Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 384

384. Fall (沒落 – Decline)

Iron-Blooded Tyrant, Yeom Jung-bu, gritted his teeth.

The people standing before him were clearly Dok-seon and Un-hyeon.

In this bizarre situation where over a hundred Iron-Blood Guards and fifty grooms were asleep, and only Yeom Jung-bu seemed to be awake, they had appeared.

Yeom Jung-bu glared at Dok-seon and said,

“It seems you have finally decided to disregard the Hwasan Covenant [a pact between powerful martial artists].”

Dok-seon asked back with an expressionless face,

“Me? When?”

Yeom Jung-bu shouted in an angry voice,

“Then are you saying this isn’t your doing!”

The hundred-plus Iron-Blood Guards and fifty-odd grooms were still in a deep sleep.

If not for their regular breathing, one might mistake them for dead.

This was clearly Dok-seon’s work.

It was an act that directly contradicted the Hwasan Covenant, which stated that the Five Venerables [elite martial artists] should not be hostile to each other.

However, Dok-seon didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

“I merely silenced those who were annoying.”

Dok-seon said in an indifferent voice,

“If even this is hostility towards you, wouldn’t your very breathing be hostility towards me?”

“Nonsense! Such sophistry…….”

Yeom Jung-bu shouted.

But the shout could not continue.

“Or could it be that you’ve become so….”

Dok-seon looked at Yeom Jung-bu with a chilling gaze.

“…pathetic that you need to seek the help of such things? Yeom-ga [referring to the Yeom family or clan].”

Yeom Jung-bu bit his lip.

Dok-seon’s point was accurate.

No matter how many Iron-Blood Guards there were, they were nothing before the Five Venerables of Hwanwoo [a group of powerful martial artists].

Moreover, Yeom Jung-bu’s anger was not just because the Iron-Blood Guards were neutralized.

The shame of his scheme being rendered useless and the vulgar intention of the Alliance Lord abandoning the Hero Alliance [a martial arts organization] being completely exposed was even greater.

So, perhaps it was fortunate that the grooms and Iron-Blood Guards were all asleep.

They wouldn’t see anything.

“No need to worry.”

Dok-seon said quietly.

“I will not interfere in the affairs of the two of you.”

Step.

Dok-seon even stepped back.

But Dok-seon’s words were not over yet.

“However, if you, Yeom-ga, try to escape from this place, I will not hesitate to unleash the Thousand Fragrance Butterfly on you.”

At those words, Yeom Jung-bu’s face changed.

Dok-seon’s Thousand Fragrance Butterfly was a technique that even Yeom Jung-bu could not disregard.

Looking straight at Yeom Jung-bu, Dok-seon said,

“How can I recognize someone who turns his back on a life-or-death struggle as one of the Five Venerables of Hwanwoo?”

The look in Dok-seon’s eyes was a fierce blue.

It was a relentless rebuke of Yeom Jung-bu.

Dok-seon still could not forgive Yeom Jung-bu for kneeling before Moon Wang and becoming his subordinate.

“Heh, heh heh.”

Yeom Jung-bu laughed, letting out a low sound.

“Yes, you should have come out like that from the start, instead of making such dirty excuses.”

Flutter, flutter, flutter.

The collar of Yeom Jung-bu’s clothes began to flutter.

It wasn’t because of the wind.

The energy emanating from him was swirling around him like a storm.

“Come.”

Yeom Jung-bu said, glaring at Un-hyeon.

“I, Yeom Jung-bu, will never just die.”

Swish.

Un-hyeon drew his sword.

His sword, Myeong, gleamed blue in the moonlight.

“Since you allowed me to hold the funeral for my sworn brother.”

Un-hyeon said, looking at Yeom Jung-bu.

“I will not disgrace your death either.”

“Heh heh. How grateful I am.”

Yeom Jung-bu laughed, his shoulders shaking.

“But what does it matter what happens after death? Since ancient times, a dead prime minister is worth less than a living dog…….”

Bang.

Yeom Jung-bu’s figure disappeared in an instant.

He charged towards Un-hyeon with tremendous speed.

“That is the way of the world!”

What gleamed in his hand was a short sword with a crimson blade.

The Blood-Drinking Demon Sword, once called the Vampire Demon Sword, which had disappeared with its owner, the Vampire Demon, had appeared in Yeom Jung-bu’s hand.

