Chapter 216: Jin So-eun-4
Chapter 216: Jin So-eun-4
It was when Jin So-eun had finished dealing with all the attackers who had rushed at her.
Now recognizing her as a formidable opponent, the attackers surrounded her from all sides and shouted.
"A master!"
"Overwhelm her all at once!"
"Die!"
Shuhaak!
From all directions around Jin So-eun, a dozen saber strikes flew in at once.
It was a coordinated attack that left absolutely no gap through which to escape.
At that, she now spun her body, swirling her short staff around her own form.
The sight was as if a tiny dragon coiled around her body, as if she herself had become a small whirlwind.
And in that instant, the dozen saber strikes mercilessly slashed down upon her body.
"Haaaaap!"
"Die!"
Paaaak!
But in the end, their sabers could not touch her.
It was because the whirlwind of the short staff coiling around her had deflected every blade surface of the dozen descending strikes.
Tadatadatatang!
"Ugh!"
"Wh-what the!"
"This is absurd!"
It was a truly astonishing spectacle.
It was not simply blocking; it was a precise strike that accurately struck and deflected the blade surface of every saber. It was so remarkable that it seemed less astonishing if she had merely burst forth protective strong qi to block them.
Jin Gye-gun finally opened his mouth and muttered in a daze.
"Is it truly... the Natural Bound Staff?"
In that moment, having successfully defended, Jin So-eun now lunged toward the enemies.
Then, the whirlwind that had been swirling around her body now rushed out and began to rage against the enemies.
Papapapapak!
"Kuaaaaaak!"
"Uwaaaaaak!"
Jin So-eun rampaged freely among the attackers.
The attackers who had seemed like a pack of wolves descending upon a flock of sheep just moments ago were now collapsing helplessly, as if they had become the sheep themselves.
At last, the leader of the attackers stepped forward.
He slowly twirled his large saber around and around and shouted at his men.
"You fools! All of you, fall back!"
At his roar, the subordinates who could still move scurried backward.
Jin So-eun, too, focused her gaze on the approaching leader rather than chasing them.
He smiled sinisterly and spoke.
"Wench, you use quite an interesting staff technique. Could that be the Jin Family Stronghold's Natural Bound Staff?"
But Jin So-eun did not answer.
Her eyes were pinned solely to her opponent's saber, which had begun to vividly emit a yellow blade energy.
The distinct blade energy extending over an inch from the saber marked him unmistakably as one who had transcended the realm of at least seventy years of internal energy.
'Sword qi...'
Jin So-eun wet her lips with her tongue due to the tension.
She did not yet know the extent of her own level. Whether she was second-rate, first-rate, or peak-level.
Judging that she could emit shaped energy with her staff, she seemed to have crossed the wall of first-rate, but seeing that she could not yet use sword qi, it also seemed clear that she had not surpassed the realm of the peak.
Her grandfather, Jin Sa-mong, had always told her this:
'My great-great-grandfather Jin Ji-in said that levels such as first-rate or peak are not such important aspects in the Natural Bound Staff. The important thing, he said, is how much you can communicate with the staff and whether you can breathe life into it.'
Her grandfather, who usually always pressed her sternly with tiger-like eyes, would always wear a dreamy expression when saying this, as if returning somewhere in his memories.
Perhaps the memory of witnessing the Natural Bound Staff with his own eyes ruled her grandfather's entire life.
Because of her grandfather's words, she too had not paid much attention to the aspect of accumulating internal energy or such.
Although she could manage to the extent of radiating external energy with her staff, her thought had been, 'I'm not going to use it that way anyway, so is there really a need to pay close attention to it?'
But at this very moment, the pressure from the peak-level master she faced as an enemy was far from ordinary.
For the moment she touched that fearsome blade, that sharp sword qi with nothing in the world it could not cut, her short staff made of mere wood would snap in two as feebly as a strand of hair.
Gulp!
She swallowed her saliva due to the tension.
At that, the peak-level master twirling his saber—Po Si-ham, the Mountain-Cutting Blade, formerly a notorious pirate of the southern sea and now called one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the White Religion Sect—smirked and spoke.
"Don't be so nervous, wench. I won't kill you. We too... need the children of the Jin Family Stronghold alive!"
The moment Po Si-ham finished speaking, he charged in like a wild beast.
His yellow blade energy came slashing toward Jin So-eun's short staff like lightning.
Shuhaak!
He did not have the slightest thought that his saber would fail to cut through her staff.
Because her reaction speed, which looked by all appearances to be not yet at the peak, would be unable to respond to his saber strike.
In reality, Jin So-eun simply stared blankly at his saber strike with flustered eyes.
