Extreme Sword Dragon (7)

"Seven." It was the number on the newly drawn bamboo slip. I had no idea why they went through the hassle of redrawing it, but since it wasn't my inconvenience to bear, I simply drew as instructed and handed it over.

"Please put it back in here."

I followed the order and dropped it into the tube on the opposite side. The man wrote the character for seven beneath my name, then pointed to one side.

"If you wait a moment, I'll inform you of the matchups."

I stood quietly, waiting, and looked around. People rejoicing in their victories. A few seemed even more elated because their bouts had been fiercely contested. While I was staring blankly, someone suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

"Congratulations on your victory."

It was Baek Yu. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I hadn't seen it clearly since I'd left the stage and returned to my seat, but I had definitely witnessed the pale pink plum blossoms blooming from the tip of his sword and heard the announcement of his win.

"Congratulations to you as well."

Baek Yu smiled at my words.

"You ended it in less than three moves. You even shattered his sword. It was a truly refreshing match."

He naturally took a spot beside me, then pointed at the line of people drawing bamboo slips.

"Do you know why they're redrawing those?"

I didn't, so I shook my head. Baek Yu explained.

"It was a few years ago, at the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering. Someone reached the finals without fighting a single match."

It was a shocking story. I knew there were byes in this Dragon and Phoenix Gathering as well, but those were only once, and a case like that shouldn't happen. It couldn't be allowed.

"The Murim Alliance found it strange and investigated. Every single opponent had forfeited, claiming physical ailments."

"They had done all sorts of dirty things beforehand—checking the bracket in advance, poisoning the opponents' food, administering drugs, you name it."

Ah. Of course, that man had still been utterly defeated in the finals.

Baek Yu continued.

"So they revised the system to redraw and announce the matchups on the same day. But then there were people who bribed others to manipulate even that."

"Tampering with the bamboo slips was a crude tactic, but bribing the announcer..."

"There was quite an uproar for a while. The Alliance received a lot of complaints. After several adjustments, they settled on this method—announcing the matchups on the spot, late at night when no tricks could be pulled."

I had suspected there was some story behind this tedious process, but it was far uglier than I imagined. Suddenly, the Azure Dragon's words came to mind. The Murim is ugly. Seeing this situation, I could think of nothing else.

A bitter expression formed on my face without me realizing it. Perhaps I had taken it too seriously, because Baek Yu noticed and tried to lighten the mood.

"Haha. Still, it's gotten much better now... Ah, by the way, what number did you draw?"

His question pulled me from the flood of negative thoughts and old memories stirred up by our conversation. I answered.

"Seven."

"I see. Seven... I also... Huh?"

For a moment, Baek Yu's expression stiffened. Then he met my eyes and smiled awkwardly.

Why? Wait. He said "I also," which meant...

Just then, the man shouted to draw everyone's attention, signaling the drawing was complete. Like the previous night, names were attached one by one to a large wooden board of unknown origin.

Second row from the top, third from the left. Seven.

Baek Yu versus Jin Sowoon.

Baek Yu and I stared at each other for a long moment. Finally, he smiled awkwardly first.

"...It turned out this way."

"It's about to start."

The sixth match had just begun. The Kunlun Sect disciple and the Taishan Sect disciple clashing their greatswords made for quite a spectacle. I rose from my seat and moved closer to the stage. Having done it once yesterday, I arrived faster this time.

When I sharpened my eyesight, I spotted Baek Yu on the opposite side. He was examining his drawn sword, performing a final check.

"Kunlun Sect's Yi Hwi! Victory!"

With that declaration, the Kunlun and Hengshan disciples left the stage. Someone briefly ascended, inspected the top of the stage, and signaled the referee. The referee raised his hand and shouted.

"Baek Yu of the Mount Hua Sect. Jin Sowoon of the Pacheon Sword Sect. Please come up to the stage."

I stepped onto the stage once more. It was the same place, the same way up, yet the feeling was subtly different from yesterday because my opponent was entirely different.

I drew my sword first and leveled it at him. He did the same, pointing his blade at me. The referee glanced between us, then raised his hand.

