It’s different from back then. (5)

“Ugh!”

A guandao weighing a hundred geun swung through the air, tearing it apart.

The speed was so terrifying that it made one’s hair stand on end.

But no matter how fast it was, a guandao was still a guandao.

Swoosh!

It couldn’t be faster than Namgung Dowi’s sword, which pierced like a venomous snake.

Crack!

The Azure Sky Divine Sword, symbolizing the head of Namgung clan, instantly went into the side of the Black Dragon King.

Crunch!

As soon as it was embedded, the sword twisted and tore out a chunk of the Black Dragon King’s tough body.

“Uhaaa!”

The Black Dragon King let out a sound that was a mix of a scream and a battle cry, gritting his teeth as he swung the guandao again.

But at that moment, Namgung Dowi closed in without giving any space.

Whiiing!

The sword, infused with immense internal energy, sliced through the air.

A guandao is a weapon with its blade attached to the end of a pole. No matter how much strength is applied, the force cannot be transmitted to the inner range where the blade doesn’t reach.

Crunch!

Yet, the impact was felt.

The skin on Namgung Dowi’s back burst open from the aftermath of the energy that brushed past.

His back turned black as the flesh died, and his pristine white martial arts uniform was stained dark red.

But he was still alive.

Slice!

Namgung Dowi’s sword slashed once more, cutting into the empty shoulder of the Black Dragon King. Due to the close distance, he couldn’t swing his sword with full force, making it impossible to sever the body in a single strike.

However, here his sword could reach the Black Dragon King, while the Black Dragon King’s guandao couldn’t reach him.

He had forgotten this for a while.

He had come to believe that with his powerful internal energy imbued into his sword, he could overpower everyone.

And now, he remembered.

The essence of martial arts is for the weak to stand against the strong. There are always ways to fight an opponent stronger than oneself.

“You bastard!”

Boom!

In an instant, the Black Dragon King rammed his shoulder into Namgung Dowi’s chest. It was a clumsy attack, lacking proper force, but the sheer mass of his body, with a bit of internal energy, shook Namgung Dowi’s insides.

Black blood gushed from Namgung Dowi’s mouth.

As his body was about to be flung away like a kicked stone, his strangely twisted fingers pierced and gripped the Black Dragon King’s shoulder.

Crack!

Clinging to the Black Dragon King’s shoulder like a climber to a cliff, Namgung Dowi thrust his sword forward.

The Black Dragon King tried to dodge by moving backwards, but he couldn’t completely avoid the strike from someone who was practically attached to his body.

Slice!

Eventually, Namgung Dowi’s sword cut a long gash across his chest.

The horizontal scar Namgung Dowi had inflicted overlapped with the deep scar from the past, engraved by Chung Myung.

“Ugh!”

Rage surged from the Black Dragon King’s eyes. An explosive killing intent erupted.

“Uaaaaaaah!”

The Black Dragon King, brimming with energy, violently twisted his shoulder.

Namgung Dowi’s body, clinging with all his might, was flung about like a flag at the end of a pole.

“Die!”

In the meantime, the Black Dragon King adjusted his grip on the guandao and ferociously slashed it horizontally, aiming not just to sever the waist but to shatter the remaining body.

But at that moment, a twisted smile appeared on Namgung Dowi’s lips.

Wooooong!

Namgung Dowi’s Azure Sky Divine Sword emitted a fierce sword cry. Simultaneously, a brilliant white sword qi – no, a sword energy blade – swiftly wrapped around Namgung Dowi’s sword [검기 and 검강]*.

Boom!

Once again, the sword and guandao collided.

The embodiment of the corrupt path representing the Evil Sect and the swordsmanship of the righteous path representing the Just Sect clashed head-on without retreat.

Namgung Dowi’s upper arm muscles burst instantly. His internal organs shook, and his arm began to twist in a bizarre way. Blood that had been trickling from his mouth now poured out like a waterfall.

No matter how skilled Namgung Dowi was, he had to pay the price for confronting the Black Dragon King head-on.

And thanks to paying that price… Namgung Dowi managed to twist his body, which had been flung like a cannonball, back towards the Black Dragon King.

Boom!

Namgung Dowi rammed his shoulder into the Black Dragon King’s empty shoulder.

Seizing the fleeting moment, he grabbed the Black Dragon King’s shoulder firmly with his left hand again.

His blood-soaked face and the venomous blue glow overflowing from his eyes bore no resemblance to the Namgung Dowi known to the world.

Seeing this face up close, the Black Dragon King felt his heart drop.

“Uaaaaaaah!”

If only his arm were intact…!

He would have already plunged it into this bastard’s abdomen dozens of times.

But with only one arm left, he had no way to deal with the clinging opponent while holding the guandao.

What is lost is lost. No matter how much he screamed, it wouldn’t come back.

But the impatience and anger stemming from that loss were inescapable.

“You bastard!”

The Black Dragon King let out a hate-filled roar and struck Namgung Dowi’s side with all his might. In his haste, he let go of the guandao he had been holding.

Crunch!

Namgung Dowi’s ribs shattered.

Namgung Dowi’s hand, which had dug into the Black Dragon King’s shoulder, still did not let go.

“Let go! You…!”

Boom!

The Black Dragon King struck Namgung Dowi with his palm force once again.

Without the guandao, he became a barehanded fighter. At this close range, he had an advantage over someone wielding a sword.

Namgung Dowi raised his sword high.

It was difficult for someone this close to swing a sword down.

But at that moment…

Spin!

