Ch.52Chapter 52 – The Final Martial Contest (1)

A dust cloud billowed up, covering the entire arena. It was the result of two powerful sword strikes colliding with each other.

“I-impossible! Due to the intense battle, both contestants have completely disappeared from view…!”

Cheon Cheon-mu, who was providing commentary, shouted loudly as he looked at the arena.

“Just now, plum blossoms—plum blossoms definitely appeared in the arena! How could this possibly happen?!”

Even though martial arts from the West used the mysterious substance called mana, what he had just seen was definitely plum blossoms.

The flower that represented the essence of Mount Hua Sect.

Even though Six Harmonies Swordsmanship was considered a third-rate martial art widely available to the public, what they had just witnessed was clearly the sword of Mount Hua.

The surrounding martial artists began to stir, wondering how someone from an unrelated evil sect could possibly use such techniques.

“Senior brother, did someone sell our secret manuals?”

“Don’t say such dangerous things! If the Sect Leader saw this, heads would roll!”

Among them, the Mount Hua Sect of the Nine Major Sects was most agitated. They all wore serious expressions, unable to hide their shock at the sword technique Verdandi had displayed.

As the saying goes, “No flower blooms for ten days straight.” The essence of Mount Hua’s swordsmanship was the principle of transformation.

Yet even after decades of training, few reached such a level of swordsmanship. It required tremendous will and focus to make flowers bloom along the sword’s edge.

“…How is this possible?”

Hyeon-hwa, the leader of Mount Hua Sect, rested his chin on his hand in thought. What he had witnessed was a perfect reproduction of the principles of plum blossoms that grow on steep, treacherous mountains.

This was talent worth paying any price for. Not someone who should be wasting away in some evil sect.

Mount Hua’s martial arts carried extremely yang energy, like the Self-Heating Divine Art. It was so incompatible with Bing-yeon’s Extreme Yin Body that he would confidently declare it impossible for her to teach it.

How could a child who seemed to be from the West understand and perfectly apply Mount Hua’s principles?

“You were always strange during the Righteous-Evil War, but I never expected this from you, Bing-yeon.”

Hyeon-hwa’s lips curled slightly as he recalled old memories.

A martial artist who, even in battles where righteous and evil sects fought on opposite sides, tended to the wounded and tried to save as many lives as possible.

If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t believe it, but Bing-yeon might have conceived the idea of teaching a third-rate martial art to a child from the West from the beginning.

After all, it was Bing-yeon who had treated him when he suffered a fatal wound from the blade of a dark martial artist. Back then, he thought she was insane.

Even though she seemed to know who he was, she grabbed the beard of the legendary figure known as the Divine Doctor and ordered him to save lives.

“…I thought you brought disciples from the West to show Eastern children a broader world.”

Since Western martial arts were largely unknown to the public, he had assumed they would use that to their advantage in this tournament.

But Bing-yeon’s disciples had brought only third-rate martial arts.

Yes, “mere” third-rate martial arts.

Martial arts so common that even ordinary people knew about them. Techniques that could be purchased for pocket change on the street, ones that people joked even a passing dog could use.

“Perhaps you spread Six Harmonies Swordsmanship to find such raw gems.”

The reason why Six Harmonies Swordsmanship, originally a secret technique of Mount Hua Sect, had spread to the general public was actually Hyeon-hwa’s scheme.

A martial artist who masters a single technique is more fearsome than one who knows many but masters none.

Advancement in martial arts comes not from the quantity or purity of inner energy, but from endless practice of the art.

Therefore, Hyeon-hwa thought this was the easiest way to find talent worthy of joining his sect.

He just needed to find someone whose sword could make plum blossoms flutter.

“…You have remarkable disciples, Bing-yeon. But it’s quite unfortunate.”

As the dust cloud began to clear and the shadows of the two fighters gradually became visible, Hyeon-hwa thought to himself.

Unlike the previous match, this one would surely not end in victory for Verdandi.

Unlike Verdandi, Bi-wol had shown the ability to break through the legendary Iron Body technique using only Three Talents Swordsmanship.

Even though Verdandi had successfully recreated the plum blossom sword, her training period under him was clearly shorter than Bi-wol’s.

“If you had a few more years to train your disciple, victory would have been yours.”

No matter how perfectly she understood and wielded Mount Hua’s sword, the time and effort invested were noticeably lacking.

Even if someone had heaven-sent talent for the sword, insufficient training could still lead to defeat—that was the rule of the Central Plains.

“The winner is…!!”

As if to prove Hyeon-hwa’s prediction, Verdandi was the first to collapse forward. She kept trying to push herself up with her arms, gasping for breath, but kept falling back down.

“Oh? Both contestants have fallen…!”

Similarly, the blue-haired man had also collapsed and wasn’t moving.

Neither had the strength to move even a finger, both breathing laboriously in obvious pain. Their sword wounds were so severe it was a wonder they were still alive.

“Ah, the referee has just made a decision! It’s a draw, a draw! What an unexpected turn of events…!!”

