Boom! The explosions that filled the air were so loud that it felt like his ears would fall off. The Martial King was too strong; each step that he took made the ground quake, and each fist made storms gather. In his youth, before he’d gained the nickname “the Martial King”, he had been called “the Walking Disaster”. From the shockwaves each movement he made caused, Yeon-woo could understand why.

And now, he was stronger than he’d been back then. Yeon-woo was fending off his attacks with Vigrid, his Sky Wings spread wide, but that was the most he could do. His Draconic Eyes tracked the Martial King’s movements, but he didn’t have time to predict their path. He couldn’t even think about counterattacking, and the fight ended with him just barely holding on.

On the other hand, the Martial King looked relaxed the entire time. “Try a little harder.” He was only demonstrating a part of his power. “Your abilities shouldn’t stop there.”

Yeon-woo had heard this in the past before too. “I thought you were finally growing a little more useful now, but is this all you amount to? You’re still lacking. You have the vessel; why is this all you can do?” Back when he was in danger of being crushed by Allforone, the Demonism said this to him with his nose in the air. He wondered why this was the best Yeon-woo could do despite all that he had.

Technically, the Demonism was right. Yeon-woo had a unique trait that had never been seen in the Tower before—the Demonic Divine Dragon Body—and he had two Soulstones. Vieira Dune had managed to swallow Mother Earth with just one Soulstone. In comparison, Yeon-woo’s achievements were too pitiful. The Demonism had shown him how to use everything he had to fight. At the time, Yeon-woo had been strong enough to stand against Allforone.

Now, with another Soulstone and creation of the Stone of Sin, although his abilities hadn’t necessarily grown in proportion, he had more potential.

The Martial King saw this and wondered why Yeon-woo was so limited. The Martial King sought the most direct path and saw the greatest value in it. “You have the same problem as in the past.” The Martial King smiled mischievously, but his eyes flashed sharply. “Your mental state doesn’t follow your body.”

Yeon-woo was silent.

“It seems like you’ve artificially cobbled together the talent I spoke about and forced your different powers and skills to fit your body. However, you still have a long way to go.”

Just as the Martial King pointed out, Yeon-woo had been trying to find a way to fit his powers and skills together into a complete whole. However, he hadn’t done any self-cultivation after the Five Mountains of Penances on the twentieth floor.

“There’s only one thing you can try.”

“What is it?”

The Martial King grinned playfully. “You have to force it out.”

Yeon-woo was dumbfounded. A teacher’s job was to guide an inadequate disciple, and it seemed as though the Martial King was trying to express this. However, Yeon-woo couldn’t help feeling like the Martial King was getting a kick out of making him suffer.

Yeon-woo instinctively tried to turn back. Boom! The Martial King made the ground shake. The sky and the earth trembled as though he were the only being in the world. Eight exact clones of the Martial King appeared as though a snake had shed its skin. They ran around in different directions.

It was Nascent Soul Body, the superior art of the shadow that Waltz had demonstrated in the Dragon Labyrinth, but the Martial King’s bodies looked even more realistic than Waltz’s. Chhhh. The skill Nine Grade Lotus Throne allowed nine different steps to appear at the same time, and the Martial Kings spoke in resonant tones as they surrounded Yeon-woo.

“Even one.”

“Was hard enough.”

“But nine feels like death, hm?”

“That’s why I did it.”

The Martial King’s Nascent Soul Bodies giggled, pressuring Yeon-woo as they released different arts simultaneously, activating the Eight Secret Skills of the Eight Extreme Fists. Rumble!

Yeon-woo twisted to avoid the fists flying towards his face and barely managed to deflect the hand that aimed at his waist. Clang!

Vigrid cried out like it was going to break. Yeon-woo’s hand felt like it was going to fall off. However, as soon as he saw the grinning Martial King’s face, he realized that the Martial King had planned this all along. Behind him, two Martial Kings attacked. Boom.