Swoosh.

The Blood-Drinking Demon Sword flashed its eerie blade towards Un-hyeon.

Un-hyeon simply twisted his body lightly to avoid the sword.

But that was what Yeom Jung-bu was aiming for.

Whir.

The demon sword in Yeom Jung-bu’s hand moved strangely, aiming for Un-hyeon’s waist and sweeping away.

But Un-hyeon was already naturally raising his sword, Myeong, upwards.

Shriek.

“Kugh!”

In an instant, Yeom Jung-bu groaned and dropped his sword.

It was a reaction that was difficult to understand at first glance, but Yeom Jung-bu’s response was correct.

Clang.

The demon sword that met Myeong soared upwards, following Un-hyeon’s sword as if it were stuck to it.

If Yeom Jung-bu had been holding that sword, what would have been thrown into the air would not have been just the demon sword.

Whir.

The Blood-Drinking Demon Sword, flying through the air, was silently planted in front of Dok-seon’s feet.

However, Dok-seon did not even flinch.

Meanwhile, Yeom Jung-bu’s unique weapon, the Scarlet Snake Whip, which had appeared in his hand, was plunging towards Un-hyeon, tearing through the air.

Clang, clang, clang.

With a thunderous sound, the Scarlet Snake Whip charged towards Un-hyeon.

The two ends of the divided Scarlet Snake Whip were aiming at Un-hyeon from different directions.

But Un-hyeon didn’t even blink.

Step.

Un-hyeon took a step.

With that, his sword, Myeong, cut through the air.

The moment the Scarlet Snake Whip, falling like lightning, met its trajectory.

Kaboom.

The explosion swallowed everything.

And soon, a storm-like force swept around.

Crash, crash, crash. Bang, crack.

The carriage was destroyed, and luggage lay scattered on the road.

Gold and silver treasures were scattered everywhere from the broken luggage, and the horses struggled while tied to the carriage or ran away.

The fallen grooms and Iron-Blood Guards were lying on the ground, but no one woke up in the midst of it all.

Dok-seon was watching all this with cold eyes.

Whoosh.

The dust settled, and the momentum subsided.

The scene that unfolded before Dok-seon’s eyes was truly bizarre.

Gold and silver treasures scattered everywhere sparkled under the moonlight, and Yeom Jung-bu, holding the Scarlet Snake Whip, was heaving, his clothes torn here and there.

“Hoo, ha.”

The ends of the Scarlet Snake Whip in his hand were cut off miserably.

It was the result of Un-hyeon’s one sword strike a moment ago.

And Un-hyeon was still standing in the same place, holding Myeong in one hand.

As if meditating under the moonlight, he was still and quiet.

Whoosh.

A wind blew on the road.

Dok-seon knew the outcome had been decided.

There were no special moves or amazing techniques.

He didn’t even use the White Tiger Sword Technique like before.

But Un-hyeon had defeated Yeom Jung-bu.

He had defeated Yeom Jung-bu, the Iron-Blooded Tyrant, one of the Five Venerables of Hwanwoo and the Alliance Lord of the Hero Alliance.

“Heuugh.”

Yeom Jung-bu let out a hollow laugh.

The Scarlet Snake Whip in his hand was drooping like a snake that had lost its head, and a stream of blood was flowing from the corner of Yeom Jung-bu’s mouth.

“……That bastard, he’s gotten stronger in the meantime.”

“No.”

Un-hyeon said quietly.

“It is you who have become weaker.”

Yeom Jung-bu’s eyes flashed.

“I’ve become weaker?”

Un-hyeon did not answer.

But Un-hyeon and Dok-seon already knew.

Yeom Jung-bu had become weaker.

Perhaps it was a psychological factor.

Because Yeom Jung-bu was now abandoning the Hero Alliance and running away.

But to be more precise, it was from the moment Yeom Jung-bu knelt before Moon Wang.

From the moment he accepted the position of Alliance Lord created by someone else, Yeom Jung-bu could no longer be called one of the Five Venerables of Hwanwoo.

From the moment he gave up being the Iron-Blooded Tyrant himself, Yeom Jung-bu had been gradually falling.

“……Keu keu keu. Cough.”

Yeom Jung-bu brought his hand to his mouth.

Yeom Jung-bu laughed as he looked at the blood on his hand.

