My Dad Is the Strongest Under Heaven
Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Chapter 41. It’s Your First Time, Isn’t It?
“No, what in the world…”
“Hyung-nim. Did I really just see that right? S-Surely…”
“I… I saw it too.”
The members of the White Wolf Troop watching this unfold also blinked in disbelief, unable to process the situation.
When Yeo Woonhwi first stepped forward, they had thought his courage commendable but foolish.
Even ignorance of one’s place had its limits; what could someone like him possibly accomplish by stepping up?
They were certain he was itching to die.
Yet the martial prowess Yeo Woonhwi had just displayed was profoundly shocking to them.
Geugaksoma’s Strike Kill Finger was a supreme art of such immense speed and power that they could not even react to it.
Not only had he effortlessly dodged it, but he had also replicated it flawlessly after seeing it merely a few times.
Easier said than done—they knew just as well as Geugaksoma how utterly nonsensical that was.
Yet Yeo Woonhwi was pulling off such an unbelievable feat with absolute nonchalance.
Enough to make anyone watching wonder if they were dreaming.
Just what in the world had Lady Seoyeon brought back to the Peng Clan?
One thing was certain: that man was no useless scholar.
Everyone had been sorely, terribly mistaken about Yeo Woonhwi all along.
Meanwhile, Oh Chae-mu felt utterly mortified remembering how he had spoken and acted toward Yeo Woonhwi until now.
‘What on earth did I do to a master like that…?’
The burning blush of humiliation bothered him far more than his physical wounds; he wished the earth would swallow him whole.
“Y-You bastard…”
While Oh Chae-mu and the White Wolf Troop were reeling in shock at Yeo Woonhwi’s true identity, Geugaksoma’s eyes sank coldly.
His previous composure had vanished entirely.
Yeo Woonhwi smirked as he looked at Geugaksoma.
“Why has your gaze grown so much fiercer?”
“Just what is your true identity?”
“Ah, did I not mention it yet?”
Geugaksoma had not yet heard where Yeo Woonhwi and the White Wolf Troop hailed from.
Normally, he wouldn’t have cared in the least, but things were different now.
The young man standing before him was anything but ordinary.
And so, he had finally become curious.
“We are from the Peng Clan.”
“The Peng Clan? You mean the Hebei Peng Clan?”
“Indeed.”
“The Peng Clan produced a monster like you? What a joke.”
The Peng Clan in Geugaksoma’s memory was a straightforward, simple-minded bunch.
In his view, secretly nurturing a master of this caliber behind the scenes neither suited them nor was it even possible.
Well, the Peng Clan certainly hadn’t raised Yeo Woonhwi, but he saw no reason to explain that.
Rather,
“Does the Peng Clan seem like such a joke to you?”
“It’s not that they’re a joke, but rather that I don’t fear them. This Seat fears none of the Five Great Clans.”
“Well, you’ll have to start fearing them from now on. Because the Peng Clan is going to become the supreme clan under heaven.”
“What?”
It was not mere talk; it was a declaration.
A declaration completely out of place in this situation.
Yet the words Yeo Woonhwi spoke resonated deeply within every member of the White Wolf Troop.
The supreme clan under heaven.
Who in the present martial world could utter such words so casually?
It was a daring declaration that even the current Patriarch, Peng Mugang, would never easily utter.
Yet Yeo Woonhwi spoke as if it were something about to happen at any moment.
“Heh-heh.”
Hearing such an absurd claim to his face, Geugaksoma let out a hollow laugh.
‘Yet… it might actually be possible.’
That was how astonishing this young man’s talent truly was.
To the point where even he felt a flash of dread. However!
Geugaksoma’s eyes glinted sharply as he spoke.
“Hmph. Before that happens, I will crush the Peng Clan with my own hands. I’ll sever the heads of your wife, your children, and your entire family and hang them in the market square. Kehehe.”
“Ha.”
A heavy rumble shook the air.
