Chapter 1278: Scorched World

“This old man lost?”

At my words, Iron-Blooded Fan’s expression changed. He seemed surprised that I spoke as if certain of defeat.

“Why are you so sure?”

“Well…”

Although I thought, ‘Why would it feel different when he himself claims victory?’ Strangely enough, that thought crossed my mind.

‘The Lord of Defeat did not lose.’

The Lord of Defeat did not lose. Looking at Iron-Blooded Fan, that thought kept occurring to me.

“Ha. Is it arrogant faith regarding your master? That can happen. Jade Lord is indeed a strong warrior. But.”

Whooosh. Gradually, wind began to gather around Iron-Blooded Fan.

“That doesn’t change reality, brat.”

“……”

“Tag is over. So, this time, we must change the tagger.”

Vvmmm-! My chest vibrated. It was an instinctive surge of energy. My blood channels expanded, entering a state of tension.

“Go on, try to escape. With all your might.”

A chilling laugh sent shivers down my spine.

Seeing that, I laughed too.

“Will you spare me if I return the Armor?”

“Ahahaha-“

At my words, Iron-Blooded Fan burst into laughter. Then, after laughing for a moment, his face immediately hardened.

“That joke goes too far. You don’t even intend to return it, do you?”

“Darn.”

As if disappointed by those words, I brushed my face.

“The old geezer’s perception is quick.”

“I felt it since the first time I saw you.”

Snap-.

The wind stopped blowing.

“Perhaps it’s because you harbor talent.”

That was the turning point.

“You’re quite arrogant.”

Kwa-geu-geuk-!! All the wind in the world charged at me.

Moving my feet, I escaped the space. A tremendous crack formed on the ground. It didn’t make sense for an impact made merely by wind, though.

‘It’s not just wind.’

As soon as I saw the wind pressure, I furrowed my brow completely.

The internal energy contained within the wind was overwhelming. I wondered how he could create wind pressure with such an amount.

‘…Is this the famous Iron-Blooded Fan.’

I had heard of him. To be precise, it was after coming to this world and facing Iron-Blooded Fan that I recognized him.

Who exactly was this martial artist called Iron-Blooded Fan? I had tried to figure that out before.

‘Judging by his appearance, I thought he was a martial arts type.’

It was my mistake. Iron-Blooded Fan…

‘Is a figure who uses a fan.’

A martial artist who uses fan attacks. Although nothing was held in Iron-Blooded Fan’s hand right now.

‘If he raises the wind.’

It was said that heaven and earth would change. I was now realizing that exaggerated expression was not an exaggeration.

Moreover.

‘Since those who became Apostles have all become stronger.’

I couldn’t even estimate how much stronger the man called the greatest under heaven had become.

‘So.’

I had to concentrate for now.

Kwa-ah-ah-ah-ah-!! Wind poured down from both sides. I immediately stretched my hand upwards.

Pang-!!

Bursting my energy, I used the impact to descend. Falling quickly, I dodged the wind.

But.

Whooosh-!!

The wind was everywhere. I opened my mind’s eye. Although it wasn’t visible as wind, the mind’s eye was different.

‘There’s damnably much.’

There was much visible to my sight. As soon as I landed on the ground, I immediately leaped.

Whoosh-!! Plunging in, I increased my body’s speed. Kwang-! Kwang-kwang-! I heard the sounds of wind bursting. Leaving that behind, I instantly plunged into Iron-Blooded Fan’s embrace at maximum speed.

“Haha.”

Iron-Blooded Fan, seeing me, laughed. Ignoring that, I fully grasped energy in my hand.

Kki-gi-gi-gi-gi-k-!! I clutched the chaos I had pre-heated even before leaping into my hand.

The Demonic Chaos Orb. What was compressed chaos was about to be completed, but.

‘Slightly.’

Time was minutely insufficient. So, I had to buy some time.

Iron-Blooded Fan moved his remaining right hand.

-Stop.

“……!”

U-ttuk-! Using Dragon Words, I made Iron-Blooded Fan’s body stiffen.

Uk-keok-! Blood rose up. The recoil was excessive. At best, it seemed like it would only last for a moment.

Still, it was enough.

‘In this brief moment.’

I could complete it. Clutching the Demonic Chaos Orb, I shoved it directly into Iron-Blooded Fan’s chest.

Thump-! Along with a vibration, the Demonic Chaos Orb exploded.

Kki-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah——-!! My internal energy screamed, creating an impact. I created distance through the gaps of the tangled energies. Moving the wrist of my left arm, which had pushed in the Orb, I bit my lip.

‘Tsk.’

I clicked my tongue. The explosion clearly happened properly. From this distance, the impact should have landed correctly.

“Kkul-kkul-kkul.”

Hearing that damnable laughter, it seemed that wasn’t the case either.

Whooosh-!! My internal energy was swept up by the wind and soared. The wind surged as if not wanting to obstruct my vision even for a moment.

“Impressive.”

Vvmmm.

How was he unharmed? I could understand the reason by looking at the appeared Iron-Blooded Fan.

‘…He diverted it with wind pressure during that gap.’

Iron-Blooded Fan’s chest. There, a small but violently compressed wind was swirling at tremendous speed.

He didn’t just block it with brute force. He diverted it with that wind.

Of course.

‘The impact wouldn’t be entirely absent, but.’

As if such things were no problem, Iron-Blooded Fan patted his chest.

I also wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. The blood that had risen was bothersome.

‘I can’t use Dragon Words twice.’

I understood after one use. If I used it again, my insides would be completely messed up.

“Hoo.”

I composed myself.

“Are you done?”

“No. I have to do more.”

