Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Damn It!
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The Iron Blood Lord, Jang Yeo, decided to set aside the Iron Sword Style and face Namgung Urin with the Blood Rain Sword Art.
The Blood Rain Sword Art was characterized by its immense, unpredictable variations. Among its countless forms, not a single one was a feint. Every move that stemmed from the Blood Rain Sword Art was a killing technique.
Hadn't it been said?
All sword arts of the Iron Blood Sect were practical.
In other words, they were not flashy variations meant to deceive an opponent, but swift, killing techniques designed to ensure the enemy’s death.
Perhaps because of this, the killing intent flowing from the Iron Blood Lord grew even thicker. Of course, it wasn't true killing intent.
Even so, Namgung Urin’s complete lack of reaction to her killing intent now moved her beyond mere surprise to a feeling of respect.
A master over fifty years old, feeling this way toward a young warrior not yet of age.
The Iron Blood Lord rushed toward Namgung Urin with a speed on a different level from before.
*Boom, boom, boom!*
Despite the clash of sword against sword, there was no metallic clang. Instead, a sound loud enough to be mistaken for an explosion struck the training ground.
It was because the swords were imbued with considerable internal energy.
As expected of the Iron Blood Lord.
Namgung Urin was pushed back two steps.
But he did not yield.
“You’ve used three consecutive techniques. That leaves six more.”
But the Iron Blood Lord gave Namgung Urin no time to catch his breath.
A torrential Blood Rain poured down once more.
*BOOM, BOOM, KABOOM!*
This time, Namgung Urin was pushed back five steps.
A master was a master.
The Iron Blood Lord.
‘Damn it.’
Frustration surged within him.
It wasn't a particularly incredible attack, and there was no reason for him to be pushed back this far.
Namgung Urin had to admit his own inexperience. He had never anticipated she would press forward so relentlessly in that moment.
But, regardless of how it happened…
“Only three techniques left.”
“…I know.”
A hint of bewilderment now tinged the killing intent flowing from the Iron Blood Lord.
‘Even this isn’t enough…?’
*What if.*
She had come down from the upper platform with that very thought. But now, that ‘what if’—no, her own prediction—had been confirmed, and she had unleashed her techniques in succession with the intent to end the duel.
Even that had been blocked.
There are limits to martial arts.
While there is no precise line defining it, it is something understood from the accumulated records and knowledge throughout the long history of the martial world.
Just as a human cannot become a god.
Just as there is the premise that all humans must eventually die.
The hierarchy of martial arts, determined by who practices, how they practice, and for how long, was no different.
Therefore, the boy’s limit should have been exactly where the Iron Blood Lord had predicted it would be.
And yet.
‘Was my power slightly lacking?’
No.
That wasn't it.
In that moment, the Iron Blood Lord felt a desire to witness the limits of this boy who had surpassed the boundaries set by the history of the martial world—to savor the abilities of a child who might carve a wondrous new line in that history.
“You are incredible.”
“No, I am lacking.”
Some might have thought it a humble remark, but it didn't sound that way to the Iron Blood Lord.
It seemed he genuinely believed himself to be insufficient.
‘Just what is that boy aiming for…?’
A chill ran down her spine.
It felt like she was witnessing a new chapter in the history of the martial world.
“You can still go on, I assume?”
“I haven’t even started.”
He seemed to possess the will to back it up. A manliness unbefitting his age emanated from him.
Was it bravado?
Was it madness?
Or was it somewhere in between?
“Good.”
Shouldn't such a warrior be treated with due respect? The Iron Blood Lord drew upon even more of her internal energy. The bloody killing intent that had been lingering around her now swept through the entire training ground.
“Ugh.”
“…Damn.”
“Is she trying to kill him?”
“As expected of the Iron Blood Lord…”
The warriors surrounding the training ground were all startled by the killing intent and had to retreat to a safe distance.
The Iron Blood Sect Leader and Guard Seo, watching from the upper platform, couldn't help but be surprised as well.
“…It can’t be, right?”
“…I hope not.”
