Chapter 36
Seong-jun Lee inwardly laughed at Kim Gi-jun's bewildered appearance.
'How ridiculous.'
As someone with abilities reaching the level of a first-class martial artist, his movements were quite fast.
But that was the extent of it.
Nothing exceptional was visible.
If pressed, the unique skill that seemed to be an awakened ability was quite unusual, but it wasn't anything difficult to handle.
To be honest, it was almost a waste of such a unique movement ability.
'Too crude.'
Perhaps he had never been in a proper fight before?
His movements were too linear, and his attacks were filled with intense killing intent.
It was practically the same as openly teaching his attack methods and locations.
'...I guess it can't be helped.'
The difference in experience was too overwhelming.
From the nameless third-rate thug he first fought, to Jeong Cheon who sat in the seat of the Murim Alliance leader, to Baek Mu-hak who was called the greatest of all time in the Thousand Continent, to the Primordial Heavenly Lord who was praised as a lofty god.
Before ascending to the position of Demon God, he had fought countless battles with all sorts of humans and gods.
It was only natural that the movements and judgments of the Shadow Brothers, who had fought at most dozens of times, would seem crude.
'I was curious about the skills of Earth's hunters and observed, but... I just wasted time.'
They weren't even worth evaluating.
Kim Gi-jun and Kim Gi-yeol were both just half-wits who had obtained power beyond their station through the system's gift.
Further judgment was meaningless.
Now it was time to make them pay the price for daring to attack without knowing their place.
In an instant, Seong-jun's eyes flashed.
'Ghost Shadow Step.'
Clearly, Seong-jun's form, which had been right in front of him until just now, began to blur.
The flustered Kim Gi-jun kept rolling his eyes and tried to escape, but it was a meaningless struggle.
Right in front of him, at close range.
'There's no space to escape.'
Right now, Seong-jun had widely spread his energy in a circular shape centered on his feet.
It was only about 5 meters in size, but within this space, Seong-jun's nerves read all actions taking place.
This interior was Seong-jun's perfect domain.
It seemed like an incredible ability, but in fact, this wasn't Seong-jun's special ability alone.
'Any martial artist who has learned martial arts knows this crudely.'
However, at first, the size was too small to utilize properly, and even after reaching a certain level, some neglected it thinking it was just a simple sense of energy.
But Seong-jun, who had honed his martial arts and risen to the position of Blood Demon and Demon God, clearly knew.
If you wrapped this sense in the form of energy and pushed it in, you would become aware of it.
'Air Control.'
Of course, whether or not one was aware of Air Control made a difference like that between heaven and earth.
It was no exaggeration to say that everything from breathing sounds to gaze, and ultimately movements, was being read, so the fight within this space was bound to be extremely disadvantageous.
Therefore, Kim Gi-jun could never escape this domain.
Kim Gi-jun seemed to vaguely recognize this fact, as his eyeballs shook violently as if there had been an earthquake.
"This... this is impossible...!"
It was overwhelming.
There was no need to even mention physical abilities.
But what surprised Kim Gi-jun most was Seong-jun's technique.
'He's reading everything.'
It clearly looked like a place with weak defenses.
But when you actually tried to penetrate, that gap was filled in an instant.
No, rather, he would counterattack as if he had been waiting and overwhelm you.
In fact, except for the initial surprise attack, he hadn't been able to touch Seong-jun's body even once.
'He's strong.'
Seong-jun wasn't a fool who just relied on his own strength.
'Just looking at physical abilities, he's A+ rank.'
But what if you add combat experience and sense to that?
'...He could be called an S-rank hunter right now without shame.'
The request itself was wrong from the start.
Once he frankly acknowledged Seong-jun's skills, the current situation became clearly recognizable.
'I need to escape as soon as possible.'
Normally, he wouldn't have been able to escape Seong-jun's grasp.
But Kim Gi-jun had the excellent skill of Shadow Movement.
