Chapter 48
Kwah! Kwah! Kwang!

Mayu-gyeom’s crimson sword energy clashed against my violet sword energy, sparks flying through the air.

Locking blades, Mayu-gyeom’s eyes widened in shock as he shouted,
“Peak level?! When did you reach the peak level?!”

Having trained under the Sword Saint and spent time in deep meditation, I finally understood something crucial.

Sword energy isn’t about compressing it; it’s about emitting it thinner and stronger—like a powerful jet of water cutting through rock.

The Sword Saint had used water as an example to help me grasp this concept.

We bounced apart, then charged at each other again, exchanging flashes of blade light like rays of sunlight.

Mayu-gyeom’s sword thrust toward me at a speed that seemed to pierce the very air.

Sshhh!

It was as if his strike could pierce the sun itself.

Three afterimages followed his ultra-fast thrusts, forcing me to swing my sword desperately to barely deflect them.

Ting! Ting!

“Ugh!”

Though I could block his sword energy at this peak level, it seemed I still couldn’t match his skill as a swordsman.

“Hahaha! You’re still a rookie! Your sword energy is sloppy as hell!”

Mayu-gyeom sneered, raining down a flurry of stabs.

Sshhh-shhh!

He was right. I wasn’t yet skilled at producing sword energy, so my internal energy drained quickly and lacked stability.

Thankfully, I had just replenished my energy with a spirit elixir after reaching the peak level.

“Hahaha! Die!”

“Ugh!”

Mayu-gyeom seemed utterly confident of victory now.

I was so busy desperately blocking his lightning-fast strikes that I couldn’t mount a proper counterattack.

I realized now that my sword style—the Phantom Sword’s Thirteen Island Blades—was at a disadvantage against his ultra-fast Style of Fourteen Blades.

The Phantom Sword was effective against multiple opponents of equal or lower skill, but against a stronger individual, its techniques revealed weaknesses.

Damn!

“Ugh!”

His sword energy grazed my left arm, drawing blood.

My clothes were already torn to shreds, and my body was covered in cuts where the sword energy had brushed past.

“Hahaha! Is this your limit? Pathetic!”

His eyes wild with madness, he pressed his assault even faster.

Gritting my teeth, I knew the situation was grim.

The skill gap was clear, and my internal energy was nearly depleted—I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out.

I was barely surviving thanks to my advantage in sword techniques.

Then, a thought suddenly struck me.

There was one technique I had never tried before.

The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Moves of the Thirteen Island Blades.

I had discovered these hidden moves in the book but never executed them because they required the ability to wield sword energy properly.

Now, having reached the peak level, I could finally attempt them.

But…

I hesitated.

Would it even be worth trying a technique I only knew theoretically?

What if I just wasted the last of my energy and lost my chance?

Part of me even considered running away.

If I fled now, while I still had some energy left, Mayu-gyeom’s sword style wouldn’t be able to catch me.

And if I exhausted my energy here, escape would become impossible.

Of course, that would mean abandoning Dang So-jeo, but she wasn’t someone of great importance to me.

She was just one of the Thirteen Greats I knew by face, not a comrade I’d risk my life for.

The idea of running away grew more tempting in my mind.

After all, if I came all this way only to die here fighting Mayu-gyeom—not even the Demon Head of the Blood Sect—that would be a bitter end.

Just as I was wrestling with these thoughts, I noticed a slight opening in Mayu-gyeom’s relentless assault.

Though I couldn’t counterattack, it was just the gap I needed to slip away.

My eyes snapped open.

“This is my chance!”

Instinctively, I prepared to launch myself out.

If I missed this, I might never get another chance to escape.

“Eek!”

But just as I was about to move, I froze.

Suddenly, Myeong Sa-hyun’s face flashed through my mind—the man who had looked cool even to me, who had approached me cheerfully to apologize for secretly underestimating my feelings.

“Are you really going to abandon the woman he loved enough to overcome the Soul Binding Technique?”

That was impossible.

I couldn’t bring myself to move.

And surprisingly, that hesitation saved my life.

“Hah!”

Sshhh!

Mayu-gyeom unleashed a dazzling flash of sword energy right where I had planned to escape.

A blue beam of sword energy pierced the space.

It was the One-Time Fourteen Strike, executed at peak level.

Watching the spear of light pass before my eyes, I realized what had happened.

He must have anticipated my escape and deliberately left an opening, preparing the One-Time Fourteen Strike.

But because I hesitated, his attack missed.

“W-what?!”

Mayu-gyeom’s eyes filled with panic.