One used Blast combined with Arhat Eighteen Palms, and the other used Winds with Tiger Quake. Eighteen shadow hands covered Yeon-woo’s head, and a sharp tiger’s claw flew towards his waist. He used the Wave of Fire to prevent the Martial King from holding onto him and quickly spun around, shooting Fire Lightning.

[Heaven Bracket -Flame Wheel]

[Wave of Fire]

Boom!

The sky split, and lightning instantly ripped the shadow hands apart. Yeon-woo folded his wings and dashed forward among the bolts.

[Wind Path - Gale]

[Heaven Bracket - Shinmokryeong]

[Eight Trigrams Swords - Secret Skill Shooting]

He used Wind Path to blast out gales that amplified his attack and focused the strength of Heaven Bracket onto Vigrid before brandishing it. Different skills, arts, and Mugongs gathered as one to stop the Martial King’s hand.

Clang. Although the Martial King wasn’t using a weapon the sound of steel against steel rang out. The Martial King who was using Tiger Quake didn’t stop and pressed forward, making three consecutive punches with Orbit mixed with Seasonal Abyss, a special art of the Martial King that was created by the addition of a secret skill and a Mugong. Each punch could easily crush Yeon-woo and bent space with their force, creating jet streams and sonic booms in their wake.

Boom! Yeon-woo managed to block the first attack with Vigrid, but the impact left his hand broken, his bones tearing through his skin. Crack. He realized that his shoulder had been dislocated. ‘How can a single strike be so powerful?’

It was impossible for him to be injured, considering how tough the Demonic Divine Draconic Body was. Vigrid was bent as though it would snap at any moment. If they clashed a few more times, Yeon-woo was sure his body would shatter into pieces. The Martial King was someone who could made the impossible happen with total ease.

Boom. There were still two attacks left: one heading towards Yeon-woo’s chest and the other to his right shoulder. Yeon-woo quickly flapped his wings in retreat, but the attack that exploded on his chest tossed Vigrid up to the sky. Even the activation of the 666 powers of death couldn’t stop the Martial King.

[Nergal is shocked that his powers have been destroyed so easily.]

[Aesma-daeva watches the situation with close attention.]

[Hel bites her nails with an anxious expression.]

…

[All gods of death shake their heads.]

[All demons of death look at your opponent with expressions of annoyance and fury.]

[Vimalacitra watches your battle in amusement.]

[Cernunnos narrows his eyes.]

As Vigrid spun in the air, the final attack landed on Yeon-woo’s shoulder, pulling his arm down as blood spurted out. Yeon-woo’s right arm was torn right out of its socket. The attack was so intense that it could hardly be described as sparring. Yeon-woo’s eyelids quivered.

“They say a sword isn’t a part of your body and that it’s just a tool. Bullshit. If it’s in your hand, that makes it an extension of your hand. What else would it be? However, you have to be ready to throw it aside when the situation asks for it.”

Yeon-woo gritted his teeth as the Martial King continued, “If your arm is cut off, will you offer your neck, too? Of course not. You have to fight well. Track everything with your eyes.” The Martial King’s sharp gaze seemed to burn into Yeon-woo’s heart. “You shouldn’t treat a tool as your body, but use your body like a tool.”

Like a tool. The words echoed in Yeon-woo’s head in a nagging way, but he couldn’t grasp them exactly. His thoughts were on a similar path: his skills, powers, and Mugong were just weapons to him. He hadn’t been precious with them and didn’t hesitate in merging them for various combat methods. People who were picky about martial arts were repulsed by this, but he didn’t blink an eye. He knew he was correct.

However, the Martial King was telling him that it wasn’t enough and to use his body as a weapon as well to achieve his goals. What was his goal? Wasn’t it simple? There was only one goal in a fight: ‘To take the life of your enemy.’

Swish. He immediately turned to chase after the Martial King. Like a tool. Repeating the words in his head, he shot his left arm out to blast Lightning Strike. His Dragon Heart and the Philosopher’s Stone squeezed out magic power. Urrrrng. Whoosh. His body expanded and reddish-black scales appeared on his skin.

[5th-Step Dragon Body Awakening]

[All powers have been released.]