Return of the Heavenly Sword

Chapter 26. The Steel Sinew Clan (1)

A short while ago.

Around the time Jin Yuseong was in the middle of fighting Nam Seup.

A heretic bastard was hurriedly running towards the Steel Sinew Sect's estate.

He was the only surviving heretic from the Steel Sinew Sect at the Five Sword Sect.

As soon as he arrived at the estate, he ran to the Leader’s Hall.

“L-Leader! W-we're in big trouble!”

“What is it! Don't tell me, was Seup defeated by the Five Sword Sect?”

As she asked with an expression of disbelief, the man hastily shook his head.

“The Five Sword Sect has been dealt with! But, a strange bastard suddenly appeared and attacked us!”

“Are you saying he is stronger than Seup?”

At that question, the man shook his head.

As the Steel Sinew Sect Leader's expression turned venomous, the man hastily added.

“That stupid fellow kept resisting, saying he didn't want to kill people, so everything got messed up. Because of that moron, everyone except me is dead, Leader!”

At the man's shout, the Steel Sinew Sect Leader closed her eyes tightly and then opened them again.

“Is Seup still there?”

“Yes. He is fighting with that bastard who suddenly intruded. Even though all his brothers are dead, he is not fighting properly, Leader!”

“Summon everyone immediately!”

The Steel Sinew Sect Leader, having given the order, stood up and left the Leader’s Hall.

‘Saving Seup comes first.’

After that, she intended to punish him severely.

Because the loyal dog had dared to disobey his master's command.

***

With the sword thrust into Nam Seup's throat, I asked the fellow.

“Do you want to live?”

The bastard, who was about to nod his head, was once again scratched on the inside of his throat by the sword and hastily stopped his movement.

“E-eh.”

I thought he probably answered ‘yes’.

I had no intention of killing this guy right away, anyway.

The problem was just how to keep him subdued.

And before I encountered the rest of the prey.

However, as soon as I had that thought, I felt a presence from the direction of the Five Sword Sect's broken gate.

Mixed feelings crossed my mind.

The joy that more bastards to kill had come, and the sadness that I couldn't kill them with a sword stuck in this guy's mouth.

While I was grinning with sad eyes, I heard a venomous woman's voice.

“Surround that bastard immediately!”

It seemed to be the leader of the Steel Sinew Sect.

Did he recognize her voice?

“M-momma?”

Nam Seup said, with a sword in his mouth and tears like chicken droppings streaming down his face.

“S-save me. M-momma.”

He looked exactly like a child who had found his mother after being lost and wandering.

Without even knowing that his mother would later feed him poison.

“Tsk.”

While I was clicking my tongue in disapproval, a strange thought came to mind.

I could just put him to sleep with poison, couldn't I? That was the thought.

While Nam Seup lay on his back, his eyes darting around in search of his mother.

I surprisingly put my left hand into my bosom and took it out, then took out a small pouch and emptied its contents.

Then, a yellow powder scattered over the bastard's wide-open mouth.

That yellow powder was what I had taken from Yuran Village.

The poison powder that the Green Valley Worm had given to the old couple.

I had taken it a few times to build up my resistance to poison, but unfortunately, it had almost no effect on me.

It was because my resistance to poison had already increased considerably, thanks to being exposed to the Tiger Head Inch Hornet's stinger and then killing the Green Valley Worm and being exposed to his poisonous blood.

I had been saving it to use when dealing with trash-like bastards in the future, but I never thought I would find a use for this poison powder here.

This poison powder was a kind of sleeping pill.

If I put Nam Seup to sleep with the sleeping pill, I would no longer need to keep a sword thrust in his mouth.

Well, even if it was a sleeping pill, a person could die if a large amount was ingested.

But since this guy was so big, it seemed the effect would only properly work if I put in all that was left.

To make sure he drank the poison powder properly, I kindly poured water into his mouth as well.

The water from the gourd I had tied to my side.

Just in case the bastard might spit out the powder and water, I also kindly gave him a warning.

“The moment you cough, you'll get a hole in your throat. Just swallow.”

At my warning, Nam Seup, with tears welling up in his eyes, gulped down the water and powder that filled his mouth.

I had seen it at the inn yesterday, but he was indeed a guy who ate everything well.

