Chapter 308

Chapter 308

If you know yourself and know your enemy, you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. The beginning of a fight starts with knowing yourself first.

Baek Risan was one of those who thought most deeply about those words that Baek Riyun always said. That was because Baek Risan’s fights usually started with figuring out where his limits were.

He could win against someone even one level higher if his output could endure. He could hope for luck against someone two levels higher. Being able to miraculously achieve victory against someone three steps ahead was Baek Risan’s martial arts.

Knowing yourself is most important to win a fight.

Baek Risan always thought that way. And that’s why Baek Risan never stopped calculating the difference between himself and his opponent in any fight.

Like now.

“Huh?”

Hayul staring stupidly at Baek Risan.

At Baek Risan’s appearance throwing the Uicheon Sword like a thrown sword without any internal energy or skill, Hayul’s mind, observing the situation even with her posture collapsed, spun rapidly. A situation that made no sense at all.

‘Did her head turn from anger?’

In the martial world, there’s something called Flying Sword Technique.

Martial arts that shoot swords like arrows to strike down opponents, but it’s not a commonly seen martial art. Unlike things like the Sichuan Tang Family’s proud Flying Dagger Technique, it had clear limitations.

As a non-mainstream martial art, few people learned it, and it was difficult and not strong even when learned. From the beginning, the flying sword wasn’t even following the principles of Flying Sword Technique. Then what was the opponent aiming for?

‘Deception tactics?’

Perhaps so.

If her posture became even slightly twisted here, the Sword Immortal could pierce that opening. Even rotten, still a croaker—she could tell without being told how excellent the capabilities of the Sword Immortal, who was once Sipcheon, were.

Unless Baek Risan had just suddenly realized enlightenment and leaped dozens of stages to grasp the principles of Throwing Sword Technique, that sword couldn’t be threatening. Whatever he put into that sword.

She wouldn’t dodge. Because it wasn’t threatening.

Gwonryeong Hayul judged that way. And.

-I’m seeing you again, Senior.

That judgment was overturned the moment the sword touched her body.

Pzzzzt-!!!

Because she heard a voice through the sword.

“Son of a……!”

-You can’t.

Hayul, who realized something went wrong, moved her foot to kick away the Uicheon Sword the moment she heard the voice. However, her foot didn’t move as she thought.

-Using the body won’t work against Senior.

Gwonryeong Hayul was a grand master of Fist and Leg Techniques. Even searching all of the Central Plains, no one was more skilled in Fist and Leg Techniques than Hayul. That was true even including Taeak, who was a Transcender.

What about Baek Riyun?

Though the field was different, the realm of swordsmanship hadn’t reached Hayul yet. Because though he was a swordsman, he didn’t devote everything to the sword.

-Competing in martial prowess of one body also won’t work yet.

Even if Baek Riyun recovered his original body’s flesh right now and manifested.

Even so, defeating Hayul would be a difficult task. Unless he had achieved Transcendence, Baek Riyun, who met death in the middle of Transcendence, had no way to stand against the martial arts Hayul had built up over a lifetime. No matter what he did, Baek Riyun probably couldn’t beat Hayul.

However.

-When it comes to operating internal energy alone.

When it came to finely dividing possessed internal energy, colliding it inside the body, rolling it, and handling it as one pleased.

The word grand master wasn’t enough for Baek Riyun.

-I win.

Because Baek Riyun was someone who had lived adjusting a bomb that could explode at any moment so it wouldn’t explode for an entire lifetime.

Crrrk!

Hayul, who ground her teeth, devoted all her nerves to the internal energy battle with Baek Riyun. Internal energies that penetrated all nerves in the time it takes to not even blink once.

Internal energy flowed backward through blood pathways.

Internal energy that was clearly Hayul’s caused imbalance as it mixed with internal energy flowing out from the Uicheon Sword. Though weak compared to Hayul’s internal energy, like a parasite, Baek Riyun’s internal energy clung tenaciously and bit at her throat.

