Chapter 758: Ending the Ill-fated Relationship
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 758: Ending the Ill-fated Relationship
Wuuuuuuuuuung—
"…Urgh!"
Yoon Je-gyeom let out a ragged groan.
An infinitely heavy pressure was crushing his entire body.
'What an incredible… spirit.'
Yoon Je-gyeom’s eyes began to tremble uncontrollably.
He could tell just from the aura Sun-woo was radiating—exactly how powerful of a being he was.
'He is by no means beneath me.'
The man was strong. Strong enough to be compared to the Sword Demon, whom Yoon Je-gyeom had secretly considered the greatest swordsman under heaven.
'…But I cannot give up like this.'
A fierce heat flickered in Yoon Je-gyeom’s eyes.
Slowly, he began to raise his sword.
Wuuuuuuuuuung—
He then began to pour out every ounce of his internal energy to counter the massive spirit pressing down on his blade.
Soon, the sensation of being crushed began to ease. He had managed to push back the aura to some extent.
"You don't even seem to have a sword… Do you truly think you can handle this old man?" Yoon Je-gyeom asked, glancing at Sun-woo.
No matter how he looked at him, there was no sword to be seen. The man intended to face him empty-handed.
"Shouldn't it be at least this much to make it fair?"
Sun-woo spoke with a deliberately relaxed expression.
Of course, it was a bluff. His Dragon Tail Soft Sword had snapped, making it impossible to bring along. He could have grabbed any sword made of common iron, but in his single-minded pursuit, he hadn't had the presence of mind to think that rationally.
"…How arrogant… It’s enough to make me scowl."
Yoon Je-gyeom stared at Sun-woo with eyes as cold as ice. Sun-woo’s arrogant words had ruthlessly pricked his pride as a martial artist.
"Someone once told me: if you can prove it, it’s not arrogance, it’s confidence."
Sun-woo met his gaze calmly.
"Then prove it."
Yoon Je-gyeom raised his sword and took his starting stance, ready to strike at any moment.
Tap, tap, tap!
Suddenly, Sun-woo began to charge toward him. He moved at a speed that wouldn't be an exaggeration to call lightning-fast.
Whoosh!
Seeing this, Yoon Je-gyeom quickly swung his sword. He intended to keep Sun-woo from closing the distance.
Then, something strange happened.
The sword swung at the incoming Sun-woo was suddenly repelled by an abrupt counter-force, bouncing away completely.
'W-What?!'
Yoon Je-gyeom’s face filled with bewilderment. How could this be happening?
Thwack!
A heavy impact rang out, and Yoon Je-gyeom’s body bent like a bow. Sun-woo had already closed in and plunged a fist into him.
"Cough…!"
With a fist buried in his solar plexus, Yoon Je-gyeom hunched over, letting out a pained groan. The blow to his abdomen caused a searing pain that felt like his insides were being turned upside down.
Swish!
Sun-woo’s fist flew again, this time catching Yoon Je-gyeom squarely on the chin with an upward strike.
Voom!
Yoon Je-gyeom’s body was lifted into the air. His frame simply couldn't withstand the immense strength behind the punch.
Sun-woo struck again at the airborne Yoon Je-gyeom.
Thud!
"Guh!"
The fist slammed accurately into his abdomen once more.
Whoosh!
Yoon Je-gyeom’s body was sent flying backward at an incredible speed.
Boom!
A thunderous crash echoed as Yoon Je-gyeom slammed into a massive tree trunk. Sun-woo watched him with a dry, hollow gaze.
"Cough… hack… wheeze…"
Yoon Je-gyeom began to cough violently, spitting up blood-streaked phlegm.
"Just… how… did you do it?" he asked, looking up at Sun-woo. He needed to know what had happened.
"I simply twisted it," Sun-woo replied in a calm tone.
"Hahaha… cough… haha… I forgot… that you have mastered Douzhuan Xingyi."
Yoon Je-gyeom let out a mirthful laugh. He had been careless. Even without a sword, this man was still a martial artist who bore the title of a 'God.' And yet, he had let his guard down against such a person.
