Chapter 54
“Jin So-cheon. Keep your promise.”
“Jeong-ju. I’ve never broken a promise in my life.”
“Crazy b*stard.”
“Likewise.”
Papapat━.
Noh Jeong-ju and I are the leaders of our respective sects.
Actually, I’m just a makeshift sect leader who wiped out a small-time ruffian’s den and founded a small sect, and Noh Jeong-ju is the head of a bunch of assassins, so we can’t really go around boasting about being great masters……
But at least we’re not idiots who hesitate or flinch before a fight, so without any formal bowing, we immediately went at each other’s throats like true men.
Chaechaechaechaechaechaechaechang━.
In an instant, my ten-nyang iron sword and Noh Jeong-ju’s precious sword clashed over 100 times, causing sword flowers to bloom in the arena.
As expected, Noh Jeong-ju’s swordsmanship was that of an assassin, maximizing ‘speed’.
Needless to say, it was fast, and it was even more precise than Noh H*-yeong’s. This level of swordsmanship was worthy of at least a 2nd-grade or higher top-notch swordsman within the Assassin’s Guild.
“Keke. So-cheon. You will regret your arrogance.”
Noh Jeong-ju, who had been unleashing a fierce barrage of attacks, smirked.
Speaking during a duel means he hasn’t shown his true skills yet.
But it doesn’t matter.
Because I’m the same.
I also dodged and blocked his sword attacks while talking.
“You little punk, you’re getting ahead of yourself again.”
“What?”
Chaechaechaechaechaechang━.
“Don’t get cocky, Jeong-ju.”
At the same time,
Paak━.
I deflected Noh Jeong-ju’s sword that was pressing towards my chest and kicked him in the upper abdomen.
Then, the experienced Noh Jeong-ju tried to block the kick with his left hand ……
“Block it? That’s your arm, you punk.”
Kwaang━!
As soon as Noh Jeong-ju’s arm touched my leg, I applied the principle of ‘Gale Wind’ and added immense rotational force.
In other words, I twisted it with internal energy as soon as I launched the kick.
“……”
Noh Jeong-ju frowned and retreated about ten steps.
I smirked as I saw a swirling wound on his arm where it had been hit by my Gale Kick.
“You arrogant b*stard, Jeong-ju. Did you think your arm would be fine if you blocked my kick with it? You son of a b*tch.”
“Shut your……”
“Hey. You’re bleeding a lot.”
Sure enough, red blood dripped from Noh Jeong-ju’s arm.
It seemed that the rotational force of the Gale Kick had completely torn his skin. It would probably be more painful than a burn.
“Next time, I’ll return the favor with my sword. I’ll just chop it off.”
I winked at him and then charged, holding my sword in a reverse grip.
◈ ◈ ◈
Reverse Grip Sword .
Literally, it means holding the sword in a reversed grip.
Mainly assassins use the reverse grip, and the reason is simple.
If you have to assassinate someone secretly, using a basic sword stance would expose your hostility and give your opponent a chance to defend.
Also, the reverse grip has the advantage of allowing the user to control the attack range as they wish without exposing the blade.
Simply put, if I approach the opponent with the sword extended forward, they can gauge my attack range and respond, but if I hold it in reverse, they don’t know when or where the hidden blade will strike, so it has the psychological effect of intimidating the target.
However.
Since Noh Jeong-ju and I have already exchanged dozens of blows, this advantage has been neutralized.
Still, I attacked Noh Jeong-ju with a reverse grip.
Why?
Because he’s also fighting with a reverse grip.
My roots are in assassination, and so are his……
This fight is a battle between assassins.
I wanted to defeat him with his own specialty.
“……!”
As expected……
When I t*rust my reverse grip sword like lightning, a look of shock appeared on Noh Jeong-ju’s face.
It must be absurd for him.
Since Noh Jeong-ju, like Noh H*-yeong, knows me as a fist fighter, it must be baffling to see me using a sword, let alone using it in reverse grip like an assassin.
But I didn’t care whether he was bewildered or not, and I continued to unleash my sword attacks with the same speed and skill.
Chaechaechaechaechang━.
The reason I’m testing the waters like this is……
To figure out his ‘habits’.