Thunder energy mixed in.

As Hayul’s internal energy and Baek Riyun’s internal energy collided, weak thunder energy was born between them, and it grew as Baek Riyun took control of that thunder energy. Thunder energy that would have harmoniously controlled and added to the martial art’s power originally.

However, Baek Riyun controlled the direction of that thunder energy but didn’t restrain it. And.

The result was simply revealed.

As all of Hayul’s blood pathways burned.

“Grrrrgh……!”

Pain that assaulted her.

She could endure up to that point. No matter how extreme the pain of thunder power was, it couldn’t match Hayul, who had experienced most of the pain humans could experience and eventually conquered it. However.

She couldn’t block even the internal energy leaking out through the broken blood pathways. That was something even Hayul couldn’t do whether she was human or yokai.

‘I’m losing.’

Dying. Here. Without accomplishing anything.

Just vainly.

-Risk your life immediately and die together with the enemy, Gwonryeong!

‘…….’

At the voice echoing in her head, Hayul let out a hollow laugh, gave up resisting, and dropped her arm. And immediately, electric shock that destroyed and rampaged through her body.

‘For whose benefit?’

-What?

‘Have you forgotten? Vermin. I’m not your companion.’

She knew what Muhyeong’s shapeless wish was. To shed her lowly self and ultimately rise to the world’s peak. To make it so no one could look down on her.

Hayul had never sympathized with that. Though she sometimes felt pity as she shared memories to some extent, ultimately, to Hayul, Muhyeong was nothing but a yokai.

‘I’m going to die here anyway.’

Why did she try to live?

She didn’t want to live. She never once thought she lived because she wanted to live. Nevertheless, there was one reason she had to live.

Because she had to kill yokai.

‘I can’t kill yokai anymore.’

-Don’t talk nonsense! Gwonryeong!

‘But those juniors will continue to protect people as they live.’

She never killed yokai to protect people. She just killed all yokai when she saw them.

However, nevertheless, there was something she thought. That those like herself wouldn’t be mass-produced. That the same tragedy wouldn’t repeat.

‘If there are people who will accomplish that instead.’

She wouldn’t do the stupid thing of stopping that for no reason, would she?

“It’s your victory.”

“…….”

“Old man. And juniors. Listen well.”

Even with her body numb and tingling, Hayul, who burst into a faint laugh, crookedly tilted her head.

“When I die, Muhyeong will come out of my body. Because I’m the only ‘substance’ Muhyeong has.”

“…….”

“You must catch it. Muhyeong isn’t the stupid and insignificant yokai from the beginning. If you let it escape, it will definitely return as future trouble.”

Slowly.

Hayul, who raised her hand blade and brought it to her heart, looked at Jeokyeol sitting dead in the distance and smiled bitterly.

“If I’d known it would turn out like this, should I have taken my own life without fighting?”

“……That’s hindsight.”

“Right. It would have been the same going back. I just did my best to achieve my wish. It’s just that my best was inferior to your best.”

That’s enough. No excuses needed.

Martial artists are those who speak not with mouths but with fists, with swords.

“It’s been fun in a while.”

The last strand of internal energy remaining after being eroded by Baek Riyun.

Crrrk!

Hayul, who raised her hand blade and forcibly pushed it into the part where her heart was, grinned and twisted her heart. And the next moment, blood gushing up through her chest.

“Father. Mother.”

Those who died first were drawn hazily before her eyes.

“Daughter.”

“Husband…….”

At the illusion seeming to gesture for her to come quickly, asking why she came only now, Hayul wore a thick smile and closed her eyes. A word echoing softly.

“I’m……back.”

Her head dropped.

Even the atmosphere fell silent as if watching the situation at a grand master’s death. The death of a death god who seemed impossible to die.

Even though her head was hanging down, even though she confirmed she destroyed her own heart, it seemed like she would come alive and move at any moment.

“Completely dead.”

