Heavenly Inquisition Sword

Chapter 124. I'll Only Kill Half of Them

Gok Ilgi, the Bloodthirsty Butcher, who frequented Gwangmyeong Manor in Jinyeong, became a Demon Warrior a month ago purely by chance.

Afterward, he moved east and accepted Jang Ye, the Red Demon, as his subordinate, settling on Five Peaks Mountain. They grew in number by raiding nearby villages.

During one of these raids, a subordinate mentioned a "strange object that didn't seem to be worth any money." Gok Ilgi returned to Hahyeopjeomchon village, suspecting that the object might be one of the Sacred Artifacts.

Noticing the change in the village chief's expression, Gok Ilgi quickly inquired.

"Did you remember something?"

"Well..."

The village chief was about to mention the shrine of the earth deity when the sound of horses' hooves echoed in the distance.

Both the village chief and the bandits looked in that direction.

Four men who appeared to be warriors were approaching on horseback.

In an instant, the faces of the village chief and the villagers lit up with hope.

They had recently requested help from the Baekgeom Sect, and it seemed that their help had finally arrived.

Ten bandits, who had been scattered, gathered around Gok Ilgi and Jang Ye.

Jang Ye, with a disdainful sneer, said:

"Hmph! Like pups who don't know fear. I don't know who they are, but they've come to die."

The four horses skillfully came to a halt.

The four men swiftly dismounted.

Baekhwageom So Mujin frowned at the sight of the two decapitated corpses.

It was evident that the bandits were looting the village and murdering people.

Lee Shinwoong, with a hotter temper than So Mujin, stepped forward and shouted.

"What kind of scum are you? Daring to loot and murder in broad daylight! You are clearly bandits!"

Jang Ye responded with a mocking smile.

"Yes, we are the heroes who have settled on Five Peaks Mountain. And who might you be?"

At the mention of Five Peaks Mountain, Lee Shinwoong's eyes narrowed.

They were indeed the bandits from Five Peaks Mountain.

But something about their confident attitude made him uneasy.

"We are from the Baekgeom Sect! You've killed innocent villagers, there's no need for more words! We'll kill you all to avenge the dead!"

With those words, Lee Shinwoong drew his sword.

So Mujin and the two disciples quickly unsheathed their swords as well.

Despite being outnumbered, the members of the Baekgeom Sect showed no signs of fear. If their opponents were mere bandits, the numbers didn't matter much.

Gok Ilgi, observing, couldn't help but laugh.

Just as So Mujin and Lee Shinwoong looked at him, Gok Ilgi vanished like a ghost.

Surprised by their opponent's movement technique, So Mujin briefly shouted.

"Be careful! This is no ordinary opponent!"

Before his words ended, a whirlwind descended upon them.

Kwaaang!

A giant axe spun like a windmill and came crashing down on them.

The four men raised their swords to block the axe.

Clang, clang, clang.

First, Ju Yunseong and Won Jacheong were knocked back.

So Mujin and Lee Shinwoong staggered backward, clearly struggling.

Gok Ilgi ran like the wind, picked up the axe, and lunged at So Mujin again.

Buuuuung.

The sound was terrifying. Frightened, So Mujin didn't dare face the blow and quickly retreated.

The axe then targeted Lee Shinwoong.

He tried to block it with his sword, but the force of the axe dragged him along.

Kwaaang.

Lee Shinwoong was flung backward, spitting blood.

"Disciple!"

So Mujin tried to run toward Lee Shinwoong, but the axe blocked him.

"Kekeke. Who will kill whom?"

Gok Ilgi laughed and raised the axe again.

So Mujin quickly retreated, but Gok Ilgi followed like a shadow.

Buuung.

The axe once again aimed for So Mujin's torso.

With no other option, So Mujin shouted and thrust his sword forward.

It was a desperate move, a mutual attack.

Surprisingly, the heavy axe was faster than the sword.

Alarmed, So Mujin's eyes widened.

If this continued, he would be the only one to die.

He had no choice but to withdraw his sword and raise the axe.

Chirik.

Even though he used all his strength, the axe didn't change direction.

"Ugh!"

As the axe approached, So Mujin instinctively rolled on the ground, using the evasion technique warriors despised.

"Kahaha. Die! Die!"

Gok Ilgi laughed like a madman and struck the ground with his axe.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Each time, So Mujin had to roll from side to side.

After rolling for a while, So Mujin realized that his opponent was mocking him.

"Damn it!"

The axe was no longer as precise as it was at the beginning.

The opponent was merely striking the ground repeatedly, as if telling him to keep rolling.

At that moment, a carriage slid in and came to a stop.

It was as if it had stopped at a tourist spot, with complete naturalness.

Soon, six people emerged from the carriage.

Yu Geunsik, who was beside the coachman, jumped to the ground.

