Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Subjugation of the Black Dragon Society (Finale)
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Fighting with someone watching your back requires absolute trust in one another.
It means entrusting to them what you cannot do, and in turn, doing for them what they cannot, all because of that complete faith.
Not even the slightest crack in that trust can be allowed.
In that respect, Gwiyeong and Gale Blade were the perfect partners.
Gwiyeong relentlessly pressed the two Branch Lords, at times fluidly leaving residual energy in Gale Blade to allow him to attack in human form.
*Shhhk!*
"Kugh!"
The Black Snake Branch Lord unleashed the black flames he had learned from the Black Dragon Society Lord, forcing Gwiyeong back.
The Red Snake Branch Lord leaped forward to attack, but Gale Blade suddenly appeared, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and slamming him to the ground.
Seeing this, the Black Snake Branch Lord moved to support his comrade, but just as Gale Blade launched himself at Gwiyeong, he transformed back into a weapon.
A blade with its own will, capable of freely changing its form.
For the two Branch Lords, he was an immense variable that made the flow of battle unpredictable. For Gwiyeong, he played the decisive role that turned the tide.
*Snatch.*
Gwiyeong caught Gale Blade as he flew toward her and smiled.
The experience of fighting with someone, trusting them as if you were one body.
She was learning this precious experience for the first time today.
"Gale Blade! Let's hit them harder!"
[Leave it to me!]
Battle had always been a time to prove herself, never something she found enjoyable.
But this moment was different.
*Vwooom.*
"Again! She's about to do something again!"
"Dammit! Is it an energy blast this time?! Or something else?!"
*Fwoosh!*
"All wrong! We go together!"
Gwiyeong leaped, infusing Gale Blade with her energy, and unleashed her technique.
"Ghost Shadow Soul-Chasing Blade."
As she kicked off the ground and executed the technique in mid-air, a black aura shimmered around her body, instantly enveloping the entire area.
*Shhhhhhh...*
Their vision suddenly obscured, the Black and Red Snake Branch Lords panicked, hastily raising their sword defenses and scanning their surroundings.
"No matter where you pop out from, I'll cut you down in one strike!"
"Kugh, what is this black smoke...?"
And at the center of this darkness, Gwiyeong looked at Gale Blade, who was gazing back at her with his red eyes, and spoke.
"I never thought I'd be fighting alongside anyone."
[I feel the same.]
"You too? It's nice to know I'm your first."
*Shhh.*
Infused with Gwiyeong's power, Gale Blade shifted back into human form and placed a hand on her shoulder.
She stared at the hand on her shoulder, slightly dazed, when a red plum blossom petal touched her cheek.
*Plink.*
Soon, red plum blossom petals began to mix with the dreary black smoke, creating a dark crimson, dreamlike atmosphere.
[Let's begin, Gwiyeong.]
Hearing his words while gazing at the dreamlike smoke sent a thrill through Gwiyeong.
"Right. Let's crush them once and for all."
And so, Gwiyeong and Gale Blade melted into the smoke and began their hunt.
The two Branch Lords, trapped in the smoke, were on high alert when they noticed the smoke's color slowly turning dark crimson, with plum blossom petals swirling within it.
"W-What is this..."
As the Red Snake Branch Lord faltered, the Black Snake Branch Lord shouted in a firm voice.
"Get a grip, junior brother! Don't fall for their illusory arts!"
Just then—
*Whoooooosh.*
Something shot toward the Black Snake Branch Lord at incredible speed.
"The right?!"
The Black Snake Branch Lord twisted toward the sound and raised his sword defense, but there was nothing there.
"...What?"
*Shhhk.*
"Aaaargh!"
Just then, the Red Snake Branch Lord's scream echoed from behind him.
"Dammit!"
Deciding he couldn't let this continue, the Black Snake Branch Lord wreathed his sword in black flames and swung it in a wide circle.
*Fwoom!*
Having temporarily cleared the smoke, he saw the Red Snake Branch Lord a short distance away, fighting someone with blood streaming from his shoulder.
