There’s no need for you to understand. (1)
Everyone who had climbed Hwasan focused their attention on the training grounds.
The greatest under heaven of the past and the greatest under heaven of the present. The two of them were about to clash, staking their pride against one another. No – perhaps even their lives. Was it not the sort of duel that would leave all who watched holding their breath?
Yet, there was in fact a clear difference in the gazes of those watching.
Most of the Sect Leaders gathered here could not hide the tension written across their faces. They were excited by the thought that a legendary match they might never witness again in their lives was about to unfold, and by the possibility that its outcome could send great ripples through Gangbo.
But there were also those who watched this match with calm, impassive faces, displaying neither particular tension nor excitement.
The disciples of Hwasan watching this scene from behind Hyun Jong clearly belonged to that group.
“Looks like they’re really going through with it.”
“Exactly. Of all days, it had to be today.”
At Baek Cheon’s words, Yoon Jong shook his head as though he were somewhat sick of it.
“No. It has meaning because it’s a day like today.”
“I suppose that’s true… Still…”
As the two spoke with complete indifference, Tang Soso abruptly turned her head towards them.
“Aren’t Sasuk and Sahyeong nervous at all?”
“Are you nervous?”
“…..No.”
“Exactly.”
Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung standing atop the training grounds as though the answer were obvious even without looking.
“Can you even imagine that bastard losing?”
“Still, they say he was the greatest under heaven thirty years ago. Uh… wasn’t he? Or was it twenty years ago?”
“Whether it was twenty years ago or thirty, what difference would it make to the outcome?”
Baek Cheon snorted.
Illusory Phantom Divine Lord?
Yes, he would be strong. Of course he would be strong. When he had been counted among Gangho’s supreme masters, that brat Chung Myung probably had not even been born yet.
But would that even matter?
“Go easy on him, Chung Myung-ah. Please, let’s not get called an immoral sect [패륜(悖倫) 문파].”
“I think it’s already too late. That bastard is smiling.”
“Isn’t it a good thing if he’s smiling?”
“That’s the smile he shows when he’s pissed off.”
“Ah……”
Baek Cheon squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.
“Since it has come to this, we should at least hope that old man called Illusory Phantom is stronger than expected. Then no one will be able to say we beat up a weak old man.”
“Will he be?”
“…”
Letting out a long sigh, Baek Cheon stared blankly at the training grounds.
Of course, from the perspective of the others, it might not be easy to understand the disciples of Hwasan calmly exchanging jokes in a situation like this.
But honestly, the ones who could not understand this situation were the disciples of Hwasan themselves.
‘What on earth are they relying on to dare challenge him?’
Baek Cheon finally understood. Why Chung Myung had created a situation like this. Why none of the sects under heaven had paid Hwasan’s words any heed.
They simply did not understand.
What it meant to lead that dreadful war to victory. What it meant to survive after fighting endlessly at the forefront of that war. What it meant that, in the end, he had cut off Pageun’s head.
They understood it with their minds, but they had never truly accepted it. They knew Chung Myung was strong, but they could not grasp just how strong – not in a way they could feel it in their bones.
“…Right. When you’re an idiot, your body is the one that pays the price.”
Baek Cheon cast a pitying gaze. At Illusory Phantom standing before Chung Myung.
⠀
Meanwhile, Illusory Phantom quietly began raising his internal energy, doing so with utmost seriousness and caution.
It was true that he had stepped onto the training grounds radiating fury as though he might explode at any moment. But that did not mean he intended to charge in blindly and without a plan.
Even a thousand careful thoughts can contain one mistake [천려일실(千慮一失)]. Considering everything he had prepared for this very moment, he could hardly afford to ruin it all over mere anger.
Moreover, Illusory Phantom acknowledged the young swordsman before him.
Hwasan’s prodigy, who had defeated none other than Paegun. If one did not acknowledge Hwasan Geomhyeop, then who in all the world was worthy of acknowledgment?
