Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Slaying the Soaring Palace Leader
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Cold sweat dripped down Hwang Cheol's forehead.
'What the hell is going on?'
Contrary to his outward appearance, he was repeatedly shocked by Namgung Hyeok's martial prowess.
No, a foreboding chill crept up his back, telling him something was going seriously wrong.
'This can't be happening, how...'
Hwang Cheol let out a groan as he unleashed the seventh form of the Nine Heavens Seven Swords, Meteor Storm.
A vortex of sword qi poured down like a meteor shower, pressing down on Namgung Hyeok.
It seemed like Namgung Hyeok was trapped in that majestic aura, but in an instant, he slipped inside and thrust his sword forward.
Namgung Hyeok's blade grazed his cheek.
It felt as if the technique had been completely read.
How could he slip through such a narrow gap?
Gritting his teeth, he chased after Namgung Hyeok.
Namgung Hyeok executed Infinite Steps, retreating swiftly while shaking his sword.
Boom!
"Urk!"
Hwang Cheol's advance faltered as a single strike sliced through the waist of the technique.
Bewilderment crossed Hwang Cheol's face.
A single sword stroke that severed the flow of the technique in one breath.
This wasn't the first time.
Every time Namgung Hyeok moved his sword, the technique broke apart, failing to unleash its full power.
And at some point, he found himself tensing up unconsciously whenever Namgung Hyeok moved, his body stiffening.
Hwang Cheol gathered his internal energy to reverse the momentum.
"Raaah!"
The Nine Heavens Seven Swords clashed with the Three Thunderbolts Sword Method.
Craaack!
A massive roar echoed as Namgung Hyeok was pushed back.
Hwang Cheol bared his teeth and pressed the attack.
This was a chance that wouldn't come easily.
"Haaah!"
Hwang Cheol's Nine Heavens Seven Swords assaulted Namgung Hyeok ferociously.
The sword momentum, operated at peak intensity, rose like a tidal wave, bearing down on him.
Namgung Hyeok barely dodged the sword qi surging toward him as if it would sweep him away any moment.
Hwang Cheol kept pushing relentlessly.
He unleashed the Nine Heavens Seven Swords without even taking a breath.
Twelve strikes in a single breath.
But Namgung Hyeok evaded them all.
'Is this bastard reading my movements?!'
The more the techniques connected, the more flustered he became.
The opponent seemed to anticipate his every move, breaking the Nine Heavens Seven Swords apart and dodging with ease.
It even felt like he was swinging at empty air.
Frustration and anxiety welled up within him.
Hwang Cheol swallowed dryly without realizing it.
Who would have imagined he'd feel this frustration and anxiety against Namgung Hyeok?
Namgung Hyeok's relaxed expression amplified those emotions even further.
'Was I mistaken? He's not far below me at all... this feels just like...'
It was as if an expert one level above was looking down on an inferior opponent!
Hwang Cheol's face paled, then twisted savagely.
'No way, no way! It's this bizarre sword technique playing tricks on me. Do you think Hwang Cheol would crumble to something like this!'
He would surpass An-hui Province and leave his name across the world.
If he lost to a mere brat like this...
Tsk!
But reality was merciless, regardless of his thoughts.
The Nine Heavens Seven Swords were perfectly sealed, his blade coming to a halt.
'What the hell kind of sword technique is that!'
It resembled Lightning Thirteen Thunders, yet each sharp stroke sent chills down his spine, and the pressure was mounting.
Hwang Cheol ground his teeth and switched techniques.
Hanryeong Sword Method.
The sword curved softly before dropping sharply.
Seven blade shadows bloomed like petals, targeting Namgung Hyeok's vital points.
Adaptability honed through countless battles.
A snap judgment based on the opponent's movements.
If this abrupt change in technique caught Namgung Hyeok off guard even slightly...
In that instant.
Namgung Hyeok's Soul-Shattering Fist slammed into his chest.
Kwaaaang!
"Guh, guhuk!"
A sensation like his heart shattering rocked him, blood spraying from his mouth.
In his daze from the unexpected fist technique, Namgung Hyeok's hidden blade revealed its venomous fang!
