Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 445 – Wicked Heart Granny (4)

It was a sensation closer to instinct than reason.

He was capable of colder and more rational judgment than anyone else, as he was nearly emotionless compared to ordinary humans.

For the first time in his life, he had come to like someone, and the sense of loss from that person’s annihilation aroused great anger in him.

Usually, we say that we are swept away by anger.

However, for Mok Gyeong-un, anger brought about a single-minded focus.

It was a single will to desperately kill someone, and because of it, all other unnecessary calculations and thoughts disappeared.

-Swish! Clash clash clash!

The idea of deflecting true qi with true qi.

And the bold gamble of deflecting the power of a strike concentrating all power into one point through the subtlety of the Scripture of Transferring True Qi while adding his own power.

-Crack!

This placed a tremendous overload on his body.

However, Mok Gyeong-un instinctively found the most effective way to unleash this power.

It was the Chasing Whirlwind Sword, one of the ultimate techniques of Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin.

-Bang!

A foot stomp that crushed the ground.

Along with it, the sword energy of two powers rotating in a spiral.

-Crack!

With the sound of space tearing, the sword energy imbued with two powers created a whirlwind like a storm.

-Swish swish swish swish swish swish!

By rotating the powers that didn’t mix and could strain the body in a spiral, he made them naturally combine without forcibly mixing them into one.

Thus, the whirlwind created by the two powers caused a massive sword energy storm that enveloped Wicked Granny.

-Boom boom boom boom boom boom!

As even the air was torn apart, dozens of jang were instantly devastated, and within its center, another strange event was unfolding.

-Whoosh!

Within the storm of sword energy, two formless claws overlapped as if interlocking, wrapping around someone – none other than Wicked Granny.

She thought this was the best way to block it since she couldn’t avoid it, but that wasn’t all.

In that state, Wicked Granny inside the two formless claws began to rotate fiercely in the opposite spiral direction.

-Clash clash clash clash clash clash!

Because of this, as the spiral and counter-spiral overlapped,

-Swish!

The whirlwind combining the two powers gradually subsided.

And finally, the momentum completely dissipated.

-Thud!

Wicked Granny, who had blocked this with an exquisite move, staggered and then coughed up black blood.

No matter how much she surpassed Mok Gyeong-un in internal energy or power, it was difficult to completely withstand the spiral sword technique that combined her own power concentrated into a single point with Mok Gyeong-un’s sword energy.

After staggering two steps, she regained her balance and wiped the blood with her sleeve.

“Huu… Huu…”

Her pupils shook as she steadied her breathing.

This wasn’t because of Mok Gyeong-un’s innate combat sense and response.

It was because of the sword technique Mok Gyeong-un had just demonstrated.

‘Without a doubt.’

This was that person’s sword technique.

Was this the reason for the scent of the old days emanating from this fellow?

She raised her head and looked at Mok Gyeong-un.

-Sizzle! Sizzle!

Mok Gyeong-un was standing with his formless sword extended, but his arm was trembling, and blood was spurting from some acupoints that couldn’t withstand the strain.

Although reaching the realm of life and death meant that the subtlety of concentrating power was no longer a technique beyond his limits, it was inevitably straining to also imbue the opponent’s power.

‘My right arm won’t move.’

But it didn’t matter.

He needed to expel the overloaded energy tormenting his body and move other body parts.

He expanded his senses by focusing on each part again, starting from the tips of his toes.

This incredible concentration of Mok Gyeong-un quickly regained control over his body that wasn’t moving due to trembling from overload.

As sensation returned to his entire body,

-Whoosh!

Mok Gyeong-un immediately flew towards Wicked Granny.

-Tap tap!

As he flew after kicking off the ground twice, Mok Gyeong-un’s figure split into three.

It was the subtlety of creating clones from the Wind God Step he had stolen and learned from the masked Ma Ra-hyeon.

Seeing Mok Gyeong-un’s figure split into three along with the rushing wind, Wicked Granny raised the corner of her mouth.

‘It’s certain.’

The man before her eyes had clearly inherited that person’s legacy.

If so,

-Thud!

Wicked Granny immediately knelt on one knee, clasped her hands in a salute, and cried out.

“Wicked Granny Cheol Su-ryeon pays respects to the blood descendant who inherited that person’s legacy.”

‘!?’

A glint flashed in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes for an instant at her sudden action.

But that was the end of it.

He didn’t know why she was reacting like this, but it didn’t matter whether it was a misunderstanding or anything else.

The original purpose of coming here was just one thing.

It was to retrieve the forbidden technique that could unite souls and help Cheong-ryeong.

But at the point where she had been annihilated, all of that became meaningless, so Mok Gyeong-un had only one thought – to kill Wicked Granny.

-Flinch!

Wicked Granny furrowed her brow as Mok Gyeong-un didn’t stop his attack despite her paying respects, and she tried to create distance by employing her lightness technique.

‘Why?’

If he was that person’s blood relative, he should know her.

But why isn’t he withdrawing his killing intent and attacking like this?

-Whoosh!

As she wondered, she immediately summoned three formless claws to block the sword techniques unleashed by Mok Gyeong-un’s figures flying in from three directions.

-Clash clash clash clash clash clash!

-Boom boom boom boom!

Each move, with power concentrated into it, caused tremendous repercussions every time they clashed.

The meadow around where they were fighting had already lost its shape and was becoming devastated.

Wicked Granny, blocking Mok Gyeong-un’s attacks, shouted.

“Please stop. I am not your enemy.”

Despite her cry, Mok Gyeong-un had no intention of stopping.

