Chapter 1564: It's Different From Back Then (Part 4)

"Uaaaaah!"

The collision of two energies swept away the pirates surrounding the Black Dragon King. Sturdy martial artists were swept away like leaves in a hurricane.

"Kuk!"

The Namgung swordsmen, who were rushing with momentum, also hesitated as they felt the impact.

They all gazed at one place. Amidst the black and white aura scattering into pieces, the figure of Namgung Dowi bouncing backward came into view.

"Sogaju-nim!"

Namgung Dowi, who had been thrown away like an arrow, flipped in the air once before landing. He still had a calm face. It seemed that he hadn't suffered much shock.

The ones shaken were the Namgung Family's swordsmen.

"Sogaju-nim..."

They knew how much stronger Namgung Dowi had become. The current Namgung Dowi was not a person comparable to the Namgung Dowi from Plum Blossom Island.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed that a person could improve their skills so much with just a few experiences and a changed mindset.

However, the now much stronger Namgung Dowi was repelled with a single blow. The Black Dragon King had only taken a few steps back.

"Even though he lost one arm..."

At that moment, as if someone groaned in pain, Namgung Myung's cold voice reached the ears of the swordsmen.

"Don't say foolish things."

"But, but..."

"Having an arm cut off doesn't make your accumulated experience disappear. Changing the arm that holds the weapon doesn't decrease your strength. For a martial artist like the Black Dragon King, it's natural."

He was the most hated enemy. But precisely because of that, he could be acknowledged purely.

If the Black Dragon King was just an insignificant person, if the Su Lo Chae was just an insignificant sect, then wouldn't the death of Namgung Hwang be a dog's death, and the Namgung Family's suffering would be the price of foolishness?

"Even without his right arm, the Black Dragon King is still the Black Dragon King. He is a difficult opponent for Sogaju."

Even the expression "difficult opponent" was a statement that put generous consideration into Namgung Dowi's dignity.

To put it bluntly... Namgung Dowi wasn't a match for the Black Dragon King. At least not yet.

"Then..."

"Why? Do you think your lives are wasted now?"

At Namgung Myung's words, venom filled the eyes of the swordsmen for a moment.

"Is that possible!"

"Then draw your swords! Don't leave everything to Gaju. The ones who will cut the throat of the Black Dragon King are none other than us! The Namgung Family! Namgung's symbol is not the family head but the Heaven's Sword!"

"Yes!"

The swordsmen of Namgung, who regained their composure, rushed again towards the Black Dragon King. The agile pirates, who could match anyone in the world in terms of intuition, quickly perceived their movements and blocked their path.

"How dare these guys!"

"Already cornered rats!"

The momentum of the pirates was no less than that of the Namgung Family's. It was clear that the prestige of the Black Dragon King, who pushed Namgung Dowi away in one blow, boosted their morale.

The Black Dragon King was still alive and well.

Was there anything more empowering than confirming it with your own eyes?

"Break through!"

"Block them!"

The hell of the battlefield that once unfolded on a small island in the Yangtze River once again took form here.

And in the midst of that intense battle, two people silently stared at each other.

"Hmm."

The Black Dragon King glanced down and looked at the footprints stamped in front of him.

Clearly marked footprints. It was the trace of the shame left by the Black Dragon King, who retreated without overcoming the aftermath.

"...A mere whelp."

The eyes of the Black Dragon King staring at Namgung Dowi were burning like black flames.

It was only two steps. It could be considered a cheap price for throwing the opponent far away.

However, the evaluation would undoubtedly change if the opponent was a young punk who wasn't even halfway through life.

Unlike Namgung Hwang, that bastard was not even worth mentioning. Yet, for a moment, he was pushed back.

Thud, thud.

The Black Dragon King, sharpening his sword, growled roughy.

"To think both father and son would dare to challenge me to death. Ridiculous. I wonder what your father in the afterlife would say."

Namgung Dowi shot a cold glance at the Black Dragon King.

"For the Black Dragon King to utter such words is truly disgraceful, isn't it?"

"What?"

"If anyone hears, they might think you straightforwardly defeated my father. You know that, too, don't you?"

Namgung Dowi twisted his composed face into a sly smile. Bloody teeth were revealed between his lips.

"My father is the Sword Emperor, Namgung Hwang."

