Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Sibling Strife
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As I shot towards the river with Go Un-hyo, the leader shouted from behind.
"Who are you?"
A reply came from afar.
"I am the Fire Dragon Sword."
"Ah..."
The leader's face went pale. His subordinates, still kneeling, trembled violently.
Currently, the Fire Dragon Sword was emerging as the strongest combat master in the entire martial world.
The martial world was abuzz with a growing list of peak masters who, upon hearing the rumors, had sought out the Fire Dragon Sword to challenge him, only to end up dead or as his subordinate.
And it wasn't just peak masters. The rumor that dozens of members from the Demonic Emperor's Life-Reaping Squad and the Soul-Devouring Wolves of the Unorthodox Path had been massacred by him was enough to make a crying child fall silent.
Cold sweat poured down the bodies of the leader and his men. They realized they had just been standing at death's door.
I don't know why the distance to the Flying Dragon seemed so far. Perhaps my urgency made it feel longer.
In truth, not even ten breaths had passed since I left the Banryongbang masters.
At first, I was just rushing forward blindly, but then a specific movement art came to mind, and I began to use the Divine Walk, Shadowless Form.
I had chosen it from the Martial Alliance's armory after seeing the phrase "The greatest movement art of all time" written on the first page of its manual.
I had practiced it like a madman back on Mount Gwalchang because I'd taken a liking to it, but it was only now that I remembered it.
*Shuuuuu!*
Until now, I had frequently used the Celestial Pillar Movement Art or the Soaring Heavenly Flight, but in terms of sheer speed, the Divine Walk, Shadowless Form was undoubtedly the best.
Go Un-hyo couldn't keep up and fell far behind.
'Those bastards!'
Seeing the Flying Dragon in the distance, I gritted my teeth.
Ju Won-ik stood alone by a table on the Flying Dragon's upper deck, while Jeong Chung-ho, Ja-un, and Ak So-cheong were locked in a desperate battle, swinging their blades against attacking men in black.
The men in black wore the same attire as the Banryongbang thugs from before. They swarmed over the Flying Dragon like a dark cloud, relentlessly attacking the upper deck.
The sight of them clinging to the ship and attacking like a swarm of bees was truly repulsive.
Jeong Chung-ho, a peak master, was fending off the enemies with a frenzied display of swordsmanship. Ak So-cheong and Ja-un, who were first-rate masters, gritted their teeth and swung their swords desperately.
*Kwachachachang!*
The three were more focused on protecting Ju Won-ik than killing their enemies, preventing them from fighting a proper battle.
Moreover, Ak So-cheong and Ja-un were covered in blood, having been stabbed and slashed on their shoulders, arms, and thighs.
Only Jeong Chung-ho was able to generate sword qi, felling two or three enemies with each swing that combined both offense and defense.
Ju Won-ik, who had no martial arts, trembled with rage, more concerned for the injured Ak So-cheong and Ja-un than for his own safety.
"Ugh! You bastards..."
"Ack!"
Just then, Ja-un let out a sharp scream. A sword had pierced deep into her side.
*Swish!*
Ak So-cheong swiftly beheaded the man in black who had stabbed Ja-un.
'Ja-un!'
My heart sank. Seeing Ja-un, whom I considered family, get hurt made me see red.
About a hundred feet from the Flying Dragon, I unleashed the Starlight Rain of Prismatic Light with one hundred and fifty years of internal energy.
*Hwaaaat!*
A thick beam of black light shot straight from the Fire Dragon Sword toward the ship, then abruptly bent at a right angle and split into fifteen streaks, raining down.
Regardless of the situation, the sight was truly beautiful. It was as if I were delivering heavenly punishment on behalf of the sky.
*Perperperpeok!*
Unleashed in fury, not a single one of the fifteen streaks of Starlight Rain of Prismatic Light missed, piercing through the heads of fifteen men in black who were attacking the trio.
As the front line of attackers on the upper deck collapsed in an instant, the fighting ceased, and a sudden silence fell.
