The disk that grazed Lee Sungmin's neck continued to rotate and hover around him, even after Amzone had already given up control over it.

He went to deal with the Crazy Heavenly Demon. Out of Amzone's hands, a dark aura started to envelope the s.p.a.ce around him.

In Eria, it was common knowledge that within the four main forces of the Orthodox Factions that the Tang Clan was known for their meticulous hidden weapons and ease of control over poison. But, like every other clan in Eria that summoned people from different dimensions, the Tang Clan had long improved their arts with their countless experts from different dimensions.

Long ago, Amzone had a Tang Clan surname. But he was of humble origins within the clan and was excluded from most opportunities the Main Branch held within the clan. He wasn't one with the best apt.i.tude among their standards, so he left the clan while creating his own arts with the knowledge he had taken and memorized from the clan libraries.

He then started to learn the dark arts of the Tang Clan and modified it himself. When the other members tried to bring him back, his new skill was absolutely unparalleled.

However, that was a very long time ago and Amzone had improved further on the a.s.sasination arts he had learned. a.s.sasination was not all about simply killing others. All the techniques regarding a.s.sasination, dealt with utilizing poison. a.s.sasins should be able to kill an opponent secretly and without doubt. Thus, the technique using the black arts was one of a killing blow.

Every time Lee Sungmin chased the moving disk, it moved around faster than he could fathom. He was slowly realizing how far away the Transcendental Realm was. The Crazy Heavenly Demon clenched his teeth and greatly inflated the Blood Aura he had to form around his entire body.

Kwaaang!

A red storm exploded from his fists. Standing at the center of the storm, the Crazy Heavenly Demon raised his feet and struck down the ground. The ground shook and the violent blood storm began to make a fierce turn. If anybody looked at it from a spectating point of view they would be certain that the storm was one that would cause instant death and have their body turned and shredded to pieces.

The dark zone created by Amzone however, was tranquil even in the storm. There was no sign of any discomfort or agitation apparent on his face, though the dark aura of his small domain fluttered ceaselessly. Byuk Won-Pae stared at the face of the dark domain created with Amzone's aura and spread out his hands. Then he roused up his violent and coursing internal energy and unfolded the Blood Gale Nova technique.

(T/N reminder : Byuk Won-pae is the Crazy Heavenly demon's name)

At that moment the dark domain moved. The body of the disappearing Amzone was within the reach of the Crazy Heavenly Demon. Amzone twirled the awl wrapped in his hands with the force of his dark aura and cut through the Crazy Heavenly Demon's technique. It didn't just stop at severing through the technique, it sliced right through the defensive aura of Byuk Won-Pae and blood splurted from his shoulder.

BOOM!

The Dark Aura exploded with a deafening sound. But, the Crazy Heavenly Demon didn't stop. He hurriedly reached out his left hand and grabbed Amzone's arm. Amzone didn't fret and threw the awl from the gripped hand to the free arm he had. Then Byuk Won-Pae rose his strength as much as he could muster and tried to rip the arm off from the shoulder of Amzone.

Whoos.h.!.+

The awl shot forward and sliced through the Crazy Heavenly Demon's flesh. Amzone said he would not kill him. Even in the circ.u.mstances, Amzone intended to keep his word, and the awl that pierced the side of the Crazy Heavenly Demon was not a fatal wound because it cleverly avoided his internal organs.

As a result, the b.l.o.o.d.y storm exploded. Red gusts of aura swept everywhere with a heavy noise that shook the whole s.p.a.ce.

BANG!

Amzone revealed himself, completely unscathed. He looked at Crazy Heavenly Demon, swiping off the dust that had collected on his body. The blood-stained Byuk Won-Pae was glaring at Amzone with a chilling killing intent.

It was at that moment, Lee Sungmin jumped out at the back of Amzone. He fired his fiercely-rotating spear at his opponent's back. Again, Amzone disappeared in a haze. Lee Sungmin clenched his teeth and turned the spear to the side. Amzone who was standing there, smiled and waved. His sleeve and Lee Sungmin's spear collided.

