ISS-Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Going back in time, on the road returning from Akyang to Uicheonmun.

“Hide your swordsmanship as much as possible.”

“…Pardon?”

Seonwoo Gang turned his head at the voice he heard while watching his companions noisily chattering in the distance.

“Why? I’ve finally succeeded in shedding the colors of the evil faction…”

“I heard that the Sado Alliance Leader will personally attend to observe on the day of the tournament.”

“I heard that. What does that have to do with it?”

“He will recognize it. Without fail.”

“…”

They say that those who have reached a certain level can know everything about their opponent’s martial arts after crossing swords just once.

Since sword duels are sometimes used to understand an opponent’s temperament, it’s not strange for a master to grasp their opponent through the sword. Moreover, at the Sado Alliance Leader’s level, he would be able to tell what kind of training is needed just by looking at the sword.

That was the problem.

“You seem to think it doesn’t matter if you’re discovered. Am I right?”

At Baek Riyun’s words, Seonwoo Gang nodded.

“…Yes. There’s no reason to remain in the Murim Alliance anymore, is there? I can’t sharpen my sword to kill my master and senior brother. Since I can’t return to the Blood Sword Sect either, I’m thinking of withdrawing from the Muryeon Academy after this tournament.”

“I won’t comment on that part. It must be something you’ve thought deeply about and decided.”

After a brief pause, Baek Riyun continued.

“However, if the Muryeon Academy is to win, you must remain at the academy at least until the tournament ends. And if they realize your martial arts have changed, the Sado Alliance side might try to forcibly repatriate you.”

“…”

“Hide it as much as possible and save it. Even when you must use it, reconsider three times.”

If you truly want to win, you must save it until the very last moment. Only then can you remain until the end of this tournament.

Baek Riyun advised thus, and Seonwoo Gang engraved it deep in his heart. To achieve victory, he must conserve his strength. And now.

Clang! Kakakakakang!

That resolve was wavering.

“Ugh!”

Seonwoo Gang let out a groan as he deflected the sword blade and drew up his internal energy to push away Namgung Hyeon’s sword. But with no sign of falling back, the sword energy came rushing in again immediately.

Speed, strength, technique. Not a single aspect was lacking. In his current situation where he couldn’t use his proper strength, this was no easy opponent to face head-on.

‘He’s strong…!’

Just enduring was all he could manage. He didn’t even know how much longer he could endure. All he could tell was that if things continued this way, he would collapse before long.

Kwaang!

Seonwoo Gang gritted his teeth as he deflected the consecutive sword strikes, burst out his internal energy, and created distance. Baek Risan, who was fighting Seomun Cheok in the distance, showed no signs of falling.

‘It doesn’t look like he’ll fall in a short time…!’

Seonwoo Gang trusted Seomun Cheok.

Baek Risan not falling wasn’t because Seomun Cheok lacked skill. Seomun Cheok was doing better than his capabilities. Wasn’t his current skill a step more advanced than what he’d shown at Uicheonmun?

But even so, defeating Baek Risan was a distant task. Even if his left arm was gone he’d use his right, if his right arm flew off he’d use his legs, if he couldn’t bind with his legs he looked ready to grab onto a sleeve with his teeth—that was the kind of spirit Baek Risan currently displayed.

‘At this rate, we’ll lose.’

Without giving his all, he couldn’t endure. The plan might fall apart from the very beginning. Then.

Should he reveal it?

“Reconsider three times.”

“…”

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Amid the consecutive sword exchanges, thoughts continued. Floating around in his head, or quickly passing through, the thoughts organized themselves.

And Seonwoo Gang, who reached the end of those thoughts, gritted his teeth. He had found his answer.

‘I trust. I must trust.’

If he used this, there would be no turning back. At least for this match. At most, three matches.

He had to postpone it until then. And to do that.

‘Show me, Seomun Cheok.’

He must trust.

His companion.

***

“What an unpleasant fellow.”

When recalling his childhood, that was the most memorable phrase in Seomun Cheok’s memory.

He didn’t know who his mother was, or who his father was. The slums where he was born and raised were a place that didn’t like the sound of children crying. There, Seomun Cheok sustained his life by begging or doing odd jobs for ruffian gangs.

That’s why Seomun Cheok rarely showed his emotions. In the slums, those who easily displayed their emotions could only be beaten or exploited.

You had to be useful. You couldn’t show emotions. No matter how much of an unpleasant fellow you were thought to be, if there was something you could do, if you had utility value, you could survive.

Seomun Cheok had lived learning this way.

Until now.

Kaaang—!!!

It was hot.

Seomun Cheok, who deflected Baek Risan’s sword and stepped back from the white flames burning intensely, furrowed his brow and roughly swung his spear shaft. Then the white flames split apart.

“Huu. Huu.”

Seomun Cheok gasped for breath, gritted his teeth while looking at his opponent who had entered a brief lull. The battle situation wasn’t flowing as planned.

‘He’s beyond imagination.’

Even when Baek Risan joined the fight, Seomun Cheok hadn’t worried much about the situation. That was because he knew what it meant for a swordsman to lose an arm.

Even for a right-handed swordsman, the role of the left arm is important. Setting aside its role in holding the sword knot and completing techniques, the value of the left hand is immeasurable—in the body’s center of gravity, in the pathway where internal energy circulates, in the boxing techniques that check opponents.

Even for a martial artist who lost their left arm long ago, overcoming all those difficulties isn’t easy. How much less so for someone who just lost their arm and whose mind is even confused by bleeding and pain?

‘Naturally, he can’t display the capability he had with his left arm.’

