Chapter 337: Ice and Fire-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 337: Ice and Fire-2
Step. Step.
In the distance, Lee Yeon approached, his sword trailing behind him.
His eyes glinted with a predatory, beast-like light.
Gulp.
Watching him, Bukgung Yeon swallowed hard.
An inexplicable tension gripped her.
What is this?
She was bewildered.
Even when facing the Soul Link, where thousands of spears rained down, she hadn't felt a hint of nervousness. Instead, she had scoffed and unleashed her Snow Wind.
And yet, now she was tense.
Considerably so.
All because he held a single sword.
Step. Step.
With every footfall, her heart sank, and a chill ran down her spine.
She had never felt this way before.
"Hey, Sparky."
Bukgung Yeon, her eyes fixed on Lee Yeon, suddenly called out to Neung So-hwa.
"......Speak."
"Did that guy always use a sword?"
"Lee Yeon is known as the First Sword of the Imperial Palace. Of course he uses a sword. Why wouldn't he?"
"Then why hasn't he used one until now?"
Bukgung Yeon turned to Neung So-hwa with a puzzled expression.
It made no sense. How could someone who specialized in the sword spend the whole time doing nothing but raining down spears from a distance?
"I do not know."
"Well, is he any good with it?"
"I do not know."
"How can you not know!?" Bukgung Yeon shouted, exasperated.
"I have never once seen Lee Yeon use a sword until this moment."
"Surely you’ve heard rumors, at least?"
"There are rumors that he split mountains, parted the seas, and cut down a thousand men with a single strike... but no one has ever personally verified them."
Neung So-hwa spoke in a firm, clipped tone.
"Then how the hell did he get called the First Sword of the Imperial Palace!?"
"It is a title bestowed upon him by His Imperial Majesty."
"So, in the end, no one has actually tested him?"
"One could say that."
"What an honor. To be the one to make a man like that draw his sword."
Bukgung Yeon spoke through furrowed brows.
She reached out toward Lee Yeon.
As she did, she pushed her Heavenly Yin Ice Soul Divine Art to its absolute limit.
An immense, bone-chilling frost began to coalesce in her palm.
Before long, her hand turned a deathly, translucent white.
Bukgung Yeon aimed her blanched palm at Lee Yeon.
In an instant, she unleashed a blast of frigid energy.
Sshhhhhhh!
A torrent of white frost, like a localized blizzard, surged toward Lee Yeon.
Lee Yeon glared at the approaching ice storm with wild, ferocious eyes.
He waited.
He waited until the storm entered his immediate reach.
Sshhhhhhh!
The moment the ice storm fell within his range, Lee Yeon swung the sword he had been trailing.
Slash!
The ice storm was cleaved in two, then instantly dissipated.
It vanished as if it had never existed in the first place.
"........."
Bukgung Yeon stood frozen, her mouth agape.
The situation was entirely unexpected.
Her Ice White Divine Palm had been erased in an instant.
And it was done with a casual swing of a sword, as if he were merely shooing away a fly.
Though she hadn't used her full strength—intending only to test the waters—the Ice White Divine Palm was a signature technique of the North Sea Ice Palace.
For such a technique to vanish so effortlessly...
How could she not be stunned?
Bukgung Yeon realized then.
This might be a much harder fight than she had anticipated.
"It seems this will be despair rather than an honor."
Neung So-hwa, who had been watching from the side, finally spoke.
"I agree."
Conceding the point, Bukgung Yeon extended her arm and spread her fingers wide.
Vroom!
She instantly froze the moisture in the air, manifesting a sword of ice.
"Can you handle close-quarters combat?"
Holding the ice sword, Bukgung Yeon glanced at Neung So-hwa.
"Do not fret. I am a master of the saber."
"You don't have a saber, though."
"......That is the problem."
Neung So-hwa replied with a dejected expression.
The saber she used was currently being held by Chief Ma. There was no way for her to have it right now.
Crack!
As soon as she finished speaking, Bukgung Yeon froze the moisture in the air again, this time crafting an elegant ice saber.
"Here."
"You are giving this to me?"
"It’ll be a pain if you’re just tripping over my feet."
Bukgung Yeon spoke flatly.
"Why is it that you never have a kind word to say?"
"You don't want it?"
"I never said that!"
