Chapter 66: Dark Wolf
Chapter 66: Dark Wolf
The strike that Georyeokma had swung was right in front of my head.
But although it had come right up to me, it never quite reached my head.
It was as if it had stopped in place.
That wasn't all.
The Georyeokma before me and, of course, the soil that had been kicked up into the air stayed frozen in midair without falling to the ground.
The same went for my hair, which had been blown back by the wind pressure of Georyeokma's swing.
I couldn't turn my eyes to look elsewhere, but I could understand it fully.
That everyone in this world, including me, had come to a halt on the spot.
Dazedly, I thought,
'What in the world is this sorcery?'
In the midst of the whole world stopping, only my consciousness remained fully intact, continuing its thoughts.
I felt as if I'd been bewitched by a goblin.
That was when I heard the voice again, the one I had thought might be an illusion earlier.
- It is a pleasure to meet you, Seonu Gongja. This is the second time I am speaking to you, though you probably do not remember the first.
It was the voice of a middle-aged man that felt very cheerful.
And I remembered that I had heard this voice somewhere before.
'Could it be... the day I saved Lady Dang?'
- Oh, you remember. That's right. I spoke to you briefly then.
That had been real?
At the time, I just thought it was a dream?
No, come to think of it, this felt like a dream too.
In the midst of my mental confusion, I asked him,
'Who... who are you? And what on earth is this...?'
At that, a cheerfully laughing voice answered.
- Hahahaha! You must be confused. Naturally so, I imagine. I did this based on the story my older brother told me, and he said even he was very flustered at first.
'What? Your older brother?'
- Now, we have no time, and since I have broken the rules this time, I doubt we'll be able to meet for a while, so I will only tell you briefly.
'...Yes?'
- My name is... yes, you may call me Mukrang.
At his words, I instinctively looked at the black sword clutched in my hand.
Then I could confirm that a faint white light was seeping out from the eyes of the wolf carved on Mukrang's guard.
- Yes, that Mukrang would be correct. Long ago, I set up a few arrangements to leave my true transmissions to juniors who might one day qualify. One of those was this Mukrang sword. Ah, do not ask the details now. To you, it seems time is frozen, but the truth is I have merely slowed this time to its extreme limit. This state will end soon.
Hearing that, I could see it clearly.
Everything around me had indeed looked frozen, but it wasn't completely stopped.
It was advancing so slowly it was almost impossible to perceive.
My fluttering hair too, and Georyeokma's arm swinging toward my head as well.
- So I will only tell you what's important. I had originally intended to pass on the true transmissions I arranged to juniors who passed my test. Unfortunately, you have not yet completely passed my test. However, the reason I have come out like this in spite of that is because you are the first junior and candidate since Mukrang was made who I've found to my liking. It means it would be a shame to let you die right now. So this once, I will break the rule I set and help you. But if I do so now, I will not be able to speak to you again like this until you pass the test. Did you understand?
I couldn't understand the fine details.
But I understood the one most important thing.
That this existence called Mukrang was about to help me right now.
At that, Mukrang burst out laughing again.
- Hahahaha! That's the right answer! I should have just said that from the start. Then relax your strength for a moment and watch. Ah, it seems there will be no chance to say goodbye once the 'domain' is released, so let's say it now. Until we meet again, Seonu Gongja. I do hope you pass the test. Though this is something I wanted to do myself, I had no idea it would be this boring, hahahaha!
With those words, time rapidly accelerated back to its original speed.
Then Georyeokma's huge palm immediately smacked right into my head.
Bwaaaaaang!
"Uwaaaaht!"
It was the moment I, taken by surprise, let out a scream.
My body began to move on its own.
I let go of the Mukrang sword that Georyeokma had seized, then tilted my head back smoothly to deflect his attack.
"?!"
When I, startled, couldn't grasp the situation, the voice came again.
- The profound secret of the Heavenly Wind Movement Technique is to become the wind itself. If that's the case, does it really need to be a footwork technique?
Having tilted my head back to deflect Georyeokma's attack, I leveraged that momentum and rotated backward in a smooth somersault to grab the sword once more.
It was truly a movement like a flower petal spinning as it fluttered in the wind.
And when I gripped the Mukrang sword again, a faint purple sword qi thinly blazed out from the blade.
Shuuuuuk!
"Kuk?!"
It was a miraculous thing.
The sword, which just before had been seized by Georyeokma and wouldn't budge, was pulled out effortlessly.
What was more, a thin line of blood was seeping out from Georyeokma's hand, which had been clutching the sword while radiating energetic force.
