Chapter 73
“There wasn’t even a moment of hesitation. As if all his decisions had already been made.”
That thought flashed across Yoon Se-ha’s mind.
A moment ago, the image of the Fist King’s merciless blow against her comrades had seared itself into her brain.
“…So you gathered us here with this in mind from the very beginning, you traitor!”
[Moonlight Phantom Sword Art (AAA)]
From Han-wol, a silver-white flash burst forth, flying toward Jeong Min-tae, heavy with fury.
Hundreds of moonlit sword auras condensed only into reality, stripped of illusions.
Pssshhhhhh!
They were no longer phantom swords, but a storm of destruction that sought to cut everything apart.
But the Fist King did not evade.
Instead, he stepped forward toward the incoming blades.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
[‘Body of Steel (S)’ has been activated.]
[‘Body of Steel (S)’ has been activated.]
…
…
A continuous barrage of sharp metallic sounds rang out.
Jeong Min-tae’s entire body, hardened like diamond, received the dazzling sword dance with nothing but his bare flesh.
“What a truly splendid dance.”
He sneered.
Though countless strikes had slashed across him, not a single scratch marked his body.
“Entertaining for the eyes. But in real combat? A failure.”
The mockery was blatant.
Yoon Se-ha’s gaze did not waver.
She drew in a deep breath.
Ssshhh!
In an instant, the silvery aura wrapping Han-wol turned crimson.
And then—
[Ghost-Soul Demon Sword (Legendary)]
└ [Stage 3: Emergence of Vengeful Spirits]
└ [Stage 4: Wailing Ghosts Filling the Sky]
The entire burial mound was instantly transformed into a graveyard of evil spirits.
Rivers of crimson madness spread outward.
The souls of the dead wailed in unison.
Kiiiiiiieeeeeeek!!
Aaaaaaaghhhhhh!!
The spectral cries shook the entire mound.
Jeong Min-tae’s vision wavered as if caught in waves, his consciousness cracking.
Through that gap—
Slash!
Yoon Se-ha surged forward like a lightning bolt.
Han-wol carved red arcs as it struck again and again.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Rip…!
Her blade poured down like a bombardment.
At last, the body that had seemed like diamond split open.
His forearm was gashed, a long crack ran across his chest.
Yoon Se-ha’s relentless assault would not stop.
“…Tch.”
Realizing he could no longer withstand it bare-handed, Jeong Min-tae drew out all of his equipment.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
At the same time, a violent aura burst out from his body.
[‘Conqueror’s Will (S)’ has been activated.]
Kwoooooooom!
His burning willpower pushed back against the spirits’ influence.
His vision stabilized.
The ghostly cries began to fade.
“…Yes, a Ghost Sword only becomes true when drawn as a Ghost Sword.”
Jeong Min-tae thrust his fist toward the shroud of evil energy.
[Diamond Heaven-Shattering Fist (Legendary)]
└ [Stage 3: Shattering Strike]
Crackkkk!
The crimson shroud ripped apart like paper.
Riding the momentum, Jeong Min-tae’s barrage of fists thundered forward.
Yoon Se-ha gathered her ghostly energy.
[Ghost-Soul Demon Sword (Legendary)]
└ [Stage 5: Fatal Slash]
The vitality and resolve of the living.
The resentment and hatred of the dead.
Both powers were poured into a single, fatal strike.
The blood-red blade of Han-wol pierced through Jeong Min-tae’s shoulder.
Crunch!
Armor shattered into fragments, blood gushing like a fountain.
But at the same time, Jeong Min-tae’s [Shattering Strike] landed, cracking Yoon Se-ha’s breastplate.
“Ghhhk…!”
Thrown far back, Yoon Se-ha’s face turned pale.
The side effects of pushing Ghost-Soul Demon Sword to the limit—
A gnawing hunger that drained her focus.
The tip of her sword trembled faintly.
‘Now.’
Flash!
Jeong Min-tae lunged forward like a gale.
[Diamond Heaven-Shattering Fist (Legendary)]
└ [Stage 5: Infinite Strikes]
A merciless barrage gave her no time to breathe.
