Chapter v13c7

**The Saber Emperor’s Second Testimony**

“I believe you’ve heard the previous story from that legless old Jong.”

The blunt, almost insulting remark made everyone’s faces pale. But the old man didn’t seem to care.

“This one-armed swordsman will continue the story.”

He gestured with his empty sleeve, a reminder of the Dragon Heaven Saber’s former glory.

“We were foolishly clinging to the hope that one of us would behead him and become a hero of the martial world. We thought that even if the first trial failed, he would have sustained significant injuries, and we would just have to finish him off. We were only concerned with who would have the honor of taking his head. We were arrogant. I still wonder how we could have been so bold, so confident, so arrogant back then, knowing his abilities. It was… like a fever…”

“It was the power of numbers. A pack of wolves can defeat even a lion.”

Bi Ryu-yeon offered his answer without hesitation.

“Ryu-yeon!”

Na Yerin cautioned him in a low voice, embarrassed by his bluntness. Why was he so tactless? But Bi Ryu-yeon ignored her.

A wry smile twisted the old man’s lips. There was no scolding or reprimand.

“You’re right! You’re absolutely right. We underestimated his abilities.”

A flicker of pain crossed the old man’s lively face.

“I set up a saber formation here with two hundred and forty-four swordsmen. Jong Kwae had boasted that he could stop him at the first trial, but I knew he would fail!”

As expected, “he” appeared at the second trial, where the Saber Emperor, Yong Gyeong-ui, was waiting. But they hadn’t expected him to be completely unscathed. The Saber Emperor had cursed Jong Kwae for his failure.

“I cursed Jong Kwae for his incompetence. ‘You useless fool! You boasted so much, and this is all you could do! Just die!’ I said.”

They hadn’t expected Jong Kwae to be alive. The fact that “he” had reached this point was proof enough that Jong Kwae had failed.

“I was shocked when I learned that Jong Kwae was alive. I thought he had returned from the dead. Although he had become a cripple, having lost both his legs! Well, he’s a perfect match for a one-armed cripple like me…”

When “he” arrived at the second trial, where they were waiting with their trap, the Saber Emperor and the others realized how wrong they had been. He was relaxed, his entire body radiating an aura of ease, like a fisherman enjoying a swim, or a hiker enjoying a climb. It was as if he were taking a stroll in his backyard.

“He didn’t even seem to notice the forest of two hundred and forty-four blades. He walked in as if he were entering a field of wildflowers and shrubs, enjoying a leisurely stroll.”

He seemed to be a man who knew no fear.

“How foolish we were, thinking we could take his head like an apple ripe for picking! That’s the danger of mob mentality. We were blinded by our numbers, thinking we were invincible. We were naive, ignorant of the true dangers of the world…”

The Saber Emperor sighed, regretting their mistake. His regret was palpable.

A cold wind swept past them.

The name “Heavenly Tribulation Blood God” was truly well-deserved.

Even with two hundred and forty-four against one, no one could be sure of victory.

‘He’ spoke for the first time.

“Can this place entertain me?”

Wild wolves were sometimes more terrifying than lions because they hunted in packs. Even the strongest and most ferocious lion had to yield to a pack of wolves.

But none of the two hundred and forty-four swordsmen, forming their saber formation, were confident of their superiority. Two hundred and forty-four wolves couldn’t subdue a single lion.

Or perhaps, they had already transformed into two hundred and forty-four rabbits. Two hundred and forty-four rabbits, or even a thousand, couldn’t frighten a lion. They were nothing more than playthings, snacks to be devoured.

“Are you ready to entertain me? How will you amuse me?”

Yong Gyeong-ui stepped forward and answered as their representative.

“We want to see your swordsmanship. If you think you’re worthy of being our ruler, prove your skill here.”

“He laughed at us. He seemed amused. And he said in a mocking voice,”

“Wouldn’t it be faster to teach a fish to swim, or a monkey to climb a tree? How pathetic!”

