Chapter 87: Found It (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 87: Found It (2)
Sparks flew in Jang-geuk’s mind.
Flash! A flood of enlightenment washed over his soul. He carved the image of the true Giant Spirit Divine Art he had just witnessed deep into his heart.
Yes. That single strike just now was the true Giant Spirit Divine Art.
It was a genuine Divine Art—a technique truly worthy of the name. He could only marvel that a mere bandit’s martial arts could reach such an unfathomable height.
Jang-geuk cast a single glance toward his family, who had followed the Super Peak martial artists of the Black Lotus Union, and promptly put them out of his mind.
There wasn't much he could do for them in this situation anyway.
If this was the end, he wanted to devote his final moments entirely to martial arts. How wonderful would it be if he could perform that true Giant Spirit Divine Art he had yearned for, even just once?
"Please, grant me inspiration."
"...Arrogant brat."
Jang-geuk lunged at Hwangbo Jun.
He burned through his very life force, desperately chasing the lingering traces of the Giant Spirit Divine Art he had just witnessed.
* * *
Baek Yu-ryeon of the North Sea Ice Palace and Geom Bi-yeong of the Sword Sect.
The two martial artists of the Seven Evil Black Sect quickly exchanged a glance.
The Chief of the Green Forest would handle the warrior from the Hwangbo Clan; they only needed to deal with this demon.
In the end, nothing had changed. It was two against one. There was no way they would lose to a martial artist whose name wasn't even properly known.
Their opponent seemed to think differently.
Without a shred of hesitation, he charged straight at Geom Bi-yeong.
"How presumptuous!"
Geom Bi-yeong lunged forward, swinging his sword.
Leaving behind a trail of faint afterimages, the blade split into hundreds of lethal paths, descending upon Seo-jun.
Two extra pairs of arms sprouted from Seo-jun’s sides, each pair pressing their palms together.
Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art. And Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art.
The Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art was unleashed first, blasting toward Geom Bi-yeong.
"What...!"
Startled, Geom Bi-yeong retracted his sword and threw himself out of the way.
Swaaaaa—
The black energy brushing past him erupted in goosebumps across his skin. If he took a direct hit from that, he would surely die. Blocking it wasn't even an option.
Baek Yu-ryeon hastily moved to support him.
Crackle! Pure white energy gathered in her delicate hands. She unleashed the Ice Soul Divine Palm, but Seo-jun didn't even care.
He fired off the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art and continued his relentless charge toward Geom Bi-yeong.
"Baek Yu-ryeon!"
Geom Bi-yeong shouted as he poured his very consciousness into his sword. Among the many seekers who strove to reach the "end of the sword," Geom Bi-yeong had always stood out. Now, he unleashed his true technique.
Swish, swish!
The trajectory of a mere iron sword was etched perfectly into space. For a moment, space itself seemed to be sliced apart, forming an absolute defense.
Boom!
The Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art, infused with the mystique of ultimate concentration, exploded against the barrier.
Geom Bi-yeong sliced through the chaotic sphere of energy and lunged at Seo-jun.
Seo-jun extended one arm, releasing the mental imagery of White River Returning to the Ocean.
Whir—
Baek Yu-ryeon’s palm strike faltered, its energy promptly absorbed into Seo-jun’s hand through the Star-Absorbing Great Art.
All Qi-based techniques lost their luster before Seo-jun’s monstrous talent.
In this place, the only one who could maintain a situational advantage was Geom Bi-yeong.
No, in truth, he was simply the only one who could fight on equal terms.
Baek Yu-ryeon refused to accept this. As Seo-jun exchanged blows with Geom Bi-yeong, she rushed in and slammed both hands into the ground.
Crack, crack!
A massive iceberg erupted from the earth, launching Seo-jun’s body high into the air.
While airborne, Seo-jun twisted his body and placed his hand flat against the rising ice.
Crunch! The iceberg shattered into fragments. Having absorbed the Ice Soul Qi through the Star-Absorbing Great Art, Seo-jun channeled that freezing energy directly into his sword.
Snowy Plum.
Snowflakes bloomed in the air, swarming toward Geom Bi-yeong.
Geom Bi-yeong’s eyes grew cold. For a split second, his sword seemed to vanish.
Swish, swish!
All hundreds of plum blossoms were sliced away in an instant.
Seo-jun frowned as their blades clashed.
I can't win with swordsmanship alone.
Even though he had learned the sword from Namgung Jin-cheon, it had only been for a very short time.
