Chapter 265: Southern Sea Demon Territory, Man Hak-sung-3
Chapter 265: Southern Sea Demon Territory, Man Hak-sung-3
The two of them first flew toward Yong Woo-shin, the family head of the Bokgeon Yong Clan, who had been watching the fight from close quarters.
He was a master ranked among the top of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, and he had been observing the Saintess's battle with a grave expression.
"Yong Family Head!"
As Seonwoo Jin and Jeung Chil approached, he immediately shed his grim expression and welcomed them warmly.
"Jeung Daehyeop! And you must be Seonu Gongja! I had no time for pleasantries earlier, so I could not even convey my thanks. Truly, thank you. Had it not been for you, the Yong Clan would have been placed in grave danger. Those Six Harmony Swordsmen, Pa Cheon-jo and his ilk, were truly formidable."
He was a middle-aged martial artist of gentle temperament, whose every word carried consideration for others, exuding a sincerity that, unlike Jin Tae-do, was entirely unfeigned.
Seonwoo Jin bowed his head once in acknowledgment of his thanks and then got straight to the point.
"Thank you. But I believe that discussion is best left for later. Yong Family Head, how do you currently assess the direction of that battle?"
At that, his face darkened considerably as he glanced toward the fight between the Saintess and Man Hak-sung.
The Saintess was presently being driven helplessly backward by Man Hak-sung's brute-force body slam attacks, which were cloaked in his Protective Strong Qi.
He answered with a heavy expression.
"Their skill itself appears evenly matched. However..."
"Precisely because of that, dealing with attacks that push in relying on physical advantages like that must be difficult. Were you not thinking the same thing, Yong Family Head?"
At Seonwoo Jin's question, Yong Woo-shin nodded heavily and replied.
"Indeed. It seems you must have felt the same way."
"Yes, and that is why I must speak. Should we not prepare for contingencies?"
"Prepare for contingencies... You don't mean to suggest we intervene in that duel?"
Yong Woo-shin's face hardened stiffly as he asked.
It was an expression that said such a thing was absolutely impermissible.
Seonwoo Jin could fully understand Yong Woo-shin's reaction.
Not intervening in a one-on-one duel was an unwritten law of the martial world.
Of course, depending on the era and the individuals involved, it was an unwritten law that was not always strictly observed, but for the family head of the Bokgeon Yong Clan, a man who was practically a symbol of chivalry, it was certainly an unwritten law he would scarcely dare to violate.
Perhaps even hearing this proposal might have been regarded as an insult.
But even knowing that fact full well, Seonwoo Jin did not back down.
He looked Yong Woo-shin straight in the eye and spoke firmly.
"It is only natural that you would be disinclined. Were I to intervene, the Saintess herself would be displeased above all else. But even so, I believe we must intervene. Because to me, the people here, and the Saintess's life, are more important than honor."
At those words, Yong Woo-shin let out a ruminative murmur.
"Hmm."
He turned his gaze back toward the Saintess's fight with troubled eyes.
The battle now flowed with relentless consistency: Man Hak-sung charging brutishly, and the Saintess constantly retreating backward.
Man Hak-sung, cloaked in his Protective Strong Qi, kept pressing the Saintess with his body, while the Saintess retreated backward, unleashing powerful sword strikes cloaked in Sword Qi, trying somehow to pierce through Man Hak-sung's Protective Strong Qi.
Shushushushuk!
Tu-tu-tu-tu-tung!
But it was not easy.
Although outwardly it looked as if Man Hak-sung was merely charging brutishly while cloaked in his Protective Strong Qi, he was in fact meticulously observing each of the Saintess's sword strikes, his hands moving ceaselessly.
He was not simply taking the Saintess's attacks—he was adjusting and concentrating his Protective Strong Qi precisely where the attacks were aimed.
Because of this, the Saintess's Sword Qi could not ultimately fully penetrate Man Hak-sung's Protective Strong Qi and had no choice but to bounce away.
And since her sword was thus sealed, the Saintess had no clear means of attacking Man Hak-sung.
She could cloak herself in her own Protective Strong Qi and clash with him, but if it came to that, she would inevitably be overpowered by Man Hak-sung, whose physique and mass were vastly superior.
For the Saintess, the situation was undeniably vexing.
Tung!
"Ugh!"
Struck by Man Hak-sung's body slam cloaked in Protective Strong Qi, the Saintess was hurled backward.
She was headed toward a large boulder.
Unable to retreat any further, the Saintess planted her foot against the boulder and managed to lightly arrest her momentum.
But at that instant, Man Hak-sung charged at her like a cannonball.
The momentum was ferocious, as if he meant to crush her against the boulder.
Kwaaaaaang!
In the next moment, with a thunderous roar, the massive boulder exploded into countless fragments.
Then, the Saintess, who had barely escaped the range of Man Hak-sung's charge at the very last moment, let out a deep breath.
'I considered waiting for the moment his internal energy ran dry from maintaining his Protective Strong Qi, but he is far too unshaken. Truly monstrous internal energy. If I keep being pushed like this, I might be the one in danger first.'
