Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Song of Ice and Fire
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‘Is this fight for real?’
Anger Control Expert vs. Black Sky.
Their duel far surpassed anything my imagination could conjure.
‘Is that magic or martial arts?’
On one side, thousands upon thousands of ice chunks each the size of a human torso whipped around like a storm.
On the other, right in the heart of that ice storm, a massive pillar of fire stretched up to the heavens.
And to top it off, the gallery was buzzing with real-time commentary on their clash.
“Hoo. Not bad at all.”
“What do you see?”
All I could make out was that fire pillar piercing the sky and the ice storm raging around it.
Dragon Money, however, seemed to peer right through it all, letting out an exclamation of admiration.
Realizing I needed more details, I pressed for an explanation, and Dragon Money nodded eagerly before replying.
“Black Sky’s Ice Soul Sword Qi is specialized in handling cold energy, much like mine. It pursues pure, unadorned swordsmanship without excess, while demonstrating profound mastery in wielding sword qi. That’s how she can swing tens of thousands of ice chunks for an all-around assault. In contrast, Crimson Night’s Blood Burning Tyrant Blade is a purely offensive blade art. It lags behind in versatility compared to Black Sky, but its straightforward ferocity holds the clear advantage. So she’s blocking Black Sky’s attacks one by one, biding her time.”
“That?”
“Yes. That fire pillar is the minimal domain Anger Control Expert has carved out to advance. Black Sky knows it too, which is why she’s unleashing omnidirectional sword qi techniques to trap her and prevent an easy breakout.”
So, to sum it up—
‘Black Sky has Anger Control Expert cornered, beating her down relentlessly. And Anger Control Expert’s just guarding up, enduring it all in hopes of landing one solid hit?’
Anger Control Expert was supposedly the one-sided aggressor, yet she looked like the one getting pummeled. Still, I got the difference: out-boxer versus in-fighter.
Black Sky kept her distance with jabs and footwork, not letting Anger Control Expert close in.
And Anger Control Expert strained to push forward.
In reality, the fire pillar kept flickering, trying to expand its reach, but the surrounding ice storm hemmed it in, refusing to let it grow easily.
“Who do you think will win?”
It was truly a song of fire and ice.
Curious about how this symphony would end, I asked, and Dragon Money let out a draconic rumble.
“Hard to say. From what I’ve heard in gallery discussions, both are Martial Gods at the pinnacle of Position Manifestation. But as I said, their martial paths are polar opposites.”
“Position Manifestation? What’s that?”
“Ah, right. You, the newbie mod, are quite ignorant about the supreme realms of martial arts.”
A paradoxical silence flowed amid the fierce clashes of fire and ice.
Dragon Money pondered his words as if explaining to an elementary school kid, then spoke again.
“We Martial Gods typically divide martial realms into five stages. Position Manifestation is the fourth. Differences exist even within stages, but reaching Position Manifestation means your martial arts directly manifests the world’s laws.”
Martial arts directly revealing the world’s laws?
“You look confused. Simply put, imagine I’m holding an apple in my hand. What happens if I drop it?”
“It... falls?”
“Exactly. That’s the normal law of the world. But those at Position Manifestation can alter it. At least within the world they define and perceive, a dropped apple soars into the sky.”
“?!”
A chill ran down my spine.
That meant Martial Gods could directly intervene in the world’s physical laws.
“So duels between Martial Gods are battles to impose one’s laws on the other. They bully the world into accepting whose law prevails. Look over there—the flames burning the ice, the ice freezing the flames solid. Both utterly defy normal logic, don’t they?”
“Exactly!!”
I’d thought I was the weird one.
The other gallery members just cheered at the flashy effects without question.
But clearly, something was off.
‘Wait a minute.’
Yeah.
I got it—gallery members duking it out like domain expansions, comparing whose spellcasting was more refined.
But,
“So. Who do you think will win?”
“...Martial realms have no end. No one can be certain until they reach it.”
No, damn it.
So even he didn’t know?
Looking at Dragon Money gazing into the distance, my excitement suddenly deflated.
Dragon Money, turns out you’re just another gallery member after all.
As that transcendent figure suddenly felt more approachable, I turned back to the duelists.
While we chatted, the two gallery members’ fierce clash had been hurtling toward its climax.
“Huff... huff...”
