Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Silent Sword
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Have you ever seen a sword shatter into fragments?
At the very least, Gwangyang could confidently say...
That it was a sight he'd never witnessed since the day he was born.
---Kaaaaang!!!!!
"Krgh?!"
The Divine Might Heavenly Breaker, Yahul Pae.
That infamous warrior slid across the ground. The sword clutched in his hand crumbled to ash, scattering in every direction.
"Pick up a sword."
Standing before him was a warrior without the slightest disarray. His master. Normally so gentle, but...
The moment he drew his sword, his entire demeanor shifted into something unknowable.
"You... fucking bastard...!"
Yahul Pae gripped a sword. Waves of qi surged from the blade like crashing tides.
Unlike the Kunlun warriors whose qi had flickered like heat haze. This was different-each strand sparkling like stars...
Qi clear enough to see with the naked eye.
Blade qi.
---Kwaaaang!!!!
Everything in the world follows certain principles. Rocks can't break iron; fire is extinguished by water. Such natural laws.
Yet those principles crumbled before that sparkling energy. A being beyond human limits-that was the clear reason they called it "transcendent."
Whether it touched fire, iron, or rock...
It overwhelmed and shattered anything.
That was blade qi, or so he'd heard. And seeing the chills run down his spine now confirmed it wasn't wrong.
But something like that...
---Kwadududuk!!
Could it break so easily?
"Urghhh!!!"
As the sword shattered, the Divine Might Heavenly Breaker rolled across the ground. Blood spewed from his mouth, splattering the earth.
A massive internal injury. He staggered to his feet, legs trembling.
The wounded Qingcheng warriors rose unsteadily.
"W-What the hell... I couldn't even sense any inner power on that sword..."
"He endured blade qi with sheer physical force...? How...?!"
"His skill is so profound it pierces the heavens. Red Cloud...? How has a man like that gone unnamed until now...?"
"H-His black sword...! Power that shatters even blade qi...?!"
In the midst of the growing clamor, Yahul Pae laughed. He spat a glob of congealed blood onto the ground.
"Shii...bal... You're... hiding more cards than I thought..."
"Pick up a sword."
"Fuck! Fine, let's do this! I'll go all out...! I'll show you why they call me the Divine Might Heavenly Breaker!"
With a series of cracks, Yahul Pae's body swelled larger.
His writhing muscles bulged with prominent veins, and the massive power pouring from his entire frame shattered the ground beneath him.
"I'll pour it all out! The full might of the Divine Might Heavenly Breaker!"
A shockwave erupted from the descending force. The qi fragments rang out with a sharp "jeeng---" and clawed across the earth even from a distance.
"M-Master!"
Gwangyang shouted belatedly as he checked on his teacher.
The warrior stood unmoved, rooted in place without disruption.
In the settling dust, a single drop of blood hung from the corner of his mouth. But in the next instant, he moved with the same fluidity as before the strike.
---Uduk.
A fist slammed into the Divine Might Heavenly Breaker Yahul Pae's face. His body flew, crashing into the ground repeatedly as it tumbled.
"Urghhh!!!"
Red Cloud seized a sword embedded in the dirt. He tossed the last remaining sword in front of him.
"This should be your favorite moment."
From start to finish, unchanging.
As if to prove his own words, his tone was ice-cold.
"Laugh, Divine Might Heavenly Breaker. If you won't... I'll rip that mouth open myself."
...
Yahul Pae charged. He snatched the last sword and swept forward across the ground.
There was only one thing for me to do. Receive his blade qi with my body and crush him with overwhelming superiority.
I ignored the internal injuries surging with every clash. They weren't even worth calling pain in the first place, and Heavenly Tribulation healed them immediately anyway.
I simply broke him. I repaid everything he'd inflicted on Dang Hwi.
I shattered his left arm. I sliced through the mangled limb at the elbow and yanked it free.
"Kaaaaah!!!!"
I smashed the final swing of his sword head-on. Crude blade qi at best. Its shallow depth-clearly just manifested-could be handled with Black Lord alone.
Iron fragments scattered amid the dispersing qi. I pierced through, seizing his twisted right arm.
Yanked it out. Yahul Pae's eyes rolled back.
"Kughhh!!!"
Dang Hwi, whose limbs had been twisted.
To repay that exactly, I moved my hands. I tore off his left leg, crushed his right.
A man who killed for sport.
Knowing that, I held no mercy. Leaving a fiend who'd abandoned humanity would only breed more victims.
After ripping off all four limbs, I bent down. I gazed into his trembling, upturned eyes, then shoved my hand into his mouth.
---Kwajijik!
Ripped it apart. Side to side.
Blood droplets fluttered everywhere. Amid them, I hoped the eyes of those he'd killed would finally close.
"It's just as you wanted, Divine Might Heavenly Breaker. Remember this moment for the rest of your life."
Killing is easy.
But he couldn't die here.
I forcibly stanched his wounds.
"Warrior."
"Y-Yes...?"
I turned to the altered tone of the Qingcheng warrior. I tossed the fainted, limbless Yahul Pae at his feet.
"He's your witness. Go make it known. What the Sacheon Tang Clan did. And how, because of it, the innocent young heir of the Tang Clan and his people died."
"......."
"Can I trust you?"
The staggering Qingcheng warrior nodded.
"No matter what... we'll expose the truth. Leave it to us."
"I trust you."
It concerned Qingcheng. For their own gain, they'd see it through.
