Leap Across the Abyss

CRASH!

I kicked off the ground. The earth shattered beneath me. Before I had even taken two full strides, the entire forest seemed to flip upside down.

"He's moving!"

"There he is!"

"For the Seventh Palace Lord!"

It felt as if the vast forest itself had come alive and was charging straight at me.

KEEEING!

My eyes blazed crimson. Drawing upon the strongest footwork I knew, I launched into a full-powered, life-or-death sprint!

Lightning flared with the technique as I tore through the winter forest, piercing the darkness. Crimson afterimages began trailing behind me, streaking forward like scarlet arrows.

SHASHASHAK!

Trees whipped past at a speed beyond comparison. My body leaned forward. This was a velocity that made the Hwan-yeong-dae-sin-bo look like a child's crawl. As the speed built, I ran nearly parallel to the ground itself.

Kugh!

It was unfamiliar. Lightning erupted from every inch ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of my body. That lightning was never a good sign. The stronger the martial art—the higher the technique I forced upon myself—the greater the lightning grew. Only as I internalized and mastered it would the lightning diminish. Every burst of it meant massive overload on my body, meant my flesh was being ground away. Forcing a copied art to fit my frame was wearing me down piece by piece. My body was becoming a single straight bolt of lightning racing forward.

"I-I never thought the backlash would be this severe!"

I coughed up blood. There was no time even to bend and spit it out. Biting down on blood-soaked lips, I ran on. My entire body felt as if it were being minced. The wind pressure seemed ready to crush me flat. My only goal was that straight line; I could manage nothing else.

SSSSUT!

A crimson tide surged without pause from every direction, waves of red reaching to snatch me.

"Wait—that footwork..."

Shocked voices from the pursuing Blood Sect members rang out behind me.

"What am I even looking at right now?"

One of them forgot the chase entirely and stood frozen, muttering in a daze.

"That is... that is...!"

"Wasn't he supposed to be from the Orthodox path?"

Whispers swallowed the forest. Every eye locked onto the crimson afterimages clinging to my form.

"Those afterimages—only the Blood Demon Lord and the Palace Lords use that...!"

"How can that man be using our sect's own technique—Hyeol-yeong-mu-hwan-sin-sul?!"

They all cried out as if coughing blood from pure astonishment.

"Does the Seventh Palace Lord know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about this?!"

"He's pulling away! Contact the forward teams! Block him ahead!"

"Stop him even if it kills you!"

My path was far too straight, far too honest. From the perspective of those surrounding me on all sides like hunters driving a rabbit, catching me should have been easy. Detours, side paths, coordinated pincer movements—they had endless ways to cut me off. Mumyeong and I had expected exactly that. But there was no other choice.

PABABAT!

"Grab him!"

Blood Sect members poured down ahead of me like a waterfall, sealing the path. It was suicide. Even if I dodged the encirclement and fled by every possible detour, survival was still uncertain. And if I did that, Namgung Sogyo would die.

WOONG, WOONG, WOOOONG!

My body accelerated further. Every meridian boiled. Blood vessels burst.

"What—he's not slowing down?!"

"This madman!"

"Kill him!"

Blades flashed. I snapped my head back, twisted my body. Flesh tore and blades scored me, yet I forced my way through the gaps between them.

"Too fast!"

"Contact all thirty-eight teams behind us!"

PEEEEEEP!

Whistles and signal flares rose from every direction. Black trees and jagged rocks rushed at me at crushing speed, ready to smash me apart.

"Five steps to the right, then twenty steps ahead there's a boulder—start angling left from this moment. Kugh...!"

Mumyeong poured the surrounding terrain into my mind at insane speed.

"Kuaaagh...!! Behind—seven! Three approaching from the front after circling. One dropping from above!"

Mumyeong groaned in agony. He never detailed his own condition, but one thing was certain: this was pushing him past his limits as well. He was staking his life right alongside mine.

"Steep rocky slope to the left! Ride it at full speed!"

"Mumyeong!"

He shouted into my mind.

"You have to become a different winter from me. You know what I mean!"

"...!"

I clenched my teeth.

KEEEING!

Crimson light exploded from my eyes. I became an arrow of light, racing diagonally up the slope.

KWARRRUNG!

The rock under my feet began to collapse. Pursuing Blood Sect members were swept away with the crumbling stone and plummeted.

"Catch him!"

Three more who had circled around charged me head-on.

"Ugh!"

I wrenched Hyeol-yeong-mu-hwan-sin-sul to its absolute limit.

PIVIT... PIBIBIBIT!

Blades sliced through the blurring afterimages. Countless wounds still carved open my skin.

"Faster! Even faster! You're lagging! It's taking longer than expected!"

Mumyeong roared. He was reading every scrap of terrain without fail.

"Canyon dead ahead. Bridge estimated—head for it!"

"Got it...!"

In my arms, the dying Namgung Sogyo stirred weakly.

"Less than half a shichen left! We're later than planned!"

My whole body was soaked in sweat. My throat burned dry.

"Haa... haa..."

Her shoulders began to heave. The poison had reached her lungs. Her face turned blue.

PAAT!

Suddenly the dense forest on both sides fell away at once. The view opened wide. A vast canyon yawned before me, and across it stretched a swaying rope bridge of woven lines.

