Chapter 119: The Blood Cult's Modus Operandi (4)

Chapter 119: The Blood Cult's Modus Operandi (4)

TL: FoodieMonster007

CRASH!

The first ghoul lunged at Baek Suryong, only to be sent flying backward, its nose smashed flat. A hit like that would’ve knocked out a regular person, but the ghoul merely twisted in mid-air and landed on its feet with an unnatural grace.

“Graaah!” it roared, charging again, undeterred.

Baek Suryong frowned. He recognized this demonic art, especially since it hadn’t been long since he had encountered something similar.Thê source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n))

“The Black Blood Demonic Art, huh.”

This was the same sinister technique that Cho Maksaeng had used before his death, a ruthless art that drained one’s life force to fuel extraordinary power. However, these ghouls had mastered it to a level far beyond what Cho Maksaeng had achieved.

He even knows of the Black Blood Demonic Art? The Smiling Grim Reaper’s eyes widened. Even among the thirty members of the Ghost Blood Unit, only he and the ten elite warriors present knew of the Black Blood Demonic Art.

Just who is this man? the Smiling Grim Reaper thought, cold sweat dripping down his back.

This is a non-profit translation. You should not be seeing ads.

In the blink of an eye, Geo Sangwoong and the Golden Dragon Trading Company were no longer important. On the contrary, this man, who seemed to be privy to the secrets of the Blood Cult, had the potential to completely foil their grand plan.

The idea seems absurd, but for some reason, I can’t get it out of my mind.

“Don’t kill him!” the Smiling Grim Reaper barked. Despite his subordinates’ transformation into ghouls, they still obeyed his orders, their minds shackled by the Black Blood Demonic Art. The only difference was that they could now only be used as tools for killing, as they were no longer capable of communication.

“Rrrgh...” The ghouls growled in acknowledgement.

“Capture him alive. I’ll do the interrogating myself.”

By revealing a demonic art that should never have seen the light of day, the Smiling Grim Reaper was now ensnared in a deadly game with only two possible outcomes: death or escape.

A fierce grin split his face as he commanded, “Rip off his limbs if you have to, but make sure he’s breathing when you bring him back.”

“Graaah!” The ghouls roared in unison. Sacrificing their own life essence, a sickly ash-gray aura that flickered like a ghostly specter erupted from their bodies as they heedlessly threw themselves at Baek Suryong.

Alarmed by the ghastly sight, the leader of the bodyguards on the wall cried out, “Sir! Do you need help?

“I’m fine. Just stop anyone who tries to run away,” Baek Suryong replied with an unnervingly calm demeanor, then walked toward the charging ghouls.

WHOOSH!

The lead ghoul swung his axe with enough force to split a boulder in half, but Baek Suryong made no attempt to meet the attack head-on. Instead, he stepped aside just enough to let the axe slice through the empty air next to him.

Thrown off balance by its own swing, the ghoul stumbled past him.

This is a non-profit translation. You should not be seeing ads.

“One,” Baek Suryong whispered, drawing Moon Shadow and slashing downward, crimson sword qi dancing around his blade like flashes of lightning.

SWISH!

The ghoul crumpled to the ground, its upper and lower halves cleanly severed. Before a single drop of blood splatter could touch him though, Baek Suryong pivoted on his right foot and dodged to the side.

WHIZZ!

A spear tip pierced the space where Baek Suryong had stood a split second earlier. Sensing an opportunity, he grabbed the spear shaft as it brushed past his shoulder and yanked it toward himself.

“Raaagh!” The ghoul at the other end tried to release the spear and attack with its claws, but it was too late. Moon Shadow had already slashed through its carotid artery.

“Two.”

Grabbing the dying ghoul and using it as a shield, Baek Suryong faced the remaining enemies. The ghoul was shredded into three pieces almost immediately, but Baek Suryong successfully used the distraction to slip into their blind spot like a phantom.

“Behind you!” the Smiling Grim Reaper shouted, but he was too slow.

Baek Suryong stomped on the ground with his left foot, shattering it and throwing the two ghouls in front of him, one wielding a sword and the other a dao, completely off their feet.

