If one must bear it. (12)
Cheon Myeon Susa Dam Yeohae’s face showed a flicker of tension for a split second.
‘The Sword Under the Heaven, Jongli Gok… and Nokrim King, Im Sobyeong.’
Whether or not it was a match – was beside the point. It’s meaningless to debate such trivial matters when the deed is already done.
What matters now is not their dispositions, but the level of their martial prowess.
‘How skilled are they?’
It’s already been ten years since the rumour that Jongli Gok was one of the Three Great Sword Masters Under Heaven briefly swept through the world. In other words, no one knows how he might have changed since that time.
He might have grown stronger, or perhaps he has become weaker. It’s not uncommon for someone who takes on a position of great responsibility, like that of a Sect Leader, to gradually lose their grip as they focus on their duties.
Therefore, no one can precisely gauge Jongli Gok’s martial prowess at this point.
And the same goes for Im Sobyeong. Has anyone in this world truly witnessed Nokrim King Im Sobyeong fight with all his might?
Rather than risk his life, he chooses to flee, and if fleeing seems inevitable, he’d rather not fight in the first place. That is Im Sobyeong. The reason he managed to survive even after waging war against Maninbang for years is because he feels not the slightest shame in yielding a position and running away.
Given all this, Cheon Myeon Susa had no choice but to be confused. Even with such renowned figures right before him, he couldn’t predict how the battle would unfold. For someone who called himself ‘old ginger*’, this was a first.
However, there was one person who seemed to think differently.
“Huuk.”
A blade-like aura had been stabbing through Dam Yeohae’s entire body for a while now. From the moment Jongli Gok appeared, Jeok Ho, who was beside him, become a completely different person.
‘Well, of course he would.’
Tang Gunak is strong. Whether in terms of reputation or martial prowess, there isn’t a single person in Gangho who can look down on him.
However, for those whose goal is to witness the pinnacle of the sword, he was not a particularly appealing opponent. After all, throwing daggers and poison are hard to consider part of the Just Path [정도(正道) – as in just/orthodox sect].
‘It’s funny for someone from the Evil side to be fretting over what a Just Path is, though.’
At least the person in question, Jeok Ho, did not seem to find it funny.
Right now, Jeok Ho’s entire focus was on Jongli Gok. Even Cheon Myeon Susa, who stood beside him, could feel it clearly.
Just the fact that a formidable opponent had appeared before his eyes made him forget all the complexities of the situation and devote himself to that alone. Dam Yeohae envied that simple mind of his, at least in this moment.
And it seemed that one of the two opponents was having thoughts similar to Cheon Myeon Susa’s.
The man who caught his gaze clicked his tongue briefly and then opened his mouth.
“Tsk. That killing intent is enough to tear my face apart.”
Im Sobyeong lightly fanned his face, as if to scatter the tension, then spoke to Jongli Gok, who stood next to him.
“That guy who’s using a blade looks really strong, doesn’t he?”
“So?”
“What do you mean, ‘so’? From the looks of it, you must be at an age where your bones are starting to ache. I’m asking if you can handle him.”
Jongli Gok’s eyebrow twitched.
“When a sickly man, who coughs up blood out of boredom, worries about me, I’m so honored I don’t know where to put myself.”
“You wouldn’t understand. True geniuses are naturally frail. Ah, but a mediocre talent like you wouldn’t know about that.”
“Whether you’re a genius or not, one thing’s certain: you’ll die young if you keep flapping that mouth of yours.”
Im Sobyeong’s face twisted.
This old man had a sharper tongue than expected. Even Im Sobyeong, who never lost a war of words except against that one crazy Taoist, couldn’t easily shut him down.
“So, can you take him on or not?”
“…Absurd.”
Jongli Gok let out a cold sneer.
“He’s just a Sapa’s small fry, and you’re asking if I can handle him? Your arrogance is excessive. It seems the Evil Sects’ rabble don’t even know their own place.”
After a brief silence, Im Sobyeong slowly nodded.
It wasn’t because he agreed with Jongli Gok. Rather, he had come to understand, albeit late, how the so-called beasts of Hwasan felt whenever the topic of Jongnam came up and made them foam at the mouth and grind their teeth.
‘How could anyone feel fondness for someone like that living next door?’
