Chapter 79: Suppression (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79: Suppression (2)
Clang!
After dozens of clashes, Song Yeo-guk’s defense finally crumbled. He failed to parry Hong Geom-baek’s descending blade, and his sword clattered to the ground.
To be precise, the strength had simply drained from his hands.
No. If the backlash starts now…
It wasn't just his wrists anymore; all four of his limbs were trembling violently. He tried to steady himself, but his body refused to obey. He would be trapped in this state for at least half a day. And after that, his body would be rendered incapable of ever using martial arts again.
“Hmm?”
Hong Geom-baek’s eyes gleamed as he watched Song Yeo-guk drop his weapon. He understood the situation better than anyone.
“Haha, just as I expected.” He chuckled, watching the panicked Song Yeo-guk. “You were hiding a chronic illness. I don’t know what means you used to endure until now, but I suppose I’ll just have to collect on that debt myself, won’t I?”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
He brandished his sharp sword, slowly closing the distance.
N-no.
Song Yeo-guk tried to retreat, but his legs were leaden. Humiliation burned in his chest, but his rage was even stronger.
This bastard… I have to kill this one bastard, no matter what…
Even if the others escaped, this man had to die. He wanted to tear him limb from limb. Only then could he face his family and his retainers and tell them he had finally exacted his revenge.
Swish!
“Urgh!”
Reality, however, was cruel. Resolve alone could not bridge the gap. After a few more flashes of the blade, a deep gash opened across Song Yeo-guk’s chest.
Pant! Pant!
Hong Geom-baek did not stop. After several more stabs, Song Yeo-guk collapsed heavily to the ground.
“I’ve always wanted to kill you like this.” Hong Geom-baek’s smile was like that of a child with a new toy.
Having finally gained the chance to kill Song Yeo-guk—a man he once feared he might never defeat—he was overcome with sadistic joy.
“Stop.”
A voice cut through the air.
“And who are you?”
A handsome young man stood in his path, interrupting the killing blow meant for Song Yeo-guk. It was Seok Myeong.
“I’ve come to stop you.”
“Hah! Don't make me laugh. Did you… perhaps come here after defeating Dan Ri-geon?”
“I did.”
“Heh!” Hong Geom-baek glanced in the direction Seok Myeong and Dan Ri-geon had gone. Since he couldn't sense any presence from that way, it seemed something had indeed gone wrong. “Is that bastard trying to screw me over even now? What a persistent rat.”
Hong Geom-baek didn't believe Seok Myeong’s words for a second. He simply assumed Dan Ri-geon had used the boy as a distraction and fled. Exuding murderous intent, he shifted his gaze to Seok Myeong. It wouldn't take more than a few forms to kill him; he decided to end it in an instant.
“Seok Myeong, for you, it’s still…” The fallen Song Yeo-guk called out weakly.
“Don’t worry, Martial Uncle. I won’t let this drag on.”
“What?”
“It really will be over in an instant.”
Seok Myeong stepped forward. He checked the state of his internal energy, feeling his power surging.
I understand now. How to use this power.
Seok Myeong looked down at his sword. A powerful vortex swirled around the steel as black spots began to manifest.
“Arrogant brat. Come then, try your best.”
Hong Geom-baek stood triumphantly, but his mind was sharp. He planned to feign carelessness and kill Seok Myeong with a single strike the moment an opening appeared.
Step.
Ignoring the provocation, Seok Myeong lunged across the two-jang distance in a single bound.
Going in so honestly is dangerous! Song Yeo-guk thought as he watched his nephew-disciple’s back.
There was no doubt about Seok Myeong’s skill. He possessed not only superb swordsmanship but also a level of insight rarely seen in one so young. But that was only relative to his peers. Hong Geom-baek was a veteran who had survived the Jianghu for decades. His combat experience and dirty tricks were on a level Seok Myeong couldn't hope to match.
Against such a man, one had to use bait and surprise attacks. Charging head-on was an invitation to disaster. Furthermore, unlike the rushing Seok Myeong, Hong Geom-baek was far too calm.
“Got you!”
Slash!
As expected, the moment Seok Myeong drew near, Hong Geom-baek swiftly swung his sword upward. To an observer, it looked as if the blade shot up like a bolt of lightning while he lunged forward. The fact that he could react so quickly to Seok Myeong’s charge was proof of his superior ocular prowess and reaction speed. It was an attack steeped in veteran experience.
“Avoid it!” Song Yeo-guk screamed.
Charging head-on into a waiting trap was reckless. And yet, Seok Myeong did not panic. Even as the sword rose toward his lower body while he was mid-air, he brought his own blade down with a steady gaze.
Clang!
“Ah!”
Song Yeo-guk’s expression froze in shock. Seok Myeong’s blade had stuck firmly to the opponent’s sword, moving as one just when it seemed they would collide.
He had performed the Adhering Sword technique.