'Perhaps I should be grateful it only ended like this.'
He realized that in a duel between masters, a single moment of carelessness usually led directly to death. The fact that he was still alive was something to be thankful for.
Thud.
Yoon Je-gyeom stabbed his sword into the ground. Using it as a support, he began to force himself up.
"Why don't you stay down?" Sun-woo asked calmly.
"My body is still intact. How can I remain lying down?"
Yoon Je-gyeom slowly shook his head as he spoke.
"I won't go easy on you next time."
Sun-woo’s eyes flashed coldly.
"So, put down your sword."
"How can a swordsman drop his sword in the middle of a match? That is absurd."
A thick smile spread across Yoon Je-gyeom’s lips.
"Now, let us clash again, Sword God."
Yoon Je-gyeom stared at Sun-woo with eyes full of resolve. He raised his sword and pointed it straight at him.
Sun-woo watched him silently. He then began to circulate his internal energy once more, realizing that the old man’s stubbornness would not be broken.
The two faced each other in a tense standoff, searching for an opening.
After a moment…
Step!
Yoon Je-gyeom moved first. He utilized his movement technique to launch himself forward.
Swoosh!
Yoon Je-gyeom’s sword thrust forward with blinding speed. Sun-woo sharpened his eyesight, intending to control the flow of the blade.
'Wait—?!'
But Sun-woo was forced to change his plan immediately. He couldn't see the flow at all.
'Heart Sword!'
Yoon Je-gyeom had wrapped his will around the blade, making it impossible to control its flow.
Wuuuuuuuuuung—
Sun-woo quickly channeled his internal energy toward his Yongcheon points.
Boom!
He released the energy instantly, propelling himself backward.
Zip!
Yoon Je-gyeom’s sword pierced the exact spot where Sun-woo had been standing a split second before. He had evaded it by a hair's breadth.
'Phew.'
Sun-woo let out a sigh of relief. He realized he had been in genuine danger.
'Damn it, not having a sword is inconvenient.'
Sun-woo scowled. The lack of a weapon was proving to be a significant penalty. In the same situation, if he’d had a sword, he could have simply parried Yoon Je-gyeom’s blade away. But without one, he couldn't respond properly. He felt a strong aversion to letting the blade touch his bare skin.
'I need to find a way…'
As Sun-woo was considering his options…
Voom!
Yoon Je-gyeom rushed in again, swinging his sword. This time, he was aiming for the neck.
Sun-woo quickly tilted his head back. The blade grazed past him, inches from his face. While his neck was still tilted back, Sun-woo lashed out with his foot.
Thwack!
His foot slammed into Yoon Je-gyeom’s abdomen.
"Urgh…!"
Slide—
Taking the direct hit to his stomach, Yoon Je-gyeom was pushed back, unable to withstand the impact.
Thump!
Having narrowly created some distance, Sun-woo quickly stomped the ground. Using the counter-force, he leaped backward to widen the gap even further.
Tap.
Sun-woo finally managed to put a decent amount of distance between himself and Yoon Je-gyeom.
"Why do you keep running away?"
Dust, dust, dust.
Yoon Je-gyeom brushed the dirt off his kicked abdomen as he spoke.
"It turns out not having a sword is quite inconvenient," Sun-woo admitted honestly.
It was frustrating. He could hold his own to some extent, but he couldn't find a way to seize victory.
"Go down the mountain and get a sword. I shall wait for you."
Yoon Je-gyeom spoke with a calm tone.
"As if you would."
Sun-woo looked at him as if he were talking nonsense.
"You truly have no trust."
"How can I trust an elder who is trying to join the Demonic Cult?"
"Hahahaha… I suppose that’s true!"
Yoon Je-gyeom let out a hollow laugh.
"Then what do you intend to do? For the record, I have no intention of letting go of my sword."
"I intend to find my own way."
After speaking, Sun-woo glanced around his surroundings.
Step, step, step.
He walked over to a small tree.
Snap!
