Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Sword King's Last Stand
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The Sword King furrowed his brow. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been had somehow.
"Either way, surviving comes first right now."
The Sword King's blade began to dance. He wanted to unleash sword qi wildly, but there were too many enemies. This was a time to conserve his strength.
The warriors from the Demonic Alliance numbered in the dozens—truly overwhelming. Even the mighty Sword King of the world began to tire bit by bit. No matter how much he rationed his energy, the Demonic Alliance fighters were top-tier experts. They weren't easy opponents. And protecting Geum Yuhwa on top of that made it all the more grueling and perilous.
Geum Yuhwa fidgeted anxiously at the sight of the Sword King struggling. She felt terribly sorry seeing him in danger because of her. And knowing this was all part of Golden Lotus's scheme only deepened her guilt.
But he's the Sword King.
She believed that, being who he was, he'd somehow escape with her in tow. If it had been just the Demonic Alliance, he might have. But the Greenwoods Bandits were here too.
"Kuhahat! As expected, even he can't hold out forever!"
A massive man with stiff, bristle-like whiskers strode in, swinging his axe. A tremendous axe qi erupted from it, hurtling toward the Sword King.
Kwarung!
The Sword King scowled at the sudden intruder. Behind the axe-wielder, a horde of bandit-looking thugs surged in. They looked like common bandits, but every single one was an expert.
"The Greenwoods Bandits have joined the fray too?"
The Sword King's expression darkened noticeably. They'd already been fighting for quite some time. With the Greenwoods now entering the picture, hope was fading fast.
"Kuhahaha! Come on, you bastards! Let's get started!"
The axe-wielding brute bellowed savagely, and the bandits charged en masse. They channeled qi into their assorted weapons, barreling toward the Sword King and Geum Yuhwa.
Kwarung!
Qi clashed against qi. The bandits lunging at the Sword King were all sent straight to the afterlife, but he tired in equal measure. His inner energy was nearly depleted. The alliance of Demonic Alliance and Greenwoods was tenacious and fierce.
The Sword King shook his head, feeling exhaustion crashing over him. At this rate, things were truly dangerous. Still, if he died now, at least his granddaughter would live—that was some small comfort.
Thinking of his granddaughter brought a faint smile to the Sword King's eyes.
He drew up his remaining inner energy. If this was to be his end, he ought to take the Black Blood Sword and this Greenwoods leader with him.
Geum Yuhwa was his only concern.
"It looks like I won't be able to protect you to the bitter end."
Geum Yuhwa let out a soft gasp at the voice laced with the Sword King's regret and paternal warmth.
"Ah...!"
She realized it was finally over.
Heavenly Thunder
A clear bolt of lightning descends, cleaving foes asunder.
A colossal aura surged from the Sword King's body. The might and valor of a man resolved to his final moments were utterly terrifying. He took a step forward. He'd stayed rooted to guard Geum Yuhwa until now, but there was no need anymore.
That indomitable spirit transmitted fully to his foes. Terror seeped into the Black Blood Sword's mind. In the eyes of the Greenwoods Bandits' vice chief, the Dominating Blood Axe Jeok Pyo, both fear and awe flickered simultaneously.
As the Sword King advanced a few steps, Geum Yuhwa was fully exposed. Several Demonic Alliance warriors and Greenwoods thugs rushed to seize her. To them, the deed was as good as done.
Just as they reached her,
Flash!
Geum Yuhwa was so stunned she couldn't close her gaping mouth. The men charging at her had been struck by lightning and split in two—how could she not be shocked?
"Wha—what...!"
Dan Hyeong-u stepped forward before the wide-eyed, horrified Geum Yuhwa. Only then did she turn to look at him and Jong Chil. She hadn't had the leisure to check until now. Or perhaps she'd deliberately avoided it, assuming they were dead. Either way, she hadn't dreamed they could still be alive.
"H-how...!"
Jong Chil, standing behind her, answered her bewilderment.
