Chapter 81: Proving Their Worth (5)

“I’m going to break that stiff neck of yours.”

Eom Ho adjusted his grip on his sword, maintaining his relaxed posture. However…

“your mind needs fixing.”

Baek Ri-seol approached him with light, measured steps, her sword still sheathed. Eom Ho suddenly felt a strange sensation.

‘What’s with her speed?’

It was as if she was merely tapping the ground with her toes, but in the blink of an eye…

“Gasp!”

She was right in front of him.

And that wasn’t all.

*Hummmmm…*

The four swords sheathed at her waist were humming with an ominous energy.

‘Impossible.’

A Dongcheon Hall brat was making swords hum?

Sword hums were no simple feat. They were a divine technique that could only be achieved when a swordsman and their sword became one.

“Even a mongrel should know why it’s being beaten, right? Though it’s probably beyond your comprehension.”

But his surprise was cut short.

One of the swords in her scabbard suddenly shot upwards.

Eom Ho was startled and instinctively swung his sword to block the unexpected attack.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

‘Heavy.’

He managed to block the sword strike, which felt like a gust of icy wind, but his wrist ached. The force behind her light attack was extraordinary.

“First, you touched what doesn’t belong to you.”

*Clang! Clang! Thwack!*

The moment he missed a beat, the sword that had grazed his blade shot upwards and struck his wrist.

“That’s theft.”

*Whoosh!*

Another sword shot out from her scabbard.

‘A dual sword expert?’

Using dual swords at this speed?

Eom Ho, astonished, quickly parried her attack and swung his sword to block another incoming blade.

“Second, you used your filthy tongue to speak of me.”

*Slap!*

Eom Ho’s head snapped to the side.

He had been slapped by her sword.

‘When did she draw her sword?’

A chill ran down his spine.

His dismissive attitude vanished in an instant, replaced by shock and a crushing sense of humiliation.

“Third, and most importantly, you dared to speak of me as that vulgar Jegal’s lover.”

Baek Ri-seol’s sword moved like a whirlwind.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

She tossed her scabbard into the air, drew two swords, and attacked him with blinding speed.

“Gasp!”

Dozens of sword shadows descended upon him, and Eom Ho, abandoning all thoughts of holding back, focused on defense.

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

But it was no use.

*Slash!*

Blood splattered on his face.

A sword Qi had grazed his forehead.

*Slash!*

He felt a burning sensation on his nose.

Blood trickled down.

*Thwack!*

“Hehehe, you don’t need that hand anymore, do you, after making me feel so uncomfortable?”

This crazy woman!

Eom Ho, desperately blocking and dodging her attacks, was flabbergasted.

‘She’s only been training for a short time…’

It was impossible.

It would take at least ten years of dedicated training to achieve such speed and power.

“Wait.”

Something was wrong.

He tried to buy himself some time to think, but…

She was closing the distance with each step, her sword strikes relentless.

*Whoosh!*

A sharp sword Qi snapped him out of his daze. He quickly raised his sword and swung it in all directions.

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

He barely managed to deflect her attacks.

*Thud!*

But he missed one.

‘Strange, I’m sure I blocked it.’

His vision blurred, and he saw her kicking a sword into the air with her foot and drawing a new one.

It was an incredibly bizarre sword technique.

‘I’m going to lose if this continues.’

He had to make a decision, as her sword shadows multiplied once more.

‘I have to use the Sun-Piercing Sword.’

Using his sect’s secret technique in public, for personal reasons, was unforgivable.

“Oh my, what a shame.”

But the moment he saw her mocking him, her sleeve covering her mouth, he snapped.

Rage consumed him.

‘I have to teach her a lesson.’

It was a matter of pride, as the one known as the Mad Dog.

And as a disciple of the Point Spear Sect, one of the Nine Sects, he couldn’t accept such a humiliating defeat.

“Raaaaaargh!”

He channeled his internal energy and raised his sword.

