Chapter 115: You’re bleeding a lot.
Chapter 115: You’re bleeding a lot.
Several emotions were etched into Baek Mang-gi’s expression as he looked at me.
Fear, surprise, excitement, and rage.
Among them, surprise was the first to burst forth.
“So young?”
When he had nearly died by my sword earlier, he must have thought I was the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon. He likely assumed he’d been mistaken—that if I weren't the Smiling Demon, I couldn't possibly swing a sword that fast.
“Hey, old man.”
I dispensed with the pleasantries. I didn’t know what kind of life he’d led, but the moment he cut down the 3rd Wolf here today, any reason to respect him vanished.
“You said we were playing at being ghosts? You’re the one playing ghost right now, aren't you?”
“What did you just say?”
“Why crawl out of your grave to meddle in the affairs of the next generation? You lived through your era and even earned the title of Sword Emperor. Wasn't that enough for you?”
The air around us turned cold as my words hit home.
However, I could feel a searing heat. It was the heat radiating from the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon behind me as he slowly adjusted his mask. I didn't even need to look into his eyes to know what he was feeling.
Indeed, there are things one can know without words or sight.
“Listen here, junior. Where did you learn such foul manners toward your elders?”
“Old man, you’re going to try to kill me anyway. It’s a bit shameless to expect politeness on top of that, don't you think? Then again, if you had any shame, you wouldn't be swinging your blade at these young juniors.”
As the air grew even colder, he stroked his severed beard. I continued to stoke his murderous intent.
“If your disciple went senile and jumped into a power struggle, you, as his master, should have stopped him. What’s the point of crawling out like you’ve been waiting for the chance? Have you both gone senile as a pair?”
Baek Mang-gi’s face flushed slightly. Yes, get agitated. Get even more worked up.
I shouted to Bi Sa-in and the 13 Wolves of the Unorthodox Path standing in the distance.
“Let’s send these old men back into the pages of history!”
I meant that we would handle this one, so they should take care of Seok Gwan-chu.
Hope bloomed in Bi Sa-in’s despair-filled eyes. If we took on Baek Mang-gi, this fight was actually winnable.
On the other hand, Seok Gwan-chu’s expression hardened. He probably never dreamed such a variable would appear in a plan that involved mobilizing his own master.
Baek Mang-gi asked coldly, “Who are you, you wicked brat?”
“The one who’s going to take an old man missing from the Book of Life and Death straight to the Underworld.”
In that instant, Baek Mang-gi drew his sword with the speed of a lightning bolt.
Flash!
I barely managed to dodge the incoming blade. Baek Mang-gi’s attack was both fast and powerful.
At that moment!
Ping!
The Extreme Evil Smiling Demon’s Blood Calamity Finger was unleashed. Baek Mang-gi twisted his body to dodge, and my sword lunged toward him.
As we clashed in an instant, the 13 Wolves and Bi Sa-in also charged at Seok Gwan-chu.
I decided to fight without worrying about the Smiling Demon.
We had never practiced fighting in tandem, and I judged that trying to force a clumsy combined attack while facing someone like Baek Mang-gi would only put us at a disadvantage. I trusted the Smiling Demon.
He would handle himself. He’d intervene when necessary, dodge when he had to, and provide support on his own. He would fight well.
Therefore, I fought with the mindset that I was facing Baek Mang-gi one-on-one.
Clang!
Another clash occurred. His fast sword was at a speed the 13 Wolves could never have parried. Even for the Smiling Demon, it was an attack that wasn't easy to dodge repeatedly.
If you try to block after seeing it with your eyes, it’s already too late. You have to block with experience and instinct.
The moment you think, 'He’s attacking the left, so I should attack the right,' your head will already be rolling on the ground.
Baek Mang-gi’s forms, which had previously focused solely on speed, became dazzlingly complex. This sudden change was incredibly threatening.
However, I managed to barely fend off his attacks. I struggled not to let his aura overwhelm me.
