Chapter 33 : The Last Words of the Dead (3)

The old man had never fought a disciple of the Single-Instant Sect. He had never even thought of fighting one.

How could he fight a disciple of the Single-Instant Sect?

When you exchanged fists with those who were born fighters, you had to be prepared for your body not to be intact even if you won.

It was a fight he really didn’t want to have.

The ones the Single-Instant Sect Master had taken in were not human.

Their bodies were as agile as leopards. As secretive as snakes. As fast as horses, and as strong as bears.

How could he fight such beings?

He had not thought of crossing hands with a disciple of the Single-Instant Sect even while he was wandering the world raising Ah Geol.

But now he was fighting. He was not fighting with his fists and feet either. He was fighting with a sword and a blade. He was trying to cut the opponent’s body with a cold piece of metal.

The chances of winning this fight were almost nil.

If he judged coldly, the blade in Dongbak’s hand would cut somewhere on his body.

Death was predetermined. And yet, he wanted to fight.

This was the last thing he had to do.

After this, there was nothing more for him to do in this world. For the Single-Instant Sect Master, for himself.

“I thought I would be quite nervous if I faced you, but I’m not that nervous. It’s the same as any other time.”

“I’ve been feeling it for a while… you seem to know us really well?”

“I do. I know you well. Huhu!”

“My head is bad, so I can’t remember. Can’t you give me a little hint as to who you are?”

“A hint… Huhu! A person needs air to live. They always breathe in and out. But they don’t think about the air. I was like the air. Always by your side, but no need to think about.”

“What? Then you’re saying you were around us? I’m even more confused after hearing that. Who are you?”

“Huhuhu!”

The old man laughed.

He had no intention of hiding who he was.

The blade that Dongbak had would be shown to the world. On the other hand, the blade that Ah Geol had would be hidden away.

This was the last thing he had to do.

If he told him who he was, Dongbak would immediately think of the fourth disciple. Even if he didn’t know Ah Geol, he would notice that the Single-Instant Sect Master had taken in a disciple.

He didn’t even want to tell him that much.

That was the only reason why he wouldn’t tell him who he was.

Dongbak said, “If you were always by our master’s side, you would know what kind of blade I have, right? No. It’s changed a lot since then, so you wouldn’t know. But you would know that I can kill you.”

“I know it well. I know it well. Haha!”

“If we fight, you will die in an instant. Do you guess that too?”

“I told you I know.”

“This is why it’s strange. I don’t understand why you’re bringing death upon yourself when you know you’ll die if you clash. Tell me honestly. Why did you appear before me?”

“It’s a relief, at least.”

“What is?”

“I would have been quite upset if the ones who had stabbed our master in the back were living well and eating well. Looking at your state, it doesn’t seem like you’re living well. How is it? Even if you change your shoes, it’s still the same, right?”

In that instant, a flash of lightning sparked in Dongbak’s eyes.

Papat!

A murderous glint swept over the old man.

Only four people knew what had happened at Bamboo Peak. Only Heo Dogi and his three disciples knew.

The old man was talking about that.

He knew about what had happened a long time ago… well over ten years ago.

He knew about the death that no one knew, about the old man who had died in the remote mountains.

“I’m getting really curious. You and that guy named Ah Geol, who are you?”

“The Sect Master never bowed his head to anyone… and yet, the ones who called themselves his disciples. Haha.”

“The smell is also strange. This sounds like you’re going to kill us for our master?”

“That’s right. I’m thinking of doing that.”

A strange light flashed in Dongbak’s eyes.

“Kikik! I feel terrible. It feels like some ghost has crawled out of its grave and is grabbing my ankle. You will die here… and you think that Ah Geol, that young brat who cut down the Living Sword Sect disciples, can kill us?”

“What’s certain is that you will die.”

“Huhu! Is that so? I’m quite looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to seeing how you will break my blade.”

Dongbak held his blade.

The blade he used was very short. It was a half blade, only half the length of a normal blade.

The old man, Ah Sam, knew the origin of the half blade.

The Single-Instant Sect Master had broken the blade that Dongbak had used in half. He had cut a perfectly good blade in half.

-Why did you break the blade in half?

-It’s too heavy.

-Heavy? It’s not heavy at all. I can swing this much lightly. Look.

Dongbak swung the large headed blade freely.

-I see. It’s not heavy for you at all. Haha!

It was not nothing. From then on, Dongbak had become obsessed with the half blade.

Without knowing why the half blade was good, without knowing why the blade was said to be heavy… he had unconditionally used the half blade.

Dongbak was still holding the half blade now.

He guessed that he had not yet found his own sword.

But that did not mean that he could defeat Dongbak. Such a thing was impossible. Although Dongbak had not received the Seori surname, he was still a Single-Instant martial artist that the Sect Master had brought.

Even if he had not found his own blade, he could not deny that he was one of the strongest in the martial world.

Moreover, these three… the three that the Single-Instant Sect Master had taken in had not learned to put mercy in their blades. They had only sharpened their blades, and had not learned to use them gently.

Swoosh!

The old man raised his sword and aimed for Dongbak’s brow.

“Kukuku!”

Dongbak laughed.

‘I can only execute one move…’

The old man gathered all his body’s energy and focused it on his sword.

His body disappeared and only the sword remained.

His master had called this state the unity of sword and body, the unity of self and selflessness.

The body had to disappear. Only then would the sword survive.

Of course, it was not that he was completely killing his body.

Selflessness… he had to forget himself and become one with the sword.

The sword was the master, and the body was the subordinate. The sword would fly, and the body would follow after it. The sword would move as if it were alive, and the body was just a tool to help the sword move well.

A reversal of master and guest had to occur.

