Chapter: 295
Quagagagak-!
Lightning strikes from all directions.
A thunderbolt sweeps across the floor.
It burns thoroughly, leaving a trace.
Is it really shot out of thin air?
No, it is not.
It was a bet in the shape of a lightning bolt.
It is so highly concentrated that you can see the energy gathered together with just a glance.
Even in a split second, dozens of strands of energy shoot out in the shape of lightning.
‘What…?’
Jang Seon-yeon took a step back.
Shh.
He drew his sword.
Woof-
The sword’s resonance comes soon after.
Jang Ga’s Dokmunmu was much stronger than Jang Seon-yeon as he went over the wall.
He swung his sword through the pouring energies.
Woof-!
The sound of the sword resonates throughout the surroundings, as if manifesting a force.
The sound mixed with the sword energy managed to erase a few of the lightning strikes.
Kwaduk!
“Ugh…!”
It didn’t erase everything, but it did manage to sweep away the surrounding area.
He avoided the attacks by deploying his magic spell.
Just after slicing another bouncing lightning bolt, Jang Seon-yeon had doubts.
‘What happened?’
Even while questioning, the thunderstorm kept pounding relentlessly.
Accordingly, he had no respite even while swinging his sword.
‘How can things be so different?’
Something had clearly gone wrong.
The gestures of the woman he encountered at the Yongbong branch…
Were entirely different from the woman now deftly controlling the lightning right before his eyes.
The level was different.
Even then, he had thought it was an excellent swordsmanship.
While wrapped in speculation and wielding a rough yet cold sword.
The flow of movement seemed natural, as if dancing.
A dance of sword handling.
It resembled a dancer moving to the rhythm of an instrument.
Her nickname was Geommuhee.
Someone once said that if not for Gu Huibi, she might have taken the position of a swordswoman.
Jang Seon-yeon dismissed this as nonsense.
One.
Can you still say that after witnessing her current state?
‘How could things change so drastically?’
Back then, the sword dancer was at the peak of her prowess.
Now, she was in a situation where she had surpassed her own former limits, just like Jang Seon-yeon.
That was understandable.
After all, the circumstances were similar then, and he too had overcome his walls.
One.
Even if they were at the same level, they couldn’t all be the same.
Namgungbia and Jang Seon-yeon were prime examples of that now.
‘Why…!’
The lightning struck more fiercely, pouring down like a torrent.
With each fold of energy, Jang Seon-yeon swung his sword tirelessly.
The sword dancer was still standing in that original stance, refusing to budge even an inch.
Her expression remained calm.
To regulate this kind of energy, extreme delicacy would be required.
Occasionally, one could see a small gesture from her fingertips…
And just the movement of her pupils.
It was as if to say, “This much is enough for you.”
‘How dare you…!’
Bam.
A figure he had lost to in the martial arts meet stood before him.
Future goals included Sleeping Dragon, Sword Dragon, and finally…
‘True Dragon.’
He thought only those scoundrels who disregarded him and displayed nothing but malice remained.
But the sword dancer was an unanticipated presence.
Ignoring him had left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He certainly wanted to show her what he was made of.
‘That woman, too, must be related to him.’
Why do all those connected to that guy manage to provoke his temperament?
‘Unacceptable.’
Especially considering that one had once been defeated by him.
To find himself struggling against someone he had defeated before was intolerable for Jang Seon-yeon.
Woohoo-!
He focused intently, raising the stakes to amplify his swordsmanship.
With a little more concentration on his techniques, he managed to evade the incoming lightning.
“…”
At that moment, Namgungbia, who had been observing intently, tilted her head slightly.
Sarak.
With a deft flick of her fingertips, she drew shapes in the air.
And then—
Phage crackle-!
“…!”
The tip of a lightning bolt split apart.
The number increased, directing several strands towards Jang Seon-yeon.
In that fleeting instant, she expertly adjusted the stakes she had already made, altering them with precision.
This was beyond absurdity in betting abilities.
The lightning, having branched off, now split further and poured forth.
