Chapter 33
The axe blade that had been cleaving through the air was halted by the faint moonlight. A majestic yet mysterious sword light blocked Man Chu-sam's berserk attack, tracing a trail of light through the air.
A sword light like moonlight danced through the air, effortlessly scattering Man Chu-sam's violent axe strikes.
“Grrr!”
A beastlike howl burst from Man Chu-sam's throat. His axe cleaved through the air again and again, trying to knock away the sword light, but the moonlike sword light slipped aside as smoothly as though it had no substance.
Leaning against the wall, I barely managed to rise and looked at the woman before me.
She held a blue sword that seemed to contain the essence of the moon. Her elegant bearing was dazzling, like a scene from a painting.
“Young hero, are you all right?”
Her clear, pure voice rang through the air.
“Ah… Thank you for saving me. Who are you, Heroine?”
“You can ask the disciple coming up behind me.”
After answering briefly, she elegantly adjusted her grip on the sword. A faint, moonlike energy rose from her fingertips.
- Crack!
Even though his entire body was covered in blood, Man Chu-sam rose to his feet again.
Roaring like a beast and radiating a desperate aura, he charged toward her.
“Huff… huff… M-Master!”
Along with the sound of hurried breathing from afar, a familiar face came into view.
It was Jin Myeong-u.
“Master…?”
I turned my gaze back to her. At first, I had been captivated by her overwhelming swordsmanship, but only now could I truly see her.
Her sky-blue hair, voluptuous breasts rivaling Jang Seo-yeong's, and slender waist formed a perfect figure.
In the original, the protagonist had no master. But there had certainly been a heroine with that kind of appearance.
"Sword Empress?"
Flying Moon Sword (飛月劍) Seo Ryeo-hwa. She was one of the heroines who appeared in the middle-to-late part of the original.
As I watched Seo Ryeo-hwa fight, I wondered with a puzzled look why she had appeared together with Jin Myeong-u.
- Clang! Bang!
Man Chu-sam's axe and Seo Ryeo-hwa's sword collided. Moonlike energy and berserk red qi clashed, wreathing the battlefield in a tremendous storm.
As I watched her fight, I thought.
'Was the protagonist really the protagonist? Not only had he survived, he had even shown up with such a sexy woman.‘
I had never expected such a twist.
"Grrr!"
Man Chu-sam's howl interrupted my thoughts. Still consumed by madness, he swung his axe at Seo Ryeo-hwa.
Seo Ryeo-hwa's body moved like flowing moonlight. Her ample breasts and slender waist bent fluidly as she evaded the attacks. The paths traced by her sword were as beautiful as flowing moonlight, but the results were anything but beautiful.
The sword that blocked the axe immediately flew toward his chest. Faced with such an elegant yet deadly sword technique, Man Chu-sam's movements faltered for a moment.
True to the name Sword Empress, she was playing with Man Chu-sam.
'But why is Seo Ryeo-hwa here?‘
There was no detailed description of what Seo Ryeo-hwa had been doing before she appeared in the middle-to-late part of the original, so I knew nothing about it.
Once again, the situation had diverged from the original.
'From now on, I should only use the original as a reference.'
-Clang! Thud!
Her sword and his axe collided, producing a sharp crash. Seo Ryeo-hwa's swordsmanship was beautiful enough to inspire admiration simply by watching it.
Seo Ryeo-hwa's sword cleaved through the air. Her movements were like flowing moonlight, and faint energy spread each time she swung her sword.
Even Man Chu-sam's frenzied attacks seemed powerless before her. Whenever his axe cut through the air, Seo Ryeo-hwa's sword received it gently. Her movements were beautiful, like a dance.
-Whoosh!
Silver sword light embroidered the air. A beautiful sword technique blossomed like a lotus and spread toward Man Chu-sam.
"Illusory Moon Lotus"
Seo Ryeo-hwa's clear voice rang out. Sword light resembling moonlight bloomed like a lotus and engulfed Man Chu-sam.
"Graaah!"
Man Chu-sam's scream burst forth. His body, consumed by madness, was torn apart by the sword. The energy raging through him under the elixir's effects shattered before Seo Ryeo-hwa's swordsmanship.
The battle was decided in an instant. Man Chu-sam's massive body collapsed, bleeding.
The Sword Empress's skills were far more formidable than I had read about in the original.
After shaking the blood from her sword, Seo Ryeo-hwa slowly sheathed it. The sun illuminated her sky-blue hair, creating an even more mysterious atmosphere.
The smoke over the battlefield gradually cleared. Around the fallen Man Chu-sam, I could see the remnants of the Black Dragon Sect fleeing.
Just then, Jin Myeong-u approached me. His footsteps were cautious, and complex emotions filled his gaze as he looked at me.
Considering how I had toyed with him the last time, he couldn't possibly be happy to see me without reservation.
"…Big Brother, are you all right?"
Jin Myeong-u's voice was cautious.
"Yes. You made it out safely too."
