What I Want to Show. (5)
"What on earth is going on."
"...To think there could be such a difference in level."
The top of the pavilion, where one could look down and take in the entire arena at a glance.
The place where only the high-ranking figures of the Murim Alliance gathered was filled with an indescribable atmosphere.
Expectation at first, shock in the middle, and now, horror.
The match held as the finals was that shocking.
Enough to make even those who had experienced all sorts of battles as martial artists of the Central Plains swallow dry gulps.
Whoosh-!
The somewhat bustling noise instantly quieted down.
A heavy aura began to fill the pavilion.
The profound aura pressing down on the spacious pavilion was none other than the power of the current Alliance Lord, Jangcheon.
Clench.
.
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Strength flows into his clenched fist.
Jangcheon was staring only at the arena with his intense eyes wide open.
'...That is...'
A short time of barely half a gak.
Only that much time had passed, yet the arena was already a complete mess.
Jangcheon swallowed the saliva that kept welling up and thought.
'He is truly a monster.'
The material of the arena was made of rocks from Mt. Bigu, famous for their hardness.
It was so hard that not only was it difficult to break easily, but it would barely even leave a scratch even when struck by a first-rate sword aura.
'To crush that as if crushing tofu.'
For the power of a boy whom he wondered could even survive a quarter of his own strength, it was unbelievably destructive.
Yet, he was also skilled at handling his strength.
At that age, having just one of the two would be enough to be called a genius.
That boy had seized both.
Both were terrifyingly mastered.
"...Hah."
This was a hollow voice let out by someone other than Jangcheon.
And this was also a voice that represented the hearts of everyone gathered here.
The reason was simply that the sense of helplessness birthed jealousy.
They all had to feel hollow and fall into contemplation at the fact that they felt jealous of that child.
Jealousy enough to be felt by famous masters who had rolled through the Central Plains for decades with their lives on the line.
Because it was an absurd talent worthy of such a reaction.
'My son.'
Jangcheon wanted to close his eyes right then and there.
The downfall of his own child, whom he had unhesitatingly believed would reach the heavens with his talent.
It was a deeply painful affair.
Jang Seonyeon had never worried his father's heart since he was born.
With his outstanding talent and extraordinary character, he was a child who had already been confirmed for the position of the head of the Jang family.
The child he thought would leave a great line of his name in the history of the Central Plains if he just grew up like this.
Was facing a wall no one had ever imagined.
A very massive wall named Guyangcheon.
Perhaps, an absurd wall that he might never be able to cross forever.
Jangcheon just prayed.
That his child would not crumble there.
He was just hoping for that.
It was a frenzy.
That word would be appropriate.
Dust flying in the wind and fragments swirling in all directions.
The endless eruption of painful groans and the sound of a martial artist's aura clashing and bursting.
In that chaotic gap, Jang Seonyeon swung his sword.
Swish!
The sword thrusts out.
The condensed aura wrapped around the blade and left a small afterimage in the air.
There is no shaking.
It was a sword he had swung for so long, so it couldn't waver.
Hum...!
The quiet, faint sword cry informed him that his martial arts had properly manifested.
First-rate level aura, the sword aura enveloping the sword was certainly threatening.
It was a highly completed sword aura that could not simply be called a latter-stage expert's, but...
If it doesn't reach, it's pointless.
Crack!
"Keuk...!"
A hand reaches out through the gap in the pouring sword paths and grabs Jang Seonyeon by the collar.
The opponent didn't hesitate in a situation where even a brush from the sword would be dangerous.
No, should I say there was no hesitation because he knew he wouldn't be hit?
Thud!
As if the chaotic movement wasn't in his eyes at all, he slams him straight down.
Jang Seonyeon's body rolled forcefully across the shattered arena floor.
"Keu-heok.... Heok..."
How many times has this been already?
It must have been at least five times.
Since he stopped counting from then on.
"Heoh... Heok."
Rough breathing continuously burst out.
His body also ached all over, but...
He couldn't just stay still and rest.
Smack!
"Keu-heok...!"
Jang Seonyeon's jaw shot upwards.
Because he was kicked.
"Are you dazing off in the middle of a match?"
At the subsequent nonchalant tone, Jang Seonyeon had to grab hold of his senses.
He definitely wasn't dazing off.
He just couldn't see.
Guyangcheon approaching.
Attacking. He just couldn't see anything.
'Damn it...!'
Is this even possible?
The girl from the Namgung family he fought just yesterday also showed an absurd level, but...
