Side Story Chapter 24 - One-horn (9)

However, the eighth extreme sword thunder strike did not only contain the principles of the Eight Extremes of Sword Thunder. It also contained the principles of the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword.

It was what Yeon-woo utilized when he tore down the Tower, and he had completed it after repeating countless mistakes in the darkness.

Slip. Yeon-woo slowly moved his finger sword downward. It was so slow that it would make any observer yawn. Moreover, it seemed as if time had slowed down. However, this was just what it seemed. The reality was that nothing had changed.

The Martial King remained motionless while Yeon-woo’s fingers moved downwards atop his head.

From the movement, the Martial king saw another universe within. Life and death. Positive and negative. Light and darkness. Fire and water. Above and below. Left and right… He saw opposite properties, like two sides of a coin, but they were also inseparable. Tai Chi was the mixing of two opposing forces and turning them around, and Bright Pangu was the act of breaking free from this cycle.

The realization of the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword started from there. One must throw away the preconceived notions one had and escape from the overarching providence by untangling oneself from the superstructure.

However, despite his achievements and realization, the Martial King had not been able to obtain the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword until the end because his very existence was completely entangled in providence. It was a limitation that one had since birth, and it was also a weakness that every existence possessed.

Even though Yeon-woo knew this, he hoped he could provide the Martial King with the hope of one day breaking through and acquiring the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword principle.

The Martial King’s attention was completely captured. This was the best time to get a clue, while he was immensely focused and wandering in the swamp of enlightenment.

Of course, in the end, the Martial King may never be able to attain the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword. It may remain forever as just a seed in his heart, or it may just pass by his consciousness like an afterimage.

However, Yeon-woo had no doubts that the Martial King would succeed at one time or another. This was because he knew that the Martial King was a monster. ‘That monster-like quality goes for this version of my master as well.’

Just as expected, Yeon-woo could see the various brilliant lights flickering within the Martial King’s eyes. Those lights flickered repeatedly. Just as a wildly burning star breaks down to become a nebula and mixes with other nebulae to form a new star… The epiphanies and enlightenment that the Martial King was obtaining twinkled like stars. They would soon collapse and be re-established.

Enlightenment was the light, and the light was the star. And that light had escaped the Martial King’s eyes and was now radiating from his body. Whoosh! Like fine snow falling, particles of light rose and sank downwards. It was similar to, but different from, the light that transcendent beings usually emanated. The light distribution of the other transcendent beings had a solemn quality, but his master’s light distribution seemed dazzling and warm.

Yeon-woo knew. If his master’s light were to ever burn wildly with anger, it would become a huge flame that would engulf the world.

The sun from afar was very beautiful and warm, but when anything got close, it disintegrated, disappearing without a trace. The Martial King was becoming such a being.

.

This was what Yeon-woo wanted to call the Martial King. God. Demon. Giant. Draconic. The Martial King was walking down a path that was entirely different from those beings.

‘Dang.’ Yeon-woo could not help but smile when he saw this. ‘You really do have a knack at doing absurd things.’

Although Yeon-woo had only shown a principle, the Martial King was able to gain enlightenment, and based on that, he would probably be able to find a new path towards exuviation and transcendence. Yeon-woo thought that this was great. And for that reason, he had no choice but to acknowledge the Martial King. His master had essentially raised him and was the father of his one and only wife.

As Yeon-woo was having such thoughts… Boom! The eighth extreme of sword thunder strike covered the starlight that the proudly emanated, and the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword swept the space.

***

“W-What was that?”

“What’s going on?”

“Who won?”

“Damn it, I feel so dizzy. Please tell me the results!”

The members of the tribe, who were watching the match between Yeon-woo and the Martial King, grew restless. They had been observing a fierce battle that they could barely keep up with, and then a barrier had suddenly appeared around the two combatants. However, at some point, only flickering lights could be seen.

Even so, the tribe members who were quite talented burst into admiration as they quickly followed the traces of the two combatants. It was exactly what they had hoped for!