That man’s swordsmanship was several dimensions above his own. The Sword Astral Qi coating Geom Bi-yeong's blade was faint and meager, yet the sword itself drew miracles in the air.
Seo-jun shook the man off by unleashing the Wang Family Blade Technique and spun around.
The woman, Baek Yu-ryeon, was concentrating deeply, preparing a major technique. As he rushed toward her, her eyes flashed with a chilling light.
"You dare ignore me? I'll make you pay!"
Ice Realm.
Creeeeeak! The entire world centered around Baek Yu-ryeon began to freeze over.
Then, she brought her ten fingers together, manifesting a snowflake crystal the size of a fist between her palms.
Ice Crystal.
The crystal spun, vomiting forth an absurd amount of Yin Cold Energy.
Fwooooosh!
The unleashed energy painted everything in its path pure white.
Seo-jun’s body was frozen solid. Seeing him trapped within a thick block of ice, the corners of Baek Yu-ryeon’s mouth curled upward.
"Arrogant fool."
"Watch out!"
It was Geom Bi-yeong’s voice. Baek Yu-ryeon’s brow furrowed in confusion.
"There's no way he could be alive after being hit by the Ice Crystal..."
Crack—
Flash! The block of ice shattered instantly as Seo-jun lunged forward.
A trail of frozen white breath followed his trajectory. When her eyes met his glowing red pupils, Baek Yu-ryeon’s body momentarily froze in terror.
What... is that?
Blind killing intent. It was a chilling malice that seemed intent on butchering the soul before the body, causing her heart to skip a beat.
The sword approached.
The martial arts she had mastered meant nothing. Everything vanished fruitlessly before his fingertips.
It made no sense. The Divine Art passed down through generations in the North Sea Ice Palace could not be neutralized so easily.
The North Sea Ice Palace was a prominent member of the Seven Evil Black Sect, and the profundity of its martial arts was recognized by the entire Murim.
Therefore, this was impossible. This wasn't reality. She could never accept this.
"It's a forbidden art...!"
Overwhelming talent? You couldn't call something like this mere talent.
This was a monster. Something non-human, something that completely defied common sense.
"Hyaaaaah...!"
Fwoosh!
Baek Yu-ryeon thrust her palm out in sheer desperation.
Seo-jun silently thrust his sword.
The Yin energy gathered at the tip of his blade synchronized with Baek Yu-ryeon’s Ice Soul Qi, naturally slipping through the gaps in her defense.
Once again, Baek Yu-ryeon’s palm strike achieved absolutely nothing. The sword extended as if passing through empty air and pierced straight through her palm.
"Guh...!"
Baek Yu-ryeon groaned in agony. Geom Bi-yeong rushed over and swung his sword.
The blade aimed directly for Seo-jun's shoulder. Seo-jun did not dodge.
Slice!
His right arm—still gripping the sword that impaled Baek Yu-ryeon’s hand—was severed clean off. Seo-jun grabbed his severed right arm with his left hand and reversed Yin and Yang.
Ten-Fold Yin-Yang Reversal.
Pop! Baek Yu-ryeon’s left arm exploded instantly.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Seo-jun swung the severed arm he was holding. The length of the limb was added to the reach of his sword. Geom Bi-yeong hastily leaned back, but the tip of his nose was sliced open.
"Ugh...!"
The Yin energy and Demonic Qi that invaded Geom Bi-yeong’s wound instantly threw his internal system into chaos.
It was just a scratch, yet it dealt this much damage.
How could such talent be born for Qi rather than the sword?
If that level of talent had been devoted to swordsmanship, he might have truly been a genius capable of reaching the end of the sword.
"What a waste. Truly a waste!"
Watching Geom Bi-yeong leap backward, Seo-jun pressed his severed right arm back against the bloody stump.
Sizzle— Internal energy reconnected the severed flesh. In place of severed nerves, the internal energy manipulated the limb. After flexing his fingers to confirm they moved correctly, Seo-jun raised his sword once more.
Whoosh!
He lunged at Geom Bi-yeong. The horn protruding from his temple sensitively perceived the surrounding Qi.
Geom Bi-yeong’s movements, the tip of his sword, the flow of his internal energy—all of it was perfectly mapped out in Seo-jun's mind.
He ducked low to avoid a horizontal slash and countered with a single, precise strike.
Geom Bi-yeong retreated to dodge.
Seo-jun detonated the internal energy connecting his right arm.
Thud! The severed arm shot forward like a projectile while still gripping the sword, embedding the blade deep into Geom Bi-yeong’s shoulder. It was a completely unpredictable move, leaving him no way to evade.
