Chapter 60: Conclusion (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60: Conclusion (2)
Ssssssssss!
My blood surged through my veins at an incredible speed, and white steam erupted from my entire body.
I had never before opened my middle and upper dantians simultaneously while also manifesting both the Blood Demon Transformation and the True Blood Golden Body.
This was the absolute peak of power I could currently muster.
While I couldn't maintain this state for long, I could easily endure at least ten exchanges.
A crease formed between Sama Chak’s previously relaxed brows.
I didn't miss the opening and lunged toward him.
Flash!
Since he said he would yield the first move, I would strike with everything I had.
The Twelve Superhumans—the pinnacle of the Central Plains.
How much of my martial prowess would actually work against one of the five strongest swordsmen among them?
As I closed the distance, I threw a punch.
'Rock Shattering Explosion Fist.'
The 6th stance of the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Terrain Fist: Rock Shattering Explosion Fist.
It was a technique that unleashed five consecutive strikes, powerful enough to blast even boulders into dust. Among the Wind Shadow Eight Streams techniques I had learned through the Heavenly Secret, it was one of the easiest to implement while boasting the highest destructive power.
Boom! Whoooooosh!
The moment I stomped the ground and threw the punch, the earth beneath me cracked, and a powerful gale erupted. The surrounding bamboo trees bent violently as if caught in a typhoon.
Sama Chak extended a palm to block my strike.
Pang!
The moment my fist met his palm, a heavy sensation traveled up my arm.
As expected of a Superhuman, his internal power was profound. To think he didn't budge an inch even against this level of force.
But this wasn't the end.
Papapapak!
The essence of the Rock Shattering Explosion Fist lay in its five consecutive strikes.
As the rapid-fire punches followed, cracks began to spiderweb across the ground beneath Sama Chak’s feet, and then—
Skreeeeek!
His figure was pushed back about three steps.
—He was pushed back!
'!!!'
"A-Father was pushed back!"
Sama Yeong’s voice reached my ears. She had been filled with worry, wondering if I could even last a few exchanges. However, seeing Sama Chak pushed back for the first time, her eyes were wide with shock.
My own heart was thumping so hard it felt like it would burst.
How would he react?
—He’s smiling.
Just as the Lesser Conversation Sword said, the corners of Sama Chak’s mouth curled upward. He didn't look the least bit flustered. Instead, he stared at me with a look of genuine intrigue.
"So, you did have a hidden card after all."
Sama Chak reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist.
He, who had acted so arrogantly as if he would face me barehanded, was finally drawing his blade.
—Don't give him the chance, Un-hwi!
The Namcheon Iron Sword was right. The moment the Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak drew his blade, the situation would change. I had to exhaust as many of the remaining nine exchanges as possible while he was still unarmed.
Swish!
I lunged at Sama Chak again, shifting my hands into a finger-strike grip. I transitioned my offensive into the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art's finger technique.
My fingers created dozens of afterimages as they aimed for Sama Chak’s vital points.
Sama Chak, who was about to draw his sword, used his footwork to widen the distance and flicked a steel ball with his left hand.
Shook!
The steel ball aimed straight for the space between my brows. I twisted my upper body to the side to dodge it.
But as if he had anticipated that, a second steel ball flew toward the very direction I had twisted.
There was no dodging this one.
In that case—
Grab!
I caught the intensely spinning steel ball in my palm. It was only possible because I was in the True Blood Golden Body state and had concentrated all my internal power into my hand.
In that instant, the force behind the steel ball pushed me back about two steps.
Skreeek!
After sliding back, the spinning ball finally stopped. When I opened my palm, a faint wisp of smoke rose as the ball dropped to the ground.
My palm was stained red. My knuckles throbbed with a stinging pain.
'He really is strong.'
It was a strike that felt like he was paying me back for the Rock Shattering Explosion Fist.
In the brief moment it took to block that, Sama Chak had already half-drawn his sword.
Sama Yeong shouted toward him.
"The steel balls are a type of Flicking Finger Divine Power, so the Young Master has endured three exchanges!"
—She’s right!
The Lesser Conversation Sword agreed excitedly with Sama Yeong’s logic.
Sama Chak, on the other hand, shook his head in disbelief at his daughter taking my side. His expression seemed to say that raising a daughter was truly a futile endeavor.
Shring!
Having fully drawn his sword, Sama Chak spoke to me.
