Chapter 116: Divine Thief (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 116: Divine Thief (4)
The moment Namgung Jun felt the Divine Thief step forward with his right foot, he pulled his sword close to his chest.
Having closed the distance in the blink of an eye, the Divine Thief bent his index and middle fingers like claws. The Qi Wave concentrated in those two fingers was so intense it looked as if it could gouge through a thick iron plate.
Clang!
The Divine Thief's fingers, which had been sweeping in to tear out Namgung Jun's throat, were blocked by the Eternal Righteous Sword.
Having blocked the attack with the flat of his blade, Namgung Jun immediately twisted his wrist. The Eternal Righteous Sword flipped, presenting its sharp edge to the Divine Thief.
Namgung Jun thrust the sword forward in a short arc.
Swoosh!
The blue blade lunged toward the space between the Divine Thief's brows.
The Divine Thief's eyes twitched. He was impressed by Namgung Jun's skill, which allowed him to unleash such a fierce counterattack at a range where a sword should have been difficult to wield.
Tilting his body backward to narrowly dodge the sword tip, the Divine Thief used the momentum to spring forward once more.
However, he didn't move toward Namgung Jun.
Twisting his body, he slipped past Namgung Jun's right side, bypassed him completely, and reached for Heo Il. Three hidden weapons shot from the Divine Thief's right hand as he flowed out of Namgung Jun's range like water.
There was no mistaking it. It was the same hidden weapon technique Heo Il often used.
“Senior Heo!” Namgung Jun shouted without looking back.
Immediately, the metallic clang of deflected hidden weapons rang out from behind him.
“Don’t worry about me! Focus on the Divine Thief!”
“I am.”
Heo Il spat a mouthful of bloody saliva and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Namgung Jun. The two swordsmen locked eyes for a brief moment.
Though no words were exchanged, Namgung Jun instantly understood the look in Heo Il's eyes.
‘If Senior Heo holds the Divine Thief back, I must be the one to cut him down.’
Heo Il's proficiency in the Lightness Movement Art was far superior to Namgung Jun's. More importantly, he had learned the Divine Thief's own Lightness Movement Art. In this situation, Heo Il was the only one who could even slightly suppress the Divine Thief's speed.
“What do you two think you can accomplish just by joining forces?”
The Divine Thief's sneer was the trigger.
As if by prearranged signal, the two swordsmen lunged forward at the same time. Namgung Jun charged straight ahead to clash with the Divine Thief head-on, while Heo Il, utilizing the range of his Swift Sword and longsword, took a slight step back to circle the periphery of the fight.
The Divine Thief's movements were incredibly fast, as if he alone moved in a different flow of time. Even the Swift Sword of the Thirteen Lightning Flash Sword Thunders fell just short of matching his speed.
The Divine Thief's hand shadow targeted the opening created when Namgung Jun retracted the Eternal Righteous Sword after a thrust. The hand shadow stretched long, like a phantom on a summer day, and pressed down on Namgung Jun's right shoulder.
Thump!
A powerful wave of Qi erupted from Namgung Jun's body, repelling the pressure. He used the Heaven-Pillar Resolute Advance Movement Art to stabilize his posture and regain his balance.
‘The Divine Thief… he’s not just fast.’
His Flickering Presence was maddening—one moment he'd be right in front of you, the next he'd vanish, only to reappear at your side and throw hidden weapons. Even his basic footwork was difficult to counter. On top of that, his ability to adjust his speed instantaneously while remaining completely silent was extraordinary.
If any other swordsman had been facing him, they would have been deceived by the rapidly shifting movements, slashing at empty air before being helplessly counterattacked.
‘What kind of monster is this? How can a kid who hasn't even reached twenty possess swordplay so profound?’
As the Divine Thief took another step, the tip of his foot twisted slightly to the side.
Swish!
His footwork, which had been intended to slip behind Namgung Jun, shifted minutely. The change was forced by Heo Il's Sword Strike, which shot out with precise aim, as if he had anticipated exactly where the Divine Thief would move.
‘Now the real battle begins,’ Heo Il thought. ‘The Divine Thief will start mixing variations into his Lightness Movement Art to keep me from predicting his moves. I must read them correctly for Young Master Namgung to survive.’
Perhaps because he had learned the Lightness Movement Art directly from the Divine Thief, reading his movements was relatively easy. Thanks to this, Heo Il was able to warn Namgung Jun from time to time while predicting the Divine Thief's next moves and unleashing several Swift Swords.
Of course, none of them connected, but Heo Il didn't mind. He was certain that his Sword Strikes were restricting the Divine Thief's possible paths of movement.
