Book 16 Chapter 16

Fear (恐怖), despair (絶望), heartbreak (悲嘆)

-Sinister horror

We don't know whose idea it was, but if whoever designed this gateway was hoping to get everyone to cooperate and unite in the great outdoors, he made a big mistake. There is no excuse for being called an idiot, a moron, or anything else.

But if he chose to create a world where there is an iron rule of weakness, where people struggle, compete, and dominate, then he made the best choice, and he deserves to be called a savage genius. Humans, in the context of a food chain, will always choose struggle and competition over harmony.

So how do humans react when they're faced with a greater unknown in a world of predators?

It's been five days since the Great Earthquake. Aside from the idiots called Machen Samhung, there were a few others who attacked the Seventh Dynasty. However, they too had to face the same fate as Samhung. At the moment, the Central Earth Pavilion was a place of fierce competition for survival, where it was either eat or be eaten.

On the fifth day, it was foggy. It was so thick you could barely see a thing.

"Hmph!"

The man was running. He didn't care if the branches whizzed past him or not, he ran. His throat was burning and his heart was pounding, but he ran. Almost unconscious, only the need to get away from him kept his legs moving. He was in Group 9, and his name was Hyun-woon. He was Hyun-woon, the mastermind.

He was fleeing like a deer chased by a fierce beast, and that wasn't an inaccurate description. Hyun Yun was not one to be overconfident in his abilities, and it was almost impossible to do so when you had such a unique and impressive master. However, the likes of Bi Ryuyeon and Nao Nao were the exceptions to the rule, and aside from them, he didn't think he was too far off the mark. Perhaps that's why he's still holding onto the title of Heavenly Martial Dragon.

"What the heck is that monster?

He came out of nowhere. At first, they thought it was another member of the group. But no, they couldn't believe that a creature with such a fearsome streak could be among them. Crucially, he was an old man, the kind of old man who wouldn't win against a group of nine young men like himself. They had been sifted and filtered from white and black swords, and none of them had been able to use their hands properly. Not one of them had been able to take his one sword.

Something has happened. Something absurd had appeared between them. He blinked a few times, and then he was the only one standing. What am I supposed to do? He thought. There was no chance of success if he charged now; they couldn't even reach his collar.

"Sissy, sissy, sissy, sissy!

The monster only repeated the words; they were not even a boring toy.

"It's not funny!

The words came out of his mouth as he saw himself alone. He yawned as the eight of them lay on the ground.

Hyun-woon advanced toward the back. No, behind him, at a very high speed. Someone had to know about this.

"And to whom?

Then I could only think of one person.

He was shifting his feet in a state of near insanity. Terror ruled his mind and body. The screams of his men still echoed in his ears. He wanted to scream, too, but he forced down the terror that crawled from the bottom of his heart and ran and ran and ran.

A shadow suddenly appeared in front of him. Its appearance was as sudden as if it had risen from the ground, and a scream erupted from Hyun-woon's mouth in a burst of terror.

"Aaaahhhhhh!"

My mouth was screaming, but my body, trained by tens of millions of repetitions, moved on automatic reflex.

Voila!

He instinctively drew his sword and swung it at the unwelcome visitor with great speed. The swiftness of the sword was such that even a martial arts master could not help but be impressed.

"Ugh!"

A short guard. He dodged the shortest thrust of the sword toward his brow with a quick turn of his head, then grabbed Hyun-woon's right wrist with a swift golden thread and twisted it slightly.

Boom!

Hyun-woon's body spun in a circle in the air, unable to contain the power that had been poured into it, and he was slammed to the ground from his back.

Curl up!

Hyun-woon let out a short scream, his shadowy form leering arrogantly at him from the ground.

"Hey, it's dangerous… What, Hyun-woon?"

"Dae, dae!"

The person looking down at him was none other than his big sister, Bi Ryuyeon. To see her face, which was dripping with emotion every time I looked at it, bring tears to my eyes, was something I would live to see.

"So you were attacked by a mysterious assailant?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked Hyun-woon, who had finally calmed down and had already gulped down three bowls of water. He had been so tired even before he was attacked by Bi Ryuyeon that he was in no position to ask her questions.

"Yes!"

Hyunwoon nodded.

"So is there anything distinctive about this guy?"

