chapter 257

At the Crossroads of Fate……(4)

“Hoo! Hoo!”

Lee Gwak was breathing heavily.

His entire body was stained red with blood.

He had so many wounds that it was impossible to count them. It was meaningless to distinguish them since there wasn’t a single spot on his body that didn’t hurt.

Every time he exhaled, steam rose from his shoulders like a haze.

It was the aftermath of pouring out all his strength in an instant.

His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would explode. Blood circulated through his body several times faster than usual, and the heat dominated his entire being.

Lee Gwak raised his head and looked at Go Geom Wol.

Compared to Lee Gwak, whose entire body was covered in wounds, Go Geom Wol appeared immaculate. To someone who hadn’t witnessed the fierce battle moments ago, it would be hard to believe that he had fought at all. But that didn’t mean Go Geom Wol was unscathed.

A slight frown appeared between Go Geom Wol’s eyebrows.

Srrrk!

Suddenly, the fabric of his side was sliced open and fell, revealing a sharp wound.

Lee Gwak had managed to land a blow on his side.

‘He’s not normal.’

Lee Gwak recalled the previous exchange.

Go Geom Wol was a fortress, impervious and unyielding. No matter how Lee Gwak attacked, Go Geom Wol handled it effortlessly and even counterattacked, pushing him into a corner.

Go Geom Wol’s War Sword Style was flawless.

Combined with Heavenly Poisonous Heart Technique, it was invincible.

Had Lee Gwak not mastered the Eight Snakes Art, he would have already fallen to the Heavenly Poisonous Heart Technique. He pushed himself to the limit, employing Heaven Killing Blade to the fullest extent.

That’s when he saw a tiny flaw. It was subtle—Go Geom Wol’s left arm reacted slightly slower compared to the right arm holding the sword.

If it weren’t for the Mind’s Eye activated by the Eight Snakes Art, he would never have noticed this minuscule gap.

Taking a risk and attacking with the resolve to sacrifice flesh to break bones, Lee Gwak finally inflicted a wound on Go Geom Wol’s side.

Go Geom Wol’s eyes, fixed on his wound, deepened.

The wound was one that had already been inflicted in his previous fierce battle with Ja Hong Cheon.

He had inflicted a significant wound on the Jade Alliance Leader, Ja Hong Cheon, but in turn, he had also received a substantial injury.

To come out unscathed from a battle against a ruler of the Jianghu like Ja Hong Cheon was a foolish expectation. Go Geom Wol had anticipated getting injured and indeed was.

After escaping from the Jade Alliance Leader, Go Geom Wol had no chance to properly treat his wounds due to being pursued by the Jade Alliance Leader’s Assassination Squad.

If he had accepted help from his companions, Je Mu-hyeok and Jin Woo-sun, he would have escaped more easily and fully healed his wounds.

But he didn’t.

He had planned to return to the Celestial Demon Troupe anyway, so he bid his companions farewell and shook off his pursuers alone. It was then that he encountered Gu Mun-hye and Lee Seon-ja not far from here.

If not for the injury inflicted by Ja Hong Cheon, he wouldn’t have sustained yet another wound from Lee Gwak.

“It’s not about the wounds, it’s that he’s incredible. Let’s acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged, Go Geom-Wol.”

Go Geom Wol had unconsciously looked down on Lee Gwak.

In terms of sheer power, Go Geom Wol was objectively superior. But Lee Gwak possessed a determination and focus that surpassed him.

That focus allowed Lee Gwak to find the slightest flaw and land a blow.

‘He was human, too’

Until now, Lee Gwak had seen Go Geom Wol as a being beyond reach, as if he were a supreme-ruler of martial arts, the very embodiment of martial prowess.

But now, he understood.

Just like him, Go Geom Wol was a man who bled when injured.

This change in perception brought about a change in his heart, reigniting Lee Gwak’s fighting spirit.

Lee Gwak stood up.

The fierce pounding of his heart returned to its usual rhythm.

Suddenly, the words of Gwang Noh-ya echoed in his mind.

— Believe in yourself. If you can’t trust yourself, then trust in me.

“Hoo!”

Lee Gwak exhaled deeply, filling his lungs.

Go Geom Wol observed Lee Gwak’s face intently.

‘It seems he’s finally come to fully believe in himself.’

This was not good news for Go Geom Wol.

Several factors could serve as a turning point for a martial artist, and this shift in perception was one of them.