Having already taken his first step, it was impossible to alter his course now.
Jang Seon-yeon ceased ringing the sword bell.
He pulled back his energy and unleashed a calculated shield.
Blocking the lightning with his sword.
He tried to endure the attack he couldn’t evade with all his might, but—
Kwaduk!
“… Ugh…!”
As the deluge of lightning struck the barrier he had erected, a massive shock wave was felt, shaking the air.
It was evident that the energy embedded in that single strand was immensely potent.
Countless more streams were still surging forth.
Almost immediately, every single one seemed to collide directly with Jang Seon-yeon.
Quagagagagang-!
An explosive sound resonated, sending shockwaves and clouds of dust erupting into the air.
The moment dozens of lightning bolts struck the ground.
Remnants of the energy spread across the surroundings, creating a chaotic vibration.
Amidst the swirling dust cloud, silence reigned for a brief moment.
Woof…
A faint, subdued sound of a sword echoed precariously.
Phew!
Simultaneously, the gust created by the impact scattered the debris, revealing the violently disrupted ground.
The ashen, blackened floor showcased how ferocious the scattered energy truly was.
“… Phew…”
And there, at the center of it all.
With only a shallow scratch marring his skin, Jang Seon-yeon exhaled.
‘I blocked it!’
Except for the region surrounding the barrier he had raised, everything was blackened.
At the very least, the area he defended remained largely intact.
Though it had been hastily constructed, somehow he managed to hold it back.
Jang Seon-yeon immediately brightened his eyes and raised his stakes again.
‘If I accomplished this much, she must’ve expended most of her energy.’
If such a fierce lightning storm had rained down, he assumed the sword dancer’s energy would have dwindled as well.
If he could block them all…
From now on, it would be his time to shine.
He firmly believed that inevitable circumstance.
Thump.
Footsteps were gently heard from somewhere.
Hooooo-!
He had to restrain his breath as the atmosphere thickened ominously.
“… What?”
He urgently craned his neck.
But as he sought the whereabouts of the sword dancer…
She had vanished from where she was supposed to be.
Had she fled?
He immediately spread his perception.
To ascertain her location.
His energy spread outward like a spider’s web.
Before long, he successfully pinpointed the sword dancer’s location.
Behind him.
The sword dancer was right behind him.
“…!”
As he swallowed his surprise, Jang Seon-yeon attempted to swing his sword.
No, to be precise, he aimed to do so.
Kugugugugu-!
“Cough!”
In the split second he was about to execute the action…
His body froze, rigid under the suffocating pressure.
‘…No way…!’
This was an energy he recognized.
It echoed from the martial arts meet long ago.
It was the force he felt when clashing with Namgung Bi-ah back then.
A martial art revered as the Namgung family’s mystical technique.
‘Emperor’s Sword Form…’
Harnessing the pressure as a weapon.
A force shaping pressure into the embodiment of martial arts.
The emperor’s might pressed down upon him from all directions.
It was the manifestation of their formidable presence.
Something he had never experienced before, even against the Lightning Dragon.
This was the genuine Emperor’s Sword Form.
Thud.
He instinctively found himself kneeling.
He simply could not withstand the approaching force.
“Ugh…”
Cold sweat had already soaked his back.
His energy lay stagnant under this thrumming pressure.
The Emperor’s Sword Form he encountered previously and the one she currently wielded?
The quality diverged strikingly.
While last time, the pressure only made movement feel clumsy.
“Hah… Hah…”
Now, he couldn’t even move his energy.
The troubling factor?
‘After unleashing such devastating energy, she still possesses this much?’
He thought it’d be a maximum of one to two years since the last encounter.
Only that amount of time had elapsed.
So how could she have transformed so drastically?
The energy radiating from Geommuhee seemed to emanate infinitely.
Generating and shooting out energy like lightning or fire, she wielded enough power to surpass expectations.
Even for someone who had achieved mastery over combat and expanded their capabilities.
Sustaining this level of energy would be nothing short of daunting.
