King Shura

He calmly took a look at the white pieces of his intestines floating in the pool of blood behind him, and slowly sank down to the floor with the wall on his back.

‘I barely managed to shake them off.’

Un Hui closed his eyes as he steadied his breath.

He somehow managed to get out of the mountain building, but he couldn’t return to the church just yet.

He was concerned that the church might collide with the imperial palace.

Because of this, Un Hui did not run straight for the church. Instead, he ran around the property of the Alliance for quite a while, and lost his followers.

As he had to travel twice the distance he would’ve originally have had traveled, he had overcome death encounters several times already.

The experts from the palace were truly strong.

‘About three……’

Un Hui had been quite confident in his speed, but when he thought of the three experts that chased him, he shook his head.

He was both tired and hurt, but thinking of the experts that did not let go even till the end made him feel a chill run down the spine.

‘Let’s wait till day like this.’

Un Hui quieted down slowly.

How much time had passed?

Even after a long while, there were no signs of anyone following him.

That was good.

If someone were to chase him all the way here, he might have not been able to take it anymore.

He could feel the sun rising as he slowly let out a sigh of relief.

Un Hui felt the cold air of dawn, and stood up.

‘It’s good that I knew about it beforehand.’

Once Un Hui got trapped in Ju Ho Yu’s formation, he immediately remembered Cho Ryu Hyang’s words.

He remembered the method to destroy the formation that Cho Ryu Hyang had taught him.

-Destroying a formation from the inside with pure power…… that’s actually very hard to do. But if I were to give you a single advice, it would be good to attack at the weakest point in time when the formation forms. The method of doing this is different for different types of formations, but most formations are at their weakest as they form. If you attack with all your power right as the formation forms, then perhaps you would be able to destroy the formation from the inside.

Un Hui trusted those words, and performed his greatest technique from inside the formation.

‘Radiance-killing phantom blade.’

It wasn’t completed yet, but this was the name of the martial arts technique Un Hui had created.

This allowed Un Hui to make use of all his power.

‘But the consequences of doing so is immense…….’

After he uses this technique, his body would be depleted of inner energy and strength for a while.

Un Hui stretched with his trembling body in order to relax his muscles.

His body that had been pushed to the utmost limit let out a painful scream.

Un Hui ignored it.

‘I need to go.’

He had made a promise.

He made a promise with his young master.

A promise to go back safely.

His master would be very worried for him right now.

That’s why he needed to leave as soon as possible.

Un Hui grit his teeth, and moved.

Shushushu-

His inner energy still wasn’t able to flow properly, but Un Hui didn’t stop to rest.

And as he finally arrived at his destination, he could sense someone moving inside.

“…….My lord.”

Bam-!

A person violently opened the door and ran outside.

It was Cho Ryu Hyang, Un Hui’s little master.

“You’re back!”

Un Hui smiled faintly.

Seeing the worry and relief on Cho Ryu Hyang’s face made him feel relieved.

“Yes. Although I was late, Un Hui, your bodyguard, has returned.”

Cho Ryu Hyang didn’t speak for a moment, and instead observed Un Hui’s body for a moment.

The man was covered in blood, and his mask was soaked with blood as well.

His pale face and trembling body showed Cho Ryu Hyang just how much pain Un Hui had gone through.

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‘It’s my fault.’

Cho Ryu Hyang balled up his fists tightly.

He could have expected this easily beforehand.

No, he had expected this to happen beforehand.

He should have given Un Hui a way to get out safely.

He had warned Un Hui to be careful, but then Un Hui, a harmonious expert, came back nearly dead.

Cho Ryu Hyang could easily see how much danger the man was in.

‘If something had happened to him…….’

When he thought up to that point, Cho Ryu Hyang shook his head.

He took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

His eyes were getting read.

He had suddenly thought of his teacher, Jo Gi Chun.

‘I won’t let something like that happen ever again.’

Cho Ryu Hyang slowly walked up to Un Hui, put his hands on the man’s shoulders, and spoke with a bit of a stutter.

“Thank……. Thank you for coming back safely.”

“……..”

Un Hui somehow managed to kneel with his tired body, and opened his mouth.

“The…… the Imperial Palace became involved.”

Cho Ryu Hyang quickly stood up Un Hui, and supported his body.

“I’ll listen to your report later. First, your treatment…….”

Un Hui shook his head, and opened his mouth.

“Your predictions were correct. There was someone behind Gal Mun Hyuk…….. the Imperial Palace. And there was a strong expert with them as well.”

“As expected……..”

Cho Ryu Hyang nodded.

He had expected this already.

But an expert that could reduce Un Hui to such a state……..

He wasn’t able to see just how strong a person like that could be.

Then, Un Hui steadied his breath a bit, then kept talking.

“And there……. there was a person who could use formations like you.”

“…….!”

“He was about thirty. He was in scholarly clothes, and didn’t seem to have learned any martial arts.”

Cho Ryu Hyang made a face of strong disbelief.

“A person who used formations like me?”

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible.”

It was impossible.

The only reason Cho Ryu Hyang could use formations like he did was because he used them using a completely different method compared to other formation experts.

Unless one had Godly Eyes like he did, it was impossible for a normal formation expert to use formations like him.

Un Hui frowned in pain for a moment, then opened his mouth again.

“Once that man threw a small box at me, I became trapped. If it wasn’t for your advice, I would’ve been captured.”

