Chapter 102 – Trial of the Movie Linghuo (8)

I corrected my wavering determination with the continuous battles. That alone breathed life into my exhausted body from the Myeongryeongsin Gong.

My stamina and inner energy were sufficient. The accumulated phantom pain was terrible, but now I was used to it.

There was only one left, the Divine Martial Prince of the New Murim.

I can still fight more.

***

There was no need to use the Hyeongsacheon Army. There weren’t many enemies left, and even those who survived turned and fled as soon as the monster died.

In reality, it didn’t matter, but it would seem like I had overwhelmed the monsters, so there was no reason not to understand.

As I was cutting down the guys who were scared and stiff and those who continued to attack me until the end.

“Ha.”

As I thought I had cleared the area to some extent, the guy finally arrived where I was.

“You lost some valuable talents.”

Black clothes with plum blossom patterns embroidered on the sleeves. A sword that was not ordinary tied to the waist.

Not only the famous families and factions who were humiliated by the Heavenly Demon were not one or two. Fortunately, the lineage of Solim and Dangmun continued thanks to the Heavenly Luck… But now that everything was cut off by you, it’s really a pity.”

The Divine Martial Prince. I didn’t know his name, just like the guys I had killed so far.

We weren’t in a position to introduce ourselves to each other, and we didn’t have the luxury of doing so, and above all, I wasn’t curious.

“This is something that the Divine Martial Prince cannot remain silent about.”

I just called him the Divine Martial Prince because he called himself that.

I tilted my head slightly and asked the guy who called himself the prince instead of his name.

“What are you going to do if you can’t remain silent?”

“I don’t know how you’re maintaining your inner energy…”

Before he finished speaking, I slammed the ground hard.

Crack!

An explosive sound. Even with the optimized movements of the Myeongryeongsin Gong, the movements were still movements.

There was no special secrecy or agility. If you put more power into it, you would be faster, but the reaction would be louder.

Of course, it was worth it. The wind that hit the face hard, the scenery flowing as a line, and the surprised expression of the prince.

I closed the distance in an instant and kicked hard right in front of him.

Kwoong!

A louder sound than when I hit the ground earlier.

Jingak.

A preparatory movement to exert explosive power in an instant. It’s a basic technique in any martial art, even though the method may vary slightly.

The force that was running was reflected as a rebound from the ground and rose up from under my feet.

From Knee to waist, waist to shoulder, shoulder to wrist.

As the power flowed sequentially through each part of my body, I received appropriate support to amplify that momentum.

Amplified power, movements without any excess, and the concentration of that amplified power… It was a single strike that contained everything I had learned from all my battles so far.

That was my full power, which I swung at the prince in a surprise attack.

Crack!

I only grazed his bangs, but he still blocked my attack.

“…You’re going to drive me crazy.”

Honestly, I didn’t know what he did.

I didn’t know when he drew his sword or how he swung it.

I could only guess that he quickly swung his sword to block my attacks, judging by the residual red sword aura and the shock I felt at my fingertips.

I had never fought the prince properly before. Even if there were some unknown tricks, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Every time I had met him before, I was either completely suppressed, ambushed during a chaotic battle, thrown off a cliff without fighting, or had my throat slit within ten seconds of fighting.

But I didn’t know he was this strong….

Perhaps my petty emotions showed on my face. The prince spoke calmly.

“Hyeongsacheon Army’s Plum Blossom, Winter Jasmine, and Honeysuckle. It’s one of the defensive techniques of the 24 moves of the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship. Only the Divine Martial Prince, who is also a senior member of the Hwasan faction, knows this.”

“…Isn’t it a bit much to call yourself a senior member at the pinnacle?”

As I spoke, I stepped back and readied my stance.

“I can’t help it. All the disciples of the Hwasan faction, except me, have died, so I have no choice but to become a senior member. Similarly, the people you killed were the leaders of the Sacheondang and the captains of the Solim. Among the first-class martial artists you killed while chasing them were also the last successors of the Gajeonmugong and the Shinbimunpa. …Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

“How would I know? It’s not like you’re bragging, right?”

