I wanted to meet you. (5)

“That… crazy bastard……”

His gaze was fixed on Jo Geol.

However, it wasn’t meant in a negative sense. Perhaps it was the first time in Yoon Jong’s entire life that he used the words ‘crazy bastard’ in a positive way when referring to Jo Geol.

Those who weren’t from Hwasan wouldn’t have noticed, but he definitely saw it. What Jo Geol had done just moments ago.

‘The sword…’

Making plum blossoms bloom at the apex of the extended sword energy was not a technique that existed in Hwasan’s swordsmanship. Even Chung Myung had never used such a sword.

Of course, it was still clumsy, and the plum blossoms themselves were laughably crude… but they had clearly bloomed.

New plum blossoms. Ones that belonged to Jo Geol alone. Perhaps Yoon Jong was the sole witness to this. 

Could it be that Jo Geol had known all along?

Compared to Yu Iseol, who wielded an extremely graceful sword, or Baek Cheon, who followed the orthodox approach, his own sword – focused on swift strikes – couldn’t fully express the true essence of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique. So, after much deliberation, did he create a new form of swordsmanship focused on speed?

‘That can’t be. That idiot.’

Yoon Jong found it so absurd that he burst into laughter.

There’s no way that guy had such torment in his mind. If that’s the case, then that sword must have been born entirely from his senses. It should be considered a new sword art, fashioned by using all the experience he’s accumulated so far as both nourishment and foundation.

Even if it’s only the faintest clue right now.

Only then did Yoon Jong realize that his hand was trembling with excitement.

Though this was hardly the right situation for such feelings, it was all the more difficult to hide his excitement because of it.

‘Perhaps that bastard really did have the potential to become the true sword of Hwasan.’

He had, of course, known that Jo Geol was outstanding, but even Yoon Jong hadn’t imagined it would be to this extent. It wasn’t that Yoon Jong was indifferent; it was just that the talents of those gathered around Jo Geol were so dazzling.

Hye Yeon from Shaolin, said to be the greatest genius in a hundred years; Yu Iseol, whose name would go down in Hwasan’s history; Baek Cheon, raised as Hwasan’s treasured disciple, having absorbed all its essence; and Chung Myung, whose prowess was beyond words.

Yet even among those who shone so brightly, Jo Geol did not lose his own light and was now fully blossoming into his potential.

“Damn brat.”

A fellow disciple is still a fellow disciple, it seems. After all, when pride wells up before envy, that’s how you know. But Yoon Jong chose to temporarily bury the pride swelling in his chest.

Because at this moment, Yoon Jong was not here as Jo Geol’s Sahyeong, but as the one leading Hwasan into battle.

“Don’t let that brat Jo Geol run wild on his own! Prove that it’s not Jo Geol who’s strong, but Hwasan itself!”

❀ ❀ ❀

Gwak Hoe lightly bit his lower lip.

The moment he heard Yoon Jong’s voice, he instinctively sensed that Jo Geol had done something again.

No, in fact, he had known even before Yoon Jong spoke. He could feel in his very skin that the atmosphere had changed from the direction Jo Geol had charged towards.

‘He really is something else!’

He might have seemed like a fool, but there was no denying it.

On the other hand.

Kaaaang!

A Red Dogs’s sword, flying in, bore down with a crushing force. Gwak Hoe raised his sword to block it, but it felt as if the muscles all over his body would tear apart.

His heart throbbed, and a tingling numbness spread to the tips of his toes.

“You little runt…”

But more than the force behind the blade or the growling voice, what weighed on him the most was the Red Dog’s gaze. Those ferocious, savage eyes kept closing in on Gwak Hoe, making him tremble.

He was afraid. There was no point in making excuses. It was a terror he could not deny.

But soon, Gwak Hoe mustered all his strength and pushed away the Red Dogs’s blade.

“Haaaaap!”

The plum blossoms he had drawn out flew straight towards the Red Dog.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Kwaaaaang!

With a fierce swing, the Red Dog swept away the plum blossoms. In just a single movement, the carefully unleashed plum blossom sword energy was utterly crushed.

