Chapter 1587: So, Who Exactly Are You Talking About? (Part 7)

Quaddduk!

A pain struck as if his entire heart was being ripped out.

But Beopjeong couldn't even look down at his chest. The moment he averted his gaze, that fist would fly to tear at his throat, not his chest. The smell of bitter blood rose through his throat.

Truly an unfamiliar, almost alien pain. Beopjeong grimaced. But there was no time to endure the pain. 

He struck Jang Ilso's arm and pushed it away. Immediately, as if trying to launch a combination, he sent a punch, then launched his body backward. It was to catch Jang Ilso off-guard and secure enough distance to handle the situation.

Not a bad improvised move.

But the problem was that Jang Ilso wasn't someone to be played with in such a move. 

Pahat!

Jang Ilso immediately charged at Beopjeong with a force that tore through the air. Murderous

The Murderous Azure Flame (蒼炎鬪殺).

His unique martial art, which bestowed him the title "Paegun" (覇君), unfolded with intense momentum.

The deep blue internal energy wrapped around him, boiling like flames of hell. It seemed like it could engulf and burn Beopjeong at any moment. 

"Yiik...!"

Uncharacteristically of a Buddhist, he threw a fist with murderous intent.

His face twisted like a demon, but the Buddha's light emitted by the punch remained formidable.

Arahat Divine Fist (阿羅漢神拳)!

The fist of Arahat, who annihilated demons.

However, the demon before him was too strong and persistent to handle with just that. 

"Hahaha!"

Jang Ilso exploded with laughter, unleashing dozens of punches.

The speed was so fast that it was difficult to follow with the eyes.

The blue internal energy penetrated the space even before the golden power could fully extend.

A powerful martial art required time to fully unleash its power. However, Jang Ilso's martial arts didn't even allow Beopjeong the time to convert his internal strength into power. 

Faced with the crumbling power that couldn't even be half unfolded, Beopjeong couldn't hide his bewilderment. He quickly withdrew his extended hand and met the oncoming punch head-on.

Ckang! Quaduk! Kwakwackkang!

Jang Ilso's fist and Beopjeong's fist collided successively. At that moment, Beopjeong felt it. Jang Ilso's fist was subtly lifting him from below to above. Not excessively, but definitely. 

'Do I look so ridiculous that I'm going to fall for the same trick again!'

Beopjeong instantly pulled up his inner strength. If it was an intention to prevent his foot from touching the ground, breaking that intention would be enough! 

"Tahaaap!"

With a roaring spirit, Beopjeong's Arahat fist aimed directly at Jang Ilso's head. It carried enough inner strength to shatter a mountain, and Jang Ilso couldn't possibly parry it.

Paaat! 

At that moment, however, Jang Ilso's fist, rushing straight toward Beopjeong's fist, twisted like a snake and bypassed Beopjeong's fist, coiling around his forearm. 

Suddenly, Beopjeong's widened eyes.

'What the...!'

He wasn't surprised because it was an unconventional move.

Quaduk! Wuddudduk!

Jang Ilso's arm, which was wrapped around Beopjeong's wrist, twisted.

It was a natural outcome. Just because the fist didn't hit didn't mean its internal strength had disappeared. Jang Ilso, with his arm twisted, completely received the formidable inner strength. 

There was no change in Jang Ilso's expression, but his arm screamed in pain.

Quaduk!

With a horrifying sound, bone broke and, unable to withstand the momentary pressure, the flesh that had swollen like a balloon burst, spewing blood like an explosive eruption. However, even in the midst of this, Jang Ilso's arm firmly entwined around Beopjeong's arm. It was like an unyielding lock. 

"Paegun!"

Beopjeong shouted loudly, channeling energy to form Guanyin's palm with (觀音手) of his left hand, ignoring the pain. Dozens of bright auras, created hastily, poured into Jang Ilso's body.

This was none other than Beopjeong's internal energy that was unleashed. Though desperately deployed, within it contained the strength to crush even ten thousand pounds.

At that moment, Jang Ilso forcefully pulled his entangled arm. Beopjeong's posture was momentarily disrupted, and the direction of the internal energy he unleashed twisted.

However, even so, only half of the energy flew in a different direction from Jang Ilso. The remaining half of the force poured directly towards Jang Ilso's entire body.

"Hahaha!"

Madness surged in Jang Ilso's eyes.

