Ch.251EP.55 – The Knight Do Not Speak Falsehoods (7)

Do you know something?

In fact, the Myriad Flower Rain technique was actually the secret ultimate skill of the Kaibang Sect.

It meant that it predated the Tang family, which is something most modern martial arts novel readers don’t know.

He didn’t particularly want to know this fact.

Simply…

“Ihan, the Tang family has no foundation, no foundation at all!”

It was just useless information he learned because of his senior Dokgo, who was always passionate about martial arts novels.

‘…I’m thinking about all sorts of random things.’

It seems he’s not in the best state of mind either.

Nitpicking about useless things in this situation.

Well, he did just trigger a self-destructive technique in this life-or-death battle.

“I must be crazy…”

Ziiing-!

Ihan cursed himself as he got up, not even thinking to grab his numb ears.

Using the axe as a sacrifice to detonate that mass of energy was good, but he hadn’t thought about the aftermath at all.

It’s clearly something only a madman would do.

…Still.

‘I didn’t die in the end, and it was effective.’

So it was worth it, wasn’t it?

“Aaaaargh-!”

Ihan looked down at Iliad rolling on the ground in pain and smirked.

-He’s really exaggerating.

* * *

To be honest, he got lucky.

‘This guy’s swordsmanship is truly extraordinary.’

I acknowledge his swordsmanship and talent.

Light Sword Style, White Night—the naming sense was a bit childish, but unlike the childish names, their power was real.

However.

‘He lacks spirit.’

More precisely, he shows signs of having been away from the field for a long time.

Since he injured his leg more than ten years ago, it’s only natural.

So even though his talent remains…

‘He falls for such simple, brute-force tactics.’

His response ability is ridiculously slow.

How critically this affects real combat situations is almost too obvious to mention.

“……”

Yet Ihan’s expression showed no satisfaction in victory.

For good reason.

[Grrrr-!]

“…Seriously, he’s not even a real dog.”

…Because nothing was over yet.

If he had been facing an ordinary human, it would have ended here, but unfortunately, his opponent was not an ordinary human.

He was a Ma-in.

Crunch!

Despite being able to converse just moments ago, bestial growls now came from the fallen Iliad’s mouth.

It wasn’t just an imitation—his humanity was truly disappearing.

“I-Instructor! Y-you need to finish this quickly! Once he fully transforms into a Ma-in, there’s no solution!”

…I know that without you telling me, kid.

Even without Taechang’s urgent shout, Ihan knew this phenomenon was troublesome.

The Ma-in transformation has three major stages.

Stage 1 is personality change. Stage 2 is murderous impulse. Stage 3 is…

‘Loss of humanity.’

Unlike moments ago when conversation was still possible, this stage meant forgetting all human intelligence and emotions, becoming like a true monster. Reaching this stage was like crossing a river of no return.

[Kahaaack!]

Crunch! Crunch!

Iliad’s body, writhing and snarling, began to gradually recover.

The burns and wounds from the explosion, even his damaged joints, were regenerating rapidly like a lizard’s tail.

Not good—

‘The end of a Ma-in is ultimately…’

The depletion of life force and death.

Obviously, forcibly recovering the body like that was suicidal, accelerating the depletion of life force.

Whoosh!

[Kahaaack!]

Iliad’s body surged upward.

Though becoming a beast, he still remembered the one who had driven him to this state, showing intense hostility toward Ihan.

Yet despite this.

“…You still won’t let go of your sword? That’s disgusting, really.”

Crack!

[Haaack!]

Whoosh!

His sword flashed as he gripped the handle so tightly that blood not only flowed but burst from his hand.

Swoosh!

It would be natural to lose all swordsmanship when degenerating into a beast, but unfortunately, humans are creatures who learn with their bodies, not their minds.

Slash-!

“…Wow, this guy gets stronger as he goes crazy.”

Iliad’s sword pierced through Ihan’s side.

* * *

Swish!

Three swords danced.

Simply following instinct and muscle memory.

Slash!

…It might sound strange to say this, but Iliad’s sword, wielded while he had lost his reason, was more beautiful than ever before.

To such a degree…

“Perfect…”

Felinschia unconsciously murmured.

Though her son was falling into corruption, the swordsmanship he displayed was incredibly impressive.

Having lost his reason and forgotten his sword techniques, merely swinging his sword by instinct, yet there stood a more perfect swordsman than ever before.

‘Yes, that was it.’

The sword of Iliad who once carved a bronze statue.

Like he had received a revelation from heaven, her son had once carved a bronze statue using only an ordinary sword, without even using named techniques or sword energy.

But Iliad broke down before completing that sword.

…How ironic.

Only after 15 years would she see that sword again.

Watching her son approaching the completion of a sword that Felinschia’s talent could never reach, she…

‘I truly am a worthless mother.’

Even in this situation, she found herself admiring her son’s approach to sword perfection rather than worrying about him.

How selfish and despicable a human being was she?

‘I, I am ultimately disqualified as both a mother and a human…’

Felinschia could not hide her devastation.

