Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Eleventh Match - Bet, Competition (4)
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Hye-un came down.
Dang Hwa-seo glared at Hye-un with a face full of fury, but Hye-un just chuckled and passed her by.
"Isn't it Lady Dang's turn? Aren't you going up?"
What on earth gave her that confidence?
Crunch.
Veins bulged on the back of Dang Hwa-seo's hand.
"...We'll see."
"Yes~ Have a good trip~."
She didn't like Hye-un's smirking face.
However, there was something more important right now.
Dang Hwa-seo narrowed her eyes at the arena above.
'So that's the Inner Cabinet warrior.'
There was a man with a ponytail.
He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with a saber hanging from his waist.
Judging by its length and width, it pursued power over speed.
'Pinnacle Realm.'
Their internal energy levels were similar.
Of course, since emitting internal energy was prohibited, it wasn't particularly important.
As Dang Hwa-seo climbed onto the arena, the ponytail warrior bowed his head.
"I'm Cho Neung of the Inner Cabinet."
"Dragon-Phoenix Squad Leader Dang Hwa-seo."
A sharp tension flowed between the two.
The nine True Origin Unit warriors who had followed along were arrogant, clearly trusting in Cho Neung.
Azure Dragon Unit Leader Gi Tae-un raised his hand.
"Both sides, to your positions!"
Dang Hwa-seo headed to her spot, then slipped her hand into her bosom.
Clink—
A sound rang out.
'Best to clear out the small fry first.'
A spar where emitting internal energy was forbidden.
This was a significant restriction for Dang Hwa-seo.
Most of the poisons she used worked by emitting internal energy to infect the opponent.
They knew that, which was why they were so arrogant.
'Pathetic.'
Dang Hwa-seo snorted.
How could their thinking be so shallow? Did they really believe she earned the Phoenix title just for excelling in poison arts?
"Begin!"
No.
Though she didn't want the position herself, Dang Hwa-seo was still the Young Clan Leader of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
And the Sichuan Tang Clan didn't teach only poison arts.
Swoosh!
Dang Hwa-seo's arm blurred for an instant.
At the same time, exactly ten blunt-tipped daggers shot out, striking the warriors' vital points.
"Gurk!"
"Ugh...!"
The True Origin Unit warriors knelt with pained groans.
Clang!
Only Cho Neung drew his saber and deflected the dagger.
"Hidden weapons..."
"Best to clear out the small fry."
Dang Hwa-seo said this as she flicked her sleeve.
At some point, she had six daggers in her hands—three per hand.
Shadow Flying Dagger.
The signature technique of Pyo San that Mok Ri-won had faced in Suyang County, Gangseo Province, previously.
As the Tang Clan's Young Clan Leader, Dang Hwa-seo could wield that martial art as well.
Her internal energy method differed, so she couldn't handle it as mysteriously as Pyo San, but imitation was possible.
"I'm coming."
Dang Hwa-seo said.
By the time Cho Neung began to tense up, the dagger was already at his brow.
"Hup!"
Cho Neung jerked his head to dodge the dagger.
But Dang Hwa-seo's assault didn't end there.
Clang!
In that fleeting moment, as she reached right before Cho Neung's nose, she aimed a dagger at his solar plexus.
Cho Neung furrowed his brow.
'Fast!'
The speed was incredible.
It wasn't merely good footwork—the very rhythm of her attacks was so rapid it was hard to keep up.
'No wonder she's the Squad Leader!'
With that thought, Cho Neung swung his saber widely.
Dang Hwa-seo wasn't struck.
She had already retreated far away by that instant.
Cho Neung's expression darkened.
'The mission...'
To halt the Dragon-Phoenix Squad's streak.
Even if the True Origin Unit's defeat was certain, it was about salvaging their remaining dignity.
This effectively meant Cho Neung had to win at all costs.
Why wouldn't it?
Behind Dang Hwa-seo remained the Sword Dragon and Silent Dragon.
Even with internal energy restricted, those two had reached another level with swordsmanship alone.
'With the team leader here, there's a variable... but failing to settle it here makes the aftermath just as bad.'
Cho Neung's gaze sank.
'Even if I have to overexert...!'
He had to defeat Dang Hwa-seo.
With that in mind, Cho Neung charged.
Tap!
Nimble, flowing footwork.
At its end, his saber swung largely toward Dang Hwa-seo's waist.
It was Cho Neung's fastest technique, yet even this felt slow to Dang Hwa-seo.
Thwack!
Dang Hwa-seo bent at the waist to evade the saber, then struck the center of Cho Neung's left thigh with the dagger's hilt.
She leaped backward in an acrobatic flip, firing three more daggers that hit his solar plexus, dantian, and left knee respectively.
"Urk...!"
Cho Neung's body twisted.
Though a natural twist from pain, it was also a calculated ploy.
Dang Hwa-seo was steadying her breath.
He likely judged she wouldn't move right away.
'Now!'
Cho Neung tensed his muscles with a creak and charged forward in his crumbling stance.
Dang Hwa-seo's eyes widened.
Her body flinched from the unexpected motion, shaking her posture.
Cho Neung's saber thrust out, aiming for her shoulder.
In that moment, Dang Hwa-seo bit her lip and decided.
'Better to sacrifice one arm.'
The sparring saber had a dulled blade.
Protected by internal energy, blocking it shouldn't cause major injury.
Dang Hwa-seo blocked the saber with her arm.
Crack.
An unpleasant sound echoed, and Dang Hwa-seo felt a white-hot pain flood her mind.
A normal person would have completely collapsed in that instant.
But Dang Hwa-seo was different.
Pain was more familiar to her than anything else.
