Book 24 Chapter 16

Chilsangheun vs Yeonbi

- The Final Match Begins

"Qing Faction! The undefeated emperor, the grim reaper, the one who knows no defeat, the one who knows no fear, the living legend of the Wontong Arena, the man of seven scars, the invincible man, Blood Flame Emperor Chilsangheun!!!"

As the introduction ended, a heavy iron gate opened, and a man walked into the arena. Unlike others, he didn't come from the waiting area, but appeared through the Emperor's path, a path only he could take. Only the victor could tread this path. The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers for their champion.

"Hong Faction! The challenger! Breaking everyone's expectations, driving countless gamblers to despair, bringing ecstasy to men and sighs to women, the legion of unparalleled beauties, Mi-so-jeo Yeon-dae!"

"Waaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Cheers erupted, rivaling those for Chilsangheun. The crowd was chanting the names of Nayerin and Yunmi. Yeonbi's name was hardly mentioned compared to the other two, which was understandable, as she had shown virtually no significant performance compared to them. The occasional cheers were only from a few spectators who found her short burst of activity in the match against the Dreamlike Three Heroes, along with her attractive appearance, memorable. Yeonbi, of course, was well aware of this fact, but she didn't care at all.

"It's finally my turn."

Saying "Upsy!" Yeonbi got up from her seat.

"Are you really going to be okay by yourself?"

"Of course. Don't worry, Rin. There's no problem. I have to work enough to share the prize money, too."

With that said, there was no stopping her.

"Then, I'll be going."

Yeonbi said a short farewell in her usual voice, then lifted Hyeoncheon Eunrin and headed towards the battlefield.

Chilsangheun frowned as he saw Yeonbi walking from the opposite waiting area. Then, the seven scars, deep like ravines, writhed like snakes.

'What's that now? What's with that umbrella? Is she disrespecting me?'

Perhaps concerned about her skin getting damaged by the scorching sunlight, Yeonbi walked in, casually slinging a black umbrella, embroidered with silver dragons on a midnight sky, over her shoulder. Her light, brisk steps were completely devoid of tension, as if she were just setting out for an afternoon stroll. Most importantly, she was alone. That, in particular, felt like a personal insult.

"Why alone?"

With a gaze that conveyed "Just you alone? To face me? Don't be ridiculous!", Chilsangheun asked in a gruff voice. But if he intended to pressure her with his gaze, he had chosen the wrong opponent. Meeting his gaze calmly with her transparent amber eyes, Yeonbi replied in a composed voice.

"No, there are three of us?"

Chilsangheun's brow furrowed deeper.

"Nonsense! You are alone, aren't you?"

Yeonbi shrugged indifferently.

"I was just making a light joke. It seems your eyesight is normal. Is that something to be disappointed about?"

The fact that the opponent had a flaw in one of their five senses wasn't bad news. However, Yeonbi didn't seem particularly disheartened.

"What?! My eyesight is perfectly fine!"

Chilsangheun shouted, provoked.

"Oh, I see. You asked something so obvious, I thought perhaps you were experiencing an optical illusion."

Chilsangheun nearly lost his temper at her explanation that she was merely checking if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"And it's not wrong to say there are three of us, because the two of them helped me get here. They're precious colleagues, you could say. Something you don't have."

Yunmi was currently guarding Nayerin by her side. Nayerin's beauty always attracted too much trouble, so extra caution was needed when she was unable to move like this. 'Someone like Miss Yunmi' wouldn't dare to even think of touching the helpless Nayerin out of timidity. Men, after all, were always a problem. In that regard, Yunmi was a trustworthy, naive girl.

Chilsangheun scoffed.

"Hmph, can you survive this battlefield with such sentimental and naive thoughts?"

"Oh, what do we do? I think I can survive. I just have to defeat you, right? Well, that's easy."

"Ah, you!"

The arena stirred at Yeonbi's audacious remark. They had never seen such a bold woman in front of Chilsangheun.

"Truly remarkable. What incredible nerve!"

The commentator, the melodious Young Master Yujin, exclaimed with genuine admiration.

"Yes, she seems to have truly gone mad."

It wasn't entirely a compliment. Then, Teacher Mupak retorted.

"Without going mad to that extent, how could she possibly stand before Chilsangheun? The moment the spirit breaks, the battle is already lost. You, sir, will never face Chilsangheun in your lifetime."

"Of course, I wouldn't do something so crazy."

He responded as if it were obvious.

"That would be considered a normal reaction. I understand."

"Um… what do you mean by that?"

Sensing a subtle tone, Yujin questioned him. As someone who lived by his words, he was very sensitive to them.

"Oh, it's nothing much. It just means you are an ordinary person."

Yujin looked at Teacher Mupak with a blank expression. Laughter erupted from the crowd.

"Wahahahaha!"

Their voices were amplified throughout the arena. Yujin's face instantly turned crimson, but he couldn't retort.

However, Chilsangheun didn't laugh. He was extremely displeased. His pride deeply wounded, sparks flew from his eyes.

"Are you brazen?"

His voice was chilling, but Yeonbi didn't flinch.

"My liver is quite fresh, I assure you. Would you like to open it up and check? If you have the ability, that is."

Yeonbi provocatively challenged in a cheerful tone. Chilsangheun, unable to contain his rage at being toyed with by a young girl, shouted.

"Fine. Today, I will personally open and check how big a woman's liver is!"

A dark aura began to emanate from his entire body like clouds. Seeing this, Yeonbi, far from being intimidated, smiled triumphantly. It was always a good thing when the enemy lost their cool judgment and composure. And the more good things, the better.

"If possible, anytime."

Yeonbi smiled and playfully spun Hyeoncheon Eunrin once. But feeling that the time wasn't quite ripe yet, Yeonbi decided to provoke Chilsangheun a bit more.

