Invincible with Twin Swords

Chapter 10 : The You of Then Was a Different You from the You of Now.

The day the Blood Dragon Sect's Nine Dragons Stronghold subjugation team departed.

In fact, the underworld and the greenwood are pretty much the same.

The only minor difference is whether they openly and regularly take a little bit, or whether they strip you down to your underwear when you get caught once.

I don't know what's so proud about a bad guy going to catch a worse guy, but the Blood Dragon Sect spread the news far and wide. They even held a departure ceremony just to go and attack a mere mountain stronghold.

This is the sorrow of an underworld sect with a short history. The sect leader probably wants to make this subjugation a part of the Blood Dragon Sect's history.

It will become history. A dark history!

As rumored, not all the disciples were mobilized, but about fifty people departed. I heard that the Nine Dragons Stronghold only has eight members, but they brought a lot.

But if there are eight members, why is it called the Nine Dragons Stronghold?

The sect leader, wearing a dazzling sword decorated with gold and various jewels, got on the horse at the very front. Seeing that he had placed a lot of soft cushions on the horse's saddle, it seems that the hemorrhoids were not a lie.

I followed right behind the sect leader.

"It's unfortunate that this happened when I, the sect leader, was suffering from a major illness. If it weren't for the illness, I could have done it alone."

"I hope you get well soon."

This is sincere. I heard that that unspeakable illness is quite painful.

Whether you're a good guy or a bad guy, you shouldn't get sick in such a place.

"Still, it's a real relief that such a noble person has come to the Blood Dragon Sect. When this is over, I will not forget the help of the Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood."

"Don't worry. I am a man who keeps his promises. I will do my best to help with the Blood Dragon Sect's affairs."

I am a man who really keeps his promises. I will keep my promise to help with the subjugation of the Nine Dragons Stronghold.

So when Deoksam and the Blood Dragon Sect leader fight, I will cheer for the Blood Dragon Sect leader with all my might in a loud voice. I've been thinking since a while ago about how to cheer to make it exciting.

"We're almost there. We have to walk from here."

The old elder of the Blood Dragon Sect, who had visited the Nine Dragons Stronghold before, reported. Leaving a few people to manage the horses, everyone started walking.

I thought they were going to raid the mountain stronghold, but they said they had sent word in advance. This is the first time I've seen someone give a heads-up while subjugating mountain bandits. They probably hope they'll get scared and run away. But there's no way Deoksam would run away.

"There's the Blood Dragon... no, the mountain bandit!"

Your own people are calling Deoksam 'Blood Dragon' too? Shouldn't you be the one to change your nickname?

In the distance, Deoksam was standing with a large axe on his shoulder. It's good to see him.

Deoksam can be recognized even from a distance.

Because his build is twice that of an ordinary person. And his axe is also twice the size of an ordinary axe.

The Blood Dragon Sect leader, who saw Deoksam, flinched and called the old elder to ask.

"Elder No! Isn't this bigger than what you described?"

"Are you talking about the person, or the axe...?"

"Both. Is that a person? It's a bear. And where is there such a crude axe?"

His build is probably similar to a bear's. And his strength is probably stronger than a bear's.

In fact, our Deoksam has a cute face like a baby bear if he shaves his beard and tidies up his hair a bit. It's just that his body is a daddy bear.

Perhaps because he was looking down from the top of the mountain, he looked bigger than the Deoksam I remembered.

The Blood Dragon Sect leader just fiddled with the golden treasured sword tied to his waist. For some reason, his own overly ornate sword probably looked rather shabby.

The Blood Dragon Sect leader turned his head to look at the disciples of the Blood Dragon Sect following him and his expression became unconfident. Then he looked at me with a pleading look and, as if he had gained some confidence, he put internal energy into his voice and shouted loudly.

"A-are you the stronghold leader of the Nine Dragons Stronghold? I... I am the sect leader of the great Blood Dragon Sect, Bl-Blood Dragon Ma Yeonggeol!"

"Go back!"

Deoksam's voice echoed throughout Dubang Mountain.

With the single word 'go back', the fifty or so members of the Blood Dragon Sect had already lost their will to fight. There were even a few who actually turned around to go back. The other guests who had followed were also flustered.

As expected of Deoksam. Deoksam's voice, just shouting, is louder than the Blood Dragon Sect leader's voice with internal energy. Even during the Azure Blade Unit days, the start of a battle was always shouted by Deoksam.

The rough low voice, as if he had ground gravel for breakfast, makes even the heart pound. If he sang a song with that kind of voice, he would make the hearts of many women pound.

