If one must bear it. (2)
Kuuuuung!
Fists clashed violently in midair. As the terrifying impact crashed in, Hye Yeon coughed up blood and was pushed far back.
Even Hye Yeon, who could be called the greatest talent in Gangho, could not withstand an inner energy as vast as the ocean.
“Ugh!”
However, the Lord of the Sun Palace instead erupted in anger, as if overcome by rage.
“You bald bastard!”
With a lion’s roar that seemed about to burst eardrums at any moment, the Sun Palace Lord stomped the ground and charged at Hye Yeon once again. But Lee Songbaek stood in his way.
The Lord of the Sun Palace twisted his face into a scowl and shouted.
“Get out of the way, you worthless wretch!!!”
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Lee Songbaek blocked the three successive streams of palm energy with his sword. Each time the force met his sword, which was in his wide-open palm, it bent as though it might break at any moment, but in the end, he managed to block all three waves of energy.
He barely had time to catch his breath before yet another blast followed.
Kwaang!
Lee Songbaek coughed up blood.
“You mosquito-like bastard!”
The Lord of the Sun Palace, eyes bulging, pressed down on Lee Songbaek’s sword.
Leaving inner energy aside, even pure physical strength overwhelmed him.
And of course, that wasn’t all.
Ssssszzzzz!
White smoke rose from Lee Songbaek’s hand gripping the sword. The smell of burning flesh stung his nose. While he had managed to block the force contained in the energy, the heat lurking within had heated the sword as if it had just been pulled from a furnace.
Grit.
Lee Songbaek bit his lip. He could vividly feel the pain of his palm searing and sticking to the sword’s hilt. It was a scorching agony, far more terrible than being cut or struck.
Compared to him, who is nothing special, the opponent is far too powerful.
‘But… I can fight!’
Had he opened up more distance, he would have found no way to resist this colossal inner strength. However, now that he had narrowed the gap this much, even the Sun Palace Lord could not fully exert his inner strength. Thanks to that, Lee Songbaek could somehow endure.
Of course, with each clash, his body felt like it was twisting apart, and he was burning from the heat. Yet the fact that he could still fight was more important than anything.
‘I will endure.’
He didn’t need to strike the opponent down. He just had to hold out. If he couldn’t manage even that, wouldn’t this sword – Jongnam’s sword – weep?
“Haaap!”
Lee Songbaek poured all his strength into his sword and pushed the Sun Palace Lord away. The Sun Palace Lord’s body staggered back. At the same time, his face flared as red as fire.
“Y-You…!”
At that moment, Namgung Dowi sprang high into the air and swung his sword with all his might. The blade, carrying white sword energy blade [검강 – glossary], clashed with the Sun Palace Lord’s hand.
Kwaaaaang!
Lee Songbaek and Hye Yeon both tumbled backwards almost simultaneously. They couldn’t withstand the shock that had suddenly crashed over them.
“Keheuk!”
Namgung Dowi’s situation wasn’t much better. He was clearly the one who attacked, yet he was also the one who was flung away. He soared nearly three jang into the air before crashing into the ground.
Thud!
Namgung Dowi’s hand, which had been stretched towards the sky, twitched briefly. But only for a moment. As though he had never been in pain, he sprang to his feet.
The same went for Hye Yeon and Lee Songbaek. Like a pack of wolves driving a tiger, the three glared fiercely and advanced on the Lord of the Sun Palace once again. They seemed to never tire.
Crunch!
A fierce rage twisted the face of the Sun Palace Lord. No, it was beyond mere anger – “hatred” would be more precise.
“Y-You lowly wretches!”
This cannot be happening.
If he struggled against a joint attack of these fledglings, how could he dare call himself the Lord of the Sun Palace?
It is a seat that can only be attained by possessing both noble status and martial prowess. In other words, to be the Lord of the Sun Palace is to prove one’s might and nobility by that position alone.
These brats should have been trampled long ago. By any common sense he knew, that was what should have already happened. But…
Fwoosh!
In an instant, Lee Songbaek’s sword shot out like lightning.
It was a surprise strike from one who had never once extended his sword in an attack.
Because of it being unexpected, it was all the more powerful.
In that fleeting moment, the Sun Palace Lord, reacting too late, twisted his head to evade the sword instead of blocking or countering it.
Kuuuuung!
Hye Yeon charged in immediately at the body that had lost its balance in the aftermath.
Thump! Thump! Thud!
Though simple, an exceedingly powerful barrage of blows poured down. The Arhat Fist, as though copied straight from Shaolin’s manuals, targeted the Sun Palace Lord’s entire body.
