Book 28 Chapter 20
Yomdo and Binggeom vs. Gucheonhyeollyeo
—Horror! The Shaken Bingbaek Simgyeol
“Big Sister, is it really necessary for you to intervene directly? We’ll handle this.”
Hongryeon Seonja Danhye, the second wife, stepped forward and spoke. Bingryeon Seonja Saran, the third wife, quietly added her agreement.
“It doesn't seem like the Madam of the Shinma family needs to get involved in something like this.”
These words were nothing short of completely disregarding two top-tier experts renowned throughout the world. However, Yomdo and Binggeom did not retort or argue. It wasn't that they wouldn't, but that they couldn't. What arguments could they possibly have, having just struggled with only two of her daughters a moment ago?
Muwah shook her head at the words of her two younger sisters, who were concerned for her.
“I know well that my two sisters want me to rest. But these children, I will face them myself. I have a connection with these children, and it is I who must sever that connection.”
Gucheonhyeollyeo Muwah stood before Yomdo and Binggeom with a confident and dignified stride.
Seeing her, Yomdo and Binggeom swallowed dryly. This was a natural sign of their bodies shrinking back.
A touch of wistfulness appeared in her eyes as she looked at Yomdo and Binggeom.
“Thinking about it, it’s been a while since I’ve faced you two like this.”
Even though they were here to rescue their enemy, not a trace of hatred could be seen in her voice. Instead, there was a sense of longing.
“It has already been over twenty years since we last met.”
Binggeom replied respectfully, performing a polite bow. It had been that long since 'that person' ascended, and since the two of them emerged into the martial arts world.
“Has it already been that long? I must be getting old too.”
Binggeom waved his hand dismissively.
“Old? That’s an absolutely absurd thing to say. Although two cycles of nature’s change have passed, Great Madam, you are still as beautiful as ever. You haven’t changed at all from back then to now.”
These were words that could hardly be attributed to Binggeom, who was known for his usual cold and strict demeanor. After a brief silence, she heavily shook her head and spoke.
“No, I have changed. Things are too different from twenty years ago. My son, who was with me then, is not by my side now.”
At that moment, Yomdo and Binggeom couldn’t help but gasp. Their chests suddenly felt tight and heavy. The sadness she felt invaded their very beings like a river overflowing its banks.
“……”
The two dared not speak. What could they say? How could they comfort her?
The one who had taken her son away from her was, not anyone else, but their leader, a suspicion that had not been dispelled. In fact, they themselves were not sure if it was true or a conspiracy. Moreover, there wasn’t just one witness, but people in positions so high that no one could question the weight of their words.
Considering the loyalty that spanned two generations from Gamjung Hyuk and Gamjung Cheon to Geomma Choeol, it was highly unlikely that he would lie.
“Do you know the despair of a mother who has lost her child, the pain of a severed bond of kinship?”
“……”
Neither of them could answer. They couldn’t rashly answer something they didn’t know.
“Do you have children?”
“I am still unmarried.”
Yomdo replied. After a moment’s hesitation, Binggeom answered.
“…I have one daughter named Seolji.”
Muwah’s gaze turned to Binggeom.
“Is she a pretty child?”
Binggeom nodded emphatically, as if it were obvious.
“What father wouldn’t think his daughter is lovely and beautiful?”
Muwah’s piercing gaze seemed to look through Binggeom as she countered.
“Yes… Then, if someone had stabbed your daughter in the back and killed her, causing her to bleed out completely, and you saw her lying cold in a coffin, rotting away with a hole in her chest… How would you feel?”
Binggeom’s complexion instantly darkened. It was a question he absolutely did not want to think about, nor hear.
“……”
Binggeom did not answer. No, he couldn’t. Something he absolutely did not want to imagine, no, something that felt like it would drive him mad just by imagining it, began to gnaw at his heart.
He was terrified of the answer that would come next. He feared even more that if he answered now, he would no longer be able to refute her words.