Unless Geommuhee was consistently at work, a feat requiring precision in control.
Ultimately, this reflects the unevenness of their levels.
‘This is ludicrous…!’
He hadn’t even drawn his sword yet.
Yet, he was saying he wasn’t a true dragon, incapable of overshadowing the woman beside him?
That thought was utterly preposterous.
“Phew… phew…”
As he strained to move, veins throbbed visibly at his neck.
The oppressive force pressing down felt like an insurmountable weight.
Yet Jang Seon-yeon struggled to rise.
He couldn’t afford to simply collapse here.
At that moment.
Just as he flailed against the encroaching force.
A delicate set of white fingertips pierced through his defenses.
Thud-!
“…!”
She snatched the belt he had been clutching tightly.
And with that, the pressure constricting him dissipated almost instantly.
“Ugh…!”
The suffocating presence of the Emperor’s Sword, which had made breathing so arduous, evaporated.
Only then could Jang Seon-yeon finally catch his breath.
Of course, that relief would prove fleeting.
Jang Seon-yeon had to keep an eye on Geommuhee.
He had no idea how this would unfold.
But when he glanced back, Geommuhee maintained her expression while still looking at Jang Seon-yeon.
“… Sword Dancer…”
He called for her by name, invoking both Geommuhee and Namgung Bi-ah.
Namgung Bi-ah merely shot him a sidelong glance before walking away.
It felt as if the verdict had already been reached.
“… Where are you going…!”
Jang Seon-yeon couldn’t contain himself and shouted out.
Namgung Bi-ah halted, turning back toward him.
“Not yet… We haven’t crossed swords yet.”
Jang Seon-yeon recognized deep down.
That this woman was far stronger than he had anticipated.
He understood that continuing this back-and-forth would leave him with little chance of winning.
Yet the pride stuck inside denied accepting that fact.
Jang Seon-yeon had to always be the one to emerge victorious.
Even now.
Right to the very end.
“I haven’t shown my true power yet…”
“I’m not curious.”
At Namgung Bi-ah’s words, which cut through Jang Seon-yeon’s proclamation like ice.
He found himself momentarily speechless.
Her voice never bore a hint of emotion.
Just cool and cold as ice.
“Whatever power… you have, I’m not interested in your sword.”
Drawing his sword had been a mere formality of courtesy for the martial competition.
Namgung Bi-ah wasn’t concerned about the exhausted man standing before her.
“It’s not amusing; your sword isn’t.”
The foul odor it exuded…
Even as she turned away from the gaze she had grown weary of over time.
His sword was utterly unremarkable.
Not even a bit.
“I recalled who you are.”
In that instant when he drew his sword…
Namgung Bi-ah had unearthed the memory of his identity.
Though the name eluded her, the encounter ignited her recollection.
“But I will forget again.”
That was the crux of it.
“I’m not interested in a sword that’s worse than before.”
“…What?”
At Namgung Bi-ah’s words.
Jang Seon-yeon’s eyes widened.
Did she say he had deteriorated?
That couldn’t possibly be true.
He himself had crossed barriers and reached zeniths.
His martial prowess had bloomed to heights unparalleled compared to back then.
What on earth was this absurdity?
“Are you insulting me…?”
That was all he could discern.
It stung and felt utterly humiliating.
Especially against someone whom he hadn’t even regarded as a rival.
The audacity to say such things to him.
In response to Jang Seon-yeon’s outburst.
Namgung Bi-ah chose to turn away without uttering another word.
Now, having secured her belt, it was as if her previous victory held no weight whatsoever.
As he observed Namgung Bi-ah retreating, growing ever more distant.
Jang Seon-yeon found himself mired in confusion.
‘Should I call upon my divine power?’
A divine being slumbered within him.
Warnings echoed in his mind, advising to refrain from its reckless application until complete integration with his body.
Shouldn’t he use it sparingly unless necessary?
Yet now, should he invoke it?
‘If I do, it would certainly convey to her.’
I am not someone to be disregarded by those like you.
The one who should look down in contempt.
That would be him.
