Chapter 304: The Flawless Flame
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 304: The Flawless Flame
Boom!
"Urgh!"
Once again, Neung So-hwa began to be pushed back.
It was because she couldn't withstand Sun-woo’s blade.
Irritation began to well up within her. She felt pathetic for being relentlessly driven back, even if she was currently lacking in internal energy.
How could she be pushed aside so easily?
She couldn't understand it.
She was frustrated. Beyond frustrated.
Who was she? Was she not a great martial artist who had reached the supreme stage of the Profound Realm?
And yet, how could she be pushed back so helplessly?
It was impossible. No, it was something that should not be happening.
Neung So-hwa channeled her internal energy into her Yongcheon Point. Then, she let it explode, using the recoil to propel herself through the air.
Whoosh!
Her figure flew backward in an instant and landed gracefully.
"I shall acknowledge you."
Having gained some distance, Neung So-hwa looked at Sun-woo and spoke.
"You are strong in many ways. To think you possessed a depth of scheme sufficient to deceive even me."
Neung So-hwa nodded as she continued.
‘No, I just provoked you because I wanted to find the Ice Essence...’
Hearing her words, Sun-woo felt a wave of awkwardness. It was a classic case of a blind man catching a sparrow; even though she was praising him, it didn't feel like praise at all.
Wasn't she the one who fell for a simple provocation, failed to control her strength, and poured out all her fire arts? What 'scheme' was she talking about?
"You are worthy. Worthy of seeing my everything."
Neung So-hwa continued, her eyes blazing with intensity as she stared at Sun-woo.
"Wasn't that Fire Dragon you showed me earlier your everything?"
"The Fire Dragon is merely a concentration of power. It is far removed from true enlightenment."
At Sun-woo’s question, Neung So-hwa shook her head.
"From this moment on, I shall face you with the intent to kill. So, do your best to survive, my lover."
Having finished her piece, Neung So-hwa slowly closed her eyes.
‘What a bluff.’
Sun-woo let out a smirk as he watched her. He drew his sword and charged straight at her.
He was certain she was just putting on an act out of embarrassment for being pushed back.
Whoosh!
Sun-woo leveled the flat of his blade and swung it toward Neung So-hwa’s head. He intended to knock her out in a single blow.
Fwoosh!
At that moment, the sound of a fire igniting was followed by a pungent, acrid smell that began to assault Sun-woo’s nose.
But that wasn't all.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, a horrific pain began to surge through his right arm, the one holding the sword.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Sun-woo screamed at the sudden agony.
It was hot. It was insanely hot.
Sun-woo turned his gaze to his right hand.
And there, he saw it.
A pitch-black flame, dark as the abyss, was burning on his right hand.
‘Damn it!’
Cursing inwardly, Sun-woo quickly activated the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. He needed to rid himself of the black flame consuming his hand.
Vroom, vroom!
Following the mnemonics of the Great Shift, his Yin-Yang Harmony Qi began to move. Having activated the technique, Sun-woo stared at the black flame.
He was trying to feel its flow.
However, Sun-woo couldn't help but be struck with panic.
He couldn't see the flow of the black flame at all.
‘What... what is this?!’
Sun-woo’s eyes widened in shock.
What kind of situation was this? He couldn't see the flow?
How was that even possible?
Flow was the natural order of everything that existed in the world. Grass, trees, air, wind, fire, water, earth—there was nothing in existence that didn't have a flow.
So how could he not see it?
Sun-woo couldn't understand. How could something defy the laws of nature?
"Kaaaaaaagh!"
Sun-woo screamed again at the searing heat crawling up his skin.
Clang!
He ended up dropping his sword. To a swordsman, his blade was his life, but the pain in his arm was so excruciating that he couldn't even hold onto it.
He wanted to escape. He desperately wanted to get away from it.
Flail, flail!
Sun-woo shook his arm violently. Instead of going out, the black flame seemed to burn even more fiercely.
Roll!
This time, Sun-woo threw himself into a puddle created by the melting icebergs.
Sssssss!
