Chapter 60 - Venturing into the Martial World (3)
The eyes of Namgung Jun and Baek Ri-cheong, who had been trying to sleep in the detached house of the Fortress Guard Sect, flashed open at the same time.
The two, who had shot up to their feet simultaneously, looked at each other with hardened faces.
“Young Hero Baek Ri, would you please wake the Sect Leader and the others?”
“Younger Brother. Will you be alright alone?”
“Of course.”
Baek Ri-cheong, who had nodded, shot off toward the inner part of the Fortress Guard Sect, and Namgung Jun moved his steps in the direction of the main gate.
It was an unusually dark night.
The sky was pitch-black, as not only the moon, but not even a common star could be seen.
Perhaps for that reason, even though there were torches placed here and there on the walls of the Fortress Guard Sect, it did not feel bright.
On the contrary, it only served to further emphasize the churning darkness.
“Huh? Young Hero Namgung?”
“Why are you out, and not sleeping?”
Though the disciples of the Fortress Guard Sect who were standing on night watch opened their mouths, Namgung Jun did not reply.
He answered instead by drawing his sword without hesitation and swinging it.
Chaeng!
The sword of Namgung Jun passed right in front of the Fortress Guard Sect disciple’s face and then collided with something in the empty air.
“Heuk!”
The Fortress Guard Sect disciple, who had been startled thinking that Namgung Jun had swung his sword at him, saw the dagger that had fallen to the ground and belatedly grasped the situation.
“An ambush?”
“Hurry and inform the others.”
“Thank you! Young Hero Namgung!”
Namgung Jun, who had been watching the Fortress Guard Sect disciples run toward the inner part, blocked the path just as he was.
With his sword hanging down, Namgung Jun took in the sight of the walls that stretched out to the left and right, with the main gate at the center.
“Come out.”
As if on cue as Namgung Jun spoke, the members of the Brilliant Spirit Gang came over the wall and revealed themselves one by one.
Finally, the Brilliant Spirit Gang Leader and the old man holding a spear leisurely crossed the threshold of the main gate.
Unlike in the daytime when he had immediately fled upon seeing Namgung Jun, the face of the Brilliant Spirit Gang Leader was now filled with leisure.
It seemed he was trusting in the martial prowess of the old man who had come with him.
“That boy is one of the Azure Sky Society bastards who interfered this time.”
The Brilliant Spirit Gang Leader raised his sword and aimed it at Namgung Jun, then spoke to the old man as if tattling.
“A brat with a considerably sharp Qi Sense.”
The old man leisurely looked Namgung Jun up and down and then showed a faint admiration.
As he did, a clear killing intent was suffused in the gesture of him stroking his spear.
“Everyone, wake up! It’s the enemy!”
“The Brilliant Spirit Gang is coming!”
Namgung Jun, who had felt the commotion from inside the Fortress Guard Sect, brought his sword to a middle stance.
‘So the news has been safely delivered inside the Fortress Guard Sect.’
Namgung Jun’s attention was focused solely on the old man holding the spear.
Namgung Jun threw his body forward without restraint and cut the atmosphere horizontally.
The sword wind, drawn horizontally, bent like a reed swaying in the wind and extended out.
The Heavenly Wind Sword Style.
Wind of a Single Reed.
FWAAAAAK!
Even though the sword wind had charged right before his nose in an instant, the old man’s leisureliness did not dissipate.
He lightly rotated the spear with one hand and then struck the flank of the sword wind, making it burst.
The sword wind, which had disintegrated with a single blow, did nothing more than rustle the old man’s beard.
Despite this, the gaze of Namgung Jun as he looked at the old man was extremely calm.
“A young brat, but you’re quite something.”
The old man looked at his minutely trembling spearhead, and his gaze became a tier colder.
He had realized it with the exchange of a single move.
A sword wind he had experienced before.
A refined bearing and gaze.
He was not a frog in a well, drunk on a momentary accomplishment with mediocre talent.
‘This one is the real deal.’
Though countless rising stars of the Martial World showed off their talent and tried to distinguish themselves, those who possessed a talent truly sent from the heavens were extremely few.
But the boy before him was certain.
He felt a conviction that if he were to look down on him because of his young age, he would suffer a great disaster.
To shatter the standards of ordinary common sense.
For that was the true value of a real talent.
FWHOOSH!
An aura that rushed in, in an instant, stirred Namgung Jun’s hair.
Despite this, Namgung Jun did not even flinch.
The old man, who had moved his body in an instant and had reached twenty paces in front of Namgung Jun, nodded his head.
“To think the Azure Sky Society had such a precious gem.”
The old man slowly raised his spear and aimed it at Namgung Jun.
“What is your name?”
“Namgung Jun.”
