Chapter 54: Competition (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54: Competition (2)
Thud!
Wi Hyeon-su’s knee buckled, slamming hard against the floor of the sparring stage. He seemed to have tried forcing himself to stand, only for all the strength to abandon his legs.
Dropping to one knee and slumping forward, Wi Hyeon-su couldn't hide his ragged breathing.
'What incredible Sword Force.'
Perhaps because they had clashed head-on, force against force, he felt as if his very organs had been shaken loose.
'I was outmatched in raw power, but some technique redirected the force I unleashed right back at me.'
At that moment, a certain martial art flashed through Wi Hyeon-su's mind.
The Distant-Cloud Layered-Wall Stance.
It was one of the primary sword techniques mastered by the Heavenly Sword Hall Master. Rumor had it that this martial art was easily comparable to the Wudang Sect's Taiji Sword.
As the disciple of the Heavenly Sword Hall Master, Namgung Jun would naturally have learned it.
'To unleash so many layers in a single strike… and with such mastery.'
Wi Hyeon-su forced down the blood rising in his throat.
Although his internal injuries were significant, they weren't so severe that he couldn't fight. If he wanted to, he could have continued the duel.
But Wi Hyeon-su chose not to.
The single strike Namgung Jun had displayed.
The depth of enlightenment contained within that one blow was difficult to fathom. Having felt the gap between them firsthand, he conceded.
"Azure Star Sword. Now I see why they call you Azure Heaven's Number One Rising Star."
Every Cloud in the stands heard Wi Hyeon-su's quiet murmur.
'Wi Hyeon-su acknowledged Namgung Jun?'
'For someone that proud to acknowledge a junior so far below him in seniority…'
'Just what did he experience in that clash?'
While everyone was swept up in confusion, Wi Hyeon-su paid them no mind and continued speaking.
"Would you be willing to spar with me again in the future? A single-strike duel, just like today."
"I would welcome it anytime."
Thud!
Wi Hyeon-su drove his great blade into the ground and politely clasped his hands in a martial salute.
"I lost."
"It was a good duel."
Namgung Jun stood facing him and returned the salute.
It was impressive how he remained completely unfazed even after taking Wi Hyeon-su's powerful blow. How many of the Rising Stars present could have pulled off what Namgung Jun just did?
It was truly the mark of a powerhouse.
Namgung Jun stepped down from the sparring stage alongside Wi Hyeon-su.
Only then did the silence in the spectator stands break as the Clouds began to chatter.
"It really ended just like that."
"He's usually someone who doesn't know the meaning of surrender. This is unexpected."
"More importantly, is Namgung Jun okay? There isn't a single disturbance in his aura. You'd think he'd have at least some minor internal injuries."
Even as the next pair of Clouds stepped onto the stage for their duel, the spectator stands remained incredibly noisy.
That was how shocking it was for Wi Hyeon-su to declare defeat after a single exchange. After all, he was one of the strongest candidates among the Rising Stars to represent them at the upcoming Mount Song Gathering.
Although Namgung Jun had recently made a name for himself as the Azure Star Sword, the majority had still predicted Wi Hyeon-su's victory. Furthermore, no one had expected the match to be decided so easily, without even a close struggle.
Wi Hyeon-su possessed some of the most formidable Blade Force among the Rising Stars. Because of this, even the other Third Clouds avoided facing his great blade head-on.
Yet, the mastery of the Heavy Sword that Namgung Jun had displayed was utterly overwhelming.
"Those Heavenly Sword Hall bastards. No wonder they confidently bet their monthly allowance on the Azure Star Sword's victory."
"So they had a reason."
"Damn it. I didn't think I'd lose the very first bet like this!"
The other Clouds shot glances toward where Gong Jun-am and the other senior members of the Heavenly Sword Hall were seated.
"As expected of Young Master Namgung! What a thrilling duel!" Heo Il shouted, a triumphant expression on his face. Beside him, Gong Jun-am silently nodded, as if he had just witnessed a highly satisfying display of the Heavy Sword.
The other Heavenly Sword Hall members also burst into laughter, clearly in high spirits after winning their bets.
"I'm definitely going to win too! Just you all watch!"
Meanwhile, Man Ye-won clenched her fists and shouted, but no one from the Heavenly Sword Hall paid her any attention.
Everyone's focus was entirely on Namgung Jun.
* * *
The competition proceeded rapidly.
Under Jegal Mu-ran's direction, the duels moved along quickly, and before long, Heo Il's turn arrived.
Heo Il glanced down at his heavily scarred right hand, then brought his gourd to his lips. After a few gulps of alcohol, his slightly trembling hand steadied.
"Is it finally my turn?"
Heo Il stroked the hilt of his new sword. Normally, he would still be in the process of getting used to it, but there was no need for that now.
'It fits perfectly in my hand.'
