Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: A Familiar Face
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A blue light swirled at the tip of An Baek's sword before quickly fading. The masked assailants moved in sync with his steps.
If he tried to attack the one in front, the two masked men on either side would block him by thrusting their swords at odd angles, while simultaneously slashing at him from positions where it was difficult to wield his own blade.
He considered raising his internal energy to unleash his techniques, but the gaze of one of the masked men kept darting toward the maids and the nanny, seeking an opportunity.
Although An Baek was pressuring them, cornering them with his aura to restrict their movements, he knew they were prepared to throw themselves into the fray at any moment.
They wouldn't be acting like this if they hadn't come with grim determination.
The way you receive my sword, as if youre used to it.
A familiar aura.
And yet, they didn't imbue their sword tips with intent, merely executing the forms. It was clear they were trying to hide their own swordsmanship.
Someone from Namgung is mixed in with them. Could it be someone from the Namgung family?
If there was an absolute principle in the life of the martial world, it was this:
To become a master by cultivating formidable martial arts through relentless effort.
To become stronger and tougher than anyone, like an old tree that remains unshaken by any storm.
The strong prey on the weak.
Survival of the fittest.
The strong reign supreme.
Countless stories lay behind these immutable laws, but An Baek was a man who had carved the following words into his heart:
Good men do not come uninvited.
And those who have come are no good men.
There is never an approach without reason, and when one does approach, it is always because they desire something.
And often, those who approach are the ones closest to you.
Just like in this situation.
If they weren't members of the Namgung family, they couldn't possibly understand his sword so well. After all, it had been a good five years since he had set down his sword in the martial world.
They must be people who have witnessed my sword, or those who have studied me extensively. And they know how to hide their own techniques.
His gaze turned sharp. The aura flaring from his feet stirred the pebbles on the ground.
Only a few in the Namgung family knew the Great Young Lord would take this path. For them to pounce the moment we left the family's territory
An Baek met the eyes of the man who seemed to be the strongest among the masked assailants.
Like moths to a flame, they don't even realize it.
In an instant, he closed the distance. An Baeks shadow vanished from before the masked men, leaving only an afterimage.
Hup!
Wh-Where did he go!
An Baek, having burst through the bewildered assailants, was already striking the chest of the masked man whose eyes he had met.
CRACK!
The masked man was thrown backward as quickly as An Baek had charged, spewing blood. But he was no pushover; he rotated his body in mid-air and landed lightly on the ground.
Come.
This was a situation where the group would be overwhelmed if he didn't act with haste. He could see Black Tigers movements becoming frantic. It was likely because Gangumun was the least skilled among them.
Donghwi, too, was locked in a duel with another masked man and seemed unable to lend a hand.
Besides, their target was singular.
He was a brat who was ridiculously disobedient and got on his nerves every day, but
He was the boy who resembled the sister he had cherished most, his nephew and the one and only Great Young Lord of the Namgung family.
Seeing three masked men aiming for the boy, An Baek raised his internal energy.
His priority was to shake off the three masked men facing him, who seemed to be at the peak of their skill. He would bring down the hammer on these time-wasters and show them just who they had dared to confront.
The moment he resolved to do so
FLASH!
A brilliant light erupted from where the Great Young Lord stood. In the next instant, after a few sword strikes, the two masked men fighting the Great Young Lord were seen collapsing.
!
What the
The gazes of the masked men facing An Baek involuntarily shifted to that spot. And that would be the last thought they ever had in this life.
Save for the one who had been sent flying earlier, the heads of the two men to his left and right were now airborne.
How dare you get distracted while facing me.
It was to be expected. Who would have thought the Great Young Lord's skills were on the rise?
An Baek had felt that flash of light before. It was like that of the First Elder, Namgung Yeoul, and none other than the master of the Namgung family, Namgung Mubaek, with whom he had crossed swords many times.
An Baek himself could only let out a hollow laugh.
What an absurd fellow.
After just three months of holding a sword, he had proudly become the champion of the Sword Branch Assembly, and now he was wielding his blade with masterful skill against first-rate experts.
If the Sword Branch Assembly had been merely a spar, this was a confrontation with the sword under the fear of death.
An Baek wondered.
Is there something I don't know?
If not, what kind of mindset has made that boy this way?
Now, An Baek too had become curious about the driving force behind it all.
Seriously. You let him get away in the end?
I clicked my tongue and glared at my uncle.
After all that showing off, whats the point if you let the mastermind escape?
My uncle remained tight-lipped, unmasking the other assailants. Most of the attackers lay dead before our group.
I dont recognize a single one of them.
This is all because you let that one guy get away, uncle. It leaves a bad taste, doesn't it? How could you let the one who was obviously the strongest escape?
