WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Order
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◈ The Heaven-Slaying Sword ◈
Chapter 77: Chapter Nine - Mission, Espionage (8)
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Seon-u stared blankly as he turned Mok Ri-won's words over in his mind.
He dwelled on their meaning and the emotion they stirred within him.
The more he thought about them, the more he felt like he might cry.
‘There are people like that.’
There were people willing to help.
People who did not merely live in a world of their own, but looked out for those beneath them.
People who wielded swords for those with nothing to offer in return.
Seon-u thought to himself.
Perhaps Mok Ri-won looked so admirable right now not simply because of his appearance, but because of that unwavering resolve.
Dang Hwa-seo appeared at that moment.
“Why are you trying to look so impressive all by yourself?”
Mok Ri-won turned toward the amusement in her voice.
His face immediately lit up.
“Miss! You're coming with us?!”
“How could I sleep soundly after sending Young Hero Mok off alone?”
“Miss...!”
Mok Ri-won's eyes shimmered.
He looked ready to burst into tears.
“If you cry, I won't come with you. There, there!”
Mok Ri-won nodded vigorously and sprang to his feet.
Then he clasped Dang Hwa-seo's hand tightly.
“Thank you! Even if something happens to me, I'll make sure you, at least, stay safe!”
“You should make sure nothing happens. Don't say things like that.”
He truly was an idiot. And yet, he was someone she could not hate, only grow fonder of.
Thinking that Mok Ri-won was exactly that sort of person, Dang Hwa-seo gently soothed him.
‘Later...’
Whether they succeeded or failed, accountability would be demanded for the unilateral action. She did not want to think about that right now.
Dang Hwa-seo, too, had been saved by Mok Ri-won's Chivalric righteousness.
She was not the only one to step into the courtyard as the mood warmed.
“Brother Mok!”
“Brother Jegal!”
Jegal San appeared.
Mok Ri-won and Jegal San both went, “Khh!” as they held their breath, spread their arms, and embraced warmly.
“Just as expected, Brother Jegal! I knew I could count on you!”
“Where could I go and leave my brother behind?”
This was true brotherhood between men!
Mok Ri-won trembled at the thought. Jegal San flinched and pulled away with a stiff expression.
“Ahem! Anyway, I am especially confident when it comes to sneaking over walls, so just trust me!”
“What a thing to brag about, you fool.”
Dang Hwa-seo let out a dry laugh, while Mok Ri-won chattered on with a sunny smile.
“Ah, what a relief! I talked big, but I was really worried about what I'd do if I had to go alone!”
“Not going was never an option for you, was it?”
“Of course! That's Chivalry!”
Mok Ri-won gave a firm thumbs-up.
More time passed, and with about half an hour remaining before their departure, Il-un and Hye-un appeared.
No further words were necessary.
Il-un smiled as he recited a Buddhist prayer, while Hye-un took her place, muttering that there was nothing for her to do if she stayed behind.
Even Mok Ri-won was surprised.
After all, who knew better than he did that his argument had been unreasonable?
He had already decided that if he had to leave alone, he would simply have to accept it.
“Thank you for coming with me.”
That made the moment all the more moving.
Mok Ri-won bowed to the companions who had gone along with his unreasonable request.
Hye-un spoke up.
“Not everyone's here yet, are they?”
Mok Ri-won smiled bitterly.
That was true.
Namgung Jin-cheon had yet to appear.
And Mok Ri-won did not think he would.
“He won't come. The Sword Dragon is a proud man, isn't he? He is also the most rational among us. I believe he will do what he considers the right and reasonable thing.”
They had exchanged words harsh enough to hurt each other's feelings, but Mok Ri-won did not resent Namgung Jin-cheon.
He was terribly arrogant and stubborn, but he was also a man who held a great cause close to his heart.
No, perhaps he was the one who held the grandest cause of all.
Not misguided Chivalric righteousness, but a different kind of Chivalric righteousness.
It was a concept Mok Ri-won had already learned from his master.
He accepted that Namgung Jin-cheon was different from him.
“I suppose it can't be hel-”
“What can't be helped?”
A voice rang out.
It was angry and resolute, carrying a dignified weight.
Every unit member turned toward the estate.
Namgung Jin-cheon stood there.
His face was covered in irritation.
“Sword Dragon...?”
“Don't misunderstand. I did not come out to help.”
Namgung Jin-cheon's steps were heavy, and the aura leaking from him was fierce.
He stopped directly before Mok Ri-won and spoke.
“Since things have already come to this, the chances of success are higher if I go with you. I am going because it is the right choice for the entire unit.”
Open rage lay in Namgung Jin-cheon's jade-blue eyes.
Mok Ri-won's expression stiffened at the sight, but he nodded.
“...Even so, thank you for coming with us.”
“Remember this, Ink Dragon.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are running toward your death. Your Chivalric righteousness is placing you and those around you in danger. It will be the same in the future.”
Namgung Jin-cheon was rarely this emotional.
A man who hardly ever resorted to threats had gone so far as to grab Mok Ri-won by the collar.
Namgung Jin-cheon thrust his face forward.
His eyes glinted as he glared into Mok Ri-won's.
“Do not think everything that happens from now on will be like this. I will continue to stand in your way. For this unit and the White Path Martial World. This is the only time things will go as you wish.”
Thud!
With that, Namgung Jin-cheon shoved Mok Ri-won away.
Mok Ri-won allowed himself to be pushed back, then bowed again and gave a cupped-fist salute.
“I understand the Sword Dragon's intentions.”
Mok Ri-won might be stubborn, but he was not a man who forced his own sense of right upon others.
The atmosphere had turned hostile again after the two clashed, and Dang Hwa-seo stepped in to mediate.
