Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 52

The Youkai Queen and Youkai General.
It is foolish to face both of them at once.
Even if one were to take on both, it would be ideal to target one first, betray the other, and then face them consecutively.
Ha Eun-eung was not foolish enough not to know this.

‘If it were a normal boss battle, I would have gone with that approach.’

But now it’s different.
The Youkai Queen and Youkai General are both power players, and they have many subordinates.
Most of those subordinates are Youkai with special abilities and inheritances.
As the numbers grow, Ha Eun-eung and the Fighter Team’s strength alone will not be enough to withstand the pressure.

‘They must be aware of that fact too.’

So, the Youkai Queen took the first move and made a proposal.
Let’s take out the formidable Youkai General first with their help.
And when the subordinates arrive?
They will immediately attack this side with them.
Once all rivals are eliminated and power is secured, the grievances outside the palace no longer matter.
The winner will already be decided, and all the spoils will be theirs alone.
Whether the Youkai General anticipated this strategy or not, Ha Eun-eung thought, the outcome would be the same.

[Final Choice]
[1. Ally with the Youkai Queen (Youkai General subjugation route)]
[2. Ally with the Youkai General (Youkai Queen subjugation route)]

Therefore, she did not align herself with either of them.

[3. Face both simultaneously. (Simultaneous subjugation)]

It was the most foolish and the most difficult option, but

[? 3. Face both simultaneously. (Simultaneous subjugation)]

Thus, she chose the only correct answer.
A decision that was only possible because Ha Eun-eung, with absolute confidence in her abilities, was willing to face it head-on.

[To think you would make an enemy of us both.]
[We’ll show you that your arrogance was nothing more than foolishness.]

The names of the two powerful Youkai turned red as

[Player Mode]

The long-awaited boss battle had begun.

At the moment Ha Eun-eung decided to take on both formidable foes at once,
the massive audience chamber, designed to accommodate even the largest Youkai,
felt like the very air itself had changed, as if plunging into the depths of the sea,
the weight of the atmosphere intensified.

Quick, break the first-person sensory link!!!
Oh no, something’s coming, it's insanely powerful!
What was that?? Why does it feel like I’m being hit by a car?
The viewers, merely sharing the sensory link, felt their bodies being crushed under the weight and began frantically breaking the link,
but the one person who couldn’t escape the immense pressure was Ha Eun-eung, who stood firm before it.

[I'll crush you like insects.]

It’s coming.
Ha Eun-eung lowered her stance, trying to avoid the attack, and as she attempted to retaliate with a counterstrike,
her eyes widened in shock.

It grazed her.

Even with her signature counter swordsmanship, which had brought her to this point,
Ha Eun-eung’s left arm, which was covered from wrist to elbow in protective armor,
burst with a loud bang, splitting vertically.

Did she just dodge that?
But why did damage still go through?
Something’s different about this...
Ha Eun-eung, who had never once been imagined to lose against any foe due to her incredible skill,
left the discerning viewers to quickly realize what had gone wrong.

The basic physical stats are just too different.
She reacted, but her body couldn’t keep up with the speed.
The size difference alone makes it weird for this to be a fair fight.
Weight class. Strength.
The disparity in offensive and defensive power that comes from overwhelming physical ability.
Even Ha Eun-eung's precise swordsmanship couldn’t handle such high specs.
Since she hadn’t inherited any Youkai bloodline, she hadn’t benefitted from any natural enhancement of physical stats,
and this weakness was now being exploited perfectly.

‘With standard breathing techniques, I can't win.’

Ha Eun-eung, never one to overlook such a deficiency, wasn’t fooled by her own limitations.

<Cheonghae Simbeop> <Opening of Blood Vessels>
As she invoked the internal martial arts technique, raising her internal energy efficiency to its utmost limit,
she prepared the Eight Major Connection Technique
??????

Tanhap Mangok
????

For the first time, Ha Eun-eung used a four-tier combo after relying on just basic and applied techniques to deal with opponents.

Wow!!!
Isn’t that insane speed with the sword?
Can she really do that??
She had no intention of dragging this out into a long battle.
In a boss fight, if reinforcements arrive, the chances of winning disappear.
To win, it’s crucial not only to defeat the boss but to do it quickly.
For that, the certainty of victory against this overwhelming Youkai General is needed.

‘My confidence lies only in my swordsmanship. My experience in reaching the highest level. Even if it’s a limited martial art, as long as it’s one I have personally mastered, I believe I can transcend the difference in skill.’

She could overcome the gap in levels.

[Incredible. Is this really human swordsmanship?]

TAN - Fired like a bullet.
HAP - Focusing all power into one point.
WAN - Curving like a wave.
GOK - Capturing the mystery of bending.

The continuous strikes of Tanhap Mangok came without pause,
and the incredible precision of Ha Eun-eung’s sword left scars on the Youkai General Vigtro’s hide,
sending powerful waves of shock through his muscles beneath the thick skin.

<Speedmaster donated 100,000 won!>
Changing to Just Action since Crit didn’t land? Is this for real?

The swordsmanship deployed with internal energy from the martial world,
not by its sheer power but by the intricacies within, was something the viewers slowly began to understand.

What’s the difference between the two?
Isn’t the Just Action essentially the same as a Critical?
<Speedmaster donated 50,000 won!>
Critical targets weaknesses, but Just Action enhances your strengths.

Only after the explanation from a professional martial arts instructor did the viewers finally understand the nature of the battle.
Against Executioners, Demon Lords, or Youkai Immortals,
Ha Eun-eung had always targeted her opponents’ weaknesses.
But now, she was pushing through with a powerful offense, almost forcing Critical-level damage on an enemy without any noticeable weaknesses.
This was a powerful attack relying solely on the practitioner's capability, executed flawlessly with just one sword.

