Chapter 12: Padmasana
After breakfast, Yu Gyeongseong and the Six Demons headed out to the private training grounds attached to the building. It was a space completely hidden from the outside world.
“You told me the Sword God is incredibly powerful.”
At Yu Gyeongseong's question, the Six Demons nodded in unison.
“He’s a monster. Stronger than you can imagine."
It was not difficult to sense the gravity and awe contained within their response.
"But... do you really think I can match him?"
The question drew an immediate reaction, as if they'd been waiting for exactly that.
"That's what we're curious about too. The Great Law was supposed to make you the strongest there is.”
Then they turned it back on him
“So what do you think? You feel like you can take him?”
"Well... I feel stronger, sure... but honestly, I can't tell."
It was an honest answer. Ever since he regained consciousness, he hadn't had a proper chance to test his martial arts.
Rock Demon suddenly moved as he watched Yu Gyeongseong with interest. He stepped into the center of the training grounds and looked at him with a ‘What are you waiting for?’ look.
“Then let’s find out right now. Come on, let’s see what you’ve got.”
The other naturally backs off to give them space.
Honestly, you couldn’t ask for a better sparring partner to test someone’s skills. The Rock Demon was the perfect measuring stick. He’d been the first to battle the Sword God and the last to back down; that’s how confident he was in his own defensive abilities.
His only mistake was running into a monster unlike anything he’d ever seen before. The price was a permanent scar that would never fade.
But apparently, that didn’t seem to bother him much. Standing there, he projected a presence as solid and massive as a mountainside.
As Yu Gyeongseong walked into the arena, Rock Demon stared at him from a reasonable distance and spoke.
"Come on, attack me."
Yu Gyeongseong silently observed Rock Demon.
Rock Demon was acting calm on the surface, but Yu Gyeonseong could feel the hidden ferocity underneath.
Is it because his subordinate was severely injured? Or because I broke his clan’s martial art?
Either way, fine.
If Yu Gyeongseong wanted to confirm his own abilities, this was something he'd have to go through anyway.
"Alright then..."
The moment those words left his mouth, an explosion erupted.
KWAAANG!
A massive gray Hand Aura burst from Yu Gyeongseong's hand and struck his opponent directly, causing Rock Demon to slide backward.
The watching Clan Lords' eyes went wide.
Even if it was just a spar, they had thought of announcing one’s intent to attack before an Absolute Master was an absolute mistake.
But what the fuck did they just see?
It happened so fast that they couldn’t even tell if the Rock Demon let it hit him or if he just couldn’t get out of the way in time.
Yu Gyeongseong was way faster than they had anticipated.
They knew what he’d done to Dong Gong, but his opponent now was none other than a Clan Lord! One of their own!
Whether he knew what they were thinking or not, the two continued their exchange.
KWANG! KWANG! KWANG!
Gray Hand Aura repeatedly hammered the crimson aura covering Rock Demon's entire body.
‘Hmm...’
Rock Demon's eyes grew serious as he assessed Yu Gyeongseong.
Now that he was facing him directly, he could finally see how dangerous this power was.
The Hand Aura was nearly on par with Crushing Demon's own Hand Aura. And he wasn't just throwing it around mindlessly either. Even when he tried to dodge, he couldn't escape easily.
‘There’s no mistake. This is the Crushing Demon’s Soul-Slaughtering Art…’
Rock Demon was confident he could recognize that technique better than anyone else.
The watching Six Demons were also evaluating Yu Gyeongseong moment by moment.
‘Not bad. He’s actually got some skills.’
It was obvious now that they observed it this close. Rock Demon didn’t dodge not because he wanted to test the kid, but because he couldn’t. He was forced to tank every hit head-on with his body. That alone was enough to gauge his level.
But at the same time, those gray Hand Aura didn’t leave a single scratch on his body.
‘So, he’s not quite as strong as the real Crushing Demon, then.’
They had a good read on his attack power now.
***
“My turn.”
Crushing Demon stepped forward.
He'd been watching this for a long time, and he knew all too well whose martial arts Yu Gyeongseong was using right now.
