〈 Episode 640 〉 The Thunder Sky Sword (雷天一劍).
Flames blooming from the ground soared into the sky.
A dark night (黑夜) filled with cold.
As if covering over the black ink above, the flames devoured the heavens and slowly set the world ablaze.
Night retreated.
And so, a white night (白夜) arrived.
At that sight, one simply could not look away.
A white night itself was a miraculous thing, but the fact that a mere human had created this situation filled one with awe.
Breathing stopped.
One could say that even breathing had been forgotten.
The heavens opened their eyes, and heat surged through the frigid world.
The snow covering the ground melted away. An unidentifiable heat grazed the tip of the nose.
Devouring the cold, the heat ran rampant (猖獗) through the world.
Fwoooosh—!!
The flames shooting into the sky were like a pillar.
A crackling sound could be heard, yet what was seen did not waver in the slightest.
A power that seemed more fitting to call a pillar of light than of flame.
‘What... is that.’
What on earth was it.
What could it be, that made it impossible to tear one’s eyes away?
[Do not take your eyes off it for even a moment.]
Even if Gucheolun had not spoken those words, having seen that, Guyangcheon would never have been able to look away.
Guyangcheon could not help but be certain of it.
Oooooong—!!
“…!”
At the sensation he felt, Guyangcheon clutched his chest with his hand.
The ring of the Guyeomhwaryun Gong planted within his body began to spin on its own at the sight of the pillar.
It was a resonance between qi.
In other words, it meant that this pillar too was, ultimately, the power of the Guyeomhwaryun Gong.
To Guyangcheon, it was a power he was seeing for the first time.
At least, as far as he knew.
Thump—! Thump—!
His heart pounded from merely watching.
He did not know what principle it held or what power it possessed, but instinctively, he knew that something extraordinary was taking place.
Then.
Grrrrr—…!
The monster that had flown away revealed itself once more.
Was it thinking of charging again? The moment he tried to take a guarded stance—
“…What?”
Caught in an unexpected situation, Guyangcheon showed a flustered reaction.
Because the monster that had reappeared was not charging in like before, for some reason.
‘What’s with that thing, why is it acting like that?’
He thought it might be watching for an opening.
Before long, he could sense a strange atmosphere.
Grrrr….
A demeanor that seemed to hesitate somewhere.
Its hostility and killing intent remained, yet its hesitation was palpable.
Watching that, Guyangcheon thought.
‘No way.’
Was it scared?
‘That thing…?’
Even as he thought it couldn’t be, the monster’s appearance was exactly that.
Terror.
The beast was feeling fear at this very moment.
The very beast that had charged with its life on the line was now terrified of the pillar.
He wondered how that could be, but then again—
Grrrrr—!!
As if that too had been but a fleeting moment, the beast tensed its body again.
A stance suggesting it would charge at any second.
But.
Fwoosh!!
At the same time, the pillar of fire that had been shooting up began to gradually subside.
Saaaaah—!
Gradually, the flames were drawn back and settled toward the ground.
The heat that had spread all around changed direction and was sucked in.
Hwaaaaah—!!
It was an immense pressure.
To the extent that he had to forcibly anchor his body by exerting strength.
The center was, naturally, where the flames bloomed. The place where Gucheolun had been standing.
Screech—!
Trying to endure the pressure, his feet scraped against the ground, leaving marks.
As Guyangcheon was holding his ground firmly by anchoring his physical body.
Kuaaaah—!
The monster, rather than resisting, welcomed this and rode the flow to increase its speed.
The accelerating monster was a far more intense sight.
Its bulging muscles, as if intending to exert its full strength, were threatening to behold.
Kyaaaaah—!!
Its appearance of having been scared moments ago was nowhere to be seen; it opened its maw as if to swallow the flames whole.
The instant before being overwhelmed and devoured by the monster.
The moment Guyangcheon tried to rush in to block it after seeing this.
Tok—!
The blooming flames stopped.
Huk—!
The surrounding flames vanished, revealing Gucheolun’s figure.
Seeing Gucheolun in such a state, Guyangcheon’s eyes widened.
His hair, which should have been dyed red, contained light and shone brilliantly, and the red martial robe symbolizing the Gu Clan seemed to ripple as if burning.
