Chapter 218 – Cult Leader, Guardian, and Saintess (3)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read more at Nineheavens.org

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Crack!

The fissure starting from Sun-woo's foot crossed the training ground and split the giant hall in half.

As if a giant crevasse split the ground in half, not only the martial artists who were bowing their heads to the cult leader but even the cult leader approaching Sun-woo seemed shocked.

The cult leader who leaped into the sky remained floating in the air while glaring at Sun-woo.

"What are you?"

The cult leader, who had been using mind speech to speak into everyone's minds while giving off maximum mystery, opened his mouth without realizing it.

Or perhaps he withdrew the inner power he was wasting out of vigilance toward Sun-woo.

"Didn't you hear anything from the Sword Demon? Or did you hear it from that hairy guy behind you?"

Even though he was called master, he should know something, but the cult leader seemed to know nothing properly.

'Should I have listened to what he had to say before killing the Sword Demon earlier?'

While Sun-woo tilted his head, the cult leader's voice echoed through the training ground.

"Master was the one who guided me to this place! And one who was loyal to the cult! He's not someone for you to speak of carelessly!"

While the cult leader spoke, martial artists gradually surrounded Sun-woo. He was probably giving orders through telepathy.

If he tried to eavesdrop, he could have heard enough, but Sun-woo didn't feel the need.

More importantly, the traitor first.

It might have been something he did for the Bright Cult in his own way, but that wasn't Sun-woo's concern.

Sun-woo's hand pointed at the hairy one, and toward him who hastily raised his sword, dozens of swords and spears scattered on the ground flew.

All weapons held by martial artists killed by Sun-woo's summons.

Weapons without owners couldn't escape Sun-woo's weapon control.

Though the hairy one hastily swung his sword and the warriors beside him also swung their weapons, they couldn't block dozens of swords.

"Kuk, Cult Leader, a thousand years…"

Gripping the sword stuck in his neck, the hairy warrior lost his life.

But neither the cult leader nor the other transcendent peak masters could move. The swords Sun-woo launched contained no inner power at all.

"You use many strange techniques. But such miscellaneous arts cannot oppose the cult's martial arts. Moreover, with the cult's martial arts, you cannot oppose me, the Bright Cult's leader, the Heavenly Demon!"

Unlike the other transcendent peak masters who were extremely tense, the cult leader proclaimed without his expression changing.

And the cult leader, the Heavenly Demon's body descended to the ground.

Thud!

The Heavenly Demon descended to the ground and simultaneously took one large step.

At the same time, everyone in the area prostrated on the ground.

And Sun-woo also grabbed his legs that were bending involuntarily.

"The Heavenly Demon's Lordly Steps!"

Sun-woo groaned at the unexpected situation.

What the Heavenly Demon used was definitely the Heavenly Demon's Lordly Steps, the exclusive martial art of the Bright Cult leader.

The movement, energy, and the way it pressed down on the entire area with energy technique were exactly the same as what he saw in past memories.

'But I didn't know it also dealt damage to the spirit.'

Indeed it was as the Heavenly Demon said.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art expressed through the Heavenly Demon's Lordly Steps seemed able to dominate all Demon Cult divine arts.

Thud!

With each step taken, the pressure of energy grew stronger. And increasingly it shocked inner power and spirit, making one kneel before the cult leader involuntarily.

Even the transcendent peak masters who endured at first knelt before the cult leader.

But Sun-woo rather straightened his body again.

"Indeed, is it like a safety device? If I had been an ordinary successor of the Rotating Divine Demon Art, I would have been caught immediately."

Fortunately, thanks to his elevated status, his spirit was fine unlike the initial shock.

And Sun-woo's inner power had also changed too much to be considered the existing Rotating Divine Demon Art.

Circulating inner power once greatly, all the uncomfortable feelings disappeared.

At Sun-woo's appearance, an awkward expression appeared on the Heavenly Demon's face for the first time.

The martial art prepared as a killing move didn't work. Moreover, the martial artists in the area had submitted to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. There wasn't enough time to receive help.

