Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Shattering the Heavenly Wind Formation
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The First Squad Leader couldn't close his gaping mouth.
"This... this can't be!"
Was the Heavenly Wind Sword Formation something that could be dismantled so easily?
Even squad leaders with overwhelming martial prowess struggled against the Heavenly Wind Sword Formation.
No, it was more accurate to say they couldn't guarantee victory.
Yet Namgung Hyeok had somehow dismantled it in an instant.
And now he was casually brushing the flames off his wooden staff, his nonchalance and indifference leaving the First Squad Leader's jaw on the floor.
The way he acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world shocked him all over again.
'How... how?!'
Namgung Hyeok's martial arts were at this level?!
"S-Squad Leader!"
"N-No. This... this requires the Sky Palace Squad Leader..."
"H-He's coming!"
"Gasp! Reform the formation! Hurry!"
The First Squad Leader shouted in alarm, scrambling to respond.
The Heavenly Wind Sword Formation reformed, and the First Squad Leader took the lead, trying to pressure Namgung Hyeok.
However.
Thwack!
"Kuuaaaack?!"
A wooden staff slyly pierced the formation and smashed into the First Squad Leader's head.
Foam bubbled from the First Squad Leader's mouth.
The heavy impact on his skull was beyond ordinary.
The First Squad Leader trembled, losing consciousness.
'This makes no sense...'
The Heavenly Wind Sword Formation crumbled in an instant, and warriors were having their heads bashed in by the staff, collapsing one after another.
As if he knew exactly how to break the formation, Namgung Hyeok's strikes were relentless, and indeed, the formation collapsed in moments.
Crack!
Another Heavenly Wind Squad warrior struck by the staff toppled sideways like a rotten log.
Namgung Hyeok swung the staff to extinguish the smoke.
Ash fluttered from the charred wooden staff, blackened by the Soaring Heavens Bright King Art.
"Tsk."
Namgung Hyeok's gaze turned forward, taking in the battlefield.
Half of the Heavenly Wind Squad had betrayed them, and even among those attending the Harmony Alliance gathering, half had drawn their swords.
In the blink of an eye, the rebellion had pushed the Namgung Clan into a corner.
But the real problem was the Sky Palace Squad.
Unlike the Heavenly Wind Squad, they weren't split—they were united as one, rampaging through the hall.
They felled their opponents with disciplined, efficient precision, their momentum overwhelming.
That was why the situation wasn't improving.
'What a mess.'
The outer areas were more rotten than the inner ones.
It was clear how much the Namgung Clan had been shaken, teetering on the edge of a cliff.
Namgung Hyeok's eyes sharpened.
'Cut off the head.'
First, the Sky Palace Squad.
His gaze locked onto the Sky Palace Squad Leader across the way, slaughtering their allies.
Slash!
"Arrrgh!"
"Aaaagh!"
The Sky Palace Squad Leader mercilessly cut down allies left and right.
His martial prowess was so overwhelming that no one could properly exchange even a single move.
He advanced relentlessly, separate from his squad.
Slice!
Thud!
He severed a head and stepped over the corpse, then suddenly halted.
Space itself seemed to bridge as Namgung Hyeok and the Sky Palace Squad Leader's eyes met.
The corner of Namgung Hyeok's mouth curled up.
'You want me as your target too, huh?'
Namgung Hyeok strode toward the Sky Palace Squad Leader.
As he moved, the Heavenly Wind Squad blocked his path.
But unlike before, they were tense, swords aimed at him.
It was only natural, after their First Squad Leader had been smashed into the ground, sent flying through a wall, and left foaming at the mouth in seconds.
Namgung Hyeok sneered.
"Move, or your bones break."
The Heavenly Wind Squad didn't budge and advanced instead.
Namgung Hyeok gripped the staff tightly.
"You think it's funny getting hit with a stick?"
Blue lightning flickered in his eyes.
Sensing the ominous aura, the Heavenly Wind Squad's faces paled.
The momentum had flipped in an instant, freezing them in place.
The moment Namgung Hyeok's eyes blazed with blue light and he charged.
