I Am Still Your Wall (4)
Jin Cho-baek clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles whitened.
Everyone present must have been tense, but no one’s feelings were as twisted and conflicted as the man watching the duel unfold.
And why wouldn’t they be?
One son, as Southern Edge’s prized hope, was trying to crush the younger brother who had entered Mount Hua; the other, as Mount Hua’s pillar, was trying to bring down the elder brother who stood as a column of Southern Edge.
Jin Cho-baek could only watch the scene with bitter anguish.
Bang!
The two men, blades locked together, were thrown back even faster than the speed at which they had charged in.
Watching the brothers glare at each other from a newly opened distance, Jin Cho-baek bit down hard on his lower lip. Their true abilities hadn’t fully come out yet, but from the outside, there was no significant gap between them.
Since when did that boy become equal to his brother?
He knew Baek Cheon had grown stronger. How could he not, after the display he had made in this tournament?
And yet, no matter how much Baek Cheon had improved, he had assumed it still wouldn’t be enough to reach his elder son.
Only a few years ago, the two hadn’t even been in the same league, so it was only natural to think that way.
Since childhood, Baek Cheon had never once beaten Jin Geum-ryong. Even accounting for age, he had never shown even half the talent Jin Geum-ryong had displayed at that age.
And yet.
What did he go through in Mount Hua? What did he gain there?
Right before his eyes, Baek Cheon was unfolding his sword without yielding even a single step to Jin Geum-ryong.
It was dazzling. So dazzling, in fact, that it hurt to look at.
Jin Cho-baek bit down on his lip once more, harder this time.
That was my mistake.
Talent was not something uniform. Some kinds of talent shone brilliantly from the start, while others bloomed slowly, like flowers that endured a long winter before opening at last.
It was the duty of parents and teachers to recognize that talent and nurture it.
I wasn’t a proper father.
He had clearly thought Baek Cheon would never measure up.
He had believed the boy wouldn’t even come close to his elder brother, and because of that, he had never expected anything from him, and because of that, he had hurt him.
But then.
His gaze moved beyond the duel platform to the Mount Hua disciples cheering for Baek Cheon.
Mount Hua raised that boy.
They had accomplished what he himself had failed to do.
Hyun Jong’s face flashed through his mind—the man who had said without a trace of shame that Mount Hua needed Baek Cheon.
Could I have said something like that?
Jin Cho-baek squeezed his eyes shut.
He was here now as an elder of Southern Edge. If he thought only of his duty, then he should obviously be rooting for Jin Geum-ryong, not Baek Cheon.
But as Baek Cheon’s father, not Southern Edge’s elder, he could not help but have his gaze stolen by the son who had so unexpectedly risen before him.
Show me.
What you gained.
What I failed to see.
"Sahyung. Sasuk’s going to win, right?"
"…"
To Jo Gul’s question, Yoon Jong could not easily answer.
Of course, his trust in Baek Cheon was firm.
Sasuk is different from us.
Before Chung Myung appeared, Baek Cheon had been the most outstanding among Mount Hua’s disciples.
Grace, composure, and skill—he possessed them all.
Among Mount Hua’s disciples, there was no one who did not admire him. He was so overwhelmingly gifted that even the Baek generation had once given up on competing with him entirely.
And on top of that talent, he possessed tireless effort. He was the one who had sealed himself away in training and driven himself to the very limit in order to defeat Southern Edge and Jin Geum-ryong.
So how could he not trust him?
And yet…
His opponent is Jin Geum-ryong.
He had faded somewhat after losing to Chung Myung, but he was still the man who had been called Southern Edge’s greatest talent in a hundred years. If he were to become sect leader, people said, a golden age unlike anything Southern Edge had ever known would begin—and it had always sounded entirely reasonable.
Of course, Mount Hua had grown immeasurably stronger since Chung Myung arrived. But…
Have we really crossed that gap?
Baek Cheon had to prove it. Against none other than Jin Geum-ryong himself.
"Sahyung…"
"Trust him."
Without taking his eyes off the duel platform, Yoon Jong spoke firmly.
"Trust your sahyung. Trust the training we’ve done until now. We’ve become strong enough."
"But…"
Jo Gul stopped himself and shut his mouth tight.