"Our leader's Lightning Strike is invincible under heaven."
"L-Lightning Strike?"
Geum Yuhwa faltered at the somewhat ridiculous name but quickly regained her composure and scanned the surroundings. Where Dan Hyeong-u and Jong Chil had stood, piles of corpses lay—bisected ones.
Her mouth fell open wider. And then lightning struck repeatedly.
Crackle!
Demonic Alliance warriors and Greenwoods thugs who charged without grasping the situation were felled by bolts one after another.
Watching this, Geum Yuhwa thought the name Lightning Strike truly fit.
"It's Heavenly Thunder."
"Pardon?"
Geum Yuhwa blinked in confusion at Dan Hyeong-u's sudden remark, then glanced at Jong Chil with faintly flushed cheeks. The sword technique's true name wasn't Lightning Strike—it was Heavenly Thunder.
"Heavenly Thunder..."
It was a perfectly fitting name.
Dan Hyeong-u gazed expressionlessly at the Sword King. Now unleashed, he was truly fearsome. The Black Blood Sword Jin Cheon-hyeok and Dominating Blood Axe Jeok Pyo were already headless, and countless others around them had been shredded to bloody mist.
Like a rampaging beast, the Sword King smashed through the wall and burst outside. He slaughtered the waiting Greenwoods horde and Demonic Alliance warriors like a lone wolf unleashed among sheep.
And he expended every last drop of his qi.
The Sword King stood motionless, sword dangling naturally at his side. Yet no one dared approach. The savage frenzy he'd displayed had etched deep terror into the eyes of Greenwoods thugs and Demonic Alliance warriors alike.
Over a hundred foes remained. A huge loss from the initial three hundred-plus, but if they achieved their goal, it would be a victory. Against the Sword King, no less.
Those still outside the inn had no idea what had transpired within.
One Greenwoods thug mustered his courage, suppressing his fear, and crept slowly toward the Sword King. But he didn't stir. His eyes merely bulged wide open.
The thug grew bolder. He drew a small throwing knife from his bosom and hurled it at the Sword King. Too tense to infuse it with power, but it flew true nonetheless.
Swish!
The knife grazed the Sword King's arm, drawing blood. Yet he remained utterly still.
Only then did life return to the eyes of the Greenwoods thugs and Demonic Alliance warriors. The dreaded Sword King was finished.
"Kill him!"
A shout erupted. Pent-up fear exploded, and over a hundred men surged forward. They hacked at the Sword King with their weapons.
And in that instant,
Flash!
A single clear bolt of lightning descended.
Target bisected!
The hall froze in terror.
The lead Greenwoods thug was cleaved in two, and the hall froze solid in an instant.
"Ugh...!"
Groans escaped everyone's lips. The Sword King wasn't dead yet. No, perhaps he'd been waiting for them to charge.
"Aaaah!"
Someone screamed and fled. That sparked the rout—the remaining hundred men bolted without looking back. Only terror of the Sword King lingered in their minds.
Crimson-black blood gushed from the Sword King's mouth. His eyes began to tear at the corners. He was entering the early stages of qi deviation. The price of overexerting his depleted inner energy.
Dan Hyeong-u watched him silently, then raised his hand to the Sword King's crown.
"Cough!"
A jolt pierced the Sword King's body, and he vomited black-red blood.
"Hah! Hah!"
Only then did he gasp raggedly for breath. In that brief moment, his face seemed to have aged decades.
"Hah! Wh-who the hell are you...?"
Those were the Sword King's last words before blacking out.
Ma Yeong trembled with excitement.
"Incredible! The Sword King himself!"
He ordered his Ma Yeong Squad to withdraw. No need to press further today. The Sword King was injured, after all. He'd fight once he recovered fully. The Sword King's appearance had ignited Ma Yeong's lust for battle.
"I wondered who looked so strong—never dreamed it'd be the Sword King. Worth us stepping in. Heh heh heh."
