Chapter 8 – The Martial Arts World Without Demons (8)

“It was quite enjoyable while it lasted.”

With just a short remark, Hong Yeon-hwa chased after Cheok-an Gum-gwi and ran out to the courtyard.

Thud!

Not long after, loud noises started coming from outside.

What the hell is going on now?

I know I messed up by running into Cheok-an Gum-gwi at the wrong time. I also know that I’m a complete idiot.

But I don’t know what happened after that.

I don’t know how Hong Yeon-hwa has such strength, or why she’s so confident in picking a fight with me and telling me to run away.

All I know is that I took step after step as if possessed by something.

Bang!

As I stepped out of the broken door, I heard a loud noise like an explosion. It was the sound of Cheok-an Gum-gwi’s sword hitting the ground instead of cutting Hong Yeon-hwa. Strangely, a small crater had formed on the ground instead of a sword mark.

It was a powerful mid-level sword that was even sharpened with sword energy.

Just thinking about taking that hit made my injured body ache even more. I won’t be able to take another hit. Even if the sword is still intact, I’ll be the one to break first.

But there is a way to fight against a mid-level sword that accumulates damage even when blocked.

“This rat-like bitch!”

“You’re the one who said you could catch Lady Hong with the skills of someone who can’t even catch a rat.”

Just like Hong Yeon-hwa is doing now, avoid or deflect all attacks.

Hong Yeon-hwa was constantly dodging the pouring sword and sometimes striking the sword face to deflect all attacks.

How is that possible?

Unlike Cheok-an Gum-gwi, who was so fast that he sometimes missed movements, Hong Yeon-hwa’s movements were all at a speed that could be seen with the naked eye.

So I could tell. Hong Yeon-hwa was moving first to respond to Cheok-an Gum-gwi’s sword before he even swung it.

A sight that only a martial artist far superior to the opponent can show, knowing how the opponent will come out.

Hope suddenly rose at the sight of the scene that fit together like a prearranged agreement.

Can I win if I do well?

As I stared blankly at Hong Yeon-hwa and Cheok-an Gum-gwi, Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly screamed loudly.

“What are you doing! Wake up and run away from here right now!”

At her words, I came to my senses. Why did I only realize it now? Looking closely, Hong Yeon-hwa’s breath was heavily disordered, and her arms and legs were trembling slightly.

It’s true that Hong Yeon-hwa has a power I didn’t know about. But it’s also true that it hasn’t been long since she got out of bed.

She’s recovering quickly, but she was originally at a level where she couldn’t even carry a few blankets.

I don’t know if I can hold out for long, but I’ll collapse soon enough. So if I don’t want to die, I have to run away as Hong Yeon-hwa said.

But I can’t seem to move my feet.

What will happen if I run away now? What will happen after that?

I’ve already let it be known through Hwang Dae-woong that I’m protecting a survivor from the top of the Pungyu hierarchy. But I didn’t tell him where my house is.

Because I was planning to take Hong Yeon-hwa and go down to the village.

So even if I wait, the support of the Muremang won’t come. Even if I bring the warriors from the lower village, it will be too late.

Then what will happen to Hong Yeon-hwa?

Judging by the power she’s showing now, one of her limbs will be cut off. And considering the torture that will follow to get information or as a release of anger….

She might disappear from one or two places. Even if that doesn’t happen, her meridians will definitely be cut off.

What happens after that?

It’s obvious that I’ll be sold to a brothel with a broken body. At that time, I won’t even be able to resist properly.

I imagined Hong Yeon-hwa crying under a strange man without even knowing how she looked.

Grit.

My teeth split and my anger flared up inside me. Only then did I feel it deep in my chest. I realized it painfully.

I like Hong Yeon-hwa this much.

Even if you add up the time I was unconscious, it’s only been two weeks since we met. But that was enough.

I like her pink hair. I like her slightly high-pitched voice. I like her big breasts. I feel happy when she eats deliciously. Her innocent behavior, not knowing how she looks, and her small hands that pat my back, promising to repay me, are all lovely.