The South Sea Saintess Si Seo-u was, frankly, a bit flustered.
She had never faced an opponent who fought in such an unsophisticated manner since entering the realm of transcendence.
This was a brutish fighting style she had not encountered in decades, measured in sheer years.
Thus, she had resolved at first to simply wait it out.
She had thought that no matter how much her opponent was, like her, a master at the Transformation Realm, he would be unable to sustain internal energy consumption of that magnitude while using his Protective Strong Qi in such a manner.
But now, she could no longer be certain of that assumption.
Since entering the Transformation Realm herself, she had never actually experienced her internal energy being exhausted from maintaining her Protective Strong Qi.
So, the assumption that he would not last long in that state might have been nothing more than her own delusion.
And if that were the case, she needed a different approach.
'I must attempt something. Not waiting for the opponent to tire himself out, but a method I can attempt myself....'
The Saintess steadied her breathing and focused her mind.
The current problem was Man Hak-sung's Protective Strong Qi.
So, looked at simply, the solution was ultimately to pierce through it.
'But he will be thinking the same thing. Perhaps he is even waiting for that.'
Furthermore, his Protective Strong Qi was undeniably formidable.
This was because, contrary to its brutish appearance, the Protective Strong Qi he precisely controlled and concentrated onto the point of impact was being maneuvered with extreme finesse.
Thus, penetrating it was certain to be an exceedingly arduous task.
But just then, the Saintess's face faintly twisted for a moment.
To anyone else, it would have looked like an ugly grimace, but it was, in truth, a smiling expression.
She smiled faintly and thought.
'I cannot avoid it just because he is waiting, can I? And there is no other method at hand either.'
Having made up her mind, the Saintess retreated at full speed in an instant.
It was to create distance.
Then, with her sword tip aimed forward, she pulled her arm back.
It was a preparatory stance to thrust with all her might.
As she did so, her form began to gradually vanish from the sight of those watching her.
In its place, only the sword remained, poised with a palpable intent to lunge forth at any moment.
It was the state of becoming one with the sword and erasing the self—the Unity of Sword and Spirit.
Meanwhile, seeing this, Man Hak-sung urgently slowed his charging speed.
And gathering both fists before his chest, he braced for the Saintess's attack.
'She took the bait!'
At this moment, Man Hak-sung was actually far from comfortable in terms of internal energy. The current situation of constantly maintaining his Protective Strong Qi was strenuous even for him.
Thus, his outward appearance of unshaken ease had been nothing more than a bluff to deceive his opponent.
A bluff to draw the Saintess in.
'Come now, come at me.'
Moments ago, while exchanging offense and defense with the Saintess, Man Hak-sung had been able to sense it clearly.
That her sword possessed a minute edge over his fists and feet....
No, in truth, he had known this long ago.
The reason he had holed up on Daenam Island instead of fighting the Saintess directly in the first place was because he lacked the confidence to defeat her.
If they fought at sea, it would only be mutual destruction?
That was actually nothing more than an excuse.
If he had actively proposed fighting on land, he could have somehow arranged a method.
But he hadn't done so.
And for a long time, he had holed up on Daenam Island, training and agonizing. Thinking about how he should handle it... if he ever faced the Saintess again.
So what he had thought of was precisely this current method.
To steer the fight into a contest of internal energy and physique, not of sword technique and fist arts.
In other words, to pressure the Saintess and force her into a single decisive strike aimed at breaching his protective strong qi.
And at this very moment, the situation seemed to be unfolding exactly according to the Demon Sovereign's plan.
'Now, if I can just endure this one strike.'
The Demon Sovereign maintained his protective strong qi while simultaneously concentrating most of the internal energy he had been pouring into it into his palm.
At that, the palm he had clenched inside his fist began to glow white.
It was the White Jade Hand, which he had long prepared for this moment.
That was the moment.
The Saintess's sword shot forth, transforming into light in an instant.
Siyon Sword Art's seventh move.
Yeonmae Myeonghae.
Puuuuk!
The light, as if skipping through space itself, pierced through the Demon Sovereign's protective strong qi without hesitation in a flash.
And then it even pierced through his extended white left palm.
Even the White Jade Hand, which the Demon Sovereign had ambitiously prepared, had failed to block her sword.
Crack!
The Demon Sovereign gritted his teeth, twisting his impaled left hand as he tightly grabbed the blade of the Saintess's sword driving toward his heart with his right hand.
The next moment, the Saintess's sword pierced the Demon Sovereign's chest.
Puuuk!
"Heuheuheu!"
The Demon Sovereign, his chest pierced, laughed bitterly.
Because the chest the Saintess's sword had pierced was the right side.
Though his left palm was impaled and even his right palm was drenched in blood, he had ultimately succeeded in deflecting her strike.
"!"
The Saintess hurriedly tried to pull her sword out.
But as the Demon Sovereign clenched his impaled left hand tight, her sword caught in his grip no longer moved.
Because in raw strength, she could never match the Demon Sovereign.
"Farewell!"
Having sealed the Saintess's sword, the Demon Sovereign swung his right hand toward the Saintess's head right in front of him.