Whaaaack!

The surrounding internal energy engulfed Jang Ilso like a devouring fire, swallowing people whole. Wrapped in the scorching energy, Jang Ilso pushed his body towards the incoming energy again.

Thud!

Soon, dozens of shockwaves simultaneously struck Jang Ilso's entire body. Numerous loud impacts, like hitting a golden bell with a giant hammer, overlapped and echoed.

No matter how Beopjeong wrapped his body with inner strength, there was no way to fully withstand such power. The pain alone suffocated him, and the shockwaves struck Jang Ilso's entire body.

Nevertheless, Jang Ilso, with blood streaming from his mouth and nose, burrowed into Beopjeong's arms. Still, he had one arm entangled with Beopjeong's. [aiyo? hate triangle?]

Thud!

Jang Ilso's elbow struck Beopjeong's ribcage.

A powerful rebound that felt like smashing a giant steel wall. The well-forged counterforce seemed like it would break the elbow laden with internal energy.

Still, Jang Ilso, undeterred, continuously swung his elbow, striking Beopjeong's chest and ribcage in succession.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Blood gushed from Beopjeong's mouth as Jang Ilso's face, stained red by the blood he spilled and made spill, emitted bright blue energy from his eyes. And he forcefully struck Beopjeong's ribcage once again.

Thud!

Beopjeong, at that moment, struck Jang Ilso's chin with the palm of his hand. Jang Ilso's head bent backward as if it would break. The blood spat from his lips soared into the air.

"Kuk!"

At that moment, Jang Ilso's fingers dug into Beopjeong's side. The moment when he shifted his internal energy from defense to offense, his fingers dug into the gap between Beopjeong's ribs, piercing through and gripping.

"Aaaah!"

Kwang!

Beopjeong punched Jang Ilso's chest with his fist, as if trying to wriggle out of the pain.

And.

Kwang!

In an instant, everything before Beopjeong's eyes turned pure white. Then, the sky filled his vision. A sky so close, as if studded with stars, a distant and vast sky.

'What?'

Momentarily unable to comprehend the situation, Beopjeong's face stiffened. What brought him back to reality was the horrifying pain radiating from his jaw.

Jang Ilso had struck him in the jaw with his head.

"This...."

Thud.

Beopjeong ground his teeth fiercely. A rage he had never felt in his entire life boiled. Hatred for himself for bringing himself to this point spread, igniting a fire of 'mercy.'

"NoOOOOOOOM!"

Kuung!

Beopjeong kicked Jang Ilso's abdomen directly. It was a literal kick, no need for debate on style or technique. However, whether it was coincidental or inevitable, the blow that was close to a struggle clearly worked on Jang Ilso. Jang Ilso's body was thrown backward.

With both hands freed, Beopjeong, full of anger, let out all his fury without leaving a single drop.

"Huaaaah!"

A storm-like flurry.

Originally, a powerful technique, the Powerful Vajra Fist (大力金剛拳), imbued with strength in each fist to suppress the opponent, was now unleashed with an entirely different application, aiming to tear Jang Ilso to shreds.

"Aaaah!"

As if not satisfied with that, Beopjeong screamed, gathering both hands in front of his chest, forming a strange hand seal, and forcefully thrusting it forward while shouting. The shape created by his hands emitted a crimson energy closer to scarlet than golden, and it instantly shot towards Jang Ilso.

Lion Deity's Pull (獅子牟尼引)!

An extraordinary skill created by the Buddha, who according to legend, practiced under the Bodhi tree to eliminate the demons of temptation.

It had the power to annihilate the opponent, not to mention its profound murderous power, making it one of the top martial arts among the seventy-two arts.

In Beopjeong's eyes, the crimson energy shimmered and undulated.

Kwaaaaaaaah!

The ground exploded, and shattered fragments shot in all directions like bullets. A cloud of dust rose, enough to cover the sky. It was a spectacle that was hard to believe it was created by human strength.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

Beopjeong gasped for rough breaths. Sweat poured down his entire body like rain. His robes had long lost its previous luster, stained with blood and sweat.

His fingertips trembled.

'Why...?'

Why was he experiencing such a defeat?

There was at least one level gap between his and Jang Ilso's martial arts skills. Under normal circumstances, it should have been relatively easy for him to suppress the opponent as long as he didn't let his guard down.

