Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Decision (1)
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Sword King, Namgung San.
He did not move.
Yet, all information from Lake So flowed to him.
"The Cheon Family..."
The Sword King had already heard of Cheon Muryang's deeds.
With this, the Namgung Family's hosting of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly had become a hollow gesture, leaving them with no influence to speak of.
"So, that must be why they are rushing here."
The Namgung Family's intentions were obvious.
It was an occasion meant to showcase the next Sword King, Namgung Sang-hyeok.
Since that had come to naught, the key figures of the Namgung Family urgently sought out the Sword King.
"Your Majesty, the Sword Emperor!"
The members of the Namgung Family called him Sword Emperor, not Sword King.
It was an attempt to solidify the Namgung Family's resolve to rise to the status of a Sword Emperor's house.
"Yes, what is it?"
"The Dragon and Phoenix Assembly..."
"Speak."
"Has collapsed."
"..."
"Your Majesty, the Sword Emperor, you must intervene."
"..."
"Please restore the shattered order."
The Sword King remained silent.
Asking him to restore the shattered order was, in essence, asking him to step in and force things to proceed according to the original rules.
"How truly pathetic."
How could these men be called the key figures and elders of a family known as the Sword King's house?
"Your Majesty, the Sword Emperor!"
"Leave."
The Sword King's order to depart.
But no one heeded his command.
"Grandfather!"
Namgung Sang-hyeok appeared.
Rushing over, Namgung Sang-hyeok wore the same expression he used as a child whenever he wanted something from Namgung San.
"..."
And as Namgung San looked at him, a sense of pity filled his gaze.
If only he hadn't been raised as a spoiled child, he would not have gone so astray.
"Grandfather, please help me."
"If I help you."
"Yes?"
"What will change?"
The Sword King's aura flared.
The air grew heavy.
*Whoooosh!*
"Do you mean to say you can defeat that boy, the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family?"
"...!"
Under the pressure of the aura, Namgung Sang-hyeok gritted his teeth, trying to stand firm.
But it was only for a moment.
"Grand... Grandfather...!"
Namgung Sang-hyeok quickly crumbled.
Watching this, Namgung San gently closed his eyes for a moment.
*'This is an aura you should be able to withstand, yet you cannot even overcome this?'*
If it had been before he met Cheon Muryang.
No, if he hadn't known that Namgung Sang-hyeok had tried to kill Namgung Seo-hui.
The Sword King would still have embraced Namgung Sang-hyeok.
*'I was wrong.'*
Namgung San felt regret.
He calmly admitted that his ways had been mistaken.
*Fwoosh.*
The aura subsided.
Namgung San opened his eyes.
He stared at Namgung Sang-hyeok with somewhat vacant eyes.
"What is it that you want?"
"Please... please kill him."
"..."
Who was the scoundrel here?
Namgung San was looking at a scoundrel of the ages, right before his eyes.
"You want him killed? Are you telling me that your own sword cannot surpass that boy?"
"..."
His pride, at least, remained intact, as Namgung Sang-hyeok bit his lip hard.
*Drip.*
So hard that it drew blood.
"No!"
"Then why are you asking me to kill him, instead of doing it yourself?"
"..."
Pride was the only thing propping Namgung Sang-hyeok up.
But because he couldn't let it go, he could no longer move forward.
"Very well. I will kill that boy for you. Then, what will you do?"
"Yes?"
"I'm asking what you can do for me."
"I will make the Namgung Family the greatest family under heaven."
"..."
It was impossible.
Yet, Namgung Sang-hyeok seemed to think it was possible, if only Cheon Muryang were gone.
"The greatest under heaven..."
The title he had craved for so long.
But the "greatest under heaven" that Namgung Sang-hyeok spoke of somehow seemed trivial.
*'Was it always this hollow?'*
Namgung San finally felt as if he could break free from the shackles of his obsession with being the greatest.
"..."
What was it?
For some reason, those near Namgung San felt as if his form was blurring.
*'Is he smiling?'*
They also thought they had caught a glimpse of a faint smile on his face.
