Chapter 55: Chapter: Escort Agency, Fate (5)

A demonic practitioner.

Monstrous people who learned martial arts that went against the laws of nature and were lost their sense of reason.

While that was the dictionary definition, to Mok Riwon, a demonic practitioner carried a different meaning.

A possible glimpse of who he might have become.

Mok Riwon, who was born with the constitution of the Heaven-Slaying Star and the Supreme Demonic Body, naturally felt such sentiments.

There was never any doubt about whether that person was a demonic practitioner or not.

Aside from the sensory aspect, he had personally confessed himself.

“I am the Fist Demon!”

The man who exchanged blows with him straightened his shoulders and shouted that, the convoy stiffening in response.

“And I want to become the Fist Dragon!”

The man’s index finger stretched out and pointed at Mok Riwon.

“Like you!”

Mok Riwon’s expression hardened.

He didn’t understand what the Fist Demon was saying.

So he asked.

“...Why is a demonic practitioner here?”

“I came to find you.”

Mok Riwon’s eyebrows furrowed.

Fist Demon Pae Woongchu said no more, grinning, and then unleashed his demonic qi.

It was different from ordinary qi.

While the qi released during the cultivation of orthodox martial arts resembled dispersing fog, the demonic qi resembled burning flames.

Pae Woongchu clenched his fist and stepped forward.

Thud–

In a flash, he darted in front of Mok Riwon, thrusting his fist forward and aiming for his forehead.

Mok Riwon subtly turned his head and swung his sword in a light slash intended to keep him at bay, which was blocked as anticipated.Cheêck out latest novels at novelhall.com

With a loud boom, their qi collided, slightly increasing the distance between them.

Mok Riwon’s condition was deteriorating.

This was due to the fact that even without physical contact, his sense of reason was becoming clouded by the demonic qi he sensed in their ever-closing distance.

The Supreme Demonic Body naturally craved for demonic qi, while the Heaven-Slaying Star absorbed this very qi to grow stronger.

Apart from these challenges, there was also a glaring lack of experience.

Mok Riwon was unfamiliar with real life-and-death-combat.

Even his encounter with Pyosan, which had come closest to a battle to the death, failed to truly challenge him, as he could easily quell it with his superior skill.

But the situation now was different.

The pinnacle of the Peak Realm.

The Fist Demon’s inner qi seemed to surpass even that.

Furthermore, he was emitting a dense killing intent unlike any Mok Riwon had ever experienced, forcing him to confront not only the aggression, but also the impulses stirred by this killing intent.

“Heup!”

Mok Riwon glared at his opponent, taking a deep breath as cold sweat trickled down his chin, unnoticed due to the relentless pressure from Pae Woongchu.

“Why are you so lifeless!”

A blood-red qi burst out into the air. In response, Mok Riwon countered with the same technique, a skill he had learned at the middle-stage of the Peak Realm.

The blood-red and ink-black qis collided in midair.

Following that, the two men launched towards each other, the sound of their collision reverberating through the air.

As this conflict unfolded, complications arose elsewhere.

Fist Demon Pae Woongchu was not alone.

“Aaargh!”

A sword slashed through the stomach of an escort and ripped downward, taking his life.

Tang Hwa-seo clicked her tongue and scattered her poison.

Love.

That was the name of the poison she had developed upon reaching the Peak Realm.

It wasn’t carelessly dispersed like during the Dragon Phoenix Tournament.

From within her arms, she threw out a dagger, spilling poison along with it.The poison scattered from where the dagger struck the ground, extending out to a radius of about 3m.

It was an extremely meticulous display of qi manipulation, but as always, it was a skill that Tang Hwa-seo naturally had to master.

“Sister!”

Zhuge San shouted urgently.

When Tang Hwa-seo turned in his direction, she saw him surrounded by five demonic practitioners, narrowly avoiding their attacks.

Tang Hwa-seo threw a dagger there to give him some breathing room, then continued her thoughts.

This situation isn’t good.

Their skill was quite high.

Even the one called the Fist Demon that Mok Riwon was facing currently was at a much higher stage than herself, and the twenty or so demonic practitioners that followed him were individually at first-rate.

In comparison, what about the convoy?

The five first-rate martial artists who were the strongest among them were struggling to defend themselves.

He just wanted to know how great the Star of Slaughter was.

So he provoked Mok Riwon.

“Are you not the Heaven-Slaying Star?!”

Thump.

Mok Riwon froze momentarily.

Halting his assault, Pae Woongchu grinned and taunted.

“Are you not the Star of Slaughter?! But then, why are you only grunting!”

“How...”

Do you know that?

As Mok Riwon trailed off in a dumbfounded tone, Pae Woongchu laughed and answered him.

“If you want to know, show me your strength!”

He then executed another stomp kick.

The clash was evenly matched once again.

* * *

Mok Riwon felt deeply bewildered.

It was only natural considering his secret had come out of the mouth of a demonic practitioner he had never met before.

The lingering question of how Pae Woongchu knew his secret persisted, but answers wouldn’t come.

Mok Riwon clenched his teeth and blocked the relentless blows.

However, the longer he endured, the more disadvantageous it was for him.

He found himself being forced on the defensive, Pae Woongchu’s killing intent thickening, and the demonic qi bursting out from him constantly stimulated Mok Riwon’s mind.

He couldn’t even use killing intent in the manner he had during the Dragon Phoenix Tournament.

His instincts warned him.

I shouldn’t use this sensation.

Saaaaa–

The ink-black qi wavered.

Seizing the moment, Pae Woongchu landed a punishing blow.

Bam!

His fist hammered into Mok Riwon’s waist, hurling him back in agony.

Amidst that, dissatisfaction marred Pae Woongchu’s expression.

“Is this all?”

The form of his demonic qi transformed from flames into lava, mirroring the volatility of his emotions, a characteristic of demonic qi.

“Ink Dragon! Is that really all you can show while bearing the Heaven-Slaying Star?!”

His voice seethed with rage.

The blood vessels in the white of his eyes couldn’t withstand the emotions and began to burst one by one.

“The denser the killing intent, the stronger you become! The thicker the demonic qi, the more formidable you are! Why then do you persist with cowardly maneuvers?!”

Mok Riwon’s breathing was rough.

Eventually, he bit his lips tightly and stood up again.

He had only landed a single strike, but the recoil was terrible.

“I didn’t come here to see just that–!”

Mok Riwon answered the shout which was stained with rage.

“...I did not pick up the sword to become a slaughterer.”

He gripped his sword again.

And steadied up his faltering body through sheer willpower.

He was unaware of the Fist Demon's identity.

Nor did he understand why his secret was known, or why he was being provoked in such a manner.

However, even so, he could clearly understand his intention.

He wanted him to become a slaughterer.

If so, Mok Riwon already had his answer ready.

“I picked up the sword to become a chivalrous person. I will not wield the sword just to be consumed by killing intent.”

“Bullshit! Do you really think that’s possible?!”

“Even if you say it’s impossible, my answer will not change.”

Mok Riwon’s qi gradually stabilized.

It was overlaid on his sword.

He had no intention of playing along with his plans.

“I will become a chivalrous person. My sword is meant for vanquishing evil demons.”

Mok Riwon assumed a stance, glaring at Pae Woongchu.

It was a basic stance.

“A chivalrous hero is someone who walks the hardest path.”

Mok Riwon charged forward.

Towards the heart of the erupting killing intent and demonic qi, disregarding the primal instincts that comprised his being.

He swung his sword to sincerely carry out all he had learned throughout his /genesisforsaken