"Fine. I shall count that as three exchanges. Now, draw your sword."
It sounded like an invitation to a proper duel.
At his words, I drew the Namcheon Iron Sword from its scabbard.
The moment the blade was out, Sama Chak’s figure blurred, and he appeared before me in an instant. It was an incredible body lightening method.
[The center of all martial arts comes from the feet.]
My father Jin Seong-baek’s words flashed through my mind.
The moment Sama Chak’s sword lunged toward my chest, the footprints that the Merciless Wind God Jin Seong-baek had trodden in my mindscape began to swirl in my head.
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
In that instant, my body became as light as the wind. The moment his sword was about to touch me, I rapidly took a position behind Sama Chak.
This was the Wind Shadow Step, the very technique that had earned my father the title of the God of Wind.
Not only had I dodged his attack, but I had also taken his back. I swung my sword toward the vital point near his shoulder blade.
In that moment, Sama Chak’s figure moved forward. He then spun his body with lightning speed, parrying my swinging blade.
The moment our swords clashed and bounced off, I unleashed a sword technique.
'New Path Life-Drawing Sword Technique, 3rd Stance: Illuminating Shadow Sword.'
The original Illuminating Shadow Sword was characterized by its fluid changes, like a supple willow branch. However, the New Path version moved strangely, like a slippery loach, splitting into several paths to aim for Sama Chak’s vitals.
A glint of surprise appeared in Sama Chak’s eyes.
"Not bad."
For the first time, Sama Chak unleashed a proper sword technique.
His sword drew a smooth semi-circle and intervened in the flow of the Illuminating Shadow Sword.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Blue sparks flew continuously as blade met blade. With every collision, the sheer pressure of the sword stances created powerful gusts of wind, and the ground around us was gouged by the sharp killing intent.
As our swords clashed violently, Sama Chak’s blade suddenly lunged toward my left side with blinding speed.
Even though that side was covered by an eye patch, I could see perfectly fine thanks to the Golden Eye. I moved to block it, but his sword stopped mid-air.
"Take off that eye patch. Unless you are actually blind."
I had been wearing the human skin mask and the eye patch to travel with my father.
"I've grown used to it, so even like this..."
"Are you not going to give your all against me?"
It was hard to make an excuse after that. Honestly, I had kept it on to hide the Golden Eye during the duel, but it seemed I had no choice.
"Before I remove the eye patch, there is one thing I must tell you."
"And what is that?"
"My eye became like this after I fell into Bongnim Valley and was trapped in a certain mechanical device."
Sama Chak frowned at my words.
"Were you injured?"
I shook my head and removed the eye patch. Then, I opened my closed eye.
The moment the Golden Eye hidden in my left socket was revealed, Sama Chak’s expression froze. Sama Yeong also couldn't hide her astonishment.
"Young Master... your eye?"
This father and daughter had said they saw a man with a golden eye escaping from Bongnim Valley. And I had heard from Sama Yeong that Sama Chak had pursued him.
I had made the first move to prevent any misunderstanding that I was associated with that man, but looking at Sama Chak’s face, his reaction wasn't great.
Then, Sama Chak asked me.
"You said you were trapped in a mechanical device?"
"When I was in the underground of Bongnim Valley, I was pursued by strange monsters. My martial arts were restricted, and while fleeing from them, I discovered a room with a mechanical device."
I told him what happened afterward—how I inhaled the smoke that came from within, and how something akin to Bone Forging and Marrow Cleansing occurred.
Hearing this, Sama Chak stroked his chin, lost in thought.
'Why is he reacting like that?'
While I was wondering, Sama Chak raised his sword and spoke.
"Let us continue the test."
'Huh?'
I thought he would say something more about the Golden Eye, but his interest had returned to the test. Hearing that he had chased the man with the golden eye, I wondered if he knew something about it, but it seemed I had miscalculated. Perhaps he was just curious about how a severed arm could grow back.
—Only five more exchanges to go. Hang in there.
As the Lesser Conversation Sword said, I was halfway there. Now that the eye patch was off, I could utilize the full power of the Golden Eye. It was definitely possible.
Sama Chak pointed his sword at me and said.
"I have seen enough to know your level. Now, show me the greatest sword technique you can perform."
"Pardon?"
"I told you to unleash the best sword you have."
'The best sword...'