“The heart-wrenching pain I am experiencing now… is a thousand, no, ten thousand times stronger than the feeling you have now.”
“……!”
Hearing her voice tremble slightly with pain, Binggeom suddenly felt the weight and sorrow. He was breathless, not from her aura, but from the pain transmitted to his heart.
“And yet, you would stand in my way?”
A stern voice struck Yomdo and Binggeom’s eardrums. For a moment, Yomdo felt as if his body had become immensely heavy. His mouth wouldn’t open easily. Binggeom’s complexion, in particular, was extremely pale and dark. But he had to speak.
‘Tsk!’
Yomdo, clicking his tongue inwardly, was the first to speak.
“I am truly sorry and regretful, but I have no children. I had someone I wanted to marry, but I couldn't. However, even if I don’t have children, I have disciples. They are like my own children, so I cannot back down, can I?”
Binggeom was greatly surprised by Yomdo’s unwavering resolve. This gave him the opportunity to speak.
“Something is definitely wrong. I, the Alliance Leader, he would never do such a cowardly act. There must be a mistake, some conspiracy!”
Gucheonhyeollyeo’s reaction was cold.
“Oh really? Whether there is a mistake or not, I will find out after I personally chop off the head of that villain and tear out his bones, and then ask the corpse!”
Further persuasion was meaningless. The two realized that they could never break her will with words alone.
“In that case, we cannot back down either. Please forgive us.”
Binggeom said calmly, quietly asking for forgiveness. His wavering heart seemed to have calmed down again. On the other hand, a cold, angry smile flickered across Muwah’s face.
“Forgive? Only the blood and flesh of that villain can be the last gift this mother can give to the child who preceded her. If you block my path, I will never forgive you, no matter who you are!”
The chilling aura that pricked their skin was enough to make them keenly feel the truth of that warning.
Yomdo and Binggeom drew upon their inner energy, tensing their bodies. Soon, the two were pushing themselves into an extreme state of combat readiness. The tension of facing a life-or-death enemy flashed across their faces.
“Ridiculous. Do you truly possess the skill to block my path? There’s no need to attack me one by one. It’s bothersome, so just come at me together like you used to!”
A joke?
This was no trivial matter. The profound, piercing gaze of her deep-set eyes spoke the truth.
Yomdo and Binggeom’s faces stiffened simultaneously. A corner of their hearts felt a sharp twinge.
It was not a wound from anger. It was an old wound accompanied by a poignant longing. A wound that had not even healed in twenty years.
Even after twenty years, she was saying the same thing to them. In front of her, the two of them were still just impulsive youngsters. But now, the connection from that time was of no use.
“We almost died back then. But……”
Yomdo muttered, his brow deeply furrowed. Shaking his shoulders as if to shake off a chilling memory, he took a bold step forward.
“We are not the children of that time anymore. I am enough on my own.”
Seeing him, Gucheonhyeollyeo frowned and sighed. She looked down on him.
“Are you truly capable, or do you simply not want to fight together?”
“Fighting together… I don’t want to.”
Yomdo said, scowling. The aura emanating from Muwah’s entire body was making him feel heavier.
“Fine, then you come at me first!”
*Fwoosh!*
As Yomdo unleashed his Hwaryeong Shen Gong to its maximum, his beloved saber, Hongyeom, ignited with flames of sword aura, burning fiercely red. An immense heat, incomparable to when he fought the twins, erupted from his saber. Hyo Rin and Hyo Jin frowned, realizing that they had conceded several moves to them.
*Whoosh!*
The air around Hongyeom’s blade was sucked in, and a blast of hot wind began to spew out. The hem of his red martial arts uniform fluttered like flames in a furnace.
“I’m going!”
Wrapped in a blast of hot wind, Yomdo stomped on the ground and lunged towards Gucheonhyeollyeo with terrifying speed, thrusting Hongyeom.