"If it's a feature,… of course… it's… there."

Hyun-woon's voice was shaking like a leaf teased by the wind.

"What is it?"

"That… it's……."

Hyun-woon's shoulders shook as the image of the creature flashed through his mind again. Watching him, she thought.

'That's a lot of fear to instill in someone her size… and she's giving off the impression that she doesn't want to talk about it. What's wrong with her?

Hyun-woon wondered if he wanted to keep forgetting about it. He hadn't had enough lessons to bring it back to his mind. But running away wouldn't solve anything. At least have the courage to face reality……. He rambled on, repeating it over and over in his mind.

"He had white hair, as white as snow, and a white beard that reached his chest, and he… he……."

Hyun-woon gulped down the last of her courage.

"He was wearing a silver mask that half covered his face."

"Uh… silver?"

Hyun-woon's body was shaking as much as his voice.

"Yes, it was… a silver mask… shining as cold as moonlight… and behind that mask… a cold, high… terror was breathing."

"No, no, no… that's not possible……. Such a stupid thing……."

Everyone held their breath. Most of the people's faces were bleached white. Only Bi Ryuyeon's face remained intact. The flip side, the silver lining, was the desperate reminder of the darkest, most terrifying symbols sealed at the bottom of their memories. The kind of horror that could freeze your soul at the mere thought of it. It was that kind of horror.

It was Bi Ryuyeon who broke the seemingly eternal silence. He wasn't as agitated as the others.

"So? You don't introduce yourself?"

"So… tell me about yourself?"

"So, you can't even scream, and you've been beaten?"

"Ah, he said, 'My name is Terror, the one who creeps out of the darkness of the heart and eats the heart-that is my name.'"

"It's a declaration of war. Maybe he only sent Hyun-woon back in one piece to make his presence known. Otherwise, how would he have gotten away with it?"

I had a feeling that things were about to get ugly.

"At least we're clear on one thing."

"What do you mean you've gotten any clearer? I'm still just a mess."

Hyo-ryong was still dumbfounded. Bi Ryuyeon replied.

"At least not when we're fighting each other, though I don't know how many more times we'll have to be beaten before we realize that."

As Bi Ryuyeon predicted, Hyun-woon's group wasn't the only victim. The other groups found themselves in a similar situation. Apparently, the eight prey were not enough to satisfy their hunger.

"Who are you?"

Long Tianming shouted in a sharp voice at the silver mask that had suddenly appeared in front of them.

"You mean me?"

A voice, a voice that seemed to emanate from the darkness of the manger, a voice that seemed to oppress the mind, came from the mouth of a silver mask.

"My name is Fear, the one who creeps out of the darkness of the heart and eats the heart, that's my name."

Yong Tianming asked, doing his best to keep his hands from shaking.

"What business does such a person have here?"

The Silver Mask replied.

"I have come to drive hope from your hearts and bring you despair!"

"Barely alone?"

There was no need or desire for further conversation. On a signal from Long Tianming, the entire second tier drew their weapons and surrounded him, determined to never let him speak such arrogant words again. Fear… they were no longer children, but hardened martial artists.

"Fighting isn't about brains, and if you let your guard down because you're outnumbered, you could end up with a big nose."

All surrounded him, weapons drawn, but none rushed forward. An unidentifiable pressure gripped their bones and flesh.

"Tsk, tsk, if it's not coming from that direction, it's coming from this direction."

Swish swish swish!

People's eyes opened as wide as saucers in horror. With each light step Silver Mask took, like a stroll, his newest creation began to multiply.

"Boo, alter ego!"

Long Tianming's eyes widened, a silent murmur escaped from his mouth, and on the eighth step, his new count had increased by exactly two trillion trillions.

"That's one for one."

It was an old alter ego.

The nine silver masks were now exquisitely positioned in a square of two trillion people, and they were so astonished that they could hardly move. It was as if an invisible spider's web had wrapped itself around their minds, and with one playful wave of his hand, Silver Mask dropped his weapon from the tremendous sword pressure. My wrists cramped and my palms tingled. Their eyes were as if they were possessed by ghosts as they witnessed an opponent so powerful that they wondered if it was humanly possible.

"How can a swordsman be called a swordsman, how can he be called a martial man, how can he properly guard his own life?"