An unrefined technique is simply useless in the face of overwhelming power.

He had already heard and learned that lesson enough times to be sick of it.

Thud!

Then a kick came flying into Gwak Hoe’s chest. He barely managed to block it with his left arm, but he couldn’t fully absorb the impact and was sent flying back.

“Even if you pin a plum blossom on your chest, a small fry is still a small fry.”

Gwak Hoe stroked his throbbing arm and let out a deep sigh.

‘A small fry…..?’

Well, it might be true. The world doesn’t even know his name. A nameless sword of Hwasan. Now not quite a young disciple anymore, merely a disciple of Hwasan.

That is both Gwak Hoe’s identity and everything he is.

But…

He glanced down at the plum blossom etched on his own chest.

“…Seems like you don’t really know.”

Jo Geol had once again gone ahead without him. So distant. He kept getting farther away. But Gwak Hoe didn’t exactly despair.

Because he couldn’t deny it. Jo Geol’s talent was so brilliant it couldn’t even be compared to his own. Rather, Gwak Hoe felt the power of Jo Geol’s back pulling him forward.

Because he was different. Jo Geol was different from Chung Myung, from Baek Cheon, and from Yu Iseol.

“That’s what matters most.”

Gwak Hoe gripped his sword. There was no need to get riled up. No need to force his energy higher.

“You!”

Everything was within him from the start.

Whosh!

The Red Dog’s blade came slicing down vertically. The tearing noise of the air being sliced threatened to shake his ears. Yet even in the face of that massive force, Gwak Hoe’s sword did not waver.

‘Keep it simple.’

Gwak Hoe’s outstretched sword met Red Dog’s blade head-on.

‘Carry it through.’

Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!

He struck at the blade with consecutive blows of his sword. In the moment the Red Dogs’s blade briefly faltered under the clash.

‘With speed?’

Paaaat!

Gwak Hoe’s sword lunged straight forward. Simple and unguarded [무비(無備)]. Precisely because of that, it was faster than any strike he had unleashed before.

The Red Dog hastily drew back his blade to defend himself.

‘Confuse.’

Swiish!

At that moment, Gwak Hoe’s sword split into multiple paths, lashing out at the Red Dog like a whip.

“Useless!”

Chaeeng!

A piercing metallic screech rang out. Every incoming sword strike was blocked by the enemy’s blade. However, it wasn’t a meaningless move. Thanks to it, Gwak Hoe gained the chance to deploy his sword technique.

Kung!

He brought his sword down with force. As the Red Dog was momentarily pushed back by the recoil, Gwak Hoe infused internal energy into his sword.

‘Unfold.’

The tip of his sword quivered, and dozens of plum blossoms bloomed. Unlike the hastily formed blossoms from earlier, these appeared vivid, deep, and clear.

The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

Plum Blossom Torrent [매화도도(梅花滔滔) – maehwadodo*].

Like a surging river, the plum blossoms he unleashed rolled towards the Red Dog.

The Red Dog rapidly swung his blade back and forth. But the hastily raised Blade Wall [도벽(刀壁)] couldn’t be perfect with such a heavy weapon. Through the gaps, Gwak Hoe’s plum blossom sword energy slipped in.

Suk! Suk!

Gwak Hoe’s plum blossom sword energy sliced across the Red Dogs’s flesh.

Grit.

Stepping back a pace, the Red Dog glared sharply at Gwak Hoe.

Though he had managed to injure the Red Dog, that didn’t mean Gwak Hoe was already in control of the fight. All he had done was land a proper strike once.

Yet the mood between them shifted dramatically.

No longer did the Red Dogs’s eyes show any sign of underestimating his opponent. There wasn’t even anger at being hurt by a mere ‘small fry.’ He simply regarded Gwak Hoe as a worthy opponent now.

That meant he acknowledged Gwak Hoe.

Gaining such respect in a single strike – especially from a Red Dog of Jang Ilso – was something to be proud of.

‘I have worked hard too!’

