Chapter 200

THUMP!

With a huge sound, Little Azure Sword slammed into the ground. He’d been driven in so hard the floor cracked, and the shards that burst up looked like they might shoot straight into the sky.

“KKEOK—!”

Along with the one-syllable scream, Little Azure Sword’s body bounced up.

It was recoil. The body that bounced once collapsed back onto the floor again.

“......Hah....”

Seeing it, I let out an empty breath without meaning to.

What was that just now?

‘...He hit him?’

Do Hyeong closed in in an instant and smashed Little Azure Sword in the face.

A one-sided onslaught. It was brief, but it was enough that I almost lost it with my eyes.

Not to the level of Sword Phoenix’s movement, but Do Hyeong’s motion was definitely fast.

‘...Was he always that strong?’

Do Hyeong is strong.

I knew that. I’d fought him more than once.

So why was it that a guy like this—

a guy Do Hyeong’s age, even, the same generation as the Seven Prodigies—

didn’t have a nickname, didn’t even get counted among them? It was weird.

What I could be sure of was—

‘I’m weaker than Do Hyeong.’

Right now, Do Hyeong was stronger than me.

And even compared to Poison Dragon or Cloud Dragon, Do Hyeong would be stronger.

‘But the same kind of thing was true for Little Azure Sword, too.’

Little Azure Sword.

Back when I first met him, there was something I’d heard.

That he was a junior generation fighter at Seven Prodigies level.

That Little Azure Sword was a genius who might be able to join their ranks.

And if I hadn’t borrowed Yoo Cheongil’s power, I never would’ve beaten him.

And that Little Azure Sword—

‘He’s getting beaten like that?’

He got planted into the floor like it was nothing. The way he flopped around was pathetic.

[Click.]

As I stared, stunned, Yoo Cheongil clicked his tongue shortly.

[See?]

He spoke like it was obvious.

[I told you it would end easily.]

It was a voice with no interest at all.

Even then, Do Hyeong—the one who’d done this to Little Azure Sword—just stared at him.

“Ugh....”

Maybe the shock still hadn’t cleared, because Little Azure Sword trembled as he forced himself up.

TUK TUK.

Blood ran from his mouth in a thin stream.

“Ghk... hngh... you bastard....”

Little Azure Sword spoke like he was furious.

“How dare—”

Right as he was about to spit out more—

“......!”

Little Azure Sword had to shut his mouth.

Because of Do Hyeong’s eyes as he looked at him.

Were they savage? Filled with rage?

No.

I couldn’t feel anything.

A gaze like he was looking at drifting clouds, or a tree.

At that look—eyes looking at an object that wasn’t human—Little Azure Sword got goosebumps up his back without even realizing it.

How could someone look that numb?

As he stood there, flustered by it—

“Draw it.”

Do Hyeong spoke.

“What...?”

“Draw your sword.”

SHIIIING—!

As he spat the words, Do Hyeong himself drew his sword.

“From now on.”

And in that numb voice, something began to settle in, little by little.

“I’m going to break you.”

FWOOOSH—!

Hardened qi coiled around Do Hyeong’s sword.

*****

If you asked for the reason, it was nothing.

Truly nothing.

‘A warrior of Blue Moon Sect?’

They’d only met because they’d climbed onto the tournament stage.

He knew this man had ties to his junior.

And he also knew those ties weren’t exactly good.

‘What a shame.’

Mockery sat in his voice.

‘I’ve been waiting to meet that bastard, and instead I get matched with some nobody.’

That sneer wasn’t really a problem either. Mind games like this were common on the stage.

‘You said your name was Do Hyeong?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Never heard it before. But Small Moon Unit? Strange. Blue Moon Sect isn’t that low-level.’

Even when he picked on his name, Do Hyeong let it go.

There was no point picking a scab. Even if the man looked down on Blue Moon Sect, their level was not low.

And it was also true that Do Hyeong’s fame was low.

Besides, that was what Do Hyeong himself wanted.

If there was anything that was a little odd—

it was what he’d heard about Little Azure Sword: a polite, gentle noble young master.

To Do Hyeong, he didn’t look like that kind of person.

So, with that small doubt in mind, he steadied his energy—

‘Do you know anything about Bang Sungyeon?’

He brought up Do Hyeong’s junior.

‘I do.’

‘Is he stronger than you?’

‘He is.’

There was no hesitation. To Do Hyeong, Bang Sungyeon was stronger than him.

In realm.

And in the unshakable character inside him.

‘Really? Then that’s even more of a shame.’

Little Azure Sword’s expression twisted.

Then, like something occurred to him, he suddenly smoothed it out.

‘No. Maybe it’s a good thing.’

‘.......’

‘I lived all this time just to beat that pathetic bastard. If I get to warm up on you before that, it’s not a bad thing.’

Twitch.

Do Hyeong’s eyebrow moved.

He didn’t care about being looked down on.

But calling Bang Sungyeon pathetic—he didn’t like that.

So he asked.

‘Do you have a grudge against him?’

At Do Hyeong’s question, Little Azure Sword’s ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) brow pinched.

‘A grudge? Ha!’

His attitude said, why would you even ask that?

‘Of course.’

‘Why?’

‘You don’t know what he did to me?’

‘I do.’

He’d heard it was a match. A friendly spar at the Martial Alliance’s Anhui branch, was it?

That was also the day Bang Sungyeon first stood out by beating Little Azure Sword.

What was the problem with that? Do Hyeong didn’t understand, and—

as if he meant to explain it personally—Little Azure Sword added,

‘From that day on, everything broke.’

He spoke with a voice filled with resentment.

‘From the moment that bastard humiliated me... my life was ruined!’

It looked like an evil spirit had possessed his face.

It was vicious.

