“Die!”

A massive black fist and a white sword swung simultaneously.

Swoosh!

A fierce tearing sound ripped through the air. The powerful attacks flew from both sides, blocking any escape route.

Perhaps it was due to their previous sparring sessions, where they had become familiar with each other’s breathing patterns. It was a perfect combination that even the most skilled opponent would not be able to dodge or withstand. However…

Thwack!

A crimson wave spread through the air, and the fist and sword came to a halt.

It was a sight similar to when Hong Yeon-hwa had punched the Blood Demon on the cliff.

She felt as though her strength was dissipating somewhere, despite exerting all her power.

Is this the power of the Taegeuk Miribyeok?

She knew that the Blood Demon had set up a defense, and she had expected it to be the Taegeuk Miribyeok, but she had not anticipated it to be this sturdy.

She felt a slight sense of frustration.

The Blood Demon, who was the one being attacked, looked at Hong Yeon-hwa with a calm expression.

“What does this mean?”

“If you’re going to send them, you should send them all, you bastard.”

“Hmph… I’m still your master’s friend, you know. It’s not very polite to talk like that.”

Crack! Thud!

Various attacks rained down on him before the Blood Demon could finish his sentence.

There were techniques imbued with internal energy, a peach wood sword that glimmered with a rainbow hue, and swords and spears filled with magic.

All of them were aimed at the Blood Demon’s neck with a fierce momentum.

Of course, just like Hong Yeon-hwa, they were all blocked by an invisible barrier.

“Hmm.”

The one who had been examining his surroundings tilted his head.

He didn’t feel any anger or superiority. His voice was filled with pure curiosity, as if he really didn’t understand why they were doing this.

“I’m pretty sure I said I’d spare you. Did you think you could win by relying on your wits?”

“No way.”

“I’ve sparred with Hong Yeon-hwa enough to know that the difference between Hwa-gyeong and Hyeon-gyeong cannot be overcome with just intelligence.”

But…

“I can’t just back down and leave Yeon-hwa behind.”

The other women and even the high-ranking members of the Shin-gyo nodded in agreement with my words.

As for Myeong-wol-jin, he was always grateful.

He was fighting alongside us even though he didn’t have to risk his life.

After hesitating for a moment at our firm attitude, the Blood Demon seemed to realize something and nodded his head.

“Ah, I see. I was too lacking in consideration. Then how about this?”

He pointed to the side of Hong Yeon-hwa, who was pulling the qi even higher to break through the Taegeuk Miribyeok, with his awkward arm.

“Make a doll that looks like my daughter.”

“…What?”

As soon as I expressed my doubts, a figure rose from the ground.

It was made of blood and had a crimson glow, but its form was eerily similar to Hong Yeon-hwa.

“He’s not a clumsy guy like Togi. Give him a real human touch, and put in the Baek-hak of the deceased so that he can act similarly. Well… his strength and intelligence will be at the level of a beast, but I can’t help it.”

Unbelievable.

He’s offering to give us a moving real doll that looks exactly like Hong Yeon-hwa if we can surpass her?

This guy has a different way of thinking.

“What do you think? I’ll ask one last time…”

Crack!

Instead of answering, I hit him with a Taesanapjeong attack, and the guy who was about to say something shut his mouth.

“…I see.”

The Blood Demon sighed with disappointment.

“I guess this is my limit.”

What kind of nonsense is he talking about, finding his way after losing his way?

Anyway, while the guy was being relaxed, we were pouring out our inner strength like crazy and hitting a circular shockwave that rose into the air.

Did it have any effect?

As Hong Yeon-hwa said, the Taegeuk Miribyeok was finally breaking after several hits.

But the Blood Demon still looked at us… no, at me, with a calm expression.

Crack!

The barrier broke at the right moment.

Various attacks hit the guy’s skinny body.

“So don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Kwaaaah!

A massive amount of energy burst out of the guy’s body like a whirlwind.

“Kuk! Everyone, get back!”

Hong Yeon-hwa swelled up with Cheonmajae-rim and stood in front of us. And then…

Crack. Thud.

A brutal sound that felt like it was scraping our bones.

It was the sound of the fierce energy of the Blood Demon’s Baek-hak scratching Hong Yeon-hwa’s devil.

If we had been caught in that, it wouldn’t have just ended with being pushed back.

Even if we had used Cheonmajae-rim to block it, we would have had to consume a tremendous amount of inner strength.

“As I said before, move! He’s not someone you can handle!”

And then Hong Yeon-hwa’s devil slammed a giant fist down.

It was smaller than usual, adjusted to the height of the ceiling, but that didn’t mean its power was diminished.

As I focused my inner strength on my legs to prevent myself from falling from the close-range shock, a loud noise rang out.

It was a shockwave that was much weaker than expected, but we soon found out why.