It’s not like Jin Geum-ryong has been lounging around either.
If you had to pick a single true genius, Jin Geum-ryong beat out Baek Cheon.
He trained so hard that he looks completely unlike the person he used to be.
Anyone could tell from Jin Geum-ryong’s aura how ruthlessly he had pushed himself.
Could Baek Cheon really win against that? Could he really close that gap that once seemed impossible to bridge?
"Sahyung will win."
At the voice coming from behind them, Jo Gul whipped his head around.
Yu I-seol was staring at the duel platform with a face frozen cold.
"He worked himself to the bone."
Unlike her calm tone, the fist hidden beneath her sleeve was clenched tight. Even she was that tense.
Jo Gul bit his lip slightly and looked back at Baek Cheon.
Sasuk!
Win.
Absolutely!
Two swords shot toward each other, pointing directly at their opponents.
Clang!
With a short, sharp metallic cry, the blades broke apart, then clashed again.
Feeling the force transmitted through his sword, Baek Cheon gritted his teeth.
What inner energy!
He had thought he had already surpassed Jin Geum-ryong in internal force.
No matter how much support the man received as Southern Edge’s legitimate heir, he should not have been able to outmatch Baek Cheon, who had taken Honwon Dan and Jaso-dan.
But Jin Geum-ryong’s inner force was in no way inferior to Baek Cheon’s.
Once again, Baek Cheon felt just how much effort Southern Edge had poured into Jin Geum-ryong.
Bang!
The surging inner force collided head-on. At the same time, a small explosion of qi burst between them.
"Kh!"
Forced backward by the shock, Baek Cheon’s eyes widened when he saw Jin Geum-ryong charging straight at him.
Jin Geum-ryong’s sword flashed downward toward his head like a streak of light. Baek Cheon clenched his teeth and raised his blade to meet it.
Crash!
The impact swept through his entire body as though a massive boulder had fallen onto his head. Before he could even regain his senses, Jin Geum-ryong’s foot kicked hard into his chest.
Thud!
Baek Cheon’s body was shoved back as though it would be hurled clear off the platform. Forcing his knees to bend, he barely managed to steady himself and glare at Jin Geum-ryong.
Jin Geum-ryong looked down at him with arrogant eyes.
It’s always been like this.
He had challenged him countless times.
And he had fought him countless times.
But the result had always been the same.
Baek Cheon on the ground, too stunned to move, and Jin Geum-ryong looking down on him.
The only difference now was that, in the past, Jin Geum-ryong had at least shown concern in his expression; now he merely stared coldly.
"So it really does seem like Mount Hua suits you."
"…What are you talking about?"
Jin Geum-ryong looked at Baek Cheon and spoke without emotion.
"If this were before, you’d already be down. Your face would be twisted up in frustration as you talked."
"…"
"I’ll admit the gap has narrowed. But no matter how much you narrow it, if you can’t overtake me, the result will always be the same."
I am still your wall.
That was what he meant.
Baek Cheon slowly rose to his feet. Then he lightly flicked his sword and opened his mouth.
"A wall, huh."
The corner of his lips curled faintly.
"You don’t get it. A wall is just something that happens to be there."
"What?"
"I told you already."
Baek Cheon’s voice turned low and sharp.
"If you insist on being my wall, then you’re the one who’ll end up being surpassed. A wall only stands still, while I keep moving forward."
He raised his sword and pointed it straight at Jin Geum-ryong.
"No matter how high a wall is, if you keep climbing and climbing, eventually you’ll reach its end. I’ve learned that lesson to death—from some damned bastard."
So.
"Today, I’m bringing you down."
"You talk a big game."
Jin Geum-ryong looked at Baek Cheon with icy eyes.
If this had been the old him, he would have simply laughed off Baek Cheon’s words. To him, Baek Cheon had been nothing more than a toy that could never, no matter how hard he tried, catch up to him.
But now?
Jin Geum-ryong lowered his gaze slightly to look at the hand gripping his sword.
His palm was faintly slick. It had no reason to be.
So I’m nervous. Me…
Against that Baek Cheon.
Jin Geum-ryong did not deny it. He did not force himself, and he did not cling to his pride.