Between the exchange of forms, the Smiling Demon’s Blood Calamity Finger shot out. Because our movements were so rapid, the finger force was unleashed with extreme caution. A slight miscalculation could have resulted in me being hit instead.
Despite it being a two-on-one fight, Baek Mang-gi didn't give an inch. He was proving through sheer skill what it meant to have held the title of Sword Emperor eighty years ago.
His sword arts were one thing, but his footwork was magnificent. If I hadn't mastered the Wind God Four Steps, I would have been completely toyed with by his movement. He fought as if entangled with me to avoid being hit by the Blood Calamity Finger, and every single step he took was breathtakingly fluid.
After over a hundred exchanges, Baek Mang-gi suddenly unleashed a palm force in a surprise attack. It was a truly mercurial strike, but fortunately, I wasn't too late to meet it with my own palm force.
Boom!
A thunderous roar exploded as the two forces collided.
We both slid backward. Our internal power was nearly equal. If it hadn't been for the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Spirit Mushroom I’d recently consumed, I would have been pushed back in terms of internal energy.
Having gained some distance from each other, we had a brief moment to speak.
“I don't want to be surprised, but I can't help it. How can someone your age possess such profound internal energy?”
I replied to him cheerfully.
“Hey, friend, don't you recognize me?”
“What?”
“I’ve achieved Rejuvenation.”
For a split second, he actually thought I was someone he knew.
“Who are you?”
“Who else? Just a young junior with foul manners. Why ask who I am when you don't even have any friends?”
Only then did Baek Mang-gi realize I was mocking him. His expression contorted. I had to provoke him whenever there was an opening.
As is always the case, the one who loses their cool in a fight is the one who loses.
Sword qi finally erupted from his agitated blade.
Swoooooosh!
This was the moment I’d been waiting for.
Boom!
The sword qi I unleashed collided with his, resulting in a violent explosion.
Not missing this chance, the Smiling Demon unleashed a succession of Blood Calamity Fingers and Demon Extreme Wild Rage Palms. Since it was two against one, the advantage was ours.
I poured out a continuous barrage of the Blazing Heaven Form, a sword qi emission technique.
The Smiling Demon also relentlessly fired off his finger and palm techniques.
Baek Mang-gi swung his sword like a madman and unleashed palm forces to neutralize the onslaught. Explosions rang out one after another.
Boom! Boom! Ba-boom! Boom!
The earth shook, and clouds of dust billowed into the air.
At this incredible exchange, Seok Gwan-chu, Bi Sa-in, and the 13 Wolves even stopped their own fight to watch for the outcome.
When the attacks ceased and the dust settled, we were stunned.
He was standing there, perfectly fine.
And then, the Sword Emperor’s secret technique, born of rage, manifested.
Sssssss!
In front of him, his sword was multiplying into sword-shaped qi.
I could tell. He intended to kill everyone here in a single strike. He planned to kill the 13 Wolves and Bi Sa-in so he could face us alongside Seok Gwan-chu.
The Black Demonic Sword rose before my chest and began to multiply as well.
Sssssssssss!
Flying Heaven Sword Technique, Seventh Form: Flowing Heaven Form.
Was it because I had reached the Twelve-Star Great Achievement? The swords multiplied much faster and in greater numbers than before.
Baek Mang-gi’s sword qi flew toward everyone present.
Swish-swish-swish-swish!
Whooooosh!
Simultaneously, my sword qi was unleashed.
In the next moment, a spectacular sight unfolded.
Two types of lines embroidered the space. Lines meant to kill, and lines meant to protect.
The moment those two lines intersected, a series of explosions from the clashing sword qi erupted continuously.
Bi Sa-in saw it—Baek Mang-gi’s sword qi flying toward his face. It was moving at a speed so fast he couldn't have dodged it even if he tried.
But my sword qi flew even faster, tearing that qi apart and neutralizing it right before his eyes.
Boom!
It was the same for the other members of the 13 Wolves. The sight of the sword qi aimed at them being shredded by another set of qi was a spectacle they would likely never see again in their lives.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Ba-boom! Boom!