Two things came to mind. One was the Blood Heaven Emotionless Sword, the secret technique of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword. The other was the 7th and final stance of the New Path Life-Drawing Sword Technique: the Twelve Heavenly Realm Sword.
The Blood Heaven Emotionless Sword couldn't be performed without the Blood Demon Sword. That brat, the Blood Demon Sword, had thrown a fit about not wanting to go because of what happened with Sama Chak, so I had left him with my maternal grandfather. I found myself wishing I had brought him along.
"I understand."
Slide.
I changed my grip on the sword and took a starting stance.
The Twelve Heavenly Realm Sword was a technique that had eliminated all previous flaws through the New Path Life-Drawing Sword Technique, consisting only of the most ideal sword forms.
"Whew."
I steadied my breathing and concentrated all my senses into the blade.
Immediately, a sharp killing intent erupted from the Namcheon Iron Sword. The surrounding air shimmered from the surging energy. Even the sand on the ground began to vibrate, and sharp sword marks appeared on the earth.
[The intense will to cut is what manifests as sharp killing intent. Gather that intent into one. Put the powerful conviction that you yourself have become the sword into your blade.]
That was the final lesson the Sword Immortal had given me.
'Become the sword and cut through everything.'
I focused every ounce of my will solely on the sword. Gradually, the surging killing intent began to subside. To be precise, it was being concentrated into the blade.
"The sword!"
An exclamation escaped Sama Yeong’s lips.
Woooooooong!
The more the killing intent gathered, the more the Namcheon Iron Sword shimmered with a white light. It wasn't as intense as the light the Sword Immortal had shown, but concentrated as it was, it was the definition of extreme sharpness.
[That is what they call Divine Sword Unity.]
Divine Sword Unity. The realm where the sword and I become one.
Though not yet perfect, all my will was focused on the blade.
Sama Chak’s eyes narrowed. Once all the killing intent was concentrated and I entered the state of Divine Sword Unity, his gaze didn't leave my sword.
"This is my best sword."
With those words, I lunged toward Sama Chak.
New Path Life-Drawing Sword Technique, 7th Stance: Twelve Heavenly Realm Sword, Open.
A faint white trail embroidered the air as twelve sword forms followed one another in an instant, flowing like water.
The corners of Sama Chak’s mouth pulled back.
Flinch!
I felt an intense battle spirit erupting from him. Sama Chak’s sword moved.
Sssssss!
The moment Sama Chak moved his sword, it felt as if a sphere had formed around him. It was a sphere created by countless sword trajectories. It looked like a full moon.
The moment the secret technique, Twelve Heavenly Realm Sword, collided with that full moon, a tremendous sonic boom echoed in all directions.
Clang-ng-ng-ng!
That was only the beginning. As I continued the forms of the Twelve Heavenly Realm Sword, the ear-splitting sonic booms and the flashes of sword light turned the world white before my eyes.
—Isn't this guy a total monster?
Even I was dumbfounded. Every single sword form I unleashed through Divine Sword Unity was being parried. I couldn't overcome those countless sword trajectories that formed the full moon; every strike was blocked.
'I have to break through.'
I had to find a gap. I tried to read the flow with my Golden Eye to find a flaw, but I couldn't see one. The sword displayed by the Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak was perfection itself.
If I couldn't break through his sword, I had to at least show him my will. By putting everything into the final strike!
"Hyaaaaaap!"
The moment I concentrated the entire will of the sword into its tip, something strange happened. The tip of the blade began to vibrate minutely. It resembled the single strike the Sword Immortal had shown when he broke the Chasing Return Sword.
I thrust this single strike into the very center of the full moon.
In that instant, Sama Chak frowned and stomped his foot hard against the ground.
Boom!
Simultaneously, the full moon opened like a blooming flower, then converged into a single point to collide with my final strike.
CLANG!
Along with the scream of clashing metal, my body was sent flying backward. The aftermath was so powerful that I smashed through bamboo trees and flew quite a distance beyond them.
Thud, tumble!
After rolling several times on the ground, I barely managed to push myself up. The taste of blood rose in my throat, bitter and metallic. I had suffered an internal injury.
If I was in this state, how was he?
I looked up, but to my surprise, Sama Chak was standing there as if nothing had happened. He looked at me without a hint of injury, the corners of his mouth even turned up.
'Damn it.'
