Chapter 173: Descent of the Heavenly Demon (Part 2)-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 173: Descent of the Heavenly Demon (Part 2)-2
"Aaaaaagh!!!!"
With a primal scream, the girl with the short bob swung her fists.
But her attacks failed to land.
She had been unleashing a relentless barrage for nearly four hours. She had strained every fiber of her being to tear the opponent before her to shreds, but her target showed only slight signs of fatigue; her breathing remained perfectly steady.
"Ugh... Gasp!"
Facing an insurmountable wall, the girl with the bob cut—Yeom-jin—pressed her hands against the ground.
"Are you finished?"
Her master’s face, a face she loathed, looked down at her with an indifferent expression.
"Why... Master... Why!!!"
Yeom-jin screamed, her voice cracking with agony.
Despite her cries, her master remained unmoved.
"He was a good boy. He worked harder than anyone. But... but why!!! Why would you make such a cruel decision!"
"Jin. Do you know how the peace of this Murim is maintained?"
At her master’s sudden, detached question, Yeom-jin lifted her head.
"Every year, new public enemies emerge. They grow their power by violating every taboo."
"Do you have any idea how dangerous those who have abandoned their humanity can be?"
Yeom-jin couldn't find the words to answer.
The public enemies she had encountered while wandering the lands with her master and her own disciple had all been formidable without exception.
"Their methods grow more cruel and efficient by the day. Conversely, we have no choice but to continue training in the same traditional ways."
Her master approached and knelt down. The distance between them, which had felt unreachable no matter how hard Yeom-jin tried today, finally closed.
The master stroked the back of the prostrate Yeom-jin and continued.
"That is why 'Forced Growth' is a necessary evil. That is why Mu-seong’s death has meaning."
From the point where her master’s hand touched her, a cool energy slowly began to encroach upon her body. Yeom-jin felt as though her head were gradually clearing.
"Fish caught by a fisherman, meat sold by a butcher... they only have meaning when they are consumed. They prove their value by being eaten by humans."
"I took in a helpless orphan and treated him well for five years. Mu-seong surely has nothing to feel wronged about."
It was nonsense.
Yet, strangely, Yeom-jin found herself calmly accepting her master’s words. For some reason, it just felt right.
As all her negative emotions were burned away, all that remained within her was the name of the Flame Wheel Art and a massive amount of internal energy.
And...
The realization that the act known as 'Forced Growth' was something done for the sake of justice.
*
This is the driving force that has allowed the Flame Wheel Art to endure, and the reason the Murim remains at peace.
Having inherited her master’s will, Yeom-jin’s conviction was absolute.
She had provoked So-yu’s rage with obvious taunts. Now, she parried the girl who lunged at her while spewing flames, waiting for those fires to burn away her emotions.
She would deflect the attacks until So-yu was too exhausted to stand. That was Yeom-jin’s duty.
"......"
In her fury, So-yu said nothing.
However, the murderous intent that made Yeom-jin’s skin tingle and the flames that threatened to burn anyone who drew near spoke volumes of the girl's heart.
I knew she’d grown stronger, but... if I’m not careful, this could actually kill me.
Yeom-jin was inwardly stunned as she recalled the internal energy she herself had gained after losing Mu-seong. Even for Forced Growth, the amount of internal energy So-yu had acquired was abnormally high.
For two double-hours, she dodged death by a hair’s breadth.
Gradually, So-yu’s movements slowed.
Almost there.
The trajectory of the girl's once-sharp punches began to waver irregularly. Yeom-jin felt the sweat trickling down her back and thought:
"......"
So-yu stopped moving.
Watching her disciple panting heavily, Yeom-jin maintained a moderate distance.
"As I thought... I cannot defeat you, Master."
So-yu spoke, sounding not resentful, but as if she had reached some sort of realization.
"So-yu. Do you know how the peace of this Murim is maintained?"
Yeom-jin repeated the exact words her own master had once said to her. She sought to stimulate the sense of justice that any martial artist of the Orthodox Sect should possess.
"Every year, new public enemies emerge. They grow their power by violating every taboo."
"Do you have any idea how dangerous those who have abandoned their humanity can be?"
So-yu did not respond to Yeom-jin’s questions.
"Their methods grow more cruel and efficient by the day. Conversely, we have no choice but to continue training in the same traditional ways."
Yeom-jin cautiously approached So-yu.
"That is why 'Forced Growth' is a necessary evil. That is why In-ho’s death has meaning."
Yeom-jin gathered energy in her hand. It was to flow her internal energy into So-yu to calm her emotions. Yeom-jin firmly believed that So-yu’s mind, currently broken by agitation, would surely find its composure.
"Fish caught by a fisherman, meat sold by a butcher... they only have meaning when they are consumed. They prove their value by being eaten by humans."
Yeom-jin carefully reached out and placed her hand on So-yu’s head.
Just as she had once stroked her head to praise her for completing a task...
Remembering how So-yu had loved finding the stability in her that she couldn't get from her own parents, Yeom-jin stroked the girl's hair with genuine affection.
"Never forget that everything is for the peace of the world and for justice."
The internal energy flowing from Yeom-jin’s hand passed through So-yu’s head and spread throughout her entire body.
"Master."
Her disciple, her breathing now stable, looked up at her with clear eyes.
"What is it?"
Seeing the endearing, lovely version of So-yu from the past, Yeom-jin looked back at her with a wide, warm smile.
Grip.
So-yu’s right hand grabbed Yeom-jin’s arm.
The strength in her grip began to intensify.
"Ugh... So-yu?"
Flames began to flicker upward from So-yu’s right hand.
"What kind of bullshit are you trying to pull right now?"
With eyes that remained perfectly clear and undisturbed, So-yu stared at Yeom-jin. Yeom-jin thought those stainless pupils looked like a deep lake whose bottom could not be fathomed.
"Did you really think you could suppress my grief for In-ho with a mere petty sorcery?"
Her voice shifted as So-yu locked eyes with Yeom-jin.
"You wretched whore."
Whoosh!
Yeom-jin’s arm began to be consumed by fire.
By pitch-black flames.