Originally, illusion arts are about deception. Whether in the Orthodox or Unorthodox factions, it is generally treated as a miscellaneous trick used only in fights between low-level practitioners. The Phantom Demon was the very person who completely shattered such stereotypes. The Phantom Demon Arts had the power to seep deep into the soul, shake the mind, and collapse the boundary between reality and illusion. Even with eyes open, one could not see the truth, and even with ears open, one could not hear reality. Then, what if one pushed with numbers? Even that was impossible. Because he could make even a large-scale army of tens of thousands fall into an illusion in an instant and self-destruct.
'Of course, I can't use that level of power right now, but....'
The lazy Seomun Hwan possesses internal energy that isn't even second-rate, let alone peak level. With that amount, it is impossible to defeat tens of thousands of the Heavenly Demon Cult's elites. Still, he could cook up merely (?) three peak masters this lightly.
Snap!
Seomun Hwan flicked his finger lightly. Then, the ropes that were lying around randomly began to move smoothly like living snakes.
"Heup!"
The startled attackers tried to run away, but it was impossible. Because their feet were stuck to the ground as if glue had been applied, and wouldn't come off. In the meantime, the ropes that crawled while wriggling swirled around and tied the three of them tightly.
"Keuk!"
Normally, with the strength of a peak master, they would be able to easily snap something like a rope with just force. But for some reason, wasn't all the strength draining from their bodies to the point where it was hard to even lift a finger? Like that, the three peak masters became helplessly captured. The ones who found this fact hardest to believe were the captured ones themselves. They believed that if the three of them combined their strength, they could even face a transcendent master... to be defeated so helplessly by a trivial sorcery.
"W-What on earth is this sorcery? What did you do to us?" "You can't grasp the atmosphere. Is that important right now?"
Seomun Hwan looked around and made eye contact with the Coin Demon, who was standing awkwardly.
"Hey, over there." "Y-Yes?! Do you mean me?" "Chair."
As Seomun Hwan pointed to a chair nearby with his chin, the Coin Demon shouted hurriedly.
"Y-Yes!"
The Coin Demon immediately picked up a chair and brought it to Seomun Hwan. Although the internal injury he suffered earlier must be significant, he moved in an instant.
"Good. You're quick unlike how you look." "T-Thank you!"
Seomun Hwan crossed his legs, sat on the chair, and habitually stroked his chin, but realizing it was smooth without a beard unlike his past life, he crossed his arms.
"Now, shall we talk? Whose orders were you following to attack this place? What is your purpose?"
However, the attackers only kept their mouths firmly shut and lowered their eyes. Their attitude was stubborn. They didn't seem to have any intention of opening their mouths at all. Seomun Hwan tilted his head and beckoned with his finger.
"Knife."
At that word, the Coin Demon quickly held out the knife he had. As expected, he is a guy who is incredibly quick on the uptake. Seomun Hwan tapped his palm with the sword and held it out forward. As he pressed the tip of the knife close to one man's neck, a cold sensation ran down his skin.
"You don't seem afraid of death? Or is there perhaps someone who will look after you if you keep your mouth shut until you die?"
Even though a sharp blade touched his neck, the attacker only glared at Seomun Hwan without a word.
"Is that so? Then, fine."
Seomun Hwan, who said that, thrust the sword boldly....
Squitch!
He stabbed one man deeply in the chest.
"Keu-euk!"
The knife pierced the exact center of the heart. The man struggled in pain and soon went limp. Naturally, it was instant death. Witnessing their colleague's death, the remaining two's pupils shook in shock and fear.
"Now two are left."
A weary voice flowed out. Even if one killed a rat in the yard, one wouldn't be able to speak so peacefully. The surviving two swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.
Gulp!
"Speak quickly. I will specially spare the one who speaks first." "Keuk!"
Even though one had died, the two stubbornly did not open their mouths. Seomun Hwan swung the sword again as if it didn't matter much.
Puk!
"Kuh-euk!"
This time too, the heart was pierced without fail. Already two peak martial artists had died so futilely.
"Now only you are left."
Seomun Hwan lifted the sword dripping with blood and began to rub it gently against the opponent's cheek. As his colleague's blood wet his face, he trembled down to his chin in fear. No matter how much of a master one is who looks down on the world, one cannot be aloof in front of death.
"Speak quickly. For what reason did you attack the Black Dragon Gang? It was also your doing that messed with the Seomun Clan, right?"
As the sharp sword slightly grazed his neck and passed, the man finally began to vomit out the truth.
"I-I don't know. I don't know anything. We only do as we are told from above." "You don't know? That can't be. Masters like you just did as you were told from above?" "Yeah. We are merely tools. We were raised like that from long ago." "Raised?"
An ominous premonition brushed past.
"Where are you bastards affiliated with?"
Seomun Hwan pushed the knife further into his neck without a change in expression. As blood trickled down from the sharp blade, the man answered hurriedly.
"B-Black Shadow Squad."
Seomun Hwan frowned.
