Moonlit Plum Blossoms Under Leon's Mask

I donned the Leon Mask and caught up to Yeon Muk. She was still wandering the streets. Probably couldn't sleep due to the big match tomorrow. Guess I'd have to torment her plenty to help her get a good night's rest.

"A plum blossom blooming under the moonlight. When there's a beautiful flower, it's only right to pluck it."

I appeared before her with that sleazy line, deliberately leaking my presence with overwhelming aura.

Yeon Muk's energy stiffened like the quills of a hedgehog under attack. She drew her sword toward me, her eyes narrowing into a fierce glare. The hostility radiating from her body was thick as fog.

"Do they teach you at the Huashan Sect to point your blade at your husband? Eh-heh~! No class at all."

"Shut your mouth, you filthy lecher!"

Her rage exploded like a shout. I could feel her fury prickling my skin.

"Hee-hee-hee! I can still vividly recall last night when you were bouncing like a bitch in heat on my waist. Your husband has come to bestow his holy seed upon your pussy after so long. Don't get cocky with that sword—open your cunt instead."

"I'm not the same girl I was back then! If you think I'll fall for your filthy lust again, you're dead wrong!"

Her sharp retort only whetted my appetite further.

She had no idea. Even the anger she spewed was just spice for my lust.

Yeon Muk moved first. The faint plum scent wafting from her transformed into an intense, lethal perfume like high-end cologne.

Purple energy erupted from the sword in her grip, vibrating the surrounding air. Her strike was impeccable, befitting a promising disciple of the prestigious Huashan Sect. No need to even mention her rock-solid fundamentals.

Shick!Shick!Shick!

The purple sword qi danced like plum petals swaying in a spring breeze.

It wasn't particularly fast. But one couldn't afford to be careless. The subtlety in each strand of sword qi didn't rely on speed—it depended on the motion itself.

Her sword qi enveloped me from all sides like a dense net. Any ordinary lecher would be diced to pieces by this alone.

'Hwanwi (Position Swap)'

I left an afterimage behind and dodged her sword qi. But the plum scent still clung to my nose. This time, Yeon Muk closed in personally. Purple sword qi clung to her blade.

'Darkness Armor.'

Writhing shadows coiled around my right arm like a shield. I didn't cover my whole body—just the partial application. This boosted the defensive power of Darkness Armor dramatically in specific spots.

Darkness Armor's skill level had risen. My makeshift arm guard clashed with Yeon Muk's sword qi.

Her blade was as threatening as its dense plum fragrance. Purple energy sparked like embers. Each burst was as sharp as shattered glass.

'From upper right to lower left.'

The Plum Blossom Swordsmanship was renowned for its flashiness. The sweet plum scent from Plum Sword Maidens marked the start of that splendor, and their dizzying sword dances were its pinnacle.

Yeon Muk, the second most promising Plum Sword Maiden of her generation, unleashed a sword dance as gorgeous and ornate as a dragon robe embroidered with golden thread. And that beauty was deadly.

Dodge one attack, and the second comes before you can counter. Evade that, and the third follows.

In combat, offense and defense cycle endlessly. Offense demands defense, defense demands offense.

This cycle breaks when there's a skill gap between fighters or when one wields a technique that defies common sense. Here, it was the latter. The depth of her Plum Blossom Swordsmanship stole my openings to attack.

'She's way stronger than last time.'

No need to explain that Power of Sex fueled her growth. She'd learned plenty in the Yongho Contest too.

These factors had clearly elevated her.

'But not enough for me.'

Her sword qi ravaged the surroundings. A mud-brick wall of rice straw collapsed, and a small ornamental tree snapped in two.

The sword winds accompanying her dance kicked up choking dust, adding to the chaos, but her blade still hadn't tasted my flesh.

"Stop dodging like a rat and come at me!"

Yeon Muk raised her voice.

"Alright, then."

I'd savored her sword enough. I hadn't sought her out for sparring. I came to knock her down and fuck her.

"Not bad sword dancing. I'm pretty confident in combos myself."