Baek Risan, who had maintained a tense expression until the Sword Immortal’s judgment fell, bit down hard as soon as he heard the judgment. And simultaneously, grayish smoke escaping from Hayul’s nape.

-Gwonryeong. Gwonryeong. GwonryeongGwonryeongGwonryeong!!! How dare you repay kindness with revenge!!!!!

“……!”

-I will definitely promise a later day-!!!!!

Muhyeong, who let out a resentful cry, transformed its body grayish to escape. And at that moment, a wall of flames blocking the front.

“Did you think you could escape?”

-Ugh……!

The main body, smoky Muhyeong, couldn’t be cut by a sword.

Even so, it couldn’t be invincible. Though there were a few exceptions, yokai were originally yin  existences.

Hwaaaa!

-Kyaaaak!

Confirming Muhyeong being slammed to the ground in pain as part of its body was bitten by flames, Baek Risan quietly retrieved the Uicheon Sword from Hayul’s corpse and raised it. And.

“You spilled blood that didn’t need to be spilled.”

-Sa, save me.

“Because of you, Jang Il died.”

-Please save me! Th, that assassin guy you want to see! I can revive him. With my ability, I can easily make him be with you just like his old personality!

“I have no intention of being with your puppet.”

-Please, please save me! If you save me just once, I’ll even lick your feet! I want to live. I want to live……!

“Your tongue is long. Die.”

The moment Baek Risan, who quietly watched Muhyeong’s desperate struggle, tried to strike down the Uicheon Sword.

-Wait.

Baek Riyun stopped Baek Risan’s action.

“……What?”

-Brother is coming.

“……That bastard?”

-Yes. He’s saying not to kill Muhyeong.

“Not to kill it? Why?”

-!

Even though it couldn’t eavesdrop on the conversation, Muhyeong, who realized the situation from Baek Risan’s attitude and words, gathered smoke into human form, grabbed Baek Risan’s ankle, and banged its head.

-Ju, just save me! I’ll swear loyalty. If you tell me to lick feet, I’ll lick feet, if you tell me to die, I’ll even pretend to die. So please……!

“Get lost.”

Thud!

Baek Risan, who looked at Muhyeong with eyes full of hatred, sighed deeply and sent his gaze toward the Uicheon Sword. A gaze strangely felt from the Uicheon Sword.

“……You’re saying Oppa doesn’t know why he’s saying not to kill it either?”

-That’s right. Since it’s Brother, he must have some thought.

“For now, I’ll listen. But if I think it’s not reasonable…….”

“That won’t happen, so don’t worry.”

“……You’re already here.”

Baek Risan, who turned around with an annoyed look, clenched his fist at seeing Baek Riseon arriving with a smiling expression holding a folding fan.

“So, why are you saying not to kill Muhyeong?”

“Because it’s not your enemy.”

“……Hey. You just arrived and seem to not know the situation, but this bastard to our uncle…….”

“I know. My soul is currently connected to Uni, and what Uni hears and sees, I can hear and see too.”

“……But knowing that, you say it’s not my enemy?”

“Yes.”

Baek Riseon, who smiled broadly, waved his folding fan and placed his hand on Baek Risan’s head. And Baek Risan irritably swatting away that hand.

“You’re ice cold. When your older brother tries to pat his admirable younger sibling’s head.”

“Why are you my older brother? You’ve never done anything brotherly.”

“Uni has done a lot. I don’t intend to force it. Anyway, there’s one reason why it’s not an enemy.”

“……What?”

“Because Jeokyeol didn’t die.”

“What?”

Didn’t the Sword Immortal personally confirm his life was cut off? Did he perform the Soul-Eating Great Ritual or something?

“It’s not Soul-Eating Great Ritual. At this point in time, Jeokyeol certainly met death.”

“……What on earth.”

“But there’s a way to revive him.”

Baek Riseon, who smiled broadly and looked down at the trembling Muhyeong, folded his folding fan and took one step forward.

“A single handful of the future. Where everyone survives, the last piece.”

“…….”

“For that, this fellow is necessary.”