DEB 128

Screeeeech!

A piercing screech tore through their eardrums, followed by thick saliva drooling between fanged, tartar-crusted teeth. 

Blood-red eyes split vertically, bodies covered in matted fur, claws like daggers—everything about them screamed inhuman.

The disciples rushed ahead, pushing Huigang and Huiyun behind them as they prepared for battle.

“Why are there monsters here…?”

“Was there a gate rupture nearby?”

“Beats me. No such report reached us… but this definitely isn’t an illusion.”

“Whatever it is, looks like we’re supposed to fight. Verita!”

Monsters, born of malice and demonic energy, could be dealt with most efficiently through holy power, something Verita wielded in abundance.

At Ash’s shout, Verita clasped his hands and prayed. 

A holy domain expanded outward with him at the center, spanning 1 kilometer. 

Golden and white particles surged from the earth, forming a safe zone that the monsters hesitated to enter. 

Ash and Vita launched the first strike.

Among the six disciples, the two best close-combat warriors swung their heavy swords, beheading the monsters that burst from the underbrush. 

Severed heads rolled across the ground.

And then things changed.

The stumps of those severed necks began to quiver, bubbling, before bursting with a pop, a cloud of violet miasma exploding outward, engulfing Ash and Vita.

“Vita! Don’t inhale it! It’s poison!”

Zenith, quick to grasp the enemy’s tactic, called out. 

The two of them immediately covered their faces and fell back.

Even worse, monsters whose heads had been severed now regenerated them, charging again toward Ash and Vita.

Dozens of monsters surrounded the two disciples, slashing and attacking in waves. 

Boom! Boom! 

The exploding heads made it hard to distinguish friend from foe. 

Monster remains flew everywhere. 

Only when they exploded did they seem unable to regenerate. 

Ash fought back, hurling decapitated heads like grenades, but soon he was drenched in sticky purple goo.

“Don’t just watch, help us out already!”

“We figured you were handling it since you didn’t ask.”

Moot replied nonchalantly, then gestured outside Verita’s holy domain. 

The corpses of the slain monsters began to writhe and gather at his call.

He raised his hand, and the remains fused into a massive shape, three times the size of a normal monster. 

The abomination rose like a revenant and followed Moot’s command. 

It swung a massive fist with a whoosh, blasting away the monsters surrounding Ash and Vita.

Kiiiieeek!

The monsters were flung away, some by sheer impact, others dragged screaming by their necks.

“…Vina, let’s draw half of them this way.”

“Understood.”

“Zenith, bind their feet. Vina, handle the strikes.”

“Yes.”

He couldn’t let only three of his disciples bear the burden. 

By splitting the battlefield into two—one within Moot’s necromantic range, the other within Verita’s holy domain—they could balance their stamina more effectively. 

Huiyun gave his orders and watched his disciples execute them immediately.

“You okay, Huiyun? Something wrong?”

Looking grave, Huiyun nodded toward the deeper forest, sensing an even more concentrated miasma. 

He uncorked a mana resistance potion.

“It feels stronger than what we’re facing now. I don’t think this fight will end quickly.”

“You felt anything when they first showed up?”

“Uh… yeah, I guess?”

“When exactly? Right before they appeared? A hundred meters away? Or when they first set foot on the mountain?”

“…….”

As Huiyun’s questions stacked, Huigang’s face slowly hardened. 

He scanned the area, then sighed.

“…You’re saying our senses were suppressed?”

“Either that, or the spring itself intentionally cloaked their presence. Either way, what’s clear is that we didn’t notice a group of over seventy monsters until they were practically in our faces. That’s not normal.”

“Now that you mention it… I only noticed them after I heard the rustling in the bushes.”

“You’re naturally slow in battle, so that’s not surprising.”

“…….”

Hyeon’s wounded look made Huiyun wince and glance up in apology. 

The number of monsters had dwindled from what once looked like a sea of shadows to just a few.

