Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Lightning-Spewing Fire Dragon Sword!
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But it wasn't over yet.
Zzzzzzt!
Two of the five streams of sword energy changed direction, sticking to the Red Evil God Sword like shadows.
“Hm?”
The Red Evil God Sword, who had been about to counterattack, thinking he had retreated far enough, spotted the black sword energy bearing down on him and hastily bent backward until his spine nearly snapped.
Swoosh!
A clump of red hair was sliced off and scattered in the air.
‘Let’s see you dodge this!’
I slightly raised the Fire Dragon Sword, about to bring it down, when a crimson flash erupted right before my eyes.
Whoosh!
‘Hah! Such a fast counterattack?’
Thwack!
“Gah!”
I was careless.
Struck squarely by the crimson sword energy, I was sent spinning through the air like a dry leaf caught in a typhoon.
Thud!
I hit the ground and tumbled over and over, my chest stiff and my breath catching in my throat.
I hadn’t expected the Red Evil God Sword, who had just desperately dodged an attack and lost a chunk of his hair, to counter so quickly.
Truly worthy of being one of the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path. A peak master is on a completely different level.
However, the protective aura of my Five Elements Divine Art had manifested in that instant, shielding my body, so I suffered no internal injuries. The impact had merely left my chest aching and sent me flying.
As I shot back to my feet, the Red Evil God Sword soared through the air toward me, unleashing a second attack.
“You insolent brat! Die!”
He must have thought I was seriously injured after taking his first blow.
Swoooosh!
A stream of sword energy, redder and more powerful than the first, rushed toward me menacingly.
Seeing it, a sudden surge of defiance rose within me. I didn’t want to dodge.
‘Bring it on! A head-on clash!’
When swords clash directly, one cannot rely on swordsmanship alone. One must infuse the technique with divine arts and internal energy.
I swung the Fire Dragon Sword with seven-tenths of my power.
“Old man! This is Ten Thousand Calamities Lightning!”
Krakoom!
Just as the crimson sword energy closed to within ten feet, a beam of black light, as thick as two fists, shot out like a cannonball.
Seven hundred years ago, the Azure Heaven Divine Sword created three absolute sword techniques, known as the Three Absolutes of the Azure Heaven: Azure Wall Thunder, Ten Thousand Calamities Lightning, and Heaven-Shattering Flash.
The Red Evil God Sword, who had assumed I was gravely wounded, flinched.
‘Ten Thousand Calamities Lightning?’
Moreover, the name made him wonder if it could truly be one of the legendary Three Absolutes of the Azure Heaven.
KRA-KOOM!
“Ugh!”
“Kuh!”
The red and black light collided with incredible force.
My arm throbbed as I was pushed back two steps.
In contrast, the Red Evil God Sword only staggered back a single step.
‘And that was with seven-tenths of my power!’
If the Red Evil God Sword had just used his full strength, then my seven-tenths power should have given me the upper hand.
Gurgle!
But a bitter taste rose in my throat, and I spat out a clot of blood.
Since entering the martial world, this was the first time I had fought a single opponent for more than three moves and coughed up blood.
“Khahaha! Not bad, kid!”
The Red Evil God Sword, assuming I was stunned, charged again, unleashing his most powerful crimson sword energy.
SWOOOOSH!
I was about to use the third of the Three Absolutes, Heaven-Shattering Flash, but I changed my mind in an instant.
‘Old man! Let’s see you get roasted!’
I poured my energy into the Fire Dragon Sword and unleashed Heaven-Shattering Flash.
Swoooosh!
But as I swung the sword down, a strange energy swirled from it and flowed into my right hand.
KRA-KABOOM!
What erupted from the Fire Dragon Sword was not fire, but a blinding bolt of lightning.
CRACK!
“Hyaaaak!”
The lightning bolt pierced through the red sword energy from the Red Evil God Sword and slammed squarely into his chest.
Whoosh!
Thump!
The Red Evil God Sword was thrown into the air before crashing to the ground, faint smoke rising from his chest.
