Chapter 801: Where is my son?

Kwadeudeuk-!!

My face, stomped on by a foot, digs deep into the ground.

Even if it doesn’t dig deep, cracks spread like a spiderweb in all directions, proving the pressure.

“Kkeueueu!!”

Twin Crescent Swords swallowed a groan at the sudden pain.

He immediately focused strength in his core.

Huuk-!

Energy spread through his energy pathways.

First, he had to somehow get this foot off him.

But.

Ppang-!

“Kkeueueok!”

His core was hit with immense agony, and his energy was blocked.

It felt like his energy pathways were twisting.

They probably hadn’t actually twisted or caused his energy to flow backward.

If they had, he would have suffered cultivation deviation long ago.

His protective energy was also useless.

He couldn’t even struggle against the pain.

As helplessness fully enveloped Twin Crescent Swords.

“Hey.”

A voice was heard.

“Why’d you stop? Keep going.”

The voice came from the owner of the foot.

For some reason, that voice was full of laughter.

“Say it.”

Kkuuk-!

“Kk…euua eok!”

“I told you to bark more? You son of a bitch.”

Along with the verbal abuse, the pressure on his face intensified.

Now, even breathing out was difficult.

It was a situation where his face felt like it would be smashed.

Was there no way? Just as Twin Crescent Swords was racking his brain.

“You keep trying to get away with it. Thinking I’m a pushover…!”

Ung-!

“…!!”

Suddenly, the force of the pressure on his face significantly lessened.

Twin Crescent Swords didn’t miss that chance.

He immediately maximized the strength in his entire body and swung his arm.

Tung-! The impact slightly widened the gap between the foot and his face. In that moment, Twin Crescent Swords moved his body to create distance.

Thanks to that, he managed to escape.

“Huk… Huk-!”

He quickly wrapped his body in energy to suppress the pain, raising his protective energy, Twin Crescent Swords checked his opponent.

In reality, there was no need to check.

He had already confirmed it by voice.

“Seong…!”

“Kulleok-!”

Just as he was about to call out to his opponent in an angry voice, Twin Crescent Swords frowned at the coughing sound that pierced his ears.

The person who had been stepping on his face just moments ago was inexplicably coughing up blood.

Tuduk-!

The blood flowing from his mouth stained the floor. Moreover, the amount was quite significant.

“Ah, damn it. My clothes are all wet.”

The one who had coughed up blood, Saint King Ouyangcheon, was wiping away the blood with a heavily furrowed brow.

Kulleok.

After coughing up blood a few more times behind him, he spat bloody phlegm onto the floor.

Twin Crescent Swords’s gaze shifted strangely as he watched.

“What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen someone cough up blood before?”

Faced with such brazen audacity, Twin Crescent Swords frowned and opened his mouth.

“…What is this?”

“What am I doing?”

Ouyangcheon burst into loud laughter at the reply.

“Is he crazy? Can’t you tell? I’m beating the crap out of this mutt.”

Twin Crescent Swords raised his hand to cover his forehead. His face, which had just been stepped on, throbbed intensely.

‘When did this even happen…?’

When did the Saint King approach him?

Why was the Deputy Leader lying there?

‘Why was I lying on the ground?’

He hadn’t perceived any of those shifting moments.

By the time he realized it, he was already lying on the ground.

Twin Crescent Swords couldn’t believe it.

‘Even if I was careless.’

To allow such a surprise attack. It was absurd.

No matter how you look at it, this wasn’t just carelessness.

It was purely a difference in level.

A reality that absolutely couldn’t be denied washed over Twin Crescent Swords.

He had no choice but to admit it, even if he didn’t want to.

‘…What a monstrous guy.’

A genius who had not only reached Hwajing at a young age but also sat at the King-level.

He had thought they called him King because he had aspirations within the Alliance, but not yet reached that level.

‘This….’

It seemed higher than King-level, let alone just King-level.

‘They said he smashed the Sword King with his fist.’

It seemed that wasn’t a lie.

Honestly, he hadn’t half-believed it, but seeing this, he had nothing more to say.

The guy in front of him was vastly stronger than himself.

Twin Crescent Swords recognized this.

Just then.

“I mean, I understand to some extent.”

Ouyangcheon, having finished wiping the blood, continued speaking to Twin Crescent Swords.

“I was going to cut you some slack, no matter what crap you pulled?”

Ouyangcheon’s expression was smiling as he spoke, but Twin Crescent Swords felt an inexplicable chill.

He glanced at his arm. Goosebumps had risen.

‘What?’

What was this feeling when he hadn’t done anything?

An overwhelming difference in power? Had his body stiffened from feeling that?

No. This wasn’t just that kind of feeling.

‘Could it be.’

Was he scared? Was he, himself, scared of that brat?

Ppadeuk.