No matter how highly Baek Riyun evaluated Baek Risan, showing off his martial prowess in the current situation wouldn’t be easy. That’s what he thought, and it was actually so. However.

The result was not so.

“Haa, haaaa.”

Sweating like rain all over his body, Baek Risan raised his internal energy and wrapped flames around his sword blade. Even after fighting for more than ten minutes since the battle began, his remaining strength didn’t decrease.

His body had become sluggish. His movements weren’t the same as before. Wasn’t Baek Risan, who initially fought equally with him even with one arm, now being helplessly pushed back by his spear techniques?

Everything was according to plan. At this rate, Baek Risan would become unable to fight due to blood loss anyway. He understood that much.

But why wouldn’t he fall?

Even though he was giving his all, how was Baek Risan still enduring?

“Baek Risan, are you alright!”

“I’m… fine…!”

Gritting his teeth, Baek Risan put crushing force into the hand gripping the sword hilt. At the same time, the white flames that seemed about to die flared up again.

What was troublesome were these white flames. Just by Baek Risan being active, the darkness inside the cave lost its utility. If it weren’t for that, Namgung Hyeon, who was facing Seonwoo Gang, wouldn’t have been able to divert his attention this way.

But even that alone couldn’t explain Baek Risan’s good fight. It was clearly mental strength beyond the bounds of common sense. Then what was the problem?

It was simple.

It was because Seomun Cheok’s skill was insufficient.

‘I’m… the problem.’

He could tell by looking at Baek Risan’s situation. He’d seen several times on battlefields the appearance of someone gathering all their internal energy and mental strength to prepare a final resistance.

When that happened, it became difficult to defeat Baek Risan by exhausting his stamina. Once a human exceeded their limits, they could exceed them again and again.

‘If it were Seonwoo Gang.’

He knew. With eyes attached, he couldn’t not know. That Seonwoo Gang was stronger than him.

No matter how much training one received at Uicheonmun, individual talents differ. That effort can overcome talent is only a story when the talented one doesn’t make an effort. If there’s a mediocre person who tries and a genius who tries, it’s natural for the genius to win.

Still, he thought it didn’t matter. Even if Seonwoo Gang existed, he wouldn’t become useless. Even if there was someone stronger than him, he just needed to walk his own path.

But what about now?

‘I’m holding him back.’

Seonwoo Gang took on Namgung Hyeon. He took on Baek Risan who had lost one arm.

Then naturally, he should finish off Baek Risan first and go help Seonwoo Gang. Namgung Hyeon, though he suffered some losses, was in a state where he could fight normally, and his skills were excellent.

But the current situation wasn’t going that way. If it were Seonwoo Gang, he would have already defeated Baek Risan and come to help him, but he couldn’t do that.

‘…At this rate, we’ll be late.’

If Seonwoo Gang gave his all, if he used those martial arts he showed in Akyang—

He would probably be able to endure against Namgung Hyeon without much difficulty. To that degree, the martial arts Seonwoo Gang showed back then were precise and excellent. However.

Seonwoo Gang hadn’t used those martial arts even once since using them in Akyang. Even though he hadn’t used them recklessly, that probably meant he shouldn’t expose those martial arts to others.

Then Seonwoo Gang couldn’t endure against Namgung Hyeon. Namgung Hyeon wasn’t easy enough to endure against by using something that wasn’t even true martial arts.

Right.

At this rate, Seonwoo Gang would absolutely have to bring out those martial arts. Because he himself had failed to fulfill his duty, because he couldn’t execute the plan.

And.

Kaddeuk!

Seomun Cheok couldn’t accept that.

‘Think. Where am I useful?’

He had to break through the enemy within time. He had to defeat Baek Risan and join Namgung Hyeon before Namgung Hyeon drove Seonwoo Gang beyond a certain point. But even when targeting Baek Risan, he couldn’t do anything because of Namgung Hyeon’s interference at every critical moment. Then what should he do?

His thoughts accelerated. A moment stretched long like eternity. Even while swinging his spear at Baek Risan, he didn’t stop thinking.

‘I can’t do it like Seonwoo Gang.’

Advancing one more step in a moment of crisis wasn’t something a mediocre person could do. So.

Discard it. Everything that can be discarded.

Kaaang!

Stepping forward, the spear shaft he thrust out contained fierce internal energy and greatly scattered Baek Risan’s stance. At the same time, as if waiting for it, sword energy flew to protect Baek Risan.

What it aimed for was the abdomen. A vital area that would be fatal even with a graze. He had to block it. His instincts screamed. However—

The moment he blocked it, Baek Risan would reorganize his stance again. With his staggering body, he would block him and buy time. Then.

Chwaaaaak!

“…!!!”

He accepted it.

“Keuheok!”

Unable to contain the blood from the sharp pain of the sword energy piercing through his abdomen, Seomun Cheok spat blood from his mouth. But the spear shaft didn’t stop.

His opponent had also prepared for death. Even if it was a false death, he’d driven himself to the limit. Then.

Shouldn’t he respond in kind to win?

Burning pain. Seomun Cheok, who pierced through the center of the white flames, gritted his teeth and gripped the spear shaft tightly. To pierce his opponent. To achieve victory.

“Uaaaaaah—!!!”

A roar burst forth. A full-powered strike. Unable to even think of hiding his emotions, the emotions that burst out simply crashed into his opponent. Having reached his limit, he merely wished for his outstretched spear to reach.

The spear shaft crossed through the air. The silver iron spear reflected the light of the white flames and shone smoothly. And.

The moment Seomun Cheok’s arm fully extended.

Puuuk!

The spear blade pierced Baek Risan’s heart.