Chapter 26: Sama-yeong (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26: Sama-yeong (2)
Tiger Fang Momentum Sword, the first stance of the Life Bright Sword Technique.
It was a technique designed to overwhelm the opponent by unfolding sword forms with the fierce momentum of a tiger.
Though the bearded middle-aged man was thrown into confusion by my successful ruse, he responded quickly, as expected of the leader of this group.
Clang-clang-clang!
"Wh-what?"
As our blades clashed, the bearded man's eyes widened.
It was only natural for him to be surprised. Right now, I was circulating four stars of the Life Bright Divine Art, and the sword forms I used were not from the incomplete version of the technique, but the fully supplemented and evolved version.
Clang!
The bearded man was struggling just to block my strikes. With Haeakcheon gone, there was no reason for me to hide the proper Life Bright Sword Technique.
Faster.
The power of the Tiger Fang Momentum Sword increases as the sword's momentum gains speed.
Perhaps overwhelmed by the relentless barrage of strikes, the middle-aged man finally made a mistake.
An opening.
As I deflected his sword toward the upper right, a gap was revealed. The bearded man couldn't even block eight forms; on the ninth, my blade pierced the area above his right collarbone.
Thuck!
In a duel between swordsmen, even a moment's lapse in concentration leads to a fatal wound. Having been stabbed above the collarbone, the bearded man lost his balance.
"Urgh."
Panicked, he attempted to use footwork to widen the distance. As I prepared to pursue him, a good idea struck me.
I reached out toward his legs as he tried to retreat, keeping the Namcheon Iron Sword ready.
Whish!
The Silver Smoke Thread shot out and coiled around the bearded man's leg. I yanked it immediately.
"Gah!"
With one leg pulled out from under him, the man tumbled to the ground. As I injected Innate True Qi into the Silver Smoke Thread, the line retracted, dragging his body toward me.
"Y-you cowardly bastard!" the bearded man screamed at me.
Cowardly? This wasn't a formal duel.
Twang!
He swung his sword to cut the Silver Smoke Thread bound to his leg, but the blade simply bounced off due to the thread's elasticity. Even if it was rusted, this was a thread that had deflected the edge of the Namcheon Iron Sword. There was no way a common sword could cut it.
"Hah!"
In desperation, the man swung his sword to keep me from approaching. But how could a sword swung from a prone position carry any proper form?
Clang!
After parrying his blade, I drove my sword straight into his heart. The bearded man writhed in agony for a moment before his movements ceased as he drew his last breath.
'I agree.'
I concurred with the Namcheon Iron Sword's assessment. If I had used my left hand to trip him with the thread, I might have subdued him even faster. Since the Flash Shadow Throwing Dagger Technique was originally a left-handed martial art, I should probably wear the Silver Smoke Thread on my left hand to get used to it.
Now that the most troublesome one was dealt with, the others...
'Ha!'
I had intended to help the blond youth, but only two enemies remained. Even though he had jumped into a chaotic melee where they were fighting amongst themselves, he had disposed of six out of the eight in that short span of time. Had it not been for their sword formation, he was skilled enough to handle them all alone.
Swish!
Still, it was better to finish this quickly, so I intervened. Launching myself forward, I aimed for the back of one of the men double-teaming the blond youth.
"Watch out!"
One of the men shouted, but it was too late. Even in a head-on confrontation, the difference in skill was so vast that the fight would have ended in a few exchanges; there was no way he could block this. I pierced the side of the swordsman as he frantically tried to turn around.
Thuck!
"Gahhh!"
As I took one down, the blond youth didn't miss the opportunity. With a swift sword form, he finished the other man in a single stroke.
However, his methods were more brutal than I expected. He took out one of the opponent's eyes before immediately slashing his throat.
Even the Namcheon Iron Sword clicked its tongue in distaste. Looking at the corpses of the fallen swordsmen, his strikes were thoroughly focused on killing—targeting the eyes, nose, armpits, and even the groin.
I thought so too. While the purpose of any sword technique is to kill an opponent effectively, this went beyond the norm.
"Great Hero! Thank you for your help."
The blond youth gave me a fist-and-palm salute. To think a person with such cruel hands could smile so brightly with such an innocent face. It really didn't suit him.
