Chapter 146 – Fateful Encounter (11)

This can’t go on like this. But there’s no other way.

What should I do?

Boom!

Another explosion echoes through the air. This time, it wasn’t a counterattack, but just a blocked attack that sent Samamaeng flying.

It seems that there’s no longer any strength left to fully counteract the Surahyeolbu’s rebound.

“Cough…!”

Samamaeng coughed up even more blood than before. It’s too dangerous now. It’s not a matter of being able to fight or not, but it could be life-threatening if done wrong.

No. The Surahyeolbu’s goal is to capture Samamaeng alive. He won’t die. Only the stronghold will be destroyed.

Samamaeng has reached his limit now. He can’t fight anymore.

Samamaeng can’t possibly not know what I know.

Struggling to stand up, Samamaeng shouted to me, who was barely blocking the Surahyeolbu.

“Jin Sohyup! It’s not too late now…!”

But what he said was so hypocritical.

“I’m fine. If this much isn’t enough, it’s inevitable. I don’t blame Sohyup. I’m just grateful. So leave me and…”

“Shut up!”

Crack!

I received an ax that was swung diagonally from the front. The shock that rang through my bones. But I didn’t take a step back.

“Why am I suffering for you?”

Is it because of my intense emotions? Or is it because I don’t have time? I unconsciously lashed out and shouted.

“There’s something I need to ask you!”

Why did you try to sacrifice yourself for me?

Whoosh!

I stopped the ax that was swung horizontally towards my waist by pressing it down from above. My wrist hurt, but I didn’t take a step back.

“I have a lot to say!”

It’s not common for a conversation to make the other person feel comfortable.

Thud!

The Surahyeolbu swung the ax vertically down. As the power was strong, it took a long time, so I just swung my sword upwards towards the sky.

The small storm made of sword energy only delayed the ax’s speed for a moment, but it couldn’t completely block it.

The weight transmitted from the swinging arm made my knees bend involuntarily. But I didn’t take a step back.

“You said you wanted to get to know me for a long time!”

Except for Hong Yeon-hwa and Paeng Soso, I don’t have anyone I can call a close friend. No, I didn’t have anyone.

The Surahyeolbu swung the ax that was thrown away again. His pupils were now glowing red. I can’t block this.

The Palm Wind that was executed with pinpoint accuracy concentrated its power on a specific point. A few strands of hair were cut off by the ax that was deflected to the side.

If I was a little late or fast, one of my arms would have been completely cut off. Even so, I didn’t take a step back.

Chapter 146 – Fateful Encounter (11)

I can’t back down. I have to protect the people behind me, face the enemy in front of me, and those waiting beyond.

I can’t afford to retreat.

I’ve accepted most of the memories flowing through my mind through the Simsang sword. I’ve also digested as much of the enlightenment I’ve regained as possible. That’s what I thought.

…Is that really true?

Did he truly believe in me and my sword?

Ugh.

No, he didn’t.

This can’t be stopped, I can’t win alone, I’ll die if I continue like this, and so on.

Ever since I started facing the Surahyeolbu, I’ve been calculating everything to keep myself safe.

Did I get scared facing a top-notch master?

That’s why I can’t back down. The Muryeongshingong is a blind martial art. No matter how great a martial art it is, if there’s no confidence in the sword, it becomes nothing more than a third-rate martial art.

I tightly gripped the sword in my hand, the Simsang sword in my mind. The pillar of determination made by the Muryeongshingong supports my body even more firmly.

And I faced the Surahyeolbu’s vicious aura. I stared straight at the axe stained with blood-red.

Crack!

I somehow blocked the axe. It’s heavy. I heard a strange sound from inside my body. Maybe something broke.

But that’s not a reason for me to back down.

I believe that my heart won’t break, and I believe in the time I’ve spent swinging my sword.

If my body moves as I want it to.

Then the sword should also respond accordingly.

Kwaaang!

The strike that was even heavier than before. The blow that I thought I couldn’t handle until now stopped in mid-air.

“What is this…?”

Samamaeng, who was trying to block the Surahyeolbu’s attack with his exhausted body, also froze. It might seem like I suddenly became stronger. But that’s not the case. This was something I could do from the beginning.

Taesanapjeong.

A powerful strike that can crush Taesan in one breath.

I just lifted the Chosik, which could only be used for vertical cutting, and swung it diagonally.

