Chapter 74: Crimson Divine Sword-1
Chapter 74: Crimson Divine Sword-1
Bi Sa-yeong knew full well that he had no chance of winning. Even if the opponent were merely at the initial stage of the peak, it would be impossible, and judging by the length of that bastard's blade energy, he didn't seem to be just at the initial stage either.
If they clashed head-on, there was no doubt he would be cleaved in two in a single exchange.
But he couldn't run away.
Setting aside the shame of showing himself fleeing in front of Jeongan, the second reason was that if he ran and left Jeongan here, it was all too clear what kind of fate would befall her.
Bi Sa-yeong gritted his teeth.
'I didn't want to stake my life on this...'
This time, it seemed he had no choice.
Meanwhile, Myeong Dae-sul, the Jangsansama's second demon blade who was watching Bi Sa-yeong, thought he understood why the fool was recklessly trying to face him.
'It must be because this bitch was captured.'
The man was probably this woman's lover.
That made it all the more enticing.
He wanted to see the expression the woman would show when she witnessed her lover die before her eyes.
He intended to make it as brutal as possible.
Myeong Dae-sul, who had been walking slowly, suddenly lunged forward in a surprise attack.
"Die!"
Pabak!
But Myeong Dae-sul, who had intended to slash in immediately and sever the bastard's arm first, could only let out a bewildered voice.
"Huh?"
It was because despite his sudden charge, the distance between them hadn't closed.
The bastard had simultaneously retreated the moment he leaped forward, maintaining the exact same gap between them.
To be able to produce such speed while moving backward—his movement technique alone was certainly remarkable.
Myeong Dae-sul sneered at him with a mean expression.
"What's this? Weren't you trying to save that bitch? You pathetic bastard, looks like all you can do is tuck your tail and run, huh? I thought you were a chivalrous hero, but you're just a mongrel dog."
He intended to provoke him.
Provoking those orthodox faction bastards who were always so prim and proper was child's play, after all.
But contrary to Myeong Dae-sul's expectation that the man would get riled up and rush in, Bi Sa-yeong sneered back and retorted.
"What are you on about, you maggot bastard? Don't tell me you can't even keep up with me walking backwards and now you're running your mouth? Unbelievable. Hey! Why are you so slow? Was your mother a turtle or something?"
Cough!
Myeong Dae-sul was so taken aback that he coughed out loud.
He was clearly supposed to be an orthodox faction bastard, but what was this street-tough thug act...
On top of that, since becoming a peak-level master, Myeong Dae-sul had never received such treatment before.
How dare this insect-like wretch insult not only him but his mother as well?
Although he was a demon of the Blood Cult, Myeong Dae-sul had still held onto his filial gratitude toward his mother, and fury began to boil up in his chest.
His expression completely transformed, Myeong Dae-sul ground his teeth and spoke.
"You son of a bitch..."
But Bi Sa-yeong wasn't finished.
He wore an exaggerated look of shock as he spoke.
"Oh dear, sorry! Calling your mother a turtle—that was too harsh of me, wasn't it? My apologies. If you're a maggot, then your mother must be a maggot too. Isn't that right, you maggot bastard?"
At Bi Sa-yeong's final question, asked with a cheeky grin, Myeong Dae-sul finally exploded.
"You son of a bitch!"
Myeong Dae-sul roared and charged at Bi Sa-yeong.
But Bi Sa-yeong still retreated swiftly, moving backwards, and escaped his attack range.
All the while clicking his tongue 'tsk tsk' and shaking his head with a pitying expression.
"Aaaargh! I'll tear you to pieces!"
Myeong Dae-sul poured all his strength into increasing his speed.
Nothing else seemed to enter his vision until he could tear that bastard apart.
The only thing he saw was the distance between them shrinking little by little.
But inside Bi Sa-yeong's head, as he sneered at Myeong Dae-sul with a mean expression, his mind was in a state colder than it had ever been.
For someone who had constantly engaged in wordplay with Seonwoo Jin, needling an opponent like this was as natural as eating and drinking water.