Sun-woo also noticed immediately and disappeared from that spot.

Bang!

With a tremendous explosion, the ground in the area overturned.

Along with that, earth shot up into the sky and flames and torrents poured from the sky.

The Sword Demon could be faced with martial arts alone, but the Heavenly Demon was too much. Sun-woo attacked the Heavenly Demon using all abilities he had.

"Heavenly Demon Divine Art!"

At attacks pouring from all directions, the Heavenly Demon shouted his divine art loudly, and with that, powerful energy burst from the Heavenly Demon's body.

Kwang!

The earth surging toward him, the flames bursting from magic formations, dozens of swords and Sun-woo's Rotating Divine Sword were all struck by the energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and scattered in all directions.

"You cannot defeat the Heavenly Demon Divine Art with such miscellaneous techniques!"

Piercing through the exploding dirt, Sun-woo's figure appeared.

"Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Demon has eighth-grader syndrome."

The Heavenly Demon threw a punch toward Sun-woo rushing at him.

Sun-woo's form distorted by the sword wind.

That moment, Sun-woo's voice was heard from behind him.

"If you have skill, it's not eighth-grader syndrome."

And Sun-woo's voices heard from left and right.

"Still, aren't you embarrassed shouting martial art names?"

"Could it be something like a battle cry?"

The shocked Heavenly Demon shouted.

"Clone technique? Is it an illusion!"

But even the Heavenly Demon couldn't distinguish at all.

The Heavenly Demon's fists striking in all directions.

Bang bang!

Tremendous fist winds pierced through Sun-woo's forms and destroyed surrounding halls.

However, among them was Sun-woo approaching while cutting through the fist wind.

"Are you the real one!"

The Heavenly Demon swung his sword toward the approaching Sun-woo while emitting light from his eyes.

Clang!

The Heavenly Demon's sword and Sun-woo's sword collided, ringing out an explosion.

In an instant, Sun-woo began being pushed back.

"You! How do you know the Sword Demon's martial arts?"

Even while overwhelming Sun-woo, the Heavenly Demon's expression was very bad.

The martial art Sun-woo was using was the martial art of the Sword Demon who just died, and the sword he was using was the Sword Demon's exclusive weapon.

"That? I just learned it."

"That's impossible!"

"What's impossible about it!"

"What?"

The last voice heard wasn't what the Sun-woo in front of him said.

It was words heard from behind him.

The Heavenly Demon desperately unleashed fist wind using his hand not holding the sword, but he couldn't shake off the Sun-woo in front of him.

Though one arm flew off from the fist wind, Sun-woo kept the Heavenly Demon's sword from moving, and

Slash!

Another Sun-woo who rushed from behind deeply split the Heavenly Demon's side.

"Failed to cut it off."

"Too bad, it was an opportunity."

"Can't be helped. Anyway, he separated part of his body. His ability has to decline. Good work."

"Well, good work…"

The two Sun-woos stood side by side conversing, and the Heavenly Demon clutching his side and retreating saw an unbelievable sight before his eyes.

The Sun-woo with one arm cut off was being absorbed by the other Sun-woo.

"What kind of sorcery is that?"

"Not sorcery, should I call it the Demon Lord's technique?"

The Demon Lord of Romania who separated parts of his own body to create thousands, tens of thousands of duplicates. It was an ability absorbed while killing that Demon Lord.

Still at an early stage so there were many restrictions, but when mixed with illusion-type techniques, it was quite usable.

Already in a state where the waist was cut enough to see organs.

The match was decided.

"What the hell is a Demon Lord! Are both the Sword Demon and you continuously trying to bewitch me with such stories!"

It seemed he hadn't heard nothing after all.

The Heavenly Demon unwittingly spoke ill of the Sword Demon.

Fortunately, the cult members nearby had already flown far away.

"Too bothersome to explain."

Explaining would take ages.

Plus, it seemed the bait was being taken now.

A woman walked out from the half-collapsed hall.

