The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 372

War (3)

While Veronica and Medea went to face the Tiger King, Dohwa fluttered the scroll of Dohwado and moved, her expression grim.

Her mission was to hold back the unidentified Daeshinkyeok [Great Divine Authority, a being of immense power] prepared by the Jade Emperor Palace.

“I expected it wouldn’t be easy, but…”

The Daeshinkyeok who weren’t outwardly revealed within the Jade Emperor Palace were those who had accumulated tremendous Shinkyeok [Divine Authority, a measure of divine power] but possessed significant disqualifications or hidden flaws.

Dohwa looked at the woman walking towards her with leisurely steps and let out a hollow laugh. She had assumed the woman was dead, given the lack of news, but apparently, she’d been caught by the Jade Emperor Palace.

“You sly fox, I thought you were dead, but you’re still alive?”

“Oh my? Who is this? A goblin? You’re still alive too?” The woman, adorned in a splendid Hanbok [traditional Korean dress], offered Dohwa a slender smile, speaking as if genuinely pleased to see her.

Dohwa, however, was far from happy. The woman before her was a monster who had wreaked havoc on the Korean Peninsula for centuries.

Her name was Maegu. A monster transformed from a thousand-year-old fox, imbued with a unique and potent form of evil, distinct even from a Gumiho [nine-tailed fox, a mythical creature].

“I made a mistake and got caught by the Jade Emperor Palace. I was having so much fun until now…”

“What’s ‘fun’ for you is just seducing men, isn’t it? What a nasty hobby…” Dohwa clicked her tongue, her disapproval evident. Maegu responded with a loud, theatrical laugh.

There were many villainesses throughout the history of the Korean Peninsula. They bore different names and faces, but…

None could surpass Maegu in terms of destabilizing a country.

Sometimes employing the allure of a femme fatale, other times utilizing clever brainwashing and exceptional social skills, she clouded the king’s judgment and manipulated the military at will.

All those labeled as villainesses in the Korean Peninsula were, in a sense, Maegu’s creations, influenced by her methods and legacy.

She was the most notorious monster in history, reaching Daeshinkyeok by accumulating Shinkyeok through the fear and chaos she instilled.

“Huhu, so a goblin who has never dated a man is here to stop me? Alone?”

“Never dated a man? I got married a while ago. Hehe…” Dohwa retorted, matching Maegu’s laughter. She reached into her bosom, retrieving a Kkompae [a type of Korean cigarette] and placing it in her mouth.

Snapping her fingers, she ignited the cigarette, inhaling deeply to fill her lungs before exhaling a thick plume of smoke.

The exhaled smoke rapidly expanded, becoming a dense fog that enveloped the area, obscuring vision and forming a distinct domain.

“Let’s play a game, you fox!”

“Huhu… If I do this well, the Jade Emperor Palace promised to grant me freedom. So, I’m not going to just ‘play around’…” Maegu, now almost completely obscured by the fog, covered her mouth with her sleeve and unleashed her energy. Emanating from her entire being was Shinkyeok brimming with malice.

Fox ears sprouted from her head, and a massive tail with a glossy sheen emerged from her buttocks.

Wagging her tail, she peered intently into the fog.

“Goblin, your skills have improved considerably, haven’t they? But you should know that’s not enough…” Maegu’s sharp eyes pierced through the fog, searching for her prey.

Her teeth and claws were poised, ready to strike at Dohwa’s neck at a moment’s notice.

* * *

Yoo Seong-woo stood before the old man, Owol [his sword’s name] held firmly in his hand. It wasn’t his life-bound sword, but Owol nonetheless.

The old man, Dangun Wanggeom, the highest god of the Jade Emperor Palace and the son of Hwanung and Ungnyeo [figures from Korean mythology], the very origin of Korean mythology, regarded Yoo Seong-woo, who was blocking his path, with a languid gaze.

Both understood that the outcome of their battle would determine the fate of the Sword Clan and the Jade Emperor Palace.

Dangun Wanggeom spoke first.

“…You’ve committed an interesting act.”

