Ch.124Crown King Ma Seung

The martial master didn’t stop moving even as he felt his skin tearing in pain. He continuously circulated his inner energy throughout his body, activating his muscles. Using the elasticity that followed, he unleashed a barrage of fist techniques.

The wolf’s once-solid teeth broke, and its flesh seemed to tear under the sharp kicks. The wolf’s form quickly became a mangled mess.

Crack-!

‘This is no illusion. It has substance.’

What he thought was a simple technique turned out to be something else entirely. The martial master shook off the blood flowing from various parts of his body as he leapt out of the wolf’s mouth. His muscles contracted and expanded repeatedly, naturally stopping the bleeding around his wounds.

Thud-

He landed on the ground with a heavy weight. The heat rising from the martial master’s body naturally pushed away the fierce snowstorm. He thought this was a strange space. The inner energy that flowed out of his body had lost control and was transforming entirely into power to maintain this space.

With his stance lowered, he prepared for the next exchange. The martial master didn’t stop moving. He dodged flying swords while kicking away wolf forms that emerged from the ground. Each time his fists and feet extended, rough explosive sounds erupted, making the space vibrate.

Like a dragon about to ascend to heaven, he held his breath. The martial master’s once aggressive aura became infinitely gentle. His linear movements began to trace circles as he repeatedly stepped back.

Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor

Originally, this was a defensive martial art of the Heavenly Dragon Sect that required protective energy resembling dragon scales. But now, the martial master had no protective energy to shield his body. The inner energy flowing out of his body scattered before it could form the shape of scales. Therefore, he had to rely solely on his physical abilities to protect himself.

‘At this rate, I’ll dry up and die.’

Maintaining slow breaths, the martial master’s gaze fell upon his rapidly dispersing inner energy. Then, shifting his gaze, he looked into the distance. This space had the characteristic of continuously expanding the more he retreated.

He could feel an intent to never let anyone who entered escape. So how could he get out? The martial master pulled up the corner of his mouth. This was a space that endlessly drained inner energy. If so, how much could it actually absorb?

Rebellion. It was the martial master’s innate quality. Once again, he trusted his instincts. He suddenly released the inner energy rotating within his body. It was like a dragon that had been holding its breath for ascension suddenly turning its body. Scales raised, and a path stretched upward toward the sky.

Whoosh-!

‘What…?’

Se-Rin, who had been pushing the martial master back using formless flying swords and wolves, was startled by his appearance. As if he had lost his mind, he suddenly began pouring out all his inner energy. Surely he must have known the ability of this space.

Accepting the massive consumption of inner energy, the martial master began unleashing even more powerful attacks than before. When his extended fist struck the air, several swords flying behind it shattered instantly.

The energy extending like the form of a dragon was absorbed into the space and slowly dispersed. Through that gap, the martial master’s form shot forward. As if his goal was to kill his opponent before all his inner energy was consumed, there was even a sense of urgency.

‘Sei-ran.’

Perhaps because she had summoned the mental image, she felt a bit closer to her younger brother. As Se-Rin silently called her brother’s name, numerous wolves surged from the ground. The mix of black and white fur bothered her slightly, but she didn’t sense anything special about them.

The martial master’s charge didn’t stop. Dozens of wolves blocking his path were instantly shattered and slowly dispersed. The martial master’s fist techniques rained down on Se-Rin in an instant.

Se-Rin responded calmly to all attacks. Step by step, she slowly retreated, deflecting her opponent’s attacks. The Sun Force’s mana barrier, which she constantly maintained, absorbed considerable impact.

Rough booms erupted one after another.

The martial master’s materialized energy and the Sun Force’s barrier collided, sending fragments in all directions. As if multiple bombs had exploded at close range, the surrounding terrain changed.

Right after, the martial master took a big step forward. His thighs, thicker than Se-Rin’s waist, expanded even more as his massive leg stomped the ground. Boom-! From the foot technique meant to secure his center of gravity, the next attack followed. The martial master’s muscles writhed, creating a small rotation.

Watching this, Se-Rin extended her hand without delay. The martial master’s fist and Se-Rin’s fist collided at the same point simultaneously.

A silent light burst forth first. The collision of the two forces twisted the spatial axis once. It was Se-Rin who was pushed back. Although she didn’t suffer much damage due to her use of Sun Force, being pushed back even after manifesting her inner world came as a significant shock.

Boom-!

The sound erupted belatedly. The subsequent shockwave blew away all the accumulated snow.

“Haa… huff…”

Rough breathing. Se-Rin smiled as she looked at the martial master standing unsteadily. Unlike herself, who still had the strength to fight, the martial master looked exhausted, as if he had poured out all his power.

She had won.

That’s what she thought.

Crack-!

If not for the ominous sound that suddenly reached her ears, Se-Rin’s thoughts wouldn’t have changed. She shifted her gaze in the direction of the sound.

