Unrivaled Spear Demon
Chapter 10 - A Gentleman Dies for One Who Knows Him (1)
Ssssssssss...
The bamboo leaves rustled in the wind.
Crows took flight in a great flurry from the blood-red bamboo, which looked as if it had been steeped in blood.
“Where have you come from?”
The old man spoke in a languid tone.
But he was no ordinary elder.
His aura was unyielding and stiff.
And beneath it all lay the thick scent of blood.
Like the bamboo that grew red from feeding on blood, Jo Yang-ja’s aura was alien.
It is possible for damp gloom and bamboo-like integrity to coexist,Chui thought, taking a step forward.
Watching him, Jo Yang-ja stroked his beard as if intrigued.
“By the looks of you, you do not walk the path of righteousness. Narakgok? The Paedo Sect? Or perhaps from beyond the Black Sands?”
To that question, Chui gave a short reply.
“Hojeong Gate.”
“?”
For the first time, a strange light glinted in Jo Yang-ja’s eyes.
“A boy raised by the Hojeong Gate Master? I find that hard to believe. A dog cannot raise a tiger.”
“…”
“What is your connection to the Hojeong Gate?”
To Jo Yang-ja’s follow-up question, Chui once again replied curtly.
“A handyman.”
“??”
“Or a stable hand.”
“???”
Thinking Chui was toying with him, Jo Yang-ja shook his head.
“Then again, what does it matter where you come from? Since you have come seeking a taste of my blade, it is only proper that I oblige.”
Jo Yang-ja began to draw upon his energy.
Chui, too, extended the spear in his hand.
Shing—
Presently, a longsword was drawn from Jo Yang-ja’s waist.
A bluish sword aura seemed to flow along the blade before it began to spin fiercely.
Chui thought.
‘To see Jo Yang-ja alive… what a novel feeling.’
Before his regression, the Jo Yang-ja of his past life had lived out his natural lifespan and died of old age.
Because he had died of old age, the Jo family’s pursuers had stopped chasing Ho Yeyang and turned back. That was how Ho Yeyang had managed to survive and escape into the military.
For the rest of his life, Ho Yeyang was tormented by the fact that he had not been able to kill Jo Yang-ja with his own hands.
And now, Chui stood before a living Jo Yang-ja.
This was the very place Ho Yeyang of his past life had longed to be, even until the moment of his death.
Grip—
The dark spear in Chui’s grasp trembled.
And then.
Clang!
Jo Yang-ja’s sword clashed with Chui’s spear.
As the two cold weapons met, sparks began to blossom from the point of impact.
The internal energies of both fighters, transmitted through their weapons, tangled savagely and began to heat the steel.
“…!”
The one to retreat first was Jo Yang-ja.
He frowned, looking at his longsword, its tip now glowing red-hot.
“What sorcery is this, you bastard?”
“Why?”
“Why is it that I can sense the Jo family’s energy in your attack?”
Jo Yang-ja’s suspicion was correct.
Chui was currently using the internal energy gathered through the Jo family’s unique cultivation method.
Strictly speaking, however, this internal energy was not Chui’s, but that of the Jo family martial artists who had become Changwi and submitted to him.
Tssssssssss...
A dark red demonic energy rose from Chui’s entire body like a heat haze.
The martial artists of the Black Way Guild and the Jo family, now Demonic Spirits, were transferring their internal energy to Chui.
Having ascended the nine steps of the compression stage, Chui’s martial prowess had now reached a depth comparable to that of Jo Yang-ja, who stood between the first-rate and the peak.
…Boom!
Jo Yang-ja stomped his foot.
The floor sank, and the surrounding walls cracked.
Jo Yang-ja’s sword flew forward, creating a crescent-shaped trajectory that soared through the air and fell upon Chui.
Craaaack!
The slash whipped through the air, splitting the corridor in two.
Chui dodged it, moving to the side and thrusting his spear forward three times.
Rip! Rip! Clang—
The first and second thrusts pierced Jo Yang-ja’s collar and the hem of his robe, while the third thrust was blocked by the longsword.
…Screeeech!
Jo Yang-ja deflected Chui’s spear, sending the countless sparks generated in the process flying toward Chui’s eyes.
It was the kind of instantaneous judgment one would expect from a seasoned veteran of the martial world.
However…
“…!”
Jo Yang-ja gasped.
Chui did not close his wide-open eyes.
With his eyes glaring, he took the full force of the sparks and pressed forward.
When sparks from the clash of weapons flew toward one’s eyes, it was only natural for even a master to blink.
But Chui paid no mind to the sparks bouncing off his eyeballs, pushing forward to thrust his spear at Jo Yang-ja’s chin.
