The Unreachable Moon
Tremble, tremble.
Namgung Seong pushed himself up with shaking hands. He had been hit so hard that he could barely breathe.
"Urgh."
If he had at least used his internal energy to block it, it might have been different. But it was such a sudden surprise attack that he hadn't even been able to do that.
Cough.
He spat out a dry cough and bit his lip. He wanted to spit on the ground, but there were too many eyes watching. Namgung Seong forced himself to swallow his saliva and glared ahead.
"...You... bastard, how dare you..."
Hearing this, Bang Seong-yeon smirked.
"Your eyes look just like his. A spitting image."
Who did he look like? Whatever it was, it didn't matter right now.
"...Spreading lies and launching a surprise attack? You insidious bastard...! Do you even call yourself a martial artist?!"
He screamed, the veins in his neck bulging. At that sight, Bang Seong-yeon simply dug into his ear with his pinky finger.
"The idiot is the one who believed it."
"You—!"
Just as Namgung Seong was about to roar again, his body moved.
Crash!
A sword slammed down right where Namgung Seong had just been standing. It was Bang Seong-yeon's doing.
The spectators gasped, their mouths hanging open.
"The Lazy Donkey Roll...? Did the Socheonggeom just perform the Lazy Donkey Roll?"
"How could this be..."
To avoid the sword, Namgung Seong had instinctively rolled across the ground. His ears flushed bright red. The fact that everyone had witnessed it made it even worse.
Damn it.
To think he would resort to such an unsightly display. His clenched fists trembled violently.
That dog-like bastard...!
The humiliation swelling inside him instantly transformed into pure rage.
"Rolling on the ground suits you quite well."
His pride was utterly crushed. Namgung Seong's face contorted.
"No need to be shy. What does a little embarrassment matter? The important thing is that you dodged it. Isn't that right?"
"Shut up."
He gnashed his teeth and raised his sword. Thanks to throwing his dignity to the wind, he had managed to put some distance between them. Glaring at Bang Seong-yeon with eyes burning with fury, Namgung Seong spoke.
"I promise you..."
His hand gripped the hilt so tightly that it trembled slightly.
"I will risk everything to make sure you, at least, crawl on the ground."
"Oh."
Bang Seong-yeon smirked at those words.
"Now those are some pleasant words."
Could this greenhorn actually achieve what no one else could during that long, bloody war? The old man wearing Bang Seong-yeon's skin was genuinely looking forward to it.
The Clan Leader and his father, the Sword King, had once said to Namgung Seong:
"Do you know what is most important to the sword of the Namgung Clan?"
It was the day he had first executed a sword path perfectly and received praise. To that question, Namgung Seong had replied:
"Speed, Father."
At his firm answer, the Clan Leader had nodded in satisfaction.
"Correct. It is speed."
The Namgung Clan's swordsmanship was based on the fast sword. They seized the upper hand and suppressed their opponents with rapid velocity. It was said that the Thunder Sword, who had led the Namgung Clan to its golden age, drew and sheathed his sword so quickly that the movements were invisible to the naked eye.
"We advance toward the summit faster and more nobly than anyone else. That is the sword and the will of the Namgung Clan. In that sense, speed is correct."
The will of the Namgung Clan. Namgung Seong had listened to those words intently, feeling that it was a position he must one day inherit and claim.
Seeing Namgung Seong like that, the Sword King had chuckled and added:
"However, Seong. There is something you must keep in mind."
"I am listening, Father."
"Just because you are blindly fast does not mean you can defeat everything that is slow."
Namgung Seong's eyes had widened. It was incomprehensible. How could speed fail to defeat slowness?
Perhaps because that doubt was written all over his face, the Sword King had parted his lips with a trace of regret as he looked at Namgung Seong.
"You do not understand. That is only natural. However, it is a path you must realize one day."
"The words you just spoke, you mean...?"
"Yes. If possible..."
For some reason, those words lingered.
"I hope you realize it before it is too late."
Why of all times was this memory resurfacing now? Namgung Seong did not know.
Clang!
"Kuh."
Namgung Seong grit his teeth as he watched the tip of his deflected sword bounce away. He took half a step back to realign his sword path. Twisting his waist, he spun to the left.
Whoosh!
His sword drew a circle, gathering momentum. The target was the chest. He swung his sword to strike there.
But...
Swish!
Just before reaching its destination, the sword sliced through empty air once again.
Damn it!
