Chapter 579: Establishing the Killing Sword
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 579: Establishing the Killing Sword
'It hurts...'
Sun-woo thought to himself.
It hurt like absolute hell.
He was bleeding so profusely that the term 'excessive blood loss' felt like an understatement. Not only that, but the lacerations carved across his entire body inflicted a gruesome, agonizing pain.
'That son of a bitch, seriously...'
A sudden, frantic rage began to surge within him. It was a visceral reaction, a rebellion born from the sheer intensity of the agony.
Sun-woo slowly raised his gaze to look at Lee Jae-won.
The man was staring back at him with a smirk. Then, he slowly raised his hand. It seemed he intended to slash Sun-woo again with that invisible sword.
'...This is dangerous.'
Seeing this, Sun-woo realized the gravity of his situation. If he were hit by that Heart Sword again, he might actually die. He was already covered in wounds and losing blood fast. He couldn't take another hit.
He would die.
The moment that hand dropped, he would be dead meat.
'I'm going to die?'
Sun-woo stared at Lee Jae-won’s raised hand.
'Why me?'
He questioned himself. He asked why he was the one who had to die.
'That bastard is the one who did everything wrong, so why do I have to die?'
Soon, his anger reached a boiling point. Everything felt utterly irrational—the fact that his life hung by a thread, subject to the whims of Lee Jae-won’s shifting emotions.
'I surrendered, you fucker. And you’re still trying to kill me?'
Blood vessels began to pop in Sun-woo’s eyes.
Vrooooooom!
Simultaneously, a massive amount of Nature Qi began to ripple around his body. The natural energy drifting in his vicinity was reacting to his explosive rage.
'I won't die! Why should I?! You’re the one who’s going to die!'
Vrooooooom!
His rage soon transformed into pure killing intent. That murderous aura began to influence the Nature Qi swirling around him. The pure, clear energy of nature started to warp into a dense, suffocating malice.
Swoooooooosh!
A terrifying aura of slaughter began to undulate around Sun-woo.
'Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him!'
Sun-woo glared at Lee Jae-won with eyes full of murderous light, chanting the words over and over in his mind.
He wanted to kill him.
The Lee Jae-won who had framed him.
The Lee Jae-won who had tried to murder him.
The Lee Jae-won who had tried to rape Ok-ryeong.
The Lee Jae-won who had turned him into this bloody mess.
But he couldn't kill him yet. He lacked the means to do so.
That was why he needed it. A way to kill him.
A sword of the mind.
He needed a Heart Sword.
Sshhhhhhhhk!
The immense killing intent began to fluctuate violently. Soon, that aura blanketed the entire training ground.
"Ugh!"
"What on earth is... this..."
"Aaaagh... it hurts... it hurts so much."
"Hic... ugh..."
Those exposed to the killing intent began to groan in agony. The powerful martial artists struggled to calm their trembling bodies, while the weaker ones burst into tears or collapsed where they stood. They were utterly overwhelmed by the massive murderous will seeping into their very bones.
'Shit... something’s wrong with this kid.'
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-won, who had his hand raised, found himself frozen. The killing intent being emitted was so potent that even he, a master of the Profound Realm, could not ignore it.
Gulp.
Lee Jae-won swallowed hard, his expression tight with tension. He was overwhelmed by the sheer scale and density of the murderous aura filling the vast training ground.
After a few moments of stiff tension, a thought struck him.
'Wait, what the fuck? Am I actually scared?'
Lee Jae-won’s face contorted into a scowl. His pride was wounded by the fact that he had been momentarily intimidated.
Who was he?
He was the hero of the Great War of Righteousness and Demons who had slain the Heavenly Demon twenty years ago.
He was the World's Greatest Martial Artist, said to have no equal under heaven.
He was the Alliance Leader of the Cheonmu Alliance, the greatest martial organization in the world.
He was the Absolute Martial God, Lee Jae-won.
And yet, he had been frightened. By a mere insect of a human. How could his pride not be stung?
'This is bullshit. Goddammit.'
A massive wave of fury surged within Lee Jae-won.
Whish!