Yet, paradoxically, no flames were visible.
Though the Gu Clan’s martial arts began with flames, enveloped rotation, and burned.
No such flames could be seen on Gucheolun.
But.
‘I can feel it.’
Even if invisible, it was not imperceptible.
Guyangcheon stared at Gucheolun’s back without so much as blinking.
Gucheolun had not ignited flames.
Guyangcheon somehow felt he knew the reason.
The reason being.
‘...Father himself is the flame.’
Because there was no need to ignite flames.
Cold sweat ran down his cheeks.
Guyangcheon looked straight ahead with trembling eyes.
He knew instinctively.
That he must not miss even a fragment of this.
It was certainly there.
‘The place I must go to from now on.’
A place he had to reach no matter what.
It was right before his eyes now.
Gucheolun slowly moved his hand.
Shiiiiiiing—!!!
A sharp wind came from his fingertips.
Heat could not be felt.
Even though his hand was stained red with an incredible hue, not even a trace of heat could be sensed.
Kuuung—!
Kyaaaaah—!!!
The monster’s fangs were about to reach Gucheolun.
Nevertheless, he merely prepared his stance with somewhat slow movements.
Swish.
He clenched his fist and lowered his upper body.
An ordinary straight punch stance.
A mere posture that only gave off a blade-like angle and a heavy central axis.
But.
[Ultimate Secret.]
[Guyeom Geuk Taesan Ohyeong.]
Gucheolun’s fist slowly extended toward the monster.
Shhhk—!
[Geuk Guyeomtae Arang.]
Ung—!
Along with the vibration emanating from the tip of his fist.
Flash—.
The world flickered.
****************
Thud-thud-thud—!!
The sound of something collapsing was heard.
His eyes hurt.
He had closed his eyes to avoid the light, yet the world was still engulfed in radiance.
From all directions, it was stifling with a nauseating heat.
More than ten seconds had passed since the light burst forth.
During that time, he held his breath and simply maintained silence.
Thump—! Thump—! Thump—!
He had to calm his heart beating like mad.
And suppress the inner qi that felt like it would burst.
A few more seconds passed like that.
Tuk-tuk-tuk….
Peace found his closed eyes, and finally, he felt the sounds gradually quieting down.
Only then did he slowly open his eyes.
“…?”
The first thing he saw was the back of someone with hands clasped behind them.
A not-so-large stature in black martial robes.
He saw a figure standing with his back turned.
Seeing him, I opened my mouth.
“...Elder?”
Before me was Paejon.
“Hahaha—!”
At my call, Paejon let out his characteristic laugh.
The somewhat different thing was that Paejon’s parched voice was somehow filled with ecstasy.
The moment I wondered why this man was acting thus.
“Are you aware?”
Paejon spoke to me.
“I have never once regretted my choices.”
A clear sense of laughter was felt along with the ecstasy.
The problem was that the laughter was somehow spine-chilling.
“When I abandoned the main family’s martial arts because there was a path I had to walk. When I abandoned my realm to obtain a young, broken body because I needed time. I never had a single regret.”
What was he suddenly talking about.
As I watched him with an expression of incomprehension, Paejon undid his clasped hands and continued.
“But for the first time, I feel regret.”
“…What are you suddenly talking about?”
“Before I abandoned my realm, I should have fought your father at least once. That, I truly regret to the point of madness.”
I furrowed my brow at Paejon’s words.
Saying he should have fought my father? I thought it was nonsense to say in front of his son.
“I. I, Biju, the Paejon, who stands supreme in martial combat, acknowledge this.”
Paejon said to me in a voice that seemed to find this insanely amusing.
“Your father is a monster. A monster so great that one would hardly dare to comprehend him.”
Spitting out those words, Paejon stepped aside as if showing something off.
Only then could I see.
“…!”
The world, filled with pure white snow, had burned away and vanished.
Everything that had been before me had disappeared, leaving only black piles of char.
How many li would one say the distance was?
I do not know.
Flames had engulfed a distance so far it seemed impossible to fathom.
Within those flames.
Passsss….
Black piles of ash, barely maintaining their form, collapsed.
Making the words “white-grade monster” meaningless, the beast had lost its characteristic color and was charred black.