“Every time I see you, your spirit is admirable. Indeed… I should have taken you as my disciple.”

“I don’t need it. There are far too many people who can teach me.”

The Peerless Swordmaster and the Peerless Pugilist.

I have those two gentlemen as my masters. There was no room for that old geezer to join long ago.

And.

“You can’t teach me.”

“Oho? What’s the reason you think that?”

“Look at the state you’re in. Having become that form, what could you possibly teach me?”

A body beyond human. A flesh mixed with monsters, called an Apostle. And even if that’s the form he chose himself.

“How to abandon your convictions? Are you going to teach something like that?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I don’t need that.”

I had already done it enough times to be sick of it.

“F* off.”

“……”

At my words, Iron-Blooded Fan erased the smile he was wearing.

“Oh dear…”

Seu-eu-eu-eu-!! The air changed.

“You have a talent for grating on people. Just like my master.”

It was killing intent.

Kwa-ga-ga-gak-!!

“……!”

I predicted the trajectory with my mind’s eye and dodged. But the speed was faster than before.

‘The size-.’

Kwa-ha-ah-ah-ah–!!

“Keuk!”

The wind I couldn’t quite avoid wrapped around my body. Since I was in mid-air, I couldn’t establish a proper stance. In the instant my body stiffened from the hit.

Chwa-reuk-.

Something was caught on Iron-Blooded Fan’s arm. It was a fan.

A fan, unfolded casually. The moment I looked at it.

Whoosh.

Kwa-ga-ga-gak-!!

“Kkeu-eu-geuk!”

The wind tore through my body.

With speed that couldn’t even be properly caught by the eyes, it ripped my whole body to shreds.

A groan escaped me from the intense pain. My body fell, staggering. I directly collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

“Keok… Heo-eok…”

Blood flowed all over my body. The flowing blood would regenerate soon enough, but the pain still remained.

“Brat.”

I heard a voice from the front. Iron-Blooded Fan had already approached me.

“If you were just running your mouth this much, I’ll be disappointed. Shouldn’t you show a little more? Prove, even a little, that your master beat me.”

“……”

Gray eyes. I didn’t like those eyes looking down at me. Just like with Namgung Jin, those eyes were the problem.

How should I put it? Something about them was severely irritating.

“Hoo…”

I let out a sigh.

“With this-“

“…Tam. Eat this.”

Kwa-ga-gak-!!

“……Huh?”

Tam, emerging from the shadow of my supporting arm on the ground, pierced Iron-Blooded Fan’s abdomen.

Whooosh-!! Wind surged. Tam, having pierced the abdomen directly, was pushed back.

Iron-Blooded Fan created distance. Then, clutching his own abdomen, he made a pained expression.

“…What did you do?”

A flustered look was evident. Seeing that, I thought to myself.

‘It works.’

I was worried earlier because it pushed back the Shadow King’s power. Fortunately, Tam worked. The problem is.

‘It does get pushed back.’

It seemed there was something in the wind Iron-Blooded Fan was raising, as it even repelled my Tam. The fortunate thing is.

‘It did work, so there must be some damage, I guess.’

The pierced abdomen. Iron-Blooded Fan’s gaze clutching it. With this, it was confirmed.

“Why. Are you flustered because it doesn’t regenerate?”

“…You bastard.”

“Shouldn’t the greatest under heaven wear such an expression?”

I got myself up again.

Hwa-reu-reu-reu-reuk-!!

“We have to go into the second round now, so how can you be surprised already.”

I clad myself in white flame, not blue. I had figured it out.

“……”

Sensing something strange about my white flame, Iron-Blooded Fan’s expression contorted.

“What a curious fellow. You’ve clad yourself in divinity with flame.”

“……”

The word ‘divinity’.

Hearing that word, I recalled.

‘Right, that guy knew something.’

He said he saw something in me. Whether he felt my master’s power or something else, I don’t know. But he wasn’t someone completely ignorant.

Of course.

‘Anyway, people who have reached that level all have secrets.’

Damn sly ones.

Hwa-ah-ah-ak.

I ignited the white flame brightly in one hand. Identifying the moment to use Tam, I summoned Pama’s power.

Kwak-!!

As I prepared to leap, just as I was about to channel all my power.

Tap.

My vision was obscured by darkness.

“Huh?”

When my vision, which had darkened for a moment, returned.

“…Young Master Baek?”

Poison Phoenix was looking at me with surprised eyes.

Seeing that, I quickly shifted my gaze.

From the end of the wall, the Shadow King was panting as if exhausted.

---

“…Oh dear.”

Iron-Blooded Fan reacted with dazed eyes, having lost sight of the enemy in front of him.

“I slipped my mind.”

Absorbed by the brat, I momentarily forgot that guy was hiding. Thanks to that, I lost him right before my eyes.

“This has become troublesome.”

Luckily, I found him quickly, but to think I’d lose him like this.

Moreover.

Jjirit.

“……”

Looking at his abdomen, Iron-Blooded Fan opened his fierce eyes.

“That power.”

That bizarre power that attacked him, perhaps it was.

‘Maybe it’s what that ominous one mentioned.’

A troublesome and bizarre being I encountered once. I don’t know if it was that which he mentioned.

Recalling this, Iron-Blooded Fan licked his lips.

“I need to investigate a little more before I speak.”

If I told the Sword Empress, it was obvious that boring woman would intervene casually.

It seemed right for me to enjoy this a bit more and act myself.

“…Let’s meet again soon.”

As long as he possesses the Armor, it shouldn’t take long.

Whooosh–!!!

Iron-Blooded Fan, a smile on his lips, lifted himself with the wind.

The objective was to find the Armor again.

Because then, they would be there together too.