Chapter 112. The Secret of the Sixth Combat Unit Sword

I stared at the main gate where the Alliance Leader had disappeared.

‘That damn bastard is strong.’

It wasn’t strange. He wasn’t strong because he was the Alliance Leader; he was the Alliance Leader because he was strong.

Was that the same thing?

In any case, whatever it was, I was in an unpleasant mood too.

It wasn’t only the Sword Demon who had lost. I had lost as well, and judging by the Left Envoy’s expression, that bastard seemed to have lost too.

‘Damn it…….’

Even so, the Sword Demon glanced at his disciple and me, then smiled an inscrutable smile before simply sitting cross-legged and beginning his breathing circulation.

I met the Left Envoy’s eyes, then sat around the Sword Demon with him as if protecting him, and for the moment kept my mouth shut.

My insides were boiling, but it wasn’t as though I had been the one defeated, so it wasn’t a situation where I could recklessly fly into a rage.

Looking at the Sword Demon, I swallowed even the sigh that almost escaped me.

‘Once he finishes his breathing circulation, I’ll ask why he fought like this.’

This bout had probably included the purpose of showing something to the Left Envoy and me.

Seeing how my temper was flaring like this, the Sword Demon had achieved his objective.

The Left Envoy bastard must have been suppressing his anger too, because his face had turned bright red. All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind, and the silence stretched on for a long time.

“…….”

Suddenly, the Alliance Leader’s words lingered in my ears.

「It was a wooden-sword spar, so there is no need to attach deep meaning to victory or defeat.」

Would the meaning change if they sparred with real swords?

Of course it would.

They would have fought for much longer, and with the two of their skills, it would not have been strange if a murderous spar unfolded that left Oksu Mountain Manor in ruins.

That was why I could not help being even more bewildered.

‘Why did the Sword Demon fight so tamely?’

The Alliance Leader’s ultimate techniques had not appeared either.

Nor had I been able to see the demonic arts the Sword Demon surely must have mastered.

As soon as the two ended the spar with the simplest exchange of offense and defense, they parted cleanly, as if they had promised to do so.

The Alliance Leader must have realized the purpose of the spar as well.

「There was no need for a contest of palm force, yet you deliberately showed it.」

Those words probably meant that the Alliance Leader knew the spar was meant to show something to the Left Envoy and me.

A short while later, when the Sword Demon finished his breathing circulation and opened his eyes, the Left Envoy spoke carefully.

“Master, I apologize.”

I suppressed my anger and considerately allowed master and disciple to speak first.

The Sword Demon replied.

“Mongrang, did you watch closely? Your master was defeated like this.”

“Yes.”

“How does it feel?”

The Left Envoy answered with something unexpected.

“Were you angry because of me, and so deliberately crossed hands with him?”

The Sword Demon shook his head.

“Not exactly.”

“The Alliance Leader’s wooden sword was impressive. But I do not understand why you had to declare defeat through such a simple—no, brief—match. Even if the opponent was the Alliance Leader.”

Instead of answering his disciple, the Sword Demon looked at me.

“Was it of help to you as well, Sect Leader?”

I answered according to my temper.

“Senior, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“Ask.”

“When the Alliance Leader swung his sword, the trajectory was extremely simple, but I had the feeling that several swords were being added in succession along that same path. He clearly swung one sword, but at the point of impact, it felt as though one sword, two swords, three swords, four swords, and five swords were added one after another. What sword art is that, and how should one deal with……”

The Sword Demon said with a laugh.

“How many afterimages did all of it appear to be?”

“I saw six.”

The Sword Demon asked his disciple as well.

“And you?”

The Left Envoy answered honestly.

“I saw four or five. It felt like afterimages, so I’m not certain.”

The Sword Demon explained the Alliance Leader’s martial art.

“Both of you saw well. That is a martial art called the Sixth Combat Unit Sword (六戰隊劍).”

“Mm.”

“It is the Alliance Leader’s unique martial art. Only the name is widely known; no one knows its principles. Even the Alliance Leader’s disciples likely do not know yet. They wouldn’t be at the level to learn it.”

The Left Envoy asked a question.

“Master, I do not know what the term Sixth Combat Unit itself means.”

“You are from the same orthodox faction, and yet you do not know?”

“Yes. To be honest, I had no interest even in the Alliance Leader’s martial arts.”

“Alliance Leader Im was the leader of the Murim Alliance’s Sixth Combat Unit. In other words, he still uses the sword art he created when he was a unit leader. That is why the name is exceedingly simple as well. It simply means the sword of the Sixth Combat Unit.”

The Left Envoy tilted his head.

“Was he not an expert from some great clan or sect?”

The Sword Demon spoke in an even tone.

