Kim Go-hyuk’s lips curled upwards.
A blonde-haired man was standing in front of Min Ha-rin.
It was the man he’d passed in the hallway before. It was Lukas.
“That man…”
“Hmm.”
The Asian hunters who had been fighting, no, slaughtering the European hunters until now all gathered around Kim Go-hyuk when Lukas appeared.
They had all seen the spell just now. And they realised that Lukas was a formidable being.
‘This guy.’
Sssk.
Kim Go-hyuk licked his lips as he looked at Lukas.
This was the first time he was getting a proper look at him.
He had light blonde hair and a skinny build. More importantly, he didn’t have any special aura at all.
If he saw him on the street, he would walk right past him without giving him a second glance.
That was why he felt slightly apprehensive.
The fire spell and the ‘unknown attack,’ which he had just narrowly escaped from, had come from this seemingly ‘ordinary’ man.
“What about Otsuru?”
“Dead.”
“Hoh.”
Kim Go-hyuk let out a soft exclamation. It seemed that their prediction that he wouldn’t kill humans was wrong.
However, this didn’t mean they didn’t stand a chance.
Nodiesop had told them that Lukas was strong, but he couldn’t use his full power. And that he was a Wizard.
Only magic at 6 stars or above could truly threaten Kim Go-hyuk. However, 6 star spells and above usually had a large range.
There were still a few living European Hunters, so he wouldn’t use such spells easily.
This was proven by the fact that Kim Go-hyuk had been able to avoid Lukas’ two attacks.
“Mas-…ter…”
Gasping for breath, Min Ha-rin called out to Lukas, relief clear in her eyes.
Kim Go-hyuk sneered.
“Master? Aha. So you were the one who cut off the White Flower’s path. What the hell were you thinking? Even if she didn’t receive any guidance, she wouldn’t have any troubles reaching Lee Jong-hak’s level, but she was trampled on before she could even bloom.”
“…”
“Well. As the President said, you are an amazing guy, but you make the wrong choi-”
Shuk.
Kim Go-hyuk twisted his body, but he was still unable to avoid it.
Crack.
He clenched his teeth tightly. He felt intense pain. But more than the pain, he felt surprise.
Tuk.
His right arm fell to the ground, and blood spurted from the cross section of his severed arm.
“What the-?!”
“What’s going on…?!”
The hunters behind him exclaimed in shock. None of them had been able to see Lukas’ attack.
“Kim Go-hyuk. You’re an amazing human.”
“Haha. Why do you say that? Were you trying to kill me with that attack?”
Kim Go-hyuk forced himself to sneer and bluff. But contrary to his expression, his back was covered in cold sweat.
“If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead.”
“What?”
“When I look at you, it makes me want to forget my original obligations and let myself get carried away by childish emotions.”
Kim Go-hyuk’s expression hardened. He finally realised the meaning behind Lukas’ words.
“You bastard. Do you see me as some kind of rat?”
Lukas didn’t pay any attention to him as he looked down at Min Ha-rin. She had injuries all over her body as well as signs of one-sided assault while she was defenseless.
“I don’t think it’s time for you to care about your disciples. Don’t think you’ve won just because you cut off an ar-.”
Shuk.
“Kuak…”
This time, the pain was too severe for him to suppress.
His right leg had been cut off neatly at the base of his thigh. Losing his balance, Kim Go-hyuk was forced to fall onto the floor.
He glared up at Lukas with bloodshot eyes.
“You f**king bastard…! Who the hell do you think you are?”
Lukas looked down at him and spoke softly.
“I’m angry.”
* * *
Kim Go-hyuk was unable to fight. After losing an arm and a leg, even standing was difficult.
Even humans with superhuman capabilities like them were no exception. Now, his strength was less than a tenth of what it was.
Jong Ho’s judgement was quick. He gave a brief command to one of the hunters.
“Stop Kim Go-hyuk’s bleeding.”
“Yes.”
He drew his sword.
The Plum Blossom Sword Method was the representative sword technique of Mount Hua. So naturally, Jong Ho had also learned the Plum Blossom Sword Method.
Twenty four, fourteen, seven. He had mastered three techniques in the method.
This was natural. After all, he’d devoted his entire life to learning the Plum Blossom Sword Method. He didn’t think he would lose to anyone else.
Sss-
Jong Ho’s sword shook.
The first question was which method would be the most effective. But the answer to this question came easily.
The Phantom Sword, one of the best techniques of the Plum Blossom Sword Method.
His sword flashed dangerously like a flickering candle flame.
The distance between Lukas and him was five steps.