Twin Crescent Swords clenched his teeth and channeled strength into his energy pathways.

He forcibly awakened his stiffened body.

There’s a difference in level. If we fight, I lose.

Even though that was certain and his pride was trampled.

“What crap did I even pull?”

He wasn’t going to back down like this.

Because this place was the Martial Arts Alliance.

“Oh, look at how shameless this old man is.”

“How dare you launch a surprise attack here! Aren’t you afraid of the Alliance’s rules?”

“Rules?”

As Ouyangcheon tilted his head and spoke, Twin Crescent Swords’s lips twitched into a smile.

“You just attacked another Brigade Leader within the Alliance. This is no different from treason. No matter how much favor you have with the Alliance right now, do you think they’ll overlook this lightly?”

“Hah.”

Ouyangcheon couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh at Twin Crescent Swords’s words.

“Is he really a crazy bastard?”

His expression clearly showed he was contemplating what to do with the other guy.

“Don’t you remember me saying I heard everything you said? Do I look like my ears are blocked?”

“…”

Twin Crescent Swords’s brow furrowed slightly at Ouyangcheon’s words.

That’s right. The guy had heard everything he’d said. But.

“What’s the problem with that?”

“Huh?”

At the reflected reaction, Ouyangcheon’s eyes narrowed significantly this time.

“What’s the problem? Are you asking because you don’t know, old man?”

Seureuk.

As he spoke, Ouyangcheon raised his hand and swept back his front hair.

Seeing that, Twin Crescent Swords flinched involuntarily.

His eyes, revealed as his hair was pushed back.

The contempt began to seep into those intense blue eyes.

His body tightened.

Dugeun-!

His heart began to beat frantically.

“…Who knew that woman used sorcery? Who knew you’d made a backroom deal with the Silver Wolf Sword?”

But his mouth didn’t stop.

Even his instincts couldn’t stop his mouth.

However.

“This is merely suspicion. For the purpose of verification-.”

“Old man.”

His mouth, which had been spewing words, was finally shut.

“I’ve been curious since last time.”

His racing heart couldn’t control its speed, and his barely maintained breathing became tangled.

It was a sensation he was feeling for the first time.

How should he describe this?

“Do you have two lives, old man?”

Kkeugeugeugeuk.

“I just can’t understand it no matter how much I think about it.”

“…!”

Twin Crescent Swords’s eyes widened.

Because his stiffened body was moving on its own.

Especially his knees. He could feel his lower body trying to bend uncontrollably.

“Why do you keep acting tough? You’ll end up disappearing without a trace, you fucking bastard.”

Kwak-!

“Keup!”

Ouyangcheon reached out and grabbed Twin Crescent Swords’s cheek.

Then, a gaze filled with contempt pierced into his eyes.

“Go on, try it.”

Kkuuk.

“If you say just one more word.”

Udeudeuk-!! He felt his teeth breaking under the pressure in his hand.

“I think I can really kill you.”

“Keugeueuk!”

“Or maybe not? Maybe I should just get rid of you like this?”

“…Keuk!”

Through the pain, a chill ran down Twin Crescent Swords’s spine.

The killing intent in his voice was genuine.

This guy really intended to kill him here.

Killing a Brigade Leader in the middle of the Martial Arts Alliance? The guards would be nearby, and there would be other forces.

…Isn’t he afraid of the repercussions?

“Yeah, that’s probably it. That’s better. Right?”

Ouyangcheon’s eyes began to gleam as if he had already made up his mind.

“…J-just a sec….”

Perhaps due to his survival instinct, his blocked mouth suddenly opened.

Seeing that, Ouyangcheon slightly loosened his grip.

“Yeah. Got something else to say?”

“St-stop…”

Stop it.

Ouyangcheon’s eyes twitched at the words that could be interpreted even without hearing them fully.

It was then.

Kwang!!

“Kukheok!”

Twin Crescent Swords’s head snapped back from the impact that exploded on his face.

It was the aftermath of Ouyangcheon punching his face.

“That’s not it.”

Jureureuk.

Perhaps the inside of his nose had burst, as blood trickled down Twin Crescent Swords’s philtrum.

“That’s not what you should be saying right now.”

“Geueo….”

His consciousness grew hazy.

It wasn’t just the agony of a single blow.

It was so intense that holding onto his consciousness was a struggle.

A punch of that caliber.

“If you did wrong.”

Kwang-!!

“Admit you did wrong.”

Kwaang-!

“And grovel properly.”

Kwang-! Kwang-!!

“You son of a bitch.”

Ouyangcheon began raining blows down on Twin Crescent Swords consecutively.

Chwak-!

Blood splattered.

His teeth had already shattered and were falling to the floor.

The blood flowing from his mouth and nose was enough to soak Twin Crescent Swords’s martial attire.

It hurt, and it hurt again.

