The Veteran Swordmaster’s Stream (Novel) - Chapter 78
Chapter 78
“It seems you know?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That if the higher movements of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique are executed, even the Heavenly Demon Divine Art cannot do anything about it. Isn’t that why you blocked it?”
The Heavenly Killing Star frowned.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“I shall be careful in the future.”
He is playing dumb.
Whatever.
It will be different from now on.
A moment ago, his connection was broken without gaining any advantage because he hadn’t expected it, but from now on, if the enemy tried to break his connection, he would definitely extract a proper price.
His objective was victory, not the completion of the movement.
He widened the distance slightly to properly build up the movement from the beginning again.
And he raised his sword, trying to execute the 2nd movement, when.
Clang!
Before he knew it, the sword of Seo-jun, who stood in front of him, was blocking his sword path once again.
His sword could not advance further from around his waist.
“Your reactions are fast.”
As if he had been waiting, the Heavenly Killing Star relaxed the strength in his arm, breaking the balance with Seo-jun’s blocking sword, and freely pulled his sword out.
If he tried to block the movement, he had to pay the price.
His sword, which had nothing blocking it, was about to execute another movement.
The speed of moving his arm was clearly faster than the opponent’s, and the sword path was efficiently short.
This could not be blocked.
The moment a smile was naturally about to hang on the corner of his lips.
Clang!
He was blocked again.
Seo-jun was smiling.
Lightly blocking him with his arm stretched out.
“……”
It was baffling.
Since Seo-jun approached in an instant even when he widened the distance, the Heavenly Killing Star swung his sword this time with the intention of making him back away.
Or rather, he tried to swing it.
He thought it would be difficult to block since he wasn’t executing a movement and the action wasn’t fixed.
Clang!
Huh?
Seeing Seo-jun’s sword exquisitely placed against his own, the Heavenly Killing Star’s eyes trembled.
Why was this blocked again?
He couldn’t even extend it from his waist again.
Clearly, his speed was much faster and there was absolutely no hesitation.
How?
‘Is it because I was bound by the movements from the beginning?’
Although he was flustered, above all, his pride was hurt.
Because blocking his attack at an obviously slow speed meant that his thoughts had been read.
He decided not to dwell on the movements at all from now on and to put all his effort only into every exchange of blows.
His pride could not tolerate being blocked any longer.
The moment he made that decision, the Heavenly Killing Star saw it.
Seo-jun swinging his sword with a relaxed expression.
“Try blocking this well.”
Did this mean he was no longer blocking but attacking?
And looking at the movement of swinging the sword, it was a heavy attack.
‘I shall lightly interrupt his attack too!’
For now, block this attack and take back the timing in the next move.
No matter how slow it was, in reality, it wasn’t that leisurely.
If he lost his focus for even a second, he would still be hit.
But when he could dodge and deflect rapid swords, a second?
Was he kidding?
Next, he would definitely interrupt and execute a counterattack.
Clang!
Unfortunately, he failed to parry.
Because even though he clearly read the trajectory, he was really short by 0.1 seconds, and trying to parry might have resulted in getting hit.
In that case, it was better to block for now and prepare for the next.
Whoooosh!
Huh?
Having recovered his deflected sword, Seo-jun stepped in deep.
Step.
Simultaneously, he targeted his neck from the opposite direction compared to just before.
‘Was the speed of linking attacks this fast? Even though it’s a heavy attack?’
Had he viewed the speed as too slow?
He made a quick decision.
To block rather than interrupt.
Assuredly, he easily managed the act of blocking this time as well.
It was just that, once again, the fact that he failed to parry due to a slight lack of time…
Step.
Whoosh!
Approaching another step, Seo-jun struck down his sword.
‘What…’
Before he could even harbor a doubt, the next attack approached immediately.
The attack itself was nothing special.
No rules were visible in the trajectory of the sword and the rhythm was random, but since it was fully grasped solely because of the speed.
It was just a repetition of Seo-jun approaching while swinging his sword freely, lightly, or widely at random, and him retreating a step and blocking with a bit of regret.
That was all.