After Jongli Gok joined Cheonumaeng, he almost forgot, because of how mild he seemed. But come to think of it, Jongli Gok was also notorious for his vicious temper. The rumors in Gangho that you wouldn’t even be able to recover your bones if you crossed Jongnam didn’t spring up for nothing.
Perhaps the remarkable temper those Jin family bastards display also has its roots in Jongnam.
“I just hope your sword is at least half as frightening as your sharp tongue.”
“As long as you don’t get in my way, that shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Ugh.”
Im Sobyeong was on the verge of spitting out another remark through chattering teeth when a sudden explosive sound rang out of nowhere.
At the same time, goosebumps rose all over Im Sobyeong’s body.
It was pristine. Impeccable. Words like that weren’t enough. It was a flawless blade energy, as though meticulously sculpted by a master artisan, flying in a straight line without the slightest blemish in sight.
It looked as if the world had split in two, causing even Im Sobyeong to momentarily lose his wits.
At that moment, Jongli Gok’s sword moved gently. A massive sword force, tinged with a faint blue glow, wrapped around his blade and collided head-on with the incoming blade energy.
Boooooom!
A thunderous roar erupted.
‘Wow…’
Im Sobyeong’s mouth fell slightly open.
Jeok Ho’s blade energy was so astounding that the word “perfect” sprang to mind on its own.
If Hwasan’s sword was the pinnacle of splendor, then Jeok Ho’s blade was the pinnacle of simplicity.
Rather than adding, it subtracted. One could clearly sense how he had honed the simple act of drawing and swinging the blade to its utmost limit.
Yet Jongli Gok blocked that near-perfect strike without much effort.
“…Impressive.”
The voice of admiration came from none other than Jeok Ho himself.
He didn’t particularly expect to achieve any impressive result with this strike. Still, he thought to at least gain the upper hand. Since the opponent is a swordsman, if they clashed head-on, surely the heavy blade would hold an advantage.
Yet the Sect Leader of Jongnam blocked Jeok Ho’s blade energy while standing right where he was. And with just a single sword strike. A single sword strike devoid of any trickery.
He might be a once-in-a-lifetime opponent. Concluding this, Jeok Ho’s lips twitched into a smirk.
His blood was boiling. His aggression surged. Facing such a formidable opponent was what made him truly feel alive.
‘How far…?’
Boom!
Jeok Ho kicked off the ground.
Just from exchanging a single move, it was clear. That man wasn’t someone who could be challenged with half-baked swordsmanship. In that case, there was no choice but to drive in a full-power strike!
In one breath, Jeok Ho closed the considerable distance between them and brought his blade crashing straight down.
It was a move so obvious it was almost boring. A textbook approach that excluded all treacherous maneuvers.
Yet the blade, a heavy weapon [중병(重兵)], naturally unleashes its greatest power when swung from above with its weight behind it.
Booom!
Jeok Ho’s blade clashed with Jongli Gok’s sword.
Booom! Booom! Booom! Booom!
A series of explosive sounds followed.
The single strike [일도(一刀)], befitting the phrase ‘one strike, one kill [일격필살 (一擊必殺)],’ came rushing in with a series of consecutive attacks. It was clearly a contradiction for a one-strike kill to coexist with a series of attacks. Yet the fearsome power channeled into the blade made it possible.
But even against Jeok Ho’s barrage of nearly supernatural strikes, Jongli Gok’s sword remained completely unshaken.
It neither preoccupies the path ahead nor uses tricks to deflect. The sword simply blocked the path of the incoming blade and met it head-on. Through such an obvious response, Jongli Gok was neutralizing every single one of Jeok Ho’s consecutive strikes.
Power against power. Textbook against textbook.
‘What is this…?’
Jeok Ho was dumbfounded.
Rather than having Jongli Gok’s sword multiply into tens of thousands of blades and block the way, which wouldn’t have given him this feeling at all, Jongli Gok’s sword showed not even the slightest wasteful move.
One strike of a blade met by one strike of a sword.
‘Is this really possible?’
He could swing his blade any way he liked, but the defender could only move the sword after confirming where the blade was heading. Naturally, that put the defender at a disadvantage compared to the attacker.
And yet Jongli Gok stood on equal footing with Jeok Ho.
‘Does that mean he’s a level above me in skill?’
Jeok Ho bit down on his lip. Not yet. Not yet.
The veins in his arm bulged even more. Stronger, faster. In the moment his blade unleashed an even bigger surge of energy.
Bang!
