Even Dragons Are Equal Before the Head (1)
Jaming opened his eyes. The pain in his chest was gone.
"Are you coming to?"
"Singui must have treated me."
"Yes."
Singui answered. So that was it. Once again, he hadn't been able to watch until the end.
Then Singui glanced downward and said, "The match is still going on."
"What? This is the medical hall..."
"No. We just moved to a wider space for treatment."
Jaming's eyes followed Singui's gaze and finally settled on the arena, where they began to tremble.
"H-how is that boy..."
After that day, Yu Han had stopped practicing martial arts. He'd essentially confined himself as a disciple in seclusion. Jaming had thought he'd only given the boy wounds. But... but that poor child...
"Impressive, isn't it?" Singui said in a calm voice. Fine lines crinkled around his mouth as he continued, "Why not try entrusting it to him for once, instead of suffering alone? Our Ilhyang was a bit clumsy at first, but now they call her the Herbal Immortal. Heh heh, Herbal Immortal, I tell ya. You know her? She's famous for real. For real!"
"Pardon?"
Jaming couldn't quite follow Singui's ramble about some Herbal Immortal.
"If you don't know her, you're Ma-gyo! For real! You really don't? No way! You! You're a spy?"
Now he was even getting angry.
"Heh, what a world. You've lived your life in vain, old man."
Er... He still didn't get it, but one thing was clear. The advice to entrust it to someone, and that his life had been wasted. Jaming looked back at the arena. There stood a great disciple of Huashan, one who wouldn't be ashamed anywhere.
Jaming knew he shouldn't, knew he had no right, but still he opened his mouth. "That boy is my disciple."
The smile spreading across his lips resembled Yi Han's.
Yu Han stamped the ground and shot toward me at blinding speed. A purple energy rippled along his sword.
Slash.
He swung. No—sliced. Without a hint of hesitation.
I dodged, but the tips of my hair fluttered. If I hadn't, I'd have been cut.
This was different. The kid who'd been play-acting as a martial artist earlier was gone.
Immediately, his sword swept up from below.
Tack!
I didn't retreat—I dove into Yu Han's guard. He retracted his swinging sword and pulled it sharply in front of him. Meaning he wasn't swinging wildly in excitement. He was wielding it fully under his own will.
Yu Han truly intended to cut me down.
Sure enough, he reset his stance and swung again. I wrinkled my nose and fell back.
'Plum blossom scent...'
It was getting thicker.
Yu Han approached me calmly and swung once more. This time, I didn't dodge—I blocked. It repeated two, three times.
The plum blossom scent grew denser. Dizzyingly so. I was certain this was something Yu Han intended.
'I don't know why he's pulling this stunt, but first things first—I need to deal with this scent.'
I switched sword styles. From Samjae Geombeop to Cheongpung Geombeop.
As I did, I glanced up—the dragon still floated in the sky.
"I don't know what scheme you're cooking up, but this stink? Just blow it away!"
Cheongpung Geombeop, Fifth Form. Very Large Wind: Typhoon.
The wind from my sword swelled into a massive typhoon, scattering everything around. Fresh air finally filled my nostrils. My mind cleared.
The plum blossom scent that had filled the arena vanished completely.
"Huashan's sword is ever-changing."
Yet strangely, Yu Han was smiling. He really looked like a sword ghost.
"The plum blossom scent was just a feint."
Yu Han raised his sword high. The dragon hovering in the air finally moved. A chill raced down my spine, followed by cold sweat.
'So that's it...'
The real blade hidden within the flashiness.
Namgung Hancheol had come out specifically to watch today's match. To see Namgung Daeso. But now his eyes were fixed on Yu Han.
"The kid's clever. And underhanded. Don't you think?"
He wasn't addressing anyone in particular, but someone answered promptly. Namgung Mucheon, second in the Namgung family hierarchy.
"Heh heh heh, so the patriarch sees it too."
From the start, Yu Han had stolen the gaze of every spectator. More precisely, he'd created a situation where they couldn't look away. And his actions seemed mere prelude to something greater.
If even scattering the lingering plum blossoms had been Yu Han's intent? Then unfortunately, Namgung Daeso would likely remain a supporting role on this stage.
And Namgung Hancheol gazed even higher. His sunken eyes pierced through the falsehood. Huashan's boy hadn't revealed his true preparation yet.
'Huashan Sect...'
Namgung Hancheol recalled the Huashan of the future, after time had passed.
'They might leave a scratch or two on Namgung's claws.'
A generous assessment, coming from Namgung Hancheol. He shifted his gaze to Namgung Daeso, whose eyes were wide with surprise.
As the dragon retreated, countless plum blossoms filled the sky. Each pulsed with intense energy that couldn't be ignored.
