Plum Blossom Sword Empress'

The flickering flames.
A sword aura mixed with pink and purple surged.

Each one held a color so dense and powerful that it was on a different level from the sword auras used by ordinary swordsmen.

The raging flames were all cut away.
From within, Wei Ga-ryeong stepped out and sighed softly.

A derivative skill this powerful from the very beginning.
He never dreamed he would face even the ultimate skill.

But it was not over yet.

Ziiing-!

“Huh?”

Wei Ga-ryeong looked ahead at the sound of concentrated mana.

Yu Seha.
The excited boy who said he would watch the sparring was aiming with the ‘Red Scales’ in his hand.

“I’ll go again!”
“Ah, wait a moment—”

A water orb gathered in the mouth of the ‘Red Scales’ glowing with red light.

Epic skill [Dragon Rising Tidal Wave]’s derivative skill.
[Tsunami] unleashed its power once more.
Wei Ga-ryeong flinched at the sight of it being used twice in a row.

‘Could it be a skill that can be cast up to twice?’

The one used a moment ago was definitely a wave that covered everything.
But this time, it took the form of a powerful spear that pierced through anything it touched.

Like a dragon’s breath, the water stream approached.
It had enough lethality to pierce even a sword Empress if not properly defended against.

“…Huh.”

Wei Ga-ryeong exhaled softly.
She adjusted her grip on the sword.
And swung it.
A pink sword aura spread out.

Uniquely, the sword aura shattered and crumbled along the trajectory.
It then transformed into pink butterflies tinged with purple.
The butterflies fluttered around according to Peng Jin-ah’s will.

Epic skill.
Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
A unique martial art developed by Wei Ga-ryeong herself.
And its third form and derivative skill.
Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance.

The flying butterflies gnawed away at the incoming water pressure and literally shattered it.

Even so, Yu Seha was not flustered.
Rather, as if it was supposed to be that way, he closed the distance in a single breath.

A speed that even surprised Wei Ga-ryeong for a moment.
[Powerful Agility], [Unstoppable Charge].
[Free Dash] and finally [Quick Step].
Four abilities rotated like gears, producing explosive speed.

‘Not bad.’

Of course, Wei Ga-ryeong was experienced.
No matter how fast, he could see everything.

Not quite the sky and earth…

Anyway, the gap between them was generally too large to overcome.

Whoosh-!

Wei Ga-ryeong rotated the sword in her hand.
She swung the sword toward Yu Seha as if sliding.

Smooth and graceful,
The power of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, each strike imbued with swift speed, spread out.

The spirit unique to the scattered sword that attacks multiple vital points at once.

Along the swinging trajectory, plum blossoms tinged with pink and purple bloomed.
The opening of plum blossoms that comes to mind when thinking of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
However, it was not just a flashy and beautiful flower.

The beautifully blooming plum blossoms spread their petals smoothly timed with Yu Seha’s approach.
Immediately after, they linked together and exploded.

Derivative skill, Plum Blossom Full Bloom.
Among the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique, it was a skill specialized in lethality and wide range, embodying the essence of the explosive sword.

A blooming scene that surged as if about to burst.
Before long, the training ground became a battlefield.
Thick smoke spread, making it difficult to sense any presence.

Wei Ga-ryeong looked ahead.
She thought there might be some damage on him at this level.
Soon, she laughed in disbelief at the scene before his eyes.

A cold chill was felt.
What was visible was a huge wall made of ice.
A skill passed on by Moon Bora, who cared for Yu Seha.
An ice wall using [Frozen Permafrost].

No matter how skilled Yu Seha was, it was not easy to perceive Peng Jin-ah’s ultimate intent.

Therefore, he decided to respond by firmly defending what needed to be defended.

This wall was not just for blocking attacks.

Crack!

The ice cracked, and the [Sword of the Saint] protruded sharply.
The breaking wall burst forth like sharp ice spikes imbued with Yu Seha’s will.

Scrape!

Of course, with a single gesture from Peng Jin-ah, everything was swept away.

Clang!

The two clashed swords again.

“Feels like facing a magician. Seha, are you not confident in swordsmanship?”
“That’s not true… I’ll show you now!”

5th exchange.
10th exchange.
And 20th exchange.

Their swords clashed endlessly.
The sound echoed loudly.

Wei Ga-ryeong parried an attack aimed at his side.
She stepped back and took a small breath.

‘Impressive.’

Truly impressive.
To be honest, it was unbelievable.
For the first 10 exchanges, he was overwhelmingly pushed back by her.

