Explosions were heard one after the other. Chui Do Shik was barely fending off Mu Ssang's relentless kicks. Whenever he parleyed one, it shook him to his core, intestines, bones and all. If it were not for his prosthetic arm and leg made of an alloy of titanium and liquid metal, he wouldn't have been able to block them at all.
"What kind of monster is he?" said Chui Do Shik in his mind.
Chui Do Shik couldn't believe it. Even with his combat power that was raised by 20 percent, he couldn't subdue the man and could only defend himself. In a fight between masters, the smallest lapse resulted in a fatal outcome. If he tried any half-hearted trick, he risked getting killed at once.
Mu Ssang attacked relentlessly without even taking time to breathe. In oxygen-free metabolism, the stored energy is used up rapidly and waste matter accumulates in the muscles. This results in the slowing down of the muscles' contraction and relaxation. With reduced speed during the time the person breathes, the opponent can spot their chance.
Thus, a fight between masters goes on a certain rhythm of offense and defense. It is a fight between breathing and space. If one's opponent relentlessly continues their attack, one can't help but lose.
Chui Do Shik glanced at a half truck parked in a clearing. The half truck was a special combat vehicle equipped with tires in the front and a caterpillar in the rear. He liked the heavyset body. To turn the tide of this losing fight, he needed to seize any opportunity to utilize the weapons in his prosthetic hand and foot.
Chui Do Shik walked backward toward the half truck. There was no way Mu Ssang, the god of combat arts, couldn't figure out Chui Do Shik's intent. It was good. He needed the speed of the combat to reduce too. The two exchanged powerful blows as they approached the perimeter of the battlefield.
As soon as Mu Ssang stood with his back facing the half truck, Chui Do Shik fired the steel needles that he had hidden in his mouth. In a situation where they stood face to face, the steel needles could only be lethal. Mu Ssang flung back his head instinctively. The needles homed in on the vehicle's back mirror and shattered it.
"Great!"
Chui Do Shik glared and kicked Mu Ssang's stomach. Mu Ssang vanished. His legs were still there but his upper body rapidly evaded the strike, leaving a ghostly afterimage behind.
The targetless kick, through the afterimage, landed on the half truck's cargo space. The five-ton truck was flung away like an empty can.
In a fight between masters, a strike that consumed all of one's energy meant an immediate opening of opportunity for the opponent. As Chui Do Shik hesitated momentarily, a steely elbow struck his chest. It was Crane Wing Strike.
"Aargh!"
Chui Do Shik, squarely struck, threw up a mouthful of blood. With the balance suddenly gone, the situation rapidly went downhill for him. Mu Ssang's limbs and appendages moved in unison like a wheel to barrage Chui Do Shik with relentless, continuous blows.
Chui Do Shik mustered up all of his Hidden Soul Energy to push through the hailing blows and withstand the damage. The energy that flowed through him like a great river was rapidly being used up.
Cold sweat seeped out of his back and his chest felt heavy as if something heavy was placed on it. In an even fight with the most delicate balance, once one loses his footing, that promptly led to his demise.
"Strike him, Unit 38!"
He was refraining from using Unit 38, saving it for the decisive moment, but now he faced his certain defeat, he had no choice.
Hwa Ja came from behind like a bat. Her steel claws flashed, targeting the back of Mu Ssang's head only to meet Billion Water Armor. The two weapons intertwined like two fists.
"Ugh!"
Mu Ssang clenched his fist. The titanium claws were crushed like wafers. The living zombie created with the pinnacle of the ninja spells still couldn't withstand epidium's raw power.
Hwa Ja's hand was crushed and her elbow was twisted and got disjointed. Her shoulder bones collapsed with a crunch. Yet, she didn't scream and her expression stayed the same. It was the ninja soul-washing technique. A soul-washed person no longer felt any pain.
"Ah!"
Hwa Ja thrust forth her other hand without paying any attention to her injured hand. Mu Ssang flung back his head. Three 15-centimeter-long claws passed by his face at a distance of a single strand of hair.
"What a wretched girl! You still have a bad habit of clawing people."
Hwa Ja got kicked in the crotch and flung to the sky. Merciless Billion Water Armor grabbed her shoulder blade and slammed her to the ground. Her upper body was buried underground.
Mu Ssang didn't exercise any amount of mercy. Bad blood only turns into friendship in fiction or television. Hasty forgiveness often resulted in getting backstabbed.
"Useless girl!"