“Anyway… I thought I was the only one, but if even the disciples didn’t notice, then we’ve probably been inside the spring’s territory for quite a while.”

They’d been walking, grumbling about how long it was taking—yet somehow they’d already crossed the boundary. 

Thinking back, the path had been anything but ordinary: climbing cliffs, crossing mysterious lakes, wading through swamps… 

Maybe, ever since the system began guiding them, they’d been moving in a reality different from the physical world.

Resolved, Huiyun approached the disciples, who had managed to clear out most of the monsters, despite their regeneration and explosions.

“We’re not done yet. Stay alert. Brother, I think it’s your turn now.”

“…Me?”

“You didn’t come all this way for nothing, right? Jump in. I’ll call the moves. Just follow the flow of my power.”

“…Alright, I’ll try.”

Huigang didn’t seem eager, but he unsheathed his sword and joined Ash and Vita.

“Hmm…”

The two glanced at each other. 

After exchanging looks—first at Huigang, then at each other—they seemed to come to a decision and stepped in front of him protectively.

“Yasha’s Brother, take it easy out there, okay? We’ll back you up. Just call if you’re struggling.”

“Please be careful, Mr. Huigang. If you get hurt, I will be the one who gets scolded by Master Yasha.”

Vita added in a hushed tone, as if trying to hide it—but Huiyun heard it anyway and gave a wry smile. 

No time to dwell on it. 

More monsters appeared, prompting him to raise a hand.

Boom. Boom.

The footsteps were heavier now. Huiyun could tell from the tremors that something massive was approaching. 

As the hulking monsters emerged, he gave the order.

“There’s seven of them. Let’s each take one, finish it quickly.”

They were still just monsters, technically. 

But something was different. 

These were stronger, unrestrained, as if fighting on demonic soil.

Perhaps the Fountain of Souls had something to do with it.

Even as he pondered, Huiyun’s gaze fixed on Huigang, who was now struggling to hold his own amid the elite disciples.

Kuuoooooh!

A monster resembling a horned bull—like a minotaur from legend—let out a roar and charged at Huigang. 

He had already blocked its first charge earlier and now grit his teeth, sword raised once more.

Clang!

Steel and bone collided. Sparks flew. Huigang’s arms trembled under the pressure.

“Don’t block it straight on. Tilt your sword diagonally, Brother. Step your left foot back.”

“……!”

Huiyun’s voice, calm and clear, seemed to echo in Huigang’s mind. 

Startled, he adjusted his posture as instructed.

His sword, which had been horizontal and strained toward his body, shifted diagonally. He pivoted his body left—just enough to throw the enemy off balance.

The minotaur, mid-charge, stumbled forward.

“Now, slide to the side and strike the neck.”

Following the command, Huigang moved. 

The minotaur turned to look—but too late. His blade struck deep into its neck, and it roared in agony.

“Drop the sword and leap—land on its back. Then retrieve your sword and strike again.”

Huigang, swaying atop the thrashing beast, let go of the sword and flipped onto its back. 

Just as instructed, he yanked the blade free and stabbed down again.

The beast raged, shaking violently to throw him off. 

Clawed hands swung up, nearly catching him. 

Wind whipped at his hair.

“Don’t dodge. Hold on, and go deeper.”

Huiyun narrowed his eyes, watching closely. Huigang clung to the sword, pouring all his weight into the downward thrust.

“Feel the bone? Focus your energy into the tip. Imagine bursting it from inside, let the power flow down the blade.”

“…….”

Grimacing, Huigang did as told. 

Huiyun partially released Yasha’s power and sharpened his vision. 

He watched as Huigang’s mana flowed down the sword like liquid, gathering inside the beast.

It grew, built up pressure, then exploded.

BOOM!

A deafening blast rocked the clearing. 

The monstrous minotaur, four times the size of an adult man, erupted like fireworks. 

Its remains scattered through the air.

Huigang stared at his hands, stunned.

“Good job.”

Huiyun smiled.