Chapter 274

I’ve defeated half of them, but this fight isn’t getting any easier,

Leonard thought to himself.

The remaining three Demoniacs surrounded him in somewhat of a triangular shape. It was far from a proper Three Man Formation, but each monster’s individual fighting capabilities made up for the shoddiness of the formation. No matter which way Leonard moved, he would be in a disadvantageous position.

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Demoniacs, trying to determine the best course of action.

It wasn’t too bad while I was fighting the other four, but I never thought the other three would get so much stronger in the meantime.

With the Vermillion Bird Sword and the Black Tortoise Sword, Leonard had technically been fighting three against seven, swiftly killing the first one before the others even got a chance to adapt to his movements and mind martial arts.

Even without Vermillion Bird Qi and Black Tortoise Qi, Leonard was one of the most powerful Demigod Tiers, and using the Eastern God Style and Western God Style was enough to dispose of the Demoniacs due to their lower fighting skill and experience.

On top of that, even though there had been seven of them, the Demoniacs only knew how to fight as individuals, so there had been plenty of openings for Leonard to exploit.

Vrrrrr...

A Brain Demoniac that had survived the initial slaughter had created a disc-shaped blade and used it to attack Leonard, swinging it wildly. It resembled a chakram, a weapon he had encountered before in Tianzhu, though this one was sharper and more vicious. Not only could the monster change its speed and direction at will, the weapon could split into six smaller discs, making its movement completely unpredictable.

This Brain Demoniac hadn’t been able to do this at the start of the battle.

“■■■■■■■!”

“■■■, ■■■■■. ■■!”

The Heart Demoniacs had also learned the concept of teamwork. They weren’t nearly as intelligent as Belial, but compared to where they had been at the beginning of the fight, the difference was like night and day.

And that wasn’t the only change.

Up until now, they had turned up their noses at other Demoniacs, never once encountering a formidable opponent before. But now, they had learned how to modify their bodies and fighting styles to be as lethal as possible, spurred by their bloodlust.

They’re sprouting blades from the backs of their hands and elbows to match my swords. They’re also enhancing their muscles and stretching out their tendons to have a greater range of motion. It’s like they can mold their bodies in any way they desire.

Of course, that ability hadn’t come from nowhere. Just like Belial, these Demoniacs had absorbed some of the energy released by the others upon death. Royal Demoniacs released far more energy of far greater potency, so even though they were within the bounds of Hades’s Divine Territory, that energy couldn’t be absorbed immediately.

As a result, the Brain Demoniac had become a Named, and the Heart Demoniacs were approaching that point too. However, since Leonard still had the Vermillion Bird Sword and the Black Tortoise Sword, he wasn’t entirely outnumbered.

...Seems like not even these extraordinary swords can hold this much divine energy. It’s getting harder and harder to keep using Vermillion Bird Qi and Black Tortoise Qi like this.

He couldn’t keep up Twin Deities Spiritual Possession for much longer.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like you plan to attack first.”

At that, the Demoniacs stiffened, but they remained in place. Had it seemed like he was announcing an attack, they might have charged in—but they couldn’t understand what he had said.

And of course, since their enemy was surrounded, they needn’t unleash some grand, coordinated attack. They only had to wear Leonard down, chipping away at his strength until he inevitably left an opening.

Vermillion Bird Sword Manipulation: Release

But had they been more experienced in battle, they would have known that the most obvious answer wasn’t always the correct one, that taking a risk could flip the outcome. Belial would have caught onto that, but these were newborn Named.

Two deities surged out from Leonard’s swords.

Screeeeee—!

The Vermillion Bird spread its wings and let out a screech, making the Demoniacs cower back. The sword that had been holding it crumbled like eggshells. The spirit borne from his Mindscape wouldn’t be able to remain in the material world for long.

So, Leonard summoned another divine beast.

Black Tortoise Sword Manipulation: Release

The Black Tortoise emerged in the same way, surging in the air with its snake tail slithering. It trailed behind the Vermillion Bird, then turned to the Heart Demoniacs and conjured a blizzard.

Just like mind martial arts, the attack surpassed the material dimension and reached into the conceptual realm, making it even more powerful.

The Heart Demoniacs retreated. Though the three of them had been working as a team for a bit, they were selfish by nature, and right now, their survival instincts took over. Their formation fell apart instantly, and now Leonard faced the Brain Demoniac alone.

...Now.

He was keeping the other two at bay for now, but the Black Tortoise and the Vermillion Bird could only stay in their material forms for about another ten seconds. In that time, he had to kill the Brain Demoniac and corner the Heart Demoniacs into a vulnerable position. That was all his foresight could tell him.

If he succeeded, he would win. If he failed, he would die.

Those who followed the path of martial arts knew they would encounter tens, hundreds of different forkroads throughout their journey, and that they would have to choose the right one every time. There was no return from the wrong path.

In the same way, Yeon Mu-Hyuk had known that upon clashing with the Heavenly Demon, all paths would lead to death.

But I see one now. I see the road to victory!