"Are you kidding right now? Don't tell me the squad, tell me the sect. Where are you affiliated? Unorthodox faction? Orthodox faction? Or... is it the Heavenly Demon Cult?" "I don't know things like that either. I just do as I'm told." "If you keep babbling bullshit, I won't go easy on you. Do you also want a hole punched in your heart like the other guys?"
Strength entered the hand gripping the knife minutely. As the sword dug into his neck, the man trembled his eyebrows. It was that moment.
Kwa-ang!
The wall shattered with a roar. Through the crumbled gap, dozens of people in black outfits, same as the tied man, rushed in instantly.
"Over there! Kill him and rescue him!"
In the situation that happened in an instant, Seomun Hwan stepped back in panic.
"W-What? Who are you guys?"
He reached his hand forward as if to unfold the illusion art again, but this time he was one step late. The enemies who had already arrived in front swung their swords quickly.
Swish!
Three swords were swung simultaneously, slashing Seomun Hwan's arms and legs.
"Keuk!"
Seomun Hwan clutched his wounds and stepped back. He tried to flee hurriedly, but an attacker was already waiting behind him with a sword raised.
"Oh no!"
When Seomun Hwan noticed, it was already after the attacker's sword had stabbed his back.
Puk!
The piercing sword penetrated his chest and stuck out the front.
"Kuh-euk!"
Seomun Hwan clutched his chest and collapsed. Seomun Hwan, who fell forward, could no longer move. The attackers tapped the fallen Seomun Hwan with their feet and laughed ferociously.
"Kuhuhu! Did you think such petty tricks would work on us?"
After pushing Seomun Hwan's corpse away with a foot, they untied the bound man.
"Are you okay? Sorry we're late." "T-Thank you. I really almost died."
The rescued man caught his breath and barely stood up. Then the man who saved them narrowed his brow and asked.
"You were being interrogated. What did you divulge to him?"
The man shook his head.
"I didn't say anything." "Bullshit! Then why are you the only one alive? When the other two died so miserably?"
The rescuer asked sharply again. The man poured out words as if he was wrongly accused.
"Even if I wanted to speak, there's nothing I know." "Is that really all?" "I did say I belonged to the Black Shadow Squad, but with just that, nothing...."
The man who was making excuses diligently felt something and his eyes shook. Something creepily strange sensation wrapped around his whole body.
"Wait! Something is strange. There's no way someone would come all this way to save us...."
It was that moment. Wasn't the man who saved him suddenly smiling broadly?
"Well, is this it?"
At that moment, the man's face began to change slowly like rippling water, and soon transformed into a completely different appearance.
"Y-You are...!"
The person standing in front of his eyes was Seomun Hwan. Seomun Hwan, whom he thought was already dead, was smiling nonchalantly.
"Did you have sweet dreams?"
Seomun Hwan flicked his finger.
Snap!
At that moment, everything visible to the eye began to return to its place. There was no group that came to rescue him, no broken wall, no scattered blood. It was the same scenery as when he first came here. Even the two colleagues he thought were dead were perfectly alive. The three attackers were still sitting on the floor tied with ropes, and Seomun Hwan was looking down at them while leaning comfortably on the chair with his legs crossed. The attackers' faces turned pale. One of them asked with a trembling voice.
"I-Illusion art? From when was it?"
Seomun Hwan ignored his words and muttered.
"It's true that you know nothing. All three of you were sold by your parents when you were young, entered a place like a cave, and only learned martial arts? What kind of crazy bastards can do something like this? Even the Heavenly Demon Cult didn't do things like this?"
He had already finished cross-verification. Those three really knew nothing and just did as they were told from above.
"To use such high-level martial artists as a sleeper cell.... They are more dangerous guys than I thought."
Seomun Hwan stroked his chin and pondered. If it were his past self, whoever played tricks, he would have dragged them all out and punished them. But regrettably, his current self did not have that kind of power. Hasn't it been only a few days since he recovered his past life's memories?
"Can't be helped."
Snap!
As Seomun Hwan flicked his finger again, the three suddenly rolled their eyes back and dropped their heads deeply. They all fainted. Seomun Hwan picked up the sword the Coin Demon gave him and approached them. He hesitated for a moment and fiddled with the hilt.
"I tried to avoid getting blood on my hands directly if possible, but...."
Now was not the time to say leisurely things. Seomun Hwan, who caught his breath for a moment, swung the sword.
Swish!
Bang!
The window frame of the Black Dragon Gang's base shattered entirely, and a black shadow popped out. It is a blood-soaked man. One of the masked men who came here to deal with the Black Dragon Gang. His colleagues were all dead, and he was the only one who barely escaped. He didn't even look back and started moving quickly into the forest.
"Damn it! Somehow I have to escape...."
The masked man ran for a long time, then looked behind him, wary of a possible pursuit. Fortunately, there was no one following him.
"Huff! Huff! Did I lose him?"
