Chapter 391
Chapter 391
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 391
Chapter Title: The Perfect Moment
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Clang!
Bu Eun-seol, who was about to unleash the three-stage Meteor Chase technique, was forced to halt his sword art once again as Jo Cheon-wang's Dragon Subduing Sword suddenly appeared mid-motion.
*‘Hmph.’*
The sweet taste of blood rose from his stomach to his throat.
When executing a sword form, one must pour out their internal energy and technique to the very end.
But being interrupted before he could fully release his energy...
...the energy meant for the sword art reversed its course, flowing back into Bu Eun-seol's body.
"You're nothing special."
A faint smile touched Jo Cheon-wang's lips as he repeatedly interrupted Bu Eun-seol's techniques, inflicting internal injuries.
It was the smile of a victor, certain he could kill Bu Eun-seol.
*‘A life-or-death duel isn't won simply by having a superior sword art.’*
Jo Cheon-wang, who had honed his swordsmanship to the extreme, possessed a special ability.
When an opponent took a stance to execute a sword form, he could easily predict the next move.
All paths lead to one.
Whether it was the sword art of the righteous faction or the demonic path, swordsmanship was ultimately just a series of movements performed by a human holding a sword.
And Jo Cheon-wang, who had become a master of the sword through countless battles, could, just by looking at his enemy's stance...
...instantly discern what technique would unfold and what would follow.
Clang!
As his sword art was blocked mid-motion again, hot, coppery blood surged up from Bu Eun-seol's stomach.
Whoosh!
But Bu Eun-seol paid it no mind, changing his sword art mid-swing to attack Jo Cheon-wang again.
Clang!
But once again, with a sharp metallic clang, Bu Eun-seol's sword form was halted.
Swish!
The moment his technique was stopped, an opening was revealed.
Jo Cheon-wang seized the opportunity, swinging his Dragon Subduing Sword to slash at Bu Eun-seol's forearm.
Tsss!
He barely managed to avoid it by using the Shadowless Extreme Speed, but his sleeve was sliced by the sword energy.
*‘He even predicted the path of my sword?’*
Bu Eun-seol couldn't hide his surprise.
Even if Jo Cheon-wang had perfectly grasped the variations of the Peerless Heavenly Flow, he shouldn't be able to predict *how* Bu Eun-seol would execute the techniques.
But Jo Cheon-wang, as if he were inside Bu Eun-seol's mind...
...had instantly read even the variations of the Peerless Heavenly Flow he was about to use, shutting down the sword art mid-execution.
*'I'll try again.'*
Twisting his grip on the Ink Sword, Bu Eun-seol once again slashed at Jo Cheon-wang's neck.
But, as if he had already anticipated it, Bu Eun-seol's sword form was blocked mid-way again.
*'Incredible. Truly incredible.'*
Bu Eun-seol's eyes sparkled incessantly.
Only now did he understand the level Jo Cheon-wang had reached in his swordsmanship, and how he was predicting the variations in his techniques.
*'He's fought so many fearsome swordsmen that he can predict the technique just by looking at the stance.'*
It was a terrifying ability that would make any ordinary martial artist despair.
But Bu Eun-seol, on the contrary, was smiling with delight.
Jo Cheon-wang's swordsmanship was terrifyingly impressive, but not so much that he couldn't catch up.
In fact, he was grateful that such a method was showing him a new technique, broadening his horizons.
*'I'm also confident in predicting movements from stances alone.'*
Bu Eun-seol, who had been an expert in human movement since his days as a psychometrist...
...as he pushed his Beast's Eye to its maximum and observed Jo Cheon-wang, he could somewhat anticipate his sword forms.
And he began to unfold a new, completely different version of the Peerless Heavenly Flow.
Woooong!
A low hum emanated from the Ink Sword as a sharp technique poured forth.
