Chapter 245
Chapter 245
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: The World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament (8)
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The tournament grounds lay in shattered pieces.
Every time the two peerless masters clashed, a storm, a typhoon of energy erupted.
“Get the people back!”
The Grand Chancellor raised his voice, concerned for the safety of the citizens.
When I turned to look, he was glaring at me with eyes that seemed to ask what in the world had happened.
And he had every right to.
It was crazy enough to bring in a strategic weapon like the Great Demon of Annihilation, but I had also summoned another peerless master to face him.
You could think of it as bringing in two atomic bombs without permission.
I knew it, too. I knew it was insane.
But to deceive a fox like the Great Demon of Annihilation, I had to deceive my own allies first.
Thanks to that, hadn’t I managed to fool everyone, from the Grand Chancellor and the rest of Nine Dragons Fortress to the Lord of the Mountain King Association and the Master of the Water Dragon Gate, and the thousands of people who had come to the tournament?
It was truly a lie crafted with soul.
‘This is the state of perfect unity, where I am the lie, and the lie is me.’
My heart swelled with pride.
‘All that’s left now is to pray my side wins.’
I knew from our brief exchange. Im Jeong was a warrior strong enough to live up to his reputation.
But he would never be able to win the World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament.
How could I be so sure?
Because the identity of Nam Ji-sip, the man fighting him now, was none other than the War King, my Grandmaster.
If I couldn’t get help from my father, wasn’t it common sense to call for grandpa’s help?
Moreover, the Grandmaster, whose origins, name, martial arts, and even appearance were all shrouded in mystery, was the most suitable person for this operation.
‘It cost a bit of money, though…’
Specifically, it cost an appearance fee of five thousand silver nyang.
‘Don’t I need to at least secure a marriage fund for my only son?’
‘That son is the Lord of Nine Dragons.’
‘The wealth of Nine Dragons Fortress belongs to Nine Dragons Fortress, not to him.’
‘His monthly salary is quite substantial, so I think he’ll manage to get married on his own… If it’s really a problem, I can take care of it.’
‘He’ll just spend it all on drink. It’s better if I hold onto it.’
‘Hmm, you’re not wrong, but… I also feel like it might already be too late.’
‘You brat!’
*Thwack!*
‘Ouch!’
Faced with the Grandmaster’s conviction that there was still hope, I had no choice but to promise the hefty appearance fee.
Well, it was fine.
I could easily cover it with the winnings from the tournament bet I placed on the Grandmaster.
Just as I was marveling at my own brilliant scheme…
*Fwoooosh! Craaash! Crack. Craaackle.*
A massive wave of energy surged out once more.
“Hup!”
If left unchecked, it would undoubtedly affect the spectator stands.
*Thud.*
I immediately moved to block the front of the stands.
I couldn't let any innocent people get hurt.
*Crackle. Sizzle. Baam!*
I unleashed a barrage of War King Thirteen Strikes infused with force, shattering the incoming fragments of energy like lightning.
Worried that there might be trouble elsewhere, I scanned the area and saw the Hall Masters of the Inner Fortress had taken their positions.
They must have reacted quickly, as they hadn't taken their eyes off the duel in the arena.
The same was true for me.
“…Indeed.”
This wasn’t the first time I had witnessed a fight between warriors who had reached the absolute realm.
Just a short while ago, I had personally watched Baek Sang-ji’s final moments.
However, this duel was different from that one.
‘He’s completely overwhelming him.’
It wasn't a back-and-forth battle like the one between my master and Baek Sang-ji, but a one-sided fight.
Of course, it was right to believe that there were no absolutes in a fight between warriors.
If luck piled up, the timing was right, and one was careless, it was entirely possible for a lesser martial artist to defeat a master.
Furthermore, his opponent was the Great Demon of Annihilation, one of the Ten Great Masters.
A single misstep would surely cost him his life.
But, as they say, you see as much as you know.
The Grandmaster was systematically breaking Im Jeong down from the bottom up, never letting his guard down.
Moreover, the War King Arts that the Grandmaster demonstrated gave me great inspiration.
