Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: See? (3)
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If Namgung Yeonhwa had arrived even a moment later, the damage could have been severe. A hundred or so fighters might seem like a small force, but staging a spectacle like this wouldn't have been easy. The more eyes on it, the faster the rumors would spread, leaving the Namgung Clan with nothing but headaches from every angle.
'A quick finish would be no fun.'
-True enough.
The first objective was a success—it was time to move on to the next.
Now the real question: what trick would he pull?
Namgung Je's left-handed swordplay was impressive, but ten men were far too few to take on the Sword Guard and the Ascension Squad.
He wasn't the type to hurl himself into the fire pit without a plan. A man who'd honed his blade for at least thirty years charging in unprepared? Who would buy that?
'Come on, show your hand.'
-Get cocky, and you might end up with bloodshed.
'Time for a little blood. Nothing steels resolve like watching someone close drop.'
-You're incorrigible.
'Call it a desperate measure.'
-Or just plain trouble out of nowhere?
Mujin stepped back as a bystander, savoring the brothers' discord. The bad blood between them ran deep—more like mortal enemies than kin, every word laced with venom.
Then again, he never built grudges with strangers. Resentments always hit hardest with those closest. Humans weren't enlightened enough to celebrate others' success purely, blood ties or not.
"Surrender now, and I'll spare your life."
"I'll shut that arrogant mouth of yours for good."
"You think you can beat me?"
"What would a frog in a well know!"
"So there is someone pulling the strings."
The Sword Guard waged psychological warfare worthy of a clan leader. He wouldn't just suppress the incident—he knew how to extract what he needed.
"Cunning bastard. Used that clever head to seduce the old man, didn't you?"
"Denying your own father? Your malice has seeped into your bones."
"To kill you, I'd do anything. I'll shatter this damned clan to pieces."
"Even with your guards, it's a tall order right now."
"If you're trying to shake me, you've misjudged."
A faint crack appeared on the Sword Guard's stoic brow. His ten subordinates notwithstanding, the Ascension Squad numbered a hundred—all proven elites within the clan.
And behind them stood the former clan head, his father. No chance of victory, yet Namgung Je's malice didn't waver.
'Another hidden card?'
It was plausible. But with escape routes sealed on all sides—unless he sprouted wings or burrowed underground—
"In standoffs like this, someone's always slinging curses."
Twitch!
Mujin was the one bellowing it solo.
Namgung Je reacted. Mujin had casually prodded a move no one had considered.
The Sword Guard caught on too—something was off.
"You've learned sorcery?"
"Think what you want."
"You have."
"Too late."
Dark light flashed in Namgung Je's pupils.
He drew forth the darkness, root of his hidden black sorcery. No one sensed it lurking until unleashed. Tendrils of shadow gathered in the air, forming the Dark Demonic Eye.
The ominous orb glared at the Sword Guard like a predator. Crushing malice choked the air, shaking souls to the core.
"Cheap tricks don't work on me."
"Do they not?"
The Sword Guard couldn't stay passive against Namgung Je's confidence. He didn't know the eye's nature, but it reeked of danger. Exposing the puppet master could backfire.
-Dark Demonic Eye.
'What's that?'
-A mental domination technique. But it's odd.
'Sorcery's always weird. What's new?'
-It can control minds, but not enough for a master warrior. Unless they're already subdued.
Subdued? Could it be?
"Sword Lord!"
Mujin's gaze shifted to the Sword Lord behind the Sword Guard. In this chaos, he'd be the prime target for control. His presence alone could swing everything.
Kwaaaang!
A roar tore through the air, shockwaves rattling the interior. Collision aftershocks cracked the walls.
Hwaaang!
A explosive qi storm swept outward. Caught off-guard, dismay flickered across the Sword Guard's face as he was pushed back.
"Father."
If Mujin hadn't called out at the last second, Namgung Cheon might not have reacted. Even so, the shock transmitted through their blades exceeded imagination.
"The plan went awry, but nothing changes. Seeing you flustered is pleasure enough. Kra ha ha ha ha!"
Namgung Je basked in vengeful glee.
More than victory, he craved payback for the humiliation from the Sword Lord and Sword Guard.
Easy to recruit, but unreliable long-term. Always prone to screwing up.
"Bring me the Sword Guard's head yourself."
At Namgung Je's command, the Sword Lord charged ferociously.
Kaaang!
Clashing steel sang as the sword traced a meteoric arc. No fancy forms, yet it embodied the Namgung Clan's essence—optimized for the heavy sword wielder.
Wobble, wobble!
The Peerless Sword. That's what they called the Sword Guard's blade. Few surpassed him in raw power. Yet he staggered like a leaf in the wind, losing his trajectory with each clash.
'Is this Father's sword?'
Whether due to sorcery or not, it felt incomplete. Still, Father's sword was mighty. He'd thought he'd closed the gap, but he hadn't surpassed him yet.