It wasn’t the unity with his sword that showed him the answer, but his instincts as a martial artist. He closed his eyes, which took his opponent by surprise. The monster instinctively moved to strike, taking advantage of the opening to deliver the killing blow.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The Brain Demoniac used Telekinesis to hurl a blade at Leonard. It cut through the air as finely as Asmodeus’s sword, and while it wasn’t as fast, its force was tremendous. Not even an augmented energy shield would be able to withstand it.

In the split second before it reached him, Leonard sharpened his focus like an obsidian blade, not even realizing his vision had turned black-and-white.

He had successfully Deified the two energies, but he had never activated them both at once.

Two divine beasts ascended from his Mindscape.

One Origin Five Elements Divine Sword

Tai Sui of the East

Azure Dragon’s Ascent

Taebaek of the West

White Tiger’s Advent

The White Tiger and the Azure Dragon shot out almost simultaneously. As the two forces wrestled each other, they shredded through some of Leonard’s meridians. Though the divine beasts moved freely, it felt as if time itself had stopped.

If I lose control of these energies for even a second... my body will explode!

He didn’t swallow down the blood rising in his throat, nor jerk from the pain. Even though his blood was flowing backward, his mind raced so fast that not even the electric signals going down his nerves could keep up.

Suddenly, he remembered what he had read in the

Classic of Changes

regarding the eight trigrams. It was a system that illustrated how the entire universe was made up of opposing forces that reinforced one another.

The flow of nature—the sun shining down on the earth, rivers weaving through mountains, wind and thunder clashing and mingling. All life came from these phenomena, and among them, the clash between wind and thunder was the most relevant right now. White Tiger Qi represented wind, while Azure Dragon Qi represented thunder.

In some ways, they create their own form of yin-yang, with wind being yin and thunder being yang. If yin grows stronger, yang weakens, and vice versa. The eight trigrams and the yin-yang represent the same basic concept.

The White Tiger and the Azure Dragon didn’t interact in quite the same way as the Vermillion Bird and the Black Tortoise. But now that Leonard had summoned them, he let the two forces wrestle.

The Azure Dragon leapt and tried to bite off the White Tiger’s tail, and the White Tiger retaliated by doing the same. But soon, the clash ended with the two forces finally flowing in harmony.

They weren’t nearly as stable as two truly opposite elements, such as water and fire, but they came together to create something remarkably powerful. By the time their unity was complete, Leonard was already on the move. He launched into a new divine sword technique that stood at the polar opposite of Taiji Phaseless Slash.

Azure Dragon Qi and White Tiger Qi clashed within his sword. The energy didn’t come from their synthesis. In fact, he channeled the very impact generated by their constant clashing.

Not creation, but destruction. Not harmony, but discord.

His technique unleashed an explosion that devastated everything in its path.

One Origin Five Elements Divine Sword

Twin Deities

Universal Shattering

Just as the telekinetic sword was about to pierce his face, it crumpled like a leaf, and a blast of light pierced through the Brain Demoniac. It all happened in an instant, giving the monster no chance to block or dodge.

BOOOOOOOM...!!!

As soon as the Brain Demoniac collapsed to the ground, the light blast tore through the very fabric of space, revealing something akin to the night sky—a bottomless darkness that resembled the void.

Fortunately, the tear quickly closed up, despite its depth. Still, Leonard felt a chill down his spine. He instinctively knew that if this kept happening, something terrible would occur.

“...■■■?”

“■■...!?”

The Heart Demoniacs felt the same. They had been scrambling to get away from the divine beasts this whole time, but now, they stared in shock at the spot where the Brain Demoniac had just been standing.

Vermillion Bird’s Descent

Black Tortoise’s Emergence

The Vermillion Bird and the Black Tortoise returned to their master, and the four forces representing the four cardinal directions came together.

Leonard maintained careful control over his Mindscape, making sure the two circles—the Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise’s yin-yang and the Azure Dragon and White Tiger’s yin-yang—wouldn’t collide.

An incredible energy coursed through his body and radiated around him. He was wielding a double-edged sword—the moment he lost control, the power of the divine beasts would tear him apart from the inside out, perhaps even shatter his very soul.

Leonard was essentially riding a horse on thin ice.

Nevertheless, at that moment, he was above everyone else in the Nine Hells, even above Declan, the Archduke of Sword.

“...Well, this isn’t as bad as I expected.”

He turned to his two remaining opponents, no longer feeling any sense of danger, as if they had never posed a threat to begin with.

The most powerful Demigod of Cardenas took one final step forward and swung his sword.

Shing!

The monsters failed to react to his blade.

The two Heart Demoniacs fell to the ground, split in two, their bodies twitching before crumbling to ash. Normally, they would be able to piece themselves back together and heal, but Leonard had cleaved through their very life force, annihilating them instantly.

Having lost its host, Crom Dubh’s essence was absorbed by the Divine Territory. Leonard slowly lowered his sword as he watched. He wouldn’t be able to move for a while, not until he stabilized his body.

“It’s almost over.”

Besides, his near-divine vision told him that this battle would soon reach its conclusion.