Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 459

459. Sound [聲 – Shēng: literally ‘voice’ or ‘sound,’ but also implies reputation or declaration]

Yunhyun looked down at the massive Subduing Demon Sword before him.

Perhaps there was no need to take a risk.

The Elders Council of the Joint Faction had already decided to side with Yunhyun.

So, he could have stepped back at this point.

He could have expressed admiration for the Joint Faction’s mysteries, voiced regret for not awakening the Subduing Demon Sword, and then discussed the Blood Cult and the Demonic Sect.

Leaving the legendary sword buried in legend.

‘But.’

However, Yunhyun did not remove his hand from the Subduing Demon Sword.

After a moment of thought, Yunhyun turned his head.

“Elder.”

“Yes.”

The Caretaker responded as if he had been waiting.

Yunhyun smiled.

“…Please watch my back.”

It was a sudden, out-of-the-blue request, but the Caretaker did not hesitate.

“Understood.”

That was his entire response.

But it was enough for Yunhyun.

Rustle.

Yunhyun turned his head back and looked down at the Subduing Demon Sword.

The large, heavy sword of old antiquity lay quietly beneath his fingertips.

Raising a faint warmth like a subtle breath.

“Hoo.”

Yunhyun composed himself.

‘To resonate with this sword…’

He was able to resonate with the Myriad Year Ice Crystal of the Northern Sea because he had the aura of the Fallen Sun Sword within him.

So, what was needed to resonate with this Subduing Dragon Subduing Demon Sword?

It wasn’t knowledge of Daoist scriptures or Daoist power.

If it were, the Daoists of the Joint Faction would have awakened it by now.

It didn’t seem likely that a sword left by a Daoist who had attained the Dao of Heaven [achieved enlightenment or immortality] would awaken with such things.

The only conclusion Yunhyun could reach was one.

‘I must empty myself.’

That was the conclusion Yunhyun came to.

Swish.

Yunhyun closed his eyes.

Silence fell in the Subduing Dragon Subduing Demon Hall.

The Caretaker, Neung Se-yeong, Geum Hwa-yeong, and the elders all held their breath and watched Yunhyun.

And it happened suddenly.

At some point, Yunhyun’s presence began to fade like a snuffed-out candle.

‘Huh?’

The old woman, Neung Se-yeong, frowned.

The complexions of the Joint Faction elders watching also changed drastically.

Yunhyun’s energy, no, his very presence, was disappearing before their eyes.

It wasn’t that he was releasing his inner energy or scattering it subtly.

Yunhyun’s energy was rapidly diminishing, as if swept away by an invisible wave.

And that wasn’t all.

“Ugh.”

Cheonunja, who was standing closest, groaned.

He felt his inner energy leaking out.

As if his body temperature was being stolen by a chilling winter wind.

“This is…”

“Step back.”

The Caretaker said with a stern expression.

Cheonunja immediately told the other elders.

“Step back! Quickly!”

The elders, who had sensed the unusual atmosphere, immediately retreated.

Neung Se-yeong and Geum Hwa-yeong also moved back.

“What about Caretaker Elder?”

Geum Hwa-yeong asked.

The Caretaker was still close to Yunhyun.

Thud.

With one step, the Caretaker retreated.

That was all.

The Caretaker stood with his hands behind his back, his back straight, watching Yunhyun with deep eyes.

Meanwhile, the changes occurring around the Subduing Demon Sword and Yunhyun were becoming more pronounced.

Whoo-oong.

A chilling energy enveloped the Subduing Demon Hall.

The faces of the Joint Faction elders contorted.

“Ugh!”

“Oh no!”

Their reactions were ominous.

The old woman, Neung Se-yeong, immediately asked.

“What’s wrong? What does this change mean?”

Cheonunja stared at Yunhyun and the Subduing Demon Sword with a grim expression.

The answer came from Honwon Jin-in.

