Unhwi adjusted his clothes and smiled faintly.
"Wasn’t the world boring to you?"
"......"
"I do not think it is the ‘ti’ yet, but since you still took your seat and we ended up eting like this, I wanted to say it at least once."
Jegal Yeonghyeon’s eyes changed.
"Who plays the ga of go. Who picks up the stones."
An edge began to creep into Unhwi’s voice.
"You have believed yourself to be the player all this ti, Vice Alliance Lord, but in truth you are nothing more than a stone."
The corner of Jegal Yeonghyeon’s eye trembled.
"How dare you......"
"There is nothing uglier than a stone acting as though it is the player."
Unhwi’s words were sharp as a blade.
"You need to cultivate yourself further, Vice Alliance Lord."
Jegal Yeonghyeon’s fist shook.
"You filthy...... bastard. Damned bastard, a worm that still wouldn’t be enough even if I tore you apart and boiled you and ate you."
But outwardly, he forced himself to maintain composure.
"......The Heavenly Arbiter’s tongue truly lives up to your reputation."
"It is not a tongue. I am only stating facts."
"Facts, you say. Then should you not consider the reverse as well?"
"The reverse?"
"If I was rely a stone mistaking myself for the player, then the Heavenly Arbiter might also be a stone mistaking himself for the player."
A gentle smile drew itself across Unhwi’s lips.
"Now you are finally putting proper words in your mouth."
"......What did you say?"
"You truly hit the core. Yes, that is right. I, too, might be a stone mistaking itself for the player. But there is one biggest difference."
"And what is that?"
"That I am aware of it."
"......"
"Because I am aware of it, I can step out of that board and set a new board. I have already done so many tis, and I am doing it even now."
Jegal Yeonghyeon’s brow furrowed.
There was a barb in the words.
A barb that rose impossibly high was clearly there, yet he could not read what it was.
What is he saying? No—who is he talking about?
As Unhwi passed Jegal Yeonghyeon, he spoke.
"That is enough. From now on, act °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° after you properly identify who the real player is."
Jegal Yeonghyeon wanted to take the fan in his hand and slice Unhwi’s throat off at once, but Jegal Yeonghyeon stood at the Heaven-Earth Apex.
There was no way he could slice the throat of Unhwi, who had already created the Triple Profound Realm.
Justification had already been made—if he swung, his own neck would be the one that fell.
So Jegal Yeonghyeon could only stare in silence at Unhwi as he descended the mountain.
***
In that mont, the two n lunged at the sa ti.
Shin Jueon drew his sword with lightning speed and launched the first strike.
Fla-Illusion Sword Art
Fire Dragon Erges from Water
From the sword tip, red fla took the shape of a dragon and surged toward Fla King Hwa Munyeom. Heat alone warped the air around it.
Fla King Hwa Munyeom twisted his body to the left to evade and countered at once.
Fla Emperor Palm Art
Blue-Fla Wave
From his right palm, blue fla spread out in a fan. It collided with Shin Jueon’s fire dragon and triggered a massive detonation.
KWA-KWANG-!!
With the first clash, the floor of the Palace Lord Hall split, and cracks ran through the pillars.
Like n of the Soul-Dao Demon Fla Palace, the two exchanged greetings with the Soul-Dao Demon Fla Palace’s martial arts, then halted for a brief mont.
Fla King Hwa Munyeom looked calm, while Shin Jueon wore a slightly startled expression.
With expressions so starkly opposed, they kicked off again without hesitation.
Shin Jueon swung his sword.
Demon-Fla Linked-Ring Sword.
The blade cleaved the air, drawing red arcs.
One, two, three...... in an instant, nine sword energies surrounded Fla King Hwa Munyeom.
Fla King Hwa Munyeom kicked off the ground with both feet and leapt into the air. His body rotated, and blue fla swirled from his two hands.
From within that whirl, Fla King Hwa Munyeom spun and thrust his right arm out long.
