Chapter 100
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Fist Shatters Sword
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Shuuuuk! Kwaaaang!
Cracklecraaack!
Dozens of exchanges—no, hundreds.
Countless clashes unfolded.
Bang Hae-gun's attacks were fierce and explosive, while Yu Hyun's were soft and fluid.
A spear that pierced all defenses against a shield that blocked everything. Their battle was a riveting clash of opposites, impossible to look away from.
As Yu Hyun proved elusive, Bang Hae-gun's momentum grew even more savage, his qi aura amplifying the force as the encirclement widened.
Boom! Kwa-boom!
The neatly paved stones of the training ground shattered into pieces.
The pouring qi tore into the ground like a meteor shower, pulverizing everything it touched.
Clang, craaack!
Their frenzied duel grew fiercer with every passing moment.
Yet neither yielded an inch.
Like two people gripping the taut ends of a rubber band, they traded blows without revealing the slightest opening.
Craaaack!
Shiiiing!
Bang Hae-gun unleashed his fists and feet, leaving countless scratches across Yu Hyun's body.
Even as they tore into each other like beasts, it was a perfect deadlock—neither gaining the upper hand—leaving onlookers slack-jawed.
Shwaaaak! Craaaaaang!
It was yet another collision, lost in the count, but this one felt different.
"Grk!"
Bang Hae-gun's head snapped back from a sharp kick to the jaw, his sword whipping out in a wide arc.
Slaaaash!
It was a sizable swing, but Yu Hyun couldn't fully evade it—the blade's tip grazed his chest, spraying blood into the air.
"......"
The two pulled back a good distance.
Bang Hae-gun grimaced from the jaw's impact, down on one knee, while Yu Hyun stood firm after retreating just a few steps.
By stance alone, Yu Hyun clearly held the advantage. But the blood soaking his front told of his own injury.
"D-Division Leader!"
"Benefactor!"
"Uncle!"
Despite the anxious cries from all sides, Yu Hyun fixed Bang Hae-gun with an unwavering glare.
"Heh heh, that bastard...... What do you think?"
"......"
Gripping his jaw and propping himself up with his sword, Bang Hae-gun sneered at Yu Hyun.
*Fine by me. Even though he's taken more hits......*
"Enjoying it?"
"What?"
"You called this a warm-up?"
"......"
"So cocky, and now you're thrilled over one little scratch?"
Crunch.
His brazen taunt turned Bang Hae-gun's flushed face into a demonic snarl.
*Easy there. Keep it up, and you'll lose teeth—no more steak for life.*
Yu Hyun sighed, shaking his head as he tore off his outer robe, revealing a sleek torso with only the essential muscles taut and defined.
"......That's a lot of blood."
He frowned at the sword wound crossing his chest.
This confirmed that the second stage of the Spirit Heart Core Method granted power comparable to Yu Gang's warriors.
But it was still disadvantageous.
Swords weren't called three times stronger than fists for nothing.
He couldn't subdue him by holding back. Truth be told, he'd been giving his all already...... but he needed something else.
Even with spirit qi that could match far greater amounts of qi in raw power, the mounting blood loss would tip the scales over time.
*Should I just grab a sword and fight?*
"......"
*Pride won't let me.*
Subduing him was tough, but that didn't mean unbeatable—and he did have a way.
"In the end, I have to smash you flat?"
"What?"
Bang Hae-gun blinked in confusion at Yu Hyun's mutter.
*What else? This is your warning—things change now. Brace yourself.*
"Shall we start again?"
"You mad bastard, come on! This time, I'll take your head, not your chest!"
"......"
Was it because he'd drawn blood?
Bang Hae-gun adopted an aggressive stance, flicking the blood from his sword with smug confidence.
*But will you have time for that?*
Yu Hyun smirked bitterly, channeling his spirit qi.
If before it had been the calm waters of a vast river, now it was a raging torrent of explosive power and speed.
To end it in a short burst, not a prolonged war......
Spirit Heart Core Method: Power Amplification.
The technique he'd used against Na Ha-chu, Wave Breaker, was a breathless barrage in a single breath, emphasizing speed. Power Amplification, by contrast, focused on raw strength.
It consumed spirit qi several times faster, and afterward came muscle-tearing agony, but for that brief window, his power and speed tripled—no, more!
Thump, thump-thump, thump-thump-thump.
His heart pounded wildly, pumping spirit qi through his veins alongside his blood.
Ruuuumble......
And as even the intervals between beats vanished, the rush of blood in his ears roared like thunder.
The swirling spirit qi permeated every muscle fiber, swelling them and surging his strength in an instant.
Now Yu Hyun's eyes saw only one thing: Bang Hae-gun, his sole enemy. All else faded.
Power Amplification existed to utterly demolish a single foe until the spirit qi ran dry.
"It burns through spirit qi like crazy, but no choice. Get ready—this won't be like before."
"......!"
Spirit qi? What the hell?
The moment the question flashed in Bang Hae-gun's mind, Yu Hyun stomped the ground, slamming every ounce of spirit qi into it.
