Chapter 278: This is Impossible (2)
Chapter 278: This is Impossible (2)
When looking at the martial arts of prestigious orthodox sects, their characteristics are often distinct.
Shaolin, Wudang, the Namgung Clan, and so on…
The deeper a sect's history, the more pronounced the characteristics of its martial arts become.
However, if one were to ask which sect possesses the most distinct style of all, nine out of ten would choose this one:
The Mount Hua Sect of Shaanxi.
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art they employ has such a vivid identity that even someone who knows nothing of martial arts would look at it and think, 'Ah, that’s the Mount Hua Sect’s swordsmanship.'
It is a sword technique that ranks among the top five in the entire Jianghu.
Naturally, Patrick was well aware of it.
"Ugh…!"
Patrick hurriedly raised his sword.
He had been so startled that his reaction was momentarily delayed, and before he knew it, plum blossom petals were fluttering into his personal space.
Each one of those petals was a lethal shard of sword qi.
They were not to be underestimated.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles
Fifth Form
Dragon Scale Whirlwind
In an instant, he spun violently in place, forming a cyclone of sword qi that blocked the plum blossom petals.
The petals that struck the vortex crumbled and scattered, and as soon as the fierce gale subsided…
"Hah!"
Patrick turned into a streak of light and lunged at the mysterious Death Knight.
The moment Patrick charged, the Death Knight swung his sword again. Plum blossom petals bloomed in the wake of his blade.
Fwaaaaang!
The petals were vainly scattered the moment they were struck by Patrick’s Flash Dragon Strike. However…
One, two, four, eight…
The number of plum blossom petals grew steadily, obstructing the path of the charging Patrick.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
The petals burst like fireworks.
Yet, the accumulating petals gradually sapped the piercing power of the Flash Dragon Strike. Eventually…
Boom!
The momentum of the Flash Dragon Strike came to a halt.
Patrick’s strike had failed to pierce through the plum blossom petals that bloomed thick enough to fill his vision.
And the moment Patrick’s feet stopped…
Shweeeek.
A lethal violet sword qi lunged through the profusion of plum blossom petals.
The sharply extending sword qi accurately captured the moment Patrick stood still.
It was the weakness of the Flash Dragon Strike.
It was a deadly fast sword strike aimed at the very brief moment of rigidity that occurs immediately after an attack is blocked. However…
Flash!
The sharp sword qi pierced nothing but Patrick’s afterimage.
It was the Afterimage Step, a divine technique that was one of Patrick’s specialties.
It was so perfect that even the mysterious Death Knight had no choice but to mistake the afterimage for the real body.
In the first place, if Patrick hadn't been able to overcome such an obvious weakness, he would never have built his legend of a hundred victories in a hundred battles back in the Jianghu.
The Death Knight’s gaze shifted to the right.
There stood Patrick with a grim expression, looking at the Death Knight as he spoke.
"Plum Blossoms Gradually Blooming followed by Plum Blossoms Pave the Way… It seems you really are a genuine Plum Blossom Swordsman."
"……."
"Can you hear me? Is conversation possible?"
"……."
The opponent merely raised his sword in response.
At that sight, Patrick closed his eyes, let out a sigh, and then…
"Fine. If words won't work…"
Patrick took a starting stance and said, "Let us converse with our blades, as swordsmen should."
The next moment, a streak of light charged toward the blooming plum blossom petals.
* * *
"What… what is that?"
"My god, how can such a thing…"
"Is it magic?"
"Are you crazy? How is that magic?"
The forces of the Schneider Duchy, watching the battle between Patrick and the Death Knight from afar, could not close their mouths.
The knights, who had been ready to intervene if necessary, and even the orc warriors, who were second to none in bravery, could only watch in a daze.
Every time the flash of light collided with the shower of blossoms—so beautiful it could enchant any observer—the aftermath of terrifying destructive power spread in all directions.
Watching the spectacle, they had no idea how or where they could even begin to intervene.
"Lady April, would it be possible for you?"
"……."
Normally, if Sanson spoke like this, April would have replied, 'I am the Vice-Captain right now. Please speak comfortably, Captain.'
But now, she could only stare blankly, her mouth agape.
The swordsmanship the Death Knight was using displayed a form she had never even imagined.