Chui Do Shik ground his teeth at Unit 38's ineptitude. She couldn't touch a strand of Unit 37's hair. He quickly retrieved Hidden Soul Energy which was allocated to internal wound healing. Thanks to Unit 38's intervention, he could gain a moment of rest and regenerate his body but in exchange, one of his strongest hidden cards was used up in vain.
"Old jap, you made quite a strong toy."
Mu Ssang glared at Chui Do Shik with a stern face. Soul-washing was one of his strongest skills. He was responsible for the death of hundreds as he tried to make a legion of soul-washed zombies.
Whether she was Hwa Ja or not, the woman under the ground was an advanced living zombie. Any organization that turned people into mere tools must be eradicated from the face of Earth.
"A lowly peasant like you wouldn't understand the joy of a samurai serving the heavenly people. Useless wretch. She broke down without fulfilling her purpose. It took me much time and effort to make her."
Chui Do Shik clucked his tongue without any trace of sympathy.
"You must get your head cut off to gain some sense!"
"Eat this, idiot!"
The smoke bomb loaded in Chui Do Shik's prosthetic arm exploded. Thick smoke covered thirty meters around.
"Are you fleeing again?"
Just as Mu Ssang was about to blow off the smoke with Resonance Wave, a Cracker with its head raised like a viper's, jumped out of the smoke. Billion Water Armor grasped the whip that poked at his chest like a lance.
"Go, my creature!"
Chui Do Shik pressed the button on his wrist. Threads made of diamond rose from his prosthetic arm and formed a whip. Chui Do Shik used the whip with tremendous power. The ninjas' divine whip made of diamond, of unknown origin, could slice steel as if it was radish.
Resonance Wave blew off the smoke. Mu Ssang was revealed. He grabed the whip and grinned.
"Fuck! A smoke bomb is useless as well."
Chui Do Shik was feeling outraged. Mu Ssang didn't make use of any spells, yet he was immune to all of his spells. He was indeed the worst opponent that Chui Do Shik didn't even want to meet in a dream.
"It's a useless toy!"
The anticipation quickly turned into the bitterness of betrayal. He expected Unit 37's hand to turn into rags, but the whip was immobilized. Billion Water Armor stroked the whip. The diamond threads broke down and fell to the ground.
"What is he doing?"
Chui Do Shik was shocked. The treasured weapon that stood intact even under a 10-ton press crumbled before a mere hand that was made of flesh and bones. He was never aware of the existence of Billion Water Armor.
"Great!"
Chui Do Shik snapped the whip to himself. The whip vibrated like a piano string. Chui Do Shik used the elastic force stored in the whip to exact a sudden attack. The Muramasa struck Mu Ssang like a lightning. Mu Ssang blocked the Muramasa's blade with the whip that he held with both hands.
There was a great explosion. The whip withstood the strike that could surely cut steel. Chui Do Shik was flung into the sky by the momentum. Balls of Hidden Soul Energy rained down on Mu Ssang. The atmosphere shuddered away.
The pace of the kicks quickened. It was due to the weakening atmospheric resistance. Mu Ssang's upper body was shaken like a willow branch in a strong wind. Chui Do Shik tore off his mask and flung it in Mu Ssang's way. The piece of cloth infused with inner energy shot through the air like an iron plate.
Just as the mask blocked Mu Ssang's field of view, bullets rained down from Chui Do Shik's prosthetic arm.
"Hmph!"
Mu Ssang spread open his hands and waved them in a big stroke at lightning speed. A sound like roasting beans was heard. After blocking a barrage of bullets, Mu Ssang teleported at once. His arm ached and his innards were all shaken up. Even though he blocked the bullets, his body still had to withstand all the momentum.
A shower of bullets chased Mu Ssang. Mu Ssang moved in a flash. The bullets struck the ground from which dust rose. Mu Ssang could hear the faint noise of his opponent's prosthetic revolver turning with no ammo.
"Hey, honorary Jap! Are you out of ammo?"
Mu Ssang grinned.
"You are a ghost!"
Chui Do Shik gritted his teeth. His hidden revolver proved futile as well. He was so angry that his earholes could start fuming at any moment.
"Wake up, Unit 38."
Chui Do Shik sent out a wave of thought. A living zombie could survive unless it was beheaded or had its heart burst open. Hwa Ja's body squirmed out of the ground. None of the onlookers noticed, but Mu Ssang did as he was keenly aware of everything that happened on the battlefield.