But what on earth was happening?

Certainly, the momentum was on his side. It still was.

However, it could not be called momentum at all. Just by looking at the blood he shed, his labored breath, and trembling fingertips, it was evident.

How would those who witnessed this think? What would they say about the blood he spilled?

"This..."

Hatred, resentment, and unbearable anger surged again.

"Paeguuuuuuuun!"

A lion's roar erupted from Beopjeong's mouth, shaking the ground. The heat of the battlefield even froze for a moment due to the skillfully executed lion's roar. The rising dust cloud rapidly retreated from its momentum.

There was no way he would die like this.

It was an appalling defeat to think that the wretched guy would only die like this. So, with certainty, he would finish him off with his own hands...

"U, Uwaaaah!"

At that moment, Beopjeong suddenly felt an intense nausea overwhelming him. A dizzying vertigo attacked him.

'Poison?'

This was undoubtedly a symptom of poisoning.

But when did it happen?

"Ugh..."

Beopjeong's gaze swept over his body.

One side of the torn and blood-stained robes were dyed a dark crimson.

It was where Jang Ilso's fingers had penetrated a short while ago. The poison had been inserted into his body during that brief moment.

"Just this...!"

Beopjeong ground his teeth.

To a master with such inner strength, poison was nothing more than a technique to consume stamina for a moment.

Beopjeong immediately restored his inner strength to burn the poison flowing through his body.

But...

'It didn't disappear?'

Even after burning it, the poisonous energy flowing through his body once again corroded his flesh. It was an inexplicable phenomenon.

Beopjeong's eyes trembled as if experiencing an earthquake.

"Wha... what...!"

Instinctively, Beopjeong grabbed his side. Then, a strong sensation that he had not felt under the pain so far was felt.

If it was a sensation from where Jang Ilso's hand had dug into his side...

"Poison...ring..."

"That is the correct answer."

A soft voice echoed.

Of course, it was a voice that did not quite match the owner's disheveled appearance.

Jang Ilso, who had scattered like a ghost, was now standing and staring at Beopjeong.

The upper part of his clothes was torn apart, revealing a dark red torso full of scars.

One arm was broken, twisted at a strange angle, and still bleeding.

However, Jang Ilso raised the limp arm, and with the opposite hand, he began to align the broken bones.

"It is something..."

Ttuduk.

"I truly cherish."

Ttuduk.

With each chilling sound, Jang Ilso's twisted arm unfolded little by little.

"How about it? Isn't it a good method?"

"...Ugh."

Beopjeong gritted his teeth. It was so tight that he felt like his teeth were cracking.

Eudeuk!

His trembling hand was rummaging through the hole pierced in his side. But the ring, even though it hung on his fingertip, did not come off easily. It only added to the horrible pain.

"Well, you think too lightly. If it was so easy, you wouldn't have gone through so much trouble, right?"

Jang Ilso smiled gently. The smile flowing from his ruined face was eerie.

"Like claws, there are barbs. It will seep poison into the wound for a while. You can't do anything about it, but you'll keep using your inner strength..."

"Ami... Tabhul!"

Jang Ilso, who had stopped talking, twitched his eyebrows for a moment.

Beopjeong touched his side and forcefully grabbed the ring with a martial arts move. Soon, without a moment's hesitation, the ring was forcefully pulled out.

Ududududuk!

In the process, a rib was broken, and a literal handful of flesh caught on the barb was pulled out. It was truly a gruesome sight. Even Jang Ilso frowned for a moment.

"Oh dear...This is a bit too much."

"Hoo... Hoo. Jang... Ilso...!"

Jang Ilso, looking at Beopjeong, who was glaring at him, softly smiled and walked towards him.

Even including Beopjeong's injuries, Jang Ilso had suffered much greater losses so far. That was an undeniable fact.

But it didn't matter.

"Welcome. This is the battlefield, this is a fight. You only now stepped into this place. A land where even the proud cannot stand."

"Jang Ilsooooo!"

Beopjeong charged at Jang Ilso without any regard for mercy or Buddhism. The eyes of the one seeking revenge, who entrusted everything to vengeance, were filled with a fierce light.

That's why Beopjeong did not see it.

At the moment he rushed forward, Jang Ilso glanced at another place.

The battle, or rather, this war, was nearing its end.

Towards a result that no one had expected.