Chapter 88: The Meaning of a Swordsman (5)

The difficulty with sword qi lies in the fact that non-sword qi users have no means of defense. It's as if I'm holding a sword while my opponent wields a beam of light. It's called "invincible damage."

Even when I won, the sword qi would shatter my sword and push through, leaving me with no way to block it.

'The only fortunate thing is that he's not in perfect condition right now.'

The only consolation is that, considering his level, he won't be able to maintain the sword qi for long. A first-class level can only draw out sword qi very limitedly.

Even if he were in perfect condition, it would be difficult to maintain such intense sword qi, so he definitely won't be able to keep it up for long.

At most, a minute?

Considering when I won, that would be the limit.

"Die!"

"What do you keep telling me to die?"

I don't understand why so many people have been wishing for my death lately.

Hyukrimyung swung his sword wildly at me. Although his sword was imbued with sword qi, it seemed a bit sloppy, perhaps due to the shoulder he stabbed earlier.

'Even so, it's still terrifying.'

It's still terrifying, objectively speaking, especially for me.

Until now, whether I was cautious or not, I was prepared to die. Now, it's just a matter of "how can I barely avoid it." Of course, even that is a relief.

I focused my inner strength to the maximum, tensing my eyes as I observed his movements. I couldn't afford the slightest moment of relaxation, as it could cost me my life.

─Swoosh!

A menacing blade grazed past my body. It felt like an hour had passed, but his sword qi was still intact, and the strikes were still deadly.

─Swoosh!

The blade danced like a scythe. I desperately twisted and dodged to avoid it.

Has a minute not even passed yet?

─Swoosh!

Hyukrimyung's sword grazed past my neck again.

'Is a minute really this long?'

I don't know how much time has passed or how long I've held on. I'm gradually reaching my limit. I can't help but feel a weak thought rising in my mind.

'Can I survive?'

The crimson blade continues to slash in front of me, making me wonder if I'm in a dream or reality.

A poem comes to mind, saying we all dream of flying in the sky with our eyes open. It's exactly like that.

This situation, where I could die if I close my eyes for a moment, feels so unreal.

'What should I do to survive?'

Will it be enough to just buy time like this?

For how long?

Or—

"Ha!"

At that moment, Hyukrimyung shouted and swung his sword. The blade cut directly toward my neck.

I felt the balance tip completely in his favor.

'This time, I can't avoid it.'

It was a dangerous tightrope from the beginning. If I lost my balance even a little, I would fall to the ground.

I lost my balance and couldn't hold on any longer.

'Is this really the end?'

The strike coming at me now seems impossible to avoid, no matter what I do.

But—

'Really?'

Is it really impossible to avoid, even if I use everything I've learned? That's the only thought left in my mind. Everything else is empty, except for that one thought.

All the martial arts I've learned so far are the only things left in my mind.

***

In front of the blade rushing toward me, I slowly recalled everything I've learned.

'First, I learned the animal stances. The bear stance, the tiger stance, and many others.'

I remember learning the animal stances from Weizhilian because my body lacked flexibility.

'And he said my centerline was off.'

So, I spent a long time practicing to correct my centerline. Now, my body's centerline is perfectly aligned.

'I also trained in the Stone Chasing and Stone Crushing techniques with Bukgunglin.'

He said my muscle quality was lacking. It was incredibly difficult, but through that training, I could feel my strength improve. My muscles became more compact.

'I also learned the Body Control techniques.'

Including the Iron Plate Bridge, I learned various acrobatic postures to avoid enemy attacks. If I lacked flexibility, if my body wasn't well-balanced, and if I didn't have the muscles to support such postures, I wouldn't have been able to master those techniques.

Avoiding wasn't impossible; I just hadn't thought of it and assumed it was my limit.

I already had all the pieces inside me.

'Then, is there a way to counterattack?'

No, there is.

'If I hadn't learned the Double Linked Sword, I would have died long ago.'

The principle of launching two attacks with a time delay, which I learned from an old, nearly discarded book, has been incredibly helpful.

'I also learned the Blue-Red Sword Technique, the 1-second form.'

It was the Spiral Cutting technique. A counterattack where you spin your body and cut the enemy with your sword. If I hadn't known this technique during the Goutdon incident, I would have been in serious trouble.