“Do you remember Cheonunja’s warning? That no inner energy is effective against the Subduing Demon Sword.”

“So?”

Neung Se-yeong urgently asked back.

“No matter how much powerful inner energy you pour into it, the Subduing Demon Sword remains unchanged like a bottomless abyss. But that’s not the case with people.”

With a stern expression, Honwon Jin-in continued.

“Some were unaffected. But others were thrown back with tremendous force, enough to splatter blood against the wall. And some couldn’t take their hands off the Subduing Demon Sword. They lost not only their inner energy but even some of their true origin energy [vital essence or life force] due to the tremendous suction.”

Losing true origin energy was the same as losing one’s life force itself.

Honwon Jin-in bit his lip.

“…As if they were wielding a demonic sword.”

‘Ah!’

Neung Se-yeong recalled Cheonunja’s earlier warning.

Cheonunja had clearly said that ‘those who tried to awaken it with inner energy suffered great setbacks.’

He had also warned them to ‘be extremely careful.’

Even comparing the Subduing Dragon Subduing Demon Sword to a ‘demonic sword.’

“That’s why it’s stipulated that an observer must be present when awakening the Subduing Dragon Subduing Demon Sword, in case of an emergency.”

Only then could Neung Se-yeong understand Honwon Jin-in’s words.

The elders were gathered here not just out of curiosity.

Of course, that was the biggest reason.

The reason for allowing Yunhyun’s group to accompany them was also understandable.

They needed an observer anyway, but if Yunhyun were to be harmed while the Caretaker was away, they would have feared what the enraged Caretaker might do.

“Then what about now?”

Neung Se-yeong said, feeling the gradually increasing chill.

The temperature throughout the high and wide dome-shaped Subduing Dragon Subduing Demon Hall was rapidly dropping.

No, it felt like it was dropping.

Subjectively, it felt like frost could form at any moment.

“I don’t know.”

Honwon Jin-in said, gritting his teeth.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Yunhyun and the Subduing Demon Sword.

“…This is a first.”

Whoo-ooo-oong.

The chilling energy sweeping through the Subduing Dragon Subduing Demon Hall was turning into a biting cold.

The feeling of inner energy leaking out every moment could be felt through the skin.

“Kuh.”

Okro Jin-in groaned.

She, who had devoted her life to studying scriptures, did not have deep inner energy.

Cheonunja immediately approached her and placed his hand on her back.

A gentle warmth spread towards Okro Jin-in.

“Th, thank you.”

Okro Jin-in said.

Cheonunja placed his hand on Hyeon Gija next to him and said to the other elders.

“Help each other! If you feel like you can’t endure it, leave this place immediately!”

The elders formed groups of three or four to help the weaker ones.

Honwon Jin-in also joined Cheonunja.

No one left their place, but it was clear that the situation was worsening.

“What should we do?”

Neung Se-yeong asked Honwon Jin-in.

The elders were the ones who knew the most about the Subduing Demon Sword.

But Honwon Jin-in bit his lip and shook his head.

It meant he didn’t know.

“…Perhaps.”

Cheonunja said in a low voice.

“Stopping him now…”

“Anyone who touches him now.”

That cold voice belonged to the Caretaker.

Swish.

The Caretaker turned to look at Cheonunja and the elders.

“Will die by my hand first.”

In that moment, not only the elders but even Neung Se-yeong felt goosebumps.

The Caretaker’s eyes, as he unhesitatingly spoke of killing the Joint Faction elders, were the very embodiment of death, of ruthlessness.

The Caretaker turned his head back to look at Yunhyun.

Whoo-ooo-oo.

The Subduing Dragon Subduing Demon Hall was filled with cold.

It wasn’t just cold.

Even the Caretaker felt a sense of powerlessness at the eerie feeling that the entire place was falling into a bottomless pit.

The elders, who had been gradually retreating, now had their backs against the stone wall and had nowhere else to retreat.

