Book 12 Chapter 9

The Mind of a Hundred Years Ago

- The Appearance of the Twin Devils

The sword of the Ice Sword and the sword of Dong Banghak clashed fiercely with the saber of Yeomdo and the saber of Gongpa, causing the ground to rumble and the air to shriek as if it were being torn apart.

The situation was so urgent that Yeomdo and Ice Sword had no time to calmly grasp what was happening. Their utmost priority was to stop the swords and sabers of these two old men by clashing head-on.

'Strong!'

In their first collision, Yeomdo realized this fact. He was perhaps the strongest person he had ever clashed sabers with since his debut in the martial world. (Of course, Biryuyeon, who still had no idea what was going on, was excluded from the comparison.)

The immense pressure, as if his grip would be torn apart, felt in his hand holding Hongyeom, testified to that strength. However, while facing this storm of saber energy head-on, which he couldn't afford to neglect, Yeomdo felt a strange sensation.

'Huh? This is a bit strange…'

Although he clearly recognized the opponent's strength, he felt no strain in their confrontation. Even though it was an opponent who would surely have been difficult in the past, it was surprisingly easy to face him. He was surprised to realize that his skills had improved without him even realizing it.

'When did I get this strong?'

Docho flowed from his fingertips as he willed it. There was no strain whatsoever in releasing and recalling his inner energy. It was as natural as water flowing down a river.

'What a remarkable thing!'

All he had done was become Biryuyeon's disciple and be brutally overworked. When had he become this strong? Yeomdo had felt for years that his martial arts were not improving but gradually stagnating. Because of this, he had worried a lot and even deliberately picked fights and engaged in duels out of desperation, hoping for a solution. But there were no significant results. He had also tasted despair. That taste was acrid and bitter. A taste he never wanted to experience again.

Yet, the difficult problem that had tormented him was, unbelievably, resolved without him even knowing it at some point. It was no different from a tangled thread being untied by a passing breeze. He found it unbelievable even though he had experienced it himself.

"When I craved strength, I didn't get stronger, but when I let go of my craving for strength, I became stronger…"

It was truly a contradiction.

He hadn't felt it much when fighting weaker opponents, but when fighting a true powerhouse, he could clearly feel it.

Fortunately, Na Yerin seemed to have escaped danger thanks to Yeomdo and was catching her breath.

"Hyoryong?"

Biryuyeon, who had leaped from the top of the cliff to the bottom in a single bound, asked urgently.

"…"

However, Yi Jinseol, who was holding Hyoryong in her arms and staring blankly, only looked at Hyoryong and gave no answer. Her guilt and sorrow, stemming from the fact that the man she had a crush on was in such a terrible state because of her, were so immense that she could say nothing.

Biryuyeon, feeling stifled just by watching, directly placed two fingers on Hyoryong's carotid artery.

"Hoo~."

Faintly, but thankfully, his pulse was beating. He felt a weak breath from his nose. The bleeding from his forehead had also stopped. It seemed the wound wasn't deep. Only then did Biryuyeon let out a sigh of relief and look around at his surroundings.

The fight between Yeomdo and Gongpa was still incredibly fierce. The ground was deeply dug, and gravel and dirt flew wildly through the air. The sound of sabers clashing echoed loudly within the canyon. And a short distance away, Na Yerin watched them with deep eyes.

"He's still reckless. He still hasn't fixed that hot temper… or perhaps he can never fix it?"

"Who are you talking about?"

Before she knew it, Na Yerin asked, turning at the sound of Biryuyeon's voice from behind her. She was now standing a step away from the arena, watching the four people's intense battle. Besides her, many other people were gathering to witness the duel between the ancient masters of a hundred years ago and the renowned masters of the current era. Everyone watched the fight with bated breath. Before their eyes, a battle of a higher realm, which they had to reach, was unfolding. Such high-level martial arts duels were not something that could be seen at any time. Perhaps that's why everyone's eyes were filled with tension.

"Well, who could it be?"

Biryuyeon, who had approached her side, grinned.

"Yerin, are you hurt?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

At her answer, Biryuyeon said with a relieved voice.

"That's a relief. At least they now have hope of returning alive from here."

