‘There’s something more.’
Sensing something unusual, Yeo Hwajin halted his attack and stepped back to create some distance.
Drip, drip.
In the meantime, blood flowed from Bu Eunseol’s body, cut by the Flowing Cloud sword. This was the first time since employing the Swift Beyond Shadow that he hadn’t perfectly evaded an attack. Yet, his eyes burned like a volcano.
“You seem quite composed.” Noticing the fiery determination in Bu Eunseol’s eyes, Yeo Hwajin smiled faintly. “Is it because you haven’t taken a fatal wound?”
Bu Eunseol, glaring at Yeo Hwajin with blazing eyes, smirked.
“Then let’s begin.” Those were the same words Yeo Hwajin had said before unleashing the Flowing Cloud sword.
Until now, Bu Eunseol had deliberately taken a defensive stance to observe the sword techniques.
“Heh, heh, heh. So I was the one being observed.” Realizing this, Yeo Hwajin still wore a smile. “It’s futile. No matter how many times you study it, it’ll be the same.”
The Flowing Cloud sword he wielded had no fixed techniques, flowing through the principle of formless victory over form. Even if Bu Eunseol studied his swordsmanship for three days and nights, there would be nothing to gain.
“The Flowing Cloud sword is like a single gust of wind.”
Swish! Yeo Hwajin thrust his sword again, aiming for Bu Eunseol’s throat like lightning.
Clang! But with a metallic clash, his longsword was blocked by the dark sword, sparking.
“What?” Yeo Hwajin couldn’t hide his shock. “How did it clash?”
The essence of the Flowing Cloud sword was like a leaf swaying in the wind. It flowed with the enemy’s attack, exploiting their vulnerabilities—a supreme flowing sword. No matter how fiercely an enemy attacked, it would only be pushed back, never clashing.
“Lucky hit!” Yeo Hwajin employed the mysterious Flowing Cloud sword again, using the principle of Floating Shadow Form.
Clang! Clang!
But Bu Eunseol’s dark sword, like a bee seeking flower nectar, precisely struck Yeo Hwajin’s longsword.
“Am I fighting a ghost?” Flustered, Yeo Hwajin retracted his sword and stepped back.
Despite seizing a perfect chance for victory, Bu Eunseol only smiled faintly, not pursuing.
“What’s going on?” Yeo Hwajin furrowed his brow, utterly baffled. “The Flowing Cloud sword, pushed back by even a light breeze…”
Bu Eunseol pointed to Yeo Hwajin’s hand gripping the sword.
“A sword used for a long time bears the habits of its master.” Taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol continued, “And I simply heard them.”
“Hahaha.” Yeo Hwajin, who had been staring blankly, burst into incredulous laughter. “What nonsense. Habits in a sword? Does it have a mouth to speak?”
Such a reaction was natural. If one could discern a swordsman’s habits just by examining their sword, no martial artist in the world would entrust their sword for repairs.
“You don’t believe me.” At Yeo Hwajin’s reaction, Bu Eunseol smiled as if it were expected.
The faint traces left on the longsword, invisible to the eye and untouchable by hand… Only Bu Eunseol, who had aligned the extreme senses of the Beast Way with his spirit, could see them.
“When using the Floating Shadow Form, you raise your thumb and index finger nails to channel energy. To hold the sword lighter, I presume.” Bu Eunseol said leisurely, “And when switching techniques, you habitually form a sword gesture with your left hand. To guard against vulnerabilities in that brief moment, no doubt.”
Yeo Hwajin stared at Bu Eunseol as if he were seeing a ghost.
‘Could this demonic seed truly communicate with a sword?’
“How did you know those habits?”
“I told you. The sword spoke to me.” It felt like he was being toyed with.
After a moment of deep thought, Yeo Hwajin laughed heartily, as if realizing something.
“Foolish.”
“…?”
“Even if that’s true, you’ve just revealed all your cards in front of me.” Yeo Hwajin smirked at Bu Eunseol. “For someone like me, habits can be changed instantly. You’ve discarded your only advantage.”
Masters like Yeo Hwajin, who had reached the transcendent realm, had their bodies under the complete control of their minds. Minor habits could be corrected instantly.
“Heh, heh, heh.” Bu Eunseol chuckled softly.
“Hahaha!”
“What’s so funny?”
“Do you think the habits I just mentioned are all you have?”
“What?”
“Habits you’ve been unaware of for twenty years… You don’t think those are all of them, do you?” At that moment, the smile on Yeo Hwajin’s lips froze coldly. “So that’s it.”
A meticulous master like Bu Eunseol wouldn’t reveal all his cards. There were likely countless habits Yeo Hwajin himself was unaware of. And those could become a noose around his neck at any moment.
‘Unbelievable!’ Gripping his sword tightly, Yeo Hwajin drew it again and unleashed the Flowing Cloud sword.
Clang! Clang!
But each time he deployed the Flowing Cloud sword, the techniques were interrupted by the dark sword. Bu Eunseol, having anticipated his habits, preempted his sword paths. As every Flowing Cloud sword technique was blocked, Yeo Hwajin felt a chill down his spine.
‘This man truly knows habits I’m unaware of.’ With his habits and quirks exposed, the specialty he had honed for twenty years was sealed.
Clang! Ding!