Returning Fla, Shaking the Heavens Palm,
The palm wind slamd down from midair and began shattering Shin Jueon’s sword energies in a chain. When only the last remained, Fla King Hwa Munyeom snatched Shin Jueon’s sword with his opposite hand.
Shin Jueon’s eyes went wide.
"......You lunatic—"
KRAK.
It was clearly palm against blade, yet the sound that rang out was the palm crushing the sword. Shin Jueon, who had driven his Heaven-Earth spiritual energy to the extre, could not comprehend it.
He should have been tearing Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s palm apart instead.
Slowly, the blade began to stain with blood. It was the blood flowing down from Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s palm.
"When you killed Yuseong, did you feel even a little sorry?"
"......I have been feeling it since earlier. Once a Palace Lord, always a Palace Lord. You keep speaking casually. Palace trash, you have gotten bold while I wasn’t looking—"
"Answer the question I asked."
Shin Jueon curled his lips into a greasy smile.
"Not even a trace of remorse. The bastard dug his own grave."
"Fine. I understand."
Fla King Hwa Munyeom yanked the hand gripping the sword.
Because it happened in a blink, Shin Jueon staggered for a fraction.
And into his abdon—
KWA-A-A-ANG-!!
Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s fist drove in.
The destructive force did not match his lean fra, and Shin Jueon spat blood at once.
"Fla Emperor Fist......! This insane old man...... he never stopped refining."
His panic lasted only a mont. Flas surged up from his flesh, and he imdiately grabbed Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s left wrist with his other arm.
Shin Jueon’s eyes flashed, and Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s eyes flashed as well.
Shin Jueon raised his sword high above his head, and fierce flas began to blaze along the entire blade.
Fla-Illusion Greatsword.
Karmic Inferno, Sky-Scorching.
A massive pillar of fire erupted from the sword and burned the ceiling of the Palace Lord Hall. Shin Jueon brought the sword down toward Fla King Hwa Munyeom.
For the first ti, Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s expression turned serious. After drawing up his power, he raised his opposite wrist.
A Soul-Dao Demon Fla Palace martial art specialized in defense.
Fla Emperor Barrier.
Fla King Hwa Munyeom had refined it for a particularly long ti.
Because he had wanted his conviction not to be shaken by any attack, by any storm.
Because he believed he could achieve it only if he endured.
A shield of blue fla ford, and Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s white hair began to take on a blue tint.
KWA-A-A-ANG-!!!
A trendous impact crashed down on him. His arm trembled violently, and his feet sank deep into the floor.
"You block it? Insolent old bastard!"
Shin Jueon raised the sword again and struck down once more.
"This is the Soul-Dao Demon Fla Palace’s martial art evolved through the Absolute Fla Heaven-Mixing Art!"
Believing he had seized the advantage, Shin Jueon unleashed a barrage.
Fla Sword Dance.
The sword swung like a storm.
Dozens of sword energies poured down toward Fla King Hwa Munyeom.
In that brief instant, Fla King Hwa Munyeom, who was still caught by Shin Jueon, twisted his arm and stepped forward.
With a booming impact, his shoulder slamd into Shin Jueon’s solar plexus.
Shin Jueon’s brow knotted as he retreated, but the technique he had released remained.
Storm-like heat that fell from above drove toward Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s throat, his limbs, and points across his body.
Fla King Hwa Munyeom crossed his arms at once, and blue heat exploded upward from his body as if erupting.
Fla King Hwa Munyeom redeployed Fla Emperor Barrier, and Shin Jueon’s attacks reached him almost at the sa ti.
KWA-A-A-A-ANG-!!
With a deafening roar, flas swallowed everything in all directions, and the surroundings began to lt.
Stepping far back, Shin Jueon regripped his sword and narrowed his eyes.
Almost everything around them had been reduced to scorched ruin.
As n of the Soul-Dao Demon Fla Palace, both naturally unfurled Return-to-Fla Flowing-Shadow Steps.
Return-to-Fla Flowing-Shadow Steps was a unique footwork art of the Soul-Dao Demon Fla Palace that accelerated and accelerated again by igniting demonic fla beneath one’s feet. These two had long since gone beyond mastering it and made it into footwork of their own.