‘Is… is that even possible?’
I had thought that the War King Arts, unable to contain force, were only half-complete, its characteristic explosive power, as well as its speed and range, being halved.
My master had even told me that this was why he chose the Black Dragon Hand over the War King Arts.
However, the Grandmaster turned that weakness into a strength.
If my Explosive Death Force was a single punch thrown at a punching machine, the Grandmaster’s was like the combination of a skilled boxer.
If my Ultimate Death Force was a fruit knife slicing a hard apple, his was rhythmic, like a chef’s knife dicing an onion.
He used the shorter preparation time and smaller recoil compared to the complete War King Arts to corner Im Jeong.
The most surprising thing was…
‘Every single one of his movements contains the essence of the War King Arts.’
There was no form at all.
He stomped on Im Jeong’s foot and unleashed an Explosive Death Force, and infused the sharpness of the Ultimate Death Force into his swinging fist.
He even delivered a headbutt with an Explosive Death Force concentrated in the center of his forehead, leaving Im Jeong to be pushed back helplessly.
It was complete and utter freedom.
Only then did I understand why the Grandmaster’s title was the War King.
Just as the ultimate form of tuning is returning to stock, the ultimate form of techniques in the martial world is formlessness.
To reach this state of formlessness, one must experience countless real battles. The Grandmaster had fought his way through hell to reach that state.
And in the process, he had earned the title, the King of the Battlefield.
Only then could I see what I was lacking.
‘Ah…’
Until now, I had been unleashing the full power of the War King Arts. With every single move, I was determined to bring down a mountain.
Of course, that wasn't the wrong way.
If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to survive against my powerful enemies.
However, now that I had seen a path to becoming stronger, there was no need to refrain from walking it.
Especially with such a perfect textbook example right before my eyes.
A grin spread across my face.
It seemed that holding the World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament was a good idea after all.
***
Meanwhile, Im Jeong, who had been attacking with abandon, came to his senses. No, he had no choice but to come to his senses.
‘Damn it!’
If he didn’t, his life would be on the line.
Im Jeong finally acknowledged the old man before him as his equal.
Although he had taken a few hits, it was still manageable.
If he could just seize one opportunity, he could turn the situation around.
The problem was…
“To think that the saber arts you obtained by slitting your martial brothers’ throats are only this pathetic… Your master, who’s probably getting beaten up in the underworld, must be weeping with regret.”
“Die!”
The old geezer’s tongue had reached the realm of the gods.
Enough to make a seasoned veteran like Im Jeong lose his composure.
*Craaaash!*
The saber qi, filled with immense power, extended from his great saber and completely destroyed the tournament grounds.
As expected of a master of provocation, the old man skillfully dodged by moving his feet.
He was trying to wear him out.
Even one of the Ten Great Masters was still human, and thus had a limit to his internal energy.
‘Damn it!’
Realizing he had made another mistake, Im Jeong gritted his teeth and moved.
Since the mistake was already made, he thought it better to at least seize the momentum.
*Fshhh.*
He used a phantom movement technique and appeared behind the old man.
Iron Wind Kick.
The famously heavy kicking art was unleashed toward the old man’s back.
The old man’s hands struck Im Jeong’s leg.
*Thud. Crack!*
A single blow held enough power to break bones and tear flesh.
But these two men simply unleashed even more powerful attacks at each other, showing no signs of fear.
After they had exchanged dozens of blows…
*Rumble, boom!*
An explosion erupted from the old man’s fist as it slammed into Im Jeong’s abdomen.
“Hup!”
Using the recoil, he spun his body like a top and swung his massive saber.
*Flash.*
The great saber glowed with a green light as it sliced a long arc through the air.
A strike meant to trade flesh for bone, catching the opponent off guard.
It was a testament to the depth of the martial arts possessed by the Great Demon of Annihilation, Im Jeong.
*Craaaaaash!*
The old man deployed his protective aura to block the attack.
‘Got you!’
In that instant, a glint appeared in Im Jeong’s eyes.
