Chapter 318: The Song of Swords (3)
Vwoooom!
Jinhyuk unleashed Black Moonlit Night.
The black moon spun rapidly, hurtling towards the blades created by Chun Yoosung.
It was fast.
Before the afterimages could even fade, it had already penetrated the opponent’s formation.
But just as Black Moonlit Night was about to shatter the swords…
“Did you think I would be stuck in the same place forever?”
[Chun Yoosung activates Lv17 ‘Sword-Body Unity’!]
[All stats related to swordsmanship increase by 50%!]
Suddenly, the suspended swords moved at a peculiar angle.
Black Moonlit Night cut through the empty space and vanished into the sky beyond.
A technique allowing one to manipulate swords freely in the air using qi.
“This is the new skill I learned, ‘Sword Controlling Technique.'”
Chun Yoosung slashed horizontally.
In response, dozens of swords moved along various trajectories.
Unlike simply shooting in a straight line, each of those swords now seemed to possess its own free will.
“Wow, as expected of a Sword Saint! You could make quite a fortune with a circus act like that.”
“Damn it! Don’t you ever feel tense? How can you be so relaxed seeing this?”
“Huh? Can’t I applaud?”
“Damn it. Put down that glow stick before I turn you into a beehive.”
“That’s too much. I was sincerely impressed.”
Honestly, I didn’t expect Chun Yoosung to bring out the Sword Controlling Technique at this level.
He’s trained harder than I thought… with a fierce determination.
With this, there would hardly be anyone capable of defeating Chun Yoosung.
Exceptional talent, combined with surpassing effort, left nothing but praise.
However.
If there is one misfortune for him…
It is that he chose the wrong opponent.
Let me show you.
What true Sword Controlling Technique is.
Wooooong!
The space distorted, and a translucent sword materialized.
“This is… no way.”
“How…?”
“Oh…”
“You…”
Everyone watching had their pupils quake with shock.
How could they not recognize it?
If the pinnacle of swordsmanship is controlling swords in the air…
Creating intangible swords is the ultimate peak of martial arts.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
‘Heart Sword.’
The supreme technique Jinhyuk saw in the Heavenly Demon’s memories.
The same technique that wounded Shub Niggurath.
“This is my Sword Controlling Technique.”
Imitation has its limits.
But even a counterfeit retains its fundamental essence.
Jinhyuk also slashed horizontally with his fangs.
In response, the Heart Sword vanished.
“Gasp?”
Chun Yoosung’s eyes widened rapidly.
Thwack!
The Heart Sword, which had vanished from view, suddenly sliced one of the swords Chun Yoosung had created in half.
Before he could even react.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
Dozens of swords Chun Yoosung had created shattered into thousands of fragments.
“Agh…”
A short.
Too short, a sigh escaped.
＊＊＊
Many events occurred after the Tower of Trials appeared.
For some, it was despair.
For others, it was hope.
Chun Yoosung belonged to the latter.
Starting anew…
This time, he could achieve the greatest opportunities and growth.
So he worked as if his life depended on it.
He kept moving forward despite repeated defeats.
As a result.
Meeting Chuhon Sayoung, he reached a realm he hadn’t in the past.
The supreme level that everyone dreams of.
With this, even that guy would be taken aback.
There were less than a few dozen individuals among both players and residents capable of mastering the Sword Controlling Technique.
But…
Always, always.
His opponent was ahead.
Far beyond his reach.
‘Even Master is surprised, there’s no way I can stand against him.’
Chun Yoosung stared blankly at the fragments of his shattered swords.
Even the Heavenly Demon was astonished… what could he possibly do?
He had dreamed of just one victory in this new world.
He had endured solely for that desire.
How could he defeat such a monster?
“I’ve… lost.”
Chun Yoosung dropped the Flower Dance Plum Blossom Sword without expression.
Thud!
The sword sank into the ground.
[The Heavenly Demon’s inner power recovers remarkably!]
[Yin and Yang reach perfect harmony!]
Status windows appeared continuously.
With golden clouds, numerous spheres were absorbed into the Heavenly Demon.
The objective was achieved.
Except for one.
Chuhon Sayoung approached Chun Yoosung, who couldn’t lift his head.
“You did well, Chun. But…”
Yes. The opponent was just too overwhelming.
Chuhon Sayoung patted Chun Yoosung’s back.
“Master… I…”
“You don’t have to say anything. Your master is here. Next time, aim for a higher realm and challenge again.”
“Next time… How much stronger do I need to get…”
Despite Chuhon Sayoung’s consolation, Chun Yoosung couldn’t raise his head.
No words could comfort him.
Continuous failures and frustrations could break even the strongest of wills.
At that moment.
“I’ll be heading to the ruins on the 19th floor soon. I need at least three people of my caliber.”
Jinhyuk approached.
“What?”
“Do you remember the factions we encountered during the masquerade ball? There’s one from the third faction.”
The representative of the third faction in the form of a dryad.
Yuasis.
There was a ruin they needed to conquer together.
The entry requirement was at least three players.
Of course, there was no stipulation that the players had to be of equal strength.
‘Now that the objective is achieved… it’s time to throw in a carrot.’
Seeing Chun Yoosung wounded and depressed isn’t what I want.