It was definitely not to this extent.
Should something like this be called talent?
This is...
'A monster...'
At the sudden thought, Jang Seonyeon flinched and shuddered, biting his lip.
Because the story Paeng Ujin had told came to mind along with it.
-"Do you think you'll win? Against that monster?"
Jang Seonyeon at that time thought he could.
He also thought it wouldn't be difficult.
Wasn't that natural?
He was the chosen one.
And that guy wasn't.
It should have naturally been so.
'But, why...!'
How could he not even catch the guy's movements?
Jang Seonyeon could only hide his trembling lips.
They are on a different level.
That cliché phrase had never resonated so deeply before.
This fact was enough to realize in just a few exchanges.
Guyangcheon seemed like an existence on a higher dimension.
Or perhaps, not human.
Otherwise, such talent shouldn't exist in the world.
Isn't it too absurd for him to be in the same world?
Jolt-
Caught by a momentary instinct, Jang Seonyeon urgently raised his sword to defend.
Boom!
At the shock felt the moment he raised his sword, Jang Seonyeon's body floated up.
Even though he had clearly wrapped his aura around himself firmly.
The guy's attack tore through it like paper.
Just when it seemed his floating body would roll across the arena once again.
"Hey."
With the short words, Jang Seonyeon's body was caught in Guyangcheon's hand.
"What the hell are you doing every time?"
Guyangcheon's voice was fierce and rough, like a beast growling.
"What did I say earlier. I told you to use everything you have if you have it."
"...Hah... Hah..."
"You used it so well before, so why the bullshit? Does it feel like shit to use it on me?"
"...What... are you..."
"Right, I know the answer is obvious even if I say it like this. I was a bit stupid."
Guyangcheon made a reluctant expression and then let go of Jang Seonyeon just like that.
Jang Seonyeon immediately righted his freed body.
'How... What should I do?'
Because such an absurd situation had occurred, his shaken mind couldn't be sorted out.
Jang Seonyeon knew.
The fact that he could raise his body like this was because Guyangcheon was going easy on him.
It was obvious.
Even though he suffered in pain rolling on the floor for so long.
Not a single drop of blood flowed on his flesh.
This meant his body hadn't been seriously injured.
The aura inside his body was the same.
He had definitely received shock from the recoil of his sword path being cut off and his martial arts being blocked, but...
There was no external damage.
That meant...
'...He controlled all this?'
It meant Guyangcheon had attacked while controlling each and every one of these things.
And in the middle of a match, no less.
Jang Seonyeon couldn't not know how terrifying and astonishing this was.
"Now listen carefully. I'm going to tell you a story that will become your flesh and blood."
At Guyangcheon's voice, Jang Seonyeon quickly snapped back to his senses.
The distance of the voice he heard was farther than expected.
Guyangcheon, who was right in front of him until just now, was somehow standing at the edge of the arena.
What is he doing from all the way over there...?
At the sensation running up his back to the crown of his head in an instant, Jang Seonyeon's eyes widened.
The wind blew.
It wasn't strange for a cold wind to blow since it was winter, but...
What he felt wasn't a cold wind.
Heat.
A hot heat was blowing from the surroundings.
Using Guyangcheon's body as a starting point, it fiercely whipped around the surroundings.
'...What absurd...'
The reason he couldn't believe it wasn't just because of the heat.
The reason Jang Seonyeon had no choice but to be surprised was that this suffocating, hot heat was entirely composed of Guyangcheon's aura.
'Just how much aura must he have...!'
The arena was definitely not narrow.
It was rather so excessively wide that one couldn't understand why they made such an inefficient arena.
Was this saying that Guyangcheon possessed an amount of aura enough to tightly fill such a wide space with heat?
The problem didn't end here.
Fwoooosh-!
A chilling sound heard from somewhere.
Flames mixed into the heat swirling around on the wind.
The blazing flames roared as if they would devour Jang Seonyeon right away and began to dominate the surroundings.
"I thought about why you aren't using your strength. Right? It's obvious you can't win just by looking, but you're struggling in a weird direction. I figured you weren't that much of an idiot."
At Guyangcheon's voice, Jang Seonyeon swallowed dry saliva.
His shoulders felt like they were being crushed by the sticky fighting spirit seeping from the voice.
"You..."
Unlike the atmosphere growing larger and devouring the surroundings, Guyangcheon's expression was extremely light.
"Scared, right?"
A light tone matching his expression, but the meaning contained within stabbed at Jang Seonyeon's weakness.
