C1667. Because the Future Exists. (2)
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
On a steep slope, the swordsmen of Wudang, dressed in white and black robes, ran like flying squirrels.
“There they are!”
“Cut them all down!”
Swoosh!
Under the glow of the setting sun, the swords, tinged with a slight red hue, shot toward the bodies of the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance climbing the slope.
“Aaaah!”
The members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, with their burned and twisted bodies, saw the approaching swords and screamed as they swung their weapons. They believed they could easily shatter those fine, seemingly insignificant swords with a single strike.
In fact, a common iron sword cutting through the air without any special technique is a formidable threat to commoners, but to those trained in martial arts, it is nothing more than an insignificant iron bar.
Thus, the confidence of the Evil Tyrant Alliance members was not entirely unfounded.
Whoosh!
Especially considering that their swords weighed fifty jin, reinforcing their confidence. The Evil Tyrant Alliance members were sure their weapons could cut those thin iron swords in two with a single strike.
‘We’ll show those damned Taoists what we’re worth!’
Such confidence might have resulted from their vast experience.
They had already humiliated the Wudang in the Yangtze. And now, even on Mount Wudang, which is practically Wudang's home, they were cornering the pathetic Taoists, leaving them unable to defend themselves.
In the past, the name Wudang would have made anyone tremble, but not anymore. Having wiped out Qingcheng and Emei, and defeated Shaolin, the Peng Family, and others, Wudang was no longer a feared name for the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
They could face them. They could defeat them.
The members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance believed it. Their past and experience had shown them that truth.
The change in their confidence occurred the moment the swords and sabers met. A sharp, discordant sound filled their ears.
Clang!
‘What?’
In the instant the two weapons clashed, the Evil Tyrant Alliance members felt something was wrong. The sound was not normal. No matter how simple a technique, when a sword and a metal saber clash at that speed, it shouldn’t sound like a needle scraping metal.
‘What is this…?’
The next anomaly they noticed was their saber. The saber, which should have broken the sword and penetrated the Taoist’s body, was out of control, extending in a strange direction.
The strangest part was that they didn’t feel their grip on the saber twisting.
Although they still held the saber firmly, they couldn’t move it in the desired direction. Instead, it seemed to move naturally towards the void, as if that had been its intention from the start.
This strange scene played out repeatedly before their eyes.
‘How…?’
But the Evil Tyrant Alliance members couldn’t think further. A sharp sword was heading towards their neck, and in a situation where they couldn’t think of how to avoid it, no one could stay calm.
“Ghosts…!”
Even the sword was not that fast. The blade cut through Janghan's neck smoothly. It was not rough or abrupt, but a clean and smooth movement, leaving no chance to evade.
Slash!
If it weren’t for the chill on their neck, they wouldn’t even have believed the sword intended to kill.
Though the sword stroke was as light and smooth as a blade brushing against a branch, the result was brutal.
The Evil Tyrant Alliance member collapsed without a whimper. Even at that moment, they didn’t understand what had happened.
It was different from the "force" they knew. The force of lightning, the thunder that breaks the air, the seismic force that splits mountains. Normally, ultimate sword strikes contain such power.
But now, the sword of the Wudang swordsman was more terrifying and exceptional than any ultimate sword strike.
‘This… is Wudang…’
In the moment of their last breath, the Evil Tyrant Alliance member finally understood. They were facing the sword of Wudang, which dominated the world.
Softness surpasses strength. That is the Wudang sword and the secret of its fame as the best sword school under heaven.
Slash! Slash!
The same occurred everywhere. The Wudang swords, as soft as flowing water, grazed the bodies of the Evil Tyrant Alliance members climbing the slope, wielding their fearsome weapons.
“Ack!”
“Aaaaargh!”
Namgung dominates the world with strength, and Mount Hua deceives the world with changes. But Wudang simply uses softness. That infinite softness that coexists with the world.
“Damn it!”
An Evil Tyrant Alliance member gritted their teeth and swung their saber towards a Wudang swordsman’s neck. But immediately, the flexible Wudang sword launched towards their saber.
Clang!
The sword lightly touched the saber, like a spring butterfly, then gently struck it on the side.
A circle formed. The Wudang Sword traced infinite circles in the air. Pushing, pulling, caressing.
In a brief instant, a series of attractions and repulsions occurred, and the direction of the saber completely changed backward.
“What!”
The saber, which had been launched like lightning, now moved in the opposite direction, retaining all its force and speed. The owner of the saber widened their eyes at the incredible sight. They sharply turned their neck to avoid it.
Slash!
Their favorite weapon cut through their neck halfway.
The Wudang sword moved towards their bloody neck.
“No, this is…”
Snap!
With a soft sound like a thin thread being cut, the Wudang sword with a pine pattern pierced their neck.
Before they could fully feel the cold metal sinking into their neck, their body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
“Damn it!”
