#11. Showdown ( 9 )
Soya’s sword skills were splendid.
It was an onslaught like plum blossoms. The fluttering slash aimed at Jain’s neck, and the thrust like a peregrine falcon aimed at the heart. The sword strikes flooded widely and tried to slash Jain’s entire upper body. Jain did not suffer. He swiftly swung his longsword-type leather slash, cutting off all of Soya’s swords and defending himself.
The two swords intertwined and fell dozens of times, breaking the pouring moonlight. Finally, after clashing swords and swords crosswise and having a battle of strength at a distance close enough that their noses could touch, the two took a deep breath. Even after sharing such a fierce sword attack, both of them were calm as if they had just taken a walk.
“Brother, you’ve learned a pretty good sword in the meantime.”
Soya drew his sword obliquely and shook his head. Jain answered while gently touching the outer edge of the leather slasher with his index finger.
“You are.”
and clicked his tongue Soya’s sword was really strong. In my opinion, the skills of the two were almost equal. Even with such perfect defense, the snake of tyranny was barely full. If Jain had already risen to the level of a swordsman, he would have been able to overwhelm Soya with pure swordsmanship, but that seemed impossible.
‘Shall I use magic?’
After thinking for a moment, Jain shook his head. Soya’s mood was sensitive. If he used magic, he might win, but there was a high chance that the tyrannical snake would not activate.
‘Then, as expected, I have no choice but to go with an extra tactic.’
A story with your brother. Because of that, Soya was greatly agitated. It seemed that getting information about the story and attacking the heart would have a better chance of winning. Soya still had a cold expression on her face, whether or not Zain knew that he was thinking that way as he touched his sword. She raised her right arm high and raised her sword like an awl.
“But why are you so focused on defense? Did I look so complacent?”
“Because it’s worth nothing.”
Jain responded promptly. At those cold words, Soya gritted his teeth and asked. There was a hint of anger in his tone.
“What do you mean?”
“You mean nothing to me.”
At Jain’s words, Soya screamed loudly. It was a furious expression that was unimaginable for her, who always hid her emotions.
“Why would you say that!”
Jain slowly observed Soya. It was visible to the naked eye that the emotions were greatly disturbed. It seemed that her brother’s indifference to her was really hurting her. Soya pointed her sword at Jain’s uvula and said.
“Don’t lie to me, my brother is clearly resentful of me!”
“I? why.”
“That day, while I was hiding, I made a noise… Because I became a demon!”
Was there such a story? It was the first time he heard it, but Jain deliberately pretended to be Taeyeon. Soya continued to shout at that cold face.
“I did research. And I found out. At that time, the name of the guy who burned our village was Belial. A very high-ranking demon lord’s successor… And, Belial’s followers have their souls captured by him, and they have to live in pain worse than death… ”
This was also the first time I heard it. is it. Was Soya and Belial related? It seemed like it could be important information. Zain engraved the information on the notepad in his mind and continued to listen to the story.
“So, I will give you rest. It’s the least atonement I can do.”
“With your skills?”
“If it doesn’t work, my brother’s grievances will be resolved because he can kill me for resenting him. Then, let’s go.”
Soya attacked Jain with his arms raised. It looked like a full-blown thrusting posture, but it suddenly spread its wings like a water bird and drew a beautiful arc right in front of Jain. Even if they were masters of swords, ninety-nine out of a hundred were fantastic perversions that they had no choice but to suffer. However, Zain picked out the pulse and stabbed the sword to destroy it. Placing swords against swords, Jain spoke briefly.
“It is beautiful.”
“What, what.”
“It’s a beautiful sword technique.”
Soya’s sword, taken aback by the sudden praise, was swung away by Jain. Then, with the leather cut stretched out in a long, oblique line, he began to move his steps.
“Because your brother will hate you. That’s why you’ll either have to die yourself or kill your brother. Did you hone your sword skills until your sword path is clean like this, just for that reason?”
Soya took a step back as if shaken by those words. A golden tattoo on the nape of Jain’s neck began to glow. Convinced, Jain continued speaking in a colder voice.
“Your swordsmanship is obviously beautiful, but it is the beauty of an inanimate object like the moon or stone. The most important thing is missing from that sword tax. So it will never reach me.”
Once again, the snake of tyranny rose up. Soya took two steps back and asked in a trembling voice.
“what is that.”
“The desire to protect something.”
Zain fixed his sword and made a statement.
“As far as that is lacking, your sword is worse than the blade of a child.”
“ah.”
Again, the snake of tyranny rose up. It was a metaphor that Jain brought up without much thought, but it was because it was different for Soya. Her complexion turned white. It was because a certain face came to mind when I heard the words of a child cutting a knife. The face of the older brother who stabbed himself with a knife with that young hand to protect himself.
Soya’s posture collapsed so badly that I couldn’t even think of the sword demon from before. Jain lightly kicked off the grass and dug into his arms. Soya was unable to respond. I gave away the distance that I couldn’t give away. If this is the case, there is nothing to say even if the upper body is neatly cut in two. The resigned Soya closed her eyes tightly.
Jain, who had approached to the point where he could reach right away by swinging his sword, threw a leather slash. Then he took out his gramhilt and swung it wide.
“Ugh!”
