Chapter 311. There Was No Opening.

The Blade King said with a smile.

“……You’re calmer than the rumors say. I heard you fought like a mad dog.”

I did not move rashly, like a mad dog glaring at its prey, but the Blade King prowled around me, observing me. From the start, he gave off a leisure that suggested the thought of losing to me had never even crossed his mind.

In any case, since I had been treated like a mad dog, I spoke without much thought.

“Stop prowling around like a stray mutt and let’s begin.”

Only then did the smile slowly vanish from the Blade King’s face.

“Sect Leader, isn’t that usually something one cannot say to kings?”

“Do I look like the neighborhood mad dog to you? I doubt it.”

Windows of Wolhagwan began to slide open here and there, and the voice of the Eldest Young Master of the Baekri Clan was heard.

“Senior, may we watch the spar?”

While keeping his eyes on me, the Blade King answered curtly.

“Don’t talk to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

When another window opened, I instinctively moved my eyes, and then felt a cold wind against my face.

‘Damn it.’

For the crime of moving my eyes once, I retreated while knocking away the Blade King’s blade, which had reached my face, four times, and only barely managed to launch a single counterattack worthy of the name.

Pak!

The Blade King stepped back with ease and snorted.

“Where do you think you’re looking? Insolent brat.”

The Fist King’s voice also flowed out from a window, but just as the Blade King said, I had no leisure to look this time.

“They’re fighting already.”

“So they are.”

“Watch closely. This is a fight between famous figures.”

“Is it all right to watch so openly?”

“If they disliked it, those fellows would go fight in the mountains. They’re doing it here because they want us to look. You may watch.”

“Yes, sir.”

The conversation between the master and disciple who only threw punches was terribly grating, but I forced myself to focus on the Blade King. In any case, seniors usually yielded the first move to juniors, but the Blade King had no such courtesy whatsoever.

Come to think of it, it was my fault, since I had attacked first with a despicable surprise attack. The Sword King, who was appreciating the spar from inside his room by sound alone, also cut in.

“Blade King, aren’t you being too cautious against a junior?”

It seemed he had grasped what kind of attack it was without even seeing it.

“Shut up. You don’t even know……”

The moment the Blade King answered the Sword King, I launched my attack.

Openings only seemed to appear at moments like this.

Partly to see how far the offense of the Dokgo Heavy Sword would carry against the Blade King, I swung my sword as if forcing him onto the defensive.

Each time the wooden swords collided, my wrist felt the strain, and the tips of my elbows occasionally went numb.

Because he still did not know my methods, the highly wary Blade King knocked aside my wooden sword, leaping here and there as he repeatedly widened the distance.

I chased after the Blade King’s footwork and swung my sword, filled only with intent to attack, faster than usual. Earlier I had flusteredly blocked four of his blades, but this time, after continuing six or seven attacks, I received the swift counterattack of the Blade King, who had abruptly lowered his stance.

I felt as if my knee were being shattered, but since I had already dodged by instinct, only a brief chill ran down my spine.

This was one of the counterattack forms I had seen in my previous life.

Without showing any sign of being flustered by the Dokgo Heavy Sword, the Blade King overturned my offensive simply by controlling the distance.

With no other choice, this time I withdrew again.

After deflecting the Nameless Blade more than ten times, I turned my sword downward to block the blade surging in from below, and at the same time met the Blade King’s palm force, which covered my upper body, with the Flame Realm Great Hand Seal.

Kuwaaaaang!

I wondered if this was allowed in a spar, but the palm-shaped Flame Realm Great Hand Seal split apart in an instant, and the Blade King’s Nameless Blade thrust out.

Since we were in a state of fighting with sheathed weapons, I had no choice but to respond with the tip of my wooden sword.

Thud!

The moment the ends of the sword and blade, both infused with internal energy, collided precisely, we both frowned and stepped back.

“……”

My shoulder blade hurt as if it were being torn apart, but if I had responded to that attack with a sweeping strike, the result would have been even worse for me.

The instant the Blade King saw my expression, he charged again. Since my shoulder was momentarily not in its usual state, I had no choice but to seize the Nameless Blade with my left hand infused with ice art, and at the same time aim my wooden sword at the Blade King’s shoulder blade.

