180. Geomwang (劍皇)
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“Greetings. This is my friend Busker.”
“Oh my God… Really, that sword emperor… Ah, hello…!”
“Hello! It’s an honor to meet you, ah, no, meet you!!”
The two hung their heads and lower backs, not knowing what to do.
They did not live long in this world, but the story of the three heroes, including Enoch, was heard to put a ticket on their ears.
They are just starting to adapt to the fact that Doyoon was Enoch. But suddenly, Geomhwang appeared in front of his eyes as a skeleton. They still had a hard time coming to their senses.
Contrary to that abundant response, Busker only nodded quietly.
After greeting Sophie and Rocinante, Doyun pointed at Eloa.
“This is Eloah.”
“Eloah?”
that chick?
Originally, Busker had no expression and now became a skeleton, but Elroa could feel that his voice had risen a little.
“Hehe… long time no see, mister.”
As if embarrassed by Busker’s gaze, she rolled her fingers around the ends of her hair.
Among the four, Eloah is the only person with whom Busker has had an old acquaintance. She had several memories of Busker’s face, voice, habits, and other memories of spending her childhood in the same house.
Cold and scary, difficult to approach, but a friend and trustworthy adult to the precious hero. To her, Busker was that kind of person.
At the sudden meeting, she hesitated, unable to express her delight in her heart.
As Eloah was twisting the body of a mature woman who was completely different from 100 years ago, Busker showed emotion, albeit in a shallow way.
“…This is amazing.”
“Now, he is the master of the best guild in Skeletonia.”
“Yo, hero…!”
“Guild?”
In Busker’s common sense, ‘guild’ was a proper noun, not a common noun. 100 years ago, there was only one guild, a free armed group led by Enoch.
However, Doyoon did not explain. It seemed that the story would be infinitely long to discuss in detail here.
I just enjoyed each and every reaction of such a friend. The smile on Doyoon’s face didn’t seem to leave after a long time.
Do-yoon had to struggle to control his heart that was overflowing just by hearing the voice of a friend whom he missed so much, and who even took care of the corpse with his own hands.
He was so happy at this moment of reunion.
“This is the hero of this generation, Dokgo Moo-young.”
“An unworthy descendant meets a hero.”
He bowed his head, having set an example in the Moorim dimension.
He was so surprised that he couldn’t compare to Eloana or Rocinante, but he calmed down his emotions as quickly as possible. I did my best not to disrespect the hero.
He politely held out his hand, which contained nothing but honor and respect.
Warrior.
At that familiar word, Busker stared at Dokgo Moo-yeong. The blue flames in his eye sockets burned as though they were piercing him.
Soon, Busker grabbed Dokgo Moo-young’s outstretched hand. His eyes shone lightly.
[Buske’s style of swordsmanship – swordsmanship]
“…!”
Dokgo Moo-yeong, who had good senses, felt as if every single nerve and even her heart were stripped naked and thrown into a room made of mirrors.
A technique that reads the opponent’s breathing, heartbeat, muscle contraction, etc. against the sword face, and grasps all the moves that will lead. Speculum. When you reach the level of Doyoon and Busker, you will be able to spread it with your hands or other parts of your body.
After seeing the demonstration, Do-yoon’s eyes lit up.
‘…her.’
Surprisingly, Busker’s skills were incomparably more sophisticated than when he was alive 100 years ago. He who died grew up. It was hard to believe.
Busker let go of his hands and looked at Doyoon. Doyoon saw that and smiled. Even without opening my mouth, I could understand what he meant.
You are alive and well, but why are others calling you a warrior? How can a person who can’t stand a single corps commander claim to be a warrior? Busker’s eyes were full of questions.
He was such a taciturn guy, whose nickname was Skeleton even before he was alive. However, since Enoch was also speechless, the two of them could understand each other just by looking at each other.
“A lot has happened since you died.”
A lot of things really happened. Even Busker doesn’t know what happened to the previous demon king.