“Im Sobaek was a man who rose from ordinary alliance member, to messenger, to assistant squad leader, squad leader, unit leader, chief unit leader, division leader, and guardian hall master, before eventually becoming the Alliance Leader. From the time he was an alliance member, he frequently sparred with other alliance members and repeated victory and defeat, but from the time he became a division leader, he did not lose. When he was guardian hall master, he often sparred with experts of the orthodox faction and did not lose, and without any particular controversy, became Alliance Leader through his ability. Because of his peculiar personality, he sought out those who had defeated him in the past without resentment and sparred with them again, and all of them lost to Im Sobaek.”

“Mm.”

“There are not many experts in the jianghu who can hold out against the Alliance Leader. The best one can do is acknowledge the opponent’s skill and, as I did today, briefly cross hands to examine one’s insights. If anything, the Alliance Leader was remarkable for making time for me. That is because he is a man who has no need to prove his skill again. But what is even more remarkable?”

The Left Envoy replied.

“I’m not sure. I don’t know.”

The Sword Demon said with a solemn expression.

“He showed me the techniques of the Sixth Combat Unit Sword. He revealed his own ultimate art in a mere spar like this. It may have been a rebuke telling me to take stimulation from it and devote myself further to cultivation. Or perhaps his confidence is simply tremendous. Even if his techniques are exposed, he can deal with the likes of me at any time.”

I was greatly impressed by the Alliance Leader’s thoughts, but the Left Envoy’s personality was a bit more twisted.

“Then that is even more displeasing. What an arrogant Alliance Leader.”

“No. In truth, there is an emotional story mixed into this as well.”

The Sword Demon spoke as he recalled the past.

“The Sixth Combat Unit that Im Sobaek led in his youth was annihilated by the current Demon Cult. Alliance Leader Im survived alone. The fact that he attached the name Sixth Combat Unit Sword to the sword art he displays likely means he will not forget until the day he dies. He will never want to lose to any expert connected to the Demon Cult.”

At those words, I fell silent, and the Left Envoy also fell silent.

“…….”

The Sword Demon continued.

“Even so, the fact that he agreed to spar with me, a man who came out of the Demonic Cult, means Alliance Leader Im is no narrow-minded man. If someone was from the Demonic Cult, he likely would have wanted to tear him limb from limb and kill him, but as you saw, he did not reveal his emotions throughout the match. If anything, he urged me to join the alliance. With a man like that, it is only right to show proper courtesy in a match, and to accept defeat calmly as I did today. I doubt his feelings toward me were entirely favorable either.”

The Left Envoy asked cautiously.

“Surely it wasn’t Master who massacred the Sixth Battle Unit, was it?”

“Alliance Leader Im is a man with feelings as well. If that had been the case, the two of us would naturally have fought a life-and-death duel today.”

Only after hearing the Sword Demon’s words did I feel somewhat relieved.

‘So that Alliance Leader bastard had a story like that.’

Perhaps the shit-pants bastard had changed his mind too, because he nodded several times without saying a word.

In any case, this sparring match had given much to think about to the Sword Demon, the Lust Demon, and me as well. The three of us had very different personalities, but when it came to martial arts, we were all serious men.

This time, I asked the Sword Demon.

“Senior, why did you insist on fighting at a time like this?”

At my question, the Sword Demon smiled.

“Look. Now, in the jianghu, I am probably the only man who has crossed hands with the Cult Leader and sparred with the Alliance Leader. I did have thoughts of showing this match to the two of you, but in the end, this will become my stepping-stone. I am looking far ahead. It is impossible to become stronger through training alone. And Alliance Leader Im will also understand the meaning of a wooden-sword spar.”

The Left Envoy asked.

“Meaning what?”

“That one should not place too much significance on victory or defeat in a wooden-sword spar.”

“Yes, the Alliance Leader said as much.”

Despite his defeat, the Sword Demon spoke with an utterly unshaken attitude.

“To begin with, I have far more methods suited to fighting with death on the line. Alliance Leader Im would know that as well. However, I wanted to cross swords with him purely as a swordsman. And I lost. That is the whole story of this match.”

When the Left Envoy looked dejected, the Sword Demon suddenly attacked him verbally.

“If you want to become only moderately strong and end up suffering such a sight, then go on living while flirting with women as you please. I guarantee you, you will not even come near the Alliance Leader.”

The Left Envoy lowered his head deeply.

This time, the Sword Demon gazed intently at me.

“In any case, I do not know how to deal with this Sixfold Great Sword. It is not as though I can ask the Alliance Leader to teach me. What does the Sect Leader think?”

Listening to him, it seemed the Sword Demon truly had come to learn a thing or two about the sword from the Alliance Leader.

There was not the slightest hint that he was ashamed of his defeat.