‘You're... using MY Soul-Slaughtering Art?!’
Rock Demon wasn't the only one present who got pissed with the current situation. Right now, the one feeling even worse might actually be Crushing Demon.
‘He’s pushing the Rock Demon back that far?’
He felt like watching a thief steal his most treasured thing right before his eyes and use it brazenly.
‘Just because you can copy it… doesn’t mean you’re better than the original!’
Even if this kid really had become the strongest warrior in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Crushing Demon had no intention whatsoever of bowing his head to him.
Right now, he had to hammer into him the authority of the Six Demons.
‘I'll show you the clear difference in our class.’
The Crushing Demon inserted himself between the two fighters. And from his body, bundles of Hand Aura exploded.
The moment he did that, Yu Gyeongseong's body moved.
Crushing Demon's eyes tracked his target's dazzling movements.
Like snowflakes dancing in a fierce wind, the kid's form flickered in and out from all directions.
‘Flying Demon’s Ghostly Shadow Art…’
His anger spiked. He'd intended to teach him a harsh lesson, maybe even using more power than he should have. But every single one of his attacks missed by a hair's breadth.
‘How long do you think you can keep dodging?’
No one could keep avoiding his attacks in an enclosed space like this. Not even the Flying Demon himself. The only way out would be to completely distance yourself.
Just as he thought, Crushing Demon's strike soon caught Yu Gyeongseong's leg.
CLANG!
But just as he thought he’d landed a solid hit, another grey Hand Aura blocked Crushing Demon's attack.
Then Yu Gyeongseong exploded into motion. With his opponent at the center, he moved like a phantom, firing off a constant barrage of aura blasts. He was using the martial arts of two Clan Lords simultaneously.
Unable to keep up with those movements, Crushing Demon could only stand in one spot and tank the attacks. The role of the hunter and the hunted had been reversed.
After taking a few hits, the Crushing Demon’s eyes lit up with a dangerous gleam.
‘I'll show you what the real Soul-Slaughtering Art looks like.’
CLANG!
After deflecting an incoming attack, Crushing Demon launched himself at his opponent. As he did, auras exploded from his entire body at once. They covered his entire body from the tip of his head to the tip of his toes.
Sharp Hand Auras erupted like the scattering sparks of a firework.
His entire body had become a weapon.
The essence of the Crushing Demon’s Soul-Slaughtering Art was that it did not permit the opponent to defend.
His attack finally hit its target.
Gray aura struck Yu Gyeongseong's body.
And yet,
"......"
On the part of his body where the attack landed, no particular wound appeared. His body was perfectly fine.
How would you even describe the color of the thing that had protected him?
The color of war? A deep and glittering flash of crimson?
A new Aura suddenly revealed and now enveloped Yu Gyeonseong.
Crushing Demon, who had delivered the blow, and other Clan Lords who’d been watching saw it themselves. The gray Aura just fizzled out right before making contact with Yu Gyeongseon’s body.
That was Rock Demon’s martial art, the Art of the Undefeated. That art wasn’t just about making your body as hard as a diamond. It also utilized Qi to make a flexible Qi barrier that floated just off the skin and softened the blow before it landed. It was nothing less than a miraculous martial art.
‘That’s…’
That’s as good as the Rock Demon himself!
But Crushing Demon didn't panic. He’d fought against the real owner of that technique more times than he could count.
His Aura grew stronger and sharper, and his attack fired without rest.
Finally, as if it couldn't take any more punishment, wounds began blooming on Yu Gyeongseong's body.
Crushing Demon felt a certain sense of relief at the sight.
‘If this were the real Rock Demon…’
He would have been able to parry these attacks smoothly without taking those wounds.
Even though the kid manifested the Art of the Undefeated at Rock Demon's level, he couldn't match Rock Demon, who'd devoted his entire life to it.
And the same goes for the Soul-Slaughtering Art!
No, it has to be the same!
I'll show you that clear difference right now!
But then Crushing Demon suddenly froze. The situation unfolding before his eyes was so unbelievable that his brain couldn’t process it.
"......"
