Chapter 258
Jin Taedo watched the scene with a bitter smile.
“He struggled quite a bit, but it’s over now…!”
But then—
Thud!
The sword of Jasung Jin-in lightly pierced through the man’s back, emerging from his chest. Suddenly, the man’s form blurred.
“!”
Jin Taedo’s eyes snapped wide open at the sight.
Jasung Jin-in, startled, looked past Jin Taedo’s head and shouted,
“Master Jin!”
In that instant, Jin Taedo realized the truth.
What he had been seeing was merely an afterimage—the man had already slipped behind him.
Unbeknownst to Jin Taedo, Sun Woojin had just unleashed the Cheonpung Hwayeop technique.
“!”
Startled, Jin Taedo whipped his head around and caught sight of Sun Woojin sprinting toward the suspension bridge as if flying.
“Not—!”
Jin Taedo shouted in alarm.
It worked!
I dashed past Jin Taedo and headed straight for the suspension bridge, a triumphant cheer swelling in my heart.
The man had mistaken me for Inparang and assumed I’d only use the Southern Cross Sword technique. Exploiting that blind spot had paid off perfectly.
No matter how formidable he was—one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World—it was still difficult to counter the Gongjeuksik and Cheonpung Hwayeop techniques, which he was encountering for the first time.
In the worst case, if that didn’t work, I could rely on my own new technique. It was a gamble, but thankfully it paid off.
The suspension bridge was right ahead. Jin Sojeo, carrying Mayugyeom and Myoaran, had already crossed more than half of the thirty-jo-long bridge.
He must have been squeezing out his last reserves of strength.
Good.
The situation was no longer bad.
With Jin Taedo and the Six Harmonies Swordmasters’ new techniques, they could never catch up to me. If I crossed the bridge first and then severed it, the fight would be over.
And if they chased me onto the bridge, I could send them plummeting down the thousand-jo cliff below.
If only it goes that smoothly, that would be ideal.
But just as I thought that—
Suddenly, I heard Jin Taedo’s battle cry from behind.
“Hahap!”
A chilling sensation came from my back.
Something was flying toward me at incredible speed.
Shiiiiiik!
“Ugh?!”
I didn’t even need to turn around to know what it was.
He had fired sword rings.
Exactly five sword rings were hurtling toward my back.
Damn it!
Using my keen sight, I quickly gauged their positions and unleashed the Cheonpung New Technique.
My form scattered like a dizzying wind, dodging the sword rings.
Glowing blue energy orbs whizzed past me.
Shreeeeek!
I realized the fight wasn’t over yet.
He had started firing sword rings once he thought he couldn’t catch me.
And those five weren’t all.
Shreeeeek! Shreeeeek!
More sword rings came flying from behind—this time, ten of them.
That bastard! Ten sword rings at once!
His skill was truly formidable.
I activated the Cheonpung New Technique again, weaving like the wind to evade them.
But as I dodged, I realized something else.
The sword rings weren’t just targeting me.
One of the rings that passed me was aimed at a pillar supporting the suspension bridge ahead.
The pillar that held the bridge’s ropes.
My gaze went distant as I watched.
Ka-BANG!
“Damn!”
One of the pillars took a direct hit from several sword rings and shattered into pieces.
The suspension bridge, now missing one of its ropes, swayed wildly like a wave and tilted to one side.
That wave of the tilting bridge surged toward Jin Sojeo, who hadn’t yet crossed.
He was in danger.
I shouted urgently,
“Jin Sojeo! Run!”
Jin Sojeo leapt desperately toward the cliff’s edge.
She must have sensed the danger without looking back—her keen sight told her everything.
I clenched my fist.
As expected of Jin Sojeo!
With a powerful leap, her form finally landed on the cliff’s edge beyond the suspension bridge.
She collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, but at least she was safe.
Good!
Jin Sojeo was now out of danger.
That left only me.
Shreeeeek! Shreeeeek!
More sword rings zipped past me, striking the last remaining pillar.
Ka-BANG!
I watched in slow motion as the pillar exploded into fragments.
The bridge, held only by one rope, completely snapped and began to fall down the cliff.
From behind, I heard Jin Taedo’s laughter.
“Ha ha ha ha! The bridge is cut off, so now…!”
As he laughed and shouted, I gritted my teeth and leapt toward the falling bridge at full speed.
“Hahap!”
Whack!
Jin Taedo’s shocked voice came from behind.
“What?!”
Jin Sojeo, lying on the ground on the opposite cliff, also gasped in surprise.
“Gongja!”
They had every reason to be shocked.
The fallen bridge was already more than four jo away, and me running toward it looked like a suicide leap.
In truth, as I ran toward the suspension bridge plummeting into the abyss, the feeling was no different.
It was exhilarating.
But!
My new technique didn’t disappoint.
The next moment, the falling bridge came rushing toward me.
In a single bound, I crossed four jo and landed on the bridge.
The instant my foot touched the falling bridge, I unleashed the Moonlight Whirling Sword Dance.