It was beautiful and flamboyant.
Yet, it was also lethal and intense.
She had always believed that the person who wielded a sword best in this world was her beloved Young Master.
Whether it was the Sword Saint of the Empire or the Overlord of the North, she believed no one could be stronger than him.
But the Death Knight’s sword was…
'It’s on par with the Young Master… no, perhaps even beyond…'
It was the first time.
The first time her heart had been stolen by a sword other than Patrick’s.
* * *
Kwooooom!
After a clash where the Death Knight took the Flash Dragon Strike head-on.
Patrick lightly increased the distance and faced his opponent.
"Fuuuuu…."
He regulated his breathing deeply, but his eyes never missed a single movement of the opponent.
The opponent was the same.
Though it had been a short time, exchanging about a hundred bouts allowed him to realize two things.
First, this Death Knight was undoubtedly a Plum Blossom Swordsman. He wasn't an undead who had been forced to learn the technique through some trickery; he must have been a master of the Mount Hua Sect who had trained relentlessly during his lifetime.
Second, he was at least not a Plum Blossom Swordsman from the same era as the Radiant Dragon Hero, Jincheon.
'Definitely not. If a master of this caliber had existed back then, the Mount Hua Sect wouldn't have been getting pushed around by those Zhongnan kids.'
During the time Patrick—that is, the Radiant Dragon Hero Jincheon—was active, the Mount Hua Sect’s influence had waned significantly.
Though they were still counted among the Nine Great Sects, they had no notable masters, and their power was being eclipsed by the Mount Zhongnan Sect, their fellow Taoist sword sect.
Patrick, who had once personally crossed swords with the man called the Supreme Elder of the Mount Hua Sect, was certain.
This Death Knight was far stronger than the Supreme Elder, who was the greatest swordsman of Mount Hua in his day.
Therefore, he was absolutely not someone from his own era.
"I don't know who you are… but I happen to owe the Mount Hua Sect a bit of a debt."
"……."
"So, I shall settle that debt right here."
Back when Patrick was collecting the martial arts of various sects to refine the techniques of the Twin Dragon Sect.
He had learned the Mount Hua Sect’s lightfoot technique, the Lingering Dark Fragrance.
The people of Mount Hua, moved by Jincheon’s passion, had willingly…
[“Open the ga-a-ates! You damn Taoists are so greedy with your martial arts! You can’t even teach me a single lightfoot technique?! I even brought a Token of Gratitude from the Sect Leader’s direct disciple, and you still won't teach me?! Fellow brothers of the Jianghu, look at thi— mmpf! Mmpf!”]
Well… anyway, he did learn it.
And it had actually been a great help.
In the process of refining his footwork by incorporating the Lingering Dark Fragrance, he had become able to perform the unique Afterimage Step that became the Radiant Dragon Hero’s specialty.
Because of that, Patrick felt a sense of debt toward the Mount Hua Sect in his own way.
"For a man who was once a Taoist to become a corpse puppet and have his martial arts exploited… it must be a humiliation. A disgrace."
"……."
"I shall release you from those shackles today."
A blue light flickered in Patrick’s eyes. At the same time, for the first time since his awakening, Patrick released the energy of his Middle Dantian.
"Hmph!"
The energy that had been amplified as it resonated between the two Lower Dantians was amplified once more in the Middle Dantian.
It was a cultivation method that maximized output by doubling the resonance of energy.
He hadn't officially named it yet, but…
"I suppose I’ll call it Double Booster… or the Twin Dragon Primordial Chaos Heart Method."
Wuuuuuuu… Boom!
The energy overflowing from Patrick’s body literally exploded.
The aura erupting from his entire body was the excess energy he couldn't even manage to contain.
Patrick bit his lip hard in that state and thought.
'I won't be able to maintain this for long.'
It wasn't a power he could fully control yet.
It was a power he had created to skin that damn cat, but he was doubtful whether it would even work.
In that sense, this was a good opportunity.
He had a perfect test subject right in front of him.
"Here I come."
"……."
"I’m really coming."
"……."
"I’m really, really coming. Got it?"
No matter how much a Death Knight might have lost his emotions, this was enough to provoke anyone.
