[Chapter 29]
Buzzing.
The area around the arena was filled with the junior disciples and the guards who had heard the rumor.
Of course, the Changying Faction was also there, and their expressions were miserable.
"Your Highness!"
"Oh, Master Shin."
"What, what is going on here?"
Yeonhojeong shrugged his shoulders.
"It's complicated to explain. Anyway, that's how it happened."
Shinmo hardened his expression.
"This is unacceptable. This duel, you must cancel it now."
"That's not possible."
"Your Highness! That man is…!"
"I know his skills well. He may have a rotten personality, but he has a solid energy that is impressive. He seems to have fought fiercely."
He felt the opponent's strength with his senses alone.
Normally, he would have admired his excellent senses, but now was not the time.
"I will go and cancel this duel myself."
"Master Shin."
"Your Highness!"
Yeonhojeong shook his head.
"If you cause a fuss by trying to cancel this duel, you will only tarnish the honor of our clan."
"…!"
"That's why I said the situation is complicated. Since it's already happened, trust me and wait. Worrying too much is not a virtue of a subordinate."
Shinmo bit his lip.
Didn't he understand Yeonhojeong's intention? But the opponent was too bad.
That Chuseong was a master that he himself was not confident to face easily. Of course, if he unleashed the 'Seal', he could overwhelm him in three moves, but he was a master who could fight a close match with the Changying Faction Master, who was known to the world.
He had seen Yeonhojeong's martial arts himself, but it was hard for him against Chuseong. And Chuseong would not show any mercy to the Grand Prince of the Yeon Clan.
"What about that, the thing I asked for?"
"Yes? Oh, yes! I have it with me, but."
"You didn't bring it. Well, never mind."
Yeonhojeong picked up the spear he had placed on one side. It was a long spear that was slightly over six feet long, which he had obtained from a nearby forge.
"Are you using a spear? Aren't you going to face him with your staff skills?"
"The spear is better."
Then, he saw the Jegal siblings and Yeonjipyung running from afar.
Yeonhojeong lost his appetite.
"I have to go up before they make a fuss."
Wham!
He jumped up to the arena.
He reached the distance of more than a rod in a single step. And it was not a hard jump, but a light leap.
Chuseong, who had already climbed up to the arena, was looking at Yeonhojeong with his arms crossed.
"Are you ready?"
"What about you?"
Chuseong smiled. He didn't need to prepare anything to face him.
Yeonhojeong nodded.
"There's no need to drag it out. Shall we start right away?"
"Fine. But are you using a spear?"
"Yes."
Chuseong frowned.
"I heard that the main weapon of the Yeoksan Yeon Clan is the sword?"
"I don't need that to deal with you."
There was no provocation like this.
Tssss.
A fierce aura rose from Chuseong's body.
The buzzing atmosphere became quiet in an instant. They were startled by the ominous aura that Chuseong emitted.
It was not only his strength, but also his ferocity that was astounding. He reminded them of a carnivorous beast that had its prey in front of it.
On the other hand, Yeonhojeong?
Whoo. Whoo.
He spun the spear in his hand with his fingers, and the fallen leaves fluttered along the spearhead.
'Hmm, not bad.'
The balance was slightly different from the iron rod.
He noticed that 'slightness'. That was enough. His hand sensed it, and that meant he had already mastered half of the spear skills.
Whiing! Clang!
The spear that was spinning faster and faster stopped with a springy sound.
Yeonhojeong lowered his posture slightly with the spear on his shoulder.
Whoo. Whoo.
A faint blue light flickered in his pupils.
Chuseong's eyes lit up.
'Not bad.'
His energy was stable. He was worthy of being called a first-class.
But that was it. At that age, that level of strength was natural for a junior disciple of the Seven Great Clans.
'In the end, that's all.'
A faint disappointment appeared on Chuseong's face.
He thought he had something, but it was only that. At least his posture was decent.
"Shall we start?"
"Fine. I'll give you three seconds."
"Three seconds?"
Chuseong snickered.
"You are facing the leader of the newly established War Sword Group of the Great Namgoong Clan. You said you would hold me responsible, so you should accept three seconds."
It was a word full of arrogance.
But he was a person who had the right to say that. Everyone who heard his words agreed.
Yeonhojeong, who was staring at Chuseong, relaxed his posture.
Chuseong tilted his head.
"Why are you doing that?"
"Three seconds?"
"Yes."
The blue light that flickered in Yeonhojeong's eyes gradually became numb. He let go of the Yeokrajin Technique.
"What are you doing? Are you not going to duel?"
"My mind changed."
"What do you mean?"
Yeonhojeong smiled faintly.
Chuseong frowned. It was a smile that made him feel uneasy.
Swoosh.
Yeonhojeong slowly lifted the spear he held in the middle. The spearhead pointed at Chuseong.
'…?!'
Chuseong felt a sting in his chest.
'Killing intent?'
No.
This was not killing intent, but the aura that flowed from the spearhead. A needle-like sharp aura spewed out of the ordinary iron spear he had obtained from the forge.
And the moment Chuseong felt the aura of the spear.
At that moment, Yeonhojeong's eyes returned to nothingness.
"With that said, can you take responsibility?"
"…!"
