Yoon Jong's eyes shook.
"Sasuk...?"
He wondered if Baek Cheon was in his right mind.
The enemy was formidable.
Although martial prowess isn't solely determined by power and inner energy, the Sun Sovereign's strength was on a level they had hardly ever encountered.
And yet Baek Cheon intended to face him? In his current state, unable to exert even half of his true power?
"Ugh...."
Jo Gul unconsciously reached out towards Baek Cheon's back. It felt as if Baek Cheon might melt away at any moment.
But despite everyone's worries, Baek Cheon stood firm, like an ancient pine tree rooted alone on a cliff.
Jo Gul, who intended to advance with him, hesitated for a moment, his body shrinking back instinctively from the heat pressing forward.
He couldn't help but be astounded.
How could he step forward?
In every battlefield, Mount Hua's swordsmen had always charged without fear. Yet now, none of them could easily step forward. So how could Baek Cheon?
Complex emotions swirled in Jo Gul's eyes as he watched Baek Cheon.
He was incredibly dignified, yet equally precarious, as Jo Gul stared blankly at his back.
It was hot.
It felt like his skin was boiling. Every breath felt like his lungs were burning.
He wanted to retreat right away.
He knew that even if he retreated now, no one would blame him. In fact, they might commend him for making a wise decision.
But Baek Cheon did not retreat.
Even if he were to melt away without leaving a single hair behind, he had no intention of backing down.
Anyone can speak high-sounding words. Anyone can brag. The real challenge is whether one can live up to those words.
He strengthened his toes, not to advance, but to hold his ground. He gripped his sword tighter, not to slash the enemy, but to remain unyielding.
This was a different kind of battle than Baek Cheon had ever fought.
Everything was shaking. The hand holding the sword, the legs supporting his body, even his usually firm body and long hair.
But his eyes remained fixed on the Sun Sovereign.
The Sun Sovereign could not hide his astonishment.
"...You mean to stop me?"
It was a strangeness Jin Pyeong, the Sun Sovereign, had never felt before.
Sure, there had been audacious ones who dared oppose him. There were always those who didn't know their place.
But no one had ever stood up to him like this. In his absence, they might speak of resistance, but in his presence, they would prostrate themselves, trembling.
Even those called strong men, heroes, perhaps even sources of hope for some, were the same.
Yet here was a lowly man from faraway Zhongyuan standing proudly before him. This was different from Jang Ilso. These were eyes the Sun Sovereign had never seen before.
"You look like you'll pass out any second."
He could see it at a glance.
The man's condition was far from normal. He wasn't just weak.
Once, he must have been much stronger. But now, all that was left was the remnants of his glorious past.
"And yet you won't retreat?"
A scoff escaped the Sun Sovereign.
But even amidst that, he noticed. Those who had retreated in fear had stopped moving as soon as this man stepped forward.
It was laughable.
No one believed this man could stop the Sun Sovereign. No one expected this broken man to defeat him.
Yet they had stopped retreating as if something had changed, though nothing had.
That irritated Jin Pyeong, the Sun Sovereign. His eyes flashed with a burning golden light.
"How dare you, you lowly scum!"
A roaring sound erupted!
The blazing energy from his hands cut through the air towards Baek Cheon.
The Sun Sovereign was certain. This energy would turn the man to a blackened cinder or shatter his feeble defiance.
But the scene that unfolded was far different from his expectations.
A faint rustling sound grew louder, and a red energy bloomed from the end of Baek Cheon's sword.
'...A flower?'
It was an energy resembling delicate petals. Incomplete. Torn and imperfect like withered petals.
With such energy, he intended to block this?
Even if it were complete, that fragile energy couldn't possibly withstand the Sun Sovereign's immense power. Yet these petals, unable to fully bloom… or already withered….
The roaring energy obliterated the petals upon contact.
But then… they bloomed again.
Again. And again. Over and over.
The Sun Sovereign's eyes narrowed. The blooming petals formed a vast plum blossom forest.
'What kind of sword is this?'
To him, it was an exceedingly strange sword.
But what of it?
"You don't know your place!"
The Sun Sovereign intensified his energy. His force swept away the plum blossom forest Baek Cheon had created.
A deafening roar followed, engulfing the red energy in flames. The Sun Sovereign sneered at the diminishing energy.
And then his eyes widened.
Baek Cheon was still there.
He hadn't turned into a blackened cinder, nor was he rolling on the ground in defeat.
"This guy…."
Of course, his energy hadn't been ineffective.
Baek Cheon's sword glowed red-hot, as if it had been pulled from a furnace. His hand, gripping the hilt, had suffered burns, with his skin sticking to the handle. His martial robe's shoulders were singed and tattered, and his arm holding the sword was charred in places, showing clearly that he wasn't in good shape.
