The Grand Battle (2)
I stopped by Angawa Island to visit my father and mother.
After learning about Byeokridan’s circumstances, my feelings for them deepened. They were no longer just “two people” but truly “two parents.”
To be honest, my sense of filial duty began when I entered Byeokridan’s body. Since I was already in his body, I thought I should serve them well. They turned out to be even better people than I had imagined, and I quickly grew fond of them.
But now, my feelings have changed.
I was sincere before, but now it’s sincerity beyond sincerity. I intend to live as their true child.
As long as I don’t forget Byeokridan’s soul, which lingered in the air, unable to leave this world at the last moment, how could I neglect them?
Dana, don’t worry. I will take good care of them for the rest of my life. When the time comes, you’ll meet them too. Then you can explain everything and fulfill the filial duties you couldn’t.
By then, they will truly understand my heart.
My father’s words, always the same, but each time I hear them, they resonate anew.
“The higher your position, the more you must cherish and care for those below you.”
“Son, make sure you eat well.”
That was my mother’s unchanging advice.
After meeting them, I met Song Hwarin.
My feelings for her have changed too. They’ve grown stronger. I was glad to see her childhood self, and I liked the pure side of her that was with Byeokridan. It was a relief to know she wasn’t the one who killed him.
I wonder how Byeokridan would feel if he knew I liked her?
Would he be pleased? Or upset?
It’s hard to say.
But I’ve already fallen for her. All I can do is love her even more, adding Byeokridan’s feelings for her to my own.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Huh? Like what?”
“You’re different from usual.”
Women’s intuition is truly frightening. Even though I looked at her the same as always, she immediately sensed my change of heart. It’s akin to my instinct when facing an enemy.
“I just like you.”
“You’re being silly.”
“It’s nice to see you after a while.”
Song Hwarin smiled warmly. We strolled together, chatting about this and that.
“Let’s go out and have some fun off the island.”
“Can we do that?”
She was surprised by my suggestion.
“Yes, we can.”
Her bright smile turned cautious as she asked, “Can we bring Baeksojeo and Lady Im too? They must be feeling cooped up.”
“Of course.”
She went to fetch Baekryeon and Im Yeonjeong. The two were thrilled at the idea of leaving the island with me.
I took them off the island.
Beautiful scenery is nice for a day or two, but the repetitive island life can be dull and lonely.
So, I took them to a bustling marketplace. We enjoyed delicious food and bought things they needed—clothes, cosmetics, dishes, books. Not the supplies sent to the island, but items they chose themselves.
The three women got along much better than I expected.
“Oh! That dress is so pretty!”
Im Yeonjeong beamed with pride at Song Hwarin and Baekryeon’s compliments.
“I was quite popular in my youth.”
“You’re still beautiful.”
“When Miss Song says that, it sounds like an insult.”
“No, I didn’t mean it that way… I mean, I didn’t mean to say…”
Im Yeonjeong and Baekryeon laughed at Song Hwarin’s flustered reaction.
Watching them laugh and chat happily after so long lifted my spirits.
“But is it okay for us to just have fun like this?”
Song Hwarin’s concern prompted my response.
“It’s fine. Enjoy yourselves.”
“What if someone follows us?”
“That would be difficult.”
They all looked puzzled. I spent the day with them, having a blast until evening.
And when it was time to return, we didn’t take a boat.
“Alright, don’t be surprised.”
The three women soared into the air.
We flew high. I enveloped them in my energy and took off with them using my martial arts.
Their eyes widened in shock.
From the high sky, I looked at Song Hwarin and said, “I told you not to worry about being followed, didn’t I?”
The three women looked at me in awe. In their understanding, no matter how skilled, it was impossible to fly here alone.
But to lift three others, without even touching them, using invisible energy—how could they explain that?
Their amazement was just beginning.
Whoosh.
The four of us flew across the sky together. It was their first time flying like this.
At first, they screamed in surprise, but soon they were shouting with joy.
They knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, flying across the sky against the backdrop of a newly setting sun, and they were deeply moved.
“Aaaaaah!”
“This is amazing!”
“Faster!”
Unable to bear their continued shouts, Cheonma grumbled.
[Three women together are so noisy.]
[It’s their first time, be patient.]
[Is it because it’s their first time? They’ll be even louder next time, once they’re closer.]
[Hahaha.]
I understood them.
Even if they didn’t express it, they must have had a lot on their minds.
I hoped that by flying and shouting, they could release some of those pent-up emotions.
Whoosh.
The island appeared below us. Despite Im Yeonjeong’s plea to fly more, we descended to the island.
After restoring my energy through meditation, I had important matters to attend to.
Around midnight, I hovered high above the main hall of the martial arts alliance.
Cheon Soseon had mentioned two obstacles.
Not knowing the secret code to the mechanism leading underground and the constant presence of the Heavenly King in the main hall.
I promised to solve both problems.
The plan came to me when I heard the Heavenly King was alone in the main hall.
A simple yet bold method that would make the whole world take notice.
Srrrng.
The Suramyeongwang Sword was drawn with a crisp sound, creating a sharp angle from the sky to the ground, aimed at the main hall.
Once the target was set, the Suramyeongwang Sword began to split.
Sssssss.
Sword energy in the shape of the Suramyeongwang Sword started to form around it. Eight blades of energy circled the true Suramyeongwang Sword.
The blades began to spin slowly, then rapidly.
Whirr, whirr, whirr.
The speed of rotation was entirely different from before. It was ready to unleash a storm of sword energy.
With the eleventh level of internal energy and the ninth form of the Demonic God Art.
