64. Ruins (8)
Ruins (8)
64. Ruins (8)
"Ah... No!!! Master!!!"
A wrenching scream rang out. Struck three times by Sword Aura, the Black Heaven Association Leader was unmistakably dead. More than half his body had been blown away; survival was impossible. Seeing her master's death, Geum Sa-hwa screamed and ran toward his corpse with tears streaming down her face.
But in that instant, Moon Immortal's sword passed across her as if grazing her, and in a single moment Geum Sa-hwa's body was exposed naked before she collapsed, spraying blood from every orifice—eyes, nose, mouth, ears, vagina, anus, urethra. Before this brutal spectacle, everyone was frozen in shock: the White Tiger Sect members who had been drunk on the thrill of victory against the Black Heaven Association Leader, my master and senior sister who had barely caught their breath, and even the Black Heaven Association fighters reeling from the loss of their hall leader.
I didn't understand the principle, but if Moon Immortal's sword operated that way, something like the Seven-Orifice Blood Burst made sense. Yet a sword embodying principles of that level could have killed Geum Sa-hwa without shredding her clothes. Moon Immortal had deliberately arranged for Geum Sa-hwa to expose her naked body before everyone and then die in the most humiliating manner imaginable for a woman.
Is this bitch seriously from the Orthodox Faction?
—I... I warned her that I'd kill her if she crossed the line! These old men may be spirits, but they still think of themselves as men and refused to cut down a woman, so I did it myself. That's all!—
Moon Immortal, who had flown off in excitement, merrily slashed Geum Sa-hwa, and only now, realizing she might have gone too far, was glancing warily at my reaction. She'd always had a filthy temper, but she seemed to be the type of woman who turned even more brutal toward her own sex than toward men.
—I didn't say a word.—
Moon Immortal finally let out a breath of relief. Fine. She was right. A novice like me might not have noticed, but Flame Emperor, Geo Am, and Heosan, all of whom were aware of the battlefield situation, would have fully perceived that she had crossed the line. But they too had responded softly to a woman who simply sought her master with no will to fight. In a sense, Moon Immortal too would prove useful in the future.
"Master."
"Yes... Yes?"
Master, frozen stiff before the brutal spectacle.
"Cruel, is it not? Frightening too. This is the Martial World. This is how martial artists fight. Yeongsan Sect lived quietly in seclusion, unknown to anyone, but we have already mounted the tiger. The world has noticed us. Whether we like it or not, if we wish to survive in the Martial World, we too must become true martial artists.
"The Black Heaven Association Leader, who once made the world tremble, has now fallen to me, a member of Yeongsan Sect. Master, from now on you must stand proudly before the world as the leader of that Yeongsan Sect."
"Yeongmok. I know. I know how incompetent a sect leader I am. But I have no shameless intention of laying all of that burden solely on Yeongmok's shoulders."
Master, whose legs were trembling even as she put on a brave expression.
"Senior Sister. Did you see? This is true martial arts. This is the path that you must walk."
"Could... could I truly do that? That sword just now—I followed thirty-six of its movements, but it left more than fifty sword traces."
Whoa. What was this she was saying? I was clearly still the stronger one, but I hadn't seen a thing.
—So there was a useful girl here after all. To follow more than half the Moonlit Divine Sword's path with only that much training...—
—Do you want to go back to the shack? Useful girl? That person is my senior sister!—
—Ah... m-my apologies. Her extraordinary talent blinded me, and careless words escaped. Reverend, you intend to spread our martial arts through the sect and build its strength from now on, do you not? Allow me to take charge of that child. A talent granted by heaven deserves the finest martial art.—
Moon Immortal spoke hurriedly, subtly shifting the topic by volunteering to take charge of Son Yeong.
—The highest martial arts, she says. Well, that talent is enviable, but my Vajra Art wouldn't suit a child like that anyway.—
Geo Am grumbled. Even in death, his pride in his own martial arts endured forever.
"J-Junior Sister!!!"
It was only much later that Bloodslaying Sword's scream rang out. Had he lost his wits for a moment?
"You... you wicked bastard! My junior sister had no intention of fighting! You must have known that too, so how could you lay such a cruel hand upon her!!"
When his master died, he had merely stood there in shock, but the moment his junior sister died, he screamed and lost control. He was handsome and she was beautiful; had they been involved with each other? Either way, I disliked him.
"Then what crime did my Master and Senior Sisters commit to be dragged away by Heuk Cheon-gyeon? You, of all people, must know why he abducted them. Should you not thank me for allowing your junior sister to die as a martial artist on the battlefield?"
"Don't make me laugh! That had nothing to do with my junior sister! It was a deed committed by our senior brother, so why did my junior sister have to die?!"
"What a complete son of a bitch. If it had nothing to do with you, you shouldn't have brought your master and junior sister to Yeongsan Sect. And because it was your senior brother's deed, you claim it has nothing to do with you? A sect is family. When one member commits a sin, the family must rightly bear responsibility."
Bloodslaying Sword was at a loss for words at that.
"Master. I will ask you. If I were to commit a grave, irrevocable sin against the Martial World, would you also take responsibility and die together with me?"
"Of course, Yeongmok. I am a pathetic master who has done nothing but receive Yeongmok's protection without being able to teach you anything, but I am still Yeongmok's master."
Master answered without a second of hesitation, with dignity.
"Senior Sister. I will ask you."
"I feel the same."
Son Yeong's answer, equally without hesitation.
"I never understood why the world called that madman Heuk Cheon-gyeon the Black Heaven Association's greatest talent, but now I do. At least your junior sister watched her master die and threw away her own life to cross the line. But you? Your master, your senior brother, and even the junior sister you loved have all died by my hand, yet you remain outside that line doing nothing but barking."
