The Sword Emperor's Way of Establishing the Namgung Clan

Chapter 49 - To Forge (1)

The Ink Wheel Hall.

Though it was a military group that was tied together with the Ten Halls of the Azure Sky Society, it had a strong feeling of being a separate outsider.

In truth, while the other Halls frequently had missions where they cooperated with each other, the Ink Wheel Hall tended to always take on solo missions.

It wasn’t that there was any particular discrimination. It was likely that the difference in the disposition that the Ink Wheel Hall possessed was great.

The Ink Wheel Hall was the only group in the Azure Sky Society where martial artists from between the Orthodox and Unorthodox, or from the Unorthodox and Demonic Paths, were gathered.

The place where the avengers who lived solely to annihilate the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult had gathered was precisely the Ink Wheel Hall.

‘They said even their entrance exam is of a completely different type.’

Martial artists who came from between the Orthodox and Unorthodox, or from the Unorthodox and Demonic Paths, had to take a test with a level of difficulty twice as high as the ordinary entrance exam.

Even after passing the exclusive entrance exam for the Ink Wheel Hall, they could only be acknowledged as a Cloud after being recognized in a meeting with the Ink Lord and the Azure Sky Society Lord.

Because the initiation procedure was so strict, the scale of the Ink Wheel Hall was only half that of the other Halls.

But the martial power of the Ink Wheel Hall, as revealed in missions or in the evaluation of the Azure Sky Society’s fighting power, was always in the top tier.

In other words, the Ink Wheel Hall was a small, elite group.

The Sword Demon, in particular, was a supreme master who was chosen among the top three even among the Hall Masters.

For that reason, in the Azure Sky Society, though they kept their distance from the Ink Wheel Hall, there was no one who ignored them.

“Is this the place?”

Namgung Jun, who had discovered the pavilion of the Ink Wheel Hall in a corner of the northern part of the Azure Sky Society, opened the door and threw it open without hesitation.

‘Judging by the atmosphere it gives off, it doesn’t seem like the Azure Sky Society.’

Traces of not only the Eighteen Martial Arms, but all sorts of unorthodox weapons remained haphazardly, and in various places, there were also dried bloodstains.

The aura that filled the atmosphere was sharp and chaotic. In particular, a thick fighting spirit and a sharp aura were so viscously ingrained that it was not easy to breathe.

If this had not been the main fortress of the Azure Sky Society, he would have thought it was a battlefield somewhere in the Martial World.

“Is that the Azure Star Sword? He’s got guts.”

“I don’t like him. He looks like a young nobleman from a prestigious clan.”

“As long as he’s good with a blade, that’s all that matters. I heard that despite being a fresh arrival, he has cut down quite a lot of Demonic Cult bastards.”

The attire of the Ink Wheel Hall’s avengers was a complete mess.

Even though they belonged to the same Ink Wheel Hall, they each wore different martial arts uniforms. There was not even the embroidered lettering that would indicate their affiliation.

The only common point, if there was one, was the bright red cloud embroidered on their sleeves.

The martial artists of the Ten Halls wore martial arts uniforms of a style that differed according to their affiliation, but it seemed the Ink Wheel Hall did not even have such a thing.

It was a peculiar atmosphere that was both free-spirited and seemed to have no rules.

The masters of the Ink Wheel Hall, without exception, glared at Namgung Jun with fierce eyes.

“I have come to see the Ink Wheel Hall Master.”

Namgung Jun paid his respects without being flustered in the slightest. But no greeting came back in return.

Namgung Jun, who did not mind this, tried to step toward the inside of the Ink Wheel Hall.

“Where do you think you’re going? Stop.”

The masters of the Ink Wheel Hall began to gather from all directions, led by a middle-aged man with a saw-toothed blade slung over his shoulder, Sa Dan-hae.

The way each of them swaggered as they walked was like that of the ruffians of the Black Path. But Namgung Jun did not look down on them.

‘Is this the combat distance for a joint attack? They have very naturally blocked the main directions.’

Unlike their outward appearance, their actions were like that of a pack of wolves aiming for their prey.

The masters of the Ink Wheel Hall did not care whether their opponent was a master or a novice. As if they would be satisfied just by efficiently tearing them to pieces and forcing them to their knees.

Namgung Jun leisurely scanned the masters of the Ink Wheel Hall.

‘He’s so calm.’

‘Even if he’s young, is he a tiger after all?’

It was when a peculiar glint settled in the eyes of the Ink Wheel Hall masters.

“What must I do for you to open the path?”

“Hmm. First, bring alcohol and meat. An amount that is enough for all of us to eat our fill. Then I will try thinking about it.”