Yet an unknown anxiety began to consume his body.
His intuition seemed to warn him.
A warning that he must not be dragged around like this.
The Heavenly Killing Star did not ignore the feeling of gradually becoming pressed.
So, to resolve this situation, he tried to pull back far all at once.
At that moment!
Instantly, his foot would not budge.
Feeling as if his ankle was tied by someone, he almost lost his balance completely.
Was it because Seo-jun, who had approached right in front of his nose with another measured step, was striking down his sword?
He seemed to have been hasty. He made a mistake.
Whoosh!
He couldn’t take his eyes off the enemy’s sword.
For an instant, he felt his perception expanding and time slowing down.
The sword came down even slower than before.
He knew he had to block. It was too late to dodge. So he made a quick choice. Since he knew what to do.
But the feeling that something was holding his body remained.
He could barely block it only at the moment the sword approached within close range.
Huff.
Having blocked it narrowly, his deep breathing became labored.
He lost his pace, missed the timing, and made a mistake.
From where?
He didn’t know.
Step.
The sound of a foot digging into the dirt road clearly pierced his ears.
Next was.
Whoosh!
Before he could even catch his breath, the next sword path targeting his neck was drawn in the world.
‘Why is it so fast!’
The opponent’s attack was fast yet slow.
It really was.
In this paradoxical situation, all he could do was block.
Clang!
Clang, clang!
Seo-jun approached, swinging his sword leisurely once per step.
And he retreated step by step, desperately blocking.
However, the fact that the opponent had not succeeded in landing an attack yet was important.
‘Do you think I’ll be beaten like this?’
Somehow squeezing his consciousness, he deflected Seo-jun’s sword and simultaneously came up with a counterattacking sword path.
He discovered a flaw.
A time of 0.1 seconds.
It was a flaw that wouldn’t have appeared had Seo-jun’s sword speed not been slow.
The Heavenly Killing Star grit his teeth and extended his sword, targeting the flaw.
‘Now!’
Swooosh!
However.
Despite extending his arm fully, the sword he thrust stopped right in front of Seo-jun’s nose.
“……”
“……”
It wasn’t that he went easy on him.
The distance was insufficient.
If only his foot had been one step further forward.
If only he had gripped the sword even slightly longer.
It would have surely reached the enemy.
In that split second, he felt aggrieved, locked eyes with Seo-jun, and felt terror.
Clang.
Smiling just like at the beginning, the opponent deflected the sword that had approached right before his nose and took a step closer.
Step.
And as if it were no big deal, he continued his arm movement and struck down his sword.
A sword whose start, speed, and trajectory were all clearly visible until it would reach him.
But he instinctively realized.
‘I can’t dodge this. Fuck.’
Chwaaaaak!
The sword slashing from his shoulder down his torso.
His health decreased.
While he couldn’t understand why it turned out like this,
“Why aren’t you attacking? Come, try attacking.”
Seo-jun spoke after stepping back a step as if to give him a brief rest.
An attitude of giving an opportunity.
The Heavenly Killing Star, who hadn’t properly grasped what had happened, swallowed his saliva.
Gulp.
Steel his mind. The fight wasn’t over yet.
What just happened was definitely due to getting caught up in his pace.
‘I started off on the wrong foot.’
If he did it over from the beginning!
***
He had clearly taken back the flow, but.
His sword was blocked.
That measured—no, even the word “measured” was too generous.
All his attacks were blocked from the very start by movements that looked as if they were a hassle.
Deflecting from the start of the movement to cut off the sword path, interrupting attacks, and counterattacking.
He felt like a rat looking for a path inside a maze.
Searching for an exit while being moved here and there by the researcher’s partitions from above.
A mouse toyed with by a barrier falling from above just when the exit seemed within arm’s reach in a straight line.
As he wandered through the maze like that, a situation unfolded where he again couldn’t do anything but watch the enemy’s sword.
A slight flaw.
A slight twist.
A slight amount of time.
Every element involved in the combat worked against him, as if today just wasn’t his day.
‘How can there be such a goddamn situation!’
His health was almost depleted.
