Chapter 131 : Time for the Hunt. -03

Chapter 131: Time for the Hunt. -03

When the Insect Fiend cast a murderous glare, a vigorous battle cry tore through the air.

It was none other than Seonwu Bang’s shout.

At the same time, a fierce Air-Tearing Sound split the sky.

While Seo Jo-woon blocked the poisonous insects from the front, Seonwu Bang directly targeted the Insect Fiend.

Sssaeaeaeak!

No matter how numerous the poisonous insects were, the one controlling them was ultimately the Insect Fiend.

If he killed the Insect Fiend, the insects filling all directions would scatter on their own. With that thought, Seonwu Bang descended from the air and swung his sword.

“Hmph!”

However, this kind of attack was something the Insect Fiend had experienced countless times.

As such, he had dozens of countermeasures prepared.

Among them, he chose the simplest yet most threatening method.

Prrrraaaat!

With another flick of his hand, hundreds—no, thousands—of black moths swarmed in from the forest.

He had made no sound with his mouth or flute, yet in an instant the black moths densely filled the air and rushed toward Seonwu Bang all at once.

“Gasp!”

The sight of the black moths flying in even faster than his own charge, intercepting him before he could reach the Insect Fiend, drew a cry of shock from Seonwu Bang.

He had only vaguely thought of them as poisonous insects; he had not expected such flying vermin to come at him, and the surprise unsettled him.

Yet despite his shock, his sword flashed fiercely, mercilessly cleaving through the tide of moths that surged like a black wave.

“It will only last a moment.”

They were not even cut apart by Sword Force, nor by Sword Energy—mere sword strikes were enough to slice through the black moths.

But as the Insect Fiend said, the gap in the air lasted only briefly.

Soon, the black moths filled the empty space once more.

“Don’t forget about me!”

“I’m coming too!”

The danger of poisonous insects lay in the venom within their bodies.

That meant as long as one did not let them touch the body, it was manageable.

Moreover, black moths were insects at their core; there was no need to use Sword Energy.

Simply swinging the blade was enough to cut them down.

The problem was their number.

At the endless swarm pouring in, Seonwu Bang swallowed dryly.

He had expected it would not be easy, but he had not imagined such an overwhelming multitude would descend upon them. A pale expression flickered across his face.

At that moment, Murong Cheok and Jeong I-ryong joined in.

Pupupupung!

Even if they carried poison, they were fundamentally insects.

Individually, they were insignificant.

But the problem was their number.

An unimaginably vast multitude engulfed the four men, and in an instant, they vanished from sight.

“Struggle as much as you like. The result is obvious regardless. Heh heh! Kuhahaha!”

Though the sounds of poisonous insects being swept away rang out moment by moment, the Insect Fiend instead burst into wild laughter.

The number was far greater than Ban Hojin’s group imagined.

Even he himself did not know the exact count.

“Tch!”

“How many are there?!”

As the poisonous insects poured out without end, Seo Jo-woon—and even Murong Cheok—could not hide their irritation.

No matter how much they cut and crushed, there was no end in sight.

This insect-wave tactic was even more dreadful than Human-Wave Tactics. Not only the two of them, but Seonwu Bang and Jeong I-ryong as well wore grave expressions.

If this continued, they would exhaust themselves first, just as the Insect Fiend had boasted.

“In that case!”

Though they could not see one another, they could roughly predict each other’s state.

Thus, Seo Jo-woon made his decision.

Now was the time for him to step forward with his full strength.

When they had fought the Blue and Red Twin Fiends along with the forces of Ironblood Fortress, he had not held back entirely—but the situation then had been different.

Fwoooosh!

They had been fighting people, so he had moderated his power.

He had wondered if Ban Hojin might need hostages.

Moreover, his brothers had been nearby, and he had been cautious in using Extreme Yang Energy lest it harm them.

But now it was different.

Pupupupung! Pueoong!

Crimson flames erupted from Seo Jo-woon’s entire body, spreading in all directions in an instant.

A colossal fire demon rose centered upon him.

“Ha!”

The immense flames devoured not only the poisonous insects on the ground but also those filling the air, expanding their domain. Watching from the front of the cave, the Insect Fiend’s mouth fell open.

He had heard that the Blazing Dragon was formidable, but he had not imagined Seo Jo-woon’s Fiery Yang Art had reached such a level. He was genuinely astonished.

“Hoo!”

“We’re saved!”

Through the ferocious flames that swallowed the poisonous insects, the three men revealed themselves.

They bore no visible wounds or bite marks, yet all three looked utterly exhausted.

With insects attacking from front and back, left and right, from the sky and even from the earth, fatigue had been inevitable no matter their strength.

“I’ll open a path!”

“Alright!”

After confirming his three elder brothers’ condition, Seo Jo-woon drove the Blazing Deity Divine Art to its utmost peak.

Just a few years ago, Extreme Yang Energy had caused him pain and eroded his vitality.

But now it was different.

It obeyed his will.

Releasing all the Extreme Yang Energy within his body, Seo Jo-woon carved a path as he had declared.

“Let’s go!”

The flames, now even larger, swept through all directions like a storm, incinerating the poisonous insects.

Anything they touched was ruthlessly reduced to ash.

Through that opening, the three men charged toward the Insect Fiend.

From different directions, they unleashed their conserved power, raising Force Energy and striking at him.

Sssaeaeaeak!

Sword Force of different colors and Fist Force surged toward the Insect Fiend from three directions.

It was a perfect coordinated attack that even blocked off his retreat.

Yet just before their Force Energy struck, the three men staggered.

“Keugh!”

“Hngh!”

“You held out quite a while. So you truly did earn the title of Dragon.”

The Insect Fiend sneered as he stood unmoving despite the incoming Force Energy.