“Hoo....”
Anger Control Expert panted heavily, while Black Sky calmly regulated her breathing.
Their appearances were starkly contrasting, almost contradictory.
Judging by words alone, Anger Control Expert was the wild, explosive type—yet she stood static at the duel’s center, fire pillar blazing upward.
Conversely, the poised and elegant Black Sky raged ferociously with blizzards from all sides.
Visually, Anger Control Expert clearly looked disadvantaged.
Her initial robes were shredded, and lava-like blood dripped from the gaps.
Yet the smile on Anger Control Expert’s lips wasn’t one of defeat—it bloomed brighter than ever.
“Give up. You can never escape my Ice Soul Sword Qi.”
“Sword bitch, lagging behind makes your tongue wag, huh?”
“Hoo. As a Martial God, shouldn’t you mind your words?”
“Bullshit. Like you weren’t bragging in the gallery about splitting the heavens.”
“That’s...!”
Black Sky’s cheeks flushed a telltale red.
A martial artist pursuing the ultimate embodied the ultimate ego.
Reaching a milestone in their path brought inevitable pride.
Like announcing it to those they respected and earning their acknowledgment.
This was a sincere fragment even for Black Sky, who’d ascended to Martial God status—thus her fierce reaction when prodded.
Facts always hit harder than provocations or lies.
And Anger Control Expert didn’t miss the opening.
‘Gap!’
Blood Burning Tyrant Blade
Cornered, endlessly chanting “just one hit—just one hit”—Anger Control Expert seized the moment her foe’s footwork faltered from the trash talk.
In that split-second gap, the sky-piercing fire pillar expanded, sweeping away the frigid storm and devouring its domain.
‘Opportunity comes only once!’
The Blood Burning Tyrant Blade, created and mastered by Crimson Night, fueled itself with her blood—just like its name.
The more wounds, the more blood spilled, the fiercer it raged.
Yet contrary to their berserker appearance, such warriors honed instants with exquisite precision.
Low health meant one slip could mean death.
Who hadn’t seen a half-health DPS queen get one-shot into a gray screen?
Thus, Crimson Night unleashed her ultimate show of skill.
Ching ching ching ching!!
It began with a mad flurry of blade qi.
Blood-red blade qi bloomed like flames, shredding the enemy domain to carve a path.
Black Sky panicked briefly but swiftly regained her icy composure.
She too was a Martial God—fleeting fluster yielded to cold calm in an instant.
Whoooosh—!
Scattered cold energy converged.
A wave of frost surged, pressing Anger Control Expert back.
It snarled like it was herding her to her corner.
But by then, Anger Control Expert had already lunged forward.
“...Ha!”
Bloodlust sprayed from Anger Control Expert’s eyes.
As if she’d awaited only this, her terrifying inner energy erupted.
Blood Burning Tyrant Blade
Ultimate Technique
Mad Blood Chaos Dance
Crack—!
First came a bursting sound, like something shattering.
Then,
Craaaaaaaaack!!!!
A savage discord, as if cleaving the world itself.
Ice shattered, frost tore apart, space split open.
Black Sky, clad in frost like armor, felt her pores dilate.
‘This is...!’
In an instant, her occupied space crumbled.
The opponent’s wild swings dissected her domain with razor-sharp precision.
A prelude dismantling guard and armor, leaving no room for resistance.
And that meant.
‘It’s coming...!’
The real strike hadn’t even arrived.
“Ready to die, you sword bitch!!”
Dyeing everything red, Anger Control Expert hoisted her blade high.
Flames from all directions gathered at its tip.
It started as a small orb but ballooned into a massive jade sphere in moments.
Blood Burning Tyrant Blade
Ultimate Technique
Great Jade Flame
It was as if another sun had risen.
“It’s over!!”
Declaring the end of the long battle.
The sun plummeted from the sky.
Black Sky’s protective frost was long gone, sealing the outcome.
Yet,
“I agree.”
Click—
In that moment, Black Sky sheathed her sword.
Even as she was pushed back, plummeting from heavens to earth, she dyed her mind emotionless.
The sun fell right before her eyes, yet her heart held no emotion.
Filling that void was one thing alone.
Snow Cold Single Sword
A single sword that cleaved the heavens.
Shing—
Amid the heaven-scorching blaze, a lone sword cry resounded.