Chapter 020. Requiem (7)
Woo Seo-gwang staggered and placed his hand on his side. Dark red fresh blood streamed down below his blocking hand. Judging that further bleeding would be dangerous, Woo Seo-gwang thrust his fingers in to plug the wound.
The sword move just now cut deep into his side. If his reaction following his intuition had been just a little slower, his body would have been split in half. Apart from the pain like burning, cold sweat flowed.
A lofty Fast Sword that Woo Seo-gwang himself could barely react to.
As far as he knew, Dam Jeok-san had never learned such a Fast Sword. Since Dam Jeok-san was taught the Martial Sovereign's heavy, domineering, and flashy sword.
Thinking of that, inferiority complex suddenly rose again.
Because he himself had to inherit the family's secret art instead of the Martial Sovereign's sword due to his lacking talent.
Perhaps that was why, despite being in a situation where he was deeply injured and cornered, he couldn't help but ask.
“……That sword just now! Just what is that sword?”
It is a nameless swordsmanship.
Yet Woo Seo-gwang himself could neither completely dodge nor block it. Barely preserving his life was all he could do.
It must surely be a supreme art with some old origin.
Dam Jeok-san, this bastard, must have mastered it again with his genius talent.
It is a familiar occurrence to the point of snorting. But still, he wanted to know at least what it was.
Only then could he clarify what his Iron Blood Golden Light Swordsmanship had defeated.
Woo Seo-gwang had not yet abandoned his desire for victory.
However.
Dam Jeok-san's expression upon hearing those words was slightly different from his expectation.
“Oh, I didn't know Senior Brother would be interested in my swordsmanship.”
Dam Jeok-san said, hanging a refreshing smile on his lips.
“There is no reason I cannot tell you, the name of this move is called Monkey-Destroying One Flash.”
He said while sharpening his spirit like a blade so he could corner Woo Seo-gwang anytime if necessary.
“……?”
A question appeared on Woo Seo-gwang's expression hearing Dam Jeok-san's answer.
Yes, it is understandable.
Because he would be hearing about a move like Monkey-Destroying One Flash for the first time.
It is natural. Because Dam Jeok-san is the only one in the world who knows that name.
‘No, that is not right.’
Now Woo Seo-gwang has come to know.
And all those watching this life-and-death duel have come to know.
From Heaven-Breaking One Sword, the head of the Iron Blood Woo Clan, to his Master who must be hiding and watching without even him noticing.
Everyone came to know the sword of a nameless monster.
Now only one thing remains, proof.
Proof that a sword woven by clumsy tenacity can defeat divine martial arts passed down for hundreds of years.
Proof that honest effort, a foolish fight, was not wrong.
Thus, he will mourn his past self who walked the wrong path, and advance on a new path.
For that, he was fighting while sealing the greatest weapon he possessed.
None other than Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style.
Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style is the Martial Sovereign's signature technique, an all-powerful art not bound by weapons.
Not only swordsmanship but also palm techniques, saber techniques, and even finger techniques , anything can be implemented with Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style.
As such, it is just extremely difficult to enter and master.
\
Now that he recovered quite a bit of internal energy, he could mimic the form of Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style, but Dam Jeok-san did not go out of his way to use it.
What Dam Jeok-san chose was to take the stance for Monkey-Destroying One Flash once again.
“Here I come.”
Along with those words, the Fast Sword that reached the extreme cuts across the empty air.
“……!”
Woo Seo-gwang's brow narrowed sharply.
It's the second time. Now he could see the trajectory of the sword more easily than before.
Although it is still fast to the point of being hard to handle―
‘I can block it.’
Because I can see it.
Just before, I failed to block it only because I couldn't even capture it in my pupils.
If only I can see it!
Thinking so, Woo Seo-gwang layered genuine qi on his sword.
A pitch-black curtain looking like a sword screen. The sword strike of Monkey-Destroying One Flash rushing through the empty air at extreme speed collided with that curtain.
Yes, this time I blocked it!
But Woo Seo-gwang's joy did not last long.
KABOOOOOM!!
A heavy shockwave shook Woo Seo-gwang's body as if he collided with a huge rock.
