Chapter 859: Ilcheonkyo.

[Kuaaaaaa–!!!]

The flames invading his face caused the Gate Heaven Sect Master to scream.

Staggering from the sudden pain, he widened the distance. Moreover, he tried desperately to tear off the flames stuck to his face, but…

[Keeuuu–!!!]

The flames did not extinguish easily. It felt like his skin was burning away.

Unable to bear the pain, the Gate Heaven Sect Master rolled on the ground.

Whether it helped or not, the flames gradually died down.

[Damn… this…]

His face, still radiating heat, was emitting smoke. The Gate Heaven Sect Master covered his face and pushed himself up.

Just then.

“Stay down.”

A voice was heard.

The moment the Gate Heaven Sect Master raised his head upon hearing this.

“That suits maggots like you.”

Along with the low voice, a searing darkness poured down onto his face once more.

Hwa-reureu-reuk–!!

[Kkuaaaa–!!!]

He let out a scream louder than before. This time, he couldn’t even move. Because the flames were directly spewed onto his entire face.

[Kkeuheu…!!]

He struggled, writhing his body. The immense heat covered his skin. He tried to escape somehow, but his body wouldn’t move.

“For a bug, you burn rather slowly.”

A low voice utterly devoid of melody. At that voice, the Gate Heaven Sect Master felt goosebumps despite the pain.

He felt absolutely nothing.

Yet, it was permeated with killing intent.

How could it be so contradictory?

He couldn’t understand. Moreover.

[How… flames…!]

The guy who couldn’t use fire attacks until just now suddenly shot flames. And such potent black flames at that.

Was he hiding more power? If so, what was the reason?

What was the reason for hiding it until this point, and what was the reason for suddenly revealing it?

Though the situation made no sense and he couldn’t comprehend it,

[Kkeueueu!!]

now was not the time to think about it. Just enduring the pain was overwhelming enough.

Watching the Gate Heaven Sect Master like that, Gu Yangcheon spoke.

“Does it hurt?”

It was a voice genuinely asking out of curiosity.

“Does this little bit hurt?”

[…Kkeu…heu!!]

The Gate Heaven Sect Master forcibly gathered energy within his body. He channeled power into his fingertips and flicked them. The swords lying apart moved and flew towards Gu Yangcheon.

Shiiiiiik—!!! Four swords pierced through in an instant. Gu Yangcheon shifted his gaze and then… quietly whispered, looking at the swords.

[Stop.]

-!!! Chaeng-! Chaeng-chaeng-!

The flying swords lost their balance at a single word and plunged into the ground.

[Keuk–!!]

The Gate Heaven Sect Master didn’t even have time to be surprised by the absurd sight.

“Pathetic.”

The flames covering his face vanished in an instant. And then.

Udeudeuk–!!

[Kkuaaaa–!!]

His arm was twisted at an unnatural angle. It was bent so forcefully that his bones were about to burst through his skin.

[…You…You bastard-!!]

Despite the overwhelming pain, the Gate Heaven Sect Master glared at Gu Yangcheon as if refusing to yield. Fortunately, the melted skin was regenerating.

The speed was gradually increasing.

The Gate Heaven Sect Master knew that too. The power contained within the Yeouiju was quickly spreading through his body. So, he just needed to hold on a little longer. Just a little bit. Then he could be reborn as a complete being.

Judging this, the Gate Heaven Sect Master gathered his strength.

However.

“Insignificant thing.”

Even while watching that, Gu Yangcheon’s eyes remained the same. It was a condescending gaze, as if looking at a bug. If there was a subtle difference from before, it was that another emotion was slightly mixed into his previously solely deep gaze.

That emotion, the Gate Heaven Sect Master…

“I don’t like your eyes.”

He judged it as contempt.

Gu Yangcheon plucked out the Gate Heaven Sect Master’s left eyeball as he struggled.

*****************

Chwaaaaaaaak—!!!

A tidal wave surged. It swept across the ground, dominating a wide area.

Seeing that, I put strength into my legs. Thump-!! I increased my speed and moved away from the tidal wave. That huge guy was even fast.

I couldn’t escape with ordinary speed. I had to run as fast as I could.

Just brushing against it would be a fatal injury. Because that tidal wave wasn’t just a normal tidal wave.

‘Damn hot, seriously.’

Black flames made entirely of heat. With its immense size, it was chasing me as if intending to melt everything.

“Crazy bastard.”

It’s absurd. Even while dodging, I was dumbfounded. What the hell is he shooting?

“This is why, fuck, his skills don’t improve.”

He shoots his energy so recklessly like that, so his skills don’t improve, only his firepower does. Now that I see it, the problematic parts are clearly visible.

“…Fucking scary…”

Experiencing it directly felt quite different.

The massive flames surged towards me in the form of waves. How could this not be scary?

