Boom!!
The swords collide.
Just like before, Jeong Cheol’s sword clashes with the thunder that bursts forth.
Nangya Sword.
If the Twelve Swords of the Flying Dragon, demonstrated while taking down the sects of Sacheon City, was Jeong Cheol’s proclaimed technique, then the Nangya Sword was the hidden trump card used against formidable foes like the Hwangbo Clan and Jeomchang Faction.
The Nangya Sword, crafted after the movements and attack patterns of wolves.
The fierce strength of ferocious beasts emerges right from their lower jaws.
Thus, the upward cut, which acts as the lower jaw of the Nangya Sword, becomes the core of the swordsmanship.
Clang!!
Jeong Cheol’s upward cut, which seemed it would strongly counter my blade.
Just before the clash, the hand gripping the sword reverses, and at the same time, he relaxes his wrist, resting the blade against his forearm. An incline forms for the great sword to flow, and losing its point of impact, the great sword swiftly glides down the slope.
In an instant, Jeong Cheol switches to a different upward cut.
As soon as my great sword drops, he shifts his hand to grip it with his left hand and stabs upward.
This was an attack I had predicted the moment the great sword began to slide. Although I couldn’t retrieve my sword, I twisted my upper body to evade the point of his thrust.
Fwoosh!
I evaded, but a deep cut marked Black Rib. Despite deciding to abandon it, the damage left me feeling disgusted.
The soaring sword twists back and then falls again.
What was just the maneuver of the lower jaw now turns into the deadly strike of the upper jaw. An attack bearing long, sharp fangs and all of its weight descends upon me.
However, Jeong Cheol’s sword never touches my body.
Boom!!!
My great sword, swung horizontally, negates Jeong Cheol’s upper jaw attack.
The clash of strong energies creates an impact that makes Black Rib and me tremble as if we would break apart at any moment. In the midst of this tumultuous clash, I catch a glimpse of Jeong Cheol’s hardened face.
Even if I somehow ascended to Hwa-gyeong, he seemed to have thought he would still prevail.
In terms of the common sense of the Martial World, Jeong Cheol’s assumption might be reasonable.
But it seems Jeong Cheol had failed to read the determination I carried.
To surpass the realm and see who would prevail, the only option was a deadly strike.
So, he must simply have thought it was obvious that I would choose the one-hit kill swordsmanship.
Gritting my teeth.
I gripped my great sword and prepared to move forward once more.
Jeong Cheol, you wouldn’t know.
How steadfast my resolve to defeat you truly is.
Before I opposed you, what sword did I master?
I mastered the First Swing of the Azure Cloud Sword.
What kind of sword is the First Swing of the Azure Cloud Sword?
It was an expansive swordsmanship that could encompass all the techniques of conventional swordplay. By traversing numerous subtleties and broadening my operational scope, I maximized the advantage of knowing your martial arts.
Yet I gave up that potential to face you.
I forsook the ability to encompass every martial arts technique I knew, choosing instead to master the Enlightened Cloud Thunder Technique, which couldn’t coexist with other energies, imbued with the energy of thunder.
In this vast world, could there be any sword techniques that utilize the energy of thunder besides the Single Cut Blade Technique?
Nevertheless, I have come this far, betting everything on a single strike.
I honed my skills solely to crush the Nangya Sword’s one-hit kill.
To solely defeat you.
I came here, pruning away all branches of possibility.
This may be the stage you prepared, but…
That determination, that effort…
And even the strength you thought you had refined cannot match mine.
Rumble!
The First Strike of the Evil Surge reaches out. Once again, the movements of the lower jaw begin as it seeks to probe for openings.
Jeong Cheol’s intention to shake me up by thrusting forward with the lower jaw was evident in his stance.
Thus, I decided to shatter that lower jaw.
The thunder-shaped transformation unfolds.
Seeing the swords flying from three directions makes Jeong Cheol’s movements frantic.
Though it was split into three, the power cannot be handled by the probing lower jaw extended.
Kaboom!!
Jeong Cheol, having blocked the thunder-shaped transformation, retreats repeatedly to dissipate the force.
