Chapter 115 - You're Bleeding a Lot

Several emotions crossed Baek Manggi's face as he stared at me.

Fear, surprise, excitement, anger.

Surprise was the first to surface.

“You're this young?”

When my sword first nearly killed him, he must have thought I was the Wicked Laughing Demon—that he had mistaken us for each other. No one else could have swung a sword that quickly.

“Hey, old man.”

I dispensed with courtesy. I knew nothing of the life he had led. But the moment he cut down Third Wolf here today, any reason to respect him had vanished.

“You accused us of playing at being ghosts? You're the one doing that now.”

“What did you just say?”

“Why crawl out of your grave to meddle in the affairs of later generations? You lived through your own era and even earned the title of Sword Emperor. Wasn't that enough?”

My words struck home, and the air around us grew cold.

But I could feel a fierce heat. It came from the Wicked Laughing Demon, who was slowly settling the mask properly over his face behind me. I didn't need to look into his eyes to know what he was feeling.

Yes, some things could be understood without words or a glance.

“Listen, young junior. What good will such foul manners toward your elders do you?”

“Old man, you're going to kill me anyway. Isn't it shameless to expect courtesy on top of that? Then again, if you had any shame, you wouldn't have been slashing at those young juniors.”

The air grew colder still as he stroked his severed beard. I stoked his desire to kill me further.

“When your disciple went senile and jumped into a power struggle, you, his master, should have stopped him. What possessed you to crawl out as if you'd been waiting for the chance? Have you both gone senile?”

Baek Manggi's face flushed slightly. Good. Get worked up. Get even more worked up.

I shouted to Bi Sain and the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path standing some distance away.

“Let's send these old men back into history.”

I meant that we would handle this one, so they should take Seok Gwanchu.

Hope blossomed in Bi Sain's despair-filled eyes. With us handling Baek Manggi, this was a fight they had a fair chance of winning.

Seok Gwanchu's expression, on the other hand, had hardened. He could never have dreamed that such an unforeseen complication would arise after he had even brought in his master.

Baek Manggi asked coldly,

“Who are you, you impudent wretch?”

“The man who'll take an old fool left off the death register to the underworld.”

At that instant, Baek Manggi drew his sword with lightning speed.

A flash!

I barely dodged the incoming blade. His attack was fast and powerful.

At that very moment—

PING!

The Wicked Laughing Demon unleashed his Blood Calamity Finger. Baek Manggi twisted aside to avoid it, and I thrust my sword at him.

As we clashed in an instant, Bi Sain and the Thirteen Wolves charged Seok Gwanchu as well.

I decided to fight without worrying about the Wicked Laughing Demon.

We had never coordinated our attacks before, and I judged that attempting a clumsy joint assault against Baek Manggi would only put us at a disadvantage. I trusted the Wicked Laughing Demon.

He would manage on his own. He would find his own openings, dodge on his own, and help when he could. He would fight well on his own.

And so I fought as though I were facing Baek Manggi alone.

CLANG!

We clashed again. His swift sword was far too fast for the Thirteen Wolves to parry. Even the Wicked Laughing Demon would struggle to evade those attacks one after another.

By the time you saw the blade and moved to block it, it was already too late. You had to defend through experience and instinct.

The moment you thought, He's attacking the left, so I should attack the right, your head would be severed.

Baek Manggi's moves, which had relied solely on speed, grew dazzlingly intricate. The sudden change was terribly dangerous.

Yet I barely managed to block his attacks. I fought not to be intimidated by him.

As we exchanged moves, the Wicked Laughing Demon unleashed his Blood Calamity Finger. Our movements were so fast that he fired it with the utmost care. One slight mistake could send it into me instead.

Despite fighting two against one, Baek Manggi was not being pushed back at all. His skill was showing us exactly what it meant to have earned the title of Sword Emperor eighty years ago.

His swordsmanship was impressive, but so was his footwork. Had I not learned the Wind God's Four Steps, it would have utterly overwhelmed me. He fought almost entangled with me to avoid the Blood Calamity Finger, every step astonishingly supple.

After we had exchanged over a hundred moves, Baek Manggi abruptly unleashed palm force in the midst of our swordplay. His attacks truly were ever-changing, but fortunately, I released my own palm force in time to block it.

BOOM!

The two palm forces collided with an explosive roar.

We both slid backward. Our internal power was nearly equal. Without the ten-thousand-year black reishi I had recently consumed, his internal energy would have overpowered mine.

With that distance between us, we had room to exchange a few words.

“I would rather not be surprised, but I cannot help it. How can you possess such profound internal energy at your age?”

I greeted him warmly.

“My friend, don't you recognize me?”

“What?”

“I've regained my youth.”

For a moment, he thought I was someone he knew.

“Who?”

“Who else? A young junior with foul manners. Why ask who I am when you don't even have any friends?”

