Chapter 326

As Seol Poong fully thrust his sword upward, Wi Jeong-guk had no choice but to leap back hastily.

He simply couldn’t muster any more strength in his previous stance.

Grinding his teeth, he muttered, “This bastard…”

There was no trace of composure left on Wi Jeong-guk’s face.

If the Red-Eyed Blood Technique truly had the same effect as the Blood Frenzy Pill, then Seol Poong and he were now on equal footing.

‘Is he feeling this sensation too?’

The thought that his opponent was experiencing the same intoxicating power—the feeling of absolute dominance—stirred a fresh wave of anger within him.

It was as if something precious had been snatched away once again.

But what Wi Jeong-guk didn’t realize was that his state wasn’t exactly the same as Seol Poong’s.

Unlike Wi Jeong-guk’s bloodshot, wild eyes, Seol Poong maintained a remarkably cold rationality.

Having trained in this martial art since childhood, he wasn’t about to lose his head like Wi Jeong-guk or the other masters of the Hyungsan Sect who had just taken the Blood Frenzy Pill for the first time.

Instead, with a sharp, icy mind, he studied Wi Jeong-guk’s expression.

The bulging veins and the look of excitement on his face seemed pathetic.

‘It’s understandable. This must be his first time feeling this kind of power.’

Watching Wi Jeong-guk, Seol Poong’s thoughts drifted to the people who had shaped him into who he was.

His strong, healthy body—never once sick despite living in the mountains since childhood—was a gift from his mother.

The resilient blood veins and blessed talent that allowed him to withstand the Red-Eyed Blood Technique were likely inherited from his father.

His grandfather had taught him the Red-Eyed Blood Technique, Beast Fist, and other martial arts.

And finally, he had learned the Thunder God’s Absolute Cycle from Sun Woo-jin—a technique capable of defeating even opponents stronger than himself.

All these people had made him who he was.

There was nothing lacking in what they had given him.

Now, the only thing left was how well he could wield those gifts.

His skill—that was all that mattered.

Seol Poong suddenly spoke.

“Then now it’s my turn to prove myself.”

Wi Jeong-guk’s eyes twitched in surprise.

“What? What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”

Seol Poong smiled fiercely.

“I’ll prove whether I’m worthy of becoming the Demon King!”

At that moment, he shot forward like a beam of light.

Clash!

Wi Jeong-guk’s eyes widened.

Seol Poong’s Tiger Claw Strike had rushed to his face in an instant.

“!”

Even Wi Jeong-guk had to acknowledge Seol Poong’s new technique.

The speed reminded him of the legendary Hyung Hwan-wi, and the overwhelming sense of omnipotence Seol Poong radiated was undeniable.

‘But!’

Wi Jeong-guk sneered.

That was all.

He wasn’t threatened enough to be fazed.

Bang!

Seol Poong’s Tiger Claw Strike collided again with Wi Jeong-guk’s sword energy.

They began to test their strength once more.

The blood-red energy clinging to Seol Poong’s hand contrasted sharply with the deep sky-blue aura enveloping Wi Jeong-guk’s blade.

Gnash!

Wi Jeong-guk gritted his teeth and pressed down on his sword with both hands.

Slowly, the sword, which had been steady moments before, began to tilt toward Seol Poong.

It seemed Wi Jeong-guk’s internal power was stronger.

Seol Poong smirked.

“Foolish.”

With his right hand, he tightly grasped the sky-blue sword energy, then struck Wi Jeong-guk with his left.

Though he had only one sword, Seol Poong had two hands—an advantage.

“Hah!”

Whoosh!

Swinging his hand, Seol Poong thought it was over.

To waste time wrestling with a sword when you can’t even think beyond that was foolish, no matter how strong your internal power.

Maybe the Blood Frenzy Pill had clouded Wi Jeong-guk’s reason.

But then—

Wi Jeong-guk sneered coldly and retorted, “Is that so?”

Suddenly, another sword energy appeared, blocking Seol Poong’s left-hand strike.

Clang!

“!”

Seol Poong was shocked.

Wi Jeong-guk’s sword was clearly held in his right hand, yet a second sword energy had shot out in a completely different direction.

It was an unprecedented, bizarre sight.

Seol Poong blurted out without thinking, “Two sword energies?!”

Wi Jeong-guk laughed mockingly.

“Who said there were two?”

At that moment, yet another sword energy burst from Wi Jeong-guk’s blade, slashing toward Seol Poong.