Shing!
I pointed my sword at him. Now that the enemies were dealt with, it was time to uncover his identity.
"Ah?"
I questioned the bewildered youth.
"Who are you?"
He wasn't someone left behind by Haeakcheon, nor was he a member of the Blood Cult. Judging by his brutal skills and his lack of hesitation in killing members of the Martial Alliance, he certainly didn't seem to be from the Orthodox Faction, which made me curious about his identity.
Then, the youth suddenly did something unexpected.
Thud!
He dropped to his knees and showed me respect.
"Great Hero. I have long admired your esteemed cult. I heard there might be traces of your cult here, so I came to devote myself to the cause."
'!?'
His sudden words left me speechless. My sword had mentioned he was looking for a master of the Blood Cult, but I never imagined his goal was to join.
Moreover, I hadn't paid much attention while fighting the enemies, but his voice was quite bothersome. His face looked to be in his early twenties, but his voice sounded like a boy who hadn't gone through puberty yet. His attempt to force a deeper tone seemed awkward.
As the Lesser Conversation Sword noted, his frame was slender, and his lines were distinct. He was either a teenage boy lying about his age, or a woman disguised as a man.
'I'm not sure.'
I couldn't just bring in someone whose identity was so mysterious. Besides, I didn't even have the authority to recruit anyone. However, considering he had stopped the Martial Alliance warriors from calling for reinforcements and was consistently trying to get on my good side, his goodwill toward the Blood Cult seemed genuine.
I stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"Who are you that you wish to join the Blood Cult?"
I was telling him to reveal his identity. I hoped his sword would blabber and tell me, but it was surprisingly tight-lipped. The blond youth hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Is status truly that important? I heard that a great leader cherishes talented individuals."
"That only applies to those who can be trusted. How can I recklessly accept someone when I don't even know who they are..."
I heard it too. The ringing in my ears. A significant number of people were approaching from nearby. Judging by the sounds of the swords, there were at least fifteen of them, likely allies of the men we just killed. We had to get out of here.
'...This is the southwest direction of the mountain range.'
To reach the place Haeakcheon had mentioned, I had to circle around the mountains toward Guizhou Province.
"What is the matter?"
"A large group is coming this way."
The blond youth looked puzzled at my words. He must not have sensed them with his Qi Sense yet.
"A large group? That can't be. While I was scouting the area, there was no one..."
"Shh."
I silenced him. Just because no one was there while he was scouting didn't mean no one was there now.
[There seem to be at least twenty to thirty of them. Let's get out of here first.]
It was a rough estimate, but there were likely that many. At my sound transmission, the blond youth spoke as if he couldn't understand.
[I heard you were a Venerable. With that level of martial prowess, surely you could handle...]
Handle them? Right.
Swish!
Leaving behind the blond youth, who still thought I was a Venerable of the Blood Cult, I used my lightness skill toward the northwestern forest. I should avoid using the Silver Smoke Thread to swing through trees in front of others from now on. It was too easy to be misunderstood.
Whish!
Suddenly, I heard the sound of someone catching up rapidly from behind. Glancing back, I saw the blond youth was already right on my heels.
'He's fast.'
I expected him to have high martial prowess, but his skill in lightness arts was exceptional. At this level, he had far surpassed the wall of a first-rate master. To have such skill at that age, he must be the scion of a prestigious family or have a legendary master. I grew more curious about his identity.
[As expected of a Venerable. I only sensed their presence once they got much closer. You are truly amazing.]
The blond youth praised me via sound transmission. What? He already sensed them? Granted, the enemies had gotten closer, but at that distance, even a Unit Leader-level expert would have found it difficult to notice them immediately.
[There seems to be one truly powerful individual among them. If we engage him, the other enemies will swarm us, so your judgment was correct, Great Hero.]
He even had a rough idea of the enemies' strength. Could this guy be hiding his martial arts just like me?
'Ah!'
But I didn't have time to dwell on that. Someone was approaching us from behind at an incredibly high speed. The ringing in my ears was growing louder. At this rate, we would be caught in no time.
[Great Hero! They're too fast!]