His all-out strike had revealed a weakness.

I clenched my teeth.

I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

“Hah!”

The Fourteenth Move of the Thirteen Island Blades.

Phoenix Manifestation.

Sshhh!

My violet sword energy flared into a fiery bird.

It was my first time unleashing the Fourteenth Move, Phoenix Manifestation.

The sword energy ignited into the shape of a blazing bird and surged toward Mayu-gyeom.

All my internal energy poured out at once.

“Ugh!”

The violet bird spread its wings wide, screeching as it enveloped Mayu-gyeom.

—Beeeeep!

“Ugh!”

Mayu-gyeom spun his sword with all his might.

He used the Whirlwind Forty-Eight Blades technique, a defensive style of the Spear Blade Method.

Kwah! Kwah! Kwah! Kwang!

A magnificent explosion erupted, mixing violet and crimson sword energies.

I watched, breath ragged, my whole body drained of strength.

“Hah, hah, hah.”

As the explosion faded, I gritted my teeth, utterly spent.

I still saw Mayu-gyeom standing ahead.

Though battered like a storm-tossed wreck, he didn’t seem seriously injured.

If only my internal energy had lasted longer, I could have finished him off…

It was frustrating.

I hadn’t been able to complete the technique fully—not because of energy, but lack of mastery.

But that didn’t matter now.

Mayu-gyeom ground his teeth and said,
“That was impressive. I almost died just now.”

Then, with a bitter smile, he added,
“But now, it’s your turn to die.”

Damn.

He was right.

With no energy left, I couldn’t fight or run.

It looked like my second life was ending here.

“Farewell, Sunwoo Jin.”

Just as he raised his sword, a voice interrupted.

“Well, I see things differently. I think the one who should be saying goodbye is you, Mayu-gyeom.”

Startled, I turned to see Dang So-jeo standing tall, sword pointed at Mayu-gyeom.

Her cold gaze pierced him as she said,
“How dare you try to do something dirty to me.”

Her sword radiated the pale green sword energy of the Dang family.

The hatred burning in her eyes was as fierce as the sword energy itself.

Fear flickered in Mayu-gyeom’s eyes—a sight I found quite satisfying.

Just as the difference between him and me was clear, so was the difference between him and her.

He was the Third Leader, she the Second Leader of the Dang family, because her skill surpassed his.

Besides, he must have been exhausted from fighting me, so there was no way he could stand against her.

“Ugh…”

Mayu-gyeom stumbled backward, then suddenly fled.

“Ahhhhh!”

Leaving only a desperate scream behind, he vanished like a streak of light.

It felt even faster than when he had chased me.

I sighed and collapsed to the ground.

I really thought I was going to die.

No energy, no strength, my whole body aching.

I smiled weakly at Dang So-jeo.

“Thanks to you, I survived. Good thing I came to my senses just in time…”

But I couldn’t finish my sentence.

Dang So-jeo suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.

“Dang So-jeo?!”

I rushed to her side and held her.

Her body was burning hot, sweat cold on her brow.

She must have pushed herself too hard under such mental strain.

I was at a loss.

My own energy and stamina were drained—I wasn’t confident I could carry her back.

And if Mayu-gyeom returned in this state…

“Ugh!”

I managed to lift her and searched for a secluded spot nearby.

If Mayu-gyeom came back, we’d need to hide.

Fortunately, there was a sachet nearby to ward off poison.

I found a hollow among the trees—once home to snakes, but they had fled at the scent of the poison sachet when I approached.

It was uncomfortable, but there was no other choice.

I roughly covered the area around us with some bushes and held her close. Gradually, her body started to grow cold.

What was strange was that her forehead was burning hot, yet the rest of her body was chilling.

On top of that, perhaps because of the pain, she began muttering nonsense again.

“I’m sorry… Mother. I should have died when I was born… I’m sorry.”

It seemed the binding charm Mayugyeom had placed earlier hadn’t completely broken.

“I am Dang Yeoeun. Dang Yeoeun is Mayugyeom’s…”

I couldn’t just leave her like that.

Suddenly, I remembered hearing that in times like this, the best way to keep someone warm is to remove their clothes and share body heat.

But I couldn’t bring myself to go that far.

Instead, I held her tightly in my arms and rubbed her body with my hands, trying to warm her up.

I kept whispering into her ear.

“Dang Sojeo, Dang Yeoeun, you are precious and valuable. I’m truly grateful you were born safely. Myeong Sahyeon would think the same. Dang Yeoeun belongs to Dang Sojeo alone. No one else can claim you.”