Bloodslaying Sword's face reddened at my words.
"I drew the line, so I can cross to your side, can I not? Everyone but Bloodslaying Sword may leave. I'll let you go."
At those words, the wretched-looking Bloodslaying Sword collapsed onto the ground. At that moment, Son Yeong stopped me.
"Junior Brother. Please let them go."
"Are you going soft, Senior Sister? You know better than anyone what would have happened to you that day if I had arrived even a little later. That's why, when we were attacked, you wielded the Three Talents Sword and Snow-White Sword to protect everyone and suffered more than anyone else!"
"No, Junior Brother. Composure is a privilege of the strong. Thanks to you, I now possess that composure, so I ask you to wait. You said it yourself, did you not? That I too would walk the path of such dazzling swordsmanship. Three years. Give me three years. This grudge is not yours alone. Three years from now, I will march on the Black Heaven Association and settle every debt."
As expected. An ordinary man like me had entirely failed to grasp her—a true seed of a martial artist. It wasn't hasty compassion or forgiveness. The suffering she had endured as a woman had been resolved when I slew Geum Sa-hwa. But the rage she had felt as a martial artist, at having been helplessly victimized by them, was lodged deep within her heart.
That was it. Son Yeong. Even if she always seemed like a gentle martial arts fanatic, she was a person who had not forgotten her grudge—to the point that she had fought a life-or-death duel with Cheon Myeong-hwa while barely able to hold herself upright.
"Hyung, I ask the same. When Lady Son marches against the Black Heaven Association, the White Tiger Sect will accompany her. We have done nothing but suffer one-sided beatings, and frankly, at this moment we would still struggle against the Black Swordsmen."
Byeok-geum spoke to me not with his usual stupid face but with the pride of a martial artist.
"You heard them. Three years. Struggle for three years. Study your Association Leader's secret manual or whatever and at least reach the level of the Top Hundred Masters like your senior brother. Come to think of it, you've visited Yeongsan Sect every time, so we'll return the favor once. If you're a man, I trust you won't turn tail and flee."
As I turned away with those words, Ban Ho-jeong laughed merrily.
"Well done, Reverend. What benefit would there be in killing these bastards here? You remember last time, don't you?
"When you smashed the Heavenly Wolf Sect, you earned a thousand taels of gold. There is no profit in intercepting an enemy. To make money, you invade and strike it rich. Don't worry, Reverend. When the time comes, we'll strip the place bare without leaving even a pillar."
Ban Ho-jeong deliberately taunted Bloodslaying Sword with bandit logic. She gouged at his pride, implying they were now merely prey marked by bandits, not martial artists. Bloodslaying Sword could say nothing. If he did, his life and the entire Black Heaven Association would truly end there. In the end, he ordered his subordinates to recover his master and junior sister's bodies and fled down the mountain.
Then the White Tiger Sect's shouts of triumph resounded. In the end, we had won.
"Kuahahaha! Well done. With you here, hyung, this outcome was only natural."
Byeok-geum's mouth fell open. Now that the Black Heaven Association Leader had been overwhelmingly slain, his life was no longer in danger, and he'd confirmed that I—the lifeline he'd grabbed first—was made of gold. The shares he'd forced his way into before the company even went public had hit the jackpot.
"Martial might like a divine general from heaven. I have borne clear witness. I have seen the birth of a hero for the ages right here in our Liaoning!"
Cheonghwa Hall Master spoke from a distance, his face flushed with excitement. He too had won his gamble, because I truly was an absurd, unbelievable master. Though uncertain, he had never abandoned courtesy toward me. Had he lost his temper with me, he might have met the same fate as the Black Heaven Association Leader. Worse, the Liaoning Branch would have made an enemy of Yeongsan Sect, which had now felled two major unorthodox leaders.
"Sect Leader. At last I am able to meet your radiant face. I am Seok Woo-hyeon, Cheonghwa Hall Master of the Martial Alliance Liaoning Branch."
The old man no longer needed to verify the truth of the Heavenly Wolf Sect incident, and Master was no longer merely the head of a tiny fifth-rate sect. She looked deeply flustered as he bowed and offered her a formal cupped-fist salute.
"I am Chae Yeong-ok of Yeongsan Sect."
"With a sect leader this young and beautiful, I can now understand why Great Hero Baek kept you hidden so tightly from me all this time."
And since when did I become Great Hero Baek?
"Sect Leader Byeok. What are you doing? For mountain men like yourselves, shouldn't you be throwing a drinking feast for an occasion like this?"
The old man now even addressed Byeok-geum as Sect Leader Byeok, speaking with courtesy. This old man had survived the power struggles of the Martial Alliance and risen to the third rank of the branch, so his ability to switch gears was truly breathtaking.
"Do you intend to join us, Hall Master?"
"Of course! You routed the Black Heaven Association! You defeated one of the Ten Great Evil Factions and slew its leader, one of the Top Hundred Masters, all at once! This isn't a celebration for Yeongsan Sect and the White Tiger Sect alone, but for the entire Liaoning Martial World! Now then, your lodging is already paid through tomorrow, is it not? I'll pay for the drinks, so hurry and buy the liquor. Let us drink until our noses are crooked!"
The old man, who had done nothing but hide himself and observe the Black Heaven Association Leader's fight in secret, was now forcing his way in as if he too had been a proud protagonist of the scene. I laughed, Ban Ho-jeong laughed, even Byeok-geum laughed—we all knew his obvious scheme but laughed anyway. Because today was truly a joyous day when laughter was allowed.