"Ugh...!"
Geom Bi-yeong staggered from the gut-wrenching pain. Seo-jun rushed in. Gritting his teeth, Geom Bi-yeong ignored his internal injuries and swung his sword.
A strike of pure speed, approaching the speed of light, aimed for Seo-jun’s neck, but—
Clang!
The horn on Seo-jun's temple, coated in thick Protective Energy, effortlessly parried the blade.
Geom Bi-yeong laughed hollowly.
"If only that talent were in the sword..."
Giant Spirit Divine Art. Seo-jun’s left hand, carrying immense, earth-shattering power, struck out.
BOOM!
With a blow that seemed to crush space itself, Geom Bi-yeong’s body was shattered into pieces.
Seo-jun calmly caught his severed arm as it flew through the air and reattached it to his shoulder once more.
Step.
As he approached Baek Yu-ryeon, she collapsed and desperately scrambled backward across the dirt.
"D-Don't... don't come near me..."
Because of the Demonic Qi that had ravaged her body when her left arm exploded, she couldn't even circulate her Qi to use her martial arts properly.
But even if she could, would anything have changed?
Faced with a helplessness she had never experienced before, Baek Yu-ryeon’s pride was utterly crushed.
The fact that she hadn't pathetically wet herself was the last shred of dignity she managed to maintain.
"I-I'm sorry... Please, spare me..."
Seo-jun’s face drew close to her wide, trembling eyes.
Haaa... A faint white mist escaped his lips in the frozen air.
When her eyes met his red pupils with their horizontal slits, her mind went completely blank.
Seo-jun looked at her and asked, "The Divine Sword Geum Family."
"The... the Geum Family?"
"Yes. You know of them, don't you?"
"O-Of course."
Grip! Baek Yu-ryeon’s eyes widened to the point of tearing when he clamped his hand down on her right shoulder.
"N-No...!"
Crunch!
"AAAAAAAGH!! Why... why are you doing this?! I'll tell you everything...! AAAAAAGH!"
Baek Yu-ryeon’s agonizing screams echoed for a long time.
* * *
Baek Yu-ryeon’s shriveled corpse was a gruesome sight, grotesque enough to make anyone frown in horror.
Seo-jun, having drained all of her internal energy using the Star-Absorbing Great Art, fell into deep thought.
She knows nothing?
Despite spilling all sorts of secrets—confidential information about the Black Lotus Union and even the shameful secrets of the North Sea Ice Palace that he hadn't even asked for—she knew absolutely nothing about the tragedy of the Divine Sword Geum Family.
It's certain that Chun-bong’s severed meridians were caused by the Ice Soul Divine Art. The martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace were definitely used, yet a Super Peak expert of the Palace knows nothing...
Was there something more to this that he didn't know?
"Hey."
Hwangbo Jun spoke up, keeping a wary distance from both Seo-jun and Jang-geuk.
Seo-jun looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"You're still not finished?"
Had he really been dragging things out this long against an exhausted Jang-geuk?
Jang-geuk certainly had talent, but at this point, Seo-jun began to suspect that Hwangbo Jun was simply incompetent.
However, Hwangbo Jun had his reasons. He couldn't help but be distracted by the monstrous battle happening right behind him.
It was only natural to be terrified when someone who looked like a literal demon was slaughtering Super Peak experts in the rear.
"You... you'll have to explain that Demonic Qi properly," Hwangbo Jun stammered, subtly backing away.
It was a talent in itself to make demands while looking completely terrified. Jang-geuk snorted and approached Seo-jun.
"Listen. I don't care if you use Demonic Qi or forbidden arts."
He looked around. The Green Forest bandits were hiding in various spots, watching the bloody aftermath.
Idiots. If I told you to run, you should have run.
"Please show mercy to my family. If you do, I will do whatever you wish. If you want my head, I will give it to you. If you want to use me as a laborer, I will serve."
The warriors of the Namgung Clan and the Hwangbo Clan were also watching from afar.
That man had surely ordered them to retreat, yet their habit of completely ignoring their superiors felt strangely familiar to Jang-geuk.
Just by looking at their expressions, Jang-geuk was certain that this demon-like man was not a heartless monster.
"I beg of you."
Jang-geuk sank to his knees.
"Ah, and I would be even more grateful if you would accept my loyalty. My eyes were opened after seeing your Giant Spirit Divine Art. If you accept me, I will serve you with the utmost devotion."