The Sword Emperor's Way of Establishing the Namgung Clan

Chapter 46 - Severed Meridians (5)

The boy swordsman and the young nobleman stood facing each other.

It was an ambiguous combat distance, short for a swordsman and long for a pugilist. The first turn of the duel would be decided by who could secure their optimal combat distance first.

The Second Young Master shifted the direction of his feet here and there and asked.

“Is there a need to yield the first move?”

“There is not.”

“Then I shall go first.”

Thump!

The fist of the Second Young Master, who had shot out while stomping his foot powerfully, aimed straight for Namgung Jun’s sharp nose bridge.

As if the Fist Power laden in his fist was quite heavy, a strong wind fiercely struck his face.

However, Namgung Jun showed no signs of evading. He merely raised his sword belatedly.

‘This will be over easier than I thought.’

It was the moment the corners of the Second Young Master’s mouth were about to rise at the slower-than-expected reaction speed. A flashing blue streak of light from his left field of vision rapidly drew closer.

A sword strike, which was twisting and soaring up like a lightning bolt, shot up toward the Second Young Master’s armpit.

‘How?’

Ordinarily, Namgung Jun’s move should have been late. This was so even when assuming the advantage in combat distance due to the length of the sword’s body.

The sword strike that Namgung Jun had thrust out gradually accelerated and, in the end, displayed an incredible sword speed. The Second Young Master could not even fathom what kind of finer points were contained in that Sword Skill.

SLIIICE!

The Second Young Master, whose fine body hairs had shot up in an instant, greatly twisted his body to the side and evaded the sword.

The hem of his martial arts uniform, torn away by a hair's breadth. If he had been even a little late, his arm would have been severed.

The face of the Second Young Master, who had rotated his body in mid-air and landed, was distorted.

“This crazy bastard.”

The Second Young Master, who was letting out a rough breath, realized. That the one who had tried to take the victory in a single strike was not himself, but that boy swordsman.

Namgung Jun looked at the piece of cloth that had fallen to the ground and then let his sword hang down lightly.

“Quite good. You have polished your body’s senses well.”

The appearance of him giving an evaluation with such leisure, as if he were a master of a higher rank.

The Second Young Master was dumbfounded, but on the other hand, his sense of alarm grew stronger. Namgung Jun’s single move had been just that impressive and powerful.

‘Did I miscalculate?’

The Second Young Master, who had been hesitating for a moment, shook his head. Judging only by the bearing he could feel, he was clearly a novice compared to himself.

His innate talent must have drawn a slashing strike like the one just now. But the Martial World was not a place where one could survive with talent alone.

In the Martial World, there are countless shining talents, as many as a host of stars, but the majority of them are quietly painted over by the darkness of the night sky and disappear.

How would the boy before him be any different?

A rough voice was scraped out from the Second Young Master’s throat.

“I am not one who will be brought down by the likes of you.”

He had gritted his teeth and survived the succession struggle of the Martial Strike Sect. The Second Young Master did not have the slightest intention of missing his chance for a comeback.

KWAAAAA!

The Second Young Master drew upon his internal energy with all his power.

Along with that, the martial arts of the Martial Strike Sect began to be properly revealed.

The Martial Strike Sect, which possessed a martial art centered on close-quarters combat.

The connoisseurs of the Martial World would often say.

If the fists of the Shaolin Temple are strong and stately, the fists of the Martial Strike Sect are rough, urgent, and nimble.

Though at a glance their pursuit of strength was similar, their overall nature was different.

If the fists of the Shaolin Temple were like a great river flowing with dignity, the fists of the Martial Strike Sect were raging waves that stormed in with a downpour.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

The Second Young Master properly showed the characteristics of the Martial Strike Sect’s fist style.

Fist strikes, pouring out as his muscles swelled to their fullest. Fourteen fists extended in succession and beat down on the vital points all over Namgung Jun’s body.

But the surface of the Second Young Master’s fists could not reach Namgung Jun. It was because the body of his sword, which stood tall in a middle stance like a pillar of heaven, had blocked them all.

‘His sword path should be wavering by now…’

The Second Young Master could not hide his admiration at the heavy rebound force he felt through his fists. An average swordsman would have found it difficult to properly receive them.

At every moment, it would not have been strange for the body of the sword to be broken by his fists.

However, Namgung Jun went beyond just receiving them and was displaying a startling counterattack from the front. It was a threatening sword power and artistry.

‘I’ll have to send his sword flying first.’

The Second Young Master, who had once again closed the combat distance, struck the blue-dyed sword in succession with his hands and feet. The body of the sword, trembling minutely from the continuous clashes.

Despite this, Namgung Jun’s posture was firm.

The Second Young Master struck upward with the tip of his foot, aiming for the hand that was gripping the sword. But Namgung Jun swiftly twisted his wrist and received the Kicking Art with the end of his hilt.

GONG!