He simply acknowledged it.
That Baek Cheon had become incomparably stronger than before, and that the gap between them had narrowed dramatically.
Only one thing, however, he was absolutely certain of keeping.
"Even if what you say is true…"
Jin Geum-ryong’s cold stare fell on Baek Cheon. His face was frigid, but beneath that expression lay unshakable confidence.
"Today is not that day. You can’t surpass me now."
At once, murderous intent surged around him.
"And I’ll prove that day will never come!"
Without a word, Jin Geum-ryong charged at Baek Cheon.
Fwaaaang!
His sword tore through the air and stabbed in with vicious speed. The blade that came flying at him split into more than a dozen sword shadows in an instant.
The intent wrapped around the sword was so fierce it seemed ready to tear apart even the soul.
But Baek Cheon clenched his teeth and stared directly at Jin Geum-ryong’s blade flying toward him.
Don’t dodge!
No matter how fast it was, no matter how strong it was.
He had experienced swords even worse than this until he was sick of them. There was no reason to be afraid.
I can see it.
Without realizing it, the corner of Baek Cheon’s mouth lifted.
Before his mind could even form the thought, his body moved. The plum blossom sword in his grasp struck Jin Geum-ryong’s blade dead on.
Kakakakang!
The blades, packed with sword qi, crashed together and produced a sound that stabbed straight into the eardrums. After knocking Jin Geum-ryong’s sword aside, Baek Cheon tightened his grip.
I’m looking at Jin Geum-ryong’s sword.
A sword he had not been able to see at all before. He had been defeated without even understanding how he lost.
But right now, Baek Cheon could clearly see Jin Geum-ryong’s sword and counter it.
A thrill so intense it raised the hairs on the back of his neck shot through his entire body.
But simply blocking it was not enough.
He immediately stepped forward and thrust toward Jin Geum-ryong’s throat.
And then he saw it clearly.
For the first time since he had stepped onto the duel platform, confusion appeared on Jin Geum-ryong’s face.
Clang!
Baek Cheon’s charging sword was sent flying back with no resistance.
But that did not mean nothing had been accomplished.
It works!
My sword!
The level I have reached!
It was reaching Jin Geum-ryong for real.
I’ve grown.
It might have sounded obvious.
He had become far stronger than before. He had crushed one prestigious disciple after another.
No one could deny Baek Cheon’s growth.
And yet, strangely, he had found it hard to feel that truth. He had acted confident in front of his fellow disciples, but all this time Baek Cheon had been plagued by a restless unease he could hardly put into words. Even now.
And at last, he could understand why.
Until he surpassed Jin Geum-ryong, he could not truly say he had grown.
Because Jin Geum-ryong was still a massive wall before him.
If I don’t get over it, I can’t move forward.
Was this just a simple desire to win? Jealousy? Envy?
Not a chance.
To go further as a swordsman, he had to surpass him. Jin Geum-ryong, Southern Edge, and the past itself!
"Taaah!"
Baek Cheon did not let go of the momentum he had won, and he unleashed one sword strike after another at Jin Geum-ryong.
I’ll show you.
What this Baek Cheon had achieved.
What had blossomed after enduring and enduring through a time like a long winter!
Baek Cheon’s sword slammed hard into Jin Geum-ryong. After forcing the opponent back with sheer force, the tip of his blade began to sway softly.
At the same time, red plum blossoms budded from the sword tip.
They bloomed.
His plum blossoms.
One by one, the delicate flowers burst forth—and in an instant, they began spreading with explosive force.
But then.
"Don’t get carried away."
With that cold rebuke, Jin Geum-ryong’s body stretched out like taffy, closing the distance between them in a blink.
Then, with a swift and horrifyingly fast strike, he slammed down on the sword that had been forming plum blossoms.
Kaang!
With that harsh cry, Baek Cheon’s sword was driven backward. At the same time, the blossoms that had been exploding into bloom vanished all at once like an illusion.
"Idiot."
Along with the icy sneer, Jin Geum-ryong’s sword erupted with sword qi. A blue light as cold as his gaze shot toward Baek Cheon’s wrist.
Shrrk!
With a sound that was horrifying even to hear, bright red blood splattered everywhere.