It was a pure-hearted effort to bring her back.

But in all my two lives, I had never been this close to a woman’s body.

Despite being a seasoned martial artist, the softness of her skin was overwhelming, and the scent—coming from the same person—was surprisingly sweet and fragrant.

It was hard to keep my mind pure.

Moreover, seeing her unconscious face so close was breathtakingly beautiful.

She looked like a goddess incarnate.

If I kept staring, I felt like my soul might just slip away, so I closed my eyes, only to open them again without realizing it, drawn back to her.

Many impulses stirred within me, but thinking of myself and Myeong Sahyeon, I managed to hold them back.

I lost track of time.

I held her all night, trying to warm her body, whispering softly in her ear, unable to perform any breathing exercises, until dawn broke.

Thankfully, her body temperature seemed to have returned to normal.

Finally, seeing her breathing peacefully with a calm expression, I carefully laid her down beside me and stretched out next to her.

I was too exhausted to think anymore.

Soon, I fell asleep.

In my dreams, I thought I heard Dang Sojeo’s grateful voice.

And then, an unfamiliar man’s voice…

“Hmm, it seems I’ve finally found a worthy successor. Quite impressive.”

Though I’d never heard the voice before, it was probably just a hallucination.

I was so tired; it was understandable.

---

When I woke up, she was already sitting up.

As I got up, she turned her head and spoke awkwardly.

“Thank you…”

“Th-there’s no need to thank me. It was only natural… ha ha ha…”

We exchanged no more words and returned to the Thirteen Sects.

Mayugyeom still hadn’t come back.

I feared he might have left for good.

I went straight to his quarters, broke down the locked door, and found a letter from his mother, along with secret manuals and a miraculous elixir.

Only then did I grasp the full complexity of the tangled web involving the Jeongjang Blood Sect, the Jeomchang Faction, the Blood Demon, and Mayugyeom’s mother.

Suddenly, I understood why Mayugyeom had fallen.

His spiritual pillar, the Jeomchang Faction, and his father were the ones who had destroyed his mother.

Moreover, their actions had birthed the monstrous Saehye Blood Demon, who was, in fact, his maternal grandfather.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine how he must have felt, having hated the Blood Sect and Blood Demon more than anyone else.

But understanding didn’t mean I could excuse his actions.

I relayed everything to Chief Seopjang, and an emergency leadership meeting was convened.

It was my first time attending such a meeting.

The chiefs and deputies gathered in the conference room were too shocked to speak.

They couldn’t believe that Mayugyeom, who had despised the Blood Sect so deeply, was actually the Blood Demon’s grandson, that he had absorbed Maeyeonggyeong and killed him, and had even tried to bind Dang Sojeo with a marriage charm.

I glanced at Dang Yeoeun.

Even while hearing about what Mayugyeom had tried to do to her, she sat there with the same cold, composed expression as before.

It was a relief to see she was much better.

After checking on her condition, I was the first to break the silence among the chiefs.

“Judging by the circumstances, I believe Chief Ma was corrupted by the dark energy after learning the techniques written here. His eyes didn’t look normal. The shock must have shattered his mind, and the dark energy took hold, causing him to change suddenly.”

I had heard from the elder Seok Gyeongdal that the Blood Sect’s martial arts could destroy a person’s spirit.

Chief Sa Gunil, a fellow Jeomchang Faction member, closed his eyes tightly upon hearing this.

His sorrow was palpable.

Deputy Chief Gam Jiin, looking at Sa Gunil with sympathy, said, “Then perhaps we should keep this information to ourselves for now. It would be too much of a shock for the other members of Sa Jo and the entire Thirteen Sects.”

The chiefs seemed to hesitate, but I shook my head firmly.

“No.”

“What?”

“If the members or other sects don’t know this and Mayugyeom approaches them again, what do you think will happen?”

Everyone fell silent.

He was a top-tier master, skilled in absorption and suggestion techniques.

If he approached unsuspecting members, it could lead to a disaster.

“I feel sorry for his situation, but this information must be spread to all fronts as soon as possible.”

The leaders nodded gravely.

The meeting ended with the decision to disseminate the news quickly.

From then on, Mayugyeom could never return to the front lines.

I worried about what path he would take, having joined the Blood Sect far earlier than in my previous life.

I also wondered how Jeongne, the Heavenly Brain of the Martial Alliance, Je Galjigang, would react.

If this news spread, the old conflicts between the Blood Demon and Jeomchang Faction would inevitably come to light, something I doubted he wanted.

