The Tiger of Hebei (5)
A formidable blade, indeed. To withstand that attack without collapsing is impressive.
“Ugh….”
Pae-jon was clearly insane. That deep violet hue. Even if one unleashed the Geon Gon Yeon Ho Dan Hon Do, it was not a color that could be manifested with mere sword qi. Pae-jon was using sword force.
Sword qi and blade qi might be one thing, but when sword qi clashed with sword force, the outcome was painfully obvious. Every time the sword and blade met, sword qi was stripped away from my blade. The tip of my sword couldn’t endure the shock created by the sword force and vibrated violently.
Still, it was fortunate that he seemed to retain at least a shred of sanity. It didn’t feel like he was going all out. If he truly had, I wouldn’t be standing on two legs right now.
The speed of his strikes was considerable. Super Peak realm, perhaps around the average level within it. Not overwhelmingly strong. But for me right now, it was more than enough to be overwhelming.
“…Isn’t using sword force a bit excessive?”
“You recognized it as sword force. Impressive.”
He spoke with a tone that suggested mild surprise, though his face showed nothing of the sort.
“Unfortunately, there is no technique that allows one to manifest the Geon Gon Yeon Ho Dan Hon Do alongside blade qi.”
What kind of absurd nonsense was that?
“Don’t worry. You won’t die or become crippled.”
Pae-jon said indifferently as he stirred up a storm of sword force.
You won’t die or become crippled. In other words, any injury short of that was something I would simply have to endure. How utterly irresponsible.
“Watch carefully.”
Watch what? While I was already chasing the blade with both my eyes and every sense in my body, he spoke to me. I barely spared my hearing to listen to him. Then he brought his sword down hard once, took two steps back, assumed a strange stance, and launched himself forward like a released bowstring.
“Geon Gon Yeon Ho Dan Hon Do, First Form.”
So everything until now had just been him swinging his blade around?
I didn’t even have time to feel shocked. No more time for thought was granted to me.
Violet sword force rose from the tip of Pae-jon’s blade and took the shape of a ferocious, colossal tiger. The sound of the blade slicing through the air became the beast’s savage roar. The trajectory of the blade became its unstoppable stride. The massive tiger charged forward, mercilessly swinging its razor-sharp claws.
Each claw was fast and vicious at the same time. Even a graze seemed like it would slice muscle clean off the bone. I didn’t dare take my eyes off the tip of that threatening blade for even an instant as I moved my sword to meet it.
Every single swing required me to regenerate the sword qi that shattered on impact. Enduring the shock that traveled through my entire arm with clenched teeth was an immense ordeal.
“Not bad.”
Having apparently finished the first form, Pae-jon withdrew his blade and stared at me with that same blunt expression. I had blocked it, yet all I got was “not bad.” For someone who didn’t look it, he was surprisingly stingy with his praise.
When I checked my dantian, more than half my internal energy was already depleted. In less than half a quarter-hour, my stamina had hit rock bottom. And that had only been the first form.
“Damn it.”
I had never once thought I could win from the start, but the complete absence of even the slightest chance made the prospect of continuing this utterly hopeless. Even as I thought that, I assumed a defensive stance.
“Then let’s go once more.”
Pae-jon took a stance similar to before but distinctly different. It was probably for another form of the Geon Gon Yeon Ho Dan Hon Do. With that thought, his blade began to move slowly, riding the flow of the air.
Once again, a massive violet tiger revealed itself at the tip of the blade. The beast bared its ferocious fangs. But unlike before, it did not charge forward savagely.
“….!”
The sky moved in accordance with his steps. The violet sky slowly gathered behind the tiger, following its gait. Then, in a single instant, the tiger began rushing toward me. As the tiger moved, the violet sky transformed into a wave and mercilessly crashed down upon me.
“Wait…!”
A wave created with sword force. There was no way I could endure this.
But before I could finish speaking, I had to swing Mukrin. The blade drew chaotic sword paths in every direction, forming a sword screen.
Second Form — Violet Wave
-Kagagagang!
The sword force collided with my sword screen, producing a bizarre metallic screech. At first glance, it seemed like we were evenly matched, but the wave of sword force was clearly devouring my screen bit by bit. The sword screen trembled, yet the wave continued to surge toward me without pause.
The end of a wave was always an endless sea. This one, too, made it impossible to guess where it might end. I swung my sword even more fiercely to survive. In response, the sword screen grew more solid. For a brief moment, it looked as though the screen was pushing back the wave of sword force.
