Chapter 784 – 784. The Ascent Of Light
784. The Ascent of Light
Just because both sides had agreed to a martial arts contest didn’t mean it would happen overnight. Several preparations were needed for the contest, and the Black Dragon Castle wanted a public match that even ordinary people could watch.
The Black Dragon Castle’s intentions were obvious. They wanted to defeat the Namgung Clan in front of a large audience and raise their own reputation. Whether that intention would actually work was questionable.
Three of the five participants from the Namgung Clan were Namgung Ho-cheon’s sons and daughter. The eldest son, Namgung On, the second son, Namgung Jik-woo, and the eldest daughter, Namgung Rin. Another was from a collateral line, and the last was me.
The eldest son, Namgung On, and the second son, Namgung Jik-woo, were training fanatics who spent most of their time in the training grounds. As a result, I had only met and talked to them a handful of times.
I moved with Namgung Rin to prepare for the contest. Namgung Rin had directly asked me to help her with her training. There was no reason to refuse since we could relieve our stress with sex after training.
As I was heading to the training grounds with her, someone appeared in front of us.
He was a man of short stature, about 150cm tall. He was similar in height to Namgung Seol. His long black hair was tied up in a ponytail. His face was pale, with thin lips and sanpaku eyes. He wore black clothes and carried a large zanbato on his back.
He was a warrior from the Black Dragon Castle.
“Are you Lady Namgung Rin?”
His voice was deep and weighty, unlike his small body and snake-like, sly appearance, making it seem out of place. The contrast between his appearance and voice almost made me burst out laughing.
“Yes, I am Namgung Rin. Who are you to be here? This is not a place where outsiders can come freely.”
Namgung Rin crossed her arms and glared coldly.
“My apologies. I was taking a walk and got lost while wandering aimlessly. The Namgung Clan is quite large, though not as much as the Black Dragon Castle. Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Heuk Jeok-byeon, the young lord of the Black Dragon Castle.”
It was a lame excuse that didn’t even warrant a laugh.
Heuk Jeok-byeon’s eyes had been fixed on Namgung Rin since earlier. He didn’t even glance at me, as if I wasn’t worth his attention. He probably came all the way here to meet Namgung Rin.
‘Namgung Rin’s beauty is rumored to be the best in Anhui Province, so he must have been curious.’
Namgung Rin looked at him indifferently and pointed to the path with her left hand.
“If you go that way, you can return to where the Black Dragon Castle is staying.”
“Is that so? But since we’ve met, why don’t we talk for a while?”
“I have nothing to talk about with you. We’re busy training for the contest, so please leave.”
“Haha. You’re as cold as the rumors say. Did you know? I’m also participating in this contest. Perhaps I might even cross weapons with Lady Namgung.”
“I will simply do my best.”
Namgung Rin’s voice was laced with annoyance. Heuk Jeok-byeon flinched.
“…Lady Namgung. I intend to win this contest and formally propose to you.”
“Is there a need for that? Propose now. I’ll give you my answer. It’s a rejection.”
“Our marriage is for the future of the Namgung Clan and the Black Dragon Castle.”
“It’s for you, isn’t it? Just imagining it makes me sick.”
Namgung Rin frowned, clearly annoyed. Heuk Jeok-byeon, who had been pretending to be a gentleman, also couldn’t hold back his displeasure any longer.
“Why are you being so prickly? I want to maintain a good relationship with you. To be honest, I’ve fallen for you. I knew at first sight that you were the woman for me.”
“I’ll be honest too. You’re ugly. And above all, you’re small. You’re short and your physique is small. Maybe your thing is small too. I hate small men.”
“……”
Heuk Jeok-byeon opened his mouth. He didn’t seem to understand what he had just heard for a moment.
“S-small? It’s true that I’m short… but I pride myself on having a heart bigger than anyone else.”
“You pretend to be a great man, but to my eyes, you look like a petty person. A real great man is… this person.”
Namgung Rin grabbed my arm with both hands and hugged it to her chest. Her ample breasts pressed against my arm, squishing it. Heuk Jeok-byeon’s face contorted.
“You’ve been here since earlier… Who are you? What is your relationship with Lady Namgung?”
I looked at Heuk Jeok-byeon and chuckled.
“She and I are family. She’s my sister-in-law.”
“Sister-in-law? I see. You’re the adopted son-in-law of Lady Namgung Seol. I apologize for my rudeness earlier. I thought you were some kind of loafer next to Lady Namgung Rin.”