Despite a life forged through countless battles, this was the first time in his life he had felt such pain from a mere punch.

What was even more frightening was that he hadn’t lost consciousness despite taking such blows.

“Geureuk… Euk-eo….”

Twin Crescent Swords’s body went limp, swaying unsteadily.

“I knew this from way back.”

Watching this, Ouyangcheon’s eyes began to glow bluer.

“You guys are still no different from mere beast cubs.”

Pulsseok.

His legs had already given out, and he knelt down.

More accurately, it was right to say he was dangling, held by the scruff of his neck by Ouyangcheon.

“The bastards from the unorthodox sects know they’re bad guys. But scum like you don’t even realize that. That’s what pisses me off the most.”

His hand went up.

Blood dripped from his clenched fist.

It was all Twin Crescent Swords’s blood.

“It’s maddening. To rot yourself and then lament why you’re rotten. Or perhaps not? Maybe you don’t even know you’re rotten?”

He could hear the words, but it was becoming difficult to even process them.

“That must be it. If you knew, you wouldn’t have ended up like this. Because you didn’t know, you came this far.”

He was speaking to himself, but somehow it sounded like he was talking to someone else.

“Fucking bastards.”

A voice filled with rage and contempt.

At the same time, his fist moved.

The moment he saw that.

“…I… I’m sor….”

Meomchit.

Twin Crescent Swords finally managed to speak.

Hearing him, Ouyangcheon’s fist also stopped.

“I… was… wrong…”

“I… did… wrong…”

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue sharply and lowered his fist.

His short tongue-click was clearly imbued with all sorts of irritation.

Tung!

“Keok.”

His arm, swung briefly, grazed Twin Crescent Swords’s jaw.

His head dropped completely, as if he had lost consciousness.

Confirming this, he released the scruff of his neck and roughly tossed him onto the floor.

Tuk tuk.

Every time he shook his hands, blood flowed, making it incredibly sticky.

There was nothing specific to wipe it with, so shaking his hands was all he did.

Continuously shaking his hands, Ouyangcheon whispered as he looked at the fallen Twin Crescent Swords.

“What a moronic bastard.”

It was quite laughable.

“Begging for forgiveness over just this? What an idiot.”

To apologize immediately after being hit a few times, could this even be called a Brigade Leader of the Alliance?

He had been acting so cocky, he wondered how much guts he had, but it turned out to be nothing.

“If it came down to proper torture, he’d probably wet himself first.”

Like tearing off skin and burning it slowly from the inside.

Or like the Sword Demon often did, slicing him thinly like preparing sashimi while also stopping the bleeding.

Or the tortures the Sword Empress inflicted on men, the kind too horrible to even imagine.

He was the type who couldn’t even endure such simple(?) methods of torture.

It’s because guys like this are in the position of Brigade Leader that they collapse so easily.

Tuk.

He nudged Twin Crescent Swords’s face with his toe and thought.

‘Whether it’s the Demonic Cult or the Orthodox sects. Seeing as this guy doesn’t have much memory, maybe he died long ago in a past life.’

It was a guess, but he was sure it was likely.

An insignificant guy.

He wasn’t even worth looking at, so he immediately turned around and approached the other person.

It was the guy called the Deputy Leader, who had been lying down since earlier.

“I know you’re awake.”

“…!”

At Ouyangcheon’s words, the body pretending to be unconscious flinched violently.

Afterward, the Deputy Leader moved his creaking head to look at Ouyangcheon.

“Stop lying there. Could you get rid of that?”

“…Uh… Ah… That.”

“Or do you want to end up like him?”

“D-Deputy Leader-! Are you alright!”

“…”

At the warning words, the Deputy Leader immediately rushed towards Twin Crescent Swords.

It was like…

It was a display that showed absolutely no real loyalty.

Seeing that, he thought it wouldn’t be long before the Golden Dragon Brigade collapsed too.

“Hoo.”

He let out a deep sigh and turned his head.

He started to feel faint signs of presence through his energy sense.

Even though he had suppressed his energy, the energy waves had spread, so it seemed like guards or martial artists within the Alliance were heading this way.

Feeling that, Ouyangcheon carefully cast his gaze towards another direction.

Secretly, so the other party wouldn’t notice.

The location was the top of a tree that wasn’t easily visible.

There was someone who had watched this entire scene from beginning to end.

Even with his presence suppressed to the maximum, it was difficult for even Ouyangcheon to sense him, but Ouyangcheon was certain.

He was convinced that the Azure Dragon Brigade Leader, Ilcheonggeom, was there.

‘How about it.’

Thinking this, Ouyangcheon asked inwardly.

‘Do you have some certainty now?’

Naturally, no answer came.

However.

Ung.

A short while later, even the barely perceptible presence disappeared.

Only then could Ouyangcheon smile with satisfaction.

This should be enough of a bait.