As a suppressed metallic sound erupted, the Second Young Master’s body tilted to the side in mid-air. He was in the process of pouring out another Kicking Art.

The Second Young Master, who had deployed a series of Kicking Arts that distorted like a whip, landed with a powerful stomp and then thrust his fist toward his opponent’s side.

The moment the surface of his fist and the blade of the sword clashed, the Second Young Master twisted his wide-open hand and snatched the body of the sword.

It was a type of Geumnasu*.

[N: The Korean term for Chin Na/Qinna, a grappling and joint-locking art.]

At the same time, it seemed his intention was to take a knife-hand strike with his left hand and break the body of the sword.

“Not a chance.”

However, Namgung Jun was not one to stand by and watch this happen.

In an instant, he moved his right foot, which had been extended to the side, by a half-step and held his hilt short. The moment the Second Young Master extended his hand further to grab the sword that had withdrawn as if fleeing backward.

Namgung Jun’s bent arm, as if it were a spring, recoiled and then the tip of the sword, which had drawn back as if cowering, shot forward.

Spurt!

In an instant, the Second Young Master’s palm was pierced by the sword.

“Kkeuaap!”

Though a burning pain spread through his palm, the Second Young Master did not falter.

On the contrary, he used this as an opportunity and tried to land a blow on Namgung Jun.

He had no hesitation in the method of taking damage to his own body as the price for injuring his enemy. But it did not work on Namgung Jun.

On the contrary, Namgung Jun was the first to extend his sword, making the Second Young Master hesitate in his move. Namgung Jun did not lose an inch in momentum.

From the beginning to the end, he watched the Second Young Master with tranquil and sharp eyes.

“Keuhak!”

The Second Young Master, who let out a bizarre scream that was a mix of a cry of pain and a kiai, rushed at Namgung Jun. It would be troublesome if the distance were to widen any further from here. He had to close the combat distance no matter what, to have a chance at what came next.

At close combat distance, fists and a sword chaotically mixed. A fierce clash with no yielding from either side. While sparks flew several times, drops of blood fell in a stream.

They were from the Second Young Master, on whose arms and legs sword wounds had, at some point, increased one by one. In contrast, not a single thread of Namgung Jun’s clothing was torn.

Namgung Jun did not pull his body back to widen the distance. He varied the grip on his sword and displayed his capability to his heart's content even at a pugilist’s range.

Namgung Jun was not hindered by the combat distance.

He pressed down on the hilt to strike the Second Young Master’s fist to the side, then bent his elbow and brought the blade inward.

At the irregularly pouring thrusts, the Second Young Master urgently pulled his waist back. If he had not, another hole would have been pierced in his body.

‘This bastard. It’s as if a veteran master is inside his body!’

The Second Young Master was bewildered as Namgung Jun handled his sword so skillfully even at a range advantageous to a pugilist.

Was this kind of talent with the blade also a matter of genius? It was not.

Rather than talent, it seemed to be something in which the experience of a cunning, old master was fully melted.

But the one before his eyes was a boy.

How could he display such swordplay? The movements that flashed in an instant were not something that could be done just by learning. It was a domain that required proficiency.

‘Originally, I should be the one playing with the combat distance.’

The more the Second Young Master extended his fists and feet, the more distant he felt.

The boy before him showed no signs of being in peril, no matter what kind of attack he displayed.

Even when he used a rough and aggressive Fist and Foot Style, the likes of which was rarely seen in the Orthodox Faction and would be used by the ruffians of the Black Path, he did not panic and counterattacked.

“Let’s end this!”

The Second Young Master realized he had no chance of victory even if he dragged the duel on longer. For that reason, he unfolded his ultimate skill without hesitation.

Dozens of fist-shadows, which had bloomed from the tip of the Second Young Master’s fist, rotated fiercely and attacked Namgung Jun’s flank.

‘The Martial Strike Sect. I have a rough idea of what branch of martial arts they have primarily delved into.’

Namgung Jun’s eyes settled to their lowest point. He had read and grasped the trajectory of the ultimate skill.

And so, the sword that had been held at a middle stance was fiercely drawn horizontally. A single strike that accurately pierced the form of the fist style. Namgung Jun’s sword moved once again, scraping and tearing.

At the unrestrained sword slashes, the ultimate skill of the Second Young Master rapidly began to lose its power.

KREANG!

Namgung Jun, who had deflected the final straight punch that was extending toward his solar plexus, spun his body. He had fully contained the rebound force laden in his sword.

And so, Namgung Jun’s sword swung toward the Second Young Master’s neck.

“Second Young Master!”

THWACK!

The middle-aged men, who had been about to urgently throw their bodies forward, hesitated upon hearing the sound.

If a blade had struck his neck, a sound like that could not have been made. Only then did the martial artists of the Martial Strike Sect realize that Namgung Jun had struck not with the blade, but with the back of the sword.

