Chapter 8
He probably thought I was mocking him and only looking at him, but I wasn't just looking at that old Demonic Cultist.
There were many other Demonic Cultists here besides that old man.
While fending off his attacks...
I also took care of the other minion Demonic Cultists.
But...
‘It's damn confusing trying to tell who's who.’
The other guys had such faint demonic energy within them that it was hard to pinpoint them.
That's why I deliberately provoked Wi Yongmyeong.
“Young Lady Yu. Look, when an opponent's fist comes flying at you, you use the Profound Principle of Grasping to receive it and deflect it to the side. Guys who use their fists absolutely love it when you do that.”
“Uwaaaah—!! Are you ignoring me again—! Again—!!”
It worked.
Demonic Bloom.
This not only causes the practitioner to lose their reason and amplifies their demonic energy, but also has another effect.
Namely, it influences the weaker demonic energy of those nearby.
“Ugh...”
“Uht...”
Indeed, as soon as Wi Yongmyeong underwent Demonic Bloom, the other Demonic Cultists nearby reacted, trembling and groaning.
And at that moment...
“Okay.”
I could identify who the remaining Demonic Cultists were.
Now I could cut them down as I pleased.
Of course...
“Kuaaaah—! I’ll kill you—!”
...I just had to deal with that monster in front of me first.
His fist glowed black as he lowered his stance.
I’d seen it before. Earlier, during the day, it was the stance Yoo Somyung had practiced at our mountain stronghold.
Was it called the Willow Flower Righteous Fist?
Ah, I guess I'd have to change the name now. Not Willow Flower Righteous Fist, but Demonic Flower Righteous Fist.
How powerful would the Shanxi Yu Clan's swiftness be when combined with the destructive power of demonic energy?
Yoo Somyung, sensing the might, cried out to me in alarm.
“D-dangerous!”
I gave her a small smile and brought my Saber forward.
*Screech—*.
*Whoosh—!*
He was coming at an incredibly fast speed.
And what I chose to counter him was...
*“Thousand Strength Saber Art.”*
It was the Thousand Strength Saber Art.
The Martial Art I first learned from my bandit father when I was eight was, of course, a very shabby Martial Art. It was a Martial Art that could be performed without accumulating Internal Energy.
Still...
“It’s enough to cook a stupid ox like him.”
I turned my Saber sideways, just as I had been fending off his attacks until then.
The Profound Principle of Grasping. As I told Yoo Somyung earlier, there’s nothing more effective for blocking blunt, crude attacks like fists.
To put it in simpler terms... it was like catching a flung boulder with the Profound Principle of Grasping.
It was like catching a powerful blow with a bare hand.
No matter how fast the blow, if you know exactly where it's coming... if your lower body can support it sufficiently...
*Clang—!*
Even the most powerful strike can be stopped with just a simple block.
Just as I could block his Demonic Flower Righteous Fist with a single old Saber.
“Keu-eut—!”
The disadvantage of short-range attacks like fists is that once they miss, the opponent gets an opening.
Even if it was a very small opportunity... I had no intention of missing it.
“Thousand Strength Saber Art: Tiger Neck Slash.”
This was the only Stance in the Thousand Strength Saber Art. It was a monotonous Stance, nothing more than a powerful sideways swing, but...
It was enough to cut his neck.
“Uwaaaah—!! N-no—!!”
Wi Yongmyeong screamed as if he sensed death, but it was already too late.
*Clang—!*
My Saber headed for his black, hardened neck and cut straight through...
*CRACK—!*
...It was supposed to cut through, but, huh?
I stared blankly at my Saber, which was now just a hilt. And I looked at Wi Yongmyeong's hardened neck, which had shattered my blade.
“Ah, right...”
A body that has undergone Demonic Bloom is strengthened and hardened by the influence of demonic energy. It would be impossible to cut it with my old, chipped Saber.
It's been a while since I dealt with those Demonic Cult bastards, so I forgot.
“Hey... this is a variable, isn’t it?”
In front of me stood Wi Yongmyeong, who still seemed unaware of what had just happened.
I smiled at him and politely said,
“Perhaps we could call it a draw?”
“...”
*CRASH—!!!!*
“Uwekh-pwekh-pwekh—!”
Wi Yongmyeong answered my question with his fist instead.
I was sent flying several *jang*, all the way to a distant wall.
Damn, that hurts like hell.
It’s been so long since I’ve been hit like this; my head is spinning. I tasted iron in my mouth, so I guess I'm bleeding a bit.
“Hey, you—!”
I felt someone approaching, calling out to me.
I collected myself and looked forward, and the person was Yoo Somyung.
She seemed worried about me, shaking my shoulder with an expression I’d never seen before.
“Are you okay? Are you really okay?”
“I think a single kiss from Young Lady Yu would be enough to get me back on my feet...”