It was mockery, but no one dared to object. They were struggling to maintain their composure.

‘He’ paused for a moment before continuing,

“You want proof? I’ll give you proof. But there’s a price to pay for seeing what you haven’t seen, what you haven’t witnessed, what you can’t see. The price is annihilation. Are you prepared to pay that price?”

“I still haven’t forgotten that mocking gaze! It haunts me, even in my sleep. I can’t shake the feeling that those eyes are still watching me from somewhere. I’ve stayed here for a hundred years, trying to escape, to break free from that gaze, but my mind and body are still trapped.”

The old man, who had been lively and boisterous a moment ago, suddenly seemed a hundred years older.

He felt himself shrinking, overwhelmed by the memory. His loss of confidence was reflected in his outward appearance.

“We were prepared to pay the price! No one expected to reap the rewards without sacrifice! We didn’t even have the energy to be angry at his mockery. We simply activated the formation we had prepared, the Two Hundred and Forty-Four Wolf Fang Tiger Slaying Formation. It was a cowardly formation, but no one thought it was cowardly at the time. And his hand slowly, very slowly, rose.”

The Saber Emperor suddenly asked,

“Do you know what’s so terrifying about sword formations and saber formations?”

No one answered, so Mo Yong-hwi, the model student, spoke up.

“They use numbers to overwhelm a smaller force.”

The Saber Emperor nodded.

“Of course, they can create efficient and economical movement patterns to attack a smaller force, but more importantly, they can combine the energy of multiple individuals to create an overwhelming pressure on a smaller force. It’s like a spiderweb, trapping a struggling butterfly. Most people lose before they even fight, overwhelmed by the sheer force of the formation. All that’s left is to confirm the result! But…”

His gaze drifted back to the past, a hundred years ago.

‘He’ was relaxed, as if he were on a morning stroll. The Saber Emperor still remembered that move.

A hand, raised casually, effortlessly! No one had anticipated the devastating consequences.

The hand that had risen simply fell again.

And… a red path opened.

The Saber Emperor couldn’t comprehend what had happened, even as a thick blood mist filled his vision, obscuring everything.

Thwack!

A sharp pain shot through his right cheek, and a long gash appeared, blood oozing from the wound. He tried to remember how he had been injured, but his mind was blank.

And then he realized that a part of his body was missing. Strangely, he felt no pain. Not even the pain from the wound on his cheek.

It was as if it had happened in a dream, everything surreal and detached from reality. His body felt weightless, floating in a void. It was as if he were standing in a dream, not reality.

‘Is this a nightmare? I have to wake up…’

But he couldn’t escape the nightmare. Instead, his vision darkened, and a searing pain, as if his nerves were being burned, engulfed him.

“It… It wasn’t a human technique!”

It was a brutal awakening from a deep slumber.

The Saber Emperor, Yong Gyeong-ui, had never experienced such a terrifying move in his entire life.

It was beyond any technique or skill. All he had seen was a dark flash, like a blade of darkness.

The old man, trying to remain calm as he recalled the incident, failed miserably.

A shiver ran down their spines, reaching the crown of their heads. Fear, like molten lava erupting from a volcano, engulfed their hearts, melting them into a single mass. It was a force of nature, unstoppable and irresistible.

They froze, like dolls in a display case. No one dared to move, paralyzed by his overwhelming presence. Even the Saber Emperor, Yong Gyeong-ui, who was at the core of the Wolf Fang Tiger Slaying Formation, was frozen.

‘He’ strolled leisurely through the path of blood he had created. The owners of the sharpened blades stood motionless, like statues, as if hypnotized.

He stopped in front of a giant, polished black wall, which stood like a screen. He examined it carefully, like an appraiser inspecting a fine sword, running his fingers over its surface and tapping it with his knuckles.

