41 - Dragon Phoenix Assembly (14) - The Heaven-Slaying Sword

What in the world is that crazy woman doing? This was the first thought that came to Dang Hwa-Seo's mind at the sight of Hye Woon, who was leaning on Mok Riwon's shoulder, in such an infuriating manner. It felt like her blood was boiling in reverse. Her fists were clenched so tightly they could crumble, and her teeth were grinding against each other. Now, Dang Hwa-Seo knew why. It was the affection she had finally realized, expressing its anger at that scene. While she had managed to maintain her calm and undisturbed mind even up to joining the martial contest, all of it was shattering as Dang Hwa-Seo struggled to breathe. "Do you have the leisure to think about something else?" A chillingly cold voice pierced her ears. Startled, Dang Hwa-Seo turned and saw a man with an indifferent face to such an extent that it was indescribable – Namgung Jincheon. "...What are you trying to say?" "Exactly as the words imply. Do you have the leisure to think about something else?" Dare you, in front of me. Although she didn't express it verbally, Dang Hwa-Seo knew. That was the implied meaning in his words. However, that meaning was not anger. Truly, he must be unable to comprehend it. The phenomenon of being distracted by something else while standing in front of him, the assumption that there might be something more important than himself in this world. 'Still an unpleasant species.' Incalculably inorganic. And also arrogant. But, because of that, noble. Dang Hwa-Seo found her heart chilling unknowingly at his emotionless blue eyes. "There shouldn’t be any hindrance to the duel, so don’t worry…." "Silent Blade." "…." "Is hooking one man all you've managed to do in six years?" Another inorganic question. Dang Hwa-Seo felt her anger rising. Amidst this, Namgung Jincheon continued speaking. "It seems you were at least usable six years ago, but now you've become no different from the others." Namgung Jincheon's gaze swept over Dang Hwa-Seo. "You’ve regressed." Crack-. Dang Hwa-Seo's fist clenched. "...You might regret saying such a thing before even clashing." "Do you happen to be a fool? What line of reasoning could possibly lead you to conclude that I would be defeated?" "It seems the Silent Dragon has only trained his mouth over the years. Trying to incite your opponent with mere verbal provocations." "Your choice of words has also regressed. I do not provoke. I feel no necessity for such actions." Dang Hwa-Seo's demeanor turned hostile. As the atmosphere became tenser, only the unfortunate mediator, caught in between, began to roll his eyes. "Shall... we begin?" "Whenever." Only after Dang Hwa-Seo's reply did the mediator step back. Then, gathering his momentum, he shouted loudly. [Then, let the duel commence! Silent Blade! Silent Dragon! Forward!] The mediator raised his hand. Consequently, Namgung Jincheon lowered his sword, and Dang Hwa-Seo began to release her Qi straight away. The hand dropped, signaling the start of the duel. The moment Dang Hwa-Seo had been waiting for to release her refined energy. 'If I don’t match the first move, it’s certain defeat.' Namgung Jincheon is strong. Therefore, he is arrogant. This was the only breakthrough Dang Hwa-Seo could exploit. Surely, a man oblivious to his own limits would think to face the first move head-on. 'First….' Dang Hwa-Seo mixed the poison within her. Hemotoxic and paralytic poisons, along with toxins causing dizziness and muscle destruction. Even for someone like Namgung Jincheon, these lethal poisons beginning to infuse her Qi meant he would be bedridden for at least a week. [Begin-!] The mediator's hand dropped. Simultaneously, Dang Hwa-Seo unleashed her Qi. Whoosh-! Like a flood wave, it might be just so. The dark green Qi surged up from the ground, beginning to envelop his body. Even then, Namgung Jincheon merely kept his sword lowered, not moving an inch. 'It’s done!' With Namgung Jincheon not moving as expected, the poison struck him directly. While Dang Hwa-Seo was reaching that conclusion. "…Is that all?" Namgung Jincheon's brows furrowed. The change in expression, showing for the first time since he stepped on the duel stage, clearly indicated disappointment and anger. His blue Qi exploded. * "I knew this would happen." Hye Woon clicked her tongue. Her gaze was fixed on Dang Hwa-Seo, who was being swept away like fallen leaves on the duel stage. "Lack of information. It’s always been only after reaching the top four that he truly unleashes his Qi. Since Silent Blade hasn’t faced Namgung Jincheon in nearly six years, she’s making such basic mistakes." "She pushed away the poison with her inner strength." "A simple task at the pinnacle." "Could not Hye Woon Shifu do the same?" "...With a bit more training, I could." Mok Riwon looked at the duel stage with a somber face. '... Overwhelming.' He felt conflicted. And understandably so; Namgung Jincheon had yet to even swing his sword. He was merely suppressing her with his overflowing inner strength by releasing his Qi. Meanwhile, Dang Hwa-Seo was already battered. 