Too Old

When Gyo-ha reached the riverbank, he got down on all fours and shook his body to fling off the water.
At the bizarre behavior, the people on the other side of the river startled and made space.
After that, Namgung Jin-yeong also climbed up onto the bank.
Unlike Gyo-ha, he closed his eyes.
A moment later, steam rose, and his clothes dried.
Gyo-ha’s eyes sparkled.
He vibrated his Qi and raised his temperature in an instant.
It was an advanced feat that couldn’t even be compared to protective aura.
So a peak martial artist could do even that. He was impressed.
Namgung Jin-yeong noticed Gyo-ha’s look too, but there was no time to leisurely explain.

“If you’ve caught your breath, let’s go.”

They had only just barely taken a breather.
Of course, considering Gyo-ha’s stamina, he could recover even while running.
But Gyo-ha shook his head.

“There’s no need.”
“Hm?”

It was different from when they crossed the river. Gyo-ha slowly turned his head.

“Looks like that bastard’s target was me.”

The foul stench was getting closer and closer.
Gyo-ha licked his lips.
Namgung Jin-yeong, who had been puzzled, lifted his head.
Namgung Jin-yeong stared beyond the hill.
“…A chilling presence.”

It was similar to what he had felt from those once called demonic men.
But unlike before, ease returned to Namgung Jin-yeong’s expression.
The enemy was coming back.
There was still quite a distance to the Wuhan branch.
That meant Namgung Hyeok and the Medicine Hall Chief were safe. Soon, one figure appeared over the hill.

“…Hwan.”

An unfamiliar name slipped from Namgung Jin-yeong’s mouth.
As expected, the one who appeared was the Martial Prowess Unit Leader.
Watching him walk up slowly, Gyo-ha clicked his tongue.

“…Looks like you’ve gotten used to it now.”

It wasn’t like last time, when even his gait had been awkward.
A gait that looked strangely familiar.
Each step carried the subtlety of advanced mastery.
But he realized something was off.

“That footwork, is it the martial art the unit leader used?”
“No.”

Namgung Jin-yeong answered shortly.
Namgung Jin-yeong’s face had hardened stiffly.
The Martial Prowess Unit Leader had been proud of the Namgung Clan.
It was unthinkable that he would use a different martial art.
Gyo-ha could see the answer.

“…Is it one of the martial arts that bastard’s past owners had?”

It meant it didn’t just move bodies around, it even carried its owners’ memories.
The Martial Prowess Unit Leader who had walked up stared at Gyo-ha.
He didn’t even spare Namgung Jin-yeong a glance.

[…You’re not… the spider.]

A metallic voice spilled from the Martial Prowess Unit Leader’s mouth.
Hearing it, Namgung Jin-yeong could be sure. The opponent wasn’t human.

[Where… is… the spider?]

For a different reason than Namgung Jin-yeong, goosebumps rose on Gyo-ha too.

“…You can even talk properly now?”

The sword’s voice sounded clearer than before.
It wasn’t just remembering martial arts.
It had learned language too.

“Get out of that child’s body at once.”

Terrifying killing intent poured out of Namgung Jin-yeong.
It was also anger at himself.
He too had dismissed Gyo-ha’s words. If he had trusted them and warned him, the unit leader would’ve been cautious as well.
Whether he believed it or not, the unit leader was not someone who would disobey Namgung Jin-yeong.
But that hadn’t happened.
And so he was being controlled by some monster like this.
Only then did the unit leader turn his gaze to Namgung Jin-yeong.

[Strong. But… too… old.]

He was not suitable as a host.
Understanding the meaning, Namgung Jin-yeong’s face twisted violently.
At the same time, a sword was drawn from its scabbard.

Boundless Firmament Sword Art.
Firmament Calamity Thunder.

Thunder Qi struck down from above, on a whole different level than Namgung Hyeok’s.
It was truly like lightning.
Kwajijijijijik!
Yellow Thunder Qi sprayed in all directions.
In an instant, the surrounding air burned, and black smoke rose.
Namgung Jin-yeong stared through the smoke.
The one who noticed the abnormality was Gyo-ha.

“Watch out!”

And before Gyo-ha even finished speaking, Namgung Jin-yeong reacted.
A streak of light shot through the smoke.
Namgung Jin-yeong’s eyebrow twitched as he raised his sword to block.
At the same time, blood sprayed from his shoulder and side.

