Chapter 204
Chapter 204
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: I See You Weren't Retired After All
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Clang!
The man's eyes widened.
The strike he had just delivered carried considerable power.
It wasn't his full strength, but it was powerful enough that most would never be able to block it, and even if they did, their sword would shatter.
Yet, she had deflected the blow.
Not just blocked, but deflected. It was hard to believe.
Of course, it was a straightforward attack without any particular finesse, making it easier to deflect.
"Heh... How interesting."
The man, Hong Yeoik, grinned.
A powerful energy began to seethe from his body.
Fwoosh!
The instantly surging energy exploded outward, engulfing the surroundings.
Yeon Harin swung her sword in wide arcs, gracefully retreating.
Each time she swung her sword, the raging energy was severed.
Though she moved lightly and wore an indifferent expression, she was incredibly tense inside.
Without yesterday's training with Byeok Taesan, she would never have been able to deflect that strike so easily.
'Amazing!'
Yeon Harin's eyes sparkled.
A thrill ran through her entire body. The slightest lapse in concentration or mistake would cost her life in an instant.
That sense of imminent danger stimulated her even more intensely.
After taking two steps back, Yeon Harin lifted her heels and dug her toes into the ground.
Crack!
The ground caved in as her body shot forward like a beam of light.
She passed straight through the gap she had just created in the energy and thrust her sword at Hong Yeoik's neck.
Claaaaang!
Hong Yeoik deflected Yeon Harin's sword with his blade, baring his teeth in a grin.
His laugh was like the growl of a predator.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Hong Yeoik's blade sliced through the space where Yeon Harin had been.
Yeon Harin used a strange footwork to evade it. Of course, she couldn't dodge everything and had to raise her sword to block several times.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
"Excellent!"
Hong Yeoik laughed brightly and swung his blade even more fiercely. An aura of light began to form around it.
KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM!
Yeon Harin gritted her teeth and blocked the attacks.
She tried to deflect them as much as possible, but it wasn't working well.
Hong Yeoik was subtly twisting the timing and direction of his swings to prevent her from deflecting.
The aura of light on Hong Yeoik's blade was growing stronger.
Yeon Harin clenched her jaw.
'He's holding back.'
She could tell for sure. He was matching his level to hers.
And he was gradually increasing his power and speed.
Hong Yeoik used just enough strength for Yeon Harin to barely block and endure.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Sparks flew each time the sword and blade collided. Sword energy and blade energy shattered, sending fragments flying in all directions.
Occasionally, sword auras and blade auras clashed, creating intense explosions and shockwaves of energy.
BOOM! BOOM!
The surroundings were swept up in their fight, getting shattered, gouged, and broken.
Before long, the people watching the fight had also retreated to a safe distance.
All except for one person: Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan continued to watch their fight from nearby.
His eyes shone with interest.
He had experienced this a few times before, but this time it was clearer.
Yeon Harin and Seon Haryeong seemed to overlap.
The child from the Heavenly Demonic Cult who had admired him and tried so hard to follow him, the child who loved fighting more than eating.
But that wasn't what truly intrigued Byeok Taesan.
Right now, Hong Yeoik was toying with Yeon Harin.
Whenever it seemed Yeon Harin could barely hold on, he would add a little more power, making it harder for her to endure.
And when Yeon Harin somehow managed to keep up, he would add a bit more strength.
He had already increased his power like that three times.
He must find it fascinating. It was extremely rare to see someone overcome one crisis after another like that.
'There it is again.'
Just now, Yeon Harin had overcome another crisis and adapted to Hong Yeoik's attacks.
She was still too busy defending to launch a proper attack, but if the flow continued like this, a crack would surely appear.
Moreover, Yeon Harin hadn't used her spiritual energy yet.
A look of interest played on Byeok Taesan's lips.
'Interesting. I'm glad I brought her along. In many ways.'
Under Byeok Taesan's profound gaze, Yeon Harin struggled to swing her sword.
Clang!
Hong Yeoik's last strike had looked like a single blow, but it had actually been a torrent of three.
Deflecting each one felt like it would tear the muscles in her arm.
And the strain of heightening all her senses to respond to every situation made her feel as if her brain would burn out.