In an instant, the very atmosphere rippled violently.
And Yeo Woonhwi’s energy—no, his very essence felt as if it had shifted into something entirely different.
When Geugaksoma met Yeo Woonhwi’s eyes as they closed and reopened, the hair on his entire body stood on end.
“Ugh.”
Did he realize? That he had just uttered words he should never, ever have spoken.
It touched Yeo Woonhwi’s reverse scale—the absolute worst move Geugaksoma could have ever made.
‘Where on earth did a bastard like this come from…?’
Geugaksoma’s face contorted in agitation at the sudden shift in Yeo Woonhwi’s energy.
Was it bad luck?
He had been laying low to avoid both the Murim Alliance and the Evil Faction Alliance, so why did he have to run into a monster like this of all people?
Irritation surged within him.
He utterly despised tedious trouble. That was the trivial reason he enjoyed slaughtering the weak in the first place.
But then,
’No. That’s not it.’
Geugaksoma shook his head.
Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise.
It was nothing to fear.
Such a bud had to be nipped early to eliminate future trouble.
Judging by appearances, this boy belonged to the Orthodox faction.
If so, there was every chance they would clash as enemies down the line.
And by then, he might grow too powerful for Geugaksoma to handle.
His talent was undeniably astonishing, but fortunately, he was still just a greenhorn.
No matter how extraordinary one’s talent was, Geugaksoma had seen countless fools die young after swaggering arrogantly on talent alone.
What he feared was the boy’s future, not his present.
Therefore, he would kill him right here and now.
Geugaksoma set his mind to it.
His expression shifted completely.
He began drawing out his full power.
“Did you think the Strike Kill Finger was all I possessed?”
A wicked grin spread across his face.
Along with it, the air around him began to warp.
“You are the very first to witness the power of the tenth stage of the Mad Blood Demonic Art. Consider it an honor.”
A deep, rhythmic thrum resonated through the ground.
Before long, Geugaksoma’s body underwent a monstrous transformation.
His diminutive frame seemed to swell immensely, growing youthful and hulking.
In an instant, he had become an entirely different person.
A low hiss escaped him.
Geugaksoma drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
When he opened his previously closed eyes, they had turned crimson red.
That crimson gaze briefly brushed over the White Wolf Troop before fixing firmly onto Yeo Woonhwi.
“You will regret forcing This Seat to assume this form.”
Swish.
With those words, Geugaksoma’s figure vanished.
Everyone lost sight of him.
And then,
“Above! Above you!”
Oh Chae-mu shouted toward Yeo Woonhwi.
Yeo Woonhwi looked up.
Geugaksoma had already appeared right above him, driving a fist downward.
By a hair’s breadth, Yeo Woonhwi stepped back.
A deafening blast erupted as the spot where Yeo Woonhwi had stood just moments before caved in violently.
A single punch gouged a massive crater into the earth.
It was truly terrifying power.
“Heavens…”
“How could such a…”
The overwhelming strike drained all color from the faces of the White Wolf Troop.
It was far too powerful.
Suffering even a single blow like that would surely grind one’s entire body into dust.
“There’s no way… no way anyone could beat that.”
Though they had briefly harbored hope upon seeing Yeo Woonhwi’s unexpected strength, witnessing Geugaksoma’s raw might plunged them back into despair.
No matter how remarkable Yeo Woonhwi was, Geugaksoma was an Archdemon, one of the Absolute Great Evils.
They had merely forgotten that fact for a brief moment.
Even with the most generous assessment, it was only reasonable to conclude it was still too much for Yeo Woonhwi to handle.
Furthermore, the strike just now made it painfully clear that Geugaksoma had not shown his true mettle until this moment.
And yet,
“Whew. Impressive.”
For some reason, despite the dire turn of events, Yeo Woonhwi did not look the least bit daunted or troubled.
As if he had anticipated at least this much.