[Kaaaack!]

She saw her son swinging his sword like a beast.

Slash!

“…Ptui!”

She saw the brave young man who barely avoided the sword but still had his skin cut, bleeding profusely.

“M-Master’s Iron Body technique so easily…”

“The instructor whose body is harder than steel!”

“Should we hand him a shield now?”

…She was sorry.

Because of one disqualified human being, her son had become like this, an unrelated child was bleeding, and her grandson and his disciples were anxious.

It all felt like her fault.

Felinschia…

“Stop, please stop, Iliad, please…”

[!!]

“This mother is sorry. I’ll apologize, so please stop…”

She impulsively called out to Iliad, and surprisingly, he who should have lost his reason, responded.

Bang!

Suddenly, Iliad’s form shot toward Felinschia.

[Kahaaack!]

He charged at her with even more intense rage than when he had attacked Ihan, and Felinschia captured all of it in an instant with her eyes, but she took no stance.

Not showing any will to defend herself, as if simply accepting her child’s anger.

To atone for her mistakes, ah—.

Crash!

“—Didn’t I tell you not to interfere? I said things won’t work out if you get involved.”

“!!?”

“I was just getting somewhere, so don’t interrupt.”

“……”

…She was surprised.

At him suddenly blocking her?

At Iliad being hit by his fist and bouncing away?

No, not at all.

What surprised her was.

‘This child, is he possibly…?’

Felinschia looked into his eyes and suddenly realized.

The eyes of this young man were not those of someone facing a crisis, nor did they show any intention of protecting her.

In this urgent and life-threatening situation, he was…

‘Is he… training?’

She realized he was using Iliad for his own ‘development.’

“…You crazy bastard.”

* * *

‘Look who’s talking…’

Despite hearing her curse, Ihan didn’t turn his gaze away because he still had an opponent to deal with.

He focused only on the enemy before him.

However,

“You all…”

“Yes?”

“Are you worried about me right now?”

“……”

“I’m sorry. For showing you such a pathetic sight.”

Ihan apologized for what needed apologizing.

As their instructor, as someone who claimed to be their master, he was showing a pathetic display.

“You must be thinking what kind of nonsense this is, unable to subdue one retired weakling.”

“W-well, he was called a Sword Saint, after all? Without being an Aura user, it’s impossible to handle…”

“Even so, he’s been retired for over ten years.”

“……”

“So from now on, I’ll show you. So you can say you’re proud of your master.”

“…Instructor, you’ve lost your mind…”

Regardless of what they said, Ihan couldn’t suppress his smile and grinned brightly.

‘Ah, this is fun…’

Today is truly a lucky day, isn’t it?

‘Finally, I get to experience this.’

He remembered the ‘bronze statue.’

The bronze statue he saw on his first visit to the family mansion to meet Felinschia.

That fantastic work created solely with pure sword technique.

So he had hoped. To experience the sword of the swordsman who carved bronze.

…Unfortunately, the swordsman who created the bronze statue had already retired and was in no condition to fight anyone, and Ihan’s expectations had to quickly disappear.

‘But now he appears so fortunately before me.’

Ihan was delighted by this unexpected fortune.

Here was a sword imbued with sword intent named enlightenment, not just a sword wrapped in sword energy or sword force.

A sword that pierced through his mediocre Iron Body like tofu.

And now…

‘How many cuts have I taken?’

Repeatedly cut and stabbed, bleeding profusely, Ihan strangely felt dizzy yet his mind was clearer than ever before.

Haaah…!

His senses were so acute that he could hear the footsteps of fleeing wild animals and the flapping of birds’ wings, while the smell of earth and sand permeated his nostrils, clearing his mind.

His entire body was so sensitive that everything was stimulating, and Ihan felt like he could ‘complete’ it now.

“…Come at me.”

[Kahaaack!]

Already enraged at being interrupted from attacking Felinschia, Iliad was further provoked and thrust his sword toward Ihan.

Whoosh──!

Today, perhaps the most perfect and powerful sword in Iliad’s life unfolded at this very moment, rushing precisely toward Ihan’s heart.

That cannot be avoided.

Even the strongest shield in the world would be pierced by it.

“──.”

To Ihan, all those moments appeared in slow motion.

Instead of experiencing the flashback phenomenon where one’s entire life plays like a video film in an instant,

‘Will power is tenacity and belief!’

─He focused on infusing his willpower into every single cell of his body.

Crack-!

“……?”

“…Heh.”

Drip…!

…It was a strange sight.

The attacker who stabbed the heart with his blade was rather confused, while the victim without any armor was smiling.

“…Indestructible.”

Crunch!

Ihan crushed the broken sword that had pierced his chest with his bare hand and declared.

The state that Buddhist disciples aspire to reach, the dream of those who train their external strength.

A state where even after reaching nirvana, the body remains unrotted like a diamond, impossible to destroy—that’s what people called this realm.

“-Diamond Indestructible.”

The palm strike of the Iron Body monk who had achieved indestructible diamond struck the swordsman’s heart.