Still, Illusory Phantom believed that he possessed the strength of years that boy had yet to accumulate. And so, for now, he could not help but be stronger than him.
“How much longer am I supposed to wait for you?”
“You needn’t rush me so much……”
But refusing to be drawn into his opponent’s pace did not mean he intended to fight only with caution. That had never been the nature of his martial arts.
“I was just about to show you. Try not to be too surprised, you brat!”
Boom!
Illusory Phantom kicked off the floor of the training ground. In that instant, his body quite literally vanished from sight.
“Oh.”
Chung Myung let out an exclamation of admiration as though he were about to applaud.
“He really is ridiculously fast.”
Illusory Phantom’s figure had disappeared. But he was undoubtedly still here.
The violent waves of internal energy surging from every direction, and the overwhelming presence that simply could not be concealed, testified to that fact. At this very moment, Illusory Phantom was circling Chung Myung at an astonishing speed, executing his footwork while searching for an opening.
“…Good heavens.”
The Sect Leaders who realized this let out groans of dismay.
Just how fast could a person possibly be if even their eyes could not catch the slightest trace of his movements? This was different even from the mysterious technique he had displayed a moment ago. There was a world of difference between something moving too quickly for the eye to follow and knowing beyond doubt that someone was right there, yet being utterly unable to perceive even their form.
“Nothing to be surprised about. Is he not the Illusory Phantom Divine Lord!”
Someone shouted with absolute conviction.
“Even twenty years ago, he contended for the title of greatest under heaven in lightness skill [경신(輕身)]. His inner energy and mastery [화후(火候)] must have only deepened since then, so naturally there is now no one in the world who can even compare to him!”
The Sect Leaders who knew Illusory Phantom nodded in agreement.
When he had been active in Gangho, there had been two men called the fastest under heaven. One was the Beggars Sect’s Pung Yeong Shin Gae, and the other was Illusory Phantom.
The two excelled in different areas. The Beggars Sect’s Pung Yeong Shin Gae [Wind’s Shadow Divine Beggar] specialized in rushing forward at tremendous speed – in other words, in qinggong. Illusory Phantom, on the other hand, had reached a realm no one could dare follow in the speed used for battle – in other words, in footwork [보법(步法)].
After all, even the title Illusory Phantom Divine Lord had arisen from the sense that facing him was like trying to catch an elusive illusion.
The divine might Illusory Phantom displayed upon returning to the world after twenty years naturally brought to mind the phrase, ‘his reputation was not undeserved.’ Who could ever have imagined footwork so swift that even while watching it with their own eyes, they still could not follow it?
The Sect Leaders came to the same conclusion without needing to say it aloud.
No matter if Hwasan Geomhyeop’s swordsmanship borders the supernatural realm, as the rumors claimed, surely it would be impossible for him to keep up with that absurd speed.
And Illusory Phantom thought the same.
“What is it? You look different from before.”
It sounded as though his voice came from every direction at once. No, that was likely the truth. Even while speaking that one sentence, he must have circled Chung Myung dozens of times.
“Where did all that imposing spirit go?”
Illusory Phantom’s voice boomed from every side. Certainly, even for Chung Myung, who had faced countless opponents, this was an unfamiliar experience.
“No, but……”
Chung Myung scratched his cheek.
“At this rate, wouldn’t The Weeping Ghost Divine Lord [귀곡(鬼哭) 신군] suit you better than Illusory Phantom Divine Lord?”
He really was almost like a ghost.
“It seems you still have some composure. Let us see how long that lasts!”
Judging by the voice Illusory Phantom now seemed to have completely regained his composure. No, there was even a hint of ease beyond that composure. It appeared his confidence had surged as he began to display his specialty.
Before long, that confidence was put into action.
Boom!
Something grazed past Chung Myung. His clothes instantly began to flutter wildly, and the fabric at his shoulder tore, scattering and crumbling away before it could even fall.
Bang!
Before Chung Myung even had time to realize what had happened, something slammed into his back.
“Ghk!”