Of course, I knew my uncle hadn't intended to let him go. The masked man had simply been quick on his feet.
The assailant who had been sent flying by my uncle earlier had scattered a handful of hidden weapons from within his robes. If they had been aimed solely at my uncle, he would have swatted them away and caught the man in an instant, but
Great Young Lord, it is all our fault. Sir An was distracted because of us and couldn't catch him.
We are sorry.
We are sorry
The nanny and the maids bowed their heads, as if they couldn't bear to show their faces. As they said, the masked man my uncle had been about to pursue had persistently thrown hidden weapons at them, forcing my uncle to halt his chase and protect them instead.
I am not blaming you, so do not worry about it.
I knew all that, but the reason I was so angry was
If, as my uncle said, they truly are connected to the Namgung family.
It was because Namgung Byeok, Lady Baek, and my mother came to mind. I was worried that the discord from failing to capture me might be directed at them.
That was my concern.
Do not worry.
I lifted my head. At the same time, An Baeks shadow vanished from where he stood. As our group stared at the empty space he had occupied, we all gasped.
We hadn't even sensed his presence.
Did I push him too hard?
Just as that thought crossed my mind
Masters eyes he looked absolutely furious.
At Donghwis words, I offered a silent prayer for the escaped masked man.
For some reason, it just felt like the right thing to do.
CRACK!
The man, spewing a mouthful of blood as he was sent flying, tumbled across the dirt ground several times.
H-How
To think I would be berated so harshly by that brat just for losing a man like you. I cannot tolerate it. You have thoroughly infuriated me.
As if folding space itself, An Baek appeared before the fallen masked man and stomped on his right thigh before he could even struggle.
CRACK.
With the sound of a dry twig snapping, An Baek broke the bone in a single move. The masked man let out a pained groan at the chilling sight.
I cannot bear it without seeing your high-and-mighty face.
He immediately broke the other thigh as well, to completely erase any thought of escape.
Guh.
Staring at the masked man writhing under his foot with bloodshot eyes, An Baek chewed his lip.
Is it really someone from Namgung?
The number of people in Namgung who could make a move right now was limited.
Moreover, this happened right after the incident with Lady Pyeon at the Sword Branch Assembly. If the mastermind was the one backing Lady Pyeon
I pray you are not him.
If that were the case, An Baek himself would have to contemplate what to do. He was about to reach out his hand when
SWOOSH!
How dare they.
A blast of wind generated from a spin in mid-air deflected all the daggers. Simultaneously, seven men landed in front of the masked man.
Come any closer, and even you, the Iron-Blood Sword Saint, will have to risk your life.
How absurd.
What is so special about this man that they would go to such lengths to protect him?
An Baek thought that he absolutely had to uncover that secret.
Come.
Shing, shriiing.
As the seven men drew their swords in unison, An Baek too bared his teeth in a grin. He welcomed the enmity and blatant malice directed at him.
The seven men launched themselves into the air as if they were a single entity. And they charged at An Baek.
It had been five long years since the Iron-Blood Sword Saint, An Baek, had left the martial world and shown himself again.
In that moment, the tip of his sword, the edge of his blade
began to regain its true color.
KRA-KOOM!
Seven sword energies clashed with a single Sword Saint.
Black Tiger.
Yes.
What kind of person is the Eighth Elder?
The Eighth Elder, you say?
Black Tiger straightened his dust-covered clothes and hesitantly opened his mouth.
The Eighth Elder is a prudent man.
Prudent?
Yes. That is why
Why what?
He is a man who never creates a disadvantageous situation for himself.
I had no memory of the Eighth Elder. Or so I had thought.
However.
As I watched a figure approaching from behind the corpses of the attackers, I had to bite my lower lip.
Is it because you inherited your lowly mother's blood? How can your talent be so pathetic?
A voice from a memory of the past echoed in my mind. It overlapped with the impression of a Namgung elder from my time as Namgung Byeok, one who had offered to give me a pittance of his teachings.
That elder, who had offered his favor, had a face that changed with disappointment every time I extended my sword. Day after day, as I struggled with the Great Expansion Art, he would shake his head and click his tongue.
It would be better for the Namgung family if you went to the battlefield and simply died taking an enemy with you, Fifth Young Lord.
That voice from back then now flowed from the man before me.
Saying you'll pay for their sins. Hoho. How can you be so carefree? Truly remarkable, Great Young Lord.
A figure approached with an endlessly jovial demeanor.
Eighth Elder.
Black Tiger, did you say I was a prudent man? You were right.
The Eighth Elder, Namgung Sun.
His sly smile contrasted sharply with the pale faces of our group.
The Iron-Blood Sword Saint will not be coming.
At the same time, the corners of Namgung Suns eyes curved into a crescent.