The ends of his hair were burned, and blisters formed from burns extending from his left jaw to below his cheekbone.
Though it could be said that the Sun Sovereign's power certainly punished the audacious man before him, this only fueled his fury even more.
Refusing to retreat? Even in that state?
Unlike the beginning, Baek Cheon's entire body was now covered in wounds, but his eyes remained as resolute as ever, facing the Sun Sovereign head-on despite coughing up blood.
"This wretched..."
A furious roar erupted from the Sun Sovereign.
"How dare you mock me!"
Kwaaaa!
A terrifying force was unleashed. This time, his intent was to turn Baek Cheon into charcoal. The intense Sun Palm's energy surged towards him.
In that moment, as Baek Cheon gripped his half-melted sword tightly...
"You madman!"
"Damn it!"
Two figures leaped forward. Including those above and behind him, there were now three... no, perhaps even more.
"Haaaa!"
Jo Gul, Yoon Jong, and Yoo Iseol's swords radiated crimson energy.
"Oooooh!"
At the same time, Hye Yeon's power, supporting Baek Cheon from behind, combined with the scattered petals, clashed head-on with the Sun Sovereign's energy.
Kwaaaa!
A dreadful heat exploded in all directions.
Though their bodies were instantly scorched red, the four who encircled Baek Cheon did not retreat even a single step.
"Ugh..."
A groan escaped Yoon Jong, unable to hold back any longer.
'He endured this alone...'
Every liquid in his body felt like it was boiling. The sweat evaporated into white steam as soon as it formed.
"Haaa!"
But he gritted his teeth and pushed forward with even more force.
Thud!
The Sun Sovereign's energy dispersed. Yoon Jong's knees buckled after blocking the intense blow.
"Ugh!"
Stabbing his sword into the ground to deal with the momentary loss of strength, Yoon Jong gritted his teeth and looked at Baek Cheon.
"Were you planning to die from the start?"
"...."
"With a body in that state, what are you trying to accomplish...!"
"They're here."
"Pardon?"
"...You are here."
Yoon Jong's trembling eyes widened in surprise.
But his shock quickly turned into greater anger.
It wasn't anger at the reckless Baek Cheon.
It was anger at himself, for not stepping forward before Baek Cheon, despite his thoughts of surpassing him.
"If something goes wrong here..."
"I've realized something."
Baek Cheon tightened his grip on his ruined sword and raised it again. Its tip aimed straight at the Sun Sovereign, as if he had no intention of stepping back despite his comrades coming to protect him.
"If I retreat here, it means I'm just all talk."
Yoon Jong's flickering gaze turned cold. The murderous intent in his eyes now aimed at the Sun Sovereign blocking their path.
Clack.
Understanding his resolve, or perhaps already sharing it, Jo Gul and Yoo Iseol stood beside Yoon Jong and pointed their swords together.
Yoon Jong glared at the Sun Sovereign and spoke.
"Jo Gul."
"Yes, Sahyung."
"Kill him and clear the way."
Jo Gul didn't respond with words. There was no need. His heart was already pounding, eager to charge.
Watching the swordsmen of Mount Hua, the Sun Sovereign's face twisted with rage.
'Those brats...'
Moments ago, they had been seeking a way to escape. Now they bared their fangs at him like predators eyeing their prey. No, it was as if they saw him as their sworn enemy.
'Remnants...'
The one standing before him was certainly just a remnant of his former self. But...
'Is there still a spark within?'
A spark that could ignite something anew?
"These wretched creatures dare!"
The Sun Sovereign's voice trembled with fury. His long-held anger was now overflowing uncontrollably. Even these bugs...
Paah!
But before he could fully express his rage, the swords, glowing red-hot, charged at him.
"Open the way!"
Like arrows released from a fully drawn bow, the swordsmen of Mount Hua surged forward like dozens of arrows.
Carrying their self-reproach, shame, anger, and determination.
Though they hadn't spoken, there was no need. They just needed to run towards the blazing fire opened by the one in front.
Clang!
The Sun Sovereign's hand struck down Jo Gul's sword.
"You...!"
Rumble!
In that instant, hundreds of plum blossoms, created by Yoon Jong and Yoo Iseol, surrounded the Sun Sovereign.
"You bastards!"
Baaam!
As the Sun Sovereign gritted his teeth and tried to move, the sight of Baek Cheon charging straight at him through the fluttering petals appeared.
'You...'
Baek Cheon's face, half-burned from the flames, grew closer.
Even amidst this, his unwavering eyes triggered the Sun Sovereign's fury, exploding like a volcano.
"aaaaahhh!"