Namgung Dowi’s sword rotated in the air, its blade pointing at the Black Dragon King’s neck like an arrowhead protruding from a bow.

Snap!

At the same time, Namgung Dowi grabbed the middle of the sword blade instead of the handle.

“Jeok Segwang.”

At that moment, the Black Dragon King saw it.

Namgung Dowi’s face, a bloody mess, split open with a grin, revealing his white teeth.

Swoosh!

Before the ominous warning could fully register in his mind, Namgung Dowi’s sword shot toward the Black Dragon King’s neck like a powerful arrow.

Crunch!

The sword pierced the Black Dragon King’s skin. It tore through his flesh. No matter how much he concentrated his internal energy to resist, Namgung Dowi’s sword, imbued with all his power, shredded through all of the Black Dragon King’s defensive energy as if it were paper, biting into the vulnerable flesh beneath.

Crunch!

The Black Dragon King grabbed the sword embedded in his neck.

“Ugh!”

The slightly panicked look in the Black Dragon King’s eyes clashed intensely with Namgung Dowi’s menacing gaze, with only the sword between them.

It was a scene that seemed to picture the reversal of the roles of Justice and Evil.

However, anyone witnessing this scene would agree: regardless of martial prowess, the one being hunted was clearly the Black Dragon King, Jeok Segwang.

Crack! Crackle!

The sound of the sword digging into flesh pressed the Black Dragon King harder than the pain in his neck.

But what was even more chilling were Namgung Dowi’s eyes, gleaming coldly between his swollen eyelids.

“Ugh… Uaaaaaaah!”

The Black Dragon King yanked out the sword that had been digging into him and flung it aside in one swift motion.

Namgung Dowi’s body was hurled into the air, then slammed to the ground. With a dull thud, his body bounced and then collapsed helplessly back to the ground.

“Huff… huff! Huff..”

The Black Dragon King gasped for breath, clutching his neck with a trembling hand. He could tell from the sensation at his fingertips that the sword had penetrated deeply into his neck.

If it had gone just a bit deeper, his life would have been at risk. He had nearly lost his life to a mere Young Lord of Namgung clan.

‘How…’

Blood streamed from his neck, soaking his torso. Instead of pressing the wound to staunch the bleeding, he lowered his hand and stared at it.

A vivid red line marked his palm. Grabbing the sword with his bare hand had left a long scar on his one remaining hand. What if the sword had penetrated deeper into his hand instead of his neck?

The Black Dragon King’s chin trembled involuntarily.

His fearful eyes turned to Namgung Dowi, who lay sprawled on the ground as if dead.

He had fought countless battles.

Many of his opponents held grudges against him, and others were wild dogs baring their teeth, desperate to tear into his flesh.

But none of his foes and no beast, had ever been as tenacious as that man.

“You….”

At that moment, Namgung Dowi began to move slowly.

His trembling arms struggled to push his body up. Just as he managed to rise, he lost his balance and fell back to the ground.

The Black Dragon King watched in stunned silence.

A chill ran down his spine, colder than when he was on the verge of losing his head.

“Heh…”

His face, already drenched in blood, was now caked with dirt, making him look a complete mess.

Namgung Dowi, in that state, managed to lift the corners of his mouth into a smile as he stood up.

Blood flowed incessantly from the arm holding the sword, and his torso, revealed through the torn clothes, showed patches of blackened, dead skin – evidence of numerous broken bones.

Looking at his wretched face through the disheveled hair, who could imagine his original handsomeness?

But there was one thing that hadn’t changed.

Namgung Dowi’s eyes fixed on the Black Dragon King.

“You…”

The Black Dragon King, momentarily overwhelmed by that gaze, ground his teeth reflexively.

“You crazy bastard..”

In this exchange, the truth was that the Black Dragon King had come out on top. Though Namgung Dowi had left scars on him, they were potential threats, not actual mortal wounds.

On the other hand, Namgung Dowi had sustained injuries so severe that it wouldn’t be surprising if he died at any moment.

Considering their original strength, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the fight was already decided.

Yet, both Namgung Dowi and the Black Dragon King knew that this battle was far from over.

Namgung Dowi suddenly spoke.

“…l’ve been curious.”

It was unclear whether he was speaking to the Black Dragon King or merely muttering to himself, staying half-conscious.

“Why did he have to fight like this? Why did it have to be so brutal?”

The Black Dragon King’s face twisted at these incomprehensible words.

“What are you talking about?”

“I was foolish… He didn’t want to fight this way. He had no choice but to fight this way. If you’re a weakling who must win, if you’re someone who cannot afford to lose, this is the only way.”

Namgung Dowi’s sword slowly lifted from the ground, scraping the surface as it rose. Barely raising it three chi, as if even the weight of the sword he had carried like an extension of himself was now too much, he glared at the Black Dragon King like a predator eyeing its prey.

He had admired him, yet couldn’t understand him.

He had always considered him a different breed. So no matter how much he tried to emulate him, he thought he could never fully understand him.

He was born strong, while Namgung Dowi was not.

But now?

“It’s different from back then.”

A cold murderous intent flowed from Namgung Dowi’s eyes.

Now he understood.

His method was one a weakling could use. A sword wielded by someone who had to struggle against a despairingly powerful enemy.

So Namgung Dowi could do it too.

The current Namgung Dowi was clearly the weaker one, a desperate beast that had to sink its fangs into the neck of a formidable foe.

“You’ll be killed by a weakling, Black Dragon of the Yangtze.”

Namgung Dowi smiled as he limped toward the Black Dragon King.