Chapter 41 : This is Not a Game
"Young Master! Are you alright!?"
Mu Yonghu's body was dripping with bright red blood, as if he had fought his way up here with the bandits.
The sword he was holding was also covered in blood and flesh.
"Did you fight your way up here?"
"Yes! Is the Young Master safe?"
Mu Yonghu staggered over and looked Jin Sohyun up and down.
Fortunately, not even a small scratch could be found on Jin Sohyun's smooth body.
"That's a relief... a relief. It seems you're not injured."
"I think the one who needs to be worried about is not me, but you, Mister Mu. Are you alright?"
"I... am fine."
Mu Yonghu raised his sword and aimed it at Kang Seopyeong.
He had instinctively realized who was the strongest here.
Mu Yonghu felt an inexplicable chill at the sight of Kang Seopyeong looking at him with a bored gaze.
'He's strong!'
An immense power could be felt from Kang Seopyeong, who was fully releasing his qi.
'Don't tell me?'
"And who are you? Are you also from the Jin Family?"
At Kang Seopyeong's question, Mu Yonghu composed his breath and said.
"Yes. I am Mu Yonghu, the head of the Jin Family's escort guards."
"I heard the martial artists of the Jin Family were incompetent, but it seems that was another wrong rumor."
Kang Seopyeong looked intently at the path Mu Yonghu had come from.
Mu Yonghu, who had to simultaneously deal with the bandits surrounding the mountain fortress and the fortress masters to save Jin Sohyun, had not only endured their combined attack but had also broken through single-handedly.
As a result, the number of injured bandits exceeded several dozen.
'He broke through dozens of bandits and fortress masters single-handedly... the Jin Family... an interesting family.'
Kang Seopyeong smiled lightly and waved the hand that was not holding the axe.
"Step aside. Your Young Master wants to lie down."
"Wh-What did you say? You're going to kill the Young Master! Do you think this Mu Yonghu will just stand by and watch! If you want to kill the Young Master, you'll have to kill this Mu Yonghu first..."
Mu Yonghu's words could not continue any further.
As blood gushed from Mu Yonghu's wound every time he spoke, Jin Sohyun, who could no longer watch, pressed his acupoint and knocked him out.
"Siu."
"Yes!"
"Take Mister Mu away."
"Y-Yes!?"
Siu, who had run to Jin Sohyun's side, looked down at Mu Yonghu with a flustered face.
Putting aside the fact that he was covered in blood, his build was so large that Siu couldn't move him alone.
"Mister Palbong! You help too!"
"Me?"
"Yes! Hurry!"
At Siu's urging, Palbong had to move Mu Yonghu together with her, flustered.
"That traitorous bastard."
"A shameless brat."
"To think a brat like that is a fortress master of the Green Forest?"
"I'll take that brat's head later."
At the bandits' muttering, Palbong wanted to cry.
Nevertheless, his body was steadily moving Mu Yonghu.
A body that could no longer engage in banditry in the Green Forest anyway.
Since it had come to this, Palbong could only hope that Jin Sohyun would defeat Kang Seopyeong.
"Y-Young Master! I will take responsibility and take care of this person, so please win!"
As Palbong cheered for Jin Sohyun, the bandits' criticism towards him became even more intense.
"That son of a bitch!"
"Shall we kill him right now?"
"Leave him. We'll cut off his limbs and throw them to the wild dogs as food."
"I'll kill him!"
At the criticism of his former comrades, which pierced his ears like daggers, tears formed in Palbong's eyes.
"Mister, are you crying?"
At Siu's question, Palbong swallowed his tears and said.
"Just hope that your Young Master defeats the General Fortress Master. If the Young Master loses... we all die."
"Is the person called the General Fortress Master that strong?"
"Only the strongest among the more than a thousand bandits belonging to the seventy-two mountain fortresses becomes the General Fortress Master. So how strong do you think he is?"
"Hah...! My Young Master doesn't even know martial arts well, what should we do?"
As Siu said with worry, Palbong's expression contorted.
"The Young Master doesn't know martial arts?"
"Yes! He only learned for a mere 6 years under Elder Kang! I've never even seen him train, let alone perform martial arts."
Palbong could not quite understand Siu's words.
'Then what did I see?'
By the time the two were questioning Jin Sohyun's strength, Kang Seopyeong was fully drawing his fighting spirit.
"The fools here may not know, but I know how strong you are."
"I'm not that strong."
"Are you being humble, you who can freely use Void Object Manipulation?"
"You can do it too if you learn. The subtlety is quite simple. I can teach you if you promise to disappear from Shanxi."
