Chapter 34
Chapter 34
34.
I Decided So.
The Black Cat Clan Leader's presence, which the Black Cat Clan's rabble feared, and my presence, barging in unannounced and proposing a Life-or-Death Martial Duel, were in a situation where superiority couldn't be determined. No, rather, the more they glanced at the gruesome corpse, the greater my presence became.
Now, those who wished to live would restrain themselves.
The Black Cat Clan Leader also realized through the atmosphere that it was his moment to resolve things.
"Shop Assistant, the attack is quite noisy."
Suddenly, the Black Cat Clan Leader's gaze turned towards the wall.
Belatedly, a cracking sound was heard, and cracks were spreading across the wall that had taken the brunt of the Great Axe, as if lightning had struck.
So Gun-pyeong, who had approached me, asked in a respectful tone.
"Clan Leader, do you also use a sword?"
"Why? I've mastered Palm Technique, Finger Technique, Leg Technique, Sword Method, Sword Technique, Spear Technique, scythe work, and much more."
So Gun-pyeong offered his Nightfall Blade, which he cherished like a lover.
"Well, use my Nightfall Blade for now. The Clan Leader's sword is also very sharp."
I glanced at So Gun-pyeong's expression at the unexpected suggestion. The guy who was fidgeting and didn't know what to do when I said I wanted to see a sword was now offering to lend me his Weaponry first...
Instead of just saying thank you, I deliberately retorted like a twisted fellow.
"It'll be better than a kitchen knife, I suppose. Give it here."
So Gun-pyeong, who handed over the Nightfall Blade, subtly glared at me.
"Why?"
"It's nothing. It's a better sword than a kitchen knife, so please handle it with care."
While I was drawing the Nightfall Blade, I overheard So Gun-pyeong and his subordinates talking behind me.
"What does he mean by 'better than a kitchen knife'?"
"Shut up."
"Why are you getting angry...? I was just asking out of curiosity."
"It's just something."
"Okay."
I said to the Black Cat Clan Leader, who seemed to be racking his brains.
"Now that the new sword has arrived, let's begin."
Before the Black Cat Clan Leader could scheme, I unleashed Blade Wind towards him.
* * *
Blade Wind is a suitable tactic for disrupting the opponent's balance or hindering their movements during an offensive and defensive battle, rather than an intention to deliver the final blow. Therefore, it is right to deal with such Blade Wind decisively. If you don't respond appropriately, you will continue to be preempted.
The executives instinctively dodged left and right to avoid being caught in the Blade Wind, and the Black Cat Clan Leader, who faced the sword wind head-on, drew the black Straight Sword from his waist and split the Blade Wind.
In the meantime, I quickly closed the distance from where the chairs were to the platform with a single leap, lunging forward while thrusting the sword towards the Black Cat Clan Leader's abdomen.
Clang!
The Black Cat Clan Leader deflected the Nightfall Blade that was rushing in a straight line, and the two of us began to clash in earnest.
In an instant, the guy and I observed each other's eyes.
Eyes contain various emotions, but the only thing the guy and I had in common was that there was no fear in our eyes.
The eyes of someone who has killed many opponents are generally like this.
The fight between the Black Cat Clan Leader and me, which started on the stairs, continued as it moved to the spacious center of the outer courtyard.
The Straight Sword and the Nightfall Blade had already collided over thirty times, and the information gained in the process was neatly organized in my head.
The Black Cat Clan Leader had elaborate Sword Method, a psychology that focused on defense and valued counterattacks, and a type that cunningly set traps by deliberately showing minor mistakes while unfolding his Sword Method.
On the other hand, I don't set a fixed flow or method of fighting in offensive and defensive battles. I grasp the opponent's psychology or the strengths of their Martial arts and then respond accordingly. This is the core of Fighting Chicken, the next level of Blazing Chicken, but even if the level of mental cultivation hasn't risen yet, the insights already gained were a separate matter.
Having clashed, I realized...
My Sword Method was faster, more elaborate, and my Inner energy, built on Celestial Jade, was much deeper than the Clan Leader's. In summary, it was a fight with no possibility of defeat.
However, I imprinted the Black Cat Clan Leader's Sword Method in my memory for various reasons.
It was to get a glimpse of Daenachal's martial arts, who had taught that Sword Method.
