Chapter 131: Jaseung, Destroys the Sword

The old man’s face was full of pride and arrogance. He was the Sword.

Rain was certain of Lee Jaseung’s death, not because of the corpses of the cutthroats lying around, but because the Sword had decided to step in.

The Sword looked around at the corpses scattered nearby and said,

“Remarkable. To think such a man became the Lord of the Black Way Alliance. Even in my younger years, I wouldn’t have reached this level.”

Which was another way of saying that in his current state, he could have cut all of them down in one sweep.

The Sword examined the fallen corpses.

“Haha, impressive. Truly clean work.”

He meant it as genuine admiration. Yet he frowned at certain bodies.

“Not even a hint of hesitation. How merciless.”

Lee Jaseung silently watched him.

After a while, the Sword asked,

“Why don’t you ask me anything?”

“What should I ask? Who are you? I don’t care. Did you find some weakness of mine from the wounds on those corpses? That doesn’t matter either. Ah, there’s one thing I do want to know actually. Is someone watching this place?”

Wrath crows were in sight. But it was possible the fight was being observed in some other way.

The Sword smiled faintly.

“Your arrogance reaches the skies. Fine, I’ll tell you. Wrath one ever watches my fights. That’s how it’s always been.”

The statement revealed his position in the organization, and it brimmed with pride.

“That’s a relief.”

“A relief?”

It was as if Lee Jaseung had left unsaid, That means I can kill you freely.

The Sword’s eyes narrowed. Yet before showing his displeasure, he asked the question that nagged him.

“But why ask something like that? Surely you have many questions about our organization.”

“I do. But you wouldn’t know the answers, so there’s no point.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If the leader is smart, he wouldn’t tell you anything important.”

The Sword’s expression instantly turned sharp. It looked as though he would unleash his sword Qi in fury.

“Why would he not tell me?”

His voice was soft but shook with anger. He already sensed he would hate the answer.

“Because I can tell you’re the type to spill everything if your pride is wounded.”

Swaaaak!

A new scar was carved in the ground beside the earlier ones. It was a giant slash, and everything in its path was severed.

Yet once again, Lee Jaseung evaded. He even added a taunt.

“Like that.”

The Sword’s eyes slitted like a demon’s.

“I will kill you!”

Lee Jaseung was tense. He had already seen enough from the Sword’s first strike to know just how formidable his skill was. That was why he had chosen to provoke him.

He knew he was playing the long game. Pride. That was the Sword’s weakness. Go on, get angry. If you think you can win just by making me angry, then try it.

This wasn’t simply pride born from skill. It was arrogance on a massive scale.

If the fight with Wrath had been a battle against rage, then the fight with the Sword was a battle against arrogance.

Shhhk!

The Sword darted forward, thrusting his blade.

It was the fastest, most precise strike Lee Jaseung had faced in recent years.

Chang, chang, chang!

He blocked with his Asura.

Though his dagger was far shorter, Lee Jaseung defended with absolute calm.

He didn’t rush to counterattack. He knew the Sword wasn’t someone he could kill in an instant, even with provocation.

Shwaaak!

Sword Qi erupted mid-strike. It was so fluid and natural, there was no opening to exploit.

But Lee Jaseung spun lightly, avoiding the scorching heat that grazed his face without so much as a blink. Then he deflected the Sword’s follow-up strike with Asura.

Chaaang!

Their weapons vibrated at once.

To an onlooker, it seemed even.

But the Sword thought otherwise.

‘Remarkable. It’s almost a shame to kill him.’

He thought so because he was convinced of his superiority.

Lee Jaseung, on the other hand, thought nothing. He focused only on the fight.

To fight while thinking of nothing else, to immerse oneself completely, was no easy feat.

Lee Jaseung also saw his own fight objectively. Even as he sank into the flow of combat like one lost in a trance, he never lost clarity. That was his way of fighting.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

Now Lee Jaseung pressed the attack. Asura poured down like heavy rain.

The Sword calmly defended. The precision and intensity of Lee Jaseung’s onslaught even drew admiration from him.

The Sword stepped back and said,

“I guess Wrath really got unlucky for him to be killed by you…”

It was a boast. He wanted to show he still had leisure to speak.

But that was the very chance Lee Jaseung had been waiting for.

He surged forward with greater speed and force. The Sword twisted away mid-sentence, barely evading.

But his breathing faltered. Talking had broken his rhythm.

Lee Jaseung seized on it ruthlessly. His attacks demanded, You dared to boast in front of me? Take responsibility for your arrogance.

Swish, swish, swish!

Asura flashed, deadly and precise, each strike threatening the Sword’s throat and heart.

Clang!

As the Sword dodged, Lee Jaseung’s body spun in an unexpected direction. The hand not holding Asura lashed out. He had suddenly switched from dagger art to close-combat technique.

The unanticipated, fluid strike caught the Sword off guard.