"What!?"

Her movements slowed. Stamina drain. The limit of relentless combos in Plum Blossom Swordsmanship was the user's endurance. Neither mortals nor immortals had infinite stamina.

'Nakun (Falling Cloud)'

Counter time. The tiny gap she showed was plenty for me to drive my fist in.

'Darkness Armor!'

Like wielding the Holy Gauntlet, I wrapped Darkness Armor only around my fist. A glove of shadow encased it.

"The plum blade excels not just in offense!"

Yeon Muk's aura shifted. The plum scent thickened again. But if before her sword qi mimicked rustling petals, now it bloomed like fully opened flowers.

'Defense, not attack?'

Intriguing. Yeon Muk's confident expression showed no doubt her stance would hold.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slammed my fist into the center of her plum blossom barrier.

Thud! A fierce recoil shot through my fist to my shoulder. Tougher defense than expected. But this attack was just the beginning.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Left, right, up, down, upper left, lower right, side, rear.

Using Hwanwi (Position Swap) to leave afterimages, I chained Nakun (Falling Cloud). To a bystander, it would look like clones ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hammering her shield.

"Eeee-yah!"

Each strike shed a petal from the blooming flower. As the one enduring it, Yeon Muk knew best this was a makeshift defense.

Her back foot scraped the ground slightly. Preparing to stomp and leap for a counter. She was biding her time.

'The moment the barrier breaks.'

Only one petal remained. As the final blows shattered her stance, Yeon Muk lunged forward.

"Become fertilizer for the plum! Ilseom Hwajeom (One Annihilation Plum Point)!"

A stark follow-up, stripped of flashiness. But trading splendor for simplicity made its destructive power far surpass standard Plum Blossom Swordsmanship.

'Time Acceleration.'

I'd anticipated her response—and prepared my riposte. Accelerating my body in an instant, I disrupted her balance.

"Hup! This speed—!?"

'Straight Fist.'

Thwack!

I buried my fist deep in Yeon Muk's abdomen. Her dazed body flew backward.

I dragged the fallen Yeon Muk into a nearby vacant house. The owner ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠must've been at the night market—empty. First, I sealed her pressure points. She woke quickly.

"Ugh! You filthy lecher! Release the seal!"

"Heh-heh. If I did that easy, you wouldn't call me a filthy lecher."

"You bastard! Touch my body, and Huashan Sect won't let it slide!"

"You said that last time too, and I'm still fine, aren't I? What's going on here? Did you report what I did to you that day?"

"Th-that's…!"

"Haha! If word got out that Huashan's noblest flower was defiled by a lecher like me, it'd ruin the sect's face. And you know that better than anyone."

"Eek! You make me want to puke, you disgusting creep!"

"If this much disgusts you, how will you endure what's coming? Do you even know what I'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do to you?"

"All you lechers think alike! You'll rip off my uniform by force, tear into my secret place! Then pull out your filthy, stinking cock and laugh while I panic!"

"Spot on. Experience talking."

"And you'll order me to lick that dirty thing!? I'll whimper and refuse, but you'll grab my head with your grubby hands, force my face down, and shove your meat rod into my mouth!"

"Mmm. That's right too."

"You'll ram your cock down my throat till it burns, laughing vilely as I choke and gag! Once I've cleaned your filth with my tongue, you'll pry open my resisting legs, inspect my pussy. And you'll sneer, 'Heh-heh-heh! Stop pretending! Look how wet you are here!' And then…"

"Ahem… Pretty accurate, but how do you know so well? You missed this husband after all!"

"N-no! I simulated fights against you countless times for revenge. Th-this is just a hypothesis if you lost!"

"Bullshit! Simulated fights? More like jerk-off fantasies. Never seen a slut like you. Without my cock training, you'd be a street whore spreading your legs easy! Open your pussy!"

"Th-think I'll submit to scum like you!? If you want it so bad, force me!"

A strange excitement gleamed in Yeon Muk's eyes. She clearly wanted me to take her by force.