Chapter 209
Chapter 209
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 209
Chapter Title: Shattering the Azure Sky
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Azure Sky, Boundless.
The blue sky is vast, its end unseen. Following this principle, when the sword is unleashed, it fills the heavens; when it descends, it is as if the sky itself comes crashing down.
None can stand before its power, thus the sword of the Nangong is called the greatest under heaven.
Such words were not spoken lightly of the Nangong family's Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art.
A martial art so sublime it was called one of the Unrivaled Arts of the World, the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Formation was a formation that drew out every attribute of the sword.
It had no fixed number of participants. It could be performed by as few as two, or by dozens, even hundreds, in harmony.
Especially now, with countless Nangong warriors aiming for a single target, it was no exaggeration to say its power could shake the heavens and the earth.
But Neung Un-bi merely gazed at the sword formation surrounding him with calm eyes.
This was different from the past, when he had been trapped within it, unable to escape a desperate struggle.
The gate of life? The gate of death?
Why would I even bother contemplating such things?
Not when it all feels so laughable.
*Clench.*
Staring at the formation, Neung Un-bi suddenly clenched his fist.
It felt as if his palm would burst. Power was overflowing.
When he witnessed Yoon An-ro's death, he had felt an unbearable rage.
And soon after, something deep within him had awakened.
The Tyrant Asura Art.
The very thing that had driven the original Neung Un-bi into Qi Deviation now seemed to be speaking to him. It felt as if it were whispering in his ear, inciting the violence in his heart.
Though he belonged to the Demonic Cult, he was of the Orthodox faction at heart. That was why he had sworn to use his blade only for his ideals, never for indiscriminate slaughter.
That vow, which he had held in check like a restraint, had been shattered by *it*, awakening an uncontrollable killing intent.
For a moment, it felt as though his mind had flown away. He couldn't even tell where he was or what he was doing.
The thought of killing was the only thing that occupied his mind.
He could almost smell the scent of blood from the bodies of those around him. He wanted to sever their necks and savor the taste of their blood as it gushed like a fountain.
But then, a voice reached him.
A faint voice pierced through the killing intent that filled his mind and began to awaken his reason.
His briefly awakened reason saw Wang Cheon.
Pity, worry...
The emotions in that gaze made his heart ache.
Neung Un-bi had thought his life was over.
Yoon An-ro's death had filled him with a rage that felt as if the heavens were falling and the earth were caving in.
But when he met Wang Cheon's gaze, his heart spoke to him.
*Are you going to kill them, too?*
Just as he had considered Yoon An-ro his life, just as his ideals had become his own goal.
To them, was he not their life and their goal?
He swallowed his soaring rage and barely managed to regain his senses.
At his will, the Demonic Spirit Divine Pill that had spread throughout his veins began to suppress and control the power of the Tyrant Asura Art.
A fleeting moment. To him, it felt as though he had felt and contemplated many things, but in reality, it was only an instant.
And though he was steeped in a despair that felt like he had lost his entire life, what was more important were those who would have to face death because of his despair.
Neung Un-bi forced himself to steel his heart. He suppressed his rage and responded to those who believed in him.
I will get out of here alive.
And I will return. I will show them my merciless fury then.
Of course, before that... I must take one man's head.
The man who killed Yoon An-ro.
Neung Un-bi's cold gaze pierced through the Azure Sky Boundless Formation.
The Zhuge family's Great Array.
And the man within it.
"...I will kill you."
At the end of a train of thought that flashed by like a revolving lantern, Neung Un-bi took a step forward.
"Deploy the formation!"
With Gong Yang-eun's shout, the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Formation activated to stop Neung Un-bi.
*Swiiiiish!*
Swords soared high into the sky, filling the air, then rained down all at once.
A shower of swords.
But Neung Un-bi merely glanced up and lightly stomped his foot.
*Kuuuuung!*
The trampled ground buckled as if a great wave were rising, then exploded upward.
*Kwadududuk! Kwang!*
Swords that filled the sky?
He just had to block them.
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
Countless sword strikes slammed into the mound of earth that had shot up like a massive barrier, losing their power.
"Damn it! Rotate!"
With their first move blocked by Neung Un-bi and failing to deliver its full power, Gong Yang-eun hurriedly prepared the second attack.
*Chwarararak!*
The Nangong warriors began to circle Neung Un-bi in a line, and then one group broke off and charged inward.
"Hahp!"
The warrior at the tip of the spiraling vortex of attacks thrust his sword toward Neung Un-bi.
