Almighty God of War - Chapter 104
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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104
Guyang Cheongang asked.
‘What’s the reason?’
[First, the immediacy of the Crown Prince’s assassination. Right now, at this very moment, the most urgent thing for them is to eliminate the future itself where you ‘completely cure’ the Crown Prince.]
‘If the Crown Prince dies, my medical arts become meaningless, and the variable they fear most gets cut off at the source?’
[Yes. This is the most certain and fastest method.]
‘What’s the second?’
[The inefficiency of assassinating you, Doctor. Even if they eliminate you, they’ll still have to deal with the rumors that ‘the Divine Physician of Life and Death might have been able to save the Crown Prince’ and the Emperor’s suspicions. Moreover, with insufficient information about your martial arts in the current situation, the probability of assassination success is unpredictable. Rather, if they fail, they’ll only provide grounds for retaliation.]
‘They’re not the type to make such foolish gambles. If your prediction is correct, they’ll attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince before me…’
[That’s right. And that method will be a quiet assassination disguised as soldiers.]
‘A quiet assassination?’
[Yes. They’ll disguise the Crown Prince’s cause of death as a worsening of his chronic illness, putting the stigma on you that your treatment failed, while simultaneously achieving their objective.]
‘Hmm…’
[This is the optimal strategy for them with the least risk and the greatest benefit.]
Guyang Cheongang let out a long sigh.
[Why are you suddenly sighing?]
Akasha’s voice echoed in his mind.
‘I was wondering when I’ll be able to rest comfortably.’
[Pardon?]
Instead of answering, Guyang Cheongang asked a question.
‘If they’re going to assassinate the Crown Prince, when do you think would be best for them?’
[…Today. Tonight, right after you had a private audience with the Crown Prince, if the Crown Prince suddenly dies, all suspicion will naturally turn to you.]
‘Damn it…’
[You examined the Crown Prince’s pulse today. If that Crown Prince dies tonight, you’ll be upgraded from a criminal who tried to assault the Princess to a great traitor who murdered the Crown Prince.]
‘I feel like… I’m being threatened?’
[That can’t be.]
‘Anyway… I’ll get swept into that whirlpool, and the people around me won’t be safe either, right?’
[That’s correct. From the enemy’s perspective, it could be called killing two birds with one stone.]
‘Akasha, there’s no Go-Stop in this era.’
[We can make it. It’s very easy.]
Guyang Cheongang clicked his tongue and said.
‘Why would we mass-produce gambling addicts.’
As he continued speaking, the expression disappeared from his face.
‘Akasha, I don’t think we have much time. Search the surroundings immediately.’
[Understood. Searching for watchers within a 100-meter radius.]
After a moment, Akasha’s report followed.
[On the rooftop of the hall across from the Separate Building, someone is hiding in the shadows of the ridge beam, watching your room.]
‘They’ve finally come.’
Guyang Cheongang headed toward the bed chamber.
Then, showing his back to the window where the watcher was, he lay on his side and pulled the blanket over his head.
His motionless appearance was exactly like someone who had fallen into deep sleep.
‘Akasha, for the next 2 seconds. Keep this appearance fixed.’
[Understood. Executing ‘Visual Afterimage Fixation’ protocol. I’ll distort the photon information reaching the watcher’s retina for 2 seconds, making them perceive that you’re still lying down.]
As soon as Akasha’s response ended, Guyang Cheongang’s body silently left the bed chamber.
During that brief moment of 2 seconds, he moved very busily.
He quickly stuffed pillows and clothes under the blanket, creating a dummy that looked like a person lying down.
And he darted out of the room like lightning.
[Illusion complete. The watcher perceives the dummy as you.]
‘Let’s go.’
His body movement melted into the darkness like flowing water.
It was a night without even a breath of wind.
Guyang Cheongang became part of the darkness, flowing like mist toward Jaseon Hall.
Even if a supreme master opened their eyes wide and looked where he was, they would discover nothing but the swaying curtain of night.