GURGLE―
He felt dead blood rushing back up his throat.
He succeeded in blocking, but couldn't deflect all the aftermath and suffered internal injury.
Dam Jeok-san did not miss that gap. His sword, which had been withdrawn after the collision, rushed towards Woo Seo-gwang with momentum like lightning.
Dry and dull slashes.
At best, horizontal and vertical cuts one might learn in a martial arts hall. But the speed alone was terrifyingly fast.
The understanding gained from realizing Monkey-Destroying One Flash was imbued in each and every sword strike.
“Kuh……!”
Woo Seo-gwang, who suffered internal injury, found it very burdensome just to receive that sword momentum raging like a storm.
Dam Jeok-san pushed Woo Seo-gwang while half-immersed in a trance.
Swinging the sword, pushing with the shoulder, striking with the leg, stabbing with the sword again…….
Literally a slugfest close to a full-body brawl.
In that process, Woo Seo-gwang could not seize the advantage against Dam Jeok-san even once.
An aspect literally close to a beating.
But Woo Seo-gwang straightened his center even while staggering. And rushed towards Dam Jeok-san again.
Malice enough to make one sick.
Dam Jeok-san saw himself overlapped in that appearance.
Because he was also filled with such malice until just before losing his dantian due to qi deviation.
No, that malice still remains even now. Just the method has changed.
Not following where there is a path, but making where he goes into a path.
He clenched his molars tightly and continued to corner Woo Seo-gwang.
The moment Woo Seo-gwang's sword dug in fiercely, he grabbed his right wrist tightly.
And crossed swords.
Sparks fly from the blades touching with an unpleasant metallic sound.
Now a melee continues where it's hard to distinguish whether it's a sword fight or a brawl.
Originally, in that process, Woo Seo-gwang, whose accumulated amount of qi was overwhelming, should have overwhelmed Dam Jeok-san.
However, the result was not so.
Rather, the shape of Dam Jeok-san unilaterally crushing Woo Seo-gwang. The profound principle of Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style was naturally mixing into his movements.
WHOOOOM!!
The air wrapping around him shook intensely and made a heavy noise.
The power of each strike became incomparably stronger than before.
“Haaah, haaah…….”
Dam Jeok-san did not stop attacking even while spitting out breath that rose up to the tip of his chin.
He feels a ticklish sensation as if some wall is about to break.
It's not just about enlightenment. A sensation and elation as if a dam blocking the heart meridian tightly burst and something explosive would pour out.
Woo Seo-gwang became a wreck, unable to endure his attacks which became increasingly precise and powerful.
One arm was broken and dangling, and the wound on his side cut by the first sword burst again, blood flowing profusely.
But only the malice shimmering in his eyes was still the same.
Inferiority complex, anger, and even the attitude of not choosing means and methods to resolve them.
His entering deviation was deepening as time went by, but his sword tip became sharp as much as it deepened.
SWISH―
Enough to make scratches on his body despite Dam Jeok-san's movements becoming much more intense than before as the understanding of Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style seeped in.
But Dam Jeok-san moved forward without caring at all. If it was malice, he didn't lose to the bastard either.
Dam Jeok-san raised his sword above his shoulder.
An expression of will to see the end eventually even if allowing a slight gap.
Blue sparks fly up from his sword again.
Sword Flame burning much brighter than when he first started the counterattack.
No, it's not just at that level.
Leaving aside sustainability, the instantaneous output was almost comparable to Woo Seo-gwang.
Although not comparable to a super peak master like Heaven-Breaking One Sword Woo Gi-tae, it was a level that could definitely overwhelm masters of the same rank.
The clue to enlightenment is approaching gradually. Every time that happened, Dam Jeok-san's spirit grew strong as if piercing the sky. But it was not unstable like Woo Seo-gwang. Because he was heading towards the right path.
At some moment while thrusting his sword, such a thought occurred.
Woo Seo-gwang, that he resembled himself.
Although their paths diverged completely, it is a clear fact that there was a point where they crossed someday.
Just as Woo Seo-gwang wanted to resemble Dam Jeok-san's brilliantly shining talent, Dam Jeok-san also once admired Woo Seo-gwang.
