Chapter 262
Chapter 262
The Iron Emperor - Chapter 262
As they reached the large training ground, the soldiers who had been drilling all snapped to attention and shouted in unison.
"We offer our respects to Your Majesty, the Yeolje, Supreme One of the All Heavens!"
"Mm."
"Everyone, clear out!"
From behind Jin-cheon, who nodded and accepted their salute, Gerard stepped forward and shouted in a booming voice. The ex-pirate soldiers who were seeing Jin-cheon for the first time awkwardly scurried back.
Once the two stood facing each other in the center, the soldiers who were training got an inkling of what was about to happen here.
"Um, is His Majesty really going to spar with Sir Gerard?"
A soldier who had shuffled over next to the training instructor asked. Truthfully, they had heard many stories, but they were no different from tales of a faraway land. It was only natural for them to be curious, as the occasional reports and the supplies trickling in from the homeland were all they knew.
"Looks like he's here for a rematch."
As the instructor nodded and murmured, the soldier's eyes widened and he asked,
"You mean His Majesty the Yeolje?"
"Not at all. The other way around."
"Huh?"
Gerard of Lightning. Free Knight. One of the Ten Great Swordsmen of the Continent.
The training instructor's answer was unexpected to the soldiers who knew these titles. That Gerard, who had reached the absolute realm of a Sword Master, was the one seeking a rematch was something they had never even imagined.
"Shh."
They had many more questions, but when the Gauri-born officers hushed the soldiers and focused intently, the men swallowed their curiosity and began to watch the standoff.
With his Hwandudaedo resting on his shoulder, Go Jin-cheon curled the corner of his mouth and spoke toward Gerard.
"You've improved."
"Well, I found that I improved after I threw everything away not too long ago."
Gerard didn't seem to mind Jin-cheon's compliment, as he shrugged his shoulders lightly and smiled. But he didn't let his guard down. The thought that he might still have no chance of winning crossed his mind, if Jin-cheon could so quickly tell that his skills had improved.
"Let's have at it."
As Jin-cheon slowly lowered the Hwandudaedo from his shoulder and pointed it forward, Gerard nodded and slowly aimed his long sword ahead.
"Then, I'll go first!"
"Huh!"
What signaled the start of Gerard's attack was the short cry of surprise from the watching soldiers.
Clang! Clang! Crack!
"Wh-when did he...?"
The sound of metal clashing rang out almost simultaneously.
Gerard's figure, which had vanished before their eyes, had reappeared in front of Jin-cheon. More precisely, he was stepping back slightly while twirling his long sword in one hand, as if they had already exchanged four or five blows. Only the number of clashing metal sounds proved that an exchange had taken place.
"Heh heh."
"You've gotten much faster."
In response to Gerard's confident smile, Jin-cheon slowly raised his Hwandudaedo. Unlike Gerard, Jin-cheon's motion as he raised the blade over his head appeared incredibly slow. But the look in Gerard's eyes from the opposite side was filled with tension.
'Damn, I can't tell where it's going to come from.'
The slowly rising Hwandudaedo was twitching subtly, as if poised to follow wherever he moved. The moment he thought it had reached its pinnacle, it began to descend—faster than when it rose, but still slow. Just as it passed the level of Jin-cheon's face, a great shout burst from Gerard's mouth.
"Hyaap!"
Boom!
Almost simultaneously, Jin-cheon's body had moved forward as though it had slid horizontally, and the Hwandudaedo, which had come down to head height, was dug into the spot where Gerard had been. Of course, Gerard had been pushed back a couple of steps, clutching his long sword.
Buzz.
"Oh, not bad."
"Damn, my whole hand is numb."
While Jin-cheon looked on with slightly surprised eyes, Gerard was calming his vibrating long sword and frowning. The moment he blocked the Hwandudaedo, he had stepped back to disperse the force as much as possible, but he couldn't negate it completely, hence his sword was still ringing.
"Hyaaap!"
Having adjusted his grip on his long sword, Gerard's body spun and pressed his assault toward Jin-cheon. His longsword traced a silver arc, transforming into rays of light that flew at Jin-cheon from all directions. In response, Jin-cheon lifted the Hwandudaedo that was still buried in the ground and held it close to his body.
Clang! Clang!
"Tahp!"
Sparks flew as clear metallic sounds echoed in all directions. Jin-cheon didn't swing the Hwandudaedo to block, but rather held it up and moved his body side to side. He was turning his body in the direction the blows came from, using the Hwandudaedo as a shield. But the defense didn't last long. The moment his wrist seemed to flick slightly, the Hwandudaedo spun like a pinwheel and flew diagonally at Gerard, as if to bisect him.
"Shit."
Gerard narrowly deflected it by bending his back, then quickly straightened his body and sprang to the left. And the Hwandudaedo, having turned back around, slammed down into the spot he had just occupied.
Craaash!
"The training ground is going to end up in pieces."
Having just barely dodged amid the scattering stone dust, Gerard muttered while wiping away cold sweat. Jin-cheon raised his Hwandudaedo again. However, his posture exposed his side to Gerard. At a glance, he looked unguarded, but Gerard sensed that what he saw wasn't everything.
The Hwandudaedo became parallel to the ground.
Holding the Hwandudaedo horizontally, Jin-cheon turned his head to the right and looked at Gerard like a predator eyeing its prey.
'Did I just pick a fight I shouldn't have?'
Regret washed over Gerard anew.
Contrary to his thoughts, power began to surge from his entire body.
Crackle. Pop!
True to his nature, Gerard, who wielded the Lightning Aura due to his innate energy, had sparks crackling from his entire body. Jin-cheon let out a chuckle at the sight.
"Were you doing nothing but getting struck by lightning out at sea?"