With Heo Il disrupting the Divine Thief's movements from the periphery, Namgung Jun was able to face him with much more ease.
Whoosh!
Just as the Divine Thief's figure began to blur once more, a message came.
—Young Master Namgung. He will target your upper body from the left first.
The blood vessels in Heo Il's eyes grew thicker as he sent the Voice Transmission. He hadn't blinked even once since the life-and-death battle began, fearing that in the brief moment his eyes were closed, the Divine Thief's hand might reach Namgung Jun.
“You are getting quite annoying.”
Stopping his movements for a moment, the Divine Thief looked back and forth between Namgung Jun and Heo Il.
He had to admit it. The young swordsman before him possessed dazzling skills and sword techniques that far surpassed his age and Realm. Despite being at the peak of the Peak Stage, he possessed a martial prowess that seemed capable of slaying a Supreme Expert, provided luck was on his side.
And his former disciple, stolen by the Azure Heaven Association, was using the teachings of the Bihyeong Gate to obstruct him brilliantly. Since joining the Azure Heaven Association, he seemed to have abandoned his old master's arts to focus on the sword, presenting the steady demeanor of a proper swordsman.
‘If that fellow had focused on the teachings of the Bihyeong Gate instead of the sword, I could have disposed of him much more easily.’
After a moment of deliberation, the Divine Thief changed his plan. He would kill Heo Il first.
“Senior Heo!”
Namgung Jun immediately realized the intent behind the Divine Thief's shifted movements and shouted a warning.
Though Heo Il became highly alert, the Divine Thief paid him no heed.
Clang! Crash!
Namgung Jun blocked his path, but the Divine Thief refused to engage head-on. Instead, he evaded continuously, always aiming for Heo Il.
Heo Il retreated without hesitation to widen the distance, moving toward Namgung Jun's position. Thus, the life-and-death battle turned into a chase: the Divine Thief pursued the fleeing Heo Il, while Namgung Jun pursued the Divine Thief. The positions of the three shifted endlessly as they traded lethal strikes.
‘Senior Heo is limiting the Divine Thief's movements, but my own speed is just too slow.’
In truth, the Divine Thief was easily parrying Namgung Jun's attacks while inflicting wound after wound on Heo Il's body. Had Namgung Jun not intervened in the nick of time on several occasions, Heo Il would have already been gravely injured.
Slipping past Namgung Jun once more through his superior Lightness Movement Art, the Divine Thief closed in on Heo Il. Namgung Jun hastily executed the Infinite Steps, but the Divine Thief was already far ahead.
“The more I look at you, the more of a waste it seems. If you had remained under me, you would have become the next Divine Thief.”
“You still speak as if my life belongs to you.”
“I have never lost anything once held in my hands. The Bihyeong Gate stolen by the Azure Heaven Association, and my two disciples—those were the first exceptions.”
Crash!
The Divine Thief didn't just deflect Heo Il's Swift Sword; he snatched the weapon away entirely. It was an exquisite technique that left Heo Il disarmed even with his eyes wide open.
“You have already left my hands and been defiled. It pains me to keep watching you. It is better to destroy you.”
Just before the five strands of hand shadows conjured by the Divine Thief could reach Heo Il's chest—
Rumble!
An immense pressure descended upon the area, as if the very air had suddenly been laden with a thousand pounds of weight. It was a crushing force so intense that even the Divine Thief, who had not stopped moving for the entire battle, was frozen in place.
His hand, which had been lunging for Heo Il's heart, ground to a halt.
* * *
Having done nothing but chase the Divine Thief's back, Namgung Jun knew he had to find a way. At this rate, Heo Il would die at the Divine Thief's hands while he was still trying to catch up.
‘But it's not as if my Lightness Movement Art will suddenly improve. Should I try to create a new Lightness Skill?’
He couldn't. No inspiration or enlightenment came to him.
Crash!
In the meantime, Heo Il’s sword had been snatched away. The distance between them was short, yet it felt exceptionally far.
At that moment, time seemed to stretch, dragging sluggishly.
A flash of inspiration struck the mind of the desperately running Namgung Jun.
‘If I can't catch up, then I'll just have to stop him from moving at all.’
Following that inspiration, a scene from his Mindscape rose to his consciousness. A blood-red wilderness. The corpses of countless disciples. A profound sense of being dragged into an abyss, accompanied by a crushing weight.
The inner demon he had suffered after his reincarnation manifested vividly before his eyes.