I answered calmly. Complex emotions flitted across his face for a moment.
"…Are Father and Older Sister all right?"
"Father has passed away. So-hee is safe."
"Ah, Father…."
I slowly rose to my feet as I spoke. Jin Myeong-u's gaze wavered. The news that his father had died in his absence made his face go pale.
Just as I was about to speak to Jin Myeong-u, Seo Ryeo-hwa approached. Up close, the more I looked at her beauty, the more I wanted her.
"Young hero, are you all right?"
Her appearance was no exaggeration compared to the description I had read in the original.
Like her moonlike sword qi, she herself seemed to contain the essence of the moon.
"Thanks to you, I'm fine. Thank you for helping me."
I had been dumbstruck for a moment before coming to my senses and answering.
"I hurried here after hearing about the Black Dragon Sect's attack, but…. I'm sorry to hear that Family Head Jin has passed away."
Her voice held sincere sympathy. Sadness showed in her clear eyes.
I lowered my head and expressed my gratitude for her heartfelt words.
"Even just this much help is more than enough. I will never forget the favor of saving me.“
"You fought quite well yourself. However….“
Seo Ryeo-hwa's gaze swept across the battlefield as she continued.
"Many people are injured. We should hurry to clean up and treat them first.“
Only then did I remember Jang Seo-yeong and Jin So-hee. I turned around to look for them, but they were nowhere to be seen.
"I'm sorry, I'm in a hurry…!”
I hurriedly apologized and left. I had to find Jang Seo-yeong and Jin So-hee quickly. I was especially worried about Jang Seo-yeong's injuries.
I searched every corner of the Jin estate and finally found them. The three of them were together in a small building behind the main house.
Jang Seo-yeong was lying on a bed while Seol-hee tended to her wounds. Jin So-hee stood by her mother's side, looking at her with worried eyes.
"Mother, are you all right?"
At the sound of my voice, she turned her head. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes.
"Gaga…"
Jang Seo-yeong called out to me in a weak voice. Her side was wrapped in bandages, and fresh blood had seeped through the white cloth.
"Seol-hee, how is Mother doing?"
"Thankfully, it isn't a deep wound.“
At least that was fortunate. I slowly approached Jang Seo-yeong's side. I stroked her face and checked her condition. Her complexion was pale, but her breathing was even.
"Gaga… I'm sorry. I couldn't be of any help…."
Jang Seo-yeong's voice trembled. Tears welled in her eyes as she gripped my hand tightly.
"You did well to evade it. If you had taken Man Chu-sam's attack head-on, you would have been hurt much worse."
Jin So-hee was holding her mother's other hand. Seol-hee quietly tended to her wounds beside them.
”What happened to Man Chu-sam?“
”We defeated him."
As soon as I answered, Jin Myeong-u hurried into the room. Seo Ryeo-hwa followed slowly behind him.
"Mother!“
Jin Myeong-u ran toward Jang Seo-yeong. But he stopped halfway when he saw her holding my hand.
Silence fell. Complex emotions flitted across Jin Myeong-u's face.
"…Mother, are you all right?"
In the end, he spoke first. Jang Seo-yeong hesitated for a moment before letting go of my hand.
"Myeong-u… you're alive…."
Jang Seo-yeong's voice trembled. She had completely forgotten Jin Myeong-u while having sex with me all this time. Perhaps because of that, a faint trace of guilt showed on her face.
Seo Ryeo-hwa watched the situation and slowly approached. Her gaze lingered on Jang Seo-yeong's wound.
"I have a healing elixir with me. Using it should help her recover quickly."
Seo Ryeo-hwa took a small bottle from her robes.
"Ah, thank you."
Seol-hee accepted the elixir and began applying it to Jang Seo-yeong's wound.
Jin So-hee stared blankly at Jin Myeong-u. Perhaps she did not know what to say to her younger brother, whom she had not seen in a long time.
"Older Sister…!"
"Myeong-u…"
I quietly watched Jin Myeong-u reunite with his family, then slipped away with Seol-hee.
"Young Master, please sit here. I'll treat you."
Seol-hee looked at me with worried eyes. My entire body throbbed from the battle's aftereffects.
"Please do."
When I sat down, Seol-hee carefully examined my wounds. Her gentle hand wrapped around my shoulder. The medicine stung as it was applied to the wounds, but her delicate touch seemed to ease the pain.
"Young Master, you pushed yourself too hard."
As she wrapped the bandages, Seol-hee spoke in a quiet voice. Her eyes were filled with concern.
"Well, the situation called for it."
"Still, it's fortunate it ended with only this."
Seol-hee tied the final knot and stood up.
"I'll go see to Mother now. She'll need someone to care for her.”
"All right. Please take care of Mother.
Seol-hee went back. Perhaps because of the aftermath of the battle, my body gradually began to feel heavy.
'Should I return to reality now?'
I decided to end my use of the Daoist Yin-Yang Manual here.
***Service***