Chapter 318: Song of Swords (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 318: Song of Swords (3)
Vroooom!
Jinhyuk threw Black Moon Night.
The black moon spun at high speed, hurtling toward the blades Cheon Yu-seong had created.
It was fast.
Before the afterimage could even fade, it penetrated the opponent's formation in an instant.
But just before Black Moon Night could shatter the swords—
"Did you think... I would just run in place forever?!"
[Cheon Yu-seong activates Lv17 'Sword-Body Unity'!]
[All stats related to swordsmanship increase by 50%!]
Suddenly, the swords hovering in midair moved at a bizarre angle.
Black Moon Night sliced through empty space and vanished beyond the sky.
It was a technique that used qi to freely manipulate swords in midair.
"This is the new skill I learned. 'Flying Sword'."
Yu-seong slashed his sword horizontally.
In response, dozens of swords moved along different trajectories.
Unlike simply firing them in a straight line, it was now more accurate to say that all those swords possessed their own free will.
"Wow. As expected of the Sword Saint! You could make a fortune doing circus acts with that."
"Damn it! Can't you show a little tension for once?! Do you really have the leisure to clap after seeing this?"
"Huh? I can't clap?"
"Dammit. Put down that glowstick too, before I turn you into a beehive."
"How harsh. I did it because I genuinely thought it was amazing."
Honestly, I hadn't expected Cheon Yu-seong to pull out the Flying Sword at his current level.
He had trained much harder than I thought... No, he must have trained with bone-carving determination.
Surely, now that he had mastered even this, there were barely any players who could defeat him.
His outstanding talent, and the effort that surpassed even that talent—there was nothing to say but that it was perfect.
Except.
If there was one misfortune for him...
It was simply that he had chosen the wrong opponent.
I'll show you.
What a real Flying Sword is.
Hummmmm!
The space distorted, and a translucent sword revealed itself.
"Is this... no way."
"H-How...?"
"Ah..."
"You..."
The pupils of everyone watching shook violently.
How could they not know?
If the pinnacle of swordsmanship was manipulating a sword in the sky, then creating a formless sword was truly touching the ultimate end of martial arts.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
'Heart Sword'.
The one seen in the Heavenly Demon's memories.
The ultimate technique that had wounded Shub-Niggurath.
"This is my Flying Sword."
There was a clear limit to copying something just by looking at it.
However, even if it was a forged imitation, its essence remained unchanged.
Jinhyuk also swept Fang horizontally.
Then, as if responding to that call, the Heart Sword vanished.
"What?!"
Cheon Yu-seong's pupils dilated rapidly.
Crack!
The Heart Sword, which had slipped from his sight, had already split one of his swords in half.
But before he could even be surprised—
Shatter!
The dozens of swords Yu-seong had created began to crumble into thousands of blade fragments.
"Ah..."
A short.
An incredibly short sigh escaped his lips.
* * *
Many things had happened since the Tower of Trials appeared.
Days that were despair for some, and hope for others.
Cheon Yu-seong belonged to the latter.
If he could start over... this time, he could go back to the beginning, obtain the greatest opportunities, and achieve ultimate growth.
So, he worked himself to death.
Though he kept repeating the same defeats, he never gave up and kept moving forward.
As a result, he met Soul-Chasing Shadow... and entered a realm he had never reached in the past.
The ultimate state that everyone dreamed of.
With this, even that guy would have no choice but to be flustered.
After all, those who could wield the Flying Sword numbered fewer than a few dozen, even including the residents, let alone players.
But...
Always, always.
His opponent was ahead.
So far ahead that he didn't even dare to try and catch up.
'Even Master... is shocked. There's no way I could be a match for him.'
Yu-seong blankly stared at the blade fragments scattering into dust.
When even the Heavenly Demon was astonished... there was nothing someone like him could do.
He had only dreamed of a single victory in this changed world. Just once.
He had endured solely on that single-minded determination.
How on earth was he supposed to defeat a monster like that?
"I... lost."
Yu-seong calmly dropped the Flower-Dance Plum-Blossom Sword.
Thunk!
The sword stabbed into the ground.
[The Heavenly Demon's internal energy is restored to an astonishing degree!]
[The harmony of Yin and Yang reaches its peak!]
Countless status windows popped up.
Along with a golden mist, numerous spheres were sucked into the Heavenly Demon's body.
With this, the goal was achieved.
At least, except for one person.
Soul-Chasing Shadow approached Yu-seong, who couldn't lift his head.
"You did well, Young Master Cheon. It's just..."
Yes. It was just that his opponent was too unfortunate.
Soul-Chasing Shadow patted Yu-seong on the back.
"Master... I..."
"You don't have to say anything. Your master is right here beside you. Let's reach a higher realm next time and try again."
"Again... you say. Getting stronger than this... just how much more..."
Soul-Chasing Shadow comforted him, but Yu-seong still couldn't lift his head.
No words would comfort him.
Repeated failures and frustrations would break the spirit of even the most strong-willed individuals.
Just then.
"I'm going to a ruin on the 19th Floor soon. I need at least three people of my caliber."
Jinhyuk approached.
"What?"
"You remember, right? Among the factions we met during the Masquerade, there was someone from the Third Faction."
The representative of the Third Faction, who took the form of a Dryad.
Uasis.
There was a ruin that had to be raided together with that woman.
And the entry condition for that ruin was a minimum of three players.
Of course, there was no condition that the players had to be of equal strength, but...
'Now that I've achieved my goal... I should throw him a carrot.'
Honestly, I didn't really want to see a wounded, depressed Cheon Yu-seong.
"There aren't many people who can fight alongside me without dragging me down. And you were the first one who came to mind."
"……Are you sure the system said it requires players of equal caliber?"