How many times had this been? It was easily over twenty times. The number of times Namgung Seong had attacked, and the number of times those attacks had failed.
Thud!
He stamped his foot onto the ground with all his might. Bracing his lower body, he thrust his sword in rapid succession. It was a linked sword technique based on the Namgung Clan's signature style, the Boundless Sky Sword Art.
He crammed six strikes into a split second.
Surely one of them would connect. With that hope, he thrust his sword forward, but—
Thud! Clack-clack-clack!
Four of the strikes were blocked, and two were completely evaded.
Watching this, Namgung Seong cursed inwardly.
Why? Why on earth...
Why won't it touch him...?!
Why weren't his attacks working? Namgung Seong couldn't comprehend it. Why couldn't his sword reach that guy?
Why...? I should be faster than him.
It was a fact he could tell after just a few clashes. That guy, Bang Seong-yeon, was slower than him. And it wasn't just speed. In terms of strength, he held an overwhelming advantage.
Even though he was superior in both strength and speed...
Why...?!
Why couldn't his sword even graze him? He could think about it a hundred times and still not find an answer. No, this was simply impossible.
"Urgh!"
He had to make it connect, no matter what. Namgung Seong thrust his sword tenaciously. This time was no different. The sword path flowed smoothly from his hand. For a brief moment, Namgung Seong felt a surge of energy. Even to his own eyes, it was a clean, perfect strike.
Surely, this time it would hit. With that conviction, Namgung Seong's sword sliced through the wind.
The extending tip of the sword rapidly closed in on Bang Seong-yeon. Just as the blade was about to touch the boy's neck—
Tap! Clatter.
"Huh...?"
Suddenly, Namgung Seong's sword fell to the ground. As if he had seen a ghost, Namgung Seong stared down at the dropped weapon.
"What the... Urgh!"
He clutched his wrist, letting out a low groan. He felt the shock. It was numb. The way it trembled suggested he had been struck right on the bone.
Did that mean he had been struck on the hand and forced to drop his sword? Him? As Namgung Seong's eyes trembled in disbelief—
"Tsk, tsk."
A short click of the tongue echoed. Namgung Seong's gaze shifted from the wooden sword to Bang Seong-yeon.
"You said you'd make me crawl on the ground, but you're surprisingly clumsy for all your big talk..."
Bang Seong-yeon rested his wooden sword on the ground, leaning in a crooked posture. There wasn't a shred of dignity in his stance.
"Now you're even dropping your sword. Was it that exhausting? Well, putting on a show for someone is always hard work."
"...You bastard...!"
Namgung Seong's face flushed red at Bang Seong-yeon's mockery. There was no greater insult. However, the words that followed were even worse.
"Are you curious? Why your sword can't touch me."
"...!"
Namgung Seong shut his mouth tight, the words piercing right through his insecurity.
"You certainly look curious."
Should I tell you? Bang Seong-yeon's expression seemed to ask. Namgung Seong was indeed curious. He desperately wanted to know why his sword was so utterly powerless. But...
"Then stay curious."
"...What?"
"If I were a kind and gentle soul, I might have told you..." Bang Seong-yeon slung the sword over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "But my generosity doesn't extend to giving lessons to someone like you."
Saying so, Bang Seong-yeon looked down at Namgung Seong.
Right then.
"It's sorcery..."
"Hmm?"
"There's no way this could happen unless it's sorcery."
Hummmm.
An aura began to envelop Namgung Seong's wooden sword. Those who saw it reacted in shock.
"T-That's... Sword Gang!"
"Are you insane? Sword Gang...!"
A fierce energy permeated the wooden sword. It was Sword Gang, a technique that could only be used by those who had surpassed the Peak realm. Yet even as Namgung Seong unleashed his Sword Gang, Bang Seong-yeon merely smirked.
"Sorcery. How typical. It's always the same with your family—you never admit defeat easily."
Every single one of them was like this. They only learned after getting beaten to a pulp. It was a time-honored tradition of the Central Plains. And it seemed this greenhorn was no exception.
"If it isn't sorcery... there is no way I would lose to someone like you."
Whoosh!
Namgung Seong lowered his stance, gripping his sword. He was ready to pounce at any second.
"You must have used sorcery. Therefore, in the name of Namgung, I shall execute you."
Killing intent flickered in Namgung Seong's eyes. He seemed slightly out of his mind, looking as if he would kill Bang Seong-yeon right then and there.
"...Wow."
Instead, Bang Seong-yeon simply let out a sigh as he watched Namgung Seong.
