The Martial Soul Copies Martial Arts
“Truly, Heaven has blessed us! What a stroke of luck!”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo was overwhelmed with emotion.
A single tear clung to the corner of his eye.
The surrounding area had been reduced to ashes beneath the tiger’s claws.
Trees stood uprooted, and boulders lay shattered.
Before them stood...
“Hah... Heaven truly did help.”
Gang Mu-jeong of the Jeomchang Sect stepped forward and spoke.
Behind him were the disciples of the same sect—Sa Ha-yun, Han Jung-mae, and me—all listed together.
Their clothes were torn and disheveled, yet none appeared gravely injured.
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo swept his gaze over us and shouted.
“I watched you all being swept off the hills like leaves in a storm and thought that not even half of you would survive. And look—how fortunate you truly are.”
The tension in his voice cracked as his words grew choked with emotion.
“Yet through all this chaos, especially when Gang Mu-jeong and Han Jung-mae were hurled down the slope by the tiger’s claws and tail so violently, not a single bone was broken! Truly, the gods of heaven and earth have protected us!”
“...”
Han Jung-mae and Gang Mu-jeong glanced at me.
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo turned to Sa Ha-yun and continued.
“You were especially blessed with good fortune as well.”
“Yeah. Really.”
Sa Ha-yun glanced sideways at me and spoke primly.
“Without Young Master Moyong’s care, we would have been in serious trouble.”
“...Suddenly?”
Her quick gaze flicked to the floor as she noticed my bewildered stare.
“What is it?”
Since earlier, every time this woman looked at me her face flushed. I still didn’t understand why.
She would suddenly adopt a lightning-struck expression, then immediately avoid my eyes after that.
Originally introspective? If so, even I could feel it—my judgment told me that Mumyeong was not the type to judge people by their basic personalities.
“Miss Sa. You really are—”
“Quiet.”
Gang Mu-jeong, feeling a surge of courage from Sa Ha-yun’s smile, managed to utter one sentence before his voice died away and he shrank again.
“Fine. Speaking of which, you’re a disciple of Moyong Bi.”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo approached me.
“Yes, Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo.”
“You’re the only exception here among them.”
“...”
I looked straight at him.
“As an expert, you told me to step back, yet you kept fighting. I’m glad you won, but the beginner you can’t understand it. You were one step from death. And who bears the responsibility?”
“...”
The disciples behind us froze as one.
I could feel them watching me closely.
Mumyeong muttered in my mind.
[One step from death. He says that even after seeing everything. He really is the size of his own pride.]
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo’s face twisted with disgust.
“I will personally report your childish attitude to the higher-ups. Be warned. Executor Lee Jasuo may have spoken favorably of you, but I warned you beforehand—any strange behavior in my presence, and you won’t even have dust left behind.”
“Chief Pyeongjo. A moment please. Young Master Moyong is—”
Sa Ha-yun stepped forward, frowning.
“Quiet down. No one steps forward except those directly involved.”
“...Tch.”
Sa Ha-yun froze.
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo looked determined.
He was burning with jealousy.
He feared that his authority as Sole Control Leader had cracked after my earlier response.
And now he aimed to crush me—the one who had stood out in this incident—and restore his own prestige.
Gang Mu-jeong and Han Jung-mae fidgeted restlessly behind him.
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo stared at my unmoving face and said,
“You seem unable to use weapons properly, and it looks like your main style is body technique.”
—Clang!
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo drew the sword on his back.
Then he drew the second sword from his waist, holding one in each hand, and declared,
“A beginner like you who knows nothing of the sword? I suppose it doesn’t matter even if you die without knowing. But as an expert in this field, I’ll teach you one move. With a short sword like that, no matter how tough a tiger’s skin may be, unless you cross it with a double sword in a cross slash and cut the neck in one stroke, it will never end—.”
“Do you use double swords as well, Chief Pyeongjo?”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo faltered.
“...Yes, my main weapon is the great sword on my back, and it takes the form of double swords. Why do you ask?”
“Oh? Then I can handle double swords to some extent as well.”
—...!
Sa Ha-yun stared at me.
Gang Mu-jeong’s eyes widened in shock.
Han Jung-mae lifted his thick neck and looked at me.
“...Moyong Bi’s disciple?”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo gazed at me steadily.
Veins began to bulge on his forehead.
“What do you mean by that statement? Your main weapon is clearly body technique—.”
“In the literal sense. Expert.”
I spread my hardened palm and spoke.