*Hummmmm…*

He couldn’t unleash his full power, as he was on the defensive, but it was enough.

As a talented disciple of the Point Spear Sect, he managed to generate a foot-long sword Qi in an instant.

“Hmph! I’m done playing nice!”

“Oh my, you’re putting on quite a show.”

“You’ll witness the power of the Sun-Piercing Sword!”

*Hummm…*

His eyes gleamed with a crazed light as he circulated the Setting Sun Mantra, the foundation of the Sun-Piercing Sword Technique.

Setting Sun. The crimson glow of dusk.

Mantra. Internal energy that resembled it.

The moment the red energy from his dantian flowed through his arm and into his sword…

*Hummmmm…*

His sword trembled, the sword Qi intensified, and a crimson flame ignited at the tip of his blade.

“Oh my god! That’s dangerous!”

“It’s the Point Spear Sect’s signature technique!”

“He’s crazy! Using a lethal technique in a duel!”

The students cried out, but Eom Ho was focused on one thing.

‘Strike! Faster than anything.’

His hand moved, his sword cleaving through the air.

Sun-Piercing Sword Technique, First Stance, First Move, Cut the Present!

– First Stance: Cut the present.

*Clang!*

His sword strike, piercing through the wind, took the shortest path between the tip of his blade and his opponent.

*Whoosh!*

His sword sliced through the air, leaving a trail of sonic booms in its wake.

“Such powerful energy!”

“The sword disappeared?”

Fools.

They couldn’t even see the trajectory of his sword.

But Eom Ho knew from their reactions that his attack had connected.

‘I won.’

His opponent was frozen in place, her eyes wide with shock.

But the next moment, he was horrified.

“Oh my, this is a bit surprising.”

*Thud!*

Her sword had disappeared from her hand, and…

“Aaaargh!”

Two swords were embedded in the tops of his feet, trembling.

His movement was sealed.

“Even a mongrel has a few tricks up its sleeve.”

*Slash!*

At the same time, his sure-kill technique was being dismantled.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Her sword danced around him, effortlessly deflecting his attacks.

*Slash! Slash!*

His lethal technique vanished without a trace.

‘This is a nightmare.’

Eom Ho screamed internally, unable to believe what was happening.

But the nightmare was just beginning.

*Slash!*

The moment he stopped, his feet pinned to the ground by her swords, a sword strike grazed his side, slicing through the remnants of his Sun-Piercing Sword technique.

“Gah!”

He screamed, and then he felt a burning sensation on his shoulder.

“Aah!”

Another sword had sliced through his shoulder.

*Slash! Slash!*

More sword strikes followed, grazing his body. It was as if she was slowly torturing him to death, her sword leaving shallow cuts that bled profusely.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Eom Ho, his feet pinned to the ground like a captured insect, desperately blocked her attacks, his eyes filled with terror.

He tried to fight back with clumsy fist techniques, his limbs flailing in fear.

“Oh my, you still have some fight left in you?”

*Crack!*

His wrist snapped as he tried to throw a punch.

“Ugh.”

He tried to pull the swords out of his feet.

“Mongrels are resilient, aren’t they?”

*Slash!*

His back was sliced open.

He finally realized that Baek Ri-seol had no intention of stopping.

*Slash! Slash! Slash!*

She was like a bloodthirsty crane, her arms flapping gracefully as she painted the training ground crimson.

‘Help me…’

Eom Ho, overwhelmed by her relentless assault, stopped thinking.

He realized instinctively that he was going to die.

He had to do something.

He forced himself to speak.

– Surrender.

He just had to say one word.

No matter how intense the fight, it was still a duel.

She couldn’t attack him if he surrendered.

“S-surren…”

But just as he was about to speak…

*Crunch!*

“Gah!”

Something pierced his mouth, shattering his teeth and ripping through his throat.

Blood gushed out, along with a few teeth.

He finally realized what had struck him.

“Oh my, these are new shoes…”

She was wiping her shoes on the ground, her pretty embroidered shoes now stained with blood.