Jin Hong Ship Chil Yeon (True Red Seventeen Flames)
Geomyeomgi (Sword Flame Aura)
Oui (Secret Technique)
Yeolpung Hongryeon Chang (Hot Wind Red Lotus Spear)
The spear of flame, wrapped in a scorching hot wind that heated the skin, lunged towards Gucheonhyeollyeo’s face. While a thrust carries a great burden if it fails, it allows for much faster attacks than a slash. Yomdo chose a thrust, taking the risk for a quick victory.
*Woooong!*
Towards the spear of flame, which pierced with Yomdo’s sharp saber, Gucheonhyeollyeo stretched out her hand and simply grasped it.
“Hah!”
Yomdo was so astonished at the sight that his eyeballs nearly bulged out.
Muwah’s right hand, which had grasped the blazing spear of flame, shone black like obsidian.
She pulled her hand back, still holding the spear of flame.
*Crrraccckk!*
The flames imbued in her beloved saber Hongyeom were ripped away by Muwah’s hand. It was a sight that could only be described that way. The ripped flames scattered into tiny embers and dissipated.
*Paparak! Pshhh!*
As if its flames had been consumed, Hongyeom was clean.
“H-how can this be! The Geomyeomgi…!”
Yomdo was utterly shocked.
For him, Geomyeomgi was both a sword to defeat enemies and a shield to protect himself.
This scorching heat made it easy to get burned just by getting close, preventing people from approaching carelessly. It was no exaggeration to say that the true power of Jin Hong Ship Chil Yeon came from this sword and shield, Geomyeomgi. Yet, in front of Muwah, those flames had lost their meaning.
Yomdo suddenly felt as if his limbs had been severed.
“You idiot! Look ahead!”
At Binggeom’s urgent shout, Yomdo snapped back to reality, but by then, the world was spinning.
*Tok!*
Muwah’s right foot had struck his ankle. It was a light movement, like a woman dipping her toes into a stream, but its power was truly astonishing.
Feeling a shock as if his ankle were breaking, Yomdo twisted his body to straighten himself. He managed to regain his balance, but his left foot, which had been struck, ached intensely.
*Wobble,* Yomdo’s left knee buckled.
The next moment, Muwah’s merciless right hand shot towards his face like lightning, grasping his skull.
“It is finished.”
A brief farewell. Nine strands of dark energy flickered behind Muwah. It was the same technique she had used recently to take the life of the color demon king Cho Un-rok in the mountains and turn him to dust.
“Khuugh!”
Yomdo screamed as he felt his vital energy rapidly draining through his Cheonryeonggae. His body trembled like it had been struck by lightning.
“Kraaaaaaaah!”
The pain was like being stabbed by ten thousand needles all over his body.
‘Am I… going to die like this?’
His consciousness was fading away.
“—Hee (姬)!”
He heard someone call out from afar. In his fading consciousness, Yomdo bristled.
“Don’t call me that, you bastard!”
At that moment, his distant consciousness snapped back. Suddenly, it felt like the surrounding objects were lunging at him, and everything became bright.
By now, Muwah’s hand, which had been grasping his Cheonryeonggae, had fallen away. And between him and Muwah stood a swordsman with silvery-blue hair holding a blue sword emitting white cold. Seeing his back, Yomdo scowled.
He felt displeased. The fact that he had been saved by Binggeom.
“You ice-cold bastard! I told you not to call me that, didn’t I?!”
Then, Binggeom replied without looking back at him.
“You owe me a debt. Don’t forget it.”
Yomdo scowled even deeper and yelled.
“Don’t worry! I won’t forget it, even if I’m being petty! Anyway… you did something unnecessary, but I’ll thank you for now.”
Yomdo grumbled and tried to get up. *Wobble,* his body swayed again and he began to fall. He had no strength left in his body after having his vital energy drained by Gucheonhyeollyeo.
“Whoa, you don’t even have the strength to stand, do you? Shall I support you, Hee?”
Binggeom asked mockingly as he looked at the swaying Yomdo. Yomdo, his face turning red and blue, rose up in anger.
“I told you not to call me that! I’d rather die than be supported by you!”
