Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Price of Arrogance
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Chapter 48.
You must think our retreat was a joke. To think you'd step up to face us alone. How arrogant.
Pyogap, the Green Tiger Stronghold's chief, curled his lip. His tone suggested wounded pride, yet his expression was one of drooling anticipation.
But teaching a pup to fear the tiger is the way of the martial world. Kuhuhuhu.
His eyes sized me up like a delicious meal.
Just like that bastard Mangu.
A textbook example of someone who preys on the weak and fawns on the strong.
He acted tough only in front of those he deemed weaker, which made me think he was probably useless as a man.
I think I understand why Baek Gwang gathered the three of you.
What do you mean?
I shrugged, glancing over the three stronghold chiefs.
Because it would be humiliating to have you running around claiming to be my subordinates. You're a chicken ribnot enough meat to be worth eating, but a waste to throw away.
...I'll rip that smart mouth of yours to shreds.
You don't think so? If that weren't the case, why would he gather the three of you here? If he needed you, he would have brought you to Mount Heng. Instead, he shoved all the useless ones together here.
For all their bluster, they still had their pride.
I was rather pleased to see them get angry at my insults.
Five years ago. He was undoubtedly a master on par with the Eighth Elder, Namgung Sun. Back then, I had to fight Namgung Sun so fiercely that I couldn't guarantee my survival without drawing on my Innate Energy.
But now.
Kagagagak!
Just as a green aura flared to life, a blue lightning energy struck down.
In the sudden clash, Pyogap threw seven punches, and a roaring lightning dragon writhed in the air. I had met all seven punches with the lightning dragon's bolts.
Kwagagagang!
The two colliding figures were thrown back and slammed into the ground.
Peobeobeobeong!
In the air, the green and blue energies intertwined, unleashing a series of deafening explosions. The resulting shockwave swept through the area, felling the trees that covered the mountain in an instant.
My Heavenly Thunder Energy surged, and the Heavenly Thunder Imperial Divine Art spun in tandem. As the thunder coursed through my veins, my lips twitched. It was an exhilarating feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time.
In contrast, Pyogap's expression, though contorted, held a hint of relief.
To possess such divine power at the mere age of twenty. It's unbelievable. Had we met ten years later, it would have been dangerous.
He then offered me a hollow lament.
What a shame, what a shame. Kuhahahahaha!
He seemed to pity the fact that I was still an unripened youth. The nerve of this bandit.
Maybe if he'd wiped the drool from his chin, he would have been less pathetic to look at.
Or if he had at least put on a serious expression for a moment and spoken like a proper villain.
His screw-loose reaction to me was strangely draining.
I wanted to fight someone normal.
When I turned my head, I saw Hosan and Gwangbae ready to pounce on me at any moment. They tensed, about to leap forward, but my uncle's shadow fell before them.
Your turn is next. Wait.
To be more precise.
He wasn't stopping them from attacking me, but rather from running away.
Literally, my uncle had spread his energy wide, ensnaring the two chiefs like a spider's web.
And so.
I had only looked away for a brief moment.
But as if he had been waiting for that exact instant.
Kwadeudeudeuk.
A rough wind pressure surged, and a fist, as clear and solid as Mount Tai itself, rushed toward my face.
It was too late to block the fist that had appeared in the blink of an eye.
So, I instinctively twisted my head to the side as far as I could. Thanks to that desperate dodge, I managed to avoid having my face caved in.
But the wind and fist pressure crushed my left ear, and a ringing filled my head. Something hot trickled from my ear canal.
You can't let your guard down. How do you like the taste of my Soul Steel Fist? Kuhahahahat!
As he burst into thunderous laughter with a triumphant grin, I was genuinely impressed.
Not bad. Truly.
N-not bad?
What? It's a compliment.
Ignoring Pyogap's bewildered reaction, I took a few steps back, ripped off a piece of my sleeve, rolled it up, and stuffed it into my left ear.
You said it would have been dangerous if we'd met ten years from now? Tsk. You've got no shame. You want to live for ten more years? You seem desperate to extend your life. But to me, your lifeline doesn't look very long.