The point where Se-Rin and the martial master had collided. From that point, cracks began to form in the space. The massive energy scattering in all directions wasn’t being fully absorbed by the space.

Oversaturation.

It meant that the inner energy released by the martial master had exceeded the total amount that Se-Rin’s manifested space could absorb. Cracks spread like a spider web.

The martial master was smiling. As if to show that this had been his plan all along.

Se-Rin clicked her tongue at the sight. The space began to collapse. The crystal swords Se-Rin had summoned melted away, and the wolves with mixed white and black fur also disappeared.

The dark clouds covering the sky became blurry, and the fierce snowstorm also subsided. By the time the snow accumulated on the ground disappeared, Se-Rin drew her Ice Dragon Sword and pointed it at the martial master.

Her entire body felt hot. Despite the cold energy of the Ice Dragon-Heart enveloping her entire body, the pain didn’t subside. It was the backlash from manifesting her mental image.

Suddenly, the wind that had stopped began to blow again. The time the martial master and Se-Rin had spent in the inner world was at most one to two minutes—enough time for Sephiroth, who had been knocked down by the martial master, to return to the battlefield.

Along with the swirling wind, a female knight wrapped in golden mana approached Se-Rin’s side. She was clutching her abdomen. It was a wound from a surprise attack by Kanok, who had his body stolen by the Four Dragon King earlier.

The wound had reopened while blocking the martial master’s fist technique.

“You’re in better shape than I am. I’ll create an opening as best I can.”

With those words, Sephiroth stomped the ground. As the golden mana rotated slightly and dispersed, a straight beam of light extended and collided with the martial master.

Bang-!

In that brief moment, when Sephiroth and the martial master’s gazes met, dozens of exchanges followed. Mana and inner energy collided, creating white flashes. Se-Rin seized that opportunity.

It was a movement that maximized her small body. Sticking close to the ground to escape her opponent’s sight, she unleashed rapid sword strikes. The scale-like energy covering the martial master’s body blocked all attacks, but it couldn’t disperse the accumulated impact.

As Sephiroth and Se-Rin’s combined attack continued, the martial master’s expression twisted. At that moment, blood burst from Sephiroth’s abdomen, who was engaged in a power struggle with the martial master. Her balance faltered. The martial master didn’t miss that opening. As the muscles in his waist writhed greatly, a quickly executed kick struck Sephiroth’s body.

Bang-!

The martial master didn’t stop moving. Without stopping his rotation, he swung his arm. His heavy fist cut through the air and struck Se-Rin’s Ice Dragon Sword.

Clang-!

The Ice Dragon Sword flew away, spinning through the air. Just as Se-Rin hurriedly extended her hand to summon another sword, the martial master’s fist technique rained down again.

Clang-!

Ting-ting-!

That was the third sword to be knocked away. Still, the martial master’s movements didn’t stop. Maximizing his body’s flexibility, he swung his arm like a whip. At that strange sight, Se-Rin hurriedly reached behind her back.

Her small hand grasped a spear wrapped in tree bark. At that moment, a faint starlight spread throughout Se-Rin’s body. She immediately swung her hand. The spear shaft released from behind her back bent flexibly and struck the martial master’s fist technique.

It didn’t stop there. Se-Rin began to rotate using the recoil transmitted through the spear. Using her small body as the axis, she moved the long spear in a wrapping motion using her arms and shoulders.

After the spear shaft rotated twice, Se-Rin extended the spear using that rotational force. The starlight spear, glowing white with Se-Rin’s mana, extended roughly.

Right after.

The martial master’s belatedly extended fist and the spear tip collided.

Boom-!

“Ugh…!”

It was Se-Rin who was pushed back. In the posture of extending the spear, her body was pushed back, piling up dirt behind her feet. Still, Se-Rin didn’t retreat. But in the next moment, the starlight spear colliding with the martial master’s fist shattered completely.

Looking at the breaking spear blade and shaft, Se-Rin blankly opened her mouth. The dispersing mana and the martial master’s inner energy mixed, painting a strange world in the air. Above it, the fragments of the starlight spear seemed to rotate slowly.

‘The starlight…’

Se-Rin moved as if entranced. A sensation similar to when she first held the Ice Dragon Sword enveloped her entire body. Her hand, extending toward the air, slowly rotated, collecting the fragments of the starlight spear.

Just like using formless flying sword technique.

The fragments of the starlight spear, drawn in like a flowing river, went behind Se-Rin’s back and began to form a circle. The circle of starlight thus formed continued to rotate, increasing its speed.

Keeng-!

Se-Rin extended her palm toward the martial master’s fist technique coming at her. The blue inner energy pouring out formed the shape of a dragon before distorting.

Silent starlight poured from Se-Rin’s hand.