At the very least, it was far easier than giving compliments or expressing gratitude.
With a cold, clear mind, Bi Sa-yeong was using every sense except his eyes to survey what lay behind him, and he abruptly realized that there was something in his rearward path.
He instantly formulated a plan.
The next moment, Myeong Dae-sul could see the bastard who had been flinging himself backwards as if taunting him suddenly step on a stone.
"Ack?!"
Right then, the bastard's flustered expression entered his vision as he tumbled backwards.
Filled with ecstasy, Myeong Dae-sul burst into manic laughter and pounced on him.
"Euhahahaha! Got...!"
But at that instant, Bi Sa-yeong, who had fallen backwards and rolled once on the ground, suddenly shot like an arrow diagonally to the side of Myeong Dae-sul's own blind spot.
Pang!
At the sight of Bi Sa-yeong's form flying away in the opposite direction like a beam of light, Myeong Dae-sul could only let out a bewildered shriek.
"Uwaaak?!"
The technique Bi Sa-yeong had just used was the Explosive Advance Step that Georyeokma Jeo Woong-won had employed.
Seonwoo Jin, having discovered the secret manual for the Explosive Advance Step along with other Blood Cult martial arts in the dead bastard's possession, had split the Blood Cult techniques in half and sent them back to the western regions respectively, but for the Explosive Advance Step alone, he had suggested that Bi Sa-yeong learn it.
Saying it would be amusing to have Bae Jong-gwan learn it as well.
The Explosive Advance Step, which had displayed cannonball-like explosive acceleration even when Georyeokma used it, was now being used by Bi Sa-yeong of all people, so it was only natural that Myeong Dae-sul could do nothing about it.
'It worked!'
Flinging himself toward Jeongan, who had been watching with her acupoints sealed, Bi Sa-yeong finally smiled genuinely.
This was his victory.
From the very start, what Bi Sa-yeong had been aiming for was rescuing Jeongan, not fighting and defeating that bastard.
"Sojeo!"
It was the moment Bi Sa-yeong was about to nearly reach Jeongan.
Laughter sounded from somewhere.
"Hahahaha! Amusing! Truly impressive!"
It came from the rooftop.
In that instant, Bi Sa-yeong's heart ran cold.
A third person who had been entirely undetected by his senses.
The figure dropped down from the roof, landing in front of Jeongan.
Before Bi Sa-yeong had arrived at Jeongan's side.
"Guhk!"
Bi Sa-yeong clenched his teeth.
Now it seemed he truly had no choice but to stake his life.
"Haap!"
Shuhak!
Bi Sa-yeong's swift blade became a thin line that split space apart.
But unfortunately, it didn't reach the opponent.
Teok!
Because the opponent had simply caught Bi Sa-yeong's blade with his forefinger and thumb.
Bi Sa-yeong's vision went dim.
He didn't dodge or block his swift blade but caught it, and so simply at that.
He couldn't even guess what level of master this was.
This was probably the end of the line for him.
But contrary to Bi Sa-yeong's expectation, the opponent merely smiled and opened his mouth.
"It's alright. I am not your enemy."
"...Huh?"
Into Bi Sa-yeong's vision came the sight of Jeongan, whose acupoints had been unsealed without him noticing, swaying slightly before regaining her balance.
She was speaking with a bright face.
"Ah, my acupoints have been unsealed!"
It seemed the other party had done it.
'He's really not an enemy?'
Only then did Bi Sa-yeong begin to properly examine the other man's face.
He was a man in his early twenties, and exceedingly beautiful... a man.
With a pale face, a clear smile, and, for some reason, eyes that were firmly shut, leaving a strong impression.
He opened his mouth again.
His voice was as clear as his smile.
"I apologize for startling you. I was in the middle of searching for kidnapped women along with my sahyeong, and on my way to the Gwageommun, I happened to come across the two of you—no, the four of you."
Bi Sa-yeong could only blink in confusion.
