“Hmm.”

The Demonic Kings who had just been provoked all twitched and glared down at Woon-seong in silence. Some sneered in derision, others snorted in amusement. 

Woon-seong wanted them to challenge him? What a joke. 

This was an act showing that the position of the Demonic King was clearly at the top of the Cult. 

Combining all the recorded and unrecorded members of the Cult, there were less than 50 Demonic Kings. 

Born and raised under the banner of ‘survival of the fittest’, they stood proud. 

Gwan Tae-ryang noticed, however, that some of these Demonic Kings looked a little cautious. It was clear that they weren’t exactly afraid, merely cautious. 

The Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit, a young man less than half their age, was trying to challenge them. 

Was Woon-seong’s confidence mere youthful arrogance? Given his achievements so far, it was hard to say. 

If Woon-seong had pointed one of them out, it would have been easy for that Demonic King to step forward. However, as Demonic Kings, the current situation was a bit uncomfortable . 

After a few beats of chaos, there was one person who slowly walked up. 

“I accept your challenge.”

A uniform that was almost entirely black with dozens of throwing knives strapped to his body, also a katana to the side. 

With his appearance, several Demonic Kings flinched. 

Cult of the Heavenly Demon, Demonic King Rank 26. 

It was the ‘Demonic King of Dark Pursuit’, Yeo Moon-rang. 

The man’s feet seemed to stay on the ground when he moved. This was a showcase of his self-made footwork, called ‘Ghost Steps’. 

Several Demonic Kings tilted their heads as they watched Yeo Moon-rang walk up to the stage. It was a bit weird for him to be making a move. The man was an assassin, most skilled for stealth during the darkest of nights. Even if he wasn’t weak, direct confrontation out in the open like this was not his strong suit. Also, there should have been no conflict between the two. 

Woon-seong was interested in testing himself against this opponent of his, but was also confused as to why Yeo Moon-rang had accepted his challenge. Does he have a reason?

Yeo Moon-rang was also staring at Woon-seong, but he was thinking of other things. 

It looks like the ‘Blood Slaying Five Shadows’ have failed. I taught them myself; they were my disciples. Each one of them was equivalent to a low ranking Great Demon. They were supposed to become the next ‘Demon King of Dark Pursuit’ after me…yet none of them returned after trying to assassinate the young man in front of me.

Yeo Moon-rang observed the young man standing in front of him. The mission he had received a few days ago rang in his ears. 

“Is this the organization known as ‘Death Curtain’ run by Yeo Moon-rang? I have a job request for you.”

Not all Demonic Kings did, but many high-ranking Demons ran private groups. It was like the Heavenly Brain Tower under the Senior Strategist, a small group loyal to itself. Many Great Demons also imitated such groups, though those held much less influence. 

Some organizations were not official, or were at least not advertised by their leaders. 

Death Curtain was one such hidden group, as it was an assassination organization created to effectively silence people in and out of the Cult. All involved identities were hidden when missions were made and received. 

It was a request like always, but the target this time was a big shot. That was the reason why I sent the ‘Blood Slaying Five Shadows’… But none of them came back…and their target, the Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit, returned alive and even attended the Banquet. 

The death of the Five Shadows was a problem too, but Yeo Moon-rang was more worried about the consequences of failing the request. Any request made to the Death Curtain had to be accomplished. That was why he stepped out. He needed to finish the request with his own hands.

Yeo Moon-rang picked up some knives with his left hand. Four in total, placed between each finger. With his right hand, he grasped his katana and slowly walked forward. 

There wasn’t much Yeo Moon-ryang could do other than fight Woon-seong now that he had stepped onto the stage. 

Woon-seong felt the pressure of the Demonic King and wondered to himself: How much can I do without taking any bracers off?

He would think about the assassination attempt later, the current situation had not been resolved yet. 

Between opponents, there was nothing to talk about. 

Peng-!

Woon-seong swung the White Night Spear and the air in front of him exploded. 

No! What exploded was the inky black robe that Yeo Moon-rang had been wearing!

He disappeared! He’s at the level of being able to hide himself even without the assistance of darkness!

Woon-seong immediately activated the Heavenward Soul Earthen Body, which would heighten his sensory abilities. With its qi released, the air seemed to be distorted around him. 

Above me!

Woon-seong immediately looked up and hurled a throwing knife into the air. 

Grrrr!