Heuk Jeok-byeon’s expression softened. I was related to Namgung Rin through marriage. In a way, we were family who couldn’t marry.
“Loafer? How dare you say such disrespectful words to Sir Seong. Apologize to Sir Seong right now!”
“…I’m sorry, Sir Seong.”
Heuk Jeok-byeon apologized obediently. I nodded casually. Namgung Rin hugged my arm tighter. Heuk Jeok-byeon glared at me.
“Ahem. Anyway, Lady Namgung. I’ve fallen for you. I will win the contest and propose to you. Of course, I will also inform the Namgung Clan Head beforehand, so be aware of that. I look forward to the day you come to my side.”
“I assure you, that will never happen in your lifetime. Don’t even dream about it. It’s creepy.”
“Haha. I’ll see you next time. I’m sure Lady Namgung’s reaction will be different then.”
“You little dwarf.”
“…I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
Heuk Jeok-byeon disappeared. Namgung Rin was still glaring at the spot where Heuk Jeok-byeon had been, clearly upset.
“Gaga. Is that man out of his mind?”
“He must be sane. You’re just too pretty, so he went into overdrive. I’m just as disgusted.”
In the original work of ‘Otherworld Heavenly Demon,’ Namgung Rin was even described as the most beautiful woman in the world. It wasn’t strange for Heuk Jeok-byeon to act like that.
“Let’s go to the training grounds. Today, we need to relieve our stress more than train.”
“Aang.”
I massaged Namgung Rin’s chest as we headed to the training grounds.
‘That clueless bastard dares to try to touch my woman? If this wasn’t the Namgung Clan, I would have killed him right away…’
It was also impossible to kill Heuk Jeok-byeon by disguising it as an accident in this contest. One of the rules of the contest was that killing was forbidden, and Namgung Dan-mo and Oh Bi-hwan, who were overseeing the match, wouldn’t stand idly by.
‘Should I wait for him to return to the Black Dragon Castle and strike then…?’
***
The martial arts contest began in the Anhui Province plaza. Tens of thousands of people gathered to watch the contest. This world was vast, and there were many people. The population of this Jin Empire alone must be in the tens of billions.
“I will now begin the first match!”
Namgung Dan-mo shouted. His voice, imbued with inner force, spread in all directions.
“Namgung On of the Namgung Clan, the Burning Thunder Sword!”
Namgung On, the eldest son of the Namgung Clan and a candidate for the clan head, stepped onto the arena. The people of Anhui Province cheered in unison.
The reason why Namgung On, the strongest of the five participants except for me, was the first to step forward was simple. He wanted to show the power of the Namgung Clan by defeating the enemies one by one.
“Heuk Jeok-byeon of the Black Dragon Castle, the Black Jackal!”
Heuk Jeok-byeon used his movement technique to step onto the arena with flamboyant movements. The people booed. The Black Dragon Castle had a bad reputation, and this was Anhui Province, the territory of the Namgung Clan.
Heuk Jeok-byeon didn’t care about the booing. He even acted boldly, as if he was enjoying the jeers directed at him. He spotted Namgung Rin sitting next to me and waved. Namgung Rin only glared at Heuk Jeok-byeon.
“Begin the match!”
Namgung On moved first. Crackle. Blue sword energy and lightning crackled on his sword. Heuk Jeok-byeon didn’t avoid Namgung On’s attack. He raised his large zanbato and clashed it against Namgung On’s sword. Black sword energy rippled on his blade.
“How foolish. Heavenly Thunder flows through weapons. You should have dodged instead of blocking.”
“No. If you protect your body with inner force, you can resist Heavenly Thunder.”
“Still, there are limits. On-oppa’s Heavenly Thunder is the best among us. I’ve been hit by it many times.”
“……”
I kept quiet. The results would speak for themselves, even if I didn’t explain. Heuk Jeok-byeon was unharmed.
“How can this be? Why is he unharmed? Even if you protect your body with inner force, Heavenly Thunder should still work…!”
“He didn’t even protect his body with inner force. He might have some special artifact that is specialized in defending against lightning energy.”
“The use of artifacts is forbidden.”
“It might not be an artifact, or he might have hidden it on his body. Or he might have received a spell before the match. There are many possibilities.”
To my eyes, it didn’t seem like any of those. I recalled the Heuk Jeok-byeon from the original work. Heuk Jeok-byeon was one of the villains who was defeated by Shin Jong-woo in the original work. He wasn’t strong, and he didn’t leave much of an impact.