*'It looks like a thrust to the lower abdomen, but he's changed it to a sword form aimed at the neck.'*
Predicting Bu Eun-seol's move, Jo Cheon-wang leisurely defended his neck with the Dragon Subduing Sword.
Shudder.
But something strange happened.
Just as he predicted the move, Bu Eun-seol's sword form changed once more, accurately thrusting toward his lower abdomen.
*'Hm?'*
Slightly surprised, Jo Cheon-wang quickly raised his sword to block Bu Eun-seol's attack.
*'What just happened?'*
Until now, his predictions of techniques had never once been wrong.
So how could his prediction suddenly be wrong?
*'It must be a coincidence.'*
Shwaaak!
This time, Bu Eun-seol unleashed the Waning Moon and Morning Star technique, pouring out a sharp cross-shaped sword energy.
At the same time, a sharp slash of sword energy shot diagonally toward Jo Cheon-wang's side.
*'He's using the sword's gleam to make the cross-shaped energy look bigger, but the real attack is a slash to my side.'*
Having detected all the variations in the Waning Moon and Morning Star technique, Jo Cheon-wang leisurely moved to strike down the Ink Sword.
*'What?'*
But again, something strange occurred.
He had raised his Dragon Subduing Sword and struck down with all his might at the Ink Sword aiming for his side.
But suddenly, the sword form underwent a bizarre change, and a sharp blade of energy was now pouring toward his back.
Clang!
Barely managing to block Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword, Jo Cheon-wang narrowed his eyes.
*'It was because of his divine footwork.'*
Only then did he realize that Bu Eun-seol hadn't changed his sword form.
He had used divine footwork to subtly change the direction from which the sword art was coming.
*'His improvisation is incredible. He's already mastered the essence of the Nangyak Pavilion's practical martial arts.'*
The practical martial arts of the Nangyak Pavilion change and evolve in response to the enemy's attacks.
And Bu Eun-seol, having deeply mastered these arts, was once again adapting his swordsmanship to match Jo Cheon-wang's abilities and techniques.
*'So this is the successor of the Demonic Hall.'*
Impressed, Jo Cheon-wang nodded.
There was no need for any more probing or sword techniques.
If he didn't use his true power and cut down Bu Eun-seol at once...
...he would end up acting as a martial arts instructor, teaching him swordsmanship.
Thud.
After widening the distance and stopping, Jo Cheon-wang smiled and nodded.
"Now, I will show you what the Dragon Subduing Sword truly is."
Ignoring whatever Jo Cheon-wang said, Bu Eun-seol once again unleashed the Waning Moon and Morning Star technique, slashing at Jo Cheon-wang's vital points.
But something strange happened.
Chiiiing!
Bu Eun-seol felt a low vibration and a wind-like sensation pass through his body.
It could be called an intuition honed through long battles.
Whirrrrr!
Bu Eun-seol immediately halted his sword art, throwing his body sideways into a spin.
Just then, a sharp sword aura suddenly appeared in the empty air, narrowly grazing past his lower abdomen.
"Hoh."
Jo Cheon-wang let out a sound of admiration as Bu Eun-seol dodged the strike.
"To think you could dodge that."
His voice was filled with an indescribable sentiment.
In his youth, Jo Cheon-wang was a wandering swordsman.
Then, by chance, he obtained the ancient Sky-Shaking Sword Manual and used it to create the Dragon Subduing Sword Art.
The Dragon Subduing Sword Art, which maximized the principles of the Sky-Shaking Shadow Concealment from the manual, could exert immense pressure and terrifying power, as if a dragon were descending from the heavens.
Not only that, but through the principles of Sky-Shaking Shadow Concealment, he was also able to pinpoint the perfect moment to momentarily deceive an enemy's senses.
Jo Cheon-wang named this fleeting moment the 'Perfect Moment'.
And if he executed his sword art precisely at this Perfect Moment?
A flawless sword form that not even a god could dodge would be born.
So far, he had used the principle of the Perfect Moment only six times.