'...Based on the data collected so far, if I can just create some distance, I can definitely escape.'
His technique was excellent, but his speed wasn't so overwhelming that it couldn't be dealt with.
And very fortunately, his younger brother Kim Gi-yeol had created enough distance.
Having finished all calculations, there was no reason to hesitate.
Kim Gi-jun immediately used his skill.
'Shadow Movement.'
But right after that, a chilling sensation reverberated down his spine.
No, it wasn't just a sensation.
'He's smiling?'
In his field of vision, a sardonic smile was spreading across Seong-jun's lips.
"You finally used it."
The first time, he was caught off guard because he didn't know the ability existed, but he had no intention of falling for the same ability twice.
So from the moment Kim Gi-jun first used that unique ability, he immediately began to analyze it.
'The ability is to move through shadows, and there seems to be a condition as it can't be used consecutively.'
The information obtained so far wasn't much, but it was sufficient progress.
'The important thing is, this means he can't escape for a while now.'
Of course, unexpected variables could occur, but it didn't matter.
Given the overwhelming difference in skill, he could easily overwhelm any variables that might arise.
The moment Seong-jun's form moved with flashing eyes, Kim Gi-jun's urgent voice rang out.
"Run away! We need to get as far away as possible!"
Having said his piece, Kim Gi-jun turned his back and quickly extended his feet.
Feeling the overwhelming gap, he was determined to completely abandon the fight and run away.
However, Seong-jun, who had been through countless battles, couldn't have failed to anticipate this escape method.
'I absolutely won't let him escape.'
It wasn't baseless confidence.
Unintentionally, Seong-jun had a hidden trump card.
'Buffs.'
Among them were ones related to speed and agility.
Ding-!
[User 'Lee Seong-jun' uses Agility Enhancement, Wind's Protection.]
[Agility status increases by 22.]
When hunting Blue Tigers, he hadn't been using agility-related buffs for efficient use of internal energy since he needed to hunt for a long time.
Moreover, the Shadow Brothers were weaker than expected, so there was no need to use them.
'But who would have thought it would be used as a trump card like this...'
The effect of this was tremendous.
The distance of over 100m was narrowed to about 50m in an instant.
Kim Gi-jun's eyes naturally widened at Seong-jun's movement, which far exceeded expectations.
'His speed increased even more?'
This meant that the previous calculations were completely twisted.
'Now... what should I do?'
It was at the moment when this question arose in his mind.
The distance with Seong-jun had already narrowed to about 10m.
Being lost in thought was a luxury.
'First, I'll block this attack and then reassess.'
Although he had chosen what he thought was the best option, it was a clear mistake.
Seong-jun's body had already become a weapon through the Vajra Iron Armor External Energy Technique.
There was no way he could safely block the attack.
'Vajra Iron Armor External Energy Technique, First Form, Iron Mountain Tiger Strike.'
Kwang-!
With a thunderous boom, Kim Gi-jun's form leaves a straight scar on the ground as he is pushed back.
"Kuhek-!"
Blood was gushing from his mouth, and his two legs were trembling like aspen leaves, but Kim Gi-jun's form was still not collapsed.
The light in his eyes, yearning for life, was still burning intensely.
"Not bad."
However, at this point when he had lost his mobility, the match was decided.
It wasn't for nothing that Iron Mountain Tiger Strike was classified as the first form of the Vajra Iron Armor External Energy Technique.
'Iron Mountain Tiger Strike is a martial art to break the opponent's defense.'
The real attack would come from the second form onwards, after the defense was broken.
"Let's see if you can withstand this too."
Seong-jun's expression hardens as he closes the distance to right in front of Kim Gi-jun.
'The sense is... sufficient.'
There was no way it wouldn't be enough from the start.
Overwhelming talent that allowed him to be praised as a Blood Demon and Demon God after falling alone into the Thousand Continent without any information or abilities.
This Seong-jun had been hunting using the Vajra Iron Armor External Energy Technique for 5 hours.