In other words, Lee Gwak had now come to regard Go Geom Wol not as a distant figure of admiration but as an opponent worthy of challenging.

Just as Go Geom Wol suspected, Lee Gwak had come to fully believe in himself.

In the Eight Snakes Art that he had honed and refined.

In the Heaven Killing Blade that he had created with Gwang Noh-ya and polished alone.

Tak!

Lee Gwak activated his revolving steps.

Gaaang!

A sound like rotating gears echoed across the battlefield. It was the noise generated by Lee Gwak’s rapid acceleration.

Sshik!

Lee Gwak’s blade shot out like a lightning strike.

It moved at a speed beyond human perception.

Kaang!

Go Geom Wol’s sword blocked Lee Gwak’s attack. Before, Go Geom Wol would have immediately counterattacked. But this time, he couldn’t.

Lee Gwak’s blade didn’t bounce back; it dug in with force.

‘His strength and momentum, everything has changed.’

For the first time, Go Geom Wol bit his lip.

Lee Gwak was rapidly evolving, using him as nourishment. If Lee Gwak progressed any further, he might be overwhelmed.

He couldn’t allow Lee Gwak to advance any more.

Go Geom Wol unleashed the Heavenly Poisonous Heart Technique to its peak.

Kwakwa!

A dark aura swirled around his entire body.

It was as if a black dragon was coiling around him.

Kaang!

Lee Gwak’s blade was repelled by the dark aura.

Nine Heavens Revolving Qi.

The nine waves of qi that encompassed the nine heavens.

The Nine Heavens Revolving Qi, which repelled Lee Gwak’s blade, soon gathered around Go Geom Wol’s blade.

Go Geom Wol raised his beloved sword, Sura, high into the sky.

Wooong! Wooooong!

The overwhelming force concentrated in Sura caused the blade to hum.

The nine waves of qi from Nine Heavens Revolving Qi condensed into Sura.

At that moment, Lee Gwak pushed off from the ground and launched himself toward Go Geom Wol.

Swaaash!

Merged with his blade, Lee Gwak hurtled toward him at a terrifying speed.

Go Geom Wol, gazing down from above, brought Sura down toward Lee Gwak.

An unimaginable, invisible force fell upon Lee Gwak like lightning.

One Point Blood.

This was the ultimate technique of War Sword Style created by the final successor, Ma Geom-seon, a hundred years ago, now fused with Go Geom Wol’s Heavenly Poisonous Heart Technique.

Kuuuu!

The sky seemed to split in two with the sword stroke of Go Geom Wol.

To those watching from below, it appeared that way.

“My supreme-ruler!”

Ki Jin-hwi turned away.

He thought Lee Gwak must have died.

No matter how strong Lee Gwak was, he couldn’t imagine him surviving such an attack, which resembled a natural disaster.

Unlike Ki Jin-hwi, Han So-cheon kept her eyes wide open, staring at the battlefield.

“Oraboni!”

She bit her lip until it bled, but she didn’t feel the pain.

It was then.

Ssswip!

A broken piece of metal flew and stuck in the ground.

Everyone’s attention focused on the embedded metal fragment.

The long, slender piece was the broken edge of a blade.

“No way?”

“Ah!”

Gu Mun-hye and Lee Seon-ja widened their eyes in shock.

The embedded blade was unmistakably part of Go Geom Wol’s cherished sword, Sura.

Thud!

At that moment, someone covered in blood crashed to the ground. The one who fell like a piece of meat was none other than Lee Gwak.

“Ugh!”

Lee Gwak writhed like a worm.

In front of him, Go Geom Wol descended slowly.

Go Geom Wol gazed at the beloved sword in his hand with a complicated expression. The once-proud Sura, crafted by the finest blacksmith in Celestial Demon Troupe, was now broken, with only the handle remaining.

“Has Sura been bested by the Blade of Sura?”

Go Geom Wol clenched his teeth.

Never had he imagined that Celestial Demon Troupe’s greatest blade would be broken by Lee Gwak. But that wasn’t the real problem.

Drip!

Suddenly, blood trickled down his leg.

It flowed from his abdomen.

A half-broken blade was embedded in Go Geom Wol’s stomach.

“Ah!”

“Young Master!”

Gu Mun-hye and Lee Seonn-ja let out anguished cries simultaneously.

Go Geom Wol with a sword sticking out of him seemed unreal. They had never imagined he would be wounded by anyone. Such was the overwhelming power that Go Geom Wol possessed.