"Alright. If that is your wish..."
Namgung San rose from his seat.
At this, color returned to Namgung Sang-hyeok's face.
"I will do as you ask."
*Fwoosh!*
Namgung San did not draw his sword.
Yet, everyone could feel it.
Dozens, hundreds of swords, present throughout the area.
"...!"
"Your... Your Majesty, the Sword Emperor."
Namgung San's invisible swords were already aimed at their throats.
The entire space seemed to serve Namgung San's will.
"This is my final lesson."
They could breathe only because Namgung San permitted it.
"Gasp, gasp!"
Panting heavily, they were overwhelmed by the Sovereign Sword Form that Namgung San manifested.
"The... The Sovereign Sword Form!"
The ultimate art of the Namgung Family, which no one was said to have mastered beyond the fifth stage, was finally unfurled.
*Fshhh!*
There were no swords anywhere.
Yet, the Sword King's countless non-existent swords had already slashed through them.
*Slash!*
Sleeves were sliced off.
Through the gaps, countless shallow cuts appeared.
"Your... Your Majesty, the Sword Emperor!"
In the end, everyone, including Namgung Sang-hyeok, fell to their knees.
Not a single one dared to raise a sword against the Sword King or tried to comprehend the sword intent of the Sovereign Sword Form.
"...This is the end."
The Sword King stood there, utterly alone.
Until the very end, they could not accept his teaching.
*Step, step.*
The Sword King walked away.
*'I feel... liberated.'*
The Sword King had already given everything.
There was nothing left to give.
"Do not follow me."
"Gasp...!"
The Sword King decided he would no longer remain silent in the shadows.
"I have given you a clear warning. If anyone disobeys and follows... regardless of the reason."
*Fshhh!*
In the empty air.
And upon the earth.
A single sword mark was left behind.
"I will cut you down."
No one could follow the Sword King.
* * *
Sohoru Tavern.
Cheon Muryang was drinking alone.
"I wonder if they're doing okay."
*"If you show the same disgraceful performance as yesterday, you'll die!"*
The Wandering King had dragged the three of them off to the secret betting arena, just like yesterday.
After praying for the souls of the three who were being dragged away like criminals, Cheon Muryang heard a voice calling him from somewhere.
*Vwooom!*
A resonating sound echoed in his ears.
"With this tingling, how can I possibly stay still?"
Cheon Muryang stood up with a smirk, scratching the space between his eyebrows, which had been itching for a while.
Just as he was about to leave.
A nearby waiter scurried over.
It was the boy Cheon Muryang had helped.
"Where are you going?"
"Ah, yes. Something came up. Would it be alright if I took this wine and cup with me?"
"Of course! I'll get it ready for you!"
"So fast. Is that a skill too?"
With skilled hands, the waiter finished packing and handed a small bundle to Cheon Muryang.
"Here you go."
"Right. Thanks."
Taking the bundle, Cheon Muryang stepped outside the tavern.
*Whoosh!*
A refreshing breeze blew past.
Though it was the middle of the night, it didn't feel particularly cold, the scent of autumn thick in the air.
"Nice."
The lights of Sohoru were bright.
But Cheon Muryang walked not toward the light, but to a place devoid of people.
"You're late."
And there, waiting for him, was the Sword King, Namgung San, who now had a distinctly different air about him.
"Late? I came as soon as you called."
"Then that is a relief."
*Fwooom!*
An invisible sword took aim at Cheon Muryang.
"...I seem to recall facing this sword before."
"Yes, you have. But we have never crossed blades, have we?"
*Smirk.*
Cheon Muryang smiled.
And so, amidst the taut tension, he moved with composure.
"Ah, was that the reason?"
Cheon Muryang untied his bundle.
"Before that, would you care for a drink? It seems you've come out for a rare stroll without any little rats."
"That sounds good."
Cheon Muryang casually sat down on the ground.
The Sword King, too, sat across from him.
*Pour.*
The cups filled with wine.
Moonlight floated on the surface of the wine.
