Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God - Chapter 14 - Martial Artist

“My eyes didn’t deceive me after all. If you had skills like these, why were you hiding them?” Tang Gyu-jin asked. She was giggling while deflecting my attacks, showing no sign of feeling pressured. “However, you have one problem.”

“What is it?”

“You’re still short on experience! Far too short!”

Swoosh!

Instead of being deflected by the edge of my hand, Tang Gyu-jin’s sword instantly disappeared.

It was a mystic technique similar to what I had shown, the Shadow Step.

The only difference was that it was based on the Qingcheng Sect’s Flying Flowing Step.

A combination of the Qingcheng Sect’s and the Tang Clan’s techniques. I would have wondered if that was even possible, but Tang Gyu-jin had made it possible.

This had to be the true capability of the Blue Ghost Face Root.

I was certain that she wielded martial arts with a far greater depth than I.

What could I do to make up that difference?

As I had said earlier, I could not bring out my dark arts. That had to remain my trump card, only to be used in an emergency.

But what else was there?

A specialty of my own that Tang Gyu-jin lacked…

I quickly debated what that could be while pursuing Tang Gyu-jin’s movements.

I did not follow her sword with my eyes.

I felt the wind.

…

…

Behind me!

Swoosh.

I drew a semicircle with my right foot and spun my body to the side. Her sword grazed me dangerously as it passed through where I had been.

I curled the fingers of my right hand, which had been spread out, into the shape of a tiger’s claws and aimed for Tang Gyu-jin’s chest.

I narrowed the gap between us, even narrower than Tang Gyu-jin had, and reduced the radius of the arc of my sword’s path. I would make close combat my domain!

Twelve Fierce Tiger Steps

Splitting Tiger’s Claw

Wild Wind Dance

Tormenting Disrupting Wild Wind

The wild wind formed a whirlwind and collected in the exact center of my palm. Its power sharply spiked, and Tang Gyu-jin quickly put distance between us as fast as she could. She spread out her left hand, which had been empty, and struck my hand with it.

‘Heart-Tearing Palm,’ I noted. I collided with the brutal Qingcheng Sect palm technique, which as its name suggested aimed to tear into my heart.

Powww!

Rumble.

There was a violent impact and recoil from the collision. I was suddenly pushed back a few steps, and Tang Gyu-jin swept her sword low.

Schwing.

Rather than dodge it, I responded with a wheel kick instead.

She’d said I was short on experience, hadn’t she?

She was right.

I had been learning martial arts properly for only two months.

Even though I had spent much time on the theory, putting it into practice was a far too different matter.

Even if I tried to fully absorb everything Tang Gon had taught me, something new I had never seen before would come up and corner me.

However, I believed in my abilities.

Maybe not in my martial arts but in the stage of dark arts I had risen to in the past.

I had not risen to that stage simply by collecting fame approaching that of the Ten Grand Masters Under Heaven.

The experience, enlightenment, and discernment I had built up during that time were lacked by Tang Gyu-jin. Those would be my specialty.

Applying all of that to the Wild Wind Dance was the assignment I now had to accomplish here!

Wild Wind Dance

Slashing Demonic Wind Kick

As if it was a drawn sword, my shin met the flat of her blade, sending sparks flying.

Clang! Ka-lang!

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Attack and attack.

Shock and impulse.

After many clashes during which she did not budge even a single step, a burning wind began to rise up and randomly tear at the ground.

Using the bizarre body-technique combination of Flying Flowing Step and Shadow Step, not only was Tang Gyu-jin performing the Sword of Discharged Lightning of Extreme Light, but she was also caught up in the excitement of showing her hand arts and palm techniques.

Heart-Tearing Palm, Three-Yang Fingers, Red Lotus Divine Palm, Wind Thunder Palm or Thousand Hands Shattering Pillars, and even ones like Heaven and Earth in One’s Sleeves and Twisting Grasp.

When Tang Gyu-jin showed the Sichuan Tang Clan’s techniques, they were sly and sharp. When she showed the Qingcheng Sect’s sword arts, they were fair and just.

It was a similar feeling to when I’d first stood against her.

Both a god and a demon resided within her.