The Evil Tyrant Alliance members roared and ran towards the Wudang swordsmen, trying to thrust their weapons into the body of the one wielding that ghostly sword before they could draw it.
But at that moment...
Boom!
With a sound resembling a leather drum, the body of the one pierced by the sword was hurled towards them like a cannonball.
“Ugh!”
The approaching corpse made everyone exhale in surprise.
They were astonished by the lack of an intermediate process. To throw a body, one should grab it and hurl it forcefully, but the process was so fast it seemed the corpse had appeared before them by itself.
‘Should we cut it?’
Because of this, their judgment was delayed for a brief moment. And the Wudang swordsmen didn’t waste that instant.
Crack!
Finally, a sword flying from behind the corpse swung softly like a willow leaf in spring and pierced the heart of one of the Evil Tyrant Alliance members.
“Uh…”
At the moment the sword pierced his heart, the man quickly dropped his saber and grabbed the sword with all his might.
Though thick blood ran down his mouth, his eyes gleamed with fierce determination. That fierce will gave strength to his mortally wounded body.
“Dieeeeeee!”
At that moment, another nearby Evil Tyrant Alliance member brought down their saber with all their might towards the Wudang swordsman’s head.
Bang!
The blade wind was so strong that the grass bent and sand flew. The sight of a human head made of flesh and bone was evident.
But the Wudang swordsman didn’t try to block it with his sword, instead, he calmly raised his empty left hand. It seemed as useless as a mantis raising its front legs before an oncoming carriage.
At that moment...
Turn.
The Wudang swordsman’s hand traced a small circle in the air.
The unbroken tension that seemed it would cut but continued over and over traced a continuous spiral before the descending saber.
With each turn and rotation of the circle, the destructive energy of the saber gradually wore out. Though the circle traced in the air also faded without force, when one faded, another emerged, creating an uninterrupted chain.
Finally, when the saber reached close to the Wudang swordsman’s head, the saber's energy had completely faded.
At that moment...
The carefree hand lightly grasped the saber.
The Evil Tyrant Alliance member, lost in amazement at the incredible sight, was left speechless.
Boom!
Moments later, his body spun in the air and crashed to the ground. When his back touched the ground, blood gushed from his seven orifices.
An instant death. Any other conclusion was impossible to imagine.
The slight movement of twisting his wrist had ended the life of an Evil Tyrant Alliance member who had survived decades on the battlefield and dominated like a god of war.
With this, even the Evil Tyrant Alliance members charging forcefully stopped and began to observe the swordsmen cautiously.
Those still climbing the slope also stopped shouting as they noticed the strange atmosphere.
“Hoo.”
The Wudang swordsman let out a short sigh.
He gently sheathed the sword still embedded in the enemy’s heart and shook the blood from the blade. His gaze towards the Evil Tyrant Alliance members was just as calm.
“It seems you’ve underestimated us. Does Wudang seem so insignificant?”
The sword contains softness.
The hand holds an unyielding will.
Flowing water seems it will break at any moment, but it flows incessantly. Sometimes, it contains the softness of a child’s hand, and sometimes it has the strength to twist mountains. That is the essence of Wudang.
“What are you doing? Attack!”
The Evil Tyrant Alliance members, finally regaining their composure, shouted more fiercely.
It wasn’t because they were enraged by their companion's death or because of their impulsive character.
They felt they were faltering. They needed to encourage themselves and urge their nearby companions forward. It was an instinctive reaction from those who knew from experience that once you let yourself be carried away, you faced hell.
“Kill him!”
Even in the face of those fierce shouts, the Wudang swordsman remained unperturbed.
“No one will pass through here.”
The one who contained the flow of water, the Wudang swordsman, pointed his sword towards the Evil Tyrant Alliance members.
“This is not the Yangtze, but Wudang. Let me make that clear to you.”
The Pine Pattern Ancient Sword resonated with his words.
“What the hell are you saying?!”
A slight, ruthless smile appeared on Jin Hyun's lips.
“And besides, the ones who will be hunted here today are you.”
Swish!
At that moment, someone leaped behind Jin Hyun like a swallow.
The Wudang swordsmen who had followed Jin Hyun attacked the Evil Tyrant Alliance members from above, just as they were starting to regain their morale.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The swords, wielded with the softness of water, drew red lines on the bodies of the Evil Tyrant Alliance members. All were lethal wounds.
“Aaaah!”
“Aaaaargh!”
The heartbreaking screams and the sound of flesh being cut mixed with the roar of the massive fire heard from below.
“Do not underestimate us. We are the Wudang swordsmen, the best sword school under heaven.”
They had endured everything until now just to say this phrase.
Jin Hyun gripped his sword tightly and lunged forward.
‘I am not a coward!’
His eyes glinted with blood, swords, and determination.
He did not notice the darkness slowly falling behind him.