The Heavenly Thunder Energy clinging to my sword traveled up the hilt, along the blade, and enveloped the entire weapon. It hummed continuously, a sound building on itself.
Wooooong!
The energy, layered over itself multiple times, spread out in all directions, letting out a great peal of thunder.
Kurureung, kureung!
The seeds that had just sprouted took root, grew, and finally bloomed.
Each strand of lightning energy was like a petal, embroidering the air before scattering.
Was it because of the electrifying thrill of the lightning energy?
Or was it the immense power of the Heavenly Thunder?
The crackling blue lightning energy clashed with the green fist energy in mid-air.
Kwaang!
Fist and sword collided, and the mountain-like energy once again tangled with the storming, lightning-like energy.
An explosion erupted, and sharp waves of energy swept through the area. The mountain-like energy was so solid that it seemed indifferent, as if the blue lightning bolts striking it were of no consequence.
The materialized green energy was that sturdy.
No matter how hard a runt like you tries!
Pyogap smiled, thinking that the energy this foolish young man was recklessly unleashing would soon die down.
Pajijik!
A bolt of blue lightning struck Pyogap's left eye!
Kwajik!
K-kuaaaaaaaargh!
The lightning bolt burned out his left eyeball, kindly leaving the socket empty. As if inviting something else to fill it.
Having never experienced such pain in his life, Pyogap clutched his eye and screamed in agony.
My... my eye!
You can't let your guard down. How do you like the taste of my Heavenly Thunder Energy? ...Is that how it goes?
Giving back exactly what I received.
Muttering about whether such lines were cool, I clicked my tongue and used the Infinite Steps to evade the series of punches flying through the air.
Perhaps that enraged him even more.
Uwaaaaaaah! I'll... I'll kill you!
I leisurely dodged his frenzied punches. Losing an eye meant a momentary loss of spatial awareness.
He couldn't perceive the distance between us. I didn't miss that fleeting opportunity.
No, I couldn't miss it.
How could I let such foolish and delectable prey get away?
I slashed at his flailing wrists. As payment for daring to take a hostage and mock us, I would ensure he could never throw a punch again.
The lightning moving toward his sturdy arms transformed into a spear of thunder energy and plunged straight into both his wrists.
Saaak.
Struck by the blade, both his wrists were gruesomely severed. A look of cognitive dissonance washed over Pyogap's face.
Not only had he lost an eye, but he was now a cripple, unable to use his hands. It was a truly miserable outcome for a fight against a brat who was only twenty.
You see? You should have just run away like Mangu. Why crawl out of hiding only to suffer something you'll regret? Tsk.
I had no intention of sparing him as he seemed about to have a seizure at my tongue-clicking. I slowly drove my sword into the heart of the floundering man.
Chuuuk.
The light in the eyes of the man, whose limbs had been flailing,
faded and slowly went out.
And I.
Seogeok. Seogeok.
I grabbed his hair and raised my sword to sever his head. Despite his eyes being wide open as if in disbelief at his own death, his tongue lolling out, I paid it no mind and cut off his neck.
For a martial artist who knows no honor.
I will have his own men, who trusted and followed him, stone his remains.
I will let his corpse be defiled, and I will make it so he is endlessly cursed even as his spirit wanders the nine heavens.
I will ensure that the entire world, everyone under this one sky, knows of this man's end.
...How theatrical.
The owner of that voice then leaped toward the other two chiefs, who were frozen in astonishment. The two, who had been terrified, quickly composed themselves, took their stances, and threw their fists at the approaching figure, their coordination suggesting they had practiced together.
As Hosan's fist radiated a distinct scorching energy, Gwangbae's fist gathered a starkly contrasting, bone-chilling cold.
They lunged simultaneously, moving with a fervor that seemed intended to dispel their anxiety.
They had pretended to be unfazed by the name of the Iron-Blood Sword Saint, An Baek, but it was not so easy.
As the hot and cold energies merged, they transformed into an aura more threatening than what either could produce alone.
