The harmony of black and white.
A pitch-black sword and a pure white sword crossed paths, cutting down the Rakshasa Monks.
Already, three of his disciples, three of the Upper Four Rakshasas, had lost their lives to them.
If only the youngest had been here, things might have been different...
I should have brought him along.
The man gripped his sword, raised a jet-black Sword Aura, and struck down with all his might.
Whoooosh—.
He had expected a rain of blood and slices of flesh.
But they were simply erased.
Only after the strange aura that distorted space dissipated did the dregs of human dust flutter in the wind.
Kra-ka-ka-ka-boom—!
Those who died by the white sword in his right hand could be considered blessed.
At least they could depart for the Buddha's side with their bodies intact.
Shwing—, Whoooosh—.
The formation that had triumphantly surrounded the man collapsed in an instant.
A sight so unbelievable, so futile, so utterly empty.
'Is that what they call 'Outstanding Fortune,' something granted only to the chosen… the extremely few Karma Root Tribe among the descended beings?'
He could be of the Immortal Clan, but the Blood Rakshasa had already made his judgment about the man.
Everyone who existed in the man's path was slaughtered in an instant.
Then, at some point.
He, Dong Bongsu, paused for a moment amidst the Rakshasa Monks who had been erased by the Super Black Hole Sword Aura.
"…"
Not even a cup of tea's time had passed since the deaths of Vajra Rakshasa and Mandala Rakshasa...
Already, more than two hundred Rakshasa Monks had become wandering souls by his sword.
If a battlefield had a soul, the part of the battlefield where Dong Bongsu was active paused as if its soul had left, and was shrouded in silence as if its spirit had evaporated.
Na-mu-A-mi-ta-bul.
The Blood Rakshasa simply chanted the Buddha's name quietly.
He lightly turned his head and looked around.
The miscellaneous soldiers of Vast Heaven had already begun to engage the Rakshasa Monks in the distance.
The scoundrels of the River Capital also appeared from beyond the ridge, pushing their way down towards this field.
Feeling the aura of Formation Dao and formations from all directions, it became clear that the misers of the Formation Tower had also sided with them.
If they remained idle, they would be surrounded and annihilated.
"Kkiak!"
"Uwaaaak!"
"Keuheuk…"
The screams never ceased.
"To think there were so many disciples lacking in cultivation."
For those who should be rejoicing at becoming closer to the Buddha to be wailing like this.
Truly a disgraceful sight.
However, contrary to his low voice, quite a number of Rakshasa Monks had gathered around the Blood Rakshasa one by one.
"Left… Guardian! F-forgive me, but, I… I believe any more than this is impossible."
A Rakshasa Monk, once thought to have been castrated of fear, was trembling in both mouth and hand.
It wasn't just the monk who had spoken.
Everyone standing next to him was in a similar state.
It was obvious who and what was the cause without needing to be said.
"Then what do you wish for this one to do?"
"…There seems to be no other answer but to retreat, Left Guardian."
"Retreat."
"Yes, Left Guardian. At this point, even the Great Venerate would underst…"
Chwadeok—.
The Blood Rakshasa's hand grabbed the speaking Rakshasa Monk's face.
Whooooooosh—.
Just as thin streams of blood-red True Qi seemed to be released from his palm, the Qi instead entered the skin of the monk's face, and soon began to flow backward through the Qi Veins on the back of the Blood Rakshasa's hand.
The Rakshasa Monk's breathing stopped in an instant.
Every last bit of True Qi he had cultivated his entire life was sucked away through the Left Guardian's palm.
Not even a scream could escape.
His eyeballs sank deep into their sockets, and the flesh on either side of his cheekbones shriveled inward.
Sssss.
What remained clinging to the Left Guardian's palm was not a piece of skin, not a shred of flesh, but a single, empty skull.
Torrereu.
The cracked skull slipped through his fingers and rolled onto the dirt, and as if in response, a single bead from the human bone prayer beads between his fingers rolled in the same direction.
"The Great Venerate does not know such an unrighteous word as 'understanding'."
"…"
"The will of the Buddha knows only compassionate sacrifice, and to advance, and advance again."
As if in response, the other trembling Rakshasa Monks all took a step back.
Then, they finally turned their bodies back towards the enemy.
In that moment, everyone could see it.
The man who had paused was looking in their direction, smiling.
● ● ●
The Left Guardian of the Dark Rakshasa Way, the Blood Rakshasa.
Dong Bongsu's gaze was fixed on him.
The main body of Rakshasa Monks was spread around him like a dark shadow, but inside Dong Bongsu's eyes, only the middle-aged monk in their center was clearly imprinted.
Keukeukeu.
A low laugh trickled down over the two swords held in his hands.
The pitch-black sword in his left hand pointed down, while the tip of the Evil-Slaying Sword in his right hand faced the dirt.
Before the laughter even subsided, at the end of his gaze.
