King Shura

Pain is a relative thing.

Just like how everyone in the world has a different amount of patience, the amount of pain tolerance everyone has is also different. There is no set amount of pain that everyone can tolerate.

‘The world is unfair.’

Cho Ryu Hyang stood up and thought of a single sentence he read from the Moon Edge Blade Technique. Yes, the sentence was correct.

The world was unfair. Most people die when they allow even a single hit on themselves from a Harmonious expert. They died without even being given the time to feel pain.

Crack–

Cho Ryu Hyang straightened his back once and smiled.

‘But the Moon Edge Blade Technique isn’t normal.’

Ak Jung Pae.

Cho Ryu Hyang could just see how great this man was now. What Cho Ryu Hyang used just now was the technique that came right after Ryun.

‘Jia (鉀: Armor)’

According to its description, the technique turns his body into something that resembles an armor.

The Moon Edge Blade Technique was something that changed the balance of the entire world in the past. That’s why Cho Ryu Hyang had high expectations for it. He believed that he’d be able to take the attack of a Harmonious expert without even feeling a thing.

But when he took a hit from No Jin Nyung.

‘Mm?’

Cho Ryu Hyang realized that something was terribly wrong. His body was going through intense pain; it was enough to prevent him from even thinking anything.

He couldn’t even scream under the pain that seemed to squeeze all his muscles into tiny pieces.

‘I thought I’d die.’

Right. He genuinely thought he’d die here, but he didn’t. The pain was soon masked by a strange new ‘feeling’ he never felt before.

(TL: Hm, so Cho Ryu Hyang’s an M….)

Cho Ryu Hyang smiled faintly as he touched his glasses.

‘I’ll have to try it one more time.’

He wanted to know more about the strange feeling he felt just a moment ago. When he thought this much, he hesitated a bit.

He realized that in order to confirm what that feeling was, he’d have to take on that terrifying blow again.

Cho Ryu Hyang became very concerned. The pain he just felt now wasn’t something he could ever be able to endure.

A cold sweat ran down his back. Wasn’t that pain something he never wanted to experience ever again?

‘There’s no choice.’

Right. No Jin Nyung was already looking at him with a focused face. It was too late to even try to dodge his attack.

Cho Ryu Hyang looked around with a bitter face. He memorized his surroundings as fast as he could and organized his thoughts.

‘At least one hit.’

No matter how much he wanted to dodge, he had to take a hit. He had to endure that terrible pain.

‘But as long as I don’t faint, I’ll win.’

It was just one hit. One hit and he would win. Cho Ryu Hyang bit his lips and steeled his heart.

At that point, No Jin Nyung was thinking something similar to Cho Ryu Hyang.

‘I’ll end this in one hit.’

This would be the simplest way to do it. It wasn’t hard. He regretted the fact that he might kill the child, but he couldn’t afford to restrain himself.

He was going to go all out. No Jin Nyung took a deep breath. Then, a clear black energy began to flow from his body.

It was a heavy yet arrogant energy. It had a presence that seemed to suppress everything around it.

Kugugugu–!

The ground shook faintly. Un Hui got confused for a second when he saw it, he suddenly shouted out in surprise.

“Could that be the Heavenly Demon Technique (天魔神功)?”

No Jin Nyung looked towards Un Hui and blinked several times. He was surprised that Un Hui recognized his technique. Un Hui, who realized what No Jin Nyung was thinking, beame worried.

The Heavenly Dmeon Technique was practiced by the first Pope of the church, the Heavenly Demon Hong Sunwon.

The technique that was said to have been created by that man was the Heavenly Demon Technique. As this was the technique that allowed the man to change the world itself, it was definitely the greatest technique seen so far in the world.

‘But it’s incomplete…….’

The complete Heavenly Demon Technique did not exist. It was because the Pope that came after Hong Sunwon failed to take in the technique completely.

There was no one who managed to complete the technique after the Heavenly Demon himself. Every one of the Popes in the past tried, but they failed to do so.

The Shura Environment, the technique that many of the Popes used, was the technique derived from the destructive aspect of the Heavenly Demon Technique.

The Heavenly Demon Technique passed down at present day was just a fraction of the whole. But that man managed to become a Harmonious expert with an incomplete technique.

‘This is dangerous.’

He had to stop them. Countless warnings were going on in his head. Because of this, he had to stop himself from moving multiple times, but he could only watch Cho Ryu Hyang as he ground his teeth.

‘Shit.’

Cho Ryu Hyang was currently trembling violently as he looked at No Jin Nyung’s oppressive force, but not once did he stray his eyes away from his enemy.

He was just staring at No Jin Nyung quietly.

‘He’s aiming for something.’

Un Hui was very concerned. He could only save the heir if he acted now. This definitely wasn’t something that Cho Ryu Hyang could take on alone.

Even an incomplete technique unleashed by a Harmonious expert would be incredibly powerful. No, since it was an incomplete technique, Un Hui was unsure how much power it would contain.

Right then, No Jin Nyung gathered all the energy he was emitting into his leg. At the same time.

Kuum–!

No Jin Nyung stepped on the ground with great force. The force he exerted on the ground was so great, that the ground started to crack apart like turtle shells.

Krrr–!

As Cho Ryu Hyang tried to regain balance from the shockwaves in the ground, No Jin Nyung made his move. Un Hui, who saw this, became extremely nervous.

It still wasn’t too late to save Cho Ryu Hyang. This was his final chance. He had to make a choice here.

But in the end, he couldn’t move. He just could look at Cho Ryu Hyang with his fists clenched tightly enough to bleed.

‘What is this feeling?’

Un Hui couldn’t come back to his senses due to a strange feeling he was experiencing. This was a matter he shouldn’t even hesitate about.