“Heh heh. Yes, you guys were always like that.”

Yeom Jung-bu raised his head and glared at Dok-seon.

“You call yourselves the Five Venerables of Hwanwoo, but you always ignored and despised me. Just like now.”

Un-hyeon could not accept those words.

“That’s…….”

Ssk.

Dok-seon’s hand stopped Un-hyeon.

Un-hyeon stopped speaking.

Yeom Jung-bu said to Dok-seon.

“Do you like it? Living off this young brat?”

“It’s not bad.”

Dok-seon replied quietly.

“After all, people are bound to rely on someone to live.”

Yeom Jung-bu sneered.

“Hmph, so you’ve changed after all. To think that the aloof and cruel Dok-seon would end up looking like a backroom old man…….”

Dok-seon did not answer.

Yeom Jung-bu turned his head to Un-hyeon.

“How did you know I would abandon the Hero Alliance?”

“I knew you would definitely do so. Because you are someone who extremely dislikes losing.”

“Hmph.”

Yeom Jung-bu snorted.

“You came all the way here with such a flimsy basis? If I had been in Muhan, your subordinates would already be dead.”

“That’s not possible.”

Un-hyeon continued quietly.

“If you were truly trying to strike Muhan, you would have moved secretly instead. A roaring tiger roars to intimidate, not to strike the enemy.”

Yeom Jung-bu could not refute it.

From the beginning, the attack on Muhan was an empty shell to attract the attention of the world.

“So I knew. That you were trying to abandon the Hero Alliance now.”

The false rumors about the death of the Naval Commander and the story of the Hero Alliance aiming for Muhan gave Un-hyeon confidence.

The news that Je Gal-giho had delivered also added certainty to Un-hyeon’s judgment.

“And the Je Gal Clan also said that recently, the Hero Alliance has been sending people and letters to Yunnan and Guangxi very frequently.”

Yunnan and Guangxi are remote areas located in the south of the continent.

The geography is rugged, the weather is hot and humid, and there are many ethnic minorities living there, so in fact, there are many places where the control of the government is impossible.

There are more unexplored areas than inhabited areas, so what more is there to say?

“Hmph, incompetent subordinates.”

Yeom Jung-bu spat out as if chewing.

“To think that they couldn’t even do this one thing properly and got caught, I killed them too easily.”

It is useless to complain about something that is already over.

Like the ship secretly waiting for Yeom Jung-bu at the port he would have arrived at if he had gone just a little further.

Yeom Jung-bu raised his head and looked at Un-hyeon.

“Now, kill me.”

Yeom Jung-bu said with a gleaming look.

“Still, I saw that Shin Seung die first, so isn’t that enough? Keu heu heu heu.”

Un-hyeon’s expression hardened.

Yeom Jung-bu’s attitude of insulting the dead until the last moment was disappointing.

“Until the end.”

Un-hyeon said, taking a step towards Yeom Jung-bu.

“You are foolish.”

Sreuk.

Un-hyeon’s sword, Myeong, soared diagonally upwards.

The beautiful blade gleamed blue under the moonlight, and Yeom Jung-bu gritted his teeth and glared at the sight.

It was a look that still hadn’t given up.

But it didn’t matter.

The Yeom Jung-bu in front of him was no longer even the Iron-Blooded Tyrant, but merely the remnants of a past that had fallen miserably.

Swoosh.

It was the moment when Un-hyeon’s blade, emitting a blue aura, was falling downwards.

“Hyeon-ah!”

Dok-seon shouted sharply.

Un-hyeon also noticed the change.

Whir.

Myeong changed its trajectory, drawing a graceful path in the air.

And at that moment, an explosion erupted.

Kaboom.

Crash, crash, crash.

A tremendous force swept around.

The impact was great, but Un-hyeon lightly brushed it off.

But Yeom Jung-bu was no longer there.

And Un-hyeon and Dok-seon no longer cared about Yeom Jung-bu.

Step.

A person appeared from the darkness.

“It’s been a long time indeed.”

A heavy voice echoed.

With just that, Un-hyeon knew who the opponent was.

How could he forget?

The only opponent who had driven Un-hyeon himself to the brink of death.

“Nice to see you. Azure Dragon Sword Lord.”

A sturdy man shining with intense eyes even in the darkness.

He was none other than the Dark Sky Martial Emperor, standing under the dark sky.