Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 307

Han remembered his first encounter with Lee Cheol.

The moment their swords clashed.

Han felt a sense of kinship.

He sensed the desperation unique to those who had risen from the bottom without support.

It was shocking and awe-inspiring.

The fact that Lee Cheol, who had grown up discriminated against as a bastard, could be so strong was deeply moving.

At that moment, Han felt a strong conviction that his life would be influenced by Lee Cheol.

What should he call it?

Rival, nemesis, worthy opponent… no, it wasn’t any of those.

Han knew it too.

Including himself, there was no one in their generation who could be called that in relation to Lee Cheol.

He had never once beaten Lee Cheol.

But, even so.

Han wanted to defeat Lee Cheol.

‘I remember the light I saw that day.’

Han recalled the electric lights and neon signs of Kowloon Walled City [a densely populated, ungoverned settlement in Hong Kong] as he rummaged through mountains of garbage.

Seeing that light piercing through the gloomy darkness of the back alleys, Han dreamed of escaping the darkness of the junkyard that surrounded him.

‘You are like me.’

Even if Lee Cheol didn’t think so, Han did.

Just as he had yearned for that light and dreamed of reaching the top, Lee Cheol must have looked up with similar dreams.

Someone with the same situation, the same path, the same goal.

Therefore, defeating Lee Cheol was a goal, a destiny, and above all, a proof of himself for Han.

‘To defeat you, I have honed myself my entire life since that day, since that defeat.’

Han gripped his short sword tightly.

After the defeat, Han’s life took a rapid turn.

He was taught by both the Kowloon Walled City Lord, one of the best of his generation, and the nameless old man, one of the best assassins.

He crossed the line between life and death over a hundred times a year, excluding missions.

He monopolized the top elixirs and treasures flowing into Kowloon Walled City and tried everything, regardless of whether it was orthodox or unorthodox, to become stronger.

All the things he had built up like a fortress were focused solely on ‘Lee Cheol of Soongmoo Lee Ga’.

‘I can win.’

Han’s eyes flashed.

He felt a cold fire rising from within his chest.

‘I will win.’

He looked up and saw Lee Cheol.

A monstrous monster.

Today, he would hunt that monster.

* * *

In an instant, Han’s short sword was pushed right in front of me, and I blocked it with the sword made of Black Ghoul.

Clang! Crack!

The auras surrounding each other’s blades collided, scattering sparks.

Beyond the scattering sparks, Han spoke.

“Don’t you remember our first meeting?”

Come to think of it, when I first encountered Han during the Martial Arts Examination, it was a similar situation.

However, it seemed like Han was forgetting something.

“I think you’ve forgotten, but you lost to me back then too.”

I put more strength into my arm.

There was no need for complicated techniques.

Primal power.

The power of a body that had transcended its limits through Rebirth Transformation, combined with the magic power that erupted like an explosion, was unleashed.

Kwaaaang!

Han used the pressure rising up his short sword to bounce back and create distance.

“…As expected, a monster is a monster.”

Han felt the tingling sensation in his hand.

In all aspects, including magic power, strength, technique, and reaction speed, he was superior to anyone he had ever met.

Big. Not just big, but too big.

He wasn’t talking about the actual difference in height, but about the height of the ground Lee Cheol was standing on.

Woooong!

Lee Cheol didn’t chase after him.

He was looking at him with his sword hanging down.

He was full of openings.

But Han knew.

That the moment he took a step, deceived by that seemingly full of openings stance, he would be defeated.

“Hoo.”

Han took a deep breath and gripped his short sword again.

And he recalled the conversation he had with his two masters.

* * *

When he had mastered all nine visions of the Kowloon Iron Brigade, the two masters gave Han a slightly different teaching than before.

“Your magic power is sufficient.”

“Just considering the value of the elixirs you’ve consumed, it’s enough to save a city, so you should be able to keep up.”

In front of Han were his two masters, and in front of the two masters were several weapons.

“Now is the time to choose. Pick one.”

What was placed in front of him was a sword, a pair of gloves, and a short sword.

It wasn’t just about choosing a weapon.

It was about deciding the direction he would take in the future.

He could choose all three. Han had the ability, the foundation, and the talent to do so.

But Han knew.

That wouldn’t work against Lee Cheol.

He was a martial artist worthy of the name of perfection, so to pierce through that gap, he had to go to the limit of one path, not omnipotence.

However, even so.

No matter which direction he went, it would be difficult to defeat Lee Cheol.

He might be told that a martial artist has no pride… but.

Yes, he didn’t. He had already thrown that away in the junkyard.

Rather than being defeated while clinging to pride, he would abandon his pride and win.

Short deliberation.

Han chose his direction.

“A short sword. You know what it means, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the right answer.”

Han looked at the Iron Brigade’s smiling face.

