Chapter 481: Putting on a Show
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 481: Putting on a Show
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Kang Myeong swung his massive greatsword with blinding speed.
The wind pressure generated by his swings was so immense that the sound of cleaving air filled the entire training hall.
Voo-oo-oom!
"Whoa... As expected of the Unit Leader."
"Incredible... To move such a heavy sword that fast..."
"He truly lives up to his reputation as the Cheonmu Alliance's greatest Rising Star."
The warriors of the Law Enforcement Hall watching the display murmured in awe. They seemed captivated by his thunderous, lightning-fast swordsmanship.
"And who exactly is the Cheonmu Alliance's greatest Rising Star?"
A sharp, piercing voice cut through the air from behind.
Startled, the warriors spun around, their expressions quickly turning to shock. An entirely unexpected figure was standing there.
"Greetings, Unit Leader Lee!"
"Greetings, Unit Leader Lee!"
The warriors of the Law Enforcement Hall bowed their heads deeply in unison, showing the utmost respect.
"Save the greetings," Lee Ye-seol, a Unit Leader of the Law Enforcement Hall, replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Anyway, finish what you were saying. Who did you say was the greatest Rising Star?"
Ye-seol glared at them with sharp eyes, her expression clearly indicating she was displeased.
"Well... that is..."
"You see..."
Flustered by her repeated questioning, the warriors began to stammer. They had no idea how to respond.
While she usually had a good reputation for her clear-headed personality, she was famous for becoming as reckless as a charging boar when it came to martial arts. Having praised the Heavenly Dragon Sword, Kang Myeong, as the alliance's greatest talent right in front of her, they were left with nothing to say.
"Why the silence? Do you find my words amusing?" Ye-seol pressed, her gaze cold. She clearly didn't like their hesitant attitude.
'Ugh... u-uh...'
The warriors' faces began to crumple into looks of distress. They felt like there was no way out of this predicament.
"That's enough, Lee Ye-seol."
Just then, a savior appeared for them.
"Can't you see my precious subordinates are in a bind?"
It was Kang Myeong, the man known as the Heavenly Dragon Sword and a fellow Unit Leader of the Law Enforcement Hall.
"Are you saying I'm the one making them uncomfortable?" Ye-seol asked, her beautiful brows furrowing in annoyance.
"You seem to understand perfectly."
"Good grief, I can't believe this." Ye-seol wore an incredulous expression.
"I'm not wrong, so what's there to be incredulous about?"
"Hey." Ye-seol turned her gaze back to the warriors. "Did I make things difficult for you?"
She asked with an overbearing, piercing glare.
"............N-No, ma'am."
The warriors quickly shook their heads in denial.
"See? They said no," Ye-seol said with a triumphant smirk.
"Who could give an honest answer when you ask like that!?" Kang Myeong retorted, looking exasperated. Who could possibly speak their mind under such an oppressive atmosphere?
"You're being damn picky. You stiff-necked bastard," Ye-seol spat, her face twisting into a scowl.
"Your tongue has grown foul. Did you pick up bad habits while you were dispatched to the Tang Clan with the Blue Dragon Hall?" Kang Myeong began to scold her with a stern expression. Her crude language seemed to bother him deeply.
"What's it to you?"
"It has everything to do with me. Even if you were dispatched with the Blue Dragon Hall, your rank is still Unit Leader of the Law Enforcement Hall. Your conduct directly reflects the honor of our hall!"
"Are you saying I've done something to disgrace the Law Enforcement Hall's honor?"
"Isn't it obvious? A Unit Leader of the Law Enforcement Hall oppressing the weak like that—it's the kind of behavior people will gossip about and criticize for ages!"
"Don't make me laugh. Worry about yourself. Didn't you get caught napping on the job again recently? How can a guy like that criticize anyone?"
"T-That's irrelevant!" Kang Myeong stammered, caught off guard.
"Aren't you a Unit Leader too? Am I the only one? Why don't you try calling me 'Unit Leader' with some respect?" Ye-seol began to mock him, clearly finding his flustered reaction entertaining.
"Hmph, how childish." Kang Myeong turned his head away, his face flushing slightly. He realized he couldn't win a war of words with her.
"You always turn your head and call things childish when you're losing, don't you? Do you think that makes you the winner?" Ye-seol continued to taunt him relentlessly and spitefully.