He was searching for kidnapped women?
No, more than that, if he said four, that meant he knew about Seonwoo Jin and Jeong Yeon as well?
But before Bi Sa-yeong could ask him anything, the man spoke first.
"Let's discuss the details on the way. It seems we'll have to settle things with that bastard first."
When Bi Sa-yeong suddenly looked back, Myeong Dae-sul was charging toward them with a demonic face.
"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!"
But the man with his eyes closed walked right past Bi Sa-yeong and strode toward him.
It was a light footstep that somehow felt weightless, as if he were walking somewhere other than reality.
And Bi Sa-yeong immediately understood what that meant.
'Incredible movement technique.'
He swallowed hard.
Even at a single glance, he realized this man's movement technique was no less formidable than his own.
Moreover, it wasn't just his astonishing movement technique.
The man slowly drew his sword.
With a simple motion that was neither fast nor unusual — the kind you could see anywhere.
And yet, he could not understand why he found it impossible to tear his gaze away.
It felt as though this man alone existed in a different world from everyone else.
And when that drawn sword finally began to move, Bi Sa-yeong saw something else as well.
As the sword formed of blue sword qi traced its arc, a red sunset glow spread out around it.
It was a sight far too majestic for the mind to comprehend.
"How could..."
But even all of this was nothing compared to what happened next.
The body of the charging bastard was being split apart by that single sword stroke.
A man expected to be a peak-level master with at least seventy years of internal energy was splitting into two halves, as if he had thrown himself upon the blade willingly.
At a glance, it seemed almost like an act of suicide.
Just then, Jeongan's voice came from beside him, murmuring with a shocked expression.
"Blue Cloud... Red Sunset Sword? How?"
Hm? The Blue Cloud Red Sunset Sword?
He had heard of it before.
A sword art said to be manifestable only by geniuses who appeared perhaps once in a century, even within the Mount Qingcheng Sect.
Wasn't it the very same sword art that even Squad Leader Han Gyo-seong — who had been called a genius in the Mount Qingcheng Sect — had failed to manifest?
Then this man was?
Having lightly slaughtered a peak-level master, the man turned around with the same serene expression as before and greeted them.
"Pleased to meet you. I am called Lee Geon of Mount Qingcheng."
***
I had already sensed that the bastards had arrived, even before I had deployed the One Strike Four Evils.
That was why I had been able to answer the bastard speaking to me without wavering.
"One Strike Four Evils? Are you from the Jeomchang Sect?"
"I'm not a formal disciple of the Jeomchang Sect, but I suppose you could say I'm something similar. And what about you, demon head of the Blood Cult?"
Outwardly I answered nonchalantly, but inside, I was sighing.
I had just taken out one peak-level master, and now three more peak-level masters appeared.
And one of them had over eighty years of internal energy, while the other two appeared to be at the entry level of peak.
What were they, onions?
To dispatch masters of this caliber even to such a small, remote region — the Blood Cult's resources were truly formidable.
Or perhaps the bastards valued this place more highly than I had thought.
In any case, common sense dictated that this was an extremely dangerous situation.
So of course, the right thing to do was to flee quickly, but...
'This was troublesome.'
Strangely enough, my heart was far too relaxed.
Rather, I kept feeling an impulse to fight.
Ever since that being called Mukrang had faced Georyeokma in my place last time, I had been replaying that situation and my responses whenever I had a spare moment.
Perhaps dozens, hundreds of times.
The conclusion I had reached was this:
The world I had seen before that fight and the world I saw after were unmistakably different, and with the exception of that final Emptiness is Form, it seemed that the current me could probably pull off all of it just fine.
So I wanted to test how far the current me could go.
'By facing that bastard right there — a demon head with eighty years of internal energy who, not long ago, I would have been desperate just to flee from.'
But after feeling that brief impulse, I ultimately steeled my resolve to run.
If I were alone it might be different, but with Lady Jeong here, I couldn't afford to take risks.
'What a shame.'
