Rebirth of the Thunder God

"Sir... Chief. I think you need to come out and see."

Chief Hong was already in a bad mood because the drinking party had ended unsatisfactorily.

Now that someone was even interrupting, his temper flared.

"What is it! Did some bastard break in or something? Huh?"

"Yes! A young master has broken in!"

"What? A young punk? I guess I really have to go out. If this is nonsense, you're dead."

"It's true!"

Chief Hong picked up the iron mace lying askew on the floor and said.

"Brother from the Asura Axe, wait here for a moment. I'll take care of this quickly. Usually, when some punks who are too into their chivalrous deeds break in like this."

Chief Hong paused, then crushed a stone and continued.

"Their heads get smashed like this. Tsk. Why do only men break in and not young ladies? I must be popular with men. Hahaha! Well then, I'll be back."

"Alright. Call me if you need help."

Chief Hong, who was about to leave the room, suddenly stopped and frowned.

"Brother. Don't tell me you don't trust me? I may not have made it into the Asura Axe, but I'm still a chief. A chief."

"I apologize if I offended you. That was not my intention."

"Tsk. I'll be back."

Chief Hong was already in a bad mood, so his expression was thoroughly twisted.

A curse escaped from his grim face.

"What bastard. The one who broke into our stronghold."

"It's him!"

Where the subordinate bandit pointed, a man in blue martial arts robes, so handsome he was dazzling, stood.

He was standing on the broken wooden fence, surveying the stronghold, and when Chief Hong came out, he greeted him warmly.

As if he were an old friend.

"Oh~ nice to meet you. Are you the chief here?"

"This bastard speaks informally. Yes. I'm the chief here. You bastard."

"You keep saying bastard, bastard, it's not very pleasant to hear. You bandit bastard."

"What!? This punk thinks he can say anything with that mouth of his. Hey, you! Where are you from! Who the hell are you!"

"If you're asking about me, I am the successor of a mysterious sect, and now the one and only guardian of the martial world... That's me."

"What did you say? This punk must have read too many chivalrous novels, his head is spinning. Brat. It's not too late. If you put down everything you have and go down naked, I'll let you live."

"It's not 'jugu-jangchang.' It's 'juya-jangcheon' (day and night). You ignorant bandit."

-Kwang!

Chief Hong, who had been talking with Namgung Hui, seemed to have lost his temper, as he struck the innocent floor and shouted.

"Everyone, back off! I'll take care of this brat!"

Hung, hung, hung!

Swinging his iron mace, Chief Hong leaped towards Namgung Hui.

Despite his large frame, his leaping ability was considerable.

The iron mace, carrying his heavy weight, rained down on Namgung Hui's head.

-Kwaang!

As the sword and mace clashed, a heavy roar spread in all directions.

The ground was overturned, and the mediocre bandits lost their balance and fell.

"Brat. You at least have the skills to run your mouth."

"And you, Chief, seem to be so weak you can't even eat properly."

"Hmph! It's no use trying to provoke me!"

But contrary to Chief Hong's words, his face was turning red and blue.

Just by looking at his constantly trembling beard, it was clear he was sufficiently angry.

He swung the mace with all his anger.

-Fwoong! Tang!

Namgung Hui's Thunder God Sword was sent flying by the repulsive force.

Namgung Hui clicked his tongue in admiration in spite of himself.

The blow that Chief Hong had swung was not to be ignored.

The skill gap was so significant that comparing him to Chief Bokho would be an insult to Chief Hong.

But who was Namgung Hui?

It was safe to say he was a different person from back then.

Having finished his probing, Namgung Hui imbued his sword with thunder ki and struck the mace.

-Taaang!

With a deafening metallic sound, vibrations spread in all directions.

The bandits scattered on the floor covered their ears and cried out in pain.

The repelled Chief Hong was thrown into an empty warehouse.

-Kudangtang!

At the sound, the vice-chief and the Asura Axe bandit in the room were also startled and rushed outside.

"Chief!"

"I'm fine. Don't interfere!"

Chief Hong, having calmed the vice-chief, dusted off his bottom and stood up from where he had been thrown.

"You bastard. You do have a trick up your sleeve. Worthy of your flapping mouth. Then, let's see you take this!"

Bung, bung, bung!

He spun the mace several times, wrapped it in mace ki, and shot it at Namgung Hui.

The flying mace ki, resembling the spiky iron mace, had a star shape.

It was a clearly more powerful sight than simply shooting sword ki.

Although it might consume a lot of ki, its killing power was commendable.

But.

-Tung!

It vanished futilely before Namgung Hui's Thunder God Sword.

It was only natural.

Chief Hong's realm was only at the edge of the Peak level, so he was no match for Namgung Hui.

Well, being at the edge of the Peak level did mean he was a considerable master.

Namgung Hui immediately executed the ultimate technique of the Divine Thunder Sword Art, Flash.