But the Caretaker did not waver.

His deep gaze was fixed only on Yunhyun.

At that very moment.

Buzz.

The massive Subduing Demon Sword began to emit a low wail.

It was the sword’s cry (劍鳴 – Jian Ming: literally ‘sword cry,’ the sound a sword makes when resonating with its wielder).

***

Having closed his eyes, Yunhyun slowly composed himself.

As always, countless streams of light instantly enveloped Yunhyun.

Whoosh.

The countless streams of large and small lights flashing on and off.

Yunhyun smiled without realizing it.

But now he had something to do.

Swish.

Yunhyun raised his head.

There was a vast emptiness in that high place.

The emptiness, which was proudly revealing its presence as if Yunhyun was of no importance, was none other than the Subduing Dragon Subduing Demon Sword.

Whoo-ooo-oo.

Streams slowly passed around the vast emptiness.

It seemed to be right in front of him, but the emptiness was as large and vast as if it would swallow the world, and it existed far away.

Ooo-ooo-oong.

‘As expected.’

Yunhyun looked at the vast emptiness.

The streams clearly existed even within the emptiness.

However, they were simply passing by, having lost their countless lights and possibilities.

Swish.

Yunhyun raised his hand.

Of course, his hand couldn’t reach it.

But that wasn’t what Yunhyun wanted.

Sasa-sasa.

Yunhyun’s inner energy scattered through his fingertips like scattering sand.

It wasn’t difficult.

He just had to load his inner energy onto the streams.

Shee-eee-eee.

From Yunhyun’s fingertips, pure white frost-like things were swept away by the streams and disappeared.

The sight of it harmonizing with the light was truly beautiful, but Yunhyun couldn’t just watch it.

Because it wasn’t just inner energy that he had to empty.

Sarak-sarak.

In the streams that brushed against his fingertips, Yunhyun let himself flow.

He began to empty himself of his many thoughts, emotions, memories, and recollections, literally everything.

There was no fear or hesitation.

In that way, Yunhyun was slowly emptying himself.

Sarak.

A cluster of light began to flow out from Yunhyun’s fingertips.

And at that very moment.

Swish.

The vast emptiness gazed at Yunhyun.

***

At some point, Yunhyun realized that he was in an empty space.

There was nothing around him.

Not only were there no objects, but even light and darkness were not clear, and only a colorless gray space stretched out endlessly.

A world filled only with emptiness.

In that place, Yunhyun was also a part of the emptiness.

He couldn’t see, hear, or remember anything.

Everything was frozen, and he couldn’t think of anything.

But one thing was clear.

It was the ‘gaze.’

Sarak.

A single red eye stared at Yunhyun.

The red eye, which floated in the air as if blood was spreading, was terrifying.

Moreover, there was more than one eye.

Chara-ra-rak.

The red eyes instantly filled all directions.

The countless eyes filling the emptiness blinked at Yunhyun.

It was many and one, and one and countless.

The countless gazes poured down as if to shatter Yunhyun’s existence.

The gaze contained ‘hostility.’

Pasa-sak.

Yunhyun’s existence began to shatter.

There was no pain or fear.

Yunhyun did not react even though his existence was crumbling.

As if it should be, Yunhyun was shattering.

Then there was a sound.

Ching.

Yunhyun raised his head.

He didn’t know what the sound was.

It sounded like someone’s voice, but perhaps it was a small melody.

But the sound made Yunhyun raise his head and look up.

Charang.

Again, a sound was heard.

When the reverberation, like the whisper of a small bird or the sound of a bell awakening someone, reached his ear, Yunhyun saw it.

‘Ah!’

A ray of light was descending from above.

The light, which was so thin and fragile that it seemed to break at any moment, was, however, shining on Yunhyun as brilliantly as a star.

Tears welled up.

His heart was racing, and something hot spread throughout his body.

And the light enveloped Yunhyun.