I got into school for nothing-275
I got into school for nothing (275)
Lesson 53. Equivalent Exchange - 7
Mumyeong.
A platinum member of the Rebellion fan club, Level Force, and the man who appeared during the last Earth defense battle, providing significant help.
The moment he revealed himself, a heavy presence pressed down on the entire area.
Even knowing that he was merely a doll and not his true body, Ban Yuwon felt himself overwhelmed anew and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
Questions arose—why he had followed their party, and why he had appeared here at this moment—but a sense of relief was the very first thing he felt.
Because Mumyeong was one of the strongest people Ban Yuwon had ever seen.
“It was good that you followed? No... quite the opposite.”
If Mumyeong had brought his true body, the Demon King wouldn't have stood a chance, yet his ignorance was utterly sickening.
“I provoked him precisely because I knew you were following. After all, it was obvious he was coddling that young one.”
“Ha.”
Mumyeong scoffed and drew his sword.
“Very well. I shall crush you as you wish.”
“If I tear out your heart and take your blood and flesh, my Blood Magic will advance another step!”
The moment the absolute powerhouses exchanged gazes, coincidentally, Ban Yuwon and Aire also met each other's eyes.
The two, having the same thought, nodded and simultaneously activated their abilities.
[Barrier]
[Protection]
[Defense]
[Isolation]
[Adamant]
In an instant, concepts of defense that Ban Yuwon either possessed or could create poured out, forming a golden sphere that enveloped and protected the entire party. Aire's mana then enveloped it, completing an even sturdier defensive barrier.
Then she teleported the entire thing... and the next moment, the entire party found themselves on the highest tower of the Demon King’s castle.
“We’re safe.”
“Good coordination.”
The reason Ban Yuwon didn't directly use spatial movement was that the mana flow inside the Demon King's castle was too violent, and he wasn't confident he could move the rest of the party along with himself.
As for Aire? Although her ability to handle spatial movement itself was inferior to Ban Yuwon's, the mana she could unleash in an instant was incomparably more immense than his, allowing her to forcefully break through the Demon King’s castle’s mana resistance and activate her ability.
It truly could be called the magic of a Dragon.
—KWA-AAANG!
Just as they moved to safety, an explosion erupted below them.
Reflexively, he looked down at his feet, and the space below was completely open, revealing an open ground that used to be the Demon King’s castle’s audience chamber, where the figures of two monsters, clashing weapons, were clearly visible.
“Why can we see that now?”
“Isn’t it because all the buildings below us were completely blown away?”
“It’s common in all media for the Demon King’s castle to never have a moment of peace, but...”
Ban Yuwon shrugged at Rucell’s calm reply and looked down.
The elite soldiers who had surrounded the party on the Demon King's orders couldn't escape in time, nor were they protected, and now lay strewn about, turning into bloodstains and bones that decorated the ruins.
Each of them had comfortably surpassed Level 100, yet in a single moment, they had become like that.
“They’re all dead.”
“The Demon King killed them on purpose.”
Shatie said in a cold voice, devoid of her usual playfulness.
“The Dark Magic Soldiers, personal guards who follow the Demon King closely, always and everywhere. But their true purpose is to sacrifice themselves in an emergency to strengthen the Demon King’s Blood Magic. They’re batteries.”
“Seriously, why is everything about Blood Magic so messed up from beginning to end?”
“That’s why I said I didn’t need Blood Magic. More importantly...”
Shatie's sharp gaze darted between Ban Yuwon and Dokgo Yeon, who seemed to be in a somewhat dazed state.
“Who is that man, exactly? How is he contending equally with the Demon King, who sacrificed all the Dark Magic Soldiers?”
CRASH, BANG! The noise shook heaven and earth every time the two men clashed.
The greatsword in the Demon King's hand was a high-tier artifact, superior even to the Horn of the Demon King wielded by Shatie in terms of destructive power, yet the ordinary longsword Mumyeong wielded easily blocked it.
Furthermore, despite the Demon King’s Authority manifesting flawlessly, with colossal swords bursting forth as the void opened and black dragons with gaping maws lunging at him from all directions, trying to tear him apart, Mumyeong’s effortless strikes of a single sword, cutting them down, proved that his rank was clearly superior to the Demon King’s.
“Is he some mercenary the junior hired personally? No, to hire a mercenary of that caliber, even the Rebellion channel couldn't afford it. With that skill, he could conquer an entire dimension by himself.”
“That’s right.”
Dokgo Yeon, who had been covering her face with both hands, quietly affirmed.
“He is the master of a dimension.”
“...Huh?”
Covering her face tightly, as if unable to bear the embarrassment and surprise, she continued in a small voice.
“And privately, he is also my father.”
“...Ah?”
The entire space froze.
In truth, Ban Yuwon had somewhat expected it, as Mumyeong’s combat ability during the last Earth defense battle seemed based on martial arts, and he thought it impossible for such a strong individual to be a fan of Rebellion without some extraordinary circumstances.
And with the confirmation that he was cheering for another member, not Ban Yuwon, if one considered the Rebellion members related to martial arts, the answer was obvious, wasn't it?
