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Chapter 8: The Dance of Flame and Shadow

“AAAARGH—!!!”

The flame invaded his face, and the Gyecheon Sect Leader screamed.

He staggered back in sudden agony, desperately trying to remove the flames clinging to his skin.

“HUUUURK—!!”

But the fire refused to extinguish easily. It felt like his skin was being burnt to a crisp.

Unable to withstand the pain, the Gyecheon Sect Leader rolled on the ground.

Whether it helped or not, the flames gradually began to die down.

“This… is…”

The heat lingered, smoke billowing from his scorched face. He lifted himself, enveloping his face with his hands.

At that moment—

“Stay down.”

A voice rang out.

As he raised his head in response—

“That suits you, bug.”

A hot shadow poured over his face once again.

WHOOSH—!!

“AAAAAAH—!!!”

He let out an even louder scream than before. This time, he couldn’t even move, the flames smothering his face.

“GHHH…!!”

He writhed in agony, the extreme heat engulfing his skin. He struggled to escape, but his body wouldn’t budge.

“You burn slowly for an insect.”

A voice, devoid of melody, sent chills down his spine despite the pain.

He felt absolutely nothing.

Yet a killing intent seeped through.

How could it be so contradictory?

He couldn’t comprehend it. And yet—

“HOW… how is he using flames?!”

Just moments ago, that guy couldn’t execute fire techniques, and now he was blasting out this intense black flame.

Had he been hiding his strength? If so, what was the reason?

What purpose lay in concealing it until now? Why reveal it so suddenly?

It was a nonsensical situation that made no sense.

“GHHH—!!”

Now was not the time to think. Surviving the pain was all he could focus on.

Watching the Gyecheon Sect Leader, Gu Yangcheong asked, “Are you suffering?”

His voice was genuinely curious.

“Is this all that’s troubling you?”

“GHH… HUUU—!!”

The Gyecheon Sect Leader forced energy through his body, twitching his fingers with all his might. The sword that lay nearby was drawn towards Gu Yangcheong.

SWISH—!!! In an instant, four swords pierced through the air, prompting Gu Yangcheong to shift his gaze.

Softly whispering while looking at the swords, he said,

“Stop.”

-!!!!

CLANG—! CLANG CLANG—!

The swords that were flying towards him lost their momentum and crashed to the ground.

“CUK—!!”

The Gyecheon Sect Leader didn’t have the luxury to be surprised by the absurd scene before him.

“Pathetic.”

The flames that had engulfed his face vanished in an instant. Then—

CRACK—!!

“AAAAAH—!!”

His arm twisted at an odd angle, so violently that the bone protruded through his skin.

“G… YOU MONSTER—!!”

Despite the excruciating pain, the Gyecheon Sect Leader glared at Gu Yangcheong. Thankfully, his melted skin was beginning to regenerate.

The speed of recovery increased.

He knew well that the power contained within the Wishful Pearl was rapidly spreading through his body.

Just hold on a little longer—just a tiny bit, and he could transform into a complete being.

Determining that, the Gyecheon Sect Leader steeled himself.

Yet—

“Insignificant.”

Even while watching him, Gu Yangcheong’s gaze remained unchanged. It was as if he was looking at a mere insect.

If there was a slight difference from before, it was that a different emotion slightly mixed into that deep gaze.

That emotion was clear to the Gyecheon Sect Leader.

“I don’t like your eyes.”

He interpreted it as contempt.

Gu Yangcheong plucked out the Gyecheon Sect Leader’s left eyeball.

WHOOOSH—!!

A tidal wave surged forward, sweeping across the ground over a wide area.

Feeling the oncoming tide, the Gyecheon Sect Leader gritted his teeth. THUD—!! He intensified his speed, distancing himself from the wave. The imposing figure of Gu Yangcheong was surprisingly swift.

There was no escaping at a normal speed. He had to sprint with all his might.

Even a brush could inflict a fatal wound.

This wave was no ordinary tidal wave.

‘This is ridiculously hot.’

The black flame was comprised entirely of heat. It raced toward him, determined to melt everything in its path.

“What a lunatic.”

He couldn’t help but feel absurd while dodging. How could someone unleash such a thing?

“That’s why your damn skills are stagnant.”

Shooting fire so recklessly wouldn’t improve skills, only increase firepower. Now that he noticed it, he could clearly see the problematic parts.

“…I’m scared….”

Experiencing it firsthand felt drastically different.

The tumultuous flames rushed toward him like a wave.

How could this not be frightening?

He finally understood the looks of fear people had when they saw him.