The swirling energy gradually diminished, and something that blocked the devil’s fist was revealed.

It was a giant made of blood with a crimson glow, and strangely, it had three heads and six arms protruding in the direction each head was facing.

Sambuduyukbi.

That was the form the blood demon took to block Hong Yeon-hwa’s attack.

Of course, it wasn’t a simple block.

It used four of its six arms to barely block one of the devil’s arms.

However, the important thing was that the blood demon had a means to directly withstand Hong Yeon-hwa’s attack and still had the energy to spare.

“You… that appearance of yours…”

“Isn’t it familiar? My daughter. I didn’t know you would grow this much, but I learned a lot because of it.”

“Did you follow Bonnyeo?”

“Follow her? No, I went beyond that.”

The blood demon, who was twisting in the massive blood energy, raised the corners of his mouth.

Watching this, a sense of impending doom overwhelmed me.

A sambuduyukbi?

Hong Yeon-hwa’s Cheonmajae-rim was an extension of the Hosin-ganggi.

That’s why Hong Yeon-hwa’s devil mimicked the movements of her body… but the blood demon’s body was in the exact same sambuduyukbi pose as when we first saw it.

Moreover, it skillfully used new arms that didn’t even exist on its body to block Hong Yeon-hwa’s fist.

Could it be that it wasn’t Hosin-ganggi but rather a technique that combined martial arts and alcohol?

Thanks to that, it could take on a form and movements that exceeded human limits.

As I added confidence to my guess, the blood demon began to form complex hand seals with its remaining two hands.

“Look. My sambuduyukbi has already surpassed your devil.”

As Hong Yeon-hwa quickly extended her other hand in response, the blood demon’s technique was completed a little faster.

“I am the Blood Demon.”

A massive blood spear descended like lightning towards Hong Yeon-hwa’s forehead.

Kwaaaah!

“It…!”

Although Cheonmajae-rim didn’t collapse from that one attack, the shock itself was unavoidable.

Hong Yeon-hwa staggered back a step.

And then the blood demon, who didn’t miss this opportunity, pressed forward.

“■■■■■■■■-.”

With incomprehensible jargon, its four free hands formed complex seals.

Of course, Hong Yeon-hwa wasn’t just watching.

“How dare you…!”

Enraged, Hong Yeon-hwa extended her sharp fingernails with a swift motion and aimed for the closest arm of the blood demon.

With a swift movement that resembled the flapping of a fierce bird’s wings, Hong Yeon-hwa pierced through one of the arms of the sambuduyukbi with ease. But she didn’t stop there.

She inserted her fingers and skillfully used the golden naga technique to grab the entire arm in a flashy move.

Snap!

She pulled it out just like that.

The torn-off arm lost its shape in an instant and turned into a simple puddle of blood on the ground.

As the sambuduyukbi staggered from the recoil, Hong Yeon-hwa adjusted her stance and unleashed a powerful kick.

Paaaang!

This time, the sambuduyukbi couldn’t even attempt to block it and lost another arm.

Although it was just a momentary opening, it seemed that Hong Yeon-hwa’s opponent was no match for her in close combat.

Just as I was starting to feel relieved without realizing it…

Thunk.

A large amount of blood poured from the ceiling towards the blood demon.

Just like when it had recovered its original form, the torn-off arm was quickly restored at a rapid pace.

“Do you think my master will wait for you?”

Hong Yeon-hwa continued her relentless assault.

She extended her fist, and when it was blocked, she used her sharp nails to tear off the wrist. She grabbed the regenerating section and squeezed it until it burst.

Sophisticated and persistent, Hong Yeon-hwa’s violence unfolded from her hands.

Although the blood demon fought quite well, perhaps due to its centuries of experience, it was no match for Hong Yeon-hwa, who focused on only one martial art.

Its arms broke and regenerated as they engaged in close combat. It stumbled back and barely avoided attacks, and sometimes even had to sacrifice an arm to escape from a corner.

Although the sambuduyukbi managed to protect the area around its heart where its main body was hidden, it was inevitably pushed into a corner.

At some point, even the blood pouring from the ceiling like a waterfall couldn’t keep up with the speed of its regeneration.

However, the blood demon didn’t stop chanting and forming seals.

With three heads and six arms, it didn’t matter if one or two heads or arms were lost.

At the end of its continued efforts, the blood demon finally completed its technique.

“—————Hmph!”

With the final chant, a chain made of blood vessels poured from the ceiling like rain.

The chain wriggled like a snake and entangled Hong Yeon-hwa’s devil.

“Hah! Do you think this will work on me?”

As the giant devil writhed, the ground cracked and the surroundings began to crumble.

However, there was a problem…

Thud.

“What the…?”

Despite this, the crimson chain didn’t break.

It seems like it’s time for me to intervene in this monstrous battle.