But the shock was not small just because he had struck with the back of the sword. The Second Young Master was clutching his neck, half-collapsed.

Namgung Jun looked down at the Second Young Master with lofty eyes.

“Be grateful that this was a formal duel.”

“Ha!”

The Second Young Master looked at Namgung Jun as if he were absurd and then muttered as if complaining.

“I was trying to obtain the Red-Veined Fire Ginseng to create a foothold for a comeback, but it’s all gone wrong.”

“Still, you have gained something, have you not.”

“Gained something? What on earth have I gained?”

“You have, at least, survived.”

Namgung Jun sheathed his sword with an indifferent voice.

The Second Young Master was at a loss for words.

……

The miserable defeat of the Second Young Master.

It was when a cold air was lingering at the docks.

The martial artists of the Martial Strike Sect were on the verge of rushing in at any moment, should the order fall.

“Second Young Master.”

At the call of a middle-aged pugilist, the Second Young Master shook his head.

“Enough. At this rate, we’ll all die.”

“Hmm.”

“Open a path. I have no desire to become fish food.”

The Second Young Master had realized.

That even if he managed to tie down the Wandering Princess of the Black Cloud, another monster would be left.

There was no chance of victory from the start.

“How wise.”

It was not Namgung Jun’s party, nor was it the Second Young Master’s subordinates.

The answer in a gloomy voice flowed out from a completely different place. It was from within the shadow under the roof of a pavilion.

A person in black, revealing their form as naturally as if they were a part of the shadow.

The eyes of the Martial Strike Sect martial artists and the Tang siblings widened at the sight.

It was because he was moving his steps while stuck upside down to the shadow under the roof, just like a bat.

“Nether Fathom Hall Master!”

“Is that the Hesitating Bat's Reverse Walk of the Nether Fathom Hall!”

The person in black, the Nether Fathom Hall Master, looked at the Martial Strike Sect martial artists while still hanging upside down from the edge of the roof.

A viscous killing intent flowed down from his bloodshot eyes.

“Nether Fathom Hall.”

Starting with the Nether Fathom Hall Master’s call, the assassins of the Nether Fathom Hall, who had been hiding upside down in the shadows of the docks, revealed themselves.

“Damn it!”

“Since when were we surrounded?”

The martial artists of the Martial Strike Sect were flustered. Though the assassins of the Nether Fathom Hall who had revealed themselves were only a dozen or so, there was no telling how many more were hiding.

Shing!

The assassins of the Nether Fathom Hall, at the same time as they revealed themselves, drew the twin swords from their waists.

They were short to be called swords, and long to be called daggers. Though they were swords of an ambiguous length, as they were held in both hands of the Nether Fathom Hall assassins, they came across as threatening weapons that would disrupt one’s combat distance.

“Heavenly Sword. I thought this was supposed to be an urgent matter.”

“We were on the move for a mission anyway, weren’t we?”

“Should I kill them?”

The Nether Fathom Hall Master, who was still hanging upside down, asked with his arms crossed.

“Let them go. I didn’t call the Nether Fathom Hall for that in the first place.”

“Why is that?”

“Because Jun proposed a formal duel to the Second Young Master, and won an overwhelming victory in a very cool fashion.”

“A formal duel.”

The bloodshot eyes of the Nether Fathom Hall Master turned toward Namgung Jun.

As Namgung Jun performed a fist-and-palm salute, the Nether Fathom Hall Master answered by slowly blinking his eyes.

Then, he shifted his gaze toward the Second Young Master.

“Go. If you are still caught in my Qi Sense after ten breaths, I will hunt you down and kill you.”

It was a situation that had been overwhelming with just Lee Se-ha and Namgung Jun. But now that another supreme master had joined them, their chances of victory had completely disappeared.

“We are pulling out, quickly.”

The voice of Namgung Jun was plunged into the back of the Second Young Master, who was giving orders to his subordinates.

“I hope you will keep the promise of the formal duel.”

Several meanings were held in Namgung Jun’s words.

A request not to touch the Tang siblings any longer, and even the retribution should he break this promise.

The Second Young Master, who felt a cold chill along with the firmness, shook his head.

“No matter that I am of the Unorthodox Faction, I hold the honor of my name and my epithet as important. The promise will be kept.”

“I will believe you.”

The Second Young Master, who was retreating, suddenly turned his head.

“Do you know this? You have just made an enemy of our sect for the sake of the insignificant Tang siblings of Sichuan. It will be a hindrance to your future righteous deeds as well, will you not regret it?”

“If I were one to worry about external pressure, I would not have stood against the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult in the first place.”

At his firm tone, the Second Young Master shook his head and retreated.

“A complete defeat. The Azure Star Sword, the Azure Star Sword…”

The muttering of the Second Young Master struck the tranquil, flowing waves and faded away.

The boat that Namgung Jun’s party had boarded began to move leisurely, riding the waves that had thus quickened.