"..."

"If you had a proper life-and-death struggle with my father, there is no way your life would still be intact."

"Eh!"

"A mere pirate is not worthy of the Emperor's Sword. I am enough for you."

The rough face of the Black Dragon King became distorted with anger.

It wasn't excitement from receiving an evaluation lower than Namgung Hwang's. It was anger that a petty youngster dared to speak such words in front of him.

And perhaps... the Black Dragon King thought of one person.

A small youngster who might make up half his size. The moment that brat's sword dug into his arm.

At the vivid recollection, the Black Dragon King's eyes were engulfed in anger.

"I'll tear you to shreds and make you fish food in the Yangtze! Not even your corpse will be left behind, unlike your father!"

Namgung Dowi raised the corner of his mouth.

Somehow he felt like he had to say this.

"I'll return those words to you. Remember it clearly."

If he knew him, he would have naturally responded this way.

"Oooo!"

The Black Dragon King, as if to say no more words were needed, swung down a huge blade.

Kwaaaa!

A rough stroke, as if drawn with a brush saturated in ink, flew straight toward Namgung Dowi. It seemed like a manifestation of supreme dominance.

Inadvertently, Namgung Dowi bit his lips.

'Is this it?'

His heart pounded as if two wooden mallets were striking it, and sweat poured down from his entire body. The fear weighing his entire body was more intense than the pressure from the soaring blade.

At the same time, Namgung Dowi realized anew. Until now, he had never engaged in a life-and-death struggle with someone stronger than himself.

No, it may be that he had never even risked his life fighting against a worthy opponent.

'Is this what it's like?'

The image of one person flashed through his mind.

A person who casually did things anyone would consider reckless.

And another image passed by.

A person who always protected them with a broad back.

'It couldn't have been easy.'

Kwaang!

Namgung Dowi stomped forcefully.

Certainly, they must have been afraid.

They had to overcome not just someone like the Black Dragon King, but even heavier burdens and stronger opponents.

So.

"Oooooo!"

Namgung Dowi's sword was enveloped in a white glow. The faintly emerging white glow explosively soared, instantly shooting towards the black blade.

Kwaaaaah!

The massive sword energy and blade collided once again.

Oof!

Blood spilled from Namgung Dowi's mouth. It felt like his entire body had been struck by a gigantic hammer. Although he possessed formidable inner strength, comparable to the peak of a young martial artist, it was still not on par with the Black Dragon King, who had already reached the pinnacle of strength.

However, instead of retreating, Namgung Dowi forcefully slammed the ground.

At the collision, fragments of sword energy scattered towards him, piercing his body. But Namgung Dowi only focused on the man in front of him. He didn't blink.

- How do you fight against someone stronger?

He had asked that question once.

- Run away, you idiot. Why fight someone stronger than yourself? If you want to die, just stick your head in a pot. Why bother dying in such a difficult and painful way? How about it, want a bowl of water?

The answer and the gaze were both indifferent, but Namgung Dowi knew. There was concern hidden in those sharp words.

- But if there really is a situation where you must fight... If there's no way to escape and you're in a situation where you have to bite off the opponent's nose, there's only one way.

Once again, a black blade flew towards Namgung Dowi. With the same momentum as his charge [not sure], he raised his sword with all his might.

A method to deflect the opponent's energy with gentleness.

Kwaaaah!

In an instant, Namgung Dowi was thrown back like a cannonball, slamming into the ground.

'I don't know such a method.'

If it were Chung Myung, he would smoothly deflect that blade as if nothing happened. If it were Namgung Hwang, he would have smashed that blade with sheer force. But Namgung Dowi lacked the ability.

Crash!

Namgung Dowi's body, which had been tumbling, shot forward as if it had been prearranged.

At that moment, Namgung Dowi's field of vision was filled with massive black blade.

Overwhelming and, at the same time, a despair-inducing scene.

Faced with such a vast difference in power, what Namgung Dowi chose was to move forward. But that step forward was a pitiful advancement.

Namgung Dowi, with all his strength, drove his body towards the ground rather than the sky. 

Kwoong!

His body pierced the solid ground, half-buried in it. It forcibly expanded the thread-like (一手) opening.

Enduring the pain, Namgung Dowi's head barely avoided the passing blade energy.