Was it thanks to the enlightenment he had gained from the previous night's duel? When he woke from a sound sleep and touched the sword, it felt as familiar as if he had used it for years. It was as if the entire process of adjusting to a new weapon had been skipped in an instant.
Confidence radiated from Heo Il's face as he naturally gripped the hilt.
Standing up, Heo Il directed his gaze toward a corner of the grand training ground. The participants who had finished their duels were gathered there, circulating their qi. Man Ye-won was among them.
Man Ye-won had also won her duel, but it had been a narrow, hard-fought victory. Because of that, the internal injuries she sustained seemed quite significant.
'No matter how talented she is, it's no easy task. Her opponent was a Rising Star from the Ten Halls.'
No one in the Ten Halls possessed ordinary talent. Moreover, they were highly experienced from various missions, so it was only natural that she had struggled. If anything, the fact that she had managed to win at all, however difficult, was what was truly surprising.
However, Heo Il had no intention of being satisfied with a mere victory. He shared a deep history with his opponent for this duel.
Naturally, he drank a few more sips of alcohol than usual. His thoughts were a tangled mess.
'This is a stage where I must prove myself to many people.'
Thinking of his opponent, Heo Il's eyes darkened slightly. It was a shade of deep anguish, spreading like ink.
Yet, his voice remained full of confidence.
"Young Master Namgung. I shall show you what I can do."
"I look forward to it."
Heo Il walked down from the spectator stands with a brisk step. His opponent was already waiting on the sparring stage.
Upon seeing his opponent, Heo Il's smile widened. It was not a smile of welcome.
It was merely a bright mask to hide his true emotions.
"It has been a while."
Heo Il took a breath and continued.
"Senior Brother Hong Jun."
"It has been a while."
Except for his eyes, Hong Jun was clad entirely in black. Even the scabbards at his waist were painted pitch-black. He looked every bit the part of an assassin, which was the standard attire for the Nether-Fathoming Hall.
His dark eyes, faintly visible through his mask, slowly scanned Heo Il.
"You have made some achievements, but they are within my expectations."
"Is that so?"
The mask covering Hong Jun's face creased slightly.
"As I thought, you suit the Nether-Fathoming Hall better than the Heavenly Sword Hall. Especially when considering our clan's unique martial arts."
"Stop. To me, that unique martial art is nothing more than a parlor trick."
"They call you the Bifang Sword, and yet you dare say such things?"
Heo Il's smile instantly turned dry.
"You've become quite talkative since I last saw you, Senior Brother."
"I suppose seeing my junior brother after so long does that to me."
With that, the conversation between the two brothers abruptly cut off.
Tring!
The clear, metallic ring of an iron fan signaled the start of the duel.
"Come."
Instead of continuing the conversation, Heo Il slowly drew his sword.
Hong Jun stared at Heo Il's scarred right hand before placing his hands on his waist. The twin swords he slowly drew were pitch-black.
They were typical weapons of an assassin.
Clang!
The two brothers, who had been glaring at each other, closed the distance in an instant and clashed. A total of three swords collided, tracing lethal trajectories through the air.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
Since both men utilized the Swift Sword, the three blades blurred, repeatedly tearing through the air.
Sparks flew violently, but none touched either brother. They immediately took stealthy steps to widen the distance.
The footwork of the two men was identical.
Watching the duel, Namgung Jun asked, "Did Senior Heo have a senior brother?"
"Yes. Heo Il and his senior brother entered the Azure Heaven Association together."
Gong Jun-am paused for a moment before continuing.
"Few in the Azure Heaven Association know of this. If not for today's duel, most would still be in the dark. It would be best to hear the details directly from him later."
Namgung Jun nodded silently and watched Heo Il's struggle.
For the first five exchanges, they seemed evenly matched, but gradually, the momentum of the duel shifted to Hong Jun.
'Hong Jun's unique martial art and the assassin techniques of the Nether-Fathoming Hall go quite well together.'
Seeing this, one might wonder if Hong Jun and Heo Il were originally assassins, but after watching a few more exchanges, that didn't seem to be the case. The unique martial art they occasionally displayed was similar to assassin techniques, yet its nature was distinctly different.
'What is it? Considering the extremely fast yet silent Lightness Movement Art and their various hand techniques… thieves?'
Just then, Hong Jun's twin swords roughly pushed Heo Il back, aiming for all his vital points. Hong Jun's movements were definitely a cut above Heo Il's. Consequently, the dazzling and lethal forms unique to twin swords exerted even greater power.
Every time the twin swords in Hong Jun's hands flashed fiercely, Heo Il was forced to retreat in a hurry.
"Look, junior brother. You aren't utilizing the strengths of your original martial arts at all."
Deflecting the sword thrusting toward his shoulder, Hong Jun whipped his right leg like a lash, striking Heo Il in the abdomen.
Thud!
"I wonder how Heo Il of the Nether-Fathoming Hall would have fared."