“My main style is indeed body technique, but I have some skill with double-sword swordplay. I’ve received instruction from a strong master in one-on-one sparring. It has deep meaning for me.”
—Pajik... Pajik-pajik.
Veins throbbed on Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo’s forehead.
“How interesting. How very interesting. Moyong Bi’s disciple. Could it be... that you have one misconception?”
“And what would that be?”
A hair-trigger tension rose between us.
“There are only these three disciples here. No one is watching. That means no one can intervene in the middle. Unless I decide otherwise.”
I smiled lightly.
“I trust in your magnanimity, Chief Pyeongjo. You would surely be generous.”
I emphasized the “surely” at the end.
The last thread of Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo’s reason snapped.
“Draw your swords. Moyong Bi’s disciple. I will personally teach you one move. Double swords? Good. You called them cats that got lucky and praised them, yet now you act so arrogant. I must show the strength that made the entire world tremble with just double-sword swordplay in the Hundred Thousand Lotus Temple—!”
I turned around with a spin.
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo exploded.
“W-what the—!”
I strode out, black robes fluttering in the wind.
“W-why are you suddenly coming at me!”
As I approached with heavy steps, Gang Mu-jeong jumped in shock like a startled rabbit.
“Moyong Bi.”
I held out my hand.
“Loan it to me.”
“I didn’t say anything! Young Master Moyong—?”
I looked at the iron sword in his hand and whispered.
“Loan it to me. It’s not an accessory anyway. It’s a combat sword, isn’t it? Even if it’s a bit small.”
“...Y-yes, but my sword is—”
Gang Mu-jeong clutched his own sword tightly.
“Still hesitant? That means your eyes are—”
“Should I polish the handle for you?”
I accepted the sword from his hand.
Gang Mu-jeong’s long sword was slender and long.
I swung it once.
Nodded, and carried it away.
Gang Mu-jeong watched me with a faintly rebellious glare as I turned back.
“You bastard... At this rate I’ll smash you against Chief Pyeongjo...”
I picked up a couple of the cheap spare iron swords lying on the ground.
Behind us, Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo grinned as he watched me.
Sa Ha-yun showed an intrigued expression.
Han Jung-mae looked serious.
—Clang, clang...
I tested a few and threw a few away.
Among them I chose the longest and thinnest sword.
I held two side by side and compared them.
Gang Mu-jeong’s was slightly short, but the pair of ultra-long great swords formed a perfect double-sword stance.
“Double swords with such long great swords...? Even in our sect that wields swords to the extreme, I’ve never seen this kind of form.”
Sa Ha-yun said with an expression of incomprehension.
“He’s gone mad. The idea of a disciple facing Chief Pyeongjo in combat in the first place is absurd.”
Gang Mu-jeong muttered.
“...Or perhaps.”
Han Jung-mae swallowed hard and said.
“It might be worth trying against Chief Pyeongjo for real.”
I adjusted the subtle feel and weight at the fingertips, matching the perceived length of the blade in my mind.
Nodded and whispered.
“...It’s a bit lacking, but it should be close enough to that bastard from the Blood Cult.”
“Puhaha! Look at that kid choosing a sword! He doesn’t even have the basics of double swords!”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo laughed loudly as if waiting for it.
“Everyone, look! In the basics of double swords, one must balance offense and defense, yet such an awkwardly long great sword does nothing! If I dive into your arms, what are you going to do? You must have gotten an ego boost! Even now, as a beginner, you should switch to short swords—.”
“I’m ready.”
I cut off his words and stepped forward to face him.
“...”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo’s face froze into a disgusted scowl.
I took the standard stance before him.
“What?”
Sa Ha-yun said.
“I’ve never seen such a posture before.”
I lowered the two great swords as if dragging them along the ground.
They were drawn straight out side by side, forming a wide arc.
It looked as though two wings were spread out to the sides like a crane.
—Hwa-ruk.
Torches lit the night air brightly on the sides.
My pupils flickered beneath the red light of the torches.
It was the ancient, absolute strongest stance I had known—the double-sword form in the underground tomb here, where no one could ever see it.
“No, that’s not the stance of a complete beginner.”
Her face turned pale.
“What kind of beginner’s stance gives off such a vicious aura of blood...?”
—Flutter...
The black swords swayed like flying swallows at the ends of my black robes.
“Come. Receive the instruction on double swords.”
Red light reflected and sparkled along the blades in my hands.
“I’ll accept it.”
—Kiiing!!