But even if she did not, her short staff was different.
Hwiririk!
The short staff whirled naturally and, as if by prior agreement, accurately struck the blade surface of Po Si-ham's saber.
Tung!
Just like before, it did not seem as if Jin So-eun had swung it.
It was a sight as if the short staff had moved on its own.
At that, Po Si-ham's eyes twitched and he smoothly twirled his saber again, striking at the short staff.
"Impressive!"
Shuhaak!
But the result was the same.
Tuung!
Once again, her short staff had accurately struck the blade surface of Po Si-ham's saber.
Po Si-ham was dumbfounded.
A mere wooden short staff, emitting neither sword qi nor even staff aura, had struck down his blade energy.
No matter how sharp the blade energy, as long as it touched the blade surface and not the cutting edge, it could not cut the short staff—so it was a natural result.
At last, Po Si-ham's eyes turned fierce.
He had been momentarily careless due to that dazed-looking face, but he now felt that if he did not deal with her properly, he would be put to shame.
"Haaaap!"
His yellow blade energy, extending longer than before, began to whirl around Jin So-eun like a storm.
Chuhaaaaak!
In that moment, Jin So-eun suddenly recalled an old memory.
The memory of when a question had suddenly occurred to her during training and she had asked her grandfather...
She had asked her grandfather, Jin Sa-mong:
'Then how did the Natural Staff defeat those who radiate sword qi without any sword qi himself?'
At that, her grandfather, whose eyes always turned dreamlike when recalling old memories, had laughed heartily with a distant look and said:
'No matter how sharp the sword qi, what good is it? Ultimately, if the cutting edge cannot touch, it is no different from a kitchen knife that cannot cut, hehehehe!'
Recalling that memory, Jin So-eun suddenly felt a strange emotion wash over her.
Her grandfather had been right.
In the end, sword qi was still just a blade.
Unable to cut if it could not land its edge...
A bright smile now began to appear on Jin So-eun's face as she gazed at the yellow sword qi.
The trajectories of the saber strikes pressing in fearsomely were clearly entering her eyes.
Tadatadatatang!
Every single one of Po Si-ham's saber strikes, which had raged like a storm, was deflected.
It was because they had all struck the short staff on their blade surfaces and ricocheted away.
Fury now began to settle on Po Si-ham's face.
"This bitch, how dare you!"
Containing killing intent, the storm of yellow sword qi grew increasingly fierce.
Now Po Si-ham had abandoned any thought of capturing her alive.
Saber strikes filled with the will to cleave her in two with a single slash whirled toward Jin So-eun.
Shuhaaaaak!
Tadatatatatang!
The storm-like saber strikes and the whirlwind-like short staff clashed for a long while, as if rubbing their bodies against each other.
At this, the eyes of all who watched the spectacle began to fill with astonishment.
The attackers shouted in disbelief.
"Th-the boss is being pushed back?!"
"By such a young wench?!"
It was true.
Shockingly, the one slowly retreating backward was Po Si-ham.
Despite swinging his saber in a relentless all-out offensive, he was the one stepping backward, faltering.
The later-generation talents were equally unable to believe the sight before them.
"Th-this can't be!"
"Lady Jin, you're incredible...."
Jin Gye-gun, too, watched her with eyes mixed with surprise and jealousy, gritting his teeth and muttering.
"The Natural Bound Staff, this is absurd...."
In that moment, through the opening created by deflecting the saber strike, Jin So-eun swung her short staff.
Puh-eok!
"Kuuugh!"
Po Si-ham, struck directly in the torso, burst through the wall of the cabin and was sent flying outside.
Kutangtangtang!
The later-generation talents let out cheers at the exhilarating spectacle.
"She did it!"
"Lady Jin, you're amazing!"
On the other hand, his subordinate pirates wore expressions of horror.
"Boss!"
"How can this be!"
But even amidst that atmosphere, Jin So-eun's expression was not bright.
She knew better than anyone that the impact had not been particularly heavy.
The opponent had not been sent flying outside by the blow. It seemed more accurate to say he had used that force to launch himself out instead.
Sure enough, there he stood on the ship's rail, smirking and gesturing at her.
"Tch!"
Jin So-eun bit her lip.
It was disappointing.
If only she too could use something like an energetic force, she could have ended it with that single strike.
But there was no use lamenting what she couldn't do.
She had to finish it somehow while riding this momentum.
"Haap!"
Jin So-eun also threw herself forward, leaping out onto the rail.
There, Po Si-ham waited for her with a leisurely expression, as if he had never been hit at all.