But from the 15th and 20th exchanges, the story began to change little by little.

Yu Seha was adapting to Peng Jin-ah’s sword.

Immediately after, a thrust came in.
Wei Ga-ryeong quickly analyzed the incoming strike.

‘A bit clumsy, but…’

Undeniable sword essence.
And not just one.
Three simultaneously unfolded.

Powerful strength.
Swift speed.
And a clumsy illusion added for deception.

Wei Ga-ryeong, who accurately perceived only the weakest point, struck down her sword.
While breaking the attack, she had infused it with intense power.
She did not strike weakly.
At least most swordsmen Wei Ga-ryeong had experienced would have dropped their swords from this strike.

But Yu Seha showed excellent swordsmanship,
Slipping away like a cunning snake.
Simple luck?

‘No way.’

It was definitely a repulsion using the essence of energy.
And the essence of skillful steel forging used in that brief moment.

Wei Ga-ryeong nodded.

After clashing, she seemed to understand.
Not all five swords were developed by Yu Seha.
There were traces of a powerful figure who once dominated an era.

He was adapting by modifying them to suit himself.

Wei Ga-ryeong stepped back.

She thought while parrying Yu Seha’s strike coated with [Crimson Flame Eyes] and subtly activating [Charge Crush] by nudging her shoulder.

‘Hmm, to summarize…’

Yu Seha possessed various area-of-effect skills of all attributes.
Various utility skills and powerful one-shot skills.
And he had even made the ultimate forms of several swords his own.
It seemed roughly like this.

Though it was a long explanation,
Simply put, he was a monster.

But to Wei Ga-ryeong, these things didn’t matter much.
What he feared most was that talent.

‘He approaches decisively with just one clash.’

Wei Ga-ryeong imagined being devoured by him.
And this imagination was not mere delusion,
She realized that the next strike would be somewhat real.

Wei Ga-ryeong hurriedly crouched down.
She laughed bitterly at the purple sword aura passing over his head.
It was definitely a strike imbued with plum blossom fragrance.
And faintly, even butterflies fluttered.

It was undoubtedly the Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance he had used.

“…Did you just internalize it?”
“Huh, yes?”

Yu Seha’s words showed he didn’t understand her question.
Wei Ga-ryeong realized he was unaware.

Literally in a state of selflessness.

Wei Ga-ryeong concluded him as such.

‘…Abnormal.’

He possessed a principle that should not exist in this world.

Therefore, Wei ga-ryeong was certain.

‘Jin-ah was wrong.’

Peng Jin-ah had said,
He would definitely come to where I am standing.
But that was wrong.

This kid would just surpass.
It was certain he would surpass.
This meant he would succeed in stepping into the void realm that even Wei Ga-ryeong had given up on surpassing.

“……”

Wei Ga-ryeong trembled with a rising desire.
A sticky craving.

‘I want to take him with me.’

She wanted to raise this kid under her wing by any means.

This was not strange for a Sword Empress.
It was what all strong warriors desired…
A future hope to engrave proof of their existence.
Yu Seha perfectly matched that.

“……”

Wei Ga-ryeong finished her thoughts.
She leisurely dodged Yu Seha’s last decisive strike and struck her wrist.

The sword clattered and rolled.
Yu Seha, exhausted, collapsed to the ground.
Wei Ga-ryeong smiled gently.

“Shall we rest a moment and then continue?”
“…Huff, huff… cough… uh… huff!”
“Hmm, hmm. I’ll wait, so take your time to speak?”
“Huff… cough. Yes, yes! Th-thank you.”

A mock sparring where all energy was poured out.
And the sweet rest that followed.

The Sword Empress sitting beside was tapping his foot with a ‘heh heh~’ sound.

Meanwhile, Yu Seha was too exhausted.
Panting like a dog.

“Yu Seha, are you okay?”
“Yes, yes. I used too much strength…”
“That’s understandable~ Even our Jin-ah lies down panting when fighting me, so how much more for her disciple Yu Seha?”

Yu Seha nodded weakly, too tired to answer.
He knew…

‘…Unbelievably strong.’

She was really strong.
The damage dealt during sparring?
Just singed the hem of his clothes,
And made him sweat a few drops.

In fact, she hadn’t dealt a single proper fatal blow to him.

Moreover, the Sword Empress still had plenty of energy.
Meanwhile, Yu Seha had no strength left to properly swing his sword.
It was clear what would have happened in a real fight.

Still, he could say for sure.
It was a truly beneficial time.

‘I learned a lot.’