"Ah, speaking of which, I met an interesting old man before this match started."

Chilsangheun was perplexed by this sudden remark.

"What does that have to do with this match?"

"Now, now, don't get so excited, just listen. That old man said something interesting. He said he knows your weakness."

Yeonbi and Chilsangheun's gazes met in mid-air. For a moment, it seemed as if Chilsangheun gasped.

'Oh?'

His reaction was like a carp biting a fishing hook. It seemed her guess was right.

"That old man said he could teach me that weakness if I were interested. He said I could defeat you if I knew that weakness. Of course, it wasn't free. What in the world is free? Naturally, there was a condition. But it wasn't an overwhelming condition. It was a request that seemed perfectly doable. At first, I thought he was an old man betting a large sum on me, but that didn't seem to be the case. And what's the most interesting thing?"

"I don't know."

"That old man called you 'that child.' Isn't it funny? Calling someone who's well past thirty 'that child'?"

Yeonbi chuckled. But Chilsangheun did not laugh.

"Not funny at all."

He replied, barely maintaining his composure, but he wasn't very rational. His face had turned a dark shade of purple. His struggle to hide his agitation was evident. If not now, when would she push him? Yeonbi decided to push a little harder.

"How close do you have to be to someone to know their every martial arts weakness? Hmm, perhaps you have to be old enough to call someone who looks at least forty 'that child'?"

"Shut up! Stop yapping!"

His suppressed roar erupted like a lion's.

"I don't want to hear any more! Fight! Are you going to fight with your mouth?"

Even as an overwhelming aura surged like waves, Yeonbi smiled. She always found a calm and composed opponent more troublesome than an enraged one.

"Why are you so flustered? Is there something that would be problematic if I continued talking?"

Yeonbi persistently questioned. But that wouldn't open a tightly shut door.

"I told you to shut up!"

Chilsangheun charged forward, spewing crimson energy.

"Oh my, attacking with energy right from the start… You've got a lot of spirit."

Despite her words, he was not an opponent to be underestimated. Moreover, Yeonbi's physical condition was not at its peak. She was in a state that could be described as chaotic, confusing, and precarious. Therefore, she couldn't use many techniques.

Directly clashing power with power was a very dangerous gamble. Yeonbi herself didn't know what would happen inside her body if she were to be struck by the opponent's power. Yeonbi decided to dodge for now.

Lightly dodging the trajectory of the crimson energy cutting horizontally, Yeonbi flung herself backward. There was no special technique involved. She simply read the trajectory of the crimson energy with her keen eyes and pushed off the ground lightly with her foot to evade. However, the timing of her movement was so exquisite that the crimson energy missed, slicing through empty air. Though the explanation was long, it happened in the blink of an eye. Currently, with the Muryonghwan in a constant state of release, her body was, in a way, lighter than usual.

'If only my turbulent internal energy weren't acting up…'

Could she use the Phoenix Dance, the unique movement technique of the Birae sect, now? If she could, to what extent, and how many times? It was clear she couldn't use it whenever she wanted. And above all, a prolonged battle was impossible.

'There's no point in dragging this out.'

She had to find a way, somehow.

Chilsangheun closed the distance Yeonbi had created in an instant. With every step he took, dust billowed up as if an explosion had occurred at his heel. With that recoil, his body flew forward in a straight line like an arrow. It was as if he were showcasing what destructive footwork was. While Yeonbi was trying to conserve her internal energy, Chilsangheun was expending it lavishly, as if he had no regard for it. Consequently, each of his strikes overflowed with power.

'This is quite unfair…'

But Yeonbi didn't make a spectacle of complaining about such things. Fighting was inherently unfair. The goal of fighting was to create an advantage for oneself and a disadvantage for the opponent. At least, that's what Yeonbi had learned from her master, so it made sense to blame her master, who had contributed the most to putting her disciple in such a disadvantageous position. He had preached that the spirit of the Birae sect was to crush the opponent with overwhelming power and skill to a degree that advantage or disadvantage was irrelevant, yet he had put his one and only, dearly beloved disciple in such a disadvantageous situation. He was truly a wicked master.

'Well, it's not like my master was only wicked today. A hundred years ago, no, even three hundred years ago, he must have been the same!'

No, even since Yin and Yang were separated in Tai Chi, her master must have been a wicked, unfeeling, damned existence, clearly etched in the corner of 'Truth' in block letters: 'Master, wicked, caution.' It was a certainty akin to enlightenment.

Realizing that her master becoming good would be contrary to 'Truth,' Yeonbi decided to give up on things that would never change, no matter what, and focus on her current battle. Worrying about things that wouldn't change even if the world ended was a waste of time.

While lost in various random thoughts, Yeonbi skillfully dodged Chilsangheun's attacks, further agitating him.

Chilsangheun's sword techniques, honed by the blood from countless battles, were extremely practical. All superfluous movements were eliminated, focusing solely on cutting down the enemy and drawing blood. The three-foot crimson aura emanating from his half-broken sword was merely a supplementary tool to sharpen the blade further. But as such, it was direct. The highest level of such direct and practical techniques is the state of knowing but being unable to block. Fortunately, Chilsangheun's level did not seem to have reached that ultimate state. Therefore, Yeonbi's penetration was still barely effective. The gap was as thin as a sheet of paper. If Chilsangheun's blade came within a sheet of paper's distance, or if Yeonbi's movements slowed down by a sheet of paper's distance, Yeonbi would immediately be sliced in half by that crimson aura. The minuscule difference of a sheet of paper separated life and death, existence and non-existence at this very moment.

As if the intensity of the battle was conveyed to the spectators, the arena fell silent as if cold water had been poured on it.