'I also learned the Short Sword Thrust.'

A counterattack technique for dealing with long weapons. If I hadn't learned this, my trip to Sichuan would have been disastrous.

'I trained hard in the White Cloud Sword Technique.'

Yes, it was difficult and the sword technique didn't seem very useful, but I still trained hard. I still remember all the forms I learned.

'Bukgunglin said that a sword is not the only part of swordsmanship. Hands, feet, everything is part of it.'

'I also learned the Yuan Yuan Sword Technique.'

It was so much that I wondered how much I had learned.

Now, it was time to put all the pieces together.

─Swoosh!

The sword was still coming at me.

'But it's different now.'

It felt completely different from before. Now, Hyukrimyung's sword no longer felt like an unavoidable death but a small hill I could overcome.

─Swoosh!

I stared intently at the sword coming at me like a snake. It was ready to cut my neck in a split second.

In that moment of life and death, I used the Iron Plate Bridge technique to flip backward and lie down, letting Hyukrimyung's sword graze past my neck.

"What?!"

Hyukrimyung was shocked as his sword grazed past me. I immediately twisted my waist and used the rebound to launch a counterattack with the Spiral Cutting technique.

Hyukrimyung hurriedly tried to block it by retracting his sword—

But I had anticipated his move and retracted my sword even faster.

'It's a feint.'

A feint, also known as a fake move.

Psychologically, when a person prepares to defend against an attack, their mind is filled with the thought of "I must block it."

The Double Linked Sword technique exploits this weakness. It launches another attack while the opponent is focused on blocking.

I'm doing the same thing now.

I'm launching an unexpected attack while Hyukrimyung is in a defensive stance.

"What...?!"

Hyukrimyung's eyes widened in shock as I retracted my sword before it even touched him, while he was still in a defensive stance.

I launched the second form of the Yuan Yuan Sword Technique, a powerful downward strike called "Sunset Over the Western Sea," before he could prepare his next defense.

─Slice!

A spray of blood flew.

"Ahhh!!"

Indeed, even a first-class swordsman is a first-class swordsman.

Despite the combination of all the martial arts I've learned, Hyukrimyung still tried to move his body slightly to avoid the strike.

'But it's still a fatal wound.'

If Hyukrimyung had moved a bit more, I might have been in danger. But now, he's definitely critically injured.

Hyukrimyung, with a large, straight cut from his chest to his abdomen, staggered backward, trying to escape. But I didn't bother to chase him.

A cut that deep is fatal. It's not just a simple abdominal wound; it damages bones and internal organs. In modern times, he would have little chance of survival without immediate emergency care.

In the martial world, there's no question about it.

"It's over..."

I let out a sigh of relief. The events of just a moment ago felt like a dream.

'I won.'

I felt a sense of achievement as my clenched sword trembled. I couldn't help but smile softly.

Hyukrimyung was in a serious condition. He clutched his chest and abdomen, which were gushing dark blood and pieces of organs.

"Ugh... Ah... Father..."

He called out to his father, Hyukrimcheon, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Banchonbaek. Seeing this, Hyukrimcheon shouted.

"What...! How could this happen against such a third-rate opponent?!"

He's not a third-rate opponent...

Father and son were both the same kind of people.

Seeing Hyukrimyung critically injured, their fight paused. Banchonbaek, seeing this, laughed loudly.

"Ha ha ha! Jungsung, I'm sorry! Your son is dying from a sword wound! You should have taught him better!"

Banchonbaek's provocative words made Hyukrimcheon's eyes bloodshot.

"Banchonbaek! This scoundrel dares to—"

"What, what are you going to do? Come on. Let's finish this today."

Banchonbaek gestured for him to attack. Hyukrimcheon gnashed his teeth, and a menacing aura enveloped his body, even from a distance.

'What is he planning to do?'

I watched to see what Hyukrimcheon would do. Suddenly, he leaped and twisted his body in mid-air.

"What?!"

"Ah?"

Banchonbaek and I were shocked by this move. Hyukrimcheon used the momentum from his twist to propel himself backward, covering a distance of about 20 meters in an instant.

It was the Bow Body Spring Shadow technique.