Slice—
A chunk of Jo Yang-ja’s white beard was sliced off, and a red dot appeared on his Adam’s apple.
Drip…
Blood trickled from his throat, staining his collar crimson.
Despite this, Jo Yang-ja’s expression remained calm.
“Heh heh. That was close. I nearly gained a third breathing hole.”
“…”
Chui frowned.
His side burned.
He had aimed for the neck and gone in deep, but the attack was shallow.
Because he had gone in so deep, it took longer to withdraw, and he had exposed his side as a result.
[Jo Yang… ja…]
[Sword… too long…]
[Attack… range… wide…]
It was not easy to gain the upper hand.
He was only able to hold his ground because the Changwi from the Jo family were feeding him every detail of Jo Yang-ja’s swordsmanship and habits.
…Flick!
Chui flung the awls he had hidden in his sleeve.
“Hoh? Skilled in trickery as well, are you?”
Jo Yang-ja tilted his head to the side, dodging the flying awls.
Just then, a hammer came crashing down toward his temple.
“And tenacious, too.”
Jo Yang-ja dodged the hammer and thrust his sword toward Chui’s waist.
Chui grimaced and dodged it.
Riiip—
Through the torn martial arts uniform, gray bear leather was revealed.
Chui’s side was already stained red.
Jo Yang-ja smiled at the sight.
“I wonder what manner of master raised you. Boy, lay down your spear now. I will make great use of you.”
But contrary to his words, Jo Yang-ja was already preparing his next move.
The Boundless Sky Sword Art.
As befitting a family distantly related to the Namgung Clan, Jo Yang-ja unleashed an orthodox and upright sword art.
A tempest of slashes—from low to high, then from high to left and right—relentlessly targeted Chui’s side.
…Clang! Claang! Tang!
The more power Jo Yang-ja put into his sword, the further Chui’s spear was pushed back.
Before he knew it, Chui found himself gripping the spear just below the blade.
But Chui had no time to adjust his grip to lengthen the spear.
Jo Yang-ja was charging forward, swinging his sword as if to butcher the very air.
Soon, Chui was pressed flat against the wall, his hand still gripping the spear just below the blade.
Before him, Jo Yang-ja held his longsword horizontally.
“It’s over.”
“…”
Chui had been driven into a position where he could no longer block the sword.
The spear had become too short, and the shaft protruding behind him was caught against the wall, preventing him from moving properly.
In that situation.
“Farewell.”
Jo Yang-ja thrust his sword into Chui’s side.
Shunk!
The long blade dug into Chui’s body.
“…”
Chui clamped his mouth shut.
Bright red blood trickled from his lips and dripped from his chin, but no scream escaped.
“Not even a scream? How admirable.”
Jo Yang-ja pushed the sword deeper into Chui’s side.
“A world of difference from my son. Tae-beom… that boy would lie in bed all day if he so much as cut his finger on a sword.”
A hint of bitterness tinged Jo Yang-ja’s voice.
He looked into Chui’s face and clicked his tongue.
“That’s why I wanted a spirited and bold daughter-in-law. That's why I sent a marriage proposal to the Hojeong Gate. I don’t know how much longer I have to live, but shouldn’t I at least see a fine grandchild in my final years?”
Just then,
…Grab!
Chui grabbed the blade embedded in his side with his bare hand.
“You don’t know how much longer you have to live?”
“…!”
At Chui’s words, Jo Yang-ja’s expression changed.
Squeeze…
The blade plunged into Chui’s side would not come out.
“What is this…!?”
Jo Yang-ja could not understand the situation.
He twisted the sword frantically, but the blade would not budge.
Why on earth would a blade stuck in a man’s body not come out?
No matter how powerful one’s grip, it was impossible to hold a blade this tightly.
Crrrack—
Chui twisted his body slightly to the side.
The blade became even more firmly fixed, unable to be twisted at all.
Only then did Jo Yang-ja realize what was holding his sword.
His ribs.
The sword, having pierced the space between Chui’s ribs, was now caught between the bones, unable to move.
‘…Don’t tell me he did this on purpose?’
Jo Yang-ja’s expression changed.
Chui had deliberately exposed his injured side, luring the sword to strike there.
And when the blade pierced his body, he had twisted his torso to clamp the blade between two ribs, preventing its escape.
Squeeeeze—
Blood streamed from Chui’s left hand, which was still gripping the blade.
But Chui’s expression did not change in the slightest as he lowered his head.
And he whispered to Jo Yang-ja, who stood before him.
“If you don’t know, I’ll tell you… how much longer you have to live.”
Chui’s blood-red eyes stared into Jo Yang-ja’s face.
Presently, Chui’s blood-stained lips moved.
“Jo Yang-ja.”
The moment he heard the call, a chill ran down Jo Yang-ja’s spine.
