Chapter 116 – The Heavenly Dragon Brigade's Exploits (5)

“Grrr!”

Ninche glared at Yu-jin, who looked like he hadn’t lived half of Ninche’s life, and ground his teeth before unleashing the Blood Wave Palm again.

But it was a futile attempt. Each time Yu-jin swung his sword, the silver aura he generated precisely blocked the Blood Wave Palm, and the rebound force even pushed Ninche back.

An ordinary warrior would have collapsed from internal injuries, but Ninche, who felt no pain, merely swallowed his blood.

But it was clear he was on the defensive again.

“How dare you!”

Ninche glared murderously at Yu-jin for inflicting such humiliation upon him. Behind him, the Blood Fiend warriors radiated an even more frenzied aura, waiting for the battle to begin.

“Kill them all!”

Ninche’s enraged shout.

At his command, countless Blood Fiends surged toward the members of the Heavenly Dragon Brigade. Watching them close the distance with incredible speed, Yu-jin sent a telepathic message to Na Ye-jin and Kang Yong-hoon.

[Before you engage the enemy, save any comrades in danger!]

For Yu-jin, defeating enemies was easy, but the dead could never return. That was why Yu-jin ordered the two Transformation Realm masters to protect the brigade members. He alone was more than enough to display the might of the Transformation Realm.

“You will not die a peaceful death.”

At Yu-jin’s cold words, Ninche flinched involuntarily.

‘What is this? This dreadful sense of unease?’

Just looking at Yu-jin made an inexplicable anxiety churn within his chest.

Was this what it felt like to fall off a cliff? The mere sight of him felt like being torn to shreds.

It was as if invisible blades of killing intent were hacking his body apart. The hairs on his arms stood on end, and his stomach churned.

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Ninche shouted and charged at Yu-jin.

A total of ten Blood Fiends followed behind Ninche. Yu-jin was taking on thirty percent of the Blood Fiends present all by himself.

And yet, his eyes remained indifferent and cold as he watched them approach.

“I will show you the hellscape you so desperately wish to see.”

Light and darkness rose from Yu-jin’s entire body.

* * *

Kang Yong-hoon thrust his hand at the Blood Fiend charging toward him. His hand, imbued with powerful aura, pierced straight through the Blood Fiend’s shoulder.

“Khahahaha! What are you doing? An attack like this doesn’t even tickle!”

The Blood Fiend, despite having its shoulder pierced by Kang Yong-hoon, showed no surprise and struck out with its other hand, aiming for Kang Yong-hoon’s heart.

Frowning at the sight, Kang Yong-hoon pulled his hand from the shoulder and blocked the Blood Fiend’s attack.

*CRASH!*

A shockwave, far too powerful to have come from a mere clash of hands, spread out, and Kang Yong-hoon grimaced from the subtle impact.

While his martial prowess far surpassed the Blood Fiend’s, the Blood Wave Palm was so insidious and potent that it sent a shock through his body, even though he had reached the Transformation Realm.

“Is that all you’ve got, brat!”

But the Blood Fiend, who should have been more shocked, reached for Kang Yong-hoon again with an unfazed expression.

Realizing how tenacious his opponent was, Kang Yong-hoon gathered his strength and immediately employed a claw technique. His hand, shaped like a dragon’s claw, became a hook and tore off the Blood Fiend’s head.

‘To think we have to fight monsters like these!’

He might be fine, but the others were clearly in danger. Kang Yong-hoon quickly turned and rushed toward the Blood Fiends who were pushing back the Heavenly Dragon Brigade.

Fortunately, while he had been occupied, the Moon Empress, Na Ye-jin, was effectively blocking the Blood Fiends’ attacks, so the others hadn’t suffered many casualties.

“Hah!”

Kang Yong-hoon smashed one Blood Fiend’s head with a powerful punch, kneed another in the stomach, and then kicked its head upwards.

The Blood Fiend’s body flew into the air.

Kang Yong-hoon then sliced off its head with a hand-blade. Having eliminated two more Blood Fiends in an instant, Kang Yong-hoon looked for his next opponent.

“Kyaaah!”

A female warrior, unable to block a Blood Fiend’s relentless assault, was being pushed back continuously.

Seeing this, Kang Yong-hoon shot forward like an arrow.

“You bastard!”

Roaring, Kang Yong-hoon charged at the Blood Fiend who was about to tear the female warrior’s clothes. The startled Blood Fiend twisted its body in alarm, but Kang Yong-hoon’s fist was already flying.

*BOOOOM!*

With a massive explosion, the Blood Fiend was blasted away, reduced to a pulp.

“Are you alright, Young Lady?”

“Yes, thank you, Young Hero.”

The woman, Cha Ye-ryeon, took Kang Yong-hoon’s offered arm to stand up. She gazed at him with sparkling eyes, but he didn’t notice and looked for another opponent.

But nearby, Na Ye-jin was proving her status as a Transformation Realm master, ‘slicing’ down every Blood Fiend that rushed her. And with Yu-jin having drawn away thirty percent of the enemies a short distance away, there were no opponents left for him.

‘Wait, thirty percent went after my brother?’

With that much force, even Yu-jin would surely be in danger, so Kang Yong-hoon hastily turned his head. And he was left speechless by the sight before him.

* * *

“Die!”

Dang Ga-hee shouted, throwing hidden weapons from her pouch.

