Chapter 1285: Scorched World

Fwoosh!

Flames spun, tinted gray. Father grasped a long Flame Lance in his hand.

My gaze held a hollow laugh as I watched him.

‘I’m going crazy.’

I’m losing my mind. He’s copying me right after seeing it just once?

Even worse.

‘He even wrapped himself in the mental barrier properly.’

The thing I had reinforced with a mental barrier because it was difficult to withstand the rotation and compression-Father was somehow watching and copying it.

‘I don’t know if it’s perfect, though.’

The enlightenment I achieved, the countless calculations used to create the martial art. Even the amount of internal energy combined for destructive power.

Father was copying it as if showing off.

The only difference, I thought.

‘Is the level.’

The difference between the level I achieved and Father’s level.

‘But even that isn’t certain.’

The Apostle’s body. The strengthened powers from it are enough to create anomalies.

Flick.

I slightly loosened my fingers. Releasing the Cheonma Shingong I was casting. Father wore a puzzled expression as the pressure vanished from me.

I had a reason for releasing it and recalling my energy too.

‘If it becomes like that.’

I can’t just let it go, even if it annoys me.

Back in the Northern Sea, Father was overwhelmingly strong, so I could accept it, but… this is different.

‘I have my pride.’

Fwoosh!

Thinking I couldn’t let it go like this, I wrapped myself in flames. Instantly, I completed the Flame Lance.

However. I made a clear distinction from Father.

‘I withdraw the mental barrier.’

Since my ability to control the rotation and compression had become sufficient, there was no need to unnecessarily use the mental barrier.

Thus, I maintained the Flame Lance solely with Guyeom Hwaryun Gong.

‘…This is difficult.’

The level of martial arts rises. No, perhaps the original level was like this. I was just using a shortcut by reinforcing myself with the mental barrier.

So.

‘This must be the real deal.’

The Flame Lance without the mental barrier.

The verdant blue flame took on a neat form.

As I grasped the Flame Lance, Father looked at me with a strange gaze. As if he had figured out my intentions.

Thump.

Father moved first. He took a stance and rotated his upper body to throw the Flame Lance. Seeing that, I also prepared my movements.

Flick!

We threw our lances simultaneously.

A thin flash followed, at a speed that sound couldn’t keep up with.

Thud.

The belated sound…

Kuaaaaaaang!

An explosion of tangled flames erupted. It was an enormous sound. An immense pressure of internal energy spread in all directions. The wind pressure surged as if to flatten all the grass on the prairie.

Inside, I stared without closing my eyes. I couldn’t miss the gaps between the flames.

‘Where is he.’

The pressure and heat were intense. My skin felt like it was burning, but neither Father nor I could be stopped by such things.

That’s why I had to find him.

Father, who must be within these flames.

Thus, I activated my Mind’s Eye and clearly amplified my Ki sense. Only then did I sense his presence.

‘There.’

Fwoosh!

I grasped the burning flames once more. Clenching the Flame Orbs in my palm.

Kwak!

I clenched my fist tightly and detonated it.

‘Great Void Wheel Flame Orb Lotus.’

The fragments of the detonated Flame Orbs spread like embers. Small remnants gathered again like beads, forming firefly-like shapes.

I shot them directly towards where I sensed Father’s presence.

Kwagagagagag!

A bombardment erupted. Following that, I felt his presence move. Shifting my gaze, I adjusted the Ember Orbs.

I looked at the escape route. The direction was singular. Blocking that path, I deliberately cornered his position.

The flames had already cleared. My blurry vision returned, and Father’s figure came into proper view.

That was the turning point. After cornering him to the desired destination.

‘Now.’

As if I had been waiting, I detonated the gathered embers.

Giiing!

Seeing the light-infused orbs, Father’s brow furrowed.

It was too late, though. Infusing them with intense energy, I detonated them.

Kwaaang!

Explosions similar to before erupted everywhere. Although a significant amount of my gathered energy was spent, I still had reserves.

The sizzling ground. The smoke rising from it. Even while watching that, I didn’t let my guard down.

‘I don’t feel like I’ve won.’

It’s intuition. Even though I used a good strategy, it’s uncertain if it worked.

That’s how Father was to me.

A man who seemed unfazed even when facing the Three Venerables.

‘The anomaly ordained by the world.’

An irregular existence born to prevent disaster. As the Young Master of the Gu Family, one who wasn’t caught by the walls set by the world.

Even without that, a monster with transcendent talent.

They say there are no protagonists in the world, but if I had to pick one, wouldn’t it be Father?

‘…How truly unreasonable.’

My son is treated like a disaster, but Father is the opposite. It was utterly ridiculous.

‘What can I do.’

That’s just my life. No, my dragon life.

Hwaaah.

I gathered flames in my grasp. As I tightly held the sizzling heat.

Hoooosh!

The burning smoke surged upwards. As expected. Father didn’t seem to have been defeated.

However…

Woong.

“…!”