He reached out and broke off a branch about a foot long. Then, he pointed it toward Yoon Je-gyeom.
"Are you serious?"
Yoon Je-gyeom looked at him with an incredulous expression.
"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Sun-woo replied calmly.
There really was no other way. Without a medium like a sword, it was difficult to concentrate his will. He couldn't manifest a proper Heart Sword. Thus, he had to make do. A tree branch was the only thing resembling a sword he could find in these deep mountains.
"Do you think you can defeat me with a mere twig?"
"Well, we won't know until we try, will we?"
"You certainly enjoy strange challenges. Have you not learned your lesson after being beaten while empty-handed?"
"I simply didn't expect you to be able to use the Heart Sword."
Sun-woo’s voice remained steady.
"Do you believe a single branch can break my Sword of Suffering?"
"It will be different this time."
Sun-woo slowly raised the branch and leveled it at Yoon Je-gyeom. His gaze was incredibly serious.
"You are in earnest."
Meeting that gaze, Yoon Je-gyeom could tell. The man before him was dead serious. He truly intended to face the Heart Sword with a tree branch.
"Then I, too, shall clash with you with everything I have."
Yoon Je-gyeom began to gather his will into his sword. Soon, a dismal, gloomy energy began to shroud his blade. It was the sword that embraced all the pain in the world—the Sword of Suffering.
Step!
Holding the Sword of Suffering high, Yoon Je-gyeom lightly kicked off the ground.
Swoosh!
His figure blurred forward, reaching Sun-woo in an instant.
Voom!
Yoon Je-gyeom swung his sword toward Sun-woo’s neck. He was certain that such a pathetic branch wouldn't be able to withstand even a single strike from his blade.
Vooooom—
The sword, filled with conviction, flew toward Sun-woo’s throat.
Sun-woo watched the incoming blade calmly. Then, he swiftly raised the branch to block the sword closing in on his neck.
K-K-Boom!
The moment Yoon Je-gyeom’s sword and Sun-woo’s branch collided, a thunderous explosion erupted. Will clashed against will, screaming out in a discordant harmony.
After a moment of intense struggle…
Slide—
Yoon Je-gyeom’s body began to be pushed back slowly. The essence of his fifty years of bitter cultivation—the Heart Sword that held all the world's pain, the will he had built upon his grudges—was being pushed back. By a mere branch.
"…H-How…"
Bewilderment flooded Yoon Je-gyeom’s face as their weapons remained locked. The sight of Sun-woo blocking his strike was utterly surreal. How could a pathetic twig so easily stop the essence of his fifty years of labor?
"Didn't I tell you? We wouldn't know until we tried."
As if sensing his confusion, a deep smile appeared on Sun-woo’s lips. At first, even he had been unsure—unsure if he could concentrate his will through such a fragile medium, or if he could manifest the Heart Sword. But now he knew. The medium didn't matter. Even a fragile branch could manifest the Heart Sword. Just like this.
Slide—
Yoon Je-gyeom was ruthlessly pushed back. He simply couldn't withstand Sun-woo’s Protective Sword.
"G-Guh!"
Yoon Je-gyeom struggled with all his might to hold his ground. But it was futile. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't overcome the massive will crushing his Sword of Suffering.
"Hah!"
Sun-woo swung the branch with even greater force.
Vooooooooom—
Yoon Je-gyeom’s body was lifted into the air and sent flying backward.
Crash!
Boom!
Bang!
Yoon Je-gyeom’s body smashed through several standing tree trunks as he flew. After a long flight…
Thud.
He tumbled onto the ground, his entire body a mangled mess. The wounds sustained from crashing through the trees had left him in a wretched state.
Sun-woo looked at the fallen Yoon Je-gyeom with a calm gaze. Then, he turned around.
In his sight was a blind man with three of his limbs severed.
It was the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, and the protagonist of High School Senior Goes to Murim.
Lee Jae-won.
Sun-woo began to walk slowly toward Lee Jae-won.
To finally put an end to the ill-fated relationship between them.