Episode 488

Looking at each other from opposite sides (2)

 

Thud!

 

Ja Hyeon-gik’s body fell like a log.

 

It happened so fast that Jeh Hyung-ik didn’t even realize he had died.

 

“Who’s there?!”

 

The first to react was Jang San, who had left Namgung In’s punishment to Ja Hyeon-gik^[a].  He raised his qi and searched for the person who had thrown the blade.

 

Jang San’s face had turned grim.

 

Ja Hyeon-gik, the Lord of Northern Heaven Pavilion, was a master who couldn’t be underestimated. Although his rank was lower than Jang San’s, he was responsible for the Northern Heaven Pavilion, one of the key institutions of the Celestial Demon Troupe.

 

For such a martial artist to be struck and killed by a thrown weapon without any chance to react—it couldn’t have been done with an ordinary blade technique.

 

Moreover, the blade embedded in his chest was not a small throwing knife but a heavy, straight sword completely unsuitable for such techniques. And yet, it had been used to kill Ja Hyeon-gik.

 

It was proof of just how great the attacker’s martial skills were.

 

Jang San’s eyes darted around, searching for the culprit, but there was no trace of him. He couldn’t even determine the direction from which the blade had flown.

 

As he frowned at this puzzling situation, the blade stuck in Ja Hyeon-gik’s chest suddenly began to tremble.

 

Wooong!

 

It let out a faint hum, then abruptly shot free of the corpse and flew toward a certain direction like lightning.

 

The gaze of every nearby warrior followed the blade as it cut a silver arc through the air.

 

Among them was Namgung In, who had nearly lost his life to Ja Hyeon-gik.

 

As the blade carved a silver line through the air, someone reached out their hand toward it.

 

Tak!

 

The blade settled into its owner’s hand as if it had found its rightful place.

 

When Namgung In saw who it was, he gasped.

 

“Ah!”

 

His eyes trembled.

 

He knew the man holding the sword.

 

“L-Lord Lee!”

 

It was Lee Gwak.

 

He looked as if he had run a long way. Dust coated his hair and shoulders, and exhaustion was evident on his face. However, his eyes shone with intensity.

 

A look of relief appeared on Lee Gwak’s face.

 

Fortunately, he had managed to save Namgung In’s life.

 

The circumstances were so urgent that he had no choice but to throw the Star Soul as if it were a throwing knife. Lee Gwak was fortunate that his opponent was careless, and the Star Soul flew as fast as a meteor, allowing Lee Gwak to achieve his goal.

 

“Master Lee!”

 

At that moment, a beautiful woman in light martial attire rushed to his side.

 

It was Sa Yeon-hee.

 

Her face was drenched in sweat.

 

She had raced at full speed to aid the Thousand Kingdom School.

 

Behind her, the masters of the Martial Sword Troupe began pouring onto the battlefield.

 

“What?!”

 

“Who are these people?!”

 

The Celestial Demon Troupe warriors, who had just been seizing the advantage, now looked bewildered.

 

With the arrival of Martial Sword Troupe’s forces, the tide of the battle shifted.

 

The Thousand Kingdom School warriors, who had been on the defensive, were reinvigorated by the reinforcements and launched a counterattack.

 

“We can win!”

 

“Drive out the Celestial Demon Troupe bastards!”

 

“We are from the Martial Sword Troupe. We will help.”

 

The Thousand Kingdom School and the Martial Sword Troupe martial artists joined forces to attack the Celestial Demon Troupe.

 

The sudden change in tide made Jang San frown deeply.

 

Lee Gwak and his allies had ruined everything.

 

“Lee Gwak!”

 

Jang San’s eyes blazed with fury as he glared at him.

 

Yang Gwang-baek, the leader of the Ten Blood Demons, had been killed by Lee Gwak.

 

Jang San, also a member of the Ten Blood Demons, had liked and respected Yang Gwang-baek more than anyone.

 

Facing the enemy who had killed Yang Gwang-baek made his killing intent surge violently.

 

Kooooo!

 

A terrifying aura began to radiate from around him.

 

Another martial artist approached Jang San’s side. It was Sun-Moon True Demon Guk Sa-hwan, also a member of the Ten Blood Demons.

 

Guk Sa-hwan raised his qi and spoke.

 

“It’ll be hard to take him on alone. Let’s do this together.”