My eyes flashed red.
—Hwarruk! Whack! Hwa-ruk!
A fierce night wind blew, and the torches and bonfire blazed violently.
The light of the bonfire shone red and intense in the pitch-black darkness.
Buried in that red light, my eyes dimmed as faint crimson rays leaked through.
“You arrogant brat!”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo gripped his swords tightly in rage.
“Fine, show me that foundationless stance...!”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo, who had lunged forward in one go, froze.
“...Eh?”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo’s eyes bulged.
—Kwa-kwa-kwak!
His body, which had leaped forward, slammed to a halt.
—Cheong!
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo kicked the ground like lightning and retreated backward.
“Huh! Huh! Hic! W-what is this!”
“Why? You said you were diving in.”
I slowly stood with the two long swords spread out to both sides and advanced diagonally, whispering.
“Come in.”
“...T-that...”
Cold sweat ran down Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo’s forehead.
—Jing! Jeojing! Jeoereng!!!
The moment I spoke, three diagonal slashes appeared on the ground with a thunderous boom.
—Derdung...
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo’s face turned deathly white.
He stared at the marks on the ground right in front of him.
It was not a step.
It was half a step.
At the same time as the slash, the three deadly slashes had already cut through and sunk into the ground.
If I had been a half-step faster, his body would have been right in the center of those three slashes.
“Ugh...!”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo threw his body sideways.
He tried to rush in along my right diagonal.
I twisted my body slightly to the side while holding the swords on both sides.
—Cheong!
—Jeojing! Jja-wung!
“Huh!”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo staggered backward and retreated.
—Cheong!
The sword fell from his hand.
He snatched it up hurriedly and retreated backward in a panic.
He barely avoided it by half a step again.
“Hah, hah. So you’re actually quite good, huh! I still have room left!”
I didn’t break a sweat.
In contrast, Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo’s upper body was soaked with sweat, as if he had bathed in it, and dirt was smeared on top of it, forming lumps.
“You bastard!”
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo’s figure became hazy.
He put all his strength into turning around large and trying to dive into my sight.
I had only turned my upper body slightly toward him this time as well.
—Jja-wung!!!
Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo tumbled backward.
This time he avoided the slash by half a step.
I raised the sword in my right arm.
I swung it in a continuous, whip-like arc.
—Cheong! Jeojing! Jeong!!
“Hah! Hic! Hah!”
The moment Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo tried to retreat, a white slash stabbed into the spot right behind his heel.
It was exactly half a step away.
“Hiiik!”
He tried to move left.
A slash stabbed beside him.
Again half a step away.
He tried to stretch his right foot.
Again a slash stabbed half a step away.
Countless slashes rained down around the now-still Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo, turning his vision white.
—Jeojing!!
Dirt flew up to eye level.
Gravel cracked and shattered like tofu.
—Kka-kang! Kka-ang!
Flames accompanied the tips of the two swords in Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo’s hands being shaved off.
It looked as though the torches were slowly burning and shortening over time.
“The ground!”
The ground was being carved into a well shape by the slashes.
Only then did Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo realize.
It was not he who had avoided them.
It was not that he had avoided them by exerting his full power until now by a mere half step.
“You... you bastard.”
He stared at me with a trembling face and eyes filled with disbelief.
“You swung that way on purpose to miss by half a step?”
The disciples watching all this were as shocked as if they had been doused with cold water.
Especially Gang Mu-jeong, who had loaned me the sword, was the most stunned.
“That kid... he wasn’t using body technique as his main?”
Gang Mu-jeong turned his head and chewed his fingernails furiously.
He muttered at lightning speed, unable to believe it.
“So the real thing was the sword? A double sword? He hid his techniques all this time?”
“B-but when you touched us, you definitely beat us with body technique...”
“Idiot!”
Gang Mu-jeong glared.
“According to that monster’s eyes, we weren’t even worth using martial arts on—just enough to give a beating...! You still don’t understand?!”
His face twisted with humiliation and despair as he ground his teeth.
“You... you’re such a monster! This isn’t something I can do anything about!”
—Cheong.
I continued without pause, lowering the two great swords back to the ground on either side in the same initial stance as the slashes ended.
—Chi-iik....
White smoke rose from the two swords that had grown red-hot.
—Derdung...
Before him, Sole Control Leader Pyeongjo stood trembling, clutching the shortened double swords in the midst of the white-slashed ocean floor.
I spoke.
“Combat. Will you continue?”
The Heavenly Demon Copies Martial Arts.