By now, Yomdo was standing tall in the same spot, as if his earlier wobbling had been a lie.
“Are you going to fight alone too? You’re still alive, so you can attack together again.”
However, Binggeom shook his head and said.
“He fought alone, so I can’t fight together by myself.”
“Him… do you consider him a friend?”
“Of course not.”
Binggeom shook his head violently again.
“You will regret it.”
It was unclear whether he meant they would regret fighting alone, or regret saying they weren't friends.
“I will test my own capabilities.”
Binggeom raised his beloved sword ‘Bingbaek Ruhwan (Ice Soul Tear Illusion)’ in the middle of the stage. It was a blue sword, so long that it was usually called ‘Bingru (Ice Tear)’ or ‘Bingbaek (Ice Soul)’. His master liked the name Bingru, but he preferred Bingbaek. Bingru was too feminine a name. And he disliked tears.
Binggeom bent his body like a bow and then thrust forward, stomping on the ground with the technique of Gongsin Tanjeng (Drawing the Bow and Firing the Shadow). Like a shot arrow, his figure lunged towards Muwah.
His movement technique was much faster than Yomdo’s. And he could freely control his movement technique.
“You’re quite fast, but do you think this clumsy attack will work?”
Faced with Binggeom’s charging momentum, she didn’t even bat an eyebrow and extended her black-glowing hand. Her black-glowing right hand pierced directly into Binggeom’s heart.
“……!”
But at that moment, Binggeom’s figure disappeared like snow scattering in the wind. By now, Binggeom’s figure had appeared behind Muwah. It was the footwork Seolpungbo (Snow Wind Step), a combination of afterimages and clones.
“I already knew that!”
He knew it wouldn't work to attack from the front.
*Whoooooosh!*
From Binggeom’s sword, Bingbaek, strands of extreme cold sword aura erupted, piercing Gucheonhyeollyeo’s entire body. But the next moment, her afterimage had disappeared from the spot.
“Then, did you also know this? That I, too, can move.”
The voice came from right behind him. By now, Muwah had turned behind him.
Binggeom moved at high speed, stepping three times and changing direction, but he couldn’t shake off Muwah.
“This game of tag ends here!”
Muwah’s hand shot out, aiming to grab his collar.
Binggeom frantically spun his body at high speed and swung his sword in all directions.
Bingryeong Suryu Geom (Ice Spirit Water Flow Sword)
Geomhangi (Sword Cold Aura)
Guminaejolcho (Life Saving Ultimate Move) Oui (Secret Technique)
Bingryeong Ji Sun (Ice Spirit’s Shield)
As he unfurled a sword curtain with sword aura of extreme cold, a shield of ice instantly enveloped his entire body.
His swordsmanship was originally specialized more in defense than offense. No matter what attack came from any direction, this shield, woven with hundreds of strands of extreme cold sword aura, would not be pierced.
However, Muwah unhesitatingly thrust her hand into the net-like sword aura. It looked like a suicidal act of saying ‘take my hand off.’
But the next moment.
The shield of ice shattered like a broken ceramic dish on the floor. Unable to withstand the repulsive force of the destruction, the impact was transmitted entirely to Binggeom, shaking him internally.
“H-how can this be……”
By now, his sword was held in Muwah’s hand, which shone with a faint ink-black glow. To have his sword caught while it was fully unfurled was an unparalleled humiliation for a swordsman.
At the same time, his vital energy began to rapidly drain through his sword.
‘Is this the power of the Daebeop Absorbing Stars!’
Daebeop Absorbing Stars (Hwaseongdaebeop)! A martial art that absorbs the opponent’s vital energy and makes it one’s own. It is said to be extremely difficult to learn, and almost impossible to master, a legendary martial art.
His inner energy began to drain rapidly, as if a hole had been punched in his dantian. No, it wasn’t just vital energy. It was his very life.
Unable to withstand the shock to his internal organs, Binggeom coughed up blood.
‘Was my twenty years of rigorous training only this much… Was the title of Cheonhao Geomsu just an empty name…?’