There was no way he hadn't raised his proficiency.
'Concentrate power accurately in one place.'
The muscles of his clenched fist swell tautly, adding strength.
He condenses it firmly like the muscles of a beast.
Finally, when the concentrated power reaches the limit that the body can endure.
'Now.'
Seong-jun, with a gleam in his eyes, thrusts forward his tightly clenched fist.
'Second Form, Vajra Dragon-Breaking Strike.'
It was right after that when the aura of a dragon, the legendary spiritual beast and strongest life form, was shot forward.
Kwagwang-!
A sound like a bomb exploding erupts.
The powerful dragon's forepaw shot straight ahead, shattering everything in its path.
Kugugugung-!
The area was completely devastated.
The air pressure shot out with the fist shattered and broke nearby trees, turning the area into an open field.
Of course, there was no way Kim Gi-jun, who took this overwhelming power head-on, could be safe.
Thud-!
Where something falling was heard, Kim Gi-jun's corpse, damaged beyond recognition, lay sprawled on the ground.
The first killing on Earth.
But for Seong-jun of the Thousand Continent era, killing people was an everyday occurrence.
It wasn't a choice but a necessity for survival, so there were no regrets.
This time was no different.
Seong-jun felt no emotion even looking at Kim Gi-jun's completely crushed corpse.
He just calmly proceeds to the next task.
'He ran quite far.'
Kim Gi-yeol's ability itself wasn't that great, but while Kim Gi-jun was taking the brunt of the attack, he had fled in a hurry and created quite a distance.
'Well... it doesn't matter.'
Martial arts weren't just for defeating enemies.
There were also lightness techniques (gyeongshinbeop) that allowed for rapid body movement.
Moreover, the ones Seong-jun knew were classified as divine techniques.
This meant that no matter how much Kim Gi-yeol struggled, he couldn't escape Seong-jun's grasp.
'Wind Thunder Step.'
The supreme lightness technique said to have been used by Hyeok Cheon-man, one of the Eight Great Demon Clans and known by the alias Wind Fierce Demon Clan for his notoriety in assassinating numerous leaders of the Murim Alliance during the Orthodox-Demonic War.
Its effect unfolds through Seong-jun's feet.
Of course, its effect was truly remarkable.
The moment he concentrates the power rotating inside his body to his thighs and legs and leaps off the ground, the distance with Kim Gi-yeol, who was at the edge of his vision, is instantly narrowed.
"Hii, hiik-!"
Kim Gi-yeol's face turns pale as Seong-jun, who has become like a gust of wind, catches up to his back in an instant.
"St-stay away!"
He was swinging the dagger he was holding violently, but there was no way such an attack, not even in proper form, could reach Seong-jun.
Whoosh-!
Seong-jun, who easily avoided Kim Gi-yeol's dagger by tilting his head, extends his clenched fist.
Thud-!
With a dull sound, Kim Gi-yeol's form crashes into a nearby tree, and white foam rises from his mouth.
'Good.'
Since he needed to find out who requested the assassination, he couldn't kill him, so if Kim Gi-yeol had resisted with a clear mind, it would have been somewhat troublesome.
'Subduing is more difficult than killing.'
But fortunately, due to the fear ingrained in his mind from the earlier fight, he couldn't even display his original abilities and lost consciousness with a single blow.
'...It's over.'
The first fight against humans on Earth had concluded.
However, not everything was finished.
Rather, it could be said that it was just beginning.
'Through Kim Gi-yeol, I'll uncover who's behind the assassination request on the Shadow Brothers.'
He had a hunch, but without clear evidence, he couldn't be certain yet.
Therefore, he would pinpoint it for sure through Kim Gi-yeol.
What came after that didn't need to be said.
He would make them pay the price for picking a fight.
With cold eyes, Seong-jun slung Kim Gi-yeol over his shoulder and began walking towards the gate's exit.