Even for the Iron-Blood Sword Saint, with this energy!
That's right, we have our pride! Let us go! If you do, we won't have to unleash this power.
I watched my uncle face the amplified, unified energy rushing toward him.
Try me.
The band of mist encircling the peak of Mount Sandong was slowly dissipating. An absolute master was distorting nature with his sheer presence and spirit.
And that was based on the love my uncle held for Yumi.
The relief and peace from knowing she was safe, mixed with self-reproach for his own foolishness.
Such feelings merged and melted into the tip of his sword.
Say what you want, do what you will.
My uncle's sword moved with a simple grace. With monotonous forms, he parried every single one of their tangled fists.
Then, the moment his grip on the hilt tightened.
I swallowed hard. It was the cornerstone of the Iron-Blood Sword Saint, An Baek, a sword art that had now become his signature technique.
The Life-Reaping Sword Art, First Form, One Without a Trace.
It was the one sword art he had perfected over his lifetime. And the first form, One Without a Trace...
Jijijijik.
The moment it shot forward, it was as if...
Gwangbae! Put everything you have into it! This could end in a single move!
...it was tearing the very air apart.
It was a sound I had never heard before. At the noise of the air and space being rent asunder, Hosan and Gwangbae abandoned all pretense of pride and amplified the energy gathered in their fists.
No matter how great the Iron-Blood Sword Saint is, this energy is something we've spent our entire lives...!
Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!
Before they could finish their words, my uncle's form, which had lunged at them, vanished as if stretched thin like taffy.
In an instant, Mount Sandong was pacified.
From above, the Namgung family warriors rained down their swords with breathtaking skill.
From below, the members of the Asura Corps raised their sharp spear tips.
Caught in the middle, the bewildered bandits erupted with resentment and anger toward the three chiefs who had abandoned them, and ultimately, they surrendered completely.
For bandits who had spread a net from which there was no escape, it was an anticlimactic end.
Dammit.
At one bandit's self-deprecating mutter, the others' shoulders slumped. They were bandits, members of the Unorthodox Faction. It was their fate, their livelihood.
The Orthodox and the Unorthodox.
The Justice Faction and the Evil Faction.
Right and wrong.
Beyond all that, wasn't it enough to live a comfortable life without starving?
They had lived their whole lives with that mindset, but to see the leaders they had followed and supported abandon everything and flee...
...was not a pleasant sight.
A sense of betrayal washed over them.
So, despite being surrounded by government soldiers and Namgung warriors, the bandits did not keep their mouths shut.
If you catch those sons of bitches, please, untie my hands for a moment.
Me too! I was crazy to trust bastards like them!
They abandoned us and ran? Damn them to hell!
Hwang Cheonho cast a cold gaze upon the cursing men.
It seems taking them in one piece is out of the question. Cut off one arm and one leg from each of them. Seeing them spout nonsense without repenting for their crimes, they must be too comfortable.
At his firm command, the Asura Corps members all drew the swords at their waists. The word of the Asura Corps Commander, Hwang Cheonho, was absolute.
Sereureung!
Just as the simultaneously drawn blades caught the light, illuminating Mount Sandong, and the horrified bandits squeezed their eyes shut and wet themselves.
I believe granting a wish from before shouldn't be too difficult.
Degururu.
A round object rolled through the crowd of bandits.
And upon seeing it, the bandits, as if they had never been trembling in fear, rushed forward to stomp on it, spit on it, and scream curses.
It is their heads. The necks of the men who abandoned their own family. They should be allowed at least that much release.
Only then will they realize how absurd and greedy the men they followed were, and hopefully, they will never turn to banditry again.
The Asura Corps Commander, Hwang Cheonho, instinctively understood.
...Is it you?
Walking slowly toward the Asura Corps Commander, Hwang Cheonho, was none other than the one who had orchestrated this entire situation, the one who had made Hwang Cheonho smile with a single letter.
The one they call the Great Young Lord of the Namgung family...
The young man, the Great Young Lord of the Namgung family.
It was Namgung Ban.