The death and reincarnation of Enoch, the new demon king, the 70-year war, the death of Hecleus, and the strong junior warriors…
“There are so many stories I want to share.”
It really was. My mouth was itching so much that I couldn’t figure out where to start talking.
Busker nodded quietly as well, perhaps in the same way.
“Let’s go to our camp first. Warming up a bonfire in the demon scene… let’s talk a little bit. As before.”
Doyoon still didn’t notice that the smile on his lips was still lingering.
However, his face immediately hardened at the answer that followed.
Busker shook his skull.
“I can’t get out.”
“…What?”
Doyoon frowned as if he was saying something.
Busker moved his chin and said.
“I’m dead. Only the soul is held here.”
“What happened?”
“Goul. He was alive.”
“…!”
Do-yoon’s eyes were filled with strength. Eloah and Dokgo Moo-yeong also raised their pupils at the shocking news.
Busker’s explanation continued.
“We killed the body of that lich king, but his soul was alive. It was like preparing for a resurrection. So I kept fighting him.”
“You fought the Lich King with only your soul left?”
“It was a long fight. I don’t know how many years it took. The spiritual body never gets tired.”
It was a story unknown to anyone, even Do-yoon.
‘for a moment. Then, the fact that Ghoul’s soul disappeared and the fragments of Busker’s soul remained…’
Busker continued speaking calmly, not paying attention to their reaction.
“And I won.”
“Ahh…!”
Dokgo Moo-yeong’s sigh came from behind.
It was worth it. Who would have predicted that a hero who thought he had fulfilled his role and slept peacefully would have remained with such a secret story, that he would have been fighting alone in a place no one knew about.
It’s not even another army commander, it’s the Lich King, the Lord of Necromancers. To fight and overcome such a bastard in the state of a spirit body. Indeed, it was an unbelievable mental strength worthy of being called a hero.
“After the victory, I absorbed the power of his soul. Thanks to that, I was able to remain in this world without ascending.”
Doyoon didn’t ask why he didn’t ascend. The reason was obvious.
“And I practiced.”
A laugh escaped Doyoon’s mouth.
‘Also.’
As expected, he was left in this world to see the edge of the sword. It was a very busker-like decision.
“Was it possible to train in a spirit form?”
“Spirits of great warriors. The ancestors who left their names in history stayed on the ground like me with their own stories. I competed with them. learned from them explored with them.”
“For 100 years.”
He clicked his skull in affirmation.
“I walked the path of the sword for 100 years.”
“…under.”
“Roosevolnik. There are many things I want to show you.”
Do-yoon felt the thrill at those words.
Unprecedented in history, the greatest sword genius on the continent. Sword Emperor Busker.
Born in turbulent times and sadly dying at a young age, he trained for 100 years.
What is the path of a sword that a genius has walked for 100 years? I couldn’t even imagine.
Do-yoon closed and opened his eyes in the thrill, and finally opened his mouth.
“…don’t expect it.”
Busker silently nodded his skull. That nonchalant appearance rather inflated Doyoon’s expectations.
“I searched for a sword for a long time. But one day, a part of the soul that was lost in the fight with Ghoul came back.”
“That bastard, Lancelot, was playing with a piece of your soul. So I took care of it.”
“Is it so?”
The response was that it was over.
A close friend swung the sword for himself. This is something that has always happened between them, so what more do I need to say?
As always 100 years ago, when we leaned on each other and entrusted our lives, it was a matter of course.
Doyoon was really pleased with that emotionless attitude.
‘You’re really a busker.’
I noticed it the first time I saw it, but it’s so consistent even though it’s changed.
Doyoon’s emotions were overflowing.
“Thanks to that, I was able to command my body. It hasn’t been long since I’ve been able to move like this.”
“So, why can’t I go out?”
He lifted his chin and looked up at the ceiling.
“By the power of Goul, I stay in this world, but that’s it. My soul is bound to this hall that was the home of Ghoul.”
He stared at my skeletal hand.
Five thin, white, shabby finger bones snapped.