The referee immediately declared a draw after seeing their condition. Neither could stand, and both had sustained serious injuries that required immediate treatment.

It was unusual for fighters to battle so fiercely in the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament. Even with such prestigious titles at stake, it shouldn’t have been worth risking their lives.

“With this result, Ice Dragon Fate Sect needs one more victory…!”

The condition for determining the winner was best of three matches.

If Azazel were to lose in the upcoming match against Kang Si-woo, the sect leaders would have to compete against each other.

In that case, Bing-yeon would definitely lose, as Bing-seol-hwa’s body was currently possessed by Shub-Niggurath.

“How will the next match unfold? It’s going to be nail-biting! We’ll begin right after the physicians provide treatment!”

The Divine Doctor rushed to check on Verdandi and Sieg-hardt, nodding slowly before beginning treatment. His acupuncture and medical techniques were so fast his hands were barely visible.

“…Fortunately, I’m not too late.”

He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and spoke to Bing-yeon, who had rushed to his side.

This meant they had passed the dangerous crisis.

“Thank you so much… Divine Doctor.”

Bing-yeon bowed deeply to express her gratitude. Even if Verdandi had been a character in a novel, she was now a living, breathing person.

“To think you’d work an old man this hard. Tsk, tsk. The young should respect their elders, as they say.”

The Divine Doctor made a small sound as he bent his back backward in apparent fatigue. He was one of the people who had fought alongside Bing-yeon during the Righteous-Evil War.

* * *

After laying Verdandi on the bed to rest,

“But what kind of person is that daughter on the other side? Why does she seem possessed by some strange evil spirit?”

The Divine Doctor tapped my shoulder as he spoke. Just by looking, he seemed to have figured out Bing-seol-hwa’s condition and even noticed that she and I were half-siblings sharing the same bloodline.

“…You noticed?”

“If I didn’t notice that, I’d be blind! Are you trying to fool this old man?”

The Divine Doctor jumped up angrily. He seemed to feel betrayed that I had hidden the fact I had a half-sister named Bing-seol-hwa.

“What a tragic fate—one suffering from the terminal Severed Nine Yin, the other possessed by an evil spirit and driven mad… The Ice Palace truly has terrible luck!”

“What do you mean by terrible luck?”

“You’ve been punished by heaven! I don’t know if someone tried to resurrect the dead or committed some unfilial act!”

At the Divine Doctor’s words, my heart felt as heavy as lead. Seol-hwa, who had already died, was resurrected through the power of an Outer God.

I even wondered if all this misfortune happened because I kept writing the novel out of my desire to see Seol-hwa again.

“Hmm? Why is your face so dark? Cheer up! Your disciple’s treatment is complete!”

The Divine Doctor patted my back firmly as he spoke. I couldn’t bring myself to look at Verdandi’s face properly and ended up shedding tears.

Only now that I was close could I see how much this small child had been hurt and suffered.

She had risked her life fighting against Sieg-hardt just to save someone like me.

“Sister!”

“Sister!”

Soon after, Bi-wol and Azazel came to Verdandi’s bedside. Unaware of their presence, Verdandi slept soundly.

“Thank goodness… She’s completely healed to the point where I can’t even find any injuries to treat with my holy power.”

“I thought Verdandi would die after that final strike…”

They both seemed relieved seeing Verdandi’s peaceful face. The final clash had been a tremendous collision of forces.

Looking at these three, I felt they were more important to protect than my own life, even if it meant not obtaining the 10,000-Year Ultimate Blood Treasure.

After Seol-hwa, I never wanted to see someone die again.

I never wanted to experience losing someone I had just been happily greeting the day before.

Once was more than enough for such an experience.

“Azazel, what do you think about withdrawing from the upcoming match?”

When I spoke with my head bowed low, Azazel’s body trembled slightly in surprise.

“Brother?”

“As you can see from Verdandi’s case, the opponent might not hesitate to kill you in this tournament. Perhaps we were just lucky this time…”

“…Brother, please calm down.”

Azazel stopped me as I spoke without even taking proper breaths. My suggestion was too sudden even for her.

“I understand you’re shocked because our sister was injured, but I will participate in the next match.”

Perhaps noticing my guilt over Verdandi’s injuries, she spoke to me in a gentler tone than usual.

“Why are you so determined?”

“Because it’s a good opportunity to end my connection with that trash.”

Azazel spoke with a hint of profanity. It seemed she wouldn’t be satisfied until she personally defeated Kang Si-woo, as she expressed her burning determination to fight the next opponent.

“Besides…”

At that moment, Azazel gently placed her finger on my lips, signaling me to be quiet. Bi-wol flinched in surprise at this gesture and glared fiercely at her.

“…If I don’t step up and win, how can we save you, Brother?”

Azazel smiled mischievously and then touched her fingertip to her tongue. Her smile was so enchanting it was as if fox tails were visible behind her.

“And I should also avenge Sister Verdandi while I’m at it.”

“…!!!”

Bi-wol immediately grabbed Azazel’s hair, ready to fight, and I had to intervene to calm them down.