Slowed, Yoon Se-ha began to lose track of his movements.
She swung Han-wol with all her might, but—
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Clang!
The hilt slipped from her hand, flying into the air.
Her waist buckled, her knees hit the ground.
Jeong Min-tae’s fists rained down.
Thudududududu!
Strikes landed like iron hammers.
Her right arm shattered.
Her ribs broke, the next punch smashed across her face.
Sparks filled her vision.
The final blow sank deep into her abdomen.
Boooom!
Her body rolled across the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Je…ong… Min…tae…!”
Her vision blurred white.
She tried several times to push herself up, but not even her fingertips had strength left.
“Haaahh…”
Jeong Min-tae steadied his breath.
He turned to Do-yoon, who had only been watching.
“You… why didn’t you join the fight?”
His voice mixed both curiosity and wariness.
“If you two had worked together, it would’ve been far easier to face me.”
“Seems we both have one question each.”
Do-yoon raised a finger.
“One answer for one question. How about it?”
“As you wish.”
“The one who did the incomprehensible thing… is you, Jeong Min-tae.”
Do-yoon’s piercing gaze cut into him.
“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
Jeong Min-tae tilted his head, intrigued.
“And what makes you think so?”
“Your attitude. Completely dismissing contribution. Claiming it was all for revenge, caring only about results? I’ve never seen an awakened one so indifferent to rewards.”
“That’s all?”
“And that little ‘aptitude test’ at Black Night Guild.”
Do-yoon’s tone chilled.
“It wasn’t about who was worthy of handling the sealed tomb. You were hand-picking your prey. Choosing the final seat to be someone you yourself could slaughter.”
“…You’re quick.”
Jeong Min-tae smirked.
“When I heard you’d defeated the Ghost Sword, I thought you might be a variable.”
“So in the end, no matter how much we struggled, we were already fixed pieces on your board.”
Clap, clap.
Jeong Min-tae clapped.
“Truly a pity. With your talents, you could have been leagues above someone like Yoo Ji-hoon as my subordinate.”
“Oh, looks like I asked one too many questions.”
Do-yoon shrugged lightly, tossing out something random.
“So—soondae with salt, or with ssamjang?”
“…?”
A silence hung.
The Fist King’s brow furrowed.
“What happened to chojang?”
“Uh… you seem to like it a lot. Anyway, the reason I didn’t help? Same as yours.”
Do-yoon’s shoulders rose.
“Fist King Jeong Min-tae. You too—”
[‘Guardian’s Sword (B)’ has been activated.]
Lightning crackled in his grasp, his gaze turning cold.
“…are no variable to me.”
Whoosh!
Do-yoon’s body vanished like smoke.
At the same instant, Jeong Min-tae also disappeared into the air.
Flash!
The two reappeared at the summit of the mound, clashing head-on.
[Conqueror’s Strike!]
Golden fist-energy spread like a saint’s halo.
It was powerful enough to push back the colossal General of No-Soul weighing over a hundred tons.
Do-yoon had once faced this Conqueror’s Strike in front of Black Night’s headquarters.
Back then, Jeong Min-tae hadn’t been at full strength—nor had Do-yoon.
This time… it’s not fists, but swords.
[Heaven’s Fortune Sword Formula (Legendary)]
└ [Stage 4: Severing the Clouds]
Booooom!
A landslide roar.
The shockwave sent Jeong Min-tae sliding down the slope of the mound.
He dug his heels into the ground to stop, but could not hide the ringing in his ears or the numbness in his wrists.
Do-yoon too had taken damage.
…But he still has equipment left.
Jeong Min-tae’s face flickered with unease.
“No one’s ever endured this far against me.”
But then—
A crooked smile spread across his lips.
“…Now, I’ll show you the true power of a king.”
An unfamiliar energy rose over his fists.
It was no longer just the level of ‘Transcendence,’ manipulating and transforming qi.
By compressing immense amounts to the limit, he gave destructive will a tangible form.
This was a higher realm—the realm of Gangqi (Overbearing Force Qi).
Fsshhhhhh!