“There aren’t many people who can fight alongside me without holding me back. You were the first to come to mind.”
“…Did the system specifically say players of equal strength?”
“Huh? Oh… yeah. Probably? Do you think I’d lie about something like that? It’s dangerous, so only strong people should enter.”
“Equal strength…”
Chun Yoosung slowly chewed on the words.
“Yeah. Thinking about it, I only fell behind a little. It wasn’t a big difference. If I had distributed my magic better, I could have. I would have attacked first before you used the Heart Sword.”
“Hmm. Maybe. Could be.”
“It was a close call. Too bad.”
Chun Yoosung nodded as if he understood something.
His dark expression slowly brightened.
Really.
This guy is hard to figure out, whether he’s pessimistic or optimistic.
With such a thick skin, no wonder he used to follow me around with his sword drawn, challenging me to duels.
“So, are you coming or not?”
“Tch. I don’t want to, but if you insist, I’ll consider it. As long as the rewards are fairly divided.”
I managed to hook another fool.
＊＊＊
As Chun Yoosung recovered his composure, the Heavenly Demon and Dark Emperor approached.
“Impressive. I didn’t expect to see the Heart Sword here. I’ve heard the saying ‘outshine the master’ many times, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone achieve it.”
“Oh, supreme one. What are you saying? No matter what, I still…”
Dark Emperor glanced at Jinhyuk.
“Ahem! I’m still stronger.”
“Yes, for now. Enjoy your brief glory. It won’t last long.”
The Heavenly Demon smiled softly.
Though the two were bickering, Jinhyuk didn’t notice.
He was focused on holding back the cheer threatening to escape.
He was elated.
[Your understanding of the Heavenly Demon is so high that the copied ability is upgraded.]
[You have learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art ’10-Star’!]
[Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功)]
Acquisition Difficulty: SSS
Description: A divine art composed of 12 forms. Its destructive power rivals that of gods.
[The copied ability is stored in ‘Memory of the World.’]
Finally, he had it.
One of the two martial arts he had to copy from Murim.
And at a 10-star achievement, no less.
‘This is what I call hitting the jackpot.’
I expected a high star rating, but this was beyond expectations.
The effect of monopolization and my understanding of the Heavenly Demon exceeded imagination.
‘Now… I should come back to Murim after some time has passed and copy the other one.’
Jinhyuk quietly outlined his future plans in his mind.
What he needed to gather and how he should move.
At that moment.
Crack!
A blue light flickered in the sky.
‘That is?’
Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes.
It didn’t seem like an ordinary lightning strike…
“Get down!”
The lightning struck faster than the shout could reach.
Boom, boom, boom!
A blinding blue bolt obliterated the temple in the bamboo forest.
Boom, boom!
A tremendous fire erupted.
In the massive blue flames that engulfed the wooden structure…
Something more overwhelming than the flames revealed itself.
Tingling!
His skin prickled.
This sensation.
This feeling.
Just sensing the magic through the smoke was enough to understand the absurdity of the opponent.
This guy emerged here.
“Groooar!”
The heavens and earth trembled.
Azure Dragon.
The Eastern divine beast that controls rain and clouds.
“Contractor!”
Alice immediately appeared in front of Jinhyuk to protect him.
[Alice activates her unique ability ‘Blood Lord’!]
To protect everyone from the Dragon’s Fear.
A shield made of blood was erected.
The smoke cleared completely.
“So all the vermin were gathered here.”
A voice echoed from the top of the Azure Dragon’s head.
Of course, the Azure Dragon didn’t awaken by itself.
Deputy Law ‘Sama-ja.’
He was the mastermind behind all this.
“Sama-ja…”
“You wretch. How dare you show your face here!”
The Heavenly Demon and Dark Emperor were the most enraged.
The culprit who stabbed them in the back was standing right before them, so their fury was justified.
Jinhyuk was equally annoyed.
“We were having a good time, but you had to ruin it. So, you barged in here relying on that lizard? Looks like your forces are too small to be called an army.”
Having lost more than half of the key Jiangshi, and with the front lines becoming more fortified by the day, penetrating them with the remaining Jiangshi was too much to handle.
But.
“Do you think you dealt with all those Jiangshi because you were so clever? Have you ever thought that maybe I orchestrated it?”
“…What?”
A cryptic statement.
It made all the pieces fall into place.
The routes the Jiangshi took.
Come to think of it, at some point, Sama-ja gave up optimized attacks and began needlessly complicating the Jiangshi’s movements.
As if drawing a massive picture with their march.
Only then did Jinhyuk’s mouth slowly open.
“You were drawing a formation.”
“Formation? What do you mean?”
Alice, who hadn’t understood yet, asked.
“The Jiangshi’s movements were the outline… This entire Murim was his giant map, and he used the blood from the Jiangshi to trigger a blood curse.”
“Ho. You’re not entirely dumb.”
Sama-ja smirked.
Simultaneously.
Wooooong!
Dark clouds gathered in the sky.
Soon, countless red symbols began to appear among the clouds.
“Luoyang will fall today.”
“Kyaa!”
“Kaeeek!”
As the symbols opened, an equivalent number of Jiangshi howled.
“And all of you will die today.”
At Sama-ja’s gesture, the Azure Dragon’s maw opened wide.