The Surahyeolbu’s axe is heavy. Really heavy. But…it’s not as heavy as Taesan, so it’s natural that it would be blocked.

So what happens next is also a natural course of events.

Clang! Kwaaang! Kwaaang!

The axe swings continuously. At the end of the increasing power and ominousness, it’s now shrouded in a crimson aura, and the shape of the weapon can’t even be seen properly.

However, I’m also becoming more accustomed to the subtleties of Taesanapjeong every time I swing my sword.

Shingyeophapilsin.

No matter the position or trajectory, the sword moves as I want it to.

Just as the movements of my left and right hands are no different, even if I modify the Chosik, the meaning contained within it doesn’t change.

“Krrrrrrrgh!!”

The surging energy, the simplified trajectory, the undeniable strength.

The Surahyeolbu, who now seemed to have completely lost his mind, swung his axe recklessly.

I calmly blocked each strike, relentlessly pushing forward.

Heavier. Even heavier. So heavy that it could crush everything in the world. So that even a beast that couldn’t bear the weight of its own sins couldn’t dare to raise its head.

Every time the sword and axe clashed, a shockwave mixed with inner energy exploded, and the surroundings began to crumble.

The only thing left unscathed was behind me. The place where Samamaeng was.

The crimson aura, sticky like congealed blood, and the pure white aura that seemed to have fallen straight from the stars, intertwined and grew larger.

Every time we clashed, both the Surahyeolbu and I became stronger.

The battle that I thought would continue indefinitely unexpectedly reached its limit.

Crack!

The out-of-control inner energy destroyed the surroundings. The Surahyeolbu, with his sturdy body, managed to withstand it somehow, but his axe couldn’t withstand the pressure and cracked.

And then, the next collision was the end.

Chaaaaaang!

A sharp sound accompanied the countless pieces of the crimson aura scattering everywhere.

The Surahyeolbu, who had lost his weapon, momentarily stopped his attack, and his naturally inflated momentum subsided as he regained his senses.

Realizing that death was right in front of him, the Surahyeolbu didn’t beg for his life or show fear.

He just laughed like a madman.

“Krrr, hehehehehehe!”

Then he took out a small dagger from his bosom and plunged it inward.

A tiny weapon that contrasted with the giant axe he had been using until just a moment ago. Perhaps even before that needle could touch my body, my sword would have already pierced the Surahyeolbu.

As if he knew that fact well, the Surahyeolbu concentrated all his inner energy on one arm.

Judging from the denser aura than usual, he must have used his full power.

It doesn’t matter.

Thud! …Ugh.

“Screaaaaaam!!”

The Surahyeolbu’s arm seemed to have blocked the strike of Taesanapjeong, but soon after, it twisted horribly.

Squelch.

And the sword that had plunged from the Surahyeolbu’s right shoulder to his left ribcage.

Even in a situation where his death was certain, the Surahyeolbu was still giggling.

“You’re not a monster, you’re a monster’s brat. If I had known there was someone like you, I wouldn’t have taken on this job….”

“Enough. Tell me something about Samaryeon before you die. If it’s helpful information, I’ll bury your corpse nicely.”

“Helpful information, huh… Alright. There is one thing. Krrr…cough!”

The Surahyeolbu, who was about to speak, vomited blood and pointed to my chest with his eyes.

There was a small dagger embedded in one of Surahyeolbu’s outstretched arms, barely grazing my skin. At most, it was a shallow wound that felt like a paper cut.

“That’s poisoned.”

“What?”

“You’re already poisoned, you brat.”

What the hell is this bastard talking about?

I glared at him as if I could swallow him whole right now. He just chuckled and vomited blood, warning me not to underestimate the martial arts world and not to take it lightly.

“Stop laughing and tell me where the antidote is!”

Even the most powerful martial artist, especially a sturdy Surahyeolbu, was struggling to hold on, and his pupils were losing focus.

I need to find out the location of the antidote before he dies completely…

“Do you need an antidote?”

The Surahyeolbu, seeing my desperate expression, squeezed out his last bit of strength and lifted the corners of his mouth.

“There it is.”

His gaze was directed towards the ground. A broken medicine bottle was stuck in a pool of blood.

“Oh, but you broke it.”

With those words, the Surahyeolbu breathed his last.

“This bastard is really something!”

No wonder they say that Surahyeolbu is not to be trifled with.