Not to mention the Martial King, Yeon-woo exhibited a power level and skill set that rivaled, if not surpassing, the Martial King. Moreover, as they continued to observe the battle, they each gained a sense of enlightenment on their own path. In other words, their eyes had been opened.

Then, Yeon-woo came out with the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sowrd. All the members of the tribe jumped up from their seats.

Edora also jumped up in surprise. It was the overbearing and seemingly immovable wall that she so desperately wanted to break through but never could. The essence of what the tribe had been trying to overcome for hundreds of years was being exhibited by Yeon-woo.

And then, an explosion. A swarm of lights filled the inside of the barrier, and the subsequent harsh vibrations even reached the observers. The barrier shook violently as if it would break at any moment.

Some of the tribe members tried to approach the barrier, fearing that something wrong may have happened within.

“Everyone, clear away from the barrier!” The head elder hastily blocked his tribe members’ approach. If the barrier exploded, a crisis would befall the entire Tower, as well as their village. Everything might be blown away. Even though the attacks had been contained within the barrier, the aftershock forces felt outside the barrier were strong enough to make one’s hair stand upright.

Then, suddenly, the barrier disappeared. The collection of lights, which seemed to want to explode at any moment, faded away, and instead, only the two, Yeon-woo and the Martial King, appeared.

“Uh, uh…?”

“Did they really fight properly?”

“Didn’t we all see the same thing? How come they both look okay?”

The members of the tribe widened their eyes as they looked at the two. Even though the two had obviously been in a fierce battle, the two of them stood without showing any signs of being greatly exhausted, let alone injured.

Rather, the Martial King had a cheerful grin on his face. It was a face that seemed to suggest that he had realized something. There was warmth in his gaze as he looked at Yeon-woo. “Quite good.”

The Martial King no longer emanated the bright halo of light that Yeon-woo referred to as ‘starlight’. This was because the Martial King had used up all the light to parry the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword strike.

“You’ve grown a lot.”

Drip! In an instant, the Martial King, who had been smiling and laughing heartily, collapsed onto the ground with blood dripping from the side of his lip.

Plop! When the powerless sound rang out, everyone fell into a long silence. It was the first time anyone had seen the Martial King fall onto the ground. Up to now, the Martial King had always been a supreme figure who had never been defeated within the tribe. It was shocking for every member of the tribe as it shattered all of their common sense.

“Wow!”

“Nice!”

“Finally! The chieftain has fallen!”

“Let’s go!”

At the same time, the tribe members felt a collective exhilarating feeling after seeing their ‘evil’ chieftain, who had tormented them so badly, collapse. They felt a strong vicarious satisfaction through Yeon-woo, who had defeated their monster-like chieftain in their stead. Cheer! The village shook with cheers.

***

“You’re coming back as soon as you can, right?”

“I really am. Don’t worry.” Yeon-woo looked at himself with a little pity. He smiled bitterly as he looked at Edora, who was looking at him with concern. Yeon-woo was able to feel the torment and pain that Edora had suffered while waiting for him all this time. Thus, Yeon-woo reached out with his hand and gently stroked Edora’s purple hair.

Like a cat savoring another’s touch, Edora’s face grew languid as she took it all in.

“In your perspective, I’ll only be disappearing for a very short time. You’ll see me back in no time.”

Yeon-woo was about to turn the ‘wheel’ to a time where he could visit his parents, Kronos and Rhea. He needed to bring the two of them to the parent meet-and-greet event. And although he did not say anything to Edora, when he had time, he was thinking about looking for the Martial King’s remaining ‘pieces’ in his spare time.

The present Martial King was still incomplete. Yeon-woo had somehow managed to resurrect him with the omnipotence he possessed, but he was not sure how long this version of the Martial King would last.

The Martial King was like a brittle glass bowl that could break and spill what it contained at any moment. Fortunately, once the Martial King was able to give off his own light and became a transcendent , his identity was completely established and imprinted into an Idea, so there was no need to worry about the Martial King disappearing for the time being.

