Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 139

The radiant moonlight slashed continuously.
Once the flow of the sword began, it gradually intensified until it surged like a waterfall.
Cha-cha-cha-cha-chang!
Isaac, who had been parrying the strikes in place, was helplessly pushed back.
With each additional strike, the sword imbued with moonlight grew brighter.
Before long, the blue aura surrounding the sword extended several centimeters from the blade, exhibiting a dizzying cutting power.
‘He’s going all out.’
The Harmonious Heart Sword was the ultimate sword technique, encompassing all the sword principles the Sword Emperor had realized throughout his life.
He wasn’t alone. The natural forces of heaven and earth were with him.
The sky showered him with warm sunlight, the gentle wind embraced his body and face, and the solid ground provided a firm support for his legs.
‘May my sword reach him.’
Heaven and Earth as One.
Following the ultimate swordsmanship realized by the Sword Emperor Baek Mu-seong, the energy scattered throughout heaven and earth imbued his body and sword.
Wooooong―.
A blue aura surged from the Sword Emperor’s entire body.
The second form of the Harmonious Heart Sword, Heavenly Stream Moon, was not a single standardized technique. The moonlight, freed from the constraints of slashing, cutting, and stabbing, rode the blue energy and cleaved through space.
Zzeo-o-o-ong!
A deafening explosion erupted as if the atmosphere itself had been torn apart.
Despite pursuing extreme speed and cutting power, it felt as though a heavy greatsword and steel were colliding.
This meant the Sword Emperor hadn’t perfectly controlled the natural forces.
‘Forget it. I must empty my mind.’
Facing an existence that had reached the heavens, the long-forgotten yearning for the sword and the fear of the unknown stirred gentle ripples in his tranquil heart.
The gentle ripples had quickly turned into fierce waves.
He needed to calm his mind. Only then could he showcase all his skills without regret.
“Roar!”
A winged black tiger appeared to Isaac’s left. Simultaneously, a small firebird engulfed in blue flames soared to his right.
These were Isaac’s powerful summons that had torn apart Emperor-class demons and magical soldiers.
‘I have my own path.’
Do not fear. Fight boldly and win. In the end, forget even the slightest bit of fighting spirit and reverence, and wield the sword with unwavering determination.
Harmonious Heart Sword.
First Form
Pressing Sword to Ward Off Evil.
Boom!
Like a violent volcanic eruption, the eerie moonlight transformed into a fierce, hot bloodlust.
The Sword Emperor Baek Mu-seong’s sword technique crushed the head and body of the massive black tiger with overwhelming power.
Boom!
Clang!
It was as if he was wielding a heavy blunt weapon rather than a sword. Unlike the second form, Heavenly Stream Moon, the first form, Pressing Sword to Ward Off Evil, demonstrated bizarre destructive power.
Boom!
Slash―.
The black tiger’s head suffered consecutive fatal blows. The blue-flamed firebird raised its flames in response, but the Sword Emperor glided through the air and cleaved the firebird’s wing with a single strike.
‘Now, this is worthy of the strongest hero.’
As the Sword Emperor seemed to easily gain the upper hand, a satisfied smile grew on Grand Elder Baek Mu-hyul’s face, who had been watching the duel with bated breath.
Sword Emperor.
The supreme hero name, meaning the Emperor of Swords.
It was a glorious name that even the leadership of the Chinese Martial Alliance, who had once opposed it as arrogant, had to acknowledge.
The Sword Emperor was a hero and a martial artist who knew no defeat. No matter how bright a star was, it couldn’t be seen in the scorching sunlight of midday.
Baek Mu-seong, the Sword Emperor, was the one and only sun beneath the heavens. He was the invincible and undefeated seeker who illuminated the world with his bright light.
Grand Elder Baek Mu-hyul was convinced of this.
And most of the viewers watching this once-in-a-lifetime duel shared his belief.
― Sword Emperor, you’re the best! Teach that rude kid a lesson this time.
― LOL, not even a contest. Where are all those saying Isaac would win now?
― Yeah, the Sword Emperor rules ^^ How dare anyone compare him to a noob who only knows how to land the final blow?
The managers of the live channels were diligently censoring the near-character-assassination-level chats, but the ugly nature of humans hiding behind anonymity was on full display.
Boom!
The black tiger and the blue-flamed firebird, battered by the Sword Emperor’s tyrannical martial arts, finally ran out of life force and were reverse summoned.
Isaac maintained his poker face, but the outcome seemed clear.
Even as Isaac was being cornered and criticized, his supporters continued to send messages of encouragement.
― Bro, it’s time to get serious. You’ve played enough, right? (Emoji of hands clasped in earnest prayer)
― Don’t you know the leader isn’t someone who would lose like this! Phase 1 is over, now onto Phase 2.
― Noooo, don’t lose!!!! (Emoji of a child waving a cheering stick energetically)
It was a duel between heroes, not in a disaster situation, but between the S-rank representatives of South Korea.
The live chat was structured to inevitably clash between the two heroes’ fandoms. While some of the younger generation fervently supported Isaac, the Sword Emperor’s fandom was almost religious.
He was a symbol of justice and peace.
Roooar────!
However, even the sun that rose high in the sky would eventually set beneath the western horizon.
When an absurdly powerful surge of magical energy erupted from Isaac, the members of the Sword Emperor Family realized it.
He had been merely playing along with the family head until now.
The person who felt this uncomfortable truth more acutely than anyone else was the Sword Emperor, who was facing Isaac up close.
‘I wasn’t mistaken. He truly is…’
He had surpassed the realm of awakening.
