Let’s Forget It.

Hududuk.
Blood dripped onto the ground.
Gyo-ha, who had staggered back, tilted his head.
More than pain, confusion rose up.

‘I thought I dodged.’

Seeing Gyo-ha like that, Jeokyang Hu lifted the corner of his mouth.

“That repays the debt.”

He meant what he took from the earlier attack. He blocked it, but the shock split his mouth.
The type who had to pay it back the moment he took it.
Even for something trivial.
Jeokyang Hu took his stance again.
Jeokyang Hu angled his sword. A haze rose from the black blade.

Black Nether Killing Sword.
Nether Yin Flash.

The sword shot toward Gyo-ha. This time, he didn’t dodge. He thrust out his fist.
But the result was the same.
Before Gyo-ha’s fist could even touch the blade, something sharp cut across his arm.

‘…Is it too fast to see?’

No.
The attack itself wasn’t that fast. Then why couldn’t he block it?
Jeokyang Hu didn’t give Gyo-ha time to think.
Another attack followed.
He pressed in savagely.
Gyo-ha stopped trying to attack and dodged this way and that.
And each time, the wounds only increased.

“How long are you going to do nothing but run!”

Even at Jeokyang Hu’s shout, Gyo-ha didn’t react.

“…Just a little.”
“Hm?”

At Gyo-ha’s mutter, Jeokyang Hu furrowed his brow.

“Just a little, just a little more.”
“What are you talk……”

Had he gone delirious because things were bad?
Looking closely, even his focus had gone blurry.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

Jeokyang Hu drew his sword back.
To put power into it.
At that moment, Gyo-ha’s eyes gleamed.

“Got it.”

Got what?
He understood the meaning right away.

Black Spirit Stealth.

Jeokyang Hu’s sword accelerated. A sword that slipped into the dark.
But.
Tang!
It was knocked away by Gyo-ha’s elbow.

‘He, blocked it?’

His elbow split and blood sprayed, but Gyo-ha didn’t care.
He was smiling brightly instead.
Jeokyang Hu furrowed his brow.

‘It’s luck.’

Jeokyang Hu’s sword moved again.
At that moment, Gyo-ha drove into Jeokyang Hu’s chest.
He moved his head aside right before the sword came.
The blade skimmed past empty air.
Jeokyang Hu’s eyes widened.
Then Gyo-ha’s fist flew for Jeokyang Hu’s head.
Kwaang!
Jeokyang Hu’s body was shoved back.

“…How?”

Jeokyang Hu shook out his arm. It trembled from the shock.
Looking at him, Gyo-ha tapped his own eye.

“Now I can see it.”

Gyo-ha said it like it was nothing.

“It’s Sword Qi, right?”

The answer was in the sword and the Sword Qi.
Illusory swordplay.
It masked the sword’s movement with dazzling Sword Qi.
Mount Hua Sect used a similar swordplay too.
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art.
The sword Jeon Pyeong used truly looked like petals scattering.
But there was a difference.
If Mount Hua’s illusory swordplay pursued swiftness, Jeokyang Hu’s was darkness.
A concealed and silent sword.

“…I see. Mad Saber. That old man would have reason to take interest.”

Even though his trick had been seen through, Jeokyang Hu was calm.

“I didn’t think I’d have to bring this out already. If you can see it, there’s no need to hide it.”

The momentum in Jeokyang Hu’s sword changed.
Sword Qi wavering.
It was as if the sword itself was shaking too.

“Even among the main line, only those who are chosen can learn this. Consider it an honor.”

With those words, Jeokyang Hu’s sword shot forward.
A sword advancing without sound.
But its momentum was ominous.
In an instant, countless Sword Qi surged at Gyo-ha.
Gyo-ha thrust out his palm as well.
Red Blossom Palm.
But the Sword Qi only grazed past Gyo-ha’s hand.

“…!”

Pain that came a beat late.
At some point, his chest had split open.

Soul-Extinguishing Black Extremity Sword.
Dark-Soul Binding Shadow.

He didn’t even know when he’d been hit.
But Jeokyang Hu, who landed the attack, didn’t look good either.

‘It was shallow.’

He couldn’t react to the attack.
But the moment the sword bit into flesh, he reacted.
Partly because Gyo-ha’s hide was thicker and tougher than other humans, but that alone didn’t explain it.
An unbelievable reflex speed.
He was even smiling with his chest cut open.