At that perilous moment for both of us……

The blade slid out from the scabbard of the Nameless Blade I had grabbed with ice art, and the Blade King widened the distance in an instant.

Only then did the Blade King’s eyes grow wide.

“Huh?”

The Blade King’s response had been faster than the speed at which my ice art spread inside the scabbard. However, having drawn his blade contrary to our agreement, the Blade King looked at me with an awkward expression.

I waited briefly for the Blade King’s response.

The Blade King said.

“Give me the scabbard. For a moment, I mistook this for a real fight. Let’s go again.”

“A mistake?”

The Blade King nodded.

“I felt as though the blade was sticking because of the ice art, so I instinctively drew it. It was my mistake.”

“Then I won, didn’t I?”

“Not that.”

It had happened because his response had been faster than the speed of thought. The Blade King caught the scabbard I threw and said as he sheathed the Nameless Blade.

“Sect Leader, hateful though you are, I can’t very well split you apart with a real blade.”

“Damn it……”

“You bastard!”

We clashed again.

As I sorted through the preliminary exchange, I examined the thoughts that flashed through my mind as strategies, and erased some of them. In that short time, I reviewed the spar I had had with the Blade King in my previous life and applied it to the current situation.

Once we actually crossed hands, our experience was about the same.

You could call it an advantage of regression.

The memory of fighting him in my previous life gradually helped stabilize my responses.

What I lacked was likely the difference in internal energy born from the gap in years, but even if the opponent was the Blade King, I had Cheonok, so the gap in internal energy was not hopelessly vast. In the end, just as Im Sobaek had said, this fight had to become a study in how to defeat a master whose internal energy was deeper than mine.

I was not close with the Blade King, so I did not know the name of this fellow’s blade art, nor did I know the names of his forms. However, each time I knocked them away with my wooden sword, sometimes through experience, sometimes through instinct, and at certain moments because they were forms I had suffered in my previous life, I was able to respond correctly.

Rather, the Blade King’s expression grew increasingly serious as he dealt with the counterattacks of the Dokgo Heavy Sword, which had no rules. Because when I took the offensive, even the Blade King had to focus solely on defense and wait for an opportunity.

But the Blade King, too, understood the Dokgo Heavy Sword with frightening speed.

With no other choice, we both unfolded fast blade and fast sword, mixing all sorts of methods into a brief span of time.

Without a word, sword and blade clashed fifty or sixty times without yielding an inch.

The Blade King’s blade art was layered with feints, the profundity of his forms was deep, and his internal energy was solid, but without being pushed back by any of it, I knocked aside the Nameless Blade and at times launched counterattacks.

Every time I parried the Nameless Blade, I looked closely at Dowang’s face. This bastard was employing deception even with his eyes, just as he had in my previous life. He would fix his gaze on my waist while thrusting at my shoulder, or look to the right while pouring internal force from his left palm.

But I read the deception in his eyes and responded accordingly. They were all techniques I had experienced before, to the point that I felt almost glad to see them again.

However, the speed of his blade was no different at all from my previous life.

Moreover, the heaviness and lightness within that swift blade shifted from moment to moment. If I struck a light attack hard, it was a trap he had laid in advance, and I would fall victim to a counterattack from his left palm; if I deflected a heavy one too lightly, I would lose my wooden sword or have my grip torn apart.

Even the shifting weight of this Nameless Blade was something I could handle more smoothly than in my previous life, thanks to having mastered the Jaeunjong. I had now adapted to the wind and speed raised by the Nameless Blade and grasped its weight perfectly.

Strangely enough, a thought occurred to me.

Thanks to this martial duel, the prowess of the past life’s Mad Demon and the current life’s Haomunju was being forcibly fused together.

It was a strange feeling, difficult to express in words.

Perhaps realizing he couldn’t overwhelm me through technique, Dowang slowly unleashed a blade cry from the Nameless Blade he wielded.

It was the sound of the blade humming as his internal energy deepened.

If I poured more internal energy into my wooden sword in this state, even the scabbard would likely shatter, so I couldn’t mimic him. While deflecting based on the weight, the afterimages of the Nameless Blade multiplied to two or three.

They weren’t afterimages, but actual Swift Blades.

The moment I evaded Dowang’s downward strike, executed like a supreme technique at close range, a blade wind flew out and easily demolished the wall of the Wolhagwan.

Kwaaaaaang!

