Chapter 192: Counterattack
“KRAAAAAAAH!”
The roars of the demonic humans shook the underground chamber.
The creatures that had been lying dead only moments ago all rose at once and charged toward us.
“How dare corpses bare their teeth at us!”
Jin Gwangung shouted.
At the same time, the righteous martial artists moved.
BOOOOM!
A powerful palm force erupted from Jin Gwangung and smashed into the demonic humans at the front.
Then a massive streak of saber light tore through their ranks.
SWOOOSH!
It was Muk Jincheol, the Overlord Saber Ghost Demon.
His saber ripped violently through the demonic humans.
“If you already died once, you should've stayed down quietly!”
Muk Jincheol charged straight into them.
Yeom Yuhwa and the other Demonic Cult masters immediately followed.
I rushed in as well.
I swung my sword hard at the torso of the nearest demonic human.
Slice!
Its upper body split open.
The creature staggered.
I immediately reversed the blade and struck again.
Thud!
Only then did it collapse.
But more surged in behind it.
Damn it.
We had gone through hell killing these bastards once already.
And now we had to do it all over again.
It was exhausting just thinking about it.
Still, the situation wasn't completely hopeless.
The strongest masters of both the righteous faction and the Demonic Cult were gathered here.
Even if the demonic humans had revived, all we had to do was destroy their bodies badly enough that they couldn't rise again.
But then—
“Uuugh!”
A strange groan reached my ears.
I instinctively turned.
One of the Righteous Alliance elders was staggering while clutching his throat.
?!
“Elder?”
A nearby martial artist hurried toward him.
“Are you all right?”
“Uuugh...!”
The elder kept his head lowered, groaning in pain.
A moment later...
he slowly raised his face.
The martial artist beside him saw it and cried out in shock.
“E-Elder?!”
His eyes had turned pitch-black.
Black veins were rapidly spreading across his neck and face.
Demonic qi?
Then—
STAB!
“Kugh!”
The elder's sword pierced straight through the martial artist's stomach.
“What are you doing?!”
Another righteous martial artist rushed forward to restrain him.
But the elder ripped his sword free and charged at him instead.
“KRAAAAAH!”
“Subdue him!”
Others nearby joined in.
Then—
“Ugh!”
Another groan came from elsewhere.
And that was only the beginning.
“S-Senior Brother!”
“Please, come to your senses!”
“What is happening to you?!”
Urgent cries erupted everywhere.
One martial artist after another was being consumed by demonic qi.
Dark mist clung to their bodies.
Wait.
Then I noticed something they all had in common.
Most of those being corrupted had wounds somewhere on their bodies.
Their shoulders.
Arms.
Sides.
Marks left by demonic claws.
Bite wounds.
And from those injuries...
black veins spread outward like roots.
Did the demonic qi enter through their wounds?
It wasn't happening only among the righteous faction.
“Kugh!”
The same thing happened on the Demonic Cult side.
A cult warrior fighting a demonic human suddenly clutched his head and staggered.
A blackened bite mark was clearly visible on his forearm.
“What's wrong?”
A companion grabbed him.
Then—
Slice!
“Kugh!”
A cold blade pierced through the man's throat.
What the hell is happening...?
The battlefield instantly descended into chaos.
Revived demonic humans pressed us from the outside.
Meanwhile, the people who had been fighting beside us suddenly turned hostile from within.
“They have been consumed by demonic qi! Do not kill them! Restrain them somehow!”
Master Gonghyeon's urgent shout rang out.
This is bad.
The situation was deteriorating rapidly.
Demonic humans could be cut down without hesitation.
These people were different.
They had been our allies only moments ago.
“Aagh!”
“Watch your back!”
“There's another one here!”
The righteous and demonic martial artists became hopelessly entangled.
Whenever someone tried to restrain a corrupted ally, a demonic human slipped through.
Whenever they focused on the demonic humans...
an ally attacked from behind.
This is dangerous.
I was desperately searching for a way to turn the situation around when—
SWOOOSH!
A sharp sound tore through the air right beside me.
I raised my sword before I could even think.
CLAAANG!
A gleaming spearhead slammed into the flat of my blade.
The heavy impact traveled through my wrist.
The spearhead scraped along the sword and pushed forward.
Only then did I see the face of the person attacking me.
“Hyeongwon?”
His eyes had turned pitch-black.
Black veins crawled up his arm beneath his torn sleeve.
“Grrrrr!”
Hyeongwon glared at me with murderous eyes and twisted the spearshaft again.
SCREEECH!
The spearhead pressed harder against my blade.
I twisted my sword and pushed the spear aside.
“Hyeongwon! Snap out of it!”
It was useless.
“KRAAAAAH!”
He pulled the spear back and swung the entire shaft in a wide arc.
WHOOOM!
The spearhead came for my side.
I blocked it.
CLANG!
Damn it. He's completely consumed.
I couldn't strike back too hard.
But I couldn't just keep defending either.
Then—
over Hyeongwon's shoulder...
I saw Yu Seola.
She was fighting alongside the other righteous martial artists.
And the instant my eyes landed on the sword strapped across her back...
my mind snapped into focus.
The Heavenly Law Sword.
Only one thought flashed through my head.
With that sword...
I might be able to bring Hyeongwon back.
I needed the Heavenly Law Sword immediately.
But damn Hyeongwon wasn't giving me even a second to think.
SWOOOSH!
The spearhead was already thrusting toward my chest.
Then—
I redirected the spear to the side and slipped inside his reach.
At the same time, I gathered internal energy into my left fist and struck his abdomen.
THUD!
“Kugh!”
The blow landed cleanly.
Hyeongwon folded over and staggered several steps backward.
That was enough.
“Junior Sister Seola!”
Yu Seola immediately turned at my shout.
“Senior Brother Mujin!”
“The Heavenly Law Sword!”
She understood at once.
Her hand went to the sword on her back.
“Catch!”
Whoosh!
The sheathed Heavenly Law Sword flew through the air.
Hyeongwon had already recovered and raised his spear again.
“KRAAAH!”
I twisted aside from his charge and reached out.
Tap!
My hand closed around the hilt.
At that exact instant—
WOOOOOOOOOM!
"...!"
The Heavenly Law Sword roared violently even inside its sheath.
The vibration was so strong that my hand went numb.
It thrashed in my grip as though desperately trying to burst free.
The Heavenly Law Sword had reacted many times before.
But never this violently.
Why is it doing this?
Before I could think further—
“KRAAAAAH!”
Hyeongwon charged again.
I drew the sword without hesitation.
Shing!
WHOOOSH!
Blue flames surged along the blade.
And at that exact moment—
...What?
The sight before my eyes changed.
The black demonic qi covering Hyeongwon's body.
Until now, it had only looked like energy clinging to him.