‘I suffered this inner demon due to my anguish, guilt, and regret for my disciples.’
Though he had since shaken off the inner demon with his master's help, Namgung Jun still harbored a fragment of it deep within his Mindscape. He kept it to never forget his disciples from his past life, to ensure he would never suffer the same tragedy again, and to show them he was living a life he could be proud of.
To save his companion in this life, Namgung Jun drew upon that carefully preserved fragment.
‘My disciples, lend me your aid.’
A new Mnemonic Formula began to weave itself around the fragment of the inner demon. Into it, the essence of the Group of the Namcheon Guiding-to-the-End Sword seeped, concentrating its force.
It was not a new martial art. He had merely manifested a fleeting inspiration into a practical technique. It was more like a faint sword concept than a true form.
But for Namgung Jun, that was enough.
Thrum!
The moment the Heavy Sword Qi Wave, which had been tightly condensed within the Eternal Righteous Sword, dispersed smoothly—
An immense Sword Pressure poured down upon a space of roughly two zhang centered on the Divine Thief.
Rumble!
Under the sudden pressure engulfing his entire body, the Divine Thief's hand, which had been about to crush Heo Il's heart, froze.
‘What?!’
The Divine Thief pushed his Internal Energy to its absolute limit. The instantaneous surge of pressure had nearly forced him to his knees.
Boom!
Shaking off the mysterious pressure, the Divine Thief whipped his head around. His body had been bound for an incredibly brief time—only about three blinks of an eye.
But Namgung Jun had already closed the distance and stood before him, exhaling a fierce breath.
Seeing this, the Divine Thief immediately tried to retreat.
“It doesn't matter how fast or stealthy you are if I fill the entire space.”
Namgung Jun recalled the ultimate technique he had used against the Flagbearers during the strength evaluation. But that wasn't enough.
The autumn sky he had gazed upon until now was spotlessly clear and vast. It was just as free, leaving no gaps. The sky always filled his vision entirely. No matter how high his Realm rose or how advanced his Eye Techniques became, that remained unchanged.
‘No matter how fast a person's steps or how wide their stride, can they ever outrun the sky?’
The endlessly magnificent sky. Under that sky, he wished for his cheerful senior to laugh to his heart's content, without needing to borrow strength from alcohol.
Infusing that intent into his blade, he unleashed his ultimate technique.
“Vast and Empty Sky.”
The Eternal Righteous Sword vanished as if melting into the darkness. In its place, a blue Sword Light burst forth.
The blue light filled the area in all directions, leaving no gaps, as if the autumn sky itself had descended.
Splurt!
Two fountains of blood erupted. One from the Divine Thief's left arm, the other from his left abdomen.
“You…!”
The Divine Thief couldn't finish his sentence. Despite being struck by the sudden ultimate technique, his judgment was incredibly swift.
He chose to flee.
Perhaps due to his severe wounds, the Divine Thief was utterly shocked to find Namgung Jun instantly catching up to him.
Ahead lay a cliff. The Divine Thief leaped off without hesitation, but Namgung Jun jumped right after him.
“You madman!”
For the first time, fear and sheer exasperation flickered in the Divine Thief's eyes as he looked at Namgung Jun. He had never expected anyone to make the insane choice of leaping off a cliff, risking death just to pursue him—especially not a green youth who stared back with a placid face that knew no fear.
‘At this rate…!’
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in that split second.
The moment Namgung Jun raised his sword—shrouded in an unnaturally thick sword wind—into an Upper Stance, the Divine Thief threw something from his breast pocket in the opposite direction.
It was a Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip that glowed faintly even in the pitch-black darkness.
Flailing in midair, Namgung Jun instinctively knew he could not let it go. In the end, he chose to reach out and grab it.
The Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip versus the Divine Thief's life. Weighing the two, the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip was naturally the higher priority.
With the bamboo slip in hand, Namgung Jun was swallowed by the darkness at the bottom of the cliff.
* * *
“Ugh.”
Namgung Jun regained consciousness.
Looking around, he found himself in a grassy field. Layer upon layer of peaks surrounded the area like fortress walls. It was a marvel that such a place existed beneath the cliff.
‘This is strange.’
He had fallen from a considerable height, yet his body was perfectly fine.
‘Come to think of it…’
He had a faint memory of a strange sensation—as if something soft like a cloud had enveloped him—just before he lost consciousness.
Just as Namgung Jun checked his physical condition, confirmed the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip was safe, and began to look around, a voice spoke.
“You. You possess a truly peculiar body.”
Namgung Jun turned his head toward the voice coming from behind him.