Looking to the side, the Blood Dragon Sect leader's expression was on the verge of tears. He must want to go home since he was told to go back.

Deoksam's voice has the power to make the listener obey.

He whispered to me.

"P-please step up!"

I replied in a serious tone.

"Huh? Why me?"

"N-no? You said you would take the lead in the subjugation of the Nine Dragons Stronghold..."

"You must have misunderstood. When did I say I would take the lead? I said I would lend my strength."

"Huh? No, what... what are you talking about all of a sudden...?"

"In a moment, when you, the Sect Leader, cross swords with that brown bear-like fellow, you will see how well I can cheer. I stayed up for several nights preparing and practicing various cheers. You will probably be full of excitement."

I raised my right fist and whispered 'good luck'.

A small encouragement like this can be a great strength to a person facing a big fight.

The Blood Dragon Sect leader kept looking at my face and the disciples standing behind me. Of course, all the disciples behind him were looking only at the Blood Dragon Sect leader.

"I-it seems that there is some confusion in the world because the stronghold leader of this Nine Dragons Stronghold and I have the same nickname, so some adjustment is needed. That's why I, the sect leader, have come all the way to Dubang Mountain, so how about the strong... stronghold leader comes out to the table for a conversation first..."

The tongues of those who are not confident are long.

"That damn nickname! You change it!"

Deoksam's voice echoed through Dubang Mountain again. As expected, Deoksam is confident, so his words are short.

That damn nickname! The Blood Dragon Sect leader would want to change it a hundred times. And what's wrong with living without a nickname? The name his parents gave him is enough.

As someone who has been suffering from a bizarre nickname recently, I could fully understand the Blood Dragon Sect leader's current feelings.

Looking from the side, he was sweating and his face was gradually turning ashen.

This won't do. I'll step up because I feel sorry for him.

"Sect Leader, you don't seem to be in good condition today, shall I step up?"

"No. You should have... no, if you would just do that, I would give you whatever you want..."

"What I want is not important, what the stronghold leader of the Nine Dragons Stronghold wants is important, right? I'll talk to him well and listen to his demands."

"T-tell him I'll give him whatever he wants! What's the need for people who live by the sword to fight over a damn nickname!"

So far, it's going according to plan.

I got off my horse and slowly walked towards where Deoksam was.

At first, he looked at me without interest, wondering who was coming, but it seems he gradually felt my momentum.

He slowly took out the axe he was carrying on his shoulder and gripped it firmly with both hands. He even raised his internal energy and took a step back with his left foot. I could see a tense expression on his face.

"Ah! I didn't come to fight. Let's put down that hideous axe."

There's no way he'll put it down.

I'm probably the first person to make Deoksam nervous while he's been living on this Dubang Mountain.

"You are the martial artist my master talked about!"

"I'm a martial artist, but I came to have a quiet conversation between us, you know?"

Deoksam suddenly swung his axe.

I, who had anticipated Deoksam's hasty personality and was prepared, took a step back.

- Thump!

Instead of my neck, a large tree that must have been growing for decades was cut down with a single swing of the axe and fell over.

- Oh, oh!

The disciples of the Blood Dragon Sect below the mountain cheered as if they had seen a great spectacle.

The Blood Dragon Sect leader, who was watching with them, squeezed his eyes shut.

If I fail, it's his turn next.

"No! Let's talk first..."

Deoksam swung his axe with even more force instead of answering.

I also took out my sword and blocked it.

It's tricky to face a heavy weapon like an axe with a sword. Moreover, Deoksam's axe is not just an axe.

Since I couldn't face it with strength, I hit the side of the axe with my sword to change its trajectory.

As if he was more angry at me for dodging here and there, this time he charged at me, rotating his axe strongly.

I pretended to dodge and used my footwork to go deeper into the mountain.

When I judged that I was far enough from the sight of the Blood Dragon Sect, I lowered my sword and stopped.

Deoksam's axe, which was heading for my head, stopped abruptly.

"What are you doing? Hurry and pick up your sword!"

Although Deoksam is a mountain bandit, he is not a cowardly martial artist.

I knew that if I lowered my sword, he would definitely stop.

I put my sword down on the ground and sat on a tree stump.

"Ah, calm down and look at this first."

I took out the trump card I had prepared from my bosom and placed it on a wide rock. A negotiation is half successful if you can get the other party to sit in front of you.

"Didn't I tell you to pick up your sword... no, what is this?"

Deoksam threw down his axe and sat in front of me.

I was half successful again today.