Free and fast in movent, free in changing direction as well. The problem was that demonic fla remained wherever they stepped, lting and exploding everything around them.
That was exactly what was happening now.
There was almost nothing intact. Everything was lting down, and ash drifted through the air.
Shin Jueon stared through that chaos.
Between the rising dust and surging heat, Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s figure ca into view.
"......"
Shin Jueon lost the words.
Several parts of the robe were torn, and blood flowed from the left shoulder and the right side.
It ran down from the leg as well, but it did not seem to hinder walking or running in the slightest.
"......Hng......"
A groan slipped out on its own.
He had attacked with the intent to kill, yet at that level the man was practically fine.
"You said it evolved through the Absolute Fla Heaven-Mixing Art."
"......"
"From what I see, you mixed Absolute Fla Heaven-Mixing Art into the formulas of the Demon-Blend Return-to-Fla Heart thod. And this is all it amounts to?"
"......You worm."
Slowly, Fla King Hwa Munyeom began bringing both hands together before his chest.
Blue fla started to rise around his body.
Fla Emperor Heavenly Mandate Art
Descent of the Fla Avatar
Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s presence surged explosively. His hair whipped about, wrapped in blue fla, and his eyes turned blue.
Shin Jueon’s face hardened.
Fla King Hwa Munyeom stepped forward. In that mont, the entire Palace Lord Hall shook.
Fla King Hwa Munyeom thrust both palms out in rapid succession.
Eight massive spheres of blue fla spread outward in eight directions and encircled Shin Jueon.
Extinguishing Flas in Eight Directions.
Shin Jueon hurriedly turned his sword to block, but he could not stop attacks coming from eight directions at once.
KWA-KWANG! KWA-KWANG! KWA-KWANG!
Three of the fla spheres slamd into Shin Jueon’s body. His right shoulder was badly charred, and blood ran down from his left leg.
He clenched his teeth.
He had to kill that man.
Suddenly, red fla wrapped around Shin Jueon’s entire body.
His hair burned up, and his skin flushed red-hot.
Absolute Fla Heaven-Mixing Art.
Heaven-Mixing Fla Demon.
Like Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s, Shin Jueon’s power swelled.
He kicked off. It was a speed incomparable to before, and he tore through space and brought his sword down without rcy.
Fla King Hwa Munyeom tried to block in a hurry, but even he could not predict speed at that level. At best, experience and instinct allowed him to twist his body.
SKRAK-!
Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s right arm was cut deep. Through blood that sprayed up like a fountain, Shin Jueon smiled.
He had almost lost it, but he had seized the advantage again.
That was his judgnt. So he did not stop.
His burning sword moved with lightning speed as it aid for Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s vital points.
Fla King Hwa Munyeom retreated and focused on defense. But perhaps because the injury dulled his movent, he allowed several strikes through.
SHK— SKRAK— SKRAK.
Wounds multiplied across his body. Chest, shoulder, thigh.
Naturally, his robe began to soak with blood.
"Die!"
Shin Jueon extended his sword for the final blow. Red fla wrapped the entire blade, shining like a sun.
Absolute Fla Heaven-Mixing Art
Heaven-Mixing Severance
As if he had been waiting for this very mont, Fla King Hwa Munyeom’s eyes flashed.
Both shoulders twitched.
Power surged up and reached out, flooding him.
Then he thrust it straight out.
Fla Emperor Heavenly Mandate Art
Fla King Returns to Heaven
Blue fla erupted like an explosion and slamd head-on into Shin Jueon’s attack.
KWA-A-A-ANG-!!
The entire Palace Lord Hall shook.
Walls collapsed, pillars snapped, and chunks of stone poured from the ceiling.
Within the trendous blast, the two n’s figures were swallowed by smoke.
A mont later, as the smoke cleared, they stood several paces apart, facing each other.
Both were wrecked. Shin Jueon’s entire body was covered in burns, and Fla King Hwa Munyeom was drenched in blood.
They stared at each other, dragging in rough breaths.
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