—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Th-That’s!”
Kang Eun-ha shouted in shock.
The blood that had gushed from the Blood Sword was taking the form of a dragon and was engulfing Lee Rowan.
“Bl-Blood Dragon Emerges!”
The Blood Cult had lost the Blood Demon Art during countless wars and its long history.
Especially since the destruction of the Silver World and the shattering of the world were the biggest reasons.
‘Blood Demon Vault.’
The place that was originally the Blood Cult’s vault had disappeared with the fragments of the world.
The current vault was so shabby compared to the old one that even calling it pathetic wasn’t enough.
But still, something remained.
“Blood Demon Sword Style!”
Although the Blood Demon Art was lost and only special successors could learn it, the Blood Demon Sword Style alone was completely preserved and passed down to the Blood Sect Leaders.
While it couldn’t compare to the Blood Demon Art, it was a symbolic sword style of the Blood Demon, and an absolute martial art that, with the sword style alone, made bloodline members Blood Cult Leaders.
The Blood Dragon Emergence, the three core techniques, was what had extended from Hyeol Soo-baek’s hands.
“No!”
Kang Eun-ha shouted.
Even though Lee Rowoon had incapacitated the elders in an unexpected manner, the Blood Demon remained.
And the Blood Demon was the absolute master that Lee Rowoon had to be most wary of.
He was a high-ranker level powerhouse who had reached the Transcendent Demon realm.
Furthermore, hadn’t Lee Rowoon said it himself?
‘I can’t use martial arts.’
Even a top-class, no, a peak-level martial art could be suppressed by the divine might Lee Rowoon had shown.
However, the Blood Demon Sword Style was truly an absolute martial art worthy of being called a divine art.
Lee Rowoon, who couldn’t use martial arts, would be unable to stop it.
Kang Eun-ha tried to run towards Lee Rowoon urgently, but,
Chomp!
It was already too late.
The Blood Dragon, with its mouth wide open, devoured Lee Rowoon.
“I will tear you to shreds and make you into a handful of blood.”
Hyeol Soo-Baek said with a smile.
“I just need to swallow that blood and complete the Blood Demon God.”
Hyeol Soo-baek’s face was filled with ease.
However, that face gradually began to stiffen.
Kururururu!
Something was wrong with the Blood Dragon that had swallowed Lee Rowoon.
Blorch!
Soon after, the Blood Dragon lost its form and burst.
Inside it was a round sphere.
“A Blood Barrier…!”
The red blood that had gathered and was enveloping Lee Rowoon.
Looking at it like that, there was a clear difference.
The Blood Demon energy Hyeol Soo-baek had created was clearly a murky, viscous red.
But now, the one enveloping Lee Rowoon was a clear, even refreshing, crimson red.
Squeak.
The Blood Barrier that was enveloping Lee Rowoon melted away as if it was disappearing.
Inside, Lee Rowoon stood without a change in expression, looking at Hyeol Soo-baek.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Wh-What did you say…!”
“The Blood Demon Sword Style?”
As Lee Rowoon extended his hand, the melting blood demon energy gathered into his palm and swirled.
“My master didn’t create something like that.”
“What nonsense are you spouting!”
“In the first place, my master didn’t create a sword style to be used with the Blood Demon Divine Art.”
Hyeol Soo-baek’s face trembled.
Master? His master created the Blood Demon Divine Art?
Where did such absurd words come from?
The founder of the Blood Cult, the Blood Demon, had died thousands of years ago.
If he remained, the Blood Cult t wouldn’t be in this state.
No matter what anyone said, he was the greatest of all time.
“Well, some guy in the middle must have created and passed it down.”
“Enough with the bullshit!”
Clang!
Hyeol Soo-baek, who had reached Lee Rowoo in no time, brought down his Blood Sword with a face like a demon.
However, a small blood barrier was precisely enveloping Hyeol Soo-baek’s Blood Sword.
“The bullshit is coming from you guys… no, nevermind.”
Lee Rowoon extended his palm, maintained the blood barrier, and flicked his fingers.
Poof!
Half a dozen blood needles, created in an instant, were lodged into Hyeol Soo-baek’s body.
“Cough!”
Blood Soobaek retreated.
‘This is ridiculous…’
He had never heard of manipulating the Blood Demon Art in this way.
The Blood Demon Art was said to be an absolute divine art passed down in the Blood Cult, but it was ultimately a type of mind cultivation.
It was about accumulating internal energy and using the special power contained within that energy.
But to be able to use the blood itself, the Blood Demon energy itself, like this.
He understood the Blood Barrier; it was a supreme technique of the Cult that Blood Soo-baek could also use.
Shooting blood needles was difficult, but he could use it himself if he thought of it as Finger Flicking Skill.