"Hahaha! Your talent for teasing your opponent is amazing. Do you think Void Object Manipulation is a realm that can be achieved with just one subtlety?"
"Yes."
At Jin Sohyun's confident answer, this situation became even more enjoyable for Kang Seopyeong.
Where on earth did this monstrous brat come from?
Kang Seopyeong suddenly became curious about Jin Sohyun's full power.
There was only one way to confirm it.
"Please fight with all your might. There is nothing more boring than a bland fight."
As Kang Seopyeong's axe approached, drawing an arc, Jin Sohyun quickly rolled his feet.
Thump—!!
Kang Seopyeong's axe, which had crushed the ground like tofu, then came in, aiming for Jin Sohyun's waist.
Jin Sohyun took out two flying swords from his Secret Pouch, sending one at Kang Seopyeong and the other at Kang Seopyeong's axe.
As the two flying swords, imbued with the powers of the Flowing Wind and the Lightning Flash respectively, approached at high speed, Kang Seopyeong smiled broadly.
"Is this a flying sword!"
Kang Seopyeong, who had parried the first flying sword imbued with the power of the Lightning Flash with his axe, then twisted his body to dodge the flying sword that was flying towards his body.
Slice—!
"Hmm!?"
He had definitely dodged it, but the flying sword had changed its path and had grazed his shoulder.
'The properties of the two flying swords are different.'
If the first flying sword was as fast and strong as lightning, the second flying sword was not as strong, but its movement was more irregular and free.
"Kang Cheon became one of the Five Great Masters of the Central Plains with his Flying Sword Technique. Seeing you, I think I know why he is called one of the Five Great Masters of the Central Plains."
"Then will you go back at this point?"
"I can't do that. If I lose to the Slothful Young Master, I won't be able to act as the General Fortress Master either."
Kang Seopyeong held the axe with both hands and smiled thickly.
"Can your flying sword block this too?"
As the large axe blade scraped the ground deeply and strongly and came cutting, the shattered stone fragments became sharp daggers and flew towards Jin Sohyun.
And in between, a sharp axe qi followed.
An attack that seemed impossible to block rushed at Jin Sohyun.
Siu, who was watching this, was startled and covered her eyes, and Palbong's mouth fell open.
'The Young Master has lost!'
Kwagagagang—!
The powerful attack that swept through the area instantly devastated the space where Jin Sohyun had been standing.
"Hmm."
Kang Seopyeong's expression was not very bright.
He rested the axe on his shoulder and tilted his head.
"That's strange... what is that movement technique of yours?"
"Hoo! That was dangerous!"
Jin Sohyun, who had appeared far away from where he had originally been standing, dusted off his clothes.
"Since the martial arts have different personalities, I didn't know there was another master besides Kang Cheon."
"Can you tell just by looking at it?"
"Because the Flying Sword Technique and the movement technique you use are martial arts of completely different personalities."
"Oh..."
While Jin Sohyun was admiring, Kang Seopyeong scratched his head.
"I won't be able to catch you with a simple axe swing."
The movement technique that Jin Sohyun had just shown was on a different level from the movement techniques used by ordinary martial artists.
The movement techniques used by swordsmen who used swords or sabers or fist fighters who performed martial arts with their bare hands would usually follow the flow of the martial arts they performed.
But Jin Sohyun's movement technique was different in nature from these.
'It's like a movement technique for the sole purpose of moving quickly...'
Jin Sohyun's movement was similar to the movement techniques of masters of movement techniques who had given up on all other martial arts and had focused solely on moving quickly.
"Well, well... was I the one who had to go all out?"
Kang Seopyeong put down the axe he was holding and rolled up the chain attached to the end of the handle with one hand.
Following that, as he rotated, holding the chain, his giant axe began to rotate fiercely.
"Is there a martial art like this too?"
"Just like Kang Cheon, it's a martial art I developed on my own. Its name is the Revolving Wheel Annihilating Mountain Axe."
Kang Seopyeong's rotating axe was shot at Jin Sohyun in an instant.
Its speed was so fast that Jin Sohyun had to throw his flying sword without even having time to roll his feet.
Two flying swords imbued with the power of the Lightning Flash clashed with Kang Seopyeong's axe.
Kwaang—!!
The axe and the two flying swords were repelled at the same time.
But Kang Seopyeong's axe, which had started to rotate again, was shot at Jin Sohyun once more.
Jin Sohyun, dodging the giant axe that was stabbing in like the blade of a master's spear, had to grit his teeth and step on his footwork.
Tadadat—!!
