Chapter 764: Appearance of a Hero (Revised)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 764: Appearance of a Hero (Revised)
Afterward, One Azure Sword stood frozen, his mind seemingly short-circuiting as he struggled to process the situation.
The other Murim Alliance members beside him, not to mention Beomdong, stared at me with wide, trembling eyes, as if they were witnessing a literal earthquake.
What can I say?
Connections are always a good thing.
It was a fact I was reminded of once again.
‘…Hoo.’
Perhaps because the Heavenly Venerable had intervened, I was able to keep my cool.
In this body's current state, I wouldn't have been able to fight One Azure Sword. Well, I might have been able to win if it came down to it, but it would have completely ruined my plans.
“If you're done talking, may we go now?”
“...”
One Azure Sword's brow furrowed.
He looked like he wanted to snap at me, but perhaps wary of the Heavenly Venerable standing beside me, he held his tongue. Instead, he just glared at me silently for a long moment.
“...I will guide you.”
He backed down quickly.
* * *
Once we got past him, the path to the pavilion was smooth.
Partly because One Azure Sword himself was leading the way, and partly because it wasn't very far to begin with.
As I walked calmly, I scanned my surroundings.
‘There are a lot of people stationed here.’
I had counted forty at first, but an even greater number were positioned further inside. It was significantly fewer than the Alliance's original forces, but it was still a formidable crowd.
If I had one question, it was this:
‘Where did the rest of them go?’
There were three Captain-level figures nearby. One Azure Sword, the Seomgeom, and the other one…
‘I'm not sure, but I'd guess he's the Captain of the Golden Dragon Army.’
Seeing the two swords at his waist, he had to be the Captain of the Golden Dragon Army, who was famous for using dual blades.
I confirmed the Captain of the First Dragon Army was dead... I skipped over the Captain of the Red Dragon Army, and I knew what the Captain of the Wind Dragon Army was up to. So, where were the rest, and what were they doing?
‘They were nowhere to be seen when the demons were raising hell, so I thought they were all here.’
But that didn't seem to be the case.
So, where on earth did they go?
“...”
A certain possibility came to mind, but I sincerely hoped I was wrong. If that turned out to be true, my existing dislike for them would curdle into pure resentment.
I followed the guide a little longer. Eventually, we arrived at the pavilion.
It was near the arena where I'd had that brawl with the Dao King. That was just a short while ago, yet here I was, returning with my body a complete wreck. How much time had even passed?
‘It's not even funny.’
With that bitter feeling, I looked ahead.
The vermilion barrier was still in place. A great number of people surrounded it.
“...Dammit...!”
“What in the world are we supposed to do about this?!”
“Hurry up...! Our Sect Leader is inside!”
“We're doing the best we can!”
People stared at the barrier, restless and anxious. I could see the familiar uniforms of various sects, as well as the symbols of renowned noble clans. There were even crests of those known to be among the wealthiest in the Central Plains.
Whether by power or by wealth, it meant that the people gathered here were the pillars of the current Central Plains.
I watched them for a moment before raising my gaze slightly. I could see people gathered atop the towering pavilion. Among them, I focused on the face of the old man at the forefront.
‘Look at that old man's face. He looks like he's about to slice someone in half.’
It was the current leader of the Murim Alliance, the Sword of Wudang.
The Sword of Wudang's face was contorted like a demon's, any trace of the benevolence characteristic of a Taoist long gone. Seeing as the heavens had opened their eyes, he must have known the situation was nearing its end.
And yet, the fact that he was making such a face meant one thing.
‘He knows.’
He wasn't a complete fool, so he seemed to understand what was happening to the Murim Alliance. He knew the Alliance's reputation and his own position were crumbling, yet he himself was powerless to move. How furious must he be?
And since I knew that feeling all too well…
‘How satisfying.’
It actually put me in a better mood.
Feeling refreshed, I walked forward. Seeing the people crowding the path, I gave them a few light taps to move them aside.
“Excuse me, coming through.”
“Ugh...! What the—!”
“Yes, yes. Please make way. I'm in a bit of a hurry.”
I somehow forged a path and entered. As I pushed through, I could finally see what was happening at the front.
There were people standing close to the barrier. They wore clothes identifying them as members of the Murim Alliance, but the character for 'Wind' (風) was embroidered on their outfits.
‘The Wind Dragon Army.’
Members of the Wind Dragon Army, one of the Eight Swordsmen Armies. These so-called experts in formations were gathered before the barrier. And below them…
“...Captain...! Please, stop... Something terrible will happen to you if you continue.”
“That's right. We'll handle the rest... Please...”
Despite the protests of those around her, a figure moved her hands silently, as if brainwashed, trying to undo the barrier.
The Captain of the Wind Dragon Army, Bimapa, was sitting on the ground, touching the barrier. An aged physique, a body that was far from healthy. Even though her hands trembled so much she could barely lift them, the old woman steadily worked on the barrier. This was all in an effort to somehow dispel the barrier.
‘Not very useful, though.’
And she was also moving according to my orders.
“Hh... Huuh...”
Looking as if she might collapse at any moment, the Captain of the Wind Dragon Army didn't stop. Watching her, I narrowed my eyes.
‘I had a sliver of hope, just in case. But it's just as I expected.’
