Episode 299: The Birth of a True Martial Artist
Just moments before Namgung Myung pierced Muyeong’s heart, Hyun Gong was fighting desperately, all the while keeping a keen eye on his surroundings.
The battle was a continuation of yesterday’s skirmish.
The dark sect warriors relentlessly pushed the orthodox sect fighters back. The orthodox fighters, on the other hand, struggled to find an opportunity to turn the tide and were continuously forced to retreat.
Looking back, Hyun Gong saw Tang Mujin and Namgung Myung entangled with Muyeong.
Hyun Gong nodded slightly to himself.
‘As expected, things are unfolding just as I thought.’
While Hyun Gong was assessing the situation, a small problem arose. Hong Geolgae got caught in Gwang Yeomra’s feint.
“Ah!”
Hong Geolgae staggered, letting out a foolish sound. To make matters worse, Manryeokseung was in no position to protect him.
Gwang Yeomra, with inner strength gathered in his foot, delivered a powerful kick to Hong Geolgae’s stomach.
Thud!
“Ouch!”
It was fortunate that he wasn’t cut by a sword, but the power of the kick, infused with inner strength, was no small matter.
Hong Geolgae, despite being a top-tier martial artist, rolled several times, a sight that was anything but impressive.
He hurriedly tried to get up but couldn’t steady himself easily. In the end, he knelt on the ground, retching repeatedly.
“Ugh, ugh!”
Hyun Gong clicked his tongue as he watched.
‘His energy channels are twisted. It’s a relief he’s not coughing up blood, so it doesn’t seem to be a fatal injury.’
With a bit of time to regulate his internal energy, it wouldn’t be a serious problem.
But in the midst of battle, even a small gap can be significant.
Hong Geolgae’s absence was immediately felt.
Manryeokseung, who had been fighting alongside Hong Geolgae against Gwang Yeomra, was suddenly in a precarious position.
“Ugh!”
With a tense expression, Manryeokseung continued to unleash his White Lotus Fist and Arhat Fist against Gwang Yeomra, but he couldn’t keep up.
Gwang Yeomra swung his massive sword to distract Manryeokseung, then subtly extended his left foot to trip him.
It wasn’t even a martial arts move, but it was the most effective attack.
”···!”
Crash.
Manryeokseung fell, exposing a huge opening.
He glared upwards, unable to rise, only able to lift his head.
Sure enough, Gwang Yeomra’s sword was descending from above. No counter move came to mind.
‘Is this the last sight I’ll see in life?’
Just as Manryeokseung was about to give up, a sword intervened between him and Gwang Yeomra, disrupting the path of Gwang Yeomra’s blade.
Manryeokseung turned his head to see who had extended the sword.
It was Hyun Gong.
Thanks to his quick dash from the moment Hong Geolgae was knocked down, Hyun Gong arrived just in time to face Gwang Yeomra.
That brief moment was enough. Manryeokseung sprang to his feet, shouting.
“Thank you!”
“It was the least I could do!”
Now, instead of Hong Geolgae, Hyun Gong stood beside Manryeokseung, parrying Gwang Yeomra’s sword.
Though it was purely defensive, Hyun Gong’s defense was on par with Hong Geolgae’s, a top-tier martial artist.
In fact, his swordplay was so solid and meticulous that it seemed a step above Hong Geolgae’s.
Moreover, Hyun Gong was so astute that he didn’t fall for the feints that had fooled Hong Geolgae or the footwork that had toppled Manryeokseung.
Gwang Yeomra felt a deep frustration welling up inside.
He was certain that he wouldn’t be able to break through the combination of Hyun Gong and Manryeokseung by the end of today’s battle.
‘I wanted to send either that beggar or Manryeokseung to the afterlife here.’
Gwang Yeomra glanced towards the back of the battlefield.
Muyeong was still unable to break through Tang Mujin and Namgung Myung.
‘That beggar will soon regain his senses. Even I can’t handle three of them alone. It’s dangerous for me from here on.’
Though the situation was still in his favor, Gwang Yeomra had no intention of sacrificing his life to deal a blow to the orthodox fighters.
He had already involved the dark sect warriors to minimize the losses of the demonic cult. Sacrificing himself was out of the question.
‘It’s a shame, but maybe it’s time to retreat.’
As Gwang Yeomra was contemplating this, a small voice reached his ears.
It was a voice transmission. Gwang Yeomra looked around to find the source.
But no one was looking at him. Everyone seemed focused on their own battles.
The source of the voice transmission was unexpected.
Indeed, Hyun Gong was subtly moving his lips to send a voice transmission while swinging his sword. Gwang Yeomra’s eyes widened.
‘He’s sending a voice transmission while fighting?’
Voice transmission isn’t particularly difficult, but it does consume a lot of mental energy.
Sending a voice transmission while fighting is something even Gwang Yeomra would struggle to do.
Hyun Gong’s voice transmission continued.
Hyun Gong glanced at Manryeokseung before revealing something astonishing.
It was a completely unexpected revelation.