The opponents against whom he had used it were formidable foes who had threatened his life, and by defeating them, he had earned the supreme position of the Master of the Mucheon Division.
Even though he had executed it lightly, for such a young man to dodge a sword strike unleashed at the Perfect Moment?
"Until now, my heart has been heavy."
Jo Cheon-wang spoke with a peculiar expression.
"Even if it's revenge for my only son, it felt like I was cutting down a child who hadn't even fully grown."
The atmosphere around Jo Cheon-wang, who had maintained a relaxed expression and posture, changed.
He held his sword with an extremely grave and cautious gaze.
"But from now on, I acknowledge you as a worthy opponent who can cross swords with me. And I will unleash my swordsmanship properly."
Bu Eun-seol cautiously gripped the Ink Sword.
Jo Cheon-wang's words were no bluff.
For decades, he had roamed the martial world, accumulating numerous achievements, a seasoned veteran who had survived life-or-death battles against powerful enemies.
This was a situation where he couldn't let his guard down for a single moment, where even his best effort might not guarantee his life.
*'I can't use the Seven Forms of Blood Tears.'*
Bu Eun-seol's greatest trump card was the Seven Forms of Blood Tears from the Seven-Branched Demonic Saber.
It was said to be an unstoppable saber art of death, but it too only showed its true power when the form was perfectly completed.
But Jo Cheon-wang captured a fleeting moment to deliver a decisive blow.
In other words, the execution of the Dragon Subduing Sword Art would surely be faster than the Seven Forms of Blood Tears.
*'In that case...'*
Bu Eun-seol could feel it.
This fight was not a clash of sword art versus sword art.
It was a battle of moment against moment.
A fight between fleeting instants.
Hwiiiing.
Suddenly, a powerful current of energy flowed from Jo Cheon-wang's body.
The current soon enveloped the space behind where Bu Eun-seol stood.
Jo Cheon-wang created a field of intense sword energy in a perimeter of several dozen feet, like casting a barrier.
To prevent Bu Eun-seol from retreating.
He intended to launch a direct frontal attack for an all-or-nothing showdown.
Woooong!
A powerful shockwave spread from Jo Cheon-wang's body, and then,
Fwoosh!
he shot forward as if erasing the space between them, aiming to split Bu Eun-seol in two.
The Perfect Moment.
The perfect timing when the opponent absolutely cannot counterattack.
If he timed this Perfect Moment precisely, any enemy would surely fall.
Even if Bu Eun-seol had mastered a sword art superior to his own...
...before the principle of the Perfect Moment, any powerful sword art would become an empty shell.
Saaaaah.
At the same time, a pure white aura rose from Bu Eun-seol's body.
Crack...
Simultaneously, an immense chill, enough to make one's teeth chatter, enveloped Jo Cheon-wang.
The ultimate art of the Glacial Grand Emperor, the Glacial Heavenly Flow Art, had been unleashed.
*'This bastard!'*
Jo Cheon-wang realized his mistake.
He was using an ice art?
Wasn't this a situation that would completely mess up his calculation of the Perfect Moment?
*'To think he had learned an ice art.'*
Jo Cheon-wang, having reached the pinnacle of the sword, could read the flow of his enemy's body and sense when new power would surge.
And using that moment, he could execute his sword form at the un-dodgeable instant—the Perfect Moment.
But when Bu Eun-seol used his powerful ice art, the perfect timing Jo Cheon-wang had calculated was disrupted.
Shwaaak!
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword shot toward Jo Cheon-wang like an explosion, piercing through space.
The Dragon Subduing Sword of Jo Cheon-wang, who had captured the perfect flow, the Perfect Moment.
Bu Eun-seol, who slowed the flow of that Perfect Moment to launch a counterattack.
Of the two, who had seized the precise instant... only the gods now knew.
But just then,
Swish!
with a very short sound of something cutting the air, a sharp sword shot up from below Bu Eun-seol's feet.