...Still, dimly suspecting it and hearing it directly were two entirely different matters.
Even his agitation was nothing compared to Dokgo Yeon’s.
“I had no idea. He was clearly someone who paid no mind to other dimensions, so how... no, I had my suspicions from the moment I learned of Ban Yuwon’s existence, but I never dreamed he would go so far as to travel outside using sorcery.”
“C-Calm down. Yeon, it’s alright, calm down!”
It was a rare sight to see the always calm and composed Dokgo Yeon in such a state of panic, unless it involved Ban Yuwon.
Trembling faintly, she finally covered her head with both hands and crouched down inside the barrier.
“H-He must have seen everything, even me holding your hand. Men and women are supposed to be kept separate, yet for an unmarried man and woman to be seen holding hands...!”
“Why is a Joseon person suddenly possessing her again?”
“There’s no one here who hasn’t held the junior’s hand, she’s making us all out to be strange...”
Even Shatie, who had been racking her brain and prepared to sacrifice her life if the situation called for it, found her ferocity drained by Dokgo Yeon’s display.
“Perhaps it’s just that our master is a playboy?”
“Shush.”
“...Hand, I’ve never held his.”
“Aire, why are you fueling your competitive spirit there...?”
No wonder she hesitated so much when they held hands earlier; Dokgo Yeon had a peculiar sense of chastity.
It would have been nice to simply enjoy her cute and endearing appearance, but....
When he thought about who might have instilled such a peculiar sense of chastity in her, Ban Yuwon felt like crouching down next to Dokgo Yeon and crying with her.
Just then, another tremendous roar echoed.
—KWA-KWAAAAANG! CRACK! CRASH!
Regardless of what the students, suddenly pushed to the periphery, were thinking, the situation was escalating rapidly, entering a stage of massive destruction that engulfed not only the Demon King’s castle but also its outer walls.
“Kahahaha! When will I ever get another chance to fight such a strong opponent?!”
“Madman, is it because your eyes are filled with blood that you can’t even discern an illusion?”
Each time the Demon King laughed boisterously and swung his greatsword, an enormous force, as if capable of crushing an entire star, swept over the area, and Mumyeong, in turn, parried it with light swordplay, unleashing a fatal strike that aimed for the Demon King’s opening.
Although its movement was utterly linear, it was an Authority that could never be evaded.
KWA-GWAAANG— A jet-black energy rose along the trajectory of the sword, devouring all surrounding mana and creating a field that froze all physical and magical energies.
“Kugh— Kahat!”
Knowing he couldn't dodge, the Demon King hurriedly extended his Ice Shield of the Demon King, which finally blocked it, but unable to fully dissipate the impact, the cold shockwave that spread around caused an earthquake in the area.
The Demon King's arm holding the shield was subtly trembling, but he deliberately ignored it, bared his teeth, and laughed again.
“As expected, strong! And a mana I’ve never seen in my life! Teach me, teach me this Shingong!”
“Do you think you could learn it if I taught you? The vessel to receive such martial arts as Shingong must come first.”
“Kaha, then what about the other ‘Shingong’ spread across countless dimensions?”
“Indeed... it seems you wish to see blood shed.”
That was as far as Ban Yuwon could visually follow their exchange of blows.
The two, who had been exchanging venomous words with each other while engaged in something of a probing battle, from the moment the Demon King uttered the word 'Shingong,' entered a battle that even Ban Yuwon, who could grasp the flow of concepts, couldn’t comprehend.
In Wuxia novels, masters sometimes gain enlightenment by watching others fight, but enlightenment or not, it would be a miracle if they weren’t swept away, barrier and all, by the aura they were unleashing.
They could only infer the battle’s progression by the humming sound waves and the collapsing structures all around.
It’s collapsing.
It wasn’t just a family collapsing, or a society collapsing; the very foundations of a nation were crumbling entirely.
“When I think that after that battle, it won’t be the Demon King’s castle collapsing, but me, it makes me feel a bit complicated...”
“See? If you had only been loyal to me from the start, this wouldn't have happened.”
At Ban Yuwon’s despairing murmur, Mira scoffed with a ‘Humph,’ and said.
Even when the Demon King first bared his fangs at them, she had been thinking of somehow extracting Ban Yuwon alone and escaping with him, but with Mumyeong’s appearance, she regained a degree of composure.
Of course, she wasn’t entirely optimistic; her posture, aiming at the Demon King with an arrow whose arrowhead was stained purple nocked on her bowstring, was truly valiant.
...Though whether she could actually hit him was another matter.
“The shield, it’s amazing. An artifact that converts impact into cold to use, it's an ability that surpasses even the Authority wielded by Constellations.”
Meanwhile, Aire, who hadn’t been particularly nervous from the start, looked quite thrilled by the Ice Shield of the Demon King in the Demon King’s hand.
“If that person defeats the Demon King, could I buy the shield? I have a lot of money...”
“Aire, you’re becoming more and more like a dragon these days.”