Now that this guy would soon fall asleep, I could deal with the Steel Sinew Sect with a peaceful mind.

As I was having that thought, the venomous woman's voice was heard.

“What did you just feed Seup.”

“Poison.”

“…You bastard. Do you have some knowledge of poisons?”

I looked at the leader, wondering why she was suddenly asking such a stupid question.

Then, the leader opened her mouth again.

“If you consistently make the poison to feed Seup and the antidote, I will let today's matter pass. No, I will give you a chance to join us.”

Before I could even answer, Nam Seup looked at her with a surprised expression.

“M-momma?”

At her son's pleading expression, the leader smiled gently and said.

“Seup. Look around you. Because you didn't listen to this mother and your big brothers, all your brothers are dead. So, accept your punishment sweetly. Live by eating poison until this mother forgives you. If you listen to your mother's words well, then I will forgive you.”

“M-mommaaaa…”

It was a somewhat bizarre conversation for a mother with a gentle expression and a son with teary eyes to be having.

As I listened, it seemed that things were flowing in a rather strange way.

“Does this make me the Green Valley Worm?”

I suddenly felt so disgusted that I couldn't bear it.

“There is no antidote.”

As soon as my declaration was finished, the Steel Sinew Sect Leader's gentle expression shattered.

For some reason, I felt good, and a grin spread across my face.

The Steel Sinew Sect Leader, her expression crumpled, shouted.

“There can't be no antidote! Capture that bastard immediately!”

At her shout, as the heretic bastards tried to surround me, I willingly shook the sword thrust in Nam Seup's mouth.

“If you move, this guy dies.”

“M-mommaaa.”

At Nam Seup's muttering, his eyes misty with tears, the Steel Sinew Sect heretic bastards looked at the Steel Sinew Sect Leader with troubled expressions.

The Steel Sinew Sect Leader shouted venomously.

“You fed him poison and now you're spouting nonsense! If we don't catch that bastard, Seup will die anyway! Attack that bastard right now!!”

Only then did the heretic bastards rush at me with faces that said, ‘to hell with it’.

“Truly a heartless mother.”

I watched the approaching heretic bastards for a moment with the sword thrust in Nam Seup's mouth.

I surprisingly used my footwork to move away from Nam Seup and at the same time, swung my sword towards the closest approaching heretic bastard.

Slash.

As soon as I had simply dealt with one, the Steel Sinew Sect Leader's shout was heard from behind.

“Nam Seup! How long are you going to just lie there! Didn't you hear me say you'll die if you don't catch that bastard!!”

The Steel Sinew Sect Leader, who had reprimanded Nam Seup, had also drawn her sword and was rushing at me.

The way she quickly approached while easily avoiding the corpses scattered everywhere.

It was no ordinary footwork.

It seemed she hadn't secured the position of leader solely through the power of the Vajra Dog.

Instead of swinging my sword at the charging leader, I willingly used my movement technique to the side.

Towards the place where the Steel Sinew Sect's heretic rabble were gathered.

The startled heretic bastard hastily thrust his spear.

“Die!!”

I easily dodged it and thrust my sword into the bastard's heart.

In the meantime, the surrounding heretic bastards swung their weapons all at once.

Clang!

While their own weapons clashed with a stupid metallic sound, a few still flew accurately towards my back.

I used my footwork to rotate my body once and used the corpse of the guy I had just killed as a shield.

Stab!

A series of eerie noises echoed, and the expressions of the heretic bastards who had stabbed their comrade crumpled.

“You bastaaard!!”

Only then did the Steel Sinew Sect Leader who had chased me let out a sharp shout and swing her sword.

Thud! Thud!

Also, Nam Seup, who had gotten up at some point, was running towards me with huge footsteps, wiping his tears with his pot-lid-sized hands.

Swoooooosh.

The sharp sword of the Steel Sinew Sect Leader flying through the stupid heretics.

Whoooosh.

And Nam Seup's iron fist, which seemed like it would shatter anything that blocked its path.

It was a situation where I could lose my life with a single minor mistake, but my eyes did not open.

It couldn't be helped.

When I saw the parade of idiocy unfolding before my eyes, the tension that was trying to rise would just droop.

“Get out of the way!!”