Even if he tried to let go of his sword, it wouldn’t come off, as if glued. His body was beyond his control. The power to take or spare his life had passed to another.
“You idiot! You were boasting, and look at you now!”
A wheel of flame, enveloped in Hongyeom, flew through the air.
Jin Hong Ship Chil Yeon (True Red Seventeen Flames)
Geomyeomgi (Sword Flame Aura)
Shin (New) Oui (Secret Technique)
Bido (Flying Sword) Hwalun Cham (Fire Wheel Slash)
As Muwah held Binggeom’s sword, the wheel of flame would have cut off her arm. Muwah lightly released the sword she was holding.
Then, unable to withstand the momentum, Binggeom retreated five steps. His body, which had lost the strength in his legs and was about to collapse, did not fall but stood. Someone’s hand had caught his shoulder, supporting him.
“Hey, be more careful! You almost bumped into me?”
Yomdo grumbled, still holding Binggeom’s shoulder with one hand.
“Flying sword technique… for you, you’re using something you rarely use.”
Binggeom said, glancing at Hongyeom, which had returned to Yomdo’s hand.
“I’ve done some research because of someone. It’s not finished yet, but it should be enough to save one life like yours.”
That someone was, of course, Biryuyeon. Frankly, he used the flying sword technique because he was afraid of getting close.
“I don’t want to admit it, but thanks to you, I’m alive. I thought it would work out, unlike you.”
As he wiped the blood from his lips, his silvery-blue sleeve turned red.
“With this, the debt is repaid. It’s good that I could repay it so quickly.”
Yomdo said in a gruff tone. Yomdo was satisfied just with the fact that the debt accumulated with this ice-cold bastard had been settled.
“By the way, how long are you going to hold on? This hand?”
Binggeom said, pointing at Yomdo’s hand as if he had seen something unpleasant.
“Hmph, do you think I want to hold it?! I’m only holding it because you’ll bump into me if you fall! You’re boasting about yourself when you can’t even stand properly!”
Yomdo’s face flushed with anger, and he quickly pulled his hand away.
“Don’t worry! I can stand properly now.”
Muwah sighed, watching him.
“You two are fighting even at this moment when your lives are hanging by a thread. Fine, fine. Since it’s no use, come at me all at once now.”
Yomdo and Binggeom looked at each other with serious, 고민ed expressions. Clear signs of reluctance were etched on their faces. However, the two knew well that continuing to hold onto their pride would only be a disservice to themselves.
Because it was her, of all people.
However, neither of them wanted to speak first. They didn’t want to be the one to suggest fighting together. This was the last of their pride, or stubbornness.
“Um… Hey, Ice-boy? I thought for a moment, this is strictly her order, so it’s not our own will, right?”
Binggeom’s eyes gleamed for a moment.
“If you put it that way, then it is.”
“So, it’s definitely not our will, but since she’s an elder like our Master’s wife, we have to obey her orders, don’t we?”
“What’s wrong with you, saying something so right? Indeed, we absolutely have no intention of doing so, but if it’s her order, we have no choice but to follow.”
“So, it’s unavoidable?”
Yomdo stepped forward, holding Hongyeom at an angle, and stood beside Binggeom.
“It’s unavoidable.”
Binggeom said, raising his sword while meeting Muwah’s gaze. And then, simultaneously, he said.
“We’ve kept you waiting!”
“It takes a really long time to fight together. Was it that great of a thing?”
She had had opportunities to attack multiple times but had held back. Yomdo and Binggeom said with a resolute resolve.
“If we lose after coming this far, what will we have to say? Kill us or let us live, do as you please.”
Gucheonhyeollyeo Muwah finally nodded and exclaimed.
“Good, now it feels like a real fight! Fight with all your might so you have no regrets even in the afterlife!”
‘My throat is dry…’
Binggeom felt his throat parched with thirst.
Was the act of breathing this difficult?