If she had even a tiny scratch, she would have to be buried here, but Na Yerin couldn't quite understand Biryuyeon's words for a moment.

"This swordplay, this sword energy! It's sword energy I've seen somewhere before…"

Dong Banghak's face contorted slightly. He stared with thoughtful eyes at his own saber, which had just clashed with Ice Sword's, and his trembling hand from the impact. The old man had become like a scholar wandering in a labyrinth before an unsolvable problem.

It was strange. The young man who wielded twin swords earlier, and today, why were there so many traces of martial arts he had encountered before in this place? What's more, what he disliked even more was that both were the most terrifying martial arts that had once inflicted bitter defeat and indelible fear upon him.

The trace of the twin swords earlier was faint, like the saltiness of sea breeze mixed with the inland air, but this time, the scent was as distinct as standing on the deck of a ship in the middle of a blue ocean.

Despite the clear traces, the reason he couldn't clearly distinguish them at the moment the swords clashed and sparked was that Ice Sword's technique had undergone repeated improvements and changes over the years to suit him. And above all, the fact that this technique was incomplete further compounded the old man's confusion.

Dong Banghak was not the only one who felt this way. It seemed his long-time companion, Gongpa, felt the same.

"Who the hell are you guys?"

The two old men shouted simultaneously. The two old men looked at each other.

"Do you have any connection with Taeguk Singun…?"

Dong Banghak asked in a chilling voice, as if emanating from a bottomless abyss covered in ice.

"Wh-what? How?"

Yeomdo, startled, asked with wide eyes.

"Yeomdo!"

Ice Sword shouted. But it was too late. Only then did Yeomdo realize with an 'Ah!' that he had made a grave mistake. He had foolishly fallen for the enemy's leading question.

"Hehehe, as expected. As expected!"

Gongpa let out a sinister laugh, his jowls shaking slightly. It wasn't a pleasant sight. Dong Banghak's eyes shone with a deeper, colder light.

"Who are you?"

Ice Sword asked. He couldn't afford to neglect them, so his voice was filled with deep caution.

"If you are related to Taeguk Singun, you deserve to ask our names. I am Dong Banghak."

"Hehehe, I am Gongpa!"

Two fat and thin old men, a pair wielding swords and sabers. Up to this point, there would be dozens of people who fit this description. But if the names were Dong Banghak and Gongpa, the story was on a different level.

"S-surely you are not…"

Ice Sword, who was always calm and composed except when dealing with Yeomdo, was uncharacteristically agitated.

"Who are they? Ice block, do you know who those old guys are?"

Yeomdo urged from the side.

"Redhead! With hair covered in blood, you are too fearless relying on your meager skills!"

The old man who introduced himself as Gongpa shouted angrily.

*Snap!*

Yeomdo's temples twitched as if convulsing. Yeomdo, with veins popping on his forehead, couldn't contain his anger and was about to charge out when Ice Sword stopped him.

"Don't act rashly. They are not opponents you can easily defeat by rushing in blindly!"

Ice Sword's eyes were filled with unparalleled seriousness, and his gaze, sharp as a sword emanating from beneath his cyan eyebrows, trembled with caution. Seeing this utterly cold and unfeeling ice statue showing such tension and wariness was something he had never witnessed before, and Yeomdo felt a chilling sensation, as if he had been doused with cold water from head to toe in the middle of a snowy winter.

Indeed, what kind of beings were they that could agitate this heartless ice statue so much? The anger that had risen to the top of his head instantly cooled.

A gentle, yet cold smile formed on Dong Banghak's lips.

"Indeed! It's commendable that you seem to know who we are. It moves me to see that the fear we instilled has not yet withered and is sprouting. I am the Thunderous Demonic Sword, Dong Banghak. And this friend is my only acquaintance, the Remaining Thunderous Demonic Saber, Gongpa. In the past, a hundred years ago, people called us the Flying Thunder Twin Devils!"

At that moment, Biryuyeon's sharp gaze shot towards them and pierced them.

'Fei Lei? (Flying Thunder)'

Their introduction of themselves as the Flying Thunder Twin Devils sent Biryuyeon's time back five years, to that place. Within his pupils, hidden by his hair, fragments of reversed time unfolded across his retinas.