Mixed with the mysteries of Hou Yi Shoots the Sun, it was devastatingly fast.

So fast that Chief Hong couldn't even perceive it.

Degururu...

Without even the sound of cutting, only the sound of a head rolling filled the stronghold.

The vice-chief, as if in disbelief, widened his eyes and grabbed Chief Hong's neck.

"Brother! You son of a bitch. Say something! How can you just die like this!"

"...Vice-Chief. That's enough. Take Chief Hong's body and step back for a moment. It seems I'll have to deal with that man."

The vice-chief, who seemed to have a good relationship with Chief Hong, wiped away his chicken-like tears and collected Chief Hong's body.

And so, the stronghold once again became an empty clearing, and silence fell.

"By any chance, are you the one called Namgung Hui?"

"For a bandit, your speech is quite polite. Yes. I am Namgung Hui. And you must be a member of the Asura Axe?"

The Asura Axe was the most elite group in the Green Forest Alliance.

They only listened to the words of the Green Forest Alliance Leader.

And all of them had martial prowess that surpassed the Transcendent level.

On top of that, there was no known information about them, making them mysterious for bandits.

"That's right. I am lacking, but I hold a seat in the Asura Axe. As you know, young master, I am aware that our Green Forest Alliance is not on good terms with you. Then, let's talk with this now."

The Asura Axe bandit shook his axe and stepped forward.

He was definitely a more skilled master than Chief Hong.

Starting from the aura that dominated the atmosphere, unlike Chief Hong, he was not letting his guard down.

It was like seeing a complete martial artist.

-Pang!

Kicking off the ground, the Asura Axe bandit rushed forward.

He flew in so fast that the air shimmered, and in an instant, he was right in front of Namgung Hui.

-Geugeugeung!!

A fierce blow that made the Thunder God Sword scream.

To inflict a shock on the sword body even when it was wrapped in sword ki.

Namgung Hui felt a sense of unease not from the powerful attack of the Asura Axe, but from his martial arts.

'This doesn't seem like a bandit's martial art. It's a systematic and stable martial art, almost close to an orthodox one.'

There was no rule that said a bandit couldn't learn by stealing from others, but the more he exchanged blows with him, the more his doubts grew.

"You seem to have learned quite a bit of footwork. Where did you learn it?"

"What's it to you, young master? Ask Chief Hong in the afterlife."

"I don't think Chief Hong would know either. Is that perhaps a military martial art?"

"!!!"

The Asura Axe bandit, who was about to throw himself forward, was startled and stiffened.

His poor control over his expression seemed to indicate that Namgung Hui had hit the mark.

"So it was from the military. No wonder the bandits were setting up formations as if they had learned military strategy. It seems the Hoicheon Association has been supporting them both materially and spiritually from behind."

It was truly a ridiculous thing.

The imperial court, which should be subjugating bandits, was instead supporting them to realize its own desires.

He didn't know the exact reason, but supporting bandits who oppressed the common people was in itself a wrong thing to do.

"So there was a reason why the higher-ups held you in special regard. It seems you are a young master who should not be left alive. Then, I too shall show my true intentions."

The Asura Axe bandit suddenly detached the blade of his axe, then tapped the remaining staff to change its shape.

Cheolkeok!!

"A spear? Is your original unique weapon a spear?"

The Asura Axe bandit readjusted his grip on the spear and replied.

"That's right."

"So you're from the government office. Then your polite manner is understandable. A learned person is different."

"Hahaha! Your praise makes me not know where to put myself. Even so, I'm just a mere bandit."

The Asura Axe bandit laughed self-deprecatingly.

It seemed that his acting as a bandit was not of his own will.

"The sun is setting, shall we end this?"

"Let's do that."

Gwaak.

The Asura Axe bandit gripped his spear and took a horse-riding stance.

A typical military spear technique, no, going further than that, the spear technique of a special family came to mind.

'Yang Family Spear Technique? It's the Divine Spear Yang family.'

While Namgung Hui was recalling the name of the martial art, the spear tip reached his eyes in an instant.

It was a fleeting moment.

The spear already boasted the longest range among weapons.

That was why the spear's effectiveness on the battlefield was overwhelmingly high.

-Swish, swish, swish!

A continuous rush of the spear tip followed.

Point to point.

The beauty of the thrust pushed to its limit.

It flashed brightly, drawing an elegant trajectory.

Extremely efficient movements.

It seemed there was no martial art superior to this in terms of killing.

But that was all.

Efficiency and effectiveness are different words.

If it doesn't reach the enemy, the effect converges to zero.

Namgung Hui, having deflected the spear tip, this time thrust his own sword.

In terms of speed, the Diancang Sect's Hou Yi Shoots the Sun was second to none.

-Patpatpat!

