Chapter 652: No.104 Black Death Part 5

Go Hyeon-woo couldn’t tell exactly what kind of situation he was in.

Just moments ago, he had been locked in a desperate battle against the White Snake, and even now, the old man should have been standing right in front of him.

Yet at the same time, it felt as though he alone had been isolated in a separate space.

Together with the sacred relic he had just drawn.

The first thought that crossed Go Hyeon-woo’s mind was,

So it was this heavy.

When it had been wrapped tightly in chains, it had actually felt light. But now, simply holding it made it feel as though his arm was about to be torn off.

An unsettling feeling also kept creeping over him, as though he might lose his grip at any moment.

It was like riding atop the head of a rampaging dragon, or barely managing to seize hold of a huge typhoon.

Could he really swing something that was this difficult even to hold?

More importantly, could he execute his swordsmanship with it?

Go Hyeon-woo let out a silent sigh.

So I really thought I could wield something like this.

He had expected the power contained within the sacred relic to exceed his own abilities, but not by this much.

There was still an incredibly long road ahead before he could overcome the challenge, truly make it his own, and achieve Unity with it.

And yet I skipped all of that and drew it anyway.

The more he thought about it, the more recklessly foolish it seemed.

Even so, he didn’t regret it.

Thinking back to what Kim Ho had said,

– Even an extreme approach has its own advantages.

There were surely things that could only be gained in this very moment.

I’ll start by moving it little by little.

Go Hyeon-woo tightened his grip on the hilt.

As if resisting him, the sacred relic that had already felt impossibly heavy became even heavier, while the winds swirling around him lashed at his body with even greater ferocity.

Whoooooosh—

A searing pain spread through his entire body.

Go Hyeon-woo instinctively grimaced.

“…….!”

Even so, he didn’t stop exerting force, and the sacred relic shifted by about an inch.

Compared to the effort he had put in and the injuries he had suffered, the result was almost laughably insignificant.

At this rate, it might have been better to simply keep holding it still.

No… It’s too early to give up.

He had to try every method he could think of.

After all, this was never going to be something he could overcome through brute strength alone.

Go Hyeon-woo calmed his mind and began to think.

The foundation of our sect’s martial arts is flow.

The flow of qi. The flow of wind.

It was all about perceiving and controlling countless different currents.

The sacred relic must be closely connected to that as well.

With that in mind, Go Hyeon-woo focused even more intensely, reaching out with his senses to perceive and understand every current around him.

Whoooooosh—

The winds born from the sacred relic’s own will raged violently, spiraling together until they converged upon a single point.

There, they compressed to an extreme degree and took the form of a blade.

And that still isn’t the end of it.

Only now, with his mind completely focused, did he finally realize it.

Even after the wind had become a blade, it continued to surge and churn without pause.

So what I need to move isn’t the sword itself… it’s the flow.

Go Hyeon-woo decided to imagine that his hand was empty.

Just as it had been during the Challenge Hardship Quest he had completed shortly before coming here.

He recalled how he had parried and redirected the countless sword energies carried by the wind with nothing but his bare hands.

Then he faithfully recreated that same sensation.

Whooooooooosh—

The sacred relic still felt impossibly heavy, and the raging winds still tore mercilessly at his body.

Yet before long, the sword tip, which had remained completely motionless, began to tremble.

Then, little by little, it started to move.

At last, Go Hyeon-woo succeeded in raising it into the middle guard.

Now… let’s try swinging it.

The sword tip slowly traced a line to the left, then another to the right.

Next it rose upward before descending along a diagonal path.

At first, the movements were as awkward as a small child clumsily waving a stick.

But after repeating them several times, they gradually began to feel natural.

I think… I can do this now.

Entrusting himself to instinct, Go Hyeon-woo swung the sacred relic once more.

From his hands, the forms of the Heavenly Flow Wind Cloud Sword Art unfolded one after another.

Clear Stream.

Rapid Current.

Pure Flow.

Turbid Flow.

“…….!”

Then, all at once, his awareness returned.

The first thing he saw was the White Snake.

The old man looked nothing like he had before the sacred relic had been drawn.

His immaculate white robes had been stained a vivid crimson with blood, and his once-neat hair had come undone, whipping wildly in the wind.

…Did I do that?

He had been so completely absorbed in controlling the sacred relic that he hadn’t realized the battle with the White Snake had continued the entire time.

And astonishingly…

It seemed he had nearly defeated him.

So Kim-hyung’s prediction was right.

Kim Ho had said that drawing the sacred relic would raise his chances of victory to over seventy percent.

If anything, it felt even higher than that.

But this is no time to be optimistic.

He himself was in no better condition. The backlash had evidently accumulated throughout his body.

The hand gripping the sword was in the worst shape. His palm had been torn open so badly that white bone was visible.

He had lost an enormous amount of blood as well. A pool of it had formed beneath his feet, and perhaps because of that, an overwhelming drowsiness was creeping over him.

So this is how Miss Seo feels all the time.

But he couldn’t afford to collapse just yet.

Forcing himself to remain conscious, Go Hyeon-woo turned to face his opponent.

Despite being drenched in blood himself, the White Snake looked thoroughly delighted. Noticing that Go Hyeon-woo had regained his senses, he spoke.

“You have my admiration. Enduring such pain while continuing to fight is no easy feat, even for the Demonic Cult’s own disciples. Though the time has not yet come, one day you will undoubtedly make that blade truly your own.”

“Thank you.”

Go Hyeon-woo tried to offer a proper salute, but realizing that his body refused to obey him, he merely bowed his head respectfully.

The White Snake didn’t seem to mind and continued.

“It has been many years since the Demonic Cult fell, yet I never abandoned my dream of its restoration. I believed that one day a new Supreme Leader would arise and unite all of its followers.”