The middle-aged monk's blood-red kasaya swelled up thickly again.
Jeobeok.
The Left Guardian's feet finally moved towards him.
It was only a single step, but with it, the posture and morale of the entire main force changed in unison.
Chwareureuk—.
A thousand monks, excluding the five or six hundred currently in battle, surged in the same direction and lined up behind the Left Guardian at high speed, and the human bone prayer beads around all their necks rolled in the same direction.
With that, a clear path to where Dong Bongsu stood was naturally opened.
The Left Guardian did not step onto that path immediately.
Instead, he remained still and rolled another bead of his human bone prayer beads.
Torreureu.
The dry sound of bone hitting bone.
At that sound, a thick, dark-red True Qi shot up from the rear of the main force.
It cut through the reddish-brown monks' robes, spread out like a round, oval cloud above the main force, and its shadow stretched out long and wide, stopping above Dong Bongsu's head.
In the shadow cast beneath it, an unidentifiable Evil Qi undulated as if to suffocate him.
It was the Left Guardian's will, vowing not to forgive any living creature that entered it.
However, before that shadow, the corners of Dong Bongsu's mouth twisted up into a smirk.
"How kind."
Giving a signal in advance and everything.
The air between the fields on all sides and the center of the main force trembled finely, as if reacting to his words.
Immediately after.
—Let's get serious.
[Let's get serious.]
He conveyed his will to all his allies by using [Whisper] and Qi Sound Transmission simultaneously.
Dongmun Mutoe and Yan Bilyeong, who were cutting down one blood-robed monk after another on the flank of the main force, changed their stances more quickly and precisely, while Yeop Bihwa's Falling Flower Flying Leaf Needle, which had been continuously drawing straight lines beside them, accelerated even further.
On the ridge above, Myo Jinheo's fan unfolded another section.
Beside him, External Affairs Elder Baek Hando's white robe fluttered once more, and a dozen members of the Formation Tower and the Hero's Sect family members, taking the unfolding fan as a signal, repeatedly charged towards the front of the Rakshasa Monk main force using their swords and formation styles.
The sharp aura of the swords of the forty or so members of the Vast Heaven attack squad, who had slipped in from the northern field to the flank, also grew sharper.
The four axes of the surrounding blockade simultaneously became one step more intense in their current positions.
And then.
Hwirururururu—.
Dong Bongsu's figure flew straight towards the Left Guardian.
A line of fiercely kicked-up dust crossed the field, seemed to pause for a moment at the edge of the shadow laid down by the Left Guardian, and then plunged right into it.
Gwan-se-eum-bo-sal—.
The Left Guardian welcomed Dong Bongsu's visit by chanting the Buddha's name in a dignified voice.
"It matters not whether you are an Immortal or one of the Descended."
However.
"Go on, show me the vulgarity of a mongrel."
His tone was one of clear mockery.
As if responding to the mockery, the human bone prayer beads at the rear of the main force all rolled again, and the air across the entire field grew heavy and sank.
At the same time, from within the kasaya he wore, dozens of strands of blood-red True Qi, each as thick as a human wrist, were unleashed.
Chwareureureureuk—.
A bundle of Evil Qi, layered as if dozens of great serpents were coiled amongst themselves.
Transforming into a great pillar made of Qi, it charged violently towards Dong Bongsu.
Jjeok.
Dong Bongsu's left hand raised the body of his sword diagonally towards it.
Black lines rose above the sword, trying to erase the blood-red Evil Qi.
However, just before the bundles of Evil Qi touched the pitch-black sword, they scattered from their edges out in all directions beyond the blade and escaped.
They were neither sucked in nor erased.
Just as light bends its own path to escape just before being sucked into something too deep, the Left Guardian's bundles of Evil Qi changed their form and bypassed the pull of the Absorption Art.
And then.
Each of the scattered bundles raised its head on the spot, like a beast with a will of its own.
Dozens of them.
The bundles of Evil Qi, transformed into the shape of thin, blood-red snakes, all twisted their heads towards Dong Bongsu's left and right hands, his shoulders and sides, his feet and his back.
One strand aimed for the front of the pitch-black sword while another aimed for his back, another for his left, and yet another for below his feet.
They were living Qi Serpents, each attacking freely.
Chwareureuk—, chwareureuk—.
The bundles that lost their energy without ever reaching Dong Bongsu plunged into the field and exploded, carving thick grooves on the spot.
But the exploded spots were not left empty.
The released Evil Qi did not dissipate, but instead laid down a thick, dark curtain in its place.
Above that curtain, the other snakes became one step faster.
The Qi Serpents, now clad in thicker skins by feeding on the previously released Evil Qi, spread an inescapable net towards Dong Bongsu and closed in further.
"Interesting."
Dong Bongsu simply left a short remark as he flew to avoid the Qi Serpents.
Despite this, the Left Guardian did not even flinch.