'But I am the head of the Namgung Clan.'
Father or not, he was the clan lord. He couldn't yield.
Meanwhile, he wondered how Father had been subdued. Ordinary means wouldn't work on an absolute master.
What if the sorcery worked on everyone? Horrific.
Thuaang!
Each clash rippled space itself. It looked like a brute force contest, but esoteric sword intents collided. Fused with their spirits and physiques, the blades devolved into formless essences.
Popopopung!
The Namgung Clan's heirloom art, Heavenly Thunder Sovereign King Divine Art, manifested as sword aura in Sovereign King Invincible Sword Beam. Layered blue beams like the firmament amplified destruction.
A peerless swordsman in action—mandatory viewing for any blade master.
But one man refused to acknowledge their swords.
"Sovereign Sword Form... Damn it!"
As the Sword Guard and Sword Lord's duel intensified, Namgung Je's face twisted. He'd hoped for a brutal father-son deathmatch, not this. He hadn't anticipated the Sword Guard's swordsmanship so refined. Even accounting for growth, wielding Sovereign King Invincible Sword Beam so freely was unforeseen.
"Kill him!"
Envy and jealousy fueled Namgung Je to empower the Dark Demonic Eye. It seemed evenly matched, but the Sword Lord held back. Not fully dominated—residual mental resistance.
"Pulling punches because he's your son!"
Neither the near-absolute Sword Guard's mastery nor the Sword Lord's hesitation pleased him. It felt like defiance against him.
"Everyone's just standing around. Only the bosses fight?"
Mujin's mutter snapped the Ascension Squad to attention. They had to eliminate the traitor before the lord fell. Idling was disqualification for sword experts.
"Execute the traitor."
At Unmatched Sword Namgung Woo's order, the Ascension Squad encircled and closed in on Namgung Je.
Namgung Woo still couldn't fathom the betrayal. Accepting defeat in the succession duel would have spared his arm. Self-inflicted misery from inadequacy and greed.
"I once respected you. Why this?"
"Why? What has the clan ever done for me? I'll kill you all for propping up that fool as lord."
The Ascension Squad flanking Namgung Woo shifted stances.
The Ascension Sword Slaughter Formation unfolded—a killing array for total extermination.
Woooong!
The formation unified qi into crushing pressure. Trapped at the center, one's strength halved at best.
"Not a chance."
Namgung Je had lost an arm to Namgung Cheon but was hailed as a genius swordsman. Fusing Namgung swordsmanship with Dark Demonic Art, he'd forged his own style.
"Behold the price of discarding me."
Dark Blood Sword's Dark Blood Lineage erupted, shaking the encircling formation.
Tsueee!
A malice that scarred souls on touch. Fused with inner power, the dark qi and Dark Demonic Eye made approach suicidal.
"Circulate the Great Harmony Divine Art."
Harmony-based Great Harmony Divine Art countered sorcery perfectly.
Namgung Woo activated Sky Palace Great Harmony Divine Art to bolster the formation and press the Dark Blood Sword.
Popopopung!
Namgung Je's left sword was masterful. Each pressure wave met unexpected counters.
His ten followers merged like a single organism, blunting the Ascension Sword Slaughter Formation's assault.
Cheeeeng, thuaang!
The Sword Guard and Sword Lord's sword arts ascended realms. Blinding speeds and unstoppable force clashed.
Keuk!
But with each exchange, the Sword Guard felt an insurmountable wall. At his peak, yet Father's sword defied age with overwhelming power.
Huu!
As clan lord, mere endurance was his limit. Subduing Father was impossible from the start. The deeper it went, the harder to believe sorcery had worked.
'Hold for now.'
Subduing Father was too much. What if Father were untouched? He wouldn't even last this long.
"Damn it!"
As the Sword Guard focused on blocking the Sword Lord, Namgung Je grew frantic. Initial edge from Dark Demonic Art faded against the Squad's sharpening response.
They wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. And Squad Leader Namgung Woo's sword was no longer beneath his. When had this bastard grown so strong?
"Damn it all, help me now!"
With three subordinates down, the tide turned sharply. Desperate, Namgung Je summoned the Sword Lord.
"Think I'll let you?"
The Sword Guard knew the intent and poured everything into holding Father.
Kwaaaang!
An unprecedented surge exploded. The Sword Guard unleashed full power to resist but was hurled to the wall in one blow.
Brrr!
The clan treasure, Firmament Divine Sword, trembled with a notched edge. Sword force ravaged his organs.
Uluk!
Internally wounded, the Sword Guard swallowed air. Their prior balance felt like a lie.
"Father."
To the Sword Guard, he was Father; to Namgung Je, too. Perhaps sensing peril, he'd unleashed restrained power. As if to prove it, part of the Ascension Squad was swept away.
With the Sword Lord blocking for Namgung Je, momentum shifted. Though soul-dominated, Father's will to protect his son shone through.