The Unmoving Flame
After that, it was enough to say the momentum was like splitting bamboo. The opponents I had faced over the past two days were disciples of the Gongdong Sect and the Hwangbo Clan respectively. They had not felt particularly strong, and I had secured victory without much difficulty compared to Baek Yu. And today was finally the day the last sun of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering rose.
A long white cloth trailed across the floor with a soft rustle. A woman in robes so long they swept the ground yet remained unstained moved slowly toward the dueling platform, her hands clasped neatly before her. Nazar of Baehwagyo.
“The finals.”
I had watched her matches closely over the past two days. One peculiarity stood out: from the moment she stepped onto the stage until the match ended, she never took a single step.
Given the nature of fire arts, she could certainly unleash power from a fixed position, but moving would have been more advantageous. “Nazar of Baehwagyo. Jin Sowoon of the Pacheon Sword Sect. Please ascend the platform.”
Perhaps the heavily religious style of her robes, with their floor-length hems, restricted her movement. In that case, should I fight by striking and retreating? No. I should not jump to conclusions. It might simply be that she felt no need to move at all.
Her hands remained clasped in a respectful posture, her eyes closed as she gazed at the floor. I quietly pointed my sharp sword toward her. The judge raised his hand as always—a simple, wordless signal that the match had begun.
At that moment, Nazar opened her crimson eyes.
A brilliant burst of crimson-gold flames instantly formed a small circle around her before surging outward like a broken dam. Should I spread a sword barrier to block the flames, or leap into the air and aim for an opening? I chose the former and swung my sword. The raging flames that scorched the ground black mingled with the barrier of sword qi before scattering back into nature’s embrace. Heat slammed into me, and embers I could not fully block began to leave soot marks on my clothes.
Only after swinging my sword to my heart’s content did the flames subside.
“…Completely insane flames.”
I was a monster in my own right, but she wielded flames of such ferocity that it seemed as though a mythical firebird from legend had taken human form. After exchanging a single exchange of blows, it took no time at all to conclude that I could not defeat her by holding anything back. If I kept clashing head-on a few more times, my inner energy would run dry and I would collapse first. With the resolve to settle the match with every single strike, I closed the distance and thrust my sword into her guard. Translucent sword qi rippled from the tip, tracing an erratic path. It was a thrust aimed squarely at her chest. No matter how quickly she dodged, I should have at least left a few sword marks on her chest—or at worst, her upper arm.
Yet the blade cut through nothing but empty air. Like a lantern flame flickering in a strong wind, Nazar roughly gauged the sword’s trajectory and bent her waist backward at an unnatural angle. While leaning back just far enough that the blade nearly grazed her, she swept her hand once across the floor. It was merely a sweep of her hand, yet a sound like flint striking flint rang out, and flames rose once more along her fingertips. I scattered the rising flames with a sword barrier and retreated two steps to escape her reach. However, her hand, wreathed in ghostly flames, followed me as if possessed, reaching for my face. It was unmistakably Nazar’s hand.
“What the—!”
How could a person move so silently? Her attire and physique did not match those of an assassin trained in stealth arts. I knew nothing of foreign martial arts, so I could not tell. The incoming hand technique, though sudden, was relatively simple in execution. I leaned back and retreated, dodging it with ease. The flames spread around her fingertips faded. When I lowered my head, her feet came into view—still firmly planted in the exact same spot, unmoved. I had clearly put several steps between us… yet the distance was physically impossible for human limbs to bridge. Judging by her delicate, pale hands, she did not seem to be a master of claw or palm techniques. It appeared she had mastered some extraordinary body technique or bizarre footwork. Whichever it was, one thing was certain: the range of her flames exceeded the reach of my sword, and their power was in no way inferior to the God-Slaying Heaven-Shattering Sword.
Even if the Baehwagyo of the Western Regions was reclusive, why had a powerhouse of this caliber never been known in my previous life? In twenty years, she would have reached at least the lowest seat among the Ten Venerables. Before I could dwell on the thought any longer, flames surged toward me once more, following the movement of her arms. Whether her intent was simply to secure distance or whether some hidden purpose lay behind it, the attack was not so threatening that I needed to dodge desperately or raise a barrier. I merely swung my sword forcefully and split the flames in two. At the same time, I tried to launch myself forward to exploit the momentary opening. However, through the scattering, dying flames, I saw more fire rushing toward me. I spun my sword to block it and readjusted my grip in place. I did not recklessly advance. If I approached carelessly, I might fall into some trap and have my movements sealed.
…Should I try scattering sword qi? The Poison Dragon’s venom had not affected me, and I recalled that neither his poisonous qi nor his inner energy had been able to corrode or disrupt my sword qi when fired. It would likely be the same this time. Yet I soon shook my head. It was a bad idea. Against an opponent of Nazar’s level, she might simply neutralize it head-on. Scattering sword qi with the God-Slaying Heaven-Shattering Sword consumed a tremendous amount of inner energy. Using it against an opponent I might need to fight a prolonged battle against was a gamble—one that could easily backfire.
“Then…”
It would be better to take a step or two with the Heaven-Suppressing Divine Step. I raised my sword again and charged toward Nazar, not aiming for her chest but pressing from all directions to restrict even her flames as I closed in. Nazar crossed her arms, wrapping flames around her entire body. Thin yet heavy chains of fire, like living shackles, coiled around her and moved as if alive. My sword and her flaming chains clashed repeatedly. Each individual chain was clearly slower than my strikes, but when multiple chains focused solely on defense, it became difficult to break through with the sword alone.
“…Are you an especially powerful expert even within Baehwagyo?”
It was a laughable question to ask. The answer was almost certainly yes. The circular waves of flame, the bizarre body technique, the extreme yang hand arts, and now these flaming chains—none of them were techniques an ordinary fire artist could perform. They were high-level skills of considerable difficulty. Her realm was by no means low, but the application of fire arts existed in an entirely different realm from mere cultivation level. I needed to focus on the martial arts themselves rather than her realm. Since Baehwagyo revered fire, fire arts were naturally their specialty. But if divine-level fire arts were their foundational technique, then the true overlords of the Central Plains would have been neither the Demonic Cult nor the righteous factions, but them.
“Contemplating idle thoughts and seeking your own answers in the middle of a fight…”
It was the first time. In response to my muttered, meaningless question born of frustration, Nazar—who had kept her mouth firmly shut until now—opened it and spoke a single short phrase, too brief to even be called an answer. At that moment, the movement of the flaming chains grew fiercer. To avoid being pushed back, I swung my sword faster and harder to maintain my momentum. In the midst of it, Nazar uncrossed her arms. Simultaneously, the chains of flame began to spin rapidly around her like an explosion, exerting a powerful recoil on everything nearby. I tried to stop my sword in a hurry, but the momentum carried it forward. The erupting flames struck the blade. My right hand, gripping the sword, was caught in the spreading fire and burned for a moment. A searing pain shot through my skin, but I did not let go of the sword.
“Instead of probing with questions, why don’t you open your eyes and see for yourself?”
Nazar replied in a mocking tone, a deep smile curving her lips. Her crimson eyes burned like flames that had caught a spark. At the same time—for the first time since she had stepped onto the dueling platform—she moved her feet.
A brilliant burst of light. She took a single step. I lost sight of her trace for an instant. The moment I turned my head to follow her faint presence, my vision was dyed in crimson gold. It was a towering wall of flame.