Eom Ho despaired.

‘This woman…’

She had no intention of accepting his surrender.

She had no intention of sparing him.

“Gaaaah…”

He tried to cry out in pain and humiliation, but his broken teeth made it impossible to speak.

“What? You’re not giving up yet?”

No!

‘Surrender! I surrender!’

He screamed internally, but she just gave him a thumbs-up.

“I admire your spirit, so I’ll make sure to give you my best until the very end.”

Eom Ho’s eyes filled with despair.

***

The onlookers were stunned.

Those who were unskilled in martial arts couldn’t see much.

The duel had begun, and the girl, with her arms outstretched and sleeves flapping, had moved like a blur, and then Eom Ho’s sword was gone.

Those with a discerning eye saw more, but their shock was even greater.

Eon Ho-seung murmured in disbelief, “She countered the Sun-Piercing Sword?”

“…She neutralized it in an instant.”

Even Im So-jeong’s sleepy eyes were wide with astonishment.

*Spin! Thud!*

The twins were also flabbergasted that the Mad Dog had lost his sword.

“Eom Ho, losing his sword in the middle of a fight? How humiliating.”

“I can’t believe my eyes.”

It was a swordsman’s virtue to hold onto their sword until their dying breath.

Eom Ho, a disciple of the Great Point Spear Sect, had not only been defeated, but he had also lost his sword and fainted.

But the most shocking thing was the girl’s reaction.

“Oh my! Is he playing dead?”

“I know that trick. He’s pretending to be unconscious so he can attack when I let my guard down.”

“You villain! I won’t fall for it!”

*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*

She continued to beat him mercilessly, making bizarre claims.

She even started kicking him repeatedly.

One of Eom Ho’s companions finally intervened.

“Stop! The duel is over!”

“That mongrel just muttered, ‘Not yet.’”

“He’s unconscious! He’s out cold!”

“What? He has a secret move?!”

*Thump! Thump!*

Eom Ho twitched as her small feet rained blows upon him.

Eon Ho-seung murmured, “She has no intention of stopping.”

“…Yeah, it seems so.”

“She might not be as talented, but her personality is even worse than the Sword Marquis’.”

The Sword Marquis, the legend of the Sword Pavilion who had conquered the South Sea Island with his powerful martial arts and icy demeanor…

“…I agree.”

Even Im So-jeong couldn’t disagree.

***

“H-hey…”

They had to stop her.

Two Euncheon Hall instructors tried to intervene, but…

“Whoa, whoa, where are you going?”

“Student Jegal, step aside.”

“It’s just a duel between students. Let them be.”

“That’s not a duel.”

“What else would it be?”

He was being unreasonable.

The two instructors exchanged glances and were about to use force when Jegal Tan, who had been watching with amusement, said to Namgung Yun-ho, “Yun-ho, want to hear something interesting?”

“What is it?”

“Duels with instructors can be quite fun.”

“That sounds intriguing.”

“I’m curious to see how much the instructors have improved since our last encounter. Would you mind sparing some time for us?”

Jegal Tan casually placed his hand on his sword, and the two instructors remembered his infamous nickname.

‘Instructor Slayer.’

The sword of the Jegal Clan madman, who had forced several instructors into retirement, was incredibly sharp.

They shuddered.

His aura, which had become even sharper, felt like a cold blade against their necks.

They glanced at Namgung Yun-ho.

‘Jegal Tan is one thing, but this guy…’

The ghost of Dongcheon Hall.

The abandoned talent of the Namgung Clan.

‘He’s radiating an oppressive aura just by standing there?’

This wasn’t the aura of a mere student.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

Their legs trembled, and they couldn’t move.

*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*

Meanwhile, the brutal beatdown continued.

“If you don’t stop now, I’ll…”

“Ugh, I’m sorry.”

*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*

The petite girl was breaking the arms of two students with strange battle cries.

It was complete chaos.