Chapter 55
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: The Time Has Come
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...You've received quite a gift.
It is time to share it.
Asura Corps Commander Hwang Cheonho spoke up before his departure, seeing the vast amount of goods, wealth, and food seized from the bandits.
Share what you have gained. The more you give, the stronger your position will become. With the Hwangbo Family sealed away, do not miss this chance while stories of your deeds are being told.
Saying that the only thing they would take was this one head, Asura Corps Commander Hwang Cheonho packed a single wooden box. All the members of the Namgung Family bowed their heads in gratitude.
At a single word, he had rushed to their aid, saved the Namgung Family from crisis, and marched on the Hwangbo Family to crush their narrow-minded and foolish ambitions.
However.
A hundred-year plan. Their grand scheme has not yet vanished. I have imposed a ten-year seal upon them as punishment for their sins, but if you let your guard down, they will rise again at any moment.
Hwang Cheonho shook his head, calling it merely a drastic measure, but seeing the Asura Corps stationed at the Hwangbo Family estate, Namgung Han couldn't help but be astonished.
The Hwangbo Family would not dare to try any foolishness now. They were, in effect, in the palm of the Asura Corps Commander's hand.
I trust you will handle things well. I have no doubt that for the Namgung Family in Shandong, this is just the beginning.
Following Hwang Cheonho's advice, Shandong Branch Head Namgung Han shared what they had gained, and then shared some more. It was an amount they couldn't have possibly managed on their own anyway.
The bandits had fed on the blood of the common folk, danced to their screams, and smiled at their pain.
Now, it is our turn to bring laughter to their homes, to help them through the cold winter, and to free them from hunger.
So Namgung Han spoke to the members of the Namgung Family.
And thankfully.
Isn't that what we should do?
I'll go.
This is what I've been waiting for.
If you hadn't said that, Branch Head, I would have been disappointed.
The Namgung warriors all smiled as they gathered the goods, wealth, and food. Watching them, Namgung Han and Namgung Seok shared a smile of fond disbelief.
Yes, this is the Namgung way.
With those parting words, Asura Corps Commander Hwang Cheonho returned to his original post. That was the spring day when the Asura Corps and the Namgung Family first met.
Bang!
...How dare they!
Those Namgung vermin insult us!
Let's wipe them out! That so-called Divine Sword of the Azure Sky is nothing!
A menacing killing intent erupted, so thick it seemed to destabilize the very air. Amidst the scene, only one man, seated in the center, rested his chin on his hand and stared at the wooden box.
Combat King! Please grant us permission!
We will march on Anhui at once and wipe them out!
I will tear off the Divine Sword of the Azure Sky's head with my axe and bring it back! Please let me lead the charge!
Thunderous voices echoed. The man, Baek Gwang, the Combat King of the Green Forest, looked at their faces, twisted like malevolent demons, and shook his head.
If you have eyes, then use them. Do you think Namgung Mubaek would have come all the way to Shandong just to deal with these fools? It would have been a waste. If that were the case, I would have heard about it long ago.
At his low, murmuring words, the excited bandits fell silent and sat back down.
Baek Gwang grabbed the hair of Pyogap, the leader of the Green Tiger Stronghold, and reached out to the blood still dripping from the neck. He watched a single drop of blood collect on his fingertip.
He brought it to his lips and tasted it.
...Not bad. The Great Young Lord of Namgung did this himself. It's unrefined, but powerful.
At Baek Gwang's words, the bandits all looked bewildered. They had known for some time that the Great Young Lord of the Namgung Family had been sent to the front lines in Shandong.
Even so.
How could that be? They may have been castoffs, but they were cunning and not without skill.
Their collaboration with the Hwangbo Family had brought a steady stream of money here to Mount Hang. If not for such results, their leaders would have been replaced long ago.
And when the three of them fought together, it was unthinkable that they could have been defeated by a mere Namgung brat.
...No matter how incompetent they were, how could they have lost to a young Namgung pup who's barely come of age?
Are you doubting me?
N-No, it's not that.
It is the Sword of the Azure Sky. Its energy lingers. But it is not yet fully mature. His growth rate is beyond imagination. To have achieved this much in just five years.
The Combat King of the Green Forest, Baek Gwang, swallowed the blood with a brief flicker of admiration. At the same time, he thought of the Namgung's Great Young Lord who had sent him this head, and a faint smile touched his lips.
...Are you going to let this slide? The reputation of our Mountain Fiends...
The bandits standing beside Baek Gwang were all formidable warriors, so strong that even the combined forces of the Red, White, and Green Tiger Strongholds would be no match for them.
If he gave the order, they were confident they could rush to Shandong and sweep everything away. But Baek Gwang shook his head and told them not to speak of war.
Not yet.
At his words, the bandits lowered their heads. The Combat King's word was absolute, but at times, it was beyond their comprehension.
Just then.
Still, a gift deserves a gift in return. Look into the people around the Namgung's Great Young Lord. We should respond in kind, shouldn't we?
The corners of Combat King Baek Gwang's eyes crinkled. It was a look of immense pleasure.
Yes, sir!
We obey the Combat King's command!
Sword King, they call you now. Heh.
It's about time I was called that.
The Iron-Blood Sword Saint.
No, my uncle, now known by the title of Iron-Blood Sword King, wore a thrilled expression. It would have been much better if he hadn't boasted that he should have been called that long ago.
