Whose Sword is the Fastest? (5)
'If I lose this time too, I'll lose everything.'
They say a cornered rat will bite the cat. Fittingly, that was exactly Namgung Ungwang, the Crimson Sky Sword King, right now.
He had already lost two rounds.
If he lost this one as well, it would be an utter defeat with no excuses, branding him a warrior weaker than the Demon Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon.
Unleashing the pinnacle strike of the Crimson Sky Sword King Swordsmanship.
Namgung Ungwang unfolded the ultimate technique of his Crimson Sky Sword King Swordsmanship with a face more solemn than ever, squeezing out every ounce of his strength.
Gone was the dignified sight of the Namgung family head boasting magnificent martial prowess.
There was only a pathetic warrior struggling desperately not to lose.
Hummm, huuummm!
As the restriction on his internal energy lifted, Namgung Ungwang's sword trembled violently.
In truth, the Crimson Sky Sword King's internal energy was by no means something to scoff at.
He had been raised in the Namgung family, the pinnacle of the Five Great Families, consuming all sorts of elixirs since childhood.
In terms of internal energy alone, he was nearly on par with the Heaven's Five Venerables.
Pa-ba-ba-bat!
His sword, infused with internal energy and gaining momentum, soon flew at terrifying speed, engulfing Hyeon Yucheon.
Whoooosh!
It blanketed not just Hyeon Yucheon's entire body but evoked the image of a hidden weapons master's inescapable net.
The spectators gazed at Namgung Ungwang once more at that sight.
The greatest beneficiary of lifting the internal energy restriction was undoubtedly Hyeon Yucheon.
The biggest winner from lifting the internal energy restriction was none other than Hyeon Yucheon.
In terms of internal energy alone, he had been at a level approaching the Entering Divinity realm even back in his Super Peak days.
The Crimson Sky Sword King couldn't even compare.
Paaaat!
Hyeon Yucheon had overwhelmed Namgung Ungwang and all of the Namgung family's martial arts with pure forms alone, without using internal energy.
How much more devastating would it be with internal energy added?
Kwa-jijik!
The terrifying formless sword gang Hyeon Yucheon unleashed shot like an arrow, shattering Namgung Ungwang's forms to pieces.
And that was not all.
Kaaang!
Hyeon Yucheon's One Flash One Kill form didn't just destroy his opponent's strikes—it accelerated without losing any power, aiming to smash Namgung Ungwang's sword itself.
"Urk!"
Namgung Ungwang's grip ached so fiercely that he could barely hold his sword, like a novice just learning the blade.
Honestly, it was impressive he hadn't dropped it.
'This can't be! Such insane power?'
More painful than his hand was the agony of realizing the gap between him and his opponent.
He nearly fumbled his sword in panic, left dumbfounded by the true might of the Formless Flash Quick Sword.
"Did anger make you forget, or were you always this blind...? From the start, the Namgung family's sword arts have always been inferior to the Demon Sword Sect's."
Hyeon Yucheon looked down at him coldly, delivering the harsh reality.
Even though it denied his family and everything he stood for, Namgung Ungwang couldn't retort.
Hyeon Yucheon wielding internal energy was too frightening, far beyond his wildest imagination.
'My blood's running cold.'
When he had boldly challenged him head-on, rage had blinded him, his blood boiling. But witnessing Hyeon Yucheon's true power firsthand chilled him to the bone.
But the water was already spilled.
A superior form, faster beyond comparison.
Hyeon Yucheon didn't stop at the first strike, immediately launching a follow-up attack.
It was a higher form than before, its speed defying comparison.
Kwak!
In the blink of an eye, before Namgung Ungwang could react, the hem of his blue uniform was sliced clean off.
Fittingly, that hem bore the blue emblem symbolizing the Namgung family.
Whish!
The severed emblem fluttered away, foreshadowing the grim future of the Namgung family and its head.
'I didn't even see it!'
To Namgung Ungwang, the family emblem was irrelevant now.
Hyeon Yucheon unleashing the Formless Flash Quick Sword at full power with internal energy felt like a total negation of everything he was.
He had believed the fastest sword was the strongest in the world, and after the demon sword freak died, he thought himself the fastest swordsman alive.
"Eeeeek!"
Deep down, he knew it was impossible—his head and heart both knew.
Yet what drove him was a man's pride, perhaps.
Drawing the Imperial King's Sword Form once more.
He drew the Imperial King's Sword Form again.
It consumed vast internal energy, but he had no choice.
This was all Namgung Ungwang had left to believe in.
'No, no! The Namgung sword is the world's finest!'
Namgung Ungwang, whose pride had been drilled into him his entire life.
That very pride was about to shatter.
A mid-level form of the Formless Flash Quick Sword that surges ever upward.
Hyeon Yucheon chose the Formless Subduing Sword, a mid-level form of the Formless Flash Quick Sword with an upward-surging nature.