Flinch!
"Hup!"
"Hyah!"
Overwhelmed by the immense pressure, the Heavenly Wind Squad leaped aside.
The crisis felt like they would be split in two if they didn't dodge!
As the warriors split left and right to reform their formation for a counterattack!
Swoosh!
"......?"
"......!"
Namgung Hyeok vanished from his spot using the Blood Wind God's technique.
The Heavenly Wind Squad's eyes frantically chased his shadow in shock.
Namgung Hyeok charged unimpeded toward the Sky Palace Squad.
The Heavenly Wind Squad shouted in surprise.
"C-Chase him!"
"We have to catch him! Grab that guy!"
"Haat!"
As the Heavenly Wind Squad belatedly pursued, Namgung Hyeok, who had leaped ahead, hurled the staff backward.
Crackle!
Whirr! The staff spun through the air at ferocious speed, wrapped in lightning, crashing into the oncoming Heavenly Wind Squad.
Boom!
"Kuaack!"
"Krraaack!"
Struck by the sudden flying staff, the Heavenly Wind Squad screamed and tumbled.
Namgung Hyeok shook out his hands and snorted derisively.
'Idiots. You thought I was running?'
As he turned with a sneer.
Whoosh!
An enormous sword qi plummeted from above his head.
Namgung Hyeok's eyes widened.
"......!"
Namgung Hyeok unleashed the Boundless Step, sharply changing direction.
The sword qi that missed his head slammed into the floor.
Slash!
Boom!
A deep gash scarred the青石 floor, sending up a cloud of pale dust.
Namgung Hyeok frowned at his torn sleeve.
"Expensive stuff."
He looked up ahead.
Sky Palace Squad Leader Hwang Cheol stared down at him arrogantly, sword lowered.
A complex expression crossed Hwang Cheol's face.
'Just a short while ago, he couldn't even hold a sword.'
Hwang Cheol was genuinely shocked.
Namgung Hyeok had the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, a fate where life and death were uncertain, and a body as fragile as porcelain.
Yet suddenly, he rose from his sickbed, learned martial arts, defeated the Sword Tiger Namgung Jeong, and even wiped out bandits.
It was beyond astonishment—utterly shocking.
'Now he's even dodging my sword.'
He hadn't gone all out, but he expected to take at least an arm.
Yet all he'd cut was the tip of Namgung Hyeok's sleeve.
He'd witnessed him taking down the Heavenly Wind Squad and thought his skills were beyond expectation, but to dodge even his single strike?
'Not luck.'
The fluid footwork ingrained in his body, the swift reaction speed.
And even instinctively assuming a counterattack stance.
'Is this what talent is?'
There was no other explanation for such growth.
But he chalked it up to his own carelessness.
No matter how much Namgung Hyeok had grown, he couldn't surpass him.
'I see why the Elder gave such strict orders.'
He understood why he'd been commanded to kill Namgung Hyeok once the grand plan began.
Leaving him be, who knew how far he'd grow—it was impossible to fathom.
The ant he'd thought he could crush anytime turned out to be a dragon preparing to ascend or a tiger baring its claws.
Hwang Cheol's eyes darkened deeply.
'Should I count myself lucky to crush him before he grows more?'
A wry chuckle escaped him, followed by chills.
A truly bizarre emotion.
Hwang Cheol looked at Namgung Hyeok without showing it.
Sword lowered, he spoke to him.
"Young Master Yi, it's regrettable the situation has come to this, but I feel no particular emotion. I as well..."
"Sky Palace Squad Leader, right?"
Hwang Cheol sighed at Namgung Hyeok's blunt interruption.
A question that barely qualified as one, at a time like this.
"If you surrender, I won't kill you. Since you're the bloodline of someone I once served, I'll show at least that much respect..."
"Yeah, a stick won't cut it for you."
Namgung Hyeok dusted off his sleeves and drew his sword from his waist.
Shing!
With a cold ring, Namgung Hyeok swung the sword lightly.
The Sky Palace Squad Leader's eyes hardened slightly.