However.
‘The blood needles are scattering my internal energy.’
The problem was the nature of the blood needles.
Like living leeches, they sucked blood and scattered internal energy.
As a result, they increased in size and left deeper scars.
“This is ridiculous-!”
Bang! Hyeol Soo-baek, who had flicked away the blood needles with his internal energy, created a Blood Dragon once again.
This time it wasn’t the three-technique Blood Dragon Emergence.
It was the six-technique Blood Dragon Rampage.
Kuraaaah!
Hyeol Soo-baek, now one with the Blood Dragon, was approaching Lee Rowoon with his sword angled.
“Ha.”
A small sigh.
And the Blood Demon energy swirling in Lee Rowoon’s hand began to take form.
“……!”
A Blood Dragon, small but definitely a Blood Dragon.
Kwaaang!
The two Blood Dragons collided with each other, creating a deafening roar.
“Cough! Gack!”
Hyeol Soo-baek was continuously vomiting dark red blood.
‘What…!’
He couldn’t understand it with his common sense.
‘He’s definitely at the Peak Demon realm.’
He could clearly tell from the collision just now.
The internal energy he felt from Lee Rowoon’s Blood Dragon was only at the Peak Demon realm.
On the other hand, he had reached the Transcendent Demon realm.
The difference in levels; players wouldn’t even dare to think about winning against an opponent with a huge level gap.
However, among martial artists, there were cases where the Peak and the Supreme Realm could be surpassed depending on one’s understanding of martial principles and techniques.
That’s why martial artists were considered superior to players.
But even that has its limits.
Who was he?
‘I am… a Blood Demon.’
He had mastered the Blood Demon Divine Art, a divine art of the Blood Cult, to its extreme, and had mastered the Blood Demon Sword Style, with the best martial principles, to its extreme.
Such a person could easily win even against someone in the mid-stages of the Transcendent Demon realm.
But conversely, someone who was only at the Peak Demon realm, no matter how peak that was, could not surpass him!
“This can’t be happening.”
Hyeol Soo-baek’s red eyes glowed.
It was a coincidence.
Blood Demon Divine Art?
‘There’s no such thing.’
Something that had been lost and disappeared thousands of years ago was appearing here now?
It would be faster to believe that the Blood Demon Founder had returned.
Drip.
Tears of blood streamed down from Hyeol Soo-baek’s blood-red eyes.
Chwaaaaaa-!
Soon after, the Blood Demon energy that bloomed covered Hyeol Soo-baek’s entire body.
“Bl-Blood Demon God…?”
Kang Eun-ha and Kang Hangcheol were shocked and surprised.
‘That’s not it.’
Lee Rowoon scoffed as he looked at him.
It wasn’t the Blood Demon God or anything.
“Reverse Blood?”
A last resort technique that allows a Demonic Cult member to use power a step higher than their current realm for a brief moment.
Reverse Blood Great Art.
“Are you trying to die?”
The cost was one’s life.
“Bullshit! I will absorb you and become the Blood Demon God!”
But Hyeol Soo-baek thought that everything would be possible as long as he absorbed Lee Rowan.
So, he amplified his internal energy several times through Reverse Blood.
Heh.
He couldn’t admit that he would lose.
‘There’s a possibility his understanding of martial principles or martial arts is superior to mine.’
He couldn’t admit it, but there was always a one-in-a-million chance.
However, there was something that he could never surpass.
‘Internal energy.’
For over a decade, he had been worshiped as a Blood Demon and had absorbed the blood of thousands, tens of thousands of people.
The internal energy he had accumulated as a result was several times greater than that of the First Elder who had reached the Transcendent Demon realm.
And on top of that, he had amplified his internal energy through Reverse Blood.
“A predictable trick.”
“Shut up!”
Hyeol Soo-baek charged at Lee Rowoon once again.
But his sword had already disappeared somewhere.
Paaat!
He stretched out both hands, aiming for Lee Rowoon’s neck.
At the same time, Lee Rowoon also extended his hand, blocking Hyeol Soo-baek’s hand.
Clench!
Each had grabbed the other’s hands.
A battle that martial artists could never win.
A battle where martial arts and principles were unnecessary.
“Let’s try it with internal energy?”
A battle of internal energy.
For players or mana users, it was like pouring one’s mana into the opponent, burning away their mana.
The moment the opponent’s mana was completely burned away, they would then burn their life force.
“Right now, my internal energy is two-handed! Even more than that!”
And who was he?
A Blood Demon.
“Huuuuup!”
Hyeol Soo-baek, his red eyes seemingly about to burst, exerted his strength.
‘Blood Demon Absorption!’