Hong Yeoik's skill was truly astonishing.
Yeon Harin felt like she was walking a tightrope with death just a step away.
Perhaps because of that, her skills were improving by leaps and bounds.
Hong Yeoik struck down with his blade, a curious expression on his face.
Clang-clang-clang!
This time, he delivered four twisted strikes.
Yet Yeon Harin narrowly deflected and blocked them all.
She was bleeding from the corner of her mouth as a result, but it was truly a remarkable feat.
"Hahahaha! This is truly entertaining!"
Hong Yeoik suddenly stopped moving and stared intently at Yeon Harin.
"Have you any thought of becoming my disciple?"
Yeon Harin scoffed at his words.
"Shut up and fight!"
Disciple? What damn disciple? Were those the eyes of a master looking at a student?
Those were the eyes of a lecher looking at his target. His gaze was filled with vile desire.
Of course, there might also be a desire to raise her as a disciple.
"Won't you regret it? My leniency ends here."
Hong Yeoik's eyes, gleaming with a mixture of killing intent and lust, scanned Yeon Harin from head to toe.
Yeon Harin's gaze shifted slightly to look at Byeok Taesan, who was standing nearby.
At that moment, Byeok Taesan swung his hand to the side.
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
Hong Yeoik's head snapped to the side as if struck by something. The force was enough to send his body flying, tumbling across the ground.
Crash!
Byeok Taesan slowly turned his head to look at Hong Yeoik, who was sprawled on the ground.
"If you came to fight, then focus on fighting. Don't waste time on nonsense."
Hong Yeoik stared at Byeok Taesan in disbelief.
He hadn't even realized what had hit him or how. His cheek throbbed, and a broken tooth rattled in his mouth.
"Ptui!"
Spitting out the broken tooth and blood, Hong Yeoik glared fiercely at Byeok Taesan.
Alarm bells rang in his head.
Come to think of it, he had completely forgotten that Byeok Taesan was standing there. He hadn't paid him any mind at all.
'How is that possible?'
No matter how much someone suppressed their presence and aura, there was no way he wouldn't have noticed.
Besides, it didn't seem like the man had suppressed his presence at all.
"You... what are you?"
Hong Yeoik cautiously got to his feet, assessing the situation.
Without even looking at him, Byeok Taesan turned his gaze back to Yeon Harin.
"What are you doing? Get back to fighting."
Yeon Harin, who had been staring blankly at Byeok Taesan due to the sudden turn of events, snapped back to her senses.
With a determined expression, she nodded and immediately charged at Hong Yeoik.
Hong Yeoik could no longer afford to be complacent. He brought down his blade with genuine force.
Fwhoooosh!
The space around the descending blade distorted. No, it seemed to distort.
It was because the blow contained such immense power that its aftereffects created that illusion.
Hong Yeoik had no doubt that this single strike would cleave Yeon Harin in two.
He had accurately gauged Yeon Harin's level throughout their fight. He had also calculated the limits of any growth she might have achieved in the process.
This strike contained a power that far surpassed those limits.
As Yeon Harin charged at Hong Yeoik, she swung her sword with a cold gaze.
She had grown more than Hong Yeoik had anticipated. But that alone was not enough to block his strike.
However, there was one thing Hong Yeoik hadn't considered at all.
Her spiritual energy.
Yeon Harin poured all the spiritual energy she had been carefully concealing and conserving into this one blow.
Flaaash!
Yeon Harin's body shone with a blinding light. The light then flowed and gathered on her sword.
KABOOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted.
The power in Hong Yeoik's blade wasn't spiritual energy, but it was of such a high level that it bordered on it.
It was only natural that a huge explosion would occur when it clashed with Yeon Harin's spiritual energy.
The two remained motionless, their sword and blade locked together.
Hong Yeoik's eyes widened as if they would tear from shock.
How on earth could she block this?
That wasn't all. The moment she blocked it, she had cleverly twisted the point of impact.
He never thought it would be possible in the midst of this.
It was something he hadn't even considered.
'I underestimated her.'
He had completely underestimated his opponent.
Hong Yeoik tightened his grip on his blade.
