Friendly Martial Tournament. (6)
Thud, thud!
Along with the scorching heat, debris swept in all directions.
The smoke driven by the flames was swept away and vanished by the ensuing wind.
At the sight of the martial arena finally revealed, the mouths of the onlookers snapped shut.
The arena had turned into a complete mess, as if a storm had swept through it.
Unlike its original height, it was full of massive gouges, as if a beast had torn off chunks of flesh.
The unextinguished embers were still burning hotly within them.
Guyeomtaearang.
A strike technique that gathers the internal energy of the flesh into a single point and detonates it.
It was a secret technique of the Gu family that could only be used upon reaching this level.
The sparks shot from the tip of the fist tore into the enemy in the shape of a beast.
'The firepower isn't bad.'
This much is somewhat satisfying.
Rather than how perfect it was, being able to use it right away was what mattered.
How much it could be compressed, how much the intensity could be increased—those were problems for later.
And with this level, he could confirm it wouldn't be bad in actual combat.
'The internal energy is fine too.'
He had consumed so much up until now that using it once wasn't enough to deplete it.
Soon, all the smoke on the arena disappeared.
Right next to the area swept by the fire, Namgung Cheon-jun could be seen standing with a look of shock.
"Brother-in-law."
When I called him, I could see his eyes tremble for a moment.
"I told you last time, too."
There was definitely something I had said last time.
"There's nothing as ugly for a martial artist as carelessness."
I think I said it in Sichuan, but it seems he couldn't swallow the realization paid for in blood and sweat.
That's why he's in that state.
"Are you coming to your senses now?"
"How... is this."
"Everyone says something similar to you. Want me to tell you why that's bad? It means you couldn't even look at your opponent properly. If this were real combat, you'd be dead right away."
I could understand it.
How many martial artists wouldn't let their guard down looking at me?
Would they feel danger thinking this young body could do anything?
Still.
That shouldn't happen.
If nothing else, if one is a martial artist living in the present.
The distance between me and Namgung Cheon-jun was about seven jang, but as one's level rises, it isn't that far of a distance.
Judging by my current level, it was about a step or two.
So I approached.
When I suddenly appeared right in front of his nose, Namgung Cheon-jun hurriedly moved his body, but such an unprepared motion wouldn't work.
The aura contained within was threatening, but if it didn't touch, it was useless.
I tilted my head slightly and dodged the sword.
At the same time, with a single kick from me, Namgung Cheon-jun's knee buckled.
His posture collapsed.
A collapsing body is bound to show gaps that didn't even exist before.
Just the vital points that could end it in one strike numbered five that were visible.
However, what I chose was a different place.
Slap!
With an ear-piercing sound, Namgung Cheon-jun's head snapped to the side.
A perfectly placed slap.
Namgung Cheon-jun's cheek, flushing deeply, and his eyes, unable to comprehend what had just happened, were trembling as if an earthquake had struck.
'What just happened?'
Could it be a dream? Namgung Cheon-jun thought.
Isn't that right?
Otherwise, how could that brat do this?
More than his stinging cheek.
The smashed arena beside him bothered him much more.
Even looking only at the arena, it wasn't something that could be easily broken.
It seemed made of such solid material that he wondered if it would barely get a scratch even if he slashed it full of internal energy.
'...To do that to something like that.'
With just a single motion.
The extremely light motion of extending a fist had brought about a disaster.
That was a disaster.
To him, it was a lump of disaster beyond comparison with anything else.
"How dare you...!"
Only now did the stinging cheek feel real.
And his own ugly appearance, too.
The descendant of the great Namgung family had been slapped in front of an audience surrounding them.
This was something that couldn't happen.
He immediately drew up his internal energy.
As if trying to detonate all the aura he had been controlling.
Namgung Cheon-jun tried to swing the internal energy swirling fiercely at the tip of his sword at Gu Yang-cheon, but—
Gu Yang-cheon's hand was faster.
Slap!
Namgung Cheon-jun's head spun around widely once more.
Then, a fierce voice was heard.
