Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Starlight Dwelling in the Sword
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- Kyaaah-!?
Starlight shattered the darkness, followed by a piercing scream.
But right now, none of that mattered to me.
“…Ah.”
A short exclamation burst from my lips unbidden.
I felt the awe and joy mingled within it more than anyone.
It was still something only possible in my mind, something that could be dismissed as mere fantasy.
“Sword Gang.”
There, right before my eyes, was a sword gang.
Sword qi forming gang.
The light of destruction that could only be wielded freely upon reaching the Flower Realm, the stage that demolished all.
I had longed for that starlight for so many years, and now I finally beheld it with my own two eyes.
As I was lost in rapture for a moment, a trembling voice reached my ears.
-W-What… is that light?
I turned my head to look at the wooden monster.
Clear fear resonated in its booming voice.
It had probably realized instinctively. That it was no longer in a position to act so boldly.
With a slight smile, I charged at Chilji once more, leading with the starlight dwelling in my sword.
I planted my leading foot, sharpening my energy aura forward to nullify air resistance.
Starlight stretched out long along the path that advanced straight without hindrance.
The Celestial Vault Single Stroke executed with sword gang.
It truly became a single ray of light hurtling toward Chilji.
-D-Don’t come!
Chilji cried out desperately and tried to flee, but its bulky wooden body couldn’t possibly evade the Celestial Vault Single Stroke.
-Slash
-Kyaaack-!
The starlight sliced through Chilji’s sturdy body without resistance.
Compared to how my sword had barely scratched its outer layer before, the difference was like night and day.
I can do this.
With this starlight, I can kill that wooden monster.
I swung the sword gang to chop Chilji into pieces when a high, shrill screech struck me.
-Kieeeek-!!
“Ugh…!”
The energy wave from the screech sent my body flying backward.
Twirling in midair, I landed on both feet, and in my sight was Chilji’s form gradually fading.
Trying to escape now?
“You think I’ll let you get away!”
I planted my leading foot again, kicked off the ground, and charged at Chilji.
But the wooden monster’s bulky body had already grown so faint it was nearly invisible.
No matter how fast the Celestial Vault Single Stroke was, it wouldn’t reach Chilji in time.
I needed another method, an attack faster than the Celestial Vault Single Stroke.
And fortunately, I had just the thing.
I slammed my foot into the ground, halting my charge.
Fixing my lower body firmly in place, I gripped the sword with both hands and concentrated my qi at the tip.
-Boom boom-!
The moment the sword let out a low sword cry, I swung it straight at Chilji.
-Swoosh!
A massive crescent-shaped sword gang flew toward Chilji along the sword’s arc.
Celestial Vault Peerless Sword, Seventh Stance: Crescent Moon Severing Heaven.
An ultimate technique of the Celestial Vault Peerless Sword that required at least sword qi to execute.
True to its name of the crescent moon cleaving the heavens, it sent a crescent-shaped sword qi arcing toward a distant foe to slice it apart.
The Crescent Moon Severing Heaven executed with sword qi had cleaved a rock twice my height in a single stroke.
I dare say, nothing could withstand the Crescent Moon Severing Heaven unleashed with sword gang.
-Ah…!
The red eyes peeking between the bark widened hugely at the oncoming crescent sword gang.
The sword gang sliced straight through Chilji’s body.
-Aaaack-!
With a death cry, Chilji’s form vanished.
It had screamed, so it took a hit, but I wasn’t sure if it was dead.
There was only one way to check.
It was time to wake from the dream.
I trusted Hwa-ryeon and the others were holding out fine, but trust and anxiety were different things.
Since Chilji had fled, I could probably return right away if I wanted.
As I moved to return to reality, my gaze lingered on the starlight still clinging to the sword.
“…….”
This sword gang was manifested solely by my will in this mental world.
In simple terms, it was an imaginary construct born in a dream.
Strictly speaking, it couldn’t be called true sword gang.
I was still lacking in many ways to produce something worthy of the true name.
It would probably take quite some time.
But for a brief moment, I had glimpsed that light.
“…Someday, without fail.”
I vowed to reclaim this starlight in my hands.
With that resolve, I focused my consciousness and returned to reality for real this time.
*
I opened my eyes.
Realizing I stood in the center of the Namgung Clan’s grand manor, I knew I was back in reality.
Fortunately, I made it back right away.