He could see Yeon Harin glaring straight at him. Her ferocious fighting spirit was enough to give him goosebumps.
But something was strange.
Hong Yeoik was soon filled with admiration.
Yeon Harin had fainted with her eyes wide open, leaving behind only her strength and fighting spirit.
The fight was over. All he had to do was pull back his blade and swing it to take her head.
Yet, even though she was clearly unconscious, a powerful force still emanated from her sword.
He felt that if he pulled his blade back, he would be pushed away and his body would be cut.
"Persistent... even in this."
Just as Hong Yeoik muttered those words and was about to put more force into his blade, Byeok Taesan, who had been watching all this time, stepped in.
Byeok Taesan lightly pinched the blade and sword with his fingers and separated them.
"Whoa!"
Hong Yeoik was astonished. He had merely pinched the blade with his fingers and pushed, yet he couldn't resist at all.
He could only be helplessly pushed back as Byeok Taesan willed.
Byeok Taesan gently took the sword from Yeon Harin's hand.
Then he lightly touched her forehead with his hand.
Yeon Harin's eyes immediately closed, and she collapsed.
Byeok Taesan pushed the blade he was pinching away as if tossing it behind him and caught Yeon Harin. Then he looked at the three maids.
The three maids hurried over and took Yeon Harin.
Byeok Taesan strode toward Hong Yeoik, who had been thrown into the distance.
Hong Yeoik sprang to his feet and pointed his blade at Byeok Taesan.
With an annoyed expression, Byeok Taesan gestured as if pulling something.
The blade in Hong Yeoik's hand flew toward Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan took the blade that flew into his hand and examined it.
"A decent blade."
Hong Yeoik stared at Byeok Taesan, dumbfounded.
Decent? How could he say such a thing about a blade like this?
It was a blade forged solely from cloud steel and black iron.
Moreover, it was crafted by the top disciple of Do Gwangcheol, the greatest blacksmith in the world.
And he calls it what? Decent?
But Hong Yeoik couldn't utter a single word.
Byeok Taesan was too terrifying for that. How could someone so young be so powerful?
Byeok Taesan looked at Hong Yeoik with a cold gaze.
Startled, Hong Yeoik cautiously averted his eyes.
"You still seem useful enough. Why did you leave Nameless?"
At those words, Hong Yeoik's expression hardened.
"You... how did you know that?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it matters! I reported directly to the Lord. Only a very few within Nameless know about me. And yet you... Ah! Were you one of us?"
Hearing this, Byeok Taesan once again confirmed that the organization called Nameless was not a monolith.
"Who are those guys up there?"
Hong Yeoik sealed his lips. On second thought, there was no need for him to be so forthcoming.
He could withstand any torture or drug without breaking.
That was a basic requirement to become a direct subordinate of the Lord in Nameless.
Byeok Taesan raised his head and looked up at the mountain fortress.
They must have all been terrified, as they were holed up deep inside, not showing a hint of themselves.
Besides the five, they were all small fry anyway.
Byeok Taesan stretched his hand toward the fortress.
Rumble!
The cliff shook, and the fortress began to crumble.
Watching this, Hong Yeoik's pupils trembled violently.
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!
The sound of something exploding came from within the fortress.
Then, five men, their bodies cloaked in energy, burst out, shattering the falling rocks.
They spun once in mid-air, regained their balance, and landed lightly on the ground.
Byeok Taesan timed the exact moment of their landing, slightly raising his hand before pressing it down gently.
Crack! Crunch!
The five men pitched forward.
They trembled violently, their faces pressed into the ground.
"They look like your disciples."
Byeok Taesan said this, then his eyes took on a peculiar glint.
"Oh? What's this?"
Byeok Taesan's gaze shifted back and forth between the five men and Hong Yeoik a couple of times.
"Well, the bastards from Nameless are certainly consistent."
Byeok Taesan chuckled and gestured with his hand.
At his gesture, the five men flew through the air and tumbled down in front of Hong Yeoik.
"You... I see you weren't retired after all?"
Hong Yeoik's expression hardened.
Looking at the stiff-faced Hong Yeoik, Byeok Taesan continued.
"And those men aren't your disciples, are they? Right?"