Binggeom could feel the presence of death up close, a presence he had long forgotten. Perhaps it wasn’t just him alone. Seeing Yomdo’s face, usually as red as a jujube, turned pale, his situation seemed no better, if not worse.
‘It was a miscalculation!’
Binggeom realized belatedly.
‘Even if we fight together, we can’t change the outcome.’
They were already secretly bound by dozens of intangible forces released by Gucheonhyeollyeo. Their current state was like that of a butterfly caught in a spiderweb before it could even swing its sword once. Defeat was a foregone conclusion like this.
Countless cracks were forming in his ironclad composure, which had boasted of its resilience like a giant iceberg floating in the North Sea. Fear and terror began to seep through these cracks.
‘I can’t believe it. My Bingbaek Simgyeol is wavering…’
Bingbaek Simgyeol was a mind technique with the spiritual ability to maintain unwavering composure. Composure allows for calm judgment in any situation and brings the power to respond appropriately. But now, that icy heart was about to shatter. When Bingbaek Simgyeol was broken, the power of Bingryeong Suryu Geom was reduced to one-fifth of its usual strength. Yomdo, too, despite his loud pronouncements earlier, had become similarly stiffened when facing her again.
‘I have to do something…’
Binggeom gritted his teeth and sent a telepathic message to Yomdo.
“Hey, Hee! Can you hear me?”
As soon as he heard it, a response came back.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?! You cold-blooded ice-boy!”
Yomdo’s outburst of anger struck Binggeom’s eardrums through the telepathic message.
“The fact that you can get so agitated means your body has become a bit more free.”
“Huh? Come to think of it… that’s right.”
The anger over the nickname seemed to have momentarily erupted, allowing him to overcome Gucheonhyeollyeo’s pressure.
‘I seem to have learned bad wisdom from my young master…’
It was a method he would never have used before. But he wasn’t completely freed yet.
Binggeom continued to send telepathic messages to Yomdo.
“So, you see…”
As Binggeom spoke, Yomdo’s expression kept changing, from relaxed to furrowed to distorted.
“It was thanks to you a moment ago that I had this thought.”
“Hmph, it’s a surprise that you say it’s thanks to me!”
Yomdo’s gruff retort returned. Because he felt offended, the pressure from Muwah seemed to lessen slightly.
“Miraculously, such things happen occasionally. I couldn’t believe it myself.”
“What? Are you done?”
With those last words, the stiffness completely melted away.
“I’m done. Remember what I said.”
This was the time to counterattack.
*Fwoosh!*
Binggeom’s beloved sword Bingbaek shot out like an arrow. Muwah dodged his flying sword with a small movement, just shrugging her shoulder. However, the launched Binggeom sword continued to circle in the air and soared upwards.
“Yi Gi Eo Geom Sul (Control Sword with Qi)!”
The fourth son, Hyo Rin, exclaimed in admiration.
Yi Gi Eo Geom Sul.
A supreme sword technique that controls the sword at will using inner energy. Furthermore, Binggeom’s Yi Gi Eo Geom Sul was not at the introductory level of simply controlling the sword with inner energy.
“Pour down! Bingbaek!”
The sword, imbued with extremely cold sword aura shining in a silvery-blue color, split into dozens in mid-air, raining down icy spears.
Bingryeong Suryu Geom (Ice Spirit Water Flow Sword)
Geomhangi (Sword Cold Aura)
Sang Keup (Intermediate Level) Oui (Secret Technique)
Yi Gi Eo Geom Ji Sul (Art of Sword Control with Qi)
Bing Pok Yu (Ice Downpour)
As Bingbaek, which had soared into the sky, exploded with condensed extreme cold sword aura, dozens of ice spears rained down on Gucheonhyeollyeo.
“Don’t you dare get ahead of yourself, you ice-boy!”
*Fwoosh!*
Yomdo’s saber, which had been in an attacking stance, began to flicker with flames.
