By Zephyria Not on Purpose (4)
‘That idiot. He’s going to die like that.’
Seriously, pride isn’t going to feed you.
“Young master!”
Il-gwang flew in from somewhere.
“What is going on? Suddenly, Baek Ryeo-il…! To chase us all the way here, he’s a persistent one.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Since Second Young master is dealing with him, we should probably take cover.”
Il-gwang reached out his arm, but Seong Mu-yeon brushed it off.
“I’m not going. You go.”
“Young master! This is no time for that!”
Seong Mu-yeon narrowed his eyes and stared at the two people fighting in the distance. At this rate, Seong Mu-ryong was going to die.
“Haa… I really didn’t want to do this.”
“Yes? What do you mean…”
Seong Mu-yeon swiftly snatched the sword hanging from Il-gwang’s waist. The flustered Il-gwang reached out to retrieve his sword, but Seong Mu-yeon skillfully evaded his grasp with a dexterity he didn’t know he possessed.
“Young master?”
“Second brother can’t die here.”
Seong Mu-ryong had to safely return to the Demonic Cult and participate in the succession battle. The remaining sons of the Cult Leader had to continue their long struggle, each eroding the other’s power, to weaken the Demonic Cult’s strength itself.
Seong Mu-yeon calmed his breathing and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, a full inner force that had never been seen before enveloped his entire body.
“Y-Young master?”
Il-gwang doubted his senses. The presence of the sickly Seventh Young master, who had been insignificant until just now, suddenly expanded as if exploding. He felt an overwhelming martial prowess comparable to that of Second Young master Seong Mu-ryong.
This can’t be happening.
This can’t be.
“Il-gwang, watch carefully and take Second Young master and the others back to the cult.”
Il-gwang only received Seong Mu-yeon’s gaze for a moment, but he barely managed to suppress the urge to collapse as his legs lost strength.
“Th-Then… what about Seventh Young master?”
“Do you want Second Young master to die? Brother is no match for Baek Ryeo-il. I’ll take care of the rest, so shut up and do as I say.”
“Yes, yes!”
Il-gwang obeyed the unapproachable authority contained in each word.
That!
Seong Mu-yeon leaped forward. Rising into the air with a single bound, he filled his lungs with the fresh night air. It was a refreshing air that carried the scent of the season.
He felt a sense of liberation for the first time in a long time. The full inner force flowing from his dantian began to caress and strengthen the muscles, coursing through the acupoints of his entire body.
‘Let’s finish this as quickly as possible.’
He couldn’t maintain this state for long.
But at this moment, the unavoidable freedom and liberation made his heart feel like it was bursting open.
Seong Mu-yeon kicked off the empty air. The place where Baek Ryeo-il and Seong Mu-ryong were fighting quickly approached.
Baek Ryeo-il raised his sword, imbued with inner force. Seong Mu-yeon widened his eyes. Red inner force surged in the sword aura that surpassed Sword Energy, and it was fired towards Seong Mu-ryong.
It was an enormous power that seemed to tear even space itself. Seong Mu-ryong hurriedly surrounded himself with strong energy to prepare, but it seemed insufficient to block that sword aura.
That strike would kill Seong Mu-ryong.
But.
Seong Mu-yeon had no intention of letting him die.
He stepped on the air once more. His body seemed to stretch like taffy, and he closed the distance in an instant.
Just before Baek Ryeo-il’s energy tore through Seong Mu-ryong’s body, Seong Mu-yeon’s sword blocked the space between them. The moment the force trying to advance and the force trying to block collided, an explosion erupted.
Kwaaang-!
Seong Mu-ryong couldn’t withstand the aftermath and was thrown back, crashing to the ground. The flustered Baek Ryeo-il hung diagonally from the tip of the inn’s round roof.
Baek Ryeo-il scanned the opponent who had interfered with his attack with the eyes of a hawk. Soon, when he discovered the identity of the intruder, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Seong Mu-yeon…!”
Seong Mu-yeon also took the brunt of the energy’s shockwave, but he rotated his body in the middle to disperse the force. Then, he landed on the roof of the tallest building opposite Baek Ryeo-il.
Baek Ryeo-il gritted his teeth.
“You… you tricked me again.”
Seong Mu-yeon, wrapped in blue inner force, lightly admitted.
“Yes, I tricked you.”
Seong Mu-yeon glanced down. After confirming Il-gwang carrying the unconscious Seong Mu-ryong on his back, he averted his gaze. It was a short moment, but Baek Ryeo-il didn’t miss it either. He twitched, ready to cut off Seong Mu-ryong’s last breath at any moment.
Without delay, Seong Mu-yeon rushed in and swung his sword. As a result, Baek Ryeo-il had to turn his attention away from Second Young master and focus on Seong Mu-yeon.
While exchanging several sword strikes, Seong Mu-yeon fully felt Baek Ryeo-il’s martial power. Each time the blades collided, the sword vibrated, and his grip felt numb.
“I really have to admit, your acting skills are something else.”
