Chapter 32 : Jaseung, Taunts

Chapter 32: Jaseung, Taunts

With his body enlarged, Myeong Do had become stronger as well.

Thud! Crash!

His fists shattered the walls and ground of the arena, turning them into dust.

The crowd behind the wall stepped back. There were even those who were injured by the flying debris. But Myeong Do’s attacks continued to intensify. The safety of the crowd didn’t concern him in the slightest.

Whoosh! Whoooosh!

Just grazing it would shatter one’s bones.

Lee Jaseung barely dodged every one of his fists. Just as Dan Woobin advised, he was purposely making the fight look difficult.

Swish, Slash!

Asura sliced Myeong Do again on his waist.

Flames lit in Myeong Do’s eyes. The rage of being beaten by a young brat like him filled him more than the pain. As yet another of his attacks failed, he made a choice he shouldn’t have.

An overwhelming wave was unleashed from his fist.

Craaaaash!

“No!”

The judge tried to yell at him to stop, but the blast of his Qi already swept toward both Lee Jaseung and the crowd behind him.

Baek Seolyoung shot to her feet with her eyes widened.

There were no formal restrictions on techniques in this tournament. Whether it was sword Qi or sword force, they were all allowed. But it was an unspoken rule that techniques which endangered the spectators were forbidden.

Booom!

A thunderous explosion echoed as debris and dust clouded the arena.

When the dust settled, Lee Jaseung’s standing figure was revealed. But he soon collapsed to one knee.

Myeong Do grinned and shouted.

“Ahahaha! How about that? Do you still want to swing that scrap of metal around?”

Baek Seolyoung was now able to see the truth. He was far more arrogant and tyrannical than rumors had suggested.

The crowd watching felt the same. To think that he would attack without a care for their lives only to stand there acting smug right after, was intolerable. Jeers erupted from the crowd.

But Myeong Do glared at them terrifyingly. His gaze was filled with arrogance that looked down on them.

The jeers decreased under his intimidation. It felt like Myeong Do would fly at them and smash their skulls with his monstrous fists if they continued.

So instead, all eyes turned to Lee Jaseung. Just then, he rose back to his feet and indicated to the judge that he could continue.

“Woaaaah!”

Cheers erupted. Everyone was rooting for Lee Jaseung.

‘Hang in there!’

‘Defeat that arrogant bastard!’

They were moved by the fact that Lee Jaseung had blocked Myeong Do’s powerful attack instead of dodging it which saved them.

The judge resumed the match.

As Lee Jaseung walked forward, his gaze met with Baek Seolyoung’s.

She spoke to him with her eyes.

‘You’ve fought well enough. But give up and step down.’

Thinking of Lee Jaseung definitely irritated her, but she was worried at the same time. Moreover, blocking the powerful attack from earlier without dodging was truly an act of bravery.

He should’ve either shown some resolve to continue or just step down from the stage after receiving such a worried look from her, but he gave no reaction at all as if he didn’t even notice her.

‘Ugh, I swear to god…’

But this time, she couldn’t bring herself to say ‘Just die then’ like last time. Even if she didn’t it looked like he was going to anyway.

At that moment, Lee Jaseung paused and turned back to look at her.

He gave a very faint smile. It was noticeable for everyone watching.

Cheers broke out again right after.

Baek Seolyoung was stunned. She never expected Lee Jaseung to smile at her.

Just why?

Meanwhile, Myeong Do’s eyes turned wild with rage as he witnessed their exchange.

‘These bastards! So the rumor is true huh? But you dare to show affection to each other in front of me?’

An incredible amount of killing intent poured out from his body.

In that instance, one thought passed by Baek Seolyoung’s mind.

Wait, perhaps…?

It was possible that he did such a thing to taunt Myeong Do on purpose.

But why? He could seriously die at this rate.

It wasn’t just her suspicion as it turned out to be true. Lee Jaseung had smiled precisely to provoke Myeong Do.

Swish!

Enraged, Myeong Do charged at a terrifying speed.

“Die!”

He unleashed his killing blow without holding back. His fist filled with killing intent teared through the air with explosive force.

Lee Jaseung narrowly dodged the attack. The crowd gasped in shock. Some even called for the match to be stopped. To that degree, Lee Jaseung seemed to be in great danger.

Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

Swish! Swish, Swish! Swish! Swish!

The sound of fist punching explosively and a dagger slicing through the air echoed at once.

Right as their movements reached a climax!

With a loud smacking sound, Lee Jaseung flew backwards after being hit by Myeong Do’s fist.

“Ahahahaha! How do you like the taste of my fist?”

Lee Jaseung slowly rose up.

“Yes, get up! I’ll crush you into a pulp.”
Myeong Do tried to rush in for the final blow, but his body wasn’t moving.

‘What…?’

On the other hand, Lee Jaseung was getting up from the ground. This was a perfect chance to finish him.

But his body refused to obey him.

Then, he felt a sharp pain from his chest.

He felt something warm streaming down from his chest.

Only then, he realized.

‘I’ve been stabbed!’

He was stabbed right in the heart of all places. But considering he was still conscious, it meant that he fortunately avoided instant death.

He tried to tear his clothes and stop the bleeding, but even his fingers wouldn’t move. His eyes widened in terror.