Jin Hong Ship Chil Yeon (True Red Seventeen Flames)
Geomyeomgi (Sword Flame Aura)
Shin (New) Sang Keup (Advanced Level) Oui (Secret Technique)
Bi Cha (Flying Chariot) Hwalun Ram (Fire Wheel Storm)
Yomdo swung his arm wide and threw the blazing Hongyeom.
*Shwaaaaccckk!*
Hongyeom, leaving Yomdo’s hand, transformed into a giant red lotus wheel and rolled towards Gucheonhyeollyeo at furious speed. Anything placed in front of this giant wheel of fire seemed destined to be completely burned and crushed into blackness. Its power was incomparable to what he had shown before, a terrifying momentum like a chariot of flame ridden by the God of Flame attacking the enemy.
*KWA-GOOOOOOOOONG!*
The energies of ice and fire fiercely collided in one place, generating immense steam. The explosive force caused dust to rise like clouds.
It was truly rare for Geomhangi and Geomyeomgi to be poured towards a single target. Its power was truly formidable.
“Wow, did we go too far?”
Yomdo muttered, looking at the rising clouds of dust and steam.
They were no longer the little youngsters of the past. Just because they couldn’t win then didn’t mean they couldn’t win now, did it? Perhaps they had deified their past memories too much.
However, Binggeom’s expression remained cautious.
“I don’t know? It might have been insufficient. Can’t you see their faces?”
Binggeom pointed towards Danhye and Saran, and their daughters.
“……!”
Yomdo, turning his gaze towards them, was startled and stiffened. They were gazing at the spot where Gucheonhyeollyeo had been standing with calm, unwavering eyes.
At that moment, their gazes met with Saran, the third wife. With eyes holding immeasurable wisdom, she looked at them.
Her transparent, unwavering pupils, which seemed to reveal the purification of ten thousand years of ice and snow, felt like sharp ice spears piercing one’s heart, shattering all illusions. Binggeom was so shocked that his heart felt like it was freezing just by looking at her.
‘Are those eyes… perhaps Bing Sim An (Ice Heart Eye)?’
Bing Sim An (Ice Heart Eye). Or Bingbaek Sim An (Ice Soul Heart Eye).
A state of absolute composure like a ten-thousand-year ice crystal and a cold, sharp insight as piercing as an ice blade. However, the reason Binggeom was surprised was elsewhere.
‘No way…’
As doubts welled up in Binggeom’s heart like a spring, Saran, with her transparent gaze that seemed to pierce his mind, sent him a telepathic message.
“You seem to have plenty of time. Do you really think this much can stop His footsteps even by one step? How foolish, how foolish indeed.”
Although it was a quiet resonance without ups and downs, it held a calmness that never wavered, like a mirror-like lake.
Binggeom, his face tensed by that cold resonance, looked at the place where Gucheonhyeollyeo had stood.
Then, Yomdo and Binggeom’s eyes widened.
Where the steam and dust had cleared, Gucheonhyeollyeo’s figure was revealed.
Astonishingly, she had not been pierced by the ice spears, nor crushed by the wheel of fire.
Binggeom’s beloved sword Bingbaek, which had rained down like dozens of ice spears, was in her right hand, and Yomdo’s beloved saber Hongyeom, which had turned into a wheel of fire and tried to crush her, was in her left hand. Now, her hands were emitting a black radiance far more powerful than before. Conversely, the energy imbued in Hongyeom and Bingbaek had vanished as if washed away. Her posture, standing there without taking a single step back, was without any wavering. She was unblemished, without any damage.
“How can this be…!”
“Unbelievable!”
Two exclamations of shock burst simultaneously from the frozen Yomdo and Binggeom.
‘How can such a foolish thing happen?!’
The two had given their all just now.
Even if they hadn’t died, they had expected to suffer serious injuries, so the sight of her, completely unharmed, was an immense shock to Yomdo and Binggeom. Muwah, holding the red saber and the blue sword, looked at Binggeom and said in a calm voice.
“It’s better than your pathetic state earlier. The countermeasure to Gu Ryeon Hyeop Seong Gyeol (Nine Consecutive Absorbing Star Art). Did you come up with it?”