I spun and dodged, adding rotational force to scatter the cold qi of the Moon Shadow Traceless Art forward.

The cold qi that had flown in a straight line split cleanly apart; through the gap between the upper and lower halves, Dowang leaped out again and swung his blade fiercely.

I unleashed the lightning qi of the Hundred Battles Ten Stages Art from my five fingers, and at the same time brought my wooden sword down vertically with the momentum of Single Blade Bisection.

When I attacked with the combined five streams of lightning qi and a clear downward strike, Dowang laid the Nameless Blade horizontally and reinforced the back of the blade with internal force.

The blade wind spread forward like a blade split by internal force, shattering the five streams of lightning qi and sword wind into pieces.

For a moment, in the silence that descended, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Can this really be settled as a martial duel?’

We couldn’t defeat each other by holding back. When the words “let’s fight with real blades” had reached the tip of my tongue, Dowang looked toward the entrance of the Wolhagwan.

Before I knew it, Alliance Leader Im Sobaek had inserted himself among the onlookers.

Im Sobaek spoke.

“I had a spacious dueling stage prepared, yet you insist on fighting in front of your quarters.”

Now that I looked, the wall of the Wolhagwan had collapsed enough for three or four people to pass through.

Im Sobaek looked at me.

“It’s slightly ambiguous whether this is a brawl or a martial duel. Munju, you aren’t worked up, are you?”

It seemed he had misunderstood because of the wall.

I decided to tell on him first.

“…It was a duel, but Dowang destroyed it. It wasn’t me, at least.”

Dowang looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“Didn’t it collapse while we were fighting together?”

I shook my head with a calm expression.

“You can’t just destroy the Murim Alliance’s property without care.”

Dowang suddenly spoke with a bitter expression.

“I’ll compensate for the wall, so let’s continue the match.”

Im Sobaek spoke.

“Dowang, how can a man with no money speak of compensation? For now, calm your excitement and consider the first exchange a draw.”

“A draw? I didn’t even fight to the end.”

Im Sobaek defended me.

“If it went to the end, Munju could blow away the entire Wolhagwan behind you. I confirmed that at Namak.”

Dowang looked at the Wolhagwan.

“The Wolhagwan? That’s too much of a joke.”

In truth, I could make the entire Wolhagwan disappear with the Sun-Moon Light Heaven, so the Alliance Leader’s defense wasn’t wrong.

Only then did a window open, and the Sword Demon and Martial Sword King revealed themselves. They appeared to have deliberately not watched the duel.

The moment Dowang met eyes with the Sword Demon, he asked in a prickly tone.

“Who are you?”

Perhaps Dowang’s killing intent had reacted to the killing intent in the Sword Demon’s eyes. When Dowang asked in informal speech, the Sword Demon answered in a monotone voice.

“No need for you to know.”

Suddenly, Im Sobaek spoke with a smile.

“If you want to settle the match properly, get on the dueling stage after eating. Dueling is forbidden here. The wall will be repaired by the alliance members, so don’t concern yourselves.”

I nodded.

“Let’s do that.”

Dowang asked me as if to confirm.

“Munju, with real blades?”

When I nodded, Im Sobaek raised his hand.

“The special sandalwood swords in the Murim Alliance are quite durable, so you two will settle the match with those. With your skills, even sandalwood swords will be dangerous to each other.”

Dowang said.

“They’re different from straight swords, so how…”

Im Sobaek spoke with an attitude of no compromise.

“Use them if I tell you to. We have sandalwood blades too. Did you think I invited you here to watch you injure each other with real blades? Everyone else must also duel with sandalwood swords. No exceptions.”

They seemed to be wooden swords made of birch, but since I had been using a wooden sword from the start, it was actually a favorable situation.

Perhaps intending to eat with the Alliance Leader, Dowang glanced at me once and then followed Im Sobaek.

* * *

Throughout the meal at the Wolhagwan, I was so preoccupied with thinking about Dowang’s movements that I didn’t pay attention to whether the rice was entering my mouth or my nose.

Because I was lost in thought, neither the Sword Demon nor the Ghost Demon, who were eating with me, spoke to me. Since I hadn’t chewed properly, my stomach was bloated, but I felt short on time to think.

When I set down my chopsticks early, the Ghost Demon asked me.

“You can’t see any openings?”