“…..”

“Though it seems I shall never live to witness that glory, for a martial artist there is honor enough in meeting one’s end beneath a sword such as yours. Now… show me.”

The White Snake slowly lowered the Serpent Tongue Sword and began drawing forth every last ounce of his aura.

Both of them instinctively understood that neither had much strength left.

This would be their final decisive exchange.

Go Hyeon-woo likewise raised his aura as he thought to himself.

Until now, he had fought unconsciously, guided entirely by instinct.

This would be the first time he wielded the sacred relic with his own deliberate intent.

Silently, he made a plea.

Just this once… move as I will it.

Perhaps his earnest wish reached it.

The motionless blade slowly stirred once more, while a gentle wind coiled around it.

Whiiiiing—

Around the White Snake, his internal energy compressed and took visible form, gradually turning pure white.

It became a colossal white hornless dragon with two heads, coiled tightly as it fixed its prey with an unblinking stare.

Its huge body crouched low, poised to strike at any moment.

“……”

“……”

For a brief instant, Go Hyeon-woo and the White Snake locked eyes.

Then, from each of their hands, their final trump cards were unleashed.

Whooooooosh—!

The enormous white dragon threw its twin jaws wide open and lunged forward.

It was a technique Go Hyeon-woo had seen once before.

[White Dragon Ascends to Heaven]

During the Three-Move Duel, it had been the final technique unleashed against him, leaving him on the verge of death.

Now, it contained even greater power than it had back then.

By all rights, he should have felt an overwhelming sense of danger.

…Strange. I don’t feel anything at all.

His heart remained perfectly calm.

Perhaps it was because, through the power of the sacred relic, he had briefly ascended to a realm so far beyond his own.

After all, no true master would feel threatened by a technique wielded by a novice.

One day… without fail.

Go Hyeon-woo renewed his vow that he would reach that realm through his own strength.

What he had to do was astonishingly simple.

Raise the sacred relic above his head…

…and bring it down.

[Clear Stream]

A current of wind compressed to the absolute limit descended from above, effortlessly scattering the white dragon before continuing onward to engulf the now defenseless White Snake.

Whooosh-whoosh-whooosh-whooosh-whooosh—!

Violent winds, shockwaves, flying debris, and clouds of dust obscured the battlefield.

Then, all at once, Go Hyeon-woo felt the sacred relic leave his hand.

It did not fall to the ground.

Instead, as though drawn by an invisible magnet, it flew back of its own accord and slid neatly into its scabbard.

…So it can do that too.

It truly deserved to be called a sacred relic.

As Go Hyeon-woo marveled inwardly, the relentless gale gradually subsided.

When the White Snake finally came back into view, he looked even more horrific than before.

The winds had not merely slashed across his body. They had all but torn chunks from it as they passed.

It was a wonder he was still standing.

Even in that condition, he opened his mouth and asked one final question.

“Only now do I think to ask… What is the name of that sword?”

“……”

Normally, the proper etiquette among martial artists would have been to answer honestly.

Yet Go Hyeon-woo found himself momentarily speechless.

Even his own grandmaster, who had once belonged to the Blood Cult, had seemed unaware of the weapon’s true origin.

And the assumption that it was the Blood Wind Sword had already proven false.

“…It would be best to answer truthfully that I don’t know.”

If that were the case…

Perhaps the White Snake himself would be the one to give it a name.

Just as countless martial techniques and legendary swords throughout the martial world had received their names.

Just then, something his master had once said flashed through Go Hyeon-woo’s mind.

– If you can achieve complete unity with that sword, you will be worthy of becoming the God of Wind!

“God of Wind. Its name is God of Wind.”

“…Indeed, a fitting name. Even with the word ‘god’ attached to it, it doesn’t sound arrogant in the slightest.”

The White Snake let out an admiring sigh.

It was as though he were savoring the name of the sword that had taken his life.

Then he looked Go Hyeon-woo straight in the eye once more and spoke.

“I shall pray from the other side that, one day, you become God of Wind’s true master. It was an honor to fight you…”

With those final words, the White Snake could speak no more.

Only then did the strength finally leave Go Hyeon-woo’s body.

It’s over…

At last, the unfinished duel had come to its conclusion.

“Elder!”

“Elder has fallen!”

The black-clad figures surrounding the arena rushed toward the White Snake all at once.

Han So-mi and Kim Ho also sprinted straight toward Go Hyeon-woo.

“Go Hyeon-woo!”

“Miss Han… Cough.”

The moment he opened his mouth, a blood-soaked cough escaped instead of the words “Miss Han.”

Han So-mi’s already pale face turned even whiter.

I didn’t mean for it to end up like this…

He felt sorry that he kept showing her such a pitiful sight.

He wanted to at least reassure her that he was fine, but even that seemed beyond him.

His eyelids kept growing heavier, and his consciousness was slowly slipping away.

Looking at Kim Ho, whose figure had become little more than a blur, Go Hyeon-woo spoke silently to himself.

In the end, I’ve only become a burden.

How was he supposed to apologize later?

At the very least, he hoped this wouldn’t interfere with the strategy.

But then, Go Hyeon-woo felt every trace of pain vanish as though it had been washed away all at once.

His body, which he had barely been able to move, suddenly felt as light as a feather, and his mind became perfectly clear.

He had a rough idea of what had happened.

A notification message had appeared in the corner of his vision.

[‘Retro Recovery’ has been granted.]

Kim Ho immediately added, as if to say there wasn’t a chance of that.

“Who said you could take a break?”

“…Ahem! Thank you, Kim hyung.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Go Hyeon-woo brushed himself off and got to his feet.