 

“Agreed,” Jang San replied without hesitation.

 

Everyone knew that Lee Gwak’s martial arts were close to Go Geom-wol’s level. Jang San had no confidence in defeating him alone. But with two of them working together, the outcome might be different.

 

It wasn’t just about doubling their power.

 

The two had excellent synergy in their martial styles. Their skills complemented each other. At their best, they could produce three or even four times the power of a single fighter.

 

As Lee Gwak stepped forward to face them, he sent a sound transmission to Sa Yeon-hee:

 

“Help Miss Namgung. We must end this quickly before the leader of the Celestial Demon Troupe intervenes.”

 

—Understood.

 

Go Geom-wol had not yet appeared on the battlefield.

 

He likely believed that Jang San and Guk Sah-wan alone could defeat the Thousand Kingdom School.

 

Lee Gwak had to finish this before Go Geom-wol arrived.

 

If he stepped in, no one could predict how the battlefield would shift.

 

Lee Gwak chose a swift and decisive battle.

 

Without hesitation, he walked toward Jang San and Guk Sah-wan.

 

“Be careful. They’re strong,” Namgung In warned.

 

Lee Gwak nodded silently.

 

He didn’t need to be told. The sheer pressure of their auras spoke for itself.

 

Jang San spoke, his voice dripping with malice:

 

“You’re here. I’ve been waiting for this day.”

 

Shiiing!

 

Instead of answering, Lee Gwak raised his blade.

 

He wasn’t curious about Jang San’s identity.

 

He didn’t care why Jang San was looking at him with such murderous eyes.

 

The fact that Jang San was a master of the Celestial Demon Troupe was reason enough to fight.

 

“Die!”

 

Guk Sah-wan moved first.

 

Whoosh!

 

As he swung his arm, a crescent-shaped blast of qi flew toward Lee Gwak.

 

It was a powerful qi blast created using the Sun-Moon Divine Qi Art, the same technique that had earned him the nickname Sun-Moon True Demon.

 

The crescent qi blast was more powerful than a typical qi blast.

 

The moment Guk Sa-hwan launched the qi blast, Jang San moved.

 

He surged towards Lee Gwak in an instant and unleashed twelve palm strikes.

 

Kwa kwa kwa!

 

The twelve palm strikes seemed to fly out simultaneously, aimed precisely at the spots where Lee Gwak might dodge.

 

His strikes combined with Guk Sah-wan’s crescent-shaped qi, doubled their power.

 

Sssh!

 

In that moment, Lee Gwak kicked off the ground and swung his blade.

 

His blade thrust, slashed, and Swept, moving in every direction.

 

One after another, the palm blasts and crescent qi exploded against his strikes. His clothes tore, his body shook, but his gaze never wavered as he closed the distance to Jang San.

 

“Not so fast!”

 

Jang San, unfazed, swung his palm.

 

His palm, easily twice as large and thick as an ordinary person’s, was now imbued with vivid, sharp qi.

 

It was hand qi.

 

Jang San swung his hand at a speed invisible to the naked eye. It was a movement worthy of an absolute master.

 

In response, Lee Gwak swung his blade.

 

Ka ga ga kang!

 

A metallic sound erupted between the two, and a storm-like wave of qi swept out in all directions.

 

The ground cracked, and the air itself roared from the pressure.

 

Nearby martial artists cried out and scrambled back from the storm.

 

“Ah!”

 

From a distance, Guk Sah-wan’s face twisted in displeasure.

 

Lee Gwack and Jang San’s clash was so fast that he could hardly find a chance to intervene.

 

At last, he threw himself forward, joining the fight directly.

 

Boom! Boom! Boom!

 

Jang San and Guk Sa-hwan moved as if they were one body.

 

Their combined attack was exquisite. Even Lee Gwak couldn’t find a way to break through it and was pushed back.

 

Guk Sa-hwan’s attacks were sharp, and Jang San’s palm techniques were heavy.

 

The harmony of sharpness and heaviness was nearly flawless. However, that didn’t mean it was perfect.

 

Under heaven, there is no such thing as flawless perfection.

 

Lee Gwak knew that well from experience.

 

It’s not that there are no weaknesses, just that they can’t be seen.

 

And if they can’t be seen, you create them.

 

Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!