“…….He threw a box, and then you got captured?”

“Yes.”

Cho Ryu Hyang became dazed at that moment.

He had instantly understood what had happened.

Cho Ryu Hyang stood dumbly for a moment as he reenacted what had happened to Un Hui in his brain, then came to his senses.

’No way.’

A formation strong enough to contain Un Hui.

Making such a formation by throwing a box would mean that his new opponent had understood the laws of the world using math.

At that instant, Cho Ryu Hyang became frightened.

He handed over Un Hui to No Jin Nyung who was hurrying over to where he was, and stood dumbly.

“I’ll take him to the doctor.”

“Yes…….”

Once No Jin Nyung disappeared, Cho Ryu Hyang began to calculate the possibility of there being a man who could understand the world like he did.

Once Cho Ryu Hyang reached a conclusion, he became calm once more.

‘It’s not completely impossible.’

But one had to contribute immense amounts of time studying mathematics in order to achieve that.

One had to expend almost as much time as Zhuge Liang did in studying math.

It was possible that such a person existed in the world.

‘I was to meet him.’

What would happen if they were to meet?

If they met as enemies, Cho Ryu Hyang would perhaps be meeting the strongest enemy he had ever met.

While he was thinking that, something came over and hit his legs.

When he looked down, he saw Maksu.

Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the sickly rabbit, and opened his mouth.

“How are you here?”

[…….Is that really something you should say after handing me over to that damn girl?]

“So you ran away.”

Cho Ryu Hyang looked at the rabbit with uncaring eyes, then moved away.

He had treated Un Hui badly due to coming into contact with such a shocking piece of information.

He needed to visit the doctor to check up on him.

When Cho Ryu Hyang moved away like such, Maksu trembled and shouted angrily.

[You damned child! Are you even aware of who you are looking down on?]

At the moment, an oppressive aura came out of the rabbit.

But Cho Ryu Hyang was not fazed one bit.

He wasn’t scared either.

“I don’t really care about who you are, but I can say that I know one thing about you.”

Cho Ryu Hyang readjusted the glasses on his face, and spoke slowly.

“You hold promises extremely lightly.”

[……!]

“Why do you look at me like that? Am I wrong?”

Maksu slowly repressed his aura, and grit his teeth.

If he could turn back time, he would just destroy the deal he had made with that boy.

But he knew very well that he couldn’t.

[…….I lost control. I apologize.]

Cho Ryu Hyang accepted the rabbit’s apology, then turned around with a smirk.

Beings like Maksu were strangely obsessive about promises, as he had learned from Tian Nu, the Imugi.

Unlike humans, they were beings that could be trusted.

[I need to ask you something.]

The rabbit said this as he followed Cho Ryu Hyang from behind.

“Go ahead.”

Cho Ryu Hyang answered with an uninterested tone.

Maksu’s eyes trembled from anger at Cho Ryu Hyang’s attitude, but he could only endure.

He made a promise, didn’t he?

That he’d act like a normal rabbit…….

He wanted to die every time he thought of the promise.

[What did you do with the Godly Herb that I was growing? Did you eat it?]

“Godly Herb?”

[Yeah. It has red leaves…… and its petals are green……. it looks like this.]

Maksu somehow used his hands and legs to describe what the flower looked like while running.

“Are you talking about the Nine Lands Medicinal Flower?”

[I believe that was what the foolish humans were calling it.]

The rabbit spoke with a majestic voice.

It just made Cho Ryu Hyang laugh.

Cho Ryu Hyang barely suppressed his laughter, and spoke.

“If I ate it?”

[…….Others would normally die, but you……]

Maksu thought a bit, then frowned.

He then spoke dejectedly.

[Perhaps you’d survive. That’s why I’m asking. Did you just stuff the thing into your mouth? Eh? You greedy pig.]

“No, I didn’t eat it. It’s still there.”

Maksu’s ears stood up in excitement.

[Really? You didn’t eat it?]

“Yeah.”

[Humans lie easily. Are you telling me to believe such a thing?]

“…….You don’t have to.”

When Cho Ryu Hyang made an annoyed face, Maksu spoke as he shook his tiny little arms.

[No, no, I believe you. You are different from the others.]

As Maksu said this, he looked at Cho Ryu Hyang with a curious gaze.

[But why didn’t you eat it? Don’t humans like you go crazy over things like that?]

“Just……. It seemed to be alive, so I didn’t want to hurt it.”

When Cho Ryu Hyang spoke honestly like this, Maksu became dazed.

Maksu tilted his head in curiosity, and spoke.

[Is that……. really it?]

“Yeah.”

[Are you telling me to believe such a thing?]

“…….You don’t have to.”

Cho Ryu Hyang made an annoyed face, then turned away.

“If you have nothing else to say, then go. I’m busy.”

He was extremely worried about Un Hui.

When Cho Ryu Hyang left for the doctor, Maksu stood in his spot alone and spoke.

[I…… I do not believe there are humans that aren’t greedy.]

But Maksu knew.

He knew that Cho Ryu Hyang did not eat the Nine Lands Medicinal Flower.

He knew that the boy did not take the Flower.

He just didn’t want to accept it.

[I had thought that all humans were dumb and idiotic……..]

Perhaps one of them wasn’t an idiot. That made Maksu feel very complicated.