Coincidentally, he landed right where the Black Killing Sword Remnant and the others were standing, causing them to jump in fright.
“Whoa!”
“Ah!”
I stood there for a moment, slightly surprised, and lifted the Fire Dragon Sword.
‘It was lightning.’
I had intended to shoot fire from the sword, but lightning came out instead.
This was the second time, following the instance when I used Azure Wall Thunder.
‘Does unleashing the Three Absolutes of the Azure Heaven always spew lightning?’
I had just used Heaven-Shattering Flash with seven-tenths of my power.
I slowly walked toward the Red Evil God Sword.
The Black Killing Sword Remnant and the others were so pale-faced, staring at the body, that they didn't even notice my approach.
A large, fist-sized hole was bored through the center of the Red Evil God Sword's chest, from which wisps of pale smoke rose. The stench of burning flesh stung my nostrils.
Smoke trickled from his eyes, nose, wide-open mouth, and ears.
He was, of course, killed instantly.
‘I’ve killed one of the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path.’
I had killed one of the ten so-called "Heavens."
A heat filled my chest, a feeling of grandeur.
“Hahahahahaha!”
“Aaaah!”
“Gah!”
My sudden, crazed laughter sent the Black Killing Sword Remnant and the others scrambling back in terror.
“Halt.”
Stop!
At my quiet command, the Black Killing Sword Remnant froze and turned around. He knew it was useless to run.
“Did you see that?”
“…”
“What will you do now?”
I glanced around. The seventy or so remaining executives and elite masters seemed to have no will to fight.
No, they looked as if the thought of fighting had never even crossed their minds, their hands folded meekly in front of them.
The Black Killing Sword Remnant watched me warily. Based on his experience so far, he knew speaking up would likely get him nowhere.
I remained silent, letting him find the answer himself.
After a moment, the Black Killing Sword Remnant spoke with a grave tone.
“What is it you want?”
“I want you all to leave the Unorthodox Path and become new men.”
Having killed their leader, the Red Evil God Sword, killing these men would be nothing more than slaughter, not practical combat experience.
Killing for fun is what murderers do. To be clear, my goal is not to be a murderer, but to be the strongest in real combat.
“Will you do it?”
If they accepted, the Black Killing Sword Remnant and everyone here would have to leave the Zhejiang Heaven of the Unorthodox Path. Whatever happened after that would be their own burden to bear.
After a long, serious moment of thought, the Black Killing Sword Remnant spoke heavily.
“…We will.”
Every member of the Unorthodox Path is a cancer upon the martial world and the realm.
By simple arithmetic, for every one of them that disappears, the lives of hundreds of common people become more peaceful.
To that end, I could just kill them all, but that would dirty my hands.
I slowly looked over the seventy or so men.
“Will all of you leave the Unorthodox Path?”
The seventy men nodded silently.
“Not a single one of you answers.”
“We will leave the Unorthodox Path!”
“We will follow your command!”
The seventy men shouted, startled into action.
“I have an excellent memory. I am memorizing each and every one of your faces. If I ever find out you’ve returned to the Ten Heavens or see you committing evil deeds, know that you will die.”
They all stood there, stock-still.
“Does your silence mean you don’t understand me?”
“We understand!”
The Black Killing Sword Remnant and all the others roared in unison.
“Go.”
As I was about to leave, I noticed the Black Killing Sword Remnant and his subordinates walking east across the plains.
That was because the headquarters of the Zhejiang Heaven of the Unorthodox Path was in Hangzhou, to the east.
“If you go that way, you’ll run into the Martial Alliance masters from the Hangzhou branch!”
“Thank you!”
The Black Killing Sword Remnant’s voice, carried from the distance, sounded poignant.
***
Standing on the bank of Tianmu Stream, Jang Ung had watched every moment of his lord’s battle on the plains.
Having witnessed his lord single-handedly face over seven hundred enemies and slay more than two hundred in under an hour, Jang Ung’s mouth hung open in astonishment.
