Chapter 279

From the golden jade talisman, five Taoist Masters revealed themselves.

However, as each one possessed power comparable to the generals of the Hawon Clan, just as I had hoped, I beamed with joy and shouted to them.

“If you handle Bloodrot, we’ll suppress the other enemies!”

“Pleasant words to hear indeed! We are the Five Taoists of Yonggol (Dragon Mire)! We shall repay this debt someday. Hwaap!”

The middle-aged Taoist Master with disheveled beard let out a spirited cry, hurling a yellow demon-subduing plaque at Bloodrot while reciting a Jooeon.

Then, the plaque immediately emitted light, transforming into a massive rope that began to drag one of Bloodrot’s arms.

Kwaaak!

“Grrrgh! Y-you bastards! I clearly threw out bait to divert your attention…”

“That’s right, Bloodrot! I almost fell for your petty trick!”

As if they had clashed several times before, Bloodrot visibly grimaced and frowned the moment he saw them.

And as his foot became bound, Arietta and Yeon Jaki, who had been buying time, naturally joined in and began intercepting the remaining enemies.

“Blood Mist.”

Srrrrk!

Chwaaaak!

“Huff! M-my vision…!”

“Dammit! The mist is clinging to my body! Jegalyun! Use your technique now!”

While the generals were bewildered by the red mist summoned by Arietta, the party handling them and Yeon Jaki swiftly continued their attacks.

Kyeongkang was too busy fighting the Divine Beasts the Taoist Masters had brought to pay attention, and even the Twin-Headed Primordial Scholar Gongdal, the only one with any strength left, was blocked by me and the Shikigami and couldn’t move.

In the end, unable to withstand the fierce wave of attacks, Seonpyowang and Heopyeongsu were the first to be subdued.

“Grrrgh. You bastards…”

“Oppa, what should we do?”

Han Seoa, who had restrained the two fallen individuals, asked me, and just as I was about to step forward, Nachal, who had been exterminating the Specters, made a request.

“…They were members of our One Origin Faction. If possible, could you let me personally end them?”

“Yes. Do as you wish.”

Nachal took heavy steps and stood before the two generals, and Heopyeongsu and Seonpyowang desperately began to plead even in their dazed state.

“N-Nachal. Think carefully. If we hadn’t done this, what future would we have had?”

“We had no choice! Don’t you understand that?”

Although they had shared meals for many years, Nachal coldly retorted to them.

“So, you intended to take all the members of the faction to the outside world?”

“T-that’s…”

“You probably never intended to. You killed our lord, and since I seemed like an obstacle, you tried to eliminate me too.”

Saying so, Nachal drew the short blade at his waist and beheaded Heopyeongsu and Seonpyowang.

Srrrrk.

Seogeo-eok!

Chwaaaak—!

The futile end of the two generals who turned their backs on the faction and abandoned their subordinates. Nachal, who had brought it about, turned and advanced back among the Specters.

“Thanks for letting me have my turn. It’s not much of a repayment, but I’ll do my best to handle these minor demons!”

Following his struggle, the number of the Specter horde Bloodrot had brought began to decrease significantly.

It was only natural, considering two of the generals who had been restraining the strong ones on our side had died.

As the advantageous situation reversed, the expressions of those who had sided with Bloodrot soured considerably.

“…Did I truly choose the wrong side?”

The first to react was Jegalyun.

He, who had only shared interests with Bloodrot’s group from the start, realized the disadvantage and immediately left the battlefield.

As Cheong Joohwa, now freed from him, turned her gaze to Kyeongkang, Kyeongkang, who had been pushing back the golden jade talisman, also began to hesitate and watch the situation.

“Bloodrot, this changes things!”

“…Tsk. Shut up and deal with the enemy before you. No need for rash actions.”

“No, you seem to have no prospects. I’ll act separately from now on.”

As Kyeongkang showed signs of leaving too, Bloodrot, who had lowered his head deeply, began to let out a chilling laugh.

“…Kkk, kkkk. Fools everywhere. Now it’s done. You lot are utterly useless.”

“What!”

Enraged by those words, Kyeongkang froze as if petrified, his body stopping before plummeting underground in an instant.

And then, he began to tremble, his body crackling and filled with pain.

“Kgh! Keugh! You bastard, what have you done to me…?”

“We joined forces when the opportunity arose, but you were one of my targets from the start. Didn’t you even notice?”

Kyeongkang’s massive, oppressive body began to shrink gradually.

His physical body and spirit were slowly being absorbed by Bloodrot.

“Kraaah! This… can’t be possible!”

“Kkkk. It’s a shortcut, a shortcut. I worked hard engraving the Mark for a long time.”

It seemed highly likely that Kyeongkang had fallen victim to the Forbidden Art that Bloodrot had tampered with during his human days.

Simultaneously, the Specters that had been fiercely attacking us also began to writhe in pain.

Kiiieek!

Guoooo—!

Now it was visible to the eye, beyond the realm of sensation. An energy so intense was gathering and being absorbed by Bloodrot.

Seeing this, Arietta seemed to recall Shin Dohoon, who had previously tampered with a Forbidden Art, and frowned, extending her arm to stir up energy.

Huuuung!

Chwaaaak!

A portion of the energy flowing into Bloodrot was seized by Arietta’s hand, but it didn’t even amount to 20% of the total.

Arietta, her expression hardening, warned everyone.