Thwocccckkkkk!

Lee Sungmin clenched his teeth under the pressure of his aching hands. The end of the spear trembled and he exploded a b.l.o.o.d.y lightning aura clad with the spear tip.

Nine Heavenly Spears Techniques 3rd move : Lightning Strike (분쇄 추상)

Crazy Heavenly Demon's technique : Blood Ring Smithereens (血環破碎 )

“You're definitely an interesting character.”

Amzone nodded and waved his sleeve to respond to the spear.

Pavavabak!

Dozens of dagger blows fired from inside Amzone's sleeves and blocked all the spear stabs of the lightning clad spear. Lee Sungmin opened his eyes as he watched the aura become scattered in vain.

[Stretch out your feet.]

Lee Sungmin widened his stance and planted his feet firmly and rose the spear back up with the blood rings. The Red Aura covered Lee Sungmin's eyes with a dense, strong atmosphere in just two steps.

Amzone rolled up his right sleeve. Covering the wide sleeves, was a sharp steel blade. There was a cracking sound from the shoulder of the arm that was wielding the blade. Amzone swung his right arm wide.

“Ugh.”

The steel blade that was clas.h.i.+ng with the spear was cut short. Amzone put the blade of the knife that protruded from his forearm back into his arm and waved his left hand.

Pavabababak!

Dozens of small beads were fired. It was a nail-sized needle-like bead. Lee Sungmin immediately changed the trajectory of the explosive bead by spreading the Blood Mist.

Behind Amzone's back, came Byuk Won-Pae. Though his shoulder was wounded, it wasn't fatal, and there was no major obstacle in moving his body. He fired off the disk that was circling Sungmin earlier, stretching out his wide open hands sequentially. Amzone twirled around the spot, moving his left hand. Between his fingers, there was a hidden steel claw.

Quaddeuk!

It ripped apart the b.l.o.o.d.y hurricane created by the Crazy Heavenly Demon, just like shredding apart a b.l.o.o.d.y corpse through a grinder. Then, Amzone stretched forward his foot toward the rift created by it. The left hand that he was wielding pulled back in the opposite direction. A curved blade which had been stuck between his fingers, flew toward Byuk Won-Pae.

“Hahaha!”

The blades which had penetrated through the tornado, reached the Crazy Heavenly Demon and once more, sliced through his flesh. The Crazy Heavenly Demon staggered, the blood spurting out like a waterfall from the wound on his shoulder.

“ELDER!”

Lee Sungmin shouted out to the Crazy Heavenly Demon in response to the blow dealt by Amzone. He then started to circulate even more internal energy, heating up his energy thrusting his spear forward with a scarlet aura from the Blood Rings technique and incorporeal dragons surrounding the spear materialized from the Nine Dragons Lightning strike.

“Hmm.”

Amzone nodded his head with a pleased expression. It was as he thought to be expected from Lee Sungmin. No it was even surpa.s.sing his expectations! The dancing spear lush with the combined auras of his techniques, pleased Amzone. The fact that Lee Sungmin had reached such an outstanding level at the age of 24 meant that he had a great future ahead of him if he continued to tread diligently.

Or maybe ten years? Amzone thought to himself. If Lee Sungmin kept at this pace and overcame his limits, Amzone thought Lee Sungmin could cross the wall from peak level over to Transcendence.

But it won't be now.

Amzone's hand gripped around his waist. The Hidden Weapon Arts of the Tang Clan weren't as simple as throwing darts and poison. Hidden Weapon Arts always utilized a cover-up weapon, and its essence lied in being well hidden so that the opponent can't know when or where they'll be attacked.

While moving his hand at his waist, he grabbed the black whip he had hidden behind his clothes. Among the various weapons that Amzone had, the whip had some sentiment for him and it's results had never disappointed him for the time he wielded it.

When Amzone snapped the whip with force, the blood mist and the incorporeal dragons were scattered against the whip.

“Hope you have more to show me.”, Amazon whispered to himself.

