Blood Demon's Awakening

🌑 Shadows in Motion

The path to the memorial hall wound through a series of courtyards connected by covered walkways. Ancient stone lanterns lined the route, their flames dancing in the mountain wind. It should have been a peaceful walk, but Jin-ho's instincts—sharpened by months of conflict—told him something was wrong.

『We're being followed』 the Thunder King warned. 『Multiple signatures, trying to stay hidden. Amateur work.』

『Not amateurs』 the Blood Heaven Emperor corrected. 『They're just overconfident. They think four against many guarantees victory.』

Blood Guard had noticed too. His hand drifted casually toward his concealed weapons while he maintained an easy conversation with Elder Blue Cloud about the sect's history.

"The memorial hall was built three hundred years ago," Noe Cheong-woon was saying, seemingly oblivious to the growing tension. "It honors all disciples who died in service to the sect. Recently, we've had to add... several new names."

The emphasis on 'recently' wasn't lost on Jin-ho.

⚡ The Signal to Attack

They had just entered the third courtyard when it happened. A flash of blue light—ostensibly just lightning from the ongoing storm—appeared from one of the upper windows. But Jin-ho caught the artificial nature of the signal.

"Down!" Blood Wolf shouted.

The attack came from six directions simultaneously.

CRACK! BOOM!

Lightning bolts converged on their position from hidden disciples positioned on rooftops and in alcoves. The coordinated assault was designed to overwhelm them through sheer electrical force.

But the Blood Flame Sect hadn't survived this long by being unprepared.

🛡️ Defensive Formations

Blood Wolf's sword was already in motion before the lightning reached them. His blade, infused with blood energy, carved through the electrical attacks like a crimson meteor.

"Blood Severing Technique, Third Form: Scarlet Barrier!"

A dome of swirling blood energy surrounded Jin-ho's group, deflecting the lightning strikes with showers of sparks. The technique was beautiful and terrifying—like being protected by a storm of liquid rubies.

"How—!" one of the hidden attackers gasped in shock. Lightning techniques were supposed to be impossible to block with conventional methods.

『They underestimated us』 the Blood Heaven Emperor said with satisfaction. 『These fools still think in terms of single-element combat.』

⚔️ Blood Guard's Counterattack

While Blood Wolf maintained their defense, Blood Guard had already located three of the six attackers. His throwing knives—each one inscribed with blood-tracking runes—flew through the air with deadly precision.

"Blood Hunter Arts: Crimson Seeking!"

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Three pained cries echoed from different directions as the knives found their marks. Not killing blows, but enough to disable the attackers and send a clear message about the skill level they were dealing with.

"Anyone else foolish enough to challenge us?" Blood Guard called out coldly, already preparing his next volley.

📚 Blood Scribe's Observation

"Six attackers, all second or third-tier lightning cultivation," Blood Scribe reported calmly from his protected position behind the barrier. "Standard Thunder Gate combat formation, but modified for assassination work."

He observed the battle intently, making mental notes for later analysis.

"Interesting technique variations. They've been practicing specifically for fighting blood cultivators. Someone's been preparing for this encounter."

🌩️ The Thunder Within

"My turn," Jin-ho said quietly, stepping forward from the protective barrier.

The remaining three attackers, emboldened by their companions' initial assault, leaped down from their hiding spots. They were all young disciples, probably chosen for this mission to prove their loyalty to Jin Nae-mu.

"Die, blood demon!" the first attacker shouted, lightning crackling around his spear.

"For Jin-woon's honor!" cried the second, his twin swords wreathed in electrical energy.

"Return what you stole!" demanded the third, forming a complex hand seal that summoned a miniature storm cloud above his palms.

Jin-ho looked at them with something that might have been pity.

⚡ Lightning Answers Lightning

"You want to see Jin-woon's power?" Jin-ho asked softly. "Let me show you."

He raised his right hand, and golden lightning began to coil around his fingers. But this wasn't the harsh, aggressive electricity of the Thunder Gate. This lightning moved with purpose, intelligence, and most shocking of all—it seemed to sing.

