novelraw Chapter 36 : The Twin Poles, the Three-Legged Crow (1)
Chapter 36 : The Twin Poles, the Three-Legged Crow (1)
Life is always a series of choices.
Before my regression, I had experienced a similar situation to this. It was the finals back then.
A situation where I was practically the confirmed winner without even having to have a duel.
Since I had been using strong qi excitedly throughout the duel, everyone knew that I was at the Transcendent Peak, and since I never sent my opponents away gently, there were more people who wanted to withdraw than to fight me.
In the world of the strong eating the weak, power is authority.
I had no doubt that I would stand at its peak.
"I am Mak-ya of the Thunder Sound Palace."
"I am Yoo Jae-ha."
But what about now?
I knew all too well that the price for dreaming a vain dream was only a pierced stomach.
And now, I was in the same situation again.
Winning is simple. The opponent is surely a powerhouse, but there was nothing that seemed particularly special.
He must have reached his current realm with a moderate amount of talent, a moderate amount of effort, and a moderate amount of luck.
If not, and if he had a special quality like my junior sister, then there's nothing I can do.
Because that's no different from a natural disaster.
In any case, I had to make a choice now.
"Then, I'm coming."
As befitting the name of the Thunder Sound Palace, the opponent seemed to be using lightning qi. Lightning qi is known for having a stronger personality than other energies. The fact that he can handle it itself must mean he has talent.
Swish.
The moment I took a step and blinked, Mak-ya had reached in front of me. At this speed, it was almost on par with or even faster than the maximum speed of the Mad Demon, who had learned the Annihilation Chain Fist.
It means he didn't beat my hyung-nim for nothing.
At the same time, with a seamless motion, the sword is drawn from top to bottom. He lowers his center of gravity. This puts a momentary acceleration on the sword, creating the illusion that the sword has suddenly disappeared in front of me. A move that aims for a blind spot in my vision. I also saw it that way. Anyone seeing this move for the first time would have surely been hit.
Hmph!
I took a step back and dodged the sword. I can see the opponent's surprised eyes. Don't be surprised, my heart is also pounding because I don't know what to do now.
The opponent, who had failed his attack, bends his knees. The transition between offense and defense is as smooth as flowing water. He must have been thinking about the next move in advance, whether the attack succeeded or failed. It's a body movement accustomed to fighting. His master must have taught him martial arts in a very practical way. It meant that he had paid that much attention. Mak-ya is crouching his body low. A posture just before a cannon is fired.
And my prediction was exactly right.
Crash!
With the sound of a cannon exploding, the tournament stage the opponent was standing on broke and shattered, and he was shot forward.
A thrust, the blow that best utilizes lightning qi.
This attack now was the fastest I had seen since my regression. The basic way to deal with this was not to see and dodge, but to read the trajectory in advance and dodge.
Nevertheless, I was slightly scratched on the forearm. Seeing that, the opponent's mouth dropped open, and his eyes became even rounder than before.
Don't open your mouth like that. I'm as serious as you are right now.
Why are the children of the Heavenly Demon Cult so weak, putting me in this situation?
If just one person had advanced to the semifinals, I wouldn't be going through this trouble.
Wait a minute!
The opponent is preparing something again. As I was thinking that he had prepared a lot, a thought flashed through my head.
Can't I just win this match and then ask my hyung-nim? Nothing is certain yet. Even if the person related to the Divine Demon Tournament dies or is on the verge of death, if my hyung-nim doesn't feel guilty, won't all the problems be solved!
Although I'll become a grand commander in the future if I advance to the semifinals, that's better than becoming the Young Lord.
As a grand commander, it ends with a report to my junior sister, but as the Young Lord, I'll have to experience getting my stomach pierced by my junior sister again.
Right. Nothing was confirmed yet.
Also, to be honest, this isn't my hyung-nim's fault either; this result came about because they were incompetent!
Did my hyung-nim order them not to advance to the semifinals?
My hyung-nim is also just a participant, if you think about it!
Above all, didn't my hyung-nim say this time that the Young Lord is not everything!
Right! Let's ask my hyung-nim first. And if he says no, then I'll think about it then!
After finishing my thoughts, I looked ahead, and there was Mak-ya, emitting lightning qi like a hedgehog all over his body.
If an ordinary person had that much lightning qi in their body, their whole body would have been electrocuted and then some.
Perhaps Mak-ya, that friend, is also some kind of special constitution. Not at the level of 10 out of 10 like my junior sister or Yang So-pyeong, but at this level, it would be about 2 out of 10.
Just then, I can see my hyung-nim sitting in the spectator seats and watching. I have to finish this quickly and ask him.
My heart pounds for a different reason.
Mak-ya kicks off the ground. I only heard the sound 'swish!', and after that, he was completely invisible.
This was a speed that was beyond the scope of prediction.
In other words, it could be said that it far surpassed my current level. I think I need to revise it from 2 out of 10. It seemed to be about 5 out of 10.