In the continuous baptism of flashes, the Asura Axe bandit's clothes were torn to rags, and scratches appeared.

"...The claim of being at the Peak level was all a lie. It feels like I'm facing a Transcendent, no, someone even higher."

"It's no use telling me that when I wasn't the one who lied. I won't go easy on you just because of that."

"Hahaha! I wasn't asking you to go easy on me. I was saying that I too will now unleash my final ultimate technique. Brace yourself."

The tip of the Asura Axe bandit's spear turned yellow.

A sacred feeling, as if imbued with auspicious energy.

It must be the unique heart art passed down in the Divine Spear Yang family.

Namgung Hui inwardly shook his head at the thought of him acting as a bandit despite having learned such a martial art.

Still, it was not a level to be ignored.

To the extent that it was a martial art that represented the government office.

The Yang Family Spear Technique was the best among spear techniques.

Hwiririk! Hwiririk!

As the spear tip, wrapped in strong ki, grazed his cheek, Namgung Hui's skin trembled.

Even though he had protected his body with a protective ki barrier, his skin stung from the sharp energy.

"A protective ki barrier. Hoho! What kind of young martial artist can handle strong ki so skillfully? Are you perhaps a master of age reversal?"

"Well. I'm not a master of age reversal, but think of me as someone who has been reborn."

"Haha! Not the Dalai Lama, but reincarnation. You're a funny young master. This will be my real last blow. If you block this, I will admit my defeat."

The Yang family martial artist moved his hand towards the spearhead and took a javelin-throwing stance.

To prepare for a final blow by even throwing his weapon.

It seemed he was really betting his life.

-Sreureureuk!

The spear shaft rotated, forming a vortex.

When the strong ki drew a spiral and created a whirlwind.

The spear flew.

-Swaaaaaa!!!

The air, due to friction, spewed out heat.

And as it let out a scream with a trembling vibration.

Namgung Hui thrust his sword towards the vortex.

Divine Thunder Sword Art. Ultimate Technique. Explosive Lightning.

-Kwaaaaang!!

The golden whirlwind and the purple flash clashed, scattering a dazzling flash of light.

In the dazzling light, the golden vortex emitted an even stronger auspicious light and added to its rotational force.

-Jiiiiiing!!

When the auspicious energy gradually subsided and the shadows returned, the match was decided.

-Ttaenggeurang...

The whitely melted spear tip fell to the ground. And rolled on the floor.

"Heh! You're a real monster. To not move a single step even after I poured out the ultimate technique of the Yang Family Spear Technique..."

That's right. Namgung Hui had stood in his place and only thrust his sword.

Of course, the force contained in this was not just a mere thrust.

The ultimate technique of the Emperor Sword Form.

He had crushed the vortex with a pressure like Mount Tai.

The Yang family martial artist, having poured out everything and still failing to even make Namgung Hui take a step, spoke again with a look of emptiness.

"Yes. I couldn't win even after pouring out my all, so it is my defeat. Kill me."

Namgung Hui's expression was not particularly good, even though he had won more easily than expected.

In fact, he had come up to the stronghold to vent some of his anger.

But the Asura Axe bandit was too un-bandit-like, making him reluctant to punish him.

"By any chance, can you tell me about the Hoicheon Association?"

"...Even if you ask me, there's not much I can tell you. Just kill me. Or I'll kill myself."

Namgung Hui did not miss the Yang family martial artist's hesitation.

Moreover, the Yang family martial artist didn't seem to be under any kind of restriction.

And for some reason, he felt he could get an answer from his face full of regret.

"Let's talk after we clean up the surroundings."

Namgung Hui divided the energy of the Explosive Thunder Palm into both hands.

Having reached the 10th stage of the Purple Thunder Divine Art, it became possible to execute the Explosive Thunder Palm with both hands simultaneously.

Explosive Thunder Palm Ultimate Technique, Heavenly Explosion.

-Kwagwagwagwang!

A deafening roar that seemed to tear the eardrums, as if heaven and earth were screaming, echoed through the stronghold.

The bandits were swallowed up by the Explosive Thunder Palm before they could even feel it.

The moment they felt the pain of their limbs being torn apart.

They all stopped breathing.

"..."

The surroundings became quiet.

The Yang family martial artist also gulped down dry saliva at the power of the Explosive Thunder Palm that Namgung Hui had unleashed with all his might.

"Are you in the mood to talk now?"

"..."

The Yang family martial artist made a complicated expression, then nodded as if he had made a big decision and continued.

"Alright. I'll give you an answer to the best of my knowledge. But."

"But?"

"I'll ask you for one favor."

"Alright. If it's something I can grant, by all means."

"Then. The deal is made. Ask first. I'll make my request at the end."

Namgung Hui briefly organized his questions, then brought out the one he was most curious about.

"Is the leader of the Hoicheon Association the Emperor?"

(End of Chapter)