It was around the middle of the Hae hour (around 10 PM) when Guyang Cheongang hid in the deepest shadows of Jaseon Hall’s rooftop.
Hidden beneath the ridge beam, he held his breath and monitored all movements surrounding the Crown Prince’s quarters.
[Nanobot wide area scan complete. No unusual activities detected.]
‘No suspicious circumstances outside means… there’s an enemy inside. Who could it be?’
[The only ones who can stay in the Crown Prince’s quarters at this hour are eunuchs and palace maids.]
Even at night, five eunuchs and palace maids work in shifts at the Crown Prince’s quarters.
‘That means there’s a minion among them.’
[That’s the assumption.]
‘They’re not moving immediately. Are they waiting for a specific time?’
[It’s possible.]
Akasha continued with a slightly tense voice.
[If they’re targeting the worsening of the Crown Prince’s chronic illness, they’ll most likely use the foreign object in his heart. But that contains evil and sinister energy.]
‘You mean they’ll use yin energy?’
[Yes. The Ja hour is when yin energy becomes strongest during the day. If their assassination technique is related to the foreign object’s yin energy, that would be the optimal timing.]
Guyang Cheongang waited.
He was certain that something would happen tonight.
After one hour passed like this, when it became the middle of the Ja hour (midnight) when yin energy becomes greatly activated.
[Doctor, strange human presence is detected in the small villa in the back garden of Jaseon Hall.]
The fact that it didn’t catch Guyang Cheongang’s attention meant the distance between him and the palace maids exceeded ten jang.
Akasha’s voice echoed in his mind.
[Three palace maids entered there… but inside the villa, the heartbeat and brainwave signals of the first palace maid who entered have completely disappeared.]
Guyang Cheongang’s eyes widened.
‘You mean she’s dead?’
[It seems so. Ah… the second signal has also disappeared.]
Guyang Cheongang’s body silently kicked off the rooftop and flew up.
When he arrived at the villa in the blink of an eye, blood-colored smoke seeping through the door cracks and a fishy smell stung his nose.
As he entered inside, his eyes momentarily contorted at the horrible scene unfolded there.
Two palace maids with their heads cut off.
And the remaining palace maid was placing their heads on a small altar, slitting open her belly with a dagger and pulling out the internal organs.
Everywhere was a sea of blood, and madness flowed in the living palace maid’s eyes.
From her mouth, incomprehensible bizarre incantations flowed endlessly.
‘This isn’t human behavior… worse than beasts.’
Guyang Cheongang’s gaze turned ice-cold.
In his mind, horrible memories from Blood Pearl Island flashed by.
‘This altar… this disgusting blood energy… it’s exactly the same as what I saw on Blood Pearl Island!’
The moment he focused on the altar’s incense burner, Akasha’s voice turned his thoughts into certainty.
[Doctor, the special energy waves emitted from that blood-colored smoke match 99.8% with the waves from the foreign object in the Crown Prince’s heart! This ritual is a kind of ‘Energy Amplification Ritual’ that remotely activates the foreign object!]
Guyang Cheongang instantly struck the surviving palace maid’s demon blood points.
The palace maid’s martial arts were second-rate level, so she collapsed without even being able to resist.
[Doctor, the same brainwave patterns as the previously deceased Myeonghwa Palace maid Chae Ryeon are found in this palace maid’s brain.]
‘You mean she was affected by Soul Absorption Technique?’
[That’s the assumption.]
Even if affected by Soul Absorption Technique, a confession could be extracted, but it would take time.
Guyang Cheongang’s complexion changed.
He couldn’t know exactly what the purpose of this evil ritual was, but one thing was certain.
‘The Crown Prince is in danger.’
He immediately unleashed his full power with the Heavenly Meteor Movement Technique, rushing like lightning toward the bedchamber where the Crown Prince was staying.
When he arrived in front of Jaseon Hall where the Crown Prince’s quarters were located, someone blocked Guyang Cheongang’s path.
It was a eunuch in his thirties whom he had briefly glimpsed when he visited during the day.
Guyang Cheongang looked into his eyes and instinctively knew this was no light matter.
