Chapter 117: Extreme Pa Clan (4)
It was coming.
The saber qi flew toward my neck, tracing a precise arc.
‘How tricky!’
There were many peculiarities about the Holy Saber, but one of the most difficult aspects was that, due to its flaming nature, it was hard to predict its trajectory.
“Kh!”
Clangclangclang!
The pure white flames flowed back along the saber of my straight sword.
The moment I parried Pa Yeongyeong’s strike, the internal energy within me suddenly grew turbulent.
‘This is damn annoying!’
My assessment of the Holy Saber rose another notch in my mind.
One of the attributes of the Holy Saber was that it was infamous for being a type of “reverse internal energy”—it disrupted the flow of the opponent’s energy.
It was said that, in the worst-case scenario, it could even shave away a significant chunk of the internal energy accumulated over years.
I cursed Pa Yeongyeong inwardly.
‘And she has the nerve to talk about a swordsman’s honor while using that thing? What a hypocrite!’
If I tried to face her with an equal saber, mine would be corroded in an instant.
Things might be different if I used Qi Projection, but if she had refined her Holy Saber into Qi Projection as well, the result would be the same.
An absolute incompatibility of Qi-Cultivation.
That was the power of the Pa Clan’s secret technique—the Holy Saber.
After parrying the flying saber qi, I looked into Pa Yeongyeong’s eyes as she resumed her stance.
‘Just as expected. She really hates losing.’
She acted easygoing, even a bit like an old man, but that was just the persona she showed outwardly.
At her core, she was a personification of competitive spirit, determined to crush her opponent no matter what.
“Fine.”
As she blazed with competitive fire, I too adjusted my grip on my sword.
“I’ll keep you company until the end.”
***
“Hoho?”
Though they had gathered for other matters, the Pa Clan’s upper council soon found their attention entirely focused on the duel between the two fighters.
Until then, the only topic that had come up among them was how many seconds it would take the young mistress to obliterate that arrogant brat from the Jin Clan.
But as fifty seconds passed, then a hundred, the topic stopped coming up altogether.
“He’s got… good form in his saber technique.”
“For the Young Mistress to use the Holy Saber from the very start… Could that mean she acknowledged him as a worthy opponent?”
“Hmmm.”
The elders of the Pa Clan didn’t dare answer hastily.
This was no one else but the Young Mistress.
Among those of her age group, she had no rivals—except perhaps for that once-in-a-generation monster known as the Young Cult Leader.
No one else had ever dared infringe upon her prestige.
And yet…
Their common sense was now being shattered.
“Oh! To think such a saber technique exists in this world!”
A saber technique rivaling the Pa Clan’s secret art, the Extreme Demon Heaven King Sword Technique, was being unleashed by the man named Jin Yeomyung.
He would deflect attacks, but never dodge.
He might be pushed into a corner, but he never retreated.
Even in the face of Pa Yeongyeong’s destructive swordsmanship—powerful enough that even the clan elders would give her leeway—her opponent showed no signs of backing down.
His every movement screamed that he was a true swordsman—fierce and resolute!
“What is that black energy? I’ve never seen such intense yet refined energy before!”
“How is he standing up to the Holy Saber head-on and still fine?”
The elders of the Pa Clan were puzzled as to how Jin Yeomyung was able to withstand the Holy Saber.
“Perhaps he prepared some countermeasures against the Holy Saber ahead of time. A clan like the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan should have something like that.”
“You’re saying that black energy is the countermeasure?”
“I doubt that… but if there’s another possibility…”
One elder brought up a ridiculous idea.
“What if he’s controlling his turbulent internal energy moment to moment with sheer willpower?”
“What?!”
“At that level?! Is that even possible?!”
“If not, there’s really no other way to explain the way that young man is holding his ground.”
They murmured among themselves, fully absorbed in analyzing the intense duel unfolding before them.
Just then—
“Quite impressive.”
“…!”
“……!!”