“...Well, everyone's here now.”
When Dang Hwa-seo stepped forward, the other unit members deliberately responded with renewed energy.
Several things had gone wrong, but they had ultimately come together and would move forward as one.
Their expressions could not help but brighten.
“All right, let's go.”
The sun was nearly down.
It was clear that a long night awaited them.
The unit members sharpened their focus and formed up. Dang Hwa-seo spoke to Seon-u.
“Your name was Seon-u, correct?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Tell us the estate's layout, even if only roughly. And where the Demonic practitioners are staying.”
Seon-u swallowed dryly as he looked up at Dang Hwa-seo and the Dragon Phoenix Unit.
They were clearly heading straight into danger.
Yet beyond their tension, there was no trace of fear on their faces.
Seeing that, Seon-u thought:
‘Heroes...’
Heroes and champions.
They were noble people who stepped forward for the path they had chosen without a hint of fear.
If anyone deserved that description, it had to be people like them.
At that moment, Seon-u felt his heart pound fiercely.
* * *
The plan itself was nothing special.
“For now, we'll move as they want us to. Since the hostages' safety isn't guaranteed, we need to make the enemy lower their guard as much as possible.”
The unit members nodded at Dang Hwa-seo's words.
They did not know the enemy's strength, but that was no reason to fear them.
Considering the usual makeup of a Martial World group, the other side was unlikely to have more than three peak masters.
There were only around twenty Demonic practitioners in the estate.
That was about the size of a unit.
At most, they would have one peak master at a Division Leader's level and a few martial artists at a Deputy Division Leader's level.
What about their own forces?
There were six of them, and every one was at peak or above.
Mok Ri-won and Namgung Jin-cheon were both martial artists nearing the transcendent peak.
Their strength was more than sufficient.
With the So Family Estate just ahead, Namgung Jin-cheon stepped forward as the discussion continued.
He rose and drew his sword.
“I'll draw their attention. The ones directly ahead should not be particularly strong. While I cause a disturbance, infiltrate from the other side and secure the hostages.”
He was saying that he would act as bait.
No one even had time to stop him.
Boom.
Namgung Jin-cheon stamped the ground and dashed forward.
Soon, a loud crash came from beyond the wall.
“Whew, he sure is impatient.”
Jegal San let out a helpless laugh.
* * *
After clearing the wall, Namgung Jin-cheon looked around.
“Fifteen.”
They were Demonic practitioners at a glance.
Their bloodshot eyes, ragged breathing, and everything else made it obvious.
‘At most, they're first-rate.’
Having reached that conclusion, Namgung Jin-cheon adjusted his stance.
His face was horribly twisted.
His heart was steeped in rage as well.
It was an emotion Namgung Jin-cheon had never felt before in his life.
“Someone has to be unreasonable. Someone has to leap in for the weak right in front of them. Only then can more people smile.”
Mok Ri-won's words circled through his mind.
No matter how he dismissed them as nonsense and tried to push them away, they would not leave him.
Even Namgung Jin-cheon did not know why.
Whenever he tried to cast them aside, they only seemed to tighten around his throat.
‘Nonsense. Sophistry.’
They were words Mok Ri-won could say only because he had always been strong.
Those fine-sounding words might crumble when he faced someone stronger than himself.
No, perhaps that day was today.
Perhaps the Demonic practitioner inside was a formidable foe Mok Ri-won could not handle.
Then it would prove that he was right.
He would be able to mock Mok Ri-won to his heart's content.
“...This is unpleasant.”
Namgung Jin-cheon found that far too unpleasant.
The thought of Mok Ri-won failing to prove his own words filled him with an indescribable irritation.
“Attack!”
One of the Demonic practitioners shouted in a phlegmy voice.
The Demonic practitioners stationed around the courtyard charged, radiating furious energy.
They were slow enough to make Namgung Jin-cheon yawn.
Whoosh!
Blue Qi Waves began pressing down upon the entire courtyard.
The charging Demonic practitioners stiffened in an instant.
Namgung Jin-cheon's sword swept horizontally.
“Vermin.”
Shhk.
What happened in that single stroke was astonishing.
The waists of the half who had charged first were severed, splitting their bodies in two.
Blood and body parts hit the ground with wet splats.
The surviving Demonic practitioners belatedly raised their guard, but it was meaningless.
Sword Dragon Namgung Jin-cheon had once been regarded as the one who would lead the next generation.
He had lost that position, but that did not mean his martial strength had declined.
If anything, defeat had placed even greater power in his hands.
Namgung Jin-cheon raised his arm, lifting his sword high.
The Qi Waves that dominated the area constricted the Demonic practitioners' breathing, leaving them unable to flee.
“Trash.”
Namgung Jin-cheon refined the Qi Waves as he spoke.
His sword still carried rage.
He did not know whether that rage was directed at the Demonic practitioners, Mok Ri-won, or himself for being unable to cast Mok Ri-won's words aside.
There was only one thing he knew.
He was more irritated than he had ever been in his life, and there were perfect targets before him to vent that irritation on.
“Die.”
Namgung Jin-cheon brought his sword down.
It cut through empty air, but that did not matter in the slightest.
The Namgung sword was the sword of heaven.
The Namgung sword was the Emperor's sword.
Chasing after an opponent to cut them down was itself an indulgence and a disgrace.
Thus it was called the Imperial Sword Form.
As that most arrogant and weighty sword descended, the Qi Waves ruling the space fell from above onto their crowns.
Shhk.
With a cutting sound, every Demonic practitioner fell.
Even then, Namgung Jin-cheon only clenched his teeth and vented his irritation.
‘This is still unpleasant.’
His rage did not subside.
Footnotes:
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