“That thing’s sword can cut even fog.”

Gyo-ha added from the side.
Thanks to dodging quickly, Gyo-ha was unharmed.
At Gyo-ha’s warning, Namgung Jin-yeong nodded.
He could gauge its power from a single strike.
The Protective Aura Qi Namgung Jin-yeong had built over a lifetime tore like paper.
Even if one of the Twelve Heavens stepped in, they wouldn’t be able to tear it that easily.
But there was another reason Namgung Jin-yeong furrowed his brow.

“Not just the footwork, even the sword contains the Nine Palaces.”

The Nine Palaces principle that applies the Central Palace and the Eight Trigrams to the Eight Gates.
There was no way Namgung Jin-yeong wouldn’t notice it.
Many Taoist sects fused the Nine Palaces principle into their martial arts.
But it was difficult to embed that intent into a single sword strike.
Martial arts capable of that were few and far between.
A famed art under heaven.
And here in Hubei, there was a sect that possessed such an art.

“Wudang.”

That name slipped from Gyo-ha’s mouth.
The ones who had moved Gyo-ha and Namgung Hyeok to the Beggars’ Union and left.
Their faces came to mind.
Could something have happened to them?
In the meantime, the unit leader moved. Girik, girik.
Namgung Jin-yeong leveled his sword at the unit leader.
His gaze sank coldly.

“You’re using a Mystic Art in a Namgung body.”

The Namgung Clan’s symbol was thunder.
Zhen (震) among the Eight Trigrams.
One of nature’s pure forces.
Namgung Jin-yeong fired off a single sword strike. The unit leader swung his sword again.
Kwajik.
With lightning, red energy rained down in all directions.

“It’s not even Mystic Qi, nor Thunder Qi.”

A sigh slipped from Namgung Jin-yeong.
In the end, the martial art the unit leader was using was only half-baked.
But that half couldn’t be ignored.
The sword swung again.
Wrinkles formed at the corners of Namgung Jin-yeong’s eyes as he blocked.
At that moment, Gyo-ha hurled himself at the unit leader.
Koong!
With the impact, the unit leader was shoved back.
Anger rose in Namgung Jin-yeong’s eyes.
Did he not trust him?
Just as he was about to reprimand him, Gyo-ha spoke first.

“That guy. His movements are changing.”

What was changing?
Before Namgung Jin-yeong could fully realize it, another attack flew in.
Namgung Jin-yeong’s beard trembled as he blocked.
A sensation crawling up through his hand.

‘He mixed in Thunder Qi?’

It was a force he had honed his entire life. He couldn’t fail to recognize it.
Only then did the unit leader come into focus again.
It wasn’t just mixing in Thunder Qi.
It was crude, but the move was close to the Boundless Firmament Sword Art.
Only then did Namgung Jin-yeong understand why Gyo-ha had stepped in.
That thing was still adapting.
The unit leader swung his sword again.
Each blow was on par with, or even surpassed, Namgung Jin-yeong’s.
The only difference was that thing’s power had no end.
If anything, it grew more intense than at first.
And the reason was the Thunder Qi that was mixed in.
It was different from Wudang’s internal energy.
The reason Buddhist and Taoist martial arts represented the orthodox.
Mystic Qi, like Buddhist Qi, carried a nature that repelled evil and demons.
That was also why they had contributed the most in past wars against the Demon Cult.
But Thunder Qi was different.
Because it was pure, it mixed easily with other forces.
As proof, that thing’s sinister aura grew even stronger.
A body that handled Mystic Qi had been nothing but a restraint to it.
But now it had thrown off even that restraint.
If that thing even reached the unit leader’s realm in swordsmanship?

‘Even I would have trouble handling it.’

If the Sword Saint Namgung Jin-yeong couldn’t handle it, it would be the same for everyone else.
Only the Twelve Heavens would be able to suppress it.
How much damage would happen in the meantime?

“You’ll have to watch your own body.”

It meant Namgung Jin-yeong couldn’t spare attention for him.

“Of course.”

Gyo-ha nodded as if it were obvious.
At that sight, the corner of Namgung Jin-yeong’s mouth lifted.

‘To think at my age, I’d be matching rhythm with a young brat.’

He never imagined it.
Even as he thought that, his body was already moving.
Kwajijijijijik!
Lightning crashed down from his sword.
The unit leader raised his sword to block.
But the sprayed Thunder Qi scorched the unit leader’s body in several places.
Even with Thunder Qi in him, it was hard for the unit leader to endure Namgung Jin-yeong’s Thunder Qi.
Gyo-ha slipped into the gap.