Shing!

“!”

Startled, Seol Poong threw his body backward with all his might.

The speed rivaled that of the legendary Hyung Hwan-wi when he first attacked Wi Jeong-guk.

Shreeeek!

In the next instant, the distance between them had stretched to over five meters.

Seol Poong had retreated at an incredible speed.

He glanced down at his chest.

Through the sharply cut front of his robe, his bare chest was visible.

Had his new technique been a moment slower, this move would have decided the fight.

Seol Poong turned his gaze back to Wi Jeong-guk.

From the sword in his hand, three distinct sword energies extended in different directions.

Even more astonishingly, the sword energies not attached to the blade moved freely, not fixed in any one direction.

Suddenly, voices from the Hyungsan Sect disciples echoed in his mind.

“Fivefold Sword Technique!”

“That’s the Fivefold Sword Technique.”

“Three sword energies? Incredible!”

The Fivefold Sword Technique.

Seol Poong had heard that Wi Jeong-guk was the only one in the Hyungsan Sect to master this ultimate sword art.

But since Wi Jeong-guk always killed his opponents when using it, no one truly knew what it entailed.

If creating sword energies that moved independently of the blade was part of the technique…

Seol Poong thought to himself, ‘Fivefold Sword Technique… maybe the number of sword energies isn’t limited to just three.’

Just then, Wi Jeong-guk smiled coldly and spoke.

“Looks like you’ve caught on. Well, you did hear the name ‘Fivefold Sword Technique,’ so I suppose that’s natural. You useless fools. Yes, you’re right. The Fivefold Sword Technique doesn’t just create three sword energies.”

As soon as he finished, two more sword energies erupted from Wi Jeong-guk’s blade.

Flare!

There were five sword energies in total.

Originally, Wi Jeong-guk could only create three, but the Blood Frenzy Pill had amplified his internal power enough to produce five.

Seeing this, Seol Poong immediately understood why the Fivefold Sword Technique was called the strongest sword art.

Even three sword energies outnumbered the limbs on a human body, but five?

It was like fighting five Wi Jeong-guks at once.

Of course, since the sword energies extended from a single blade, they couldn’t be completely independent, but that was something only experience could reveal.

Then Wi Jeong-guk said to Seol Poong, “There’s not much time left. Let’s get this over with. Try struggling all you want!”

At the same time, Wi Jeong-guk charged at Seol Poong, swinging the five sword energies like a fan.

Seol Poong didn’t dodge.

Instead, he swung his arms and legs to defend himself.

“Hah!”

Seol Poong’s Tiger Claw Strike was the first to strike one of the sword energies, blocking it.

Boom!

But the other four sword energies continued to slash at him relentlessly.

“Ugh!”

Seol Poong hurriedly stepped back.

Four sword energies grazed him sharply.

Shreeeek!

But it didn’t end there.

Wi Jeong-guk, who had been wildly swinging his sword energies in excitement before, now launched a precise, rapid assault.

Swish!

The five sword energies descended like a tightly woven net, encircling Seol Poong.

He frantically swung his limbs to fend them off, but even using all his arms and legs wasn’t enough.

One sword energy still slashed toward him unhindered.

Patter! Swish!

“Ugh!”

Unable to block it in time, Seol Poong’s chest was grazed.

Though the wound didn’t bleed, a red line was etched across his skin.

Seeing this, Wi Jeong-guk burst into a wild laugh and slashed his sword again.

“Ha ha ha! Is that the end?!”

Swish!

In an instant, all five sword energies slashed at Seol Poong from every direction.

Unable to defend, Seol Poong let out a fierce shout.

“Hah!”

Whoosh!

At that moment, a red energy shield radiated from his entire body.

It was a protective barrier.

Tat tat tat tat!

The five sword energies struck the shield.

Fortunately, since they were separated into five, their combined force wasn’t as strong as a single concentrated strike.

Thanks to that, Seol Poong barely escaped the crisis, quickly retreating while withdrawing his protective barrier.

“Phew…”

He took a moment to catch his breath.

Through that exchange, Seol Poong confirmed his suspicion.

That attack truly felt like fighting five Wi Jeong-guks.

The way the sword energies expanded and contracted was so natural.

In the end, Seol Poong had to admit it.

Though his internal power matched Wi Jeong-guk’s thanks to the Demon King’s Absolute Red-Eyed Blood Technique, he couldn’t beat him with the Beast Fist.