The Smiling Demon neutralized the sword qi himself. I hadn't bothered to block for him, trusting he could handle it.
By the time all the flying sword qi had vanished, the dust had completely settled.
Baek Mang-gi was visible. His eyes, a mixture of disbelief, shock, and rage, were filled only with murderous intent. Seok Gwan-chu was shocked and bewildered. He had never imagined his master’s secret technique could be blocked.
Conversely, the eyes of Bi Sa-in and the 13 Wolves as they looked at us were full of wonder. It went beyond surprise; it was closer to awe.
This time, I was the first to charge at Baek Mang-gi.
If you’re going to give your best, I’m going to give my soul. If you die, only you die, but if I die, too many people die with me.
I poured everything into my sword.
Dozens of exchanges passed in an instant.
Blood sprayed from both our bodies. I didn't have the luxury to check where or how I’d been cut. The fact that blood was spraying even though I was wearing the Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread and the Ghost Guard Robe meant that without them, I might have already lost a few limbs.
As I held my ground, and kept holding it, I felt a sense of irritation from Baek Mang-gi.
When was the last time he’d engaged in such a long, bloody battle?
Fifty years ago? Seventy? Perhaps he’d never had a fight this difficult. After becoming the Sword Emperor, no one would have dared to challenge him recklessly.
In this fight, the Smiling Demon’s help was absolute. He didn't intervene carelessly because our fight was too fast, but whenever he saw a certain opening, he fired a Blood Calamity Finger.
When I was in danger, the Blood Calamity Finger saved me. A single, timely shot of finger force changed the momentum of the fight and gave me an opportunity.
Eventually, Baek Mang-gi changed his strategy and tried to kill the Smiling Demon first.
The moment I sensed his murderous intent shifting toward the Smiling Demon, I drove Baek Mang-gi back like a madman.
If I give him an opening, the Smiling Demon dies.
That was my only thought.
I didn't want to lose the Smiling Demon in this fight. I didn't want him to die at the hands of this old man.
If anyone’s going to kill him, it’s me! You damn old geezer!
This desperate desire produced a remarkable phenomenon.
Everything else vanished from my sight, leaving only Baek Mang-gi.
It was as if Baek Mang-gi alone, dressed in white, was moving before me against a black background. Everything else was invisible.
All sound was blocked out as well. I could only hear my own sounds and the sounds Baek Mang-gi made. It was an incredible experience, the first of its kind since I’d started learning martial arts.
At the moment Baek Mang-gi’s sword and mine clashed, sending sparks flying, another change occurred.
Now even Baek Mang-gi vanished, and in my eyes, only his sword moved. I could only see my sword and his. Perhaps if more time passed, even the swords would become invisible?
I began to see Baek Mang-gi’s sword with increasing clarity.
My vision, sharpened by the New Eye Technique, was finally showing its true effect. It wasn't that he had slowed down, nor that I had become faster. I had simply adapted to this speed first. My eyes had adjusted.
The swords were all I saw, but then Baek Mang-gi’s form reappeared.
I could see his face.
Now, finally, I could see it.
I saw that he was struggling.
I saw that he was regretting.
I saw that he was afraid.
And then, I saw it.
The single opening shown by the man who had been perfect.
The moment I recognized it, my sword had already translated my will into action. My sword and my body were one.
Thuck!
The moment my sword pierced through Baek Mang-gi’s heart, my vision returned to normal. The darkness around us vanished, and my surroundings became visible again.
Baek Mang-gi’s body was already riddled with several holes, from which blood was flowing. Those were the spots where the Blood Calamity Finger had struck.
I didn't even know when he’d been hit by them. Baek Mang-gi had fought this well even while dealing with both of us.
Looking down at his final gaze—filled with shock, horror, futility, and fear—I slowly pulled out my sword. I was too exhausted and weary to even say anything to him.
With blood geysering from his heart, Baek Mang-gi collapsed, dead.