"Junior brother! I'm coming! Just hold on!"
Just then—
*Fwoosh.*
Riding the red plum blossom petals, Gale Blade shot toward the Black Snake Branch Lord.
"Kugh!"
He hastily put up his sword defense to brace for the impact, but Gale Blade transformed into human form mid-flight, grabbed the Black Snake Branch Lord's head, and smashed his face with a knee.
*Craaack.*
"Keoheok!"
As a hand-blade imbued with powerful energy surged toward his neck, he quickly swung his sword and severed the wrist.
*Shhhk!*
His wrist severed, Gale Blade instantly changed back into a weapon and flew past the Black Snake Branch Lord.
The Black Snake Branch Lord frantically checked his sword and the spot where Gale Blade's wrist had been, only to see not red blood, but swirling plum blossom petals.
"Dammit! So you can just turn back into a weapon even if I cut off your hand! You coward!"
*Thump.*
Gwiyeong caught the incoming Gale Blade and immediately unleashed a slash imbued with sword energy.
Spotting the low slash aimed at their knees, the Black and Red Snake Branch Lords leaped high into the air.
*Whirrrrr.*
As they hung in the air, Gale Blade came flying toward them again, spinning through the dark crimson smoke.
A greatsword of immense size and weight, its approach alone generated a fierce pressure.
The Black Snake Branch Lord considered blocking it with a sword defense, but recalling how he'd been attacked defenselessly in the face just moments before, he chose to attack instead of defend.
"You think I'll fall for that again!"
He swung his sword, charged with sword ki, directly at Gale Blade.
But—
*Clang!*
"What!"
Gale Blade had remained in his weapon form. Unable to block the blade flying at incredible speed, the Branch Lord's arm was sliced clean off.
*Slice.*
"Aaaaargh!"
An inescapable two-choice death: if he blocked, he'd be attacked in human form; if he didn't, he'd be attacked in blade form.
No matter how he reacted, as long as he was in Gale Blade's attack trajectory, the Black Snake Branch Lord was doomed.
After severing the Black Snake Branch Lord's arm, Gale Blade changed back into human form, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and hurled him toward the Red Snake Branch Lord.
*Fwoosh.*
"S-Senior brother!"
The Red Snake Branch Lord was horrified to see the Black Snake Branch Lord flying toward him with a severed arm.
Just as the Red Snake Branch Lord landed and was about to catch his airborne comrade, his eyes met Gwiyeong's, which were glowing behind them like blue will-o'-wisps.
"Heok!"
Gwiyeong held Gale Blade vertically, intending to pierce through the Black Snake Branch Lord's waist and skewer the Red Snake Branch Lord as well.
"Uwaaaaah!"
The Red Snake Branch Lord hastily raised a sword defense to block. Seeing this, Gwiyeong immediately pulled Gale Blade out of the Black Snake Branch Lord and used his body as a foothold to leap high into the air.
*Tap.*
Kicked by her foot, the Black Snake Branch Lord fell even faster, colliding with the Red Snake Branch Lord and skidding across the ground.
"Keoheok!"
Pinned beneath the Black Snake Branch Lord, the Red Snake Branch Lord saw Gwiyeong throw Gale Blade from high above and quickly shouted.
"Senior brother! Senior brother, get out of the way! They're...!"
But the Black Snake Branch Lord, already unconscious, couldn't hear him. The Red Snake Branch Lord could only scream as he watched Gale Blade hurtle toward them.
*Whoooooosh.*
"Aaaaaaaaaargh!"
*Thwump.*
Skewered neatly alongside his senior brother, the Red Snake Branch Lord struggled for a moment before his strength failed and he went limp.
A moment later, Gwiyeong landed beside Gale Blade and checked the two Branch Lords' conditions.
The Black Snake Branch Lord was definitely dead. The Red Snake Branch Lord wasn't yet, but it was clear he would soon die from blood loss or being crushed.
After all, he was pinned beneath the Black Snake Branch Lord's body with all his strength gone.
Nevertheless, to ensure a clean finish, Gwiyeong pulled out Gale Blade and struck both Branch Lords' necks at once.
