Episode 253: The Art of Fighting (2)
The swordsman and the sergeant could not help but be surprised.
Gurrrrrr… … .
The turbulent earth, the swaying gray sky. The two barely held on to the shaking road. They were lucky.
Some heroes were swallowed by the cracks in the earth that split open like the jaws of a crocodile. Screams echoed from deep within the earth and then faded away.
earthquake.
I had expected it to some extent. The power status. And the 4th Corps Commander was fully prepared. I was fully aware that he was a walking disaster.
‘It was beyond my expectations that he would cast it as soon as he revealed himself.’
So there was another reason why Geomje and Changseong were surprised. It was none other than Permish’s appearance.
“A young… child?”
Pale skin. Gray hair in a bob cut. Purple eyes. A petite figure that doesn’t even reach Changseong’s waist. A girl who looks like she’s twelve at best stands there smiling brightly.
But the point at which the water level has been reached.
Changseong’s expression hardened and he ground his molars. I can say with certainty that this seemingly harmless creature is the most dangerous being in this place.
“Hoo.”
Permish caressed one side of her cheek and gave her an interested look.
“I see, you two are the ones who got rid of Basmon.”
It was a strange tone of speech. It was the tone of a king looking down on people while wearing the face of a child.
“Life is truly heartless to humans. To us demons, it was just a fleeting moment, but to you, you have withered away as fast as you could.”
“… … .”
“Let me ask you something.”
The bastard continued his sarcasm. Even as the ground shook, her voice was clearly conveyed to the two of them.
“Why do you resist? Don’t you know it’s pointless? Why, you killed three of my brothers and you don’t see anything?”
Permish walked lightly, carrying her luggage on her back. Golems opened up paths on both sides. Among them, two golems that looked like shaggy Buddha statues followed her on either side as if they were guarding her.
“Basmon was a mess. If it weren’t for the royal order of Kuarn, he would not have been able to stand shoulder to shoulder with us, but Agor and Vesna were truly my brothers and sisters.”
She picked up a few pebbles as she walked and rolled them around in her palm like marbles.
“If they had been at full power, half of the current human race would have disappeared. But the sisters were short-tempered. So they let their guard down, and their heads fell at the hands of a thousand human beings.”
Permish held a pebble between his index finger and thumb. He made a gesture as if he was going to strike a pike.
“I’m not like those pathetic guys. I won’t let my guard down, and I’ll fight you with all my might from the start.”
Boom!
It was a tremendous explosion that was hard to believe could come from a pebble the size of a rat’s paw. The pebbles that left his hands turned into shells and aimed for the two people.
If I were to get hit, even my trained body would surely be shattered like a water balloon. However, speed was a problem in avoiding it. In the end, I was forced to fight back.
The sword of the sword master and the spear of the spear master moved at the same time. Although they did not exchange words or glances, their movements were in sync as if they were in sync.
The explosively rushing pebbles were cut in half by the sword of the inspector. Knock, knock, knock. Permish fired repeatedly. There is a gap in human movements. Furthermore, the gap was even bigger for the one-armed inspector. He had to give a lot in one movement.
If I were alone.
The blade struck the second flying pebble. Changseong let out a groan. He only missed, but his hand felt numb. But he couldn’t stop here.
Changseong spun the spear like a windmill. He wanted to use the rotational force to counter the third and fourth attacks from the front. This was possible because it was a spear. The essence of a spear lies in defense, not attack.
“Nibelung!”
Before the shouting could even end, the sword master ran out. The golems blocked the way like a wall. Their hardness was extremely hard. Even with the sword master’s aura, it was not easy to cut them down like tofu.
‘then.’
Anyway, golems are dolls made of clay. They have joints on their shoulders, torso, knees, and legs. Those points are their weak points.
‘Aim for lines, not surfaces, and even more so, points.’
The sword master closed his eyes as the demon’s hand stretched out. Time passed slowly for a moment. The old man looked back on his life in a moment of meditation.
It was a life filled with pain and hurt. As a prosecutor, he lost his arm, which was a great asset, and he lost his children and their spouse, who were half of his life.
Still, the man was not discouraged. He simply did what he did best. He shook off the ordeal that a criminal would not have been able to handle by swinging his sword.
Even at this moment, it is like that. It is an enemy that cannot be defeated alone. Can I even inflict a single sword wound? Even that is questionable.
He was mocking himself, but Permush was really talking. Soldier ants rushing at an elephant. It was a perfect metaphor for this situation. The gap was clear. Offense was out of the question. Death was inevitable.
‘but.’
What does that have to do with anything?
‘My true teacher.’
Here is a man who has devoted his life to swords.
‘The light that showed me the milestones of life.’
The man doesn’t hesitate. He grabs his sword and runs. As he always did.
‘To that end.’
The sword master opened his eyes slightly. Golden chrysanthemums bloomed. His hair, which had turned pure white, swayed in the air as if it had been charged with static electricity.
‘Guide me.’
He opened his narrowed eyes. The golems were closing in on the siege and rushing in like a swarm of bees. The world was in turmoil, but the commander was standing firm. It was the same. However, a new world was unfolding before the sword master’s eyes.
“I can see it.”
A reddish solid line. The lines engraved on each individual are formed in his pupils. Compared to the strong sword, they are infinitely faint, but they are slash lines. The talent of the world and the fruit of one man’s life are squeezing out, right now.
The new form of the sword moved as if something was being pushed. His arm drew a smooth arc. The sword slid forward. Light flickered on the blade. The sword stroke lightly scratched the golem’s rough skin. A neat crescent moon that seemed to be connected as one.
Sgung.
Dozens of golems collapsed like roughly chopped bamboo.
“Nibelung, you could not possibly… … .”
Changseong blinked. Even in the meantime, he was busy playing with the spear.