“On-oppa…”
Namgung Rin clenched her fist tightly. Unlike before, she was now anxious. The situation of the match was unfavorable for Namgung On.
‘Heavenly Thunder isn’t working, and he’s being pushed back in terms of strength. At this rate, he’ll lose easily.’
Namgung On, knowing this, attempted a reckless attack to change the situation. It seemed to work a few times, but in the end, he was narrowly countered by Heuk Jeok-byeon. Heuk Jeok-byeon’s hidden tail secretly grabbed Namgung On’s ankle and pulled him down.
Heuk Jeok-byeon’s sword stopped in front of Namgung On’s neck, who had fallen to the ground.
“Wooooooo!”
The audience’s jeers erupted.
“A demi-human…!”
Namgung Rin exclaimed in shock.
A demi-human.
A being born between a human and a spirit beast. Most of them looked like humans. For reference, Mi-ryeong was also a demi-human. Of course, the Ho-in tribe she belonged to was a bit different.
‘Looking at his tail, he’s a snake demi-human. Now that I see it, his eyes have also changed to resemble a snake. The reason why Heavenly Thunder isn’t working… is it because he’s naturally resistant to lightning energy?’
This was not good.
Demi-humans were stronger than ordinary humans. Their innate strength was different. If they were at the same level as a human, the demi-human would be much more advantageous.
The faces of the Namgung Clan members hardened and didn’t soften.
“Heuk Jeok-byeon. Will you continue the match? The break time is one hour. Or will you give up?”
“Haha. It’s a bit tiring, but I can fight more. I don’t need a break, so let’s continue the match right away.”
Namgung Dan-mo, the referee, glared at Heuk Jeok-byeon and shouted.
“Namgung Jik-woo of the Dull Heavy Sword!”
The second son, Namgung Jik-woo, stepped onto the arena as if he had been waiting. As his nickname suggested, he was a swordsman who used a dull sword style. However, the result was the same as Namgung On. He was defeated by Heuk Jeok-byeon.
“I’m fine. Next opponent, come on.”
The collateral line member of the Namgung Clan also lost.
“Hoo. Now it’s getting a bit tiring. Who’s the next opponent?”
It was Namgung Rin’s turn.
“…Gaga. Can I win?”
“Fight comfortably. Even if you lose, I’m behind you.”
“Yes, Gaga!”
She stepped onto the arena. The crowd cheered. Wearing a navy blue martial arts uniform and holding a sword in one hand, she was a beautiful heroine. The crowd chanted her nickname, the Beautiful Dawn Sword.
“This is unexpected. You’re coming out first? I thought you would be the last.”
“Sir Seong is stronger than me. It’s only natural that I come out before Sir Seong.”
“Haha. You seem to trust Sir Seong too much. After defeating Sir Seong, I will do as I said back then. Please know that I am sincere.”
Namgung Rin answered by pointing her sword at Heuk Jeok-byeon.
“Begin the match!”
The zanbato slammed into the ground. Namgung Rin dodged backward and aimed for Heuk Jeok-byeon’s side. Heuk Jeok-byeon exhaled and used snake-like movements to narrowly avoid Namgung Rin’s sword.
Heuk Jeok-byeon didn’t hold back just because his opponent was Namgung Rin. Even if he wanted to, he didn’t have the physical stamina. He used his tail in a cowardly manner and created openings with feints.
Namgung Rin was not easy to deal with either. She tenaciously held on. However, after 20 minutes, the match was decided. Namgung Rin was defeated.
“I’m tired. I’ll stop here for today. The next match will be tomorrow… no, looking at my condition, it seems like it will be difficult even tomorrow, so let’s continue the match the day after tomorrow.”
“…I acknowledge it.”
Namgung Dan-mo said with a grimace. Even if he didn’t like it, Heuk Jeok-byeon had won consecutive matches, so he had no choice but to acknowledge it.
“Lady Namgung. Are you alright?”
“…I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. If you have time later, why don’t we have dinner together at the Flower Moon Pavilion and review the match? It will be very helpful for you.”
“No, thanks.”
Namgung Rin, who had answered briefly, came down from the arena without hesitation and approached me. Namgung Rin’s face, covered in sweat, was gloomy.
“Sir Seong… I lost.”
“It’s okay. The Namgung Clan will never lose to the Black Dragon Castle.”
