Golden Dawn (4)
At that moment, I was making my way through the underground corridors of the manor.
By now, Ma Ryeong-in would have been captured by Ma Cheol-gun. He might try to talk his way out with all sorts of sweet words, but it wouldn’t be easy.
As I reached the end of the corridor, Iho emerged from a room and was startled to see me.
“What are you doing here?”
I strode towards him, and he instinctively realized something had gone wrong.
“You bastard!”
He lunged for the lamp on the wall, twisting it urgently.
Creak.
It was a mechanism to activate an emergency trap.
I dashed down the corridor, reaching the end just as the fourth trap’s range came into play.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of sharp needles shot out from the walls and ceiling simultaneously. It was an attack that even a master couldn’t evade.
The Suramyeongwang Sword flashed out like lightning.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Every needle aimed at me was deflected, embedding themselves into the corridor walls.
Iho was aghast. Even witnessing it firsthand, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The sheer number and speed of the needles were overwhelming.
“So, you’re a swordsman!”
I was already charging towards him.
Iho drew his sword and leaped.
Swish! Swish!
We passed each other in a blur. His sword was swift and precise, worthy of the rank he’d been given.
Had it been anyone else, or had I not drawn my sword, he wouldn’t have met such an end.
I stopped where he had stood, while Iho tumbled through the air, landing in the corridor I’d just traversed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The trap’s darts pierced his body.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blades shot up from the floor, skewering him, while poison gas spewed from the ceiling.
Puff!
He wouldn’t have felt any pain, as he was already dead from my sword when we crossed paths.
Clang.
I returned the lamp to its original position, deactivating the trap as the blades retracted.
I continued on. The room where Ma Ryeong-in and the eight guards had been was empty.
I paused between Im Yeon-jeong’s room and the mysterious chamber.
I slowly opened her door first.
She stood before a round sphere, tense from the sounds of the trap activating outside.
But she hadn’t expected me to enter.
“You? Why are you here?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“I didn’t go for the assassination.”
“What do you mean?”
She stared at me blankly for a moment before realizing the situation.
“You deceived him from the start!”
I nodded.
“Yes. The drug you gave won’t work either, so don’t worry.”
“Who said I was worried!”
Yet a hint of relief flickered across her face.
“What happened to him now?”
“He must be captured by Ma Cheol-gun.”
I answered straightforwardly. Her lack of concern for Ma Ryeong-in was telling.
“Are you going to kill me?”
“That depends on what you do next.”
“What do you mean?”
“Tell me about the forces behind you.”
“I can’t. Even if it means my death.”
Sensing her sincerity, a thought struck me. Perhaps the trap she was caught in was one she couldn’t escape, even at the cost of her life. I had no intention of killing her for not revealing her backers.
“I’ll destroy everything behind you. All the books and materials here will be burned.”
“No!”
“Yes!”
I shouted firmly, then softened my tone.
“You don’t like this research, do you?”
She was taken aback, surprised that I knew her feelings, and felt a sense of joy that someone understood her.
“Normally, I should kill you too. But just as you gave me a chance to live, I’ll give you a chance. Stay with the organization or leave far away, as you wish.”
Tap, tap!
Without waiting for her response, I struck her pressure points to immobilize her.
“You won’t need to move to make your decision.”
I carried her to the door. Though I hadn’t silenced her completely, she remained silent in my arms, simply observing my actions. Despite her voluptuous and sensual appearance, she felt delicate in my embrace.
After setting her outside the door, I approached the central sphere.
“No!”
Ignoring her protest, I drew my sword. I was about to unleash my energy to destroy everything in the room when—
Creak.
A door that hadn’t been opened in a long time groaned as it swung open.
It was the room behind me.
I turned slowly towards it. The door was only slightly ajar, but a powerful aura seeped through the gap.
I knew someone inside was calling to me.
As I moved towards it, Im Yeon-jeong spoke with a fearful expression.
“If you go in, you’ll die.”
I smiled at her.
“That’s something we can’t know. You didn’t foresee this situation, did you?”
She took my words as confidence.
“Who are you, really?”
“I’ll tell you when I return.”
Leaving her behind, I entered the room across the hall. I closed the door to protect her from any harm.
Focusing my mind, I heightened my senses.
The room was devoid of furniture or fixtures. It was like an empty space after a move.
In the center sat an old man, his long hair obscuring his face. Only his eyes shone through the strands. Beside him lay a single sword. The room contained only him and his sword.
The presence was immense.
The aura I’d sensed earlier was no exaggeration. The old man was more skilled than I’d anticipated.
Could I defeat him in a fight?
That was my first thought.
Yet I wasn’t surprised. Even if the door hadn’t opened on its own, I had intended to open it anyway.
“Who are you?”
His tone was unexpectedly calm.
Hearing his voice, I felt a sense of familiarity. Though his face was hidden by his hair, I couldn’t immediately recognize him.
“I’m called Mu-myeong.”
He must have heard my name several times by now. I’d been living here for days.
“Sit.”
I sat across from him, close enough for our fingertips to touch if we reached out. His gaze was piercing.
“You intend to destroy that place?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t. I promised to protect that girl and that place.”
That was why he was in the adjacent room. It also meant the organization valued the research highly.
“Who did you make that promise to?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Not that you don’t know?”
The old man flinched.
But I didn’t hold back.
