Chapter Title: 5 Years Later
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-Screeech!
It charged at me like a shot arrow, the sword pulled back gaining even more speed as it flew toward my nape.
Caught off guard by the attack that was far faster than expected, I urgently ducked my body.
Junior Sister Jang's sword barely missed the top of my head, slicing off a few strands of my hair as it passed.
The locks fluttered lightly down to the ground.
For the first time in my life facing a real sword meant to cut down a person, I became acutely aware of it all over again and swept horizontally at Junior Sister Jang's lower body.
The second form of the Three Disasters Sword Technique: Horizontal Sweep of a Thousand Armies.
It was a pretty badass name, meaning to sweep away a thousand soldiers with a horizontal swing, but in truth, it was just a simple sideways slash.
Junior Sister Jang leaped back to dodge my attack, then aimed a downward strike at the crown of my head.
The ferocity unfolding from her slender hand was unbelievable.
Not daring even to think of blocking it, I threw my body to the side.
-Boom!
My judgment to dodge instead of block was correct.
Her sword, having lost its target, slammed into the ground, unleashing a powerful explosion.
"..."
...If I'd tried to block that, the sword—and my head—would've been obliterated.
Such power from her delicate arm was hard to believe.
I'd expected she had a lot of internal energy built up in her body, but apparently far more than I'd imagined.
"Hey, Junior Sister? This is just a sparring match, right? You're not telling me it's a fight to the death and I've got it wrong?"
"It's a sparring match. But we never agreed to restrict our internal energy use, did we?"
"Hmm... how about we decide that starting now...?"
-Whoosh!
In response to my cautious question came a sharp sword strike.
Ah, no time for talk!
I circulated the tiny tail-end bit of internal energy in my dantian throughout my body and clashed swords with Junior Sister Jang.
-Clang! Clang!
Every time our identical swords collided, red sparks flew.
I was swinging with all my might to meet her, but the moment they met, my sword bounced away.
Just as I'd suspected.
The absolute difference in our internal energy reserves was enormous—clashing head-on would only hurt me.
On top of that, for the same reason, dragging this spar into a prolonged battle wasn't an option.
My energy would run dry in no time.
In the end, there was only one answer: a quick, decisive fight.
Dodging her sword, I retreated greatly to create distance, took a long deep breath, and pulled my sword tip back while aiming it at Junior Sister Jang.
A sharp sword tip aimed at the opponent in a thrusting stance.
It was the preparatory posture for the Three Disasters Sword Technique's third form: Immortal Pointing the Way.
"…You've come this far, and you're still not going to bring out what you're hiding?"
Seeing my stance, Junior Sister Jang asked in a strangely deflated voice.
A faint disappointment rose in her eyes, and I gave a slight smile.
"Who knows? Maybe I will."
As my usual teasing tone slipped out, her gaze sharpened.
Her aura grew even fiercer, to the point where the air felt like it was pricking at my entire body.
Her clear intent to force out whatever I was hiding, no matter what.
Hmm, if you're going that far, I can't just stand by.
I bent my widely spread legs.
In response, Junior Sister Jang assumed the stance she'd taken at the start of the spar.
Sword pulled back and upper body lowered, she looked just like a beast preparing to snatch its prey.
I recalled Junior Sister Jang's attack from the beginning of the spar.
High-speed approach, then accelerating that momentum into a swift slash at the neck.
Any ordinary martial artist probably would've lost their head in one stroke.
The problem was that it hadn't even been her full speed. There had been a sense of leeway in her movements.
But not this time. She would definitely come at full power.
She wouldn't actually try to kill me, but if I slipped up, I could get seriously hurt.
My instincts were warning me of that.
Man, isn't this spar getting way too brutal?
As I grumbled inwardly, Junior Sister Jang asked as if giving me one last chance.
"You've probably already sensed it, but this is the fastest attack I can unleash. Pull out your hidden card now, while you still can. Otherwise…"
I didn't need to hear the rest.
She was probably saying it'd hurt—a lot.
But my answer was already set.
"I'll never need to use my hidden card against you."
"…Why not?"
"Because if I did, Seol-ran, you'd die."
A voice so chilling it surprised even me emerged from my mouth.
Junior Sister Jang, who'd asked the question, flinched.
"…Well, I can at least show you a taste."
Her gaze softened at my belated awkward addition, and she nodded.
"Then show me. That taste."
With those words, the tension in the air pulled taut again.
We glared at each other, every nerve focused.
The clearing filled with a suffocating silence.
How much time passed?
Suddenly, a single falling leaf drifted down between us.
The moment the fluttering leaf touched the ground, we both charged at each other simultaneously.
-Boom!
And victory was decided right away.
"..."
"My win. What do you say? Want to keep going?"
My victory.
Before Junior Sister Jang's pulled-back sword could even swing, my blade grazed past her neck.