The power of the first form of the Demonic God Art, Hwan Geom Cheon Pok, was unleashed, vastly different from before.
Swoosh!
The first blade of energy struck the roof of the main hall!
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the blade exploded. Its power was incomparable to before. The entire roof of the main hall was blown away in one strike.
But the attack had just begun.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The spinning blades of energy began to fire. One after another, they exploded in succession.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The main hall was being utterly devastated.
Each strike was immensely powerful. One explosion followed another, and the bombardment of sword energy continued.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The speed of the flying blades was incredible, and the creation of sword energy kept pace.
In short, it was a barrage.
It seemed like a reckless method, but it wasn’t.
The sword energy was concentrated on the area where the mechanism leading underground was located. It was a plan that required precise knowledge of its location within the main hall.
The mechanism wasn’t an offensive one. It was a device that transported people from the main hall to a secret underground chamber, and it wouldn’t operate without the correct code.
Of course, even if it wasn’t offensive, it wouldn’t break with a half-hearted attack.
But if you destroy it thoroughly like this, it will break.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The bombardment of sword energy finally ended.
A massive cloud of dust rose where the main hall once stood. The ground was riddled with holes, and not even a broken pillar remained.
Srrrng, clack.
The Suramyeongwang Sword was sheathed.
I remained suspended in the air.
If the Heavenly King died from this, it would be ideal, but that was unlikely.
Sure enough, there was a change in the dust cloud below.
Whoosh.
The dust swirled and scattered from a central point. At the center of that circle stood a man, looking up.
Though he appeared as small as an ant from this distance, I could clearly see his face.
It was the Heavenly King. Despite the overwhelming sword energy attack, he stood unscathed. It was a testament to the strength of his protective energy.
I extended my hand and beckoned with my fingers.
“Hey, you. Come up here.”
Though I spoke softly, my words flew directly into the Heavenly King’s ears below.
A slight smirk appeared on his lips.
Whoosh.
He shot up into the air.
In an instant, the Heavenly King reached me. His martial arts were truly impressive.
We faced each other, suspended in the air.
Below, martial artists from the alliance were gathering around the main hall.
But we were too high. It was impossible for them to reach us with their martial arts or to attack us from below.
Not that they would want to help the Heavenly King, even if they could.
The Heavenly King spoke with a curious expression.
“So, it’s you.”
“Yes, it’s me.”
It was the first time we were seeing each other’s true selves up close.
And both of us appeared so young.
He was the one who had seen through my disguise in the past. Once again, he immediately recognized that this was my true form.
“How can you be so young?”
The Heavenly King couldn’t hide his surprise at my strength.
“Aren’t you young too?”
“Well, I…”
He started to say something but then closed his mouth, clearly unwilling to discuss the great arts or the Heavenly Chaos.
“Ah, so you’ve had your own stroke of luck.”
I neither confirmed nor denied it, just offered a faint smile.
Yes, there were things you couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Our conversation was a mere prelude.
I hadn’t come here to settle things with him. My main goal was to destroy the Heavenly Chaos hidden beneath the League’s headquarters. By now, Cheon So-seon should have infiltrated the underground. I planned to hold out for just a moment longer before disappearing.
His refusal to leave the League’s headquarters meant he couldn’t pursue me to the end, whatever his reasons.
Of course, I was prepared for any unexpected turns. If, during our fight, I felt certain I could kill him, I would end him today.
The outcome would only be revealed through battle.
“Shall we begin?”
“Let’s.”
And so, our first fight commenced. The Heavenly King struck first, launching a punch with incredible force and speed.
Whoosh!
I met his attack without drawing my sword, using my martial arts to counter him.
Dodging his blows, I threw punches of my own.
I was fast, but so was he. He evaded my strikes just as I did his.
Whoosh! Wham! Whoosh!
Our rapid, powerful punches flew back and forth in a dizzying exchange. To an outsider, it might have seemed like any other fight between martial arts masters, but this was no ordinary battle. Each punch carried the power to crumple even the hardest steel.
Though I wasn’t trying to create tension, I narrowly avoided his attacks. That’s how fast the Heavenly King was. He, too, barely dodged mine.
We were evenly matched, exchanging blows with equal skill. The Heavenly King was stronger than I had anticipated.
Not bad. I hadn’t even used my full power yet.
I had never been in such a tense fight before.
It didn’t feel like facing a powerful martial artist.
It felt like confronting an entire martial arts system, or martial arts itself. Not a person, but a perfected art.
Facing something flawless.
I wondered if he felt the same.
Perhaps he did.
Our battle was less a clash between two people and more like the intertwining of natural forces—rivers colliding, winds from opposite directions meeting to create a new gust.
We exchanged powerful blows, absorbed shocks efficiently, deflected attacks, and launched surprise assaults in unexpected moments.
For those studying martial arts, witnessing this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a glimpse of their ultimate destination.
I found myself curious.
Who created the Heavenly Chaos? How could they produce such a formidable opponent?
Today, I had two objectives.
To give Cheon So-seon the chance to destroy the Heavenly Chaos, and to kill him if possible.
And now, a third had emerged.
I wanted to experience his martial arts more fully. Not out of some vain pride, but because I instinctively felt this fight was necessary to achieve mastery of my own skills.
In that case, the stage needed to be more fitting.
With a swift motion, I soared into the sky using my martial arts.
To the point where one might think, “Surely not this high?” he followed me up.
As if by mutual agreement, we both drew our swords.
Clang.
The sound of my long-dormant sword echoed.
At the same time, a dark aura began to emanate from the Heavenly King’s body.