Again a voice rang out inside my head.
- Where there is a gap, insert the blade and cut, for it merely follows what is naturally so.
I had seen that passage before.
That was... from the writings of Zhuangzi, wasn't it?
Georyeokma, who had glanced at his cut and bleeding palm, now came charging at me again with a face full of fury.
"You bastard!"
Puhwaaaaaaak!
He surged in with a momentum like a tsunami.
He was so close it was an attack I couldn't possibly dodge.
'Damn!'
When the look in my eyes had turned helpless, my body moved on its own again.
The first stance of the Sail Sword Technique.
One Strike.
'R-right now, this technique?!'
My sword, transformed into a beam of light, pierced straight through the center of the oncoming tsunami.
Puhook!
"Kuaaaak!"
What my sword penetrated was the back of his hand.
It had driven in just below the hand that was radiating palm force.
- What matters isn't how fast you can thrust. It is what you can see, and when and where you thrust.
The next moment, merely by emanating a faint sword qi, his thick hand was cut off effortlessly.
Puhwaak!
As his hand dropped and blood spurted from the spot, Georyeokma shrieked.
"Uwaaaaak! You son of a bitch!"
It was when Georyeokma, with a pained expression, was staring at his own hand.
This time, my sword struck at him first.
The first stance of the Seonwoo Thirteen Swords.
Divine Eagle Flight.
Wings of light made from sword shadows.
It was the opening form of the Seonwoo Thirteen Swords I had used the most.
But flustered, I screamed inwardly.
'Th-this technique can't handle him...!'
Sure enough, Georyeokma sneered when he saw my attack.
He swung his intact arm lightly, savagely tearing apart the wings of the illusion sword, and shouted,
"Something like this...?!"
But his hand could not tear my Divine Eagle Flight.
The wings of sword shadow that had been surging toward him avoided his hand slightly, like undulating waves, then struck forth again.
It was a movement like the flapping of a real bird's wings.
"Uk?!"
Puhwaak!
"Kuuuuk!"
As the wings of light struck him, he spun his body with desperate force—bang!—and retreated backward.
But despite that, his entire body was drenched in blood from the sword shadows he had failed to dodge.
A playful voice sounded.
- The sword must be free. If you place limits on the heart, limits will arise in the sword's edge as well.
'What ridiculous nonsense.'
What was moving my body now was not my own will, yet what was overwhelming Georyeokma was, down to the very last inch, my body.
My physical body, which had just now surpassed the peak realm, that is.
And yet, simply by executing the necessary movements at the precise timing, my body was overwhelming Georyeokma, who was looking up at the transcendent peak.
It was an unbelievable thing.
- Now I should give a parting gift. Until we meet again, please take care.
My body charged at Georyeokma, whose eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.
And the sword shadow I swung split into dozens, hundreds of fragments.
Pababababababat!
It was the Thirteenth Form of the Seonwoo Thirteen Swords, the Illusion Sword Mirror, which I had used earlier as well.
As countless sword shadows surrounded him on all sides, Georyeokma gnashed his teeth and snorted.
"Again with these petty tricks?!"
Then he crossed both his palms again and focused his power.
He seemed intent on releasing his internal energy to blow them all away, just as before.
But that was when it happened.
The hundreds of illusion swords surrounding him became real in a single instant and descended upon him.
Puhwaaaaaak!
"Kkueeeeooook!"
As dozens, hundreds of swords all embedded themselves into his body, the porcupine-like bastard screamed as if he were breathing his last.
It was an unbelievable sight not just for him, but even for me who had done it.
His entire body shredded to ribbons, Georyeokma stared at me for a moment with a vacant, soulless look in his eyes.
And then, finally, he collapsed powerlessly just like that.
Kung!
It was an instant death.
A moment later, I felt my body come back under my control before I knew it.
But I still could not move.
As if my own soul had left me, I stared at his corpse and muttered.
"Lee Geon... isn't that Emptiness is Form?"
What the man called Mukrang had just unfolded through my body was the Fifteenth Form of the Seonwoo Thirteen Swords. No matter how much I practiced, it was the very form I couldn't even get a feel for how to begin executing, 'Emptiness is Form.'
An empty laugh escaped me.
"Heh, heheh, heheheh."
It felt like I had been dreaming.
Only the sight of Georyeokma, lying dead and bleeding out, proved that this was not a dream.
At that moment, someone flew over the wall.
"You cur! I am your opponent...! Huh? Little Saje Seonwoo?"