"Huh? Ah... yeah. I think so. Probably? Why would I lie about something like that? It's dangerous, so only people that strong can enter."
"Equal caliber..."
He slowly chewed on those words.
"Right. Come to think of it, I was only slightly pushed back just now. It wasn't actually a big difference. If I had just distributed my magic power a bit better, I could have easily penetrated your defense before you used the Heart Sword."
"Hmm. Well, I guess that's possible?"
"A paper-thin difference, huh. Indeed, what a shame."
Yu-seong nodded as if he had understood something.
His dark face gradually brightened, as if it had never been gloomy in the first place.
Seriously.
I can never tell if this guy is pessimistic or optimistic.
Having such a thick skin must be why he used to follow me around day and night, swinging his sword and demanding a duel.
"So, are you coming or not?"
"Tch. I'm not thrilled about it, but if you're begging me like that, I suppose I can make an exception and go with you. As long as the rewards are distributed fairly, that is."
With this, I've hooked another idiot.
* * *
Once Yu-seong had recovered his mental state to some extent, the Heavenly Demon and the Dark Emperor approached.
"Incredible. I never expected to see the Heart Sword here. I have heard the phrase 'the student surpasses the master' many times, but this is the first time I have seen a talent actually realize it."
"Uh, Supreme One. What do you mean by that? No matter how great he is, I..."
The Dark Emperor glanced at Jinhyuk.
"Ahem! I am still stronger."
"Yes, for now. Enjoy your brief glory. From what this seat sees, it won't be long."
The Heavenly Demon smiled gently.
The two were bickering, but Jinhyuk didn't notice them at all.
He was focusing all his energy on barely holding back a burst of cheers.
He couldn't help but be thrilled.
[Your understanding of the Heavenly Demon is extremely high, upgrading the copied ability.]
[You have mastered the '10th Stage' of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.]
[Heavenly Demon Divine Art]
Acquisition Difficulty: SSS
Description: A divine art consisting of a total of 12 forms. In terms of pure destructive power, it possesses offensive capabilities that can rival even the gods.
[The copied ability is stored in the 'Memory of the World'.]
He had finally obtained it.
One of the two martial arts that absolutely had to be copied in Murim.
And with an achievement level of the 10th Stage, no less.
'Calling this a jackpot would be an understatement.'
He had expected a high stage, but this reward completely exceeded his expectations.
It meant the effect of 'Monopolize' and his understanding of the Heavenly Demon were far beyond imagination.
'As for the rest... I'll have to copy it when I return to Murim after some time has passed.'
Jinhyuk quietly mapped out his plans in his head.
How he should move forward, what he needed to gather for that—everything.
But right then.
Crackle!
A blue light flickered in the sky.
'What is that?'
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
To call it ordinary lightning...
"Get back!"
The lightning bolt fell faster than the shout could travel.
KABOOM!
A blindingly bright blue lightning bolt completely blew away the temple in the bamboo forest.
Rumble!
Massive flames erupted.
Inside the massive blue flames that completely swallowed the wooden building, something far more overwhelming than the fire revealed itself.
Tingle!
His skin... throbbed.
This feeling.
This sensation.
Just from the magic power wafting through the smoke, he could feel how absurdly powerful the opponent was.
To think this guy would appear here.
"ROOOOOAR!"
The heavens and earth shook violently.
The Azure Dragon.
The Eastern divine beast that controlled rain and clouds.
"Contractor!"
Alice immediately stepped in front of Jinhyuk to protect him.
[Alice activates her unique ability, 'Blood Lord'!]
To protect everyone from the Dragon Fear.
A shield made of blood unfolded.
Meanwhile, the smoke cleared completely.
"So all the insects were gathered here."
The voice came from the very top of the Azure Dragon's head.
Naturally, the sleeping Azure Dragon couldn't have awakened on its own.
Left Protector 'Samaja'.
That man was the culprit behind all of this.
"Sama...ja."
"How dare that bastard, who deserves to be torn to shreds, show his face here of all places!"
The Heavenly Demon and the Dark Emperor were the most outraged.
Since the very traitor who had stabbed them in the back had appeared before them, their anger naturally flared up.
Jinhyuk was equally annoyed.
"We had a pretty heartwarming atmosphere going, and you just had to ruin it. So, did you invade us relying on that single lizard? Your forces seem a bit too pathetic to be called an army."
They had lost more than half of the jiangshis, which could be considered their main force.
Furthermore, the defensive line, which had grown stronger over time, was far too difficult for the remaining jiangshis to break through.
However...
"Do you think you managed to deal with that many jiangshis all this time because you're smart? Did it never cross your mind that I might have intentionally lured you into doing so?"
"...What?"
A loaded question.
Because of it, all the events up to now flashed before Jinhyuk's eyes like a kaleidoscope.
Clues connected with clues.
The paths the jiangshis took.
Come to think of it, starting from a certain point, Samaja had abandoned optimized attacks and needlessly tangled the movements of the jiangshis.
As if he were drawing a giant picture through their march.
Only then did Jinhyuk's mouth slowly fall open.
"You were drawing a formation."
"A formation? What does that mean?"
Alice, who still didn't understand, asked.
"The jiangshis were drawing the sketch as they moved... This entire Murim was his giant canvas, and he's using the blood spilled from the jiangshis to activate Blood-Realm Sorcery."
"Ho. You're not completely brainless."
Samaja wore a sinister smile.
At the same time,
Ruuuumble!
Dark clouds gathered in the sky.
Soon after, an immense number of red characters began to appear through the clouds.
"Luoyang will fall today."
"Kieeeek!"
"Keeeek!"
As the characters unlocked, a corresponding number of jiangshis shrieked.
"And all of you will die today."
At Samaja's gesture, the Azure Dragon's maw split wide open.