Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Topple the Pillar of the Sword (2)
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Whoosh! Tumble, tumble.
A flawless blue martial uniform rolled and fluttered across the training ground floor.
Just moments ago, it had been the uniform of Geom Cheon-ha, exuding an air of imposing dignity.
But now, it felt entirely different.
It looked somewhat faded, one might say.
It seemed that no matter how expensive a supreme master's uniform was, it was still just clothes.
Even it couldn't escape the fate of tumbling on the ground.
Furthermore, the dirt staining the uniform from the sleeves to every corner seemed to represent Geom Cheon-ha's state of mind.
Not only had he been ambushed by a mere trainee, but he had also been forced to use Naryeotagon; his pride was surely as sullied as his uniform.
"You insufferable bastard! I'll tear you to shreds!"
He roared, his voice thundering loud enough to shake the entire grand plaza.
But nothing changed.
His opponent didn't even bat an eye, and the honor of the Heavenly Sword Gate had already been dragged through the mud along with him.
As expected, voices rose from the audience and the VIP seats, everyone chiming in.
"Hah… to think he used Naryeotagon, even if he was caught off guard. The prestige of the Heavenly Sword Gate will be in tatters for a while."
"I'd heard talk that the balance of the five pillars had been off for some time, but to see it with my own eyes…"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I knew it from the moment he boasted about giving a three-move handicap."
Every comment was harsh and critical.
The other Gates were likely stirring public opinion to match the changed circumstances.
An opportunity to shake the firm balance of the five pillars was rare.
They had to tarnish the Heavenly Sword Gate's reputation as much as possible to reap the benefits.
Realizing this, Geom Cheon-ha gritted his teeth.
‘Damn it, the pack of hyenas is already running wild. I will make that bastard die in agony!’
Though his expression and gaze were murderous, he had not lost his composure.
His opponent was strong enough to force him into Naryeotagon with just two attacks.
Still, he was Geom Cheon-ha, one of the five pillars of the Demonic Cult.
He wasn't foolish enough to misjudge his opponent, deceived by the facade of a trainee.
‘No more mistakes.’
Vowing inwardly, he once again gripped his sword tightly with both hands.
Then, with a spirited shout, he infused it with his internal energy.
"Hyaaaah!"
At that, a Sword Aura formed on his blade, which until now had only glowed blue.
It was clear he intended to fight with all his might.
The rare spectacle caused a momentary stir in the stands.
However, Maeng Ak, who was facing it, remained unfazed.
This served to once again grate on Geom Cheon-ha's nerves.
‘Hoh, no reaction to my Sword Aura? Are you truly a tiger yourself?’
For a martial artist, the best way to find out was to clash directly.
Without a moment's hesitation, Geom Cheon-ha kicked off the ground.
He closed the distance in an instant and swung his sword with incredible speed.
The blue aura, imbued with the profundity of the Azure Demon Sword of the Heavenly Sword Gate, flew menacingly.
Maeng Ak couldn't remain idle.
He corrected his reverse grip on the Black Insignia Sword in his right hand and infused it with his energy.
A Sword Aura then materialized on his blade as well.
But it was slightly different from Geom Cheon-ha's.
Unlike Geom Cheon-ha's aura, which blazed like a blue flame, his aura was a black one that suited the jet-black blade.
For some reason, his Sword Aura seemed to cling viscously to the blade.
As if it would devour the sword itself.
Maeng Ak swung the aura-wreathed sword in a wide horizontal arc.
A heavy, black aura shot out in a long line.
Craaaash!
Auras of different colors clashed repeatedly in mid-air.
It created the image of a long, horizontal black aura being relentlessly battered by several blue auras.
The impact kicked up a thick cloud of dust on the training ground.
Because of it, the spectators couldn't properly see the clash that followed the initial collision of auras.
All they could hear were the unending sounds of impact from within the dust storm.
Gulp.
For a long while, they could only swallow their dry saliva.
In between the clashes of auras, the thudding sounds of fists meeting could also be heard, further piquing their curiosity.