But with me, you say?
Yes.
Why all of a sudden?
As you know, Uncle, there's no longer a need for us to be in Shandong Province.
My uncle nodded at my words. His unwell body had fully recovered, and at the same time, the villains of Shandong Province had disappeared.
The objective we had always striven for to maintain the front line was gone. It was time to leave. We haven't reached the seven years stipulated by the main family, so we'll have to hurry to find something else to do, but...
Let's take some time to reflect. We've been running forward for too long.
It had been five years of running without rest. We spent our days clashing with hordes of bandits, focusing all our senses on dodging stray axes.
If a member of the Namgung family was injured somewhere, we had to rush off to repay the favor twofold.
There were even times we had to retreat from battles we'd all but won, simply because of the Green Forest's sheer numbers. Those days passed by like a fleeting panorama.
And, as you said, Uncle, I need time to ruminate.
I grew stronger day by day. I grew, and grew again.
The talent left to me by the Thunderbolt Fist...
my talent.
It is not ordinary.
And far from common.
Though I had realized this long ago, it was only in this last battle that I knew the time had come. I had always grown by assimilating my enlightenments, but I couldn't continue like that forever.
Before leaving Shandong, I will synthesize all the enlightenments of the past five years.
This is the first time.
To properly witness my uncle's sword.
To cross swords and test our mettle.
He was always by my side, an absolute master, yet I had never once crossed swords with him in a spar. I knew my own shortcomings and feared he would show consideration in his sword.
A considerate sword is no different from a meaningless one.
...I will come at you with my full strength.
Come.
When I faced the Thunderbolt Fist and realized his explosive power, I despaired. Nevertheless, I pushed forward. So I believed I could always do so.
Until I stood before my uncleno, before the Iron-Blood Sword Saint, An Baek.
He just seemed like an ordinary middle-aged man with his sword raised.
But why.
Why on earth.
Can't I lift my feet from the ground?
Why are my limbs frozen, refusing to obey me, beyond my control?
I see.
So this is the pressure his enemies felt. They must have struggled under this same oppressive aura when facing the Iron-Blood Sword King, An Baek.
If that is the case, then I too.
Fwoosh! My sword tip, tinged with blue, shot forward as I kicked off the ground.
It was the Azure Sky Unhindered Sword Art. Wielding the Heavenly Thunder Ki to its peak, the sword art began to weave an elegant pattern, resembling the vibrant blue sky.
Unlike the sword energy that had previously just dropped blue lightning,
a grand and solemn sound spread out gently as a blue wave swept toward the Iron-Blood Sword King, An Baek.
Good.
He smiles upon seeing my strike. Then, the smile vanishes, replaced by the gaze of a true warrior.
Life-Reaping Sword Art, First Form: Traceless.
It was the first time I had directly faced my uncle's signature technique.
Swish!
The blue wave was split apart. But I had expected as much. I would have been disappointed if he had been defeated so easily.
My uncle's sword, cutting through the wave, met my own sword tip, which was already poised for the next move. It was a sword that held lightning.
Kaaaaang!
The Heavenly Thunder Imperial Divine Art reached its zenith. Following the flow of the divine art, the Heavenly Thunder Ki spun furiously and gathered at the tip of my sword.
Crackle!
As the lightning ki seemed to surge along his blade toward his hand, my uncle took a step back and flicked his sword. Seeing him wary of the encroaching lightning, I once again raised my sword and thrust it into the air.
That was...
Bolts of lightning gathered, shimmering in the air before taking form.
The twisting blue energy formed none other than a Lightning Dragon.
It was the strongest technique I could manifest, a combination of the Azure Sky Unhindered Sword Art and the Heavenly Thunder Imperial Divine Art.
Beautiful.
With those words, my uncle rested his iron sword on his shoulder.
Life-Reaping Sword Art, Second Form: New Moon.
A crescent-shaped aura of energy shimmered at his sword tip before shooting toward the Lightning Dragon. It was a technique he had never shown, not even when facing the Thunderbolt Fist.
The Lightning Dragon and the crescent-shaped energy tangled in mid-air.
Krrrrrumble!
The Great Young Lord will be pleased to see this.
Gang Umun smiled warmly as he took the note from the carrier pigeon. It was news from the Namgung main family in Anhui.
And what's more.
I wonder how Young Lord Byeok is doing.
It was the news the Great Young Lord had been eagerly awaiting. A letter from the fifth young lord, Namgung Byeok.
Donghwi, have you seen the Great Young Lord?
He's probably in the training grounds with Master again.
Again?
A year had already passed.
It had been a year since the two of them had secluded themselves in the training grounds to discuss their respective swords.
The phrase 'the world has changed' felt like an understatement.
When Gang Umun arrived at the training grounds, his jaw dropped.
...What in the world is this?
The training grounds were always devastated, but today...
The Branch Head is going to have a word with us about this.
It wasn't just ruined; it looked as if an army of thousands had fought a self-sacrificial battle here.
...Umun?
Great Young Lord, it's a letter from Young Lord Byeok.
At those words, the Great Young Lord, who had been composing himself, darted over and snatched the letter from his hand. And then.
Fwip! The Great Young Lord's expression, which had been joyful as he unfolded and read the letter, gradually hardened.
And then.
...It seems the time has come to move.
He left those words behind.