But that miracle lasted only an instant. As fatigue and sharp pain accumulated in my arms, the sword screen gradually grew thinner.
“…That’s enough. You’re quite exhausted.”
It was right before the sword screen shattered. The violet wave of sword force, whose end had seemed invisible, subsided first. Pae-jon had withdrawn his blade before my screen could break.
Only after he stopped could I regain my senses. After barely holding onto my sanity, I cautiously looked around. Everywhere except where I stood was covered in scars left by the sword force. It looked as if they had been gouged out by the sharp claws of a wild beast.
The courtyard had been turned into a complete mess by those marks. The once orderly courtyard was now in such disarray that one could no longer tell what it had originally looked like. As if the ruined state of the courtyard was of no concern to him, Pae-jon didn’t even glance in that direction as he spoke.
“Compensating for the fact that sword qi is inferior to sword force in every aspect by increasing the speed of your strikes? That was a refreshingly novel application, even to me.”
Pae-jon praised my swordsmanship as a novel application before continuing.
“As a senior in the murim, let me offer you one piece of advice. You should leave the Namgung family after all.”
“The next realm cannot be reached by talent alone. One must establish their life. In my case, it was composure. Others each have their own mental image.”
“Since it is governed by each individual’s enlightenment, it is nearly impossible for someone to teach it. That is why it can never be achieved under the protection of the Changgung family.”
“That is all. You may go.”
My entire body was drenched in blood and sweat, my clothes torn to shreds. Both my body and mind were utterly exhausted. It hadn’t been this bad originally, but after suddenly fighting two non-lethal duels, all I wanted was to get to my room and rest as quickly as possible.
“How was it?”
I found my room and entered. Just as I was about to collapse onto the bed, someone spoke to me from the front.
A voice that could be considered welcome or unwelcome depending on the situation. Right now, it was most definitely unwelcome. It was Namgung Jehyun’s voice.
“What do you mean, ‘how was it’…?”
“I’m asking how the duel was.”
He had been leaning against the wall, but now straightened up and asked me that. With a smile that somehow felt sly, he added emphasis.
“I’m not particularly curious about the first one. The latter one.”
The first and the latter. He was referring to the duels with Paeng Dowui and Pae-jon respectively. He turned his head and gazed somewhere. There was nothing there but a blank wall. But there was no way he was simply looking at an empty wall. It was in the direction of the spot where I had fought Pae-jon.
“The energy reached all the way here. While I was talking with the Paeng family head, we both jumped in surprise.”
Having said that, he turned his gaze back to me and remained silent. It was a silent request for me to answer his question.
“It was an incredible blade technique.”
Objectively reviewing the duel I had just experienced, it was a blade technique that would leave anyone gasping in awe. That massive violet tiger. The way the enormous beast filled my entire field of vision and charged without pause was a technique that was difficult to block even when one knew it was coming.
At my words, Namgung Jehyun nodded in acknowledgment and said,
“When Pae-jon uses it, even the Three Talents blade technique from the streets would feel like a supreme art. So there’s no need to even mention his one and only secret technique.”
He patted my shoulder as if to encourage me.
“It was a good experience. A duel with one of the Ten Venerables is something even I rarely get the chance to arrange.”
Having said that, Namgung Jehyun picked up the luggage he had set on the floor and stood up again.
“Rest a little, then review the duel properly. Among the Ten Venerables, he is the only Blade Guest. It will likely be the closest thing to the pinnacle of blade techniques you will see in your lifetime.”
He was right. Both blade techniques were clearly rooted in the Paeng family style, yet they were so perfect that it would be fair to say they were fundamentally different from Paeng Dowui’s. The Blood Heaven blade technique of the Blood Blade Emperor that I had faced in my previous life was on a completely inferior level by comparison.
Moreover, simply facing that blade technique felt like practicing an entirely new sword art. If I could properly combine the sensations I felt during today’s duel with my experiences from my previous life and the techniques I had reviewed, I was sure I would gain something from it.
“For now… I’ll sleep.”
Because I had accumulated so much fatigue, I lay down on the bedding first. Just as I was trying to calm my sharpened senses and fall asleep, someone opened the door.
“Extreme Sword Dragon! I heard my grandfather gave you a duel?!”
Ah. That brat is here again.