‘What are these Central Plains’ bastards, really?’
The Lord of the Sun Palace parried the incoming fist.
Hye Yeon’s head, shaved smooth, and the nine burn marks upon it were clearly visible.
If given the slightest opening, he could bring his fist down on that head. The young Shaolin monk’s skull would crumble like tofu in an instant.
Surely he knew that, too. And yet he did not hesitate to charge into striking distance like this.
‘Does he have two lives or something?’
The Sun Palace Lord brought his fist down on Hye Yeon’s head.
But it never even came close. Almost at the same time, Namgung Dowi’s sword streaked in, aiming for his neck.
“Huaaaahk!”
A beast-like howl burst from the Sun Palace Lord’s mouth. It was a sound devoid of any dignity. In normal circumstances, he could never have imagined himself so stripped of propriety.
It was proof of just how agitated he had become.
“You insolent brat!”
Kwaaaang!
He swung his sword without caring for his own hand. The red Extreme Yang Qi [양강지기*] gathering in his fist burst like a bomb, scattering energy in all directions.
It was Yang Qi so potent that merely touching it would burn the flesh and charr the bones.
Yet none of the three backed away. There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation.
Sssszzzzzz!
The smell of burning flesh stung his nose.
Had this stench, which he had inhaled countless times, ever been so revolting?
These three seemed to know no concept of retreat. They were practically offering up their necks, stepping straight towards their own deaths.
Until not long ago, the Sun Palace Lord might have confronted them with a hearty laugh.
But at this moment, he overlapped their images with those of others.
Those small fries who had inflicted upon him a humiliating defeat. Those dreadful swordsmen bearing plum blossoms on their chests.
“Kkk….”
Recalling memories he wished he could burn away with a branding iron, the Lord of the Sun Palace twisted his face like a demon.
“Uaaaahhp!”
He tried to pour every bit of inner strength he possessed into his arms. Or he was about to.
But right then, Namgung Dowi’s sword, which had bounced upwards, fell again like lightning and ripped through the Sun Palace Lord’s shoulder.
Kagagagak!
His body, laden heavily with inner strength, managed to endure even the blade. But he couldn’t stop a deep wound from being carved into his flesh.
“Ghk!”
The Lord of the Sun Palace flinched and stepped back, then realized his mistake and planted his foot firmly on the ground. Sure enough, Hye Yeon seized upon that momentary lapse, flipping his body and unleashing a series of Twelve Kicks [십이각(十二脚)] at the Sun Palace Lord’s head.
Tuuung!
The Sun Palace Lord’s forearm collided with Hye Yeon’s foot. Twelve lightning-fast strikes merged into one colossal crash.
The hairpin that had been fixed in the Sun Palace Lord’s hair snapped, sending his hair flying in disarray. His ornate long robe tore away, revealing a reddened, swollen forearm.
“You bastaaaaaaaaard!”
The Lord of the Sun Palace, nearly having lost all reason, shot a burst of energy into Hye Yeon’s solar plexus before he could even land on the ground. As if it were expected, Lee Songbaek rushed forward.
Kwaaaang!
Lee Songbaek was hurled backwards along with his sword. He rolled over several times with Hye Yeon, like one tangled mass, then just barely managed to plant his sword in the ground, anchoring himself.
Without delay, the Sun Palace Lord stomped the ground and flew forward. He intended to give them no chance and snuff out their lives at once.
But before he could, a pale looking bastard thrust himself in front and slammed his shoulder into the Sun Palace Lord’s torso.
Kwaang!
The moment flesh crashed against flesh, Namgung Dowi coughed up blood and was thrown violently back.
The aftermath of that collision forced even the Lord of the Sun Palace to halt.
Speechless, he stared blankly at the three before him. All three were sprawled out in disarray, yet he hadn’t managed to finish off even one of them.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the three rose to their feet again.
He had already seen this scene unfold several times. Perhaps he would witness it many more times still.
Their bodies were scorched and ripped, swollen and bleeding. Yet their expressions looked exactly the same as when he first faced them, as though those faces were carved in stone.
The Sun Palace Lord’s hands began to tremble.
It wasn’t fear. His fury was so immense it had become difficult to control. The rage boiling within him threatened to cook even his mind.
“Me… me, stooping to such… “
From the Sun Palace Lord’s body, a blazing Extreme Yang Qi poured forth like molten lava.
Watching this, Hye Yeon murmured calmly.
“Amitabha. Siju, can you still continue?”