"Tch."
At Jin-cheon's sarcasm, Gerard only frowned and couldn't retort. Was it because he remembered their first duel?
The memory of being scoffed at—that an Aura Blade was a waste of power—momentarily confused his mind, but he soon composed himself and slowly began to focus his power into his long sword.
Crackle!
"Ooh!"
"It's an Aura Blade!"
A white radiance rippled, and lightning began to dance along the longsword as if it were about to leap off at any moment. Cheers erupted from the soldiers everywhere, but Jin-cheon merely continued to smile.
"Kyaaah!"
A shriek burst from Gerard's mouth as he opened his eyes wide. At the same time, the soldiers who had been watching in a daze flinched and collapsed as if they had been electrocuted. Even those who endured were trembling at the knees.
Gerard's shout carried enough menace to make even veteran Gauri officers tremble.
"Ha!"
As if to cancel out Gerard's energy, a short and powerful soundwave also burst from Jin-cheon's voice. Then, Jin-cheon and Gerard rushed toward each other. In the space Gerard passed through, remnants of white light were scattered like lingering lightning, and the area where Jin-cheon had passed distorted objects. It was as if the air had been pushed away from around Jin-cheon.
The Hwandudaedo and the long sword, charged with tremendous energy, collided in the center of the training ground.
"...!"
A tremendous sound definitely should have erupted, but no one could hear it.
Rattle.
A metallic sound that echoed in the silence.
"Wh-what happened?"
A puzzled soldier's voice broke the silence.
"I... lost again."
Gerard's voice rang out, as if to answer the soldier's question. He clicked his tongue and looked regretfully at his long sword, which had been broken in half.
"That was pretty good, in its own way."
Jin-cheon smiled as he looked at his own Hwandudaedo. It was chipped in multiple places.
"Let's go back to my quarters. I'm piling up reasons to drink today, one way or another."
Even though he lost, perhaps because he could fight to his heart's content, a comfortable smile lingered on his lips. Seeing Gerard like this, Jin-cheon smiled back and quietly spoke in a voice only he could hear.
"Damn... Heh heh, and I'm just getting started."
Gerard felt cold sweat run down his spine at the cruelty mixed in Jin-cheon's smile.
'Did I push my luck too far...?'
No matter how quick the regret, it's always too late.
* * *
Having had to stuff a small piece of cloth into his nose due to the aftermath of the punishment, Gerard kept grumbling endlessly.
"A nosebleed at my age..."
"If you don't like it, get stronger than me."
"Heh, heh heh."
At the peculiar mood between the two, Risel, who had just returned from a short break, could barely adapt to the atmosphere and gave an awkward laugh.
Just then, the door opened, and Pale entered carrying two bottles of liquor, one in each hand.
-Sorry it took so long.
"What the—what took you so long?!"
Gerard irritably yanked out the white cloth stuffing his nostril and took out his temper on Pale, who had returned late.
"Oh! It really is a Merman!"
"Hmm."
Seeing the Merman he had only heard about, Risel's eyes opened wide, displaying a wizard's characteristic curiosity as his eyes sparkled with inquisitiveness.
Jin-cheon showed a flicker of interest, but it lasted only a moment before his attention shifted to the liquor Pale had set down.
-I'm sorry. I was late because I stopped to greet my sisters. I hadn't seen them in a long time.
"...."
-Why do you look like that, master?
Pale gave a guarded look toward Gerard, who had been about to explode in anger but had suddenly shut his mouth.
"Brother-in-law!"
-....
Gerard, his eyes suddenly brimming with tears, grabbed Pale's hands. Pale began to vaguely sense that something was about to go terribly wrong.
"How many sisters do you have, brother-in-law?"
-Twelve....
Before Pale even finished speaking, Gerard had transformed into the picture of a gentle lamb. Seeing this, Jin-cheon shook his head and remarked.
"Didn't you say you threw everything away?"
"I picked them right back up."
"...."
Jin-cheon had spoken to mock Gerard, who had just a moment ago been discussing the realm of the sword, but was rendered speechless by Gerard's utterly unashamed attitude.
From then on, whether Jin-cheon was in front of him or not, he began fluttering around Pale, asking all manner of questions.
The common denominators of his questions were, "How pretty are they?", "Are they married?", and "When will you introduce me?"
"Gasp!"
"Wh-what is it!"
"What's wrong?"
Startled by Risel's short scream and violently trembling hands, Gerard and Jin-cheon urgently asked what was wrong. Still shaking as though stricken by palsy, Risel raised a finger and pointed at the liquor Pale had brought.
"Is there a problem with the liquor?"
Jin-cheon, furrowing his brow slightly, reached for a bottle. But someone snatched it faster than him, and that was Gerard.
"Just kill me now...."
Jin-cheon, who had been about to dish out punishment to the persistently cheeky Gerard, couldn't help but stop his words when he saw Gerard also holding a bottle with a look of surprise.
"This can't be! It's the genuine article!"
"I-is that true?"
At Gerard's exclamation, Risel shot up to his feet and cried out in a voice filled with shock. Gerard, unable to take his eyes off the bottle, then nodded his head excitedly and replied in a voice full of glee.
"I'm a treasure hunter, remember? This is definitely a thousand-year-old Palasium wine. The unusual shape of the bottle alone is enough to tell me!"
"Oh! the legendary fine wine, and it's a thousand years old at that!"
"I've seen an empty bottle once, but this is the first time I've seen one with the contents still inside!"
The two hung over the bottle, launching into all sorts of exclamations, as if they had forgotten the presence of everyone around them.
"A legendary vintage aged for a thousand years... No wonder it goes down so well."
"That's righ— Aaack!"
"Gasp!"