That was all they could hope for.
“Sect Leader. Shouldn’t we stop the Lord right here?”
“She has never made a mistake.”
“…Not yet, at least.”
No, it seemed she was making one right now, but in this situation, there was nothing they could do but trust the Iron Blood Lord.
Stopping her rashly could tarnish her reputation.
Unfazed by the chilling killing intent, Namgung Urin’s lips parted.
“Are you trying to scare me? It won’t work on me. Stop showing off in front of a kid and just come at me.”
“Haha. You’re good, but you lack some manners. Well, I suppose that doesn’t matter. Here I come.”
*FWOOSH.*
The moment the Iron Blood Lord kicked off the ground, her form vanished.
No, it was so fast it only seemed to have vanished.
‘Now!’
The Iron Blood Lord had said he could attack. So, Namgung Urin resolved to face her head-on, deciding to give it a try.
*THWACK!*
Namgung Urin's form disappeared as well. His speed rivaled that of the Iron Blood Lord.
It was the Flashing Thunder Steps of the Primordial Chaos Art.
Everyone watching the duel lost track of both the Iron Blood Lord and Namgung Urin. Their eyes darted about frantically, trying to find them.
From the Iron Blood Lord’s sword, the Iron Blood Sword Art, the ultimate technique of the Iron Blood Sect, began to unfold.
Namgung Urin unleashed the Azure Thunder Flash of the Primordial Chaos Art.
The Iron Blood Lord’s sword and Namgung Urin’s sword clashed violently.
*KUUUBOOOOM!*
The impact of the powerful collision of internal energy shattered the ground where the Iron Blood Lord and Namgung Urin stood, sending fragments flying.
Two techniques remained.
The Iron Blood Lord’s eyes filled with intensity as she swung her sword once more.
*KWAAAAANG!*
A tremendous roar once again struck the training ground.
Namgung Urin was pushed back twenty feet.
No.
Only one final technique remained for the Iron Blood Lord.
That was why.
He had momentarily retreated to meet the final, remaining technique with even greater force.
The Iron Blood Lord saw it.
In that fleeting moment, the corners of Namgung Urin’s lips curled into a smile.
‘…This brat… just what in the world…’
*THWACK!*
Namgung Urin’s form was even faster than before.
He had retreated twenty feet to add even more acceleration to his Flashing Thunder Steps. On top of that, he added the swiftness of the Azure Thunder Flash.
The Iron Blood Lord’s eyes widened in an instant.
‘Danger….’
*KUUUUUAAAAANG!*
With a roar different from before, something shot away like an arrow, smashed through the training ground wall, and crashed into it.
*CRASH!*
*CRUMBLE!*
The smoke from the collapsing wall mixed with the dust kicked up from the shattered ground, obscuring the situation from everyone’s view.
***
“You’ve been visiting quite often lately, haven’t you?”
To the unwelcoming words of Namgung Yul, the Namgung Family Head, the Beggars' Sect Leader, Jang Gae, replied leisurely.
“As your nephew said, am I not a beggar? It is the way of a beggar to go where his feet take him. It’s good to see you again, my lady.”
Sect Leader Jang Gae greeted Namgung Urin’s mother, Lady Yeonhwa, who was with Namgung Yul.
“The Namgung Family is hardly a den of beggars… Tsk. In any case, since you’re here, have a cup of tea before you go. I shall excuse myself for a moment.”
“No, my lady. I think you should stay as well.”
“…What?”
She was about to flee the unbearable stench of the beggar, but what was this sudden misfortune?
“I’ve brought a piece of information that is… well, it could be astonishing, or it could be absurd, or perhaps even preposterous.”
“Ah, yes. I see. I’m not particularly curious. I’ll hear about it from the Family Head later. I’m a bit busy, so if you’ll excuse me…”
“What if I told you the intended recipient of this information is you, my lady?”
“…The recipient is me…?”
“So please, have a seat. It’s the kind of news that will make you jump up again even if you hear it sitting down.”
Family Head Namgung Yul grew even more curious.