Crash!

Immediately, Namgung Dowi rolled his body, using the recoil to shoot forward once again.

A dog under a tiger-like parent?

Perhaps.

Compared to Namgung Hwang, he couldn't even be considered a dog. If compared to Chung Myung, let alone a snake, he wasn't even an earthworm.

But Namgung Dowi didn't despair. There was no fantasy of waiting until he himself became a tiger.

Not anymore. Now that he knew.

Even a dog had its own way of fighting.

"This bastard!"

Just as the Black Dragon King was about to explode in anger, Namgung Dowi's sword cut through the air.

Not the Emperor's Sword style, but the Twelve Iron Sword style.

It wasn't a sword technique that suppressed with internal strength. It was simply Namgung's swordsmanship that cut swiftly and briskly.

Kwaat!

More than a dozen glows emitted by him rapidly shot towards the Black Dragon King. Just as the Black Dragon King tried to release his energy again, his face contorted.

"You're doing something trivial!"

Kwaah!

As he swung the scimitar forcefully, the flying sword energies crumbled like a sandcastle swept away by strong waves.

"Ooooo!"

But Namgung Dowi was not exhausted. He emitted a series of white sword energies again. So futile that it seemed foolish, so earnest that it made you want to clench your fist!

"This rat-like bastard!"

The Black Dragon King's eyes flickered with madness.

His left arm, gripping the scimitar tightly, seemed about to burst as it swelled up. The accumulated power exploded simultaneously as the scimitar swung down, delivering a terrifying blow.

Kwaaaaah!

It seemed as if a sea of black ink had spilled over the canvas of the world.

The dark energy swallowed all of Namgung Dowi's sword qi, and soon, Namgung Dowi himself was engulfed.

A sight that would make one lose their mind.

Nevertheless, instead of retreating this time, Namgung Dowi slammed the ground with force.

Gooooong!

Namgung Dowi's sword emitted a white light.

It was his sword.

It was the Sword of Heaven, for standing above the world.

Namgung Dowi, one with his sword, leaped into the sea of blade energy as recklessly as diving into the vast sea at night.

Qudduk!

Soon, the tip of the sword pierced through the sea of blade energy.

Puh-eok!

Namgung Dowi's aura could not overcome the pressure and burst out.

Tuduk!

He heard a sound as if something were continuously bursting near his eyes, and soon, he began to lose hearing in one ear.

Uddduk!

The sound of something in his body being crushed resonated directly in his head. It was due to the pressure and pain as if a mountain were pressing down on him.

Still, Namgung Dowi moved forward.

Biting his lips, numbed even to his senses by the pressure, one step at a time.

And thus, when the white sword finally pierced through the black sea, what awaited him was a bright blue scimitar.

"This is the end!"

Kwaaaaah!

With a roaring sound that tore through the air as if exploding, the scimitar, filled with full force, swung down terrifyingly as if it would split Namgung Dowi's head in half.

Watching that scene, Namgung Dowi's eyes blankly lost focus for a moment.

'What did he say back then?'

...It felt like he heard something.

Back then...

- Attack the enemy's weaknesses with your strengths. Remember, there's no one without weaknesses in this world. It's just that one's strengths just cover them up..."

Pah!

In that moment of pause, Namgung Dowi's sword shot out like lightning. His target wasn't the enemy's heart or neck. It was the scimitar swinging down, specifically, the hand that held that scimitar. The fingers!

"Kuk!"

The scimitar suddenly twisted. If it had continued to descend, it would have cut through Namgung Dowi into two pieces. However, the Black Dragon King was already a person who had lost one arm. He couldn't afford to lose the remaining hand.

Kwaaaaah!

The diverted scimitar crushed the solid ground like soft tofu. Dust and dirt soared, and an immense shock swept through the surroundings.

'Where...!'

Because of that, the Black Dragon King, who hastily stood up to prepare for the attack, missed the traces of Namgung Dowi. But before he could respond...

"...Jaeksekwang."

To his right. Where there was once an arm wielding a weapon. However, now it was just an empty space. From there, a chilly voice echoed.

"Gotcha."

Namgung Dowi, whose face was entirely stained with blood, grinned like a devil.

A cold chill poured down the Black Dragon King's spine.