Martial Arts Ain't That Big of a Deal

Chapter 195

The deer, as massive as a mountain, exuded an aura of immense power. It was Nok So-pyeong, the Beast Demon, a transcendent being whose age was impossible to fathom. Among the Seven Demons, she was one of the strongest.

Her mere presence altered the density of the space around her.

The Greed Demon’s eyes rolled nervously, and the Sword Demon clicked his tongue as he spoke.

“What are you doing, Beast Demon?”

[Insect, did you not ask me what I was doing?]

“Have you not heard the Priestess’s orders? We found the Seed of the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord and intend to capture him.”

Rumble—!

The heavens thundered—it was the deer’s laughter. Nok So-pyeong rolled her enormous eyes toward the Priestess.

[Since when does the Priestess stand above the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord?]

“...I merely wish to serve him.”

[Did the Mara Lord say that?]

“How could a mere human know his will? If he desires the Seed of the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord, I simply obey.”

The atmosphere turned tense in an instant. Seo-jun steadied his breath, his eyes fixed on Nok So-pyeong.

‘So this is how you take command of the mood?’

Now that he thought about it, the way he had tried to dominate the atmosphere before was nothing more than the tantrum of a master with a flair for dramatics.

Look at this colossal deer. By changing only her tone, Nok So-pyeong radiated an oppressive presence completely different from the one he’d seen not long ago.

Admiring her, Seo-jun discreetly scanned for an escape route.

‘It’s better to run now, right?’

Facing two of the Seven Demons was still out of the question. Not to mention, the Priestess hadn’t even directly intervened yet. It was best to slip away quickly since he couldn’t predict how much Nok So-pyeong would help him.

Thud—!

As silently as possible, Seo-jun activated the Mixed Origin Step, his body darting like a ray of light through the encircling demonic cultivators.

The Sword Demon immediately reacted.

“Where do you think you’re going...!”

His sword moved, but at the same time, Nok So-pyeong took a step forward.

BOOOOOOM──────!!

Her enormous hoof crushed the ground where the Sword Demon had stood moments ago. The Sword Demon narrowly evaded and glared.

“Fine, let’s settle the hierarchy today!”

Zing—!

The Sword Demon’s blade gathered a dense, dark-red aura. His strikes brimmed with tyrannical energy as he swung with the force to cleave a mountain in two.

Screeeech────────

Space itself split along the blade’s trajectory. Nok So-pyeong responded effortlessly.

Whoosh—!

She retracted her front leg slightly to avoid the strike, then used the momentum to swing her massive antlers.

Whoooooom────────!!

Her colossal antlers tore through the air, creating a violent storm in their wake. The Sword Demon rode the storm upward, preparing to unleash his next attack.

Thud──────!!

Nok So-pyeong, returning her front leg to its full size, stomped down and charged forward.

It was the charge of a deer the size of a mountain. Far from being clumsy due to her size, her immense body gave her steps an almost incomprehensible reach.

BOOOOOOM────────!!

The Sword Demon’s blade intercepted the charge, but the impact launched him into the sky. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips under the overwhelming force.@@@@

Watching nervously, the Greed Demon gulped as he took in the scene.

‘I’ve heard the stories, but this is no joke.’

With just a few casual movements, the Beast Demon had reshaped the entire landscape. Several mountains were obliterated, and enormous canyons formed wherever her hooves landed.

‘I wonder if she’d taste good...’

As he drooled over the idea, the Priestess, biting her lip in frustration, shouted.

“Forget the Beast Demon and go after the Seed of the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord!”

She began to move herself. With a wave of her hand, the surrounding demonic energy coalesced, cutting off Seo-jun’s escape route.

“Damn...!”

The moment Seo-jun noticed, a massive wall of flames erupted before him. This wasn’t ordinary fire—it carried an unusual energy.

But even so, it was ultimately just a manifestation of demonic energy.

Seo-jun’s eyes flashed, and his horns vibrated as he dispersed the flames completely.

Whoosh—!

Beyond the dissipated flames, a group of demonic cultivators charged toward him. It seemed true that they had been gathered from nearby, as their level wasn’t particularly high.

Seo-jun’s eyes widened in shock. The Sword Demon had managed to cut through Nok So-pyeong.

A massive torrent of blood erupted from the deer’s enormous body, shooting high into the sky before gravity pulled it back down.

Swoooooooosh────────

Red rain poured over Tian Shan.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Seo-jun cursed.

An ominous energy radiated from his entire body as he prepared to charge forward. But then, Nok So-pyeong’s laughter echoed, shaking the heavens.

[Hoo-hoo-hoo...!]

Crack—!

From the cross-section of her severed head, a smaller deer’s head emerged.

Amid the crimson downpour, the deer shone brilliantly with her one remaining horn.

[For an insect, that wasn’t a bad effort.]

Screeeech—!

Countless tendrils shot out from the severed part of the divine plant. Each tendril was larger than most buildings, and there were thousands of them.

An enormous force descended upon the Sword Demon, who appeared as insignificant as a speck of dust in comparison.

BOOOOM────────!!!

Seo-jun, watching in awe, simply clapped his hands. The dry sound of applause echoed.

‘Amazing Tian Shan.’

No wonder the righteous and unorthodox factions alike despised the Demonic Cult. It was like a battleground for giant monsters.

‘Wait a minute.’

Now that he thought about it, he realized he could probably do something similar.

Well, it would be strange if the Seed of the Ten Thousand Demonic Lord couldn’t manage that. After all, wasn’t it just another form of expression?

With an open mind, Seo-jun accepted the idea graciously and detonated the Mixed Origin Step beneath his feet.

For now, escaping Tian Shan was the top priority.

[I cannot leave Tian Shan,] Nok So-pyeong’s telepathic voice reached Seo-jun.

[If I assist you further, even I might be in danger.]

[Don’t worry. I’ve already received more than enough help.]

Nok So-pyeong chuckled softly.

[Nokyo has a message for you.]

[Oh?]

[She says, “My mom is the strongest!”]

Seo-jun let out a dry laugh.

Boom—!

The Greed Demon, buried in the ground, finally burst free, having devoured all the shadowy plants. The Sword Demon and Priestess also ceased their confrontation with Nok So-pyeong and began pursuing Seo-jun.

[We can’t talk much longer.]

[Understood. See you next time.]

[Indeed.]

Seo-jun detonated the Mixed Origin Step with all his might, sending a telepathic message.

[Let’s meet again sometime!]

Behind him, Nok So-pyeong’s laughter echoed across the heavens.

*****

The Demonic Cult’s persistence rivaled Chunbong’s stubbornness.

At least Chunbong would listen to his brother after he repeated himself about sixteen times, but these cultists showed no room for compromise.

“Stop!”

The Sword Demon’s slash tore through the air. Seo-jun stepped into the void to dodge and mused to himself.

‘The Black Lotus Alliance folks would love to see this.’

Sketching a rough mental map, Seo-jun determined his direction. Didn’t he have some acquaintances in the Black Lotus Alliance nearby?

‘Might as well pay the North Sea Ice Palace Lord a visit.’

Glancing over his shoulder, Seo-jun dodged the flames hurled by the Priestess and grinned.

“Haha...! Let’s see how far you can follow me!”

He couldn’t wait to introduce his new “friends” to the North Sea Ice Palace Lord.