He swiftly swung his hand downward. He had unleashed his Formless Sword at Sun-woo. The invisible blade of will streaked toward its target.
'Die!'
Lee Jae-won was certain. He expected his blade of will to sever Sun-woo’s neck in an instant.
However, his prediction was proven spectacularly wrong. His Formless Sword was blocked. It was stopped cold by the killing intent radiating from Sun-woo.
"W-What?!"
Lee Jae-won’s face filled with bewilderment. How was this possible? To block a sword of will with mere killing intent? It was nonsensical.
A Heart Sword could only be countered by another Heart Sword. It wasn't something that could be stopped by a simple murderous aura.
'Could it be?!'
A dark realization flashed through Lee Jae-won’s mind. The ominous possibility that Jang Sun-woo had completed his own Heart Sword.
'No, that’s impossible! He’s just a brat who hasn't even reached the age of thirty!'
Lee Jae-won shook his head. It was absurd. To establish a sword of the mind before even turning thirty? He desperately tried to deny the thought.
'...Shit.'
But the anxiety blooming in a corner of his heart wouldn't vanish so easily. If Sun-woo hadn't established a Heart Sword, there was no other way to explain how he had blocked the Formless Sword.
"Alliance Leader."
Sun-woo called out to Lee Jae-won, his voice dripping with murderous intent.
"W-What is it?!"
Startled by the voice, Lee Jae-won shouted back defensively.
"You said you wanted to see it, didn't you?"
"What are you talking about?!" Lee Jae-won roared.
"My full power."
"........I did."
Lee Jae-won eventually conceded. He had indeed said those words—that he wanted to see Sun-woo’s absolute best.
"Then I shall show you."
Sun-woo gave a chilling smile and continued.
"Behold, my full power!"
Whirrrrrrrr!
As soon as Sun-woo finished speaking, the vicious killing intent began to coalesce into the Dragon Tail Soft Sword. A massive spectral blade began to form around the physical weapon. In terms of length alone, it was a gargantuan sword, easily exceeding thirty meters.
Whoosh!
Sun-woo swung the colossal blade toward Lee Jae-won. The strike was incredibly fast despite its size.
In a panic, Lee Jae-won manifested his Formless Sword. He moved to block the giant blade of slaughter flying toward him.
Boom! Crash!
A deafening explosion erupted. It was the sound of two opposing wills colliding.
Slide!
Slide!
Both Lee Jae-won and Sun-woo were pushed back violently. Neither could withstand the shockwave generated by the clash of wills.
'Dammit.'
Lee Jae-won cursed inwardly. His pride was taking a beating from the fact that he couldn't gain the upper hand against a boy who had just awakened his Heart Sword.
Whoosh!
The thirty-meter giant blade came flying at him again. Lee Jae-won quickly waved his hand. His Formless Sword intercepted the giant blade, halting its path.
'Die!'
Having blocked the giant blade, Lee Jae-won swung his other hand. Another Formless Sword streaked toward Sun-woo.
Suddenly, Sun-woo waved his hand.
Fwoosh.
Lee Jae-won’s Formless Sword simply dissipated. The manifestation of his will had been neutralized in an instant.
'What the hell was that?!'
Lee Jae-won’s eyes widened in horror. What kind of sorcery was this? How could he neutralize a Formless Sword with his bare hands? It defied all logic.
Fwoosh.
At that moment, the Formless Sword that had been blocking the giant blade also crumbled and vanished. It happened in the blink of an eye.
Vroooom!
The giant blade immediately resumed its arc toward Lee Jae-won.
'This is bad!'
Sensing the danger, Lee Jae-won realized he might actually die. He quickly threw himself to the ground, performing the Lazy Donkey Rolling technique to save his life.
Vroooooom!
The giant blade of killing intent swept through the air right above him.
Shiver.
A chill ran down Lee Jae-won’s spine. If he hadn't swallowed his pride and rolled, he might have been sliced clean in half at the waist.
"Hahahaha..."
Sun-woo, standing across from him, burst into laughter. It was a sound of pure amusement.
"What’s so funny?"
Lee Jae-won asked, his face twisted in displeasure.