His back was completely exposed as he examined the wall. It was a taboo in the martial world to leave your back unguarded, a sign of weakness, an invitation to attack. His unguarded back was a tempting target, more alluring than the touch of a beautiful woman. It was a provocation, a challenge. But no one dared to take advantage of his vulnerability. Even the Saber Emperor hesitated to give the order. They were still in a state of shock, overwhelmed by the thick scent of blood.

Except for one man. He was the leader of the Taidao Sect, a renowned saber sect of the righteous faction. He had lost five brothers and three sons in the battle against the Heavenly Tribulation. His name was Mun Seok-tae, and his nickname was “Astonishing Great Saber,” a title that implied his ability to wield a large saber with surprising skill.

And he lived up to his nickname, astonishing everyone. His body, as if crossing an invisible boundary, was cleanly sliced into thirty-six pieces. There was no scream, no blood splatter. Anyone who wasn’t shocked by that sight must have had a heart of iron. Even a skilled butcher couldn’t have sliced meat so cleanly and precisely.

It took a long time for them to realize, to accept, that this surreal scene was real. After that, no one dared to challenge him.

‘He’ seemed to like the wall.

Of course, they knew what kind of wall it was. It was a wall made of iron, harder than steel, impervious to ordinary swords and sabers.

“Since I’ve come this far, I might as well leave my mark. Sometimes, you have to show your authority to silence those noisy dogs who don’t know their place!”

He slowly raised his hand and placed it on the wall.

Screech!

The wall, said to be harder than iron, crumbled in an instant. No one could comprehend what had happened. They only saw invisible sword energy, sharp as a razor, emanating from him like a spiderweb, then vanishing like a mirage. And to prove that it wasn’t their imagination, countless scars, like spiderwebs, appeared on the smooth, mirror-like surface of the black wall.

He finally turned around, his task complete.

“Hmm? You’re still standing there?”

Their faces flushed with shame. They felt humiliated, unable to even utter a word.

“Do you still have the will to fight?”

“…”

There was no answer.

“It seems you have neither the will nor the courage. It would have been better if you had fought…”

Of course, he would have killed them all if they had fought, but he seemed too bored to bother.

The Saber Emperor’s knees buckled. Tears of humiliation streamed down his face. He had never felt so humiliated, so powerless.

“May I leave now?”

What else could he say?

“Y-Yes, you may.”

It was a formation they had painstakingly created, gathering all the best swordsmen from the renowned saber sects. But it had been destroyed before it could even be activated. It was a crushing defeat.

Many of the swordsmen in the formation were masters from prestigious sects. But none of them objected to the Saber Emperor’s decision. They simply hung their heads in shame, their gazes fixed on the ground.

It was as if “he” was sparing them, like a child saving toys for later. The humiliation was unbearable.

“When I finally looked up, he was gone. We had never felt so insignificant! And we all made a promise.”

It was a silent promise.

‘We will never speak of what happened here! We will never tell anyone!’

If the truth were to be revealed, they would never be able to show their faces in the martial world, where honor and reputation were paramount. But even if it had been revealed, no one would have blamed them.

“…”

A heavy silence, like a giant boulder, pressed down on them. A veil of gloom enveloped them.

“As you might have guessed, this is that wall. And these are the scars he left behind. They’re still visible, even after a hundred years. I’m reminded that it wasn’t a dream every time I see this wall. It was that surreal.”

The old man could never forget that move, etched in his eyes, ears, and heart.

“We call it the Scarred Wall of Tribulation!”

The Saber Emperor pointed at the black wall and continued,

“Actually, the first emotion I felt towards him wasn’t fear, but awe.”

The awe-inspiring power of that overwhelming move! It resonated with his pursuit of the ultimate path of the saber.

“He left a message before he left. ‘Challenge me anytime if you can break this move!’ So, I’ve been staying here, guarding this wall, searching for a way to break his move. And…”

“And?”

“He also said… Ugh!”

Anger, suppressed for a hundred years, flared up in his heart.

“‘I hope you’ll be a more entertaining opponent next time!’ That’s what he said.”

It was a cruel realization of their insignificance.