Red Blossom Palm.

A vortex stormed out from Gyo-ha’s palm.
Kwaang!
But the one who got knocked back was Gyo-ha.
He had swatted it away with his fist.

‘Still a monster.’

He frowned at the throbbing impact.
Even Gyo-ha’s monstrous strength was useless in front of it.
At that sight, Namgung Jin-yeong’s gaze sank too.
He too knew Gyo-ha’s monstrous strength well.
And yet Gyo-ha was overpowered.
Then the unit leader’s sword stained red.
Sensing danger, Gyo-ha hurriedly pushed himself up.

“Leave it.”

Namgung Jin-yeong stepped forward. He too knew the momentum from the unit leader’s sword was no ordinary thing.
So he drew out his greatest strength.
A move Gyo-ha had experienced before.
An advanced martial art you could hardly even call swordsmanship.

Emperor Sword Form.

His sword covered the sky.
Then a red sword swam through the sky.
At that sight, Gyo-ha’s eyes trembled.
Different.
The sword unleashed from the unit leader’s hand was different from any swordsman Gyo-ha had met.
It felt like a different being.
The force riding the sword was the same.
But Namgung Jin-yeong’s sword was also different from what Gyo-ha had seen before.
A single sword meant not to teach, but to kill the opponent.
Of course it couldn’t be the same.
The unreal sword exchange deafened him and blinded him.
Even with his eyes, it was hard for Gyo-ha to dare contain it.
Soon the light vanished, and the sound exploded a beat later.
Kwagagagagagagang!
The shock shoved Gyo-ha’s body backward.
And at the center of it, the two were glaring at each other.
Namgung Jin-yeong and the unit leader.
The first to lower his head was Namgung Jin-yeong.

“Kuheok.”

Blood flowed from his mouth.

“Grandpa Sword!”

Gyo-ha rushed to his side.

“I’m fine.”

After calming Gyo-ha, Namgung Jin-yeong spoke while looking at the unit leader.

“It was more dangerous than I expected.”

When Namgung Jin-yeong finished, the unit leader moved his feet.
One step.
At that moment, the unit leader’s body swayed.
Hududuk
Blood poured out belatedly.
A diagonal gash split from his neck down to his side.

“To think I wouldn’t be able to cut him down.”

Namgung Jin-yeong looked at the unit leader with a shocked expression.
But that was all.
The unit leader’s wound was close to fatal.
If he were human, that is.

[Kkigigigigigigigigi.]

A grotesque noise burst from his mouth.
Soon, the blade turned red and bulging like blood vessels.
His hand was being eaten by the sword.
At the same time, his body was recovering rapidly.
At that sight, even Namgung Jin-yeong showed revulsion.
But Gyo-ha didn’t just watch.
In an instant, he leapt and stepped in.
His shoulder drew back with force.
The unit leader tried to raise his sword urgently, but his body didn’t move in time.
Then Gyo-ha’s fist fired like a rocket.

Radiant Burst Strike.

Kwaang!
The unit leader’s body flew like a scrap of paper.
The unit leader staggered as he got back up.
But Gyo-ha’s knee followed after him.
At that moment.
The unit leader thrust out his other hand.
Pajijik.
At the Thunder Qi shooting out of his hand, Gyo-ha furrowed his brow.

“This too…”

What was it?
The answer came from the side.

“It’s the main house’s esteemed Heavenly Thunder Three Palms.”

He knew it.
He had seen it from Namgung Hyeok too. But the power was different.
And that wasn’t what Gyo-ha meant.

“This isn’t the time to be proud.”

Handling martial arts had become natural now.

“…Right.”

Namgung Jin-yeong’s sword, leaping in an instant, drove into the unit leader’s neck.

“If cutting won’t do, then I’ll have to sever it. Let’s see if it still moves without a head.”

Girik, girik.
As the sword dug into his neck, a sound like metal being cut rang out.
The sword had already sunk in an inch and a half.
It didn’t stop there, it kept pushing forward, little by little.
The unit leader’s face turned.
Eyes with no focus.
The veins rising all over his face were not human.

[Insolent… human… bastards!]

The unit leader’s face twisted grotesquely.
Soon, a sinister aura exploded from the unit leader’s body.