Gwang Yeomra deliberately swung his sword more fiercely. Hyun Gong, while parrying, continued to send his voice transmission without faltering.
”···.”
Perhaps sensing Gwang Yeomra’s skepticism, Hyun Gong quickly clarified his intentions.
The situation was so unexpected that Gwang Yeomra’s mind was in turmoil.
Was this a simple ploy to confuse him?
But the details were too specific and realistic to be a mere trick.
Hyun Gong, swinging his sword with vigor, sent another voice transmission.
Gwang Yeomra thought hard.
But no matter how he considered it, taking Hyun Gong with him seemed the right choice.
Hyun Gong’s story didn’t feel like a lie, and the option to remove him from the battlefield was too tempting.
Moreover, the prospect of bringing one of the most promising young orthodox fighters into the demonic cult was incredibly appealing.
Yes, the conditions were too attractive to pass up due to vague risks.
‘Let’s trust him for now. If it seems wrong, I can always retreat later.’
Gwang Yeomra curled his left hand like a bird’s claw and reached for Hyun Gong’s shoulder.
Sure enough, Hyun Gong reacted a bit clumsily, exposing a gap.
Gwang Yeomra swiped his hand, clawing at Hyun Gong’s shoulder.
Then, he roughly pulled Hyun Gong towards him.
“Ouch!”
Hyun Gong dramatically tumbled behind Gwang Yeomra. Blood flowed from his shoulder, but it wasn’t a deep wound. Just a light scratch.
Yet somehow, Hyun Gong coughed up blood, as if his insides were in turmoil.
“Ugh… My energy channels are twisted!”
”···.”
Hyun Gong, like a martial artist with a shaken core, kept spitting out a mixture of bile and blood.
His performance was so convincing that Gwang Yeomra almost doubted whether he had unleashed some extraordinary technique.
In any case, Hyun Gong made it clear to Gwang Yeomra that he wouldn’t participate in the fight any longer. Gwang Yeomra, pleased with the unexpected gain, resumed his assault on Manryeokseung.
“Hyun Gong!”
Two people were alarmed by Hyun Gong’s condition.
One was Hong Geolgae, and the other was Seolhwa, fighting a little distance away.
Hyun Gong’s gaze turned to Seolhwa, rather than the burly Hong Geolgae.
Seolhwa looked at him with a face full of concern. Hyun Gong’s heart felt like it was melting.
‘My dear, just wait a little longer. I’ll succeed in the demonic cult and come back to give you a life of luxury.’
Then, with a slightly indifferent expression, Hyun Gong glanced at Hong Geolgae.
Hong Geolgae was swinging his staff more fiercely than before.
Hyun Gong subtly averted his gaze, feigning a cough.
’…Sorry, Hong Geolgae. But isn’t it better if at least one of us finds happiness?’
At first, he felt guilty.
But after a moment’s thought, he realized that this situation might not be so bad for Hong Geolgae either. The guilt began to fade.
‘Who knows how things will turn out? Maybe Hong Geolgae and the others will join the demonic cult someday. If I rise to a high position first, I can look out for them when they defect. I’ll be their last line of defense.’
However, Hyun Gong’s imagination didn’t flow smoothly. It felt as if a strange hand was placed on the back of his neck, leaving him with an uneasy feeling. A sense that he was missing something.
“What am I missing here?”
No matter how hard he thought, nothing came to mind. It wasn’t as if he’d been in a similar situation before, nor did he have any clues to work with. Or so he thought.
Wait, there was a clue.
“Huahwano!”
Not long ago, Guangyeomra had tried to frame Huahwano by tossing a piece of paper with a palm print on it. Unlike most of the straightforward and naive martial artists, Guangyeomra was a meticulous and cunning individual.
If it were Guangyeomra, what would he do in this situation?
The answer lay in the brief exchange between Guangyeomra and Huahwano. Hadn’t Guangyeomra tried to sow discord between Huahwano and the righteous martial artists?
“Wouldn’t he try to cut off my path back to the righteous faction?”
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. Guangyeomra would likely spread the word that Hyungong had defected to the demonic sect. And that was not what Hyungong wanted. His goal was to bide his time, straddling both sides until he could join the winning one.
Feigning a situation where he seemed to be forced into the demonic sect was part of the plan. Even if he went to the demonic sect, he needed to maintain his reputation among the righteous martial artists. That way, when the situation changed, he could return to the righteous faction without a hitch.
“If Guangyeomra is plotting something underhanded, what should I do?”
As the choice between the righteous faction and the demonic sect loomed, Hyungong racked his brain. The demonic sect seemed slightly more advantageous at the moment. But the thought of losing all the reputation he had painstakingly built up was unsettling.
Moreover, the idea of serving under the sinister Guangyeomra in the demonic sect was unappealing. The future didn’t look promising.
“Cough, cough!”
As he coughed and looked around, Hyungong noticed something unusual happening in the distance. Namgungmyeong had stabbed Muyeonggaek in the back!
“The tide of this battle is turning in favor of the righteous faction.”