“If we don’t, we’ll die anyway, so do we really have a choice?”
“If anyone’s going to die first, it’ll be me. No need to ask us that.”
Hye Yeon smiled faintly.
‘It’s a strange feeling.’
He sometimes… no, quite often, became confused about which sect he truly belonged to. He was obviously a disciple of Shaolin, yet he felt more in tune with the disciples of Hwasan. He even found a sense of tranquility with them that he had never felt at Shaolin.
But now he realized anew.
‘It’s not about affiliation.’
If they looked in the same direction and shared the same aspirations, then affiliation was nothing but a superficial label.
He was fighting side by side not only with the heir of Namgung clan he had once been so wary of, but also with a swordsman of Jongnam with whom he had barely exchanged words. Yet all of them entrusted their lives to one another without the slightest doubt.
“Amitabha.”
Hye Yeon closed his eyes slightly.
‘I thought I had broken free, but was that too just another facade?’
Knowing was enough.
At that moment, Namgung Dowi spun his sword sharply and spoke.
“But we can’t hold out much longer. My inner strength is about to run dry.”
“What a coincidence. I was just about to say the same thing.”
Even though they had chosen close combat, which consumes less inner strength, it still wasn’t easy to resist that Extreme Yang Qi. Moreover, as long as they had to protect Lee Songbaek while fighting, even double their inner strength wouldn’t be enough.
Yet there was no reason to blame anyone. If not for Lee Songbaek, they wouldn’t have been able to fight this long in the first place.
“So…?”
“Yes.”
Namgung Dowi nodded firmly.
“We need to settle this.”
“…Amitabha. Do we stand any chance?”
“Hard to say…”
Which likely meant no.
In fact, Hye Yeon’s judgment was much the same. If this had been their first encounter with the Lord of the Sun Palace, they might have had a chance, since he would surely have let his guard down. But unfortunately, that single moment of carelessness had already been taken by the Five Swords of Hwasan.
“Then there is only one option left. From here on out, we cannot remain who we were before.”
Hye Yeon’s words made Namgung Dowi laugh quietly.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s nothing. What you said is absolutely right… It just reminds me of someone else who asked me for the same thing, albeit in a different tone.”
“…I’m not that much like them.”
“Yes. I’m sure you’re not.”
Namgung Dowi smiled brightly. From Hye Yeon’s perspective, it was a strikingly handsome smile.
“When this war is over, let’s have a drink together – no, the three of us.”
“C-Can a monk drink alcohol?”
Lee Songbaek asked in surprise, and Hye Yeon replied with an embarrassed expression.
“A monk can’t drink liquor, that’s true. But we can have gokcha** instead.”
“…Isn’t gokcha still alcohol?”
“N-No, it’s distinctly different. It’s tea! Tea!”
“…”
While Lee Songbaek was at a loss for words, Namgung Dowi, who had been chuckling softly, slowly lowered his sword. His gaze was not so different from usual.
‘This is dire.’
That blazing Extreme Yang Qi felt like it could melt him at any moment. But he had to fight and overcome that force.
In his current state, it would be impossible.
‘I must surpass myself in the end.’
It was a daunting task, yet it didn’t feel entirely out of reach.
That was because, right here, he had peerless teachers he could not find anywhere else.
‘Weighty [重]. And motionless [靜].’
The essence of Shaolin and the essence of Jongnam were with him now. If only he could melt even a fraction of their mastery into his sword…
It was at that very moment when Namgung Dowi grasped a small hint.
Fwoooosh!
Seizing the instant his senses dulled, an overwhelming heat surged in.
“Siju!”
“Young Lord!”
Namgung Dowi’s eyes flew open wide.
The storm of the scorching Extreme Yang Qi came pouring in as if to sweep over the whole world – and in an instant, it engulfed Namgung Dowi whole.
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*양강지기 – there was no hanja provided. So we have what we have. Knowing that biga uses specific hanja constantly: 양(陽); 강(剛); 기(氣) – the most fitting hanja for 지 will be 至 (ji): ultimate/extreme. Extreme Yang Energy/Extreme Yang Qi.
**곡차(穀茶) – a slang term used by monks. It is an euphemism for alcohol. The term literally means “tea made from grains,” but most traditional Korean liquors, such as makgeolli, are made from grains. The origin of the term comes from a Joseon-era monk named Jinmuk Daesa, who, feeling embarrassed while drinking alcohol, began calling it “tea” instead.
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“These three seemed to know no concept of retreat. They were practically offering up their necks, stepping straight towards their own deaths.” – we all know form whom they’ve learned this!
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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