“Namgung Jun? A name I have never heard.”
Though it was a subtle attempt at provocation, Namgung Jun did not show the desired reaction.
He merely parried it with an indifferent tone.
“It will be the last name you hear.”
“You arrogant bastard. But you’ve earned the right.”
As the old man, who had let out a smirk, waved his hand, the members of the Brilliant Spirit Gang, including their leader, passed by Namgung Jun.
It was a movement to enter the inner part of the Fortress Guard Sect, but Namgung Jun did not bother to block them.
There was no need for him to handle the Brilliant Spirit Gang by himself on top of the old man. For he was not alone.
‘Young Hero Baek Ri is inside, so I don’t need to worry.’
Namgung Jun decided to focus on the old man before him.
“This old man is the Torrential Chaos Spear. Since you are a bastard who is going to die anyway, it shouldn’t matter if you know my epithet.”
“An epithet of the Unorthodox and Demonic Paths is not worth knowing.”
Namgung Jun did not exchange any more words.
Though Baek Ri-cheong was inside, the way to reduce the damage to the Fortress Guard Sect would be to finish this as quickly as possible and help him.
Thump!
Namgung Jun, shooting out first along with a powerful stomp.
As his opponent was wielding a long weapon, a spear, it was essential to close the combat distance.
“Your intentions are so obvious!”
The spear, vibrating as it rode along the Torrential Chaos Spear’s hands, pulsed softly like a whip.
The spearhead, which had split into four streaks in an instant, aimed intensively for his two legs.
Namgung Jun did not step backward or evade.
Only forward.
His sword moved naturally, following the steadfast movement that was based on his Infinite Steps Footwork and the Empyrean Aegis.
K-ka-ka-kang!
The sword, which he swung low, deflected the spearheads in succession.
At the same time, his right ankle, whirling.
Namgung Jun, who had taken the rebound force from deflecting the spear and made it the rotational force of his ankle, pierced into the Torrential Chaos Spear’s flank.
‘That body movement. As I thought!’
A look of surprise flashed through the pupils of the Torrential Chaos Spear as he saw Namgung Jun close the combat distance in an instant.
It was not a movement or artistry that a mere boy should be able to display.
Shu-shu-shuk!
The trajectory of the spear, which was successively piercing the air, was chaotically twisted.
It was entangled as if dozens of snakes were coiled together, and it was difficult to even properly grasp where the spearhead was heading.
But the clear, cerulean gaze did not waver. It just tranquilly read the trajectory of the spear.
Swish-swish-swish!
The blade, which differentiated into dozens of streaks, embroidered the darkness with a blue light.
Though the spear style of the Torrential Chaos Spear was also full of finer points that confused the eye, Namgung Jun’s was even more so.
“What!”
Namgung Jun laid bare all the trajectories of the Torrential Chaos Spear, showing off the finer points of Illusion and Shifting of a higher level.
Only after the spear-work he had displayed was completely blocked did the leisure disappear from the Torrential Chaos Spear’s face.
“A bastard who has only just reached the perfection of the Peak Realm! How can you have such a sword?”
The criteria for dividing the Peak Realm are Threshold, Perfection, and Pinnacle.
When one has just reached the Peak Realm, they are called at the Threshold; when their circulation becomes so proficient that they can maintain their Sword Qi for over half a day, and the sharpness and durability of their aura surpasses that of steel, it can be called Perfection.
The Pinnacle is a state where one has achieved the harmony of Jing, Qi, and Shen*, but has not yet achieved their complete unification.
[TL/N: The "Three Treasures" (Essence/Jing, Energy/Qi, Spirit/Shen), fundamental components of a martial artist's being.]
Though he had achieved some balance of his Jing, Qi, and Shen, he was a long way from having achieved harmony.
‘That bastard has not even properly achieved the harmony of Jing, Qi, and Shen.’
In contrast, the Torrential Chaos Spear was at the Pinnacle of the Peak Realm, where he had achieved a certain degree of harmony of his Jing, Qi, and Shen, and was in the middle of attempting their unification.
Because the gap between Perfection and the Pinnacle was quite large, to form an even match head-on like this was a truly rare case.
“The division of realms is not absolute. You yourself should know that well, shouldn’t you?”
KWAANG!
Namgung Jun, who had pressed down on the Torrential Chaos Spear’s spear style from the front with his Illusory Sword and the Shifting Sword, at some point unfolded his Heavenly Wind Sword Style.
The heavy blade, cloaked in sword wind, struck the shaft of the spear, making the Torrential Chaos Spear’s entire body shake.
“Kugh!”
The Torrential Chaos Spear, who had almost lost his grip on his spear, stomped his foot powerfully at the same time as he put strength into his two hands.
