Meanwhile, the materialized black energy was piercing toward the Heavenly Sword’s vital points.
"Whoa, scary!" he laughed, swinging his greatswords left and right.
Whoosh!
A strange energy extended, transforming the destructive force of his sword energy, akin to a sword aura, into something as solid as metal.
Clang clang clang!
The Heavenly Sword subtly altered the nature of his Wishful True Binding with the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style once more.
"Impressive technique, but it won’t work on me!" he shouted, deflecting all the Wishful True Binding and closing in on Bu Eunseol to unleash his swordsmanship.
His strikes were so swift and varied that Bu Eunseol couldn’t counter and kept retreating. Seizing the opportunity, the Heavenly Sword closed in until their noses nearly touched, unleashing a frenzied sword dance.
Hum!
Bu Eunseol unleashed the Wishful True Binding again.
This time, at such close range, the Heavenly Sword couldn’t dodge.
Slash!
Dozens of wounds appeared on his body in an instant. But he swung his greatswords again, altering the Wishful True Binding’s nature and swiftly escaping its range.
"Heh heh. So that’s how it works," he said, as his wounds slowly healed.
His body, like that of a heavenly general, could recover from minor wounds or internal injuries almost instantly.
A monster.
The Heavenly Sword was like a nightmare creature that refused to die.
Whoosh!
Seizing the momentum, Bu Eunseol unleashed the Wishful True Binding with his left hand and the Supreme Heavenly Flow with his right.
‘It’s a pity I can’t use the Thirteen Guiding Energies,’ he thought.
If he had used the Thirteen Guiding Energies, he could have resolved the fight more easily.
Though it appeared as a unique energy technique, the Thirteen Guiding Energies was ultimately an orthodox supreme martial art. While unorthodox masters might not notice, the top orthodox masters would likely discern its true nature.
Clang! Clang!
But something was strange.
The Heavenly Sword, who had been fighting evenly, suddenly adopted a defensive stance, focusing solely on blocking.
"It must be hard to block," the spectators murmured.
The Heavenly Sword’s swordsmanship had been overpowering the Supreme Heavenly Flow.
But once the Wishful True Binding was unleashed, he seemed unable to counter, resorting to pure defense.
Clang!
No matter what techniques were used, he focused solely on blocking the incoming strikes with meticulous precision, leaving no gaps.
‘He’s taken the bait,’ the Heavenly Sword thought, a sly smile creeping across his face as he blocked the black energy and sword techniques.
‘Keep attacking like that.’
The Supreme Heavenly Flow and Wishful True Binding relentlessly targeted his openings, but the Heavenly Sword devoted all his effort to maintaining a defensive Myriad Phenomena Sword Style.
Clang! Clang!
Intricate sword techniques and sharp energy poured forth, but the Heavenly Sword steadfastly held his defense.
The defensive form of the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style, wielded with two massive greatswords, became an impenetrable heavy shield, perfectly blocking Bu Eunseol’s refined strikes.
Whoosh!
He occasionally countered, but even those moves were merely for defense.
Swish.
After about forty exchanges, Bu Eunseol’s black energy began to fade, and the power of his sword techniques waned.
‘Heh heh heh,’ the Heavenly Sword thought, his eyes gleaming triumphantly as he maintained his stubborn defense. ‘As expected, it’s a technique that consumes a lot of internal energy. And… you’re destined to lose to me.’
Bu Eunseol was burning with vengeance.
He had devised countless schemes to take the Heavenly Sword’s head and even accepted a public challenge he didn’t need to.
But the Heavenly Sword didn’t need to kill Bu Eunseol. Even a draw would grant him a victory-like advantage.
‘You think you’ve won by dragging me to rock bottom!’ he thought, his eyes filled with joy as he swung his greatswords, doggedly maintaining his defensive stance. ‘You have to kill me, but I don’t!’
Bu Eunseol had amassed tremendous prowess and achievements. His reputation, bolstered by good deeds, was like the sun blazing in the sky.