Rather, he was pressuring her with increasingly sharp and precise sword techniques.

This couldn’t help but inwardly surprise Wicked Granny as well.

‘Even though I’m focusing on defense, his sword techniques are becoming increasingly precise. Truly monstrous talent.’

It was talent that couldn’t be measured by simply calling it exceptional.

Given enough time, he was the kind of talent that could even surpass the experience she had accumulated.

However, this was no time to be surprised.

-Clash clash clash clash clash!

Wicked Granny, blocking Mok Gyeong-un’s formless sword, shouted.

“I serve your ancestor. There’s no reason to fight any…”

“Nonsense!”

-Swish!

Wicked Granny hurriedly tilted her head to the side, but her cheek was cut and she ended up bleeding.

Her gaze sharpened.

The sword techniques were becoming increasingly precise, surpassing a level that could be blocked by defense alone.

It was an unbelievably rapid rate of improvement.

‘This won’t do.’

It seemed she needed to mix offense and defense appropriately.

It was truly perplexing.

She kept talking about her relationship with that person, but why was he attacking her so fiercely as if to kill her?

‘!?’

Could it be that he really doesn’t know anything?

Her expression became subtle.

Among those who had intruded here, there were occasionally some who said that everything in the old martial arts world had disappeared after the day of the great calamity, but even so, it was a place that once dominated the martial arts world.

How could a place once called the greatest under heaven easily disappear?

-Clash clash clash clash clash!

As she blocked Mok Gyeong-un’s full-power sword techniques, she thought she needed to change her approach.

He kept trying to kill her with tremendous killing intent, so it seemed better to subdue him first and then attempt conversation.

So she stopped just defending and gathered her power to launch a strike with her formless claw towards Mok Gyeong-un’s chest.

But at that moment,

-Swish!

The formless sword, which had been evenly matched until now because they were in the same realm, pierced through and partially cut the formless claw.

‘!!!!!’

Her pupils shook for a moment.

‘He cut the formless claw?’

Wicked Granny couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

Of course, even formless energy can be superior depending on one’s power.

However, because this was basically a realm of enlightenment possible only after reaching the extreme, it was difficult to break with the same formless energy.

But now, Mok Gyeong-un had cut through the formless claw, though not completely.

-Tremble!

What on earth was this?

Wicked Granny hurriedly tried to create distance due to the aftermath of the sharp energy penetrating as the formless claw was cut.

She could instinctively understand.

Beyond becoming more precise, the sword was gradually becoming sharper.

What this meant was one thing.

‘…He’s moving towards a higher realm in the midst of our confrontation.’

She truly couldn’t hide her surprise.

Killing intent.

The single-minded focus to kill someone was a path that moved away from principle and the Way, so it couldn’t lead to entering a higher realm.

This was something one could know through long years of mental and physical cultivation.

But why was this person’s sword continually becoming stronger the more they clashed?

-Clash!

As the formless sword and formless claw collided, their figures crossed for an instant.

-Swish!

The formless claw was split even more than before, and Wicked Granny’s left shoulder became soaked in blood from a sword wound.

Her gaze narrowed as she looked at Mok Gyeong-un.

‘Single-minded focus…’

She could now understand the reason.

Although it was killing intent, this was pure single-minded focus.

Due to the single-minded focus of only wanting to kill her, the sword was becoming closer to its inherent role, to the point of purity.

-Throb!

She felt pain from the blade energy penetrating her shoulder.

Feeling pain after such a long time, any thoughts about this being before her being someone’s descendant or anything like that completely disappeared from her mind.

A strengthening opponent, a worthy adversary met after a long time.

All of this gradually increased her competitive spirit and fighting spirit even more.

Since it had come to this, she wanted to properly fight with full power, throwing away all the karma she had accumulated and the shackles towards that person.

-Grrr!

As she fully unleashed her true qi, strong wind pressure swept around her due to her energy.

Having lived for many years, she far surpassed Mok Gyeong-un in pure internal energy.

Even Mok Gyeong-un, who had been focusing only on the single-minded thought of killing her, seemed to judge that everything would be decided in a single move given her changed energy, and he properly took his stance.

-Swish!

It was the moment when these two peerless masters were about to compete with their ultimate techniques.

-Whoosh!

At that moment, someone entered through the distorted gap in the formation torn by Mok Gyeong-un’s formless sword.

Then that someone hurriedly shouted.

“Stop!!!”

Despite the ear-splitting shout, neither Mok Gyeong-un nor Wicked Granny took their eyes off each other at all.

It was a crucial moment.

The match would be decided the instant one took their eyes off the opponent.

Seeing this, the person who had shouted at them, thinking this wouldn’t do, this time flew between them, squeezing in.

She was,

‘So Ye-rin?’

It was Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin.

However, Wicked Granny, who had no idea who she was, had already made up her mind to settle the match and urged.

“Don’t interfere, woman.”

“I can’t do that, Wicked Granny Cheol Su-ryeon.”

‘!?’

When she accurately stated her title and name despite seeing her for the first time, one of Wicked Granny’s eyebrows raised.

“You… Who are you?”

At this question, a chilling, ominous energy surged from Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin.

Along with this, her black hair turned blood-red.

Wicked Granny’s eyes widened as she watched this.

To her, Six Offices Commander So Ye-rin, whose hair had completely turned the color of blood, clasped her hands in a salute and said.

“Jin Ye-rin, daughter of Jin Yeong-in, the last young sect leader of Mushang Fortress, pays respects to Master Cheol Su-ryeon, who served that person!”

‘!!!!!!’