"Hwa Ja, you were already crazy in Jipeun-dari, and now you have properly flourished in Africa!"
Mu Ssang yelled, his voice amplified by Resonance Wave.
"Hwa ja? Ji-peun-da-ri!"
Hwa Ja wondered. The words sounded familiar. Who was that? She didn't like the human who was holding her master's whip. He annoyed her. The memory that peeked out like sunshine through gray clouds vanished again. Her eyes that strained to focus became glazed again.
"She is Hwa Ja indeed!" said Mu Ssang in his mind.
Mu Ssang sighed. She showed the typical symptoms of soul-washing victims. Whether voluntary or involuntary, Hwa Ja ended up being a victim of soul-washing. She reminded him of Jang Pil-nyeo who was locked up in a mental ward and his uncle who counted his days on the Jeju island. It was a karmic repayment for all the pain she inflicted upon others.
"Attack!"
Hwa Ja unholstered a heavy pistol from her thigh. Her right arm was maimed by Billion Water Armor, but her left hand was intact. The Desert Eagle, using powerful 375-Magnum rounds, was perhaps a bit too heavy and bulky for a woman to use. But Hwa Ja was a living zombie, not a woman.
"Die!"
Explosions resounded across the battlefield. Mu Ssang flashed forth like a phantom. Mu Ssang never got shot by someone whose location he already spotted. Magnum rounds more powerful than rifle rounds rained down. Mu Ssang flashed.
The kukri slashed the space. The vast blade shot through her heart and exited through her back. She dropped the Desert Eagle.
"She's a goner!"
Because Chui Do Shik was still getting used to the prosthetics, he couldn't make the most use of his energy. Mu Ssang was not someone he could face with his current combat power. He didn't like it but he still needed more time. Chui Do Shik thrust up his right foot.
There were three explosions. Chui Do Shik repeatedly fired the three explosives in his prosthetic leg, rode the momentum of the explosions, and dashed through the space. He didn't even look back. Explosions roared and flames filled the space. Mu Ssang rode the explosion as well and rose to the sky.
"You will pay for this!"
Mu Ssang heard a resentful yell from a distance.
"That was your undoing!"
Resonance Wave swirled around. He poked the air. Finger Wind couldn't be utilized during melee combat because it needed time for charging. But once the time was given, it was unparalleled.
Blood spurted from Chui Do Shik's shoulder. Chui Do Shik dropped to the ground like a bird that was shot, then kicked the ground and ran into the dark.
"The great master is fleeing!"
The surviving Sakura ninjas howled. It was a great shock for them to see the great master of the ninjas getting defeated and fleeing.
"I will make use of his whip. If I let him flee again, I will get a new surname."
Mu Ssang wielded Chui Do Shik's whip. There was a gust of whirlwind. It was a piece of cake to chase down the wounded Chui Do Shik. Even though he was severely injured, he still was a powerful opponent. If he survived, Sun Woo-hyun and the friendly agents' lives were at risk.
The whirlwind struck the Sakura ninjas. The outcome was catastrophic. Many were dismembered, had their torsos sliced into pieces, and were beheaded. It was still no match to the Rakshasa, but the whip proved to be quite a fine weapon.
"Lackey, I will get the old Jap. If she is still alive, tie her up."
Mu Ssang kicked the ground to gain momentum.
"Wakil, come back with a wild boar."
Sun Woo-hyun's merits were his boldness and indifference. Jeong Pil-su and the friendly agents stared absentmindedly at the bloody battlefield.
* * *
Chui Do Shik blocked the hole in his shoulder with inner energy and used Hidden Soul Steps with all of his might. The three RPG-like explosives were merely a mean to gain time. The bastard surely would have survived then. To capture him, he needed to call all the masters after going back to the base camp.
The rapidly coursing Aruwimi river blocked his path. Red dots were floating in the water. Crocodiles. Chui Do Shik sprinted across the river using the crocodiles' backs as stepping stones. He felt as if a horrible ghost would catch him at any moment.
He stopped in his tracks only after sprinting frantically for 20 kilometers. Now, a steep cliff blocked his way. He steadied himself on a giant moonlit shrub and panted.
His vision blurred and he felt dizzy. Even the legendary Sai Dojiku was helpless when faced with blood loss and all of his inner energy depleted. He wrung out the last remaining Hidden Soul Energy to heal his internal injuries but recovery was slow.
"You win the first round, Unit 37."
Chui Do Shik said resentfully.
"Honorary Jap, there will be no second round!"
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