But even her sharp hidden weapons were completely ineffective against the Blood Fiends.

She needed to hit their vital spots, but her relatively weak martial arts meant she couldn’t aim properly in close combat. When she attacked from a distance, the Blood Fiends would deflect her weapons or take them in non-vital areas.

“Keke, what a cute little kitten!”

“Grrr!”

Angered by the Blood Fiend’s humiliating words, Dang Ga-hee’s expression turned venomous. Biting her lower lip, she threw a pellet containing the Dang Clan’s ultimate poison.

*BOOM!*

A poisonous smoke erupted with the explosion. A normal human would be poisoned just by inhaling this smoke, and a direct hit from the poison pellet would melt their body.

But unfortunately for Dang Ga-hee, the Blood Fiends were not normal humans.

“How cute, khahahaha!”

Even as its flesh melted away and its bones were exposed, the Blood Fiend approached Dang Ga-hee as if nothing was wrong.

At the horrific sight, Dang Ga-hee could feel her arms trembling, but she gritted her teeth and threw more hidden weapons.

She believed she just needed to buy time, because even if it couldn’t feel pain, the fact that it was poisoned remained unchanged.

“Kekekl…”

The Blood Fiend, its white skull exposed, unnervingly continued to approach Dang Ga-hee without stopping.

Terrified, Dang Ga-hee looked around, but aside from Kang Yong-hoon and Na Ye-jin, everyone else was struggling against even smaller numbers of Blood Fiends.

Finally, the Blood Fiend reached Dang Ga-hee and stretched out its hand toward her.

Just then, a light of an indescribable color struck the Blood Fiend, and it vanished without a trace.

“I don’t know who you are, but thank you for saving me…”

Dang Ga-hee looked toward the source of the light and could not continue her sentence.

* * *

There is a saying: when you fight, your heart should be hot, and your head should be cold.

It means that no matter what intense emotions you feel during battle, you must maintain a cool-headed reason. Those who lose their reason will eventually meet their downfall, no matter how powerful they are.

Knowing this, Yu-jin still let his anger burn.

Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to let his anger consume him. Should he call it light entertainment and a desire to cut loose after a long time?

‘Besides, even if I lose my reason, the gap in power between us is so vast it couldn’t be crossed even if heaven and earth were flipped a hundred times. Is there any chance I could lose?’

On top of that, the energy he was currently wielding was the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Energy. It was an excessive power to use against foes like these, but he had released it this time to maintain his senses.

Having finished his preparations, Yu-jin smirked at Ninche. At Yu-jin’s sneer, Ninche, who should have exploded in anger, couldn’t hide his anxiety even as he charged.

Just then, Yu-jin suddenly extended his hand.

*FLASH!*

A strange light, seemingly forged from a mix of light and darkness, shot out and struck the body of the Blood Fiend that was pressuring Dang Ga-hee.

And the Blood Fiend was completely obliterated.

A Blood Fiend, with a body as tough and durable as a member of the undead, had been annihilated by a palm strike fired from a great distance.

Startled by this, Ninche stopped his advance on Yu-jin, but another Blood Fiend approaching from behind him didn’t stop, overtaking him and closing in on Yu-jin first.

“Die!”

The vicious Blood Wave Palm, capable of tearing one’s heart meridian to shreds, flew toward Yu-jin. But as the blood-red palm force neared Yu-jin, it was blocked by a strange white light that seemed to be a mixture of light and darkness, and then vanished in an instant.

The shocked Blood Fiend tried to unleash another palm strike, but Yu-jin had already appeared before it and was gripping its neck.

“Killing you in one blow would be easy, but I want to test if you truly feel no pain.”

With those words, Yu-jin stabbed the Blood Fiend’s abdomen with his free hand. Through the wound, the Nine Heavens Divine Demonic Energy flowed into the Blood Fiend’s body.

“Kuaaaargh!”

In that moment, the Blood Fiend, said to feel no pain, began to scream in agony.

These were Blood Fiends who felt no pain even when their bodies melted from deadly poison, so for one to scream so desperately after being stabbed once in the stomach brought expressions of horror to the other Blood Fiends’ faces.

And Ninche, who took more pride in his Blood Fiend body than anyone, was rendered speechless by the impossible sight.

“Die!”

“I’ll kill you and chew you to pieces!”

Enraged by their comrade’s death, the Blood Fiends charged with even greater ferocity. The Blood Fiends who had been fighting others also turned and rushed toward Yu-jin.

In an instant, Yu-jin was facing over twenty Blood Fiends.

The other warriors of the Heavenly Dragon Brigade hastily moved to help him.

“There is no need to move.”

At the cold but beautiful voice, they stopped in their tracks.

The owner of the voice was Na Ye-jin. She watched Yu-jin with a calm expression. This was Yu-jin’s fight, born from his anger for her. She could not let others interfere.

“Guardian, but…”

A warrior tried to argue with her, but he fell silent after looking into her deep eyes.

“I know what you are all thinking. But watch. See what kind of man your captain is.”

At her words, everyone, man and woman alike, turned to look at Yu-jin.

‘Young Master, may fortune be with you.’

‘Master, please be safe.’

Namgung Hwa-rin and Ja Ye-eun prayed for Yu-jin’s victory. And Yu-jin accepted their prayers.

After all, he was the considerate(?) man who granted all the wishes of women, be they prayers, requests, or anything else.