Chronicle of the Silver Dragon, Episode 38
“I was surprised, too.”
As Cheong Deung-un spoke with a smile, Dokgo Ryeong also answered smiling.
“Then that young hero must be here as well?”
“Yes.”
At Dokgo Ryeong’s words, Cheong Deung-un made a bitter expression.
He still could not forget what had happened that day. He would never be able to forget the sight of that small boy who, unable to shed tears, had smiled and sworn vengeance. The boy’s retreating figure had looked so sorrowful that it alone was enough to rend one’s heart.
The martial arts tournament proceeded smoothly.
Je Hwa and Hong Yuhwa each felled their opponents in a single blow, shocking those around them, and I Seolhye defeated Sword Dragon Moyong Sinu, once again shocking the onlookers.
A new late-stage disciple had appeared in the Kunlun Sect, and the fact that this disciple was a woman drew the attention of countless people.
And now, finally, the last match of the round of sixty-four was about to begin.
For the first time in this tournament, it was a match between women.
One was Paeng Okryeong, a daughter of the Hebei Paeng clan, and the other was a girl harboring mysterious hostility.
“I am Paeng Okryeong.”
Paeng Okryeong politely greeted the girl who appeared to be around her age.
Both looked to be in their mid-teens.
In truth, Paeng Okryeong was sixteen years old, but even so, she possessed considerable martial arts.
“Yan Niaohui.”
At Paeng Okryeong’s words, the girl introduced herself with a bright smile and then pulled a fan from her bosom.
Watching her take out a twin fan flickering with patterns of a reddish hue that looked ready to burst into flames at any moment, Paeng Okryeong drew her sword with a puzzled expression.
‘That twin fan is her weapon? How peculiar……’
The girl called Yan Niaohui flashed a grin at Paeng Okryeong’s head tilt and moved softly, and with that, Paeng Okryeong was sent flying.
Boom! Krrrk!
“Kuhk!”
Amid an enormous noise, Paeng Okryeong was pushed straight back and vomited blood.
Eyes wide, body trembling violently, she looked at Yan Niaohui.
She had not seen a thing, but of this one fact she was certain: after that attack, she no longer had the strength left to fight!
“Uuugh……”
Just as Paeng Okryeong clenched her teeth and tried to rise, Yan Niaohui moved once more.
Watching this, the horrified Paeng Okryeong squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for the coming impact.
Boom!
She flinched at the explosion that rang out.
But there was no pain.
When she gently opened her eyes, someone was standing before her with their back to her.
“Huh?”
Before Paeng Okryeong and Yan Niaohui’s match began, watching Yan Niaohui ascend to the arena, Je Hwa’s eyes went wide.
“What’s wrong?”
Sa Wolrin, who had been watching Je Hwa with a puzzled expression, asked, and he muttered blankly.
“Fire.”
“What?”
Watching Je Hwa mutter blankly, Sa Wolrin frowned.
“Hey.”
Then Je Hwa, his face twisting, called out to someone.
But no one answered that call, so finally Je Hwa called out a name.
“Hong Yuhwa.”
“What?”
At that call, Hong Yuhwa, who had been standing far away, instantly embraced Je Hwa from behind with a bright smile.
At that sight, Sa Wolrin feeling her stomach twist tried to pull the two apart, but Je Hwa spoke.
“That girl……”
“Hmm?”
Watching Je Hwa point at someone with a stiff face, Hong Yuhwa turned her head with a puzzled expression, and the moment she saw who he was pointing at, she was shocked.
“Wha…… wha, what! There’s someone like that?”
Hong Yuhwa looked at Yan Niaohui with a shocked face and muttered blankly.
“T-there was such a being in this world, too? How can this be……”
As Sa Wolrin tilted her head at Hong Yuhwa’s blank muttering, Je Hwa suddenly shot forward.
“……”
Yan Niaohui looked at Je Hwa with a smirk.
“Hello.”
Seeing Yan Niaohui fold her fan and greet him, Je Hwa frowned.
“You’ve got quite the nerve. Anyway, are you from the East? The West? The East? Hmm…… Is it the West? No, maybe the East……”
Watching Yan Niaohui furrow her face and look at him with an ambiguous expression, Je Hwa spoke.
“What nonsense.”
At those words, Yan Niaohui opened her eyes wide and asked.
“You’re not a Divine Beast?”
“What is that now?”
“Hmm……”
Yan Niaohui frowned and muttered.
“A Divine Beast, but not a Directional Divine Beast?”
Yan Niaohui tilted her head, then smiled brightly a moment later.
“Well, whatever. See you later.”
Having said that, Yan Niaohui looked at the referee, and the startled referee declared her victory.
Having claimed an easy victory, she leisurely descended from the arena, and Je Hwa tilted his head as he watched Yan Niaohui’s retreating figure.
***
“When shall we begin the operation?”
“Who knows. Especially since I never imagined that boy would come here……”
In a dark room perfectly suited for scheming, two people were conversing.
“Is that boy called Eun Je Hwa really that dangerous?”
“The cult has designated him as a top-class threat as well. There was a time when the Blood Ghost watching him vanished.”
“That person……”
The middle-aged man made a surprised expression at the young man’s words.
“Well, it doesn’t matter much for now. The Blood Ghost just made contact. And he sent word that he might be able to kill that boy.”