"Bold, but you've chosen the wrong opponent. Learn to distinguish between arrogance and confidence."
Arrogance?
Namgung Hyeok scoffed.
"Traitor's got a lot to say."
Twitch.
Namgung Hyeok hurled clear mockery.
"Guys with loose tongues die young."
"......Young Master Yi, I suppose I need to take an arm for you to realize."
"Man, seriously."
Namgung Hyeok unleashed the Blood Wind God.
Swoosh!
Seeing the distance close in an instant, Hwang Cheol inhaled sharply.
Namgung Hyeok's shadow stretched long—then suddenly he was right in his face.
'Hm?!'
Blue light poured from Namgung Hyeok's eyes, trailing a long tail.
At the same time, pale blue lightning erupted from the pristine blade.
Crackle!
Rumble!
Like a heaven-splitting bolt, Namgung Hyeok's sword rained down streaks of lightning onto his crown.
Hwang Cheol hurriedly raised his sword to block.
Clang!
Flash! Crackle!
The moment the blades clashed, a massive shockwave shook his innards.
"Krgh!"
Hwang Cheol's eyes widened in shock as lightning climbed his blade and arm.
Hwang Cheol channeled his qi, pushing Namgung Hyeok back with raw power.
Boom!
Swoosh!
Namgung Hyeok flew back three张, landing lightly.
Hwang Cheol frowned at the lightning creeping up his arm.
'What sword art is this?'
One of the Namgung Clan's top heart arts, the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art?
No, not that.
The lightning burrowed into his arm like poison, writhing persistently—nothing like the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art.
Similar in form, but definitely different.
The lightning on the blade churned dynamically, spinning endlessly.
And what was incomprehensible was Namgung Hyeok's single strike.
'Lightning Flash Thirteen Thunders? No, not just fast sword—mixed with heavy sword principles?'
Too ferocious for Lightning Flash Thirteen Thunders, too quick for Nine Wall Divine Sword.
Like the Namgung Clan's sword arts, yet entirely different.
Namgung Hyeok raised his sword again.
Crackle!
Lightning raced up the blade.
"Quiet now?"
Hwang Cheol's brow furrowed deeply at Namgung Hyeok's taunt.
"Getting cocky after one exchange!"
He gathered his qi.
In that instant, his aura transformed.
Like waves crashing on the Yangtze's calm flow, a tidal momentum engulfed the surroundings.
Hwang Cheol raised his sword to midguard, eyes half-closed.
The sword force of the Nine Heavens Seven Swords gathered on his blade.
Translucent sword qi spread quietly yet heavily.
'Nine Heavens Seven Swords?'
Namgung Hyeok instantly read Hwang Cheol's sword art.
A derivative from the Sky Palace Sword Art.
But a unique style the Sky Palace Squad had developed independently.
No need to dig deep into memory—the sword arts the Sword King had demonstrated, sparred, and discussed with him were etched in Namgung Hyeok's mind.
Especially after exchanging blows and spars with the Nine Heavens Seven Swords.
"First time in real combat."
"What?"
"Let's see how much it's improved."
"How dare you!"
Hwang Cheol's brows furrowed savagely at Namgung Hyeok's wistful words.
Such arrogant, insolent speech!
"You know nothing of the heavens' height!"
Hwang Cheol stepped forward, aura at its peak.
With one step, one sword unfolded—the first strike of the Nine Heavens Seven Swords descended.
A oppressive, straight-line motion crushing the surroundings.
Blue light gleamed in Namgung Hyeok's eyes.
The Soaring Heavens Bright King Art spun furiously, qi surging anew.
Crackle!
Lightning burst from the blade.
He unleashed the Three Thunder Sword Art against the falling first sword of Nine Heavens Seven Swords.
Rumble! Boom!
The clash boomed like thunder exploding, lightning scattering everywhere.
Hwang Cheol's eyes nearly burst open.
Crackle!
The savage lightning Namgung Hyeok unleashed tore through the Nine Heavens Seven Swords' sword qi and pierced inward.
'S-Sword qi?!'
Unmistakable sword qi.
And one with tremendous destructive power!