The Matriarchs' Duel
After the previous non-mu concluded and Hwa-ryun and Mu Seong-woo's emergency treatment finished, the matches resumed. Yet this round brought figures no one had anticipated onto the stage. Baehwa Sect members, along with Su-a, Cindy, Hwa-ryun, and Dang Ga-ryeo, all watched the two women with rapt attention. Seo Bong-hwa and Bang Se-hwa had both stepped onto the non-mu platform.
"Thank you for accepting my proposal, Lady Bang."
"Honestly, I never imagined it. Still... that makes it all the more entertaining. Hohoho~."
The Small Poison Witch, Bang Se-hwa. Wife of Mu Gucheon and matriarch of the Baehwa Sect, mother of Mu Ryeong and Mu Seong-woo, stood on the stage clad in black robes. Opposite her, the woman once called Sichuan's Number One Beauty, Seo Bong-hwa, prepared for combat in green robes. Like mother, like daughter—the mothers of peerless beauties were themselves peerless. Two of them.
Seo Bong-hwa and Bang Se-hwa, mothers of Dang Ga-ryeo and Mu Ryeong. Their mature, alluring figures and graceful, virtuous appearances radiated beauty. When two such voluptuous married women ascended the stage, the surrounding men began to stir with a different kind of excitement. Especially the middle-aged and older men swallowed hard as they stared at Seo Bong-hwa and Bang Se-hwa. The figures before them exuded the full, ripened charm of married women in their prime.
Having each borne two or three children yet maintaining flawless physiques, the two married women were so beautiful it seemed possible only in virtual reality. Women who had experienced childbirth not once but two or three times, whose breasts showed no excessive sagging and whose curves remained perfectly proportioned, were nearly impossible to find in reality—unless they were NPCs crafted for conquest, even within virtual reality.
'Even as president of Korea Vision... my employees really do an excellent job selecting and implementing NPCs like these. Well, Endless Universe was created by National One... and these two are foundational NPCs from Changcheon Murim, after all...'
Watching the two beautiful married women, Su-a wondered if she herself might one day radiate that same mature allure. Yet there was still a subtle difference between married women who had given birth and virgins. While Mu Ryeong and Dang Ga-ryeo possessed firm, slender figures, Bang Se-hwa and Seo Bong-hwa boasted rich, voluptuous bodies. Of course, neither was overweight; their forms showed almost no excess flesh, which only heightened their appeal to the male gaze. Several men on the stage swallowed audibly as they watched the two women.
Su-a found herself marveling anew at how impressive the male NPCs of virtual reality were. 'To possess such beautiful wives yet focus solely on martial arts... That in itself feels very much like a virtual reality game... Haha...'
"The rules remain the same, ladies. Are both of you ready?"
"I am prepared, my lord."
"Please begin, Lord of the Baehwa Sect."
"Understood. Then... let the non-mu commence!"
At Mu Gucheon's shout, Bang Se-hwa swiftly closed the distance to Seo Bong-hwa. But the moment she saw the weapon Seo Bong-hwa drew, her eyes widened and she was forced to retreat immediately.
Crack! It was the Golden Dragon Water-Strong Whip—the very whip Dang Ga-ryeo had wielded in Changcheon Murim. Seo Bong-hwa could wield it as well. A whip forged from multiple strands of ten-thousand-year cold iron twisted together, the Golden Dragon Water-Strong Whip, crafted with Dang Baek's utmost care, possessed tremendous power. Seo Bong-hwa swung it freely, keeping Bang Se-hwa at bay.
Thud! Thud!
Yet as the matriarch of the combat-specialized Baehwa Sect, Bang Se-hwa nimbly evaded the whip and began searching for an opening. Seo Bong-hwa likewise read Bang Se-hwa's movements, and both women reached similar conclusions.
'That whip is certainly threatening, but... she's slower than me!'
'I've blocked her approach, but... in raw speed, I'm at a disadvantage!'
Having assessed the situation, Bang Se-hwa waited for the opening created when Seo Bong-hwa swung and retracted the whip, then darted forward and thrust out her palm. But she had overlooked something.
"Hah!"
"What?!"
The instant Bang Se-hwa slipped past the whip, Seo Bong-hwa hurled the Golden Dragon Water-Strong Whip at her without hesitation and immediately shifted into close-quarters combat. Bang Se-hwa, who had never imagined the matriarch of the Dang Clan would engage in hand-to-hand fighting, could only be caught off guard.
Thud! Smack! Bam!
Bang Se-hwa had been unaware that Seo Bong-hwa had also trained in martial arts while being embraced by An Rok-san. Seo Bong-hwa excelled in poison arts and medicine and had already reached the peak of the Absolute Realm in martial prowess. Though not inferior to ordinary martial artists, her talent, the foundational techniques learned from the Dang Clan, An Rok-san's guidance, and sparring with Su-a, Cindy, Hwa-ryun, and Dang Ga-ryeo had allowed her to grow rapidly. However, Bang Se-hwa held the edge in actual combat experience. After briefly gauging Seo Bong-hwa's skill and defending, Bang Se-hwa calmly continued the close-quarters exchange. Seo Bong-hwa gradually began to be pushed back.