The me of this age before my regression would never have been able to dodge it.
I filled all the minor meridians I had pierced with internal energy.
At that moment, my senses expanded.
I feel as if the whole world is rushing towards me.
It's a sensation like watching something from afar and then seeing it right in front of you.
It feels as if I can grasp everything in the world in my hands.
It's a sensation I used to feel as naturally as breathing when I was at the Transcendent Peak in my prime.
Returning to my old senses after a long time, I feel a new sense of emotion. Is this the same Yoo Jae-ha who used to wet his pants every time he peed? My chest swells with pride.
However, this was a realm that was not fully permitted to me now.
I had borrowed something that was in a realm I couldn't reach for a short while, based on my experience.
That time was only enough to take a few breaths.
And the expansion of senses I was performing now was the clear difference that divided the Peak and the Transcendent Peak.
The standard was the use of the minor meridians.
The minor meridians have various effects, but the greatest effect is the activation of the senses.
The five senses, consisting of sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing.
Even though I had activated these five senses, I still couldn't see Mak-ya's movements.
In other words, that movement could be said to be a movement that surpassed the Peak. Unlike me, who had borrowed the Transcendent Peak for a short while, in terms of speed, that movement now was truly at the Transcendent Peak. It was called the Thunder Sound Palace, and if it possessed a martial art of this level, it wasn't some minor faction in the mountains, but if it were to grow its power a little, it seemed to be at a level to rival the Nine Great Sects of the Orthodox Faction.
It means the future is bright.
In other words, this movement could be said to have been performed by a true master of the Transcendent Peak, unlike me who had borrowed the Transcendent Peak for a short while. However, it wasn't that there was no way at all.
Because the Transcendent Peak is a realm that makes the impossible possible.
For reference, the Demonic Zenith is a realm that creates miracles.
As I recall my junior sister again, my legs naturally lose their strength. I force myself to erase the thought and focus on the duel.
When you become a Transcendent Peak and can activate your five senses, you can obtain a new sense.
People call it the sixth sense.
It's intuition. It's also called extrasensory perception.
To interpret it, shall we say it's a premonition that something is about to happen?
I felt a strong sense of crisis from my head and immediately pulled my head back. Immediately after, something fell in front of me and shattered the tournament stage.
"H-how?"
Mak-ya opened his mouth with the most surprised face he had shown so far.
"Coincidence?"
I tilted my head and said, and Mak-ya's pupils were trembling continuously.
If he were to show something else here, I would have to seriously consider not just withdrawing, but actually losing.
"Do you have anything else to show me?"
"N-no."
Mak-ya, speaking with a dejected voice. Fortunately, it seems he doesn't.
"That's a relief."
Because if he did, it would have been a really big problem. Perhaps because it was a realm of the Transcendent Peak that I had forcibly reached, I could feel my senses narrowing quickly as a reaction.
The forcibly activated senses were overloaded. If left like this, my senses would fall to a level lower than that of an ordinary person. Of course, they would return to their original normal level after I recover.
In other words, if the opponent were to show even half of half of the movement from before, it would be my complete defeat. Because I don't have the ability to detect even that much movement now.
Fortunately, the opponent seemed to have given up and was standing still in his place, and defeating an opponent who was standing still was a piece of cake.
I just had to simply raise my sword, put it to his neck, and open my mouth.
"Did I win?"
"Yes. I lost."
Mak-ya, with his arms hanging limp, was looking at the sky and crying.
Seeing this, the memories of the days when I used to step on growing sprouts come to mind. Back then, I had thoroughly stepped on them to protect my position. Thinking about it now, I wonder why I lived so desperately.
I spoke to Mak-ya.
"It was a close call. If you had attacked at the end, I would have lost."
When I gestured with my eyes, Mak-ya shifts his gaze to my arm.
He finally looks at my arm, which is trembling so much that I don't even have the strength to hold a sword. Mak-ya opens his mouth with an "Ah!". The tears had already stopped.
"It's over the moment you give up. So don't give up next time. The match isn't over until it's over."
Mak-ya clasps his hands and bows his head to me.
"I see. I have received a great teaching from you, sir. I will never forget this grace."
"Yeah."
I wanted to say that it was okay to forget, but I was satisfied that the sprout had raised its head towards the sun again.
I guess a leopard can't change its spots, even in death.
Since the duel was over, I came down from the tournament stage.
I could see quite a few people waiting in the waiting room. It was probably the elders, including the strategist. If I were to be caught, I would probably have to listen to useless stories all night, so I ran to the spectator seats.
Just then, I saw my hyung-nim.
"Hyung-nim!"
"Little brother! Congratulations. I wanted to go and congratulate you right away, but watching your duel made my hands itch. I feel like I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I don't swing my sword right now!"
As a martial artist, I sympathized with my hyung-nim's words a hundred times over. But I had something I had to hear from my hyung-nim.
Because my future destiny might be decided by the answer to that question.