"Not only did you fail to create distance, but you draw your sword first when we're this close? You crazy bastard."
The shock must have come in a bit stronger this time, as his head shook.
Gu Yang-cheon immediately grabbed Namgung Cheon-jun by the collar and threw him backward.
Gu Yang-cheon, who was a head smaller than Namgung Cheon-jun, had grabbed and thrown him far too easily.
The staggering body failed to perform a breakfall and rolled on the floor just like that.
"What am I looking at right now?"
"...Are you saying the Thunder Dragon is being beaten by that little boy?"
"No, man, before that, you need to see the arena getting smashed!"
"Who is that young hero...? Did they say the Gu family of Shanxi?"
The spectators, who were quiet even when the massive flames burst out, became noisy as time passed.
Since this banquet didn't even have the Sword Peak, Sword Dragon, and the Hidden Dragon—
How could they not be surprised when the Thunder Dragon, who was considered a strong candidate for the championship, was rolling on the floor like that.
Moreover, the opponent was a young boy whose name wasn't even known.
And this was quite a significant matter not only to the spectators but also to those watching quietly.
"Boss, shouldn't we contact the Room...?"
A shabby young man, who had rolled on the dirt floor so much that his clothes were covered in dust, was speaking to a middle-aged man beside him.
They were the Gaebang Do-won, called the mouth and ears of the orthodox faction.
"Wait a little longer."
"If we're late, they'll throw a fit saying the intel is late, won't they?"
"I said wait, you little shit..."
The sudden turn of events.
The Gaebang Do-won had to sort out the unexpected situation.
They were already preparing to collect information on Gu Yang-cheon, calling him a promising rookie since he had ended all his matches with a single strike so far,
but they didn't know he'd be at a level capable of making the Thunder Dragon look like that.
'Did he cross the wall?'
Gaebang Do-won Chu Oong had to swallow his trembling as he watched the strike Gu Yang-cheon had just poured out.
Crossing the wall meant the Peak Realm.
The Peak Realm was a turning point for a martial artist, the beginning of the path to becoming a transcendent.
Even the bloodlines receiving the immense support of prestigious families would have to be well past age twenty at the earliest.
Could that young boy really have reached the Peak Realm?
If not.
The strike just now. The atmosphere he was only now slowly sensing—there was no way to explain it otherwise.
Chu Oong of the Gaebang Do-won, who was well-versed in information and had collected intel on many martial artists, could fully tell from the fight just now.
Just how much of a monster that boy was.
'Could that even be called a fight?'
From Chu Oong's perspective, it was closer to a one-sided torment.
Because the difference was too stark to call it a match.
The match continued, but there was no sudden change in the situation.
The Namgung family's sword sliced through the air.
The sword path was accurate. It was a noble movement that wouldn't embarrass the name of the Namgung family, but—
The Gu family's boy was faster than that. He didn't even bring out the flames he had shown earlier.
He was simply toying with the Thunder Dragon using only basic movements.
There were no flashy moves. Just the most faithful adherence to the basics, striking and pulling back.
Thud-!
"Keok...!"
The small fist struck the Thunder Dragon's abdomen directly. Though the fist looked fragile, the Thunder Dragon's back heaved as if the impact received was anything but.
Without taking a break, Gu Yang-cheon said to Namgung Cheon-jun,
"Do your legs only exist for running, and you only fight with your upper body? Does your family teach you like that?"
At Gu Yang-cheon's mockery, Namgung Cheon-jun gritted his teeth and unleashed his martial arts again, but nothing changed.
The orthodox and pure internal energy of a prestigious family was at a commendable level, but—
The opponent just moved as if he didn't care about it at all.
While Chu Oong was admiring inwardly, another Gaebang Do-won next to him spoke as if he realized something.
"Boss, that friend seems to use fire techniques. Seeing as he isn't using them now, it looks like he used them all up earlier and can't anymore."
Hearing this, Chu Oong made an expression of utter disappointment.
"Your eyes are in that state, so you can't even beg and starve, you dumb beggar bastard."