Someone capable of casually unleashing such destruction would erase a village or incinerate many on the battlefield in an instant. It was only natural for them to see him as a monster.

That is pure madness.

“Damn it.”

He grimaced, glancing back. Someone stood atop the raging tidal wave.

It was none other than the figure of the black flame god.

He scowled at the sight. The being showed no signs of tiring.

In contrast, he was the only one looking exhausted.

Even if his skills had increased since that time, why was he the only one fatigued?

This had been the case before, but it was purely a problem of fire techniques.

‘The cost-efficiency is terrible.’

Although he had learned Tua Pacheonmu, the foundation of his body was still rooted in the technique of the Flame Wheel.

Not all movements, but the foundation was that.

Including the footwork.

He centered the firepower to explode and gain speed. However, now with his fire techniques blocked, issues had arisen.

‘Lacking speed.’

To put it precisely, to regain his original speed, he had to expend much more energy.

‘F*ck.’

Is it truly because he couldn’t use a single martial art that it had come to this? The frustration welled up inside.

‘No, if a single martial art becomes stifled, then you die.’

His body was just peculiar enough to hold out for this long. Normally, he should have been defeated by now.

The problem was,

‘What use does that have now?’

It didn’t provide any consolation. It did nothing to help him.

What good was it to view it as a blessing if he couldn’t utilize it now?

WHOOSH—!

“Tch.”

He felt the heat closing in behind him. The distance shrank considerably.

Running away was no longer meaningful. He already knew that.

Moreover.

‘That bastard. He’s not even trying at full capacity.’

That damn guy was deliberately messing with him. He knew it precisely because it was him.

If he wanted to, he could make the wave much faster and larger than the one he currently unleashed.

‘What a prick.’

That thought ignited his anger.

THUD—! He halted his running legs and twisted his waist.

Energy surged within him, especially concentrating in his fists.

Tua Pacheonmu—.

Second form, Tubi’s Heaven-Cleaving Fist.

A storm formed from Qi collided with the tidal wave.

CRACK—!!! A massive hole opened in the oncoming wave.

He hadn’t truly blocked it; the difference in energy made it impossible to fully defend against it.

‘Tua Pacheonmu has its limits for containing firepower.’

No matter how much his firepower increased, Tua Pacheonmu was still based on compression.

Simply trying to put more force into it would diminish its completeness. Thus, this was the best he could achieve.

‘And furthermore, I hadn’t planned on blocking it anyway.’

If he had intended to block, he shouldn’t have done it this way.

This was merely to create an opening.

To momentarily halt the wave and alter its trajectory.

As expected, the moment he thought that, the opponent moved.

Floating slightly above the halted wave, he raised his hand.

FLAME—!!!

The wave beneath it surged. Gradually lifting into the air.

What a sight, so much flame rising skyward.

‘Seeing it up close is truly astonishing.’

No wonder such a foolish title was bestowed. He suddenly thought.

There was no scenery that could compare.

The rising flames began to claim the sky, and at their center was the tip of his finger.

What could he be planning? The answer was already clear.

FLAME—!!!

All the flames seemed to be sucked into his hand. Gradually, they began to form a shape.

A large, black orb.

Gathered and molded, it took form, making him frown.

Great Flame Jade.

Even just looking at it was enough to chill him.

Yet, it wasn’t the reason for the frown.

‘How could he be using it like that? What a foolish brat.’

How could he have such a low compression?

Despite all that Qi gathered, this was the extent of it. What about the rotational force?

To him, there was no meaning in what he saw.

The essential compression needed for Flame Jade. Everything to maintain its rotational force.

That Jade held no meaning beyond its shape.

‘How embarrassing.’

He truly felt ashamed.

‘He was even calling that martial art.’

The words of Pejon surfaced in his memory. No, even the words of Noya echoed.

-Any martial art devoid of conviction is merely a flashy stroke, kid. What belief did your martial art hold?

What had he answered back then? He couldn’t recall.

Most likely, it had been nothing of importance.

And.

‘Just like me back then.’

Moments he wished to forget. At the end of it all, it led back to that guy.

He clenched his fist tightly.

Unable to use fire techniques? It didn’t matter.

Unlike then, he had learned many things now.

Groooom—!!! The gigantic black orb blazed to life. As if satisfied with his craftsmanship, he slowly moved his hand.

He intended to drop it right onto him.

As a result, he snapped his waist forcefully.

A minute rebound thrummed through his shoulder.

The motion wasn’t grand.

In recent days, he had realized something—

‘It doesn’t have to be big; you simply have to do it.’

The efficient use of his body. He had been coming to understand that lately.