He had a solid family and a dignified appearance, and became the Martial Sovereign's disciple before Dam Jeok-san.
Young Dam Jeok-san admired such Woo Seo-gwang and wanted to resemble him.
But now they were sworn enemies under heaven.
Because Woo Seo-gwang crossed a line he shouldn't have crossed by raising monsters.
If the line is crossed, punish.
No matter who it is.
Nothing complicated.
No matter how it is packaged, that is all.
The moment he acknowledged that, enlightenment was completed as if lightning struck his brain.
Shortly after, the profound principle of Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style permeated all movements, and the genuine qi wandering the whole body's meridians converged into the dantian. The spirit fully elated by enlightenment makes even things that should have been originally impossible possible. Will led the body and qi.
If it is now, he would be able to put Dam Jeok-san's own understanding into Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style.
Once again, containing the completed enlightenment…….
Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style
Self-Style
Monkey-Destroying One Flash
Not Martial Sovereign Man Su-geuk's Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style, but Dam Jeok-san's own Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style was unfolded.
Monkey-Destroying One Flash that reached the realm of extreme speed.
That looked choppy as if cutting and eating the empty air, snap snap.
Silence.
Amidst the quiet world, only a single sword cuts across the space.
And shock filled Woo Seo-gwang's eyes.
Originally, it was a single strike that could neither be blocked nor dodged.
But now, it was sharpened one step sharper than then.
Meeting death by being cut by that sword felt as if it were a predetermined causality.
Twisting his body, setting up a sword screen to defend, the moment he judged all that useless, Woo Seo-gwang made even his Pre-natal Qi rampage.
FLASH!!
Very unstable and bizarre energy boiled from Woo Seo-gwang's body.
That looked almost like demonic energy.
No, part of it was demonic energy.
It must be because he periodically consumed spiritual pills made by refining byproducts of monsters. Due to too frequent consumption, unpurified demonic energy had accumulated.
That means Woo Seo-gwang's destruction was scheduled anytime.
However, the life-and-death duel with Dam Jeok-san dramatically accelerated that scheduled future.
But regrettably, even the demonic energy drawn up by burning his life had no meaning in front of it.
SLASH―!
Monkey-Destroying One Flash overlaid with the power of Heaven-Breaking Star-Destroying Style.
That domineering Fast Sword cut through the thick defense like a sheet of paper and cut Woo Seo-gwang's neck deeply.
That was the end of it.
“A……An……!”
Woo Seo-gwang shouted as if muttering something, but before the words could be completed, his vocal cords were torn and his neck bone was crushed.
His head flies into the sky vainly.
Even the inferiority complex and malice that came down continuing the lineage of the Iron Blood Woo Clan.
Even the countless karmic sins accumulated to resolve them.
Flew away so vainly.
No, Dam Jeok-san shook his head.
It is not vain.
Because the girl who survived the hell created by the Iron Blood Woo Clan would be watching this moment.
Just when Dam Jeok-san was about to quietly sheathe his sword.
WHOOOOM!
Terrifying suction force began to be generated from his body.
That is a phenomenon that happens when predating on a monster.
Sure enough. The suction force absorbed the demonic energy wandering aimlessly after leaving Woo Seo-gwang's dantian.
Woo Seo-gwang's was of the same nature as the Blue-Scaled One-Horned Snake's demonic energy.
Since Dam Jeok-san succeeded in defeating and predating on the Blue-Scaled One-Horned Snake, he could devour that too without much resistance.
Then, the time of growth that was forcibly postponed arrived again.
The ability of predation finally reached three stars.
At that moment, Fighting Paths tangled intricately like the galaxy began to glimmer in Dam Jeok-san's eyes.
Truly a Sea of Martial Arts.
Every single starlight engraved in that sea was a high-dimensional martial principle.
If he realizes all of that, he could well be called a God of War.
No, it's the opposite.
That sea is a distant scenery that can only be seen by those who have filled their entire life with struggle and reached the realm of a God of War.
At that moment, in front of Dam Jeok-san's eyes,
―Part of the past life's Karma is inherited.
A phrase passed by.