And when he saw the completely red figure fly in from the sky, only to be killed instantly by a bolt of lightning from his lord, unable to withstand even four moves, tears unknowingly streamed down his face.
‘That man must have been the Red Evil God Sword, one of the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path, yet he couldn't last four moves against my lord…!’
Jang Ung was overcome with excitement and emotion.
‘Ah! For my lord to be the sole honored one in all of heaven and earth is no mere dream!’
As I walked slowly toward the riverbank where Jang Ung was waiting, I sensed a presence.
Swoosh! Flutter!
It was the sound of a bird’s wings, but a sound of this magnitude could only belong to the legendary Peng bird.
I focused my hearing, pinpointed its location, and looked up at a spot in the sky.
A massive object floated among a few scattered clouds, a dizzying fifty *jang* above the ground.
A normal person looking up would have seen only a large cloud, but my eyes saw it clearly.
It was a kite. Three or four times larger than the one the mercenaries from the Northern Underworld Manor had ridden.
That kite was likely carrying assassins from the Northern Underworld Manor. Knowing that mercenaries were no match for me, they must have sent assassins this time.
But those bastards wouldn’t be able to attack me.
They must have seen how I killed the masters of the Zhejiang Heaven of the Unorthodox Path.
If they still attacked after witnessing me kill the Red Evil God Sword, they would have to be insane.
But just because they wouldn’t attack me didn’t mean I was inclined to let them be.
As I walked, I saw Jang Ung standing on the riverbank up ahead.
Jang Ung was also looking up at the giant kite in the sky.
The giant kite was slowly circling in a large arc fifty *jang* above my head. Not attacking, but watching.
They probably thought they were safe at such a height, but they were sorely mistaken.
The Northern Underworld Manor needed a taste of their own medicine to truly understand the kind of person they were trying to kill and learn not to mess with me again.
I gripped the Fire Dragon Sword in my right hand, kept my eyes on the circling kite, and initiated Ten Thousand Calamities Lightning.
Zzzzzzt!
The Fire Dragon Sword performed the technique, slicing and cutting through the air before finally thrusting straight out, pointing at the giant kite.
Flash!
A bolt of red and blue lightning shot straight up into the air.
When I used the Three Absolutes of the Azure Heaven, the lightning that the Fire Dragon Sword emitted manifested in slightly different ways.
Azure Wall Thunder was a thunderbolt. A bolt that strikes down from the heavens.
When I used it, I could wipe out numerous enemies at once or shatter a large boulder or building entirely.
Ten Thousand Calamities Lightning was lightning. Lightning is created in storm clouds during a downpour and can strike the ground, but it can also arc between clouds or strike the sea.
The lightning from this technique was faster than Azure Wall Thunder, and I could fire multiple bolts at once.
Heaven-Shattering Flash was, as its name implied, a flash of light. It could pierce through anything and was perfect for one-on-one combat.
From what I had seen so far, the Three Absolutes of the Azure Heaven seemed to be the best way to wield the electrical power contained within the Fire Dragon Sword.
Tssssssst!
The bolt from Ten Thousand Calamities Lightning shot up from the ground toward the sky.
“Ah!”
The moment Jang Ung let out a gasp, the flash of light soared fifty *jang* and pierced right through the center of the giant kite.
POW!
In the next instant, the giant kite began to burn.
Whoooosh!
The sight of the giant kite engulfed in flames, burning fifty *jang* up in the sky, was a magnificent spectacle. It looked like a massive cloud set ablaze by the setting sun.
“Aaargh!”
“Waagh!”
“Gaaah!”
The assassins from the Northern Underworld Manor began leaping from the burning kite, either on fire or trying to escape the flames.
No matter how skilled an assassin’s lightness arts were, they could not land safely from a height of fifty *jang*.
THUD-THUD-THUD!
“Uwaaah!”
“Huuugh!”
Heavy thuds and loud screams erupted from all over the plains as some twenty assassins plummeted to the ground.
Without a second glance, I walked up onto the riverbank.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Jang Ung’s voice trembled slightly. While he seemed deeply moved, I was unfazed.