Golden fist-aura rippled outward, distorting space itself.
‘…!’
Yoon Se-ha, collapsed on the ground, swallowed hard.
“He was hiding this…? The Fist King is actually beyond transcendence—at the realm of Super-Transcendence!”
It felt like every last strand of hope snapped.
“It’s over. Not even Hyun Do-yoon can bridge this gap…”
There was no answer.
Even if she had fought alongside him.
Even without the cursed side effects of Ghost-Soul Demon Sword.
No matter the scenario, defeating that man was impossible.
Yet Do-yoon didn’t so much as flinch.
“Now that’s a flashy sight.”
“Is that your last words?”
Kwoooom!
Jeong Min-tae charged straight at him.
Golden fist-aura engulfed everything.
Do-yoon readied his Thunder Sword.
Every nerve in his body sparked awake like lightning.
Shhhk.
Shhhk!
On the silver blade, blue energy compressed again and again—
Until finally, a radiant brilliance spread across its length.
Fwaaahhh!
It was a power equal to Jeong Min-tae’s.
The blue Sword Aura—Sword Gang.
KABOOOOOM!
“Impossible.”
Yoon Se-ha’s eyes widened in shock.
Jeong Min-tae’s eyes stretched wide in disbelief.
“You too… are Super-Transcendent?”
Do-yoon smirked.
“Why? Starting to feel like I might be a variable now?”
Everything had been just a prelude to this moment.
Flash! BOOOOM!
Golden Fist Aura versus Blue Sword Aura.
The strongest S-rank versus the strongest S-rank.
Super-Transcendent versus Super-Transcendent.
The clash shook the entire Crystal Tomb, the earth overturning.
Jeong Min-tae’s fist-aura was a tyrannical storm of destruction.
Do-yoon’s sword-aura, destructive yet precise and razor-sharp.
But in raw power, Jeong Min-tae held a slight edge.
“See? Even at Super-Transcendence, nothing changes!”
[‘Trajectory Analysis (AAA)’ has been activated.]
He had to wait for the chance.
Do-yoon’s eyes saw hundreds of faint lines marking Jeong Min-tae’s attack paths.
‘Almost flawless. Too many possibilities to interfere…’
And yet, his lips curled upward.
His eyes gleamed as his senses sharpened to the peak.
[Heaven’s Fortune Sword Formula (Legendary)]
└ [Stage 0: True Sight]
└ [Heaven’s Fortune Eye—Phase 1: Observation]
The moment it activated, his vision changed.
The tangled web of hundreds of trajectories cleared, illusions peeled away.
Only seven or eight clear paths remained.
And among them, one shone brightest—
The most probable route Jeong Min-tae would take.
[‘Trajectory Interference (AAA)’ has been activated.]
It was just the smallest hairline fracture.
But great dams always break from the tiniest cracks.
“…?”
Jeong Min-tae’s flawless strike gained a barely perceptible ‘gap.’
Do-yoon did not miss it.
His entire being shot toward that gap.
SHHHHHK!
Do-yoon’s figure pierced straight through Jeong Min-tae’s body.
“Wha…at?”
For the first time, emptiness filled Jeong Min-tae’s eyes.
He looked down at his chest in disbelief.
A hole gaped open, the eerie light of the Crystal Tomb shining straight through it.
“You… what in the world… are you…?”
As his body collapsed, system messages flooded in.
[Protect Yoon Se-ha]
[Protect Kang Il-ho]
[Protect Lee Seo-jun]
[S-rank Threat Eliminated!]
[Honor Points Gained: 17,200]
[‘World’s First’ S-Rank Awakened Kill!]
[‘National First’ S-Rank Awakened Kill!]
[‘World’s First’ Super-Transcendent Master Kill!]
[‘National First’ Super-Transcendent Master Kill!]
[‘World’s First’ S-Rank Threat Subjugated!]
[‘National First’ S-Rank Threat Subjugated!]
[First-Time Achievement Bonus: 300,000P earned.]
[6 Consecutive Achievements Bonus: 7,000P earned.]
[Total Points Owned: 1,864,464P]