There was no pursuit, but his condition was the worst. His body was full of large and small wounds, and especially his stomach was in a state where his intestines would pop out right away if he didn't block it with his hand.
"...I have to report."
The masked man moved his feet even faster. He had to report that the mission failed. Didn't a figure who would uproot the entire plan interfere with them? A short while later, the place he arrived at was an abandoned shrine on the outskirts. A faint candlelight flickered, illuminating the shadows of five people sitting in the darkness. In the center sat an elderly old man with a long white beard. His energy was distinctly different from an ordinary human, and a heavy pressure flowed as if facing a massive mountain range. The old man slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a low and deep voice.
"Someone is coming."
The other four shadows also read the approaching energy a little late.
"It's one of the Black Shadows." "What happened for his energy to be so flustered?" "Surely... did they fail? On a job handling just a few neighborhood bullies?"
As soon as those words finished, the door of the shrine burst open and urgent footsteps were heard. The masked man clutching his stomach gasped for breath and collapsed on the floor.
"Huff! Huff!"
The old man's eyes shone sharply.
"What happened? What is that state?"
The masked man continued speaking quickly with a trembling voice.
"T-The mission failed. We intended to take control starting from the back alleys of Pungsan as planned, but... an unexpected figure moved." "Unexpected figure? Who is that." "He is... He is...."
A shocking person's title popped out of the masked man's mouth.
"It was definitely True Master Hyeon-geum of the Mount Hua Sect. Cough!"
The man who spoke like that went limp, as if his strength had run out. The old man rushed over and examined him, but....
"He died."
The wounds were too severe, so there was already no hope. Coming all the way here with these wounds was close to a miracle. The frowning old man stripped off the dead man's outer garment. Then, distinct traces passing through the chest and stomach were visible.
"Is it the Supreme Clarity Sword Arts (Taecheong-geombeop)?"
It's to the extent that profound energy can be felt from the wound. Only an elder-level figure of the Mount Hua Sect could leave a scar of this magnitude. The old man, who confirmed the cause of death, shouted nervously.
"Why did the Mount Hua priest intervene in this matter?"
Then, the person next to him answered with a trembling voice.
"True Master Hyeon-geum is currently staying as a guest at the Seomun Clan. Perhaps... didn't he obtain information from the Seomun Clan?" "From the Seomun Clan?" "That is correct. The spy we planted inside got greedy, so we disposed of him. We definitely disposed of him so no one would notice, but...." "Stupid bastard!"
At the old man's chilly voice, the surroundings froze in an instant. He did not hide his anger.
"To leave a trace while dealing with one trivial guy! If the Mount Hua Sect intervened, this can no longer be passed over simply." "We apologize. It is because we judged too complacently."
The subordinate hurriedly bowed his head. The old man let out a long sigh. It was disappointing. To think a problem arose from the very first step of the plan they prepared with great care for a long time.
"It is clear that Mount Hua smelled something." "Then how do we now...."
The old man, who pondered for a moment, ground his teeth and said.
"Can't be helped. We are scrapping this plan."
Fortunately, the plan was still only in the early stages. If they pulled out now, it wouldn't be a big loss. The old man, who was thinking like that, suddenly shouted abruptly.
"Who is it?!"
Powerful energy poured out from the hand of the old man who turned his body in an instant. A palm blast shimmering burning red. The palm blast that flew quickly struck something that was on top of a tree.
Pop!
Something was hit by the palm blast and exploded. When everyone was surprised by the sudden situation, the old man spoke.
"Check it."
At that word, one person who was next to him ran hastily and checked something that was hit by the palm blast. The debris he brought back a short while later was....
"It seems to be a bird."
It was shattered to pieces by the powerful energy, but a little bit of the bird's form remained. That bird with jet-black feathers resembling darkness was....
"Is it a crow?"
The old man who confirmed the dead crow squinted his eyes. He definitely felt someone watching this side. Is it because his nerves are on edge due to the unexpected failure?
"We are withdrawing. Erase all traces." "By your command!"
"Indeed... not an ordinary guy."
Blood trickled down from his eyes. It was because of the backlash from the crow he was controlling with the Soul Beast Ghost Dance Arts (Honsu-gwimu-sul) dying. Seomun Hwan took out a handkerchief from his bosom, wiped the blood, and fell into thought.
"It's a guy I'm seeing for the first time... who is it?"
That old man is an absolute master who has reached at least the Transformation Realm (Hwagyeong), or perhaps the Profound Realm (Hyeongyeong). If it is a figure of that caliber, he would have definitely been famous 30 years ago as well, but the face was unfamiliar.
"It means at least he isn't affiliated with the Heavenly Demon Cult."
He couldn't distinguish yet whether he had avoided the worst, or if it was a situation worse than that. But it was certain that they were up to something here. Fortunately, since he fabricated it as the Mount Hua Sect intervening, they wouldn't come near Pungsan here for a while, but....
"What do you mean reign of peace? It's full of suspicious guys. It's annoying to death, really."
It seemed he would have to move a little for a peaceful future.
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