“Three. Four,” he said, cutting them both down in one fluid motion.

Right after, before the bodies even hit the ground, he leapt into the air and twisted, dodging a qi blast and snatching a dagger aimed at his heart. He then somersaulted, added his inner qi to the momentum, and hurled the dagger back at its owner all before landing.

THUD!

Yet another ghoul fell to the ground, a dagger buried deep in its forehead and its eyes wide with shock as if it hadn’t even realized it was dead.

“Finish that line, and you’re dead.”

”!!” Stricken with a killing intent so intense that he thought his heart would stop, the Smiling Grim Reaper instinctively shut his mouth, even as he screamed inside, Baek Suryooooong!

Retreating backwards, he muttered to himself in disbelief, “How can this be...?”

Although he had never met Baek Suryong in person, he had seen his portrait before. While he was stronger than the ghouls Baek Suryong had just killed, he knew he stood little chance against this man alone.

Damn it! I had one chance to strike him when his guard was down after killing the last ghoul, but I completely blew it!

Truthfully, he had been too overwhelmed by Baek Suryong’s sword dance to even dare approach.

“Damn it...” The Smiling Grim Reaper gritted his teeth in frustration. Since becoming the captain of the Ghost Blood Unit, he had never felt such humiliation and fear.

Still, he couldn’t just flee. The Blood Cult would never let him live after such a catastrophic failure.

With nothing left to lose, he shouted, “Just who the hell are you? How do you know so much about us?”

This is a non-profit translation. Ads? What ads?

“Guess,” Baek Suryong replied, walking towards him and swinging his sword nonchalantly.

BOOM!

Geo Yisan’s quarters caved in, sending dust billowing into the air and temporarily shielding them from prying eyes.

“Not that I expect you to figure it out,” Baek Suryong added.

Approaching the Smiling Grim Reaper, he quickly channeled the full power of the Heaven Defying Divine Art and activated the Blood Demon Eyes.

“Let’s end this quickly, I’m short on time.”

Waves of crimson energy pulsed out from Baek Suryong’s eyes, now glowing as red as molten lava.

“Let’s see how well a captain-level fighter measures up,” he taunted, grinning wickedly.

“U-Uh...”

Suddenly, the Smiling Grim Reaper fell to his knees and bowed his head, trembling violently.

“What are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re begging for your life,” Baek Suryong complained, frowning in confusion.

A squad captain of the Blood Cult groveling like this was unimaginable. Is this a trick? he thought.

However, the Smiling Grim Reaper prostrated himself even further in response, his eyes half-closed in a daze as he looked up cautiously. “L-Lord...” he stammered.

“......” Baek Suryong paused for a moment, stunned speechless.

Why aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?

...Is this happening because I reached intermediate mastery of the Heaven Defying Divine Art? Did the Blood Demon Eyes shatter his mind?

He recalled the day he had escaped from prison with the four masters. At that time, many high-ranking members of the Blood Cult, including the Demonic Strategist, had trembled at the sight of him.

The truth finally hit him. As the pinnacle of the Blood Cult’s martial arts, the Heaven Defying Divine Art instilled a primal fear of the Blood Demon in those who beheld them.

Quickly, Baek Suryong created a sound barrier with his qi.

Still shivering uncontrollably, the Smiling Grim Reaper whispered, “Hail the Blood Demon, in blood shall we reign over the world... I, the Ghost Blood Captain, greet the exalted Lord...”

“......”

It was unintentional, but it seemed that a combination of the extreme stress and fear the Smiling Reaper had been subjected to, along with the overwhelming influence of the Blood Demon Eyes, had caused him to lose his mind.

Well, whatever the reason, this actually makes things a whole lot easier for me.

Baek Suryong reached out and gripped the Smiling Grim Reaper by the throat, but despite the threat of death, the man did not even think of resisting.

“Tell me everything you know about the Blood Cult.”

“By your command...”

Eyes glazed over, the Smiling Grim Reaper began to spill every secret he knew of the Blood Cult.