Baek Yu moved first.

The Five Elements Plum Blossom Step, considered superior to the Dark Fragrance Step. It was light and graceful, as if treading on flower petals. As he closed the distance, his sword danced in his hand.

The plum petals collided with my translucent sword curtain. A faint pink light bloomed once between our blades before the petals began to vanish. But the blooming was not the end.

The sword wrapped in qi accelerated sharply, dancing freely from my fingertips. Riding on extreme speed, it pressured Baek Yu from every angle.

"Impressive."

My sword, moving at the very limit of perception, rushed toward him irregularly. Though I adjusted the speed to avoid ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠vital points, it was still fast enough that someone at the Peak Realm would struggle to follow with their eyes.

Mount Hua. As expected of masters of the Illusory Sword. I had thought that, aside from that woman from the Fire Worshipping Cult, they wouldn't use anything beyond my God-Slaying Heaven-Shattering Sword. I admit it. I had been arrogant.

"I apologize."

I apologized for not having properly recognized him as an opponent. Then I stepped forward anew. The space trembled for a moment. Along with it, the sword curtain of Plum Blossom Winter Endurance wavered and faded. In that gap, I thrust my blade.

Before the sword curtain could bloom again, I swung my sword from within his guard. He urgently used the Five Elements Plum Blossom Step to pull back and avoid a vital point.

-Clang!

Thanks to that, striking his hilt was easy. His sword struck the edge of the stage and flew out of bounds. The referee watched for a moment, then declared.

"Jin Sowoon of the Pacheon Sword Sect. Victory."

"Now that I've faced you directly... you're truly on another level."

As I descended from the stage, he congratulated me first and offered sincere praise. Accepting it with false humility here would only come across as rude, so I simply thanked him.

"Haha. Thank you."

I also shared my impressions of the plum blossoms I had seen in his sword.

"The sword of Mount Hua was magnificent as well. I was able to witness the harmony of speed and illusion."

"Thank you. It is the sword of my proud sect."

He praised Mount Hua once, then turned his gaze slightly toward the Shaolin gates. The setting sun was caught between the open doors. Staring at it, he spoke in a wistful voice.

"...It's time to return."

It sounded as if he would leave Shaolin without watching the rest of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.

"Will you descend the mountain first?"

He nodded, saying he would feel more at ease if he headed toward Shaanxi right away, clearly expressing his intention to leave.

"...I truly hope you achieve victory."

Like two nights ago, he extended his hand. Just like that night, I took it and replied.

"Yes. Of course."

I released his hand. Then a thought occurred to me.

"By the way, you can speak casually. Aren't I younger than you?"

Baek Yu smiled and nodded.

"Alright. Then, Sowoon, may I ask you just one thing?"

He spoke carefully. I couldn't imagine what he would be curious about, but I was intrigued by the question, so I told him to go ahead.

"Reaching the Peak Realm at ten years old. Honestly, it's an achievement that makes one wonder if you're not already a Sword God. You must know that as well."

I did. Though I knew the enormous advantage of regression had played a major role, others didn't, so it would only appear that way.

"No matter how talented someone is, reaching that realm at ten would require training that carves away at one's very bones."

That wasn't wrong either. Regression pushed me from behind, but I had to move quickly to fully absorb that momentum.

"If it's not too rude, could you tell me the motive behind your sword?"

The motive behind my sword. Honestly, I didn't have good feelings toward being asked questions. In this life, no question that began with "May I ask" had ever been easy or comfortable. But this one was surprisingly simple.

"I wanted to erase the night from the heavens."

Until the day I erase that night from the world, my sword will not stop.

Baek Yu fell into thought for a moment, repeating the words several times before letting out a dejected laugh.

"Erase the night..."

"I thought I harbored quite a grand dream, but it doesn't even compare to yours."

"To be honest, I was a little disappointed in losing. But losing to such an extraordinary ideal? Not at all."

He smiled brightly, with genuine warmth.

"Be sure to achieve it."

With those final words, as always, he didn't wait for a reply. He stepped on the Dark Fragrance Step and vanished.