Even if Gwak Hoe’s skill and reputation couldn’t match Jo Geol’s, there wasn’t anyone in Hwasan who hadn’t poured their utmost effort into training. At least for these past few years, no one under the sky had lived as tirelessly as they had.

“So it matters. That l’ve engraved the plum blossom onto my chest.”

Gwak Hoe muttered, taking a short breath.

“I am a swordsman of Hwasan.”

Those who fancy themselves dogs will never know how much pride is contained in that name.

“Come on, you bastard! I’ll cut off your head!”

At that moment.

Right behind the front where they clashed, the subordinates of the commander [Gunsa – it’s about Ho Gamyeong’s subordinates] assessing the battle couldn’t hide their dismay. They simply couldn’t believe the struggle was proving tougher than they had anticipated.

‘Why?’

Sapaeryeon never looked behind them, focusing all their might on the front lines.

They intended to seize victory in one swift strike and sweep the enemy away. And the culmination of that plan was sending in the Red Dogs.

Though their deployment was earlier than planned, they never doubted that their involvement would bring down the stalemate in a single blow.

Such was Red Dog’s formidable power.

Kwaaaaa!

Here and there, blade energy from the Red Dogs flared up. Their might was, if anything, greater than the rumors – certainly not lacking. Even a quick glance confirmed it.

Yet the enemy lines weren’t collapsing.

“Why?”

As if in answer to that question, red plum blossoms began to bloom in various spots on the battlefield.

“Ugh…”

Just the sight of that plum blossom sword energy was making their stomachs churn. Indeed, it was thoroughly holding back the Red Dogs.

“Come on, dogs of Jang IIso!”

“Is this all you’ve got? Even Soso would be fiercer than you idiots!”

The swordsmen of Hwasan were holding the Red Dogs at bay.

“How is this possible?”

Because Hwasan is strong? No. That alone couldn’t be the answer.

Of course Hwasan is strong. But the Red Dogs’s power should be more than enough to overwhelm them. That’s how it should have been.

“Then why is this happening?! Why?!”

A cry of anger burst forth, unable to be contained.

❀ ❀ ❀

“…How foolish.”

Chung Myung muttered coldly.

There was no way they would be easily breached. They are Hwasan. It’s not a blind faith born solely from belonging to the same sect.

The swordsmen of Hwasan have always been like that. They have crossed swords with Chung Myung, training day by day, pushing themselves to their limits.

‘From the very beginning, those damned brats of Hwasan never fought opponents weaker than themselves.’

From the very first proper martial gathering – Hwajong-Jihoe [화종지회(華終) – the tournament between Hwasan and Jongnam] – until now, they had always endured against a stronger enemy. There’s no way those people would suddenly crumble so easily.

He believed. Not because of what he has done, but because of the righteous path they have engraved in their hearts.

They are different from Chung Myung. If there is something lacking, their comrades will help fill the gap. That’s what friends are for, and that’s what Cheonumaeng was meant to be.

Thus… where Chung Myung ought to head now is not where they stand.

Chung Myung turned his gaze forward. Though obscured by the crowd, he could feel it clearly.

‘Jang Ilso.’

He’s over there. The true culprit behind all of this.

Chung Myung’s eyes glinted darkly as he took a step forward – or at least tried to.

“Hwasan Geomhyeop. Is that you?”

A sudden call made him slowly turn his head. Not too far away, a man in a mask was approaching at a leisurely pace.

Chung Myung frowned. He couldn’t believe it.

‘Did I really allow someone to get this close?’

Even if his body wasn’t in perfect condition, failing even to catch a trace of the opponent was… unthinkable.

But he soon understood why. The man didn’t radiate the usual sinister energy of the Evil Sects [사기(邪氣)]. Rather, his aura felt infinitely upright. That’s why Chung Myung hadn’t sensed him as an enemy.

This realization only raised further questions.

“Seems I’m right.”

The masked man’s lips, beneath the covering, twitched slightly – as though smiling.

“I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time. Quite badly, in fact.”

He approached Chung Myung, then slowly drew his sword. The blade glimmered with a deep indigo [쪽빛] energy, so cold it felt almost sorrowful.