"The bridge!"

At the far end of that long path rose a massive structure I took for Musin Yeongneung.

"There it is!"

Behind me the Blood Sect members howled.

"He's trying to reach Musin Yeongneung across the bridge!"

I poured on more speed.

KIIK, KIIIK...

A fierce gale howled along the canyon. The bridge drew closer. Below it the abyss dropped away endlessly—a chasm no human strength could cross. The bottom was invisible; clouds drifted past like water. The bridge spanning it was a precarious rope construction that looked ready to snap, built centuries ago.

"If we lose him the Palace Lord will tear us apart! Stop him even if you die!"

"Signal the thirteenth team!"

A pursuer fumbled a whistle from his robes and blew with all his might.

PEEEEEEP!

About ten men blocked the bridge entrance.

"You bastards!"

I steeled myself for a head-on collision. The closer Musin Yeongneung came, the more desperate the Blood Sect grew. Both sides staked everything on this moment.

"Tch!"

I drew a dagger from my robes.

PABABABAT!!

Amplified by the acceleration of Hyeol-yeong-mu-hwan-sin-sul, the Plum Blossom Spinning Dagger form sent the blade screaming through the air.

JEONG! JEOJEOJEONG!

In an instant the upper bodies of two third-rate Blood Sect members exploded. Three first-rate fighters swung their swords and deflected the daggers. Even in that split second I never slowed.

I sucked in a breath.

"Anyone who doesn't want to die—clear the path!!"

KRAAAAAANG!!!!

The canyon shook. Blood Sect members collapsed, blood spraying from ears and eyes. Mist scattered. The gorge itself trembled.

"Wh-what immense internal energy!"

"How can a human possess such vast power!!"

The men blocking the way wavered. From the pursuing pack, Ryu Hwasa shoved subordinates aside and appeared, eyes bloodshot as he roared.

"Bring it down!!"

At that single command every hesitant head snapped up.

"As you command!"

Swords rose as one. Their edges pointed at the thick main ropes supporting the bridge.

"N-no!"

"Cut it!"

Blades charged with sword qi hacked into the bridge.

HWIRIRIK!

The taut ropes snapped and whipped outward in every direction. The planks fixed to them flew free. Wooden shards rocketed into the sky. The bridge collapsed. It shattered. It scattered and fell.

Mumyeong screamed.

"If that bridge falls we have to turn back! If we turn back we'll never make it within half a shichen!"

In my arms Sogyo clawed weakly at my clothes, gasping her final painful breaths.

"....! .......!"

KURURUNG

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Even as I sprinted forward, the collapsing bridge filled my vision, magnified. I did not slow.

"No."

I clenched my teeth hard.

"Not yet!!!"

I refused to slow.

"It's impossible, Host! You'll fall and die!"

"Impossible or not doesn't matter!"

I watched the taut ropes snap and the wooden fragments of the bridge explode outward into the air.

"I have to do it."

Blood-red light detonated from my eyes.

"Even if I die!"

KUUUUNG!

Blood began streaming from my nose. I clamped the dagger sheath between my teeth like a bit and ran. My teeth cracked; more blood flowed. Even as the canyon rushed closer I did not slow. Acceleration only increased.

Hyeol-yeong-mu-hwan-sin-sul began to howl. The scent of blood erupted from my entire body. The footwork itself transcended mere technique and seemed to come alive, thrashing violently through my frame in answer to my emotions.

WOONG! WOONG! WOOOONG!

Lightning began to pour out. The last shreds of my internal energy boiled up and burned away like vapor. I remembered the first time I had copied this footwork. Baekho had said:

"I still can't advance this past the eighth star no matter what I do. The problem is it isn't something you can overcome with practice or anything like that."

Mumyeong had added:

"Blood Sect martial arts in their later stages often root themselves less in pure skill and more in the refinement of the human soul—or in emotion."

"Emotion? What kind of emotion?"

To that question Mumyeong had answered:

"Nothing bad for the Host."

KWAUNG!!!

Something flipped and shattered inside my skull. At the same time a dark, damp voice roared.

WOOOOOOONG!!

Lightning so dense it nearly hid my form gnawed through my entire body. The Blood Sect members held their breath.

"He's not slowing down!"

"L-Lord Blood Demon... could it be, could it be!"

Every eye fixed on me.

KWAAAAANG!!

I smashed the ground and launched skyward. Behind me Ryu Hwasa bellowed with laughter.

"Uwa, uwahahaha! That crazy bastard! No matter how powerful the footwork, you'll never clear that canyon!"

Acceleration carried me into the air. Before I had even reached halfway across the gorge my body began to drop.

"N-no!"

Mumyeong cried out. My vision plummeted downward. And then—

Countless wooden fragments and whipping ropes rushed toward me as if to smash into my face.

KEEEING!

Crimson light flared as I forced my blood-red eyes wide.

TADAT! TADADADAT!

I kicked the wooden shard right in front of my feet. I leapt higher into the sky. I stepped on the next fragment. I stepped on a flying rope. I began racing forward.

I ran without hesitation across the shattered planks and ropes of the collapsing bridge, using the debris itself as stepping stones.

Ryu ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hwasa collapsed onto the ground where he stood.

"Th-that's Ascending Fragments Across the Void!"