Chapter 100

Chapter 100

From ancient times, after the Murim was formed, there have been countless matches, but the most entertaining matches are actually predetermined.

Isn’t that so? Just as a fight between an adult and a child might draw temporary interest but can’t provide grand entertainment, matches whose outcome is too obvious can’t properly draw the audience’s interest.

Moreover, matches whose results are predetermined can’t even draw people’s interest. That’s a clear fact.

Conversely, that means the form of the most entertaining match is predetermined.

A tight match where you don’t know who will win.

A match that makes you sweat in your palms—that’s truly an entertaining match.

Kaaang! Kagagagagang-!!!

“……Oho.”

Consecutive strikes.

Watching Baek Risan press Seonwoo Gang without giving him time to breathe in an instant, Daesageom let out an exclamation, showed interest in his eyes, and tapped the armrest with his hand. His posture loosening up.

“Indeed, the young lady of the Baek Ri Family is excellent. To unfold such a sword strike at that age.”

“Indeed she is.”

At Daesageom’s words, the Sado Alliance Leader responded indifferently and nodded. Because it wasn’t wrong.

There exists a realm called Body-Sword Union .

Simply put, it’s a term used to mean one can freely handle the sword like an extension of one’s own body, and it doesn’t just include the sword but refers to a realm where even the control of internal energy extended through the sword is free.

Naturally, it’s a difficult realm to achieve, and achieving Body-Sword Union at a young age is absurd. If one achieved it even at twenty, it would be such a realm that people would exclaim a genius under heaven had appeared.

Yet though not completely, traces of Body-Sword Union were visible in Baek Risan’s movements. At such a young age, she had grasped the rudiments of Body-Sword Union. It was undoubtedly a remarkable achievement.

That’s right.

That’s precisely why it was all the more regrettable.

“It’s a failure.”

“……What did you say?”

At the irritated words, Daesageom reacted and looked to the side, but the Sado Alliance Leader, with arms crossed and irritation evident, added.

“Daesageom must have seen it too, so why play dumb? The essence of the martial art itself has gone wrong. That’s what I mean.”

Though enlightenment, physique, and constitution greatly influence one’s martial arts skill, those aren’t the only factors that influence it. For example, there’s how well the nature of the martial art matches one’s own nature, isn’t there?

Take Daesageom, who achieved great success with Hyeolgeommun’s martial arts—he has a meticulous and blade-sharp personality and is famously cruel, which matches quite well with Hyeolgeommun’s martial arts. Because he doesn’t hesitate to see blood and can suppress opponents in violent ways if necessary.

The Sado Alliance Leader’s martial arts were the same. The martial arts of the Sado Alliance Leader, called Manwang , aren’t restricted by weapon or form. He himself has lived a life not bound by conventional forms, and this is a typical example reflected in his martial arts.

“Ultimately, martial arts are no different from clothes. Anyone can take clothes that fit reasonably well and tailor them to their body to wear. Isn’t that right?”

“……That’s so.”

At the Sado Alliance Leader’s sound reasoning, Daesageom nodded in agreement. A martial theory  that any martial artist would nod to.

If you asked experts, a hundred out of a hundred would say those words were correct. Even if you extracted examples from across the entire Murim to cite counterexamples, there wouldn’t even be a handful.

“Conversely, that’s as far as it goes.”

However, the Sado Alliance Leader’s mouth didn’t stop there.

“From what I see, the Baek Ri Family’s yang technique seems to be martial arts that embodies flames. It would be acceptable to call it Flame Arts .”

“Well, that’s…….”

Content anyone could tell just by looking. Having looked at the white flames rippling around Baek Risan, Daesageom nodded, and the Sado Alliance Leader continued.

“What do you think are the characteristics of flames, Daesageom? I don’t mean the profound meaning , but general characteristics.”

“……Well. That they’re hot, wouldn’t that be it? Since they blaze up in an instant, they have strong power as well.”

“That’s right. Hot, conspicuous, and bursting with strong power in one moment. Those are the characteristics of flames.”

If Yin  is about coolly and secretly aiming for the enemy’s throat, then Yang  is closer to burning oneself in one moment to incinerate everything about the enemy. Flame Arts is ultimately martial arts that doesn’t slowly preheat but bursts with maximum firepower in one moment to incinerate the enemy.

However, could that happen without any preparation?

“As if.”

The Sado Alliance Leader let out a sneer and clicked his tongue again.

“Flames must have something to burn to blaze. The better the firewood burns, the stronger the power.”

There are no flames that blaze on their own in a place with nothing. To create flames, ultimately, something must be used as fuel. One’s own internal energy, and even one’s meridians.

“It’s martial arts that places great burden on the body.”

Therefore, martial artists who use flames don’t try to use Flame Arts for long. There’s no need to use them for long. Their martial arts blaze with the brightest light all at once.

However, that only applies to those who can output full power at once, who can put their all into one uncertain strike.

“It’s martial arts that won’t permit its true form  to those who don’t have confidence in themselves.”

Until now, that would have been sufficient. There would have been enough time to preheat with anger, and flames that weren’t sufficiently high would have been enough to crush enemies.

But is it the same this time?

“The result is obvious even without watching.”

Having sighed that he would have to watch a boring match at the very end, the Sado Alliance Leader leaned back diagonally.

The atmosphere of the match was already changing.

She had liked flames.

-You would be more suited to Eumwolgong  than Yangwongong.