Ruuuumble!
He stomped.
Fwoosh!
And launched forward.
Seeing the same attack, Bang Hae-gun bellowed in rage, raising his sword.
"......You bastard! You think I'm that much of a joke?!"
He didn't know what Yu Hyun had done, but the speed left no room for anything but defense.
Faster by several times, he closed in before the eye could blink.
But that was it.
Using the same trick twice against someone of his caliber? He'd block, rebound, and cleave him in half.
Craaaaaang!
Bang Hae-gun's sword bent again under the savage fist.
*The same.*
Swing the sword, and he'd......
"......!"
In that instant, Bang Hae-gun realized something was wrong.
The power in that fist—it was greater than before......
Grind, grrrrind.
The blade blocking the fist kept bending, the shock shoving his body back as his feet skidded across the ground.
He poured in more qi, veins bulging on his forearm in desperate resistance, yet he was the one pushed back.
*What the......*
Dooooong!
"Grk!"
Overpowered in raw strength, Bang Hae-gun flew backward, staggering.
*My balance......*
Fwaaaash!
Before he could steady himself, something ripped through the air.
Kwaaaang!
"Graaak!"
His jaw shattered again before he could brace, sending him reeling.
It felt like a massive iron club, not a fist.
His head spun, brain rattled.
On pure instinct, Bang Hae-gun swung his sword.
But the power faltered, the trajectory erratic.
It wasn't aimed—just a flailing attempt to shake him off.
Zzzzzing!
Yu Hyun halted his side charge, his bent knee snapping straight as his fist, boosted by the momentum, slammed into Bang Hae-gun's ribs.
SplaAAAt!
"Gaaargh!"
He couldn't stifle the erupting groan.
Those honed muscles were worthless against Yu Hyun's fist.
*What kind of......*
Just punches.
No qi at all, no expected rebound—yet the pain drilled to the bone.
Not internal injury, but deep physical trauma.
*Pure physical strength yielding this speed?*
And this power felt at least double—no, triple—the previous.
Kwachichichi!
Bang Hae-gun's body jerked left and right under fists and kicks, Yu Hyun sticking like a leech to pour on the assault.
No feints—all lethal strikes.
Fast, but visible. Yet each landed like a suffocating anvil.
Unblockable, unavoidable fists. He couldn't even track the attacker's position.
Like a foot mired in quicksand, Bang Hae-gun couldn't flee the storm of punches battering him.
*How could the Spirit Realm feel so meaningless?*
A realm forged through bone-grinding training—yet he couldn't even endure this young man's fists?
It was like being ravaged by invisible forces in pitch darkness.
The sensation of a giant hand crushing him turned to terror as time dragged on.
His will crumbled.
Consumed by bone-deep pain and fear, Bang Hae-gun could no longer grip his sword.
Clang.
The sword hit the ground, and the raging qi aura flickered out like a snuffed flame.
Bam, bababam! Puk!
"......"
The onlookers could scarcely believe their eyes.
Nangong Seong, Gye Du-sin, the Haenam Province warriors, even the bamboo-hatted Hwepung Corps members.
All stood frozen, watching Bang Hae-gun get brutally pummeled.
"Hoo, ha. Ha......"
The fists finally stopped.
Yu Hyun, who'd battered Bang Hae-gun relentlessly, clutched his knees, bent at the waist, gasping and swaying.
And......
Thud.
Bang Hae-gun dropped to his knees, then slammed his face into the dirt as he collapsed.
"Hoo....... Ha, ha......"
No one spoke.
They just stared blankly at Yu Hyun, who had demolished a sword-wielding qi master with bare fists.
How much time passed?
Thud.
Yu Hyun staggered a few steps before crumpling to the ground.
He had no strength left to stand.
Pushing Power Amplification at this stage was too much.
He'd poured out all the spirit qi from the Millennium Purple Ginseng, hammering Bang Hae-gun until he broke, overtaxing his muscles.
At least he'd won......
Yu Hyun lifted his weary eyes to the bamboo-hatted men staring intently at him.
*What about these guys?*
"Seong-ah......"
"Yes! Yes, Uncle!"
Nangong Seong snapped to attention at the quiet call, his face and eyes brimming with awe and pride—he was deeply moved.
"The rest...... Can I leave them to you?"
"......Pardon?"
"I'm beat....... Can't even move......"
Nangong Seong nodded vigorously at the tired smile, gripping his sword tight.
"Yes. Of course."
The fight resumed.
The Hwepung Corps hadn't dreamed Bang Hae-gun could lose, so none fled, but it was over quickly.
As warriors from the five clans charged, Nangong Seong slipped through gaps to sever necks, and Gye Du-sin's club smashed bamboo hats and skulls alike.
Thus, Haenam Province's plot faded with the setting sun.
What remained......
"I'll definitely find out who you are."
From where he rested apart from the battlefield, Yu Hyun's eyes suddenly gleamed cold.
Staring at Bang Hae-gun and Gok Ja-seong......