Once more, I charge forward.
The First Strike of the Evil Surge transforms into a dual connection. Jeong Cheol’s sword, frantically swung, is evaded by my Three Shadow Return. I surpass his obstructive maneuvering.
Continuing to thrust the lower jaw forward, Jeong Cheol maintains his energy, reckoning that a collision with my one-hit kill sword would be detrimental.
If that’s the case, I’ll make that lower jaw utterly misshapen.
The third technique of the Single Cut Blade Technique unfolds.
Heavenly Thunderstorm.
Kaboom!!!
The once heavy movements of my great sword now move more fluidly than ever. The intent to slice through everything became utterly vicious.
Jeong Cheol repeatedly steps back, flailing his sword chaotically. It looks as if he’s wisely placing moves to receive the non-lethal hits while avoiding the lethal ones, gaining an advantage.
The relentless assault continues.
Whoosh!!
The rapid depletion of my internal energy causes the flow of the thunder wheel to surge, and the resonating sound rings loudly in my mind, but I continue pressing the attack, calming the thunder wheel.
Isn’t this a waste of energy in a desperate offensive?
Those watching might think that, but I know.
No, I am certain.
The flaw of not drawing out the upper jaw in this fierce onslaught guarantees only loss for Jeong Cheol.
Even a drizzle can soak the clothes.
“Howagh!”
How can a fish that finds itself in water stay unscathed? Under this continuous assault, exposed to fragments of strong energy and the sharpness of the swords, Jeong Cheol was indeed being devoured whole.
Had Jeong Cheol decided to make his choice, it seemed.
Boom!!
The sword of thunderstorm that had been hammering Jeong Cheol stopped.
The true “lower jaw” unfolded as the sword bit down.
I witnessed Jeong Cheol unleash this technique for the first time, but as I watched its unfolding, a name of a technique clearly came to mind.
Double-edge of the Broken Neck.
As the lower jaw clamped onto my sword, the energy spread out, and Jeong Cheol’s blade fell from above downwards.
Despite the thunder wheel howling amid the successive strikes, I did not relinquish the fifth step.
Five Shadow Pursuit.
As I unleashed Five Shadow Pursuit, I thought,
It’s insufficient.
Indeed, my sword got caught in the lower teeth of the Double-edge of the Broken Neck, and it was true that I had been chewed.
Twisting downwards, Jeong Cheol’s strike, with all its weighted sharpness, whispered to me with a sudden expanse.
This level I can’t evade.
Thus, I resolutely replied within,
I expected as much.
I moved my foot once more.
Even as I transitioned into the movements leading to the Six Forms Bloom, I still hadn’t stepped out of the radius of the Double-edge of the Broken Neck. I saw the corner of Jeong Cheol’s lips subtly rise beneath the quivering shadow.
Was he so certain of his superiority?
Seeing that, I extend my foot again.
Seven Thunder Shards.
The direction of the Seven Thunder Shards was directly ahead.
Whoosh!!
My sword was already filled with sharpness and fully prepared to fall.
The situation was undeniably disadvantageous.
I had stepped into the Heavenly Thunderstorm, got entangled in the Double-edge of the Broken Neck, and was to face the sudden uptick of the sharp point.
Even now, any counterattack would only be a belated follow-up.
However.
This disadvantage could be overcome by compatibility.
Just as softness overwhelms strength, and speed—when it permits no change—overcomes change.
The one-hit kill swordsmanship cannot oust the strength of the one-hit kill.
The Double-edge of the Broken Neck clashed with the thunder.
The clash between Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists, using all their might, instantly turned the ground beneath them into powder, scattering shockwaves.
My hands gripping the sword trembled while the martial attire wrapped around my arms ripped apart.
The thunder wheel creaked involuntarily.
The overwhelming internal energy must constantly be poured into the sharpness of the sword.
In this moment, even more energy was required for reinforcement.
As the shock pressed against me, I dug my feet deeper into the ground to avoid being pushed back. I was convinced my shoes had long been torn as I desperately clung to the broken martial ground.