Fearing Bukgung Yeon might shatter the saber, Neung So-hwa snatched it away.
Grab.
A biting chill seeped into her hand from the hilt.
"But... will this not melt?" Neung So-hwa asked worriedly.
"It’s made of ice, but I froze it solid enough that it won't melt easily."
"But I use fire arts..."
"If it melts, I'll make you another one. Just use it. Or would you rather fight barehanded?"
"I would not."
Neung So-hwa shook her head vigorously.
"Fine. Then let's see this 'master' saberplay of yours."
Finding the reaction somewhat amusing, Bukgung Yeon let out a small smirk.
"Prepare to be amazed."
Whoosh!
Neung So-hwa gave the saber a test swing.
"Oh!"
She let out a small exclamation of admiration.
Despite being a makeshift weapon, the balance was remarkably perfect.
She is more impressive than I thought, Neung So-hwa mused.
Though Bukgung Yeon was violent, barbaric, selfish, and stubborn, she might actually be a woman of unexpected talent.
Her thoughts concluded, Neung So-hwa lowered her saber and faced Lee Yeon.
Bukgung Yeon also raised her sword, leveling it at their opponent.
Step. Step.
Before long, Lee Yeon entered their striking range.
Neither Neung So-hwa nor Bukgung Yeon hesitated.
Neung So-hwa’s saber slashed toward Lee Yeon’s right arm.
Simultaneously, Bukgung Yeon’s sword lunged for his heart.
Clang!
Lee Yeon swiftly raised his blade, parrying Bukgung Yeon’s sword to the right.
Clang!
As a result, Bukgung Yeon’s sword, which had been aimed at his heart, collided with Neung So-hwa’s saber, which had been aimed at his arm.
Naturally, the trajectory of Neung So-hwa’s saber was thrown off, and both of their attacks were rendered useless in an instant.
Lee Yeon immediately followed up with a thrust.
Bukgung Yeon extended her left hand, quickly firing off an Ice White Divine Palm.
Boom!
Lee Yeon’s sword collided with Bukgung Yeon’s palm, resulting in a thunderous explosion.
"Urgh!"
Bukgung Yeon let out a groan as she took the sword strike with her bare hand.
A sharp, intense pain radiated through her palm.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Neung So-hwa’s saber, which had been deflected by Bukgung Yeon’s sword, swung back toward Lee Yeon’s right arm.
She intended to sever it while he was occupied with Bukgung Yeon.
Thwack!
However, her plan was thwarted by a simple punch.
Lee Yeon used his left fist to strike the flat of her blade.
Her trajectory skewed once more, and Neung So-hwa’s saber cut through empty air.
Thump!
As Neung So-hwa lost her balance from the missed swing, Lee Yeon delivered a brutal kick to her ribs.
"Gah!"
Whoosh!
Struck in the side, Neung So-hwa was sent flying through the air.
Swish!
In that split second, Bukgung Yeon’s sword lunged for Lee Yeon’s throat.
She intended to decapitate him while he was distracted by Neung So-hwa.
The tip of her blade reached his neck.
I got him!
Bukgung Yeon cheered inwardly.
Clang!
Then, something impossible happened.
The sword simply bounced off.
What!?
Bukgung Yeon’s face twisted in shock.
It definitely wasn't Protective Qi. She was far too experienced not to recognize the collision of Astral Qi.
The blade had simply been repelled.
As if his body itself refused to be harmed.
Oof!
Suddenly, a searing pain erupted in her lower abdomen.
"Agh!"
Bukgung Yeon screamed at the sudden agony.
Vroom!
She felt her body being propelled backward.
Unable to withstand the impact, she was sent skidding away.
Slide!
Bukgung Yeon tumbled across the ground until she reached the spot where Neung So-hwa had landed.
"Cough!"
As she came to a stop, Bukgung Yeon spat out a mouthful of blood.
It seemed the single kick had caused a minor internal injury.
She glanced sideways.
Neung So-hwa was there, also coughing up blood.
She, too, seemed to have suffered a similar internal injury.
"Cough! I risked my life to create an opening! How could you fail to take it!?"
Neung So-hwa barked at Bukgung Yeon, shifting the blame.
"Risked your life? You just got hit and sent flying! Don't think I didn't see!"
Bukgung Yeon snapped back, looking at her with disbelief.