No one could find the words to refute the accusation. But that didn't stop me from being angry.

"I may not have a sword, but I have a hand!"

Several people rushed at Silver Mask, bravely wielding fists and swords, and a thin smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Could it be that he had gained some satisfaction? Silver Mask waved his hand lightly once more.

Kaaaahhhhh!

A pitiful scream burst from the mouths of the seven at the same time. It was an unearthly scream, one that could only have come from the depths of the netherworld, and the bodies of the seven who had lunged at him stiffened as if they had been moving, then collapsed helplessly like a rotting mass.

It happened in a flash. It all happened in eight steps, just eight steps.

Only Long Tianming and the Maha Spirit remained. Long Tianming unsheathed the Jade Goddess Sword and unleashed the first blade of the Dharma Three Swords. A dazzling sword qi, like the radiance of a goddess, stretched out towards his opponent. Silver Mask lifted his own sword slightly, and with a blood-curdling simplicity, parried his first sword. His rebuking voice drifted out.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, the sword of fire should be based on immobility and compassion… My heart is as wide as the sea, and my sword is as young as life, so how can I exert my power? Wouldn't it be a desecration of the Nephrite Goddess Sword to wield it with such skill?"

"Uh… how did you do that!"

Yong Tianming was stunned by such a precise point that cut to the heart of the matter.

"Shut up!"

As Yong Tianming faltered in shock, the unseen Maharishi charged at her with a sword, and in the next moment, she collapsed screaming.

A tremendous gust of wind blew in, no force of nature; it was a gust of pure human power. A small, silver-masked man appeared out of nowhere, and in one fell swoop, like a storm, he silenced the five unarmed men.

They were no match for him; he treated them like children, the young fire moths darting toward him.

The attacks of the Eleventh were useless against the Silver Masks; they could not even touch their collar. An irresistible force surrounded the Silver Mask, and its currents pushed back their swords and dao. They, on the other hand, were to be favored with the mere snap of his fingers. An invisible ghostly hand was toying with them. Moreover, there was a tremendous spiral force at work in every move, so that if they bumped into him, their clothes would be torn to shreds like rags. The invisible evil hand seemed to be squeezing the clothes like a laundry wringer.

First the sleeves were torn off in a spiral, then the whole body. He was lucky if he ended up with rags instead of complete nakedness.

"Da, who are you?"

His voice trembled, and he was a man with a sword scar across one side of his face, a man who had been called to this death penalty by a young man named Soyu. But even his stoic face was trembling with fear now. His priest was already on the ground.

"My name is Despair! A deep, never-ending swamp that swallows hope and breaks the hearts of men. That is my name."

A horrified voice spoke from the silver mask's mouth.

The raids continued, and Year 1 was no exception. Only this time, Archduke Bi and Demon Swordsman Chu Ming were away for a while.

"Oh no, I'm running out of hair, what a waste!"

Her voice was sullen, like a child who has lost a toy, and she was covered in blood-red hostility, half her face covered by a silver mask.

"What kind of bitch are you?"

With those words, Wu Wenqiu sealed her fate. He would pay dearly for his words. With a single sweep of her hand, the silver-masked woman's body was turned upside down by an irresistible force, and she slammed his head into the earth like a trigger.

Thump!

It's a wonder my head didn't crack open like a watermelon.

"Gosh, you have to be careful what you say, or you might offend her."

Another member of the group, Zhong Liqiu of the Seven Spears, swung his seven spears one after the other, stabbing at the unwelcome guests in succession. Following suit, the three-headed blade Dao Chuun also swung his blade and slashed at the silver mask. Their breathing was in sync as they were allies. But their attacks merely penetrated her body; what they stabbed and ravaged was an illusion, not a reality.

It was like a mirage or a mist. Even the Southern Palace Priestess and the spirit of the earth charged at once, but slash after slash kept coming. No matter how many slashes they made, they would dissipate and reappear like mist. Like the fog on the sea, it was difficult to even grasp its shape.

"Ears, ghosts!"

People backed away in horror. No slashes, no cuts. They wondered if it could be anything other than a ghost. Then, out of thin air, an angry protest erupted.

"No, a ghost? Have you ever seen a ghost so graceful and beautiful?"

