The Blacksmith's Fury (4)
The figure of Jeon Pyeong, the escort warrior protecting Hwa Seo-yeon, shot into the air. The momentum of my charge, brimming with terrifying energy, was not something an opponent could easily dismiss.
“What kind of ridiculous nonsense is this…!”
“Let’s enjoy ourselves for once, shall we?”
“...You really are completely insane.”
At Jeon Pyeong’s mocking words, I grinned and thrust my sword straight toward the vital point of his airborne form.
Whoosh—!
Jeon Pyeong glanced sideways at me, then began maneuvering his body as if hiding within the building’s shadows. Watching his movements from a suitable distance, I finally caught sight of the battle unfolding between Mu Yeong and the Bald Demon on the open ground outside.
“You damn mutt, acting so arrogantly!”
“Haha, if anyone’s the mutt here, it’s you, Baldy—the one still convinced he has a chance of winning.”
“You…!”
Until just moments ago, Mu Yeong and the Bald Demon had been engaged in a close fight, maintaining a careful distance. But now Mu Yeong had seized the advantage, driving his opponent into a corner and landing heavy blows on the increasingly disadvantaged Bald Demon.
While the Bald Demon was struggling desperately against Mu Yeong’s martial prowess, the escort warrior Jeon Pyeong, who had slipped into the building’s shadow, suddenly revealed himself as if aiming for my throat and charged at me with ferocious speed.
Swish—!
He moves stealthily to lure the opponent into carelessness, then strikes only at vital points… In a way, he’s similar to the assassination squad leader I dealt with last time.
My pupils darted rapidly left and right. By focusing intensely so as not to miss a single movement, I somehow managed to catch the exact moment Jeon Pyeong slipped into my range.
An ordinary expert would have failed to read the rhythm of Jeon Pyeong’s strikes and exposed their vitals, but by pouring my full concentration into his movements and perfectly activating all five senses, it wasn’t difficult at all.
Kiiing—!
Nakseong let out a clear sword cry before lightly deflecting Jeon Pyeong’s attack.
“Ugh…!”
“If you’re going to launch a sneak attack, you should’ve stayed hidden until you were absolutely certain.”
When I spoke with a sneer, Jeon Pyeong’s eyes widened in shock. In truth, from his perspective, he probably never imagined I could pull off something so bizarre.
I thought to myself, Jeon Pyeong’s martial level feels strangely ambiguous… He’s probably reached a realm where he can easily overpower anyone below the Peak level, but against Transcendence realm experts and above, it wouldn’t work at all.
Even as sword energy and waves of qi flew toward my vital points, I calmly lowered my upper body and gave a slight nod. It was nearly impossible to fully grasp an opponent’s entire strength after only exchanging a few moves. Still, I had managed to get a decent read on the martial artist known as Jeon Pyeong.
In that sense, the limits of the opponent currently crossing swords with me were crystal clear.
Kwaaaang—!
The clash of metal rang out, and another explosive shockwave tore through the air.
“......!”
This guy…
In that instant, a certain feeling came to mind with every one of his strikes. Having identified the weakness in the escort warrior Jeon Pyeong, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle of disbelief.
“...So this is what you get when an untalented martial artist grinds away for decades through sheer effort.”
“......!”
“From the looks of it, no one personally taught you martial arts or guided you. You reached this level entirely through self-study, didn’t you?”
“What the…!”
For the first time, Jeon Pyeong showed clear agitation, biting down hard on his lower lip. Seeing his reaction, I opened my mouth with a mocking smile still on my lips. Of course, I used sound transmission.
“It seems I can make a guess. Jeon Pyeong, you were given a reason by your master that forced you to become this strong, weren’t you?”
“......!”
“It’s almost laughable. The escort warrior who adores his young lady has been risking his life like this, yet the master he serves doesn’t even spare him a glance. Instead, she keeps offering her body to the leader of the Demonic Cult.”
“You bastaaaaard—!”
Kugugugugu—!
The ground shook violently. The earth trembled. The sharp sword qi Jeon Pyeong unleashed in his rage exploded upward from the ground. The moment his qi waves closed in from all directions like a tightening noose, aiming for my neck—
“......”
Focus.
I recalled the spar I’d had with Tang Hyeon-cheol, an elder of the Tang Clan, back at the Eunha Merchant Group. Spinning my body like a wheel to ride the flow of an incoming blade, even if it left me open due to a delayed defense, if I could read the flow of the atmosphere and, without fear at the moment our techniques collided, press forward and switch to the attack…
Yes. Just like back then, turning the tables from a defensive position… is entirely possible.
A confident smile naturally formed on my lips.
Chaarrreng—!
A powerful shockwave rang through the air. As I unfolded my defensive qi while recalling that past memory, Jeon Pyeong, who had been charging in fury, furrowed his brow and grit his teeth.