"...We're both beggars, why do you have to talk like that? Even you, Boss, last time..."
"Shut up and just watch. Does it look like he can't use it? He's choosing not to."
Chu Oong had also seen the massive flames that swept all around. It was an absolute technique at an absurd level, making it unbelievable that a boy who wouldn't even last half a breath against him had used it.
If he were to try and use something similar to that, his internal energy would deplete halfway, and he'd clutch his stomach and collapse.
But that boy was different.
Despite his endlessly fierce face, even looking at the composure contained within, it was true.
He moved knowing where the Thunder Dragon would swing. He severed the sword's flow before it could ride it.
He arrived first at the destination and struck.
Seeing this alone was enough.
That was a monster.
'...It doesn't make sense.'
The current generation dared to say it was the highest level in history. Even the Thunder Dragon rolling around on that arena right now was at a level that absolutely couldn't be ignored.
Among them, they said the Sword Peak and Sword Dragon were in a league of their own.
As someone who consistently gathered information by visiting the Yongbong Gathering's Friendly Martial Tournament every year, Chu Oong knew this even better.
Because of that, he wasn't sure if he could dare to call that a genius.
| | ... . . ....
That had surpassed the realm that could be expressed with such a word.
Neither the Sword Peak nor the Sword Dragon. Even Peng Woo-jin, who was called the Divine Dragon before them, wasn't like that.
Let alone at such a young age.
This is troublesome.
"About what?"
"...There's an order that came down from the Room, but I don't know if I should keep it."
"Pardon? Suddenly?"
There was a directive to gather and spread information about Jang Seon-yeon, the son of the Falling Sword, in this tournament.
The fact that the boy had easily defeated the Poison Peak was already known. To some extent, rumors had been created about the subsequent matches as well.
A new star. Under the name of a boy who would become a rising star.
'Troublesome.'
Feeling the cold sweat running down his cheek, Chu Oong furrowed his brow.
It seemed the Gaebang's purpose of spreading the rumor would be achieved, but—
It was uncertain whether the title of 'Rising Star' would really go to the Alliance Leader's son.
'Uncertain? What a joke. I already know the answer.'
The middle-aged beggar of the Gaebang, who had been through all sorts of trials and tribulations, could have known long ago.
That the moment many people saw that match, the answer was already decided.
Kuong!
While he was thinking, the Thunder Dragon rolled across the arena once more.
He quickly got up, using his sword as a cane, but—
Drip, drip.
It seemed he couldn't stop the blood flowing down his nose.
"You've gotten a lot uglier, brother-in-law."
The noble young master full of elegance from the beginning was no longer here.
"You... bastard...!"
"Is it okay to say such things? There are a lot of eyes watching."
At Gu Yang-cheon's mocking words, Namgung Cheon-jun steadied his breath.
Because, as the guy said, there were many eyes watching.
Seeing that, Gu Yang-cheon let out a hollow laugh.
Because it was quite laughable that he was trying to maintain his hypocritical appearance even after being in that state.
Noticing that he was being mocked, Namgung Cheon-jun shouted.
"Don't be so arrogant...!"
"When the hell was I arrogant."
"You think you've won everything just because you hid a single move?"
He was the one spouting bullshit first, so why is he spouting bullshit again.
"Did you eat my words from earlier with your ass? I told you you're so damn weak that you shouldn't be hiding anything, why are you so oblivious of your place."
"What does a bastard like you... know!"
"I don't, and I wasn't curious in the first place, fucker. Whatever you're hiding."
Namgung Cheon-jun imbued his sword with sword aura and swung it again, but right as the sword sliced halfway through the air, it bounced backward with a shock.
Gu Yang-cheon, who had approached at some point, had kicked Namgung Cheon-jun in the chest.
'Just why... is this bastard.'
Before he could even fully process the shock, Namgung Cheon-jun had no choice but to stand up.
Because Gu Yang-cheon was reaching his hand out as if he had no intention of going easy on him.
The problem was that he couldn't avoid it.
"Keugh...!"