“It’s a consequence of your lack of popularity. How many gods have turned their backs on you?” Yoo Seong-woo began by subtly provoking Dangun Wanggeom. Ordinarily, he would show respect to the highest god of the Korean Peninsula, but he couldn’t afford such courtesies now.

Why would he respect someone who had initiated the attack?

‘I’m grateful that General Yi Sun-sin [a famous Korean admiral] didn’t become an enemy.’

A hero from a more recent era felt more relatable than an ancestor from the distant past.

Yoo Seong-woo lightly swung Owol in his hand a few times and declared,

“You’ve chosen the wrong side to support. If you surrender now and apologize, I won’t kill you.”

It was an incredibly arrogant statement. He hadn’t even possessed Shinkyeok for a full year, yet he spoke as if he were doing Dangun Wanggeom, the Daeshinkyeok of the Jade Emperor Palace, a favor.

But he was, arguably, qualified to do so. No one had ever achieved Shinkyeok in such a short span.

He hadn’t even reached Daeshinkyeok or established a Seongsinjeon [a shrine dedicated to a god].

Dangun Wanggeom narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Yoo Seong-woo.

‘What an arrogant child.’

It was evident from his eyes. There was no fear, only the unwavering intent to kill him.

The unyielding fighting spirit and murderous intent seemed to reflect the life he had led.

Therefore, Dangun resolved to eliminate Yoo Seong-woo.

If he were to seize power, the world would be consumed by the flames of war. He couldn’t stand by and watch the land he was meant to protect be stained red.

“…Arrogance will lead to regret.”

“Unfortunately, I’ve decided to abandon regret. I’m not a whiny kid anymore.” Yoo Seong-woo launched the first attack.

As he lightly thrust Owol towards Dangun, a swirling vortex of Aura erupted and shot forward.

Dangun casually waved his hand, deflecting the attack with ease, and let out a long sigh.

“I don’t believe we need to prolong this…”

Charrang─

Simultaneously with Dangun’s surge of energy, a clear bell sound echoed from an unknown source.

With each chime, Dangun’s power intensified.

“…Hmm.” Observing the scene, Yoo Seong-woo deduced the origin of the bell sound. It was likely one of the Cheonbuin [Heavenly Seals, divine artifacts] that Hwanung had brought with him when he descended to Earth.

“Hwanung’s Three Divine Treasures…”

Dangun was going to bring out all of the Cheonbuin [Heavenly Seals, divine artifacts] as this was a battle he absolutely had to win.

He probably knew that he couldn’t defeat Yoo Seong-woo without going all out.

I didn’t know what the bell’s effect was, but I could feel my mental defenses shaking every time I heard it.

Was it a divine artifact that interfered with the mind and soul?

‘I’ll be at a disadvantage if this goes on for too long.’

Yoo Seong-woo took a step forward.

Creating a sonic boom, he accelerated in an instant, wrapping Owol in a spiral of Aura once more as he extended it.

“Hoo-eup!”

A direct attack at close range, not an Aura shot from afar. However, Yoo Seong-woo’s attack did not reach Dangun. The moment it was about to hit Dangun, the attack itself was distorted, bending in a different direction and disappearing.

Only the innocent roads and buildings flew away and collapsed.

Yoo Seong-woo, who had taken a few steps back, could understand why his attack had been bent in a different direction.

“That is…”

What appeared before Dangun was a mirror the size of a face. A bronze mirror that hadn’t faded in color despite being made of bronze, one of the Cheonbuin [Heavenly Seals, divine artifacts].

The second of the Three Divine Treasures.

Dangun, as if wanting a quick resolution, was holding the last of the Three Divine Treasures, the Bronze Sword, in his hand.

“Now, die. Everything is for the Hongik [Benefit all mankind] spirit of the Korean Peninsula…”

The Bronze Sword in Dangun’s hand was swung. Yoo Seong-woo swung Owol in response, but he was pushed back so much that his counter was almost meaningless.

Leaving a long trail behind him, Yoo Seong-woo narrowed his brows and stared at Dangun.

“So, it’s the accumulation of thousands of years?”