Yu Han began swinging his sword again. It was a sword dance. The plum blossoms in the sky responded to his movements.
Isipse su Mae Hwa Geombeop. First Supreme Form: Plum Blossoms in Myriad Bloom.
The plum blossoms bloomed. The sky seemed covered entirely in them.
I watched, thinking how beautiful it was.
"It's over now."
Yu Han slowly lowered his sword. The myriad plum blossoms in the sky scattered and fell.
Isipse su Mae Hwa Geombeop. Second Supreme Form: Plum Blossoms Falling from Heaven.
Ilseon Dosa's expression hardened. As a fellow member of the Nine Great Sects, he knew full well how fearsome Huashan's arts were. Dodging those descending plum blossom petals blanketing the sky was no simple matter.
Jaming stared blankly at the arena. His breathing had steadied, his complexion returned to normal. Singui, catching his breath, hurried to Namgung Hancheol and poked his side repeatedly.
Namgung Hancheol's murderous glare turned on Yi Han, but he paid it no mind. Eyes fixed solely on the arena, he said, "What do you think will happen?"
Yi Han was a Chojeoljeong master, though not strictly a martial artist. Even to him, the swordsmanship of Huashan's boy was breathtaking.
Namgung Hancheol replied curtly, "Poke me once more, and you'll spend the rest of your days with all four limbs intact."
Yi Han stopped immediately. Namgung Hancheol turned back to the arena, eyes still sunken. The real show hadn't started yet.
Plum blossoms filled the sky, plummeting down. There was no visible way to evade them. Only one option: knock them all away.
And I had a technique perfect for scattering those blossoms. I moved to unleash it but hesitated. Something had been nagging me.
That dragon in the sky. Normally, such manifestations faded quickly, but not this one.
'Why?'
It was just a question. Not quite unease, just a tiny doubt.
Yu Han's words echoed in my ears. Huashan's sword is ever-changing... The scene before me was indeed infinitely variable.
In the pressing moment, I instinctively expanded my senses. And I grasped the true meaning of his words.
Yu Han waited and waited. For the moment the plum blossoms completely obscured Namgung Daeso's vision.
Finally, Namgung Daeso's figure vanished entirely. Yu Han's eyes flashed as he leaped upward, diving into the blossoms. His form disappeared.
Only the Grand Elder nearby saw it clearly. Goosebumps prickled his skin. He was stunned by Yu Han's precision.
'The falling plum blossoms are just bait.'
Behind them, the real threat bared its fangs.
A desire flickered in the Grand Elder's eyes.
'I want him.'
A craving he hadn't felt in ages. For a moment, he considered crushing Huashan and stealing the boy. He figured even Namgung Daeso would fall to this clever, vicious scheme.
Curious how Namgung Daeso would counter, the Grand Elder watched him. "Heh heh heh heh." He'd forgotten he was supposed to be an impartial judge as laughter burst from him aloud.
Of course. Namgung wouldn't just take this lying down.
I assumed a stance toward the sky. Plum blossoms filled it entirely. Beyond them, something massive was descending.
Yu Han's true intent! No wonder it felt off. The excessive energy he'd unleashed from the start, so unlike him. The pointless plum scent flooding the arena. And now the countless blossoms falling as if on cue.
Three traps in total. Falling for any one might have ended the match in his favor.
But I hadn't. Still, breaking this situation seemed impossible. Those three were setups for this ultimate move, but each was a perfected supreme technique in its own right.
Fearsome plum blossoms still rained from the sky, and between them, the massive dragon gaped its maw.
Once again, I could only curse the genius breed.
'Fuck...'
No wonder, no matter how I struggled before regressing, I couldn't even match the grime under their nails.
Ever thought how to catch a dragon?
'Just slice the sky.'
The reason I entered Sawangjeon was to smash monsters. Dragon or whatever. Didn't matter.
That's how it is. You'd need another century to eat me!
Wooong.
A clear wind blew. Cheongpung.
The wind died, and my sword began batting away the falling plum blossoms one by one.
'Not yet.'
I waited. The real attack hadn't come.
Genius types overthought everything. He was probably lurking in that pile, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Before that.
'Slice.'
The sky itself.
Changgung Mu-ae Geombeop embodies the sky itself. To survive the young master contest against my brothers, I had to break it. Namgung Daeso-style Namgung breaker.
Yeok Cheonggung Muae Geombeop. First Supreme Form: Azure Sky Severing Heaven.
Slash!
The sky split. The plum petals vanished. Yu Han's panicked face appeared.
I rocketed into the air without pause and swung the flat of my blade.
"D-Daeso! W-wait a sec!"
"No questions! HEAD!"
One smack wouldn't cut it—my rage wouldn't subside. So.
"FIFTY STRIKES!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!