Didn't they say it would take half a day for even the Captain of the Wind Dragon Army to release the barrier? Half a day was the time calculated for an expert of experts like her; they said it would take several days for anyone else.
This just went to show what an exceptional individual she was. It was only because it was her that the time could be shortened to half a day.
And as if to prove it…
‘The barrier has faded a little.’
The vermilion barrier's color seemed fainter than before.
But.
‘It's still a long way off.’
It had only faded slightly. It looked like it would still take a very long time to dispel.
Watching this, I wondered what to do. Half a day was too late. I had to get rid of the barrier before then, somehow. That's why I was bothering to use the Captain of the Wind Dragon Army in the first place.
‘This is getting a bit annoying.’
What should I do?
I thought this over as I stared at the barrier. At a glance, it was just an unremarkable barrier. But as the Unyielding Demon had boasted, it possessed the power to bind three of the Ten Great Masters and several Fusion Realm martial artists.
However… I had my doubts.
‘Is that thing really so hard to undo?’
I opened my Mind’s Eye and examined the barrier. With my internal injuries, even activating my Mind’s Eye was a bit of a strain.
‘Oh.’
I see it.
A feast of threads, tangled so intricately they were impossible to count. Threads whose beginnings and ends were lost in the mess. That barrier was a mass of them. From the looks of it, the Captain of the Wind Dragon Army was carefully picking at the threads, trying to find the starting point.
Watching her, I realized.
‘No wonder it's taking more than half a day.’
When was she ever going to untangle all these threads to find the start?
‘Talk about tedious work. This is the worst of it.’
Disgusted, I examined the barrier more closely.
‘…Hmm.’
I narrowed my eyes, looking it over, but…
‘I don't understand the principle behind it.’
I couldn't figure out how it worked or how it produced such an effect. Of course. How could I grasp the principle when I'd never learned it?
‘A shame.’
If only I understood it, it would have been a useful power to have. But with the Unyielding Demon gone, it was a pointless thought.
But…
‘Hmm.’
Right now, I needed to focus on something other than the principle.
The densely packed lines. Looking at the form of the ritual, so dense it was hard to find a gap, I soon discovered something strange. Through my Mind’s Eye, I could see lines that were shining with a peculiar light.
‘What's this?’
Why are those lines shining differently?
Puzzled, I followed the lines with my eyes. The endlessly arrayed lines were tangled, but most of them were concentrated in one spot. That spot was somewhere on the ground where the barrier met the earth.
A patch of ground that looked perfectly ordinary.
I left Bimapa behind and headed that way. It was a spot about five or six steps away from where the martial artists were gathered. There were several shining threads, but that was the place where they all converged into a single stream.
A place no different from any other.
I stared at it for a moment, then reached out my hand.
Wuuuuung—!!
As my hand touched it, the barrier let out a vibration.
“C-Captain! The barrier seems to be reacting!”
“Could it be, is she making progress...?!”
Thinking this was Bimapa's doing, the others spoke to her with cheers in their voices. Ignoring them completely, my fingertips began to move slowly.
Woong.
Wuuuuung.
From the hand touching the barrier, I could feel all sorts of energies. It had looked like a complex ritual, but touching it felt different.
‘This... I've felt this somewhere before.’
It was a familiar sensation. Where had I felt it? I thought for a moment before it came to me.
‘Ah.’
The Unyielding Demon's hideout. It was similar to the formation I touched there. The finer details were different, but the basic structure was similar. It felt much more elaborate than the one before.
All the threads erupted in reaction. They moved erratically, as if convulsing in protest of my touch.
Wuuuuung—!!
“...Th-This is bad! The ritual is suddenly creating a backlash.”
“If this happens... we'll have to start our calculations all over again...?”
“Dammit! Why is this...!!”
The others expressed their despair at this reaction. It seemed if it was disturbed like this, they'd have to start the dispelling process from scratch.
I couldn't understand them.
‘Why would you start over?’
The reaction was violent, sure. But the important root wasn't these threads that were going wild. The root was none other than the thread I was holding.
‘The beginning and the end aren't what's important.’
How long would it take to find the start or the end? Rather than searching for that…
‘Can't I just rip it out from the middle?’
If I've found the right thread, shouldn't I just be able to grab it and pull?
The moment I had that thought, I put strength into my hand and yanked the line.
At that moment.
Snap—!
The thread tore with surprising ease, even without much force. Seeing that, my eyes widened. Why did it break so easily...?
I was momentarily flustered, wondering if I'd pulled the wrong one, but…
WUUUUUUNG----!!!!
The barrier, its thread now broken, suddenly began to vibrate violently.
GUUUUUNG---!!!!
Starting from the spot where I'd torn the thread, the barrier began to unravel.
“Gasp—!! C-Captain!! You've dispelled the... huh?”
“Huh?”
Just as the barrier began to collapse and everyone was about to cheer… they realized the source wasn't Bimapa, and all eyes shifted.
In an instant, every gaze was fixed on me.
“...”
“...?”
Their faces were masks of incomprehension. Seeing them, I gave an awkward laugh.
“...Uh, well, you see... I was just wondering why you all were having so much trouble, so I gave it a try... and it worked? Hahaha. That's great, isn't it?”
Hahahaha… I said, forcing a laugh.
“...”
“...”
“...”
But no one laughed with me.