Chapter 90: Emperor Sword Form (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 90: Emperor Sword Form (1)
They hadn't agreed on a signal beforehand, but there was no need to worry about missing it.
KWA-BOOOOM—!!!
At the sight of the spectacular explosion high in the sky, every single person gripped their weapons at once.
"Our lord certainly is flashy."
Jang-geuk grinned, hoisting his broad blade high.
"Let's go, you bastards! We've got an employer now, so I won't forgive anyone who slacks off like before!"
"Yeah! Let's go!"
"Let's kill them all!"
The Cheonpung Unit didn't say much. Exchanging quick glances, they immediately sprinted forward.
Watching the other two groups charge in without a second thought, the Geumgang Unit set off a step late.
"Don't fall behind those Namgung bastards!"
"Captain, are you alright?"
"...About what?"
"Nothing, sir."
"...Dammit."
Hwangbo Jun gnashed his teeth and kicked off the ground with explosive force.
Thump!
The earth shook as his massive frame soared into the sky.
A bright brown Fist Astral Qi gathered around his knuckles. As if venting his frustration, he swung his fist wildly. The flying astral qi blasted apart the main gate and the surrounding buildings.
CRASH!
"Hyah!"
The moment the path opened, Jang-geuk charged straight in, swinging his broad blade.
"Aaaagh...!"
"Block them! Don't let them break through!"
The martial artists of the Black Lotus Union stood in their way, but nearly half of them hadn't even reached the Peak Realm.
There wasn't a single hitch in Jang-geuk's blade as he unleashed the inspiration he had gained from watching Seo-jun’s Giant Spirit Divine Art. The ground was rapidly stained with the blood and flesh of the Black Lotus Union.
Meanwhile, the Cheonpung Unit ignored the grunts and sprinted straight inside.
"Young Master!"
Finding Seo-jun inside a room, they immediately fell into formation and took up a defensive posture.
"Oh, you're here early?"
Seo-jun was sitting on the floor, playing Ssesse-sse with So-mi.
He had, of course, already cleared away the corpses. No matter how much he had changed, he wasn't crazy enough to play hand-clapping games with a child next to a pile of dead bodies.
Other children were sitting around Seo-jun, watching the game. When the song stopped, one child urged him on.
"Mister! Hurry! What's next?"
"Hey, I'm not a 'mister'..."
Seo-jun scratched his head and gestured to Hwan Bae-ho. Hwan Bae-ho set down the child he had been carrying on his back.
"Oppa...!"
So-mi jumped up and ran to the boy.
"So-mi...!"
"Oppa...!"
The siblings hugged each other tightly, rejoicing in their reunion. Watching them, Seo-jun smiled warmly and rubbed under his nose.
"Mm. Suddenly, I find myself missing our Chun-bong."
"Mister! Hurry, Ssesse-sse!"
"You little...! Can't you see this is a touching moment?"
"Hurry up!"
While the other children remained quiet, perhaps unable to shake off their lingering fear, this one brat was exceptionally energetic.
Seo-jun chuckled and held out his hands. The child's eyes sparkled as she clapped her hands against his.
" Ssesse-sse~! Blue sky, Milky Way~. "
"Y-You...!"
A woman who appeared to be the child's mother rushed over. However, when Seo-jun shook his head to show it was fine, she hovered nearby, fidgeting anxiously as she watched her daughter.
Seo-jun devoted just enough attention to the game while scanning his surroundings. Looking at the people's expressions, it seemed they were finally starting to feel at ease.
So-mi, her brother Seo-hyeol, and their parents were hugging and weeping, while other families similarly enjoyed their tearful reunions.
As expected, regardless of their martial prowess, the sight of the Cheonpung Unit in their uniform attire provided a profound sense of security to the common folk.
Thump! Crash!
It was a bit noisy outside, but what did it matter? Even that clamor died down within a few minutes.
"Lord! We've taken care of everything!"
As Jang-geuk strode into the room, the child playing Ssesse-sse hiccuped and hid behind Seo-jun.
Seo-jun smirked.
"Hey, old man. You could've at least wiped off the blood before coming in."
"Oops, my bad."
Jang-geuk grinned and wiped the blood with his sleeve. The blood only smeared further, making him look like a deranged serial killer.
"Haha, you cute little rascals. Want me to play with you?"
"Eeeek...!"
The child shrieked and wet her pants in terror. Jang-geuk retreated awkwardly.
Seo-jun chuckled and asked Hwangbo Jun, who had followed him in.
"These people seem to be from around here. Isn't Shandong under the jurisdiction of the Hwangbo Clan?"
"...That is correct."
"Then you'll take them home, right?"
"...Me? I am not so idle as to—"
"Choose your words carefully before you get smacked."
"...I will do so."
"Good."
Case closed.
* * *
Before parting ways with the rescued captives, Seo-jun called over Seo-hyeol and the child who had taken a particular liking to him.
"Alright, friends. I shall personally bestow upon you an awesome fateful encounter."
Seo-jun pulled a book from his robes.
The Spiritual Clarity Sword Technique. It was the martial art belonging to the idiot who had been used as a human bomb during the Monster Wave.
To be precise, it was Spiritual Clarity Sword Technique ver.2.
He had intentionally modified it slightly in case someone recognized it later and tried to pick a fight, but he hadn't expected to use it like this.
"What's this?"
Hee-rin, the child who had taken such a liking to Seo-jun, trotted over and inspected the book.