Ma Yeong chuckled delightedly. His real target was Dan Hyeong-u, not the Sword King, but such details hardly mattered now. He'd kill them all anyway.
Too fixated on the Sword King, Ma Yeong hadn't glimpsed Dan Hyeong-u fighting at all. Thanks to that, Dan Hyeong-u faded into the background.
Ma Yeong's mind was filled with the Sword King.
Ma Yeong and his squad pulled back from the inn, infiltrating every corner of So Hyeon. They'd monitor the Sword King and his group's every move without fail.
Namgung Han couldn't close his mouth at the carnage in So Hyeon village. The shocking scene at Hwa Wol Pavilion had extended to rows of corpses lining the streets—even he felt queasy.
And then he met the Sword King.
So Hyeon Inn. The largest inn in So Hyeon, where the Sword King's group was staying. Though battered and broken from the Demonic Alliance and Greenwoods assault, it remained the village's premier establishment.
The innkeeper and staff had fled on the day of the incident, returning only after everything settled. Thus, casualties were minimal. And the inn resumed business without issue.
The Sword King's group, having rented the entire rear courtyard, had been there two days already. The comatose Sword King hadn't woken.
Gathered around his sickbed were quite a few people: two physicians, Namgung Han and other Namgung family retainers, and Geum Yuhwa with the Sword King's entourage.
Dan Hyeong-u stood off to one side as always, with Jong Chil perched cautiously beside him.
"How is he?"
At Geum Yuhwa's question, the physician taking his pulse nodded and issued instructions to the younger doctor beside him.
"Nothing serious. His qi is just a bit depleted. He overtaxed himself to the point of exhausting his inner energy, so his vitality has taken a minor hit."
Geum Yuhwa's face fell slightly at the physician's words. Damaged vitality meant a loss to his cultivation. She couldn't feel good knowing it was because of her.
"No need to worry. If he takes the medicine I prescribe and rests well for a few days, his vitality will recover swiftly."
Geum Yuhwa bowed in gratitude to the physician, then thanked Namgung Han too.
"I truly owe you, Young Master Namgung. Introducing us to your family's physicians..."
These two doctors primarily served the Namgung family. Naturally versed in martial arts, inner energy, and qi flow, they excelled at treating warriors.
"Think nothing of it. To any who wield the sword, the Sword King is an idol, a goal. It was only natural."
Geum Yuhwa bowed again in admiration at Namgung Han's words. They'd safely weathered the crisis. The Demonic Alliance likely wouldn't attack again soon. Perhaps their main base had even fallen.
Three hundred experts, even with Greenwoods aid—that was a devastating blow at such a time. Recovery would be near impossible if attacked then.
Namgung Han had heard the full details from Geum Yuhwa. He seethed at the tale of the Demonic Alliance's assassination attempt.
"Shameless scum. We can't let them get away with this. I don't understand why the Martial Alliance just watches them."
"They won't rampage much longer now."
"They'd better not. In any case, the Martial Alliance will move in earnest soon. They can't sit idle in such a lopsided situation."
As Namgung Han said, the Martial Alliance vastly outpowered the Demonic Alliance. The balance had tipped long ago, and the recent Hyeong Mountain incident had widened the gap irreversibly.
Yet the Alliance hadn't acted. Other pressing matters piled up: frequent clashes between sects, unending incidents, rampant rumors.
Many involved sects tied to the Alliance, so they couldn't ignore them. Alliance members were swamped as a result.
Thus, as long as the Demonic Alliance caused no major stirs, there'd been no intent to engage. But this bold assault changed that—the Alliance wouldn't overlook it. Of course, if Golden Lotus didn't move faster, it'd be too late.
As Namgung Han and Geum Yuhwa discussed the martial world's state, the Sword King opened his eyes.
Having woken, he lay still, assessing his body. In an instant, swirling qi coursed through, rousing his muscles and cells.
The Sword King sat up.
No one in the room spoke, watching him. Simply rising unleashed a tidal wave of presence. It stemmed from him circulating qi to restore his condition.