Now I finally understood the eyes with which people used to look at me fearfully. He casually shot things like that, wiping out villages or burning countless people on the battlefield at once, so it was natural they saw me as a monster.

That guy is purely a crazy bastard.

‘Shit.’

I frowned as I looked back. Someone was still standing atop the pursuing tidal wave.

It was the Black Flame Demon God.

I frowned looking at him. He showed no signs of exhaustion.

Rather, it seemed only I was getting tired. My energy and skills should have improved since then, so why am I the only one getting tired?

This was the same as last time, purely a problem with fire attacks.

‘The cost-effectiveness is too low.’

Although I learned the Two-Armed Sky Breaking Martial Arts, the foundation of my body is the Nine Flame Wheel Technique. Even if not all the movements, the root is that. This includes my footwork. It increases body speed by exploding centered around firepower. I use my footwork based on that, but… Since fire attacks are blocked, a problem has arisen.

‘My speed is insufficient.’

More precisely, I had to use more energy to achieve my original speed.

‘Damn it.’

Does not being able to use one martial art lead to this state? Annoyance welled up.

‘No. Normally, if one martial art is blocked, you just die.’

It’s because my body is weird that I can do even this much. Normally, it wouldn’t be strange if I had already been defeated.

The problem is.

‘What use is that right now?’

It offers no comfort at all. It wasn’t helpful at all. What good is it if it’s fortunate? Since I can’t use it right now.

Hwa-reureu-!

“Tsk.”

I could feel the heat right behind me. The distance seemed to have narrowed considerably.

Running any further is meaningless. I had known that long ago.

Moreover.

‘That guy. He’s deliberately not going all out.’

That fucking bastard was deliberately toying with me. I knew it because it was me. If he wanted to, and if he wished, he could make it twice as fast and much larger than the current tidal wave.

‘You damn bastard.’

That made me angry.

Thump-! I stopped my running legs and twisted my waist. Energy erupted and concentrated intensely in my body, especially my fists.

Two-Armed Sky Breaking Martial Arts.

Second Form: Fist Prepared for Heaven’s Battle Intent.

A storm made of fighting spirit collided with the tidal wave.

Kwaaaaaa–!!! A huge hole was pierced through the approaching tidal wave.

I didn’t block it. To block that completely would require a different amount of internal energy.

‘The Two-Armed Sky Breaking Martial Arts has limits when infused with firepower.’

No matter how much my firepower increases, the Two-Armed Sky Breaking Martial Arts itself is based on compression. It meant that simply adding more power would lower its quality. So, this is the best I can do.

‘And. I never intended to block it in the first place.’

If I had intended to block it, I shouldn’t have done it like this. This was merely to create an opening. It was to briefly stop the tidal wave and make the bastard change his actions.

As expected, he moved just as I predicted. He was floating slightly above the stopped tidal wave. At the same time, I saw him raise his hand.

Hwaaaaaaaak—!!!

The tidal wave lying beneath began to churn. Then, it gradually rose into the air.

The sight of all that flame rising into the sky…

‘Seeing it directly is quite amazing.’

That’s why he got that shitty nickname. Such a thought suddenly occurred to me. No matter how you look at it, it’s a spectacular sight.

The rising flames gradually took over the sky, with the center being his fingertips.

What is he trying to do?

I already knew the answer.

Hwaaaaaaaa–!!!

All that flame was sucked into his hand. And then, it was gradually forming a shape.

A large, black sphere.

As I watched the completed form, gathered and gathered, I scrunched up my brow.

Great Flame Orb.

It was the shape of a mass of internal energy that made one’s legs tremble just looking at it.

However, the reason I scrunched up my brow wasn’t because of that.

‘To use it like that. What an idiot.’

How can the compression be so low? Even after gathering so much internal energy, it’s only this much. Moreover, what about the rotational force? There is no meaning in what I see there.

The compression originally needed for a Flame Orb. The rotational force to maintain it.

His Flame Orb has no meaning, only form.

‘How embarrassing.’

I was genuinely embarrassed.

‘To think he was using that as a martial art.’

The words of the Martial Lord. No, before that, the Old Man’s words came to mind.

“-A martial art that holds no conviction is merely a flashy flourish, kid. What does your martial art contain?”

What did I answer back then? I couldn’t remember. It probably would have been some insignificant remark anyway.

And.

‘Just like I was back then.’

Moments I don’t want to remember. In the end, that guy is at the end of it all.

Squeeze. I clenched my fist.

I can’t use fire attacks. It didn’t matter. Unlike back then, I’ve learned to do many things now.

Ku-gu-gu-gu–!!! The house-sized Black Flame Orb ignited. Whether he finally completed it, the guy slowly moved his hand.

It seems he intends to drop that right onto me.

So, I briefly flicked my waist. A subtle recoil seeped into my shoulder.

The movement wasn’t large. I’ve realized something recently…

‘Even if it’s not big, as long as it does the job.’