‘But the sooner I resolve everything, the better.’

In the end, an imperfect existence was just that, imperfect. The Martial King was aware of this fact, which led Yeon-woo to become more in awe at how the Martial King was taking everything in stride.

If he were in his master’s position, would he be that calm? Yeon-woo recalled wandering in the darkness for what seemed like an eternity, so he appreciated the Martial King’s attitude even more.

‘Well. He’s also not a stranger.’ A slight smile crept onto Yeon-woo’s lips. ‘Family.’

The Martial King was now part of Yeon-woo’s family. In the social, outer world, the Martial King was his teacher, and publicly, his master was an expert martial artist. But to Yeon-woo, he would now become his father. And helping his father was the right thing to do as a son.

“Hmm… I wish you’d go after father awakes.” Edora did not want to let go of Yeon-woo. She spoke with a voice full of regret as she grabbed Yeon-woo’s hem.

Yeon-woo hugged Edora. “What do you think he’ll say when he wakes up and sees me?”

Having said that, Edora could not respond. As Yeon-woo mentioned, if the Martial King woke up and saw Yeon-woo, her father would probably want to go another round. He would probably keep fighting until he got the match he wanted. Edora knew that her father would do so.

In the end, it was as if Yeon-woo was running away while the Martial King passed out.

Ah! Edora let out a long sigh. Even now, her father was grabbing onto her ankles. However, understanding this and truly being sad were two different things. Edora groaned and pouted her lips.

“Really, really, really, really… You have to come back soon.”

“I will.” Yeon-woo smiled lightly and hugged Edora tighter.

[The ‘wheel’ is turning and fast-forwarding!]

Yeon-woo quietly disappeared from the spot. Edora was left all alone. She sighed once more.

***

The Martial King, who was lying in bed, slowly opened his eyes. The moment his eyes opened…

“…he left.” The Martial King knew that Yeon-woo would leave while he was asleep. However, he did not bother to catch his disciple. As Yeon-woo said, his master would want to hold him down persistently, asking for another match. However, the Martial King could not do what he truly wanted, as he knew what lay in front of Yeon-woo.

The Martial King slowly raised his hands which were filled with hard calluses. His hands, which were much larger than the other tribe members’, was proof of how much training he had done and how strong his enemies were when he defeated them.

For the Martial King, who preferred to fight head-on by bumping bodies with his opponent without using any special weapons, his two hands were his sword and his shield. And a little while ago, it was also a hand that had finally competed with a disciple who surpassed his master.

It was his life and his path. It represented his achievements. It was the result of everything that comprised him.

Thus, the Martial King always loved his two hands. Even if he was given another heavenly or divine treasure, he would not trade away his two hands. All the memories were vividly contained within them. They were completely and wholly his. When he became a … the ecstasy he felt when he saw the truth of the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword was also clearly ‘real’.

However…the thought that maybe everything he observed was just an illusion and that it might be ‘fake’ made him a bit upset. Even though all his memories were clear and vivid, the thought that they might have all been ‘manipulated’ twisted his mind. He felt like it was unfair.

“Hey, wife.”

『…』

“Can you believe it?”

『…stop.』

“I lost? Hahaha!”

『Do you know how many times you’ve said that already?』

“I mean, it feels really weird. I feel perfectly fine here.”

『Any passing person would probably think you’re drunk. Why are you repeating the same words over and over?』

“To think, I’m an illusion that doesn’t really exist.”

『…』

The Martial King let out a long sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. The ‘truth’ that Yeon-woo had told him flashed through his mind.

“Master.” Yeon-woo’s voice was deeply subdued when he spoke these lines. “I did unto you what you did with Nocturne.”

The Martial King here was not the real Martial King. He was just an existence made up of traces his original self had left behind. He was a shadow. Yeon-woo had brought him out from the twenty-first floor.