Fortunately, the dust storm soon dissipated.
The outcome of the battle had been decided faster than expected.
But what was this?
As the thick dust slowly settled, an utterly unbelievable sight came into view.
It was a scene that no one in the densely packed grand plaza could have ever predicted.
***
Geom Cheon-ha was stronger than I thought.
He was indeed worthy of being called a supreme master of the Demonic Cult, strong enough to make the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions join hands.
His ability to freely wield Sword Aura with the perfected mastery of his realm was quite troublesome.
If I hadn't grown over the past fortnight, I might have lost.
‘My decision to visit the secret repository was indeed the right one.’
It was true.
If I hadn't gone to the secret repository, I would never have achieved the state of perfect union.
Nor would I have obtained the Five Elements Pill, the Black Insignia Sword I now held, or the proficiency in my martial arts.
It was the greatest crisis I had faced since waking in this new body, but also the greatest opportunity.
Don't they say that crossing hands with a master of a higher realm is also a fortunate encounter?
Though the circumstances were a bit different, my battle with Geom Cheon-ha was a great help to me.
‘I never thought the harmony between the Sword Arts of the Green Forest Demon and the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger would be this natural…’
While fighting him, I deliberately mixed the two martial arts.
My left hand used the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger, and my right, the Sword Arts of the Green Forest Demon.
The harmony between them was indescribably good.
Normally, it's difficult to even master one martial art, and using two at once risks Qi Deviation, so martial artists rarely mix them.
But was it because of my Heaven and Earth Body? Or because the foundations of the two arts were similar?
For me, it created a synergistic effect that was actually beneficial.
It made me wonder if I could perhaps surpass my past life.
Honestly, when I first created and learned the Sword Arts of the Green Forest Demon, I didn't have any grand intentions.
It just felt wasteful to discard the martial arts this body had originally learned, so I thought I'd just refine them and perhaps use them for teaching in the future.
‘A martial art capable of pushing back a master who has reached perfected mastery… It wouldn't be a waste to call it a Divine Art.’
But this was better than I could have ever imagined.
I hadn't felt it so strongly during training, but in a real battle with its many variables, it was different.
With my left and right hands executing similar yet different techniques, my opponent not only struggled to adapt but was also flustered.
Thanks to that, I was able to handle Geom Cheon-ha, who was stronger than I expected, without much difficulty.
If I had to fight him with only the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger or the Sword Arts of the Green Forest Demon, it would have taken quite a long time.
Of course, the result would have been the same, but if I'm going to win, winning quickly is better, isn't it?
All that was left was to take his life before the dust settled.
Just then, the man who had lost consciousness after taking a fist to his lower abdomen groaned and came to.
"Guuuh…"
Fear was etched in his eyes as he looked up at me.
It was likely not a fear of my current self, but a fear born from imagining my future self.
Even now, at a young age and with the status of a mere trainee, I had overwhelmingly defeated him, a supreme master of the Demonic Cult. What would happen if I grew even stronger?
His gaze made me feel a little guilty.
Even I hadn't anticipated such a one-sided result.
If we were to fight again, I would probably win by a narrow margin.
The reason he was so thoroughly crushed by me was the combination of the Sword Arts of the Green Forest Demon and the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger.
But well, there was no need to worry about that.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, he asked me a question.
The fear in his eyes had been replaced by a madness.
He looked no different from a person on the verge of death.
"Who are you… Just who sent you!"
"Sent me?"
I raised an eyebrow, my expression asking what kind of nonsense he was spouting, which only made him more agitated.
"You're going to kill me soon anyway! Even if I am to meet such a pathetic end, I must know who is behind you before I die."
"Tsk, and here I was wondering what nonsense you were spouting. Just like the arrogant bastard you are, you can't even accept your own death gracefully."
"What?"
"You don't want to admit it, do you? That you were defeated by a mere trainee of humble, orphaned birth. I've seen countless men like you. Yes, those born into favorable environments who run their mouths thinking they're all that, only to die. You're not the only one of your kind, are you?"
