The sky was hidden by a thick, hazy mist. Red plum blossoms bloomed, like bright spots against the dusty sand.
Suddenly, countless plum blossoms opened, looking like a red cloud.
That red cloud quickly swallowed the thick sand and the many needles aimed at Chung Myung.
“Kuh!”
Tang Gunak’s eyes lit up with excitement.
‘A monster!’
The Deadly Soul Sand was very fine. To avoid being poisoned, you had to leave the area as soon as it was released.
The Deadly Soul Sand spread in the air. Just breathing it in could poison your lungs. Even touching it could put poison in your body.
Usually, there was almost no way to block the Deadly Soul Sand. But Chung Myung was pushing back all of the sand with his sword energy, without even using his inner power. His sword energy was like blooming plum blossoms, perfectly protecting him.
It was beautiful to look at, but it was also incredibly dangerous.
Crack!
The fine needles that flew into the sword energy were crushed. The sword was too fast and powerful for the needles to handle.
He had seen this sword before.
But Tang Gunak now understood something. It only looked the same. The power, speed, and control of the sword were much greater than before.
Crack!
As the last needle broke, Chung Myung rushed toward him like a burst of plum blossoms. He had a twisted smile on his face.
Kwaaaah!
A chill went through Tang Gunak. It felt like stepping into a freezing cave.
He had felt this before, but he could never get used to Chung Myung’s deadly anger. His muscles tightened all over his body. His heart started to beat very fast, like a drum in his chest.
Paaah!
A throwing star filled with strong inner power spun toward Chung Myung. It was meant to slow him down.
But Tang Gunak knew that this demon with a sword would not do what his opponent wanted. If he attacked, he would move in the way Tang Gunak hated most.
Chung Myung charged even faster, crashing into the throwing star.
Chung Myung’s sword moved like a twisting plum blossom in the air. It rose quickly, like a dragon flying up, and struck down the throwing star.
Kwaaaah!
Inner power crashed, making a loud explosion.
‘That’s right!’
Tang Gunak used his energy to grab the Soul-Reaping Stars that had fallen. At the same time, he threw three more without looking.
The poison throwing stars made three spinning paths. The Deadly Soul Sand on the blades and handles spread everywhere as they turned.
Paaah!
Chung Myung appeared in the storm of energy. The three throwing stars were already right in front of him.
Then, Tang Gunak saw it.
Chung Myung’s sword shook, creating plum blossoms.
‘⋯⋯.’
His eyes opened wide.
Attacks and defenses happened in a flash. Chung Myung’s sword seemed to move in a different time. It looked very slow, but it was not slow at all. It felt like time slowed down around Tang Gunak, but Chung Myung’s sword was still moving fast. It was like Chung Myung was in a faster world.
Crack!
Tang Gunak’s throwing star went through the plum blossoms. It seemed impossible to block a throwing star with flower petals.
But before the throwing star could do any damage, a new plum blossom flew toward it.
The flower petals swayed and stuck to the throwing star. The plum blossoms wrapped around it, gently pushing it aside.
‘What?’
Tang Gunak’s eyes widened.
Oooooo!
The throwing star, filled with inner power, still moved forward, but it was no longer going where Tang Gunak wanted it to go.
The three spinning paths curved a lot, as if they were meant to do that from the start, and passed by Chung Myung.
Chung Myung, still rushing forward like a light, was now covered by the Deadly Soul Sand that followed the throwing star.
At that moment.
Whirr.
Chung Myung’s sword drew a circle in the air.
It felt soft, even though it was a sword. Then, the sword swung across like lightning.
Hwaaa!
Tang Gunak could see it clearly.
The Deadly Soul Sand was being pushed aside, as if it was following the sword. Even with inner power, dust was still just dust. The Deadly Soul Sand was being pulled into the empty space made by the sword, like a trick of the eye.
Bang!
Tang Gunak quickly jumped back.
‘I thought he would come back as a dragon.’
‘Isn’t this just a monster?’
If Chung Myung had made a huge plum blossom with his sword and blocked the attack, Tang Gunak would not have been surprised. Even if he had used a lot of inner power and turned the throwing star to dust, he would have thought it was normal.
But this was not the kind of growth Tang Gunak expected.
Nothing worked.
Tang Gunak didn’t know how much effort Chung Myung was putting into each strike. But it felt like his own desperate attacks were being easily stopped by Chung Myung’s casual sword.