‘That bastard is crazy too.’

It was an expression Jeokyang Hu knew well.
The Blood-Shadow Geum Clan, one of the same Four Great Houses.
He was like the blood ghosts there. Ghosts that chased blood.
A look that said he couldn’t help enjoying this moment.
An unpleasant feeling rose in Jeokyang Hu, and his hand started moving busily.
Sword strikes that grew more and more numerous.
In that, it wasn’t easy to find the real attack.
The real attack couldn’t be seen or felt.
And yet.

‘What the hell is this guy?’

He wasn’t reading the attacks.
He was reacting the moment they touched. And that speed was getting faster and faster.
Now, the moment they touched, he was counterattacking too.
Eyes that flashed.
Hazy, yet clear.
The moment their eyes met, his body stiffened.
Like a mouse meeting a cat.
Soon, Jeokyang Hu’s face twisted as he realized what that sensation was.

‘…Me…feeling fear?’

From some punk like that?
Strength went into the hand gripping the sword.

The final form of Soul-Extinguishing Black Extremity Sword.
Black Extremity Collapsing Heaven.

The Sword Qi that had been reaching out trembled.
Sword Qi that narrowed.
It was a prison made of swords. It was different from the commonly called Sword Curtain.
You couldn’t tell what was real and what was fake.
Within it, countless sword strikes poured down.

‘If you can dodge it, then dodge it.’

Flesh split open and blood sprayed in all directions.
Gyo-ha, covered in wounds, staggered back.

“…This is going to be hard.”

Gyo-ha scratched his head. It wasn’t something you could distinguish after seeing it once or twice.
After thinking briefly, Gyo-ha nodded.
If he couldn’t block the attack, then he just had to not give him the chance to attack.

‘The best defense is…’

Gyo-ha stepped forward.

“…an attack.”

Gyo-ha extended his foot and thrust out his palm.
Red Blossom Palm.

‘Foolish.’

Jeokyang Hu sneered at Gyo-ha and swung his sword.
The sword dug into Gyo-ha’s palm.
At that moment.
Gyo-ha’s hand grabbed the blade.

“Got you.”

Bewilderment rose on Jeokyang Hu’s face.

‘What the—’

At this rate, his hand would be cut off.
No matter how tough Gyo-ha’s hide was, it wasn’t enough to grab a sword wrapped in a first-rate martial artist’s Sword Qi.
And Jeokyang Hu’s sword wasn’t an ordinary sword.
It was a masterwork.
With the internal energy Gyo-ha had, Protective Aura wasn’t possible.
But there was something Jeokyang Hu hadn’t anticipated.
Gyo-ha’s strength wasn’t only his exceptional body and internal energy.

“Yeah. Control really is hard.”

Gyo-ha’s voice sounded strained.
His hand was turning red and mottled.
An ominous haze was seeping out between his fingers.
Tuk, tutuk.
Blood vessels burst and flesh split.
That force was wrecking Gyo-ha’s blade-gripping hand too.
But.
Because of that, an opening appeared. Gyo-ha’s goal from the start wasn’t Jeokyang Hu’s sword.
It was to stop Jeokyang Hu’s movement.
The sword was just the most effective means. Another part would do too.
And the moment he let go of the sword, the fist he’d pulled back fired out.
Radiant Burst Strike.

“…!”

Kwagagagagagagang!
With the explosion, Jeokyang Hu’s and Gyo-ha’s bodies were knocked back at the same time.
Gyo-ha rolled across the ground, then staggered to his feet.
Maybe because he drew on Yokai Qi with one hand, the power was stronger than usual.

‘I pulled it back in a hurry, but…’

Gyo-ha looked down at his ruined arm.
From shoulder to elbow, it was bent at a strange angle.
It was the result of Mystic Qi and Yokai Qi clashing inside him.

‘This… might not heal.’

It wasn’t just broken bone. It was tangled up with muscle.
It was never a power he could use neatly in the first place.
And the other hand he used for Radiant Burst Strike wasn’t fine either.
Both hands were crippled.
Gyo-ha lifted his head to look at his opponent.