He couldn't understand.
Why?
Why was he being beaten by that guy?
Not anyone else, but himself.
'This is impossible...!'
He was a genius. His father acknowledged it, and the Heavenly Sovereign acknowledged it too. There had been no problems until now.
He would take his father's place as time passed.
He would show off his talent and become the new Sword King.
The Sword Dragon? He was only ahead for now.
He thought that a day would definitely come when he would stand in the guy's way.
But.
That kind of bastard started ruining it all.
Sichuan, yeah, that's where the problem started.
Things not going his way, and his beloved sister starting to change—it was all from the moment he met that guy there.
Everything had gone awry.
That was why he came here, to set everything right. But why?
—What a fine vessel.
They had definitely said so the day before. That he had good talent.
—With the baptism, aura will settle within you, but don't use it for the time being. It will take a long time for it to settle completely.
They definitely said a different world from now would unfold. Knowing that, he had acted behind his father's back.
It didn't matter anyway, right? He would become the head of the family in the future.
"Keureuk..."
Why did someone like him have to be treated like this by that kind of bastard right now?
Now even his vision wasn't clear.
Namgung Cheon-jun knew. That lowly bastard was toying with him.
He could tell just from seeing the martial arts the guy showed at the beginning.
That the guy was much stronger than he had thought.
How did it come to that?
The guy he saw in Sichuan was definitely trivial compared to him.
The difference in their levels was clear enough to see with his own eyes.
Even though he suffered a defeat that wasn't a defeat at the time, if he could have used his internal energy, it wouldn't have been such a messy fight.
But now?
"...Fuck..."
Namgung Cheon-jun spat out a curse without realizing it. He couldn't endure it otherwise.
It hadn't even been a year.
Namgung Cheon-jun had swung his sword like crazy, following the shadow of the Sword Dragon who stood like a wall in front of him in the past.
The day he first faced the Sword Dragon was a day of hell for him.
He could tell just by exchanging moves once. How far away the guy called the Sword Dragon was.
What heaven-sent talent meant.
That day, he became the Thunder Dragon.
The name Sword Dragon became a goal for someday. He would trample the guy and stand above him someday.
With that mindset, he had swung his sword and built up his skills.
'Only... Only to this bastard!'
Did he not put in the effort? No, he had put in the effort.
Sword paths he didn't even remember how many times he drew.
The calluses formed by repeating the cycle of his hands tearing and healing were the proof.
The sword aura he could now draw out effortlessly was proving it.
'Then why!'
Did it mean he couldn't reach that guy?
The sword that radiated light stopped once again in front of Gu Yang-cheon's fist. How on earth could he cut off all his sword paths.
Could that barely be called a difference in talent? If so, he had to resent the gods.
Now he couldn't even hear the voices of the spectators. What remained was astonishment and the lowly gazes poured upon him.
My downfall would be their entertainment. He knew that much too well, having been born as a bloodline of a prestigious family.
'I... am collapsing?'
To that guy of all people?
"Heok... heok."
His exhausted body was already wringing out his lungs just by breathing.
It was the recoil of having his sword paths interrupted in the middle so many times.
Namgung Cheon-jun's gaze headed toward a certain place.
Across the arena, Dang So-yeol was shouting brightly while looking at Gu Yang-cheon.
Was she cheering for him? It was utterly ridiculous.
Since there had once been talk of an engagement with the Dang family, they were somewhat acquainted.
But that was it.
Namgung Cheon-jun recalled a woman on his side.
Seolbong Moyong Hui-a.
She expressed interest as if she were on his side, as if she even had some favorable feelings for him, but—
Namgung Cheon-jun knew.
That within her eyes, no such thing as favorable feelings for him existed.
The people around him were only like this.
His father. The people of the family. The people of the Alliance were the same.
'...Sister.'
Namgung Cheon-jun recalled his sister from within. At the very least, his sister didn't expect anything from him.
Her appearance performing the sword dance was beautiful.
Her appearance of not speaking empty words overflowed with elegance.
