If You're Wronged, Then Come Back to Life Too (1)
"Waaahhhhhh!"
Baek Cheon grabbed Jo Gul tightly just as Jo Gul launched himself forward with bloodshot eyes.
"Let go! Let go of me! I'm going to kill him!"
"Calm down!"
"How am I supposed to calm down? That bastard is going after Chung Myung...!"
"He's not dead, you idiot!"
"...Huh?"
And then, at that very moment—
Thud.
Chung Myung, who had been falling, twisted his body in midair and landed neatly on the ground.
"Wha—..."
Seeing that, Jo Gul's legs gave out beneath him, and he sank to the ground. Yoon Jong put a hand on his shoulder and let out a deep breath.
He must have been shocked.
Then again, even Baek Cheon himself had nearly had his heart leap into his throat. How much worse must it have been for those two? Jo Gul already looked half-dead, and Yoon Jong's eyes were practically glazed over.
And Yu I-seol, the only one who still seemed composed, was putting her sword away...?
Hmm?
Sago?
Why did you draw your sword?
What were you planning to do with it?
At that moment, Yoon Jong, swallowing a dry lump in his throat, turned his head to look at Chung Myung.
Chung Myung, having landed on the ground, lifted his head. In his mouth was one of Tang Gun-ak's flying knives.
"Ptooey!"
Clang.
Chung Myung spat the knife onto the ground and swallowed the blood welling up in thick bursts.
"That was close."
If he hadn't forced a spasm into his mouth and clamped down on the knife with his teeth in an instant, his face would have been pierced clean through.
Just thinking about it again sent a chill down his spine.
"I didn't expect you to hide another knife behind the first one."
The flying knife hadn't been one from the start. There had been another, sent at a sly angle behind the one meant to draw the eye.
Of course, because Tang Gun-ak had suppressed its force to keep it hidden, it had still been possible to block it this way.
"Magnificent."
Tang Gun-ak nodded as if in admiration.
When he thought about it, it was only a simple improvisation.
But being able to pull off that kind of improvisation when one's life was hanging by a thread—that was no small thing. Perhaps that single response was even more impressive than anything Chung Myung had shown so far.
At the very least, it means he's not some greenhorn who dies without ever using what he has.
With that level of skill, that kind of improvisation, and that absurd degree of familiarity...
"Genius" doesn't even begin to cover this bastard.
Then what in the world was he supposed to call that monster?
Tang Gun-ak's gaze fixed on Chung Myung.
"Eight seconds."
Chung Myung spat out another clot of blood. The edge of his tongue had been cut nearly halfway through, and blood was seeping out in thick drops.
But he seemed to think nothing of it as he glared at Tang Gun-ak and spoke.
"Two moves left."
"Hmm."
Tang Gun-ak was no longer smiling.
He acknowledged Chung Myung. And when dealing with someone one acknowledged, one ought to show proper courtesy.
"Two moves are enough."
Chung Myung's expression hardened at the clear shift in Tang Gun-ak's aura.
One flying knife rose into Tang Gun-ak's palm.
"If you can take this too, you win."
Tang Gun-ak began pouring internal energy into the knife in his hand.
Whooooooooom!
The knife, which had been trembling lightly, began to twitch like a living carp. With that terrifying influx of internal energy, it quivered as though it had been granted life.
Cold sweat began sliding down Chung Myung's spine.
An overwhelming aura.
This strike was clearly on a completely different level from the flying knife techniques Chung Myung had faced from Tang Gun-ak until now.
But.
Two.
Only two attacks remained.
If he could endure those two attacks, Chung Myung would win!
Chung Myung saw it clearly.
There was sweat beading on Tang Gun-ak's forehead, which had until now remained so composed. That meant he, too, was pouring everything he had into this strike.
It's coming!
"Take this!"
The flying knife resting on Tang Gun-ak's palm lifted of its own accord and shot toward Chung Myung.
No, that wasn't something that could be described as "shot."
A knife flying slower than an ant crawling wasn't something you could call a shot.
Dark Explosion Dagger.
Tang Jan's secret technique, the move he had used to bring Jo Gul down!
That Dark Explosion Dagger was unleashed from Tang Gun-ak's hand with a power entirely unlike Tang Jan's.
Whooooooooom...
Chung Myung's body tensed to the limit.
The dagger, flying with maddening slowness, began to whip up the air around it. Before long, a massive whirlpool had formed around the blade.
Dust and dirt surged upward like a dragon's ascent, and a tremendous pressure rolled in.
Grrrrrk!
Chung Myung gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly it seemed ready to break.
How do you deal with a killing blow?
It was then.
KWAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
With a massive explosion that sounded like the sky itself was collapsing, the Dark Explosion Dagger shot toward Chung Myung at a terrifying speed.
He knew it instantly.
I can't block that!
But he couldn't run either. The whirling Dark Explosion Dagger was dragging in everything around it.
Then what?
Chung Myung raised his sword in front of him.
Don't think.
This wasn't a situation he could solve by thinking.
I trust it!
His sword knew everything.