He would be immobile while maintaining his protective aura. He unleashed the technique he was most confident in.
*Fwoooom!*
Im Jeong’s great saber descended upon the old man’s head, emitting pressure like that of a great mountain.
It was the fifteenth form of the Eighteen Heaven-Sundering Forms, the Mountain-Cleaving Strike.
As the saber, with enough power to split a mountain, came crashing down, the old man gritted his teeth.
He had sensed that this was no ordinary attack.
The old man’s hands moved ceaselessly, striking the saber.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud.*
Each time his fist struck the saber, the recoil compounded, and soon, Im Jeong’s saber lost its power.
“Hup!”
Confirming that his attack had failed, Im Jeong swung his great saber again.
Now that his intended blow had been blocked, the right move was to retreat and look for another opportunity, but he had come too far for that.
It was better to press on with powerful attacks and seize the momentum.
Im Jeong poured all of his remaining internal energy into unleashing the eighteen saber strikes of the Eighteen Heaven-Sundering Forms at the old man.
Each and every strike contained enough power to shatter a mountain peak.
Seeing this, the old man created two gray orbs in his hands.
And so, the two men clashed.
*Craaaash! Craaaash!*
A massive explosion occurred in the middle of the arena.
A moment later…
Im Jeong’s body was sent flying like a cannonball.
*Thud!*
“Gah… Bleegh!”
He collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood from his internal injuries, yet he forced himself back up.
*Crrrack. Crunch.*
In that time, the two gray orbs had completely devoured the saber aura of the Eighteen Heaven-Sundering Forms without a trace.
“……!”
Im Jeong stared at the scene with eyes of disbelief.
The Eighteen Heaven-Sundering Forms was not the fastest saber art in the world. Nor was it the most powerful.
The reason it had ascended to the ranks of a divine art was singular.
Balance.
It was not skewed in any direction, nor did it have any shortcomings.
No matter where, with whom, under what conditions, or against how many opponents, it could display its full power.
It had no weaknesses.
That was why one could strive to be the best under heaven with it.
That was what Im Jeong had felt while training in the Eighteen Heaven-Sundering Forms.
But today, that belief was completely shattered.
The divine art he had thought was close to perfection had been completely devoured by his opponent’s attack.
“…H-How can this be!”
Who in the world could block the Eighteen Heaven-Sundering Forms so easily?
This was something neither the Lord of Nine Dragons nor the Leader of the Lion Alliance could do.
If he had to name someone, he thought only the Lord of the Martial Emperor Fortress, known as the God of War of the North, might be capable of it.
‘Where did such a master come from…?’
A question arose.
Then who in the world was this old man?
Could he be the Lord of the Martial Emperor Fortress?
That was impossible.
Not only was his age wrong, but he was also too busy fending off the northern tribes to have any spare time.
“Could it be!”
Then there was only one person left.
The warrior who became a legend after wandering through over a thousand battlefields for decades.
The man considered to be just below the Lord of the Martial Emperor Fortress, who was called the greatest under heaven of his generation.
The master who had recently snapped the neck of the Lord of the Ten Demon Alliance.
“The… the War King!”
It was the War King.
“What! The War King?”
“N-No way?”
At his shout, the Hall Masters of Nine Dragons Fortress focused their gazes, naturally.
However, at the old man’s subsequent denial, they were all left speechless.
“Who. Is. That. I. Am. The. Old. Man. of the. Mountain-Shattering. Fist. Not. The. War. King. Who. Is. The. War. King.”
It was just too awkward.
“Don’t lie! If you’re not the War King, then… Gak!”
Im Jeong immediately tried to argue.
*Craaaash!*
But the old man took that opportunity to strike him in the chest.
Sent flying back a good distance, Im Jeong clutched his saber.
“Krrgh, you coward!”
He had realized that knowing his identity changed nothing.
The old man threw a punch at Im Jeong.
“Mountain-Shattering. Fist. Art. First. Form. Shatter. Mountain. Shatter. Mountain.”
He shouted, with a technique name that was obviously made up on the spot.