As Heo Il, his brow furrowing, was pushed back, Hong Jun immediately bent his knees and leaped.
Clang!
The twin swords, raised sharp like a beast's fangs, plunged down fiercely.
Barely blocking the strike by tilting his sword, Heo Il stepped back with his left foot and threw a dagger from his breast pocket. It was a throwing weapon technique, one of Heo Il's specialties.
However, three large needles were already wedged between Hong Jun's fingers. Despite his hands being occupied by the twin swords, his grip on the needles was incredibly natural. The level of throwing weapon techniques ingrained in his body was exceptionally high.
"You dismissed it as a parlor trick, yet you resort to it when cornered."
"Is that so? I merely wanted to show you my state of mind."
"Your state of mind?"
"If I had walked the exact same path as you, Senior Brother, this is exactly where I would have ended up."
Clang!
While the dagger and needles collided in midair and embedded themselves in the ground, Hong Jun and Heo Il's feet became entangled. Hong Jun crossed his twin swords diagonally to block Heo Il's downward strike.
Their blades scraped against each other, the metal shrieking. Amidst the screech, the gazes of the senior and junior brothers clashed heatedly in the air.
"Senior Brother. Now, let me show you Heo Il of the Heavenly Sword Hall."
"You've picked up some strange bravado at the Heavenly Sword Hall."
"It will be entirely different. For this is an achievement I could never have reached if not for the Heavenly Sword Hall."
Heo Il relaxed his arms and lightly stepped back. He tried to create his desired distance, but Hong Jun was not about to let him. Hong Jun immediately executed his footwork to close the gap, trying to adjust the distance to favor his twin swords.
His lips curling upward, Heo Il lunged forward in response.
'He's closing in instead?'
Hong Jun was puzzled. Considering the length of Heo Il's sword, he should have retreated at least three more steps from this distance.
'Did my words shake your composure that easily?'
With even colder eyes, Hong Jun swung his twin swords diagonally.
Perhaps because they were brothers who knew each other's footwork, the tactical battle to preemptively occupy advantageous positions was fierce.
The moment they took their fifth step, Hong Jun's eyes narrowed.
'Hmm?'
Heo Il's steps as he adjusted the distance were bizarre. He maintained a razor-thin margin as if walking a tightrope, but the sequence of his footwork was different from before.
Along with the change in footwork, his sword strikes grew sharper.
At the precise moment the distance shifted, a series of rapid thrusts bridged the gap between Hong Jun and Heo Il.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
'How can his movements change so suddenly?'
Barely managing to deflect the five thrusts, Hong Jun's eyes widened slightly.
As if he had been hiding his true skill until now, the harmony between his footwork and his sword strikes displayed a completely new synergy.
Thud!
Heo Il executed an Earth-Trembling Stomp to the left.
This was the exact spot where Hong Jun was supposed to place his right foot half a breath later.
In the brief moment Hong Jun hesitated, Heo Il's sword unleashed a flash of white light.
Clang!
A diagonal thrust rising from the flank repeatedly deflected Hong Jun's twin swords.
In just five exchanges, the tide of the duel had completely turned.
Heo Il lowered his sword, looking at Hong Jun, who was staring back at him with slight surprise.
"Heo Il of the Heavenly Sword Hall will only grow stronger. Just like this."
The situation had reversed in an instant.
Heo Il had fused the teachings of Namgung Jun and the enlightenment gained from last night's duel into his every step and strike. Although Namgung Jun had been the catalyst, he would never have achieved last night's realization if his foundation in the sword, honed over a long time in the Heavenly Sword Hall, had been shallow.
Heo Il had proven himself.
He had shown what kind of martial artist Heo Il of the Heavenly Sword Hall was.
"Unlike you, Senior Brother, I will not rely on the unique martial art learned from him. I will live by the sword of the Heavenly Sword Hall—by my own sword."
Hong Jun stared intently at Heo Il before asking, "In the end, you choose to walk your own Martial Path? That is a far more difficult road. The means do not matter when it comes to revenge."
"Of course, I do not think your path is wrong, Senior Brother. It is simply different."
Hong Jun looked down at his twin swords lying on the ground, then nodded slightly.
"Indeed. Only the paths are different; the destination remains the same."
"Exactly. Do we not share the same goal?"
Hong Jun picked up his twin swords and turned his head slightly. He looked toward where Namgung Jun and the other Heavenly Sword Hall members were gathered.
"What I said earlier was not intended to disparage the Heavenly Sword Hall. If I offended you, I apologize."
Although Hong Jun's words were directed at Heo Il, they were also meant for the Heavenly Sword Hall members watching the duel.
Realizing this, Heo Il smiled brightly.
It was his first genuine smile of the day.
"I know you didn't mean it that way."
Watching that smile, Hong Jun let out a bitter chuckle and turned around.
The duel between the two brothers, so awkward with one another, came to an end.