Only then did Baek Manggi realize I was mocking him. His face twisted. I had to provoke him whenever an opening arose.

As always, the one who lost his composure lost the fight.

For the first time, sword qi shot from his blade in his agitation.

WHOOOOSH!

This was the moment I had been waiting for.

BOOM!

My sword qi collided with the incoming sword qi, producing a thunderous explosion.

Seizing the opportunity, the Wicked Laughing Demon unleashed his Blood Calamity Finger and Ultimate Demonic Rampage Palm in succession. Two against one—this kind of fight favored us.

I poured out Blazing Heaven, the sword-qi-emitting form, again and again.

The Wicked Laughing Demon likewise unleashed his Blood Calamity Finger and Ultimate Demonic Rampage Palm without pause.

Baek Manggi swung his sword furiously and released palm force to dissipate them. Explosions erupted one after another.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM! BOOM!

The earth shook, and dust billowed into the air.

The tremendous exchange made Seok Gwanchu, Bi Sain, and the Thirteen Wolves stop fighting to watch the outcome.

When the attacks ceased and the dust settled, we were stunned.

He stood there unharmed.

Then came the Sword Emperor's ultimate technique, born of rage.

HISSSSS!

Before him, his sword was splitting into sword-shaped projections of sword qi.

I could tell. He intended to kill everyone here with a single move. He would kill Bi Sain and the Thirteen Wolves, then join Seok Gwanchu against us.

The Black Demon Sword rose before my chest and began to split.

HISSSSSSS!

Shadowed Heaven, the seventh form of the Heaven-Soaring Sword Art.

Was it because I had attained twelfth-level complete mastery? It divided far faster and into far more projections than before.

Baek Manggi's sword qi flew toward everyone here.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

WHOOOOOSH!

At the same time, my sword qi shot forth.

The next instant, a magnificent sight unfolded.

Two kinds of lines embroidered the space around us. Lines meant to kill, and lines meant to protect.

As those lines crossed, sword qi collided with sword qi in a succession of thunderous blasts.

Bi Sain saw Baek Manggi's sword qi flying toward his face. It was coming so fast that he could not have dodged even if he tried.

But my sword qi arrived faster still, tearing it apart and destroying it right before his eyes.

BOOM!

The same happened to the other Wolves. Watching the sword qi hurtling toward them ripped apart by another stream of sword qi was a sight they would be hard-pressed to witness twice in their lifetimes.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOM!

The Wicked Laughing Demon destroyed the sword qi aimed at him himself. Trusting that he would, I had not blocked it for him.

By the time all the flying sword qi had vanished, the dust had settled completely as well.

Baek Manggi came into view. Disbelief, surprise, and anger mingled in his eyes, which brimmed with murderous intent. Seok Gwanchu was shocked and disconcerted. He had never imagined his master's secret ultimate technique could be stopped.

In contrast, Bi Sain and the Thirteen Wolves looked at us in amazement. It went beyond surprise, bordering on awe.

This time, I charged Baek Manggi first.

If you give this your best, I will give it my very soul. If you die, only you die. If I die, far too many others will die.

I poured everything into my sword.

Dozens of moves passed between us in an instant.

Blood sprayed from both our bodies. There was no time to check where or how we had been cut. If I was bleeding even with the supreme-grade heavenly silkworm silk and Ghost-Guard Robe on, it meant that without them, parts of me might already have been severed.

As I held on, and kept holding on, I sensed impatience in Baek Manggi.

When had he last fought such a prolonged, bloody battle?

Fifty years ago? Seventy? Perhaps he had never fought a battle this difficult. After he became the Sword Emperor, no one would have dared challenge him lightly.

The Wicked Laughing Demon's help was indispensable in this fight. We were moving too quickly for him to intervene recklessly, but whenever he was certain of an opening, he fired his Blood Calamity Finger.

When I was in danger, the Blood Calamity Finger saved me. One perfectly timed shot changed the course of the fight and gave me an opportunity.

In the end, Baek Manggi changed tactics and tried to kill the Wicked Laughing Demon first.

The instant I recognized that murderous intent, I pressed Baek Manggi like a madman.

If I gave him an opening, the Wicked Laughing Demon would die.

That was my only thought.

I didn't want to lose the Wicked Laughing Demon in this fight. I didn't want him dying at this old man's hands.

'If anyone kills him, it'll be me! You damned old bastard!'

That desperate desire brought about an astonishing phenomenon.

Everything disappeared from my sight except Baek Manggi.

It was as though he alone, dressed in white, moved before me against a black backdrop. Nothing else was visible.

Every other sound was cut off as well. I could hear only the sounds he and I made. It was an extraordinary experience, unlike anything I had known since learning martial arts.

At the instant sparks flew from the clash of our swords, another change occurred.

Now even Baek Manggi vanished, and all I could see moving was his sword. Only my sword remained visible with it. If more time passed, might even these swords disappear?