The person who had flown in with a grimly resolute expression, then landed in shock, was Sak Mu-heun hyeongnim, the one who had fled with the woman.
It seemed he had hidden the woman somewhere and come back.
He must have known that there was nothing he could do against Georyeokma if he returned, yet he had come back deliberately to save me; my heart could not help but feel warmth.
Filled with joy at seeing him, I shouted.
"Sak hyeongnim!"
But he, staring blankly at the corpse of Georyeokma and not at me, asked.
"How... how did that happen? Could it be...?"
"Huh? Ah, that is, well, ah, that is, suddenly a senior master of the previous generation appeared, eliminated that bastard, and then vanished."
Though it was an offhand remark, was it not true?
A previous generation master had appeared suddenly, eliminated the bastard, and vanished. Was that not right?
Yes, it wasn't exactly a lie.
At the very least, it seemed more persuasive than saying I had awakened and easily disposed of Georyeokma.
But Sak hyeongnim simply stared for a moment at my Mukrang Sword, soaked in blood, and then nodded mechanically and replied.
"Ah, so that was the case. You must be the luckiest person alive in this world."
***
The Alliance's Military Staff Department.
Kwaang!
Jegal Ji-gang, who had slammed his fist down on the desk, glared with a furious expression at the crumpled letter.
This letter had come from the Heavenly Robe Sword Saint, Hae Un-baek, who had gone down to the frontline.
"Hae! Un! Baaaaaek!"
Jegal Ji-gang's tightly clenched fist was trembling violently.
Some time ago, upon receiving a report from the frontline about Georyeokma heading north, Jegal Ji-gang had thought of using this to summon the Sword Saint back up.
He had thought that if he sent false news that Georyeokma was slaughtering civilians, he would come charging back right away.
But the Sword Saint's reply that came back was entirely different from what Jegal Ji-gang had expected.
The very first content written in the reply was that he had been unable to find the whereabouts of his daughter, Hae Cheong-yeon.
Even through his handwriting, that fury could be felt.
And he had discovered that there had been countless instances over the years of cult demon heads kidnapping workers on the frontline, and the letter was filled with a furious denunciation, questioning why this fact had not been publicly discussed in the Alliance, and why no measures had ever been taken.
Reading that, Jegal Ji-gang closed his eyes tight with a regretful face.
"In the end..."
But the content did not end there.
Next, there was a demand to improve the poor treatment of the workers.
It was a denunciation of why the compensation for the workers risking their lives fighting the Blood Cultists was so meager, why the leave was so short, and why the working environment was so abysmal.
Reading that, Jegal Ji-gang furrowed his brows and let out a groan.
"Euuuugh."
This was an area he had never paid any attention to.
It must have been because of the perception that the frontline workers were nothing more than expendables anyway.
But amidst all of that content, there was something that made Jegal Ji-gang's heart sink more than anything else.
It was the content about how the whereabouts of the workers who had fully completed their service and been discharged were strange.
The letter stated that he had made inquiries everywhere to hear the opinions of the discharged, but had been unable to find any of them anywhere.
Reading that, Jegal Ji-gang's body trembled violently.
"Unbaek... you have finally..."
A fact he had desperately wished he would not learn, the Sword Saint had finally gotten close to it.
In such a short amount of time, he had been carrying out an all-encompassing investigation as if he would tear the entire frontline apart.
At this rate, it seemed only a matter of time before the facts concerning the Shadow Unit were revealed.
And finally, the Sword Saint ended by saying that while he could not possibly return right now, once he did go back to the Alliance, let us discuss all these matters in depth.
"In depth... discuss?"
Though he phrased it as a discussion, one could tell without hearing it firsthand that he meant he would properly call people to account.
Jegal Ji-gang raged.
No, truthfully, he was afraid.
Of him finding out everything about the frontline, and of him exposing it to the entire world.
He had only ever thought of ways to bring him back quickly, but that had been a great misconception on Jegal Ji-gang's part.
The Sword Saint should never have been allowed to return to the Murim Alliance.
Some kind of countermeasure was necessary.
After agonizing for a while, Jegal Ji-gang picked up his brush and began to write a letter.
It was a letter addressed to the Blood Demon.
The initial content was a protest regarding Georyeokma heading north.
If such incidents repeated, they could not trust the mutual agreement, so they wished to see a show of good faith from the Blood Cult in resolving this on their own.
But after hesitating for a moment, what he wrote next was concerning the Heavenly Robe Sword Saint.
Jegal Ji-gang had finally resolved to eliminate his friend, the Sword Saint.