As a bodyguard who puts his master’s life before his own, he should quickly go out and sort out the matter in front of him. But he couldn’t.

Why? Un Hui, who couldn’t figure out what that feeling was, suddenly frowned.

‘This is…….’

It was ‘trust’. His attempt to save his master was obstructed by an emotion known as trust.

‘Am I actually thinking that he would be able to block that?’

It really was a thread of hope that he was putting his trust into. Just how did he imagine that his master could block that blow?

At the moment when Un Hui’s face was turning into a frown, No Jin Hyung’s kick was heading straight towards Cho Ryu Hyang’s body.

Shuaa–!

The air around him screamed violently. This was a kick containing all the power a Harmonious expert could muster.

‘I’ll explode his head.’

This was unavoidable. This attack was just straightforward and honest. That was what made it so strong.

Cho Ryu Hyang reflectively blocked his face with his hands. He was trying to use those arms that resembled sticks to block No Jin Nyung.

No Jin Nyung smirked when he saw Cho Ryu Hyang’s foolish action.

‘Futile resistance.’

That was what No Jin Nyung thought.

Baang–!

With a sound resembling a leather drum exploding, Cho Ryu Hyang was shot off with his body curved like a bow.

Blood fountained in the air, and Cho Ryu Hyang fell on the ground weakly, like a leaf. The fountain of blood froze within Un Hui’s eyes for a moment, just like a picture.

At that moment, Un Hui cursed his decision to not move.

‘I should’ve blocked it.’

He should’ve blocked his master, either by making him faint, or even beating his master up himself. Just how would he face the Pope now? He wouldn’t even have anything to say for himself.

At the point when all sorts of nightmarish events were playing out in his mind, Un Hui widened his eyes. This was the same for No Jin Nyung.

“Eeh?”

Cho Ryu Hyang, whose head should’ve been blown away, was standing up weakly.

“Urk!”

Cho Ryu Hyang seemed to be in an extremely bad condition. It was obvious from the fact that he was constantly throwing up blood with a pale face.

Just when Un Hui was about to move, Cho Ryu Hyang looked at him for a split second, then turned away. Un Hui, who realized what Cho Ryu Hyang was trying to say, frowned.

‘It’s not over?’

Was he intepreting Cho Ryu Hyang’s message correctly? Just what did his master have to show for himself, especially when he was already in such a state?

While Un Hui was thinking this, Cho Ryu Hyang, who had slowly straightened his back, opened his mouth.

“I win.”

Cho Ryu Hyang showed off his teeth dyed with blood as he tiredly smiled. No Jin Nyung became confused by Cho Ryu Hyang’s statement.

“What do you mean?”

Just what did Cho Ryu Hyang mean, especially when he seemed to be in a half-dead state? Wasn’t the boy going too far with his bluff? That was what No Jin Nyung thought.

Right at that moment, Cho Ryu Hyang lifted his arm and dropped something on the ground.

Tok–

It was a single piece of stone. Just when did the boy pick that up? No, what did that stone have to do with all this?

While No Jin Nyung and Un Hui were thinking the same things together, Cho Ryu Hyang smiled as he spoke.

“Be careful.”

“Of what?”

Vmm–

“Eh?”

With a sound of the air vibrating, No Jin Nyung disappeared from everyone’s sight.

* * *

Formations usually had to have a perfect shape. A circle was the most basic shape of a formation and based on that circle, the outside world and the world inside the formation would be split.

In the end, as long as a perfect ‘boundary’ was made, a formation would activate. In the past, Cho Ryu Hyang and Jo Gi Chun researched this ‘boundary’ carefully. ‘When a boundary is made, the inside and the outside will separate.’

They were working on how they could make this basic formation activation requirement simple and easy to do. Wisdom met wisdom, and effort joined with more effort.

And with enough time, one of the results of their research was being displayed to No Jin Nyung.

“What the hell is this?”

No Jin Nyung became stupefied for a moment. All his senses were shut off briefly, then a bunch of giant, thick iron bars were displayed in front of him.

A prison. It was a square prison with about 1 meter in terms of width. A bunch of iron bars caged him inside.

No Jin Nyung blinked a few times in surprise at this nonsensical view in front of him, then carefully extended his head to touch one of the bars. His mouth widened in surprise when he touched one.

“Eh?”

What he just touched actually felt like iron, didn’t it? How was this possible? This wasn’t some sort of an illusion?

He extended his fist towards the bars with a light jab as he thought this. He would try to break the prison bars before he would do anything else.

Screen Shot 2016-01-17 at 12.08.38 AM.png

Even the strongest piece of iron would be like a toothpick to a Harmonious expert, after all.

Deng–!

No Jin Nyung became surprised at the amount of resistance he felt in his fist. The iron bars were harder than he had thought.

No Jin Nyung made an amused face. He didn’t know what had happened, but he knew the heir was responsible for this.

‘This is a battle.’

What this place was, and what it was meant to do did not matter. He just had to get out with the simplest means possible.

And this kind of thought was indeed correct. As long as No Jin Nyung destroyed this formation, victory would be his.

‘Then…….’

This time, he punched the bars after gathering some energy into his fist.

Bang–!

No Jin Nyung licked his lips. Then, he began to laugh without even realizing it.

“This is ridiculous.”

He could only laugh when faced with such an outrageous situation. The iron bars that got hit by his strike were bent.

This was was understandable. It was disappointing that a strike meant to destroy only damaged the bars, but he knew that the bars would break if he applied enough force.

But the problem was, the bars would regain its original shape the instant after it was struck. No Jin Nyung laughed by himself for a bit, then took a deep breath.

“Are you seriously trying to have a go with me?”

It looked like he’d have to really go all out. Once he decided to do this, No Jin Nyung’s body began to emit a dark, oppressive aura.