I was amazed by the two-stage jump I had never seen before.

'Two-stage jumps are actually possible!'

Using the Bow Body Spring Shadow technique, Hyukrimcheon quickly created a significant distance between us. He then pulled something from his robes and threw it.

"Die!!!"

Banchonbaek, seeing this series of movements, shouted at me.

"Get down quickly!"

I immediately dropped to the ground. At that moment, a crimson beam of light pierced through Hyukrimyung's chest and grazed past my head.

'Phew!'

I shuddered, thinking that if I had been a split second slower, I would have had a tunnel through my head.

"Kuh...! Father?!..."

Hyukrimyung, seeing the crimson beam pierce his chest, looked at his gaping wound in disbelief. He called out to Hyukrimcheon one last time before collapsing, his eyes wide open.

"Damn it! Banchonbaek, and you too! I will never forget this day!"

With that, Hyukrimcheon disappeared into the darkness. Banchonbaek, seeing the fallen Hyukrimyung, frowned and cursed.

"Even beasts protect their young, but this guy is worse than a beast!"

But Hyukrimcheon was already gone. Chasing him in the dark mountains would be too dangerous.

Banchonbaek, looking at where Hyukrimcheon had disappeared, sighed in resignation.

'It was tough...'

I collapsed on the ground. The tension released, and my legs felt weak.

Thus, the serial murder case in Ougong Village ended with the death of Hyukrimyung.

***

We roughly buried Hyukrimyung's body, following Banchonbaek's instructions.

"Good. This should be enough."

"Is it? Isn't it too shallow?"

"No, this is fine. Now, let's place him here and cover him with a little soil."

Banchonbaek roughly dug a shallow grave, placed the body, and covered it with soil. I asked Banchonbaek if we needed to take the body to the town.

Banchonbaek shook his head and said,

"Think about it. If we take the body to the town, will the family members leave it alone?"

"They won't."

Hyukrimyung was an archenemy who had killed eight people from the same town. There would be dozens of family members. Even if the people of Ougong Village were kind, they would at least display the body.

Banchonbaek shrugged and said,

"Then, will they be able to handle it when Hyukrimcheon comes back?"

Indeed.

If Hyukrimcheon returned and saw his son's head hanging at the town's entrance, it would be a terrifying scene.

Understanding the situation, I nodded in admiration of Banchonbaek's thoughtfulness.

"I see. I understand."

"Good, good."

Although Hyukrimcheon delivered the final blow, it doesn't mean he lacked affection for his son. If he did, he wouldn't have brought him this far.

Realizing that his son had no chance of survival, he ended it with his own hands. He also tried to kill me for revenge.

'But that's not normal either. Are all the Sima Waidao people like this?'

I've never seen such a case before, but they are definitely not normal. After all, normal people wouldn't learn techniques like the Guxue Sword Technique.

"But don't we need proof that he's dead?"

"Proof? Just take this sword."

Banchonbaek pointed to Hyukrimyung's sword. Indeed, Banchonbaek, with his experience as a swordsman, seemed familiar with such matters.

I followed Banchonbaek's instructions, collected the sword, and buried the body shallowly, making it easy to find later.

'If you find it, don't take out your anger on the wrong person.'

I examined what had pierced through Hyukrimyung. After searching the bushes for a while, I found a crimson dagger.

'I thought it was some kind of sniper rifle or something.'

The wound in Hyukrimyung's chest was large enough to fit a fist. I was once again reminded of the incredible skills of top martial artists.

Banchonbaek, seeing the dagger, said to me,

"That's called the Blood Shadow Dagger. Keep it well. It's quite sharp."

"Is it expensive?"

"It is. It's not a new weapon, but it has some unique properties."

He took the Blood Shadow Dagger from me and shouted, "Hiss!" Instantly, a red, shimmering aura enveloped the dagger.

It was sword qi.

Banchonbaek, looking down at the dagger, said to me,

"See? The sword qi forms so easily. And it's red."

"Wow... That's impressive."

"Yes. It's made from a special type of metal, which makes it very expensive."

He then handed the Blood Shadow Dagger back to me as a keepsake. I nodded and put it in my robes. It was indeed a sharp and well-balanced dagger, perfect for throwing.

'I