Everything was contained within his sword.
His sword was Mount Hua, and Mount Hua was his sword.
The only thing he had to trust was his own blade.
Bloom!
The sword moved gracefully.
Slowly. So slowly.
But that sword was never slow. The world itself was flowing more slowly than his blade.
It bloomed.
At the tip of the sword.
At first, it was only a single plum blossom bud.
But in an instant, dozens of plum blossoms surrounded the tip of his sword.
The strongest defensive move of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art manifested at Chung Myung's sword tip for the first time in a hundred years.
The riotously blooming blossoms overlapped, layer upon layer, forming an unbreakable wall of flowers.
Plum Blossom Wall.
Internal energy surging from Chung Myung's dantian raced through the sword and created hundreds of plum blossoms. Those blossoms covered the path of the incoming Dark Explosion Dagger, then covered it again, and again.
The Dark Explosion Dagger pierced straight through the blossoms. The plum blooms, unable to withstand the terrifying power carried within the knife, withered and vanished in an instant.
KAGAGAGAGAGAK!
As if no number of blossoms could stop even a single blade, the Dark Explosion Dagger pressed on, losing none of its momentum as it tore through the wall of flowers.
"Haaahhhh!"
Unlike his fierce battle cry, Chung Myung's feet kept retreating, step by step. Even so, he continued to create plum blossoms at the tip of his sword without pause.
If he couldn't block it at once, then he'd swing it dozens of times. If dozens weren't enough, he'd swing it hundreds of times.
Mount Hua's plum blossoms bloomed without end.
As day passed into night. As autumn gave way to winter. As the years changed and time went on.
They withered for a moment, then bloomed again in full abundance. Chung Myung's sword, too, kept driving endless blossoms into being.
No force, however mighty, could break the principle of circulation.
Clank! Kagagagak!
The maddening metallic shriek of the blade continued as the Dark Explosion Dagger gradually began to lose its force.
Delight sparked in Chung Myung's eyes.
He drew up his internal energy as though his dantian might burst, and with even fiercer momentum, he began to create more plum blossoms.
And then, at that moment—
KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
Chung Myung snapped his head up.
Another flying knife!
Before he knew it, another blade launched by Tang Gun-ak was streaking in with horrifying momentum.
Toward Chung Myung?
No!
The flying knife Tang Gun-ak had sent struck precisely behind the now-faltering Dark Explosion Dagger.
KWAAAAAAAANG!
A deafening blast tore through the air. The Dark Explosion Dagger's momentum doubled and it shredded every plum blossom standing in its way.
KWAAAAAAAAA!
Then it whipped up a massive vortex, large enough to drag the blue flagstones of the courtyard into the air, and came straight at Chung Myung.
Ten seconds!
Chung Myung clenched his teeth.
"This is the last one! Taaaat!"
And then he charged forward instead.
Crack. Crack.
The sword hilt screamed in protest, unable to withstand the force of his grip.
As Chung Myung hurled himself into the storm of energy that seemed ready to shred everything it touched, cries burst from everyone's mouths.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!"
"Chung Myungaaaaah!"
But one single person...
Baek Cheon only clenched his fists tightly.
Go!
Show them what Mount Hua's sword is!
Wrapping up debris and dust in its wake, the Dark Explosion Dagger had become a massive earthen dragon. Chung Myung sprinted straight toward it.
All the energy in his dantian was drawn out and spun through his entire body. In response to that fierce internal force, external energies were pulled into him as well.
Chung Myung dragged out even the last scrap of power and forced it all into his sword.
Wooooooooooong!
The sword, unable to bear that power, screamed. The tip of the Plum Blossom Sword was cracking with sharp, spiderweb-like fractures.
But Chung Myung's gaze was fixed on only one place!
"Uwaaaaaaaah!"
With a roar that seemed ready to burst his throat, Chung Myung stamped the ground with a single powerful step.
BOOOOM!
The floor caved inward and split apart. Pulling the recoil of that terrifying stamp all the way into his waist, Chung Myung swung his sword upward in one swift motion.
Plum Blossom Burst!
KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
The Dark Explosion Dagger collided with his sword and, with a thunderous roar, flew just barely over Chung Myung's head!
Urk!
Fresh blood spurted from Chung Myung's mouth like a waterfall.
But he had blocked it!
Without even a moment to steady himself, Chung Myung's foot slammed into the ground again.
Not yet!
It was coming.
Right now!
A chilling murderous intent prickled at his back.
Chung Myung kicked off the ground and launched himself into the air, spinning around in midair.
And there it was, plain as day.
Whoosh—!
The Dark Explosion Dagger he had clearly just blocked was spinning in midair and coming after him from behind.
Revolving Blade!
How many masters had died to that vicious trick?
Anyone who thought they were safe after blocking the Dark Explosion Dagger lost their life to the revolving dagger that came after from behind. This chain from explosion to rotation was the move Tang Bo had once been most proud of.
"Bring it on!"
Leaping high into the air, Chung Myung yanked his sword close. Then he received the incoming dagger dead-on with the blade's surface.