"How can I not laugh? To see the great Alliance Leader of the Cheonmu Alliance rolling on the ground, completely disregarding his pride and reputation."
Sun-woo spoke with a voice thick with mockery.
"You...! You arrogant brat!"
His face flushed red with shame, Lee Jae-won scrambled to his feet and roared. The embarrassment of having to use the Lazy Donkey Rolling to dodge Sun-woo’s attack was unbearable.
"I will not let you live!"
Lee Jae-won concentrated his will once more.
Shhhhhhh.
Three Formless Swords manifested around him.
'Die!'
He sent all three blades flying at once, moving at incredible speeds.
Whoosh!
Sensing the approach of the Formless Swords, Sun-woo raised his giant blade and swung it in a rapid arc.
Fwoosh.
The Formless Swords that touched his blade vanished instantly, as if they had never existed in the first place.
Whoosh!
And then, the giant blade swung back toward Lee Jae-won.
'Damn it!'
Faced with the rapid approach of the massive blade, Lee Jae-won was forced to use the Lazy Donkey Rolling technique yet again. He never expected his Formless Swords to be snuffed out so easily.
Once more, Lee Jae-won rolled across the dirt, and the giant blade passed through the space where he had just been standing.
"Hahahaha... It seems the Alliance Leader is a master of the Lazy Donkey Rolling."
Sun-woo laughed, his eyes gleaming with a bloody light. He was openly mocking Lee Jae-won for his pathetic display.
'That... that... that son of a bitch!'
Lee Jae-won scrambled back to his feet.
"How are you doing it?" he demanded, glaring at Sun-woo with murderous eyes.
"Doing what?"
Sun-woo feigned ignorance.
"How are you erasing my Formless Swords?!"
Lee Jae-won asked, his expression one of utter disbelief. They vanished the moment they touched Sun-woo’s blade. How could such an anomaly occur? A Heart Sword battle was a clash of wills. For that clash to become meaningless in an instant... he couldn't wrap his head around it.
"I simply killed them."
Sun-woo replied, his eyes flashing with a crimson light.
"Killed them?!"
Lee Jae-won repeated, confused. What did he mean by 'killing' a technique?
"My sword is a Killing Sword. It is the concentration of murderous intent that can kill anything."
Sun-woo continued, radiating a dense, suffocating aura.
"As long as I harbor the intent to kill, I can slay anything. Even a sword that has no physical form."
Sun-woo glared at Lee Jae-won with a terrifying gaze. His eyes held nothing but pure, unadulterated murderous intent.
"So, you have established a Heart Sword."
Lee Jae-won spoke slowly, watching him.
"Thanks to your help," Sun-woo replied calmly.
"You’ve finally lost your mind. For a man who claims to be a chivalrous warrior of the Orthodox Faction to establish a sword so steeped in slaughter..."
Lee Jae-won’s gaze was cold.
"Is a sword not ultimately a tool for harming and killing? I have simply expressed that truth through my heart," Sun-woo countered.
"What a horrific philosophy. You sound more like a member of the Evil Faction or the Demonic Cult!"
Lee Jae-won barked at him like a mentor scolding a pupil. He was trying to regain the upper hand by shaking Sun-woo’s mental state with words.
"Alliance Leader."
Sun-woo looked at him intently before speaking in a flat tone.
"You talk too much."
"What?!"
Lee Jae-won snapped back, incensed by the insolence.
"I didn't show you my full power just to listen to a lecture."
Ignoring the outburst, Sun-woo continued.
"So, why don't you just raise your sword?"
"You arrogant little shit!"
Those words were enough to snap the last thread of Lee Jae-won’s self-control.
Vroooooooooom!
Lee Jae-won unleashed his will. It was a massive manifestation, incomparable to anything he had shown before. Dozens, hundreds of Formless Swords began to hover around him.
"I will teach you, you arrogant brat, that there is always a heaven above the heavens!"
Lee Jae-won glared at Sun-woo with bloodshot eyes.
Upon hearing those words, Sun-woo broke into a bright smile. It was a clear, innocent smile, devoid of any worry.