He tried to avoid it, but he was too late.

Lee Jaseung’s hand brushed his wrist.

Flash!

Just a brush, yet pain shot through as though his bones were shattering. He had narrowly avoided total destruction.

But in the next instant, there was another crunch. The Sword’s face twisted in agony.

Lee Jaseung’s true aim had not been his wrist. While feinting there, he had stomped down hard on the Sword’s foot.

It was an attack that combined the Limitless Steps with close-combat technique.

Lee Jaseung had been waiting for one chance, and he never let it slip.

The Sword had never imagined his opponent would target his foot, and even if he had known, the move was too exquisite to block.

Thrust, thrust, thrust!

Lee Jaseung pressed the attack. The Sword staggered, his ruined foot throwing him off balance.

Puk, puk, puk!

Asura stabbed into his arm from wrist to shoulder.

“You wretch!”

The Sword roared, striking out with his other hand. The force tore down a wall.

But his martial strength was already crumbling.

Puk, puk, puk!

Lee Jaseung’s dagger pierced his arm again and again, spraying blood.

Then Lee Jaseung closed the distance.

His inner Qi exploded outward. The synergy of Limitless Steps, close-combat technique, and Yama’s Dagger Art unleashed terrifying power.

Puk, puk, puk!

His dagger drove into the Sword’s chest and stomach in rapid succession.

The Sword reeled back, staggering.

Whooong!

His sword flew from his hand, brushing past Lee Jaseung’s face, then hung suspended in the air, turning toward him.

For the first time, Lee Jaseung’s eyes widened.

“Oh?”

The Sword was about to unleash the Sword Wielded by Qi Technique. A strike that, once targeted, could not be evaded.

Lee Jaseung charged. His opponent was already battered and exposed.

Puk, puk!

Asura pierced the Sword’s throat and heart. Yet the man laughed bitterly at the end.

‘You’re going down with me.’

Flash!

The hovering sword shot forward like an explosion.

It was too fast for even Lee Jaseung to dodge.

The Sword Wielded by Qi Technique was the pinnacle of swordsmanship, second only to Mind Sword. Every swordsman dreamed of wielding it.

Lee Jaseung poured every ounce of inner Qi into forming a great barrier before his chest. It was his body’s ultimate defense, a protective Qi wrought from all of his inner Qi.

Shaaak!

The sword, shining like light itself, tore into the barrier.

Lee Jaseung clenched his teeth and focused every shred of will and energy.

The protective Qi was thick, but the blade kept piercing deeper.

It tore through halfway, then two-thirds.

Lee Jaseung refused to yield. He tightened his focus.

The sword slowed. Yet it pressed on, inch by inch, toward his heart.

Woooong!

The clashing forces made it tremble violently. Still, it burrowed deeper.

Crack!

It nearly broke through.

At that moment Lee Jaseung shouted,

“Haaaah!”

And released all the strength left in him.

Boom!

The sword exploded under the pressure.

Dust filled the air.

When it cleared, Lee Jaseung still stood. His clothes were torn, his body bruised, his Qi spent.

But he was alive.

He had blocked the Sword Wielded by Qi Technique with his protective Qi, a feat that would be remembered in Jianghu history.

“Whew.”

He exhaled.

The Sword writhed on the ground. Lee Jaseung slowly approached.

Blood gushed from the old man’s mouth.

“…If I’d used the technique from the start, you’d be the one dead.”

Lee Jaseung didn’t care to humor him with a ‘maybe’.

He flicked his hand. A broken shard of the Sword’s blade rose from the ground.

Swish!

It flew into the old man’s chest.

Lee Jaseung looked down coldly.

“If you had, you would’ve just died sooner.”

* * *

Baek Seolyoung stared at the table full of food.

It was long past mealtime, but she had no appetite.

She kept looking out the window, worried about Lee Jaseung.

Please, let him be safe.

She closed her eyes and prayed.

How much time had passed? Then a voice came.

“Can I eat?”

Her lowered face lit up with joy.

Lee Jaseung was standing at the door. His martial robes were torn, stained with blood and dirt.

He had come straight here. He hadn’t even washed or changed clothes.

But he had wanted to see her, so he came immediately.

“Of course. I made it for you. But first…”

Baek Seolyoung rose and walked to him.

Then she quietly embraced him.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

The sharp scent of blood pained her heart. She thought it would disgust her, but it didn’t. It only hurt her.

And to think she would be the one asking this question.

“Did you kill the Alliance Leader?”

Lee Jaseung answered softly.

“No. I couldn’t.”

Relief and worry mingled. But it didn’t seem as though disaster had struck. If it had, he wouldn’t be here in her arms.

“It’s alright. Everything will be fine.”

She gently patted his back. She was simply overjoyed that he had returned safely.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.”

She seated him and handed him chopsticks.

“You must be hungry. Let’s eat.”

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