“Is there a reason why it’s the right answer?”

“Because there’s no way you can beat him in a martial artist’s fight. What you need to do is become a mean and petty assassin.”

In an instant, he clenched his fist without realizing it.

And he let out a hollow laugh.

Was there still something he hadn’t abandoned?

He had to admit that he couldn’t win.

That’s where it started.

“Your eyes look good.”

“…Thank you.”

“Don’t be too angry. If he hadn’t opened the door, you wouldn’t have had to take this path. But it’s not the case anymore. What do you think?”

The Iron Brigade glanced at another master, the Lord of Thousand Slaughtering Blades, and he nodded.

“I agree with the Brigade Lord’s words. However, if the Brigade Lord had killed him earlier, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Are you saying something painful? Well, isn’t it true? Haha! Sorry, disciple. …Hmm, no. I left you a share, so can I be called a true master?”

The Iron Brigade spoke lightly in a playful tone, then started talking again.

“Anyway, let’s start with the real story. I’ll tell you the first condition for you to beat him.”

The Kowloon Walled City Lord, Iron Brigade.

That playful absolute being raised one finger and said this.

“Run away.”

It was a type of condition that couldn’t be called a tactic for victory.

“He is strong in both the first and second moves, but he is relatively stronger in the second move.”

The second move, that is, the counter.

Lee Cheol’s ‘eyes’ were like a nightmare to martial artists.

No matter what action the opponent took, he could take out the optimal counter to counter that action.

And he even had the blessed Soongmoo Lee Ga’s body that could react faster than the opponent even if he moved one step later.

“Share a blow before the full-fledged battle. From then on, you must insist on only the second move.”

“What do you mean? Didn’t you just say to run away?”

Han asked with a puzzled face.

The Iron Brigade smiled and replied.

“I’m saying to hit him once before you’re both fully prepared. After that, create distance, and start in earnest from then on.”

“Why do I have to do that?”

“He gets stronger every day. So you can only modify your tactics after gauging how strong ‘now’ he is. Gauge it before he starts thinking about defeating you in earnest.”

In a way, no, it was just a mean way.

It was because he was telling him to hit him lightly before the opponent used his full power, and then run away from then on.

“If you feel a difference when you face him, give up immediately. If you think you can do it… fight with your life on the line.”

“You must abandon the idea of deflecting, evading, or achieving a draw. What you need to do is not a head-on confrontation as a martial artist, but a ‘fighting while running away’.”

Han’s eyes shone as he engraved the words of the two masters in his mind.

“Don’t swing your sword first. Block, evade, and aim for a counterattack. Repeat that countless times.”

The Iron Brigade smirked, raising his bright red lips like a crescent moon.

“That’s the first condition.”

* * *

Han stopped moving as he faced Lee Cheol.

He hadn’t stopped completely.

Even if only slightly, he was gradually adjusting his movements.

Twitch!

Lee Cheol’s fingers holding the sword loosened.

Han narrowed the angle of his elbow.

He turned his head slightly to expose his side and held out his short sword.

“……”

Lee Cheol nonchalantly added strength to his fingers again.

Then, he moved his pelvis to shift his center of gravity slightly forward.

Han lifted his back foot slightly and widened the narrowed angle of his elbow again.

In that way, subtle adjustments of movement came and went.

…From a third person’s point of view, it was a scene that seemed like they were twitching little by little and doing nothing.

It wasn’t like sword strikes were coming and going, or a storm of auras was erupting.

But this was a more important process than those things.

This was a preliminary battle.

It was a battle of wits to take the optimal first action between each other.

Drip!

A drop of cold sweat ran down Han’s temple.

‘Run away.’

Han repeated the ‘first condition’ in his head.

This was the first step for that condition.

Turning his back and running away was the worst way to fight Lee Cheol.

Because Lee Cheol was capable of long-range sniping and bombardment, it would be over as soon as he created distance.

That’s why it was close range.

He had to stick to him tenaciously and insist on only evasion and defense.

‘Never swing the sword first.’

He had to suppress the urge to swing it right away.

This was Han’s ‘escape’.

At that time, Lee Cheol’s brow twitched and narrowed.

“Interesting.”

His expression didn’t look like it at all, but Lee Cheol let out those words.

Step!

And Lee Cheol suddenly took a step forward.

A bold move, different from what he had done so far.

There were too many gaps in Lee Cheol’s step.

Han’s hand twitched, but he didn’t move.

“Hmm. So that’s how you’re coming at me.”

Lee Cheol’s expression sank.

“Then I’ll go first.”

Lee Cheol’s foot, stretched forward, dug into the ground with a thud.

The ground cracked like an eggshell.

And Lee Cheol’s figure disappeared.

Whoosh!

It was a fleeting moment.

Lee Cheol’s disappeared figure appeared in front of Han.

Swaaaaaaack!