In the meantime, the dark sword and longsword clashed repeatedly in the air. Each time, the blade of Yeo Hwajin’s longsword chipped away. Had he not infused the sword with immense internal energy, the sharp dark sword would have already shattered it.
Clang!
As the dark sword and longsword clashed heavily once more, both men stepped back simultaneously. Yeo Hwajin’s once leisurely smile had turned serious. It was as if he had finally acknowledged Bu Eunseol as a formidable opponent who could threaten his life.
‘I’ve closed the gap of a year, to some extent.’ By identifying the traces and habits in the sword, Bu Eunseol had sealed the Flowing Cloud sword and could now fight on equal footing.
The true battle was just beginning.
Click. Raising his longsword upright, a sharp gleam shot from Yeo Hwajin’s eyes.
“Ten Demon Warrior. A demonic seed that cannot be spared.” A powerful aura, unseen until now, surged from his body as he raised his sword.
As the aura grew, his stature seemed to expand, as if he were a giant reaching the heavens.
‘This is his true strength.’ Just by standing, Bu Eunseol felt an oppressive pressure crushing him. The overwhelming aura transformed Yeo Hwajin into a completely different figure.
“Interesting. A successor of Taoist swordsmanship radiating killing intent.” At Bu Eunseol’s murmur, Yeo Hwajin’s eyes flashed.
“Killing one great villain can save ten thousand innocent lives.” A faint glow rose from the longsword he held.
“Die!” Closing the distance instantly, Yeo Hwajin leaped into the air, aiming to split Bu Eunseol’s head.
Zing!
Suddenly, time seemed to stop, and Yeo Hwajin’s airborne body multiplied into dozens. The sudden, lightning-fast attack triggered the Beast Way instinctively. In that moment, his blood circulated several times faster, expanding his dynamic vision and neural response dozens of times.
This was an extreme state of senses, never before manifested.
‘Is this also due to the connection between the Beast Way and the Ban-geuk Divine Technique?’ Pushing aside his astonishment, Bu Eunseol examined Yeo Hwajin’s sword in the frozen moment.
The dozens of Yeo Hwajins each took different stances. This was less like orthodox swordsmanship and more akin to bizarre demonic sword techniques.
‘Even with Swift Beyond Shadow, I can’t evade it perfectly.’
Whoosh!
As time resumed, the dozens of Yeo Hwajin’s sword energies, each in a different stance, engulfed Bu Eunseol’s body.
‘It’s over.’ As Yeo Hwajin smiled, confident of his critical strike,
Clang, clang, clang!
Amid the ceaseless metallic clashes, a round glow emanated from Bu Eunseol’s body, engulfed by the sword energies.
“No!” Yeo Hwajin’s eyes widened.
Bu Eunseol, crouched low, was deflecting all the hundreds of sword energies pouring down.
‘This is impossible.’ The techniques of the sword energies, each with different movements, couldn’t be counted or analyzed in such a short time. Yet Bu Eunseol was perfectly deflecting the hundreds of sword techniques, as if he had known them for ages.
The Radiant Sword Control of the Thousand Swords Society, capable of countering all sword techniques that reacted to killing intent. The Feathers Yet to Form Sword Technique was unleashed.
Clang, clang, clang!
Emerging from the storm of sword energies, Bu Eunseol charged at Yeo Hwajin like an arrow. Yeo Hwajin, certain of his victory, hadn’t anticipated a counterattack and was completely defenseless.
“Urgh!” Yeo Hwajin hurriedly swung his longsword to assume a defensive stance.
Flash!
But the lightning-like gleam from the dark sword was faster. The Unmatched Thunderbolt was unleashed. To seize this fleeting opportunity, the Unmatched Thunderbolt, a swift killing sword surpassing the Supreme Heavenly Flow, was the perfect technique.
Slash!
With the sound of flesh tearing, the dark sword, like a demon’s tongue, pierced Yeo Hwajin’s chest dead center.
Click.
As Bu Eunseol withdrew the dark sword,
Gush.
A stream of blood flowed from the corner of Yeo Hwajin’s mouth.
“Ugh…” With no strength left to stand, Yeo Hwajin staggered and collapsed against a nearby tree stump.
“Huff, huff.”
With each breath, blood flowed, and his face grew deathly pale.
“A sword technique… like a bolt of lightning.” Even feeling death approaching, Yeo Hwajin didn’t lose his smile. “But the technique that blocked my Hundredfold Linked Form is even more astonishing. Is it a Nangyang sword technique?”
Looking into Yeo Hwajin’s fading eyes, Bu Eunseol spoke softly,
“Feathers Yet to Form Sword.”
“Feathers Yet to Form Sword? Never heard of it.”
“A defensive sword form created by the Thousand Swords Society. It reacts to killing intent and deflects sword techniques.”
“Reacts to killing intent… I see.” Yeo Hwajin shook his head with lingering regret. “My mistake was abandoning our sect’s swordsmanship at the final moment and using the Hundredfold Linked Form he taught me.”
“Hundredfold Linked Form?” An unfamiliar sword technique name.
Bu Eunseol scanned Yeo Hwajin with a sharp gaze.
“Was that the technique you just used?”
“Yes.” Gasping for breath with blood at his lips, Yeo Hwajin continued, “All masters are taught one sword form to destroy demonic martial arts. The one I was taught…”
Yeo Hwajin’s words trailed off.
Having lost too much blood, he died with his eyes wide open.
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