"This is the top-grade Shaoxing wine directly procured from Zhejiang! It's not something to be compared with the cheap Shaoxing wine sold at the local inn."

It's true. It was taken from a shelf with 'Sect Leader's Exclusive' written on it deep in the Blood Dragon Sect's warehouse, so of course it would be top-grade.

As expected, the atmosphere softens with a drink. For men to get close, it's not rice or tea, but alcohol. Even during the Azure Blade Unit days, we used to drink together like this.

Now I have to say what I have to say.

I will tell Deoksam my whole story. I plan to make Deoksam my first companion. I can't call someone a companion while hiding many things.

And the most important thing!

The third virtue that Deoksam is looking for! I knew what it was.

* * *

"...So I came this far and happened to hear your name and came to meet you."

As I told Deoksam our story, I casually dropped the formal speech.

This is how you naturally drop the formal speech.

Even after hearing the unbelievably long story, there was no change in Deoksam's expression. During the Azure Blade Unit days, Deoksam was always scolded by me for being too gullible. Of course, I was the one who deceived Deoksam the most.

It may be an unbelievable story heard from someone I'm meeting for the first time today, but I believe that there is a trust between us that transcends time and space...

"I can't believe it!"

I need more time!

"Ah! It's a bit absurd, isn't it? It happened to me, but I don't believe it either."

Deoksam nodded.

"The part about the Heavenly Demon receiving a revelation after a hundred years is probably a bit much. The part about returning to the past with the great art of the Blood Cult is also absurd. I'll explain it again step by step..."

"I believe that!"

Huh? You believe that so easily? I'm grateful that you believe me, but.

"A martial artist who holds a sword had his right arm cut off, so your grief must have been great. I respect your will to have trained the left-handed sword with that body. The Blood Cult is a story I don't know well, so I have no choice but to believe it."

I'm grateful that you believe me, but Deoksam! You're not supposed to believe a story you're hearing for the first time and don't know well.

But then what on earth can't you believe?

"According to you, I found the third meaning, didn't I?"

Not long after the Righteous-Demonic War began, Deoksam joined the Alliance. He came carrying the corpses of several young children who had already stopped breathing on his shoulder, and he dug the ground himself and buried them. He said they were the corpses of children abandoned on the way to the Alliance. He said he realized it while burying those children. What his master had told him to find.

"The first is fate, and the second is fulfillment. I was abandoned but met a fate, and I was empty but was filled. Meeting my master was fate, and learning martial arts from my master was fulfillment."

That's right!

"These are the two things given to me, but they were not achieved by my will. Then what is the remaining one?"

Deoksam understood my long story well!

"That is to act with my will!"

Deoksam is smarter than he looks. He memorized it all after hearing it once.

I remembered the story you told me when you were drunk, and I explained it to you without a single word being wrong.

"There's no way I would have said that."

Ah, why?

"I can't use such difficult words."

Ah, so that's what it was?

"I'll explain that well. Why you suddenly became smart. A long time ago, no, from now on, a while later, you stopped some merchant group, and they all ran away after seeing your face and your axe. With only the valuable goods. At that time, there was a cart full of books that they had left behind. So you read a lot of books for several years. The you of then was a different you from the you of now."

Ah, it's so hard to explain anything after regressing. I'm getting confused while explaining.

Fortunately, Deoksam was convinced after hearing my explanation.

He said that if there were a lot of books, he would probably have read them diligently.

He said that this is also fate, so he will face it.

Now, what needs to be resolved is the personal affairs of the remaining members of the Nine Dragons Stronghold and the settlement with the Blood Dragon Sect leader who is sweating profusely down there, but that's my share. Since he's so scared, he'll follow whatever I say.

"Now, we just need to sort out the Nine Dragons Stronghold here and you can accompany me, right?"

I've been speaking informally for a while, but Deoksam doesn't say anything.

Have I been training too hard lately and look old?

I should ask the master of the Medicine King Hall what medicinal herbs are good for rough skin.

"There's a place I have to stop by before that."

"Where?"

"To meet the grand leader."

Grand leader? There's only one person a mountain bandit would call grand leader.

Wait a minute. Who was the grand leader of the Eighteen Strongholds of the Greenwood at this time?

Ah! Greenwood Tyrant King, Jang Dal!

But why are you meeting him?

"I have to meet the grand leader to report that I'm disbanding the Nine Dragons Stronghold and quitting being a mountain bandit. It's the rule of the Eighteen Strongholds of the Greenwood!"

These guys made it easy to join and ridiculously difficult to apply for withdrawal

(End of Chapter)