The blond youth sent a sound transmission, but he was so panicked that his natural voice slipped out. As I suspected, the "youth" was definitely a woman. How startled must she have been to forget to disguise her voice?
The ringing became distinct. But something was strange. The ringing from the sword kept repeating that it was in pain. Just like the sword Baek Hye-hyang had.
The Lesser Conversation Sword shouted to me. It was impossible to keep running. I hurriedly sent a sound transmission to the youth.
[We can't outrun them. Let's attack together.]
[Yes!]
The youth must have had the same thought, as she nodded in response. She no longer cared about hiding her voice. We stopped and hid behind a thick tree, suppressing our presence as much as possible. We were waiting for the moment the enemy appeared.
The ringing grew closer. I signaled via sound transmission.
[Three.]
[Two.]
[One!]
The moment I said "one," the youth and I simultaneously unleashed our sword forms and lunged at the figure emerging from the bushes. The person who burst out hurriedly drew his sword and blocked our strikes.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
We only exchanged about three blows, but it felt like my palms were going to tear. The internal power behind his sword was immense. However, I had to stop my attack mid-way.
Thud!
I halted my technique, used footwork to create distance, and shouted to the youth.
"Stop!"
"Huh?"
At my shout, the youth reflexively backed away from him. In the meantime, I quickly pulled off the mask covering my face. As I revealed my face, the master who had emerged from the forest spoke in a surprised voice.
"Brat?"
"Elder!"
The identity of the peerless master who had pursued us was none other than the Second Venerable, Raging Demon Lord Seo Gal-ma. He was wearing clothes that looked like a gray Taoist robe and had his hair neatly tied up, so I hadn't recognized him immediately. I never imagined it would be him.
"Elder, why are you here?"
At my question, Seo Gal-ma's face brightened significantly.
"Ha! You're alive."
I couldn't help but let a smile spread across my face as well. I never thought I'd be this happy to see this man here. On the other hand, the blond youth was staring at me with an expression of utter disbelief.
[Great Hero... No, you're not a Venerable, are you?]
At the youth's disappointed sound transmission, I slightly raised my hands and spoke aloud.
"When did I ever tell you I was a Venerable?"
At my words, she spoke as if it were absurd.
"How can you say that now..."
Shing!
At that moment, Seo Gal-ma pointed his sword at her and spoke.
"The face is that of a young man, but the voice is a woman's. It seems you're wearing a human skin mask. Who exactly is this person?"
With a master of Seo Gal-ma's caliber holding a sword, a powerful aura was felt even though it wasn't a saber. It felt as if he would cut the youth down in an instant if she made even the slightest move. The youth looked at me desperately, her eyes pleading for an explanation.
I spoke up.
"This is someone who helped me avoid being caught by the enemies. She says she came looking to join our cult, but I don't know her background."
I briefly explained everything I knew. Beyond that, I was in the dark as well. To the youth, who looked troubled, I sent a message.
[This person is the real deal.]
Realizing my intent, the youth hurriedly knelt on the ground. She showed respect and spoke just as she had to me.
"Venerable Elder. I have long admired your esteemed cult. I came here because I heard there might be traces of your cult, so I beg of you to accept me."
Seo Gal-ma frowned at her words. It was the same reaction I'd had. It was only natural for Seo Gal-ma to be suspicious of someone suddenly asking to join without revealing who they were.
However, his response was entirely different.
Shing!
Seo Gal-ma showed a readiness to strike at any moment and said, "How is this old man supposed to believe that a youngster like you isn't a spy?"
He meant that if she didn't reveal her identity, he would consider her a spy. The killing intent at the tip of his sword was genuine. Overwhelmed by Seo Gal-ma's intimidating aura, the youth finally spoke.
"......My surname is Sama, and my name is Yeong. I come from Gyewol Valley in Sichuan."
'!!!'
Hearing that, Seo Gal-ma's face stiffened. I was the same.
I couldn't answer the Lesser Conversation Sword's question immediately. The shock was that great.
There are many people in the Central Plains with the surname Sama. However, among them, there is only one person from Gyewol Valley in Sichuan.
'...Sama Chak.'
Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak.
One of the Four Great Villains.