It was something that not even a ghost, let alone Bu Eun-seol, could have predicted.
*'An assassin?'*
It seemed someone had been hiding underground using a breath-concealing technique even before the two began their duel.
And they had seized the desperate, life-or-death moment of the duel to attempt a perfect ambush.
From the perspective of swordsmanship, it could be called another Perfect Moment.
*'I can't be hit by this sword.'*
T-t-t-t-t!
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol's body blurred, and the sword that shot up from the ground grazed past his foot.
The Shadowless Extreme Speed, which at its peak could change direction ninety-nine times in mid-air, was unleashed to its limit.
Pat! Pat!
But because of that, his sword form aimed at Jo Cheon-wang slowed by half a beat.
Paaat!
In that instant, blood spurted from Bu Eun-seol's body.
Jo Cheon-wang's Dragon Subduing Sword had sliced diagonally across his chest and shoulder, creating a large wound.
Flash!
A brilliant light flared in Jo Cheon-wang's eyes.
*'Now!'*
He could feel it instinctively.
This very moment? He had captured a Perfect Moment that not even a god of war could dodge.
*'But...'*
In a brief moment, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
As a former Division Master of the Martial Alliance, he had always upheld justice and had never once committed an unrighteous act.
But if he were to kill Bu Eun-seol because of this masked man's ambush?
...it would be a dishonorable revenge.
*'How can honor and revenge be the same?'*
The thought was long, but the action was like lightning.
Recalling his son's gruesome corpse, Jo Cheon-wang immediately unleashed his Dragon Subduing Sword and slashed at Bu Eun-seol's neck.
Shwaaak!
Just then, a powerful arrow flew from somewhere, speeding toward the Dragon Subduing Sword.
In that instant, Jo Cheon-wang was startled.
Another unexpected event had occurred, disrupting the Perfect Moment once again.
Clang!
In the end, the arrow and Jo Cheon-wang's sword collided.
From Bu Eun-seol's body, the spiderweb-like power of the As-You-Will True Art spread out.
It was the perfect 'moment' that Bu Eun-seol had created.
Jiiiiing!
And that spreading power enveloped not Jo Cheon-wang, but the masked man who had ambushed him from underground.
He had unleashed the As-You-Will True Art to trap the enemy underground, preventing their escape.
Flash! Flash!
At the same time, Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword changed speed twice in mid-air.
Pshuk!
As the Ink Sword plunged deep into the ground, crimson blood spurted out.
In the end, despite seizing a perfect moment, he had launched a counterattack not at Jo Cheon-wang, but at the masked ambusher.
Gurgle.
The mortally wounded ambusher then used an earth-burrowing technique to begin his escape.
Whoosh!
So-yo, who was watching, used her movement technique and began to pursue the ambusher.
The ambusher might return to attack Bu Eun-seol at any time.
In other words, if that person wasn't dealt with for good, Bu Eun-seol's focus would be divided, and he would surely lose this duel. So-yo understood this and immediately began the chase.
*'If it's now...'*
Meanwhile, seeing that Bu Eun-seol hadn't attacked him, Jo Cheon-wang seized another opportunity to deliver a decisive blow.
*'I must have my revenge!'*
This kind of sneak attack was a shameful act that even those of the demonic path would not commit.
But he absolutely could not miss this chance.
*'If his martial prowess is like this now, in a few years, I will never be able to defeat him!'*
When he had watched the decisive battle with the Heavenly Sword, Bu Eun-seol's martial skill was clearly below his own.
But in this short time, hadn't the man made incredible progress?
He too had been called a genius since childhood, to the point of being tired of it. But he had never even heard a joke about someone who could advance their martial realm as quickly as Bu Eun-seol.
"You must die!"
With a shout, he unhesitatingly thrust his Dragon Subduing Sword into Bu Eun-seol's back.
K-thunk!
But with a strange impact sound, the Dragon Subduing Sword only penetrated about an inch.