If the Heavenly Sword could gain fame for matching Majeon’s heir, the Martial Soul Command Lord, in combat?
It would be a stepping stone for his comeback.
‘Let’s keep this going for a long time, Bu Eunseol!’
Even if he won, the Heavenly Sword wouldn’t kill Bu Eunseol. He would merely cut off his right arm to show the martial world his magnanimity.
In their next duel, he’d take his left leg.
He’d let Bu Eunseol keep wielding a sword.
So they could keep fighting for a long time.
‘Bu Eunseol! Even your brilliant mind couldn’t foresee this!’ the Heavenly Sword thought, his crescent-shaped eyes gleaming with white madness.
Whoosh.
Had Bu Eunseol’s internal energy run out? The black energy emanating from his body began to fade.
The Heavenly Sword inwardly cheered and attempted a counterattack.
Swish!
But as he shifted from defense to offense, black energy shot out from Bu Eunseol’s body like spider webs, targeting the moment he counterattacked with the Wishful True Binding.
‘Heh heh heh. That trick won’t work anymore,’ the Heavenly Sword thought, abandoning his counterattack and focusing solely on blocking.
Clang! Clang!
Over two hundred exchanges had passed.
No matter what techniques Bu Eunseol unleashed, the Heavenly Sword blocked them all.
Haha. Hahaha! he laughed through a secret transmission. You want to kill me, don’t you? But you can’t! You must be dying to take your revenge!
His eyes gleamed with white madness.
I may not be confident in killing you, but I’m confident in blocking your attacks! Hahaha!
He knew full well that Bu Eunseol wanted to kill him. But if Bu Eunseol couldn’t achieve that?
The torment of that failure would make this duel the Heavenly Sword’s victory.
Try harder! Hit me harder!
Bu Eunseol layered the Supreme Heavenly Flow three times, but the Heavenly Sword blocked it effortlessly. When a master of his caliber focused solely on defense, even Bu Eunseol couldn’t break through.
"This is a strange duel," the spectators began to murmur as time passed.
One side attacked with killing intent, while the other focused entirely on blocking.
It wasn’t a matter of skill disparity.
Even when Bu Eunseol deliberately exposed openings while unleashing lethal techniques, the Heavenly Sword didn’t counterattack.
It was like a clash between a spear and a shield.
The spear only thrust, and the shield only blocked.
Pop!
Finally, Bu Eunseol withdrew his sword and stepped back.
"Huff. Huff." He breathed lightly.
It was only natural that the attacker would tire faster than the defender. If this continued, Bu Eunseol would exhaust himself first.
Hum!
Forcing his internal energy to rise, black mist began to emanate from his body again.
He unleashed the Wishful True Binding once more to break the Heavenly Sword’s defense.
The Heavenly Sword stood tall, holding his greatswords toward the sky and ground, a triumphant smile on his face.
This would be Bu Eunseol’s final critical strike.
If he could block this attack, the Heavenly Sword would win the duel.
"Haaap!" Bu Eunseol shouted for the first time.
The Heavenly Sword smiled.
Shouting to bolster his spirit was proof of mental and physical strain. He, too, unleashed the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style with full force.
Hum!
A sword hum emanated from his greatswords as blue mist began to rise.
Whoosh!
Bu Eunseol unleashed the Supreme Heavenly Flow, creating a storm of sword techniques.
Clang clang clang!
At that moment, a blue, bead-like barrier formed around the Heavenly Sword’s body.
By fully drawing out the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style, hailed as the greatest orthodox swordsmanship, in a defensive form, he created a spherical sword barrier.
Boom! Flash!
The distance between Bu Eunseol and the Heavenly Sword was barely six steps.
Between them, it was as if two dragons—one black, one blue—were entwined, emitting light.
Shockwaves spread from the epicenter, and fierce winds toppled the surrounding flora.
Hiss.
As the dust settled, the two figures became visible.
Bu Eunseol and the Heavenly Sword.
Both stood in their pre-combat stances, unmoving.
Drip, drip.