"As expected."
It was as if he had been hoping for this exact reaction.
"Your sword, and your mind—you are such an easy child to read."
Bang Seong-yeon—no, Yoo Chun-gil—lowered his sword.
I was worried he wouldn't do it, but what a relief. If he hadn't, I would have had to make up all sorts of excuses to that slacker kid.
Fortunately, it didn't look like he would have to do that. Yoo Chun-gil's lips curled upward as he stared at Namgung Seong's Sword Gang.
It wasn't bad. In fact, it was actually quite good.
I could compare him to the Thunder Sword in his youth.
Setting aside his personality, his innate talent was highly commendable. The Sword Gang seemed newly awakened, yet its refinement was remarkably clean.
"Splendid."
He felt good. He liked Namgung Seong, who possessed such brilliant potential, and he liked the boiling killing intent aimed to end him. He even liked the current situation where he could hold a sword and move with his own hands.
Yoo Chun-gil relished every bit of it.
I feel a bit sorry for this kid, but this is truly exhilarating.
To be doing something he thought he would never do again—how could he not be thrilled? Just as Yoo Chun-gil smiled, thoroughly enjoying the moment—
"Hah!"
With a sharp shout, Namgung Seong lunged forward. The path of his sword was similar to before, but the trace it left in the air was entirely different. The Sword Gang poured down, leaving a brilliant trail of light.
It was like a starry night sky unfolding in broad daylight.
Beautiful.
A sky unleashed to kill an opponent. It was a truly delightful sight, and Yoo Chun-gil moved his body. The smile never left his face. Was it because the situation was easy? Not at all. The Sword Gang was powerful. With this pathetic body, he wouldn't even be able to block it. A single touch would likely shatter his bones. Yet, Yoo Chun-gil stepped forward.
Thump.
His dantian stirred. A measly handful of internal energy—the Cheongwol Mind Method he had painstakingly cultivated in this body. It was a pitifully small amount that anyone would laugh at, hardly worthy of being called internal energy, but—
I can manage it once.
This alone was enough.
Slowly, Yoo Chun-gil's sword moved.
Compared to Namgung Seong's, his movement was incredibly plain. Nothing could be felt from his wooden sword either. Naturally, he couldn't coat it with sword qi, let alone Sword Gang. What could one expect from a body that would be pulverized by a single strike from Namgung Seong? It was exactly that kind of body. However...
The moon does not choose the ground upon which it rises.
Such concerns were only for those who wished to bloom something on the earth. The moon, as it always did, simply rose into the sky without a care.
Hummmm.
Possessed by Yoo Chun-gil, Bang Seong-yeon's blue eyes glowed. He stepped forward, gradually entering the galaxy Namgung Seong had created. The sword descended. Namgung Seong's wooden sword was already right before his nose. At that moment, Yoo Chun-gil's sword drew a moon.
First Form: Moon Wave
Just as the moon was about to crash down on Namgung Seong—
Huh?
Yoo Chun-gil's eyes widened. For some reason, his vision was growing distant. It wasn't that he was losing consciousness. He could see a back in front of him. Incredibly, it was Bang Seong-yeon's back. This meant only one thing.
[Son of a bitch!]
The possession had broken. Yoo Chun-gil had been ejected from Bang Seong-yeon's body. Of all times, why now? Yoo Chun-gil's eyes flared. The sword had already been unleashed. The distance was too close for Bang Seong-yeon to dodge. At this rate, Bang Seong-yeon's head would be crushed by the Sword Gang.
[No...!]
Yoo Chun-gil screamed in sheer desperation, but—
Boom!
"Aaaaargh!"
[...way?]
The one sent flying with a scream of agony was not Bang Seong-yeon, but Namgung Seong. He rolled across the sparring stage, crashing far away.
[...Huh?]
Yoo Chun-gil let out a dumbfounded sound.
[What the hell?]
By all accounts, since Yoo Chun-gil had been ejected, Bang Seong-yeon's head should have been split open by the Sword Gang. Yet...
[...You. What did you just do? How on earth...]
Yoo Chun-gil stared at Bang Seong-yeon in utter disbelief.
"Haa... Haa... Whew..."
Bang Seong-yeon was catching his breath heavily. Looking at him, Yoo Chun-gil asked:
[You maintained the Blue Moon Sword Dance...?]
Bang Seong-yeon had drawn the moon. And it was the exact same moon that Yoo Chun-gil himself would have drawn.