The Sword King Awakens
As the Sword Gang infused with lightning surged from Namgung Yurin's sword, the Sword King jolted awake. Her blade had already pierced past the spot he had been defending.
Incredible speed!
“Was she really using the latter half of the Emperor’s Sword Form?”
There was no other way to explain this phenomenon.
As far as he knew, the only way for someone below the Grandmaster realm to improve their physical abilities and manifest Sword Gang was through that technique.
He naturally stepped back while thinking.
“It looks like she used it when she defeated that Murim demon expert before. But how did she survive?”
He lifted his sword.
With his will, the Sword Gang infused with lightning shot up.
It was far thicker than Namgung Yurin’s Gang.
The amount of enlightenment and internal energy he had accumulated over his lifetime overpowered her.
At that moment, the mystery was cleared.
“It seems the Shrine Monk can even cure the aftereffects. She must have launched her best strike relying on that. But she won’t last long…”
Concern etched the Sword King’s face.
He had told her to break him to bring out her full potential, but he never imagined she would resort to such a dangerous method.
“Did she really want to win that badly?”
She probably had her own reasons, so he decided to hold back for now.
With that resolve, even though he had been surprised by the ambush, his sword followed Namgung Yurin’s blade along a strange trajectory.
During the time he had reached his current realm, he had never faced a sword faster than his own.
He was the one who had defeated them all and stood here.
Boom—!
The clash of Gang!
Namgung Yurin’s sword was pushed back greatly. That was exactly what he had expected.
However, through the blade came an unexpected powerful counterforce, and he felt his own sword being pushed back.
He lightly shook his arm.
The counterforce transmitted from Namgung Yurin’s sword dispersed midway through flowing into his body.
“What kind of harmony is this?”
Even though he had gained an advantage, it was incomprehensible. There was no reason to feel such a counterforce when Gang was stronger.
After the spar, he would have to calmly discuss the matter.
“...!”
Was the decisive attack too easily blocked? Namgung Yurin’s eyes were wide like a startled rabbit.
The Sword King spoke.
“Now it’s my turn. Let me receive it.”
Although she was showing off some strange technique, Namgung Yurin’s sword was straightforward and shallow.
Even as a Peak Master, she could only use Gang to that extent, and clearly she was far inferior to him right now.
***
Even though torches densely lined up illuminating the surroundings, the sparring ground still felt dark.
Lightning and blue Gang intertwined chaotically in that space.
While Namgung Hwan and Namgung Yuhyeon stared in shock, speechless at the sparring ground.
Yuseong could not hide his anxiety.
After the initial attack, Namgung Yurin had not regained the initiative.
A clear disadvantage.
Jeong Rip had seen how he defeated Peak Masters, but he never imagined a Grandmaster would be that powerful.
Namgung Yurin’s surprise attack had failed, and with the Sword King’s presence far exceeding expectations, there was no way she could win.
However, that was not the reason Yuseong was anxious.
Despite lacking any chance of victory, Namgung Yurin had not given up and continued the spar.
“Now she probably doesn’t have much divine power left…”
He had already experienced treating her collapsing body.
Healing one area caused other areas to collapse.
When he shifted to heal the collapsed areas, the previously healed spots collapsed again.
“What kind of cases are there… I was shocked back then.”
Now he understood.
When treating her body, the important thing was balance.
Balanced healing was the effective method.
At that time, Yuseong had found the solution: fill the entire body with divine power and convert it into Healing Skill to treat all at once.
Only then did the collapse stop.
Just now, Yuseong had brought Namgung Yurin back to her room and spread continuous Healing Skill over her entire body.
The practice he had done to help Jeong Yeong-yeong had been helpful.
By injecting divine power evenly into every part and applying the continuous Healing Skill, her body could hold on longer with the sustained Healing effect when it collapsed.
Of course, the body collapse was incomparable to headaches, so he could not set it to last all day like Jeong Yeong-yeong, and he was preparing to secretly use distant recovery ability with his back to the others, but the precision was lacking.
To fill divine power evenly over the entire body, the body itself had to touch directly.
“Can Yurin really defeat the Sword King within the remaining time?”
Everyone present would give the same answer.
Impossible.
Yuseong made his resolve firm. Even if Namgung Yurin later resented him, he had to prevent her from being wronged by the clueless Sword King.