That struck me deeply.

After pondering for a while, I took the Flash Dagger from my robe and held it in my hand.

“If I were to imitate the principle of the Sixfold Great Sword, even roughly, it would probably be…”

I infused the Flash Dagger with fire-attribute qi.

The dagger turned red. Then, the moment I infused it with wood-attribute qi, the blade returned to its original color.

“I cannot know the details, but it seems he performed this kind of simple repetition six times in that brief instant. The trajectory would remain the same, but it seems like a method devised to add destructive force to the sword. Had it been performed with a real sword, the opponent’s weapon would most likely have broken. Somehow, I think I understand how this Sixfold Great Sword was born.”

The Sword Demon tilted his head with a somewhat surprised expression.

“You think you understand?”

I nodded.

“If he started as a low-ranking alliance member, that means his family was not anything impressive. The cheap iron sword he used in his days as an alliance member must have broken many times through frequent sparring. Perhaps it was a martial art he devised while struggling, in his poor circumstances, to keep even a shabby sword from breaking… A sword art that could not have been created by someone who had never used a lousy sword. Perhaps for the Alliance Leader, whether he uses a rusty iron sword, a wooden sword, or a sharp treasured blade, the difference in his ability is not that great. He would be strong with all of them. The Alliance Leader’s sword seems to me like a strange phenomenon created by real combat, survival, and poverty.”

That was my conclusion.

“What do you think, Senior?”

When I suddenly looked at the Sword Demon, he was staring at me with his eyes wide open.

‘You startled me.’

The Sword Demon folded his arms and fell into thought without saying a word. Suddenly, I looked at the shit-pants bastard.

‘This bastard? Where does he get off glaring?’

The shit-pants bastard was glaring at me too. But soon enough, he also avoided my gaze and sank into thought.

When I looked at the two of them again, they seemed to be chewing over my words for a while.

Suddenly, this thought came to me.

‘Not just the Left Envoy, but the Sword Demon must have come from a well-off family too. These rich bastards.’

It seemed the two of them, who had never been poor, could not make the same strange imaginings about the Alliance Leader’s sword art that I could.

But because I had been poor all my life, I was looking at the Alliance Leader’s martial arts from this perspective. Since the two of them seemed far too deep in thought, I quietly took a step back.

“Senior, it is only my guess, so do not think too seriously about it.”

The Sword Demon shook his head.

“For a guess… No, given the circumstances, you are right. If one performs the Sixfold Great Sword method, even a wooden sword would not break easily. The Alliance Leader must have surpassed the wooden-sword forms faster than the rival experts of his generation. A strange case where his martial arts became stronger because he had endured hardship.”

I said to the Sword Demon.

“Senior, do not praise the Alliance Leader that much. It does not feel very good.”

At my words, the Sword Demon laughed aloud.

“Understood.”

To be honest, I was not in a very good mood. Most bastards should not try to challenge me when it came to “poverty.”

The poverty of a Murim Alliance member versus the poverty of an inn errand boy.

As expected, my victory.

Meaning I had been more desperately poor.

Thinking about it only made me feel more unpleasant.

There are times when, in the middle of a lively conversation, the talk suddenly cuts off for no reason at all, and this was one of those times.

I, the Left Envoy, and the Sword Demon looked at one another’s faces for a while, then each gave a snort.

“……”

The situation was funny, bitter, and filled with all sorts of complicated feelings, so each of us let out a faint chuckle.

I said to the Sword Demon.

“Senior Sword Demon, let us have a drink today. You should have a cup of bitter defeat wine.”

Perhaps the Sword Demon found my words amusing, because he laughed through his nose, while the Left Envoy responded from beside him instead.

“But what is with the way you always talk to Master? You ill-mannered bastard.”

I gazed steadily at the Left Envoy.

“Mongrang.”

“What?”

“How old are you?”

“……!”

This bastard had finally made me use that sure-kill technique of pathetic men: “How old are you?”

As far as I knew, this bastard was one or two years younger than me.

If we revealed our ages in front of the Sword Demon, the Left Envoy bastard would have to address me properly as elder brother from now on.

The shit-pants bastard, whose pupils were quaking, changed the subject.

“Master, shall we have a drink today?”

The Sword Demon replied in a solemn tone.

“Disciple.”

“Yes.”

“I heard you don’t drink with men. Will you grant such an honor to this master of yours and the sect leader? What a tremendous honor. Truly a meaningful day.”

That Left Envoy bastard stammered, his face turning bright red.

“No, Master……”

I burst into laughter where I sat, then toppled backward.

The Sword Demon was certainly strong.

In my opinion, if a man wants to grow strong, his words must be powerful first.

Today, too, the Sword Demon was beating his disciple senseless with words.