it.
“Thank you.”
Seol-Hwi took a step back, and looked at Seo Mugwi, who hadn’t stirred from his position.
A pleasant wind blew lightly over the stage.
“Here I come.”
Seol-Hwi made his move first. If the condition for defeat was three attacks, then he had to do his best right from the start.
I need to put him in a bind.
As he narrowed the distance between them, Seol-Hwi thought of one thing.
The White Light Body Demonic Martial Arts, which slows down the movements of the opponent.
As Seol-Hwi’s sword drew closer, Seo Mugwi looked puzzled. And then that puzzlement turned to shock.
The coldness in the air began to wrap around his body in an instant.
“What…!”
When he was about to move, Seo Mugwi felt even more surprised.
The strange cold, which continued to spread, wasn’t the problem.
Shshsh!
It was the dozens of large balls of ice that were following his movements. It was a very unexpected situation for Seo Mugwi, who simply thought Seol-Hwi was going to strike him with his sword.
The stage began freezing over, along with the sounds of the balls of ice crashing to the ground.
Seo Mugwi had to run away with a half-frozen body.
Seol-Hwi saw this, and prepared his Flame Aggregating Demonic Martial Arts.
The technique he’d use was the Eight Way Explosion Fire Technique. This was a technique used in large scale attacks.
Whoom! Whoom! Whoom! Whoom!
Explosions and fire covered half the stage.
Seo Mugwi never thought it’d be possible for someone to use an ice attack, and then a fire attack, one after the other.
Nevertheless, here it was, in front of his own eyes.
Luckily, Seo Mugwi managed to get out of range. However, it wasn’t possible to avoid all of the explosions.
Seo Mugwi turned his gaze to the sky.
Although he couldn’t see it with his eyes, he knew that the next attack would come from above.
But he was too late.
Dududu!
The wind which had gathered in the air struck downwards, and Seo Mugwi was swallowed by the storm. The wind faded away, and took Seo Mugwi’s body along with it.
An illusion!
Seol-Hwi realized his attack caught an illusion, and not the real Seo Mugwi.
But then suddenly, his opponent reappeared.
Seo Mugwi’s face, which was relaxed at the start of the fight, was now furious.
“Your three chances are up.”
As soon as he said that, his sword stabbed Seol-Hwi’s body. It was a very quick and simple movement, making him smile.
“…!”
Yet it still wasn’t the end.
How…?!
Seo Mugwi stabbed Seol-Hwi, at a distance which was unavoidable. He knew that Seol-Hwi wouldn’t be able to dodge it, so how?!
In Seo Mugwi’s mind, the possibility that his opponent had a special technique to escape right at that moment, didn’t occur to him.
“Hahhh!”
Meanwhile, Seol-Hwi prepared his Thrift Wind Sword. His body flickered as if it had become transparent.
“Kuak!”
This time, even Seo Mugwi couldn’t stop this.
The winds descended upon him, coming from every direction to toss his body up into the sky.
Seol-Hwi had another important technique that he could not fail to utilize.
<Supreme Wind God is being used.>
Another storm emerged, blue lights flashing and visible even through the strong gales.
“Argh!”
Seo Mugwi’s screams grew louder.
Finally, Seo Mugwi landed on the ground. He got up, but he was in bad shape. One arm was hanging limply to the side, and he had blood dripping from his mouth. It looked like he had serious internal wounds.
“Phew…”
Seol-Hwi didn’t rush anymore. Seeing the weak form of his opponent, he stopped to catch his breath.
Now I know.
A thought flashed in his mind. Actually, there were plenty of chances to defeat his enemy during battle.
If the combat method was changed to Simulation, Seol-Hwi would have won sooner.
But there was no need for that.
Rather, through this fighting competition, Seol-Hwi was able to understand what someone who was not here was trying to say.
That guy… I thought all he knew was how to curse.
Seol-Hwi remembered how the AI constantly swore at him. But now, Seol-Hwi was certain.
Before coming to the Main Story, the AI told him to learn Supreme Wind God and Sura Exploding Flame Arts.
That meant that he could have won this battle, and obtained the status of the Seven Messengers.
Yet the reason why the Seven Messengers wasn’t chosen meant one thing.
It was none other than for the people who had his back until now.