As their gazes met, Binggeom flinched involuntarily and replied.
“Yes.”
“Sword control… it wasn’t a bad idea. If it doesn’t make direct contact, the vital energy won’t be absorbed.”
Muwah said, holding out Hongyeom and Bingbaek, which were held in her hands, to them.
“If it were a little sharper, it might have wounded the skin, not just the clothes.”
Gucheonhyeollyeo said, lifting her sleeves. Her sleeves were roughly torn, as if they had been slashed.
“I never imagined… you would be able to catch them…”
That was Binggeom’s honest feeling.
“It’s a type of Hwan Geom (Phantom Sword) anyway, so if you see through its true form, it’s not impossible to catch it with Muk Rin Hyeon Cheon Soo (Ink Scale Heaven Hand). And this fire wheel, with its simple trajectory and brute force, is even more so. What is this, anyway? This half-baked unfinished technique?”
As Muwah’s gaze shifted from Binggeom to him, Yomdo’s face turned extremely red with shame.
“S-sorry.”
He said it reflexively. He couldn’t understand why he had to be scolded by the opponent in the midst of a life-and-death battle, and why he didn’t feel any dissatisfaction about it.
“Take them.”
Muwah threw Hongyeom and Bingbaek, which she was holding, to Yomdo and Binggeom. As the two caught the flying saber and sword, they asked with puzzled faces.
“What is this… Are you letting us go?”
Then Muwah shook her head and said.
“Don’t misunderstand. How could the mistress of the Shinma family take the lives of children without weapons?”
In other words, she meant for them to pick up their weapons and try again.
Still, the attack just now had been effective, so Yomdo and Binggeom felt a glimmer of hope. Was she reading their minds? Muwah looked at the two with deep eyes and spoke quietly.
“Don’t be too happy. You don’t think my martial arts are limited to Gu Ryeon Hyeop Seong Gyeol, do you?”
*Flustered!* Her words struck their eardrums like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
“As a reward for cutting my sleeves, I will teach you why the name of my epithet includes the word ‘Nine Heavens’.”
Then, looking at her daughters standing there, she commanded.
“Sword!”
Then, Gal Hyo In, the eldest daughter of the Shinma Pal Seon Ja, who had been silently watching the fight, opened the rectangular box on her back and took out a long, stick-like object wrapped in cloth. Hyo In held it respectfully with both hands, approached, carefully unwrapped it, and presented it to Muwah.
“Th-that is…”
Yomdo and Binggeom, who were tense, expecting some fearsome divine weapon to appear, opened their eyes wide. The object, wrapped in layers, was a wooden sword with a black body.
“…Isn’t that a wooden sword?”
It was a slightly curved black wooden sword, without even a sword guard.
“Yes, it is called Hyeoncheon Muk Geom (Black Heaven Ink Sword). It’s been decades since I’ve taken this out to face an enemy.”
Muwah said with a wistful gaze, lifting the black wooden sword, Hyeoncheon Muk Geom.
“Haven’t you heard from your master? That my specialty is swordsmanship?”
This was news to them. However, the two of them had no time to respond.
The presence of Gucheonhyeollyeo, standing before them with Hyeoncheon Muk Geom in hand, evoked the image of a vast night sky. Just her stance alone revealed what an extraordinary sword master she was.
“Gu Ryeon Hyeop Seong Gyeol is merely the Oui of Buk Myeong Hyeon Hae Shen Gong (Northern Darkness Abyss Sea Divine Skill), the Fourth Heaven of Gu Cheon Hyeon Hyun Shen Gong (Nine Heavens Profound Divine Skill). Now, I will show you the eighth heaven, the Sword Heaven, and its sword skill, Gu Cheon Hyeon Nyu Ji Geom (Gucheonhyeollyeo’s Sword)!”
And then, she added as if to the two frozen figures.
“You can brag about it in the afterlife, having died under the sword skill of Gu Cheon Hyeon Nyu, of Sword Heaven!”