Chapter 146: Chapter 146
Gwon Mu-jin was exhausted.
It had indeed been a long time since he had been this exhausted.
His mind and body were so ruined that even the figure of the opponent in front of him appeared blurry, and he did not even seem to have the spirit to control it.
Yet, the two sabers held in his hands did not fall from his grasp.
The same was true of his gaze, which stared at the enemy while holding the swords. It was as if he harbored intent to kill yet did not, and as if he showed hostility yet did not.
Though it seemed as if even his emotions had died, his appearance of clearly looking at the opponent and holding up his swords undoubtedly carried the will to kill the person before his eyes.
‘This bastard…!’
Ma Dok-jin, who was holding a large saber, was flustered.
He already knew that Gwon Mu-jin was a venomous fellow. Having kept him by his side and raised him for over twenty years, he understood his personality to some extent.
However, the Gwon Mu-jin in front of him right now was somehow different.
Although it was the same that he charged in like a tenacious demon even while being brutally broken, it was slightly different in that he completely caught the opponent off guard.
Even though it was clear that Gwon Mu-jin had lost one of his eyes and had not even adjusted to it, the bastard was definitely overwhelming Ma Dok-jin.
‘How did this happen!’
Ma Dok-jin broke into a cold sweat as he touched his flank.
It was a wound cut by Gwon Mu-jin’s sword.
It was not deep, but it was not shallow either.
Although Ma Dok-jin had received Gwon Mu-jin’s strikes for a long time, it was his first time seeing such a subtle and sharp sword path cutting in.
‘He has changed!’
It had only been about a year.
Even if one repeated training after training, there was a gap between himself and Gwon Mu-jin that could never be filled. He himself had grown up receiving bone-cleansing and marrow-washing since childhood, and his internal energy, as well as the martial arts he mastered, were different.
Yet right now.
After a year, that state of affairs was about to be overturned.
Ma Dok-jin gnashed his teeth.
What on earth was that fellow Yuk Gyeom-sa doing?
He should have cut down Dan Woo-hyun and the others and come over immediately!
With a shred of hope, he rolled his eyes and looked at Yuk Gyeom-sa.
“…!”
And at that moment, he opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
Yuk Gyeom-sa, whom he had trusted so much, had collapsed.
He rolled on the ground, letting out a miserable shriek of agony.
His appearance of groaning in pain while clutching his dantian certainly made one feel that his dantian had been destroyed.
How could this happen?
“Heh… Hehe. What is it? You can’t believe it, right?”
“You bastard!”
Gwon Mu-jin’s low voice flowed.
He was letting out a small laugh, chuckling, and it seemed as if he was casting a sneer at Ma Dok-jin. Disliking this, Ma Dok-jin released killing intent and gripped his large saber tightly.
“They are not people whom someone like you can defeat. Even if you brought the entire force of the Martial Sovereign Castle, they are not people you could do anything about.”
“You have finally lost your mind. To compare Martial Sovereign Castle to those kinds of bastards.”
Seeing Gwon Mu-jin wear a triumphant smile, Ma Dok-jin’s mind became even more twisted. He knew he could not kill Dan Woo-hyun. Since Yuk Gyeom-sa had lost, there was nothing he could do with his own strength.
But to compare them to the Martial Sovereign Castle?
Don’t make him laugh.
The Martial Sovereign Castle was a place where elites of the unorthodox path gathered. Moreover, although the clans had brought many warriors, the Mt. Hang Ma Clan was one of the pillars of the Seven Unorthodox Powers where even greater forces were still lined up.
Since they had driven out the Mt. Hang Sect, which could once be called the main force of the Nine Sects, and took their place, their strength was by no means small.
And yet he sneered?
That made his anger surge even more.
“Die.”
“Tui! You die, you bastard.”
Gwon Mu-jin spat and gripped his sabers even more firmly.
It was something he had wanted to say at least once.
How miserable and damaged his pride had been when he was beaten and mistreated by Ma Dok-jin like that, unable to show anger even once. Although he was in a terrible state, he felt as if vitality returned to him with this single remark.
His blurry vision returned for a moment.
Clang, clang, clang!
A fierce clash of blades erupted.
The first attack was from Ma Dok-jin.
His large saber cut in rapidly, yet sharply and powerfully. That it felt even sharper than before was surely not an illusion.
Just as Gwon Mu-jin had grown during the span of a year, Ma Dok-jin had also grown a step further.
However.
‘Shallow! And light!’
Gwon Mu-jin, who was parrying the large saber, thought of that first of all. Certainly, Ma Dok-jin’s saber was fast and extremely heavy, but the characteristics of a large saber were not brought to life.
Dan Woo-hyun had said.
A large saber is originally meant to be held with both hands, containing that destructive power in each and every strike. The reason Ma Dok-jin could not discard this habit even after losing to Dan Woo-hyun once before was because he was confident in this saber technique in his own way.
However.
Clash!
“Ugh!”
Parrying the swung sword, Gwon Mu-jin’s double sabers moved along the blade. At that appearance, which was as natural as a fish riding a wave, the surprised Ma Dok-jin hastily retreated.
Slash!
Yet, Gwon Mu-jin’s double sabers definitely cut his chest.
Blood was seen splattering.
The physical sensation of the strike was also clear.
“You bastard!”
Ma Dok-jin burst into fury.
There was no way it could turn out like this!
To lose to someone like Gwon Mu-jin of all people? Where was the sense in that? As the pressure that he might actually be defeated by the fellow he had looked down upon for over twenty years set in, his mind became heavily tangled.
The large saber held in his hand shook greatly as he exerted rough strength.