"......!"
An attack twice as fast as before pierced his right chest in a flash.
The fight was decided in a single moment.
His body, shocked by the suddenly accelerated strike, couldn't even react.
Puuuuk!
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Amid the horrific pain of flesh burning, Namgung Hyeok's sword left a coin-sized hole in his right chest.
Hwang Cheol's mouth gaped open as blood surged up.
"Kuhuk! Ueghhh!"
Vomit mixed with blood splattered the ground, and Hwang Cheol dropped to his knees.
His pupils trembled nonstop.
Namgung Hyeok grimaced and flicked his sword clean.
"No major differences."
It wasn't much different from the Nine Heavens Seven Swords the Sword King had used.
That made it even easier to counter.
Compared to the Sword King, Hwang Cheol's version was child's play.
And for Namgung Hyeok, who knew the exact counters, this was the perfect prey.
"Thirty exchanges for this level..."
Even the Sword King's Nine Heavens Seven Swords hadn't lasted beyond thirty exchanges.
Hwang Cheol's eyes widened at Namgung Hyeok's mutter.
What?
Just this?
Hwang Cheol glared at him with a twisted face.
This was the first humiliation of his life.
How many in the world could belittle him like this!
His expression contorted further, but nausea from within bent his waist again.
"Ueegh!"
He clutched his heart, spewing blood with the force to vomit up his organs.
Agonizing pain surged from the gaping hole in his right chest and the spot hit by the Soul-Shattering Fist.
The excruciating torment, like his heart grinding and shattering, was a kind he'd never felt before.
Hwang Cheol's eyelids quivered.
Namgung Hyeok approached with heavy steps.
"Kuhuk! To think I'd... lose to a brat like you... Heh, yeah, if I was the type to fall here, stepping into the jianghu would have been... pointless too."
Namgung Hyeok slowly raised his sword.
"Brats come in all kinds."
Slash!
Without a hint of hesitation, Namgung Hyeok's blade severed Hwang Cheol's neck.
Thud.
Spurt!
Boom!
The head hit the ground, spraying a fountain of blood, and the headless body collapsed.
"......!"
"......!"
In that moment, silence descended.
* * *
Slash!
"Urgh!"
The Heavenly Wind Squad Leader groaned at the burning pain in his thigh and swung his sword.
The ultimate technique of the Heavenly Wind Ten Swords pushed the enemy back, but that was all.
Outnumbered, as one foe retreated, two more filled the gap and attacked.
The situation grew ever more hopeless.
The more wounds he accumulated, the more his stamina drained, his internal energy stuttering, his sword losing power.
Conversely, the enemies pressed him even more fiercely and relentlessly.
Bloodshot eyes glared from the Heavenly Wind Squad Leader.
In his view, the Heavenly Wind Squad and allied forces were losing their will to fight.
The allied warriors were endlessly pushed back.
They were barely holding on.
Their momentum had hit rock bottom, and even the Heavenly Wind Squad Leader's resolve had weakened considerably.
'Urgh! Family Head, what are we to do!'
But then, amid the fierce battlefield, a sudden tremor and shockwave rippled through.
The Heavenly Wind Squad Leader's gaze turned instinctively.
"Hm?"
His eyes widened in shock.
'T-The Second Young Master?!'
There, the Soaring Palace Leader knelt vomiting blood, while Namgung Hyeok stood proudly before him.
The Heavenly Wind Squad Leader couldn't comprehend it for a moment.
The Second Young Master had brought the Soaring Palace Leader to his knees?
He swallowed hard.
Slash-!
A chilling slicing sound, and the Soaring Palace Leader's head, mid-roar, separated and fell to the ground.
"......!"
"......!"
The Heavenly Wind Squad Leader's eyes nearly bulged out, and the enemies clashing swords with the Heavenly Wind Squad flinched back in surprise.
A silence so deep no breaths could be heard.
As that brief silence passed, the Heavenly Wind Squad Leader opened his mouth.
A shiver raced up from his toes.
His voice trembled with the thrill that set his heart pounding.