I began to see Baek Manggi's sword more and more clearly.

My vision, sharpened by the New Eye Procedure, was finally taking effect. He had not slowed down, nor had I grown faster. I had adapted to this speed first. My eyes had adapted.

Where I had seen only his sword, Baek Manggi came into view again.

I can see his face.

At last, I can see it.

His struggle.

His regret.

His fear.

And then I saw it.

The single opening in a man who had been flawless.

By the time I recognized it, my sword had already put my intent into action. My sword and body were one.

THUNK!

The instant my sword pierced Baek Manggi's heart, my vision returned to normal. The surrounding darkness vanished, and I began to see what lay around me.

Several holes already pierced Baek Manggi's body, blood flowing from them. They were where the Blood Calamity Finger had struck.

I had no idea when those blows had landed. Baek Manggi had fought this well even against the two of us.

Surprise and horror, emptiness and fear. Looking down into his eyes, filled with every emotion in those final moments, I slowly withdrew my sword. I was too exhausted and worn out to say anything to him.

Blood spurted from his heart, and Baek Manggi collapsed, dead.

Had I not attained twelfth-level complete mastery, I would have lost this fight. Had I not fought alongside the Wicked Laughing Demon, we would have died as well.

Murim held monstrous masters of earlier generations like him. They existed in the Orthodox Martial Alliance, in the Cult, and, as we had seen, in the Unorthodox Alliance too.

Old masters who lay hardened like fossils, only to spring forth and try to kindle one last flame. That was what made Murim frightening.

“Ugh, I'm dying.”

I flopped onto my back right there. The strain had been so great that I didn't have the strength to twitch a finger. Unless someone came at me with a sword, I truly didn't think I could move. Groans escaped me of their own accord.

The Wicked Laughing Demon plopped down beside me too. His chin was visible beneath my mask. I could see dried blood underneath it.

“Are you hurt?”

“Just a light scratch.”

“You're probably ugly enough already. You can't afford to hurt your face!”

He chuckled, apparently never having expected me to say something like that in this situation.

“Even after such a grueling fight, you still want to make jokes?”

“When an opportunity comes, I can't let it pass.”

“You're bleeding a lot, Second Young Master.”

“It hurts like hell.”

The Wicked Laughing Demon pressed my pressure points to stop the bleeding in my arms, legs, abdomen, and shoulder.

When we set out on this journey, could I ever have imagined a moment when he would staunch my wounds for me?

“How is the fight over there going?”

At my question, the Wicked Laughing Demon turned his head to glance at the ongoing battle, then answered me.

“It's more or less over.”

Since he wasn't saying we needed to help, Bi Sain's side was apparently winning.

For a while, we gazed silently at the sky.

Then I spoke first.

“Thank you.”

After a pause, the Wicked Laughing Demon said,

“Thank you.”

We only thanked each other. Neither of us added anything else. There was no need.

“I'll buy you a new mask.”

“Buy me a better one. That mask gets sweaty when I wear it too long.”

“I will.”

It happened just then.

“Aaargh!”

A scream rang out—the kind someone made as their life ended.

I lifted my head and saw the swords of Bi Sain and three of the Thirteen Wolves embedded in Seok Gwanchu's body.

Two more of the Thirteen Wolves lay on the ground, apparently having fallen during the battle. Evil men never went to the underworld alone.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position.

Bi Sain walked toward me. He stopped a short distance away and stared at Baek Manggi's corpse. He seemed unable to believe we had killed him.

He bowed his head to me. It was the first time he had done so.

“You saved my life.”

I smiled and replied,

“And you nearly cost me mine.”

He didn't smile. Still holding his blood-dripping sword, his eyes resolute, he said,

“I intend to go straight from here to kill Seok Gwanchu's grandson.”

He treated me more respectfully than before. And he was taking my advice to heart.

“The testimony of our Thirteen Wolves should be sufficient evidence.”

“Make sure you build an Unorthodox Alliance where that holds true.”

“Then I will see you another time.”

Bi Sain bowed his head in farewell. The man I had first met and the man he was now were entirely different people.

After they gathered their companions' bodies and departed, the Wicked Laughing Demon asked,

“For the Cult's sake, shouldn't we install someone more idiotic than Bi Sain as successor?”

“I suppose so.”

“Then why did you help him?”

Part of the reason this had begun was that Seok Gwanchu's grandson was a piece of trash, but I answered the Wicked Laughing Demon this way.

“Still, where's the fun if your opponent is too much of an idiot?”

The Wicked Laughing Demon chuckled. He probably felt the same. The stronger his opponent, the more fired up he became.

“Shall we go too?”

“Owww, my leg hurts too much to walk. Carry me on your back.”

“Stop exaggerating. You're limping on the wrong leg.”

The Wicked Laughing Demon and I walked away side by side.

In the place we left behind, only the faint moonlight shone upon the cold, fading desires of an old man and an older one.