Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Sweet Talk, Hidden Blade (5)
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In the hands of a murderer, it becomes a demon that slays men. In the hands of a soldier, it becomes a guardian upholding the emperor's solemn laws. That is the true essence of the sword.
Thus, those who hone their martial arts must always think twice before drawing their blade. That is the line dividing martial virtue from mere violence. It is called chivalry.
It was a lesson learned long ago at the Seonmu Academy. Regrettably, the only one here who remembered it was a single old foe, with whom relations had never been good from the start.
Filled with mixed feelings about that fact, Go Gyeom swung Iron Dragon Lash with all his might. The iron whip, thinned to the fineness of a thread, was as sharp as any famed sword.
Yet Iron Dragon Lash's greatest advantage was none other than its reach. Far trickier to handle than an ordinary whip, it granted that superior distance in return.
Thanks to this, the Hundred Great Experts facing it had to dodge the barely visible thread-like whip and somehow close the gap. Surely, that approach would have worked.
If two or three focused solely on Iron Dragon Lash, defending against it wouldn't have been impossible. The rest could then strike at Go Gyeom's neck and finish him off with ease.
That is, if not for Ma Gang standing firm in front of him, resolutely guarding his flank. The massive slab of iron—too crude to even call a greatsword—was swung with full force.
Kwaaaang!!!
The impact was like an earthquake, staggering even the Hundred Great Experts mid-step. Seizing the opening, Go Gyeom struck from behind Ma Gang.
"Kuk!!!"
"Don't let Iron Dragon Lash grab you!! Once it does, you're done!!"
"Damn it, why do those two mesh so well?!"
From old times to now, these guys who'd always gotten along far worse than mere sworn enemies. Fighting together like this, their synergy was freakishly perfect—it was maddening.
The original plan had been to swiftly eliminate the most disruptive Go Gyeom, capture Sword Demon's disciples alive, then regroup. Instead, the four of them were now pinned down.
"I served it up on a platter, and you can't even snag one? Impressive in all the wrong ways."
"You hold on tight yourself. Or is that gigolo face matched by equally feeble strength, leaving you wide open?"
"Looks like you're the one dying to go first."
"......You bastards, to the very end...!!!"
Even in this situation, Go Gyeom and Ma Gang bickered like always. Baek Sanha's rage boiled over, surging to the top of his head. They were staking their lives in battle.
And they had the leisure for such banter? How long did they plan to look down on him? Fine, this mess was all their fault.
The first to sense the anomaly was Go Gyeom. He was the quickest to detect the ominous aura rising from Baek Sanha, right in front of him.
"What ridiculous nonsense is this? Learned some new technique?"
"If I heard right, that's probably a demonic art."
"Demonic art? Sounds ominous just hearing the name."
"They say it lets you grow strong in a short time. Naturally, there's a steep price."
Go Gyeom nodded silently in response to Ma Gang's words. The red energy rising like heat haze certainly didn't look healthy for the body.
"I can't understand it. These aren't third-rate scrubs—they're Hundred Great Experts. Why fall for such cheap power?"
"I don't entirely fail to grasp their mindset."
"What?"
"Not everyone is born with talent like yours."
"What nonsense...?!"
But Go Gyeom couldn't finish. Baek Sanha, unable to wait, unleashed a strike that closed in on his throat in an instant. A speed beyond imagination.
His reaction was a hair too slow. If Ma Gang hadn't blocked directly with his greatsword, that blow would have ended it. Go Gyeom bit his lip hard.
"......Thanks."
"What?"
"Thanks for saving my neck!"
"Save the gratitude for after you survive."
"As if I'd need to say it twice."
"Still time for chit-chat, I see?"
Enraged by Go Gyeom and Ma Gang's blatant disregard to the end, Baek Sanha raised his sword again—right then, a sudden killing intent made his eyes spin.
"Kraaaak!!"
"An Chu just gave up his back that easily?!"
"......Haha, looks like the young lady's come herself."
It was a speed even Go Gyeom couldn't follow with his eyes. Hit by a surprise attack at that velocity, An Chu—shoulder pierced—was in far worse shape than him.
Of course, no sympathy here.
He'd brought it on himself, after all.
The first-rate master had severed the neck of An Chu, one of the Hundred Great Experts, in a flash. Sua joined Ma Gang and Go Gyeom, using her speed. She clicked her tongue.
"A pity I only got one with a sneak attack."
"That's plenty, young lady."
"Now we can each take one. Or should I handle two for you, and you rest quietly in the back?"
"Cut the crap. I've got a score to settle with that one."
Go Gyeom pointed at Baek Sanha, glaring with bloodshot eyes. He looked less human, more demon.
"A beast that's abandoned its humanity... Still, as a former friend, isn't it only right I end that degraded life with these hands?"
"Do as you like."
"But young lady, what of the others...?"
"Handling the disguised attendants right now. Luckily, none above second-rate, so my junior sisters can manage."
"Fortunate. Thanks to you, we're alive."
Amazed by Sword Demon's disciples' competence in tying up loose ends, Go Gyeom eyed Baek Sanha. Now he could settle this grudge properly.
Kwaang! Kwang!!
Up above, at least, it was still a fight between humans. Down at the cliff base, though, it was closer to beasts slaughtering one another. Nameless frowned.
One thing he'd noticed fighting the martial artists so far: their sword paths were somewhat predictable. Thus, blocking or dodging had been easy enough.
But these foes were different. Movements more beast than man. Purely instinctual motions twisted into utterly unpredictable attacks.
Especially shocking: the head-on swing from the woman warped like a wave into an impossible direction, evading his sword to rake claws across his chest.
"Kuk!!"
Had he not twisted away from a direct hit, those claws would've pierced his heart in one go. But Nameless didn't just take it lying down.
The instant her claws struck his chest, he'd simultaneously slashed, nearly severing her arm. A makeshift response, so not fully clean.
Still, sealing one arm in this fight was a major gain. He couldn't kill her yet, but chipping away bit by bit should let him endure.
Or so he'd thought.
Right in front of him, flaunting it.
Until her mangled arm regenerated, that is.
'Come to think of it, there are demonic arts that heal wounds.'
But those were for sect leader-tier experts even in the Demonic Cult, weren't they? Savoring Nameless's dismay, the woman licked the blood from her claws.
"Mm~ Fresher taste than expected? Like a young man's."
"He's Sword Demon's disciple. No surprise his body's in prime shape."
'These punks... I'm not some geezer; I'm thirty.'
Yet in this life-or-death moment, Nameless half-considered actually shaving his beard.
But it wasn't all for naught. Regenerating the body consumed absurd amounts of inner energy. It was a demonic art reserved for leader-class powerhouses to begin with.
She couldn't spam it like that forever. And from the last clash, Nameless had grasped their intent: land hits somehow.
Whittle him down gradually until weakened enough to kill. He'd fallen for it at first from ignorance, but not anymore. Knowing made all the difference.
"I see exactly what you're after. Here's some advice: go beyond your best—throw everything you've got."
"What empty bravado..."
"I'll say it again."
In that instant, the two Demonic Cult elites unwittingly retreated over five steps. The shabby old man who'd been right there vanished.
Replaced by a giant who could crush them like ants with a single step. At last, the elder, brimming with a Mount Tai-like presence, spoke.
"Throw everything you've got at me. Or else..."
you'll die in a flash.