"Afraid you'll lose to me even if you use that. To leave yourself an excuse when you get beaten and fall down. That's why you're not using it."
At Guyangcheon's words, Jang Seonyeon bit his lip.
'How does he know...?'
He wasn't talking about the previous story.
How Guyangcheon knew about the energy in his body.
It was about that.
'Did he notice something from yesterday's match?'
Those without divine energy could not recognize divine energy.
Let alone whether it became the Three Venerables or the Four Demons and Five Emperors, it would be the same.
In fact, not only his father, but even the Abbott of Shaolin wouldn't be able to notice it.
Since 'Muhee' herself brought it up, it had to be certain.
The guy was certain.
Of the fact that he had something.
'That guy too... Did he perhaps receive the baptism?'
He thought about it, but he knew it wasn't the case.
Because he couldn't feel any divine energy from the guy.
"You're thinking about some other shit again, fuck."
"...!"
"If you keep doing that, you'll piss yourself, you bastard. When you're in a match, you should only be looking at the fists."
Why is he suddenly talking about pissing? Jang Seonyeon had such a question, but it quickly disappeared.
To be precise, Guyangcheon made it disappear.
"Keureuk..."
A groan popped out of his mouth.
Because a vicious killing intent began to spout from the guy.
It was so strong that the killing intent took form and strangled Jang Seonyeon's neck.
Such vicious killing intent at a righteous faction's martial arts tournament, had he lost his mind?
Jang Seonyeon immediately looked at the referee in urgency, but...
"Hah...!?"
The referee was just observing the situation with the same expression as the beginning.
'He doesn't... know?'
Goosebumps rose.
That vicious and sticky killing intent was being blasted only towards him.
Without the surroundings noticing, only to him.
"Since it seems like you keep thinking bullshit and trying not to use it. I'm going to make it certain."
The flames swirling in the air rotated quickly and were sucked back into Guyangcheon.
To be precise, they gradually began to condense on Guyangcheon's arm.
That is dangerous.
It wasn't a matter of intuition; he could tell just by looking.
"If you don't use it, you die."
It seemed like he was spitting it out so casually, but...
Jang Seonyeon could tell there was no lie in those words.
Because the killing intent that felt like it would make him faint right away was the proof.
And as if to prove it one more time.
Guyangcheon reached out his arm, wrapped in thick flames, towards Jang Seonyeon.
A light straight punch without even properly taking a stance.
It was clearly an insignificant movement, but...
The result brought about by the lowly fist was not.
Rooooar-!
The flames shaped like a dragon roared as if to swallow the arena and flew towards Jang Seonyeon.
The moment he was swept away, it felt like he wouldn't even leave bones behind.
In the end, Jang Seonyeon released his dantian and drew up his energy.
His flesh strengthened, and he felt a sense of heterogeneity as if his body's muscles were expanding.
Whoosh!
As he spewed out his energy pressure, the killing intent that had been strangling him was released.
The moment right before facing the flames.
Jang Seonyeon swung his sword without hesitation.
Paaaah!
The reinforced sword aura sliced through the flames with a single sword.
The flames vanished into extinction, and the aura that had created the flames caused a shockwave in the air.
He had properly blocked it.
Jang Seonyeon staggered slightly for a moment due to consuming excessive energy, but he quickly regained his posture.
And he felt a sense of relief at having blocked the merciless attack just now.
He felt fatigue from using up all his energy for two days in a row, but it didn't matter.
Because the divine energy in his body gave him the conviction that he could block and overcome his opponent's attacks and killing intent without fail.
'I did it...'
Snap-.
"...Huh?"
With a belated reaction, Jang Seonyeon looked at his own right arm.
Because the sound of something breaking came from there.
Then he could see it.
His right arm being violently broken.
"Good job."
Along with Guyangcheon's voice heard from close by, Jang Seonyeon's vision dropped.
Thud!
Because one knee buckled, lowering his line of sight.
Jang Seonyeon couldn't even scream at the excruciating pain that overwhelmed him in an instant.
I told you. I'll start with the arm.
Guyangcheon's voice clearly carried a hint of laughter.
"Now I can beat you a little more painfully. That's a relief, right?"
At the words spat out mildly as if looking forward to it, the corners of Jang Seonyeon's eyes trembled.
Only then could Jang Seonyeon clearly know what the emotion he felt in his chest was.
Something that was gnawing away at him little by little and building a tower.
This was definitely fear.
Keuk... Ah...!
Guyangcheon's fist flew before Jang Seonyeon's eyes.