Chapter 5: The World Turned Upside Down

Crack!

One strike.

A single blow shattered both her arms.

The remaining force reached her insides, churning her guts.

Cough!

Cheon Yuha spat out dead blood.

She forced her bent waist and torso upright.

The moment her floating feet touched the ground, she hurriedly threw herself into a roll.

Lazy Donkey Roll.

An act she’d avoided, deeming it beneath her dignity, one she’d never needed before.

But Cheon Yuha had no time to feel shame, springing up and using her movement technique.

BOOM!

The spot she dodged exploded.

The statue had driven its fist into the ground in an instant.

Pure physical violence.

“….”

Seeing the destructive scene, Cheon Yuha felt a faint glimmer of victory.

At the same time, a sense of futility gripped her chest.

It was strong.

The metal heap’s single strike was stronger than any she’d faced.

But that was all.

Far from the divine Martial Immortal, it lacked the martial arts of the Central Plains, Western boxing, or modern techniques.

It merely swung its fists, relying on its overwhelming body, modeled after the Immortal’s divine form, to crush opponents.

Cheon Yuha’s face twisted.

Even weaker golems used inner energy and techniques.

This one surely could too.

Yet, it didn’t, and that infuriated her—this metal heap that refused to use its potential.

Crack!

She was also angry at herself for failing to dodge its crude attack.

—Third strike: an attack grazed her torso, breaking three ribs.

‘…Damn, it’s fast.’

Swallowing bile and blood, Cheon Yuha steadied her breathing.

Her arms were ruined from the start, lowering her odds, but she had to try everything.

The martial arts and techniques she could still use…

—Fourth strike: a fist extended from three meters away, shattering her left shoulder through space.

Her vision, just starting to track the statue’s speed, blurred again.

“…Yes! Come at me with all you’ve got!”

But she saw it as a good thing.

She preferred clashing with full force over being coddled.

A tin can that knew martial arts was better than one that was just fast.

And then, the fifth strike.

A sudden low kick snapped her left leg with a crack!

‘…This thing is mocking me!’

Feeling rage, Cheon Yuha knew instinctively she could no longer fight after losing mobility.

So, she played her trump card.

She stopped her half-hearted dodges and stood still.

To smoothly circulate energy through her tattered arms, she needed a moment.

But the statue had no intention of waiting, launching a fist that filled her vision instantly.

‘I’ll counter it.’

Cheon Yuha stared clearly at the fist flying toward her face.

She pressed her ruined hand against the statue’s fist.

A self-destructive act, in a way.

But she fluidly redirected the force outward, like water flowing.

—Graft Flower onto Tree.

Not as light or soft as a petal, but she managed to shift the force’s direction.

Her left arm was now useless, but one remained, and an opportunity arose.

The moment the statue’s torso opened, Cheon Yuha, who’d been on the defensive, moved swiftly.

Pain shot through her broken left leg, but she endured.

A moment’s pain was nothing compared to a lifetime of shame.

She easily dodged the statue’s hasty counter and slipped inside its guard.

Thud.

Her small palm touched its armored chest.

Pain surged from her broken right arm, but it was drowned by the thrill she’d built up.

With a ferocious smile, Cheon Yuha unleashed all the energy she’d condensed into one point.

“Die, you metal heap.”

—Sky-Breaking Strike.

A heaven-shattering blow struck the armor.

Bang.

A light sound for a transcendent warrior’s full force.

But at that moment, the guardian vanished from its spot.

—Creak.

‘Maximus’ watched Cheon Yuha’s receding figure.

She stood still.

Only it was moving.

The statue was sent flying.

Pushed by an irresistible force, it soared backward.

A metal mass over a ton floated through the air as if it belonged there.

It kept flying, pushed back until it reached the building it was meant to protect.

And then,

CRASH!

It collided.

Boom, boom, boom, boom…!

From the research hall’s entrance, it smashed inward, destroying the building.

The relentless sound of destruction echoed as Cheon Yuha giggled.

“Pfft, heh heh, haha…”

Then, glancing at her right hand, her lips twisted.

A hand so mangled it was unlike anything in her life.

She trusted the vice-principal’s words—that as long as she didn’t die, they’d fix her—but it looked bad enough to doubt.

“Tch.”

The Immortal’s guarantee better hold, and they’d better fix it well.

The young cult leader thought as she slowly raised her head.

And there, the statue with a dented chest stood right before her.

“Damn it.”

Cheon Yuha sighed.

She’d hit it with all her might, but its insides were damn tough too.

‘I lost.’

But for some reason, ‘Maximus,’ now close, didn’t immediately throw a punch.

Creak…

It suddenly drove one foot into the ground, slowly raising the other.

Very slowly.

The raised foot carried energy matching the blow she’d landed.

“…Petty bastard.”

Cheon Yuha gave a hollow laugh, calmly awaiting her defeat.

She had no strength left to counter, and her broken leg left no room to escape.

“Next time.”

I’ll win for sure.

As she vowed for the next fight, someone suddenly grabbed her by the collar.

“…Huh?”

In an instant, she was pulled ten meters back, floating in the air.