Instead of the fire going out, the water in the puddle turned into steam and evaporated instantly.
"Aaaaaaaaagh!"
Sun-woo’s screams grew louder from the burning pain.
It hurt. It hurt far too much.
He felt like he would do anything just to escape this agony. His reason began to paralyze, leaving only the instinctual urge to flee the pain.
Sun-woo looked at his burning arm.
Strangely, the black flame didn't spread. it only burned the forearm of the hand that had been holding the sword.
A thought crossed Sun-woo’s mind.
If I just cut this hand off, wouldn't I be free from this pain?
The burning pain was so extreme that it drove him to such radical thoughts. They say the greatest pain a human can feel is the sensation of raw flesh burning.
Sun-woo was experiencing a level of agony incomparable to anything he had felt before, and his mind began to slip.
With bloodshot eyes, Sun-woo looked at the Dragon Tail Soft Sword lying on the ground.
The Dragon Tail Soft Sword boasted a smooth yet sharp blade. It began to emit a brilliant radiance.
Sun-woo thought:
If it’s that radiant Dragon Tail Soft Sword...
If it’s that smooth and sharp Dragon Tail Soft Sword...
Wouldn't it be able to liberate me from this pain in an instant?
Sun-woo made up his mind. He would grab the Dragon Tail Soft Sword with his left hand and sever his right arm.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, an immense chill began to radiate from Sun-woo’s left hand.
Flash!
Snapped back to his senses by the sudden cold, Sun-woo looked at his left hand.
There, he saw the Ice Essence he had picked up earlier. It seemed that as his consciousness wavered, the Yin-Yang Harmony Qi that had been suppressing the Ice Essence had dissipated.
Vroom!
Sun-woo quickly operated the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art. The chill burrowing into his left hand began to subside.
This time, he funneled the Yin-Yang Harmony Qi into his right arm, where the black flame was burning. He intended to suppress it by any means necessary.
But mockingly, the black flame seemed to use even the Yin-Yang Harmony Qi as fuel. It only grew larger, showing no signs of going out.
‘Guh...!’
Grit.
Sun-woo screamed internally as the pain intensified in proportion to the size of the flame.
‘This is dangerous.’
It was dangerous. He had barely regained his senses thanks to the Ice Essence, but if this continued, he might lose consciousness again.
He had to stop it.
Fwoosh!
While Sun-woo was lost in thought, the black flame flared up even more, and he writhed in agony.
‘Water... something cold... I need something cold!’
In the face of extreme heat, Sun-woo sought anything cold, and his gaze fell upon the Ice Essence in his left hand.
‘This is it!’
Having made his decision, Sun-woo pressed the Ice Essence directly against the black flame.
Sssssss!
Immediately, a reaction completely different from before occurred. The black flame began to gradually subside.
Seeing this, Sun-woo pressed the Ice Essence even closer, and finally, the black flame vanished completely.
"Huff... huff... huff... huff..."
Freed from the horrific pain, Sun-woo panted heavily. He had been in so much pain that he had even forgotten to breathe.
"Are you alright?"
Neung So-hwa’s calm voice reached Sun-woo’s ears.
Hearing her voice, Sun-woo slowly looked up at her.
"How could I be alright?"
Sun-woo looked at her with fear in his eyes as he spoke.
"What on earth did you do?"
Sun-woo asked her, his expression filled with confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb! That black flame just now—what exactly was it?!"
Sun-woo raised his voice as he questioned her.
"It is my enlightenment."
"Enlightenment?"
"Indeed. And it is also the final form of fire that I pursue."
"That’s nonsense."
Sun-woo shook his head.
"There’s no way that thing was a flame."
Sun-woo spoke with finality.
"Why do you think so?"
"Because I couldn't feel any flow."
"Flow?"
Neung So-hwa asked, appearing not to understand.
"Everything in this world has its own unique flow. Air, water, fire, grass, trees, iron—everything. But I couldn't feel anything from that black flame earlier. There’s no way such a thing is a flame."
Sun-woo spoke with conviction. He truly believed the black flame wasn't fire. How could something that defied the laws of nature be called fire?