"Ah, this is what we call 'martial arts'."
Naturally, he didn't intend for them to learn it just by looking at the manual. That would be impossible for anyone who wasn't a total genius.
Seo-jun addressed the members of the Cheonpung Unit.
"Does anyone here have a dream of becoming an instructor?"
A man raised his hand high.
"Oh, we have a winner! The prize is the Spirit Thunder Sword Technique."
He couldn't keep calling it Spiritual Clarity Sword Technique ver.2 , so he made up a name on the spot.
Seo-jun handed the secret manual to the unit member.
"It wouldn't be bad for you to learn it too, Ja-cheong. It has good synergy with the Namgung Clan's sword techniques."
"Thank you!"
"Don't mention it."
Seo-jun spoke to Seo-hyeol and Hee-rin.
"If you have friends who want to learn with you, you can teach them. Especially you."
Seo-jun placed a hand on Seo-hyeol's shoulder.
"Don't expect luck like this to find you a second time. If something like this happens again, you have to be the one to protect your sister."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"Good."
Afterward, Seo-jun briefly demonstrated the forms of the Spirit Thunder Sword Technique to Ja-cheong.
Since the manual had relatively detailed illustrations, someone of the Cheonpung Unit's caliber would have no trouble mastering the martial art with just this much.
"You can decide when to return on your own. I've scribbled down the heart method in the back, so teach that to the kids too. If anything happens, contact the clan."
"Yes, sir!"
Learning martial arts. Entering the Murim.
Perhaps it would bring new dangers, but Seo-jun believed it was still better to know martial arts.
Martial arts were a weapon that provided the strength to overcome crises on one's own.
Besides, the kind of madman who would pick a fight just because someone knew martial arts was usually the exact same kind of bastard who would shamelessly point a blade at someone who didn't.
Who knows?
Maybe later, these kids would become incredible masters and come looking for him to say thanks.
"Live well, friends."
"See you again, mister~!"
"Thank you!"
After saying goodbye to the children and the villagers—and giving a certain annoying fellow a smack on the head, and poking a bit of fun at Hwangbo Jun for good measure—he set off.
"Are you not tired?"
"Haha! If I were tired from just this, I wouldn't be a martial artist of the Namgung Clan!"
Of course, he was being carried on the back of a Cheonpung Unit member.
It wasn't an abuse of power; he was being carried because he was exhausted.
"Hehe, so comfy."
Truly.
* * *
The return to the Namgung Clan took quite some time.
It was unavoidable, as Seo-jun was in a frail state.
By the time they arrived at the Namgung Clan about three weeks later, Seo-jun's condition had improved significantly.
"Wow, home!"
Seo-jun thanked the Cheonpung Unit members for their hard work. His friends from the Green Forest also followed the Cheonpung Unit to help them adjust to life in the Namgung Clan.
If Chun-bong had finished her secluded training, she probably would have been loitering by the gate, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Since there was no one waiting for him in his room anyway, Seo-jun headed to Namgung Su-ah's residence to announce his return. However, he encountered an unexpected person there.
"Oh, Father-in-law."
"You've returned..."
Seo-jun looked back and forth between Namgung Su-ah, who was collapsed on the ground drenched in sweat, and Namgung Jin-cheon, who stood before her.
"Is this perhaps a scene of domestic violence?"
"As if that would be the case..."
"Right?"
Seo-jun grinned and crouched next to Namgung Su-ah, poking her in the side.
"Noona, are you alive?"
"Ugh, uuuugh..."
"Dear me. You're on the verge of death."
He patted her back, making a wet slap-slap sound. The weather had turned cold, yet she was completely soaked in sweat.
"D-Don't..."
Namgung Su-ah crawled away sluggishly.
"Why?"
"I'm sweaty..."
"I don't mind."
"I mind, though..."
"Aha."
Watching the two of them with a warm gaze, Namgung Jin-cheon brought his sword to his ear.
Wooooong—
Nodding at the sword's hum, he called out to Seo-jun.
"Son-in-law..."
"Yes?"
"I have heard the news... I heard this matter was quite dangerous..."
"It wasn't that bad."
"Facing two masters of the Super Peak Realm alone is indeed dangerous..."
"Now that you mention it..."
Realizing the truth, Seo-jun nodded. Then, Namgung Jin-cheon spoke.
"There is a sword technique I wish to teach you..."
"A sword technique? You're already teaching me one."
"Mm... It is a sword technique, yes, but it is a bit different..."
Woooooong—
Namgung Jin-cheon brought the sword to his ear again and nodded.
"It is alright, wife... I have already made my decision..."
Watching Namgung Jin-cheon, Seo-jun was suddenly struck by an ominous feeling.
Surely he wasn't going to ask him to grab his mother-in-law and swing her around? No matter how you looked at it, that was a bit much...
"I intend to teach you the Emperor Sword Form..."
"Pardon? The what?"
"I said the Emperor Sword Form..."
Seo-jun blinked.
"Wait, uh... is that allowed?"
"Of course not..."
"Aha."
"However, how can a mere martial art compare to family...? In times like these, if one can become even a little stronger, it is only right to do so..."
As Namgung Jin-cheon gestured, the sword unsheathed itself and floated in the air.
"Rather than losing someone and living in regret, I will bear the burden... I shall take all responsibility, so do not let yourself carry the same regrets I have, Son-in-law..."
Namgung Jin-cheon's eyes sank into an unfathomable depth.