Chapter 340: I Just Cut It Because I Wanted To.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 340: I Just Cut It Because I Wanted To.
"Who goes there!"
Lee Yeon turned around, his expression hardening instantly.
His face had shifted into one of extreme gravity.
When he had first heard the voice, he hadn't paid it much mind. He was confident that no one here possessed the power to stop him.
However, if someone could recognize the Spirit Armor—the manifestation of a soul draped over the body—the story changed.
Even Neung So-hwa and Bukgung Yeon had failed to recognize the Spirit Armor. To identify it at a single glance meant the man had either mastered a specialized qigong or was a martial artist who had reached at least the Profound Realm.
Lee Yeon scanned his surroundings with a tense face, searching for the owner of the voice.
He found him soon enough.
A man was strolling toward him from a distance, looking for all the world like a shiftless wanderer.
"Was it you who babbled those words?" Lee Yeon glared at him, his eyes bloodshot.
"That’s right," the man replied with a faint smile.
"How did you recognize the Spirit Armor?" Lee Yeon asked, his voice heavy as he stared at the man.
"I just said what I saw."
"Have you mastered some special qigong related to souls?"
"I haven't learned any of those dark arts."
"Then how on earth did you recognize it!" Lee Yeon’s voice rose in a flare of temper.
"I told you, I just said what I saw."
"Have you reached that realm?" Lee Yeon continued, his eyes filled with suspicion. No matter how he looked at him, the man appeared utterly ordinary.
"There are quite a lot of realms, aren't there? Which one are you talking about? Give me a specific name. Super-Peak? Transcendent? Profound?"
"The Great Realm!"
"Ah... the Profound Realm?" The man grinned. "What do you think?" He threw the question back at Lee Yeon, keeping the conversation going.
"I dislike repeating myself," Lee Yeon growled, his gaze cold as ice.
"We’re different, then. I don’t mind saying things twice." The man chuckled.
"Are you mocking me!"
"You’re less fun than I thought. Why react so sensitively? You’re acting like a woman on her period."
"You bastard!"
At the man's words, Lee Yeon let out a roar and raised his sword. His voice was thick with rage.
"Do you truly wish to die?"
"No. Who in the world actually wants to die? Everyone’s just struggling to stay alive in this life."
"No matter how I look at you, you seem like a man hell-bent on dying."
"Now that’s a unique perspective. I never thought I’d hear someone say that to me." The man’s lips curled into a small smile.
"What is your name?" Lee Yeon demanded, his glare colder than a mountain wind.
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
"Unfortunately, I don't have a name."
"What!?"
"I am merely a single blade."
"What kind of nonsense is that!" Lee Yeon shouted. He was convinced this obnoxious man was playing games with him.
"Come to think of it, I’ve gained a nickname recently. A cute little child gave it to me." The man looked at Lee Yeon with sparkling eyes. "Call me Sword Man. Though I’m not sure how many more times you’ll get to call me that."
The man—Sword Man—continued with a smile.
*
"Sword Man? Sword Man?" Lee Yeon frowned.
"That’s right."
"Do I look like I’m joking with you?" Lee Yeon’s face flushed red. He was certain now—this man was toyed with him. Who in the world would name themselves like that? He was clearly looking down on him—the First Sword of the Imperial Palace and a Grand General.
"Hahaha, how unfair. I’m being serious." Sword Man burst into laughter.
Lee Yeon watched him with frigid eyes. He wanted nothing more than to slice that babbling mouth right off his face. However, the prospect of clashing with a man who might be his equal gave him pause. He had already lost his right arm, after all. He didn't think he would lose, but he didn't want to take unnecessary risks.
"Fine, Sword Man. I shall call you that." Lee Yeon spoke calmly. "Sword Man, are you my enemy?"
Wooooooong—
Aaaah... aaah...
Kyaaaaah!
Uuuuugh...
Lee Yeon spoke as he unleashed his internal energy and the power of the souls. A grey energy billowed out, and the Ghostly Wail began to echo through the air.
"Hmm."
Hearing this, Sword Man gripped his chin as if deep in thought. He stroked it, his expression contemplative.
"Probably not an enemy?" Sword Man replied with a bright smile.
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing this, Lee Yeon instantly dissipated the energy he had unleashed. He felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, it seemed he wouldn't have to face the disaster of a confrontation with Sword Man.
"An 'enemy' is a title for someone who is at least on the same level, isn't it?" Sword Man added, his smile turning playful.
"What!?" Lee Yeon snapped. "Are you saying I am inferior to you?"
"That’s right."
"Arrogant fool!"
"If you have the ability to back it up, it’s not arrogance—it’s confidence," Sword Man said, his voice laced with mischief.
"Fine! I shall see for myself if you have the strength to back up that confidence!"
Driven to the peak of his fury, Lee Yeon raised his left hand and lunged straight at Sword Man. He intended to pierce the man's throat.
Swoosh!
Lee Yeon’s Soul Link Sword flew toward Sword Man. His blade was possessed by thousands of spirits. A mere graze would melt a normal sword, rot the flesh, and ultimately lead to a despair-filled death.
Clang—
Watching Lee Yeon charge, Sword Man drew the sword hanging casually at his hip. A single, cleanly forged blade revealed itself.
A smirk played on Lee Yeon’s lips.
Whiz!
The Soul Link Sword thrust forward, aiming directly for Sword Man’s Adam’s apple.
Whoosh.
Sword Man swung his sword toward the incoming Soul Link Sword. Seeing this, Lee Yeon scoffed. He thought Sword Man had made a fatal mistake by not knowing the nature of his weapon.