On the upper deck, all the men in black were down, leaving only Ju Won-ik and the other three standing.
Below the upper deck and on the main deck, about fifty men in black remained, momentarily stunned by what had just happened.
However, the men in black who were still swarming onto the Flying Dragon from two large ships moored alongside it were unaware of the situation.
Jeong Chung-ho, without even seeing me, cried out in relief.
"Great Warrior Ak has arrived!"
"Ah!"
His words were like rain in a drought, bringing immense relief to Ju Won-ik, his wife, and Ja-un.
As soon as I reached the space above the Flying Dragon, I unleashed the Scattering Dragon Scales Sword with one hundred and fifty years of internal energy, scattering the power of my Fire Dragon Sword.
*Kwadududung!*
Unleashed with one hundred and fifty years of energy, it created a thunderous roar.
The Scattering Dragon Scales Sword was the signature sword art of the Great Yonghwa Sect. Jang Ung had used it during the fight against the Soul-Devouring Wolves in Dong-ro County not long ago, which reminded me that I, too, had mastered this technique.
Jang Ung, with his hundred years of internal energy, had only mastered it to the sixth stage and couldn't bring out its true potential, but its power was still formidable.
The Great Yonghwa Sect's Scattering Dragon Scales Sword was considered one of the ultimate sword arts in the martial world, making it incredibly difficult to master.
First, its incantations were complex and profound, and the process of channeling internal energy into the movements was so difficult it felt like one's mind and body were twisting into knots.
Therefore, it was commendable that Jang Ung had managed to master it even to the sixth stage.
But since I was a genius of geniuses, I had mastered all ten stages without much difficulty.
Just as the name suggested, fragments of sword qi resembling dragon scales rained down like a sudden shower or a burst of fireworks.
The Flying Dragon was my first ship and precious to me, so it goes without saying that I did my utmost to ensure the Scattering Dragon Scales Sword didn't miss and damage it.
*Perperperpeok!*
Almost simultaneously, a sound like the heavy thud of a soaked drum echoed out, followed by pathetic screams.
"Uwaaack!"
"Kwaaack!"
Whether from friend or foe, screams are always pitiful to hear.
With just two attacks, the Starlight Rain of Prismatic Light and the Scattering Dragon Scales Sword, I killed over thirty enemies and extinguished the immediate fire.
Suddenly, the door to a first-floor cabin creaked open, and the crew's foreman, Chae Gwang, peeked out to survey the scene.
[Chae Gwang! Close the door and don't move!]
My telepathic roar struck him like lightning, and he quickly shut the door.
At that moment, Go Un-hyo arrived on the Flying Dragon and began to sweep through the men in black—no, the Banryongbang masters.
Seeing this, Jeong Chung-ho snorted and leaped down to the main deck.
"You two! Please protect His Highness!"
"Don't worry, just kill them all!"
Ja-un shouted fiercely, blood gushing from her side.
Jeong Chung-ho landed on the deck and, looking up at me hovering in the air, pointed in a direction.
"Great Warrior! Please, our ship!"
I looked where he was pointing and flinched.
The sounds of fighting were erupting from a ship about a hundred feet from the Flying Dragon—the very vessel that had been following them, intended for Ju Won-ik and his wife's return to Nanjing.
First, I unleashed a twin Great Vajra Palm strike with one hundred and eighty years of internal energy at the two ships moored to the Flying Dragon, from which the men in black were continuously crossing over.
*Kwawoooong!*
*Kukwaang! Crack!*
Struck from above by a Great Vajra Palm each, the two ships were pierced through from cabin to hull and shot across the water for over a hundred feet.
The force sent the Banryongbang masters who were trying to cross over tumbling into the river.
Knowing they would now sink slowly, I flew toward my target ship, relieved.
On the deck of a ship much larger than the Flying Dragon, about twenty guards from the King of Jinling's residence were fiercely battling over fifty Banryongbang masters. Outnumbered, the guards were at a disadvantage.