A quiet remark came from the most honored seat, the Grand Master’s seat.
The Pa Clan’s leadership didn’t miss that single remark.
The calm tone didn’t matter.
What did matter was that this praise had come from none other than the Clan Head himself!
And that wasn’t the end of the praise.
“If that young man had chosen a sword instead of a saber, Yeongyeong might’ve found herself in trouble.”
“Such high praise?!”
The upper council of the Pa Clan was utterly shocked.
Clan Head Pa Uryang never praised swordsmen under any circumstance.
For him to say such a thing meant that the young man named Jin Yeomyung was performing beyond exceptionally.
“A week… was it? If he reached that level in such a short time, he’s definitely one to watch. He has the qualities to become a great saber wielder.”
“Are you saying the Young Mistress could lose?”
At an elder’s question, Pa Uryang quietly shook his head.
“That young man might already be worthy of being called a saber master, but compared to Yeongyeong, who has wielded the saber her entire life, he’s still lacking in many areas. At this level, those small differences will lead to absolute outcomes.”
In the world of martial arts, there’s a saying that a single sheet of paper’s difference could take a lifetime to cross.
With his talent, he might catch up in a few years…
“But not today.”
Pa Uryang slowly leaned back in the Grand Master’s seat.
“Yeongyeong still hasn’t revealed many of her trump cards. I don’t know if she’ll use them all in this fight… but at this rate, the Holy Saber alone will end it.”
“Y-Yes, of course!”
The leaders of the Pa Clan looked relieved at his words—and were then surprised by the fact that they felt relief at all.
That was how unexpected the battle before them had become.
Pa Uryang pondered quietly.
‘If that young man used Qi Projection, he might be able to turn the tables.’
But at least in this duel, he would not use Qi Projection.
Pa Uryang had realized something. In terms of pure level, Jin Yeomyung stood a step above Pa Yeongyeong.
‘But that guy picked up the saber to prove himself as a true saber-wielder. He’s not the kind to disgrace the nature of this duel by recklessly using Qi Projection.’
If Pa Yeongyeong had reached the Peak Master Level, he wouldn’t have hesitated to use Qi Projection. But at least for now, he was trying to prove himself on even ground.
“Well then, if you want to overturn this match, you’ll have to show a technique even greater than what we’ve seen so far. So, what will you do, junior brother?”
***
More than two hundred seconds had passed since the duel began.
Normally, the winner would have been decided by now, but Pa Yeongyeong and I were still controlling our breathing, each searching for the other’s opening.
“You’re impressive, you know?”
Pa Yeongyeong grinned and praised me.
“It’s my first time swinging my saber this freely against someone my own age.”
“I feel the same,” I replied.
It was the first time I had such a prolonged match that felt as intense as a life-or-death duel—Pa Yeongyeong was the first.
“But you’ve noticed it too, haven’t you?”
Shhhk.
She pointed her saber at me and continued.
“At this rate, I’ll win.”
“……”
Her Holy Saber still blazed with dazzling intensity.
I clicked my tongue at the sight.
‘What kind of messed-up internal energy is that?’
Despite maintaining it for nearly an hour, her saber qi hadn’t lost any of its ferocity.
I had confidence that, thanks to the Jin Clan’s endless elixirs and the fortuitous opportunity I gained through Yoo So, my internal energy wouldn’t fall behind anyone.
But this… This was different. I guess it was to be expected from the Young Mistress of one of the Six Great Demonic Clans.
“To be honest, even if it ends here, the Clan Head would acknowledge you. You’ve already shown more than enough to earn a passing grade.”
I chuckled and replied.
“Now that’s not something you really believe. Are you saying you want to end it here?”
Her answer was:
“No! Not at all!”
Just as expected.
“I don’t know how you’re managing to take on the Holy Saber head-on, but I admit your skill. Still, if this continues, you’ll lose.”
Repeating herself, Pa Yeongyeong revealed a hint of her true thoughts.
“I don’t want to cut your throat.”