The two moved toward him, but Go Geom Wol raised his hand, stopping them.

“Hoo!”

Go Geom Wol sighed and pulled out the blade stuck in his abdomen. But hardly any blood flowed out. He had used his internal energy to seal the wound.

“This is disgraceful. I relied on sheer power rather than pure martial skill.”

Go Geom Wol was angry at himself.

Where another martial artist might have been overjoyed at victory, Go Geom Wol valued the process as much as the outcome.

This victory was not what he desired. Hence, he felt no joy. But he couldn’t spare Lee Gwak. He had promised to kill him before the corpse of Baek Hwi-yong.

Go Geom Wol took Lee Gwak’s blade and approached him.

“It seems this is where our fate ends.”

Lee Gwak looked up at Go Geom Wol.

Bloodied beyond recognition, his facial features were indistinguishable. Yet, his eyes still blazed with life.

Go Geom Wol could see that Lee Gwak had not yet given up. He admired Lee Gwak’s fighting spirit but quickly discarded any attachment.

Their connection ended here.

By severing his life with his own blade, everything would be over.

Twitch!

Suddenly, Go Geom Wol’s face contorted.

Something foreign stirred within him. He tried to drive it out with the Heavenly Poisonous Heart Technique, but the alien energy burrowed deeper, like a snake.

‘What is this?’

It was the Eight Snakes Art qi imbued in Lee Gwak’s blade.

The Eight Snakes Art that had invaded Go Geom Wol’s body writhed like a snake, tearing through him.

Not even the Heavenly Poisonous Heart Technique could easily suppress it. It was his direct counter.

“Guh!”

Go Geom Wol spat blood.

The Eight Snakes Art had damaged his heart meridian.

No matter how formidable Go Geom Wol’s martial arts were, he couldn’t remain unscathed with such an injury. And the Eight Snakes Art hadn’t vanished; it continued to attack his body.

Coincidentally, it targeted the wound inflicted by Ja Hong Cheon. The wound that hadn’t fully healed worsened instantly.

Go Geom Wol dropped to one knee.

Blood vessels burst in his eyes, making him look as if he would cry blood.

To make matters worse, the wound inflicted by Lee Gwak’s blade reopened, bleeding again.

“Go Geom Wol!”

“Young Master!”

Gu Mun-hye and Lee Seon-ja rushed to support him.

Go Geom Wol tried to shake them off, but his arms had lost strength due to the turmoil within.

Drip!

Blood trickled from Go Geom Wol’s nose.

He needed to quickly meditate and expel or neutralize Lee Gwak’s qi. Otherwise, he would suffer severe aftereffects.

“Lee… gak!”

Go Geom Wol called out to him.

Lee Gwak had no strength to respond and simply stared back. But his gaze remained unyielding.

“How dare you…”

Lee Seon-ja’s eyes burned with hostility.

‘He’s dangerous. I must kill him now to eliminate any future threat.’

Srring!

Lee Seon-ja drew her sword, but Gu Mun-hye stopped her.

“Don’t insult Go Geom Wol. He must be the one to kill him.”

“But letting him go now will lead to future disaster.”

“That, too, is Go Geom Wol’s burden to bear, right?”

Gu Mun-hye’s final words were directed at Go Geom Wol.

Go Geom Wol clenched his teeth and nodded.

By then, Ki Jin-hwi had rushed over to support Lee Gwak.

Lee Gwak leaned weakly against Ki Jin-hwi ‘s shoulder.

Go Geom Wol also rose with Gu Mun-hye’s help.

“I lost, Lee Gwak!”

Go Geom Wol’s unexpected words echoed.

Even Gu Mun-hye, who was supporting him, was surprised.

It was essentially a draw.

If anything, Go Geom Wol had won; he was still standing while Lee Gwak could barely move.

Yet Go Geom Wol’s pride wouldn’t allow him to see it that way.

What he sought was a victory he could truly accept.

An outcome like this was a defeat in his eyes.

He felt sorry for the late Baek Hwi-yong but postponed fulfilling his vow.

“Lee Gwak! Let’s meet again on the final battlefield. I won’t withdraw next time.”

Lee Gwak nodded silently.

Go Geom Wol might have declared his own defeat, but Lee Gwak didn’t think so.

He had lost.

He had yet to match Go Geom Wol’s level. But he felt he could reach him with more time.

With effort, Lee Gwak spoke.

“I… look forward to our next encounter. My idol.”