He didn’t know why, but he felt an urge to flee.
That thought alone echoed in his mind.
“Jo Yang-ja.”
At the second call, the hair on his entire body stood on end like needles.
Jo Yang-ja’s face contorted as a cold sweat covered him.
And then, the third call came.
“Jo Yang-ja.”
In that moment, Jo Yang-ja saw them.
The countless faces behind Chui.
The death throes of countless souls, screaming and weeping tears of blood at him.
[Come join us!]
[I can’t go alone!]
[Your time of lording over us is over!]
[You’ll end up just like us!]
[E-heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!]
Faced with the mind-numbing spectacle, Jo Yang-ja momentarily lost the strength in his grip.
Chui did not miss that fleeting opening.
Plunge!
The short spear, held in a tight grip, pierced Jo Yang-ja’s abdomen.
“Gah?!”
Jo Yang-ja’s small eyes widened as if they would tear.
Chui thrust the spearhead deeper into Jo Yang-ja’s belly, then violently twisted it.
The blade didn't pass all the way through, but it shredded every organ within his gut.
Gaaack!
Jo Yang-ja vomited blood.
It was a torrent of blood, thick with fragments of his innards.
“H-how… how… did you…?”
Jo Yang-ja looked down at Chui, his face a mask of disbelief.
Chui shrugged.
Jo Yang-ja was a veteran who had fought many man-to-man battles, but those had been duels or spars, bound by rules and forms.
But the world Chui had lived in was a battlefield.
In that place, flooded with stray blades, spears, and arrows, every horrific tragedy imaginable to man was commonplace.
A life-or-death struggle of a common soldier.
A desperate, vicious scramble with no regard for one’s own life.
To Chui, these were nothing new.
…Clang!
The spear and the sword fell to the ground at the same time.
The one left standing was Chui and the one who had fallen was Jo Yang-ja.
Lying on the ground, Jo Yang-ja looked up at Chui.
Chui straightened his back and stood tall, looking down at Jo Yang-ja.
The dying man spoke to the living.
“Just kill… me… spare… my son…”
The living man answered the dead.
“No.”
If he were the type to indulge in pointless sentiment and grant mercy, he would never have come this far.
No, he would never have been able to stand in this place to begin with.
Chui picked up the hammer he had dropped and brought it down on Jo Yang-ja’s face.
…Crunch! …Crunch! Thwack!
Two strikes to make sure, the third blow of the hammer mostly struck the floor.
Chui set the hammer aside and wiped the blood spattered on his face with his sleeve.
“You died without seeing him. Your grandchild.”
Then, Chui stepped over Jo Yang-ja’s corpse and headed deeper inside.
The inner chamber was empty.
At a glance, it seemed there was nothing there.
But…
[Wooooooh…]
[Young… Maaassterrr…]
[That way… thaaat waaaay…]
[This waaaay… thiiis waaaay…]
[There… underneaaath… the jar…]
The Changwi of the Jo family, weeping tears of blood, all pointed in the same direction.
Chui walked toward where the spirits were pointing.
Tssssssssss…
The piercing wound in his side was already healing.
He just had to wring out a few Changwi and squeeze out their inner energy.
Soon, Chui stood before a table in the inner chamber.
Two teacups.
The tea within was still warm.
Beside them sat a large jar.
…Crack!
Chui kicked the bottom of the jar, shattering it.
A reaction came from within.
“Hyaak?!”
Jo Tae-beom. He was a tear-streaked mess, crouched on the floor, trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing him, Chui’s brow furrowed.
‘…A creature like this dared to covet Ho Yeyang.’
To avenge his father, Ho Yeyang had seared his face and body with charcoal and swallowed the embers to change his voice.
Yet here was Jo Tae-beom, trembling and hiding in a jar to escape his father’s killer, even after witnessing his death.
A single man who didn't know his place, driven by greed, had made countless people weep tears of blood.
Because of this pathetic wretch, Ho Yeyang had been forced to abandon his gender and appearance, becoming a vengeful specter of hideous mien, only to lose his life on a battlefield against foreign barbarians.
Snatch—
Chui grabbed Jo Tae-beom by the hair.
And he asked.
“Still feeling so high and mighty?”
“Eeeeek…”
“Born to the right parents, with a bit of money and a bit of power, did you think you were the protagonist of the world?”
Seeing Chui’s eyes burn crimson, a yellow stain spread across Jo Tae-beom’s crotch.
“Fine. I’ll make you the center of this world.”
Then, from Chui’s throat, a voice as hot as burning charcoal flowed out as he held an awl and a hammer.
“Tonight, you’re the star of the show.”
As it happened, today was the first day of the eleventh month, the longest night of the year.
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