"Fine. If you draw your sword before three seconds pass, I'll kill you then."
And then, Yeonhojeong's attack began.
Thud thud.
Yeonhojeong's steps across the arena towards Chuseong were ordinary. Neither fast nor slow, it was an extremely normal walk.
But Chuseong's expression hardened more and more.
'What is this?'
Slowly, very slowly.
He felt an inexplicable chill as he watched Yeonhojeong approach without any aura.
'Is he plotting something…?'
When the distance between the two narrowed to a rod.
Yeonhojeong lifted his spear.
He raised it above his head as if he was holding a large sword. It was a motion that looked like he was wielding a broadsword or an axe, not a spear.
What is this?
Everyone who was watching the arena tilted their heads. Why was he handling the spear like that? Was there such a spear technique in the world?
At that moment, when everyone's attention was focused.
Boom!
Yeonhojeong's foot stamped on the arena floor.
It felt like the whole arena shook. At the same time, the six-foot-long spear fell straight onto Chuseong's head.
Chuseong's eyes shook.
'What, what is this?!'
A spear that came down at a terrifying speed.
He could have dodged it easily. He could have disrupted the routine with a single gesture.
But Chuseong couldn't easily choose any of them.
'Gasp!!'
He saw a vision that covered all directions in an instant.
In a dark world with nothing, a huge axe fell like a mountain towards him, who was standing alone on a cliff.
The size, the heaviness that pushed the air, and the ferocity that shook the earth were so immense that he felt a momentary despair engulf his body.
'I have to, dodge…!'
Then, he met a pair of eyes that looked down on him from behind the huge axe.
And those eyes were slightly curved like a crescent moon.
'Eek!'
Chuseong crossed his arms at the top.
And his arms caught the spearhead.
Crash!
"Kugh!"
Chuseong's knees bent slightly.
'It's heavy!!'
It was an incredibly heavy blow.
It was not a spear technique. Nor was it a simple staff technique.
It was a terrifying blow that combined the ferocity of an axe, the eeriness of a sword, the flexibility of a staff technique, and the sharpness of a spear technique.
'Damn it!'
Whoo whoo!
He quickly gathered his inner power and poured it into his arms.
He felt a tremendous pain in his arms. He almost thought they were broken by the force.
But Yeonhojeong's attack was just beginning.
Bang!
Jingak was a technique that gained strength by stepping hard on the ground and using the rebound from the lower body.
He did another jingak along with a step forward. But this jingak was much louder and more resonant than the previous one.
And the second blow burst out.
Flash!
After the vertical strike, he stabbed with the middle of the spearhead.
'It's fast!'
It was a speed that made him forget the pain in his arm. The spearhead that swung like it would pierce his heart had a predator's killing intent.
Flinch!
His fingers twitched for a moment.
He instinctively tried to draw his sword and strike back. But this was the second move. No, it was not even the second move, but just the second attack.
'Eek!'
Chuseong quickly stepped on the footwork. He realized that it was impossible to take it with his bare hands.
Wham!
The spear thrust pierced the air and almost reached the outer wall of the building far away.
'…!'
He felt a cold sensation on his side.
He didn't have time to look. But he instinctively knew. He had failed to dodge that spearhead.
'He cut me.'
And he cut him quite deep. If he had been a little late, the spearhead would have reached his intestines.
'Damn it…!'
His mind that had been loosened was filled with tension at once. His waist straightened and his shoulders tensed.
He thought he had dodged it for sure, but he didn't. That's how fast the spear strike was.
Then the third attack came.
Yeonhojeong's wrist that held the spear made a smooth movement in a moment.
Papapapapak!
A dozen spearheads flew at Chuseong.
A spear technique with one hand. This was also fast. It was so fast that he could see the afterimages of the spear.
'This…!'
What was more surprising was the timing and the position.
The spearheads that came in with a unique rhythm confused Chuseong's perception. And the position where he attacked was also exquisite. The spear strike that took the position where he couldn't avoid it was like a beast that opened its mouth and ran at him.
Chuseong felt his eyes go dark.
If he couldn't avoid it, he had to block it, but each spear strike had a fierce aura in it. He couldn't tell which one was real.
'Death?!'
A strange sensation dominated his body.
And the moment he felt that sensation, Chuseong's hand moved on its own.
Swoosh!
Yeonhojeong's spear was deflected to the right.
"Kuk!"
At the same time, Chuseong's body twisted diagonally to the back. In his hand was a blue sword with jewels.
It was a sword technique.
He didn't block it with his sword, nor did he deflect or defend it. He counterattacked with his own technique and nullified each other's attacks.
Chuseong's eyes shook.
'I almost died.'
He really almost died. This blow was truly threatening. If he hadn't drawn his sword and deployed the second move, he would have had several holes in his body.
How long has it been since he felt this fear? How long has it been since he experienced this tension?
"You couldn't endure it."
Surprised, Chuseong looked at Yeonhojeong.
He saw Yeonhojeong, who had his spear on his shoulder, glaring at him with cold eyes.
"I told you, if you can't endure three seconds, I'll kill you."
"…!!"
"Let me show you that the words from your tongue have a thousand pounds of weight."
Wham!
Yeonhojeong pounced on him like a beast.