‘…’
He deliberated further.
Biting his lip, blood trickled forth.
His eyes burned, drowning in pressure.
The tremble of his shoulders ached under the strain of holding back.
But ultimately…
Jang Seon-yeon endured.
He simply watched as Namgung Bi-ah receded into the distance while gasping for breath.
‘I must persevere.’
He couldn’t afford to falter merely for this.
Insults and rage too.
Those grievances could wait to be resolved later.
Jang Seon-yeon endeavored to present a smile on his face.
He needed to be able to smile from this point forward.
When he encountered others later, he’d want to exhibit a genuine smile.
‘…The Sword Dancer.’
An individuality he loathed as much as Jinryong.
Or perhaps, even more than Jinryong.
‘I need to locate him sooner.’
As informed by Taeju about the descendants of Zhuge.
Zhuge Jinseon.
He had been said to be here.
Were they part of the same troupe as his? A first or second group?
He had gathered enough impressions on their looks.
He didn’t remotely suspect they could have flunked the entrance exam.
If they had lived disguised for this long.
They must possess formidable abilities.
Calming his breath and suppressing his emotions, Jang Seon-yeon pulled himself off the ground.
‘Wait.’
The current disgrace, the anger, the humiliation.
He would remember them all, and one day deliver them their comeuppance.
He would repay them all in one sweep.
After cleaning away the blood flowing from his wound.
Jang Seon-yeon steered his weary body forward.
He needed to secure two belts before it was too late.
Namgung Bi-ah had taken the belt to Jang Seon-yeon.
And just as Jang Seon-yeon began to walk away, swiftly departing…
Someone observed from a distance.
“…”
The person who witnessed Jang Seon-yeon veer off in another direction, after confirming her departure, promptly closed their eyes, which had been opened.
They replaced the sword they’d been gripping with ease.
—Why didn’t you intervene?
A voice echoing in their head.
As the sound reached her ears, Wi Seol-ah opened her previously closed eyes.
And then, she softly murmured.
“If I had intervened there, my sister would have been furious.”
If she had interfered in the fight, Namgung Bi-ah would indeed have been angry.
Thus, Wi Seol-ah had refrained from stepping in at that moment.
And as expected, Namgung Bi-ah triumphed without any issues.
She looked as if she hadn’t even experienced a crisis.
‘…She’s strong.’
Naturally, Namgung Bi-ah was strong.
She was formidable in the past, and even now, she was unyielding.
Her martial arts, of course, were as steadfast as her integrity.
Her faith in her heart remained intact.
Faith in herself too.
Of course, at the last moment.
If Jang Seon-yeon attempted to draw energy to ambush Namgung Bi-ah.
In that instance, she would have intervened, no matter how angry Namgung Bi-ah might be.
While Wi Seol-ah quietly watched the sunlight filtering through the shade.
‘Sister… Do you have animosity toward Sister Bi-ah?’
She posed a question that piqued her curiosity.
As always, considering Namgung Bi-ah sparked an inexplicable tremor within her.
—…
This was the commotion stemming from another being residing within her.
Wi Seol-ah recognized that much.
Was it hatred?
Or perhaps some other feeling? That, she could not discern.
—It’s not hatred… I don’t despise her.
That caught her off guard.
Wi Seol-ah had thought she’d surely hate Namgung Bi-ah.
‘Then what emotion is it?’
—Regret.
The sound of the voice made Wi Seol-ah’s eyes flare wide.
It was a revelation that had taken her by surprise.
The dreams about her lived experiences resurfaced at times.
Yet, it was impossible to know everything.
Whether such things were part of her future or something entirely separate.
That, too, remained a mystery for Wi Seol-ah.
She simply accepted that it was her story.
Yet, regret?
‘…You feel regret toward Sister Bi-ah?’
—…
Why on earth was that?
While she was filled with curiosity…
The voice offered no additional explanations.
Only trace memories floated to the forefront.
Not the current Namgung Bi-ah.
But the face she had encountered, the Demon Sword Master.
That day…
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