Baek Ryeo-il muttered as if chewing on the words. Seong Mu-yeon couldn’t afford any leeway as he received his attacks. He couldn’t drag this out for long.
Seong Mu-yeon put all his strength into a large horizontal slash. The sword imbued with inner force rushed destructively towards Baek Ryeo-il. But Baek Ryeo-il scoffed and lightly deflected it. The deflected Sword Energy lacerated the roof of the inn before scattering.
However, Seong Mu-yeon was already turning around and moving away immediately after the attack. Baek Ryeo-il’s eyes widened.
“Seong Mu-yeon!”
Baek Ryeo-il’s lion’s roar savagely struck his eardrums.
Seong Mu-yeon leaped over the roofs, quickly moving away from the center of the village. Soon, he stopped only after reaching a low ridge nearby.
“Hoo…”
Seong Mu-yeon gasped for breath. Baek Ryeo-il, who arrived soon after, didn’t give him time to catch his breath.
Kwaang-!
In the blink of an eye, Baek Ryeo-il had reached right in front of him.
“Keuk…”
Seong Mu-yeon barely managed to raise his sword to block. A strong muscular force began to press him down from above. Seong Mu-yeon gritted his teeth and endured. His heels dug into the ground.
“I was a fool to trust you. What else have you been hiding? Well, it doesn’t matter. This time, you won’t be able to escape with any tricks, Seong Mu-yeon.”
“Ugh…!”
Even more force was put into Baek Ryeo-il’s sword. Seong Mu-yeon’s knees were about to buckle.
“Answer me!”
Would it be a mistake to say that Baek Ryeo-il looked sad rather than angry when seen up close?
Baek Ryeo-il shouted a few more words fiercely, but he couldn’t hear them. He tasted blood in his mouth. This was the limit.
“You can underestimate me, but there’s a limit…”
Baek Ryeo-il’s pupils narrowed. Blood flowed from Seong Mu-yeon’s ears, nose, and mouth.
“Cough! Cough!”
Unable to hold back, Seong Mu-yeon burst into coughs, and red blood splattered on Baek Ryeo-il’s front and chest, staining them red.
Seong Mu-yeon collapsed. Baek Ryeo-il threw his sword away as if discarding it and supported Seong Mu-yeon’s waist before his knees touched the ground.
“Wh-What… why…”
Seong Mu-yeon no longer had the strength to hold the sword. Il-gwang’s sword slipped from his naturally opened grip.
Only then did Baek Ryeo-il realize that the inner force that had been filling Seong Mu-yeon’s body had disappeared as if it had never been there. With a pale face and without a sword, Seong Mu-yeon was the same person he knew.
As if the power he had shown just now was an illusion.
“Seong Mu-yeon! Wake up!”
Seong Mu-yeon slightly opened his eyes, which had been weakly closed.
“It’s nothing. Just… raised my inner force… that’s all, Cough! Cough!”
“Are you dying? Are you dying!”
The other hand that wasn’t supporting Seong Mu-yeon wandered helplessly in the air. He felt like he had to do something, but he couldn’t figure out how or where to start.
“…Cough, I’m not dying.”
Baek Ryeo-il’s face, which had been pale, relaxed a little.
“Not yet.”
“What!”
“I’m sorry, but could you speak a little quieter? My head hurts.”
“Ah, okay…”
Baek Ryeo-il carefully lowered his body while embracing Seong Mu-yeon. Thanks to that, Seong Mu-yeon straightened his knees and calmed his breathing.
His appearance was a mess. His clothes were crumpled and stained red with blood, and he was bleeding from five orifices.
Baek Ryeo-il was restless. He fidgeted like a dog needing to pee, rolling his eyes. But no matter how much he rolled them, he had no idea what to do in this situation.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”
After a long time, Seong Mu-yeon, who had barely caught his breath, uttered those words. Baek Ryeo-il distorted his face in frustration.
“Is that what you have to say now? Why are you suddenly spewing blood? Since when… no, when the Elder diagnosed your body, he clearly said you hadn’t learned Demonic Art…”
“It’s not Demonic Art.”
Seong Mu-yeon slowly raised his body. He was a little dizzy, but fortunately, he could sit. He roughly wiped the sticky liquid on his face with his sleeve.
“I can’t learn Demonic Art. I haven’t even tried. Orthodox arts, I don’t know, but Demonic Art quickly damages the body and mind. I’ve suffered from Severed Meridian Disease since birth, so if it gets any worse, I’ll die before I can even create a dantian.”
“Severed Meridians…? Why didn’t you say so sooner!”
Seong Mu-yeon shouted back when Baek Ryeo-il rebuked him sharply.
“It’s my heart!”
Seong Mu-yeon, who had screamed, coughed again for a long time. Baek Ryeo-il let out a faint sigh and took out a water bottle from his sleeve. It smelled of alcohol. He untied the arm guard that wrapped his sleeve and soaked it in alcohol before starting to wipe Seong Mu-yeon’s face.
Seong Mu-yeon didn’t have the strength to resist, so he let him do as he pleased.