The sight of the two married women trading punches and kicks, sweat pouring down their bodies like rain, created a beautiful yet strangely arousing spectacle that stirred the men's inexplicable desires. Even Mu Gucheon, who cared for nothing but martial arts, found himself reacting to the beauty of his own wife, Bang Se-hwa.
'...I had grown accustomed to her and never noticed, but seeing her again like this, she truly is beautiful. I suppose I chose well in marriage...'
While exchanging blows, Seo Bong-hwa finally shook Bang Se-hwa off and resorted to hidden weapons—but that proved her mistake. Though Bang Se-hwa had been flustered by Seo Bong-hwa's fists and kicks, she had already anticipated that the matriarch of the Sichuan Dang Clan would employ poison arts and hidden weapons in a non-mu. She responded with even greater fluidity. Unable to use poison in a non-mu, Seo Bong-hwa was ultimately forced to declare her surrender, allowing Bang Se-hwa to claim victory.
With all her offensive options neutralized, Seo Bong-hwa raised both hands in surrender as Bang Se-hwa's fist stopped before her face.
"Haa... I surrender."
"The victor, Bang Se-hwa!"
Bang Se-hwa smiled pleasantly at Mu Gucheon's louder-than-usual declaration of her victory, lowered her fist, and offered Seo Bong-hwa a graceful bow. Seo Bong-hwa returned the gesture with equal poise. As matriarchs of their respective factions, the two women continued to converse with dignity and grace even after the match, embodying the very image of virtuous wives and wise mothers.
"Thanks to you, I learned a great deal, Lady Dang. It has been so long since I last fought that I felt as though I had returned to my younger days."
"The feeling is mutual. I, too, learned much thanks to you, Lady Bang. Truthfully, as a member of the orthodox faction, I once held prejudices. I'm sorry..."
"Hohoho, since you've apologized, I shall forgive you. Shall we go watch the final match?"
"Of course. Let us move."
Perhaps because both were married women with children, they felt an odd sense of kinship and grew closer as they relocated to observe the final non-mu. Moments later, Su-a and Mu Gucheon faced each other on the stage, and the spectators swallowed hard. Though both were older than the typical rising stars, they were still quite young. The sight of Jung Su-a and the Dark Heaven Demon Emperor, Mu Gucheon—widely regarded as the strongest under heaven and lord of the Baehwa Sect—standing ready for combat stirred the crowd in many ways.
An Rok-san, serving as referee in Mu Gucheon's stead, explained the rules and prepared to begin the match.
"If both sides have no objections, we begin. Ready... non-mu, start!"
The instant the match began, Su-a swung her energy sword while Mu Gucheon thrust forward a fist infused with inner energy, signaling the start of combat.
Boom!!!!
Dark energy erupted from Mu Gucheon's body as he began rapidly pressuring Su-a. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art, counted among the strongest martial arts of the era, was so powerful that the entire stage seemed to buckle beneath it. Yet Su-a skillfully deflected Mu Gucheon's attacks. Leveraging the indestructible property of her energy sword, she parried every strike while her autonomous attack units exploited Mu Gucheon's openings, allowing her to fight him on equal footing.
After arriving on Earth and obtaining the Moonlit Sword Empress's sword manual from An Rok-san, Su-a had made tremendous strides in her swordsmanship. The synergy between science and martial arts exceeded her imagination. Having traveled the martial world with Cindy, gaining real combat experience against not only rising talents but numerous masters, and receiving An Rok-san's special training, Su-a had grown stronger than she had been during her time as the Moonlit Sword Empress in Changcheon Murim.
'Impressive. Honestly, I assumed that even the strongest adventurers from space relied solely on weapons and science rather than true martial arts...'
While watching Su-a and Mu Gucheon's battle, the spectators could not hide their shock. But the most astonished of all was Mu Gucheon himself. The lord of the Demonic Cult, the Dark Heaven Demon Emperor who had lived solely for strength, had inwardly looked down upon the powerhouses of space. He had believed their strength came not from grueling training like martial arts, but merely from science, engineering, weapons, and equipment. Yet the moment he crossed blades with Su-a, that notion was overturned in an instant. Mu Gucheon's character was such that he immediately acknowledged his own narrow-mindedness and prejudice.
Thud!
After Su-a once again blocked his palm strike, Mu Gucheon stepped back and offered her an apology.
"My apologies, Lady Jung Su-a. I will speak honestly. I underestimated you. However... I now see that you are no opponent to be taken lightly."
"You flatter me, Lord of the Baehwa Sect."
Su-a genuinely believed his words. Even though she had grown stronger than during her days as the Moonlit Sword Empress, she had been unable to land any decisive blows on Mu Gucheon. She could fight him better than before, but that was all. Unless one reached Yoo Kang-hyun's transcendent level, defeating Mu Gucheon would be difficult.
After apologizing to Su-a, Mu Gucheon's aura began to shift.
Rumble rumble rumble!
"From now on, I shall face you properly—as a true martial artist."