“What on earth is going on?”
Lady Yeonhwa sat down, shortening her breaths as much as possible. But the beggar’s stench was not something that could be managed just by holding one’s breath.
“I came straight here as soon as I heard this information myself.”
Namgung Yul was listening with rapt attention, while Lady Yeonhwa was desperately trying to figure out how to escape the smell, even just a little.
“You don’t know where your son, the Young Lord of Namgung, is right now, do you?”
Lady Yeonhwa, who had been trying to ignore him, suddenly snapped her eyes wide open and parted her lips.
But she couldn't speak right away.
‘Damn it all.’
At the mention of her son, she had lost control of her breathing and inhaled a lungful of the beggar’s atrocious stench that filled the Family Head’s office.
After steadying her breath again, Lady Yeonhwa spoke.
“Did something happen to my Urin?”
“Did my nephew get into some kind of trouble again?”
“Family Head!”
Lady Yeonhwa shot a sharp glare at Namgung Yul.
“Ahem.”
“Is that the only way you can think of your nephew?”
“What do you mean…?”
“I’m saying, don’t you always think of your nephew as a troublemaker?”
“Well, that’s because… he’s caused so much trouble since he was a child…”
“You weren’t exactly a quiet child yourself.”
“What does that have to do with… Still, I’ve been thinking of Urin as quite admirable lately…”
“Is ‘admirable’ going to be enough for this?”
“Pardon?”
“Please stop beating around the bush and tell me directly.”
Frustrated, Lady Yeonhwa urged Jang Gae on.
“To get straight to the point, Urin is at the Iron Blood Sect right now.”
“What?”
“…Wh… I mean, why did he go there?”
“Do you have any idea how hard your nephew is working to restore the Namgung Family to its former glory?!”
“…Hey, why are you yelling at me…”
“Why did he go there?”
“He heard that the 500-year-old ginseng recently discovered on Mount Huang went to the Iron Blood Sect, so he headed there immediately.”
“Sigh.”
Lady Yeonhwa’s sigh was heavy enough to crack the floor of the office.
“So? He wasn’t in an accident or seriously injured, was he?”
“For now… that’s what I heard.”
“What do you mean, ‘that’s what you heard’?”
“Sect Leader, what are you saying?”
The Beggars' Sect Leader, Jang Gae, also let out a long breath.
“He’s probably planning to get the 500-year-old ginseng from the Iron Blood Sect… but if things go wrong…”
At that moment, Lady Yeonhwa shot up from her seat.
“What do you mean, go wrong! You shouldn’t speak so carelessly. And my Urin will accomplish whatever he sets his mind to.”
He always had.
If she couldn't believe in her son, who could she believe in?
With those words, Lady Yeonhwa stormed out of the office. But she couldn't help the worry that gripped her heart.
Jang Gae spoke to the bewildered Namgung Yul.
“Will she be alright?”
He was referring to Lady Yeonhwa.
“My sister-in-law is a very strong person.”
“True. If it weren’t for her, Namgung would have had a hard time surviving this long.”
“Indeed. By the way, did that rascal just hop the wall of the Iron Blood Sect?”
The Iron Blood Sect wasn't some neighborhood martial arts school; it wasn't a place one could just walk into.
“I heard the Iron Blood Sect Leader was recruiting warriors to form a special sword brigade.”
“…Don’t tell me?”
“‘Don’t tell me’ is his specialty when it comes to getting into trouble.”
Namgung Yul shot up from his seat as well.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t just sit here.”
“So?”
“In case of the worst…”
No, it couldn’t happen.
The ‘worst’ must not happen. But he couldn't help the overwhelming worry.
“I must go myself.”
He always chided him for being a troublemaker, but he had to protect him. He couldn’t protect his older brother; he couldn’t fail his nephew as well….
It was something that absolutely could not, and must not, happen.
Besides, wasn’t his nephew, Urin, the very embodiment of Namgung itself?
And with that, Namgung Yul also left the office.
“Heh heh. Well, I’ll be.”