Chapter 742: From the Beginning (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 742: From the Beginning (3)
The Flaming Spheres were being torn apart, one after another.
Watching the destruction, I clicked my tongue.
“Tsk.”
So this wasn’t enough. I’d held onto a sliver of hope, but as expected…
The old man’s gaze shifted toward me. His eyes said everything.
Is there nothing more?
Is this all you’ve got?
He had the composure to taunt me even while moving with such ferocity? It wasn’t even funny.
“Ha.”
I let out a short laugh and focused my power. I didn’t stop creating the Flaming Spheres; I had to do both at once. That was the only way to at least hinder his movements.
Fwoosh!
Trying to maintain both simultaneously felt like my Qi would tangle. It was a close call, but I managed to hold the thread. As I unleashed a torrent of Flaming Spheres, I gripped the Flaming Sphere Holy Spear.
I was manifesting two different martial arts at the same time. If I made even a single mistake, the flow of my Qi would twist, and I’d fall into a state of Qi overflow.
But so what? If I were afraid of that, I shouldn’t have started this fight in the first place.
Stomp!
I lunged forward, my foot slamming into the ground. Ink splattered everywhere.
“Hoo—!”
With all my might, I hurled the holy spear.
Keeeeeeeee—!
With a piercing shriek, the spear tore through the air. Just before the tip could reach the old man—
Rustle.
A crisp sound echoed from nowhere. The scent of plum blossoms brushed past my nose.
And then, I saw it.
Fwaaaaaa!
Plum blossoms erupted from the old man’s body. From the blooming flowers, petals drifted into the air—thin, soft, delicate plum blossom petals. They seemed to do nothing but flutter helplessly, but…
Thud! Thud-thud-thud!
“…!”
My eyes widened. The scattered petals were intercepting the downpour of Flaming Spheres. What kind of power did those tiny petals hold to block an onslaught like that?
‘So he could do that.’
He could have used this from the start, yet he had deliberately chosen to simply swing his sword. Was he saying he’d been holding back this much? It was starting to piss me off.
Slice!
While the petals neutralized the Flaming Spheres, the old man slashed through the holy spear. The weapon, split perfectly in two, flew past him. To cut through the Flaming Sphere Holy Spear so casually was absurd, but…
‘This was also part of my calculations.’
I had already expected this.
‘Explode.’
Kwwaaaaaaang!
I immediately detonated the bisected spear. It was an attack that took advantage of the fact that the energy would explode the moment it was no longer bound by my Mind’s Eye.
The old man was instantly engulfed in the blast. Watching the flames roar, my legs finally gave out.
Thud!
“Hah… Heok…”
I was gasping for air. My Qi was hitting rock bottom. No matter how vast my reserves were, it was only natural for them to run dry after pouring out such a relentless assault. Wiping away the cold sweat, I stared straight ahead.
The ground should have been a scorched mess, but as if nothing had happened, it remained a void filled only with that ink.
And then.
Rustle… Rustle…
Where the holy spear had exploded, flower petals drifted down. The petals gradually withered, as if scorched by the flames. I frowned as I watched.
A spherical barrier formed from plum blossom petals had been deployed. He had blocked the explosion with that?
[Well, now.]
I heard the old man’s voice.
Swoosh!
The barrier vanished, and the old man revealed himself. He looked exactly the same as before—not a single hair out of place.
[If I had been a moment later, I would have been hit. I acknowledge it, child. You are strong.]
He looked genuinely surprised, but it just felt obnoxious to me. It hadn’t worked on him anyway, had it?
“...”
[To use martial arts in such a way… Who is your master?]
“…Would you even know him if I told you?”
[Ah, that’s right… He’s already dead and gone, so I suppose I wouldn’t know even if you told me.]
I really hated that smirk of his. He probably would know if I told him.
‘How could you not know, when you’re the one who taught me these things?’
The Dishonored Venerable may have taught me close-quarters combat, but I learned everything else from you. Though I’ve never once called you that, I think of you as my master.
The thought arose, and I immediately struck it from my mind. What right did someone who wasn’t even from Mount Hua have to act like a disciple? That was a title for Yung Pung. To be precise, a title for the true disciples of Mount Hua.
‘Hoo…’
I steadied my breathing and lifted my head.
‘I see.’
Now that my head was clear, I finally realized it.
‘I was jealous.’
I was jealous of Yung Pung. Ever since I heard he had become the descendant of the Divine Sword of Mount Hua. Ever since I heard he would inherit that old man’s proper legacy. It had been eating at me, whether I wanted to admit it or not.
Realizing this, a self-deprecating laugh escaped me.
‘What an idiot.’
It wasn’t even funny. Why was a guy who wasn’t even part of Mount Hua getting jealous? I never learned their sword arts. I was a close-combat fighter; the sword of Mount Hua was meaningless to me. I never learned his internal cultivation art, either. Although I received help from his Taoist Qi, I didn’t know the specific internal cultivation art of the sect.
Furthermore, I had wiped out Mount Hua in my past life. How could someone like me ever become that old man’s descendant?
Ssk.
Even knowing this, I raised my fist.
‘Know your place.’
I once again realized where I stood.
‘I can’t win.’
I couldn’t beat him. I knew it from the start, yet I had charged in anyway. Why? Did I think I could win if I set these conditions? No. I knew I couldn’t win the moment I saw him.
I was just pissed off at the sight of him treating Yung Pung as his sole descendant. So I threw myself at him. Even though I told myself he was a fake, his words must have gotten to me.
How hard have I been struggling all this time for him to act like that?