“You crazy bastard—!!”
Yoo Somyung’s vocabulary of curses had expanded. Of course, "crazy bastard" was a mild insult, but I felt pleased as I got up.
“My stomach hurts and aches a bit... but it’s not unbearable. He’s taken a hit too, so I can win if I just push a little more.”
I said, pointing at Wi Yongmyeong in front of us. Indeed, he seemed a little off, his body swaying slightly.
“But my Saber broke.”
When I held out the hilt of my Saber, Yoo Somyung looked flustered, then...
“Th-then...”
She offered me her sword.
I couldn't help but flinch. The first thing a Martial Artist learns is to cherish their beloved weapon as their life.
“H-hold on, can you use a sword too? If you can...”
“...”
“...kill him with this.”
Yoo Somyung’s eyes were trembling violently.
At this moment, the Rising Star of the Righteous Faction, Yoo Somyung, who was ready to fight her enemy, was nowhere to be seen. There was only a weak girl, Yoo Somyung, who simply wanted me to defeat Wi Yongmyeong quickly.
“Did she take a big hit earlier?”
There were occasionally people like that.
Their first real battle, the fear of death, the realization of their own weakness. For such complex reasons, some Martial Artists could no longer wield a sword.
Yoo Somyung’s appearance was exactly like theirs.
Fleeing from fear was common in the Murim. I had experienced it too.
However, I couldn't help but be deeply flustered by her fear-stricken appearance. And for good reason...
“Yoo Somyung is a major character in the novel.”
Yoo Somyung was one of the Heroines in the novel and a companion to the Protagonist. Although she shows immaturity now, as the novel hadn't started yet, she would later become a sharp Swordsman with outstanding talent.
And most importantly, her contributions in the war between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Murim Alliance a few years later were crucial.
Without Yoo Somyung... the novel wouldn't follow its original flow, and if that happened, the victory of the Murim Alliance couldn't be guaranteed.
‘That won't do.’
I had no intention whatsoever of witnessing a Demonic World with my own two eyes in my lifetime.
That’s why I...
“I’m sorry, Young Lady.”
“What...? What do you mean...”
“I can’t accept your sword.”
I didn't take her sword.
When I refused, she widened her eyes and asked again.
“D-do you dislike my sword? Then, someone else’s sword...”
Her stammering, incoherent words made it seem like she wanted to flee from this place.
Of course, I had no intention of letting her.
I grabbed her shoulder, turned her body towards Wi Yongmyeong, and whispered.
“You take care of him, Young Lady Yu.”
“...What?”
As soon as she heard those words, the trembling in her body stopped.
And then...
*Tremble.*
It quickly returned as an even greater tremor.
She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes and pleaded.
“What are you talking about suddenly...? You were fighting well until now. Why, why...”
“...”
“Is it because you don’t have enough money? I’ll give you the protection fee. I told you I’d give you whatever you want, whatever you say. But why...”
“I want you to overcome the wall you’re facing right now.”
“...What?”
As my words continued, she looked at me with a blank expression, as if bewildered.
“If things end like this today, you’ll find it hard to wield a sword again. I don’t want that to happen.”
“...”
“I want Young Lady Yu to become a Swordsman whose name is known throughout the world, beyond the Shanxi Region.”
She stared at me for a moment, then asked a belated question.
“You... who are you? Have we met before?”
“What? Hahaha—!”
Was it a woman's intuition? At that moment, I couldn't help but burst into cheerful laughter at the question that seemed to pierce through me.
I answered her question in my mind.
I haven't met you, but I've seen you in the novel.
There, I saw how brave and righteous you were.
I saw how excellent and beautiful your sword was.
I saw the moment you overcame your wall.
I saw how your noble choice led you to a tragic end.
A few years later, in the war, Yoo Somyung would overcome her wall, gain enlightenment, and play a significant role. Yet... she would still meet her death.
“How could we have met? Young Lady Yoo Somyung, the Precious Child of the Shanxi Yu Clan.”
“...”
“If you defeat him and come back, I’ll tell you everything. Go on.”
I pushed her back and whispered in her ear.
“The Willow Flower Sword Art isn’t just a sword art embodying the Profound Principle of Speed. If you don’t understand, look around and recall what I said earlier. Then you’ll see the way.”
“How do you know our Clan’s Inherited Martial Art...”
“I’ll tell you that too, once you win and come back.”
When I answered with a rare serious expression, Yoo Somyung seemed to understand, gripping her sword and moving forward.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
She must be scared. Honestly, in terms of probability, the chances of defeating Wi Yongmyeong, who had even undergone Demonic Bloom, were slim.
Nevertheless...
‘I’ve given her a hint.’
As an observer of this world and a reader of the novel, I had given Yoo Somyung plenty of hints about the enlightenment she would gain in the future.
Whether she would realize it or not...
Everything from now on was up to her.