The rapidly swung large saber was different from before. As he gripped it with both hands and thrust it fiercely, it was fast, but a stronger force was loaded into it.
“Die! Die! Die! You bastard!”
Ma Dok-jin’s eyes flared.
He wanted to kill the fellow.
His lost eye and crushed pride.
He wanted to reclaim all of those things.
He had never thought he would be cornered in this manner, nor did he think that all his plans would go to waste so ridiculously.
Therefore, he was even angrier.
He wanted to kill.
To kill that fellow!
And reclaim everything.
“Now you are doing it somewhat properly.”
Dan Woo-hyun, who was watching the entire scene, stroked his chin and nodded. Feeling the momentum of the large saber swung with both hands, it seemed as if he had accepted the advice from last time.
Up until now, the reason he fought holding the large saber with only one hand must have been to adhere to the rules of this martial world.
A martial artist should originally reveal seven tenths of their power and hide three tenths.
This was a rule for survival.
“It is certainly different from a moment ago.”
Namgung Cheon also nodded.
It was nothing more than a change in the way it was swung, but it possessed greater destructive power, and the saber forms being swung also seemed to have changed a lot.
However.
“That’s all of it, isn’t it?”
Sa Do-hak muttered as he stared at it with a flat expression. It was difficult to make all of those things one’s own in a mere year.
Right now, Ma Dok-jin had made a huge mistake.
One does not use what is unfamiliar.
Even more so if it was a fight to the death.
If it were a final strike, it might be different, but showing everything all at once made it easy for the opponent to get used to it. What happens if that occurs?
“Ugh!”
Gwon Mu-jin’s eyes, which were cut and torn here and there, began to get used to the swung large saber. The blade did not touch his body; rather, the flow of the double sabers grew even more violent.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The cheerful resonance heard was as if it were matching a beat. Although Ma Dok-jin was barely blocking it by swinging the giant saber here and there, the situation did not look very good.
From some point, the composure on Ma Dok-jin’s face vanished.
Also, cold sweat poured down like rain.
One stroke. Another stroke.
Each time it entered while aiming for his throat, he could not hide his chills. He experienced the feeling of his heart tightening several times, and each time, he seemed to hover between this life and the next.
Gnash!
Ma Dok-jin gnashed his teeth.
He did not want to die.
Particularly, he had no desire to die by being struck by Gwon Mu-jin’s blade.
He had not come here for that.
Striking away the flying double sabers, he took a step forward. That step seemed synonymous with stepping onto the threshold of the underworld.
In an instant, Gwon Mu-jin’s blade flew in and stabbed his chest.
Thrust!
“…!”
However, the blade missed slightly and pierced his shoulder.
It was as if he had aimed for it from the beginning. Another blade of Gwon Mu-jin flew toward his neck, but he avoided it just by hastily ducking his head.
Then Ma Dok-jin took another step.
The blade stuck in his shoulder dug even deeper inside. Gwon Mu-jin tried to pull it out, but it did not come out easily, perhaps because the muscles were tightening hard around it.
Slash!
Ma Dok-jin’s large saber cut Gwon Mu-jin with absurd ease. From his shoulder to his toes. Although it was not deep, it was a wound that could sufficiently be called a serious injury.
Blood splattered.
Yet, this was not the time to be thinking about the pain.
Gwon Mu-jin quickly extended his sword to deflect the path of the incoming large saber, and thrust his sword straight toward the chest.
Thrust!
“Cough!”
A paper-thin difference.
Perhaps that phrase referred to this very situation.
The large saber, which he thought he had deflected, stopped in front of Gwon Mu-jin’s throat. The sword Gwon Mu-jin had driven in went through Ma Dok-jin’s heart.
If it had been just a moment later, the one to die would have been Gwon Mu-jin, not Ma Dok-jin.
Slide!
Simultaneously with the drawing out of the sword, Ma Dok-jin’s body collapsed. Without even a sign of panting for breath, he died instantly on the spot, his body twitching with dilated pupils as he lay fallen.
It was like looking at a dying fish.
“Hah… Hah…”
Gwon Mu-jin panted heavily.
Stroking his neck with one hand, he also slumped down.
It was no exaggeration to say that he had exhausted his mental and physical strength.
Since he had dealt with Ma Dok-jin with a body that was already severely injured due to the duel with Yuk Gyeom-sa, his mind and body could not help but be exhausted.
Drip, drip!
Blood trickled down from his cut chest.
If he collapsed without stopping the bleeding, he would surely die.
Yet, Gwon Mu-jin smiled.
He smiled as he looked at the dead Ma Dok-jin.
With a smile hanging on his lips, Gwon Mu-jin’s gaze turned toward Dan Woo-hyun. At that expression announcing his victory, Dan Woo-hyun nodded calmly.
“You worked hard.”
Although it was just a word spat out casually, it was a supportive remark. Wearing a deeper smile than ever, Gwon Mu-jin fell forward just like that.
“Dear me. He is no different from a corpse.”
Sa Do-hak let out a small sigh and caught Gwon Mu-jin as he fell. As his quickly extended fingers pressed Gwon Mu-jin’s pressure points here and there, the flowing blood stopped in an instant.
“What do you plan to do now?”
Namgung Cheon, who had been watching the entire situation, asked.
In the end, he had killed Ma Dok-jin.
It was no exaggeration to say that they had turned against the Martial Sovereign Castle.
In that case, would they join hands with the Martial Alliance or the Cheondo Association?
Namgung Cheon dismissed that thought as well.
At the moment his curiosity reached its peak, Dan Woo-hyun’s calm voice was heard.
“Send the corpse to the Martial Sovereign Castle.”
“…!”
“Heh!”
The two looked at Dan Woo-hyun in horror.
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