He just rolled one bead of his human bone prayer beads, and then another, and as if in response, the number of snakes made of Evil Qi steadily increased.
By now, it had passed the center of the main force and was expanding its domain, the field densely filled with blood-red branches.
Encouraged by this, the Rakshasa Monks also grew stronger and spread out in all directions.
Spat—.
Dong Bongsu's left hand, holding the Nine Demon Annihilation Wheel Sword, slashed and severed the head of a strand threatening his front.
In the same posture, the Evil-Slaying Sword in his right hand cut down one that had slipped behind him.
The severed heads dissolved into dense Evil Qi, laying down two more layers of curtain on the field.
Chwiik, chwiik—.
Above that curtain, the next Qi-serpent became faster.
With every slash, the curtain thickened, and above the thickened curtain, the next beast charged one step faster.
It was a situation where simply slashing could not break the Left Guardian's offensive.
Moreover, in this situation, it was impossible to even approach him.
Under the shadow of Evil Qi that the man had spread, even the Super True Qi Field could not be properly operated, and the curtain of Evil Qi was growing thicker by the moment.
Chwareureureuk—!
For the first time.
Dong Bongsu's shoulders were pushed back several steps across the field.
Through a gap in his posture as he held the pitch-black sword diagonally, a single strand of the blood-red snake squeezed in and lightly grazed the hem of his black robe at his side.
Ssss—.
A thin line of blood trickled out where it had grazed him.
But as he was pushed back, the corners of Dong Bongsu's mouth twisted up instead.
Keukeukeu.
"If it's the type that gets stronger the more you cut it,"
a low chuckle flowed down over the two swords in his hands again.
"Then all I have to do is get stronger the more I cut, right?"
Two systems that had been dormant deep in his thoughts silently appeared.
[Chain Slash (Conditional Passive) Lv.MAX Proficiency: 100%]
Humans have a tendency to become frenzied the more blood they see.
In particular, this tendency is more pronounced in Wandering Warriors due to their strong desire for survival.
Duration: 2 hours after the last Chain Slash
· On 5 successful Chain Slashes, all stats increase by 5%.
· On 10 successful Chain Slashes, all stats increase by 10%.
· On 100 successful Chain Slashes, all stats increase by 25%.
· On 300 successful Chain Slashes, all stats increase by 50%.
· On 1000 successful Chain Slashes, all stats increase by 100%.
※ The Kill count is maintained only if the next enemy is slain before the effect of the Chain Slash ends.
[Chain Attack (Passive) Lv.MAX Proficiency: 100%]
The sword strikes of a Wandering Warrior who has learned the sword only through real combat, without any forms, are crude but fearsome for their unpredictability.
Above all, a Wandering Warrior never gives up and tenaciously clings to the enemy, even if their sword strikes don't land.
If they can't cut them down in one blow, they will swing twice, three times, even over a hundred times to ensure the enemy is slain.
Inflicts special status effects on enemies who receive consecutive attacks from the player.
· On 2 successful Chain Attacks, inflicts 'Bleeding' on the enemy.
On failure, pushes the enemy back.
· On 5 successful Chain Attacks, slows the enemy and enters a Frenzy state.
· On 10 successful Chain Attacks, briefly paralyzes the enemy's movements.
· On 50 successful Chain Attacks, temporarily disrupts the enemy's breathing and True Qi flow.
· On 100 successful Chain Attacks, momentarily neutralizes all of the enemy's defenses.
※ For consecutive attacks to be recognized as a Chain Attack, the next attack must occur within 1 second.
"Can't be helped."
The black lines grew a step thicker.
The white light of the Evil-Slaying Sword also deepened a step further.
"To properly enjoy the main course, you have to finish the appetizers first, I guess."
Papapat—.
With dozens of Qi Serpents still latched onto his back, Dong Bongsu leaped straight into the crowd of Rakshasa Monks.
Seogeogeok—.
Dozens of Rakshasa Monks' heads adorned the air like the heads of snakes.
Tomak-tomak.
[295… 307]
[The player has succeeded in a 300-Chain Slash. All stats have increased by 50%.]
It wasn't difficult, thanks to the foundation of the 294 he had already killed earlier.
And.
There was still plenty of 'prey' left.
The dozens of Qi Serpents following him still charged, aiming for his back amidst the chaos.
Seogeok—, seogeok—.
The now-stronger pitch-black sword in his left hand and the Evil-Slaying Sword in his right split to the left and right.
The Qi Serpents charging towards him were cut to pieces and fell to his feet, dissipating.
Dong Bongsu's figure came to a halt right there.
"…"
He slowly raised his head.
His indifferent gaze swept across the entire enemy force once.
Even at a rough glance, more than a thousand blood-red kasayas entered his view.
This is when you say, 'the more, the better.'
Amidst the chaotic battle, his pearly white teeth flashed cruelly.