Chapter 95: Royal Audience (2)
The liquor is strong, the king stronger, and the female master is stronger still.
–Martin Luther
Harnessing his energy, he advanced, cutting through the surging force like a tidal wave, and spoke with a natural face.
“What…did you say?”
The priest, showing an attitude contrary to a moment ago, brought a hand to his ear as if he couldn’t hear well.
I pronounced each word clearly so that even an elderly person with mobility issues could understand.
“Earlier, you said the world is nothing more than a Tabernacle where all things reside for the Moment, so do we, as passing travelers, need to remember each other’s names?”
With the most annoying smile on my lips, I said.
“Moreover, it seems the day when you leave the Tabernacle is not far off, while I have many days ahead. What benefit is there in doing so?”
-Pachang! Before I could finish speaking, the scabbard the priest held in his left hand shattered under the pressure.
“Then what will you do if this old man drives you out of the Tabernacle first!!”
With a shout, the Lily Sword Technique was unleashed at a speed that defied the eye, and someone’s delicate fingers deflected it.
-Clang!!
The sound of flesh and blade clashing resounded.
As the building was engulfed in a heavy vibration, the chandelier’s attached night pearls began to shake uncontrollably.
The few specks of dust rose to the ceiling following the wave, then spiderweb cracks formed and the floor caved in.
Though it happened in an instant, the dark clouds of energy waves, only witnessed when a master beyond transcendence collides indoors, began to fill the ceiling.
“…So you drew your sword, in my Palace.”
The priest realized the mistake he had made, but it was already too late.
“How insolent.”
The Master of Buckingham was condemning him with a frostbitten rage.
“…Huh.”
Yet, the old priest still did not let go of the Sword Frequency he held in his hand.
The sword that had clashed with Her Majesty’s finger and was flung away was still trembling slightly, letting out a wailing sound.
The metallic sound that echoed indoors was certainly just once, but the exchange between the two masters that my eye technique captured amounted to six bouts.
Amazingly, Father Brown,
even after confirming that Her Majesty intervened to protect me, launched five more sword strikes.
I don’t know how many others noticed this fact, but if I could summon them as witnesses, it wouldn’t be difficult to charge him with treason in court.
Whether he was blinded by rage or couldn’t stop in time due to the technique of slashing six times in an instant.
Either way, the fact remains that a mere priest dared to draw a sword in the Palace and aimed it at the Sovereign.
“Insolent, you say. Indeed. Such words can only be uttered by a king of a nation.”
On the first floor of the old west wing of Buckingham Palace, noble guests of distinguished bloodlines and chivalrous warriors inheriting noble Kung-Fu lineage were gathered, but the brief clash that just occurred was enough to make them all forget to breathe.
To speak honestly as someone who calmly observed the situation, it was hard to distinguish whether this was truly a palace preparing for a ball or a zombie warehouse of the Modern Clan’s monastery.
Having a master’s sword edge rush towards my neck was not a pleasant experience, but I was able to maintain my composure.
The reason is simple.
Before the old master drew his sword, I had already sensed
the Qi Frequency of Her Majesty approaching up close.
No. In fact, I saw her with my own eyes. I’ll elaborate on that method later.
From the beginning,
I firmly believed in Her Majesty’s chivalry without a doubt.
From a Political Engineering perspective, it might be beneficial for the British to gain justification by having someone fall victim to the hands of a high master from the Zion Clan, thus extracting a great price from the Holy See. However, according to my understanding,
Her Majesty’s character was far from that of a petty person who would abandon chivalry for immediate gain.
And the result was as everyone witnessed.
As expected, the priest’s sword was
blocked by the Supreme’s finger, and my life was spared.
Father Brown wielded a soft sword known for being extremely thin and whip-like, making it notoriously difficult to handle. However, with the infusion of powerful internal energy, it stood upright like a regular sword.
‘…It’s incredibly fast. Hard to even recognize.’
The old master’s swordsmanship encompassed the mysteries of both speed and illusion.
Instead of tracing a straight and consistent trajectory, the sword path suddenly curved, aiming for vital points at unexpected moments with fierce and menacing sword techniques.
This type of swordsman was often shunned by Kung-Fu masters who would say ‘the sword tip is dirty’ or ‘the sword point is messy’.
‘The rumor that he has cut down the most demons among the Vatican’s Inquisition is not a title in vain.’
I began to calmly review the martial principles contained in the trajectory of the sword technique I had just witnessed.
The sword technique Father Brown demonstrated was the Lily Below the Mountain, a move that maximizes the fundamental principles of the Twenty-Four White Lily Sword Technique, representing the pinnacle of Illusionary Swordsmanship.
The Zion Clan’s sword techniques, as the name suggests, is a Kung-Fu that makes flowers bloom with a sword.
And the lily flower has six petals.
The six petals cuts through the six directions of the opponent.