KWAAAAAAAANG!
The impact felt as though his arm had been broken and his insides had all exploded at once.
Even inside that swirling shock, Chung Myung did not lose consciousness. Instead, he used the recoil to hurl himself forward.
He saw it.
Tang Gun-ak's face, shocked as he watched Chung Myung shoot toward him like an arrow loosed from a bow!
Having blocked both the Dark Explosion Dagger and the Revolving Blade, Chung Myung shot toward the now-defenseless Tang Gun-ak at terrifying speed.
"It's over!"
His hand, clenched so tightly the blood had stopped flowing through it, cracked the sword hilt halfway apart. Chung Myung drew on every ounce of strength left in him and swung with all his might.
SHRAAAAAAAAK!
The sword tip ripped through the air and came down on Tang Gun-ak's shoulder.
And then—
FWOOSH!
The sound of a sharp blade cutting into flesh rang out clearly.
The two men froze in place.
As if time itself had stopped, their gazes met in midair.
One side held pain.
The other, surprise.
Those opposing emotions crossed and collided.
Chung Myung lowered to the ground.
Tap.
His expression was calm beyond measure. By contrast, Tang Gun-ak's face was twisted tight.
It was Chung Myung who spoke first.
"Ten... sec..."
"..."
"Hey, you...
Chung Myung's body slowly pitched forward.
"You cheating bastard..."
Thud.
Chung Myung's body collapsed to the ground.
Tang Gun-ak stared blankly down at the fallen Chung Myung. There, near his abdomen, was a Tang Family flying knife buried all the way to the hilt.
"You..."
Tang Gun-ak's face twisted like that of a demon.
His head slowly turned around.
In his eyes, as cold as a wind carrying the depths of winter, was Tang Pae—frozen with one hand still outstretched in front of him.
"You... filthy little worm!"
Tang Gun-ak's wrath met Tang Pae head-on, and Tang Pae began to tremble violently.
"F-Father! I-I was..."
"A bastard who doesn't even know what honor means dares to dirty my duel?"
"I-I was... for your sake..."
"Shut your mouth!"
Tang Gun-ak roared in fury and unleashed a burst of force. Tang Pae was struck by that force, spewing blood as he was flung backward and smashed into the hall.
And even then, as though his rage still hadn't cooled, Tang Gun-ak ground his teeth.
What shameful defeat in this world could be worse than this?
"Chung Myung!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"You dog-shit bastards!"
The disciples of Mount Hua rushed forward at once and pulled the collapsed Chung Myung into their arms.
Seeing the eyes full of hatred that the Mount Hua disciples turned on him, Tang Gun-ak let out a low sigh.
"Ibi."
Swish.
From behind Tang Gun-ak, a figure in black nightwear appeared.
"Yes, Lord."
"Move the Mount Hua Divine Dragon to the Medicine Hall. Tell them that no matter what means they use, they must save him."
"Yes!"
"If the Mount Hua Divine Dragon dies, I will have the Medicine Hall Lord and every senior in the Medicine Hall executed... and..."
Tang Gun-ak's eyes, cold as the northern wind and snow, turned toward the shattered hall.
"The young lord dies too."
"..."
Those heavy words caused cold sweat to stream down Ibi's entire body.
"I will save him, no matter what."
"You had better."
As Ibi approached Chung Myung, the disciples of Mount Hua blocked his way.
Baek Cheon, who stood at the very front with murderous eyes fixed on Tang Gun-ak, drew his sword.
"Do not come any closer."
"Calm yourself, Righteous Sword of Mount Hua."
"If I were calm, I would already have a blade in your throat."
Tang Gun-ak let out a sigh.
"The Tang Family's medicine is second to none in the world. In Sichuan, the best place to treat the Mount Hua Divine Dragon is the Tang Family."
"And yet the Tang Family is probably the least trustworthy place right now."
Tang Gun-ak bit his lip lightly.
Normally, he would never have tolerated such words from a junior, but what Tang Pae had done had robbed him of any chance to argue otherwise.
"...I lost."
Baek Cheon's eyes widened a little.
"I lost this duel. Miserably. In the most disgraceful manner imaginable. So at the very least, give me the chance to regain my honor and prove that the Tang Family is not a cowardly place."
"..."
"I beg you."
Tang Gun-ak bowed his head toward Baek Cheon.
Seeing that, Baek Cheon bit his lip hard.
"We'll go together."
"Of course."
Baek Cheon turned slightly and looked back. Chung Myung, blood streaming from him and unconscious, and the brothers desperately trying to stop the bleeding, came into view.
"...He can still be saved, right?"
"We will save him."
Tang Gun-ak clenched his teeth.
"Even if I have to use every secret the Tang Family possesses!"
Looking at Chung Myung's face, pale as a corpse, Baek Cheon ground his teeth.
"You'd better make damn sure you keep that promise."
Baek Cheon personally lifted Chung Myung into his arms.
"Lead the way."
His hand, gripping the hem of Chung Myung's clothes, was shaking uncontrollably.