The moment the knight tried to move his sword first…
Zip.
Patrick was already in front of him.
The Death Knight was also an absolute master, but he didn't see Patrick’s movement at all; he only perceived the result.
It was a speed so immense that even the disturbance in the air was felt too late.
And what followed was…
Kwooooom!
A destructive force of terrifying magnitude.
Struck by a blow powerful enough to shatter a small mountain, the Death Knight was sent flying backward.
Crash! Smash! Boom!
Flying dozens of meters, the Death Knight smashed through buildings in his way and slammed into the outer wall of the fortress.
Though he was pinned there like he was being executed on a cross, he did not let go of his sword even amidst the impact. And…
"Let’s finish this outside."
Once again, Patrick Schneider, who had approached in the blink of an eye, spoke softly.
The Death Knight reflexively tried to swing his sword, but before he could, Patrick’s attack landed again.
Kwoooooooooom!
The outer wall of the Schneider Duchy had been built much thicker than standard walls to withstand attacks from giant monsters.
However, Patrick’s attack punched a massive hole through that wall and blasted the Death Knight straight outside.
"Fo… Follow the Young Lord!"
"Hurry! Get outside the wall! Move!"
The duchy’s soldiers hurriedly ran outside after Patrick.
Whether they would be of any help was a secondary concern; they couldn't leave Patrick alone.
* * *
"I see… you are indeed an unfamiliar face."
The aftermath of the two attacks had shattered the Death Knight’s armor and helmet.
Confirming the revealed face, Patrick nodded.
The facial features and hair were those of someone from the Central Plains, but it wasn't anyone Patrick knew. However…
"Whether I know you or not, what I must do remains the same. I will put you to rest now."
He couldn't use his full power inside the walls.
But now…
Wuuuuuung.
"This is the end, nameless Plum Blossom Swordsman."
"……."
Seeing the extraordinary power emanating from Patrick’s body, the Death Knight also took a sword stance.
The moment Patrick saw that starting stance—holding the sword upright in front of the chest with the index and middle fingers of one hand placed on the middle of the blade—his eyes twitched.
'He can perform that?'
The Death Knight made the first move.
Fwaaaaaaaa!
Blooming, blooming, blooming, and blooming again.
The plum blossoms blooming in profusion soon filled the area as if to cover the entire world, and at that moment, what tickled the tip of Patrick’s nose was the sweet and cozy scent of plum blossoms.
Plum Blossom Fragrance Fills a Thousand Miles
The final form of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art.
The fragrance currently stimulating his nose was proof that the swordsman’s intent had transcended the boundaries of reality.
In the Mount Hua Sect of Patrick’s previous life, there was no one who could properly use this technique.
The Sect Leader had shown it as a demonstration, but it didn't actually produce this scent, nor did even a tenth of these plum blossoms bloom.
'So this is the true Plum Blossom Fragrance Fills a Thousand Miles.'
He never imagined he would witness the essence of the Mount Hua Sect—which he hadn't even seen in his past life—in this life, and across the boundaries of worlds at that.
Patrick responded in kind.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles
Synthesis Style
Nine Dragons Rampage
Nine dragons erupted from the tip of Patrick’s sword, surging in all directions and beginning to rampage wildly.
The nine dragons, biting and tearing at their surroundings with savage violence, pushed back the plum blossoms that had blanketed the world.
Then, they intertwined with each other, becoming one as they descended upon the Death Knight.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Terrifying destructive power.
The nine dragons, laying waste to the entire area, might have been equal to an Ultimate Secret Art in terms of pure destructive force.
Kwoooooom!
And when everything was over.
"Fuuuuu…."
Patrick closed his eyes and took a long breath, settling the energy in his Middle Dantian.
"Cough…"
A small cough escaped him, and blood rose in his throat, but he swallowed it back down.
He didn't want to show a disheveled appearance right now.
Sheathing his sword, Patrick walked toward the fallen Death Knight. Then…
"Are you conscious?"
"…Who… are you?"
"Patri—"
Patrick, speaking out of habit, squeezed his eyes shut. He then extended both hands forward, respectfully performing a fist salute to show proper etiquette.
"I am Jincheon, the Great Disciple of the Twin Dragon Sect. I greet my senior of the Jianghu."