An older woman in the same saintess attire as Yeonhwa. She was Yoo So-yeop, Yeonhwa's master and the current saintess's progenitor.

Divine power was fully bursting from her body as she walked across the completely wrecked training ground as if walking on flat ground.

"The Supreme Emperor has descended. Everyone stop fighting!"

Having lost divine power for a long time, she was even feeling ecstasy from the divine power she now felt.

Her appearance continuing to speak with an elated face even looked sacred, but the words coming from her mouth were very frightening.

"The Supreme Emperor spoke. Even though I tolerated you despite repeatedly disobeying my command not to harm my children, you disappoint me until the very end. Now I've decided to no longer just watch your actions. You, Sun-woo, come out and receive punishment!"

The old saintess's words spread between the destroyed halls, and with that, divine power began leaking from the wounded Heavenly Demon's body.

The Heavenly Demon's body healing instantly.

And powerful divine power burst from the Heavenly Demon.

[I, the god of the Bright Cult, the Supreme Emperor, have descended to this place! All receive me!]

The Heavenly Demon's face that was young changed to a face whose age couldn't be discerned.

No, his status elevated so it changed to a face that couldn't be properly recognized.

And at the aura he emitted, all living beings seemed to stop breathing.

But among them was one person moving alone.

"Isn't this cheating? A god interfering? The other gods are just staying quiet?"

At Sun-woo's sarcastic words, the Supreme Emperor possessing the Heavenly Demon glared at Sun-woo.

[Can't be helped! Anyway, you're an existence that exceeded human specifications. All the gods agreed to my descent!]

As he said, tremendous sacred power was also bursting from Sun-woo's body.

Phase Two Mode. Sun-woo was also releasing divine power to oppose the Supreme Emperor.

[How dare an existence with a physical body disturb the lower realm while possessing a god's ability. You're called a summoner, but I can't overlook it anymore!]

Rules decided among gods.

A promise that those with a certain status should abandon their bodies, ascend to heaven, and become immortals or fairies, and gods.

A promise kept in most dimensions, since growing to have a god's ability took far too long anyway.

So after growing enough to become a god, the body was almost useless or already discarded.

That's why it was a promise kept without problems for a very long time.

Only, this time Sun-woo's growth was just too fast.

[I don't know why the System gave you such ability, but now that the danger has passed, it's time to take it back.]

At the Supreme Emperor's words, Sun-woo smiled wryly.

"Boiling a dog after the hunt is over. Is this discarding after use?"

[If you had stayed quiet, there would have been no problem. It's all your fault!]

It was when the Supreme Emperor who spoke up to there was about to extend his hand toward Sun-woo.

Sun-woo first raised his hand to the sky.

"Since it's come to this anyway, I can't just take it. I request a proper Divine Battle!"

At Sun-woo's words, the Supreme Emperor who was extending his hand hesitated.

Divine Battle. A sacred duel where gods fight one-on-one, wagering their divinity.

The victor succeeds to everything of the loser. It was the gods' battle.

[How do you know about that?]

"Well, gods aren't only on your side, and there was a god who stuck with me for a while…"

It was thanks to substituting the reward he should have received from the goddess with information about gods.

[But that's absurd! Divine Battle is only possible for gods. You who have neither believers nor priests cannot do it!]

But a voice suddenly contradicted the Supreme Emperor's words.

"The saintess is here!"

"You girl, Yeonhwa!"

Yeonhwa walking out between the destroyed training ground. And her master shocked at seeing her appearance.

"How dare you, a saintess, say such things!"

"What do you mean such things? A cool god appeared so I just switched, that's all?"

At Yeonhwa's words, her master seemed to have received a tremendous shock. The divine power lighting her body disappeared just like that.

Among that, Yeonhwa's divine power flowing in all directions. That feeling was exactly the same as Sun-woo's divine power.

"Then there's no more justification to refuse, right?"

The light of sacred power bursting from Sun-woo's body grew stronger and stronger.

"Let's properly fight. Over this Bright Cult."

The next moment, at the Bright Cult's headquarters, powerful sacred powers collided with each other.