“That is welcome news.”
The middle-aged man answered the young man’s words.
“Yes, it is welcome news…… By the way, how do you plan to deal with this?”
The young man, Hyeolyeong, tilted his head and fell into thought.
***
“That woman who fought Paeng Okryeong today, what in the world is she?”
“Dunno.”
Je Hwa answered Sa Wolrin’s question indifferently.
“But she looked like quite the dangerous woman.”
Hong Yuhwa said with a frown.
“For you to say that much about her, she must be incredible.”
“I was pretty surprised, too. I never dreamed there would be such a monster here as well. But if she crosses paths with me, she’s finished! Ohohohoho!”
As Hong Yuhwa covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed like a queen, Sa Wolrin said.
“Terminal princess syndrome.”
“What?”
Hong Yuhwa immediately glared at Sa Wolrin with fierce eyes.
In truth, Hong Yuhwa was not a patient with terminal princess syndrome, but an actual princess.
However, Hong Yuhwa, who had once been treated like a madwoman, did not do anything foolish like arbitrarily shouting “I’m a real princess!”
Hong Yuhwa looked at Sa Wolrin with a terrifying expression, and Sa Wolrin, slightly intimidated by that gaze, began to act nonchalant.
“What is it?”
Leaving behind the bickering Hong Yuhwa and Sa Wolrin, I Seolhye asked Je Hwa, who was blankly looking out the window, and he muttered.
“I’ve got a bad feeling.”
Je Hwa thought that something was going to happen.
***
The next day, the final sixteen competitors fought their matches.
Je Hwa easily claimed victory against Jegal Hwan, and Hong Yuhwa, Sa Wolrin, and I Seolhye also achieved smooth victories.
Sa Wolrin and I Seolhye were experts who used Half Sword Qi, the realm just before Sword Qi that was rarely seen in the martial arts world. This meant they were not at a level to be defeated by mere late-stage disciples.
And the next day, Yan Niaohui and Hong Yuhwa were set to fight.
“Hello.”
As Yan Niaohui smiled and greeted Hong Yuhwa, Hong Yuhwa also smiled and returned the greeting.
“Yes, hello.”
Hong Yuhwa looked much older in age.
As the two women ascended the arena, tension rather began to flow among the spectators.
Both were strong fighters who, until now, had never exchanged more than two moves with an opponent.
While everyone watched the two nervously, as expected, Yan Niaohui drew two twin fans from her bosom.
Swish!
With a crisp sound, the twin fans unfurled with a snap!
At that sight, everyone around exclaimed in admiration.
Watching the twin fans that seemed made of some bird’s feathers, Hong Yuhwa also raised her fists.
The two women, glaring at each other in confrontation, simultaneously frowned a moment later. Neither could find the slightest opening in the other.
Unable to wait any longer, Hong Yuhwa moved first. She charged at Yan Niaohui in an instant and swung her fist.
Smack!
Hong Yuhwa’s fist was lightly blocked by Yan Niaohui’s fan.
Yan Niaohui, who had been sneering at Hong Yuhwa, soon turned pale.
“Wh-what monstrous strength……”
“I happen to be quite confident in close combat, you know?”
“You’re a woman and you fight like this! How can you be so crude!”
“What? You done talking?”
Hong Yuhwa’s face twisted ferociously.
Sliiide!
“Huh?”
Smack!
“Kuhk!”
Hong Yuhwa, who had been making such a ferocious expression, wore a bewildered expression as her fist was pulled away, and Yan Niaohui swung her fan straight at the opening that had appeared along with it.
The heavy impact was unimaginable to have come from a fan, and as Hong Yuhwa staggered, Yan Niaohui’s foot struck her stomach.
Thud!
“Keuk!”
Hong Yuhwa’s body floated into the air.
But Hong Yuhwa was not one to keep taking hits.
Using the superior physical abilities unique to a demon, she kicked Yan Niaohui’s head immediately.
Boom!
In an instant, Yan Niaohui’s head was driven into the arena floor.
“Ugh…… That must hurt.”
Sa Wolrin, watching the arena, trembled and muttered.
“As expected, they’re monsters…… Anyway, is that woman okay?”
I Seolhye also muttered with a worried expression.
“She’ll be fine.”
Je Hwa said with an expressionless face to I Seolhye’s muttering.
Along with those words, Yan Niaohui sprang up from where she was.
“Ugh……”
Yan Niaohui, frowning and clutching her head, glared at Hong Yuhwa, and at that gaze Hong Yuhwa shouted with a smile full of malice.
“Bring it!”
Swhak!
Yan Niaohui also spread her twin fans wide again.
And the moment she swung them at Hong Yuhwa, the latter felt an immense pressure of wind.
“Kuh!”
A wind imbued with powerful heat, at that.
In that instant, Hong Yuhwa’s body was lifted by the wind, and Yan Niaohui, seeing that, rushed at her without hesitation.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Kwagagagang!
Hong Yuhwa blocked Yan Niaohui by swinging both fists at her.
“Kuh!”
At that, Yan Niaohui frowned and stepped back.
The arena had long since been dyed in astonishment. This was like watching a fight between masters who had reached an incredible realm.
“Ha! You’re as incredible as that brat! What kind of Divine Beast are you?”