The King of Jinling's guards wore yellow, while the Banryongbang masters wore black, making it easy to pick them off.
Hovering about thirty feet from the ship, I used the Starlight Rain of Prismatic Light to take down five Banryongbang masters.
They were mixed in with the King of Jinling's guards in a chaotic melee, so I only took down five, worried I might accidentally harm the guards if I tried to kill the Banryongbang masters in droves.
By the time I reached the space above the ship, I had quickly unleashed three sword strikes, felling another fifteen Banryongbang masters.
That alone dramatically turned the tide of battle. The guards' fighting spirit soared, while the Banryongbang masters were greatly intimidated.
Without landing on the deck, I remained suspended in the air and diligently fired off a continuous barrage of the Five Elements Divine Finger with both hands.
*Piiing! Piing!*
*Perperperperpeok!*
In just two breaths, I hit fifteen of them.
'Damn!'
Then I realized my mistake. In my haste, I had mixed Yin Essence with my internal energy.
Those struck by the Yin Essence-infused Five Elements Divine Finger instantly turned to ice before shattering and crumbling to the floor.
Seeing this, I realized something. Killing with Yin Essence had the advantage of being clean, as the bodies turned to ice and then melted away.
I couldn't defile my brother's ship. So, I continued to unleash the Five Elements Divine Finger with Yin Essence like a downpour.
I subdued a man in his mid-thirties wearing black robes, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and landed on the deck of the Flying Dragon.
"Brother!"
"Great Warrior Ak!"
Ju Won-ik, Jeong Chung-ho, Ak So-cheong, and Ja-un rushed over, calling out.
I forced the man I was holding to his knees.
"Sister-in-law! Are you hurt?"
Ak So-cheong had been slashed on her shoulder and arm, but it didn't seem severe.
"Miss Ja-un is hurt much worse than I am."
"I'm fine."
As Ja-un spoke, she started to collapse, and I quickly caught her.
Blood dripped from her body.
Before carrying her to a cabin, I pointed at the man kneeling on the floor.
"This man is Seong Bo-gwang, the master of the Banryongbang and the leader of these fiends."
I laid Ja-un on a cabin bed and examined her. The deep stab wound in her side had damaged her internal organs; it was very serious.
She also had cuts and stabs on her arm, thigh, and hip, but thankfully, they weren't severe. Still, her whole body was a wreck.
Blood continued to flow from her side, soaking the bed.
"Ah... it hurts."
Due to the blood loss, Ja-un's consciousness began to fade, and she mumbled deliriously.
"Am I... going to die?"
"You're not going to die."
I first stopped the bleeding from her side, but it looked like the treatment would take a long time.
* * *
All one hundred and sixty masters of the Banryongbang were killed, leaving only their master, Seong Bo-gwang.
The Banryongbang masters who survived on the plains earlier must have fled, as they didn't show up. They had saved their own lives.
We even retrieved the bodies floating in the river, dug a large pit on the plains beyond the riverbank, and buried all the corpses, creating a burial mound.
Chae Gwang and the crew hauled up river water to wash the blood from the ships and clean them.
We moved to the ship Ju Won-ik was supposed to take back.
"Brother, what's going on?"
Only Ju Won-ik, Jeong Chung-ho, and I were in the cabin.
Ju Won-ik remained silent for a long while, and I waited patiently.
After some time, he finally spoke in a subdued voice.
"It's a war between brothers."
I didn't understand what he meant. I genuinely couldn't grasp his words. What kind of war could there be between brothers?
"I am the youngest of seven brothers. My fourth and sixth brothers are trying to kill me."
This time I understood the words, but not the meaning. Why would his brothers want to kill their youngest sibling?
Ju Won-ik's expression was grim and melancholic. I realized he wasn't joking.
"The Emperor has been ill for several years now. My fourth and sixth brothers have misunderstood, believing that the Emperor has secretly designated me as the Crown Prince, and now they seek to harm me."