The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

—You're going to kill Jin Sohyun... what do you mean by that?

—It's just as I said. To draw out the true power he possesses, I also have to give it my all. Funnily enough. A man named Jin Sohyun can't bring out his full power in an ordinary sparring match.

—But it's too reckless. Although Jin Sohyun is the disciple of the Flying Sword Hero... he's only been at it for six years...

—Please, just this once, trust me.

Surprisingly, Gu Jucheol got up from his chair and knelt before Gwak Myeong.

Gwak Myeong, who was also surprised, quickly got up and tried to help Gu Jucheol up.

But Gu Jucheol stopped him and said.

—I owe a great debt to the world. The blood I have shed is something that cannot be washed away, no matter how much I try. So just this once... let me atone for the sins I have committed against the world, even if it's just a little.

—What will you do if Jin Sohyun dies?

—Then I will atone with my life.

Gwak Myeong, who was looking into Gu Jucheol's pupils, which were directed at him, realized that he could not stop him and let out a sigh.

—How much time should I give you?

—Three shichen. The outcome will be decided within that time.

—I understand. I will trust you, Elder.

—Thank you.

Although he said he would trust him, Gwak Myeong's gaze, which was looking at the closed Dark Cave, was very confused and complicated.

But all Gwak Myeong could do now was wait.

"Please... I hope you achieve what you desire..."

***

The first start was Jin Sohyun's flying sword.

Two flying swords, imbued with the power of Single Line Splitting Lightning, headed towards Gu Jucheol.

The two streaks of Single Line Splitting Lightning, which an ordinary martial artist would not even dare to face, were deflected by the saber that Gu Jucheol had swung briefly.

'Saber qi?'

Jin Sohyun noticed the black qi that had shot up from Gu Jucheol's saber blade.

The black qi that enveloped the saber blade flickered ominously.

"Haven't we had enough of this probing battle?"

The moment Gu Jucheol swung his saber, the black saber qi that had shot up from his saber blade covered Jin Sohyun.

Its speed was so fast that Jin Sohyun had to move his body with all his might to avoid it.

Kwa-ga-ga-gang—!!

The saber qi shattered the ground and tore through the air.

Jin Sohyun, who had barely succeeded in avoiding Gu Jucheol's saber, was sweating all over.

'This is incomparable to what has happened so far. Elder Gu is serious.'

Just as Kang Cheon had done in the past, Gu Jucheol was also attacking Jin Sohyun with all his might.

His saber persistently chased after Jin Sohyun.

Five saber strikes split into fifteen, blocking all of Jin Sohyun's escape routes.

"Keuk!"

Jin Sohyun took out six flying swords and faced Gu Jucheol's saber qi, which was approaching from the front.

'I have to concentrate the penetrating awl on one point.'

It was impossible to block all the saber qi.

Jin Sohyun's choice was a single-point breakthrough.

He concentrated six flying swords on a single point.

Jin Sohyun's power, which he had bet his life on, was shot towards the approaching storm of saber qi.

Ku-gu-gu-gung!!

As the explosive sound burst out several times, the flying swords that had faced Gu Jucheol's saber qi were deflected one by one.

One, two, three, four.

Jin Sohyun, who was counting the number of deflected flying swords, held the seventh flying sword in his hand and threw his body.

—Flying Heaven Ten Swords, Lightning Flash, Thunder Advance.

The seventh flying sword, imbued with blue lightning qi, was shot out, bursting with a strong thunderclap.

At the same time, the sixth flying sword was deflected, and the seventh flying sword took its place.

Kwaang—!

Gu Jucheol's saber qi, which had been cracked by the several sword strikes that had followed, shattered into pieces and scattered.

The blue lightning sword advanced along the path that had been created behind it.

"Heu-haap!"

Gu Jucheol swung his saber down at the seventh flying sword that was approaching him with a rough shout.

The clash of the blue lightning sword and the black saber.

The winner was his black saber, which contained all of Gu Jucheol's power.

Jin Sohyun, who was watching the seventh flying sword being deflected, panted.

Although it had not even been half a shichen since the fight had started, his mouth was already dry.

"Is it about half now?"

Gu Jucheol quickly approached Jin Sohyun, who was catching his breath.

The saber, stained black, cut through the empty space.

It was the spot where Jin Sohyun had been standing until just a moment ago.

'Is he controlling his internal energy?'

A movement technique of tremendous speed that even Gu Jucheol's outstanding eyesight could not even chase the afterimage of.

Now, Jin Sohyun was not showing that much speed.