I came to my senses and nodded.

“He’s an opponent I can’t defeat without killing. Being told to settle the match makes it difficult. But I hate losing even more.”

A sigh escaped me before I finished speaking.

The Sword Demon answered briefly.

“Your opponent is likely the same, so there’s no need to overthink it.”

“Mm, is that so?”

The Ghost Demon also spoke while looking at me.

“You looked evenly matched, which made it seem dangerous. Dowang was flustered too. The latter half wasn’t a duel. It was a real fight.”

I shared my thoughts with the Sword Demon and Ghost Demon.

“A martial duel is difficult in another sense. Come to think of it, the match between my eldest brother and the Alliance Leader at Oksu Sanjang was a true martial duel. I suppose I still worry too much about losing.”

At the time, the two of them had simply confirmed the superiority of their martial arts with precision, and the match had ended cleanly. Thinking back on it now, it had been an impressive spar.

Compared to that, the Saber King and I seemed to be quietly racking our brains for tricks to beat each other. If I only thought about tricks, then tricks were all that would improve, and not the skill that could take me to greater heights. The thought did not sit well with me.

I kept reminding myself that the purpose of the fight taking place here should not be victory, but the accumulation of skill.

I rose first.

“……I need to sort out my thoughts.”

As I headed toward the sparring platform, I continued to ponder the exchange of attacks and defenses.

I thought that not living the way one had always lived was as difficult as training in martial arts.

While I stood there on the sparring platform, fiddling with the wooden sword an alliance member had brought over and lost in thought, my digestion progressed so quickly that I began to feel hungry again.

Why was my mind refusing to settle down like this? No matter how deeply I thought, the Saber King had no openings.

“…….”

Out of old habit, my thoughts moved toward using the surrounding objects, running away, and setting traps, but those were methods I could not use on a sparring platform with limited space.

But if I tried to fight head-on, the Saber King’s blade was so fast that I could see neither weakness nor opening.

A contest of internal energy was not suitable either. There was no need to decide the outcome in such a manner when fighting the Saber King.

And so my thoughts kept returning to the starting point.

‘This is driving me insane.’

Before I knew it, those who had finished eating had gathered to watch the spar, but neither the Alliance Leader nor the Saber King had appeared.

I looked at the Sword Demon, who had come close to the sparring platform.

The Sword Demon asked me.

“Have you sorted it out?”

“Not yet.”

When I shook my head, the Sword Demon advised me in a calm tone.

“He is an opponent worthy of that. Start by governing your heart. You may fight even worse than before. If you get carried away, your hands and feet will become disordered. Surely you don’t think you’re the only one agonizing over this?”

“Is that so?”

Every word was right, so I began by taking a deep breath. Because my mind was anxious, I had been shaking my leg first, just like back when I was a waiter.

Even after the audience had all gathered, the Saber King did not appear.

Then, out of nowhere, the Lust Demon, who had gone out for a stroll, climbed up onto the sparring platform and looked around.

I asked the shitter.

“What are you doing here?”

The Lust Demon said to the gathered spectators.

“On my way back, I met Senior Saber King walking with the Alliance Leader.”

“And?”

The Lust Demon looked at me.

“……He said he couldn’t see any openings in the Hao Gate Master, so it would be difficult to decide the match right away. He is taking a walk with the Alliance Leader, so go inside and rest. The show is over, so everyone, go about your business.”

“Mm.”

Without realizing it, a long sigh escaped my mouth. A strange sense of pressure was flowing out with that sigh. While the people returned one by one, chatting among themselves, only the four of us Great Villains remained around the sparring platform.

The Sword Demon looked at me and gave a faint smile.

“Third.”

“Hm?”

“You weren’t the only one feeling burdened. Don’t get trapped in your own thoughts and sink down. It was a good spar. Your opponent was the Saber King.”

At our eldest brother’s words, the burden and heavy worries that had filled my chest vanished in an instant.

Was the burden of the heart truly this heavy?

I had been surrounded by a fog of my own making, and only now did I clearly perceive the things around me again. In any case, since I had crossed hands with him once, I shared my thoughts with the Four Great Villains.

“……He isn’t a king for nothing. There’s something different about him.”

Hearing my words, the Sword Demon, the Ghost Demon, and the Lust Demon all nodded at the same time.