"Lee Ye-seol... stop it." Kang Myeong's expression turned serious.
"Oh, so when you do it, it's a tragic romance, but when others do it, it's a dirty affair? How can a guy who spends his time napping scold anyone? Is that what your master taught you?" Ye-seol ignored his serious tone and kept up the mockery.
"I told you to stop!" Kang Myeong finally snapped, unable to endure her continued insults. Her insolent attitude, which even insulted his master, had pushed him over the edge.
"And if I don't? What are you going to do? Insult me back?" She looked at him with a contemptuous gaze, acting as if his anger didn't scare her in the least.
"If you continue, my sword will not stay silent!"
Tap, tap.
Kang Myeong tapped the flat of his greatsword, which was pointed toward the ground.
"Go ahead then. I'd love to see the skills of the so-called 'greatest Rising Star' myself." Ye-seol looked as if she had been waiting for this.
"Fine! So be it! Draw your sword!"
Whoosh.
Kang Myeong raised his greatsword and leveled it at Ye-seol.
"Hmph."
Shring.
Ye-seol also drew her Hyeopbong Sword from her waist and pointed it at him. The atmosphere turned volatile in an instant.
"Unit Leader, please stop!"
"Unit Leader, please calm down!"
The warriors cried out in panic, trying to stop them. They felt an immense sense of guilt, thinking the leaders were drawing swords because of their loose lips.
"Step back! Today, I shall teach this insolent woman a lesson in manners!"
"Oh, likewise. Let's settle this once and for all. Let's see who really is the greatest Rising Star of the Cheonmu Alliance!"
"Fine!"
Whoosh!
Kang Myeong swung his sword at her with incredible speed. It was a strike packed with immense power.
Clang!
However, Ye-seol smoothly parried the blow and twisted her blade to let the force slide off. Then, she thrust her palm toward his chest.
"Hmph!"
Seeing this, Kang Myeong threw a punch with a scoff.
Boom!
His fist and her palm collided with a thunderous roar, and they began a contest of strength.
"You're... not bad!"
"This is nothing!"
Both Kang Myeong and Ye-seol let out words of begrudging admiration. They could feel a hidden strength in each other that exceeded their expectations.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Ye-seol snapped a kick upward.
Thud!
Slide.
"Urgh!"
Caught off guard, Kang Myeong was pushed back ruthlessly. Her kick had been infused with a significant amount of internal energy.
Whoosh!
She didn't let up, following through with the momentum. The Hyeopbong Sword that had parried the greatsword now lunged toward Kang Myeong's head. He quickly raised the flat of his blade to defend.
Clang!
The Hyeopbong Sword struck the surface of the greatsword, the metallic ring echoing through the hall.
"Lucky you." Ye-seol clicked her tongue in disappointment as she looked at Kang Myeong, who had managed to block her thrust. She was clearly frustrated that her attack hadn't landed.
"Did you think such a light attack would work!?"
Kang Myeong heaved his greatsword upward, knocking the Hyeopbong Sword away.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
He began to swing his greatsword relentlessly.
Clang!
Clang!
Ye-seol barely managed to block the heavy strikes, the two of them exchanging a flurry of blows. However, perhaps unable to withstand the sheer weight of the greatsword, her arms began to tremble violently as she defended.
"What's wrong, Lee Ye-seol? Why are you only defending!?" Kang Myeong burst into laughter, enjoying the fact that she was forced onto the defensive. He felt certain of his victory.
After some time had passed...
"This is the end!"
Kang Myeong raised his greatsword high with both hands. He intended to end it with a single strike.
Whoosh!
His sword came crashing down.
"You idiot!"
As if she had been waiting for this, Ye-seol raised her Hyeopbong Sword. She struck the side of the descending greatsword's blade.
Klang!
The trajectory of the greatsword shifted, causing it to slam into the ground beside her.
"What!?" Kang Myeong's face filled with shock.
Thwack!
Ye-seol didn't miss the opening his confusion provided. She drove the base of her palm into his jaw.
"Aaargh!"
Kang Myeong let out a cry of pain as his jaw was struck. Intense agony flared through him instantly. Not only that, but he began to shake his head as if dizzy, the impact clearly rattling his brain.
Ye-seol immediately raised her foot and kicked him square in the chest.
Thud!
Slide...