Bu Eun-seol had already anticipated his sneak attack and deployed the Great Stillness Ice Seal.
Crack... Clang!
But Jo Cheon-wang's internal energy was beyond imagination.
In the end, despite using the Great Stillness Ice Seal, Bu Eun-seol suffered a severe internal injury, and the sword's tip pierced about an inch deep.
Thud!
From the impact of the sneak attack, Bu Eun-seol was pushed back several dozen feet before collapsing with a clatter.
"Ptooey."
Having been ambushed in succession, Bu Eun-seol seemed to have suffered a deep internal injury as he spat out bright red blood.
...
But he soon straightened his body and twisted his grip on the Ink Sword.
"Let's begin again."
Tremble.
At that dignified and solemn appearance, the corner of Jo Cheon-wang's eye twitched uncontrollably.
With the sole intention of avenging his son, he had repeated a vicious sneak attack, something even demonic practitioners wouldn't do, twice.
But Bu Eun-seol did not condemn him.
Instead, with an expression that seemed to say he had expected it, he was calmly preparing to use his sword art.
"I..."
Jo Cheon-wang's voice no longer held its previous dignity.
From the moment he had ambushed Bu Eun-seol, his internal energy and mental strength had greatly diminished.
A warrior must be honorable.
An evil person must be able to commit evil deeds without hesitation.
A good person must naturally perform honorable and righteous deeds.
But Jo Cheon-wang had failed to do so.
When a master who had reached his level abandoned his convictions, an uncontrollable collapse of the spirit occurred.
"...don't even have the right to take revenge."
Jo Cheon-wang bit his lip.
And he injected immense internal energy into the Dragon Subduing Sword he was holding.
Crack.
Then, the blade of the Dragon Subduing Sword, made of black iron, began to crack like a spiderweb.
Crumble...
It broke into dozens of pieces and crumbled to the ground.
"This is the end."
Jo Cheon-wang had lost his son at Bu Eun-seol's hands.
But blinded by revenge, he had thrown away the convictions and pride he had built up over the years. And he had committed a despicable act that he himself could not forgive.
Because of this, Jo Cheon-wang's internal energy and spiritual level had greatly regressed, and he had even lost the justification to fight Bu Eun-seol again.
"There is no longer any grudge between you and me."
With those words, Jo Cheon-wang lowered his head as if ashamed. Then he slowly turned and walked away.
"Hoo. Hoo."
Panting for breath, Bu Eun-seol waited until Jo Cheon-wang was completely gone.
Click.
He sheathed his Ink Sword and leaned back against a rock.
Tap. Tap.
He pressed the pressure points on his shoulder and chest, and the bleeding stopped.
Bu Eun-seol took out a Purple Elixir Pill from his robes and swallowed it in one gulp.
*'I still have a long way to go.'*
One of the Seven Division Masters of the Martial Alliance. The Dragon Subduing Sword, Jo Cheon-wang.
He wasn't even one of the more prominent figures among the Seven Division Masters.
Nevertheless, his true skill surpassed Bu Eun-seol's.
If he hadn't lost his righteousness and justification, blinded by revenge, Bu Eun-seol might already be buried in the cold earth.
Chaeng! Thud!
Just then, the sound of weapons clashing came from the distant sky.
*'So-yo.'*
Only then remembering that So-yo had chased after the ambusher, Bu Eun-seol...
Paaat.
...instantly used his movement technique and soared into the air.
Chaeng! Ch-ch-clang!
After moving several hundred yards in an instant, he could see two figures clashing with their weapons in a wide clearing in the forest.
It was So-yo and the masked man.
*'That person is...'*
As Bu Eun-seol looked at the masked man fighting So-yo, who had drawn a dagger, surprise filled his eyes.
*'It was him.'*
The masked man was the swordsman who used martial arts from beyond the borders, the one he had encountered in the underground sanctuary where they cultivated human flowers.