Soya reflexively screamed. And, after a while, I opened my eyes wide. It was because the sword apparently went through his chest, but there were no wounds. A holy sword that cannot cut anyone except in the hands of a hero, Gramhilt. It only broke Soya’s sword, and passed Soya’s body unscathed. In Soya’s eyes, it seemed like a feat that only those who reached the extreme of swordsmanship could do. It was then that the serpent of tyranny fully aroused. Jain smiled with satisfaction and said while leading Gramhilt.
“With this, you will die once.”
Soya’s unique skill, ‘Brother of the Bad Bad Line’. It was now perfectly captured in Jain’s mind. Perhaps that shock, Soya let go of the broken sword and collapsed backwards as if fainting. Zain, who quickly supported his body and laid it on the grass so as not to be cut by the blade, immediately began to check his brother. And frowned.
“ok?”
As he was just finishing up his skills, something like a thick, muddy mass dug into his danteon. I could feel it. It wriggled like a parasite, stretching out its hooks and trying to take root somewhere in the dantian area.
“Are you black?”
Jain made several seals. It was a conversion magic that changed all of one’s mana into divine attributes. After going through that, the turbid mass became like garbage thrown into an incineration plant and burned up in an instant. The penalty of ‘the brother of the bad guy’, that one day turns the user into a demon, was easily suppressed. It was a feat that he could do because he was a person who could handle all magic.
“Then, where?”
Jain pulled up his brother, who was completely clean, and pulled out the gramhilt from the scabbard. He quietly poured energy into Grahamilt. Then, Gramhilt began to shine with a milky light. Relieved, Jain felt his pulse go away. Finally, after a long and long arrangement, he obtained the right to use Gramhilt. Suppressing the flow of emotion, Jain led Gramhilt again. Before admiring it, there was something to be done first.
“Now what to do with this guy?”
Zain muttered as he saw Soya lying down in a position that a girl shouldn’t take. In the yard where the skill was also taken away, it was impossible to disappear after sleeping outside like this. Jain, who was worried, immediately lifted Soya and walked into the underground passage. It seemed like it would be okay to spend the night here and send them off tomorrow.
With Soya on his back like a child, Jain slowly walked down the aisle illuminated by the full moon stone. And, it soon reached the end. Jain, who laid Koi Soya in a corner, immediately began to check the condition of the spirit jade.
“The purification is over.”
Zain muttered as he looked at the spirit jade, which had now regained its clear light. As a result of struggling here for the past three days and guarding the entrance, Spirit Ok was returning to the Jewel of the Forest after giving up all his demonic energy. Living in the forest for the past few days, Jain has been in constant conversation with the ranger. At the same time, Jain was also a little attached to the forest. However, thinking that this forest would become rich, a corner of my heart felt proud. While touching the jewel, Jain muttered softly.
“I wish I could shake off everything and be prosperous from now on.”
After checking, Zain approached Soya again. It was because I was worried that there might be some wounds from the fight just now. Fortunately, Soya seemed fine. except for one. It was because a tear was dripping from his eyes.
“This guy has a bad sleeping habit. Did you even yawn?”
Zain wiped away the tears and sat down with his back against the wall opposite Soya. And with the sword in his arms, he slowly closed his eyes and went to sleep.
*
While Zain fell asleep, Soya was dreaming for a while.
As a child, it was a dream of playing hide and seek with my brother. At that time, she couldn’t find her brother even after an hour. Thinking that her brother had gone home to tease her, she returned home in anger. Then, realizing that my brother was gone, I went out in search of him again. My brother was asleep, hidden in an empty tree trunk. Soya cried and returned home with her brother. I apologized all the way back. That apology continued even after several days…
Soya, who had dreamed up to that point, suddenly opened her eyes because of a voice in her ear.
“Purification is over.”
It was my brother’s voice. Soya thought with his eyes closed.
‘If it’s purification, what?’
And I realized After passing on the Hyungwimun, the older brother of Dan Aksu-seon, who had always weighed heavily on his chest, had disappeared.
‘No way, did you purify it and get rid of it? To free me from the fate of becoming a demon… ‘
Come to think of it, I couldn’t feel any demonic energy from my older brother. I couldn’t see the devil’s characteristic reverse eyes or horns. I thought that perhaps I might have found a way to purify the demonic spirit and have already escaped Belial’s yoke. No, it was definitely. The older brother I saw earlier was strong. To the extent that it was unthinkable that he would live as a member of Belial’s family. Soya gritted his teeth. I owed so much to my brother, and I thought I owed it again.
‘By the way, you did such a good job, but why do you keep saying you’re not my brother… They say he’s dead.’
Soya was soon seized by such a question. The answer to that question was also presented by self-talk. Apparently, my brother didn’t notice that he was awake.
“I wish I could shake off everything and be prosperous from now on.”
oh
Soya heard that and was silent again.
Ever since he was a child, he has been a person who feels particularly guilty. Just one mistake in hide and seek made me cry and cling to it for days. There was no way he could brush off such a huge mistake, much less.
‘therefore… To be considerate.’
Your brother is already dead. that it’s already over There is no need to sacrifice one’s life for it… are you talking Are you claiming to be someone else?
Complex emotions welled up in my heart. I felt gratitude, emptiness, and a small sadness welling up in between.
‘Then, as you wish. I’ll have to pretend I don’t know.’
Soya gritted his teeth and pretended to be asleep. But I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down. After a while, I heard the voice of my brother who didn’t notice.
“This guy has a bad sleeping habit. Did you even yawn?”
Silly. stupid bro.
While internally reprimanding the words that broke the mood, Soya tried to straighten her swollen nose.