"What did you just say…"
Thwack!
Annoyed by his incessant whining, I kicked him in the stomach.
Thanks to that, he had to spit out a mouthful of blood mid-sentence.
I then leaned down to meet his gaze.
The saying that a beating is the best medicine had never failed me, then or now.
The madness in his eyes turned back to fear.
I grabbed him by the hair and continued.
"From now on, if you open your mouth without permission, I will sever your limbs one by one. Answer my questions carefully."
There were two things I wanted to gain from him.
One was the practical experience of using my full strength, as mentioned before, and the other was high-level information needed to devour the Demonic Cult.
Information that Dang Hyeon-woo and Ha Song could never obtain, known only to the leadership.
"Do you have any useful information about the Ancestor Heavenly Demon? I will decide my mercy based on your answer."
The moment the words "Ancestor Heavenly Demon" left my lips, his eyes widened.
He clearly knew something.
It had bothered me when Hwan Cheon-hwa and Eum Cheon-myeong mistook me for the Heavenly Demon, so I asked on a whim, and it seemed there really was something to it.
"So there was someone behind you after all…"
But instead of answering my question, he started spouting nonsense.
Without hesitation, I swung the Black Insignia Sword.
Swish!
The Black Insignia Sword instantly grazed past his left arm.
Thud. His left arm fell off.
"Aaaaaargh!!!"
It was a good thing I had set up a Qi barrier beforehand.
If his scream had leaked out, interruptions might have come before the dust even settled.
"Do not test my patience."
When I muttered in a low voice, he finally nodded his head.
Looking at him now, it seemed that being a member of the Demonic Cult didn't make him much different from an ordinary martial artist.
From what I'd heard in the past, they were supposed to be madmen who would throw their lives away for the existence known as the Heavenly Demon without a second thought.
‘Does the presence or absence of a Heavenly Demon make that much of a difference?’
A group's character often changes completely depending on whether it has a focal point.
So, it seemed these guys were the same.
Well, for me now, it was actually more convenient.
At least it was better than my imagining him acting like a lunatic, screaming "just kill me" while bashing his head on the ground.
In cases like this, using only the whip might just break them.
Of course, it was rich coming from me, who had just cut off his arm, but sometimes, you need a carrot too.
This time, I tried to persuade him with a mix of lies.
All that mattered was getting the information.
"I am on no one's side. Depending on the circumstances, I could even be on your side. So, speak."
"Kuhhh… On my side, you say? Heh heh. You say that so easily after cutting off my left arm. Fine, what do you want to know about the Ancestor Heavenly Demon? I need to know if it's useful to you or not."
Whether the pain of his severed arm had brought him back to his senses, or he had gone completely mad, the man returned to the mindset of a supreme master of the Demonic Cult.
‘To think my brilliant persuasion didn't work. Impressive.’
"Everything about what the Ancestor Heavenly Demon left behind."
Flinch!
Just as his eyes had widened when he first heard the words "Ancestor Heavenly Demon," he seemed a little startled this time as well.
I, having a history of feigning ignorance to Hwan Cheon-hwa and Eum Cheon-myeong, simply asked if there was anything that might help my act in the future.
"I do not know much myself. But I know someone who does."
"Who is it?"
"First, guarantee my life. Then I will tell you."
"Hmm…"
I fell into thought.
Honestly, while I was curious, it wasn't a critically important issue for me.
I could drop the act right now and go in a different direction.
I had regained enough power for that.
So, was the information worth sparing this man's life?
"Forget it."
Swish!
It seemed not.
I swung the Black Insignia Sword once more.
This time, it grazed his neck.
Thud. A head fell to the ground and rolled.
It was a shabby end for someone who was called one of the five pillars of the Demonic Cult.
‘Well, not that it's my concern.’
What did capture my attention was the dust cloud that was slowly beginning to settle.
"Hah, I hate troublesome things."