The characteristics of the two martial arts did not conflict at all. She kept mixing the two without any warning, such that it almost felt like I faced two Tang Gyu-jins instead of one.

On the other hand, to counter this, I exclusively struck with the wild wind.

There was no such thing as rest.

If my flow was interrupted even for an instant, I risked being wounded by Tang Gyu-jin’s sword.

If Tang Gyu-jin attempted to break or wedge her way through, I pushed back with overwhelming power to squash her attempt.

Powpowpow.

We exchanged strikes with all our power behind them.

Bam!

Woosh.

As if Tang Gyu-jin and I had agreed to do so, we put space between us and stood there.

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – Kyuri]

[Proofreader – Gorm]

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The corner of her mouth was twitching.

“Haa… Haa…”

“Hoo…”

And then.

“Eeheehee! Heeheehee!” Unlike my calm gaze, Tang Gyu-jin burst into laughter followed by a loud sound that better resembled a wailing ghost. “The more I see from you, the more fascinating you are! Way too fascinating! Just who are you, Woon-hwi? What happened to you these past five years?!”

Gyahhh!

Her eyes were shining. Tang Gyu-jin was almost fully overcome by instinct.

“I’m absolutely sure this is the first time you’ve had a duel like this. There’s too much awkwardness in how you fight. But then, occasionally, I see some tricks only a crafty old elite would pull off.”

As expected, she was skilled.

Tang Gyu-jin’s insight had pierced through to see my true status.

“And it feels like you’re hiding something…”

And she could even tell I was holding on to a trump card.

“I could say the same for you, Sister. I know you are holding something back. You haven’t brought out your Blue Fog Red Mist Sword Technique yet, no?”

The Blue Fog Red Mist Sword Technique was a signature secret technique of the Qingcheng Sect.

It was an absolute sword art that could cover the entirety of the heavens and earth with only the sword’s force.

From what I had heard, despite her being a lay disciple, they had made an exception for her and bestowed her with the Blue Fog Red Mist Sword Technique. Due to her overwhelming talent, they had felt it would be a waste not to give it to her.

“Because I haven’t perfected it yet. There’s nothing as dangerous as a sword skill that’s difficult to control, don’t you think?”

“Is that so?”

『Eeheehee! Woon-hwi, looks like you want to keep a lot of things hidden? You’re changing the topic so skillfully.』

Huh, guess that wouldn’t work on her?

I thought she had been half-consumed by instinct, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Was achieving the One Energy of Heaven and Earth that impressive?

Even while giving her body over to instinct, she kept her reason and was making proper judgments.

Clearly, she was an opponent I could not take lightly.

That was why I responded with only a smile.

『Fine! If my little brother wants to keep a secret, then as your older sister, I can’t exactly ask about it! It’s not a big deal anyway!』

『Thank you… I think?』

『Buy me a drink! That’ll make up for it!』

It seemed like I’d picked up yet another drinking buddy.

“Woon-hwi, have you noticed?”

“Noticed what?”

“You’re smiling right now.”

‘I am?’

I touched the corners of my mouth with my hands.

It was true.

The corners of my mouth were raised. I hadn’t noticed at all.

“It’s fun, no?”

Thump-thump-thump-thump!

I could feel my heart racing.

How should I respond?

“Yes. It’s fun.”

I decided to be honest with myself about my feelings.

Since my body had been too frail in my past life, I had almost never moved in such extreme ways as this.

When I had had the chance to, I’d had to move with a guard’s protection. And that was about it.

However, things were different now.

I could stand on the ground with my own two feet and clash with my opponent directly with my own two arms.

My heart was beating wildly like a damaged organ. My blood was circulating as fast as a wild horse’s, and I was out of breath.

My senses had become as sensitive as they could get, and I could read every piece of information about my surroundings.

I could observe the sound of Tang Gyu-jin’s breathing, her footwork, the movement of her fingers, the movement of her eyes, and the transformation and consumption of my inner energy. Everything was now within my “field of vision.”

“I am alive.”

This very moment was so exhilarating that I did not want to miss out on it at all.

My blood was boiling.

The feeling that I had to win was filling up my heart.

So much delight was leaking out from my innermost heart that I was almost afraid of drowning in it.

“What a pervert. You like fighting like this that much?”

“…Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that, Sister?”