Manryeoksung and Honggeolgae, with their backs turned to Namgungmyeong, hadn’t noticed the situation, but Guangyeomra had seen Muyeonggaek’s demise.
Hyungong quietly rose to his feet, sensing that his ominous prediction was about to come true. As expected, Guangyeomra’s actions were predictable. He swung his sword fiercely, driving Manryeoksung and Honggeolgae away.
Then he spoke.
“Hyun…”
The moment Hyungong heard the first syllable, he could predict the rest. Having overheard Guangyeomra’s conversation with Huahwano, it wasn’t a difficult deduction.
“Hyungong! Since you’ve sided with the demonic sect, fulfill your role! Fight by my side!” It would be something along those lines.
“…gong! Of the demonic…”
As expected, his prediction was spot on.
Focusing his mind, Hyungong unleashed the Jeungrongjong, the pinnacle of the Wudang sect’s martial arts. His form elongated as he swiftly approached Guangyeomra from behind, more stealthily and quickly than when he had targeted assassins in Yangyang.
In an instant, Hyungong’s sword slashed deeply into Guangyeomra’s side, blood splattering.
Seizing the moment when Guangyeomra’s speech was interrupted, Hyungong shouted in a booming voice.
“You let your guard down, Guangyeomra! Did you really think you could defeat me with such a feeble attempt? I am Hyungong of the indomitable Wudang sect!”
Guangyeomra looked at Hyungong with genuine surprise. He had considered the possibility of Hyungong’s betrayal but hadn’t expected it to happen so swiftly.
Hyungong calmly collected his thoughts.
“My ties with Guangyeomra are severed. It’s time to execute the next plan.”
He had already devised a second plan. First, he needed to silence everyone here by eliminating Guangyeomra and the demonic martial artists. Then, he would assess the situation, rescue the Ghost King, and pretend to be captured and taken to the demonic sect.
“There’s no need to enter the demonic sect through Guangyeomra. The Ghost King, who is more gullible and obedient, is a better option.”
Hyungong shouted again.
“Everyone! Don’t let a single one escape! We must end the lives of these villains, even if it costs us our own!”
From the moment Muyeonggaek’s chest was pierced, only about ten breaths had passed. The sudden reversal of the battle left both the demonic and righteous martial artists in shock.
Just then, Dangmujin’s flying wheels began to slice through the air. As they cut through the dark night sky, they silently claimed the lives of the demonic martial artists.
Finally, a few quick-witted righteous martial artists grasped the situation.
“Push forward! Kill them all!”
As a few righteous martial artists shouted with exhilaration, those who were slower to catch on gained momentum.
As the righteous martial artists charged with fury, Hyungong clenched his fist.
“Good. The situation is almost under control!”
At this rate, they could eliminate most of the demonic martial artists. Moreover, Guangyeomra was essentially a rat in a trap, surrounded by Hyungong, Manryeoksung, and Honggeolgae.
Once Namgungmyeong joined in, even Guangyeomra would have no escape.
“Huff, huff.”
At that moment, Guangyeomra, breathing heavily, pulled out a round object from his robe. It was about the size of two fists and had a dark, metallic hue.
“What is that? Some kind of secret weapon? A mace?”
In the next instant, Guangyeomra hurled the object to the ground. It exploded with a deafening roar, sending shards of metal flying in all directions amidst a cloud of smoke.
The explosion was so intense that even Hyungong, Honggeolgae, and Manryeoksung were taken aback and thrown backward.
As the smoke began to clear, Hyungong felt pain in his arms and legs. Blood was streaming from his limbs, and dark metal shards were embedded in them. It was undoubtedly related to the object Guangyeomra had thrown.
“What on earth… No, where’s Guangyeomra?”
Regaining his senses, Hyungong scanned the area. Guangyeomra had vanished. In the distance, he could see Guangyeomra clutching his side, blood dripping from his back as he fled. Just as Hyungong had metal shards embedded in his arm, Guangyeomra hadn’t escaped unscathed.
Hyungong shouted desperately.
“Catch Guangyeomra!”
But it was too late. His companions were in no condition to pursue, and Guangyeomra had already fled too far.
Hyungong sighed.
“Ah…”
Yet, he was the only one mourning. The righteous martial artists were celebrating their sudden victory, shouting with joy.
“We won, we won!”
“What was that last explosion?”
“Who knows!”
People rushed around Hyungong and Dangmujin, cheering wildly. It was understandable. In their eyes, the heroes of this battle were Dangmujin, who had launched the flying wheels, and Hyungong, who had struck Guangyeomra.
However, Hyungong’s expression remained subtly dark.
There was only one reason. He had let Guangyeomra escape.
“Guangyeomra will surely spill everything about me to the cult leader.”
Hyungong’s plan to gauge which side to join by infiltrating the demonic sect had crumbled. His so-called [Wise and Neutral Observer] plan was no more.
Now, Hyungong realized he had only one path left.
“From now on, it’s the [Honorable Martial Artist of the Righteous Faction] plan.”
Hyungong clenched his fists tightly.