“What do you think their purpose is in developing that antidote? To seize control of the martial world. Are you aware of that?”
The old man laughed heartily.
“Hahaha. That will never happen.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Then he said something completely unexpected.
“As long as Cheonhajin exists, no one can take over the martial world. It’s just a game of intrigue.”
“Cheonhajin is…”
“The best. Truly the greatest warrior.”
“Cheonhajin is…”
“Unkillable.”
He didn’t know I was dead.
“Have you met Cheonhajin?”
“Of course.”
His eyes gleamed with intensity.
“The only person to ever defeat me.”
He lifted his head, looking up at the ceiling.
“A calamity sent by the heavens.”
As his hair fell away, I finally saw his face.
I recognized him.
The Sword Emperor.
Now aged and frail, he was the Sword Emperor I had defeated at twenty-nine.
He had been in his fifties then. Forty years had passed, making him over ninety now.
It was the year I became the greatest martial artist. That year, I defeated the Sword Emperor, the Blade Master, and the Fist King in succession.
I had maintained a friendship with the Fist King, even learning martial arts from him.
But I hadn’t seen the Sword Emperor or the Blade Master since that day.
To think I’d encounter the Sword Emperor here. That they had even drawn him into their schemes.
“They will take over the martial world.”
“They won’t.”
“Cheonhajin is dead.”
The Sword Emperor’s eyes widened as he shouted.
“Nonsense!”
But I spoke calmly.
“They didn’t tell you. Cheonhajin died a year ago.”
“Impossible!”
“Look at me. Do I seem like I’m lying?”
As he gazed into my clear eyes, his own began to tremble. He realized I wasn’t lying.
He raised his voice again.
“No one could kill him. Only I could.”
His twisted obsession erupted.
I asked with cold truth.
“What did you receive in exchange for helping them?”
The Sword Emperor’s expression twisted. If his motives were pure, he would have retorted, “Do you think I’m doing this for a reward?”
But he remained silent.
I continued with icy words.
“You must have been promised something to defeat Cheonhajin.”
His turmoil was evident. He was a man who couldn’t lie.
I could tell. Ever since his defeat at my hands, he had lived with that wound festering inside him. I didn’t know when or how he was recruited, but I understood how they managed to ensnare him.
Oh, you foolish old man.
“At your age, you should have been able to resist the temptations of such scoundrels, don’t you think?”
“Who killed him?”
I slowly turned my head to look at the opposite room.
“You did.”
“What?”
“Given that this organization likely killed him, and since you’re aiding them, it means you killed him. It must be a relief for you. You wanted him dead, and now he is.”
“Shut up!”
“No, you shut up!”
I was furious. Angry at this foolish old man, and at the forces that had manipulated him.
“Someone of your skill, unable to break free from the delusion of victory and defeat, ended up helping those people?”
My words struck a nerve, and the old swordsman couldn’t muster a response.
“Growing old isn’t a crime, but aging poorly is certainly a sin.”
“You insolent brat! I’ll kill you!”
He sprang to his feet, drawing his sword.
His character had become twisted. Having dealt with many stubborn old men, I knew there was no changing this kind of obstinacy. That’s why the forces behind him could draw him in, leading him astray.
I stood up and drew my sword as well. To eliminate everything in that room, I had to subdue him first.
He lunged at me with lethal intent. Forty years ago, he wasn’t like this.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Our swords clashed in mid-air.
After a dozen exchanges, he suddenly exclaimed in shock.
“Could it be this sword technique?”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He couldn’t finish his sentence. I was attacking with all my might. Though my internal energy was lacking, I had the vigor of youth on my side. I had a righteous cause to win this fight.
Our battle was evenly matched. He was once called the Sword Master, and I was known as the Sword God.
Though he had become a foolish and pitiful old man, his swordsmanship was neither foolish nor pitiful.
In the confined space, our swords left countless marks on the walls.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Yet, we didn’t break the walls. Our duel had a grace that only those who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship could display.
The light from our swords was dazzling, and the lines we drew were beautiful. Sometimes they paused like a painting, other times they moved as swiftly as light.
I felt as if every vein in my body had opened.
It had been so long since I fought in such a state of transcendence. I wasn’t thinking about which techniques I was using or how I was using them.
I forgot why I was fighting, and eventually, I forgot who I was fighting.
Everything disappeared.
All that remained was the fight.
What broke my trance was a single sound.
Thud!
The sound of flesh being pierced.
When I came to my senses, the Suramyeongwang Sword was embedded in his heart.
”…You must be his disciple.”
He could only think that.
A faint smile appeared on his lips, as if he was grateful to die by my hand. He died standing upright.
I let out a long sigh as I looked at his body. I hadn’t intended to kill him, but our fight was one that wouldn’t end without someone dying.
It had been a grueling battle. Even without unleashing my full power, I had exhausted nearly all my energy. I had poured everything into it.
I gently closed his wide-open eyes.
“At least you died well by my hand.”
Otherwise, he would have committed irreparable acts under their influence.
“In the next life, let’s meet in a better place, for a better reason, and fight again.”
As I spoke those words, the old swordsman collapsed as if his strings had been cut.
I opened the door and stepped outside. Im Yeon-jeong looked at me in shock. She hadn’t expected me to come out alive.
With a face full of exhaustion, I asked her, “My fight is over. Have you made up your mind?”