Book 16 Chapter 5

The Divine Might of the Sword Empress

- An Enemy of Ten Moves

A sudden confrontation between the renowned Sword Empress and a nameless, lowly soldier, Biryu-yeon. "A puppy fears no tiger" would be a fitting description for this situation. Therefore, people's gazes towards Biryu-yeon were not favorable.

There was no reason to find him appealing.

One of the Three Stars of Heaven's Might, the Sword Empress Yi Ok-sang. She was a prominent figure in the martial world, where finding those who disrespected her was easier than finding those who respected her. Her name was already a legend. The title of Sword Empress! And yet, a presumptuous fellow who dared to defy that legend had appeared, so how could such insolence be viewed favorably?

Among the spectators, gripping their hands in anticipation, no one was wise enough to focus on who the winner would be, trying to avoid being labeled a lunatic by those around them. As always in such cases, who would win was not of the slightest interest. People believed the winner was already decided. How could one imagine any other outcome? Do you worry about the sun, moon, and stars not rising again tomorrow? This duel was no different.

The spectators' interest had already transcended victory or defeat. Instead, their attention was focused on discussions filled with derisive predictions: whether the nameless soldier, with his bangs falling down to his eyes, could last even one move or three moves, whether he would prostrate himself with his forehead to the ground and beg for mercy from the Sword Empress, or beg until his fingerprints wore off, or perhaps do a handstand, spin once, and bark like a dog.

Naturally, no one, except for a few who thought he might not be easily defeated, believed Biryu-yeon would win. Betting on Biryu-yeon to win would be an adventure that would lead one to question their mental stability, to the point of needing their brain dissected immediately.

So, people's interest shifted to a secondary matter. The question was how long this fledgling, nameless nobody could endure the Sword Empress's attacks.

Various opinions were exchanged among the crowd.

An enemy of one move, or an enemy of three moves? The opinions seemed to be roughly compressed into these two forms. No one seemed to think he would show the miracle of lasting even five moves, let alone ten. In short, Biryu-yeon was utterly disregarded.

"Ten moves, you say?"

Snickers erupted from various places.

"Surely not… you must be joking?"

"Withstanding the Sword Empress for ten moves? Impossible!"

"Can he even endure one move properly? At his level?"

"Come to think of it, didn't he get into the academy by some dirty means?"

"Really? Speaking of which, people were wondering how someone without any skill, from such a low status, and with an unknown background, managed to get in. And they said it was impossible for him to have entered based on skill. Haha!"

Mo Yong-hwi, with his acute hearing, overheard these conversations despite not intending to. He was surprised by the sheer number of people who harbored ill feelings towards Biryu-yeon. Given his friend's almost nonexistent social life, it was clear that most of them had not been directly harmed by him. They were likely projecting imagined scenarios onto Biryu-yeon, based on circulating rumors, peripheral knowledge, leaps in logic, and assumptions, and were righteously indignant. In their minds, and within their group, criticizing, condemning, and denouncing Biryu-yeon was undoubtedly justice. They clearly believed it without question. Some even seemed to be under the illusion that they were realizing justice. There was no specific reason. It was simply that their deductions seemed plausible.

Mo Yong-hwi wondered how many of them had actually spoken directly to Biryu-yeon or even brushed past him. Then, even though it wasn't his business, he suddenly felt indignant. While perhaps a bit self-willed and as arrogant as the sky, he didn't deserve to hear such talk. He decided to send his friend a silent cheer. It was encouragement to try his best to endure, even though defeat was certain.

"Now, are you ready? Then draw your sword."

The Sword Empress inwardly hoped to hear a different answer now. But her expectation was once again ignored.

"I cannot draw it."

Biryu-yeon replied.

"Why again!"

The Sword Empress shouted angrily.

"Of course. I don't use a sword. It's a prejudice to think all martial artists must use a sword as their beloved weapon."

"What? If not a sword, then what does a martial artist wield? The sword is the king of all weapons!"

"But it seems the person over there doesn't agree with that statement?"

Biryu-yeon pointed with his finger. There, the Sword Master, grumbling, was shouting, "A sword is a toy for scholars! A spear is the spirit of a martial artist!" The Sword Master was trying to calm him down beside him, but he wasn't saying anything particularly good to the Sword Master either. Unless one considered "Shut up! You're one of them too! You wicked sword-wielders! A spear is the dream of a martial artist!" a good remark. The Sword Empress spoke again.

"Then bring out your weapon!"

"As for my weapon, there's no need to bring it out. They are always ready, anywhere, anytime."

"Oh? That's an interesting story. Do you think your mind controls all of them?"

"They move together wherever my mind goes. They are like my limbs."

"Perhaps I underestimated you. Very well, a promise is a promise. If you withstand ten moves from now, you win. To start, as a warm-up, I will spar with you with this!"

What the Sword Empress took out was a fluttering, light, silk robe made from threads spun from silkworms.

"You will spar with that?"

"What, is there a problem?"