His Soul Link Sword currently held thousands of souls. It was heavy, hard, sharp, and so toxic it could melt other blades instantly. To think he would try to meet it head-on—it was laughable.
Die! Lee Yeon thought. It was over for this man.
Slice.
In that moment, an unbelievable anomaly occurred.
Sword Man’s blade bit into the edge of the Soul Link Sword and proceeded to cut through it completely. It was as smooth as if he were cutting through empty air, as if there were no obstacle at all.
It was a situation beyond belief.
What was the Soul Link Sword? It was the culmination of enlightenment, containing the souls of all those who had died in war after he reached the Great Realm. The number of souls alone reached into the thousands.
And yet, thousands of vengeful spirits who had died bitter deaths in war were cut down in an instant. By a single, casual swing.
How could he believe it? How could he accept such an impossible reality?
"A... ah..."
Lee Yeon was speechless in the face of this sudden, surreal event. He could only stammer, struggling desperately to process what had happened.
Slice.
The sound of cutting echoed in his ears once more.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Simultaneously, an agonizing pain erupted near his left shoulder. Lee Yeon realized it then. The man before him had sliced off his left arm. He had cut through the Spirit Armor, which was supposed to ignore all worldly logic.
"Gwaaaaaah!"
Lee Yeon’s screams began to ring out in every direction. He wailed and wailed. The misery of losing both arms washed over him—defeated by a being so immense that revenge wasn't even an option.
"Didn't I tell you? You and I could never be enemies to begin with." Sword Man spoke with a smile. "With such a gap in our levels, how could you possibly be my enemy?"
The smile on Sword Man’s face deepened.
*
"........."
"........."
Bukgung Yeon and Neung So-hwa stared blankly ahead. They couldn't understand it—the surreal scene that had unfolded before them.
Lee Yeon’s left arm had been severed. And with a single strike. How could they easily accept or understand this?
Who was Lee Yeon? He was the strongest man in the Imperial Court, the First Sword of the Palace. He was the monster called the Reaper of the North for slaughtering countless northern barbarians over decades.
They had experienced his strength firsthand. That was why they couldn't believe their eyes.
It had been such a light strike. At a glance, it looked like the clumsy, casual swing of a child who had just picked up a sword for the first time. Yet, Lee Yeon had been cut by that effortless stroke. His Soul Link had been pierced.
The two women stood with their mouths agape. They had vaguely guessed that Sword Man was strong, but they never imagined he would be this overwhelmingly powerful. To think he could even cut through the Soul Link—and a Soul Link Sword that was a much deeper shade of grey than before.
...He was holding back when he fought me.
Bukgung Yeon, who had once clashed with Sword Man, felt her heart sink. She realized that if he had used his true strength during their first encounter, she might have been dead long ago.
Neung So-hwa’s eyes trembled. Lee Yeon, who had felt like an insurmountable wall, now stood pathetically with both arms gone. The discrepancy felt surreal.
She began to think that Sword Man might have already transcended humanity.
*
"Can I... ask... one question?"
Lee Yeon, having finally calmed down, spoke with a look of utter despair.
"Go ahead," Sword Man replied.
"How... did you cut... the Soul Link... the Spirit Armor?"
"If the Spirit Armor is the thing on your body, I assume the Soul Link is the sword?"
"......Yes." Lee Yeon nodded.
"I just cut it."
"...What?" Lee Yeon blurted out, unable to comprehend.
"I just cut it because I wanted to. I followed my heart."
"..............."
"Just as you held onto those souls as you pleased."
".......I see."
Lee Yeon eventually nodded in acceptance. He realized it then. What had severed his everything was the Heart Sword this man possessed. His very soul had been cut by the Heart Sword.
"Am I to die now?" Lee Yeon asked, looking at Sword Man with a steady gaze.
"What do you think?"
"I think I will die."
"You’re right, but not right now." Sword Man shook his head.
"What does that mean?" Lee Yeon asked, puzzled. He was going to kill him, but not right now? What did that mean?
"I mean this isn't the place where you are meant to die." Sword Man gave a broad grin.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
His hands moved in a blur, striking Lee Yeon’s acupoints. Lee Yeon’s body stiffened instantly, and he began to topple forward.
"Up we go."
Sword Man caught Lee Yeon’s body and hoisted him onto his shoulder. He then looked toward Neung So-hwa and Bukgung Yeon.
"Are you two alright?"
".......I'm fine."
"I am okay."
"Hahaha, that’s good to hear." Sword Man let out a laugh.
"Sword Man, what did you mean by those words earlier?" Neung So-hwa asked, still confused. Not the place for him to die? What did that mean?
"What do you mean, what did I mean?" Sword Man replied vaguely.
"That this isn't the place for Lee Yeon to die? Then where do you intend to kill him? Do you plan to reveal his crimes and send him to the executioner's block?"
"Hahaha, no. I intend to take him with me for my own personal needs." Sword Man laughed.
"You cannot!" Neung So-hwa raised her voice. "He insulted the Imperial Family and led the Northern Army across the border without authorization, failing his duty to the nation. How can you just take such a man as you please?"
Neung So-hwa spoke with a face full of indignation. Lee Yeon was a high traitor—a criminal guilty of countless offenses. Where was he taking such a man?
"Do I need permission?"
"Of course! Though I wouldn't give it anyway!"
"From whom?"
"From me, obviously!"
"I don't understand." Sword Man shook his head from side to side.
"What is there to not understand?" Neung So-hwa asked, baffled by his reaction.
"Why I should seek permission from someone weaker than myself."