In addition, I had a separate reason to learn the Black Cat Clan Leader's Sword Method exactly as it was.
This is all part of the plan.
* * *
When the guy's Sword Method was perfectly familiar to my eyes, I slowly raised the Inner energy I was injecting into the sword.
Then, the Black Cat Clan Leader's complexion, which had been holding up quite well until now, gradually turned pale.
It seemed he had only now realized that I had been fighting without even drawing out half of my Inner energy.
I can understand the guy's bewilderment.
There is a certain limit to the Inner energy that Martial World people under the age of twenty-five can accumulate.
Most of those who have reached the end of that limit are disciples of prestigious orthodox sects, successors of noble families, or young Martial World people who have obtained rare opportunities. Otherwise, the depth of Inner energy can be roughly estimated by considering age and origin.
The Black Cat Clan Leader was looking at me with such a gaze...
But the Inner energy felt from the clashing swords was gradually increasing, so he had no choice but to be flustered.
How could this guy have anticipated and prepared for the Celestial Jade opportunity?
I relaxed my hardened expression and wore a sneer.
"...Clan Leader, it's too late."
It was also too late to run away.
It was a statement that it was too late to realize my true abilities, but the Black Cat Clan Leader understood the meaning immediately because he was facing death. But as expected, I couldn't confirm his changing complexion because of that mask.
The mask certainly had its advantages.
In the meantime, the guy's movements became more and more violent, as if a beast was trying to escape from a hunter. Whether a Martial World person or a beast, they tend to struggle in this way when psychologically cornered. I watched this pathetic sight and returned the words he had said verbatim.
"From now on, will you lick if I tell you to lick, charge if I tell you to charge, and bark if I tell you to bark? Of course, under me."
The Black Cat Clan Leader had no energy to answer because he was scraping together even the Inner energy scattered on the floor.
"..."
"No answer. Must be hard, huh? That's Heukdo for you."
While mocking the guy, I swung my sword while blocking his escape routes. The Clan Leader's footwork was subtly shifting one step at a time, and I could see his will to escape fiercely, taking advantage of the opportunity.
I was familiar with the guy's footwork and Sword Method, so it wasn't difficult to grasp this psychology.
As I swung my sword as if to block the Black Cat Clan Leader's movements, So Gun-pyeong, who had a good eye, interjected.
"Clan Leader, you told me to die if I lost, but what is this pathetic behavior? Don't tell me you're running away...?"
The Black Cat Clan Leader's composure crumbled at So Gun-pyeong's words. He swung the Straight Sword in a large motion, pouring out Blade Energy in succession to the front, and ordered his subordinates in a rough tone, his breath coming up to his chin.
"Attack!"
In the moment when the executives were agitated by the Black Cat Clan Leader's order, So Gun-pyeong quickly intervened.
"Everyone, restrain yourselves. It was clearly said to be a one-on-one duel, so if you interfere, I will have no choice but to join in as well. If you ignore the order and stay still, I will try to mediate so that everyone can keep their lives. If you're still uneasy, look at the corpse split by the Great Axe. As the Low Filth Sect Leader said, that corpse is the result of a surprise attack."
The executives' gazes turned to the tragically split corpse after hearing So Gun-pyeong's warning.
"..."
It was a gruesome corpse, anew.
The corpse was warning those who were still alive with its whole body, as if telling them not to die like it.
When a person is driven into a corner, it is natural to try to grab at straws. The Black Cat Clan Leader deflected the Nightfall Blade, retreated urgently, and said to me.
"Clan Leader... just a moment...!"
I could see three or four openings in the Black Cat Clan Leader's stance due to his disrupted breathing from speaking. It was also a funny phenomenon that the title had changed from Shop Assistant to Clan Leader at some point.
'This brat...'
I followed without giving him a break and wrapped the Flame Chicken around the Nightfall Blade to strike the Black Cat Clan Leader's sword. A grating sound that assaulted the ears rang out, and the Black Cat Clan Leader's face contorted. Blood was already flowing from the Black Cat Clan Leader's grip, which I didn't know when it had been torn.
The Black Cat Clan Leader, who had become desperate, grabbed the Straight Sword with both hands, filled all his Inner energy into a single strike, and poured out Blade Energy.
Whooooosh!
The intention was clearly blatant.
If I dodged, So Gun-pyeong's group behind me would be hit by the Blade Energy. It was a nasty intention to either kill me with this last strike or tear apart even So Gun-pyeong's group.
