The Victor of the Duel
Jin A-rin had been desperately pushing down a sense of unease, but it was slowly, bit by bit, eating away at her. Surely, she was the one on the offensive. Her opponent was clearly tiring from her swift sword strikes. Yet, her most crucial blows were being perfectly parried. This was already the third time. The third time her sword had been deflected.
Why? Why! Why?! Why wouldn't her sword find its mark? Her level of martial arts, the years she had spent with her blade—everything suggested she should be superior to the girl standing before her. And yet, why couldn't she land a single hit?
'What on earth... is this...' Was it some kind of dark art? Jin A-rin swallowed the cowardly, base words that threatened to spill from her lips. The fact that she, who valued honor above all else, would even entertain such a thought was a testament to the sheer, indescribable shock she was experiencing. She had dueled countless rising stars and faced numerous masters in her life, but she had never experienced anything like this. The sensation that all her swordsmanship was rendered useless against her opponent. She could see with her own eyes that her opponent was struggling, that her attacks were landing, yet she simply wouldn't fall... it was an unsettling feeling.
Her most important strikes were being perfectly countered. It felt as if her entire life was being denied. As if her sword—the sword of her sect—was being invalidated. It was horrific. As time ticked away, Jin A-rin’s heart grew increasingly desperate. A single thought flashed through her mind: 'Could it be... that my benefactor was never weaker than me to begin with?'
How? Everything pointed to her being the superior one. She cleared her head. She set aside her arrogance. If that were the case, what was the decisive difference between her and her benefactor? Finding the answer didn't take long. As their blades remained locked, Jin A-rin found the solution right before her eyes.
'Understanding... of the sword.'
Jin A-rin realized it then. The difference in talent for understanding the blade. The difference in focus. The difference in effort. This was why her benefactor had become a disciple of the Sword Demon, a path she herself could not take. The one thing that set her apart was the talent for the sword itself. Her mind seemed to clear slightly. She had been arrogant, daring to test her opponent, but that mindset shifted to one of facing a true rival. Because she had finally acknowledged her opponent, Jin A-rin could swing her sword with a lighter heart. Even so, the vast gap in talent seemed to weigh her down... but it didn't matter. Her benefactor was indeed more adept at understanding the sword, but that didn't mean the time she had spent honing her own craft was in vain. She simply acknowledged that the monster before her was a person who could not be measured by common sense. It felt incredibly unreasonable... but perhaps that was how she appeared to others as well. She couldn't move forward by wallowing in despair.
'I acknowledge it. Benefactor... you are a superior swordsman to me.'
And so... for this moment, at least, she wanted to show that while she might be inferior as a swordsman, she was a superior warrior. A faint but genuine sense of composure began to settle on Jin A-rin’s anxious face. Victory or defeat on this dueling platform no longer mattered to her. She wanted her opponent to feel even a fraction of the emotions she had felt. She wanted the opponent she had acknowledged to acknowledge her in return. Her spirit as a warrior began to burn. That was how Jin A-rin made her bold move. From despair to doubt, from doubt to acknowledgment, and from acknowledgment to a burning competitive spirit. Jin A-rin was, after all, a warrior.
Over the past week, Seo-ah had focused on building a solid foundation rather than learning high-level martial arts from No-ya. High-level techniques were too profound and complex; no matter how talented Seo-ah was, mastering them in a week was impossible. The best she could hope for was to barely enter the threshold. Of course, even entering the threshold of a high-level sword art in a week was logically absurd, but Seo-ah was capable of it. However... the Sword Demon had judged that this alone would not be enough to defeat Jin A-rin. And in truth, he was right.
Therefore, the Sword Demon had changed his approach. 'She is a child who has tried, however slightly, to glimpse the true meaning of my sword. If she knows the sword paths in advance, she should be able to counter the Swift Sword Sect’s techniques.'
The Sword Demon had shown Seo-ah countless sword paths of the Swift Sword Sect right before her eyes. Of course, the decisive reason this was possible was that the one wielding the high-level sword art was not a master of the Swift Sword Sect who had achieved great success, but Jin A-rin, who was merely a rising star. Even if an elder of the Swift Sword Sect were to wield the same sword as Jin A-rin, the profound principles contained within would be entirely different. Thus, the sword Seo-ah had to counter was not the high-level sword art of the Swift Sword Sect itself, but the sword of Jin A-rin who wielded it.
And so, for the entire week, Seo-ah had used the Seven Demonic Swords to solidify her stamina and basics, and she had burned the sword paths needed to counter Jin A-rin’s blade into her memory. As time flowed, now...
'Lower-left and upper-right are feints. Middle-left and lower-right are the real strikes.'
Seo-ah was perfectly blocking the Soul-Severing Shadow-Dancing Demonic Sword she had spent the last week studying with her eyes. If she wanted to, she could have deflected every strike and launched a counterattack, but... that wasn't strategically sound. Seo-ah kept the strategy No-ya had given her in mind: Never commit to a head-on confrontation.