Now I can’t even imagine a life without Hong Yeon-hwa. She has become such a presence to me.

…So I can’t run away. I don’t want to.

I prepared myself and raised my sword.

“Sseup-huu-.”

I slowly breathed in and out. Then, according to the principles of Simbeop, I moved my inner strength.

The feeling of my inner strength spreading throughout my body is different from usual.

My inner strength, which moved on its own as if it were being led by something, headed towards my heart and then towards my head. My inner strength, which rose up to my forehead, repeated going back down to my heart through my head.

I’m sure I’m reciting the same principles, but the movement of my inner strength is completely different. I was momentarily confused by the different movement of my inner strength.

There’s something I suspect.

Muryeong Shingong武靈神功. The Simbeop that my master created for me, who had no talent.

And… the martial arts where willpower becomes strength.

My inner strength, which began to move faster and faster, began to feel like a stick.

The sensation of the hot, burning bong energy piercing through my body from the top of my head to my tailbone, supporting my collapsing body.

It’s not like the usual inner strength. It just moves through my bones and muscles regardless of my blood vessels.

So naturally, the efficiency should be lower… but strangely, it wasn’t. It was the opposite.

The heat flowing out of the bong turned into my inner strength and spread throughout my body’s blood vessels. My body was overflowing with vitality that couldn’t be compared to before. I no longer felt any pain.

Now it was clear what I had to do.

I lifted my head straight.

Gripped my sword.

And took a step forward.

Crunch!

The ground was so strong that it sank deeply. The scenery around me approached quickly, and I arrived at my destination in just a few steps.

I swung my sword with the momentum of my run.

Pang!

With a sound that pierced through the air, the Cheokan Geumgwi, who was aiming for Hong Yeon-hwa’s leg, jumped back.

“You! You’re crazy if you want to die instead of running away!”

“Running away is bullshit. Sometimes a man has to fight no matter what.”

“What…? Ah, is that so. You’re a fool who risked your life for a woman! You can buy that with money anytime! By the way, it’s a shame. If she wasn’t a virgin, the price would go down. No, it’s okay because you can taste her to your heart’s content before selling her, right?”

I fixed my gaze on Hong Yeon-hwa while listening to the nonsense spewing from Cheokan Geumgwi’s mouth.

Swollen arms. Legs trembling like a bamboo tree. Pale complexion and cold sweat.

Hong Yeon-hwa, who looked like she could collapse at any moment, was biting her lips with slightly angry eyes.

Can’t even shout? But I know what she’s trying to say. She must be wondering why I came back after buying time by throwing my body.

“Hong Sojo. There’s a lot I want from Hong Sojo. There are many things I want him to do, and many things I want to do for him. …So let’s deal with that bastard first and then talk about things one by one.”

I confirmed Hong Yeon-hwa nodding her head slightly and glared back at Cheokan Geumgwi.

I spread my legs shoulder-width apart and extended my left foot half a step forward. I held my sword straight up, covering the black centerline, so that the sword tip and my gaze were at the same height.

Then, I rushed forward, exploding my inner strength as if releasing all the heat that filled my body.

“Haaaat!”

“What the hell is this…?!”

Cheokan Geumgwi swung his sword in surprise at the unexpected speed.

Kwaaang!

A deafening sound that made my ears ring. The momentum was incredible. It was beyond belief that I, who could barely lift two bags, did it.

“What kind of sorcery did you use?!”

“Fuck sorcery! It’s divine energy! Divine energy!” I shouted.

“What the hell is divine energy? Is that your dog’s name?” Cheokan Geumgwi retorted, furrowing his remaining eye and swinging his sword.

He had a fierce and brutal energy, as if he would destroy anything that stood in his way. His movements, which were previously barely visible, were now clear and sharp.

Hong Yeon-hwa would have dodged or at least minimized the damage, but I couldn’t do that. I just put all my inner strength into the collision.

Kwaaang!

The deafening sound echoed through the air, making my ears ring. My arm was numb from the recoil, but I could endure it.