“Goul’s authority. It is the accumulation of power through death.”
“That’s why he was the embodiment of the battlefield.”
Ghoul collected and used that morale every time the life around him died. It was a power that shone brilliantly in the environment of a battlefield where countless deaths occurred.
“Today, many lives are dying around us. It’s probably yours.”
The allied forces marched, burned trees along the way, and subdued monsters. Busker was talking about it.
“Thanks to that, I was able to move for a while. But unlike Ghoul, I don’t have a medium to accumulate power. The power gathered today will soon dissipate, and I will return to my spiritual body.”
“…”
“I can’t get out of here.”
Busker moved on.
less so, less so.
The white, thin bones and joints moved and made a dangerous sound. The look on his back was somewhat sad.
Busker walked to the wall where he was sitting and grabbed the sword that was leaning against the wall.
Long, white finger bones wrapped around the handle. There were no calluses on the palms or muscles to maintain grip, but the grip with the sword was extremely stable.
Doyoon, who had frowned, opened his mouth.
“…there must be a way.”
“none. It was a conclusion made decades ago.”
“…”
“Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter if you can’t go out. There is no shortage of sword training here.”
saaaa…
Like a river in winter, clear blue mana flowed through his body. Mana climbed up the arm bone and, as usual, wrapped around the sword.
The 7th sword of the sword collection he used before he died. The guy welcomed the owner’s touch after 100 years and let out a chill.
“…nice.”
After a long time, he held the sword again, and with a satisfied look, he ran through the dark blue blade.
However, it is Do-yoon who has been with Busker for over 100 years, including returning. He could read the other emotions Busker was trying to hide.
“… Damn it.”
Office-minded sadness. And it was longing.
Doyoon opened a black hole in the air. A chrysanthemum was clutched in the hand that entered and exited the subspace.
“Who are you acting in front of?”
Wedge!
His hand moved like a beam of light. The chrysanthemum, which was shot like a shuriken, stuck into Busker’s eye socket like an iron core.
Pak.
Busker slowly turned his head, standing still even after being hit by flowers. With flowers in her eyes, she looked at Doyoon as if she was dumbfounded.
“…What.”
“It is a flower that your son-in-law raised himself.”
“…!”
“They asked me to put it on my father’s coffin.”
The blue flames burning in Busker’s eye sockets shook violently.
Thuddeong! He let go of the sword he was holding in his right hand.
I carefully pulled out the flower, in case the two weakly trembling finger bones would hang and break the stem. Then, without a word, he held it in his hand and looked at it.
Even though he had no eyes, he stared for a long time as if trying to capture the color. Even though he has no nose, he brought it to his face as if to smell the incense. Even though she had no skin, she stroked it with her hand as if she wanted to feel the petals.
The cold air flowing from his hand froze the surface of the flower stem touching the finger bone and the petal surface touching the hand bone. It seemed as if the skeleton could radiate warmth without blood or flesh. It was an ironic sight.
It’s a skeleton with no face to express emotion, but paradoxically, the party could feel waves of intense emotion from him.
“…Roosevolnik.”
The blue flames in his eyes shimmered like teardrops.
A low, trembling voice leaked from the jaw that repeatedly opened and closed several times.
“I want to get out of here.”
The dry skeleton’s voice, missing his family, was full of salty water. The petals of the chrysanthemum trembled along with the white hand bones.
“I want to see my son’s face.”
The frost that fell on the petals flowed down like sad snowflakes.
“Brudette… I want to see…”
Blue sparks dripped like tears from the sockets of his lowered eyes.
“…”
The group of four could not open their mouths to the hero’s deep inner self.
Geomwang Busker, who is said to have dedicated his entire life to the sword.
He had the name of Father before the nickname of Geomwang.
“Brudette. Brudet…”
Contrary to tradition, the party silently watched their father, Busker, a man with richer emotions.
Doyoon lifted his chin and grinned at such a busker.
“It will be soon.”
Confident, he put his hand through the black hole in the air.