It was unbelievable swordsmanship. The Adhering Sword was a difficult technique to pull off even with both feet on solid ground. One had to read the direction of the opponent’s blade and move in perfect synchronization. To read the path and make contact while in mid-air was a feat of genius.
Yet, Seok Myeong had done it. Furthermore, his blade did not detach from Hong Geom-baek’s until the moment his feet touched the ground.
That wasn't all. The shock that followed was even greater.
Flash!
Hong Geom-baek, who had barely managed to pull his sword away, retreated while whipping up a gale of blades. Sword qi splintered out in all directions as if dozens of swords were flying at once, but Seok Myeong’s only reaction was a slight movement of his blade.
Flutter.
Hong Geom-baek froze in place.
The sword qi—all of it—had vanished.
It wasn't that Seok Myeong had countered the sword qi with his own; it had simply evaporated into thin air, leaving nothing but a faint residue clinging to the tip of Seok Myeong’s sword.
“Ah…”
For a moment, Hong Geom-baek stood dazed. It felt as if he were facing a giant, insurmountable wall. The boy had effortlessly neutralized his greatest strike—the one into which he had poured all his internal strength.
Seok Myeong approached him and swung his sword once more.
Whoosh!
Hong Geom-baek hurriedly raised his sword to block, but it was futile. Seok Myeong’s strike cleaved through the steel and sliced clean through his neck.
Hong Geom-baek’s head soared into the air. In the end, he met his death without being able to mount a single successful attack or resistance.
Was there such a technique in Qingcheng’s martial arts?
Song Yeo-guk watched Seok Myeong with a dazed expression. That was something different. It was neither inner qi nor external qi. Just what was imbued in that sword that could make materialized power simply vanish?
Perhaps, even more than me…
“It’s over now, isn't it?” Seok Myeong spoke, pulling Song Yeo-guk from his thoughts.
The elder nodded slowly. Seok Myeong looked over at Hyeok-jin, who lay collapsed nearby. Though he was unconscious, fortunately, there were no enemies left to threaten him.
“We should move to a different location first.”
*
The day after blood soaked the mountain and hundreds lay dead, Seok Myeong and his party gathered in a room in the rear garden of the Azure Lake Gate.
The Azure Lake Gate was located a short distance outside Wu Town, along the Northern Official Road. It was a sect dedicated solely to the way of the sword. Though its history spanned only sixty years, it enjoyed a solid reputation and the trust of the locals for maintaining the security of the surrounding area.
“Ugh… Argh…”
However, the cost of this battle had been high. The Sect Leader of the Azure Lake Gate and his two sons had each lost a limb, and most of the disciples had suffered wounds so severe that they would never practice martial arts again.
How could this happen…
With a heavy heart, Seok Myeong helped tend to the wounded and the dead. Though they had intervened for a noble cause, the Azure Lake Gate had suffered damage equivalent to the destruction of their sect.
“I don’t know what words of comfort to offer,” Seok Myeong whispered.
“…It is fine. A life lived on the edge of a blade… it is only natural to face such a day eventually.” The son of the Azure Lake Gate’s leader spoke plainly. Seeing how he had roughly tied off the stump of his arm to stop the bleeding, he was clearly a man of immense fortitude. “My father did not open this sect for wealth or glory… We only stepped forward to protect our home. Still, thanks to the Great Heroes of Qingcheng, many lives were saved.”
“You flatter us. If anything, it is because we were lacking…” Seok Myeong shook his head.
His statement was sincere. His perspective on the Unorthodox Faction and his understanding of human malice had been woefully insufficient. He had thought that because those of the Unorthodox Faction were human, they might compromise when faced with a crisis.
But they had immediately raised their swords and attacked mercilessly. They didn't just exploit the helpless; they slaughtered them with joy, as if the spilling of blood was the only thing that confirmed their existence.
“The Golden Martial Association… was actually on the moderate side among the Unorthodox Faction,” Seok Myeong murmured.
“Of course it is.” Cheol So-yeon answered. Despite being a woman, she seemed accustomed to such horrific sights; she had already brushed off the dust and blood, appearing remarkably composed. “In some circles, my grandfather is called a practitioner of Fourfold Moderation. The policy of the Golden Martial Association is to never spill unnecessary blood as long as profits are secured. Don’t lump us in with trash like the Black Snake Union.”
“…There are many types of Unorthodox groups, it seems. More importantly, why did you come back, Young Lady?” Seok Myeong asked.
She had explicitly said she was leaving and that it was too dangerous to get involved. But looking back, she had merely moved separately; she had been helping them from the shadows the entire time. As he found out later, the unexpected support from the Azure Lake Gate had also been her doing.
“Now that I think about it, there was one more reason my grandfather attached me to you.”
“What is it?”
When Seok Myeong gave her a questioning look, Cheol So-yeon answered immediately.
“To monitor you.”