It was such a petty emotion.
‘Honestly, I’ve been struggling like hell.’
It was for my own goals, but Elder Shin was also involved. He had said it himself—that he was entrusting me with what he couldn’t handle.
So.
‘You should at least concede this much to me.’
I had to get something out of this. Let Yung Pung become the descendant of the Divine Sword of Mount Hua and inherit the true legacy. It wasn’t mine to begin with.
However.
‘I’ll just take one thing.’
I didn’t care about the Divine Sword of Mount Hua, the hero and Sect Leader. But I would become the descendant of the foul-tempered Shincheol. I had to at least do that much.
[Child.]
“Yes.”
[The ten exchanges are over.]
“So they are. It’s a shame. Care to give me ten more?”
[Do you think you would find an answer if you did?]
“No.”
I felt like I couldn’t win even with a hundred more chances. I just smiled. It was a smile remarkably similar to the old man’s.
[What will you do now?]
“What is there to do?”
I shook my raised fist.
“I have to see it through to the end.”
[Hoh.]
Ssk.
At my words, the old man’s Solar Light moved. A chilling energy brushed past my shoulder.
[I do not know who you are. However, I apologize for calling you a spy of the Blood Demon.]
—Don’t let the sword distract your eyes.
—A swordsman is a being who lives with deception. What you must see is not the sword, but the swordsman.
I recalled the words Elder Shin had once told me.
[I can tell by clashing with you.]
[You are a true martial artist.]
My heart resonated. Hearing those words in that damned voice made it ache even more.
[A pity. It would have been good if a child like you had been born in Mount Hua.]
“...”
That was a high compliment, but…
‘A Taoist sect and I don’t really mix.’
If a guy like me had lived in the Mount Hua Sect, all hell would have broken loose. Hiding my emotions, I spoke.
“You’re quite the talker.”
[That I am. But thanks to that, I gave you time to recover, did I not?]
He was right. That short rest was enough for my breathing to return to normal.
[So. Do not forget your promise.]
I heard his voice, but suddenly, I couldn’t see his form. I narrowed my eyes. It wasn’t a problem with my vision; his form was literally blurring. What I saw beyond my hazy vision was no longer the shape of a human.
‘A tree?’
It was a tree. A giant, brightly shining World Tree stood where he had been. It was an ancient plum blossom tree of Mount Hua—perhaps the largest to ever exist.
Whoosh.
There was no wind, yet the tree swayed. Its leaves scattered; its branches danced. My gaze was stolen. I even stopped breathing at the distant, ethereal sight.
[This is a reward.]
[Engrave it deep within you. It is a gift for providing me with some amusement.]
As his voice echoed—
Thump.
His movement stopped.
[Plum Blossom Annihilation.]
Petals bloomed from the branches. And then, I heard the sound of the flowers blooming.
Shhhk.
Clang!
The sound of the flower blooming was duller than I expected.
[…Huh?]
A sound of surprise. At that sound, I opened my eyes. Before me was the old man’s fierce face. His sword was extended toward my neck. It looked as if he had swung his sword to cut me down in a single slash, but the Solar Light had failed to draw blood.
[Child. You…?]
The blade was blocked by something, unable to fulfill its purpose. What blocked the old man’s Solar Light was my own Solar Light. I had secretly moved it to wrap around my neck. An indestructible treasure—I had utilized that very characteristic for defense.
As the old man’s eyes wavered at the sight—
Grip!
I grabbed the old man’s hand.
[…!!]
I felt his strength surge as he tried to pull away. The moment I felt it, I spoke.
“Bind him.”
Shrieeek—!
[What!]
The Solar Light that had been around my neck moved, binding the old man’s hand to mine. That wasn’t all.
Shrieeeeek—!
The Solar Light the old man had been holding unraveled and flowed into my hand. It immediately took the form of a gauntlet. I saw the cloth bind itself, its color shifting from crimson to blue.
[What in the…!!]
The old man was aghast at the sudden betrayal of his Solar Light. He couldn’t believe it—his own treasure turning on him. But what could he do?
“I guess it decided a living master is better than a dead one.”
The fight as martial artists had ended with the previous ten exchanges. In that case…
‘Now, I’ll do it my way.’
After all.
‘I never intended to win while he was holding back anyway.’
It was all calculated from the moment I set the conditions. To defeat an unbeatable opponent, one couldn’t afford to be picky about the means.
Creek! The old man tried to break free. His strength was no joke; it felt like my arm, bound by the Solar Light, would be torn right off. But that was fine. Didn’t I say it before? When you make something familiar, people adapt to it. Therefore, if I was going to throw a curveball, it had to be now.
“Stop.”
[…!!]
Hearing the Dragon’s Word, the old man’s body froze. Even so, I knew it wouldn’t last for more than a second. When used on someone stronger than me, the Dragon’s Word couldn’t hold them for long and would cause a backlash.
See?
Gurgle!
A pang of pain shot through me, and blood welled up in my mouth.
Gulp! I immediately swallowed the blood. It didn’t even hold him for a second? As long as it held him for just a moment, that was enough.
C-c-craaaack—!!!
The power of Heaven Destruction Art surged through my body. I gathered every ounce of energy into my fist.
[You—!]
The old man tried to muster his strength. Was the Dragon’s Word not enough? That was fine too. Because I had one more way to hold him.
“Did you know? Tang Jaemoon is actually a woman.”
[Huh? What are you talking about?]
In the instant the old man faltered—
Heaven Destruction Art.
Fourth Form.
“Changcheon.”
My extended fist struck the old man squarely in the chest.