From top to bottom, Lee Cheol’s sword tore through the air and was swung down.

Crack!

Han twisted his ankle.

The angle of his upper body tilted, and the sword fell where Han had been, with only a paper-thin difference.

Swish! Kwaaaang!

A few strands of Han’s hair were cut off and scattered in the air.

The power contained in the missed sword collided with the ground as it was, and a deep ditch was dug with just that, and dirt and dust scattered.

‘I avoided it! Success!’

He succeeded in not attacking first, and he succeeded in avoiding the initial strike.

Then it was his turn.

‘Now!’

Han’s short sword flashed.

The sharp blade cut through the dirt and dust, drawing a clean line in the air.

Clack! Clang!

The sword and short sword clashed in the air.

The thick dust that had risen up was blown away in all directions like a balloon bursting.

Chijijik!

First clash.

It was Lee Cheol who was pushed back.

Han’s attack was subtly faster, and his body balance was broken while blocking it.

Lee Cheol, who narrowed his brow slightly, flew back to create distance.

Thud!

Han didn’t let that happen.

He kicked off the ground and stuck to Lee Cheol.

Kagagagak!

In the process of sticking to him, dozens of sword and blade strikes came and went.

And it was always Lee Cheol who had the upper hand in such close combat.

Lee Cheol’s sword, filled with tremendous brute force, was swung, and Han was pushed back as soon as he blocked it.

To push a person back with just brute force, it was truly a monstrous power.

Tap!

Han immediately corrected his posture in the air and rushed at Lee Cheol while releasing magic power as it was.

But even while sticking to him like that, he never launched a preemptive strike.

Because he had to keep the ‘first condition’, whether he suffered losses or internal injuries.

“Your fighting style has changed quite a bit.”

Lee Cheol said that as he slashed his sword diagonally.

Thud!

Han deflected it with the back of his sword.

Thud! Thududududung!

The sound of a cannon exploding echoed as metal and metal collided.

Dirt and dust soared with one strike, and the dirt and dust exploded with the second strike.

Fragments of aura exploded like fireworks, turning the surroundings into a mess.

Han gritted his teeth.

He didn’t have the luxury to open his mouth, but Lee Cheol was even talking in that offensive and defensive battle without any problems.

‘I don’t care.’

He knew the difference in level.

He was just continuing to make the best moves to win.

Clang! Kwadududuk!

Lee Cheol took out a new weapon in the air.

Han didn’t leave it alone and narrowed the distance even further.

It was a shape that forced Lee Cheol to use only one weapon.

He was trying to keep him in check by sticking to him as much as possible so that he couldn’t take out any more.

Han didn’t back down.

But he didn’t step forward either.

He was desperately sticking to Lee Cheol and focusing on deflecting all those attacks.

All of that was for this one moment.

‘A gap!’

The defense on the head became weak the moment Lee Cheol lowered his weapon to defend.

Han’s short sword wriggled like a snake and was drawn from top to bottom.

Kwaang!

A strike swung with all his might at close range.

“Keuk.”

A short groan flowed from Lee Cheol’s mouth.

Lee Cheol’s knees were bent in half.

But it was only for a moment.

The tilted body was restored in an instant.

‘I succeeded in countering.’

But Han felt dismay.

He had to engage in a close combat that was like walking on a knife’s edge in order to force the opponent to attack first and to elicit this one counterattack.

He forcibly pushed away such thoughts.

Now was not the time to think about such things.

Kwaaaaa!

As if the fact that he had been countered didn’t exist, Lee Cheol’s sword rushed in front of him again.

Han gritted his teeth and swung his short sword again.

Meanwhile.

‘Han. Has he been studying me?’

I frowned as I faced such Han.

Movement, magic power operation, minor tactics, and even combat methods.

I could quickly realize that it was a tactic created only to deal with me.

‘And that tactic… is quite annoying.’

Clack! Tang!

The sword and short sword collided in the air, and the shockwave that occurred between them burst the air.

Was he afraid of my powerful techniques?

Han had no intention of giving me distance.

He was sticking to evasion and defense so extremely and stabbing while aiming for gaps.

Just by seeing him create those gaps and create this kind of situation, I could get a glimpse of the capabilities that the martial artist Han had built up.

‘If so.’

I’ll break that tactic from the front.

I concentrated the aura at one point.

As if Han had sensed it, he backed away for the first time and created distance.

The black aura lotus that bloomed splendidly.

Second Form of Mujin, Black Lotus.

In an instant, the torrent of the Black Lotus engulfed Han.

* * *

Han’s eyes flashed as he watched the black aura petals blooming.

-Even if you succeed in forcing the first attack and succeed in inducing close combat, it will not last long.

-Here is the second condition.

-He doesn’t really have any habits, but he has one characteristic. He tends to make the situation his own flow.