Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 014
Chapter Title: Fierce Battle in the Reed Fields (2)
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Now brimming with confidence, Seok Du-myeong quickly scanned his surroundings. Melees were breaking out here and there.
The strange thing was that, aside from his own group, every Murim Alliance fighter locked in these skirmishes was from the Subdue Demon Corps.
Seok Du-myeong's knack for dodging enemies with his sharp senses had landed them right in the thick of the fighting.
Thanks to that, Jin Yeom-pal, I Jo-hyeok, and Gong Seo-chil were all drenched in blood, desperately holding off waves of Demonic Cultists.
Whing!
Whish!
Jin Yeom-pal swung his saber wildly. No fancy techniques or forms—just raw swings.
Yeom-pal's greatest strength came from his body itself. Seok Du-myeong was tall, and Yeom-pal matched him in height.
But that was where the similarities ended. Seok was slender, while Jin Yeom-pal was covered head to toe in bulging muscles.
His fierce face featured bulging eyes and a jagged beard covering every inch.
True to his brutish looks, Yeom-pal was a powerhouse.
Yet even his saber swings were losing steam, growing duller by the second. The endless Demonic Cultists were wearing him down.
And no wonder—his martial arts were mediocre at best, and his internal energy barely enough to form a dantian.
Even his mighty swings lacked the sharp edge to deal decisive blows.
The Cultists had figured that out. Now they kept their distance, striking and retreating, waiting for Yeom-pal to tire completely.
Shiiik!
Just then, a Demonic Cultist who had leaped over here in a couple bounds landed in front of Yeom-pal and brought his sword down.
This one was an expert.
You could tell from how he'd covered more than thirty feet in a few jumps, and from the sword aura coating his plunging blade—he was at least peak first-rate.
Cha-aeng!
Yeom-pal somehow blocked the strike with his quick reflexes, but the impact sent his saber flying as he tumbled backward.
His foe didn't hesitate, charging right in to finish him with another overhead slash.
Hwakiik!
The sword arced down toward Jin Yeom-pal's head.
Shiiik!
Seok Du-myeong darted in front of Yeom-pal in a flash, parrying the blade upward. A razor-sharp wind whistled as it tore through the air.
Kwang!
The swords clashed—not with a metallic ring, but an explosion. Seok Du-myeong and the Cultist both staggered back three or four steps.
Yeom-pal scrambled up in shock, snatching his dropped saber.
The clouds parted, the moon emerged, and the surroundings brightened a touch.
"Yeom-pal, fall back!"
Seok Du-myeong shouted without turning, eyes locked warily on the enemy ahead.
"So it was you bastards."
The Cultist laughed from the shadows.
Something about the voice felt familiar.
'Ah, that prick.'
Seok Du-myeong recognized him now. This was the expert he'd clashed with in the last battle.
That guy.
Twice in two fights. At this point, it had to be fate.
Yu Jeong-so, squad leader of the Demonic Cult's Black Wind Corps, was inwardly stunned.
One clash had shown him the opponent was no pushover.
'Was this guy always this good? Looks like the same punk from before. Did he stumble into some lucky break?'
Yu Jeong-so's confusion was understandable.
It had been eight months, but he remembered those two low-rank Murim Alliance warriors.
If not for the retreat order back then, he'd have killed them for sure.
One had even pulled off a decent defense at the end—one that surprised him, though still third-rate...
But the weird part was, that same pathetic third-rater was no longer third-rate.
From their clash just now, he hadn't yielded an inch to Yu Jeong-so, a first-rater.
'Nah, just a fluke. Pathetic worm.'
Suspicion nagged at him, but after a brief hesitation, Yu Jeong-so tightened his grip on his sword.
Pabak!
Yu Jeong-so's sharp thrust flew toward Seok Du-myeong's throat, sword aura flaring with infused energy.
Without thinking, Seok naturally stepped into Wind Step, sidestepping the blade effortlessly.
Pabak! Pak! Pak!
Two or three more strikes came lunging in, but Seok swayed left and right with simple footwork, dodging them all.
Yu Jeong-so's eyes narrowed coldly.
His pride stung at how easily this foe evaded his powered strikes.
Huiik!
Whick! Whick! Whick!
Yu Jeong-so's sword began accelerating in earnest.
Yu Jeong-so was a promising talent acknowledged in the Demonic Cult. His current role as Black Wind Corps squad leader wasn't due to weak skills, but his lowly family background.
He wielded a rare swift sword style in the Cult.
His master, Jin Byeok-yeok—the Blood Speed Demon Sword—was infamous for his eccentric temper. But no one dared belittle him, for his sword was the real deal.
The Cult favored power-focused styles, with most sword arts emphasizing heavy strikes. Yet Jin Byeok-yeok was a master of the rare swift sword in their ranks.
His Blood Speed Asura Sword Technique was so fast that ordinary fighters couldn't handle it. He'd spotted Yu Jeong-so's talent and taken him as a disciple.
Yu Jeong-so's aptitude shone through; at just over thirty, he'd reached six stars in the technique.