She overwhelmed him.
The massive Youkai General was steadily worn down, accumulating wounds from Ha Eun-eung’s sword.
But this was a boss battle, and there were two opponents, not one.

[Kiaaaah!!!]

Ugh, my eardrums!
It feels like my ears are actually splitting!
Even though I disconnected the sensory link, why does it feel like my whole body is shaking?
The Youkai Queen’s ear-piercing shriek,
a cry that rattled the soul, broke Ha Eun-eung’s balance, which had reached its peak in swordsmanship.

[Queen. To think the day would come when I would need your help.]
[Why are you wasting time? You must have figured out by now that that human isn’t using the artifact’s full power.]

The Youkai General, freed from his disadvantage by the Queen’s help,
his muscles bulged even further, transforming him into a beast that far surpassed a mere animal.

“It’s the advanced effect of the Beastline Inheritance, <Monsterification>!”

As Maganom shouted, the Youkai General moved.
His massive body filled the entire front of the battlefield, charging with the intention to crush Ha Eun-eung like a bloody pulp.
A simple but flawless charge that maximized the power of his well-trained body.

[Bojeop]
[Nakhwayuso Bo]

The technique of falling flowers and flowing water, which harmonized the body’s balance.
The balance was split into two parts, each complementing the other.

Ha Eun-eung, countering the powerful attack, successfully dodged,
like a gust of wind, her cape flapping wildly as she narrowly avoided the devastating blow.

‘She couldn’t afford to let it pass, even a little.’

Ha Eun-eung’s face, despite the remarkable evasion, showed no joy or satisfaction.
Rather, she felt an immense sense of danger.
The Youkai General’s massive body, like a massive rock soaring from a mountain,
could not be brushed off by the flowers falling or the flowing water.
His assault surpassed the destructive power that Nakhwayuso Bo could handle.

“We have to stop the Queen!!”

As Ha Eun-eung missed her opportunity, the Youkai Queen closed in,
her massive claws gripping the Boogeyman’s neck tightly,
lifting the Queen’s massive body into the air.

“Jump! Wendigo, stop the Queen from leaping!”

Clank! Thud, thud, thud!

“Damn, reinforcements already!”

The Queen’s eerie shriek echoed, and her servants hammered the door to the Western Hall.
Wendigo, stuck between the door and the Queen, hesitated for a moment,
and in that instant, the prince rushed toward the Youkai Queen.

[Will you let them escape?]
[Crack...crrrk...]

The prince, sensing the Queen’s imminent leap, pulled out a hidden dagger from his belt and aimed it at her leg muscles.

Crash!

The Queen leapt so high, nearly colliding with the 20-meter high ceiling of the audience chamber.
Her body slammed against the walls and ceiling, sending shockwaves through the room,
and both the Boogeyman and the prince couldn’t withstand the force, crashing to the floor.
The Queen landed roughly, and as she regained her composure, her fierce eyes locked onto the prince.

[You’ve always haunted my mind. The bastard child who stole the love, attention, and everything from my master. I can’t take it anymore. I’ll end your life first!]
[Don’t worry about this. No matter what happens, keep the door locked, Wendigo!]

Blood-stained hands clenched,
the prince and Boogeyman stood before the Queen, ready to fight to the death,
while Wendigo blocked the Western Hall door,
temporarily halting the Queen’s reinforcements and aiding in the fight against her.

The battle between Ha Eun-eung and the Youkai General continued, one-on-one.

‘This is the turning point of the strategy.’

If she defeats the Youkai General here, there is still hope for victory.
But if this opportunity slips away,
the chances of winning the simultaneous subjugation are gone.
To deal damage against the overwhelming charge of the General,
how much energy must be spent to overcome the massive disparity in combat power?

‘This is no ordinary fight of skill or combinations.’

In this showdown,
to win in a one-on-one,
requires even greater ability than what is currently being shown.

In this showdown, to win in a one-on-one, requires even greater ability than what is currently being shown.

The explosive charge of the Youkai General.
To dodge and counter it requires massive amounts of internal energy consumption.
Furthermore, to deal meaningful damage demands even more internal energy.
Ha Eun-eung couldn’t afford to keep using this technique repeatedly.
But, at this moment, she was lucky.

[You’re truly impressive, human. To think you could unleash such combat power with a human body.]
[If this wasn’t a competition for Youkai supremacy, I would have fought with all my might, but the timing is wrong.]
[Don’t call me cowardly. This is a strategy to win.]

The Youkai General was on the brink of overpowering Ha Eun-eung,
but he made a critical mistake in judgment.

[You must be using the artifact’s power, but the activation condition hasn’t been met, has it? I’ve figured that much out.]

"...?"

[You can only use it when you exert your full power. It’s a special inheritance sword technique, but the activation condition is still not fulfilled.]

Ha Eun-eung’s unbelievable combat strength, displayed through her swordsmanship, was still impossible for the Youkai General to believe.
Her opponent, who had assumed she was using some form of enchanted weaponry, realized that she was relying on her own strength rather than any external aids.
The Youkai General backed off, taking a defensive stance, realizing that Ha Eun-eung was the greater threat.

[Even if I don’t kill you now, over time, the prince’s forces will fall apart.]
[You will crumble before my impregnable defense.]

Despite the immense strain, Ha Eun-eung had an opportunity.
The Youkai General’s assault had slowed down, and the critical moment for the battle had arrived.

This was the moment to win.