At Sa Dan-hae’s reply, the Ink Wheel Hall masters who were nearby burst out laughing.

Namgung Jun, who had raised the corners of his mouth, slowly brought his right hand to his sword hilt.

Then, he replied in a calm voice.

“I shall just have to pierce through. I ask for your understanding in advance.”

Was it that they had predicted Namgung Jun’s reaction?

“So you’re pretending to be a man!”

“So he wasn’t just chaff.”

“I wonder if he’s ever even experienced an unorthodox weapon.”

The masters of the Ink Wheel Hall, far from getting angry, were, on the contrary, pleased, and vied with one another to draw their weapons.

The types of weapons of the Ink Wheel Hall masters were very spectacular.

In his view were, of course, the commonly seen sabers and swords, but also a saw-toothed blade with thorns like a saw’s teeth, a narrow-bladed sword, and a flexible sword that bent like a snake.

‘They have all sorts of unorthodox weapons.’

There were iron claws like the talons of a beast, a fishing rod-like weapon made of a fishing line with a blade attached and a flexible staff, and a thin and long iron spike like an awl.

Among them, there were also unorthodox weapons he was seeing for the first time here and there, but Namgung Jun did not mind.

On the contrary, he held his sword in a middle stance and calmly settled his center of gravity so that he could boost his sword power.

Swish!

The first beginning was a hidden weapon.

A dagger and a large needle, flying by cunningly passing between the masters of the Ink Wheel Hall.

The trajectory of his sword, which moved along the sound of tearing air, parried all of the hidden weapons and tilted forward.

At the sword strike that was thrusting straight forward, Sa Dan-hae raised his saw-toothed blade and brought it down with all his might. It was an appearance that intended to break Namgung Jun’s sword completely.

GONG!

The body of his sword was caught on the fine, saw-like teeth of the saw-toothed blade and would not move. But Namgung Jun’s eyes did not stir in the slightest.

As his fingers moved calmly and stroked the hilt, the sword slipped out as if oil had been applied to it.

The eyes of Sa Dan-hae, who saw this from right in front, widened.

‘He made the saw-toothed blade let go with the minute tremors that occurred from changing his grip two or three times.’

The saw-toothed blade of Sa Dan-hae hesitated at the unheard-of artistry. Though it was only for an instant, to Namgung Jun, it was enough time to extend his sword several times.

Namgung Jun, who pushed the saw-toothed blade aside and spun backward, parried the iron chains and fishing line that were trying to wrap around his arms and legs.

While the iron chains and fishing line were getting tangled in the stooped sword path of the Layered Cloud Form, Namgung Jun gripped his sword in a reverse grip and pierced into the middle of the Ink Wheel Hall masters.

THWACK!

The left hand of Namgung Jun, as he unfolded the Heavenly Thunder Palm Style, struck the chest of an Ink Wheel Hall master who was swinging a great saber.

The Ink Wheel Hall master, whose mouth was agape, was knocked out just like that. A woman who was right beside him swung her whip fiercely, but Namgung Jun’s right hand was faster.

He struck the woman’s abdomen with the hilt of his inverted sword. Though it could not be compared to the Heavenly Thunder Palm Style, it was a strike sufficient to cut off the breath of a master.

“Keuk!”

Namgung Jun, who had loosened the joint attack with a single charge, had a series of sounds of tearing air erupt above his head.

FWOOSH!

It was not a weapon. It was the grand robes that the Ink Wheel Hall masters had been wearing. The way they flew quickly while fluttering like flags, it seemed they were laden with internal energy.

In the interval while they were obscuring Namgung Jun’s vision with several layers of grand robes, the masters of the Ink Wheel Hall rushed in again from five directions.

‘Amusing.’

The way the Ink Wheel Hall fought was certainly different from the other Ten Halls. It seemed they would do anything if it was for the sake of winning.

“Your strikes are quite fierce!”

“So you have no mercy even for a woman. A swordsman should be that way, of course.”

Two shadows shot up from behind Namgung Jun. They were the ones who had been struck by the Heavenly Thunder Palm Style and the sword hilt a moment ago.

‘Their fighting spirit is incredible.’

He had hit them with the intention of making them break away from the joint attack completely, but he hadn't known they would rejoin like this so soon.

Looking at their complexions, it did not seem that his strikes had been weak, but that they were enduring through sheer grit.

Clang-clang-clang!

Namgung Jun’s sword fiercely cut through the air and severed all the trajectories of the pouring unorthodox weapons.

“You idiots. Don’t rush in so haphazardly like that. He’s using the Heavy Sword and the Swift Sword alternately.”