"Hyung-nim! There's something I want to hear."
"Yes! I always welcome your questions, little brother. What is it?"
"If no one from our Heavenly Demon Cult advances to the finals of the Divine Demon Tournament, and as a punishment for that, the Heavenly Demon were to wipe out all the existing executives, how do you think you would feel?"
"To be honest, it's partly my responsibility."
"Your responsibility... you say?"
"Yes. I am the Young Lord of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and I participated in the Divine Demon Tournament representing the Heavenly Demon Cult. So I think I have to take responsibility for not achieving results."
"What if the Heavenly Demon were to ask for your life?"
"If someone lost their life because of me, then I must also risk my life. Because that is responsibility. If he tells me to leave, I will leave. But why are you suddenly asking such a thing? You're here, little brother."
"Haha! Just because."
My hyung-nim came up to me and gently stroked my head.
"Even if you're my little brother, you must be nervous to have advanced to the semifinals of the Divine Demon Tournament at such a young age. But don't worry. I believe that you, little brother, will bring victory to the Heavenly Demon Cult."
"Th-that's right? Victory... that's good! Haha!"
"I've been holding on to the only hope of the Heavenly Demon Cult for too long! Go and rest quickly. And by the way."
"Yes?"
"I would also approve of you becoming the Young Lord, little brother."
"Haha."
And so, I parted with my hyung-nim and came into my room.
Fortunately, no one came to find me.
I could tell that everyone was watching my every move.
As my hyung-nim had said, I was now the only hope of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
I lay on the bed and closed my eyes.
"I'm really fucked."
Now, there was only one choice.
* * *
I slept all day. I didn't mean to, but it just happened as I kept lying on the bed. And the semifinals approached.
I thought all day yesterday while sleeping.
My hyung-nim, or me.
Even though I've regressed, life is not so easy. I just wanted a honey-sucking life.
Whichever I chose, my heart was uncomfortable. And the decision I made after thinking all day was to choose the side that would make my heart less uncomfortable.
As I was in the waiting room, I could hear the cheers from outside. The voices seemed to be twice as loud as usual. When I looked outside to see why, I could understand the reason.
The four seats of honor, which had always been empty, were all full today.
The Heavenly Demon, the Blood Demon, the Sura Cult Lord, and the Divine Monk.
Four of the top five masters in the current martial world, including the Soul Detachment and Profound realms, were gathered in one place.
Anyone who was in the martial world would have their heart pound at that sight.
Of course, mine didn't. Because I had learned early on not to even look at a tree I couldn't climb.
Just then, my eyes met with the Heavenly Demon's. Thinking it was a coincidence, I rubbed my eyes and looked again. The Heavenly Demon was still looking at me. That Heavenly Demon nods his head. What does he want me to do? I just nodded my head back. At that moment, the Heavenly Demon smiled with satisfaction. Thinking I had seen it wrong again, I rubbed my eyes and looked again. The Heavenly Demon was looking elsewhere with a blank expression.
I decided to think that what I had just seen was a mistake. The Heavenly Demon, satisfied? If it were a smirk, maybe, but it just didn't suit him.
One announcer came up to the tournament stage.
For reference, from the semifinals, due to the importance, the tournament bracket was decided by a random draw on the spot.
The format was drawing lots.
And the ones who drew the lots were the four absolute masters sitting at the very top, who had participated for the first time today.
People were looking at the tournament stage with expectant eyes. Do even the absolute masters decide the order with rock-paper-scissors? For a moment, I imagined the masters of the Soul Detachment and Profound realms looking at each other frivolously and shouting rock-paper-scissors.
Before my regression, I was so overwhelming that the Heavenly Demon only showed his face at the finals of the Divine Demon Tournament.
Unfortunately, something like rock-paper-scissors did not happen. The Heavenly Demon drew a lot first.
"Yoo Jae-ha!"
My name was drawn. The announcer repeated my name. Next, the Blood Demon drew.
"Soma!"
Next, the Sura Cult Lord drew, and the Divine Monk drew last. And as if they had all planned it, they drew the disciple of their own faction.
The opponents for the duel were decided according to the order of the draw.
Soma and I were matched, and Yang So-pyeong and the Little Divine Monk were matched.
I was the first match.
"We finally meet."
"So we do."
If it's fate, it's fate.
Or is it a bad fate?
I don't know anymore. Whatever will be, will be.
"Jae-ha, I bet everything to defeat you."
"I think I will too."
"Heehee. I'm happy. It's no fun to defeat you when you're not at your full strength."
Tears are blurring my vision. But what can I do?
I've regressed, but I don't think I can live a honey-sucking regression life with my two feet stretched out if I kill my hyung-nim twice.
"Haa."
Letting out a sigh, I said.
"I think I have to win."
"Me too!"
Soma raises his energy.
The number of Blood Demon True Qis visible is six.
Huh? This is an unexpected situation.
Weren't there only three