The attacking disciples stopped mid-charge, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"That's... that's the Pure Thunder Technique!" one of them whispered. "But that's impossible! Only the sect master's direct lineage can—"

"Jin-woon was more talented than any of you realized," Jin-ho said. "He achieved in months what most take years to master."

『Show them』 the Thunder King urged. 『Show them what real lightning looks like.』

🌪️ Thunder God's Authority

Jin-ho's lightning changed, becoming brighter, purer, more controlled than anything the attackers had ever seen. When he gestured, the electric energy didn't just obey—it anticipated his needs.

"Lightning Sword Technique, First Form: Thunder's Welcome!"

The technique was one Jin-ho had learned from Jin-woon's memories, but executed with the Thunder King's three-thousand-year-old expertise. A blade of pure electricity formed in his hand, humming with contained power.

The three attackers tried to resume their assault, but their own lightning techniques seemed clumsy and crude in comparison. When their electrical attacks met Jin-ho's thunder sword, the result wasn't even close to a contest.

CLASH! CRACK!

Jin-ho's technique didn't just overpower theirs—it absorbed them, growing stronger with each contact.

😱 Overwhelming Superiority

Within seconds, all three attackers were on the ground, their weapons scattered and their lightning cultivation temporarily disrupted by Jin-ho's superior electrical control.

"I could have killed you all," Jin-ho said, allowing his thunder sword to dissipate. "But Jin-woon wouldn't have wanted that. He believed in giving people chances to be better than they were."

He looked down at the defeated disciples with genuine sadness.

"You're fighting for the wrong side, and deep down, you know it."

👤 Elder Blue Cloud's Reaction

Throughout the entire battle, Noe Cheong-woon had remained perfectly calm, watching the proceedings with the air of someone evaluating a performance. Now he nodded slowly, as if Jin-ho had just confirmed something he'd suspected.

"Remarkable," he murmured. "That technique... I haven't seen anything like it since the old master's time."

"The old master?" Blood Scribe inquired, his scholarly instincts immediately engaged.

"Our founder's personal lightning style. It's been lost for generations. Even our current sect master can't replicate it." Noe Cheong-woon's eyes fixed on Jin-ho with new respect. "But somehow, through Jin-woon, it lives again."

⚡ The Deeper Implications

『They're beginning to understand』 the Thunder King said with satisfaction. 『These techniques aren't just copied memories—they're my original creations, refined by three millennia of experience.』

Jin-ho realized the significance. By demonstrating lightning techniques that surpassed even the Thunder Gate's current masters, he'd just proven that Jin-woon's inheritance was not only legitimate but potentially more valuable than anything the sect currently possessed.

"This changes things," Noe Cheong-woon said quietly. "If you truly carry the pure lineage techniques, then Jin Nae-mu's actions become even more..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but the implication was clear.

🌩️ The Aftermath

As the defeated attackers limped away—escorted by Blood Guard to ensure they didn't cause further trouble—Jin-ho looked around the courtyard. Scorch marks on the stone and the lingering smell of ozone marked the brief but intense battle.

Blood Scribe finally pulled out his scroll and began making detailed notes about the encounter, his analysis now complete.

"Will there be more?" Jin-ho asked Elder Blue Cloud.

"Almost certainly," Noe Cheong-woon replied. "Jin Nae-mu doesn't accept failure gracefully. But perhaps..." He glanced at the direction the defeated disciples had gone. "Perhaps some of our younger members will start asking the right questions."

Blood Wolf cleaned his sword and sheathed it with practiced efficiency. "How much further to this memorial hall?"

"Just ahead," Noe Cheong-woon said. "And I believe, after this demonstration, our conversation there will be even more... productive."

As they resumed walking, Jin-ho couldn't shake the feeling that they'd just passed some kind of test. The question was: had they passed it for Elder Blue Cloud, or for someone else entirely?

『Either way』 the Blood Heaven Emperor observed, 『Jin Nae-mu just learned that we're not the easy targets he thought we were.』

『Good』 the Thunder King replied grimly. 『Let him sweat. The real confrontation is still coming.』