What made this form truly fearsome was how it seemed to bend oddly at first.
Pabat! Pa-ba-ba-bat!
Then it accelerated upward like rising from water's surface.
Even more chilling: only the sound reached the ears—no form visible.
And only a Super Peak master like Namgung Ungwang could even hear that sound.
Kwaaaaang!
Finally, the Formless Flash Quick Sword and Imperial King's Sword Form clashed in midair, exploding violently.
No need to await or anticipate the result.
Chiiik!
Naturally, Hyeon Yucheon's sword was faster and stronger.
His formless sword gang instantly overpowered the opponent's form, then sliced away a large portion of his uniform—not just the hem.
Drip, drop!
If even protective clothing was shredded, how could flesh remain intact?
Skin tore, blood flowed.
"Haaap!"
Namgung Ungwang still refused to yield, swinging his sword again.
'If I can't match in speed, I'll win in power!'
Filled with that resolve, he unleashed sharp sword gangs led by the Crimson Sky Sword King Swordsmanship and Imperial King's Sword Form.
It was pure desperation, a frenzy.
The original purpose—to determine the fastest sword in the martial world—had vanished, leaving only stubbornness.
Chaeng!
Even that was pushed back by Hyeon Yucheon's flawless counter, cornering the Crimson Sky Sword King to his last bastion.
"Will you continue?"
Hyeon Yucheon's words dug sharper than any flesh wound.
"...What?"
Sunk in despair's swamp, Namgung Ungwang barely registered it, blurting a question.
"If you keep going from here, I might take your life."
Hyeon Yucheon's words were no bluff or bravado.
In truth, he had held back in the previous strike.
Had he gone full force, it wouldn't have been the uniform severed—but Namgung Ungwang's upper body.
His message was simple: Stop now, lose face but keep your life. Continue, and risk death.
Grind!
At this crossroads, Namgung Ungwang clenched his teeth in deep anguish.
Honestly, he wanted neither sacrifice.
But life doesn't allow both.
"I..."
Namgung Ungwang gripped his sword fiercely.
His eyes shifted not to Hyeon Yucheon, but around.
Reflecting, he realized he'd always focused on others' gazes, not his inner self.
Murmur, murmur!
The bloodshot crowd stared at him.
The Crimson Sky Sword King feared nothing—save the Heaven's Five Venerables—but the masses' eyes and judgments terrified him more than any sword gang or technique.
And so, he mustered his courage.
"I forfeit the match. I... lost."
A wise choice, in a way.
That courage saved him—and the Namgung family from losing its head.
But gains come with losses.
Hummm!
"And you're the head of the Five Great Families?"
"The Five Great Families know no shame."
"That coward was called a great hero all this time?!"
The crowd's reactions blazed hot.
Especially the anonymous barbs from the throng—deliciously savage.
What truly stung was knowing they were justified, some even "constructive criticism" for his betterment.
"A good attitude."
Hyeon Yucheon respected his choice.
He knew the crowd and public opinion would torment him far worse than he could.
"Wait!"
As Hyeon Yucheon turned to leave post-match, Namgung Ungwang stopped him, forcing words out.
"W-Well... how was my sword? My sword?"
His face was utterly desperate.
This was begging.
With the masses turning away, he sought even a scrap of praise from Hyeon Yucheon to sway the next generation.
Knowing this well, Hyeon Yucheon kept his icy tone.
"Well, it wasn't slow."
Those words utterly crushed him.
Hyeon Yucheon had utterly dominated the Crimson Sky Sword King, head of the Five Great Families' summit, in the speed sword duel.
"Let's move quickly."
He urged his Demon Sword Sect subordinates, who cheered wildly in excitement.
'Why is the sect leader acting like this?'
The Black Wolf Three Swords and others felt puzzled at his haste to leave.
Normally, Hyeon Yucheon reveled in such cheers to promote the Demon Sword Sect and improve Sapa's standing.
Urging a swift departure meant something was up.
"Avoid the crowds as much as possible. Head somewhere remote."
And specifically away from people.
This sparked worries—had Hyeon Yucheon suffered a grave injury?
"Don't worry."
Someone spoke to the foot-stomping Black Wolf Three Swords and frustrated So Jaun, who couldn't read him.
It was Jeong Se-in, owner of the Haeha Guest House.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
So Jaun's sharp question met Jeong Se-in's calm reply.
"You still don't know our Young Master Hyeon well? Look at his face closely."
Jeong Se-in continued in a tone implying So Jaun should know better.
"He looks expressionless, but that's his happiest face. He must've gained some great insight."
Her words rang with conviction.
And she was spot on—sharply perceptive.
Incredibly, Hyeon Yucheon had gained enlightenment from clashing three times with the righteous world's top speed swordsman, the Crimson Sky Sword King Namgung Ungwang.