If a member of the Tyrant Sword Sect had heard this, they would have clicked their tongues and called it cowardly. But the world of dueling was cold and calculating. No matter how much Seo-ah had built up her basics and mastered the Seven Demonic Swords over the past week, the Jin A-rin before her was a first-class master. One who had been practicing martial arts since she was a chubby-cheeked child. If she committed to a head-on clash... she might overwhelm her for a moment, but she would soon collapse from exhaustion. The only time Seo-ah could counterattack was when Jin A-rin committed to a decisive move. At that moment, Jin A-rin’s focus would be entirely on her sword, leaving her defenseless—the moment Seo-ah’s attack would be most effective.
'Is she reaching her limit...'
Cold sweat was running down her back, and her hands were trembling. She had been conserving stamina, attacking only when necessary and playing defensively, but... it seemed she, too, was reaching her limit. She had eaten all sorts of precious tonics and pushed her stamina to the limit over the past week, but since it had only been a week, the limit was bound to arrive. Fortunately, however, it seemed Jin A-rin was also struggling with her attacks. It was only natural, given that she had been swinging her swift sword without rest since stepping onto the platform. Soon, the victor of the duel would be decided.
Just then, a strange smile spread across the face of Jin A-rin, who had been gritting her teeth as she swung her sword.
'What is it?'
Seo-ah couldn't fathom why Jin A-rin was smiling. But one thing was certain: she was preparing her final attack.
'It’s coming!'
The Soul-Severing Shadow-Dancing Demonic Sword erupted from Jin A-rin’s hands once more. Unlike her previous attempts, she had poured her internal energy to a level of intensity she hadn't used before, as if she had decided to end it here. In an instant, countless swords poured toward Seo-ah from all directions, leaving no room to dodge.
'I can't... dodge it!'
Seo-ah, who had shown her resilience by blocking every single strike until now, was flustered for the first time. She deflected the lethal blows as best she could and twisted her body.
— *Thwack!*
For a moment, her vision turned white. A sword-mark had carved into Seo-ah’s side because she hadn't been able to dodge in time. However, Seo-ah ignored the pain, steadied her stance, and immediately unleashed the Seven Demonic Swords toward Jin A-rin. Jin A-rin laughed, and unlike before, she deflected only the dangerous lethal strikes—just like Seo-ah—before responding with her own sword.
'What sword is she going to use this time?'
Seo-ah racked her brain, wondering if Jin A-rin would use the Soul-Severing Shadow-Dancing Demonic Sword or the Flying Island Fourteen Demonic Swords. But the sword she faced was on a completely different trajectory. Seo-ah’s face was painted with bewilderment.
"What is this!"
"Finally... you’ve made the same face as me. It’s a welcome sight."
The sword Jin A-rin had used for her final strike was...
"How is it? My Seven Demonic Swords."
Seo-ah gritted her teeth. Someone who had only used the swift swords of the Swift Sword Sect until now, suddenly using the Seven Demonic Swords? It couldn't be because she lacked internal energy. It was simply... because she knew that since she was exhausted, whatever sword of the Swift Sword Sect she used would be seen through. So she had chosen the Seven Demonic Swords. The forms of the Seven Demonic Swords were simple, leaving no room for a proper counter. In fact, the Seven Demonic Swords Jin A-rin was wielding were so well-founded, rivaling her own, that she couldn't easily find a way to parry them.
"Even so... to challenge me to a head-on clash in front of someone who serves a master from the Tyrant Sword Sect... Fine. Let’s do it. Let’s go!"
However, Seo-ah’s confusion was only momentary. Her sword’s intent lay entirely in Tyranny (). If the conditions were the same... she didn't think she could lose. But the same was true for Jin A-rin. 'With a wound on your thigh, can you win in a head-on clash against me?'
The two warriors poured their final intent into their blades to settle the duel.
— *Clang!*
The sound of swords clashing echoed across the platform, and the victor of the duel was decided.
"Ha... haha."
A hollow laugh spilled from Jin A-rin’s lips. Her strength had long since drained from her body, and she was drenched in sweat. Feeling a pleasant sense of exhaustion, Jin A-rin sprawled out on the dueling platform. Then, she began to laugh like a madwoman.
"Hahahaha!"
Then, she whispered softly...
"You said you were a second-class... but you were a first-class master..."
Seo-ah couldn't answer, as she had fainted with her sword clutched tightly in her hand. A subtle silence hung over the area, both on and off the platform. Then, as if making a declaration, Jin A-rin shouted.
"The Young Sect Master of the Swift Sword Sect, Jin A-rin, hereby acknowledges that I have been defeated in this duel!"
At those words, a thunderous roar of cheers from below the platform filled the area.
— *Waaaaaah!!!*
When she made that declaration, Jin A-rin’s hand was not holding a sword. Her blade had fallen below the platform. To rest comfortably, Jin A-rin closed her eyes, just like Seo-ah.