Thump!
He spun the spear with both hands and let out a series of half-moon-shaped Spear Winds.
Though six streaks of Spear Wind poured out with great momentum, they could not properly handle even one of the Heavenly Wind Sword Style’s sword winds and were scattered.
“Hmm. This is not the martial power of a Two-Cloud. He was a bastard befitting of Three-Cloud.”
The complexion of the Torrential Chaos Spear had turned faintly pale.
He was trying to widen the distance one way or another, but Namgung Jun did not easily permit it.
Namgung Jun absolutely did not give the Torrential Chaos Spear the combat distance that was advantageous to him.
Then, he began to shatter the Torrential Chaos Spear’s spear style from the front.
Once again, a dozen or so variations arose from the indigo blue blade.
The sword, which pulsed as if it were limber, stirred with countless bizarre sword paths and cut off the Torrential Chaos Spear’s forms bit by bit.
“Hah!”
The spearhead that was thrusting straight forward trembled minutely and then differentiated into a dozen or so streaks in an instant.
Though they had surged straight for all the vital points of his body, Namgung Jun kicked his foot forward just as he was.
He went beyond just parrying the spearheads and guided their trajectory according to his will.
‘Three at the top, five in the middle.’
Namgung Jun’s sword, which had grasped the Torrential Chaos Spear’s form in an instant, cunningly twisted its trajectory and suppressed the form so that it could not be properly unfolded.
As he did, he succeeded in squeezing through the Torrential Chaos Spear’s offensive and inserting a sword strike.
Spurt!
Blood shot up from the Torrential Chaos Spear’s thigh.
If his reaction had been even a little late, the area below his thigh would have been pierced through entirely.
The staggering Torrential Chaos Spear urgently took a backward step and thrust his spear. Befitting a wily old master, he did not show the appearance of simply retreating.
It was also a strike aimed at Namgung Jun’s movement of indiscriminately advancing forward after the clash.
CHAANG!
Namgung Jun tilted his sword as if to sling it over his shoulder and then deflected the Torrential Chaos Spear’s spearhead upward.
Even as sparks flew in succession as the blade and the spear shaft slid against each other, Namgung Jun paid it no mind.
He brought his sword down just as it was, making it ride down along the spear shaft.
If he stayed as he was, the fingers gripping the spear would be completely sliced off.
The Torrential Chaos Spear urgently let go with his right hand and, grabbing the end of the spear with his left hand, swung it like a staff.
Though he had thus shaken off Namgung Jun’s sword, he had to accept that the posture in which he was gripping the spear had crumbled.
“Kugh. What on earth are you, you bastard!”
The Torrential Chaos Spear, who had been defeated in an instant by Namgung Jun’s wondrous artistry, shouted as if bewildered.
From the skill with which he handled his sword, the profundity of years that Namgung Jun should absolutely not have been able to possess was suffused.
On top of that, a fragment of a higher realm that surpassed his own could be glimpsed.
“I have gotten all I need to get from you.”
“What?”
The sword of Namgung Jun, who had seized the combat distance of seven steps in an instant, vibrated minutely.
With the shaking of his wrist and the successive changes of his grip, the nature of his sword strikes changed countless times.
Within that, the artistry that had been melted into the Torrential Chaos Spear’s spear style was also naturally mixed in.
FLARE!
The Torrential Chaos Spear, who had been about to swing his spear to counter, hesitated.
A dazzling sword strike that filled his vision.
In contrast, his head was emptied, with nothing coming to mind.
He could not get a sense at all of where to start blocking and where to break through. It was truly hopeless.
If he had simply poured out the finer points of Illusion and Shifting haphazardly, there would have been no need to worry like this.
‘It is exquisite. Sublime.’
Countless finer points were whirling within a single, clear flow. How on earth could he unfold such a sword?
The repeatedly changing sword strikes poured down like streaks of rain. They were as uncontrollable and fierce as a downpour on a summer day.
The moment the Torrential Chaos Spear was blankly appreciating the sword strikes.
Though it was a very brief instant, the countless sword strikes were already in the middle of clawing and tearing apart the Torrential Chaos Spear’s entire body.
Spurt!
Only after seeing his vision dyed red by his own blood did the Torrential Chaos Spear belatedly realize.
The fact that he had lost.
And at that, so futilely and helplessly.
The face of Namgung Jun was reflected in the blurry vision of the collapsed Torrential Chaos Spear.
“Remember this old man’s epithet… My sect will surely punish you.”
Namgung Jun raised his sword with a dry expression.
“I don’t seem to remember who you were, you bastard.”
Namgung Jun plunged his sword into the Torrential Chaos Spear’s neck.
With the sound of flesh and blood being torn as the end, the night air once again grew quiet.