"No. What difference does it make what someone holds when they have transcended the limitations of weapons?"

Biryu-yeon's words were very true.

"Be careful, or else… you will die!"

The Sword Empress's figure suddenly disappeared from people's sight.

"Huh?"

Before people could even react in surprise, before Biryu-yeon could even react in surprise, the Sword Empress's figure had already closed in right before Biryu-yeon's eyes. And pulling the opponent into her range in one breath, the Sword Empress delivered a powerful downward strike with her sword without holding back.

Kwakwakwakwakwang!

The earth split with a vibration that shook the mountains. The shockwave, like a glutton, devoured soil, gravel, and dust, carving a massive trench into the earth.

The teeth of the ferocious shockwave, as if hungry, tore apart even a stout tree standing five paces behind Biryu-yeon. Unable to fully evade the direct impact of the shockwave due to its lack of legs, the stout tree soon shattered with a thunderous cry like the drumbeat of a thunder god. It was a moment when a tree that had endured hundreds of years of wind and rain turned into a pile of toothpicks in an instant. Dust clouds rose like cumulonimbus, and settled slowly and quietly over thirty times that duration.

"That… it seems she's serious…"

"Hmm, it appears so."

The faces of the Sword Master and the Sword Saint turned slightly grim. They never imagined she would be this serious in holding back her strength against such a junior.

"I-impossible!"

Jang Hong, Hyo Ryong, and Yun Jun-ho, who were watching the same scene from a short distance away, felt chills run down their spines. Being still in the flush of youth, they couldn't maintain their composure as skillfully as the Sword Master or the Sword Saint.

What unfathomable power was this?

If hit directly by this strike, even Biryu-yeon would be crushed into powder. They even doubted if what she held in her hand was truly a fluttering silk robe.

"Is this the power of those called the Three Stars of Heaven's Might?"

Jjireureureureut!

The tremor that pierced them in a straight line from the Baihui point on their crown to the Yongchuan point on the soles of their feet had not yet subsided.

"No!"

Na Ye-rin shook her head. And she corrected Jang Heung's words.

"Her power has only been unleashed about a tenth so far!"

As the hazy dust subsided, Biryu-yeon's figure emerged from the dust cloud.

He stood precariously, only a foot away from where the lightning-like strike had fallen. It seemed he had narrowly avoided the thunderbolt that fiercely descended towards his crown. However, he didn't seem greatly surprised. One might wonder if he was feigning composure out of stubbornness, but it was impossible to know.

"Hooowww…"

Looking at the long scar in the earth beside him, Biryu-yeon let out a long whistle.

"If I had been hit directly, I don't think I would have had any bones left."

Biryu-yeon said, whistling lightly.

"But I didn't expect the sword of someone praised as the Sword Empress to be so brute and unrefined."

Even after witnessing such a strike, albeit a miss, Biryu-yeon's voice held a relaxed tone.

"One cannot exert their full strength against a junior! That was a warning."

The Sword Empress said in a calm voice that lacked much emotion. It meant he wasn't able to dodge because he was so skilled.

"But will you be able to dodge this time too?"

The main story began now.

"Second move!"

In an instant, the Sword Empress's figure vanished from the crowd's sight again, and the next moment, she appeared on Biryu-yeon's right side. The Sword Empress's attack was as fast as the wind, and it directly struck Biryu-yeon's forearm, which he had raised to his side, unable to evade in time.

Dong!

Hit by the silk robe, Biryu-yeon's body flew in a parabolic arc. The shockwave alone was enough to split a tree in two. The immense power struck Biryu-yeon's body in its entirety. She was likely the only one in the martial world who used the silk robe, meant to subdue strength with softness, to suppress strength with strength.

The Sword Empress leaped quickly towards Biryu-yeon, who was airborne. He hadn't yet managed to regain proper control of his body. But the Sword Empress mercilessly brought her silk robe down with all her might.

"Third move!"

A loud "Pung" sound echoed, and along with it, Biryu-yeon's figure was repelled like an arrow at high speed. His body crashed directly into a large boulder.

Kwakang!

Then, a roar that seemed to shake the heavens and earth resounded. Cracks spread out like a spiderweb from the point where Biryu-yeon's body collided. It was an immense power.

"Th-this is impossible…"

Na Ye-rin's face turned ashen upon witnessing the scene.

Judging by the resounding sound, it was a miracle if he was still alive. Even so, he wouldn't be unharmed. It was probably the first humiliation Biryu-yeon had faced since entering the martial world.

'Has he finally met his match?'

It was too early to conclude.

"Is he dead?"

Mo Yong-hwi asked, his expression stiff, but not hiding his awe at the overwhelming power he had witnessed. He hadn't grasped the entire exchange.

"Not yet."

The Sword Saint's insight was accurate. His spiritual vision was no longer easily obscured by mere dust.

A fight between masters is a battle of who sees how much and how clearly. It is a battle of 'observation' and 'inspection'. Strength comes second.