Jin Sohyun, who had avoided the place, leaving several afterimages, had to shoot his flying sword at the axe that had flown right in front of him as soon as he had taken it out.
Thump!
The second clash of the flying sword and the axe.
Unlike the flying swords that were repelled, the axe, which had been retrieved by Kang Seopyeong by the chain, rotated fiercely and pressed down on Jin Sohyun.
Kang Seopyeong's axe now approached as if to split Jin Sohyun in two, drawing a half-moon.
'There will be no end to this.'
There were only three flying swords left.
'I have to create an opening.'
Jin Sohyun held two flying swords in both hands, crossed them, and quickly sent them flying.
The two flying swords, imbued with the power of the Lightning Flash, simultaneously struck Kang Seopyeong's axe.
Tadadang—!!
As his axe was pushed back by the two flying swords, Kang Seopyeong pulled the chain and rotated it.
"It's useless, Jin Sohyun."
Kang Seopyeong, who was preparing to attack again, realized that an unusual energy was flowing from Jin Sohyun.
Jin Sohyun, who had lowered his posture and extended his left hand forward, concentrated his energy on the flying sword held in his right hand.
Crackle—!
As a blue lightning qi flowed from the blade of the flying sword, Kang Seopyeong hurriedly retrieved the chain and held the axe with both hands.
At the same time, Jin Sohyun threw his last tenth flying sword.
The Single Line Rending Thunder imbued with the power of the Lightning Flash.
The ultimate technique of the Flying Heaven Ten Swords, which had blown away the assailant of Jiao Lake, was performed.
Rumble—!!
At Jin Sohyun's Single Line Rending Thunder, which was flying, roaring with thunder, Kang Seopyeong gritted his molars hard and raised his axe high.
'Great Mountain Annihilating Axe!'
Kang Seopyeong's axe, which had also performed the ultimate technique of the Revolving Wheel Annihilating Mountain Axe, pressed down on Jin Sohyun's approaching flying sword with a strong force as if to split a great mountain.
Kwaddeudeudeuk—!!
The flying sword and the axe clashed strongly and began a power struggle.
Kang Seopyeong tried to press down on Jin Sohyun's flying sword with all his might, and Jin Sohyun's flying sword, imbued with the power of the Single Line Rending Thunder, resisted the axe that was blocking its way with a momentum as if to pierce everything.
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
The winner of the power struggle was Kang Seopyeong, who was holding the axe.
He parried Jin Sohyun's tenth flying sword, which was imbued with the power of the Single Line Rending Thunder, and stared straight ahead.
'He's not there?'
Kang Seopyeong, who had discovered that Jin Sohyun had disappeared, discovered another shadow that had appeared under his feet.
'Above!'
Kang Seopyeong, who had raised his head, discovered Jin Sohyun, who had jumped above his head.
In the meantime, Jin Sohyun had extended his hand and had pulled the four flying swords that were stuck in the ground and had held them in his hand.
"Hup!"
Jin Sohyun's both arms spread out quickly, and the four flying swords held in his hands fell at high speed.
But his flying swords did not reach Kang Seopyeong and fell around him.
'Did he make a mistake?'
Kang Seopyeong, who had realized Jin Sohyun's mistake, re-gripped his axe.
It was to kill Jin Sohyun, who was falling without a place to escape, as he was.
"You fought well enough."
Kang Seopyeong was about to swing his axe to end this fierce fight.
Clank!
"Mmm!?"
The axe did not move.
The startled Kang Seopyeong looked down.
"Haha... this brat."
Jin Sohyun had not made a mistake.
The four flying swords that had left his hand were stuck like nails in the chain attached to his axe, not Kang Seopyeong.
Thanks to that, Kang Seopyeong's axe did not move to a certain height.
In the meantime, Jin Sohyun, who was falling on top of Kang Seopyeong, finally extended his hand and retrieved one flying sword.
Swoosh—!
Jin Sohyun, who had landed on Kang Seopyeong's shoulder, held a flying sword to his neck and said.
"Are you going to do more?"
"You are strong."
Unlike the cold feeling of the blade touching his neck, there was no killing intent in Jin Sohyun's pupils, which were looking down at him.
"But you lack sharpness."
Kang Seopyeong's left hand grabbed the blade of the flying sword that was touching his neck.
Blood dripped from the wound cut by the blade.
"This is not a game. It is a life-and-death struggle to achieve each other's goals."
The corners of Kang Seopyeong's eyes twitched, and his lips wriggled.
Gil Simun, who saw this, said softly.
"It has begun."
Kang Seopyeong's atmosphere changed completely.
(End of Chapter)