In other words, he was within the range of the Phantom Sword.
Sss.
The flickering gradually became faster. It fluctuated as though it had been struck by a fierce wind.
Following these movements, the sword began to appear as though it had multiplied.
It was meant to confuse Lukas’ eyes as though the blade was a flower in full bloom.
No.
He had to make it confusing.
Juk.
“…”
Cold sweat dripped down Jong Ho’s wrinkled face.
The sword shadow multiplied continuously. Dozens of afterimages were created by the Phantom Sword, and each one appeared real and unreal at the same time.
And within these illusions, the real sword lay in wait.
But the sword didn’t move. No, it couldn’t move.
The reason for this was simple.
He couldn’t see any openings.
There was an easy way to tell if the Phantom Sword worked or not.
And that was by looking into your opponent’s eyes. If their eyes were a little hazy, Jong Ho would know that they had been entrapped. And in the best case scenario, they would even stumble as if they were hypnotised.
But Lukas was different.
‘It has no effect at all.’
He bit his lip.
Even though he was experiencing this scene for himself, he couldn’t help but feel disbelief.
This was something that not even President Cha Gung-hwan or the Human Dragon Lee Jong-hak were capable of.
Lukas’ gaze was locked onto the tip of his sword. This showed that this man didn’t know how to deal with the Phantom Sword.
In truth, this was not surprising. It was natural for a Wizard to not know about sword techniques.
And if they knew nothing about the Plum Blossom Sword Method, they would naturally pay attention to the tip of his sword. It was usually the wisest choice when going against a sword technique for the first time.
Therefore, those who experienced this technique for the first time would naturally fall into the swamp of phantom swords.
And even if they belatedly realised that something was wrong, they would already have trouble seeing through the illusion.
But Lukas was different.
He didn’t use any tricks, and it was clear that he was looking at the tip of the sword.
Nevertheless, his eyes remained cold enough to send chills down his spine. Anyone could tell.
Lukas’ mind was still firm and stable.
‘It’s like…’
It felt like his technique had been used on a rock or a lake instead of a human.
He was afraid of that.
Jong Ho retracted his sword. Since it was clear it didn’t work, there was no reason to continue exhausting his ki to use the Phantom Sword.
He kicked off the ground as a flash of light flowed from his sword.
It was the 4th step of the Plum Blossom Sword Method’s Seventh technique.
Shadow of the Plum Blossom in a Chaotic Era. (TL:…)
Clang!
“Kuk!”
He wasn’t given a chance to execute it.
Jong Ho felt a burning pain in his side as he was sent flying. He seemed to see yellow because of the impact that felt like being hit by a truck.
The power of Hyper Bolt was considered weak among 6 star spells, but it was a different story if it hit a vital spot. Above all, Jong Ho had not taken any defensive measures because he didn’t even notice the spell’s approach.
“Huk…!”
“Pro-, protect the Sword Saint!”
The hunters moved in unison to protect Jong Ho.
Some of them rushed towards Lukas. Jong Ho’s eyes darkened when he saw this.
‘Y-, you can’t…’
You can’t defeat him.
Jong Ho wanted to shout these words, but he was still not able to control his body due to the shock he felt.
Woosh!
A terribly cold air that brought a chill to one’s bones suddenly swept across the room, and the five hunters who’d rushed towards Lukas froze in place.
Crack!
Then blades of wind shattered their bodies.
“Huh…?”
“Wh-, what just happened?”
They were all hunters who had at least 10 years of experience.
They were veterans who had experienced everything, and there were even a few among them who had slain high-ranking nobles.
None of them would have thought that at that moment, they would die so vainly. Without being able to do anything, they became powder without even knowing how they died.
“This… doesn’t make sense…”
One of the hunters muttered in a terrified voice.
That was probably the reaction of everyone who saw that scene.
But there was one person who was different.
“You used some kind of strange sorcery.”
The Hwarang Leader, who had been silent before, spoke to Lukas while removing the sword from his back.
“Did it look like sorcery?”
“That’s the only way you would have been able to defeat Kim Go-hyuk and Elder Sword Saint so quickly. As expected. At first, I was still unconvinced, but now, you’ve finally revealed the truth of your nature. You really are a Demon.”
The Hwarang Leader sneered.
“But that won’t work against me. Because sorcery won’t work in front of my Hwandudaedo(1).”
(Note:
1. Hwandudaedo is the modern Korean term for one of earliest original types of Korean sword, appearing in the Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea. These swords were at first symbols of a ruler’s power, but their availability increased in the 5th century, and it became a more widespread symbol of military or political rank.)