If I hadn't achieved the Twelve-Star Great Achievement, I would have lost this fight. If I hadn't fought alongside the Smiling Demon, we would have died.
There are monster-like masters of the previous generation like this in the Murim. They exist in the Murim Alliance, in the Cult, and here in the Unorthodox Path Alliance.
Old masters who remain frozen like fossils, only to suddenly pop out and try to kindle one last flame. That is why the Murim is a terrifying place.
“Ugh, I’m dying.”
I flopped onto the ground right where I stood. My mental exhaustion was so great that I didn't have the strength to lift a finger. I felt like I wouldn't be able to move unless someone actually tried to stab me. A groan of genuine exhaustion escaped my lips.
The Smiling Demon also sat down heavily beside me. I could see his chin beneath his mask. I noticed dried blood under his jaw.
“Are you hurt?”
“It’s just a light scratch.”
“You’re probably ugly anyway, so you shouldn't let your face get hurt!”
Perhaps he hadn't expected me to say something like that in this situation, because he let out a short chuckle.
“Do you still want to be funny after fighting such a hard battle?”
“I shouldn't miss an opportunity when it comes.”
“Second Young Master, you’re bleeding a lot.”
“It hurts like hell.”
The Smiling Demon pressed my pressure points to stop the bleeding in my arms, legs, stomach, and shoulders.
When I started this journey, could I have ever imagined a moment where he would be staunching my wounds?
“How did the other fight go?”
At my question, the Smiling Demon glanced toward the ongoing battle and told me.
“It’s almost over.”
Since he didn't say we needed to help, it seemed Bi Sa-in’s side was winning.
We stared at the sky in silence for a moment.
Then, I spoke first.
“Thank you.”
After a brief pause, the Smiling Demon replied.
“Thank you.”
We only exchanged words of gratitude. We didn't add anything else. There was no need.
“I’ll buy you a new mask.”
“Buy me a better one. That mask gets stuffy with sweat if I wear it for too long.”
“I’ll do that.”
It was right then.
“Aaaargh!”
I heard the scream of someone losing their life.
I lifted my head to see the swords of Bi Sa-in and three of the 13 Wolves embedded in Seok Gwan-chu’s body.
It seemed two more of the 13 Wolves had been sacrificed during the fight, as they lay fallen on the ground. A villain never goes to the Underworld alone.
I pushed myself up into a sitting position.
Bi Sa-in walked toward me. He stood a short distance away and stared at Baek Mang-gi’s corpse. He seemed unable to believe we had actually killed him.
He bowed his head to me in greeting. It was the first time he had bowed to me.
“I lived thanks to you.”
I smiled and said to him, “I almost died thanks to you.”
He didn't laugh. With eyes still full of resolve and holding a sword dripping with blood, he said, “I intend to go straight from here to kill Seok Gwan-chu’s grandson.”
He was more polite than when he’d dealt with me before. And he was taking my advice to heart.
“The testimony of our 13 Wolves will be evidence enough.”
“Make sure to build an Unorthodox Path Alliance where that kind of thing actually works.”
“Then, I shall see you next time.”
Bi Sa-in bowed his head in farewell. The Bi Sa-in I first met and the Bi Sa-in now were completely different people.
As they gathered their comrades' bodies and departed, the Smiling Demon asked.
“For the sake of the Cult, shouldn't we have put a bigger idiot in as the successor instead of that Bi Sa-in?”
“Probably.”
“Then why did you help him?”
It was a matter that had started because Seok Gwan-chu’s grandson was a piece of trash, but I gave the Smiling Demon this answer:
“Well, it’s no fun if the opponent is too much of an idiot, right?”
The Smiling Demon chuckled. He likely felt the same way. He was the type of person whose spirit burned brighter the stronger his opponent was.
“Shall we go as well?”
“Aaaah, my legs hurt so much I can't walk. Give me a piggyback ride.”
“Don't play possum. You’re limping on the wrong leg.”
The Smiling Demon and I walked out of that place side by side.
Behind us, only the faint moonlight shone upon the spot where old, withered desires were growing cold.