“Scheme all you want, it will do you no good. Neither your glib tongue nor your petty talent will work on This Seat anymore.”
But Geugaksoma took Yeo Woonhwi’s reaction as mere bravado, an act to feign composure.
What could a wretched brat like him do against the overwhelming power he had only just begun to unleash?
“I will tear you to bloody shreds with the utmost agony for daring to act impudent before me! Kehahaha!”
Following his roar, Geugaksoma’s onslaught began.
Crash! Boom! Bang!
Every swing of his fist carved massive craters in all directions.
Thunderous detonations tore through the area.
“Everyone, fall back as far as you can! Hurry!”
The White Wolf warriors hurriedly gathered their fallen comrades and retreated with all their might.
For getting swept up in this battle would mean instant death.
This was not the strength of a mere mortal. It was nothing short of a natural disaster.
A calamity beyond human control.
It was power truly befitting the terrifying infamy of the Absolute Great Evils.
“Khahaha! You scurry around like a rat, dodging quite well!”
Perhaps because it had been so long since he last unleashed his full power, Geugaksoma was gradually growing drunk on his own strength.
Perhaps that was why he overlooked something he normally would have noticed immediately.
The fact that his strikes, boasting overwhelming destructive force, had not landed on Yeo Woonhwi even once. No, they had failed to even graze him.
“Phew, dear me.”
Having dodged every attack, Yeo Woonhwi stepped back at a distance and let out a sigh as he watched Geugaksoma reveling in his frenzy.
Then, an unexpected remark slipped casually from his lips.
“I honestly don’t know whether to call this absurd or utterly ridiculous.”
“What?”
“I mean you. This is your first time unleashing your full power and putting your life on the line in a real fight, isn’t it?”
Geugaksoma tilted his head at Yeo Woonhwi’s words.
What nonsense was this madman babbling now?
He tried to brush it off as more idle banter, but curiosity about what Yeo Woonhwi meant gnawed at him until he couldn’t stand it.
“Why would you think that?”
“Because you’re far too clumsy.”
“C-Clumsy? You dare say such nonsense after seeing my power…!”
“Yeah. The power you possess is immensely strong, but the way you wield it and the way you fight are downright pathetic. To be frank, you were better off using the Strike Kill Finger before unlocking your full power.”
“Bullshit…”
“In my view, you’ve never once properly fought a formidable opponent. Even if the chance arose, you probably ran away every time, coming up with all sorts of excuses. And then you went around slaughtering the weak and innocent, living under the delusion that you’re strong. Am I wrong?”
“You crazy bastard, mocking This Seat to the bitter end!”
Enraged beyond measure, Geugaksoma struck at Yeo Woonhwi with all his might.
As if determined to smash him to death in a single blow.
KABOOM!
Yet once again, his strike cleaved nothing but empty air.
And then,
Thwack!
Evading the blow, Yeo Woonhwi flipped backward through the air, planting a clean kick right into Geugaksoma’s jaw.
“Kuuugh!”
Staggered by the first blow he had allowed to land, Geugaksoma stumbled backward in bewilderment.
Yeo Woonhwi chuckled softly and shrugged.
“See? You lose your temper over a few words, swing wide with everything you’ve got, and leave a glaring opening. Again.”
“Did you think a petty attack like this could work on me?!”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Geugaksoma tried to lunge at Yeo Woonhwi at once, acting as if nothing had happened.
However,
He tottered.
Geugaksoma’s body tilted heavily to the side.
And collapsed right onto the ground.
With disbelief written across his face, Geugaksoma looked up at Yeo Woonhwi.
“You’re shockingly slow at reading the condition of your own body, too. Tsk, tsk.”
“You… You…”
“Here I thought I might bag a proper big fish for a warm-up.”
Yeo Woonhwi’s cold gaze looked down upon the collapsed Geugaksoma.
His eyes were filled with sheer disdain.
“Turns out you’re just a loudmouthed lunatic after all.”