THUNK.

The punch he launched made contact with the air. The moment it did—

CRACK—!!!

“…!!”

The bones in his chest shattered, creating an indentation.

Heart’s Authority had struck true.

Blood splattered from his mouth. Had it landed correctly?

As he narrowed his eyes, he saw the figure that had been suspended in the air plummet toward the ground.

THUD—! Crashing into the ground, that figure tumbled helplessly.

He rushed over to him quickly.

[COUGH.]

As he drew closer, he noticed the other was bleeding and staring at him with hollow eyes.

It felt strange to see my face hovering over him.

Was he slowly dying? He felt an unsettling blur and unstable breath.

“…Ugh, damn, this is exhausting.”

My own energy was also considerably depleted, resulting in heavy breaths.

I grabbed his collar and asked, “What the hell are you?”

[…]

“What’s your intention, you bastard?”

What could cause such an obsession to not just kill him? It made no sense.

“Why do you keep messing with me….”

[…Did you bring the answer?]

“What?”

I frowned at his words.

“What do you mean, you punk?”

[Did you bring the answer from back then?]

“Answer?”

I narrowed my eyes and recalled.

-Why are you alive?

A question he had always asked whenever he saw me. That resurfaced in his mind.

“HAH.”

A sigh escaped me.

“Why are you so curious about that? Whether I’m alive or dead, what does it matter? Shouldn’t I just be dead?”

[True.]

“…You bastard?”

[You have no value in living.]

“Stop talking nonsense. Are you insane?”

How could he decide that? That’s what I wanted to shout, but those words didn’t come.

In response to my silence, his blurry eyes spoke weakly.

[It seems you still haven’t found your answer. Then I shall ask something else.]

“Why must you keep asking me without giving an answer….”

[Why didn’t you kill me?]

“…”

My eyes involuntarily twitched.

[Just now, you could have killed me. So why didn’t you?]

It was a valid point. Just prior, the Heart’s Authority had struck. If aimed at the heart or head, it could’ve easily finished me.

Yet, knowing that, I had refrained from delivering a fatal blow because—

“Well, it’s because… I have some questions for you…”

[How laughable.]

He chuckled. It was the first time.

[When you cried for exit, you were resolute. So what wavers you now?]

Chuckle. Every time he laughed, blood escaped from his mouth.

[You’re afraid.]

His voice burrowed into my ears.

[You’re scared of erasing me. And thus, you ultimately fell in battle.]

“…”

I had to deny that it wasn’t true. Yet again, I found myself unable to utter a word.

[You wish to forget me, yet you remain within my sphere.]

My grip tightened around his collar.

[Isn’t that true?]

“…Damn, you talk too much.”

[You’ve become dull. So dull.]

I held back my irritation and spoke to him.

“And what now? You’re just a dead man, why do you care about those things—”

I halted mid-sentence, my eyes widening. Something was amiss.

In his generally dimming and fading gaze, a glimmer of strength emerged.

His previously labored breath seemed to revert to normal. Blood no longer flowed from his mouth.

It clicked just as I realized it.

WHOOSH—!

“…Oh hell.”

Looking up, I felt the heat radiating.

[That’s your mistake.]

The Flame Jade he had created earlier hadn’t dissipated; it was descending toward me.

Too late to dodge. I hastily wrapped my body in energy.

BOOM—!!!!!

I was engulfed in the explosion.

“GHK!”

The force sent me flying.

I skidded across the ground several times before finally coming to a stop.

“Cough….”

The impact from the explosion was brutal. I managed to maintain my form with energy, but it came at the cost of backlash. Blood started to leak from my mouth.

“…What a cheap trick.”

I winced in pain as I glared at the figure.

From when he began conspiring against me?

Drawing my attack only to have his tidal wave strike me in the gap, that meant he had prepped the explosion as well?

Whatever it was, it was a sneaky tactic.

Especially one I was skilled at using.

“Hah…”

I staggered as I pushed myself up. The damage was considerable, but not beyond repair.

That’s because the attack hadn’t struck me directly.

Rather, it was due to his restraint in not fully striking me.

“Hah, he keeps giving me leeway, doesn’t he?”

It was undoubtedly true.

Floating in the air like before, he looked down at me from the sky.

[Just to clarify, don’t mistake this for an assumption.]

WHOOSH—!! The black flames were swirling around him, resembling the shape of wings from a distance.

[If matters progress as previously, you will die. And—]

Those wings created began to rapidly tear apart in the air.

[The empty space left behind will be mine.]

FLAME—!!!!

All the torn fragments morphed into Flame Jade.

 

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