My eyes widened at the intuition I felt. What is this sensation?

‘…Master?’

The Master’s level. Something supreme pressed down on my shoulders. Why am I feeling this?

Staring at Father with wide eyes.

Hwaaaaaa.

Father’s figure emerged through the smoke. Ha.

‘What the hell.’

It’s a form I’ve seen before. Even if not perfectly, that…

‘…It’s what Grandfather used.’

The Gu Family’s final ultimate technique and the complete awakening of the bloodline.

A power that could only be used because he wasn’t of human lineage and was the current proxy ruler of the Central Plains.

‘Master Transformation.’

The Gu Family’s Master Transformation.

Father’s state was exactly like that.

Wrapped in gray flames like smoke. His hair blazed in the shape of flames.

It was as if flames had been reshaped into a human form.

‘I’m going nuts.’

He can even use that?

‘Seriously…’

What is it about spending a year here? Or is it the Apostle Transformation? I don’t know, but it far exceeded my expectations.

“This is just too much.”

I couldn’t even laugh anymore. Only the question of what to do remained.

Tchiiik.

Father just looked at me with a blank expression. And then.

Woong.

He created countless Flame Orbs behind his back. They looked like stars scattered across the night sky. Moreover, the internal energy contained within each small Flame Orb was extraordinary.

Father flicked his hand.

Kuaaaaaaang!

The stars began to flood and cover me.

“Fuck.”

Giiiiiiing!

Friction occurred within. I prepared Hondon. The casting time seemed slightly delayed, but I managed to meet it just in time.

‘Cheonma Gunrimbo.’

I took a step.

Kuaaaaaa!

My presence and pressure took form, crushing the Flame Orbs. They exploded before they could reach me. Each step was strenuous. This is an inefficient martial art.

‘It consumes too much energy.’

Perhaps because it was meant to display my presence as a Heavenly Demon, cost-effectiveness wasn’t considered.

At that time, with my energy reserves, cost-effectiveness wasn’t important anyway.

‘Still.’

Its wide versatility is abundant. Just by walking, I could counter martial arts.

Of course.

‘Only this far.’

I had to use it briefly. Exactly three steps. Going further would maximize energy consumption.

Papapapang!

Still, with just three steps, I blocked most of the Flame Orbs. Although I suffered some heat damage from the explosions, it was negligible.

I released Cheonma Gunrimbo. At the same time, I tried to cast Cheonma Honok again.

Whoosh.

I sensed his presence in front of me.

“…!”

It was Father. I hadn’t sensed him, but he had appeared right in front of me.

Guyeom Taearang.

“Shit.”

Gray flames were shot from his fist. I twisted my upper body and dodged.

Kwaaaaaa!

If I hadn’t dodged, the amount of internal energy involved would have been disastrous.

‘…What the hell. He got this strong?’

Mature Mastery Realm. Father, who seemed to be at the peak of Mastery Realm after becoming an Apostle, seemed to have reached another level by achieving Master Transformation.

Transcendence.

‘Has he reached that point?’

It seems like he’s reached the same level as me.

Or maybe, I’m just perceiving it that way.

‘That would be too much.’

Someone achieved this after regressing, doing all sorts of crap, rolling and tumbling.

Father shouldn’t rise this much.

I lift the corners of my mouth.

I spread my hand wide. Focusing power in my heart, I instantly shot my internal energy from the middle dantian to the upper dantian.

The energy that rose to the upper dantian heated the blood throughout my body.

It resonated with my soul, vibrating.

Tchiiik.

Heat gathered in my palm.

Guyeom Geuktaesan Ohyeong.

I unleashed the ultimate technique that could only be used upon reaching Great Accomplishment in Guyeom Hwaryun Gong.

“…!”

Seeing that, Father instantly widened the distance. He seemed to have sensed something strange.

“That…”

Could he even recognize it? Father narrowed his eyes. Father, who hadn’t been surprised when I used Flame Orbs or Guyeom Hwaryun Gong, finally showed surprise when I unleashed the ultimate technique.

“Are you getting a little scared?”

“….”

Hwaruk.

However, as if merely surprised, he created flames once more. Then, grasping the Flame Orbs, he tried to regain his stance.

“If you’re going to do more, I’m going all out too.”

I felt this wouldn’t work, so I had to go all out as well.

I couldn’t delay the match any longer. I had to win somehow.

‘…Let’s do this.’

I go all out.

Just as Father was about to charge at me again.

“Don’t move…!”

“…!”

My action made Father falter. My hand was pointed directly at Mother, bound and immobilized.

“If you move, I’ll scorch you…!”

At that action, Father looked at me with an incredulous expression.

It seemed he hadn’t expected me to aim there.

‘Wow, this trash… He’s really stooping this low…’

If Shin Noya were here, he’d probably be spewing the foulest curses.

‘What can I do.’

To win, I had to use any means necessary.

‘…Like I said.’

I was quite the expert when it came to patricide.