“You… bastard…”

As expected, it didn’t end with that attack.
Jeokyang Hu was holding his face with his hand.
Blood was dripping between his fingers. And it wasn’t only his hand.
Something black was visible between his fingers.
A fragment of the sword.
A face twisted completely.
A sword fragment was lodged where one eye should’ve been. Blood dripped along the shard.
Gyo-ha could guess what happened.
In the brief moment Gyo-ha released the sword.
He raised it to defend. But he lifted it too hastily and couldn’t block properly.
So the shattered blade had stabbed into his eye.
But if he hadn’t blocked like that, his head would’ve been gone.

“I’ll kill you!”

Jeokyang Hu charged.
But a shadow appeared in front of him.

“You can’t! You need treatment!”

His condition wasn’t normal. The fragment was lodged deep. If he didn’t get treated like this, it could be dangerous.

“Get lost!”

Jeokyang Hu struck his palm at the one blocking him.
The martial artist vomited blood and collapsed. But other martial artists stepped in to block Jeokyang Hu.
Not just one or two.

“Stop him!”
“Let go! I have to kill that bastard!”

In the meantime, a man came up and pressed Jeokyang Hu’s acupoints.
“Hurry and escort the First Young Master!”
“Yes, Unit Leader.”

They hauled Jeokyang Hu away on their shoulders.
But Gyo-ha couldn’t stop them.
Because the one called Unit Leader, along with those who stayed behind, were pointing swords at him.
They looked ready to rush him if he moved even a little.
Gyo-ha grinned and took a step forward.
A hair-trigger moment.
Then.

“Brother.”

Namgung Hyeok stepped up from behind.
He was drenched in blood. It wasn’t Namgung Hyeok’s blood.
But Namgung Hyeok wasn’t fine either.
He was covered in wounds.

“We need to pull ourselves together.”

At Namgung Hyeok’s words, Gyo-ha, who had been thinking, clicked his tongue.
The ones left behind weren’t easy either.
If their goal had been to kill Namgung Hyeok rather than restrain him, things would’ve been different.
That was why he could tell what resolve those left behind had.
When it seemed the two had no intention to fight, the unit leader and the martial artists also sheathed their swords.

“We’ll repay this debt.”

Leaving those words, they left.
Gyo-ha looked at the spot they’d left from, then tilted his head.

“…Is he saying he’ll repay the debt for his superior getting hurt? Or the debt for letting us go?”

In front was resentment, and behind was favor.

“Both, probably. More importantly, are you alright?”

Namgung Hyeok looked at Gyo-ha with worried eyes. That was how serious Gyo-ha’s condition was.

“Who knows?”

Most wounds would heal if he rested, but this time he couldn’t be sure.
If there was one good thing, his right hand was relatively okay.
If he rested for about a week, it would heal.

“Shouldn’t we find the Medicine Immortal?”

As he spoke, Namgung Hyeok bit his lip.
They already used the token. Even if they found him, there was no guarantee he’d help.

“Because of me…”
“It’s fine.”

He still had one hand and both feet.
Then he could fight. Even so, Namgung Hyeok’s expression was dark.

“At the Murim Alliance… there will be physicians there too.”

At Namgung Hyeok’s words, Gyo-ha scratched his cheek.
Because he remembered what the Medicine Immortal had said.
Now even the Medicine Immortal would have trouble treating Gyo-ha. Then other physicians would be the same.
But it wasn’t something to say in front of Namgung Hyeok, who was worried.

‘Well, things will work out one way or another.’

Thinking that, he turned his body.
Then he noticed something strange.

“…Huh?”

At Gyo-ha’s reaction, Namgung Hyeok came closer.

“Is something wrong?”

But Gyo-ha shook his head. No.
It was true his body was in bad shape, but what he felt was strange in a different way.

‘Did my Yokai Qi increase?’

But it was different from ordinary Yokai Qi.
Gyo-ha could tell what that power was.
Jeokyang Hu’s Heretical Qi.
But it only absorbed it for a moment.
The Heretical Qi that had been absorbed flowed back out.
But not all of it did.
His Yokai Qi absorbed part of the Heretical Qi, then spat it back out.
A tiny fraction. So faint you wouldn’t notice unless you focused.
It was like picking out only the tasty part of food to eat.

‘So it wasn’t just a similar feeling.’

It meant it was tied to Yokai Qi after all.
Was Jeokyang Hu connected to yokai?
Or was Heretical Qi itself connected?
Gyo-ha thought for a moment, then shook his head.

‘I don’t know.’

Even if he knew, nothing would change. It would only clutter his head.

‘Fine. Let’s forget it.’

Thinking that, Gyo-ha turned away from what had just happened.