Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Killing Sword
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Spurt!
At that moment, a spray of blood erupted from Bu Eun-seol’s shoulder.
As the fiercely spinning sword tip grazed him, a chunk of flesh was gouged from his shoulder.
“Hah!”
It was a wound severe enough to make an ordinary person scream in agony, but Bu Eun-seol instead let out a sharp cry and continued his sword form.
‘Just a little more…’
Drawing upon the Path of the Beast, Bu Eun-seol brought his face closer to control the spinning sword.
Whirrr.
The passing blade sliced his cheek and forehead, but he paid it no mind, spinning his body and the sword even faster.
‘Just a little faster!’
Unleashing the technique once more, Bu Eun-seol's legs began to spin.
The rotational force traveled through his waist, to his shoulders, arms, and finally to his fingertips.
Whoosh, whirrrr.
Spinning furiously like a top, Bu Eun-seol powerfully thrust the iron sword forward.
CRACK!
In that instant, a powerful gust of wind erupted as a section of the training hall's wall was completely shattered.
Rumble…
Amidst the dust, the Ironwood, said to be harder than steel, was torn apart like paper. Bu Eun-seol had dropped his sword and was kneeling on one knee.
“Hmm.”
As Cheon Un-gwang let out a low groan, Bu Eun-seol struggled to his feet.
“I apologize.”
Staggering up, Bu Eun-seol picked up the iron sword from the floor.
“I will try again.”
A bloody glint appeared in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Even if it meant carving away all the flesh from his body, he would never stop the sword form.
“Enough!”
This scene had repeated itself every single day for the past four days.
Worn down by Bu Eun-seol's sheer tenacity and grit, Cheon Un-gwang waved his hand.
“You can stop now.”
“But…”
“That’s enough. It seems you have already grasped the essence of the Fire Rain Thunderclap Sword.”
There were two reasons why Bu Eun-seol had been so grievously injured.
First, he had not achieved Sword-Hand Unity; he could not control the sword as delicately and precisely as his own hand.
“The Fire Rain Thunderclap Sword requires rapid body rotation to alternate between fast sword forms and chain sword forms. Furthermore, all the stances involve swinging the sword around the body, making them impractical for real combat.”
Watching Bu Eun-seol, drenched in blood and gasping for breath, Cheon Un-gwang narrowed his eyes.
“And yet, you are trying to use every form for actual combat.”
The second reason.
Bu Eun-seol had imbued every stance with killing intent and sharpness, as if facing a mortal enemy.
“As if you're trying to kill someone.”
Gasping for breath, Bu Eun-seol's expression hardened as he replied.
“Is that not the original purpose of a sword art?”
“Are you harboring a Killing Sword?”
“Not at this moment.”
“Not at this moment?”
Bu Eun-seol bit his lip for a moment, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
“Right now, I simply want to survive.”
“Hmm.”
After a moment of silence, Cheon Un-gwang nodded gravely.
“They said one trainee survived the Second Hall alone. So it was you.”
Among all the trainees on Hell Island, only Bu Eun-seol understood the weight of the name ‘Sip-ma-jeon-in’.
“Name.”
For the first time, Cheon Un-gwang was curious about a trainee's name.
“Your name, I mean.”
“It is Bu Eun-seol.”
“Good.”
Everything was good.
Having learned the Path of the Beast, he possessed outstanding senses and reflexes.
Not only that, he also had a peculiar talent for turning ordinary sword forms into sharp, killing moves.
Though his body seemed thin, his legs were as steady as if they could withstand the falling sky, and his eyes burned like a sun frozen in time.
Above all, he had the unshakeable will to master the way of the sword, no matter what it takes.
‘When in my life will I ever meet such a peerless martial talent again?’
Something hot flared up in Cheon Un-gwang's heart.
A desire not merely to teach the Fire Rain Thunderclap Sword as ordered by the clan, but to truly pass on the sword mastery he himself had achieved.
“Hmm.”
Cheon Un-gwang's gaze softened for a moment, then he opened his mouth as if having made a decision.
“You are about to walk down the wrong path.”
He looked down at the silent Bu Eun-seol, whose lips were pressed tight, and continued.
“To learn demonic martial arts, one needs a naturally strong killing intent. However, that can be a great obstacle to learning our clan's sword arts.”
“I do not understand what you mean.”
“The Hwa-u Sword is as profound and exquisite as the martial arts of Shaolin. This is partly because it encompasses all the sword arts scattered throughout the demonic path, but also because it has abandoned the Killing Sword that is so deeply rooted in it.”
Killing intent and the Killing Sword.
Bu Eun-seol did not understand the difference at all. Sensing this, Cheon Un-gwang began to explain about the sword again.
“Do you know why the sword is called the King of Ten Thousand Weapons?”
Bu Eun-seol had a thought, but he shook his head.
“I do not know.”
“Because with a single blade, the sword can express the variations and sharpness of all other weapons.”
Cheon Un-gwang spoke again.
“What is the pinnacle of the sword? To reach an endlessly high realm, our clan abandoned the Killing Sword, which exists solely to take an enemy's life, and pursued the ultimate way of the sword.”
Cheon Un-gwang said solemnly.
“If you cannot erase the murderous intent burning in your mind, you will end up creating a martial art that harms your own body. Just like the uncontrollable Fire Rain Thunderclap Sword.”
A somewhat self-mocking smile appeared on his face.
Perhaps this advice was something he was saying to himself.
“In the past—no, even now, I too have lived with a Killing Sword in my heart. I was reckless, cutting down anything I saw.”
His expression was calm, but anguish and inner turmoil flickered in Cheon Un-gwang's eyes.
“Because of that, my status, my honor, and even my martial arts fell to a lower level.”