Moonlight Whirling Sword Dance, Third Form.
Hyeonmangwol activated.
Whoooosh!
Time seemed to slow.
The falling bridge appeared to freeze in midair.
Without hesitation, I began running along the suspended bridge.
In this slowed time, only I moved at normal speed.
Tatatatata!
Then—
Jin Taedo roared in fury.
“Yooooouuuu brrrrrraaaat!”
At the same time, a dozen sword rings flew toward me and the bridge.
Shreeeeek!
Even in the slowed world, his sword rings were fast.
I gritted my teeth, using my keen sight to watch behind me as I twisted and dodged.
Swish!
Several sword rings aimed at me were easily avoided.
But those targeting the bridge were unavoidable.
Ka-BANG!
The far side of the bridge exploded under the impact.
The opposite side of the bridge was completely severed.
Seeing the other side fall, I immediately leapt forward.
“Hahap!”
Crack!
There were still seven or eight jo left to the cliff edge, but I had no choice.
I had to trust my new technique.
As my body slowly rose into the air in the slowed time, I suddenly realized Jin Taedo had predicted this.
His continuous sword rings were flying straight at my airborne form.
Shreeeeek!
Six sword rings hurtled toward my back.
With nowhere to land, no way to dodge, it felt like my back would be pierced through.
But I remained calm, deeply focused.
Taking a deep breath, I concentrated my energy.
Hoooop!
Curling into a ball, I spun once in midair, then stretched out my body.
Just before the sword rings struck, I pushed off the air with my foot and soared upward.
Pah!
It was a slight lift, but enough to evade the sword rings.
For the first time, I succeeded in the Airborne Sword Technique.
Yes!
I silently cheered as the sword rings flew past me at terrifying speed.
Shreeeeek! Shreeeeek!
Glancing back, I saw Jin Taedo staring at me in stunned disbelief.
He never imagined I could pull off the Airborne Sword Technique.
His distorted expression was immensely satisfying.
Still…
Though I dodged his attack once, my situation wasn’t great.
Because I had jumped upward to avoid the sword rings, I lost the forward momentum to reach the cliff edge.
My upward speed was slowing, and I was coming to a stop.
I didn’t need to see what would happen next to know.
Then—
From behind, more sword rings fired by Jin Taedo came rushing in.
Shreeeeek!
I knew it!
Focusing all my energy, I pushed off the air again.
Because I anticipated his attack, I hadn’t moved prematurely.
Pah!
Pushing off the air, I dodged his sword rings and moved slightly forward.
Only about four jo remained to the cliff edge.
Just a little more!
Then I heard his voice.
“I won’t let you escape!”
Shreeeeek!
Sword rings kept flying.
Fully focused with my keen sight, I danced through the air, stepping on nothing but empty space to evade them, inching forward.
Only three jo left to the cliff edge.
I felt like I was walking a tightrope on the edge of a cliff.
The sword rings I sensed and dodged with keen sight, the energy rapidly draining from using the Airborne Sword Technique for the first time—it all felt like one misstep would be the end.
Suddenly, a scream came from behind.
“Aaaaargh!”
It was Jin Taedo.
He screamed in rage.
At the same moment, an overwhelming number of sword orbs shot toward me.
It seemed he was drawing on his last reserves of strength.
‘About thirty of them—thirty?!’
An absurd number.
To unleash that many sword orbs, each demanding such intense energy consumption…
Even for him, launching that many was surely pushing his limits.
So if I could just dodge this onslaught, his attack would be over.
‘But…’
The range of the incoming sword orbs was too vast.
They filled every inch of space around me, like a dense curtain of bullets.
Screeeech!
“Damn it, what do I do?”
I glanced back and saw the sword orbs filling the air, and behind them, Jin Tae-do’s face—pale but twisted into a fierce grin.
He looked certain this time there was no way I could escape.
I gritted my teeth.
Frustrating, but it was true.
This time, there really was no way out.
“Damn it! What should I do…?”
Just as I turned, preparing to swing my sword in desperation, a voice called out from the opposite side.
“Lord Sunwoo!”
It was Jin So-jeo.
At the same time, something flew toward me from her direction.
Screeeech!
‘What’s that?!’
I turned my head and caught sight of it.
A wooden staff.
She had thrown her staff toward me.
For a moment, it felt like a lifeline had descended from the sky.
“Thank you, So-jeo!”
I sprinted onto the flying staff and launched myself high into the air.
Crack! Smash!
In the next instant, over thirty sword orbs whizzed just beneath me.
Screeeech!
I clenched my fist tightly.
I had successfully dodged every single sword orb.
From behind came Jin Tae-do’s desperate scream.
“Nooo!”
His voice told the story of the moment.
The chase was over.
I had finally shaken him off.
Landing steadily on the rocky ground, I felt the solid earth beneath my feet—a sensation more welcome than anything.
I turned first to Jin So-jeo and gave her a bright smile, then faced Jin Tae-do.
His face was twisted in utter defeat.
I smiled back at him—a calm, confident smile only a victor could wear.