 

It was the Heaven Killing Blade, filled with killing intent.

 

Lee Gwak’s blade deflected and evaded the two men’s offensive, pressing forward.

 

Like a carp ascending the Dragon Gate to finally become a dragon, Lee Gwak’s blade advanced, unstoppable.

 

Sshit!

 

His blade finally inflicted a large wound on Jang San’s palm.

 

Jang San’s palm, tempered to be as hard as a diamond, received a deep wound that exposed the bone.

 

He frowned slightly at the wound, something he hadn’t experienced in a long time, but he wasn’t panicked.

 

He could just ignore a wound like this.

 

But that was only in his mind.

 

Shrinking back unconsciously when wounded is human instinct. That human instinct is hard to overcome without considerable experience and nerve.

 

Jang San believed he could overcome it, but unfortunately, it was the first time he had been wounded in almost several decades.

 

His body instinctively flinched at the unfamiliar experience. Although Jang San quickly regained his composure and tried to recover, he had already shown an opening to Lee Gwak.

 

Lee Gwak did not miss the opening Jang San showed for an instant.

 

Ssit!

 

His blade burrowed into Jang San’s opening like a venomous snake.

 

“Augh!”

 

Guk Sa-hwan, surprised, tried to help Jang San, but he wasn’t faster than Lee Gwak.

 

Seojeok!

 

Lee Gwak finally tore through the opening and inflicted a large wound on Jang San’s chest.

 

Overwhelmed by the burning pain, Jang San staggered and lost his balance.

 

Expecting a follow-up strike, he tightened his defense.

 

But Lee Gwak suddenly changed direction in midair.

 

His blade now targeted Guk Sa-hwan’s vital points.

 

Caught off guard, Guk Sa-hwan couldn’t react in time.

 

Ssh!

 

The sword cut his shoulder and thigh—not fatal, but enough to cripple his movement.

 

“Brother!”

 

Jang San cried out.

 

In that instant, Lee Gwak wrapped his arm around Guk Sa-hwan and switched places.

 

This was a basic grappling move called Yin-Yang Inversion, a simple technique even third-rate martial artists could perform.

 

It was often scorned for its simplicity—but right now, it was more useful than any fancy move.

 

Guk Sah-wan hadn’t expected Lee Gwak to discard his blade in favor of such a technique, and injured as he was, he couldn’t resist.

 

In a flash, their positions swapped.

 

Jang San’s palm strikes rained down on Guk Sah-wan.

 

BOOM! BOOM!

 

“Aaaagh!”

 

Screaming, Guk Sah-wan took the full brunt of the blows.

 

Thud!

 

Lee Gwak stabbed his blade into Guk Sah-wan’s abdomen and pushed forward.

 

“B-Brother!”

 

Jang San’s eyes widened.

 

He saw his brother-in-arms, Guk Sah-wan, shredded like a rag doll.

 

That shock shattered his focus.

 

Lee Gwak kicked Guk Sah-wan toward him.

 

 

 

Jang San instinctively reached out to catch him, but it was too late.

 

Thud!

 

Lee Gwak’s blade pierced his chest.

 

“Gah!”

 

Jang San coughed up blood.

 

Lee Gwak had used his qigong to follow close behind Guk Sah-wan’s flying body, hiding behind it.

 

Before Jang San could see it coming, the blade was in his heart.

 

“C-Crazy…”

 

A dazed look spread across Jang San’s face.

 

He couldn’t understand what had just happened.

 

He and Guk Sah-wan were both peak-level martial artists.

 

And yet, they had been completely overwhelmed.

 

It wasn’t just a gap in skill.

 

He refused to believe that was all it took.

 

Although Jang San and Guk Sah-wan had trained in martial arts for much longer, Lee Gwak had something they lacked: countless brushes with death.

 

The experience and instinct he gained from crossing the line between life and death had forged him into a true master of survival and battle.

 

By this point, Lee Gwak’s strength could no longer be measured by martial prowess alone.

 

Slice!

 

Lee Gwak pulled the sword from Jang San’s chest and used it to finish off Guk Sah-wan, ending his life once and for all.

 

“L-Lee… Gwak! You—”

 

Thud!

 

Before he could finish speaking, Jang San collapsed backward.

 

He was dead.

 

“……”

 

A heavy silence descended over the battlefield.