This was not an impact that could end with mere surprise.
How hard one could strike was inseparable from how fast one could move. Even an attack that did no more than graze its target, when combined with overwhelming speed, could become a killing blow that crushed the flesh.
If he committed his full speed to his attacks, he could strike with enough force to shatter Chung Myung’s body. But Illusory Phantom did not choose that method. If he did, he too would lose his speed the instant they collided.
‘There is no need to hurry.’
As long as he did not lose his speed, Hwasan Geomhyeop would never be able to catch him. So all he had to do was slowly break him apart, just as a hunter toys with prey already trapped.
Booom!
A fist Illusory Phantom casually threw out grazed Chung Myung’s head. His hair was flung violently to the side. The cord binding it snapped, and his loosened hair flew upward under the pressure of the wind.
‘There is nothing particularly remarkable about him.’
Illusory Phantom smiled to himself, full of satisfaction.
Yes, this was right. This was normal. No matter whether they called them Hwasan Geomhyeop or Paegun, they were ultimately people who had made their names only after he had gone into seclusion. There was no way they could dare become his opponents.
Now, he would prove that fact to everyone watching here. He would seize the position of the greatest under heaven that he had dreamed of all his life, and reign supreme over Gangho until the very moment he died.
“Is this all you’ve got? You bastard!”
Illusory Phantom pushed his speed even higher.
His acceleration reached such an extreme that even his own vision blurred. But it didn’t matter. Even through the haze, there was no way he could lose sight of that painfully slow brat!
Boom! Crack!
Illusory Phantom flashed past several times, driving his fists into Chung Myung’s body in rapid succession.
He could tell just from the dull impacts he felt. His attacks were definitely landing. So it would not be much longer. Just a few more blows, and…
Illusory Phantom drove his speed to its limit. Once he entered this realm, everything but himself seemed to come to a halt. They were obviously in the same space, yet it was as though they lived in different timelines. His world and theirs became completely separated.
This was the absolute speed he had obtained after a long period of secluded training. As long as one was human, there was no way anyone could ever match this speed…
“Ah, damn it! You’re hopping around like a flea.”
At that moment, something black suddenly shot up before Illusory Phantom’s eyes.
‘What?’
He was so startled that it felt as though his heart had leapt into his throat.
That thing, which had intruded like an unwelcome guest into the world where everything had stopped, flew towards him at an even greater speed than the one Illusory Phantom himself was moving at.
‘Th-This can’t be pos…’
By the time he realized that the black thing flying at him was Chung Myung’s sword, still in its scabbard, it had already buried itself in Illusory Phantom’s face.
“Craaaaaaaaaagh!”
Kwwaaaaang!
Illusory Phantom was sent flying at a terrifying speed before crashing straight into the ground. The impact was so violent that it not only shattered the solid bluestone paving of the training ground, but drove him deep beneath it.
“Ugh. You’re making me dizzy.”
Chung Myung shook his head in genuine annoyance, then bent down to pick up his green hair tie. Gathering his loose hair together with one hand, he tied it back roughly.
Then he glanced over at Illusory Phantom, who was still buried in the ground, and spoke.
“There’s something I really don’t understand.”
For a moment, his voice felt overwhelmingly heavy. At that serious tone, the Sect Leaders swallowed dryly and waited for Chung Myung’s next words.
Then Chung Myung’s face twisted into a deep scowl.
“You said you were in Pyegwan, right? Pyegwan! If you spent all that time shut away in a cave practicing THIS, just how huge would that cave have to be? Didn’t this old geezer just claim he was in seclusion while actually living it up in a place bigger than a palace?”
“Ah…..”
The Sect Leaders exchanged uneasy glances.
“…Is that what he should be curious about in this situation?”
“Still, now that I hear it, it does seem a little suspicious…”
“Hmm.”
The crowd could only clear their throats awkwardly.
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Depending on the future context, and how and who says the title, I could also change it to “Don’t bother to understand,” since the tone is kinda dismissive. Will see.
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