‘And you ask if I have a grudge?’

In those vicious, wide-open eyes, something faint stirred.

Killing intent.

Killing intent gathered in Little Azure Sword’s pupils.

‘Of course I do. I’m going to break him. This Dragon-Phoenix Gathering will be the turning point.’

‘.......’

At those words, Do Hyeong’s chest sank a little cold.

And a thought flashed through his head.

You, of all people?

Then heat surged up.

Heat rose into the chest that had turned cold.

And the head that had been hot cooled down.

Break Bang Sungyeon.

He was sure this bastard couldn’t do it—

and yet, something about it rubbed him the wrong way.

So—

Do Hyeong decided to move with that feeling.

“You bastard...!!”

Seeing the sword force layered onto Do Hyeong’s blade, Little Azure Sword drew his sword.

SSSSSSS—. RIIIIIIP—!

A deep, dense azure sword force.

Lightning-like sword force, showing off the Namgung Clan’s characteristics.

Crackling, like it really was wrapped in thunder.

And on the sword wrapped in that shape, something thick and thick seeped in.

Killing intent?

On the tournament stage, Little Azure Sword didn’t look like he had any intention of hiding it. He laid his emotions bare.

As Do Hyeong faced that sword force without changing expression—

WHIRRRLIK—!!

Little Azure Sword leveled his blade at Do Hyeong and spoke.

“...So you’ve got eyes like that too.”

A cheek swelling.

Blood at the corner of his mouth.

With blazing eyes, Little Azure Sword spoke to Do Hyeong.

“Those blue eyes...!!”

“......”

Do Hyeong had opened Moon Eyes too. That was how he’d been able to enter the Small Moon Unit.

As if he hated those blue eyes, Little Azure Sword kept staring at Do Hyeong and shouting.

“Break me? You’re going to break me? HAHA—! You think that sneak attack just now means you’re something now?”

CRACKLE—!!!!!

The sword force grew stronger.

Do Hyeong carefully lowered his sword.

And then, suddenly, he scanned the field.

In the middle of that brief sweep—

he found a pair of blue eyes that stood out.

A young man watching from there, together with a veiled woman.

So he was watching.

Do Hyeong nodded.

There wasn’t a shred of worry on Bang Sungyeon’s face.

Like he already believed Do Hyeong would win.

It was always like that.

Even on the way to Sichuan, when they ran into an incident.

Even when they got swept into the Tang Clan and were attacked.

Bang Sungyeon handled things without panic, without wavering.

Was it because he was strong?

Because he was the Sword Saint’s successor?

Or was it because he was that kind of Bang Sungyeon that the Sword Saint chose him?

It was strange.

His grandfather had told him—be unshakable no matter what.

So Do Hyeong tried to speak less and kill the rise and fall of his emotions.

But—

‘How can he be like that?’

Being honest about your emotions and still controlling them that calmly—Do Hyeong couldn’t do it.

Especially at an age younger than his.

Didn’t it look like someone reborn?

His talent was outstanding, and he still didn’t stop trying.

Bang Sungyeon always came out early to train.

Do Hyeong always came out earlier than him, but he remembered a day when Bang Sungyeon came out before he did.

So Do Hyeong tried to go out even earlier.

Bang Sungyeon always came out wearing a face that said he was tired and didn’t want to do it—

but by the end, he pushed himself to a level of intensity where he couldn’t move anymore.

If you only looked at intensity, Bang Sungyeon might be below Do Hyeong’s level.

But if you told him to do that countless, boring repetition—

Do Hyeong wasn’t sure he could.

He was the one who came out earlier.

But Bang Sungyeon was the one who stayed far later.

To the point where it felt like he didn’t even sleep.

Do Hyeong tried to match him, increasing his own training time, but it wasn’t easy.

Bang Sungyeon did it every single day.

Every day, something that wouldn’t be easy even if someone ordered you to do it.

‘...What kind of goal does he have?’

For a moment he wondered if Bang Sungyeon dreamed of “revenge,” like he did—

but that didn’t seem like it either.

He couldn’t understand it, but Bang Sungyeon did it anyway.

CRACKLE—!

He looked at the sword.

Lightning. A form that showed exactly what the Namgung Clan’s sword carried.

“...Break? Who’s breaking who.”

As Little Azure Sword’s presence grew fiercer than ever,

Do Hyeong loosened his own sword’s power instead.

“I’m going to break your whole line. And when I do, I’ll make sure that piece of shit knows it too. That the one who should inherit the clan is me.”

CRUNCH.

Stomping the ground, Little Azure Sword lunged.

The sword infused with thunder became a flash.

KWA-GA-GA-GA-GAK—!!

Like thunder striking, lightning poured down on Do Hyeong with a roar.

Relentlessly.

Footwork that flaunted lightning, and the blade-end’s intense thunder energy slammed down.

Like that earlier blow had truly been nothing but an opening, Little Azure Sword closed in on Do Hyeong in an instant.

“I’ll kill you...!”

He tried to slice Do Hyeong apart with the lightning wrapped around his hands—

CLANG—!!!

“Huh?”

In that moment, the lightning was cut.

Do Hyeong’s sword shattered Little Azure Sword’s sword outright.

The severed sword force looked like thunder itself had been sliced apart.

“No matter how much I think about it. I can’t understand it.”

As Little Azure Sword stared, eyes wide, at the broken sword—

Do Hyeong spoke to him in a low voice.

“How does something that never rose even once try to face someone who’s up in the sky.”

With the words, his hand moved.

“You can’t reach him.”

SWISH—!

And the sword force of Do Hyeong, shaped like the moon—

“To reach the risen moon... you’re far too low.”

SHRAAAK—!!!

“KHUH...!”

It cleaved across Little Azure Sword’s chest.