Tang Gunak’s hands quickly moved into his sleeves.
Think fast, act fast.
Hwaaa!
Poisoned caltrops and needles flew from Tang Gun-ak’s fingers. Poison liquid from broken bottles turned to smoke instantly. Dark, grey smoke spread quickly, covering the area.
‘Not enough!’
Only after using all the Deadly Needles (Talmyungpyo) hidden in his sleeves did Tang Gun-ak reach for his throwing knives.
He didn’t believe that these hidden weapons and poisons could stop Chung Myung. The head of the Tang family could never say it, but these poisons and hidden weapons were too weak to stop someone even his best throwing knives couldn’t.
They would only buy him a moment.
But if they could buy him even a blink of an eye, it would be enough!
Yet, in that instant, all Tang Gun-ak saw was a single line.
Like a dark storm rushing forward, a vivid red line bloomed through the wave of poison and hidden weapons, like the dawn cutting through the darkness.
Just as darkness cannot exist where there is light, the wave of hidden weapons gradually disappeared before that red line.
Soon, a clear path opened through the hidden weapons, as if the sea had parted.
Even Tang Gun-ak, master of the Tang family, was momentarily stunned, gazing at the scene before him.
He even forgot that he was in the middle of a desperate battle.
A sword strike that had reached the peak of skill.
The red line captured all attention, ending with the Plum Blossom Sword.
All his tactics, meant to delay Chung Myung even for a moment, were useless against a single stroke of the sword.
‘Eerie’ wasn’t strong enough to describe it.
If Tang Gun-ak, merely in a martial arts demonstration, felt such pressure, what must those facing Chung Myung on a battlefield have felt?
‘I cannot stop it….’
It seemed impossible to halt that charge, no matter what he tried.
‘Then.’
In that instant, determination flashed in Tang Gun-ak’s eyes.
Wham!
Without a moment to lose, Tang Gun-ak launched four throwing knives, putting so much force into his fingertips that they threatened to crumble.
Kwaaaaaaah!
The throwing knives spun in the air, wrapped in energy. Behind the first two knives, two more swirling knives followed.
“Taat!”
A great shout burst from Tang Gun-ak’s mouth, and four more throwing knives were launched.
Chain of Lightning Knives (五雷連環).
He used four knives for the ‘Chain of Lightning’ technique, even though it was meant to use five. He still held one knife back, planning something else.
And.
Wooooooong!
The last throwing knife.
The Soul-Snatching Knife (追魂飛), resting on Tang Gun-ak’s palm, leaped and thrashed like a living carp. He poured so much inner force into it that it was like breathing life into it, causing the knife to move on its own.
Wooooooong!
‘More!’
Tang Gun-ak’s face paled as he used a massive amount of inner force.
But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to stop Chung Myung with this. It was insufficient to halt that sword.
“More!”
The thought burst from his lips.
Gooooooo!
The thrashing throwing knife gradually stopped moving. The knife, floating three inches above his palm, trembled and vibrated.
‘More!’
Clang! Clang!
At that moment, the first two throwing knives were feebly deflected, their momentum gone.
The two knives that followed, swirling as they flew, were also not enough to push back Chung Myung’s powerfully swung sword.
The four throwing knives that followed would likely be deflected just as easily.
Wooooooong!
But it didn’t matter.
All those attacks were for this one move.
Wooooooong!
Trickle.
Red blood flowed down Tang Gun-ak’s chin.
An attack he had yet to perfect. But that made it even more dangerous.
Tang Gun-ak’s fingertips trembled slightly as he saw the knife’s vibrations ceasing.
It was because of a doubt in his heart.
‘Can he withstand it?’
Could Chung Myung truly endure this attack?
Was he doing something he shouldn’t be doing right now?
I am….
Tang Gun-ak took his eyes off the knife and looked ahead.
In that instant, he saw Chung Myung’s eyes, fiercely charging towards him.
“……”
Tang Gun-ak’s blood-soaked lips formed a faint smile.
‘Of course….’
Hesitation vanished, and his eyes filled with resolve.
‘I believe!’
The Soul-Snatching Knife stopped moving above Tang Gun-ak’s hand.
“Take this!”
He slowly extended his hand forward, as carefully as if he were caressing a tiny child.
Then, the Soul-Snatching Knife slowly rose into the air.