"Regardless, it is a fact that you wasted a perfect opportunity!"
Neung So-hwa retorted, refusing to back down.
"........."
Bukgung Yeon fell silent.
She couldn't deny it.
That moment had been a massive opportunity—the kind that could have ended the fight in a single stroke.
And yet, that chance had vanished.
Utterly and pointlessly.
"......I couldn't help it," Bukgung Yeon muttered, almost like an excuse.
"What do you mean, you couldn't help it!?" Neung So-hwa shouted, incensed.
"The sword wouldn't pierce his neck!"
"You should have cut him before he could manifest his Protective Qi!"
"It wasn't Protective Qi."
"What!?"
Neung So-hwa gasped in confusion.
She couldn't understand. How could someone protect their neck from a sword without using Protective Qi?
It was preposterous.
"Was it something like the Indestructible Body?"
Neung So-hwa mentioned the legendary realm of physical mastery, wondering if that was the case.
"I've never experienced it, but it wasn't that. It felt like... the sword was rejected."
"Rejected?"
"As if the neck itself refused to let the blade touch it."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Neung So-hwa looked at her as if she had lost her mind.
"I don't know either! Just take my word for it!"
Irritated by the questioning, Bukgung Yeon snapped back.
She couldn't explain it in words, but that was exactly how it felt.
A feeling of rejection.
As if some unknown force was refusing to grant entry.
"Are you simply making excuses because you are embarrassed?"
Neung So-hwa spoke with a mocking smirk.
"I am not! You think I'm on your level?"
Bukgung Yeon’s brow furrowed in anger.
"Then you must have been mistaken. How can an attack be 'rejected'? Had it been me, I would have severed Lee Yeon’s head without hesitation."
Neung So-hwa spoke with absolute confidence.
"Oh, really?"
Annoyed by her arrogance, Bukgung Yeon spoke with a crooked grin.
"Then I'll make an opening for you this time. You try and cut him."
"Me?"
"You said you were confident. Was it all just talk?"
Bukgung Yeon goaded her.
"Of course not! Do not worry! I shall show you the saberplay of a true master."
Neung So-hwa spoke with a boastful expression.
She began to channel her internal energy into her Yongcheon Points.
She intended to launch herself forward with an explosive leap.
Boom!
Neung So-hwa detonated the energy in her feet, her body blurring as she rocketed toward Lee Yeon.
Her speed was incredible.
Bukgung Yeon also threw herself forward, timing her movement with Neung So-hwa’s.
Clang!
A moment later, Neung So-hwa’s saber collided with Lee Yeon’s sword, creating a resounding boom.
Swish!
Following right behind, Bukgung Yeon thrust her sword toward Lee Yeon’s throat.
Lee Yeon quickly parried Neung So-hwa’s saber and turned his blade flat to block Bukgung Yeon’s thrust.
Clang!
The sound of ringing metal echoed as Bukgung Yeon’s sword was stopped cold.
Bukgung Yeon immediately reached out and unleashed an Ice White Divine Palm.
A freezing storm of frost and chill slammed into Lee Yeon.
His body began to freeze instantly.
Neung So-hwa did not miss the opportunity.
Whoosh!
She wreathed her saber in flames and slashed at Lee Yeon’s neck.
She intended to end it with a single blow.
Crack!
The saber bit into the ice covering his neck, and Neung So-hwa felt a surge of triumph.
She was certain she would cut through.
Clang!
Then, the anomaly occurred again.
The saber, which had been carving through the ice, stopped dead.
And it wasn't by her own will.
Neung So-hwa was struck with bewilderment.
Why had the blade, which was cutting so well, suddenly halted?
She poured more strength into her grip.
But the saber remained motionless.
It showed no sign of budging.
Boom!
A moment later, the saber was violently repelled.
As if it had been rejected.
Neung So-hwa stood there, stunned.
She realized then that Bukgung Yeon hadn't been making excuses out of embarrassment.
It was true.
Lee Yeon’s body was rejecting it.
Rejecting everything that intended to cause him harm.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Lee Yeon’s fist swung toward her face.
Dazed, Neung So-hwa couldn't react in time.
The fist, carrying his monstrous strength, was already inches from her nose.
Snapping back to reality at the last second, Neung So-hwa’s face filled with despair.