"...Don't blame me."
Neung Un-bi muttered under his breath, swatting the flat of the sword away with one hand and striking the warrior's chest with the other.
*Puuuuk!*
The warrior was sent flying, spewing a fountain of blood.
But immediately, the next warrior in the spiral thrust his sword.
*Thwack!*
But he, too, met the same fate.
Their swords were strong, but Neung Un-bi was far stronger.
And yet, the swords did not stop. The strikes continued, as if they would not cease until the spiral was broken.
Even though two warriors had already lost their lives in an instant...
"Don't stop! Attack! Uphold your honor as warriors of the Nangong family!"
At the cry of Gong Yang-eun, who commanded the formation, the warriors seemed to regain their strength and thrust their swords at Neung Un-bi.
Seeing this, Neung Un-bi let out a smirk.
*Right, this is that kind of era.*
An era where honor is more important than death.
The pride of being able to die fighting an enemy as a warrior of the Nangong family.
*Then... die that way.*
The smile on Neung Un-bi's lips instantly turned into a cold sneer.
The sword of the Azure Sky.
If you are like the endless sky... then I will bring that sky crashing down.
Neung Un-bi, who had been parrying and shattering the continuous chain of sword strikes, suddenly stepped back and drew the Flying Swallow Sword.
"*Hooop!*"
He took a deep breath, pulling the sword back.
"*Hahp!*"
With an explosive shout, he swung it with all his might.
Tyrant Asura Art, Whirling Wind.
The spiral created by Neung Un-bi's sword merged with that of the Azure Sky Boundless Formation.
"Kuaaack!"
Caught off guard by the attack from the side, the spiraling formation, which had been moving like a continuous chain, faltered.
"Don't stop! Keep attacking—"
Gong Yang-eun, who was urging on his men, was suddenly at a loss for words.
Neung Un-bi, who had only been defending, was now charging toward the tail end of the spiral.
And he swung his sword.
Without a hint of hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing to do.
His sword, now devoid of even pity, no longer carried any emotion.
*Kwaduk, kwang!*
The sword formation collapsed helplessly.
The warriors couldn't even put up a decent fight.
Having awakened the Tyrant Asura Art, Neung Un-bi had leaped several stages at once, and the demonic energy imbued in his swinging sword grew denser and denser.
Now, he thought he understood.
What it meant to control space.
It was as if he could see and hear everything. He could feel their slightest movements and the sound of their breathing in minute detail, as if they were right beside him.
The use of his hands and feet, and further, the movement of his body.
Everything was free and natural.
"S-Sword Aura..."
Just as Gong Yang-eun muttered, Neung Un-bi, without even realizing it, was unleashing the state of Sword Aura—a realm only achieved by those permitted by the heavens.
Moreover, his momentum grew stronger and stronger.
There was no way to stop him. He was a monster that the Azure Sky Boundless Formation could never have contained in the first place.
"Damn it all..."
Sensing defeat, Gong Yang-eun turned his head outside the formation, hoping for help.
If it was Zhuge Min...
But he was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't find Zhuge Min anywhere on the battlefield.
"Did he... run away?"
Sacrificing them as fodder for the monster to draw its attention, pushing even his own subordinates into the pit of death...
"Heh heh."
A hollow laugh escaped him.
And before his despondent eyes, Neung Un-bi's sword approached.
"You... were the sky all along."
Neung Un-bi stared at the blankly muttering Gong Yang-eun, then grinned and drew his sword horizontally.
"You're spouting bullshit."
"..."
Yes, it was bullshit.
The bullshit of a man who failed to recognize the sky.
*Slice!*
Gong Yang-eun's head flew into the air. Blood gushed like a fountain, raining down.
And standing in that bloody rain, Neung Un-bi looked at the Nangong warriors with a cruel smile.
"The axis... is broken."
The moment they met that demonic smile, the Nangong warriors despaired.
But Neung Un-bi did not spare even the formation that had already lost its will to fight. No, his heart was no longer generous enough to harbor feelings of forgiveness.
*Kwaduk! Kwang!*
"Kuaack!"
It was a sword of slaughter.
Because he had decided not to hesitate any longer, because he was determined to destroy everything that stood in his way.
Breaking through the Nangong sword formation in a single breath, Neung Un-bi flew toward his target.
The Zhuge family warriors attacked, but it was nothing more than the desperate struggle of frightened men.
Cutting them down as he went, Neung Un-bi reached his target and thrust his sword straight forward.