The energy shredded the air horribly, but the throwing knife did nothing to the katana falling down. It looked like a black line — a line that connected the living to the dead. 

Ding!

Woon-seong’s knife hit the oncoming katana and bounced off, falling to the ground. However, he had gathered some information from that attack.

It’s not a simple attack with his katana…Just as I expect from a Demonic King.

‘Spear Curtain’!

Woon-seong moved to create a solid wall in front of him, instinctively blocking the oncoming attack. 

Of course, his choice was not wrong. 

The katana aimed at his heart crashed against this curtain of light and the surrounding air exploded. 

Yeo Moon-rang thought, It makes sense that the Five Shadows lost. He realized the hidden throwing knife behind my katana.

“What’s happening?” 

“It’s too fast, I can’t see anything!”

Given the speed and destructive quality of Demonic Kings, the audience was having a hard time enjoying the show.

“What’s happening?” 

“It’s too fast, I can’t see anything!”

Even so, the battle continued. 

Despite the shield he had formed, the hidden knife still grazed Woon-seong’s shoulders.

I’m lucky it wasn’t poisoned. Maybe he isn’t using it because we’re on stage?

But at the same time, Woon-seong had also been holding back! He shook his arms roughly, rolling his shoulders. He removed the weights and a sense of freedom wrapped around his whole body. 

As he did so, something came flying out of the dust, flung towards Yeo Moon-rang. It was obviously something heavy based on the whistling sound of the air. 

Yeo Moon-rang realized he did not have time to dodge and instead put his arms up to shield himself. Like a true assassin, his judgement was swift and his actions were even faster. Knowing he could not dodge, he crossed his arms immediately!

Boom! Boom!

Yeo Moon-rang felt fractures in his arms as something heavy thudded into his body. He was lucky nothing had been broken, but the pain was still there. His arms trembled and he raised his head, enduring the agony. 

But…

Boom!

“Ugh!” 

Yeo Moon-rang looked at what had been thrown at him, suppressing his excruciating pain. 

“Iron bracers?”

At first glance, it was just an iron bracer and didn’t look very heavy. As Yeo Moon-rang raised his head, he noticed Woon-seong, whose steps looked lighter than before. There seemed to be a single iron ring still bound to his body. 

Seeing that, Yeo Moon-rang felt two emotions at the same time: shock and anger. As he was still absorbing how absurd the situation was, red hot anger hit him. Of course, anger was more intense than any other emotion and stirred up his energy, causing it to surge outwards.

“I am dumbfounded. You dare think of fighting me while wearing chunks of metal? And furthermore you didn’t take any of them off until now!?”

Woon-seong felt the power rushing into this body, but had to control himself from becoming intoxicated by this liberation. He picked up his spear, his own energy soaring. “Taking them off feels so much better. By the way, why the fuck do you care if I wear bracers or not?”

As Woon-seong twisted in midair to avoid the oncoming attacks, he threw some knives. 

Ta-da-da-da!

There were sounds and sparks as iron clashed with iron, the energy released distorting the air. 

“Hmph!”

“Is that the ‘Great Eight Moves of the Cloud Dragon’ of the Kunlun?!”

Yeo Moon-rang seemed to recognize some of the Orthodox skills that Woon-seong’s spear style contained. No…it’s similar but different. But because of the skills of the Unrecorded within the White Night Spear and his new experiences, Woon-seong’s moves were still different. 

“Let me see how you can stop this, too!”

Yeo Moon-rang gathered his energy together, causing the strands to overlap one by one and increasing the overall strength of the attack. 

The complete synchronization of his sword and qi. Sword aura!

Usually, when you saw at such a show of strength, the overwhelming presence alone would cause you to lose your will to fight. 

That wasn’t the case for Woon-seong. 

“Hehe, bring it on!”

Woon-seong’s eyes flashed with strength, glowing with determination. His energy flowed through his forearms like a haze and gathered at the tip of his spear. 

‘Spear aura!’

Since Yeo Moon-rang wanted to use sword aura, then Woon-seong would use spear aura. 

Furthermore, a dark, hazy energy wrapped around Woon-seong like a garment. 

‘Intimidation Dress!’

What’s more, the White Night Spear trembled as it reacted to Woon-seong’s energy. The will of the spear resonated with him, pouring out its energy and accepting his will. At that moment, it was as if he had truly become one with his spear. 

The light from his spear was like a constellation that glowed brightly within the night that was the Intimidation Dress. 

It was a complete form of spear aura!