“The severance of martial arts. The refined martial arts that have been polished over hundreds of years have disappeared. Each and every one of them was a talent that couldn’t even be compared to the common people who didn’t know martial arts.”

He sighed deeply, showing genuine regret. Then he pointed his sword at me and spoke.

“It’s hard to believe that those who don’t even know the value of martial arts could learn martial arts… I can’t understand those kinds of people.”

“Then should I just die quietly?”

“That’s what you should have done. But now that it’s come to this, I won’t kill you easily. Someone has to make you aware of the gravity of your actions, don’t you think?”

“Who’s going to make me aware… Hmph!”

I couldn’t finish my sentence. Suddenly, the prince’s body was close to mine, and his sword was almost at my nose.

As I spoke, I stepped back and readied my stance, preparing for the prince’s next attack.

But before I could even react, he launched a surprise attack, as if to repay me for what I had done earlier.

Luckily, I was able to block his attack in time, but it wasn’t a clean hit. The clash of our swords sent sparks flying, and his sword split into several pieces like a blooming flower.

I managed to block the first strike, but the rest of his attack rained down on me like raindrops, leaving small cuts on my arms and shoulders.

The Prince’s swordsmanship was truly impressive. I had fought him before, but I had never seen him use this technique. He was clearly holding back before.

I realized that he was deliberately aiming for my non-vital areas, inflicting pain but not causing any serious injuries. He wanted to make me suffer.

But I wasn’t going to give up that easily. I knew that I had to fight back with all my might if I wanted to survive.

I decided to use my secret technique, the Hyeongsacheon Army’s Plum Blossom, Winter Jasmine, and Honeysuckle. It was a defensive technique that I had learned from the Hwasan faction, and only the Divine Martial Prince knew about it.

I charged at him with all my strength, determined to land a hit. I knew that his sword was flashy but lacked power, so I could easily block his attacks and strike back.

I unleashed my attack, a powerful strike that sent a gust of wind towards him. It was a wide-range attack that could hit multiple targets, but it was difficult to land a critical hit.

However, I was confident that I could at least stop his sword for a moment, giving me an opportunity to strike.

I yelled as I swung my sword, and the sword aura around me exploded, sending a fierce gust of wind towards the prince.

He tried to block my attack, but I could see that he was struggling to keep up with my speed and power.

I grinned as I saw his sword falter for a moment, and I knew that I had him.

I swung my sword again, aiming for his neck, but he managed to dodge at the last moment.

“You’re getting better,” he said, panting slightly. “But you still have a long way to go.”

I gritted my teeth, determined to prove him wrong. I charged at him again, my sword ready to strike.

The still sword in my hand was not as threatening, so if I was lucky, I could take advantage of that gap, or at least use it to step back for a moment.

However, when the prince’s sword came swinging from left to right, my plan lost its meaning.

Every time the prince’s wrist flicked, the tip of his sword would shake, creating plum blossoms, and the scattered petals turned into sharp blades that dug into my body with the fierce wind.

“Ugh…!”

Once again, blood spurted from my body. This time, I felt my forehead being grazed, and my whole face was covered in a warm, sticky sensation.

Through our exchanges, I learned something new.

The martial arts he used were so different from the volcano faction disciple I saw at the Yongbong Association that I wondered if I was mistaken.

The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Swordsmanship, which had reached a certain level, was said to emit a plum blossom fragrance that could mesmerize the mind whenever it caused a variation in the sword. However, all I could feel from his sword was the smell of blood.

Moreover, his swordsmanship was too deadly to be called martial arts.

Thanks to that, I could easily tell where his attacks were coming from, but the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Swordsmanship was still the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Swordsmanship, and the intricate techniques contained in his sword were incredibly difficult to deal with.

Even if I knew what was coming, it was impossible to avoid or block everything, and every time the prince swung his sword, my body involuntarily shrank.

This swordsmanship was not favorable for me in many ways.