But there was a difference—blood was flowing from Bu Eunseol’s shoulder and left forearm.
He had been injured while forcing his way through the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style.
‘I won!’ the Heavenly Sword thought, his eyes narrowing like crescent moons.
If there were no spectators, he would have danced and laughed maniacally.
Swish!
At that moment, Bu Eunseol unleashed the Wishful True Binding and Supreme Heavenly Flow with full force once more. But the black energy grew fainter, and flaws began to appear in the Supreme Heavenly Flow.
‘Time to finish this,’ the Heavenly Sword thought, smiling contentedly.
Bu Eunseol’s swordsmanship no longer posed a threat. Moreover, his internal energy was less than half its original strength.
‘You can’t fake internal energy,’ he thought.
No matter his intentions, Bu Eunseol’s internal energy was truly depleted.
Too bad you only had the edge in internal energy! What now that your fearsome energy is running out? he taunted through a secret transmission, grinning as he raised his greatsword.
"Shall we end this?"
Swish!
Unleashing the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style, his greatsword blurred, releasing swift and sharp sword techniques.
But something strange happened.
Bu Eunseol, with lowered eyes, watched the sword techniques and then lowered his sword to the ground, leaning into the greatsword.
‘What’s this guy doing?’ the Heavenly Sword thought, a chill running down his spine.
There was no way he’d play games in such a critical moment. He must be plotting something.
Whoosh!
The greatsword, aimed at Bu Eunseol’s neck and legs, veered off course in midair.
"..." Bu Eunseol raised the corner of his mouth, as if he’d expected this.
‘This guy,’ the Heavenly Sword thought, rage boiling within him, but he didn’t attack recklessly. Bu Eunseol had outwitted him with countless schemes before. There must be a reason for his actions.
"You had a good opportunity. Why didn’t you attack?" Bu Eunseol taunted.
The Heavenly Sword only laughed, refusing to attack rashly.
"Then I’ll come to you," Bu Eunseol said, swinging the Ice Soul Sword to attack.
But his swordsmanship was like that of a drunkard—crooked, with no strength behind it.
‘He’s deliberately exposing weaknesses,’ the Heavenly Sword thought, sneering. He realized Bu Eunseol was intentionally showing openings to bait a counterattack.
‘I won’t counterattack, no matter what.’
His goal wasn’t to kill Bu Eunseol.
Surviving was his victory. He wouldn’t fall for such provocations.
Whoosh!
Bu Eunseol’s Ice Soul Sword traced an arc through the air, aiming for the Heavenly Sword’s throat. It was a pathetically weak strike, but the Heavenly Sword blocked it as cautiously as if it were a critical blow.
Clang!
As the swords clashed, Bu Eunseol stepped closer, thrusting at the Heavenly Sword’s lower abdomen.
Clang.
Blocking the attack, the Heavenly Sword wore a strange expression.
Bu Eunseol’s sword held no internal energy. It was a playful, sloppy strike. Tilting his head, the Heavenly Sword hadn’t expected Bu Eunseol to provoke him like this.
‘Is he toying with me?’ Bu Eunseol swung his sword lightly again, attacking.
‘Should I just cut him down?’
Attacking so carelessly at close range?
If the Heavenly Sword unleashed his full swordsmanship, even with Bu Eunseol’s swift movement and reflexes, he could sever his neck in one strike.
‘No. I won’t fall for it.’
This was the man who had repeatedly outsmarted him. He wouldn’t recklessly provoke with his life on the line without a plan.
‘He must still have enough energy to unleash that dark energy,’ the Heavenly Sword thought, cautiously blocking Bu Eunseol’s attacks.
"Hahaha!" laughter erupted from the crowd after a dozen such exchanges.
Bu Eunseol was swinging his sword like a drunkard, while the Heavenly Sword retreated and defended as if facing a life-or-death enemy.
"That’s how it is?" the spectators realized.
They finally understood that the Heavenly Sword had been using a cowardly defensive strategy all along.
"Is that the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style the Sword Venerable boasted about?"