Jongli Gok didn’t miss that fleeting opening. With a swift swing of his sword, he forced Jeok Ho’s blade aside.
Sssssssk.
Jeok Ho’s feet scraped across the ground as he was pushed back. He slid nearly three jang before he could stop, as his expression hardened.
He glared sharply at Jongli Gok, swallowing his own astonishment. Even calling it impressive didn’t seem enough.
‘Is this… the skill of Gupailbang’s Sect Leader?’
No. It wasn’t the Sect Leader title that made him strong – it was Jongli Gok, the swordsman himself.
A flash of pure admiration appeared in Jeok Ho’s eyes. On the other hand, Jongli Gok, who received that gaze, couldn’t hide the displeased look on his own face.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue briefly.
“A mere Sapa wielding a blade that’s so close to the Just Path.”
“…In martial arts, there is no such thing as Just [정도(正道)], Evil [사도(邪道)], or Demonic Path [마도(魔道)].”
If Chung Myung had heard that, he would have foamed at the mouth on the spot. But Jongli Gok did not particularly object. The dissatisfaction he felt wasn’t directed at Jeok Ho but at himself.
‘How annoying.’
It’s easier to deal with someone who uses petty tricks. But facing someone who treads this near to a ‘Just Path’ way is quite troublesome.
The reason is simple. Jongli Gok’s sword is a defensive sword. It can lock an opponent in place as tightly as an iron fortress, but it lacks the skill to pry open and penetrate an enemy who shows no openings.
‘So this is why…’
He had no desire to complain about the sect’s sword. No matter what anyone says, it was Jongnam – and Jongnam’s sword – that brought him here.
But… Jongli Gok remembered.
When he saw Namgung Hwang’s sword, and when he saw Heo Do’s sword.
In his youth, Jongli Gok believed his sword was in no way inferior to theirs. He believed he would surely surpass them one day.
But as the years went by, he realized it. He might be able to block their swords, but he could never pierce through them. It was the inherent limitation of a sword that wasn’t meant to win, but rather not to lose.
How despairing it was for Jongli Gok when he understood that fact.
It wasn’t because he couldn’t reach the absolute pinnacle of Gangho. It was because he sensed that his successors, too, would inevitably arrive at the same conclusion someday.
He could accept his own limitations. But he couldn’t accept the sect’s limitations. And he absolutely would not allow future generations to feel that same despair.
That was why he stepped in. He did something he never should have done.
He regretted it, and he felt guilty. However…
Paaaaaaang!
At that moment, Jeok Ho’s blade energy shot out forcefully.
Jongli Gok reflexively swung his sword. It was at that very moment when his sword, which had reached the pinnacle of ‘Hubaljein**,’ effortlessly blocked the blade energy once again.
Paaaaaaat!
Beyond Jeok Ho’s blade energy, countless bursts of white energy exploded forth as if erupting in succession.
‘Huh!’
Jongli Gok held his breath for a moment. Countless sickles of energy, each with a different movement, came crashing down like a raging waterfall.
Cheon Myeon Susa closed in much faster than Jongli Gok had expected, and at the very moment Jongli Gok was about to swing his sword – fully prepared to take some damage in the process…
“Tsk tsk.”
Along with the faint sound of someone clicking their tongue, something spread out before him.
‘A fan?’
A white fan adorned with a graceful crane fluttered lightly. Then it multiplied, forming a barrier right in front of him.
Fans rose softly into the air, then bent and swirled in peculiar patterns. To Jongli Gok, they looked like butterflies hovering around a flower.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The white energy struck those fans and dissipated.
Thanks to that, Jongli Gok didn’t suffer so much as a scratch, rendering his earlier resolve to bear some injury pointless.
“Just so you know.”
Before long, Nokrim King came into Jongli Gok’s view. Im Sobyeong’s expression brimmed with confidence.
“You owe me one now.”
…Jongli Gok thought that perhaps losing an arm would have been the lesser price to pay.
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*늙은 생강 – old ginger – Korean idiomatic expression used to describe someone who is experienced, seasoned, or shrewd. This metaphor stems from the belief that older ginger roots possess a stronger, spicier flavor compared to younger ones, paralleling how individuals accumulate wisdom and acumen over time. “Seasoned veteran” – would be a similar expression in English.
**Hubaljein – 후발제인(後發制人) – to gain mastery by striking only after the enemy had struck.
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