Caught off guard, she turned her head blankly.

The man from earlier was holding her collar.

“Think before you fight, would you?”

He grumbled that he couldn’t babysit her until he died, with a look as if she were a child, a mocking gaze, and a smirk.

This time, it wasn’t a mistake.

She was certain—he was looking down on her.

Cheon Yuha’s face twisted, ready to snap back, but she couldn’t.

“…Hah.”

The man stepped forward, taking a stance.

He raised his fist against the guardian he’d warned her about.

Unlike her, he was different.

In the 21st century, first-class warriors were a dime a dozen.

A warrior with nothing to boast but his young age, clumsily challenging a transformation-realm entity.

His recklessness was like an ant charging at an airplane.

…But why?

It was foolish, yet seeing his back, she didn’t think he’d fall.

Astonishingly, that was true.

For that reason, Cheon Yuha could only stare blankly at his back.

BOOM! BOOM!

The Demon War’s battlefield was brutal.

Energy blasts flew from the front, and the Sichuan Tang Clan’s lunatics sprayed poison from behind—a chaotic crucible.

Even masters couldn’t fight forever as humans, and I was exhausted from the long battle.

‘…Is it time to die?’

Blood poured from countless cuts and poison.

I was clearly near death.

Fwoosh! A meteor even approached from afar.

‘…Oh, I’m screwed.’

As I thought this, an explosion shook the ground somewhere.

And words echoed.

—The Mad Heavenly Demon! The Mad Heavenly Demon has appeared!

Suddenly, Cheon Yuha, the cult leader and hegemon of the Central Plains, dominated the battlefield.

Her single strike split a meteor in half, and her stomp brought everyone to the ground.

Stunned by the spectacle, I sniffled and thought with a dumbfounded look.

‘Oh, big sis, did you come to save me?’

With that silly thought, I watched her trudge toward me, noticing she too was near death.

“Haha, I’m out of energy too.”

She came to save me but said we couldn’t escape easily.

…Oh, f*ck.

Two near-dead patients, back-to-back, fought like hell all day to escape the battlefield.

It was a grueling journey, miraculous that no one died.

Later, when we had a moment, I asked why she came.

We weren’t even that close.

To my obvious question, Cheon Yuha just laughed boldly.

“Hahaha! I just felt like it!”

The Mad Heavenly Demon, true to her nickname, was indeed a crazy woman.

The world is wide, and there’s bound to be one lunatic who’d dive into hell for fun.

‘How can someone like her exist?’

As soon as she recovered, she clung to me, demanding a spar.

She was annoyingly persistent.

But part of me thought, ‘Fine, f*ck it. I’ll save her once too.’

The term comrade wasn’t for nothing.

Being saved on the battlefield sparked a desire to repay the debt.

But I died before I could. And then I came back to life.

So, this was inevitable.

I had to repay her here.

At least her life wasn’t at stake, so what a great chance.

That said, this was undoubtedly the most reckless challenge in history.

‘Maximus. Its base ability is at the peak of transcendence or the edge of transformation.’

No matter how you looked at it, a first-class warrior against a transcendent was insane.

But what could I do?

I had to do what must be done, giving it my all.

It was something I could do.

Not a fair fight, but I could land one solid hit on a dumb golem.

And that was enough.

“Phew.”

I straightened my back and neck, exhaling calmly.

I planted my feet firmly on the ground and extended both hands.

I thanked the statue of the Martial Immortal for waiting until I was ready.

“Come at me, you f*ck.”

The moment I spoke, the golem launched a kick as if it had been waiting.

Not a downward stomp, but a flying knee kick.

As if furious, it jumped and flew at me.

CRASH!

A strike tore through the sky.

Déjà vu.

Facing a calamity rivaling a meteor, I pushed everything to the limit.

I tracked the incoming strike with my vision technique, however faintly.

I gathered my meager inner energy into my hands to avoid crumbling before impact.

I anchored my weak body to the ground with a hardening technique to withstand the shockwave.

And I drew the Taiji.

—Qian (Heaven) of the Eight Trigrams.

My left hand grasped the sky.

At that moment, death was inches away.

I watched the metal heap’s form and its approaching knee, moving my hands.

—Kun (Earth) of the Eight Trigrams.

My right hand held the earth.

This was the secret technique of a martial artist who’d spent a lifetime supporting doomed geniuses.

The fragment of a realm I’d ultimately reached.

‘I twist it.’

I moved both hands.

And finally, death—the knee, the flying kick—arrived.

CRUNCH!

My arms twisted instantly.

A catastrophe before the attack even fully landed, caused by the shockwave alone.

But I wasn’t surprised.

I wasn’t scared.

I didn’t fear defeat.

I’d done this countless times.

I just moved.

—First strike: The golem’s knee met my hands.

It bent further.

Twisted.

Completely contorted.

Yet, I drew the Taiji.

My mangled hands and fingers continued their strange movements.

I chanted a spell.

…And the knee, the sky, the earth, the space—

At this moment.

“…Ah.”

Cheon Yuha witnessed a miracle.

—Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.

And the world turned upside down.