"How interesting. To say that my Black Flame is not fire."
Hearing Sun-woo’s words, Neung So-hwa let out a playful smile.
"But unfortunately, it is fire. A single flame that I have kindled."
Neung So-hwa spoke with absolute certainty.
"Don't be ridiculous! There’s no way something that defies the laws of nature is a flame!"
"It is possible."
"How can you be so sure?"
"One simply needs to transcend the laws of nature, does one not?"
"..............."
Flash!
In that moment, something flashed through Sun-woo’s mind upon hearing her words. He remembered something he had heard from the Sword Man in the past.
About the only way a human could transcend the laws of nature.
".........The Profound Realm."
"Correct. I have finally reached the Profound Realm and gained enlightenment."
Neung So-hwa looked at Sun-woo with calm eyes.
"While practicing the Extreme Yang Flame Emperor Demonic Art, I often thought about how imperfect fire is."
Neung So-hwa looked into the distance with vacant eyes, as if lost in thought.
"Fire goes out when it touches water, it goes out when covered by earth, it goes out when the wind blows, and it goes out when there is nothing left to burn. How can one not call this imperfect? I lamented it. I felt that I could never reach the peak with such an imperfect thing."
Neung So-hwa’s eyes sparkled.
"So, I thought. Could there be a flawless fire that burns forever, even if it touches water, even if it's covered by earth, even if the wind blows, and even if there's nothing left to burn?"
Neung So-hwa looked at Sun-woo with her blood-red eyes.
"And I finally reached that goal. A flawless flame that cannot be extinguished by anything. Yes, the very Black Flame that burned your right arm!"
Neung So-hwa continued with a proud expression.
"How was it? How did it feel to be struck by the flawless flame?"
"It was horrific."
"That is to be expected. The pain given by the Black Flame is dozens of times greater than ordinary burning pain."
Neung So-hwa spoke calmly.
".....You're insane."
The words escaped Sun-woo’s mouth involuntarily. If it was dozens of times more painful than ordinary burning, it was no wonder he had almost lost his mind. It was a perfect, superior version of Scorching Poison.
"Flawlessness is more difficult than one might think. It is only natural that it must be hotter and more powerful than any existing flame."
"So you burned my arm with that 'perfect' flame?"
"I had no choice. You backed me into a corner. Enough for me to show my true self."
Neung So-hwa spoke as if she had been forced into it.
"It’s going to leave a scar."
Sun-woo spoke in a flat tone.
"A scar?"
Neung So-hwa asked, sounding confused.
"That perfect flame burned my arm. How could it not leave a scar?"
"Where is this scar you speak of?"
Even though Sun-woo raised his arm, Neung So-hwa only asked back in confusion.
"Don't play dumb. The wound is right her—"
Sun-woo raised his arm and pointed to the burned area. He intended to show her the evidence.
However, Sun-woo couldn't finish his sentence.
"....It’s gone?"
There was no trace of anything where the Black Flame had burned.
"Did I not tell you? There is no scar."
As if finding Sun-woo’s reaction amusing, Neung So-hwa wore a playful smile.
Sun-woo’s mind began to race. He clearly remembered the extreme pain that had made him consider cutting off his arm. He remembered the persistence of the flame that wouldn't go out even after rolling in a puddle and shaking his arm violently.
So how could there be no burn marks?
He couldn't understand it. He felt like his head was going to explode. How was such an impossible thing possible?
"......H-how did this happen?"
Sun-woo finally spoke, his expression blank.
"Did I not say it was a flawless flame?"
As if finding Sun-woo cute, Neung So-hwa gave a captivating smile.
"Can it truly be called flawless if it doesn't burn only what I want it to burn?"
"................."
Sun-woo’s face hardened at her words. A sense of dread toward her began to rise within him.
What could one even call this?
Heart Flame?
Black Heart Flame?
Or perhaps the Black Flame Dragon?
He couldn't even begin to define it—the flame of a woman who had reached such a great stage.
Sun-woo’s complexion began to turn pale.