And for some reason, there was a cluster of white light around my sword, like a hazy aura.

Thanks to that, I could fight fairly evenly with him, blocking and attacking several times. But it didn’t last long.

“Hahaha! You call that divine energy? You just modified the Samjae sword technique a little bit!” Cheokan Geumgwi laughed.

“Ugh…”

Every time we exchanged sword strikes, I felt myself being pushed back a little bit.

It was all because of his simple but unmatched sword technique.

I was struggling to block his sword, but he easily found my weakness and counterattacked.

“It’s so obvious and boring! You can only produce this much power with the Samjae sword technique! But how long can you keep it up? I don’t know what kind of sorcery you’re using, but it won’t last forever!” he taunted.

“It’s not sorcery!” I protested, but he was right. Even though it wasn’t sorcery, it wouldn’t last long. Every time I was hit, my wounds accumulated and drained my energy.

My body was already broken in many places, so my limit would come sooner rather than later.

I’ve never regretted my mediocre talent as much as I did today. If only I had a better martial art than the Samjae sword technique… even just the lowest level martial art would have been much better than this!

As I was desperately looking for a way out, I suddenly saw Cheokan Geumgwi’s sword.

It was a simple trajectory that even I could recognize. But even if I blocked it, the accumulated impact would still hurt me. That was the characteristic of the middle-grade sword.

… Couldn’t I apply that to myself too?

I didn’t know the intricacies of the middle-grade sword, but I could just use my strength to overcome it.

“Hup!”

I twisted my waist and took a short breath. At that moment, he attacked me again. His sword tore through my left chest and right waist.

Blood spurted out, but my bones weren’t hurt too badly. It was an attack that aimed for a gap and was meant to be quick.

I endured the rising pain and used excessive inner strength. Then, I swept my sword from left to right, attacking him with a horizontal sweep.

My arm’s blood vessels twisted a little from the excessive inner strength, but it was okay. It was worth it for the effect.

Thunk!

“Shit!”

With a dull thud, Cheokan Geumgwi’s arm shook. But the gap created by this attack was too big to take advantage of.

That meant I had to continue with the next attack.

I used the momentum of my swinging sword to twist my waist in the opposite direction. This time, I swept my sword from right to left.

Clang!

“Ugh…!”

The guy who couldn’t completely dissipate the impact took a step back. And I took a step forward.

The horizontal sweep continued. Every time I swung my sword, the wounds on my chest spurted blood, and the blood vessels in my arm swelled strangely.

In the end, the guy who couldn’t win against my brute force gave up on finding a gap and retreated to secure some distance.

But he shouldn’t have done that.

“Damn it!”

He retreated again. Of course, his posture became even more unstable.

The first gap he revealed. Instead of retracting the sword from the thrusting posture, I lifted the sword forward and continued with the Taesanapjeong.

Kwaaang!

Cheokan Geumgwi failed to block my attack with his awkward posture. The guy who had his shoulder cut by the body side of his sword screamed.

“Kuuaaak!”

But I couldn’t stop here. I lifted my sword again and swung it down vertically.

“Die…!”

Kwaaang!

“Aaaahhh!”

Although I managed to block his second Taesanapjeong, his sword was already stuck in my shoulder.

Cheokan Geumgwi, who was wriggling his arm in agony, desperately shouted at me for the next attack.

“S-Save me! I’ll give you anything you want! I won’t even dream of revenge! So just spare my life!”

“Anything I want…?”

When I reacted, he thought there was room for negotiation and grinned slyly.

I looked down at Cheokan Geumgwi carefully. His gorgeous silk clothes were covered in blood, and his jewelry was all broken from the impact of the sword.

On top of that, his face, which was already unpleasant, was even uglier with tears and snot running down his face.

“There’s only one thing I want.”

“W-What is it? I’ll give you all my possessions!”

I smiled back at him, holding onto the thread of hope.

“Die and split in half.”

The third Taesanapjeong shattered the guy’s sword and cut his body vertically.