"T-The Second Young Master... the Second Young Master defeated the Soaring Palace Leader."
The Second Young Master?
That frail Second Young Master?
It was an unbelievable sight, even seeing it with his own eyes—that he'd beheaded the Soaring Palace Leader, the top expert of the Namgung family excluding the elders.
But it was undeniable reality.
Blood gushed relentlessly from the fallen Soaring Palace Leader's neck, staining the ground red.
Everyone watching stood dumbfounded.
A wave of chills swept through, followed by one overwhelming emotion.
"......Impossible."
"The Second Young Master... took down the Soaring Palace Leader?"
"What the... "
It wasn't just the allied warriors who were stunned—the enemies were too.
The unrivaled Soaring Palace Leader defeated and killed by the Namgung family's Second Young Master? It was too hard to believe.
As everyone reeled in shock and confusion, the Heavenly Wind Squad Leader clenched his jaw.
Strength returned to his trembling eyes, his heart racing.
He had been on the verge of collapse.
Even squeezing out every last drop of internal energy, just standing had been his limit.
Yet somehow, power surged within him—his mouth opened, and a roar erupted from his throat.
"The Second Young Master defeated the Soaring Palace Leader—!"
His battle cry swept the field, igniting fire in the allies' eyes.
In this endlessly retreating situation, a miraculous turn.
The news that the Soaring Palace Leader—one of the rebels' key figures—had fallen to Namgung Hyeok made the faltering allies' momentum soar endlessly.
"Waaaaah!"
"The Soaring Palace Leader is dead!"
"The Second Young Master killed the Soaring Palace Leader!"
The echoing cries drew the gazes of the fiercely battling warriors like arrows.
One by one, those gazes gathered, shaking as if by prior agreement.
The moment they spotted the Soaring Palace Leader's head rolling at Namgung Hyeok's feet, shock gripped everyone.
The Soaring Palace Leader's corpse cooling rapidly, and Namgung Hyeok standing calmly before it.
The eerie sight drained the color from the Soaring Palace Squad warriors' faces; they ground their teeth as if they might shatter.
Soon, rage exploded at their leader lying decapitated.
"Namgung Hyeok-!"
"You bastard! How dare you to our Leader!"
"Kill him, kill him!"
The Soaring Palace Squad ignored the foes before them and charged toward Namgung Hyeok.
The Sword Guard Squad hurriedly blocked their path.
"As if!"
"Don't let them through!"
"Out of the wayyy!"
Shouts flew as blades flashed once more.
The Soaring Palace Squad rushing toward Namgung Hyeok clashed with the Sword Guard Squad intercepting them.
Clang! Kakakakang!
The fight, in a brief lull, reignited.
Bang!
The massive doors of the Soaring Palace Hall burst open.
The warriors, locked in combat, turned their gazes to the flung-open main gate.
Doubt and unease crossed their minds.
A group burst out from between the doors.
First, a bear-like massive shadow appeared, drawing all eyes.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
People were awestruck by the sight of him, drenched in blood, dragging a man's hair with one hand.
"Fuckin' mess this is!"
With a thick curse, Tak Hyeok-dong hurled the Black Tortoise Squad member he'd grabbed by the hair.
Thud!
Eyes shifted to the writhing body on the ground, then back to Tak Hyeok-dong.
The enemies wavered at the sight of the Thunder Dragon Squad emerging next, weapons dripping blood.
For them, enemies had suddenly appeared at their rear.
Geon Cheon-hwi shoved Tak Hyeok-dong aside, glaring around before scowling.
"Find the Young Master! Cut down anyone who gets in the way!"
At his icy command, Tak Hyeok-dong charged an enemy drawing his blade.
Kwaaaang!
Tak Hyeok-dong's axe clashed with the foes in a thunderous boom, while Geon Cheon-hwi's sword mercilessly severed necks.
A subtle smile flickered across Namgung Hyeok's face at the sight, then vanished.
His gaze turned to the upper seats, where Namgung Jangcheon and Namgung Baek faced off.
'That leaves just one more!'
Namgung Hyeok took a step forward.