The seven of them looked around, unaware of the hostile atmosphere.

Annoyed by the interruption, Gok Ilgi withdrew.

"Who are you people?"

When Gok Ilgi stopped striking, So Mujin ran toward Lee Shinwoong and supported him.

Fortunately, Lee Shinwoong was still breathing.

So Mujin carried Lee Shinwoong over to where Ju Yunseong and Won Jacheong were.

Seeing that the newcomers were not allies of the bandits, So Mujin sighed in relief.

"Haa! It seems they aren't on the same side."

Perhaps they were indeed from the Justice Alliance and the Namgung Family.

However, he couldn't relax just yet.

The skill level of the bandit with the axe was unimaginable.

Could these newcomers face someone who had defeated him and his disciple?

Namgung Cheon approached the trembling elder.

Jang Ye, who was guarding the elder, unconsciously backed away in the presence of Namgung Cheon.

"Elder, what is happening here?"

The village chief, with a face that looked as if he had returned from the dead, responded.

"They are bandits from Five Peaks Mountain. They looted the village a few days ago, and today they returned, demanding something..."

"What were they asking for?"

"A round object with eight carved figures. When we said we didn't know, they started killing people."

"A round object with eight figures?"

Namgung Cheon frowned.

What could be so valuable that it was worth killing for?

At that moment, Namgung Yeon murmured.

"Sacred Artifact."

With that single word, the atmosphere changed.

Gok Ilgi approached, emanating an intense killing intent.

"I asked who you are!"

Shim Tong stepped forward and asked:

"Are you another servant of the Yoomyung Cult? Judging by the state of Baekjeolgeom and his group, you must be one of the Demon Warriors. Is that correct?"

Gok Ilgi looked at Shim Tong with a bewildered expression.

No one had spoken with such arrogance, knowing that he was one of the Demon Warriors.

"Kekeke! A crazy old man. If you know that I'm one of the Demon Warriors of the Yoomyung Cult, you should flee..."

Shim Tong interrupted him.

"Jejeje. So you're one of the Demon Warriors. Today, you've met your match. Young master, I'll only kill half of them. Will you permit it?"

"Damn you..." Gok Ilgi looked incredulously at the old man.

An old man with a goatee saying that he would only kill half of a Demon Warrior's group from the Yoomyung Cult was ridiculous.

But what happened next was even more bewildering.

One of the young men from their group responded with a natural expression:

"Bah, who do you think you're fooling? You can only kill half anyway."

Gok Ilgi, unable to hold back any longer, gripped the axe tightly in his hand.

"Fine, talk all you want. Recently, those two old men also boasted more than you, but they ended up being beaten by me. I'll show you that the name of the Demon Warriors is not to be taken lightly."

"Jejeje. Talk all you want. Our young master has killed more than one Demon Warrior, you know?"

With that, Shim Tong unsheathed his saber.

Both Gok Ilgi and Shim Tong charged at each other with force.

Their weapons clashed in a display of skills. The axe and the saber intertwined in a bright and noisy battle.

However, unlike before, Shim Tong's saber did not retreat when clashing with the axe. In fact, each time they met, Gok Ilgi's axe lost some of its momentum and trajectory.

Gok Ilgi's face twisted in surprise. He hadn't expected to encounter such a formidable opponent.

'Damn it, he looks like a common thief...'

With his breath growing more labored, Gok Ilgi decided to use his secret technique, the Whirlwind Wind.

A powerful whirlwind surged from Gok Ilgi's axe and headed toward Shim Tong, who responded with his own technique, the Dragon and Tiger Windstorm.

Kwaaang!

The wind from the axe and the storm from the saber clashed violently in the air.

A deafening noise resonated as the two powers collided, but it was the axe that ended up yielding.

"Kraaa!"

The axe shattered into pieces, and the shards scattered as Gok Ilgi's body was torn apart by the force of the storm.

The demon died with his eyes wide open, shocked by the elder's strength.

"Oh no! I killed him in one blow," said Shim Tong, stepping back as if it were a joke.

As So Mujin, Ju Yunseong, and Won Jacheong watched in amazement, something even more disturbing happened.

Gok Ilgi's body, though dead, began to crack and break. Pieces of skin and clothing fell away, revealing a creature with dark red skin and a horn on its head.

"Kraa!"

The creature lifted its head and roared at the sky, then looked directly at Shim Tong with eyes full of hatred.

For the first time in a long while, Shim Tong felt a chill and stepped back, hiding behind Yeon Jeokha.

"What happened to your promise to only kill half of them?" said Yeon Jeokha.

"Jejeje. I already took care of the first half. Now it's your turn," replied Shim Tong, not losing his playful tone.

Yeon Jeokha sighed, shaking his head, and stepped forward toward the creature.