“…An incredibly vicious Forbidden Art. Even though I wield a similar power, I can only control a fraction of it.”

As she said, Bloodrot’s body swelled in real-time, beginning to evolve into an even larger form.

Bloodrot, savoring this, raised his hand with a somewhat subtle expression.

“To be able to directly interfere with my consciousness, that’s astonishing. Kkkk. Thanks to that, I’m a bit short on power.”

And the place to make up for that shortfall was practically predetermined.

Huuuung!

Chwaaaak—!

“Kraaah! B-Bloodrot-nim! This is different from our agreement!”

Gongdal, who appeared to be his loyal subordinate, writhed, spewing venom filled with betrayal.

“Bloodrot, you bastard! Don’t tell me you marked me too…!”

“Be quietly absorbed, Twin-Head. If you become nourishment and join me like this, wouldn’t you ultimately achieve your goal too?”

“Keuheueok!”

Soon, even Gongdal had all his power stolen, becoming like a mummy, leaving no enemies around except Bloodrot.

Carefully reactivating my Appraisal function, I could confirm that his change wasn’t merely superficial.

【Bloodrot】

▶Level 81

‘….’

Level 81.

A realm close to the limit attainable by conventional means, a numerical value signifying power sufficient to topple a nation single-handedly.

Excluding the battle with Soul Enchantress, which was resolved in a slightly different manner, this was arguably the strongest foe I had faced since awakening in this world in Han Kangyoon’s body.

Perhaps sensing Bloodrot’s completely reversed momentum, even the Taoist Masters of Yonggol, who had been moving confidently until now, began to hesitate.

The fact that even they, who had been confronting Bloodrot all along, were facing this state for the first time meant the same thing.

“Treacherous Specter bastard… So you weren’t using all your power before!”

“Kkkk. Think what you will. I too have merely staked everything on this grand scheme.”

Come to think of it, Soul Enchantress said something similar.

After recognizing the existence of the outside, she gambled everything to seize Yoo Haon’s body.

Like that, it was clear that the current Bloodrot was also pouring all his remaining strength without considering the aftermath.

In other words, if we could overcome this crisis, we could definitively defeat the Great Specter Bloodrot.

‘But… he’s truly strong.’

Especially since I too didn’t fully know his tricks, which amplified my anxiety.

A superior opponent, with unknown patterns.

Even in a game, it would require several trials and errors, let alone here in reality where everything is staked on a single attempt.

While we stood frozen like that, the Taoist Masters of Yonggol were the first to let out a cry and leap at Bloodrot.

“No matter how strong you become, your essence doesn’t change! We will definitely take you down!”

The Taoist Master who called himself Honggyun first threw what appeared to be a high-grade Cursed Tool net, and as if responding, the remaining four Taoist Masters jointly unleashed a Binding Art.

As I felt before, the coordination of those five is truly exceptional. With perfect linkage as if reading each other’s thoughts, even Bloodrot couldn’t easily shake them off.

But this time was different.

Bloodrot, instantly summoning power and tearing the net apart, inflated his mouth and spewed out a mass of blackish blood.

Huuueup!

Puahwaak!

And, astonishingly, the moment the blood touched them, the Taoist Masters’ completed Art Formulas began to melt away.

Chiiik.

Chijijijik.

“Huff, huff! What in the world is this…!”

“Too foul! Has he become able to wield a Forbidden Art of this level?!”

The panicked Taoist Masters coordinated their breathing again to link their Art Formulas, but the result didn’t change.

Bloodrot, having completely melted the structure of the Art Formulas, then leaped high and slammed down on the ground where the Taoist Masters stood.

Kwaaaang!

Jjeojeojeojeok—!

“Uuueup!”

“Keuheok!”

It wasn’t a simple slam.

As the ground shattered and the Taoist Masters lost their footing, crimson Spectral Energy struck their bodies.

Perhaps shocked by this, two of the Taoist Masters spat blood and hastily pulled back.

“S-simple emission of Spectral Energy? To possess such destructive power…!”

As they said, Bloodrot had now essentially become a being whose entire body was a lethal weapon.

We could no longer stand by and watch, so we exchanged glances and lined up on both sides, as if shielding the injured Taoist Masters.

“Kkkk. That’s more like it. Just five is no longer stimulating.”

“……”

“No words to share? That’s not bad either.”

Huuung!

As Bloodrot extended his hand, the previously destroyed net-shaped Cursed Tool was forcibly pieced back together through Spectral Energy and aimed at us.

“Soul Blaze Rending Wave!”

Teo-eong!

Han Seoa quickly intercepted it, but the impact was minimal. To that extent, Bloodrot’s current Spectral Energy had far surpassed its original realm.

In the end, only by combining the strength of the generals, including Cheong Joohwa and Ha Sadam, were they able to shake off the net that was closing in.

“Everyone, be careful!”

Bloodrot, who had already prepared his next move in the meantime, drove his arms, veins bulging, into the ground and recited an ominous Jooeon.

Kwa-deudeuk!

Huuuuung!

The gradually cracking earth, and the treacherous blood light flowing from within.

Kongsami, following my instruction, spewed flames from behind Bloodrot, but Bloodrot, protecting his body with Spectral Energy, didn’t budge and completed it.

“Kkkk, let’s all fall into hell together.”

Grand Art, Blood Realm Formation.

The crimson Spectral Energy, spreading wide as if exploding, soon filled the world.