Thud—!
Its knees hit the ground, and its body crumbled.
A truly miserable sight.
Before such a sight, Father stood.
A posture no different from usual, without a single bit of dishevelment.
His burning hair had returned to its ink-black color.
The monster’s upper body collapsed, passed by Father, and fell to the ground.
Kuuung—!! Pasarak—!
The monster’s body broke apart from the impact, but Father turned his back without any lingering attachment.
Even though everything ahead had turned to piles of ash, where I stood, half-melted snow still lay piled.
That heterogeneous sight was as if the mortal realm and hell had been connected.
Crunch—!
Father approached this way.
Showing not the slightest hint of fatigue.
Watching Father walk calmly, I thought.
‘...How should I put it.’
He looked bigger than usual.
His already large stature looked much larger.
Fwiii….
The wind that had stopped began to blow.
Father, having approached thus, stood beside Paejon and looked at me.
I merely stared at Father with somewhat blank eyes.
I could not show much of a reaction.
‘Even now, it won’t fade.’
The martial might Father had shown.
The heat and resonance felt then.
Were filling my head completely.
While I was rehashing that scene with trembling eyes.
“Third.”
Father called me.
“Did I not tell you.”
Though his heavy voice spoke, I sat there blankly.
“Do not be consumed. I clearly warned you so.”
“…!”
His cold words snapped me to my senses.
Do not be consumed. It was a warning Father had given beforehand.
I shook my head somehow, trying to recall it.
Even so, it would not fade.
It was that intense of a sight.
So I tried to steady my ragged breathing and catch my breath.
“Third.”
“...Yes.”
Father asked me again.
“What did you see?”
“...”
I did not ask what he meant.
I was not so foolish as to ask back about this.
However, I could not answer easily. Because while I knew the meaning, I did not know the correct answer.
What did you see in what you saw?
I had tried to take everything in with both eyes, but in the end, what remained was only the image of Father having become the flame itself.
“...I do not know.”
Thus I answered honestly.
Though I had seen much, I did not know anything.
Enough to disappoint myself.
“Hm.”
Hearing my answer, Father made a short sound. And as always, he merely nodded slightly.
“I see.”
It was neither satisfaction nor disappointment.
It was a truly father-like reaction, I thought.
Then.
Tuk.
“…!”
A coarse hand was placed on my head.
It was Father’s hand.
Sseuk-sseuk.
A pat completely devoid of delicacy.
A hand movement that felt full of inexperience, as if he hadn’t done this many times.
Even while feeling that, I did not utter a word.
“...”
“...”
Father was the same.
A strangely unparalleled flow of air passed between us.
Father patted my head like that for a few seconds.
“You did well.”
“...”
He spat out praise thoroughly soaked in awkwardness.
Wondering what this was all about, I could not show any reaction.
All I could do was nod my head.
“...Thank you....”
“Yes.”
“...”
“...”
The suffocating atmosphere continued enough to make me want to flee.
At this point he should have taken his hand away, but Father still kept his hand on my head.
I was flustered, wondering what to do about this.
I thought about stepping back first, but decided to just stay still and spoke to Father first.
“Um, Father….”
“Come to think of it.”
The moment I was about to ask how on earth he had come here.
“There is something I must tell you about your mother.”
“…!”
At the abrupt words Father brought up, I had to widen my eyes.
“You mean talk about Mother?”
“You said the Guyeomhwaryun Gong would tell you where your mother is once you reached the Guseong stage.”
I had not yet reached Guseong at this point.
Then, was it a different matter?
Though it was a sudden statement, my full concentration turned to Father.
At my reaction, Father spoke.
“Yes, about your mother….”
Watching Father with a pounding heart at the words that followed.
“Hm.”
Father, about to add more, closed his mouth for a moment and made a subtle expression.
He seemed to have sensed something strange.
“What is it?”
“I see.”
Father nodded as if he had realized something.
And said to me.
“Time is up.”
“Excuse me?”
“I shall go first. Return without delay.”
“What do you mean by—”
Fwoosh.
“...Huh?”
He disappeared before my eyes, engulfed in flames.
“…?”
Fwiiiiing.
Left alone, facing the cold wind, I thought.
What the hell kind of situation is this now…?