“Maybe he’ll resort to extreme measures, like he tried with Cheongyeon Sojeo.”

The problem was, I had no way to stop it.

All I could do was hope the Sword Saint, who had returned to the Martial Alliance, would handle it.

After that, the atmosphere in the Thirteen Sects remained tense.

Especially in Sa Jo, which had suddenly lost both its chief and deputy, the mood was almost like a funeral.

But thankfully, Dang Sojeo seemed to be holding up well.

In fact, I heard she was even taking on the responsibilities of Deputy Chief Myeong Sahyeon, who used to look after the people.

That was a relief.

A few days later, I decided to visit Dang Sojeo.

I needed to ask her for Hwagal-san, a special acid used to dissolve bodies and erase traces, which was effective in weakening Cheolgwi’s skin.

I had learned this after many sacrifices in my past life.

“I couldn’t ask her before because we had no connection, but now… since I saved her life, maybe it’s okay.”

When I asked the members of Sam Jo, they said she was training alone in the practice hall.

She preferred to be alone during training.

I hesitated, wondering if it was appropriate to disturb her.

But I decided to go anyway.

I thought it would be easier to ask her when she was alone.

“Haap! Ha, ha, ha.”

She was breathing heavily, swinging her sword in the training hall.

Her expression was still icy cold, but there was an unmistakable desperation and sorrow in her swordplay.

I realized something.

“She’s not really okay yet.”

Of course, it was only natural.

No one would be fine immediately after what had happened.

When she finally stopped and gasped for breath, I spoke cautiously.

“Um, Dang Sojeo.”

She turned her head and looked at me.

“Ah!”

At that moment, her cold facade crumbled.

---

These days, Dang Yeoeun was doing everything she could to appear normal.

Without Myeong Sahyeon, she couldn’t afford to break down.

She had to pull herself together and show the members she was reliable.

But it was far from easy.

Myeong Sahyeon’s absence left a huge gap, not just in herself but in managing the members.

Approaching people warmly and caring for each one was incredibly difficult for her.

There were moments she wanted to collapse completely.

To cry out, “I can’t do this anymore. I’m tired.”

But she couldn’t.

Because, as he had said, she was the one Myeong Sahyeon had loved with his life.

If she showed weakness, it would be an insult to the man who loved her.

So whenever she struggled, she repeated like a mantra the words he whispered in her ear.

“I am valuable. I am precious. Therefore… I can do this.”

The words Sun Woojin whispered all night long were the only strength keeping her going.

Words she had never heard before in her life, words that almost brought her to tears.

Even now, his voice echoed vividly in her mind.

Relying on that voice, she had barely managed to get through each day.

But still, there were moments she couldn’t avoid.

Early in the morning, when she began her personal training and stepped into the empty practice hall—completely bare—she was suddenly struck once again by the painful truth.

Myeong Sa-hyeon was no longer in this world.

He had left her behind…

In those moments, she would grit her teeth and swing her sword with all her might.

She pushed herself relentlessly, telling herself she couldn’t afford to break down—not for Myeong Sa-hyeon’s sake.

But…

It was unbearably hard.

So sad, so agonizing.

Today was no different.

Holding back the tears threatening to spill, she swung her sword again and again.

Whether or not her training was effective didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered was not falling apart right now.

Because she was the one Myeong Sa-hyeon loved.

Because she absolutely could not break down—not for him.

Then, suddenly, she heard a voice.

The same voice that had always echoed in her mind.

“Miss Dang.”

Startled, she turned her head toward the sound.

And there he was.

Myeong Sa-hyeon wasn’t there, but the man who had whispered to her all night that she was valuable, that she was precious—Seon Woo-jin—stood before her.

“Ugh…!”

Dang Yeo-eun burst into tears. She didn’t even know why.

She simply couldn’t hold on any longer. Like a child who feels safe again after seeing their mother, like someone who finds a single ray of light in the darkest night.

Covering her face with both hands, she wept without end.

“Mi-Miss Dang?!”

Seon Woo-jin rushed to her side, shocked.

The cold, strong demeanor he usually showed was nowhere to be seen—only a small, fragile figure sobbing before him.

Her trembling shoulders looked so pitiful, it broke his heart.

After a brief hesitation, his face full of concern, Seon Woo-jin gently wrapped his arms around her.

For a long while after that, Dang Yeo-eun cried endlessly in his embrace.

And then, Seon Woo-jin whispered softly into her ear once more.

“Miss Dang, you are more precious and valuable than anyone else. And you’re doing just fine, even now.”

Those were the words and that voice she had longed to hear above all else.