What caught his eye was the kid's body, somehow completely healed.
The wounds were healing faster than he could make them.
‘Life Demon's Way of Life...’
Though he'd expected it, seeing it in person was a different story. It was something he couldn't believe or fully grasp.
The Soul-Slaughtering Art never knew when to stop until it killed its opponent.
But in this moment, it just… stopped.
***
"Excellent defense too."
Flying Demon stepped forward in Crushing Demon's place. He picked up daggers in both hands, as if to make a point.
Then he vanished.
Flick.
Yu Gyeongseong moved fast but not fast enough as a thin line of blood appeared in the air where he'd just been.
It’s not a fatal wound, but he failed to dodge his opponent's attacks.
Flying Demon's daggers didn't contain the same terrifying Aura as Crushing Demon's. So how did he get wounded?
The attack was just too fast. So blindingly fast that the Art of the Undefeated didn't have time to react.
If anyone had been watching the training grounds right now, they would've thought only five people were there because they couldn't see two of them.
And they would have wondered.
Why is blood spraying out of thin air?
The two of them were a blur of non-stop motion.
Little by little, you could feel their presence in the air fading.
And then, just when it felt like they were completely gone… a presence popped back into existence.
Flying Demon appeared exactly where he'd started.
And Yu Gyeongseong now stood in the center of the training grounds.
***
Mind Demon looked at him and grinned.
“His lightness skill is quite something. This is getting fun.”
That was all he said.
But as he said it, Yu Gyeongseong’s body froze in place as if grabbed by an invisible hand.
‘!’
CHHHANG
Yu Gyeongseong tried to break free from the invisible restraints binding his entire body and move quickly.
"It's useless."
But before Mind Demon's words even finished, Yu Gyeongseong's body bounced back as if hitting a transparent wall.
He’d sealed off the entire area with his mind.
Mind Demon focused and transparent walls materialized from six directions to press down on Yu Gyeongseong.
He focused harder, not giving Yu Gyeongseong an inch of room.
But at a certain point, the walls of his psychic prison stopped shrinking.
...?
And then he realized.
Another telekinetic prison had been created inside. The one who made it was...
"He can use Mystic Control... to that degree?"
Mind Demon muttered in disbelief.
The Mind Demon Clan's art differed fundamentally from the four clans that came before. Their art depended on mental power, and their potency varied dramatically based on concentration. Mystic Control was even more sensitive than the Illusion Demon Clan's Spiritual Power manipulation. You had to keep your mind constantly tranquil and be able to focus instantly on what you wanted.
But to show that kind of focus, in a situation like this… How was that possible? For a guy with amnesia?
***
“So what the Cult Leader said… it wasn’t a lie.”
The Illusion Demon, who'd been quiet until now, finally made his move. Or rather, he just lifted a hand.
His hands swept through the air gracefully, like a fish gliding through water.
Suddenly, massive torrents of water materialized around his hands and began to swirl around Yu Gyeongseong from all sides.
"All Rivers Return to the Sea."
‘…!!’
Instantly, the space they occupied transformed into a vast ocean. The other Clan Lords had to jump for their lives to avoid a huge wave that came out of nowhere. What caught their eyes as they hovered above the water's surface was a gigantic wave rushing to engulf Yu Gyeongseong in one sweep.
It didn't matter how fast you were; you couldn't escape the power of nature itself.
RUUUUUMBLE—
The wave, as massive as a deity’s hand, crashed over everything.
Then Yu Gyeongseong had disappeared.
The Six Demons' eyes went wide.
‘Where did he go?’
Then they felt something. Something was moving under the water. Something huge. They scattered as a massive presence shot toward the surface.
FWOOSH!
A massive white whale exploded out of the water.
And then, its magnificent body fell back down and crashed into the water.
Brilliant sparkles of water scattered across heaven and earth as countless water droplets scattered the sunlight in dazzling radiance. And in that instant of blindness, the world changed again.
‘Where is this?’
The vastness was no different than before.
But the surface had somehow grown still.
And sitting right in front of them—
—Was Yu Gyeongseong sitting on Padmasana.