The shout of the Steel Sinew Sect Leader, who couldn't swing her sword because she was blocked by her subordinates.

Thwack!

“Aaaaaargh.”

“B-big brother. S-sorry.”

Nam Seup's apology after he accidentally hit and broke the bones of a comrade while trying to attack me.

The joint attack of those who had not properly trained in coordinated techniques was bound to just get in each other's way.

The greater the difference in skill between those performing the joint attack, the more so.

From my perspective, who was accustomed to chaotic battles, it was even more comfortable now, being surrounded, than when I was fighting Nam Seup alone earlier.

After that, whenever the trash-like heretic bastards got tangled up with each other, I would just swing my sword and deal with them one by one several times.

Thud.

A dull thud echoed.

It wasn't a heretic stabbed by my sword who had fallen.

It was the noise made by Nam Seup falling flat on his face.

“M-mommaaa……”

Nam Seup, collapsed on the floor, writhed and looked for the Steel Sinew Sect Leader.

It seemed the effect of the drug was finally starting to kick in properly.

The Steel Sinew Sect Leader, who had been swinging her sword at me, took a step back and then approached Nam Seup.

“S-save meee……”

As Nam Seup muttered with a dazed face, the Steel Sinew Sect Leader smiled gently.

“This mother will definitely save you, so don't you worry.”

“M-mommaaa……”

“How could I let you die like this, after how I raised you.”

The Steel Sinew Sect Leader, who had patted the child's head a few times, turned around again and looked at me.

Unlike when she was soothing the child just before, her eyes were filled with murderous intent.

“You lot are only getting in the way, so get out of here right now.”

As soon as the Steel Sinew Sect Leader gave the order to the Steel Sinew Sect heretic bastards who were getting in her way, the heretic bastards hastily retreated.

“I was going to keep you alive and use you, but I can't. There's no choice but to kill you and take the antidote.”

A snort naturally came out at her threat.

“I thought only your head was broken, but are your ears broken too? I'm sure I said there was no antidote.”

As soon as my words were finished, the Steel Sinew Sect Leader used her movement technique and closed in.

“If you don't have the antidote in your hands right now, I'll find out the recipe even if I have to cut off your arms and legs!!”

It seemed she was a woman who didn't listen to others.

Swoooooosh.

Was it because the obstacles were gone? The sword swung by the Steel Sinew Sect Leader flew in, drawing a much sharper sword path.

I dodged her sword flying towards my head and was about to counterattack, but she used her footwork to rotate her body and swung a series of strikes.

Slash!

I thought I had surely dodged it, but because the sword path twisted strangely at the last moment, the sleeve of my forearm was cut, and a faint stream of blood flowed from my forearm.

At that hot pain, the corners of my mouth naturally curled up.

Whether it was because the tension that had drooped due to the continuous display of idiocy was now soaring, trajectories began to be embroidered in the empty air.

As I watched the trajectory drawn by the Steel Sinew Sect Leader's sword, I engaged with her for several exchanges in a sense close to self-forgetfulness.

Belatedly, I realized an important fact.

It wasn't just her attitude that had changed.

Her swordsmanship had also changed somewhere.

It wasn't the swordsmanship she had used when she was launching a joint attack with her subordinates a moment ago.

It was as if she was showing a hidden ultimate technique.

There was a saying in the martial world to hide thirty percent of one's skill, so this was not unusual.

Just.

“Hmm?”

For some reason, the trajectory the leader was creating was familiar.

It was a strange thing.

In my life before regression, I had never met the Steel Sinew Sect Leader directly.

Naturally, it should have been the first time I saw her swordsmanship today.

Just then, the Steel Sinew Sect Leader thrust her sword towards my leg.

Thanks to my wide-open eyes, I saw a virtual trajectory where the sword heading for my leg sharply bent and aimed for my head.

A trajectory reminiscent of a swallow gliding.

It was a technique I remembered.

“Flying Swallow Sword Art?”

It was a technique that I couldn't forget even if I tried.

Before my regression, when my body was examined by the Poison Immortal, he had said this.

Due to the injuries accumulated from countless life-and-death duels and matches, my body was already beyond talentless and was close to being disabled.

“You bastard. What is your relationship with the Danmok Clan?”

And that technique was the one used by the bastard who had crippled my left arm.