"Hee hee hee! Zee, it's a real ghost!"

Rattle!

It was not unreasonable for the old man to be frightened; he was not a fan of ghosts. Qin Lie was also afraid of ghosts. Her complexion had turned very pale.

"To see a normal person and call them a ghost… I should be punished."

The branch in her hand - it wasn't even a sword - swept across the room, and with a pitiful scream, they all fell to the ground. The fight was over. Now all that remained was the poisonous spirit.

"Oh, what a cute kid!"

The blood-robed woman clapped her hands gleefully and said.

I can't believe someone else was as spicy as the Yeomdo… Her clothes seemed to smell like blood somehow, I just had that feeling.

"Can you give me a little more pleasure? I would be very sad if I were as frail as those children."

I sounded like an idiot.

Deng Xiaoling attacked with all her might, using the Flying Thousand Li, the highest level of the Rainbow Sword. Thirty-six geese-shaped sword Qi left her sword. It was a blow with the power of a Heavenly Yang Tea, a far cry from the twelve that had been her limit.

"That's a great trick, but it's not going to stop me."

With a single sweep of the Silver Masked Sword, the thirty-six Crimson Sword Qi were dragged away as if they were being sucked into a cage, leaving them completely helpless. The Poisonous God Elder was stunned, not expecting his one second to be so easily subdued.

"You're gorgeous on the outside, but your mind is elsewhere… Your wavering heart, anxiety, and nervousness are all on display. Are you in a relationship these days?"

"Nothing, on what grounds!"

Dokgo-ryong's face flushed.

"Why do you deny it? Swords do not lie. Your sword reflects all of your turmoil, and how can you wield it properly unless you have attained the Heart-Clearing Dao!"

"Da… how can you practice the Dharma of Simplicity?"

But the silver-masked woman paid no heed to her astonished retort, and continued on her way.

"Without the purity of the heart, the sword cannot wield its full power, so to speak."

The woman stretched out the branch in her hand. It was impossible to read the other's movements. There was nothing but an empty void in front of her. Before she knew it, the blackness had reached her brow.

Shhhhhhhh!

Suddenly, dozens of leaves swept past the woman's flank with the speed of a shuriken. The woman ducked, unable to thrust her sword any further. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, the Poisonous Old Man and the Silver-Masked Woman looked toward the place where the leaves had flown, and there stood the Grand Duke Bi and the Magical Sword Demon Chu.

"Who are you?"

Archduke Rain asked.

"Me? My name is 'Woe,' for I was born in the sea of lamentation, and I lead men to the swamp of woe!"

The woman's body exuded an air of authority, a far cry from her playful demeanor earlier.

"Is it going to get more interesting now that the enemy has arrived?"

Two more opponents, but they didn't seem to pose any threat to this woman. There was no sign of fear. In fact, she was enjoying herself. Like a child with more toys.

"Would this be more fun?"

A voice came from the forest on the other side of Archduke Biwa's garden, and a person appeared. It was Bi Ryuyeon. Why was he in the territory of the First Duke?

"How did you get here?"

Dok Go-ryeong was also surprised by Bi Ryuyeon's appearance.

"Lion, are you okay?"

This time it was Na Yerin, her voice full of worry and tension. Next to her was Lee Jin-sul.

"But didn't you say he was a man?"

Another man emerged from the darkness of the forest. It was Obi-Wan, followed by Jang Hong, Hyo-Ryong, Yun Jun-Ho, and Kyo-Ok. The only one missing from Group 7 was Wei Zichen, who was practically living as a pauper. He had been acting like a man who had lost his mind since the Water Pavilion, so he was being left alone. There were also two people who weren't in the group of seven, Hyun Yun and Mo Yonghui. They too had been attacked by the Silver Masks. But they were still alive.

"What are you doing here?"

Magical Sword Master Chu Ming said in a blunt voice. He was a very unlikable person.

"Suddenly, this mountain seems to be in turmoil, and there's a mysterious group of people roaming the mountains, making mischievous raids?"

"Are you kidding?"

"I used that phrase because no one has died yet."

Jang Hong replied.

"Not dead?"

"Yeah, don't worry about those people lying there. They screamed loudly, but they're just passed out."

Na Yerin reassured Dokgoryeong.

"He took a huge psychic hit and passed out."