'I expected as much, but….' The gap in their class was too wide. "How about it, Master Mok, do you still think the Silent Blade stands a chance?" At Hye Woon's question, Mok Riwon firmly shut his mouth. Seeing that, Hye Woon smiled as if she found it gratifying, and only then did Mok Riwon open his mouth. "...Indeed. I believe the lady will not fall so easily." "Ha! Even now…." "She has not shown us anything yet." Hye Woon closed her mouth. Until now, Mok Riwon's gaze had been solely fixed on the dueling ground. It was an incomprehensible faith. However, for Mok Riwon, there was something that could certainly be called a conviction. 'The lady can do it.' Mok Riwon could understand as much. Heavenly Destroying Star. Carrying that malevolent destiny made him feel something. 'Show it.' Dang Hwa-Seo had already reached the end of the wall. Her inner strength was overflowing enough to surpass the peak. Only, she was the only one who did not know that. Mok Riwon knew why. 'Eliminate your hesitation.' She still lacked confidence in herself. A fundamental faith in her martial arts was missing. And there was no clear image or purpose for her to emerge as a transcendent being. 'Remember what you truly wish to become.' With that alone, Dang Hwa-Seo would be able to overcome the wall. * Dang Hwa-Seo felt nauseous from the oppressive weight bearing down on her shoulders. 'Dammit…!' She couldn’t move even a fingertip. Seeing that she couldn’t even feel the poison that was supposed to be coursing through her veins by now, it was clear that all her efforts had been in vain. It was humiliating. Almost to the point of madness. That she could do no more than this, that such an extreme disparity existed, that her body wouldn’t even try to fight against it and was simply breaking down. However, amid all this, there was something else that infuriated her the most. 'Is that all?' The icily blue eyes looking down on her with a gaze that seemed to say, Is this all you’ve got? That was it. "Is this all you’ve prepared? Is there truly nothing more?" Namgung Jincheon had not swung his sword. He just added a word of confirmation with a tone full of disappointment. It was a natural reaction for him. "Your eyes aren’t dead yet. If you have more to show, then do so." Namgung Jincheon still remembered. The final of the Yongbong Branch Meeting six years ago. How ferociously Dang Hwa-Seo had scattered her fierce Qi that day. How spirited she was, charging like she was ready to meet her end. "I will not swing my sword until then. That’s a promise." Just three seconds. Yet, for Namgung Jincheon, those were the most novel three seconds he had ever experienced. The emotions he had felt then lingered in his memory to this extent, and if he was still indulging in this child’s play, it was to feel that stimulus once more, making Dang Hwa-Seo’s hollow defeat something he couldn’t accept. Crunch-. Dang Hwa-Seo bit her lip. A line of crimson blood trailed down her chin. It was an attempt to shake off the pressure through pain. 'I know.' That the opponent was unbeatable, she knew. Yet, she had to win despite that. It was a promise to herself, a compromise she made to protect those newfound feelings of affection. Dang Hwa-Seo had to win this duel, even if it meant clinging to that almost desperate desire. 'Is that all my ass…!' She wanted to smash her fist into that arrogant face. No, she wanted to immerse his entire body in poisons. And by winning, she wanted to say proudly to Mok Riwon. Please be with me. Snap-. Dang Hwa-Seo twisted her left wrist. The pain was almost blinding, dispersing the pressure for a moment. Namgung Jincheon’s eyebrow slightly raised. Dang Hwa-Seo struggled to her feet. "Damn, bastard…!" "Is your preparation merely spiteful words?" "That’s... not it." Dang Hwa-Seo felt her vision flash. The cost of twisting her wrist was severe enough to render her speechless. No, it wasn’t just that. As she showed signs of defiance, Namgung Jincheon intensified his Qi, adding pressure yet again. It felt as if someone was wringing out her brain. With that thought, Dang Hwa-Seo pieced together her scattered consciousness and connected her thoughts. 'I can’t fall.' What can be done? No, what must be done? 'It’s not enough.' Her energy was lacking. The concentration of the poison was too low. She lacked the force to punch through this pressure and hit his despicable face. 'What needs to be added.' There was only one thing to add. A realm. To bridge the gap in their ridiculous class and gain the power to throw one punch. It was a desperate need. Always a fervent goal, but at this moment, it was more intensely coveted than ever. Not just an ambition, but a wish was laid upon it. 'I can’t lose.' Dang Hwa-Seo knew herself. In any situation, her tendency to desperately resist, could, if not careful, lead her to resort to malice without hesitation. Mok Riwon’s kindness was the same. Being greedy, once realizing something, she would hardly let it go, meaning if she were to lose here, she would somehow ensnare him and use him as a shield. Whether by evoking pity or threatening. Doing the same deeds she so loathed from the Tang family, she would attempt to keep him by her side. Dang Hwa-Seo did not want that. It was a promise for that very purpose. To become prouder of herself, to earn the right to stand beside him and walk alongside him as she rightfully should. Thump-. Dang Hwa-Seo took a step forward. The pressure intensified once again. Yet, her body did not stop standing up, and at that moment, the dueling grounds fell silent. 