The old man had not achieved the state of unity of sword and body. But he remembered the words the Single-Instant Sect Master had told him.

“Chaat!”

The glint of the sword flashed.

The sword chased after Dongbak’s brow.

“Kukuku!”

Dongbak was still just laughing.

He held the short blade… and without even thinking of throwing the blade, he looked at the flying sword.

The old man executed the Tiger Claw Ripping Sword with all his might.

He drew a straight line between the sword and the brow. It was the fastest path for the sword to travel.

He stabbed accurately along that path without any error.

Should he hold the sword firmly, or should he hold it lightly? Should he focus on the sword form, or was a mindless state better… he forgot all thoughts. He forgot everything related to the sword.

He just had to let the sword go.

That was the fastest sword.

The moment the Tiger Claw Ripping Sword was about to dig into Dongbak’s brow, pyut! Dongbak moved.

In that instant, the old man felt the heavens and the earth being split.

The world was split. The sky was split, the air was split, the ground was split, the whole world was split in two.

“Gak!”

The old man let out a stifled scream.

From his chest to his abdomen… a hot energy, as if his stomach had been seared with fire, rushed in.

Red blood gushed out like a fountain.

Thud!

The old man collapsed without even being able to let out a laugh.

The Single-Instant Blade did not give a long time to leave the world. If a hot feeling had swept through his entire body, his soul was already in the afterlife.

Dongbak looked at the fallen old man.

“It’s strange. It’s even unsettling to cut him. What is this? This guy, it seems he rushed in to die… why did he do this? Why did he act like a madman? There’s no reason for this.”

Dongbak frowned.

Cut down the old man, cut down Ah Geol… and then it would be over.

It was a very simple matter. There was nothing to worry about. It was not difficult to cut down two people.

But the old man… he had crawled in on his own. Asking to be killed.

It felt like he had fallen into a trap. He didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t feel good. The feeling of killing someone who shouldn’t be killed? When you defeated an opponent, a strong sense of pleasure should arise, but rather, it was unsettling.

“It feels like I’ve bitten into a dumpling filled with shit. It’s not good at all. He was a guy who knew us very well.”

Dongbak swung his blade in the air and shook off the blood on it.

* * *

The Clear and Elegant Sword, Wang Wei, could not move for a long time even after the small man had left.

He had seen the scene where the Tiger Claw Ripping Sword was split.

What should he say? Should he say that a gale had blown? That a huge wave had crashed down?

It was an invincible blade that would cut down any obstacle that stood in its way in an instant.

In front of such a blade, no form was needed. It was useless even if you had a hundred years of internal energy. Even if a historical figure of the world rushed in swinging a large blade, they would be cut down in an instant.

He could not face him. There was no opponent.

Last night. The Living Sword Sect disciples had almost attacked the small man. What would have happened then? Just as Ah Sam had died, the Living Sword Sect disciples would also have had a hard time surviving.

What kind of blade was that! What on earth was that blade?

The Clear and Elegant Sword had not heard of such a person in the martial world. If it was a blade of that level, it would have already made a name for itself in the martial world, but he had not heard anything.

The Clear and Elegant Sword thought of the Sect Master.

At first, he had thought that the Sect Master might be able to face him. But he soon shook his head.

No. Even the Sect Master would be no match for that person.

The Sect Master definitely knew that person. He had also known that he would cut down Ah Sam. That was why he had strongly said not to clash with him several times.

Should he ask the Sect Master who that person was?

The Sect Master would not answer. It was a vague feeling, but it would be right. He would absolutely not tell him.

“Hoo!”

The Clear and Elegant Sword let out a sigh.

There were as many masters in the martial world as there were clouds. If you were proud that your sword was strong, you would die immediately.

It was a common saying among martial artists.

Only now did the Clear and Elegant Sword feel this to the bone.

The Ten Swords of the Living Sword Sect were nothing more than a child’s play compared to the small man’s martial arts.

“What should we do with the body?”

A disciple asked.

“To the Living Sword Sect… move it to the Living Sword Sect.”

The Clear and Elegant Sword said indifferently.

A disciple collected Ah Sam’s body.

There was nothing special to do in collecting the body. They just had to move the body to a stretcher.

The Clear and Elegant Sword indifferently looked at Ah Sam. And then… he was so surprised that he let out a gasp and quickly examined the body.

A blade mark!

He could see the small man’s blade mark.

The blade had cut a straight line from under Ah Sam’s neck to his navel.

He had known that such a blade mark would be created. The blade that the small man had executed was a downward cutting blade.

What the Clear and Elegant Sword was looking at was the depth of the blade.

The blade had dug into the body, and the depth was surprisingly constant. The point where the blade mark had started to be created and the point where it had come out were the same, as if measured with a ruler.

A person’s body has curves. The nose protrudes and the neck is indented. If you look at the side profile, the curves are distinct.

He drew a center line there.

Let’s draw a straight line from the Baihui acupoint to the Huiyin acupoint. The center of the body is drawn accurately.

The small man had drawn the center line.

The blade had dug into the center line while hitting the forehead. And it had been drawn along the center line. There was no hesitation in the part where it came out. It had come out right away.

It was extremely fast, strong, and accurate.

The Living Sword Sect disciples who were collecting the body did not know this. They did not even have the eye to see the blade mark yet.

“Leave it. Leave it! Leave the body here as it is!”

The Clear and Elegant Sword let out a roar.

Such a body… it seemed that it should not be taken to the Living Sword Sect. It could cause trouble for the Living Sword Sect for no reason. It was best to wash his hands of it, as if he had not known from the beginning.

The Clear and Elegant Sword looked at Ah Sam’s body with surprised eyes.

(End of Chapter)