I glanced back at where Yahul Pae had fallen. A small booklet had spilled from his waistband onto the ground.
I brushed off the dirt and checked inside. Worn from use, but recognizable.
Giant Force Sword...
The contents suited Gwangyang perfectly. Having witnessed Yahul Pae's swordsmanship firsthand, teaching it would be no issue.
Moreover, it seemed to emphasize the principles of heaviness.
Another useful acquisition by chance. I tucked the booklet into my robes.
But it left a bitter taste.
Even gaining a treasure didn't feel like a gain.
I returned to where Dang Hwi's body lay, alongside the Qingcheng warriors. We handcrafted a coffin from nearby timber, suitable for transport.
Having done it once before, it wasn't difficult. Afterward, I turned to head back to Sacheon Castle, but the Qingcheng warriors stopped me.
"Great hero, you might get unnecessarily entangled. Leave the body's transport to us. We'll handle it properly."
"......."
"Even if you carry the corpse back yourself, you won't see a good outcome. The Sacheon Tang Clan might try to pin the blame on you. Entrust it to us."
The Qingcheng warriors clasped their hands in salute.
"Qingcheng won't forget this. Hero Red Cloud. Please visit Qingcheng sometime. We'll repay you."
"No need for repayment. Just..."
I set down three vials of Blood Poison Brew beside Dang Hwi's body.
Closed the coffin lid.
"Make the Sacheon Tang Clan regret what they've done."
"...We will."
The Qingcheng warriors departed. I let out a sigh.
It left a bitter taste. An intense one. But there was no choice.
My destination was still far, and I had to keep moving.
"Gwangyang."
"Y-Yes... Master..."
He, who'd kept his distance, rushed over. I handed him the Giant Force Sword that the Divine Might Heavenly Breaker had cultivated.
"It suits you. I'll help you master it. And Narin."
"Y-Yes..."
"From today, both of you will train in proper martial arts. So now, we'll add sparring to your drills."
I'd already witnessed the darker side of the Murim Alliance twice.
There'd be more ahead. Since they wielded swords, Narin and Gwangyang would inevitably get caught up too.
I, at least...
Hoped they wouldn't end up like Dang Hwi.
"I don't want you dying to scum like the Divine Might Heavenly Breaker."
"......."
"......."
"And at the same time..."
I started walking again.
"Don't become like them."
"...Yes, Master. I won't."
"I'll become someone like you, Master!"
My heart was heavy, but the two followed diligently regardless.
"...Let's go."
I couldn't even imagine how vicious the things ahead would be.
...
Giant Force Sword.
I closely examined the manual I'd given Gwangyang.
It made the qi itself heavy, adding weight to the sword. But mastering it fully required considerable physical strength.
The heart method seemed unremarkable otherwise... The one potential concern was...
Yahul Pae. His inherent brutality.
To prepare for any mishaps, I scrutinized every detail of the manual. Fortunately, nothing seemed off.
Even the sword he'd wielded felt more like orthodox techniques than demonic arts.
As I returned the manual,
Gwangyang asked cautiously,
"If I learn this and end up like that Yahul Pae..."
"No chance of that. I'll be watching."
"I trust only you, Master!"
With his innate talent now fueled by passion, his progress was swift. Layers of prior effort formed the foundation, topped with newfound form-his growth accelerated remarkably.
Sparring with Narin. He was overwhelmingly outmatched in most exchanges, but one in ten saw Gwangyang taking control.
The fruits of his relentless effort to grow stronger were finally showing.
"I want to become like you, Master."
"...Like me?"
"Yes. Even though I'm worthless... I want to help those getting bullied. The tolls were basically extortion too..."
Gwangyang smiled awkwardly.
"I want to live repaying that debt to others."
"Me too!"
Narin and Gwangyang.
Their talents were one thing, but their character appealed to me. If they achieved some skill...
Arranging suitable positions for them wouldn't be a bad idea.
But they still had a long way to go.
They needed more training.
"Master, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Have you... ever taught anyone before?"
"Whoa, I'm curious too. Why are you so good at teaching, Master?"
Good at teaching, huh...
Probably because it was all the trial-and-error I'd been through myself. I was clumsier than most, enduring endless failures just to master one thing.
"I covered my lack of talent with effort."
"...Huh?"
"Just an old story."
As their skills improved daily, we passed straight through Wudang territory.
Over half a year had flown by, and the seasons had shifted.
The warm sunlight faded, replaced by falling snow. Trudging through it, I suddenly realized my conversations with Black Lord had fully concluded.
Now, she obeyed without me needing to suppress her.
The drawn black sword coquettishly danced at my fingertips. Likely because I'd polished her so carefully every night.
Only one spirit sword left. Gwang. The sole one that wouldn't unsheathe.
Yet she still rejected my touch. As if shy, whispering it wasn't time yet.
Drawing this one would be a story for further down the road...
So, back to tempering my martial arts as always.
"Um, Master. I've felt this for a while, but... your sword seems alive."
"Alive."
"I-Is it really?"
"Yeah."
"...You're joking, right?"
"No way, sis. A sword can't actually be alive."
Anhui Fortress.
The seat of the Murim Alliance.
Finally, I set foot near its gates. After facing the massive city, I planned to secure lodging first.
But as I moved to soothe my hungry stomach, I overheard the next table over.
"Heard about the warrior who caught the Divine Might Heavenly Breaker?"
"Ah... that..."
They were talking about me.
With a nickname I'd never heard in my life.
"The Silent Sword?"