“Of course I’m included in that! Do you think that’s a bad thing?” Tang Gyu-jin giggled and spread out both her hands. “Everyone here is like that!”

I finally noticed the crowd.

I saw Tang Yu-chang looking this way with a stunned look on his face. The dazed looks of the Red Pavilion people. The shocked looks of the servants of the White Pavilion. And Tang Gon and his friends, who were watching me and giving me thumbs-up from afar.

“The extended family members, servants, warriors, rulers… everyone who has the Tang surname is a pervert. Why is that? Because there’s no way normal people would enjoy something like this so much!”

At this instant, I felt… something. But I had no idea what it was.

Numbness?

Emotion?

Delight?

I did not know.

What should I even call this?

But I was sure of one thing.

The exhilaration from fighting in person, the gazes of those watching with excitement, and the stimulation those gazes gave me…

Tang Gyu-jin was teaching me how to enjoy it all.

“And do you know what such people are called?”

“…What are they called?”

Tang Gyu-jin’s laughing face suddenly grew serious. “Martial artists,” she said.

“!”

Tang Gyu-jin opened her mouth wide enough to reveal her canine teeth. “We call them martial artists.”

Martial artists. Martial artists!

I felt like I had been struck by lightning.

That was right. She was correct.

Why had I wanted a duel with Tang Gyu-jin?

To change the family’s perception of me, to make the Dark Sovereign notice me… I had come up with all sorts of reasons, but in the end, there was only one basic reason.

The desire to win.

Hadn’t I felt it when I first met her and encountered her spirit?

I’d wanted to know who would win if I competed with her.

In fact, I’d only wanted to confirm this for myself.

The moment I became aware of this, I realized something new.

At this very moment, I had become a real martial artist, just like them.

“A martial artist is not simply someone who uses martial arts,” said Gyu-jin. “Rather, martial artists are people who are crazy about martial arts.”

I understood now. “You can only practice martial arts by being crazy about them.”

“There you go. Otherwise, what could you even do properly?”

“You’re right.”

I was thankful for Tang Gyu-jin.

Thanks to her, I had attained a new mindset.

I had been approaching martial arts as a “tool” to help save my master and resurrect the cult, but she had basically advised me to make it my “lifestyle” since martial arts was enjoyable.

Was it because of that?

Fwoosh!

I felt some kind of transformation in my dantian.

It was a different feeling than attaining enlightenment or raising my stage.

It felt like something had become more natural.

What had unknowingly been out of sync all this time had finally become interlocked.

I wanted to confirm whatever had just happened, but this wasn’t the right time.

Tang Gyu-jin would not give me that luxury.

“Let’s do this properly, with my sword drawn. Let’s see whose martial arts are better!!”

Tssss.

A white light began to envelop and dance around the Blue Radiant Sword like it was full of starlight.

“Sword energy!”

“The first young lady reached the peak stage!?”

“Peak at the age of twenty, wow…”

The so-called top genius of Sichuan.

Evidently, they’d been correct to call her that.

In a single province where not even a hundred people had reached that stage, that she had reached it by the age of 20 was unheard of.

The problem was that her sword energy was now capable of tearing through anything.

Even my wild wind.

“Isn’t that a bit cheap?”

“You were the one who wanted to pick a fight with me. You should’ve been prepared for at least this much! Eehee!”

Tssst!

Tang Gyu-jin laughed joyfully and randomly scattered her sword energy.

Facing that onslaught of energy, I began sending out purple shafts of light.

A world steeped in a purple hue.

I amplified my ghost ki to the maximum and let loose another Slashing Demonic Wind Kick.

I completely destroyed the sword energy and moved to close the gap between myself and Tang Gyu-jin in a flash. I gathered both hands at the center of my chest and thrust them forward like a battering ram breaking through a castle’s gates.

Booming Wind Cannon.

Among the various movements of the Wild Wind Dance, this one boasted the most destructive power as a one-hit sure-kill strike.

Kwanngg!

Crackkk.

Struck by the attack, the Blue Radiant Sword and the sword energy began to break up.

Among the countless flying fragments, Tang Gyu-jin and I began to fly about, taking turns attacking and retreating.

And then came the final strike.

Hwaaakk!