She would've seen it.
Right before piercing her throat, I'd twisted my wrist to deflect the sword.
"…No. I lost."
I sheathed my sword at her honest admission of defeat.
Phew, good thing. My energy was on the brink—if she'd wanted to continue, I'd have lost for sure.
Anyway, the spar ended in my victory, so now it was time for my reward.
"Junior Sister, so you'll finally tell me now? About you and Master's circumstances."
*
The second disciple of Heavenly Wind Martial Hall's hall master Bae Wang-sam, Jang Seol-ran, looked at her nominal senior brother Goon Ja-seong, who was gazing at her with eyes full of anticipation.
Ja-seong hadn't noticed amid his excitement, but Seol-ran's inner thoughts were exceedingly complicated.
'…I lost.'
The duel two days ago had the excuse of not using her true martial arts.
But this time was different. A clear defeat with no room for excuses.
Her first-ever loss naturally left her mind in turmoil.
-The realm of Lesser Mastery is an unparalleled state no peer can match. If our lord had seen this display of Lesser Mastery, he surely would've been delighted.
The praise from her master Wang-sam just a few months ago now rang hollow.
She felt ashamed of her past self, who had inwardly swelled with pride at those words.
'…Why did I lose?'
After self-reflection came the analysis of the defeat.
It wasn't even worth calling analysis.
Simply put, Ja-seong had been faster than her. That was all.
They had charged at each other simultaneously, yet Ja-seong's thrust reached her neck before she could even swing her sword.
A speed truly befitting the phrase "the speed of light."
'Was that really Immortal Pointing the Way?'
The Immortal Pointing the Way that Seol-ran knew was just a simple thrust.
The most basic attack in swordsmanship, barely worthy of being called a form.
But Ja-seong's Immortal Pointing the Way was different.
The stance was the same, but that was it.
The aura and speed infused in the sword made it seem like an entirely different martial art.
'An entirely different martial art?'
Seol-ran suddenly realized something and shuddered.
Ja-seong's claim of only knowing the Three Disasters Sword Technique wasn't a lie.
Yet his Immortal Pointing the Way had transformed into something entirely new.
What that implied was one thing.
'He recreated the Three Disasters Sword Technique?'
Anyone hearing it would scoff.
A young man barely in his twenties recreating a martial art? Absurd nonsense that even a stray dog would laugh at.
'But if it's true…'
If he'd truly recreated the Three Disasters Sword Technique, then Goon Ja-seong, the youngest son of some rural manor lord, wasn't just a prodigy—he was a freak.
What twist of fate had entangled her with such a being in this village where she'd hidden herself?
'…Still, thanks to this, I have a justification.'
With this level of strength, not only Wang-sam but no one else would object.
She could make Ja-seong her person.
'Then we won't have to part… Ack!'
Her heart raced along with her excitement.
Feeling her face heat up, Seol-ran hurriedly turned away.
Her ears caught Ja-seong's puzzled voice.
"Junior Sister Jang? What's wrong?"
Hearing his approaching footsteps, Seol-ran cried out urgently.
"Hey, as promised, I'll tell you our circumstances. C-come to the hall tonight. Then, I'm off."
She fled the clearing like she was running away.
"…What the?"
A blank gust of wind brushed past the bewildered Ja-seong.
*
That night, after defeating Junior Sister Jang in our duel.
In the dead of night when everyone was asleep, I snapped my eyes open.
I quietly rose from bed, changed into training clothes, and grabbed the sword Junior Sister Jang had gifted me.
After making all preparations, I took one big deep breath and opened the door.
-Creeeak
Whoops, forgot to ask Uncle Kang to oil it.
I freaked out at the ridiculously loud noise and scanned outside.
It was past the hour of the rat, nearing the hour of the ox.
The whole household was deep in sleep, so the manor was quiet.
Once outside, I carefully closed the door without a sound this time.
I scanned the surroundings, approached the wall, then leaped over it.
"Hyup."
Successfully escaping the manor, I kept my guard up and put distance between me and home.
Only after getting far enough did I let out a small sigh and grumble.
"She said she'd tell me if I came to the hall tonight—couldn't she have just told me then?"
That's right.
The reason I'd snuck out like a thief in the middle of the night was that right after the spar ended, Junior Sister Jang had only said to come to the hall tonight and then bolted.
Tch, keeping me up all night—better not be some trivial story.
Grumbling inwardly, I headed toward the hall.
I ran down the dark back road into the town.
The town I always passed through morning and evening was filled with the deep silence of night.
Shattering that silence, I raced down the path I'd walked for ten years already and arrived at the hall.
The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, my senses picked up energies besides Master and Junior Sister.
What? Guests this late at night?
Tilting my head, I headed toward the main building.
-Screeech!
One of the unfamiliar energies came straight at me.