In his youth, Cheon Un-gwang had been considered a candidate for the next leader of the Hwa-u Sword Clan.
But he could not control his anger and murderous intent, and in the end, had to be content with the position of a Hall Master.
“The Killing Sword seems to lead you to an endlessly high realm, but in reality, it is an obstacle that blocks the path stretching before you. From now on, you must abandon your murderous intent.”
Was it because he had spoken of his past? Cheon Un-gwang's gaze, which had always been as sharp as a sword's tip, had softened slightly.
Listening silently, a question arose in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
—Martial artists hate talking about their past.
Words his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, had once told him.
For years, while preparing the bodies of those who died away from home, the most common people he saw were martial artists hiding their identities.
—Why do martial artists deny their past?
In response to Bu Eun-seol's question, Bu Jan-yang had given a bitter smile and said:
—Because the pasts of warriors who live by the sword are all stained with sorrow and misfortune.
At the time, Bu Eun-seol had not understood those words.
But seeing Cheon Un-gwang suffer as he spoke of his own past, he suddenly understood.
‘Warriors who live by the sword… are all stained with sorrow and misfortune…’
Perhaps it was also a story of his own future, one where he would live by the sword.
‘Why is he telling me this?’
Sa-u and Jin-gak had also sincerely taught him martial arts, but they had never spoken of their pasts.
But why would the colder, more murderous Cheon Un-gwang speak of his past?
“Why are you telling me this?”
He asked with a look of complete confusion, and after a silence, Cheon Un-gwang answered.
“I told you, didn't I? That I, too, harbored a Killing Sword.”
It was not an honest answer.
He couldn't bring himself to say, *Your obsession has ignited a fire in me, too. I'm dying to see how strong you'll become.*
“And right now, you have a big problem.”
Cheon Un-gwang's eyes, looking at Bu Eun-seol, were burning with a subtle intensity.
“Even if you go to the Advanced Hall now, you won't be able to properly learn the Hwa-u Sword.”
“Why… is that?”
“You have absolutely no foundation in martial arts.”
Cheon Un-gwang saw right through Bu Eun-seol's condition.
He had outstanding senses, obsession, and a spark of talent, but he lacked a true foundational martial art and had never learned the basics.
“Your rivals are prodigies who have trained in martial arts since childhood. Once you start learning the Hwa-u Sword in earnest at the Advanced Hall, the gap will only widen.”
Cheon Un-gwang's tone was as strict as a master teaching his disciple.
“To close that gap, you must quickly learn an advanced martial art to build the foundation needed to master the Hwa-u Sword Arts.”
Shhhk.
Drawing the treasured sword from his waist, Cheon Un-gwang spoke in a low voice.
“From now on, I will teach you the Jeon-roe-mu-ssang.”
Jeon-roe-mu-ssang.
It was a unique sword art created by Cheon Un-gwang himself.
Although it could not match the depth and power of the Hwa-u Sword, it was a sword art perfectly suited for channeling sharp killing intent and destructive force.
Cheon Un-gwang had made a name for himself in the Murim with this Jeon-roe-mu-ssang style, and it was also because of this sword art that he could not become the master of the Hwa-u Sword Clan.
The Hwa-u Sword was meant to be a raindrop of fire that incinerates all martial arts. But Jeon-roe-mu-ssang was a sharp Killing Sword, like a single flash of light.
“Thank you.”
As Bu Eun-seol cupped his hands in a show of respect, Cheon Un-gwang waved his hand dismissively.
“There is no need for thanks. This method could very well be your ruin.”
Cheon Un-gwang said with a grave expression.
“Because if you fail while learning Jeon-roe-mu-ssang, you could lose all ten of your fingers.”
Cheon Un-gwang pointed to his own right hand, which he had kept calmly held out.
“The nerves in my fingers were all severed from a failure in learning Jeon-roe-mu-ssang. That is why I use my left hand for the sword.”
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize why Cheon Un-gwang always carried an ordinary longsword on his back.
Carrying the sword on his right would be no different from announcing that he was a left-handed swordsman.
“All living things are bound to find what suits their nature. In my later years, I created the ultimate Killing Sword style for this body, but…”
Looking down at his hand, Cheon Un-gwang's face twisted in pain.
“This sword style is as esoteric as the Hwa-u Sword, and even more difficult to control than the Fire Rain Thunderclap Sword. If you cannot quickly understand and master the secrets and principles of advanced martial arts…”
Cheon Un-gwang paused for a moment before speaking in a grim voice.
“You won't be going to the Advanced Hall; you might just become a cripple who can't use either arm.”
The Hwa-u Sword is the Sword of Ten Thousand, encompassing all sword arts, but Jeon-roe-mu-ssang is a Killing Sword that greatly arouses murderous intent.
In the end, even a sword master like Cheon Un-gwang could not escape the Killing Sword.
“For the ultimate end of the Killing Sword is to cut down the enemy, and in doing so, cut down oneself…”
But Bu Eun-seol's eyes showed no sign of wavering.
Despite his deep knowledge of the human body and his outstanding talent, Bu Eun-seol was a novice who had only recently begun to learn martial arts.
It was impossible to learn the Hwa-u Sword Arts, called the greatest sword art of the demonic path, step-by-step without taking risks.
“Even so, will you learn Jeon-roe-mu-ssang from me?”
“I will.”
It didn't matter.
Whether his hands were shattered or he lost both arms.
The one who had brewed medicine for him day and night because of his weak body, who had carried him on his back and put him to sleep.
The one who had always held him warmly, even when others pointed their fingers…
If he could eliminate the fiend who had brutally murdered his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, Bu Eun-seol would have offered not just his arms, but his very soul.