He was avoiding Gu Jucheol's attacks by a hair's breadth, as if he were controlling his internal energy.

"How arrogant, how arrogant. Do you really think I won't kill you?"

Jin Sohyun did not even have time to answer.

It was because Gu Jucheol's saber had approached before he had even finished his breath.

'This is crazy!'

The ground where Jin Sohyun had retreated exploded, and dirt and broken stones scattered in all directions.

Gu Jucheol raised his saber from between the rising dust.

'I will kill you, Jin Sohyun. If you want to live... kill me.'

Gu Jucheol's face changed to resemble that of a demon.

Gu Jucheol's two eyes, which had taken on the appearance of a ghost-face, swung his saber towards Jin Sohyun's faint presence.

Ghost-Killing Black Saber.

The black wave cut through the dust and split Jin Sohyun, who had been hiding in between, in two.

The inner wall of the Dark Cave, which was five times thicker than an ordinary wall, was deeply cut, leaving a long sword mark.

"You barely avoided it."

Gu Jucheol's ghost-face swept through the darkness.

"You can hide your appearance, but you can't hide the scent of blood."

Gu Jucheol's eyesight, which pierced through the darkness, found Jin Sohyun, who had hidden his appearance in the darkness.

"How long will you keep running away?"

'Just a little more.'

Jin Sohyun raised his flying sword towards Gu Jucheol, who was rushing in without delay.

This time too, Gu Jucheol's saber came, crossing space.

Two flying swords blocked it.

But Gu Jucheol's saber, which he was using with all his might, could not be blocked with ordinary strength.

The saber blade, stained black, pressed down hard on the two flying swords.

As he was pushed back by the force, Gu Jucheol's saber was embedded in Jin Sohyun's shoulder.

"This can't be all your strength!"

"Kkeung!"

Gu Jucheol kicked Jin Sohyun's thigh with his left foot.

If his balance were to collapse like this, he intended to cut his neck.

But as Jin Sohyun pulled his left hand, a flying sword flew in from the darkness.

The flying sword was aiming for Gu Jucheol's side.

'The most troublesome place to avoid.'

Jin Sohyun was aiming for Gu Jucheol's torso, not his neck or head.

For Gu Jucheol, who had only one arm, to block the flying sword, he had to retrieve his saber.

"You fox-like brat."

Gu Jucheol retrieved his saber and deflected the approaching flying sword.

At the same time, Jin Sohyun disappeared from his sight.

He had now unfolded the Shadowless Divine Steps, which he had been saving.

"Are you planning to deliver a final blow? Is that why you're saving your internal energy?"

Gu Jucheol's laughter began to fill the Dark Cave.

"How foolish! How foolish! You can never kill me in one move!"

Although Gu Jucheol's shout echoed loudly, Jin Sohyun did not move.

He was just staring at Gu Jucheol without even blinking.

Soon, Jin Sohyun let out a breath and raised his crouched body.

As Jin Sohyun revealed himself from the darkness, Gu Jucheol aimed his saber.

"Have you finally decided to fight seriously? You've made me wait for too long."

Gu Jucheol was now trembling all over.

The innate nature he had been suppressing had been awakened by the fight with Jin Sohyun.

Now his ghost-face had become even more hideous.

His killing intent, which filled the Dark Cave, became even thicker.

Jin Sohyun, who felt Gu Jucheol's sincerity with his skin, took a deep breath.

Jin Sohyun spread his two arms wide.

Swoooosh—!

The deflected flying swords gathered towards him.

The sight was truly a spectacle.

"Sword control art... you are the first person since Kang Cheon to handle so many swords as if they were your own limbs. Now! What are you planning to do with that?"

"Fight."

A short and concise answer.

And Jin Sohyun's attack that followed was quite fierce.

Jin Sohyun's first move was a Single Line Splitting Lightning that started with four flying swords.

The flying swords, imbued with blue lightning qi, flew in, drawing four streaks of lightning.

"This again!"

Gu Jucheol deflected all the flying swords with four saber strikes, as if he were used to it.

It was a fast saber of tremendous speed, comparable to the lightning-fast flying swords.

But Jin Sohyun's figure was not seen.

'Did he hide again? Ah, no.'

Gu Jucheol realized that he did not need to look far.

Jin Sohyun, who had unfolded the Shadowless Divine Steps, had appeared in front of him.

'Is he planning to face me head-on? What a reckless thing to do.'

He had seen that Jin Sohyun's Flying Heaven Ten Swords technique was very destructive and a difficult martial art to deal with.