'Move.' That arrogant man had promised a single move. He would not break that promise himself. Therefore, she had to muster all her strength for that single move. She had to surpass her limits. Thump-. Another step, Dang Hwa-Seo took. Doing so, she squeezed out all the poisons flowing through her veins. She didn’t bother to distinguish their types. She just sprinkled one intention into the randomly expelled venom. 'Just one hit.' A deadly poison that could bring that man to his knees with just one hit. An intensely powerful deadly poison. A lethal deadly poison so dreadful that even if he felt threatened, he wouldn’t dare think to evade it. At that moment, when her thoughts reached that far, Dang Hwa-Seo caught a sudden vision. A small smile appeared on the wobbly lips of Dang Hwa-Seo. '…Yes, I know of such a poison.' The dark green Qi intensified. A clear energy began to mix in with it. Dang Hwa-Seo clenched her fist tightly. 'A poison that could bring any great person to their knees.' Not awe or remoteness, but a poison that breaks the spirit itself, making heads bow. 'The most intense poison.' A poison that makes one forget their crisis, warms them up despite forgetting the danger. 'Yet, irresistibly sweet.' A poison one would rather drown in and die. Dang Hwa-Seo knew of such a poison. Whoosh-. The Qi spread low. The venom, spreading like fog, began reaching beyond the dueling ground to where the audience was seated. A sweet scent filled the dueling ground. Dang Hwa-Seo took another step without noticing it. "-----!" Though a voice sounding like tinnitus was heard, Dang Hwa-Seo did not perceive it. It was a dangerous situation. A situation that required stopping the duel. Yet, none of the warriors present did so. Only the high-level masters who noticed something in Dang Hwa-Seo’s demeanor quietly surrounded the dueling ground, blocking the venom. From a distance, Hye Woon, looking surprised, narrowed her eyes at Mok Riwon, who was smiling contentedly. "How…?" "I just knew." Mok Riwon said so, focusing back on Dang Hwa-Seo. 'So pure.' Contrary to the name 'venom', the energy felt from the Qi was extremely pure. Somewhere soft and for some reason sweet, making one want to bury themselves in it. That was the answer Dang Hwa-Seo came up with. The definition of poison (毒) she was aiming for. Thump-. Another step, Dang Hwa-Seo took. She felt a sense of dizziness. As if her mind was floating, a strange sense of detachment along with overwhelming drowsiness was washing over her. Yet, even then, Dang Hwa-Seo couldn’t let herself succumb to it. It was enlightenment acquired in such a dire moment, that unknowingly, she reached out her hand in vexation. ‘This is truly a deadly poison.’ Merely suppressing and overpowering poisons are third-rate. Poisons that silently approach are second-rate. If it’s first-rate, if it’s truly a deadly poison, then even knowing it's a poison, one should desire to embrace it. Before she realized it, Dang Hwa-Seo had closed the distance to merely two steps away from Namgung Jincheon. She looked at Namgung Jincheon’s face. Her vision was blurred, unable to see his expression clearly. Her thoughts were wavering because of the overpowering Qi and pain. Yet, Dang Hwa-Seo could smile. "I saw it." A landscape that had to be seen not with the eyes but with the mind was etching into her sight. Dang Hwa-Seo reached out her hand to Namgung Jincheon’s solar plexus. And then, she unleashed her inner strength. Love. That was the name of the poison she had crafted. Whoosh-! A clear, dark green wave engulfed Namgung Jincheon. …That was as far as Dang Hwa-Seo’s struggle went. "Quite…" Namgung Jincheon, drenched in the poison, reached out his hand towards Dang Hwa-Seo. "...Plausible." And then lightly pushed Dang Hwa-Seo’s head back. Thump-. Dang Hwa-Seo fell. Namgung Jincheon looked down at her with an indifferent face. Far away, the mediator, who had been evacuating, finally peeped up to view the dueling ground. He gripped his pounding heart as he assessed the situation. 'Is he still fine after that poison?' The mediator was amazed. The poison that seemed to stop the heart the moment it was slightly inhaled blanketed the dueling ground. If not for the high master dispersing it, who knows what would have happened to him? Yet, Namgung Jincheon stood untroubled even after being directly enveloped by it. The mediator's voice trembled. "[The, The Silent Dragon…!]" For a moment, even seeing Dang Hwa-Seo’s change brought a thought of 'perhaps' to mind. The moment the poison was inhaled, and especially the moment Namgung Jincheon was enveloped by it, that 'perhaps' began to turn into a certainty. However, it was as expected. [The Silent Dragon!!! Sssssssh!!!!] There was no anomaly. The Silent Dragon, Namgung Jincheon. He truly was a man nearing the realm of Heaven Beyond Heavens.