Five sword energies—there was no way four limbs could handle that.

Just then, Wi Jeong-guk spoke again.

“Clearly, you can’t beat me with your new technique. You can’t keep up. So… how long do you plan to keep running, heir to the Demon King?”

Seol Poong chuckled softly.

He understood why Wi Jeong-guk said that.

He sneered back at him.

“Why? Worried? Afraid I’ll just keep running like this until the Crimson Blood Sect’s effects wear off?”

At those words, his expression twisted.

Well, it was understandable that he’d be worried.

Seolpung could simply release the Red-Eyed Blood Skill once enough time passed, but for him, once that time ended, death or ruin was all that awaited.

Caught in that thought, impatience now flickered across his face.

But Seolpung smiled faintly and said with certainty, “Don’t worry. I have no intention of winning that way.”

His words made Wijeongguk’s expression grow complicated.

He was relieved that Seolpung wouldn’t drag things out, but uneasy at the implication that he had another way to win.

Seolpung’s calm demeanor, even after witnessing his Auror Sword Technique, only added to his unease.

Still, Wijeongguk decided not to dwell on it any longer.

Now was the time to end this fight as quickly as possible, not to stall.

With a fierce grin, he said, “Fine. Let me see how you plan to win!”

At that, Wijeongguk charged again.

Five radiant sword energies spread around him like a peacock’s tail, swirling and slashing through the air.

Seeing this, Seolpung’s divine form suddenly began spinning violently like a whirlwind.

Wheeeeee!

“!”

Wijeongguk narrowed his eyes slightly.

He’d never seen a martial art like this before.

But spinning like that? He didn’t think it could stop the Auror Sword Technique.

Whoosh!

Wijeongguk swung his sword powerfully, aiming to split the center of Seolpung’s spinning vortex in two.

At the same time, the other four sword energies sliced in different directions.

Then—

Seolpung’s fiercely rotating tiger claw swung toward Wijeongguk’s sword.

Bwoooom!

The added rotational force made the destructive power incredibly strong.

But it was only one strike.

Blocking one sword energy wouldn’t be enough to avoid the others.

Predicting Seolpung’s imminent shattering, Wijeongguk smiled savagely.

At that moment, his sword collided with Seolpung’s tiger claw.

Kraaaash!

It was then that Wijeongguk was forced to recoil in shock.

“Ugh?!”

His arm bounced off like sand hitting a spinning top.

The overwhelming force was beyond comprehension.

No matter how many sword energies there were, it didn’t matter.

As Wijeongguk’s arm was repelled, the sword energies rooted to it were flung away along with his arm.

And Seolpung’s assault didn’t stop there.

If anything, it was just beginning.

From the whirlwind-like Seolpung came a whip-like, razor-sharp kick.

The attack carried the same powerful destructive force as before.

Bwoooom!

Kraaaash!

“Grrk!”

Wijeongguk barely managed to block Seolpung’s fierce strike and leapt backward to create distance.

The force was so overwhelming that retreat was the only way to absorb it.

But the Dragon Fist Wind named Seolpung didn’t stay still.

He followed closely, whipping his tiger claw again like a whip.

Bwoooom!

Kraaaash!

“Ugh!”

Wijeongguk couldn’t believe it.

Even if Seolpung had used the Red-Eyed Blood Skill, their power should be roughly equal.

How could the gap suddenly be this overwhelming?

It was natural he couldn’t understand.

The secret technique of the Thunder God’s Wheel, passed down by Sunwoo Jin, amplified the destructive force of each strike the more it spun.

That was why Seolpung wasn’t unleashing a flurry all at once, but spinning several times before delivering each blow.

Wijeongguk only thought that Seolpung hadn’t launched a combo because he was chasing him as he retreated.

Kraaaash!

Unable to withstand another powerful strike, Wijeongguk was sent flying backward.

“This can’t be!”

He was completely thrown into confusion.

He had planned to quickly finish Seolpung and massacre the others, but at this rate, he doubted he could even defeat Seolpung.

Right before his eyes, Seolpung’s fiery Dragon Fist Wind charged fiercely once more.

Wijeongguk had no choice but to admit it.

His Auror Sword Technique wasn’t enough to beat this guy.

‘Then…’

He gritted his teeth.

There was only one option left.

Focusing all his energy, Wijeongguk let out a fierce battle cry.

“Uhaaahhh!”