Not a single attack could be taken lightly. He was a monster. Literally, a god who had been revered in the Korean Peninsula for thousands of years.

Impossible to defeat…

“Huh.”

Why was he having these thoughts?

The bell of the Cheonbuin [Heavenly Seals, divine artifacts], which was constantly ringing, seemed to be shaking his mind.

He shook his head vigorously to dispel the distracting thoughts clinging to his mind, and then gripped the handle of Owol tightly again.

‘The bell is a mental attack, the mirror distorts attacks, and the sword… I don’t know about that one.’

The previous strike was terrifying, but it just seemed like a basic attack. He would have to clash with it a bit more to figure out its ability.

He kicked off the ground. Approaching in an instant, he repeatedly stabbed with Owol, but all the attacks were distorted, and the impact was dispersed in different directions.

Some of them even returned in Yoo Seong-woo’s direction, counterattacking him.

He clicked his tongue and stepped back again after nullifying his own attack.

‘It distorts in any direction. A bit tricky…’

He had just tried stabbing Owol from all directions in front of Dangun. He was thinking of focusing on the parts that the Bronze Mirror couldn’t distort if there were any, but unfortunately, there were no gaps in the Bronze Mirror.

It didn’t seem like it would break easily either… In the end, it meant that he would have to go to a battle of Unique Worlds.

But not now. The one who reveals their Unique World first would be at a disadvantage. A Unique World was a manifestation of one’s being and an embodiment of the mind.

It was no different from revealing everything about himself. Unfolding a Unique World should only be done when he was sure he could defeat the opponent.

Dangun knew this as well, which was why he wasn’t unfolding his world.

“Owol alone won’t be enough…”

It would have been great if he could defeat him with just one sword, but Dangun was not an existence that could be defeated so easily.

The fact that he was the strongest god he had ever faced was undeniable.

Susanoo, one of the Three Kishin [Three Noble Children] of Japan, was also a god, but Dangun was on a completely different level from him.

He was the son of Hwanung, the creator god who opened the Korean mythology, and the grandson of Hwanin, also known as the Jade Emperor.

He was born a god and was the holiest of holies, revered for thousands of years.

Although nowadays, he was being called the son of a lolicon…

“Heuksa [Black Serpent].”

Yoo Seong-woo called out the name of the sword.

Heuksa [Black Serpent], drawing a black line in the sky, descended and embedded itself in the ground, exuding a disgusting black aura.

In an instant, it consumed the space, spreading the aura of death far and wide, completing a simple barrier and gnawing at the life on the earth.

Dangun frowned and swung the Bronze Sword, but the aura of Heuksa [Black Serpent] did not dissipate and remained.

-Kyahahahahahaha─!! A delicious-looking guy! I want to chew, tear, taste, and devour his insides!

Heuksa [Black Serpent]’s condition seemed to have gotten even worse.

When will this bastard get better?

Yoo Seong-woo summoned one more sword. Originally, if he couldn’t do it alone, ganging up on the enemy was the mercenary’s way.

“Yukmang [Hexagram].”

Yukmang [Hexagram], who had been called, descended, drawing a white streak of light like Heuksa [Black Serpent], and this time, it scattered a sacred aura in all directions.

-The realization of justice! Where is the enemy to whom I will deliver my justice!

The two swords, the Demonic Sword and the Holy Sword, gathered together and emitted opposing auras, causing sparks to fly incessantly.

Dangun looked at the scene and let out a short, hollow laugh.

“You can handle two opposing forces? Heh heh… One more reason to kill you has been added.”

“You’re trying to kill me for such a trivial reason. What’s so amazing about this?”

Heuksa [Black Serpent], Owol, Yukmang [Hexagram].

Among Yoo Seong-woo’s eight collections, the 456 lineup were swords with different properties.

Heuksa [Black Serpent] was death, as its name suggested.

Owol, containing the sea, was birth.

Yukmang [Hexagram], a sacred object of the Gwangyeomgyo [Church of Light and Salt], meant purification and regeneration.

The three forces of annihilation, creation, and sustainability gathered together to form a strange current.

Yoo Seong-woo, the owner of that current, smiled and said.