He was an enigmatic being who had reached the pinnacle of the heavens, a height no human had ever achieved.
Swoosh―.
The black tiger was summoned once again. Even the level of his summons had surpassed the realm of awakening.
The difference in their levels was unmistakably vast.
‘Without regret. I will pour out everything I have.’
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
A tiny realization could shatter a wall higher than a great mountain. Even a slender hint, if he could glimpse it even slightly.
He wouldn’t regret sacrificing an arm.
‘A mountain is a mountain. Water is water.’
The Sword Emperor let his arms hang comfortably and savored the essence of nature.
Ziiiiing―.
The wind and trees, the earth and sky responded to his pure invitation.
When he finally opened his eyes, the 32 swords that had multiplied cleaved through the sky.
Harmonious Heart Sword;
Fifth Form.
Nine Heavens’ Path.
The 32 trajectories, united with heaven and earth, shot past the black tiger and charged straight at Isaac. The bundle of thin lines not only pierced his limbs but also left long ruptures on the floor of the arena.
Shaaah!
Silence descended.
Isaac appeared to have lost his life to the Sword Emperor’s sword technique. It was the most beautiful and terrifying form of swordsmanship anyone had ever seen.
Saaaah.
A black shadow rose where the 32 trajectories had passed. Isaac stood there with the same expression as before.
The Sword Emperor realized it first.
‘I couldn’t reach him.’
His sword technique had ultimately failed to touch Isaac.
The realm of shadows.
Isaac’s new power, showcased when he received the world-class award, seemed to have deflected the Nine Heavens’ Path technique.
Saaaah―!
Darkness enveloped the area.
From within the infinite shadows, a massive fist-like form extended outward.
Defense and evasion were impossible. He had no strength left to throw himself away in a desperate move.
A thin smile appeared on the Sword Emperor’s lips.
Thwack―.
Boom!
A distant impact blurred his consciousness.
It was the moment when the friendly duel between Isaac and the Sword Emperor ended.
After a brief silence.
“Family head!”
Grand Elder Baek Mu-hyul ran to a corner of the arena. There, the Sword Emperor Baek Mu-seong was deeply embedded in the wall, unconscious.
The Sword Emperor had seemed to be on the verge of victory but was defeated in an instant. The martial artists of the Sword Emperor Family knew what this meant.
“He wasn’t even a match…”
One of the martial artists representing the Sword Emperor Family, the Blue Dragon Hall Master, muttered weakly.
The Sword Emperor Baek Mu-seong. The head of the Sword Emperor Family. One of the four awakened beings in the world. A pillar of South Korea and a father figure to all. The guardian of justice and peace.
Hero Isaac had incapacitated such a master with a single blow. And this was while he had been holding back, merely playing along in the duel.
If the opponent’s skill was at this level, the reputation of the Sword Emperor Family wouldn’t be tarnished. Instead, they should be grateful for forging a connection with an extraordinary irregular.
“He will wake up soon.”
Isaac’s low voice broke the silence in the arena. Indeed, he had controlled the shadows with a force that wouldn’t endanger the Sword Emperor’s life.
From previous experiments, Isaac had confirmed that the combat skill ‘King of Shadows’ was considered an independent object, ensuring that the ‘Final Blow’ effect of the final finish wouldn’t activate.
‘This will be controversial for a while.’
He had subdued the Sword Emperor in front of the Sword Emperor Family members and hundreds of thousands of viewers. And he had done it effortlessly.
But he had no regrets. He had resolved to continue his hero activities with sincerity from now on.
‘If I can step up and save people.’
He would gladly do so. At least within the world of Season 1, his life wouldn’t be in danger.
====
***
====
Isaac had overwhelmingly defeated the Sword Emperor.
It was big news that no South Korean could ignore.
The ten-minute-long battle uploaded to YouTube surpassed 8 million views in less than a day.
Foreigners interested in the hero scene also flocked to watch.
― I expected it, but… just how strong is he?
― Isaac is a god! Isaac is a god! Isaac is a god! Isaac is a god! Isaac is a god! Isaac is a god!
― We’ll trust only you now, bro ㅎㅅㅎ
― National pride is swelling…! Isaac, please take down DRR! You can wipe them out on your own, right?
Isaac had already shown his irregular nature during the full-scale war with DRR, but citizens who weren’t well-versed in the hero industry found it hard to gauge his true power.
Terms like Emperor-class demons and magical soldiers were abstract concepts to modern people busy with their daily lives.
However, the news of his overwhelming victory against the Sword Emperor made it clear to even the elderly just how powerful a hero Isaac was.
― Wait a minute. So, does that mean America’s ‘The One,’ Japan’s ‘Musashi,’ and China’s ‘Heavenly Martial King’ are all below Isaac?
The One. Musashi. Heavenly Martial King. These were the awakened beings from the United States, Japan, and China, respectively.
Including South Korea’s Sword Emperor, there were only four awakened beings in the world.
With Isaac’s emergence, the number had increased to five, but if he was significantly above the existing awakened beings, it made sense to create a new title just for him.
― Thank you, Mom and Dad, for letting me be born in Korea ^0^
― This is such great news. A hero stronger than the Sword Emperor. It felt like hell a few months ago, but now it feels like there’s finally light!
― China, Japan, America, attention! Awakened beings, attention! Hey, we are the country that has ‘Isaac,’ okay?
Isaac wasn’t familiar or particularly seen as a symbol of justice, but he was rapidly rising as South Korea’s new guardian, surpassing the Sword Emperor.
After all, the most important quality of a hero was ‘combat power.’