Although she struggled because she couldn't find the right path.
It was the same even now.
His sister had merely lost her way. Since she was wandering after losing her way, he had to show her the path.
Just as he always had.
Then someday, his sister would understand his feelings too.
—Young Master!
Beyond Namgung Cheon-jun's blurry vision, someone's voice could be heard.
It was Dang So-yeol, who had been cheering for Gu Yang-cheon since earlier.
"...!"
And standing next to her was Namgung Bi-a.
His sister was beautiful as always.
Especially her hair, which represented the Namgung family, was bound to be even more beautiful when the moonlight shone on it.
Namgung Cheon-jun felt the urge to run to her right away, but—
He couldn't move.
Because he could clearly see where his sister's gaze was directed.
Gu Yang-cheon.
His sister's two eyes were fixed on that lowly bastard.
Why? Just why?
He couldn't understand.
An engagement tied between families, that could be it.
Since he thought it was an engagement his sister didn't want.
If his position broadened later. If he caught the eye of the Heavenly Sovereign and gained something certain.
The first thing he would do was to break off the engagement with the Gu family so his sister wouldn't struggle.
Everything was for his sister.
But what was that look in her eyes?
It looked as if she held affection for the guy.
'That can't be.'
His noble sister couldn't possibly harbor such feelings for that kind of bastard.
If so, that guy must have done something to his sister.
Did he use drugs?
Right, the girl from the Dang family also seems close to him, so he must have used poison.
"How dare you... how dare you."
His sister was noble.
She was a woman like white paper.
She wasn't a being that a bastard like you could taint.
Only me. Only I...
Energy writhed through his dantian.
It was different from internal energy. It was something endlessly cold, resembling winter.
This was definitely the energy he had obtained last time.
They had told him not to use it no matter what happened for a while.
Namgung Cheon-jun's forearm shivered.
To be precise, the bracelet wrapped around his arm was vibrating.
As if resonating with the energy.
The item the Heavenly Sovereign had given him was resonating with the energy.
Perhaps thanks to that, strength was drawn up in his body. As if he could do anything...
"You little shit."
"Kuheok!"
Namgung Cheon-jun's body, which had been slowly drawing up the energy, fell to the floor with a thud!
It was because Gu Yang-cheon grabbed Namgung Cheon-jun by the neck and slammed him to the ground.
Kuong-!
With a loud noise, internal energy blasted out to the surroundings.
Namgung Cheon-jun hadn't felt Gu Yang-cheon's presence until the moment he approached.
"Fuck, where did you get that."
"Keureureuk..."
Fwoosh!
Along with the harsh curse, flames spewed out along Gu Yang-cheon's back.
Along with the terrifying heat, the flames wrapped around the surroundings and formed a sphere.
It was shaped like a prison that couldn't be looked into from the outside.
Gradually, strength was applied to the hand gripping his neck.
It felt like his neck bones would break right away.
"Answer me. That thing coiled in your body, where did you get it."
His extremely distorted face and the killing intent pressing down his entire body.
His black hair was tinged with a red light,
and Gu Yang-cheon's two eyes were also shining with a deep red color.
Oppressed by the killing intent spreading from his whole body, it felt like he would faint at any moment.
The twin pillars of flame spewing along Gu Yang-cheon's back evoked the image of wings.
'A de... demon.'
In Namgung Cheon-jun's eyes, Gu Yang-cheon looked like that right now.
As a bizarre existence that would burn the whole world to ashes.
The energy he had tried so hard to draw up scattered helplessly.
As if terrified by the fighting spirit Gu Yang-cheon was emitting.
"Not answering? Then I'll burn an arm off... hmm?"
Gu Yang-cheon, who was emitting fighting spirit to the fullest, shifted his gaze to Namgung Cheon-jun's lower body at a strange sensation.
""
The faintly felt warmth wasn't the heat he was emitting.
At the unknown, slightly salty smell brushing the tip of his nose, Gu Yang-cheon slightly eased the strength in his hand.
It was because Namgung Cheon-jun had wet himself.