‘If it goes on like this, I will lose without being able to do anything.’
Like the other people.
‘That cannot happen.’
The Heavenly Killing Star eventually decided to accept the defeat of the first round.
But even if his health was fully depleted and it ended like this, he would land at least one hit!
A resolve of fighting to the death.
Not a movement. No need to infuse sword qi either.
Just a single hit!
But that earnest wish was.
Thud.
“What a shame.”
The Heavenly Killing Star’s gaze directed downward.
His sword was blocked once again by Seo-jun’s lightly extended sword.
“Then, farewell.”
“Haha.”
Fuck.
***
-Lightly cut the 7-game winning streak!
-Seo-jun is the cult leader! Seo-jun is the cult leader! Seo-jun is the cult leader! Seo-jun is the cult leader!
-Please take responsibility for the Demonic Sect! Take responsibility for the Demonic Sect! Please take responsibility for the Demonic Sect!
-Don’t dump that kind of thing on him, you crazy Demonic Sect bastards, lol
-I don’t think there’s ever been anyone who got a 7-game winning streak by telling snipers to come at them openly without any tricks, seriously crazy
-There is still one round left
-But his victory is obvious, right?
***
“Uh…”
Bangju doubted his eyes.
Spectator mode.
A game mode that showed a screen about 30 seconds slower than the actual game time.
Since spectating was possible on the computer as well, Bangju easily broadcasted the seventh match from the opponent’s perspective instead of Seo-jun’s screen.
Although it was possible to view by raising the camera angle into the air, due to This is Not the Martial World’s request to view it from the opponent’s perspective, the Heavenly Killing Star’s point of view was displayed on the screen.
“…Was Seo-jun’s sword originally that fast?”
-What are we supposed to do if you ask us that, lol
-Real, lol, it was seriously damn fast
-For a moment, I thought he didn’t pick the Heavenly Demon Divine Art
-No, seriously makes no sense
-Everything is blocked, lol
-Please stop approaching
-More than that, 2nd place was also certified as a complete fraud, right? That kind of thing was the former Number One Under Heaven?
-Does that statement even come out after watching that, lol
“No…”
He understood why This is Not the Martial World told him to watch it from the opponent’s perspective.
As a result of watching from the opponent’s perspective, he realized he had been deeply mistaken.
Naturally, he knew that the rankers’ skills weren’t a sham, but he really couldn’t help but doubt; however, after experiencing the battle once from the opponent’s perspective, that doubt vanished completely.
“First, what is certain is that Seo-jun is filthy good.”
The thought of how he would have dodged if it were him disappeared completely.
He felt like anyone standing in that situation would have been helplessly defeated.
-This seems correct
-Isn’t he really the Number One Under Heaven at this rate?
-Seriously good
-Looking at it from the opponent’s side, there is no answer, lol
-No, lol, cast the match, lol
Casting.
“Hold on a second, everyone.”
Bangju pulled out his past experiences and knowledge, falling into deep thought to explain this situation well.
Hmm.
He remembered when he was young.
When playing baseball with friends.
The ball thrown when he was the pitcher didn’t feel particularly fast.
The distance from the mound to the catcher actually looked far, too.
But when standing at the batter’s box, the speed of that incoming ball felt faster than a bullet.
The distance also felt so short.
In other words, it was possible for the perceived speed to differ depending on which situation one stood in.
But this explanation was insufficient.
“I don’t know. Isn’t it possible just because Seo-jun is incredibly good? He probably blocks everything because he knows all of the opponent’s movements. And the reason the attack looks fast is likely because it’s from the perspective of facing him?”
-It was a bit scary
-He moved very leisurely, but it was really fast
-Approaching step by step is, shit lol, damn scary
Everyone felt similarly.
As he watched from the perspective of facing him, he also felt a gradually overwhelming sense of terror.
“Indeed. I felt the same way.”
Just as Bangju empathized, a relief pitcher took the mound again.
[‘This is Not the Martial World’ donated 200,000 won!]
[A sword that coerces choices. That is precisely the heavy sword. You will understand if you read the post I explained on Nohyeop.]