The whip struck forward again. It hit the injured and stationary Crazy Heavenly Demon and he flew backwards.

“Crazy Demon!”

“I didn't kill him.”

Nine Heavenly Spears Techniques 4th move : Lightning Annihilation (伏蛇魄貪)

It was the fastest technique that Lee Sungmin could use with his strength, but Amzone could twiddle his thumbs faster.

Bang!

Lee Sungmin's right shoulder joint turned fiercely and it was pierced through by the spear shot by Amzone. In succession, Amzone moved back and flicked more hidden weapons through his fingertips.

Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew Pew!

Lee Sungmin's right leg, which was supporting the weight of his body, was pierced multiple times by the hidden weapons Amzone threw at him. His body weight couldn't hold up and he fell forwards.

“I realize you have been stuck at the verge of Transcendence for the past ten years, but… You've trained yourself to the point, where it's close to the wall that blocks it from the peak level. I'll pay my respects to your efforts.”

Amzone said to the Crazy Heavenly Demon who was kneeling on the ground and bleeding profusely. The Crazy Heavenly Demon clenched his teeth and gripped his broken shoulder tightly. The same with Lee Sungmin. He was supporting himself with the spear in place of his immobile leg.

[Too much.]

Heoju mururmed.

[You can't beat him no matter how bad you are. The cla.s.s is different.]

Lee Sungmin knew. He knew it even before the fight. Amzone was a powerful enemy that could never be defeated by Lee Sungmin's ability as it was. Even though the Crazy Heavenly Demon, which was similar to Lee Sungmin, was working together with him, he could not inflict any real damage to Amzone.

[Are you trying to rely on the black heart?]

Heoju spoke with a hint of irritation.

[Don't you believe in the abilities you have now? So far, the black heart has given you the right help in every crisis. I've evolved your body so that you can reproduce the martial arts you've reached in your consciousness with your body. But, are you sure? Are you confident that the heart will evolve your body to avoid death, as it has done so far?]

It was true that he had relied on the black heart so far. Lee Sungmin had almost died several times. Whenever that happened, the heart evolved to make Lee Sungmin survive his circ.u.mstances. The entanglement of the heart, mind, and body, which had been holding back Lee Sungmin for a long time, was also solved thanks to the black heart.

But Amzone was not trying to kill Lee Sungmin. Lee Sungmin was struggling desperately to kill the man, but Amzone was attacking him with a different intent than what was needed for the black heart to evolve. He was very relaxed, and he was trampling all over the teamwork between The Crazy Heavenly Demon and Lee Sungmin.

[Even if you've been lucky enough to survive, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to do it again this time. So…]

'Give it to me.'

Lee Sungmin said with a raspy but cold and determined voice. He glared at his right leg, which was throbbing.

'Turn your powers over.'

[…what?]

'Turn over your powers of the yokai to me.'

[Didn't you want to avoid it? Non-human powers are dangerous forces, and may make you, who is a human being, not human anymore.]

Heoju warned him.

Lee Sungmin was also well aware of the risks. He didn't know how his appearance would change or how the powers would affect his thinking. So, Lee Sungmin had been avoiding using the powers since the dungeon.

'I don't care.'

If Lee Sungmin didn't stop Amzone here, he would lose Wijihoyeon. No. He didn't know what Beyond the Heavens was really pursuing. He didn't know why Qian Zun wanted to take Wijihoyeon or why Amzone protected her in the shadows.

It wasn't just that he didn't want her to be taken, Wijihoyeon also didn't want to join Beyond the Heavens. But, deep down inside, he was really worried about her.

Those two reasons were more than enough for him to use the powers of Heoju.

'Give to me!'

Heoju didn't laugh in a sarcastic tone like he normally did. It wasn't because he was reluctant to lend his strength to the wounded Lee Sungmin. It was only because he wasn't sure if Lee Sungmin could win against Amzone even if he used his powers.

Lee Sungmin's path was still that of a human. While Heoju's powers may be deeply rooted inside Lee Sungmin's energy, that power alone might not be enough to overcome this crisis.