“Yurin! There’s not much time left!”
The first to react to Yuseong’s shout was the Sword King.
He had plenty of leeway while pressing Namgung Yurin.
“It seems the Shrine Monk really did something for her.”
Namgung Yurin, panting yet continuously resisting him, was admirable, but the Sword King decided to end the spar now.
He had been worried about how long he could last anyway, and hearing Yuseong’s words, he could not continue.
He withdrew his sword and said, “Yurin, it’s time to stop.”
“...”
No reply.
Namgung Yurin remained in her defensive stance, eyes fixed on the Sword King’s sword.
“Yurin?”
“...”
No reaction either. The gaze remained the same as before.
He lightly moved his sword as if to attack. Only then did Namgung Yurin raise her sword in response.
Even though she was not in normal condition, he sensed her will to block the attack.
After several tests, he realized she had reached the state of no-self.
“Somehow…”
Looking back, the initial attack had been fast and strong but crude, while now it had become more natural.
The clothes that did not match her realm had been rapidly improving.
“...No-self, huh.”
No-self could not come to ordinary warriors at all.
Famous masters could not meet it even once in their lifetime.
He himself had experienced it exactly twice.
“It would be a shame to waste this opportunity so easily.”
Even with his help, the Namgung Yurin who could use the latter half of the Emperor’s Sword Form safely.
If she continued growing like this, she might surpass him soon.
“Then… perhaps the number one in the world could be born in our family.”
The Sword King sent a transmission to Yuseong.
—Shrine Monk, Yurin is in a state of no-self right now. You seem to have done something for her, and I wonder if it would be all right if I gave her more instruction?
Yuseong showed surprise at the sudden transmission.
He shouted, “It’s fine, but we don’t know when the state will end, so please be careful!”
-Thank you.
The Sword King, reassured by Yuseong’s answer, launched his attack.
However, the difference from just now was that his sword had become somewhat kinder.
As if he were giving instruction.
***
“Yurin! Yurin!”
Namgung Yurin, who had come to her senses at the voice calling her name, saw the first sight before her: Yuseong shaking her shoulder.
The cold floor of the sparring ground felt from her back.
She had awakened in a collapsed state.
“Master Yuseong…?”
“Yurin, are you awake?”
“What happened to me—”
She tried to sit up and ask, but closed her mouth.
Because while speaking, the spar she had with her grandfather moments ago flashed in her mind.
She had been greatly surprised when the initial surprise attack was blocked.
She had never imagined she could inflict no damage even though she was clearly faster and stronger.
Though shocked, she endured the grandfather’s offensive.
“Because I wanted to win…”
The resentment toward the pain she and Juyeon had to endure, the wish to connect her brother and Juyeon.
She did not want to give up those easily.
In the daze of blocking the grandfather’s offensive, she suddenly had a strange experience.
She forgot how she was swinging the sword and clearly faced her grandfather’s sword.
She had realized that state of no-self only after the fact, but looking back, she seemed to have felt beauty in her grandfather’s sword at the time.
How could a sword that cut people feel beautiful?
She could not understand.
But she felt a desire to resemble that beautiful sword.
After that…
“I don’t remember… the result would be obvious, though.”
Namgung Yurin briefly closed her eyes and recalled the event, then came to her senses and asked Yuseong.
“How did the spar end?”
“That’s—”
Yuseong was watching her mouth when another voice interrupted.
“I understand your intention.”
When she turned, her grandfather stood there without any disturbance.
“Grandfather…”
She was collapsed while her grandfather looked little different from his initial state.
The result was obvious.
He said, “I never imagined you would use such a dangerous method just to defeat me. This was the first time I had felt such a shock in twenty years.”
Namgung Yurin lowered her head.
“But I lost, didn’t I.”
The Sword King shook his head.
“Then did you think you could easily defeat this grandfather who has trained with the sword all his life? Even though I lost the spar, in the end you won.”
“Eh?”
“The form you showed exceeded my imagination. So… I will no longer interfere with Yuhyeon’s marriage issue.”
“...!”
Namgung Yurin raised her head abruptly.
The rare gentle smile of her grandfather and her uncle’s joyful laugh appeared.
Additionally, Yuseong’s hand patting her shoulder was felt.
It seemed like he was saying “Well done.”