*Slice.*
As the two heads rolled away, Gale Blade spoke.
[It's over. You're the first person I've ever fought in sync with like this, Gwiyeong.]
Gwiyeong grinned and asked, "And your thoughts?"
[You're the best. I should have had a friend like you when I was alive.]
Gwiyeong felt an immense joy at his words.
"No, you're wrong."
She looked into Gale Blade's eyes, her gaze holding a strange new quality, and replied.
"The one who can match you isn't someone *like* me. It's only me."
Hearing this, Gale Blade looked at Gwiyeong with considerable surprise, then let out a laugh.
[Kekeke, yes, you're right, Gwiyeong. Who else could handle me but you? We are the strongest when we're together.]
Hearing Gale Blade's words, Gwiyeong laughed out loud.
"Hahahat! That's right. I'm the only one who can handle you!"
She felt as if she had been acknowledged as Gale Blade's one and only friend.
The thought of becoming the only friend to a man who, betrayed by his martial brothers in a past life, had come to trust no one, filled her with joy.
'Wait, a friend...'
She had always believed that being alone was best, that she could only be whole when she was by herself.
She didn't know when she had started wanting such a close relationship with him.
But it wasn't a bad feeling.
'Right. He's a weapon. Gale Blade is a weapon, so that's it. It's only natural for a warrior to feel the desire to grow close to their weapon.'
Joy shared is joy doubled, and sorrow shared is sorrow halved.
The only ones you can share such feelings with are family and true friends.
For her, who had lost her family, only a friend could provide such an experience.
Gale Blade was filling that role, and Gwiyeong herself hadn't yet realized it.
[Well, since things are wrapped up here, shall we go see the Hegemon Lord? It seems like his side is finished too.]
At Gale Blade's words, Gwiyeong turned her head to look at the Black Dragon Pavilion.
Throughout the battle, tremendous vibrations and roars had erupted from it, but now it was completely silent.
"Right. I need to go see if the Hegemon Lord kept his promise."
And so, she flicked the blood off Gale Blade and headed for the Black Dragon Pavilion.
Entering through the wall the two Branch Lords had been pushed through, she found the building in an even greater state of chaos than when she had first left.
As she went deeper, the warriors of the Black Ghost Guild and the White Snake Branch, who had taken control of the hall, saw Gwiyeong and greeted her.
"Black Ghost Guild Leader, you've arrived."
"Everything is finished here."
"It seems the Hegemon Lord inside has also finished his battle."
Gwiyeong gave a small nod and replied.
"Good work. I'm going to see the Hegemon Lord. You all clean up this area and deal with any remnants you find."
"""Yes, ma'am!"""
Gwiyeong stepped over the scattered wooden debris on the floor and entered the main hall.
There, she saw the limp body of the Black Dragon Society Lord and the Hegemon Lord looking down at him.
Sensing her presence, the Hegemon Lord turned his head toward Gwiyeong and said with a grin.
"You're here! Did you wrap things up on your end?"
"Yes. I've made sure the Black and Red Snake Branch Lords are dead."
"Kekek, good! Then I suppose I'll finish things here as well."
As the Hegemon Lord raised his glaive, the limp Black Dragon Society Lord suddenly rolled over and began to flee pathetically.
"Heok! Heok!"
But his strength was nearly gone, and his escape was pitifully slow.
Watching him, the Hegemon Lord scratched his head and spoke.
"Oh, he could still move. Guess I should have broken all his limbs."
Gwiyeong hadn't witnessed the Hegemon Lord's fight firsthand, but she couldn't help but acknowledge his skill.
How could she doubt the ability of a man who had so casually subdued the Black Dragon Society Lord—a man who had faced both her and Gale Blade without faltering—without sustaining any major injuries himself?
"Can't leave any loose ends. I'll go finish him off for good."
And with that, the Hegemon Lord shouldered his glaive and strode after the Black Dragon Society Lord.
Watching his retreating back, Gale Blade commented.
[I think we've hitched our wagon to the right star.]