*Puk!*
The sword pierced through the target's sternum and protruded from his back.
"Keeeuk..."
The target, Changseo, who had been run through without even a chance to resist, groaned in pain but clenched his teeth and grabbed the sword.
Glaring at Neung Un-bi with venomous eyes, he spoke with a mouthful of blood.
"I've... got him... Hurry, hurry..."
"..."
At those words, Neung Un-bi just snickered.
It seemed he thought he had sealed his movements just by grabbing the sword.
Hearing his words, the Zhuge warriors attacked again, but Neung Un-bi didn't even turn around. He simply raised his empty hand and pressed down hard.
*Kwadududuk!*
Dozens of warriors were crushed by the pressure of the energy created by that single gesture.
"Ugh..."
"A monster..."
After that one slaughterous move, no one else approached. Neung Un-bi had become an object of fear that surpassed even their sense of honor.
As the surroundings quieted, Neung Un-bi looked at Changseo and said.
"That's only one."
"...?"
What did he mean by 'one'?
The bewildered Changseo soon understood.
The sword, which slipped free by slicing off the fingers gripping its blade, stabbed into his abdomen again.
*Puk!*
"Keeeeuk."
The second wave of pain was incomparable to the first.
Muscles tore, and organs were severed.
Changseo writhed in indescribable agony, but Neung Un-bi did not stop his sword.
Six times in total. The number of swords that had first been plunged into Kim San's body.
He couldn't protect him, but he had to avenge him.
When he pulled out the last sword, Changseo could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.
Neung Un-bi looked down at the trembling Changseo, whose head was bowed low, then reached out, grabbed his neck, and lifted him up.
Then he slowly applied pressure and snapped it.
*Crack.*
It was cruel, so cruel, but he had to feel the same pain.
Sin Ye-rang's pain, as well...
* * *
"This is damn ridiculous!"
Nangong Mu-wi, who was locked in a fierce battle with Hyang-i, had seen everything.
Neung Un-bi's transformation.
His presence, which had grown to an immense degree.
And the sight of the Azure Sky Boundless Formation collapsing so helplessly...
But he couldn't pull himself away. If he let his guard down for even a moment, a cold dagger would fly toward his vital points.
He clearly had the upper hand.
He had already inflicted so many wounds that she was practically a blood-soaked demon...
"Kekek, you think I'll let you go?"
Seeing Hyang-i laugh with a mouthful of blood, Nangong Mu-wi ground his teeth.
"You damn bitch!"
"There's that 'bitch' again, you son of a bitch!"
She was truly venomous. Looking like she was about to collapse at any moment, yet clinging to him so tenaciously...
Because of her, most of the Nangong warriors who had come with him were either dead or critically wounded.
Just where in the world was that bastard Zhuge Min, and what was he doing while things got this bad?
The moment Nangong Mu-wi, overcome with anger, frustration, and resentment, turned his head.
*Stab!*
Seizing the opening, Hyang-i's dagger pierced his shoulder.
"Damn, so close... I was aiming for the neck."
"...You goddamn bitch!"
*Thwack!*
Enraged, Nangong Mu-wi's kick struck Hyang-i's abdomen as straight as a spear.
Hyang-i, sent tumbling to the ground, quickly tried to get up.
But her body was already exhausted. Having lost too much blood, she couldn't maintain her stance properly and staggered.
"Alright, I'll kill you first, bitch!"
Nangong Mu-wi finally poured all of his internal energy into his sword.
The final move of the Emperor's Sword, another art the Nangong prided themselves on, descended upon Hyang-i.
"Damn, I guess a head-on fight was too much after all..."
In her exhausted state, dodging Nangong Mu-wi's sword was impossible.
Watching the sword strike fly toward her, Hyang-i turned her gaze toward Neung Un-bi with a resigned voice.
*Still... I'm glad.*
*You're alive.*
Hyang-i grinned, let out a long breath, and let the strength drain from her body.
But at that moment.
"Maid!"
"...?!"
An unexpected savior—no, saviors—appeared.
Wang Cheon, Ju Seung, and the New Moon Squad.
They unleashed their swords at Nangong Mu-wi with all their might.
Because of them, Nangong Mu-wi's sword, which had been swinging toward Hyang-i, hastily changed direction.
"You damn Demonic Cult bastards! How dare you interfere with my fight!"
"Shut up, old man! You're the ones who ganged up on us first!"
At Wang Cheon's eloquent expression, Hyang-i couldn't help but chuckle again.
It seemed it wasn't her time to die just yet.