His gaze shifted to the four men barely managing to stand.

“Th-this is…!”

“We weren’t bitten by poison…!”

Murong Cheok—and Seo Jo-woon as well—wore bewildered expressions.

They had been startled by the sudden paralysis.

But the Insect Fiend was equally shocked.

By now, they should have been at least on the verge of death, yet all four showed only mild paralysis while their minds remained clear.

“How is this possible?”

For a brief moment, both sides stared at each other in astonishment.

Neither could comprehend the current situation.

“What do you mean how? Your precious poison simply didn’t work.”

“That’s impossible! My poison is perfect!”

“It’s special, I’ll grant you that. But these brats took Baekdokhwan. They’re also carrying quite decent Anti-Poison Liquor.”

“Baekdokhwan!”

The Insect Fiend gasped.

At the same time, he understood the situation.

If they had taken Baekdokhwan, it made sense that the effects were limited to mere paralysis.

“Of course, it’s completely useless against me.”

Using Grasping Objects Through the Air, Ban Hojin pulled the four men to his side.

Thanks to Baekdokhwan and the Anti-Poison Liquor they had prepared in advance, they were recovering quickly, but it would still take time before they could move as usual.

If they were bitten again in this state, detoxifying would take even longer. Thus, Ban Hojin moved his companions to the rear.

“Hraaap!”

At that moment, Seo Jo-woon let out a fierce shout.

Simultaneously, intense heat erupted from his entire body, and wisps of steam rose into the air.

He had evaporated the poison that had infiltrated his body using Extreme Yang Energy.

“Oh.”

Ban Hojin gave a slight nod of admiration at the sight.

Seo Jo-woon’s ability to control True Energy had clearly improved compared to before.

“I won’t fall behind!”

“Huuup!”

Inspired by Seo Jo-woon’s actions, Murong Cheok and the others followed suit.

If the youngest could do it, they believed they could as well.

At the same time, the four of them carefully considered how they had been poisoned.

“Hah!”

In contrast, the Insect Fiend was dumbfounded.

He had never imagined they would free themselves from the poison so easily.

Ordinary martial artists would have long since turned into corpses from the venom, yet these men were expelling it from their bodies instead. The Insect Fiend let out hollow laughter.

However, aside from Ban Hojin, the others were deeply shaken.

Despite their preparations, they had still been poisoned.

Moreover, it was their first time experiencing bodily paralysis. Unlike before, their faces were now taut with vigilance as they slowly approached the Insect Fiend.

—There’s a high chance we were poisoned through breathing.

—I think so too. When we burned or cut them with our swords, the poison must have seeped in.

—Or it vaporized from the Sword Energy.

Seonwu Bang and Seo Jo-woon exchanged Voice Transmission.

They proposed several possibilities.

But in the end, all conclusions led back to respiration.

“Impressive. I knew you had some reputation, but I didn’t expect this much.”

Watching the four gradually approach, the Insect Fiend offered rare praise.

Even as he spoke, thousands—tens of thousands—of poisonous insects continued to move without pause.

As though awaiting his command.

“So consider it an honor. To fall to the special poison I created.”

Kwaaauuu!

No sooner had he finished speaking than all manner of poisonous insects surged forward again like a tidal wave.

They rushed at the group all at once.

Pueoong!

But their response was completely different from before.

Determined not to fall for the same trick twice, they maintained strict spacing.

Holding their breath, they used Sword Energy and Fist Energy to perfectly block any insects from entering a set perimeter.

Yet they did not merely defend.

Sssaeaeaeak!

Just because they did not approach the Insect Fiend did not mean they lacked a means of attack.

The four demonstrated this clearly.

They raised their Sword Energy and Fist Energy to great heights and thrust them directly at him.

Seonwu Bang’s Sword Energy, swollen with dense True Energy, split apart the blackened sky of insects as it surged forward.

“Hmph!”

Even in the face of the savage attack that seemed ready to pierce through his body at any moment, the Insect Fiend sneered.

The method was not bad.

The problem was the distance.

Though he specialized in Poison Arts, the Insect Fiend was still a martial artist.

Thus, he easily evaded the four streaks of energy that tore through the insects toward him.

Shiiiiiik!

Then he used their attacks against them.

Along the four lines carved through the air, he hurled concealed weapons coated with specially manufactured poison.

“Gasp!”

As needle-shaped, pitch-black concealed weapons shot toward him like lightning, Seonwu Bang hastily kicked off the ground.

He could have blocked them, but it was certain they were laced with poison. Rather than risk deflecting them and inviting danger, he chose to evade.

The other three appeared to reach the same conclusion, scattering in different directions without overlapping paths.

Shiiik!

Grinning viciously, the Insect Fiend manipulated the poisonous insects toward the four men.

Not to attack them directly—but to hinder their movements.

He moved the insects to restrain them, making it impossible to fully evade the concealed weapons.

Sure enough, their movements began to slow.

“From now on, let’s play.”

As the four were gradually driven into a corner, Ban Hojin—who had remained still until now—released his hands from behind his back.

It seemed they had gained enough of the experience he had intended from the start.

Wuuuuung!

At the same time, a dazzling golden radiance flashed from the sword he slowly drew.

Though his arm moved lazily, the moment a Sword Ring formed at the tip, it shot toward the Insect Fiend.

Ppeoeoong!

The fist-sized Sword Ring pierced through everything in its path.

It advanced with terrifying momentum, shattering all that stood before it.

“Guhk!”

Delighted moments earlier at the four being cornered, the Insect Fiend sensed the monstrous force surging toward him and shrieked in horror as he leapt away.

The instant it touched him, he instinctively knew his body would be torn to shreds.

Kkwaaaang!