‘Even my blood vessels are locked…!’

His Qi channels had been sealed. He wanted to call out to the judge, but he couldn’t even mutter a word.

‘Even my voice!’

Frozen with fear, Myeong Do’s eyes met Lee Jaseung’s who had now stood up from the distance.

He had managed to stab Myeong Do in the heart, seal both his Qi channels and voice.

‘Just how?’

At that moment, he saw it. Lee Jaseung’s cold smile.

Myeong Do realized.

‘He meant to kill me all along.’

And not just kill him, he wanted him to die in fear, fully aware of death’s approach. Terror filled Myeong Do’s eyes.

…He had been the god of death all along.’

But Myeong Do failed to realize that Lee Jaseung was not just a god of death, but also the god of the Unorthodox.

As the light faded from his eyes, a hidden wave flew in silently, unsealing his Qi channels and voice.

“Geuggh.”

Myeong Do fell forward, vomiting blood and letting out a short scream. He was already dead by the time he hit the ground.

Everyone watching was bewildered. They thought Lee Jaseung had lost, but Myeong Do was the one who collapsed all of a sudden.

The judge rushed over to inspect his body.

He was shocked to confirm Myeong Do’s death. Blood still continued to pour out from his chest.

With a loud voice, he shouted.

“Victory to Seop Mu-pyeong of the Flying Dagger Sect!”

After a brief moment of silence, someone yelled out.

“Seop Mu-pyeong won!”

Cheers erupted right after. Everyone had rooted for Lee Jaseung, so their joy was genuine.

They assumed that his dagger had struck Myeong Do’s heart by sheer luck during their clash. After all, Myeong Do had held the upper hand throughout the fight.

“Well done!”

“You really are the man of luck!”

“Go claim her love!”

Not one mourned Myeong Do’s death. This match reminded all that true strength should come with humbleness.

Baek Seolyoung watched Lee Jaseung descend from the stage.

Her hands were sweating the whole match.

As her racing heart calmed down, one emotion stood out clearly.

‘A man just died… yet I feel this way?’

She was careful not to let that emotion show on her face.

Watching Lee Jaseung’s distant back, she was certain that the emotion she felt was joy.

* * *

The four who advanced to the semifinals had been decided.

The strongest favorite to win, Jin Yang the Greatest Swordsman of Central Plains, Hwa Pungsu the Blade Master of Ten Thousand Waves, Gwak Pil the rising star, and Seop Mu-pyeong, the man of great luck.

Chu Sang-gi spoke with concern.

“Gwak Pil has advanced to the semifinals.”

In the quarterfinals, his opponent had been the famed Evil Repelling Sword from Hebei, but he was defeated in just twenty-seven exchanges with his neck decapitated.

This whirlwind was no ordinary rise of a rookie. It was backed by overwhelming skill.

“Where did he even come from? Did Yang Sebang really raise him for a moment like this?”

However, Baek Seolyoung was barely listening to Chu Sang-gi. Her gaze was locked onto Gwak Pil’s opponent.

Seop Mu-pyeong.

It was him who would face Gwak Pil in the semifinals.

The same man she had met by chance in a guestroom while fleeing from assassins. And now, the man had reached the semifinals of the marriage tournament she herself had organized.

Moreover, the center of attention in this tournament wasn’t Gwak Pil, but Lee Jaseung instead.

“Everyone is saying that the Fist God’s defeat is the greatest upset of the tournament.”

Everywhere she went, people were talking about Seop Mu-pyeong, so Lee Jaseung. He was already famous because of the incident with Hae Ryang.

Because of that, winning against the Fist God was obviously going to give him more attention. Moreover, it once again seemed like he won by luck, so people wondered how far his fortune would carry him.

“Seriously, I never imagined he would make it to the top four.”

These words had been repeated since the round of sixteen.

Chu Sang-gi spoke with a darkened expression.

“It’s certain now that it wasn’t just luck that got him here. But whether it’s his luck or skill, it ends here.”

He was already certain that Gwak Pil would win.

“You’re certain that Gwak Pil will win huh.”

“Didn’t you see it as well, my Lord?”

Of course, Baek Seolyoung had witnessed Gwak Pil’s match. His performance against the Evil Repelling Sword was truly awe-inspiring.

That day, she recalled the smile Lee Jaseung gave her.

‘That smile wasn’t for me.’

It was clearly a provocation aimed at Myeong Do. But for some reason, she felt that his taunt wasn’t just meant to make his opponent show weakness.

It was meant to enrage him.

To make it easier to kill him without hesitation.

The thought of this sent a chill through her.

Baek Seolyoung shook her head right after. That couldn’t have been true.

He may have been rude and cold, but she didn’t think of him as someone that horrifying.

Chu Sang-gi spoke carefully.

“I don’t think it’s too late for us to commission the Golden Ants to take care of him.”

Baek Seolyoung let out a light sigh.

Doing what is right doesn’t always lead to the right outcome. At this rate, Yang Sebang might truly get everything he wants in the end.

She rose from her seat. Assuming she had made up her mind, Chu Sang-gi quickly spoke.

“Leave it to me.”

But Baek Seolyoung’s resolve was something else entirely. She spoke as she walked forward.

“Before that, I must meet him.”

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