But the disadvantage of the flying sword technique was that it was weak in close combat.

And yet, Jin Sohyun had attempted a close-quarters battle with Gu Jucheol.

"You foolish brat."

Gu Jucheol, who had conveyed his words with a cold voice, swung his saber, which was imbued with black qi.

At that moment.

"This is...!"

Three flying swords, which he didn't even know when they had approached, surrounded Gu Jucheol's saber blade.

'Where did they fly from?'

Although he was curious about the origin of the flying swords, now was not the time to think about such things.

Jin Sohyun had extended his hand from the front.

"Heu-aa-a-a-ap!"

Gu Jucheol burst out his internal qi and shook off the three flying swords.

Then he immediately cut Jin Sohyun's neck.

But his saber cut through the empty air.

'Where did he go?'

Gu Jucheol, who had lost Jin Sohyun in an instant, immediately turned his gaze to his left.

From there, a single flying sword flew in.

Gu Jucheol, who had become urgent, hurriedly swung his saber to deflect the flying sword, and in the meantime, two other flying swords appeared from the empty air.

Slice—!

Gu Jucheol, who had been cut on the back of his knee and his thigh, inhaled sharply.

'Was that it?'

Gu Jucheol belatedly realized.

He swung his saber fiercely, and the qi contained in the fast saber raged around him.

The storm of saber qi seemed as if it would tear apart everything it touched.

'There's no feeling of it touching. And yet...'

Although Gu Jucheol was about to swing his saber to block the approaching flying sword from in front of him, a flying sword that appeared as if it had shot up from the ground blocked his saber.

Thanks to that, Jin Sohyun's flying sword grazed Gu Jucheol's shoulder.

Gu Jucheol, who had started to bleed from all over his body in an instant, felt a strange sense of unease.

And soon, he could tell the identity of that sense of unease.

"...The foolish one was me."

Gu Jucheol laughed.

"I never even imagined that something like this would be possible... but since I'm seeing it with my own eyes, I can't not believe it."

Gu Jucheol looked at Jin Sohyun, who was standing in front of him, flashing a blue light in his eyes.

"You... have gotten used to me."

Through the fights so far, Jin Sohyun had gotten used to Gu Jucheol.

From his saber technique to the movement of his feet.

Even his trivial habits.

Now, Jin Sohyun was not just seeing Gu Jucheol's movements, but he was seeing through how he would move in the future.

Outstanding masters would sometimes see through their opponent's movements in advance.

But this situation was different.

'This brat has gotten used to me. He knows how I will move, and at which moment I will swing my saber... he knows everything. So that's why he has been observing me until now.'

The reason Jin Sohyun had not launched an active offensive and had saved his internal energy was all for this moment.

"Perhaps... you might be able to quench my long-standing thirst."

Gu Jucheol felt the string that he had been holding on to with difficulty in his mind for a long time snap.

"Kehahahahaha!!"

An explosive qi shot up from Gu Jucheol's body, and a black aura rose like steam.

"Try to kill me! Jin Sohyun! From now on, this is our real fight!"

There was no more restraint.

As his suppressed nature was released, all his strength was revealed.

Although a ferocious aura became a blade and cut his whole body, Jin Sohyun's two eyes were still burning with a blue light.

Gu Jucheol, who had returned to the Seven Vicious Demons, rushed in with the appearance of a demon.

Towards the demon whose leash had been released, Jin Sohyun held his flying swords in his hand.

Now it was time to let out his final breath.

"Hoo."

***

"What on earth is going on..."

The fight between the huge energies that was taking place in the Dark Cave was enough to surprise even Gwak Myeong, who was waiting outside.

Sometimes his skin tingled, and his instinct wanted him to draw his sword.

Gwak Myeong, who could not even dare to imagine the fight in the Dark Cave, calculated the time.

Soon, it would be three shichen since the two had entered the Dark Cave, as promised.

"This is the first time I've been afraid to open the door."

Gwak Myeong took out the key to the lock that had locked the Dark Cave from his bosom.

Gwak Myeong, who had placed his hand on the lock with a hesitant touch, inserted the key and turned it.

Ku-gu-gung—!

As the entrance of the Dark Cave opened, Gwak Myeong frowned at the terrible fishy smell of blood that was coming from inside.

In the next moment, the scenery that unfolded in the Dark Cave was a sight that Gwak Myeong had not even imagined.

There was Jin Sohyun, standing in front of the fallen Gu Jucheol.

"Daoist Temple Master... could you... call... a doctor?"

(End of Chapter)