Soon, Noh Jeong-ju will realize that my skills are not to be underestimated and will unleash his ultimate technique .
He will unleash his Sword Energy .
I will also respond with Sword Energy, but if we continue to clash with Sword Energy, I will be at a disadvantage because my internal energy is relatively weaker.
I’m engaging in this ‘testing’ with Noh Jeong-ju in preparation for that moment.
Every martial artist in this world.
Has ‘habits’.
For example, some twist their arm angle and footwork when using left-handed techniques , and others have their breathing falter or their internal energy flow change at a specific distance when initiating a sword attack.
These habits of a martial artist, along with the inherent nature of their martial arts, are accumulated based on their innate disposition and the way they learn, eventually solidifying into an unchangeable ‘nature’.
And how scary are these ‘habits’? Even a martial god like the Demonic Cult Leader couldn’t erase his habits throughout his life, so I’ll skip further explanation.
Anyway, for that reason, I was trying to figure out Noh Jeong-ju’s habits while performing this seemingly meaningless sword dance.
Chaechaechaechaechang━.
“Jin So-cheon. Do you think you can win by just blocking and dodging like a rat?”
At that moment, Noh Jeong-ju, unaware of my intentions, spouted nonsense.
“Shut up! It’s almost over.”
“???”
After exchanging over 100 moves with him, I finally……
‘This guy…… has a very fatal bad habit.’
I figured out the habit of Noh Jeong-ju, the leader of the Noh Family Assassin’s Guild.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Sword Energy , huh.”
“Amazing…… Both Sect Leader Noh, who unleashed his Sword Energy, and Sect Leader Jin, who pushed him to that point…… are both incredible.”
“Huh! Sect Leader Jin also uses Sword Energy!!”
As the onlookers cheered……
An echo spread through the quiet mountain peak,
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang━!
And along with it, my and Noh Jeong-ju’s Sword Energy clashed, creating an invisible wave of energy that thickly blanketed the arena.
“Hehe. Little Brother So! You’re truly amazing!!”
Even amidst facing Noh Jeong-ju’s Sword Energy, Master Ju’s excited voice of support, like that of a child, reached my ears.
At this point, I feel like a monkey in a circus performing tricks in front of an audience……
But seeing that I don’t feel bad about it, I guess I’m also an attention seeker.
“……”
Meanwhile.
Noh Jeong-ju’s expression changed considerably.
If Noh Jeong-ju had shown bewilderment, anger, and embarrassment on his face until now, his current expression was stern and serious, filled with a deadly determination to k*ll me.
In short, he looked like a b*stard who was desperate to k*ll me, and I finally realized that he was about to put an end to this fight, so I focused my mind.
“Hooooop……”
I opened both the ‘Force’ and ‘Thunder’ attributes simultaneously, gathering the power of Force in my left dantian and the power of Thunder in my right dantian.
My body felt as if it was being crushed by immense pressure, and at the same time, it was engulfed in a heat so intense that it felt like it would burn me to ashes. But I didn’t release these two energies immediately and waited for the perfect opportunity .
“Jin So-cheon. I admit it. From the moment I heard you defeated H*-yeong, I expected your martial arts to be extraordinary. But seeing you fight me with a reverse grip and not losing ground…… you deserve to be called a master of the sword.”
Noh Jeong-ju boasted.
Actually, I can see right through him.
He’s planning to praise me in front of everyone and then defeat me with a single b*ow to boost his own reputation.
But will that work?
“B*llshit.”
“……!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Jeong-ju. Did you think I’d be grateful and treat you like a senior just because you called me a master of the sword?”
“Wh, what?!”
“You pathetic b*stard.”
“Th…… This guy!”
First, I enraged Noh Jeong-ju with my words.
The reason for making him so angry was obvious.
I wanted him to unleash his final b*ow quickly, and I was determined not to miss that moment.
So, now, I added a voice transmission,
『Jeong-ju. While you’re bragging, your son is probably getting beaten like a dog by my disciples, crying, and p*ssing his pants. You should hurry up and defeat me so you can go save your son.』
And provoked him.
Then,
“Jin So-cheooooon!! I’ll make this place your grave today!”
The enraged Noh Jeong-ju roared, his voice echoing through the mountains, and began to gather all his power into his sword.