"I thought everyone was dead because there was so much panic… and then I went over there and they were all alive and well. At first I thought I saw a ghost."

Hyun-woon listened to her.

"Well, it's great that you didn't kill it, but there's a problem that I can't ignore, so I'm going to go to……."

"A problem that can't be overlooked?"

"They'd raid each group, knock them out, and then take their celestial plates."

Losing the Ten Thousand Rulers meant being eliminated from the competition.

"Apparently, they're intent on stealing everyone's Tian Yulian, but their martial arts are so powerful that each of us is no match for them, so we've come to the conclusion that we need to find a way out of this situation, and that is for all of us to stop arguing and unite as a group against the threat of an unknown enemy. That's how we ended up here. The rest of the groups have agreed with us, so now we're left with just you, and we'd like you to tell us what you're going to do in a moment."

Jang Hong explained how they got to this point. It was a very interesting opinion. Certainly, now that they had crossed swords, he could feel it in his bones. His opponent was far beyond his reach.

"But wasn't he really a man? According to the witnesses, he was a man?"

Bi Ryuyeon stared at the silver-masked woman and tilted her head in disbelief. The person in front of her was definitely wearing a silver mask, and as the testimony had said, he was ridiculously strong, but he didn't look like a man at all.

"A man!"

The silver-masked woman's animosity flared with rage.

"Have you ever seen a man with such a beautiful, graceful, lean, perfect body?"

The woman's posture is that of a doting mother. It was a great pose, without being slutty, emphasizing her waist, legs, and bust at the same time. Mmmm, a few men nodded hesitantly. She was definitely in shape.

"You must be working hard to keep in shape?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked admiringly.

"Of course! I always eat healthy and don't forget to massage my skin. I don't expose myself to the sun, and I exercise constantly. It's no exaggeration to say that an arm and a half of my inner cavity is dedicated to staying in shape."

The silver-masked woman said proudly, as if it were a great boast.

"Oh yeah, that's how you got in such great shape."

"Okay, boy, I'm done with you for the day because you have a great aesthetic, but girl, I expect you to do better next time we meet. Tell that to your boyfriend. I don't think your boyfriend is anything to write home about!"

"Not my boyfriend!"

Grand Duke Bi and Dokgo Ling denied it in a strong voice.

"Hmmm, or not……."

"When you come, you come at will, but when you go, you will not be able to go at will!"

Jang Hong said in a firm voice. There were still too many questions, and the woman covered the corners of her mouth and laughed softly.

"Do you think you can stop me because I've gained a few extra pounds? I'm just fading in and out of favor today, child, and I can come and go as I please. You're a hundred years too late to stop me!"

At that moment, a tremendous sword energy erupted from the woman's body in all directions. Everyone was frightened by the sight of dozens of swords stabbing at them and drew their weapons. However, the sword energy disappeared before their eyes.

"Uh… uhhh……."

People looked around in bewilderment.

"You're alive! You've created the illusion of a sword stabbing into me with your incredible flesh."

Jang Hong groaned. To be able to do this by simply living… it was a terrifyingly frightening strength.

"Chet!"

Bi Ryuyeon touched her tingling hands and grumbled. He'd shown the others an illusion, but he'd actually used his hands on her. The others were still dumbfounded by the illusory life, but he knew it. This tingling sensation was the greatest proof of all.

"Was it a check……."

If so, you were right. He hadn't had time to follow her movements because he was too busy blocking the second before. She had blocked his movements with a truly exquisite swordplay. It was a skill he couldn't help but admire, even as an enemy. But there was one thing that bothered him.

"…how does this feel?

After sharing a hand with the silver-masked woman, Bi Ryuyeon couldn't help but wonder. The feeling was not unfamiliar. Who could it be that made her feel this way?

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even realize that something had fallen from his waistband. There were too many things to think about, too many puzzles to solve. Bi Ryuyeon broke from his thoughts when he heard people calling out to him.

"Huh?"

Watching from a distance as Bi Ryuyeon's group scrambled about, the Grand Duke noticed a foreign object on the ground and stooped to pick it up.

"This is!"

In his hand was the Heavenly Ruler, the lifeblood of the Zhongtao Pavilion, and a thin smile curved his lips as he recognized the name on it.