To think he blocked the secret technique of the New Path Life-Drawing Sword Technique like that. It was enough to make me feel hollow. I knew he was someone close to the pinnacle of the martial world, but he was a truly nonsensical monster.
"Huff... huff..."
My breathing was ragged. I was already pushing myself with the Blood Demon Transformation and the True Blood Golden Body, rapidly consuming my Innate True Qi and Mental Focus, and the Divine Sword Unity had left me in a terrible state.
Would it even be possible to endure the remaining four exchanges against that monster?
"Whew..."
I steadied my breath and gripped my sword firmly again. I couldn't let myself grow weak. For better or worse, I had to endure those four exchanges.
"I'm coming again."
Just as I was about to lunge at Sama Chak once more, he suddenly held out his hand toward me. It looked like a gesture telling me to stop.
While I was wondering why, Sama Chak sheathed his precious blade into its scabbard.
"Let's stop here."
At those words, I felt a surge of anxiety. Had he decided there was nothing more to see because he had blocked the best sword I could offer?
Then, Sama Chak snorted and spoke gruffly.
"Hmph. With that level of skill, you won't be getting beaten up anywhere you go."
"Pardon?"
What did that mean?
Sama Chak looked at his daughter, Sama Yeong, and nodded. Then, he glanced at me and said, "If you ever make my daughter suffer, you'd better be prepared to face my sword again at any time."
"S-Senior!"
The moment I heard his words, my heart swelled with emotion. The Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak had finally acknowledged me.
"Young Master!"
Sama Yeong’s eyes welled with tears of joy, and she immediately ran to her father and hugged him. Sama Chak clicked his tongue as if displeased, but eventually, he stroked her hair.
"Thank you, Father."
"If that Jin brat ever gives you a reason to cry, tell your father immediately."
"Calling your son-in-law 'that Jin brat' is too much."
When Sama Yeong protested with a sharp look, Sama Chak replied nonchalantly.
"Even though I've acknowledged the fellow, he still calls me 'Senior.' What's wrong with calling him 'that Jin brat'?"
Wait.
Did that mean he wasn't just giving us permission to see each other, but actually accepting me as his son-in-law? Once he made up his mind, he was incredibly straightforward.
Sama Yeong was signaling me with her eyes.
—Hey. If you don't want to suffer more, call him 'Father-in-law' quickly before he changes his mind.
At the Lesser Conversation Sword’s words, I bowed deeply and shouted.
*
The bamboo grove where Jin Un-hwi and Sama Yeong had departed.
Sama Chak, who had sent them ahead saying he had business to attend to, let out a sigh and called out to someone.
"Du Gong."
At his call, someone lightly descended from the top of the bamboo grove. It was a man with salt-and-pepper hair, possessing an aura reminiscent of an elderly scholar. Even though such a man had been hiding above the grove, Jin Un-hwi hadn't noticed him throughout the entire fight. That alone was proof of his extraordinary martial prowess.
"You heard what that Jin brat said, didn't you?"
At Sama Chak’s question, the man called Du Gong nodded.
"I heard. If what he said is true, then as you predicted, it might be related to the Maoshan Sect."
"Did you find any traces of him?"
"I did. He headed southeast toward Shaanxi Province. Unlike that one-eyed fellow, he’s somewhat clumsy and keeps leaving traces."
"If we follow the traces, we should be able to catch him."
"Are you going to catch him first instead of helping your son-in-law?"
"Do you think I'll let him get away?"
At those words, the man called Du Gong let out a sigh and nodded. Then, he smirked and said, "Well, if that's what you want to do, so be it. But really? 'Not getting beaten up anywhere'? You're quite the arrogant one, aren't you?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
"You grumbled so much about how he wasn't to your liking that I came to see what he was like for myself. To think you'd say that about a son-in-law who might become the Number One Sword Under Heaven in the future."
"You speak of the 'Number One Under Heaven' far too easily."
At Sama Chak’s rebuke, Du Gong spoke playfully.
"This old man has seen many martial talents in his time, but I've never seen anyone reach that realm at such an age. You're secretly being far too greedy."
"Nonsense."
"Well, I suppose to someone like you, who still had strength to spare against a son-in-law of that caliber, nothing would be impressive enough."
At those words, Sama Chak muttered softly.
"Strength to spare, you say..."
He looked down at his palm. The palm of his right hand, which had held the sword, was torn and bleeding.
Clenching his blood-stained palm into a fist, the corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.