“...Dokgo Yeon, I have a question.”
At some point, when everyone had relaxed a bit, Rucell called Dokgo Yeon’s name.
“Can we really relax like this? Wouldn’t it be better to escape while we still have time?”
“That’s...”
The sharpness returned to Dokgo Yeon’s timid eyes.
Meaning she had once again adopted her fierce expression.
“Are you doubting the Sect Leader’s abilities, or his intentions?”
“You said it wasn’t his true body. I don’t know what he means to you. Please answer as objectively as possible right now.”
“Indeed, it’s understandable to worry if you know nothing. ...However, Rucell, I can tell you for certain right now—the Sect Leader will never lose.”
The very next moment after Dokgo Yeon made her resolute declaration.
THWACK— With a violent crash, the Demon King was driven deep into the earth.
His greatsword was cleanly broken in half, and the Ice Shield of the Demon King was shattered into countless pieces, scattered as ice crystals in all directions, beyond recognition.
Despite not being his true body, Mumyeong, who had achieved a perfect victory, placed his foot on the Demon King's head and opened his mouth.
“I shall make you an offer you cannot refuse.”
“KAHAHAHAHAHAH!”
Mumyeong spoke in an even tone, gradually applying more pressure with his foot.
Even knowing that a little more pressure would crush his head, the Demon King burst into a frenzied laugh.
“If you spare me, I’ll obey any command right now... But if I survive, I’ll definitely come to kill you later!”
“Very well, I shall grant you the right to challenge me again. However, until that day comes, you shall not defy me, nor shall you leave this land.”
“Hm? Weren’t you going to tell me to cooperate with your daughter?”
“Ha.”
Mumyeong scoffed and cast his gaze toward his daughter, who was inside the barrier in the air—the Meryongdanju and Little Sect Leader of the Shin-gyo.
Perhaps she had shaken off her embarrassment, as his daughter boldly met his gaze—but it seemed she herself was unaware that both her ears were burning bright red.
Nor was she aware that this made her even cuter.
“The Little Sect Leader of the Shin-gyo does not beg for others’ help. She will obtain what she desires herself.”
“Herself? That party’s center seems to be that brat.”
As Mumyeong lifted his foot, the Demon King sat up with an ‘Oof,’ and spoke with a sneer.
There was no need to say who the brat was.
However, Mumyeong, who had long since guessed the relationship between Dokgo Yeon and Ban Yuwon, chuckled again.
“It seems you didn’t understand my meaning. I said she would obtain what she desires herself.”
“—Hah! So, the Cheonma, who fears no one in the universe, has set his sights on a son-in-law candidate. My curiosity is piqued...”
“Do you truly wish to die this time?”
No sooner had the man called Cheonma drawn his sword again than the Demon King raised both hands and recoiled.
“Alright, complete defeat! Take whatever you want! Did you hear that, my daughter?!”
Of course!
Shatie, clutching the Horn of the Demon King, boldly stepped out of the barrier and landed on what was now merely the ruins of the Demon King’s castle, proudly raising her head.
“It’s the motto of us Evil Ones to defeat opponents by using any means available, be it connections or anything else. Since I've essentially won, I'll take all the Dark Magic Soldiers as promised. No, actually, you picked a fight with me for no reason even after I fulfilled your conditions. I should demand more compensation.”
But first, a greeting to her benefactor, Shatie thought, and turned her head with a somewhat elegant gesture—yet the black-clad man who had been exuding an aura that overwhelmed the entire area just moments ago had already vanished from that spot.
Shatie blinked in bewilderment.
Ban Yuwon, watching from above, thankfully managed to confirm it this time without missing a thing.
Mumyeong hadn't simply vanished.
The colossal mana that made up his clone instantly transformed into black shackles, binding the Demon King before melting into his body and disappearing.
Within it, Ban Yuwon clearly confirmed the concepts of [Contract] and [Restriction], likely an inhibitory force to ensure the contract he had just made with the Demon King was upheld.
‘He created a clone to appear, so I knew, but it seems his magical... no, his sorcerous aptitude is excellent, not just his brute force.’
The Demon King, after all, was an absolute powerhouse of the A-4 Dimension, yet to subdue him and even place restrictions on him...
It was then, as he marvelled with a click of his tongue.
—What I have seen today shall not be spoken of. However, if you lay a hand on that child before marriage, I will cut it off.
It was Mumyeong’s voice.
Ban Yuwon, his entire body covered in goosebumps, frantically looked around, and Rucell wore a puzzled expression.
“What’s wrong, Master?”
“Didn’t you hear that? Right, of course you wouldn’t have heard it. These things are usually only heard by the person concerned, it’s the universal rule...”
He looked at Dokgo Yeon with an exhausted expression, and she happened to be looking at Ban Yuwon as well.
“H-He left? That’s a relief, I thought you were going to be severely scolded...”
“Huh? Oh, uh... right, that’s right... it’s a relief.”
He at least wanted to hear what exactly would be cut off.
Ban Yuwon sighed, thinking it would be truly arduous to become a son-in-law pleasing to that doting father.
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