I, who had no intention of dodging in the first place, raised the Nightfall Blade towards the flying Blade Energy and slashed it vertically, wrapping it in Flame Flower Scent.
A strangely shaped Blade Energy that was difficult to name and a blazing stream of flames collided.
If the forces were equal, the shockwave generated when the Blade Energy collided would have spread in a circle...
But the Flame Flower Scent I released tore through the Black Cat Clan Leader's Blade Energy and sent the Black Cat Clan Leader's body flying towards the wall with just the remaining aftermath.
The Black Cat Clan Leader, engulfed in the hot Blade Energy that burned his skin, collided with the wall in a large spread-eagle position and spat out blood from his mouth.
"Kuek..."
The Black Cat Clan Leader's body was half-buried in the wall. The blood he spat out was dripping under the mask.
Whether he had suffered Internal Injury and the bones in various places had been crushed when he collided with the wall, the Black Cat Clan Leader couldn't get out, as if he were a character in a painting engraved on the wall.
So Gun-pyeong's group would be happy with this result.
The guys who had restrained themselves at So Gun-pyeong's words would have breathed a sigh of relief...
But to me, this was a natural result, so the joy of victory wasn't that great.
I looked around at the Black Cat Clan's warriors who had watched the duel and announced the result.
"The Shop Assistant wins."
A victory declaration that was truly degrading from Heukdo's perspective.
But victory or whatever, the work I had come to do after arriving at the Black Cat Clan hadn't even started yet.
"So Gun-pyeong."
So Gun-pyeong looked at my eyes and used honorifics for the first time.
"Yes, Clan Leader."
"You were a guy who earned his keep with his mouth. You saved many with your three-inch tongue."
"You gave us a heads-up in advance, so we were able to save our comrades. Thank you, Clan Leader."
I shook my sword at the Black Cat Clan's executives, who had suddenly become mute, and said.
"I left a lot of energy to spare, considering that you guys might attack. What are you going to do? I'm someone who respects a man's desire for revenge. If there's anyone who's greatly saddened by the Clan Leader's defeat, come forward now. I'll gladly open the path for you to ascend to heaven with the Clan Leader with a reverent attitude. But this time, I'll give it my all. Your Sword Method is sure to be worthless to watch."
Those with a good eye would have noticed through the results that I hadn't given my all in the process of killing the Black Cat Clan Leader.
"..."
I scratched my chin and said.
"Hey, isn't there anyone who wants to ascend to heaven following the Clan Leader, spouting nonsense about how today is a perfect day to die? It's not every day that incompetent Heukdo people can challenge a talented Shop Assistant, so try to be brave."
Even though I gently scratched their pride, no one came forward. I smiled as I watched some of the executives' faces turn bright red.
"It was the last chance to challenge the Shop Assistant, but that's a shame."
Before everyone could understand the words I had just uttered, I approached the dying Black Cat Clan Leader and looked at him. He was still barely breathing.
I reached out and grabbed the Black Cat Clan Leader's mask and took it off. The face of the guy who looked like he was about to die soon was revealed. Only then did the guy barely reveal this meaning with his mouth.
"Save..."
"Save you? That's unexpected. If you're going to live the rest of your life as a Shop Assistant in Ilyang Prefecture, I'll save you. But I'll cripple your Martial arts. You might get hit and killed by a Martial World person while making noodles, cleaning tables, or mopping floors, but the Martial World is originally such a place, so you have to be mentally prepared and start. I won't allow any other life. Do you have the courage to live as a Shop Assistant...?"
The Black Cat Clan Leader's breath stopped while listening to my words.
"...you don't."
In fact, I had no intention of making him do it. As I said before, I have no sympathy for monkeys who have learned Martial arts and die fighting.
"It's difficult to be a Shop Assistant if you die. Do you think just anyone can be a Shop Assistant? Anyway..."
I turned around with the Black Cat Clan Leader's mask in my hand and glared at the guys who were collectively keeping their mouths shut. There weren't many dead guys, so the foundation was quite well laid. I brought the rabbit mask stained with the Black Cat Clan Leader's blood to my face and said.
"From now on, I am the Black Cat Clan Leader."
I declared while wearing the Black Cat Clan Leader's mask.
"Whether you want it or not. I decided so."