The sword master habitually shook his sword. His golden eyes, half-submerged in his eyelashes, stared at Permish. He felt dizzy from the fiercely burning light.
“awakening.”
Changseong muttered. It was exactly as the words came out of his lips. Awakening of the guardian. The sword master is now on par with his ancestor, the first sword master, Aaron Nibelung.
“ha ha ha!”
Changseong laughed out loud. His teeth sparkled whitely through the dust.
“You go first, Nibelung.”
Changseong looked at the back of the swordsman. A classmate from Joaquin Academy. The same starting line. However, he paid his respects to his close friend who had now become a half-transcendent being.
“I’ll follow too.”
At that moment, the top and mid somehow managed to get right behind Changsung. Changsung stretched out his arm to stop them from stepping forward.
“Your role now is to reduce the number of golems as much as possible and buy time until the Heavenly Sword ‘decides to come forward.’”
“What about you, Your Majesty!?”
“You don’t have to worry about the Nibelungs.”
Changseong raised the corners of his lips at his subordinate and nodded at the inspector. The subordinate’s eyes followed his gaze and grew wide.
“Is that… what I think it is?”
“That’s right. So tell the other heroes.”
Changseong said in a tone full of laughter.
“If you don’t want your neck cut off by the blade, don’t come near me.”
* * *
Permish twisted his lips.
“Anyway, humans are like that.”
She chewed her lips silently. In addition to the Heavenly Sword and the Sword Horse, there was one more entity that caught her eye.
“You two, deal with that swordsman.”
Permish gestured to the Buddha golems standing on either side. The two Buddhas nodded and moved forward, rolling their feet. They were special golems made by grinding the lives of a hundred human heroes. In other words, each of them had the fighting power of a hundred heroes.
Thud, thud.
The ground shook again at the foot of the Buddha statue. The sword master tapped the ground with the tip of his sword and then immediately took his foot off. His new form, striking like a lightning bolt, suddenly appeared between the Buddha statues.
Even in the face of a surprise attack, the Buddhas were not flustered. They were golems. They were giants who lacked emotions and judgment and only carried out orders.
Phew!
The shins of the two statues kicked the new type. A whirlwind of mud was created. One hit would crush even a building like a tin can.
“… … .” “… … .”
The two statues tilted their heads. The tea was tasteless. Their two legs were aiming at each other in the air. Their expressionless faces seemed to say this.
‘wherever?’
The two lifted their chins. The sudden movement caused a piece of dirt to fall from their necks.
sky.
There was a sword master there. He was looking down while stepping on the blade with his foot. He was using the Igi-geom technique to levitate by riding the sword.
“I’m sorry, guys.”
The swordsman spoke with sad eyes. The golems were born by drinking the lives of a hundred people. Although they are enemies, they are in fact innocent heroes.
“I’ll let you go in peace.”
The sword-riding swordsman slid down. The moment they got close, the two statues crossed their arms to cover their faces. However, the blade of the sword passed through the gap and pierced the head of one of the statues.
The remaining Buddha statue released its defenses and swung its fist like a whip. It was a movement that humans could not show. It was an attack possible because it was a golem that could freely pull out its joints.
The swordsman half-shouldered his right shoulder. The government narrowly missed his target.
Bam.
The sword master stretched out his palm like a Baguette master and lightly pushed the Buddha statue. Although it was heavy, the statue fell over after being hit in the center of gravity.
The blade aimed for the face swung down vertically. The Buddha statue twisted its waist and rolled on the ground. Then, the moment it tried to jump up by flicking its lower abdomen, the sword light flashed once more, and the swift sword flying through the air swept the nape of its neck.
Kwajik!
The head of the Buddha statue that fell to the ground shattered like porcelain. The inspector saw the expressions on the faces shattered from the shards. The peaceful face that finally found peace.
The sword master expressed his deepest condolences and kicked the pavement again. He mercilessly cut down the golems. They were beings with the spirit of a hero, but he swung his arms without a care. Rather, he did not keep the situation in his hands any longer. He would free the poor people trapped in these clay dolls as soon as possible. He had more than enough power now. The sword master played on the ground and in the sky, pushing back the enemy forces.
“Hmm.”
Permish just watched the scene quietly. The embarrassment that had been showing on his face had long since disappeared.
“under.”
Permish let out a laugh. Then he held his stomach and burst out laughing. The sound caught the attention of the heroes who were busy fighting the golem.
“It’s funny, it’s funny. It brings back old memories.”
Permish said, wiping his eyes. There wasn’t a single tear on his finger.
“Even back then, I let my guard down against the Awakened Ones and almost lost my head. My sisters who descended to the human world also let their guard down and died the same way, right? Well, I’m not used to the protection yet, so I can’t say I’m completely the same as the Seven.”
Permish clasped his hands together in front of his chest.
“I told you earlier, right? I’m going to go all out from the start.”
Phew.
Permish let out a shallow breath. Then the wind blew back and the rumbling of the earth quietened. The sudden silence heightened the heroes’ sense of unease.
Finally, Permish’s small lips opened.
“Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva”
A loud noise, incomparable to that just a moment ago, distorts the space. The dust completely disappears due to the shock wave as if it were being swept away by the current. Beyond the shaking, the road I was walking on began to ripple like waves.
Kookookookookung… … !
The heroes dropped their weapons. They bent their necks back and stared blankly, because a giant had emerged from the midst of the chaos.
“Thousand Hands Death Slash”
The Buddha statue sits cross-legged, with a thousand pairs of arms stretched out behind its back, looking down. Its size is as big as a mountain range, and its shadow covers the area like a dark cloud.
“Just throw it away.”
Permish leaped and landed gently on the giant’s head.
“Without fail.”
She smiled and raised her index finger.