“Don’t stop, keep throwing the hidden weapons. I’m telling you to create an opening.”

“That bastard, his footwork is no ordinary matter either.”

Even though Namgung Jun’s sword power and sword speed were extraordinary, there was no holding back in them. Rather, there was a strong tendency to try and endure without retreating, with faces choked with rage.

“Now! Get him!”

Namgung Jun, who had been in the middle of a sword thrust, suddenly lifted his left foot high and pulled back.

It was because an Ink Wheel Hall master, who had been pretending to be down, had rolled on the floor and tried to grab his legs.

Sa Dan-hae closed in on Namgung Jun. He mercilessly swung his saw-toothed blade and pursed his lips toward Namgung Jun.

“Ptui!”

Just as he thought he was spitting, a very small hidden weapon shot out from his mouth.

However, Namgung Jun deflected it lightly with his fingers and righted his posture.

Even though the Ink Wheel Hall was unfolding cowardly and bizarre stratagems in succession, Namgung Jun’s response was calm and solid.

‘He never wavers. That bastard, how old did they say he was this year?’

Sa Dan-hae tried his best to swallow the admiration that was flowing out.

The joint attack of the Ink Wheel Hall was to the point where even experienced, mid-level masters would find it tricky. But the boy before him was showing no signs of wavering at all.

It was not simply a matter of a high or low level of martial arts.

Namgung Jun’s age was young, and he had heard that it had not been long since he had learned martial arts. His experience in the Martial World must also be small, so how could he be so proficient?

‘Is this what is called true talent? A difference in class that can overwhelm even time and experience.’

KWAAAANG!

At the sword wind of the Heavenly Wind Sword Style, which was poured out with a powerful stomp, the three Ink Wheel Hall masters who had been in charge of the left flank were swept away just as they were.

“You slowpoke bastards! Fill in the gap now!”

“Don’t let him run wild any longer! Aim for his legs!”

Though the Ink Wheel Hall masters rushed in urgently, Namgung Jun’s sword was two breaths faster.

It was not the Heavenly Wind Sword Style, nor the Thirteen Sword-Thunders of the Lightning Flash, nor was it the Layered Cloud Form. Namgung Jun’s sword began to show a different disposition than before.

‘Loosen the ring finger a little more and fix the upper part of the hilt with the thumb.’

Namgung Jun, who had swept his sword downward, changed his grip. This was a grip that was unfamiliar even to Namgung Jun.

He was trying to clearly draw out with his sword the inspiration that had momentarily flashed by as he was experiencing the haphazard and chaotic joint attack of the Ink Wheel Hall.

Ch-ch-chak-chak-chak!

The sword strikes, which were irregularly storming about in all directions, parried all the unorthodox weapons that were flying in from eight directions.

Namgung Jun’s sword was not satisfied with this. It began to move with even more life.

The tip of his sword, as if it were alive like a flexible sword, writhed and split into countless streaks, and a trajectory that was irregularly supple like an iron chain and a fishing line was melted into the sword path.

When he thrust fiercely, an iron spike could be glimpsed, and in the sword strikes that extended roughly vertically and horizontally, a saw-toothed blade could be seen.

“You crazy bastard!”

Sa Dan-hae, as he swung his now-damaged saw-toothed blade, could not help but spit out a curse.

In the sword strikes that had suddenly poured out chaotically, the characteristics of all sorts of unorthodox weapons were melted in as if they were a single martial principle, and the raw forms constructed in such a way were like watching the joint attack of the Ink Wheel Hall itself.

If one were to compile and synthesize all the martial arts of the Ink Wheel Hall into a single sword style, would it not become a sword style like this?

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

At the new form of sword strike that Namgung Jun displayed at the end, the unorthodox weapons of the Ink Wheel Hall masters were all shattered to pieces.

The masters of the Ink Wheel Hall had to be pushed back once again by the assaulting shock. Amidst them, only Namgung Jun was holding his sword in the exact same posture as at the beginning.

It could not be helped.

Their eyes were dizzy from Namgung Jun’s new forms, and their hands and feet had lost their original flow and had become entangled.

“Hah. If I’m not seeing things…”

“It looks like an Illusory Sword, a Shifting Sword.”

“Was the rumor that he created a sword style after crossing blades with the Hall Master true?”

Namgung Jun looked at the masters of the Ink Wheel Hall, who were staring at him with dazed eyes, and slowly sheathed his sword.

“It was quite a magnificent joint attack.”

A calm voice was mixed in with Namgung Jun’s quiet breathing.

Only a chilling silence descended upon the Ink Wheel Hall.