Boooooong……!
Indeed.
Noh Jeong-ju is a master.
As he gathered his Sword Energy, a gloomy Sword Cry emanated from his sword. With that density, it would be difficult for me to withstand it head-on in my current state.
However.
Kooong━.
The moment Noh Jeong-ju’s Sword Cry stopped.
Swish━.
The moment his right foot stepped back.
……!
The moment his right pectoral muscle twitched.
‘Here I go.’
I unleashed the ‘Force-Thunder’ energy I had been accumulating, thrusting my sword towards his solar plexus.
Paaaaaaaaaang━!!!
Then,
“Oh…… Oh my god!”
“Hehe! Little Brother So. Was that it after all?”
“Sect Leader Noh!”
Along with the onlookers’ exclamations, Noh Jeong-ju let out his first ‘scream’.
“Kwaaack!”
Kwadang━.
Noh Jeong-ju, stabbed in the solar plexus, coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed about three steps away.
Although I didn’t k*ll him with a single b*ow , this was also intentional.
“Jeong-ju. You have to get up.”
I taunted the fallen Noh Jeong-ju and walked towards him.
“Jeong-ju. Martial artists have habits. I figured out that when you move sideways, you extend your right foot backward to maximize centrifugal and centripetal force, then close the distance with Bow-Body Flickering Shadow and t*rust your sword. Especially since you’re using a reverse grip, your movements become larger, and your pectoral muscle also twitches. And at that moment, your breathing falters, and your internal energy flow changes. In other words, I shattered your Protective Aura the moment your body balance was broken and your reflexes slowed down.”
“Kueeeek.”
Even after my explanation, Noh Jeong-ju couldn’t answer, only spitting out blood.
Although my ten-nyang iron sword didn’t pierce his skin, his Protective Aura was shattered by a counterattack while he was vigorously using his internal energy, so his internal organs would be severely shaken , and his energy would flow in reverse, causing excruciating pain as if his dantian was about to burst.
But,
Kwang━!
I kicked Noh Jeong-ju’s face without any intention or ability to counterattack.
“Kwaaack!”
“Jeong-ju. You, the leader of the Noh Family Assassin’s Guild, Noh Jeong-ju.”
Kwang━!
“Kheok……!”
“How dare you try to assassinate me, knowing who I am?”
Kwang━!
“Kaaaaaaaaack!”
I kept kicking Noh Jeong-ju’s head, then his side, then his throat……
I kept kicking and stomping on him wherever my feet landed.
Then, Noh Jeong-ju, who was being beaten, opened his mouth with a terrified look.
“I…… I lost. St, stop. Stop it!”
“B*llshit. Who said you could stop?”
“Wh, what?”
“The duel isn’t over yet.”
“I, I…… I admit defeat……”
“Shut up!”
Kwang━!
The tide had turned.
Noh Jeong-ju was half dead, and I was fine, so the duel was essentially over.
As expected, the onlookers’ faces turned pale, and the members of the Noh Family Assassin’s Guild looked like they were about to attack with their swords.
“Hehe. You youngsters of the Noh Family. Put your swords away. If you interfere, I’ll interfere too.”
At that moment, Master Ju laughed and pressured the Noh Family members. It wasn’t just pressure, but he used Six Harmonies Voice Transmission , a sonic attack that would make an ordinary person’s legs go weak just by hearing it.
The members couldn’t take a step further, their bodies frozen like statues.
“St, stop it…… Sect Leader Jin…… Stop it.”
As the situation worsened, Noh Jeong-ju pleaded.
Honestly……
I thought about stopping the beating at this point, but I couldn’t because……
Many martial artists are gathered here.
There are those from the righteous path and the evil path.
In other words, what happened today will spread throughout the entire Jiang Hu, regardless of faction.
So, I can’t stop the violence.
If I stop here?
Anyone might try to attack the Dawn Heaven Sect again in the future.
It’s common in the martial world to be seen as weak if you show a soft side, isn’t it?
Therefore, in front of many people.
“I’m sorry, Jeong-ju.”
“???”
I was going to make him feel the consequences of messing with the Dawn Heaven Sect to the b*ne.
“Can’t you just take about 100 more hits? You can take more, can’t you?”