The eunuch showed no great surprise at seeing Guyang Cheongang visit at this late hour without notice.
Only bone-chilling killing intent flowed from his entire body.
“A eunuch… So you were also part of the Dark Current.”
Instead of answering, the eunuch kicked off the ground and closed the distance like lightning.
Heavy fist qi wrapped around his fist as a powerful straight punch flew forward, seeming to crush even the surrounding air.
It was undoubtedly the punch of a first-rate master, containing at least sixty years of internal energy.
‘He’s trying to buy time. The Crown Prince is in danger!’
Guyang Cheongang had no time for prolonged fighting.
From his hands unleashed the Twelve Stars Explosive Thunder Flame King Hammer containing tremendous mass.
Swooooooosh-!
His strike, condensed with over two cycles of internal energy, collided head-on with the eunuch’s fist qi.
Kwaaaaaaang-!
With an explosive sound that shook the earth, the eunuch’s upper body crumbled like tofu as a fountain of blood painted the air red.
It was instant death without even a scream.
Without hesitation for even a moment, Guyang Cheongang pierced through the scattering blood and entered the hall like lightning.
The moment he entered the corridor, three palace maids appeared silently from both sides.
Flexible soft swords curved in unpredictable trajectories like living venomous snakes, flying toward his entire body.
Gale Chain Palm poured out from Guyang Cheongang’s hands like a storm.
Twenty-four palm stances, invisible to the eye, mercilessly hammered the sword blades.
Tadadadadadadang-!
With sharp bursting sounds, the soft swords shattered into dozens of metal fragments, and at that moment Guyang Cheongang’s palm force struck the palace maids’ chests precisely.
Thud!
“Ahhh!”
The palace maids with large holes punched through their chests let out short screams as they crashed through doors and fell.
Crash- Thud-
‘I can’t be late!’
Guyang Cheongang rushed past their corpses like lightning toward the Crown Prince’s bedchamber.
He spotted someone guarding in front of the door – it was Chae Geum, the Crown Prince’s closest eunuch.
Surprisingly, in his eyes lay an unfathomable abyss containing no emotions whatsoever.
Blood mist rose like heat haze from both his hands, and his expression was cold and calm as ice.
Chae Geum spoke quietly with an expressionless face.
“This is as far as you go, Divine Physician of Life and Death. Your Majesty’s final journey… must be quiet.”
His voice was devoid of emotion.
That made it even more chilling.
It was absolutely not the voice of a retainer serving his lord.
‘Chae Geum… So even he, the Crown Prince’s shadow, was a traitor…’
Guyang Cheongang gritted his teeth.
‘Chae Geum wasn’t affected by something like the Soul Absorption Technique. Those eyes belong to someone who betrayed his lord of his own will.’
Swoooooooo-!
Blood-red palm force erupted from Chae Geum’s hands, covering Guyang Cheongang like a tidal wave.
But Guyang Cheongang didn’t dodge.
Instead, he dove straight into that crimson blood mist and unleashed Gale Chain Palm.
Papapapapapapat!
Palm force too fast to see rose like a tidal wave, tearing Chae Geum’s blood mist to shreds.
Chae Geum’s complexion changed drastically.
He too had heard that Guyang Cheongang had annihilated Blood Sea’s assassins, so he never thought of winning.
But he didn’t believe he would be defeated without even lasting a few seconds.
His plan was to buy time until the Crown Prince’s breath stopped, then escape.
However, Guyang Cheongang’s martial arts easily surpassed the level he had imagined.
In that fleeting moment when the blood mist cleared, Guyang Cheongang’s fists flew like lightning toward Chae Geum’s arms with terrifying force.
It was the Explosive Thunder Flame King Hammer that crushed everything.
Crack! Crunch!
“Ahhhhh!”
With a desperate scream, Chae Geum’s arms were shattered.
Guyang Cheongang’s martial arts had already surpassed the pinnacle and was racing toward the transformation realm.
It was impossible from the start for Chae Geum, even as a peak master, to block him.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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