The Sword King drank the moon.
It was a fine fragrance.
"How is it?"
"It is good."
"I'm glad."
"..."
Cheon Muryang was truly composed.
Even though he knew why Namgung San had sought him out.
"Are you not afraid?"
"Of what?"
"Of death."
"I am."
Death was always frightening.
He never wanted to feel that cold, empty sensation again.
"And yet, you show no sign of it."
"That's because today is not the day I die."
"Do you truly believe that?"
"Yes."
"..."
"Even if my opponent is the esteemed Sword King."
*Shwaaaaaaa!*
The bushes rustled in the wind.
But what it carried was not just a cool breeze.
A chilling, sunken killing intent.
A killing intent he had not been able to harbor toward Namgung Sang-hyeok and his family members.
*Fshhh!*
An invisible blade flew toward Cheon Muryang's neck.
*Fwoosh!*
In response, the Heavenly Light Sword radiated a blue sword energy.
*Claaang!*
In the empty air where nothing existed.
Yet, Cheon Muryang had clearly struck the Sword King's sword.
"Do you still think so?"
"Yes. My mind has not changed."
How audacious.
Namgung San laughed heartily.
*'If only he were a little more like this boy, I wouldn't have such regrets.'*
Namgung San was deeply disappointed.
He poured that disappointment into the Sovereign Sword Form.
"This should be enough to pay for the drinks."
*Clang!*
The wine cup split in half.
Then, a sharp resonating sound erupted.
*Fwooom!*
A pressure like Mount Tai crushing down settled on Cheon Muryang's shoulders.
The Sword King's will, which seemed to restrict movement itself, was truly that of a king.
"The Sovereign Sword Form..."
The Sovereign Sword Form he faced for the second time possessed a will incomparably stronger than before.
"Well then, will you receive it?"
"It would be an honor."
"Good."
*Shwaaaaaaa!*
The bushes rustled in the wind.
In that instant, rain poured from a sky where it should not have been raining.
"..."
It was a rain made of the Sword King's non-existent swords.
*Fwooom!*
The sharpness filling the sky emanated an aura that could cut down Cheon Muryang at any moment.
The Sword King seemed to be asking if he could truly break through this baptism of swords and reach him.
*Fwooom!*
And, of course, Cheon Muryang had not the slightest intention of avoiding it.
*'As I am now, I can do it.'*
Hadn't he already seen it?
The insights he had absorbed over the past few days also included the sword Namgung San had shown him.
*'Here I go.'*
Cheon Muryang walked toward the Sword King.
The rain of swords poured down.
But the rain could not touch the hem of Cheon Muryang's clothes.
*Clang, claaang!*
Eerie sounds vibrated through the air.
Nevertheless, Cheon Muryang's steps did not falter as he advanced.
"..."
Watching this with impassive eyes, the Sword King gazed at the full moonlight.
*'Must I cut him down?'*
He endlessly pondered.
He could certainly cut him down if he wished, but he questioned whether it was the right thing to do.
*'Forgive me.'*
Though his heart was heavy, he made his decision.
In that instant, the Sword King raised his sword, and his Sovereign Sword flew straight forward in a direct line.
*Shwiiik!*
A single sword, flying toward him.
It was a sword that perfectly targeted Cheon Muryang's opening.
"I'm sorry."
"There is no need for that."
But the Sword King saw that Cheon Muryang was smiling.
*'Where is he looking?'*
The Sword King realized the smile was directed behind him.
*'Behind me?'*
*Chill!*
It was in that moment.
He felt the fierce aura of a sword rushing at him from behind.
*Shwiiik!*
Thus, the Sword King had no choice but to turn and block the incoming sword.
*Claaang!*
He deflected the sword.
But it was not a physical sword.
"The Sovereign Sword Form..."
Who could possibly unleash the Sovereign Sword Form before the Sword King himself?
*Step, step.*
A woman approached.
The Sword King gently closed his eyes.
"Seo-hui..."
Namgung Seo-hui.
She walked toward them.
Under the moonlight, her eyes like crystals.