Swoosh—
Dang Hwa-seo hurled a dagger with her good hand.
The dagger sliced through the air, striking precisely between Cho Neung's eyes.
Thwack!
"Ugh...!"
Cho Neung's eyes rolled back, whites showing.
And right after.
Thud.
Cho Neung dropped to his knees.
Dang Hwa-seo clutched her broken arm, frowning as she looked toward Gi Tae-un.
"Poison Phoenix! Victory!"
Gi Tae-un's victory call.
Cheers erupted throughout the arena.
*
"Little Sister! Is your arm okay?!"
Mok Ri-won approached Dang Hwa-seo with deep worry, circling her frantically.
He was checking not just her arm but everywhere else for injuries.
He looked just like a large puppy.
The thought made Dang Hwa-seo giggle.
Then pain surged, twisting her face.
"Li-Little Sister!"
"It's fine. I was prepared to give it up."
It was the best she could do without poisons.
A fellow Pinnacle Realm warrior.
Trivial tricks were obviously futile, and since he'd charged ready to sacrifice his body, she judged she had to counter in kind.
"But...!"
Understandable words.
Yet Mok Ri-won felt an odd tightness in his chest at Dang Hwa-seo's wound.
"That was too reckless..."
"Reckless? Can a warrior hesitate over something like this?"
Mok Ri-won's face fell.
Excessive worry, perhaps, but Dang Hwa-seo found it quite endearing.
"It's fine. Really. This'll heal in under a week."
To convey no regrets, Dang Hwa-seo patted Mok Ri-won's head.
Only then did she flinch and withdraw her hand.
"Ah, sorry..."
"Hm? For what?"
Mok Ri-won tilted his head.
He showed no awkwardness at the treatment.
Innocent? Or just dense?
'...Innocent.'
Those sparkling eyes suggested he truly didn't grasp the implications of such touching.
Instantly, Dang Hwa-seo's thoughts branched wildly.
'Then...'
Lewd ideas surfaced.
If he knew nothing, maybe it was fine to feign innocence and indulge a little.
Wasn't it Mok Ri-won's fault for acting so purely naive?
Dry saliva slid down Dang Hwa-seo's throat.
She squeezed her eyes shut, a long breath escaping her lips.
'...No, that's not right.'
Dang Hwa-seo barely reclaimed her reason.
"Next is Sword Dragon's turn, right?"
At her words, Namgung Jincheon rose.
His sharp phoenix eyes glared at the arena.
"Be back soon."
Namgung Jincheon mounted the arena.
And.
"Sword Dragon! Victory!"
He ended the spar the moment it began.
Inner Cabinet warrior, True Origin deputy leader, ordinary martial artists.
All were equal before Namgung Jincheon's sword.
*
True Origin Unit Leader Gyeon Dong said, his jaw trembling.
"Wh-what now! Already five losses! This is the last one—if it goes like this...!"
The one nagging in a whiny tone was the mercenaries' team leader.
Shadow Sword U Rim.
When U Rim narrowed his brows, Gyeon Dong startled with a hiccup and shrank back.
He couldn't complain further, but anxiety flooded Gyeon Dong's heart.
'Complete sweep! Can't let it be a complete sweep!'
He had already disappointed his grandfather beyond measure.
Even with mercenaries hired, ending in a total loss might lead his grandfather to truly cast him out.
He'd be a drifting duck egg then.
Without further backing, he might even lose his unit leader seat.
Gyeon Dong watched Mok Ri-won head to the arena.
Grinning ear to ear for some reason.
Defeat seemed nowhere in his mind.
'That... that monster...'
How was anyone supposed to beat him?
Word was, with sufficient internal energy, he could defeat even Golden Sword Gwon Pyo-wol.
At just eighteen.
Thump— Thump—
Gyeon Dong's heart pounded wildly like a mallet, swelling his anxiety.
His gaze shook, his legs quivering.
Unbefitting a first-rate warrior.
Actually, he wasn't even proper first-rate, so it fit.
Gyeon Dong's realm had been forcibly elevated through his Inner Cabinet Leader grandfather's support—elixirs, manuals—relying on martial depth and internal energy quantity.
"Te-Team leader...!"
Now he had to ascend the arena.
His mind blanked at the thought, and to his repeated plea, U Rim replied.
"True Origin Unit Leader."
A voice like icicles.
"No need to be so anxious."
"Eh...?"
"The Inner Cabinet Leader has already disowned you."
Gyeon Dong froze.
"Wh-what do you mean? Grandfather disown me like this...?"
"No choice. Despite all that support, you possess such pathetic strength. Nor are you gifted in strategy."
U Rim's words were emotionless.
The tone of one reciting plain facts.
"Know some shame."
Gyeon Dong blankly stared at U Rim's back as he climbed the arena.
Until Gi Tae-un called him.
"True Origin Unit Leader!"
"...A-alright, going!"
Gyeon Dong scrambled onto the arena.
U Rim hadn't glanced at him until then.
'Grandfather? Me?'
Gyeon Dong wanted to bolt to the Inner Cabinet right now, spar be damned.
To confirm it was a lie.
But Gi Tae-un's words came faster.
"Both sides! To positions!"
Shing—
U Rim and the True Origin Unit warriors drew their swords.
Gyeon Dong followed suit, and Mok Ri-won smiled faintly.
"Please take care of me."
"Likewise."
U Rim replied.
Gyeon Dong remained dazed.
His mind was a mess, needing time to think, but this situation offered none—just frustration.
"Begin!"
Gi Tae-un's voice rang amid it.
Mok Ri-won stood still, yielding initiative, so the eight True Origin warriors charged first.
The result was obvious.
"Argh!"
Mok Ri-won's overwhelming dominance.