As I sighed inwardly in relief, a groan filled with agony reached my ears.
“Groooan…!”
The source of the groan was Chilji itself.
The impact from the Crescent Moon Severing Heaven must have been greater than expected; it thrashed on the ground, unable to even control its body.
“Can you even talk in that state? I have a lot of questions.”
“Hnngh…! H-How did you see through my true form…!”
I puzzled briefly over its unfinished words before quickly grasping the meaning.
It was asking why I hadn’t fallen to the illusion.
According to Chilji, the Namgung Clan was currently enveloped in the Mara Delusion Enchantment Array.
Normally, I should have been trapped in an illusion, scrambling against a perfectly fine Chilji.
“W-What in the world… Why doesn’t anything work on you…! Why-!”
Even as it screeched, I couldn’t tell it because I didn’t know either.
How could I explain what I didn’t understand?
Shrugging, I suddenly noticed an odd warmth in my chest.
“…What’s this?”
I reached into my bosom and pulled out the source of the warmth to check.
Actually, there was no need to check.
I only carried one thing there right now.
“This is…”
The talisman pouch Hwa-ryeon had given me.
Something inside the small pouch was emitting a faint glow.
-I got this when I was little. They say it protects the person who carries it, so take it.
-H-How are you maintaining your awareness? The Soul-Bewitching Brew should have worked!
“…No way? For real?”
I had no evidence, but my intuition told me.
The reason Chilji’s tricks hadn’t worked on me was thanks to this talisman.
Heh, I thought it was just superstition, but it actually worked?
“Looks like my girl had real foresight.”
“What do you…?”
“Nah, you don’t need to know.”
-Sing
I tucked the talisman pouch back into my bosom and drew my sword, approaching Chilji as it crawled on the ground.
Raw terror surfaced on its stark white face.
Unable even to control its body properly, it scrambled backward desperately, letting out a hair-raising scream.
“Kyaack!”
“Ugh…”
The ear-piercing wail like a ghost’s cry echoed everywhere, making me grimace.
Moments later, my senses picked up a group rapidly approaching from one direction.
That scream must have been a call for help.
Turning my head, I saw the Heavenly Light Brigade charging toward us.
Leading them was Tak Cheol-u, who bellowed a fierce shout upon seeing me and swung his massive sword.
“Haaap-!”
-Whoosh
The heavy blade cleaved through the air toward me.
I immediately countered with the Heavenly Might Subduing Pressure stance, slamming the massive sword into the ground.
“Urk…!”
Tak Cheol-u struggled to wrench his sword free from under my blade.
I twisted my sword, sliding the flat up and swung at Tak Cheol-u.
“Dodge! The formation doesn’t work on him!”
Chilji’s desperate cry.
Tak Cheol-u’s eyes widened in shock at the words.
“Eek!?”
Terrified by the sword charging at him, he dropped the hand gripping his massive sword and retreated.
Meanwhile, another Heavenly Light Brigade member scooped up Chilji and put distance between us.
Suddenly, I faced off against the entire Heavenly Light Brigade.
“K-Kill…! Kill that bastard by any means-!”
Chilji, barely standing with support from one of the brigade members, pointed at me and shrieked madly.
At his command, the Heavenly Light Brigade gripped their weapons tighter, their auras turning ferocious.
Loyal as if Chilji were the lord of the Heavenly Palace.
Naturally, I concluded they too had fallen to mind-enslavement sorcery.
So that’s why they’d suddenly turned into red revolutionaries.
“Young Master Goon!”
As I nodded inwardly, a familiar voice called from behind.
Turning, I saw Hwa-ryeon and the others approaching.
They looked disheveled from quite an intense fight.
Fortunately, none seemed seriously injured.
Namgung-hyeon, with his chest soaked in blood, appeared the worst off, but since he moved on his own without support, it wasn’t critical.
Hwa-ryeon reached me first among the group and checked my condition.
“Are you okay? I heard some weird stuff earlier…”
“Well, thanks to you, I am.”
“…Thanks to me?”
Hwa-ryeon tilted her head, puzzled.
Smiling at her expression, I turned to the others and said.
“Looks like everyone had it rough? Especially the young lady of the house.”
“Ahaha…”
Namgung-hyeon gave an awkward laugh at my comment about his bloodied torso.
Amid it all, one snide voice piped up.
“And yet you look perfectly fine. What the hell were you even doing?”