"Hey there, missy. Shall we start again?"
His composure got on her nerves, but to avoid being overwhelmed by his momentum, she snorted and shot back.
"Hmph! What makes you think it'll be any different out here...?!"
But even as she shouted, she realized immediately.
That he was not the only one waiting for her outside.
Voices came from behind her and from both sides.
"Tsk, tsk, youngest brother, to get beaten by such a young wench and run away—how pathetic."
"Keuhehehe! Surely he didn't run away? Eldest brother, isn't it more likely the youngest brought her for us to enjoy?"
"That's right, eldest brother. Even though she's cut her hair like a man, isn't she a rather cute little wench? I think there'd be a peculiar pleasure in holding her, keuhehe!"
At this, Po Si-ham smirked toward his sworn brothers and said,
"You mustn't think she's so easy, brothers. She's a flower with thorns, you see. If we want to capture her intact and enjoy her, I think we'll need to combine our strength."
"Oho, really?"
Jin So-eun now stood with a blank expression, staring at the attackers targeting her from four directions.
Four attackers wielding large sabers—every one of their blades emitted a vivid yellow blade aura.
All four were peak-level masters.
The situation was bleak.
At that moment, Po Si-ham shouted, wearing a murderous grin.
"Brothers, let's go!"
Simultaneously, the four peak-level masters let out martial shouts and lunged at her.
"Kkiyahaa!"
"Let's play, wench!"
"Let's see you flounder about!"
From four directions, the yellow blade auras surged in like a storm.
Jin So-eun gritted her teeth and swung her short staff.
"Ee-yik!"
Tadatatatatang!
It was a stunning spectacle.
Whirling like a tornado around her body, the short staff parried all four saber strikes.
Watching this was Jin Ga-in, bound tightly and dragged onto the enemy ship, her jaw hanging open.
That her half-sister, born of a different mother, was such a master—it was something she had never even imagined.
But even in that astonishing situation, the Four Heavenly Kings of the White Religion Sect showed not the slightest trace of panic.
Rather, as if fascinated, they swung their sabers with laughter in their voices and chattered away.
"Kuhahaha! Amazing, truly amazing! Just as the youngest said, she's a wench with very sharp thorns!"
"Keuhehe! Flopping about just like a live fish, eldest brother!"
"A live fish tastes best when sliced raw. Here, shall we slice it?!"
"Wench, flounder a little more for us!"
Unfortunately, their words were not mere bluster.
In reality, their sabers were growing faster and faster.
Jin So-eun's short staff was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with their blades.
Shak!
Shak!
Eventually, the strikes she couldn't block began grazing past her clothes.
Her forearm, her thigh—saber marks multiplied across her clothing, which grew more and more tattered.
"Ee-eeeek!"
Jin So-eun gritted her teeth.
But there was no way out.
To keep her clothes from being cut, she had to block with her short staff, yet if she lost the staff now, everything would be over.
Po Si-ham shouted at her.
"To abandon your clothes and protect your weapon—you're a splendid martial artist, wench! But even that ends now!"
At the same time, the four sabers came at her at a completely different speed than before.
She might block one, but this was a combination of four saber strikes that could never be stopped simultaneously.
A light of despair filled her expression.
'No!'
It was at that moment.
Kwajijijijik!
Kwarurururung!
Suddenly, with a thunderous roar like a lightning strike, the sound of something collapsing was heard.
The sound came from the pirate ships that had surrounded the Jin family's vessel.
Startled by the tremendous noise, the Four Heavenly Kings of the White Religion Sect could not finish their assault on Jin So-eun and first retreated backward, turning to look in the direction of the sound.
Then, an incredible scene entered their eyes.
One of the pirate ships that had encircled the Jin family's vessel from all sides had suddenly split in half and was sinking.
Kururururu!
The Four Heavenly Kings stared at the sinking ship with dazed expressions, muttering.
"Wh-what is that?"
"Why would a ship suddenly...?"
They simply could not understand the situation unfolding before them.
Why would a perfectly fine ship suddenly split in two?
And so cleanly severed at that, as if sliced by a blade.
Even the pirates aboard that ship seemed to have no idea what had happened.
They simply lost their balance in confusion and tumbled into the river.
"Uwaaaak!"
"The ship is sinking!"
Having narrowly escaped disaster due to the sudden turn of events, Jin So-eun also caught her breath and watched the sinking ship, split in two.
Then something caught her eye.
At the tip of the mast of the tilting, sinking ship, a single person stood upright.
It was the figure of a man standing still, seemingly unaffected by the collapsing vessel—a man in white robes that seemed to glow white even against the darkening evening sky.