Just clashing swords a few times brought many realizations.

Though still like formless clouds, he was confident he could make it his own through training.

And then.

The Sword Empress rummaged through her pouch.
She handed over an old book from a pocket of extra-dimensional space.

“Yu Seha? Here, take it~”
“Uh, yes?”

He took the book with a puzzled look.
Soon, he was shocked.

The characters engraved in the center of the book.
No doubt.

[Acquired the Skillbook of Heavenly Path One Kill.]

‘Heavenly Path One Kill!’

A skill tree ability that the class is considered overpowered for.

It had so many skills.
He hadn’t tried to get it on purpose.
But he had been watching to see if it was available.

“I heard from Jin-ah~ You’re Sword Saint class, right? Then you should be able to learn this. I didn’t see any sign of it during the sparring earlier.”
“Yes, yes, I haven’t learned it yet because I haven’t had the chance…”
“I see~ Take some time and read it thoroughly. It’ll definitely help.”
“Th-thank you!”

Wei Ga-ryeong smiled gently watching Yu Seha happy.
Seeing him happy, he thought it was good to have given it.

Then he returned to a blank expression and thought.

Actually, the reason Wei Ga-ryeong joined this trip.
Was definitely not just to take a rest.

First, she had something to say to her precious junior sister,
Peng Jin-ah, who was like a younger sister.

Second, Yu Seha.
He had something to clearly tell her.

‘…It might be a bit rough.’

Wei Ga-ryeong recalled the past.

What came to mind was the meeting with Yu Neung-hae, chairman of .

A young-looking beautiful woman in a suit looking at him.
Yu Neung-hae extended her hand and greeted.

“Thank you very much for helping with this matter, Plum Blossom Sword Empress.”
“No problem~ Villains and maids are running wild, so as a hunter, I can’t just stand by.”

The atmosphere flowed pleasantly.

Both liked Peng Jin-ah.
And shared hatred for villains and maids.
So they quickly became close.

Then came a story.
For Peng Jin-ah, it was something she could never overlook.

“And this is just a rumor, but there’s something I must tell you.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Sword Ghost (劍鬼).”
“…!”

Sword Ghost So Hang-woo.
That man might come in this raid.

“…”

Wei Ga-ryeong narrowed her eyes.
Yes. She had ears too.
She had heard some rumors.
That damn old man had entered .

Wei Ga-ryeong exhaled and shook off his thoughts.

She tapped Yu Seha’s shoulder.
And stood up.

“Yu Seha? Sorry, but can you catch your breath and get ready right away?”
“Ah, yes!”

The two stood as if to spar again.
Yu Seha held his sword with a tense expression.
Watching him, Wei Ga-ryeong slowly spoke.

“Yu Seha, what I’m about to show you now is completely different from before. It’s just one-sided rudeness and violence.”
“Yes?”
“Hmm, it’s not training or sparring… It’s more like a preventive measure.”
“Ah, yes?”
“Normally, just watching wouldn’t help at all. But after clashing swords a moment ago, I felt that for you, just watching once would be a great help.”

Wei Ga-ryeong wore an apologetic expression.
Yu Seha blinked, not understanding.

“I apologize in advance. But it will definitely help. Actually, I came to meet you for this reason.”
“…I don’t really understand, but I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you for understanding. Shall we begin?”

As soon as the Sword Empress finished speaking, Yu Seha took a stance.
An S-rank strongman was giving a prior warning.

He had to focus.
He simulated in his mind how the attack would come and prepared.
But…

Kugugu-!!!

“…?!”

One second later.

Yu Seha realized everything was meaningless.
A maddening killing intent surged and spread from the Sword Empress.
An aura shimmering with blood-red and black.

Yu Seha unknowingly emitted his own unique killing intent.

Recently, it was the Epic grade skill [Malicious Evil Ghost] realized through skills.
But this was just a frightened beast snarling.
The vast killing intent spreading had no effect on the sword Empress before him.

‘…Crazy.’

Yu Seha was certain.

It was different.

Completely different from what he had seen so far.
Everything shown earlier was just child’s play compared to the crisis before his eyes.

Yu Seha simultaneously realized.
That was the sword Empress,
But not the sword Empress.

A flickering black shadow appeared.
The shadow soon projected a man.
An old man adorned with multiple weapons hanging from his body.

The old man grabbed the sword at his waist.
A grip method he had never seen before.
A stance he had never seen before.
Immediately after, a chilling sound like nails scratching a blackboard echoed.

Screech-!!!

And then…

Death came crashing down toward Yu Seha.