“...An impossibly refined technique. Damn it.”
“......”
This is only the second time.
Jeon Pyeong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spat out a thick, blood-mixed glob of phlegm.
“Ptui.”
Hmm. I suppose it’s about time to settle this.
After thinking that, I pondered for a moment before shaking my head. I judged that it would be best to exchange a few more moves and then target his weakness. That was when it happened.
“......!”
“......?”
Suddenly, Jeon Pyeong’s gaze shifted. Feeling suspicious, I followed his line of sight toward where Mu Yeong was fighting.
Something astonishing was unfolding.
“Huk, keuhuk…!”
“That’s why you shouldn’t underestimate your opponent and act all cocky.”
“Kuuuugh…! How could I take a fatal wound against a mere brat like this…”
The Bald Demon was groaning in pain, clutching a deep stab wound near his abdomen. In contrast, Mu Yeong still looked completely composed. It seemed Mu Yeong had pushed him back so thoroughly that he had seized complete victory.
Watching the scene, I cheered inwardly. Perfect. At this rate, Mu Yeong will finish off the Bald Demon soon. Then all I have to do is keep this guy in front of me occupied until my senior brother comes to help.
With that thought, I took a deep breath and adjusted the distance between myself and my opponent. Jeon Pyeong’s brow furrowed once again. He must have sensed the change in my mindset.
At that moment, Mu Yeong unleashed a supreme technique from the Thunder Shadow Sword Style.
“Th-this is…?!”
“Consider it an honor. I never thought I’d have to use a decisive profound art against a worm like you.”
“Spouting arrogant nonsense with that loose mouth of yours…!”
Even as Mu Yeong executed the form, the Bald Demon roared in fury. Yet Mu Yeong, maintaining his composure despite the enraged shout, slowly began gathering thunder qi.
This is…!
While I stood frozen in slight surprise, Mu Yeong formed a faint smile at the corner of his lips and finally unleashed the thunder qi he had condensed to its limit.
For a moment, it felt as if Mu Yeong’s voice echoed softly in my ears.
Thunder Shadow Sword Style. Profound Art.
The terrifying thunder qi generated by the technique instantly enveloped Mu Yeong’s entire body.
The Bald Demon, watching with wide eyes, tried to unfold some kind of defensive technique, but—
“Have a safe journey, Baldy.”
“Ugh.”
Slice—
Blood sprayed across the ground. Whoosh— The Bald Demon’s head flew into the air. The final word he was trying to utter was cut off before it could even finish.
“Huu.”
Mu Yeong let out a long sigh. He slowly rotated his aching shoulder in a circle. It seemed even for him, defeating a Peak realm expert like the Bald Demon had been a long time coming.
As expected, my senior brother is a monster. Even among Peak realm experts, there are clear gaps in strength… but to overwhelm him so completely.
While I was inwardly impressed, Jeon Pyeong, his eyes still filled with rage, glanced at both me and Mu Yeong before beginning to retreat step by step. Sensing this, I immediately returned my gaze forward and fired a burst of sword qi at the spot where he was withdrawing.
Kwaaaang—!
“...Ugh!”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Jeon Pyeong barely managed to deflect my sword qi with the tip of his blade. But in that brief opening, I had already closed in.
In that instant, I instinctively knew. Got him!
At this rate, Jeon Pyeong would meet an end no better than the Bald Demon’s. Having gone from instinct to certainty, I continued the sword strikes I had repeated dozens, hundreds of times.
Whoosh—
It was the moment Nakseong swung lightly.
Splaaash—!
A fountain of blood erupted. But—
“......!”
This is…?
Faced with the unexpected development, my eyes widened in shock.
“Keurgh…!”
“Hoo, you finally arrived.”
Jeon Pyeong, having regained his composure, drew a slight arc at the corner of his mouth. The mysterious black-clad figure had taken the full brunt of my sword strike in his place.
I couldn’t help but frown. What the hell is this now…
As I stared at the black-clad man who had taken a fatal wound in Jeon Pyeong’s stead, Hwa Seo-yeon—his master, who had been watching from a surprisingly distant spot—uncrossed her arms and spoke.
“I didn’t expect that two late-stage disciples of the Mount Hua Sect would be this difficult to handle with this much force… It seems my suspicion was correct. Calling for reinforcements in advance was indeed the right decision.”
“......”
While I remained silent, Mu Yeong, who had been wiping blood splatter from his shoulder behind me, let out a disbelieving chuckle. Then he muttered in a fed-up tone.
“To think you’d bring along multiple assassination squads.”
“For the sake of achieving my goal, I can gladly bear an expense of this magnitude.”
“You’re completely out of your mind…”
Mu Yeong shook his head. Even I couldn’t help but smile wryly at his resignation.
These people are totally insane…
Swish—
The presence of the assassination squads revealing themselves from all directions in an instant forced a short sigh from my lips.