Facing Yu Jeong-so's rapid swift sword, Seok Du-myeong unleashed the forms of Master's Augmented Piercing Swift Sword Technique in full.
While the two experts dueled, Demonic Cultists crept toward Jin Yeom-pal.
'Fine, let's do this today. Damn it, what's the worst that can happen—death?'
Jin Yeom-pal gripped his saber tight and glared at the approaching foes.
Boo-woong!
Without pause, he swung at the nearest Cultist charging in.
Chaeng!
The Cultist who blocked head-on staggered. Yeom-pal's furious full-power swing carried real weight.
Spotting the opening, Yeom-pal smashed down again with all his might.
Pa-ak!
Blood sprayed.
From Yeom-pal's side.
Another Cultist had slashed his flank during the downswing.
Yeom-pal had twisted instinctively, but blood still welled thickly from the deep gash.
'Just take one down.'
Ignoring the wound, Jin Yeom-pal raised his saber once more and brought it down on the foe ahead.
Chaeng-aeng!
Thud.
"Argh!"
Overpowered by Yeom-pal's monstrous strength, the enemy's sword snapped, and the saber buried into his skull, spraying blood.
But in that instant, a sword descended toward the back of Yeom-pal's neck.
A do-or-die moment where his head might fly.
"Hurk."
The Cultist mid-swing let out a choked groan as his body crumpled.
A sword pierced through his back and protruded from his chest.
"Brother, you okay?"
It was I Jo-hyeok.
Yeom-pal kicked the collapsing foe spewing blood from his eyes, yanking out the embedded saber.
"Thanks, Jo-hyeok. I'd be a goner without you."
Even as he spoke, Yeom-pal glanced toward Seok Du-myeong's fight.
'That's the bastard.'
Yeom-pal had recognized him the moment they'd clashed earlier.
Worried Seok might be in danger, Yeom-pal started toward him but froze.
His eyes widened.
Chae-e-e-aeng!
Seok Du-myeong's side was like a fireworks show.
Both wielded swift swords, blades clashing nonstop. The speed was so intense that the ringing impacts blended into a continuous resonance.
Kwak! Tak! Tak! Tak! Kwak! Tak!
Calling it fireworks wasn't far off—sparks flew endlessly from the vibrating clashes.
If not for the deadly duel, the sight of sword-sparks glittering under moonlight would have been beautiful.
Seok Du-myeong no longer held back, freely unleashing Master's Augmented Piercing Swift Sword Technique.
'Yeah, bring it. You're dead, punk! I can match your speed.'
Dan Mun-hyeok's upgraded Piercing Swift Sword Technique was worlds apart from what Seok remembered.
That's why he was thrilled right now.
Part of the excitement came from the Wind Step his master taught. His feet moved on instinct, evading most attacks without conscious effort.
Confident in defense, he flowed seamlessly into offense.
His sword speed ramped up further. Now, few could track it with the naked eye.
Seok unleashed the first four forms of the technique's early stage: Seeing Light Flame Division. Among all forms, this had the most movements.
It started as a single sword path, accelerating midway to split into three, evolving further.
By the final motion, it created the illusion of six swords striking at once.
As Seok chained the movements, his blade exploded in dazzling, intricate speed.
Thuk!
Blood burst from Yu Jeong-so's shoulder.
He flinched.
His wounded arm threw off his balance; his sword began to waver subtly.
It wasn't his sword arm, and the wound wasn't severe, but psychologically, he was shrinking back.
The Master's Augmented Piercing Swift Sword Technique differed sharply between early and late stages.
Early forms focused on basic swift strikes, feints, and illusions. Late forms blended heavy sword essence into the speed.
Fewer movements overall, but double the power and velocity.
Thuk!
Blood sprayed from Yu Jeong-so's side again.
The late stage's first form: Swift Swords Overlapping.
The gash on his flank was no trifle. Infused with heavy sword traits, the swift strike had carved deep.
'Urk.'
Yu Jeong-so reeled.
Seok didn't miss the opening, sweeping his sword horizontally.
Chaeng!
Yu blocked upward, but his slowed speed let the blade bounce low.
Yet Seok's sword didn't rebound—it curved mid-path, slicing into Yu's arm.
Ssuak!
Thud.
Yu Jeong-so's arm hit the ground.
"Arrrgh!"
Screaming in agony, he desperately backpedaled to create distance.
Finally, Seok brought his sword down from above.
A form from Dan Mun-hyeok's added Master's Guidance Path.
The downswing began slowly, mismatched to swift sword norms.
But like a heavy strike, its arc accelerated wildly as it descended.
Weeeing! Sheeeek!
Pu-ak!
Chulpeodeok!
Yu Jeong-so's body split from head to groin, halves thudding to the earth.
Dark blood oozed thickly, pooling as his bisected face twitched, eyes bulging in violent spasms.
Seok Du-myeong turned toward Yeom-pal.
"Yeom-pal, you good?"
"Yeah, brother."
"That's all that matters."
Seok Du-myeong muttered at the corpse before him.
"I'll remember you? ...What a jinx. Your luck ran out today, punk. Who the hell did you think you were, flashing that swift sword crap."