The most basic technique of the Blood Demon Art!
And a technique that was no different from the essence of the Blood Demon Art!
Hwaaaak-!
Lee Rowoon and Hyeol Soo-baek, their hands clasped together, began to utilize Blood Demon Absorption.
‘This is the end.’
A smile spread across Hyeol Soo-baek’s blood-stained face.
Now he would complete this wretched Blood Demon Art and become the Blood Demon God.
If this man’s Blood Demon Art was the real one from the founder, then he would absorb even that and become even more perfect.
But soon after, Hyeol Soo-baek’s face stiffened.
Heh.
Lee Rowoon was smiling with half-closed eyes.
“You were fun, you know?”
How!
A battle of internal energy was a battle where one had to fully concentrate.
Even a small shock was fatal. He believed that while the Left Guardian could move, the First Elder wouldn’t let them intervene.
But to be able to open his mouth during such a battle of internal energy?
“A Blood Cult member who hasn’t even learned blood techniques, and the youngest of the former Blood Cult Leader, how is that possible?”
Bulging!
Even if he wanted to say something, Hyeol Soo-baek couldn’t speak.
“And I heard that it was as if you suddenly changed at some point, as if you were a completely different person? From a troublemaker of the Blood Cult to a promising young leader.”
“…….”
“Regression? Reincarnation?”
Lee Rowoon’s smile deepened.
“There’s no way you would have experienced something like that…”
Lee Rowoon’s words came to a full stop.
“Are you a Cheon Family member?”
“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”
“Looks like it. Then I won’t kill you. I need to find them as well, after all.”
A red aura began to swirl in Lee Rowoon’s eyes.
Then, the feeling in the palm of his hand, which had been clearly absorbing the opponent’s energy, began to change.
“I’ll show you. The Blood Demon Divine Art.”
Hwaaaaak!
A blood-colored mist enveloped Lee Rowoon and Hyeol Soo-baek.
‘Blood Demon Absorption.’
Hyeol Soo-baek’s blood, internal energy, and life force were sucked into Lee Rowoon.
A battle of internal energy?
That was definitely a battle where the size of one’s internal energy was absolutely decisive.
Because it was about burning away the opponent’s internal energy, the purity of one’s internal energy was also important, but the quantity played an absolute role.
However, those who possessed the Blood Demon Divine Art were different.
They didn’t burn, but absorbed.
There, while the amount of internal energy was also important, something else was even more important.
‘The manipulation of internal energy.’
It had been a hundred years.
Moreover, Lee Rowoon had mastered not only internal energy but also other things.
There was no existence that could surpass Lee Rowoon’s manipulation of internal energy, that was a certainty.
“Ah, no…”
Even though he knew he shouldn’t open his mouth, Hyeol Soo-baek opened his mouth.
“N-No!”
He tried to remove his hand, but it wouldn’t budge.
He was withering.
His blood and internal energy were being sucked away, and even his soul was being taken.
Resistance was futile.
Just like a river flowing to the sea was a natural law, the flow that was already irreversible was something that even Hyeol Soo-baek couldn’t control.
In his fading consciousness.
“……!”
Hyeol Soo-baek’s eyes widened.
“You saw it?”
A quiet voice that wasn’t fierce.
What Hyeol Soobaek had seen as he was sucked into him.
That was….
“Aaaaaaaah….”
Endless darkness.
He couldn’t win.
No, even thinking that he could win was blasphemy against the divine.
A smile spread across Hyeol Soo-baek’s lips.
‘Next is…’
In that brief moment of seeing Lee Rowoon’s abyss, Hyeol Soo-baek could tell.
‘It’s your turn.’
It was a relief.
Everything wouldn’t be in vain.
This person would definitely take his revenge.
No, this great one.
The great….
“Oh, Blood Demon…”
That was the last of it.
Thud.
Hyeol Soobaek stopped like a puppet with its strings cut.
Swaaaa.
In front of the fallen Hyeol Soo-baek, Lee Rowoon was wrapped in a thick blood-colored mist.
He had absorbed all the internal energy that Hyeol Soo-baek possessed.
But it was Blood Demon energy created using a crude method called Blood Demon Art, not the Blood Demon Divine Art.
Moreover, it was Blood Demon energy filled with impurities, which made it impossible to use properly.
Wiggle.
Even so, the Blood Demon Divine Art, which had reached true blood, purified Hyeol Soo-baek’s Blood Demon energy.
It discarded what should be discarded, and took what should be taken.
The crimson Blood Demon energy, purified in that way, moved towards Lee Rowoon’s blood dantian.
Click.
The lone turning gear came to a stop.
‘The end of true blood.’
Flash.
The completion of the Blood Demon Divine Art.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