Buaaaang!
The Saintess's eyes grew bleak.
To evade that, she had no choice but to release her sword.
But for her, whose specialty was the sword, facing the Demon Sovereign, whose specialty was fist arts, without a sword was unreasonable.
In an instant, the tide of battle could turn.
But even knowing that, there was no other way.
The Saintess finally released her sword and stepped back.
No, it was just as she was about to do so.
"Haaap!"
Seonwoo Jin, who had at some point leaped behind the Demon Sovereign, was bringing his sword down upon him.
"Hmph!"
The Demon Sovereign had already sensed someone attacking him from behind.
But he paid it no mind.
Because there was no longer anyone here who could pierce his protective strong qi.
So for now, capturing the Saintess, not some small fry like that, was what mattered.
Thus, ignoring the ambush, he tried to swing his arm at the Saintess just as before.
That moment.
Seonwoo Jin's sword split the Demon Sovereign's protective strong qi.
Mukrang Sword Technique's first move.
Opening Heaven.
It was Opening Heaven, a slash that cut through space itself.
Chaaaaaaak!
"!"
The Demon Sovereign was horrified at the chilling sensation of his protective strong qi being split without resistance.
'How?!'
It was absurd.
Even if he hadn't concentrated a great deal of internal energy into his protective strong qi, this shouldn't have been possible.
'Keuk!'
The Demon Sovereign urgently halted his attack on the Saintess and concentrated his internal energy on his back.
Shyaaaak!
At that, a searing sensation raked across his back.
Though his protective strong qi had been completely split, fortunately it seemed his body hadn't been cut too deeply.
Relief surged alongside fury.
He had to deal with the Saintess quickly, and then deal with that bastard.
"You...!"
But that was the moment.
Following Seonwoo Jin, someone else was leaping right onto his back.
"Haaaaap!"
It was Yong Woo-shin, the Heavenly Righteous Hero, head of the Bokgeon Yong Clan.
His blade, ranked among the highest even within the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, slashed through the gap in the Demon Sovereign's protective strong qi that Seonwoo Jin had split open.
Shuhaaaaak!
"Keeuuuk!"
The Demon Sovereign staggered as his back was deeply cut.
Even in the midst of that, he had swiftly restored his protective strong qi and blocked Yong Woo-shin's blade strike.
Though his back was deeply cut, the fact that it wasn't completely severed was a remarkable response.
The Demon Sovereign gritted his teeth and looked behind him.
At that, Seonwoo Jin and Yong Woo-shin, who had each landed a single strike, were already swiftly launching themselves away to widen the distance from him.
Though they had wounded him, they knew all too well that they were still no match for the Demon Sovereign with their strength.
The Demon Sovereign turned his head back to look at the Saintess.
At that, the Saintess, who had in the meantime retrieved her sword and retreated, was looking at Yong Woo-shin with a complicated expression.
She sighed and spoke.
"I have lost, Demon Sovereign. Since I preserved my life with the help of others, this duel is already your victory."
At that, Yong Woo-shin's face darkened.
He had been persuaded to leap in together by Seonwoo Jin's words that the Saintess's life was more important than honor.
But the dishonor of interfering in a one-on-one duel was not something he alone could bear.
The moment he interfered in the Saintess's duel, her honor was also sullied.
Yong Woo-shin couldn't bear to face her.
Then, the Demon Sovereign, who had heard the Saintess's words, sneered and spoke.
"Hmph! At least you know shame, that's fortunate. Yes, if you admit defeat, then get lost at once. If you retreat from here..."
But the Demon Sovereign, who had been speaking, couldn't continue.
Because the Saintess had resolutely shaken her head and spoken.
"I have clearly lost to you. I swear that after this day is over, I will personally inform everyone that the Saintess has been defeated by the Demon Sovereign. And that result will never be overturned henceforth."
But even as she said that, the Demon Sovereign couldn't help but spew curses at the frost-like, chilling momentum of the Saintess as she raised her sword again.
Because he had realized that even if she admitted defeat, she had absolutely no intention of letting him walk away alive.
"Saintess? Keukeukeukeu! How ridiculous! I thought you were only hideous on the outside, but you're quite the piece of work on the inside too! You damn hypocrite. Seriously, why are all you bastards of the orthodox faction so uniformly shameless?! Why don't you just admit it honestly instead? That you're so terrified of me you absolutely never want to face me again! Keuhahahaha!"
It was a scathing denunciation.
But the Demon Sovereign also knew the truth.
That if the positions were reversed, he too would absolutely never let the Saintess walk away alive.
No, had it been him, he wouldn't have even bothered saying anything like admitting defeat.
So the reason he was saying such things was merely to shake the Saintess's composure even a little.
Because if her heart wavered even slightly, his own chances of survival would also increase somewhat.
But his attempt proved futile, as the Saintess didn't waver in the slightest.
She simply acknowledged the Demon Sovereign's words in a calm tone.
"That's correct. For a hypocrite like me, the title of Saintess is truly undeserved. I have always thought so myself. And those words are also correct. I am genuinely afraid of you. So I absolutely cannot allow you to walk away alive."