Crash!
"Guaaaah!"
Hit directly in the chest, Kang Myeong was sent skidding backward before falling hard on his backside. He had completely lost his balance.
"Ha... ha... ha... You look pathetic, Kang Myeong." Ye-seol mocked him between ragged breaths. She seemed to take great pleasure in his humiliating state.
"LEE YE-SEOL!!!!"
Hearing her mockery, Kang Myeong exploded in rage. He seemed infuriated by the thought of being disgraced in front of everyone. He used his greatsword as a crutch to haul himself up.
"I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you!"
Once fully upright, he glared at Ye-seol, emitting a terrifying murderous aura—a bloodlust fueled by pure, unadulterated rage.
"Go ahead and try," Ye-seol replied, her expression still amused.
"Don't you dare regret this!"
His bloodshot eyes began to gleam.
Woooooooong.
At the same time, an ominous energy began to pour out of his greatsword. It was an immense power, incomparable to anything he had shown before.
"I'll kill you... I'll kill you... I'll kill you... I'LL KILL YOU!!!!!"
Before long, that energy and bloodlust merged, swirling around his greatsword.
Shwaaaaaaa!
The greatsword began to glow with a blinding light. It was a mass of radiance far more brilliant than mere Sword Qi.
Woooooooooooong.
"..........Sword Astral?"
Ye-seol's expression turned to one of pure shock. No matter how she looked at it, that was undoubtedly Sword Astral.
"H-How... could you..."
Ye-seol stared at Kang Myeong in disbelief. Sword Astral was proof that one had transcended the Peak Realm and reached the Super-Peak Realm. How could Kang Myeong, who was supposed to be weaker than her, manifest such a thing? She couldn't believe her eyes.
"My rage toward you has awakened me, Lee Ye-seol!" Kang Myeong roared at the top of his lungs, his voice dripping with murderous intent. "Now, die!"
Boom!
Kang Myeong exploded his internal energy through his Yongcheon Point, the recoil propelling him forward like a shot. He swung the Sword Astral at the dazed Ye-seol, seemingly intent on taking her head.
Whoosh!
Just as the Sword Astral was about to reach her...
Swish!
Boom!
"Aaaaaagh!"
A sudden palm blast flew out of nowhere, striking Kang Myeong in the chest and sending him flying backward.
"What do you think you are doing!?"
Simultaneously, a voice filled with fury thundered through the training hall.
"Cough... Who... are you..."
Kang Myeong, having taken the sudden palm blast directly to his chest, spat out blood as he spoke.
"You scoundrel! Do you not even recognize the mistress of the Cheonmu Alliance!?"
Kang Myeong slowly raised his eyes. His expression froze in shock. An entirely unexpected person had appeared.
"......First... Madam..." Kang Myeong squeezed the words out, still looking stunned.
"Yes! So you finally recognize me! You insolent brat!"
The First Madam, Joo So-yang, glared at Kang Myeong and barked at him.
"Why... did you... interfere in a duel..." Kang Myeong asked, sounding wronged.
"Did you not just use a lethal technique against my daughter!?"
"......This is unfair..." Kang Myeong barely managed to choke out.
"You scoundrel! I saw it clearly with my own two eyes! How dare you deny it!" Joo So-yang roared, her eyes blazing with fury. She was clearly enraged beyond measure.
"I cannot let this stand. Today, I shall destroy your Dantian so that you may never commit such an insolent act again!"
Joo So-yang began to approach Kang Myeong with murderous intent. Her face showed she was dead serious.
"Urgh!"
Seeing this, Kang Myeong squeezed his eyes shut. He looked as if he had accepted that everything was over.
"What do you think you're doing!?"
Just then, a very familiar voice reached Kang Myeong's ears.
"First Madam! What do you think you're doing to my subordinate!?"
Tatap!
A woman stepped in front of Joo So-yang, letting out a shout of anger.
"And who might this be....... Is it not the Head of the Law Enforcement Hall?"
Joo So-yang glared at Paeng Ga-ryeon as she spoke.
"I asked you what you think you're doing!" Paeng Ga-ryeon glared back with cold eyes, her voice thunderous. She was clearly at the peak of her anger.
'...Ju-yeon has finally arrived.'
Seeing this, Kang Myeong smirked inwardly. He felt that everything was going exactly according to plan.