The efficient use of the body. I’ve been realizing that part lately.

Thung.

The short punch I threw met the empty air. At that moment.

Udeudeudeuk—!!!

[…!!]

Bones shattered in his chest, causing it to cave in.

The Heart Strike had landed.

I saw blood spurting from his mouth. Did it hit properly?

As I narrowed my eyes, the guy’s body, which was in the air, headed towards the ground,

Thump-! Finally, his body rolled on the ground.

I quickly approached him.

[Cough.]

As I got closer, he was looking at me with empty eyes, bleeding. It felt quite strange seeing my face like that on the ground.

Is he slowly dying? I could feel his blurry vision and unstable breathing.

“…Oof, shit, this is tiring.”

Since I had also used quite a bit of energy, my breathing was ragged.

I grabbed the bastard by the collar and said.

“What the hell are you?”

[…]

“What the hell is your intention, you bastard?”

What the hell is it that makes him so desperate to catch me? I couldn’t understand.

“Why do you keep messing with me…”

[…Did you bring the answer?]

“What?”

I frowned at his words.

“What, punk?”

[I asked if you brought the answer from back then.]

“Answer?”

At those words, I recalled with narrowed eyes.

-Why are you alive?

The words he always asked me whenever he saw me. I recalled that.

“Ha.”

A sigh escaped me involuntarily.

“Why do you keep wondering about that? What’s so important whether I’m alive or not. Are you saying I should just be dead?”

[Yes.]

“…This bastard?”

[You have no value in being alive.]

“You keep saying harsh things. Are you crazy?”

Why do you get to decide that? I wanted to say that, but it didn’t come out.

Seeing that, he said with his eyes blurring.

[It seems you still haven’t decided on an answer. Then I’ll ask something else.]

“You don’t answer my questions, why are you only asking…”

[Why didn’t you kill me?]

“…”

The corner of my eye twitched slightly on its own.

[Just now, you could have killed me. Yet why didn’t you kill me?]

It was true. The Heart Strike that hit just before. If I had aimed precisely for the heart or head instead of the chest, perhaps I could have ended it easily.

However, the reason I didn’t do it, knowing that…

“Because. I have something to ask…”

[Your excuse is laughable.]

He laughed. It was the first time.

[When you desperately acted like you had a reason to leave. What has shaken you to reach this point?]

Hee hee hee. Every time he laughed, blood flowed from his mouth.

[You are afraid.]

His voice burrowed into my ears.

[You’re afraid of erasing the current me. Therefore, you ultimately lost in the previous fight as well.]

“…”

I had to deny it, saying it wasn’t like that. However, this time too, my mouth wouldn’t open.

[You ask to forget me, yet you are still where I am.]

The hand gripping his collar tightened.

[Isn’t that right?]

“…Damn, this guy talks too much.”

[You’ve grown dull. You’ve become far too dull.]

Suppressing my annoyance, I said to him.

“So what? You’re going to die soon anyway, so why are you questioning so much-“

I stopped mid-sentence and widened my eyes.

Something was strange.

I saw strength in his eyes, which had been gradually blurring and losing vitality. His ragged breathing had returned to normal. The blood was no longer flowing.

The moment I noticed this.

Hwa-reureu-reuk—!

“…Goddamn it.”

Feeling the heat, I looked up.

[That is your fatal mistake.]

The Great Flame Orb I made earlier.

It hadn’t disappeared and was falling towards me.

It was too late to dodge. I quickly wrapped myself in energy.

Kwaaaaaaaa—-!!!!

I was swept up in the explosion.

“Kkuhk!”

My body was blown away by the air pressure. I could only stop after rolling on the ground several times.

“Kuhk….”

The aftermath of the explosion was no joke. Although I barely maintained my body with energy, I took a recoil. This time, I was the one who had to bleed.

“…Wow. You cheap bastard.”

Enduring the pain, I looked at him.

When exactly did he aim for this? He drew my attention by falling after being hit by my attack, and in that gap, he landed the Great Flame Orb.

Does that mean he prepared it from the moment he started creating the Great Flame Orb?

Whatever it was, it was certainly a cunning method. It was a method I often used myself.

“Hoo…”

I pushed myself up, staggering. The damage wasn’t small, but it wasn’t overwhelming either. Because I didn’t take a direct hit.

However, this was less because I dodged well and more because…

“This bastard. He keeps going easy on me?”

It was true that he had intentionally hit me glancingly.

Fuuu.

Like before, the guy floating in the air was looking down at me from above.

[Just in case, don’t get the wrong idea.]

Hwa-reureu-reuk—!! The black flames erupting from his body gradually surrounded the area. It vaguely resembled the shape of wings.

[If it’s the same as last time. You will die. And.]

The wings created like that soon tore rapidly in the air, and then…

[I will take that empty space.]

Hwaaaa—-!!!

The countless torn fragments all turned into Great Flame Orbs.