Long ago, when Baek Riyun, whom she respected and admired, said those words, Baek Risan unusually threw a tantrum and jumped around saying she didn’t want to. For Baek Risan, who had grown up watching Baek Riyun, martial arts meant flames.

Splendid and fierce, yet also warm and gentle. The flames that Baek Riyun wore were sometimes like a campfire that didn’t go out and warmly embraced the body, and sometimes like wildfire that rose up to devour enemies.

She wanted to resemble that.

Even knowing that she was learning Eumwolgong and that yin techniques suited her, Baek Risan didn’t withdraw her stubbornness.

Because she wanted to become like Baek Riyun. Because when she would sit exhausted after swinging her sword in the training ground and sulk, she wanted to resemble that warmth that would come and comfort her.

Therefore, Baek Risan couldn’t abandon her attachment to flames.

And when Baek Riyun left.

That attachment became obstinacy.

Kwaaaaaaa-!!!

The flames that surged up in an instant devoured all directions and flicked their tongues. At the same time, white flames scattered like sword energy, flowing along the sword strike.

A strong strike. However, there was enough space to escape.

Confirming that her opponent, Seonwoo Gang, hurriedly retreated, Baek Risan forcibly pushed down the rising nausea and tightly gripped her sword hilt.

‘It’s hard.’

Hard. Unprecedentedly so.

Not because internal energy or stamina was insufficient. Only one moment had passed since the match began.

Baek Risan’s endurance wasn’t so lacking that she would be exhausted after fighting that much. Though there was a somewhat overwhelming sensation, it wasn’t to the extent of feeling difficult.

So what made Baek Risan struggle was something else. There was no need to look externally.

Because controlling the flames right before her eyes was approaching Baek Risan as suffering.

-Do you know when flames go out?

What came to mind was her father, Baek Rigang’s voice.

-Flames go out when they have nothing left to burn themselves. It’s not for nothing that flames are compared to demons and called Fire Demons .

As intense as they are, they are greedy. As greedy as they are, it’s hard to hold their reins. If control goes even slightly wrong, aren’t flames something that jumps out beyond one’s will?

-If you are the rider, then flames are like horses. To avoid being devoured, you must grip the reins strongly yourself.

Treat flames not as Fire Demons  but as Fire Horses . You must be able to control and suppress the direction of the flames to change them to your will.

-Can you do it?

Can you accomplish that difficult thing?

Remembering Baek Rigang’s gaze that seemed to be asking that, Baek Risan gritted her teeth and gripped her sword tightly.

Jinyeombaekwhagyeol

Hwaryunyeonswae

Hwareureureuk!

Internal energy that surged up from the Mingmen acupoint heated the meridians hotly and rushed to her fingertips. In the blink of an eye, flames filled the sword strike in response to her will.

From bottom to top.

Even while gritting her teeth at the heat that seemed to burst through her throat, Baek Risan swung her sword. And simultaneously, sword energy emerging from the sword strike transformed into a kind of wheel  and aimed at all directions around Seonwoo Gang. A situation where no escape route was visible.

‘Got it……!’

Inwardly relieved that her attack had landed with difficulty, Baek Risan withdrew her sword and calmed the rampaging yang energy. Though her own limit was gradually approaching, Seonwoo Gang had also received countless attacks during that time. He couldn’t easily receive it.

‘I can…… rest a little.’

There’s a gap. There’s an opening.

She thought so.

Biryuchillyeonsin

Pyorang

Kwaaaang!

Until Seonwoo Gang forcibly broke through the flames and burst out.

‘What the……!’

Kaaang-!!!

Having retched and vomited black blood, Seonwoo Gang gritted his teeth and swung his sword. At the relentless sword strikes, Baek Risan was already pushed into defense.

Once, twice, three times.

Sword strike and sword strike overlapped. Uncontrolled flames also overflowed. Baek Risan’s hands and feet, who broke out in cold sweat trying to suppress the flames that might incinerate herself if she was careless, instantly became confused.

‘I need to separate……!’

The condition wasn’t good.

The hotly heated meridians were conveying pain as if they would melt. Barely a few seconds. Just a few seconds would be enough to calm the meridians’ overheating.

However, he didn’t give her an opening. As if he had noticed something, at the sight of Seonwoo Gang sticking to her tenaciously, Baek Risan gritted her teeth.

‘How, what should I do?’

She couldn’t use techniques with large consumption.

The meridians, overworked several times in an overheated state, were demanding rest. If she didn’t cool the meridians even a little, the techniques she used would gnaw at her own body.

However, with minor techniques, she couldn’t push away Seonwoo Gang. Even accepting losses, he would somehow breach and break through to aim for her throat.

What should she do? How could she push away Seonwoo Gang?

‘To a precarious line…….’

Use a superior technique while reducing internal energy as much as possible.

Having finished her judgment, Baek Risan, who had raised her internal energy precariously to the limit she could bear, wrapped flames around her sword strike and once again released a technique.

Jinyeombaekwhagyeol

Baekhwayoran

Six strokes.

The moment a white brand was etched in the air by Baek Risan’s swung sword.

“Six strokes.”

A relaxed yet chilling voice dug into the nape of Baek Risan’s neck.

“It’s finally been reduced by one stroke?”

Simultaneously, Seonwoo Gang, smiling like a yaksha as he dug into the center of the brand, brutally brought down his sword.

Paaaaaang-!!!!!