Having calmed my heart with some effort, I sent a hurried telepathic transmission to Lady Jeong.
- He's a master I can't handle. He seems to be a master with over eighty years of internal energy. It looks like we'll have to flee at full speed. When I count one, two, three, you'll need to get on my back. Get ready. One, two...
Having only just managed to distance myself from her body and recover my peace of mind, the thought of having to carry her again was a bit awkward, but given the circumstances, there was no helping it.
The bastard was answering my question right now.
With how utterly relaxed my attitude was, he didn't seem to have considered the possibility that I might run.
"Heuheuheu, this elder is Yang Bul-gi, the Demon Blade of Jangsansama. And that bastard you just killed was my fourth younger brother..."
That was when I shouted.
"Three! Let's go, my lady!"
I snatched her up and was just about to bolt away.
Suddenly, I caught sight of another figure shooting in like a meteor from the direction of the Gwagummun.
"Hyaaap!"
From the sword that man held, a red sword qi burst forth long, creating an afterimage like the tail of a meteor.
A sword qi that long — that man also seemed to be a peak-level master with at least eighty years of internal energy.
'But... the sword qi is aimed at that demon head, not at me, isn't it?'
I hesitated, momentarily halting my escape, and decided to observe the situation.
The one called Yang Bul-gi, the Demon Blade and the first under Jangsansama, belatedly noticed his ambush and urgently drew his own blade to meet it.
"Who the hell are you?! Uhyaaap!"
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
In the empty air where the two collided, red blade energy and sword qi clashed, erupting in brilliant sparks.
In that brief moment, the two exchanged several stances in an instant.
And through that exchange of offense and defense, the superiority between them became clearly apparent.
"Uhyaaaaap!"
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The one called Demon Blade was unfolding powerful saber forms similar in feel to the man I had faced earlier.
Every time he swung his saber, it was as if red thunderbolts were striking down from the sky.
In contrast, the man's sword was like a sunset glow at dusk.
Shu-aaaaak!
When the man unfolded his sword forms, a baleful energy like red sunset radiated out through the space, and even the red thunderbolts melted into it, losing their power.
It was like watching a scene where lightning seeped into and was absorbed by the sunset glow.
Just then, I heard Lady Jeong's delighted voice beside me.
"The Red Sunset Sword Technique! It's Senior Brother Hwa!"
Oh? Senior Brother Hwa?
Then that man was Hwa Young-bin the Red Sunset Divine Sword, the disciple of the Five Oddities' Cheongseong Mysterious Sage?
At Lady Jeong's words, I studied him more closely with an admiring expression.
The first thing that caught my eye was, for starters, his outstanding appearance.
Though he must have been in his mid-to-late thirties, he had such a youthful face that outwardly he looked like a handsome young man in his late twenties.
And his martial prowess was indeed astonishing.
Internal energy of roughly ninety years?
He didn't seem to have reached the transcendent peak yet, but he appeared to be right on the verge of that realm.
Among all the martial artists in their twenties and thirties that I had met, he was the first who appeared to have attained a higher realm than Squad Leader Seolpung.
Moreover, his Red Sunset Sword Technique was beyond words.
It wasn't swift and lethal like the Four Evils Sword Technique, but wasn't it as majestic as watching nature itself, just by observing it?
'So that's the sword art of true Taoists who pursue the Way.'
It was a sword art that naturally evoked such a thought.
That was when it happened.
I saw the two demon heads at the entry level of peak who had come with Demon Blade Yang Bul-gi leaping forward, seemingly intent on launching a combined attack.
"You bastard! We're here too!"
"My lord! We'll assist you!"
Abruptly, a smile rose to my face.
Of course, it didn't seem like the Red Sunset Divine Sword would be defeated just because those guys joined in, but could I just stand around doing nothing?
As a consolation prize, dealing with those bastards seemed like it might improve my mood a little.
Shouting toward the bastards, I shot forward.
"Why are you going over there?! How hurtful!"
The brilliant wings created by my sword shadows were spreading wide open toward the bastards.