"It’s not the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style—it’s the Greedy-for-Life, Afraid-of-Death Style."
As jeers echoed around him, a venomous glint flashed in the Heavenly Sword’s eyes.
‘This guy!’ He finally realized that Bu Eunseol’s actions were meant to humiliate him.
A true madman.
Bu Eunseol was a lunatic who didn’t even care about his own life.
"Good. Very good," the Heavenly Sword said, white mist rising from his body.
He had overthought everything.
He should have just fought like a madman and won, but he’d schemed too much, unlike his usual self.
"Now let’s fight like real lunatics…"
A draw? Cutting off an arm and fighting again later?
He abandoned such hopeful notions and resolved to go all out to cut down Bu Eunseol.
Whoosh!
As the Heavenly Sword twisted his greatsword, the sword techniques shifted.
For the first time, he attacked Bu Eunseol’s throat without a defensive stance.
Pop!
The blade grazed dangerously, drawing blood.
‘It was all a bluff,’ the Heavenly Sword thought, grinning triumphantly as he seized the momentum. No strength to counterattack, yet he’d recklessly gambled to humiliate him?
‘Time to end this,’ he thought, swiftly changing his swordsmanship, closing the distance, and slashing at Bu Eunseol’s throat.
Twitch twitch!
As the Heavenly Sword unleashed the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style with killing intent, Bu Eunseol’s Ice Soul Sword began to leap like a live fish.
An absolute defensive technique—Radiant Sword Control—unfolded.
Clang clang clang!
As the greatsword unleashed dozens of strikes in a single motion, Bu Eunseol’s Ice Soul Sword, emitting a pale chill, followed its trajectory.
‘Fine! Let’s do this!’ the Heavenly Sword thought, pouring all his effort into the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style to break Bu Eunseol’s defensive stance. He unleashed every sword technique he knew, but he couldn’t overcome the tenacious, strange defensive swordsmanship.
"The swordsmanship of my school can counter all sword techniques in the world!" the Heavenly Sword bellowed, unleashing the ultimate technique of the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style—Half Above, Half Below, Shifting Heaven’s Force.
This technique altered the nature of Bu Eunseol’s Wishful True Binding, transforming all external forces to be deflected by his sword.
Clang. Thud.
The Radiant Sword Control, affected by Shifting Heaven’s Force, lost the mysterious power of its Storm Harmony Secret, which reacted to killing intent.
Pop!
Seizing the opening, the Heavenly Sword struck at Bu Eunseol’s throat with a critical blow.
Pop!
Bu Eunseol dodged with Swift Beyond Shadow, but blood spurted from his right shoulder.
‘Now!’ the Heavenly Sword thought, not missing the chance and unleashing the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style again, aiming for his throat.
Twitch.
As Bu Eunseol unleashed the Radiant Sword Control again, the Heavenly Sword cheered inwardly.
‘You can’t block with that technique!’
Clang!
Their swords clashed again.
At that moment, the Heavenly Sword’s expression turned strange.
‘How?’
The immense power he’d infused into his greatsword suddenly became soft, pushed back by Bu Eunseol’s Ice Soul Sword.
"So that’s how it works," Bu Eunseol said, a triumphant smile on his lips as he looked at the Heavenly Sword. "I’ve been wondering how you altered the nature of the Wishful True Binding."
In truth, Bu Eunseol could have ended the fight quickly.
But he had prolonged it, luring the Heavenly Sword to attack with killing intent.
Only then would the Radiant Sword Control be unleashed, allowing him to closely observe and steal the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style.
The Thousand Swords Return to Origin.
The fourth form of the Supreme Heavenly Flow—instantly mimicking the essence of an enemy’s swordsmanship.
But stealing the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style, considered the pinnacle of orthodox swordsmanship, on the spot was impossible. Through the long exchange, Bu Eunseol had stolen only the core essence of the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style—the ability to alter the nature of energy.
Every moment of this fight had been groundwork to steal the essence of the Myriad Phenomena Sword Style from the Heavenly Sword.
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