“……”
Considering that most who challenged her hadn’t returned alive, that was an incredible gesture of goodwill.
I let out a dry laugh and shook my head.
“I’m sorry, Lady Pa. But I also carry quite a few burdens on my back.”
As I crossed sabers with her once more, I declared:
“My own life, your defeat, and even the price for both—I’ll be taking it all.”
“You greedy bastard.”
Smiling faintly with a trace of melancholy, Pa Yeongyeong’s expression quickly returned to one of fierce determination.
“Alright then, let’s see this through to the end!”
Fwoooosh!
The Holy Saber that had been burning erratically suddenly took on a singular form, refining itself into a sharp, defined saber.
From the outside, watching her, Pa Seolyeong’s eyes gleamed as she shouted:
“Overlord’s Dominant Qi Art!”
The Overlord’s Dominant Qi Art—practically the Pa Clan’s symbol. A supreme technique whose destructive power surpassed even the Yin-Yang Fist Demon’s Sun and Moon Heaven-Shattering Demonic Art!
“So, how are you going to face this?”
“……”
Ironically, I felt her sense of consideration from that very use of Qi Projection.
Both of our internal energy reserves were reaching their limit, so the flow of the match shifting toward a final decisive blow made perfect sense.
But just as she had said—being in a favorable position, she had no obligation to use Qi Projection first.
“…Thank you, Lady Pa. Thanks to you, I can go all out as well.”
Until now, I had been consciously suppressing my use of Qi Projection.
Because I had wanted to prove myself by matching her level.
But now that Pa Yeongyeong had used saber Qi, my own restrictions were lifted.
In an instant, the saber qi around my straight sword transformed, the thin threads of saber qi condensing into a massive weapon.
“Ooh! Ooooooh!”
Atop the training ground now dyed in twilight, two brilliant sabers—one white and one black—shone like twin stars.
A clash of strength against strength.
“This is the strongest technique I can muster. It’s called Overlord’s Meteoric Qi.”
“Mine is Heaven-Earth Reversal Formation.”
I calmly revealed the name of the technique I was about to unleash.
“If I win this clash… I’d like to ask for a reward.”
“A reward…?”
“That’s right. Wouldn’t it be unfair if only you walked away with a gain?”
Despite maintaining saber Qi, Pa Yeongyeong winked at me with one eye.
Hmm, honestly, that was a little cute.
“What is it you want?”
“For one… from now on, you’ll call me ‘big sister.’”
“One? There’s more?”
“There’s one more.”
“What is it?”
“That… I’ll tell you after this match is over!”
She really had a knack for provoking her opponent.
One of the most irritating things a person could do was stop talking halfway through.
“Haaaah!”
Kicking off the ground and soaring into the air, she shouted thunderously toward me:
“Kwooooaah!”
“Overlord’s Meteoric Qi!”
“……!”
The sky seemed to split in two.
No, it was just an illusion caused by the massive saber qi crashing down upon me.
But if I failed to counter it properly, my world would indeed be torn in two—never to be mended again.
I firmly grounded my stance.
Gripping the hilt tightly, I raised the saber up to shoulder height.
And softly murmured the name of the technique.
“Heaven-Earth Reversal Formation.”
Surprisingly, Heaven-Earth Reversal Formation, which normally countered with a thrust, drastically changed when used with a single-edged saber.
It didn’t pierce in a perfect straight line—instead, it moved in a graceful arc.
“Huh?”
“What is that?!”
It was being drawn in.
The brilliant Overlord’s Dominant Qi Art, the pride of the Pa Clan, couldn’t break through the circular motion of my saber qi. Instead, it began to get absorbed!
“W-What kind of monstrous technique is that?!”
“How is that even possible?!”
The martial artists of the Pa Clan all leapt to their feet at the sight of this unprecedented spectacle.
“That is……”
Even Pa Uryang, seated in the Grand Master’s chair, widened his eyes and watched in stunned silence.