In this situation, no one could guarantee victory or defeat.
Nevertheless, I desperately funnel all my might into the thunder.
As I locked eyes with Jeong Cheol, who was filled with rage.
His gaze seemed to declare:
That I, having taken the initiative, would surely win.
Receiving his glare, I pondered.
Is the sole basis for your confidence in victory merely that?
Do you believe for a moment’s unremarkable superiority to be enough to bring me down?
In an instant, countless scenes flooded back into my mind.
The time I traveled far to heal Sara and spent time in the Barley Lotus Pool.
Returning to Yunnan to infiltrate the Dark Dragon Sect to destabilize the Sadoryeon.
The day I attacked the Odokmun and met Jeong Cheol while training in Array Formation for a long time.
Sweeping away the outcasts of Sacheon City and holding the preliminary selection of the Sacheon Outcast’s final rounds.
Then, after encountering the Rebirth Truck in Jung Mountain, facing Wi Seoryeon.
Becoming a guest of the Demon Sect and competing against Wi Seoryeon while going in and out of the Heavenly Demon Library.
The long gamble against the Heavenly Demon to obtain the Brain Crystal.
Even the events in the Shengsu Faction chosen to lure Jeong Cheol out.
It was lengthy.
Through a truly long and eventful journey, I have met many people, sometimes aiding them and other times receiving help, and I have arrived at this point.
Those experiences granted me certainty.
I have changed and grown.
I have surpassed the Jeong Cheol before me.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Was it in response to my thoughts?
Or is it that my certainty stimulated the thunder wheel?
I wasn’t sure which, but the final force that could break the balance was added.
My sword, maintaining a perfectly opposing state, slightly pressed down Jeong Cheol’s blade. Jeong Cheol’s eyes bulged open, and he poured strength into both arms, but the balance had already shattered.
Jeong Cheol’s feet, which were stubbornly braced, began to slide, and his sword was gradually forced downward.
His legs bent, his waist was bent, and his arms could not stretch fully.
Snap!
Finally, Jeong Cheol’s sword cracked.
Kaboom!!
At the moment Jeong Cheol’s sword exploded, both he and I were enveloped in the explosion. Fragments of powerful energy and extensively concentrated sharpness hammered my whole body, and my body, which was mostly empty, was swept away by the aftermath.
Creeeek!!
Is it fitting to say, even in ruin, there was still some worth?
I somehow twisted my body in midair and stabbed my great sword into the martial grounds. Leaving behind a long scar, when I managed to stand, blood naturally trickled from my mouth.
“Cough.”
I felt blood trickling into my left eye, whether a fragment of sharp energy grazed above my brow.
I lifted my hand not to wipe the blood but to exhale a long breath. It was more vital to reconnect the severed thunder wheel and regain strength in my quivering limbs than immediately securing my vision.
I drew upon the internal energy that had already been depleted in my lower abdomen once again, merging my flow.
Having completed the minimum emergency measures, I turned to Jeong Cheol.
“Cough…!”
Jeong Cheol’s lips had color, but my internal injuries seemed deeper.
Yet that internal injury wasn’t the issue.
The sword broken in half.
And Jeong Cheol’s right arm, barely able to grasp the now shortened weapon, hung limply.
“Ugh…!”
Jeong Cheol gritted his teeth and attempted to lift his right arm, but…
Clatter!
That very movement caused him to drop the sword.
The martial artists surrounding the venue began to stir, and Jeong Cheol’s eyes trembled.
“I… I lost.”
Ooohhh!!
At Jeong Cheol’s declaration of defeat, gasps and cheers echoed. Jeong Cheol staggered off the martial ground, and the crowd merely threw glances his way, focusing their attention entirely on me.
In that scene, the victor seemed to carry all honor while the loser vanished without a trace, but I knew for certain.
In the final moment.
When the clash of powers shattered and the balance completely collapsed.
Jeong Cheol had sacrificed his sword, relinquishing his arm.
Preserving the body excluding his arm and minimizing internal injuries, Jeong Cheol…
He had planned for a retreat.