The ever-changing sword moves that cut omnidirectionally were indeed the specialty of a master who had mastered the Twenty-Four White Lily Sword Technique.
However, the evaluations circulated among martial artists did not reflect the underlying Kung-Fu principles of the White Lily Sword Technique or an analysis of them.
The ultimate aim of the White Lily Sword Technique is to bewilder the enemy with a strong fragrance, making it impossible to distinguish between feints and genuine attacks, and ultimately causing them to perish in the heart of a sword flower garden.
That’s right.
The claim that the lily has six petals is, in fact, a blatant lie.
Three Illusions, Three Truths.
The flower has only three petals; the remaining three are supports.
Half of the Lily is made up of falsehoods.
This aphorism was indeed the complete truth.
The reason why even those with decent eye techniques could not follow the momentary exchange that just occurred was due to this.
How could martial artists, who struggle to even follow the sword moves of a White Lily Sword practitioner of similar distribution, fully comprehend the profoundness of the techniques of a master who has reached the realm of releasing Signature Sounds?
‘The change in the final sword strike was particularly tricky.’
The reason I was able to discern the paths of the five sword strikes among that terrifying sword technique and see through the real and the feigned was because I had mastered the supreme eye technique taught by my master.
The name of the eye technique is Indra Net.
The name originates from the shimmering net spread over the palace of the heavenly god Indra, and I have already achieved 8-Star mastery.
Buddhist mythology says.
Countless beads hanging on the strands of Indra’s Net reflect each other, maintaining an endless chain of causation.
Similarly, Indra Net contains a special mystery that allows a practitioner to perceive visual information reflected not only in their own eyes but also in the eyes of those around them.
This time, I used the eyes of those surrounding me and Father Brown himself as the beads of Indra’s Net to observe the swordplay from various angles and distances.
Originally, from where I stood, there was no way to discern the hidden aspects of the technique.
Being able to witness it directly and glimpse the profound swordsmanship, even for a moment, broadened my perspective significantly.
I even felt an urge to express gratitude to Father Brown.
‘The first wall a martial artist encounters is their own eyes. It’s rare for the hand to move faster than the eye. Those with keen eyesight tend to grow stronger quickly.’
When he first took me as his disciple, my master instructed me to make it a habit to observe and analyze everything accurately.
That first teaching has become my foundation, allowing me to learn through all the Kung-Fu I witness.
However, the scene I just witnessed included aspects of ascension that I could not decipher due to my eye technique being limited to 8-Star.
‘Even though they weren’t exerting their full strength, I couldn’t see it properly at all.’
While I was in awe of the swordsmanship of Father Brown, the Secret Sacred Relic Sword,
the sight of Her Majesty effortlessly dismantling the Lily Below the Mountain with just a single finger was beyond comprehension.
The ever-changing sword flowers of Illusionary Swordsmanship bloomed at the tip of the blade.
And the Sword Queen’s finger swiftly traversed the shortest distance connecting the six targeted points, flicking the sword away.
That is all there was.
Witnessing what seemed like a result without a process left the brain in such confusion that it felt as if some functions might become paralyzed.
The ability to unleash Sound Signatures generally signifies that a martial artist has reached the realm of the Unrestrained.
Even with exceptions, one must at least surpass the threshold of transcendence to glimpse the realm of the Unrestrained.
Even though it wasn’t at full power and was an impulsive strike fueled by anger, to easily block the sword of a master in the realm of the Unrestrained with just one finger…
The newspaper reports clearly stated
that Her Majesty recently achieved the Unrestrained Realm and underwent Rejuvenation, but to become strong enough to overwhelm one of the two great masters of the British Zion Clan in just two months?
‘Is it that the depth of enlightenment differs even within the same Unrestrained Realm…? Or is it-’
Another unspoken possibility surfaced in the mind, but for now, due to lack of evidence, it was set aside in memory.
Her Majesty’s strength is genuine.
There is no need to doubt that.
The high level of the realm of Her Majesty was well-known, and glimpses of that power were confirmed at the recent Debutante Ball.
Having already achieved Diamond Indestructible1, the sight of her Ten Vital Points needing to be pierced dozens of times with enhanced energy just to draw a single drop of blood was nothing short of astonishing.
Anyway, my conclusion was that it’s still difficult to gain any enlightenment from observing her Kung-Fu because my level isn’t yet high enough.
It’s not just about watching; unless I can directly cross swords or receive some teaching, like the young debutant from the Northern End Clan I saw last time.
Anyway.
‘It’s best to conclude the analysis here.’
As I finished my review, I exited the Faust Moment.
What I need to focus on now is the situation unfolding right in front of me.
‘If I don’t intervene soon, the Forbidden Palace might get destroyed.’
In other words, the standoff between the two colossal figures that seems like it could turn into a life-and-death battle at any moment.
- TL/N: Indestructible Body ️