Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 190

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Episode 190

Bang!
Blade and sword collided with a deafening crash, and those who had been blocking Geom U-bin’s escape route fell back in alarm.
‘What… what is this…!’
Small trees snapped at the trunk, and stones flew in all directions. The ground beneath Geom U-bin and Ak Cheon-gil sank nearly a foot deeper.
‘Formidable!’
Geom U-bin was shocked, but Ak Cheon-gil’s shock was a hundred times greater. He had committed his full strength to shattering his opponent in a single exchange.
Yet Geom U-bin had not given an inch, meeting his blade straight on. A mere fifteen years old.
The fact that he’d killed Nam Yang-bang in one move was not simply because of a surprise attack.
“Impressive. This will be an interesting match.”
For a martial artist, meeting a worthy opponent is always a pleasure. Geom U-bin’s and Ak Cheon-gil’s weapons struck one another without cease in the empty space between them.
Each collision sent stones tumbling and trees snapping, the shockwaves spreading outward.
Those standing nearby could not even track the movements of the two fighters. Dozens of shadows flickered, and only the blue glow of their blades flashed in succession.
Even if others wished to aid Ak Cheon-gil, they could not. To enter that fight before he could even land a strike on Geom U-bin would be to become nothing but meat.
The radius of their push and pull never exceeded ten paces. When Geom U-bin seemed to gain the upper hand, Ak Cheon-gil would surge forward again; when Geom U-bin retreated, he would counterattack.
With no bystanders to worry about and no buildings to concern them, the two could fight without restraint.
For Geom U-bin, this was only his second life-or-death battle, yet it felt like his first true combat.
The fight with Dong Tam-rap had taken place in a cave, which not only prevented him from fully unleashing his martial force but also made it clear that Dong Tam-rap’s martial arts were decidedly inferior to his own.
But Ak Cheon-gil was different. His strength was formidable, and the Military Bureau’s martial arts were distinctly removed from those of Murim.
There was not a single wasted movement. Dan Jeong-cheol’s Imperial Palace Secret Technique was laden with grace, whereas the Military Bureau’s martial arts were spare as meat stripped of fat.
Even the motion of drawing his blade to gain force was performed with only the minimal movement necessary.
The Military Bureau’s martial arts, which pursued only speed and destruction, were both its strength and its weakness.
After exchanging blows at this level, Geom U-bin could discern the pattern. Though Ak Cheon-gil’s martial arts shifted constantly, once he grasped their nature, prediction became possible.
Of course, predicting was not the same as winning in battle. Ak Cheon-gil’s attacks were so swift and destructive that they could ignore what was known about them.
At first, Geom U-bin tried to probe for gaps using sword forms—he sought to confound with attacks that were varied and intricate—but Ak Cheon-gil’s defense revealed no openings.
Against a man who had fought countless battles on the field of war, such tricks were useless.
Trying worthless flourishes only cost him two tears in his sleeve. So Geom U-bin switched to meeting force with force.
In raw physical strength, Ak Cheon-gil held the advantage, but Geom U-bin possessed internal power with bottomless potential.
He had not yet fully converted all his potential into internal power, and yet he was confident he could surpass Ak Cheon-gil in that regard.
As always, Geom U-bin’s prediction proved correct. When the fight stretched past half an hour, the resistance he felt in Ak Cheon-gil’s blade began to weaken.
The offense and defense remained fierce, and the shockwaves still spread outward as before, but Ak Cheon-gil’s strength was flagging.
Geom U-bin could sense it, so Ak Cheon-gil could not possibly fail to notice.
‘How can a boy’s martial force be so high?’
He had believed it was only a matter of time before he could sever Geom U-bin’s neck, whether through superior technique or raw power.
Born as the eldest son of the General’s House, he had consumed every Spirit Medicine available since childhood and trained under the finest martial instruction.
Yet he could not suppress this boy with technique, and his internal power was now failing him.
If things continued this way, victory hung by chance alone. He needed to change something.
As his thoughts drifted elsewhere, Geom U-bin’s attacks pressed down heavier still.
‘Sacrifice flesh, shave bone.’
Ak Cheon-gil deliberately exposed a small gap near his leg. Geom U-bin could not possibly detect it as a trap.
It appeared as a natural opening born from the flow of combat. Sure enough, Geom U-bin’s blade came slicing across his thigh.
In that instant, Ak Cheon-gil’s blade—which had retreated to the right—came back along its path, aiming for Geom U-bin’s chest.
A distinctive pain shot through his thigh as metal bit into flesh. His leg was cut, but Geom U-bin’s chest would soon have a hole through it.
Just as his blade was about to pierce through Geom U-bin’s chest—
Crack!
“Khagh!”
A scream tore from Ak Cheon-gil—a cry he had not uttered even when his thigh was sliced.
The agony of a shattered knee wrung the cry from him, and the blade meant for Geom U-bin’s left chest slipped to the right, leaving only a shallow wound.
Geom U-bin, moving on instinct, swung his sword toward the opening. But the gap that had never appeared before now gave him pause, and the incoming attack toward his chest came as a shock.
The exchange was too fast to halt. Geom U-bin did not pull back his blade. He understood that if the momentum continued, instead of cutting a leg, he would drive his sword through a chest.
In that moment, Geom U-bin chose the Jincheon Leogak technique. Though his practical experience fell short of Ak Cheon-gil’s, in sparring he had trained with such frequency that he had never lost to anyone.
The Jincheon Leogak—this improvisation—was the product of countless repetitions.
Fortunately, Geom U-bin’s quick wit was sound, and where he earned only a small wound to his right chest, he inflicted two grave wounds upon his enemy.
Having sworn not to hesitate in taking a life, Geom U-bin moved without delay to swing his blade at Ak Cheon-gil.
But he could not ignore the attack coming from behind. If he killed Ak Cheon-gil, his own back would be exposed.
Unable to trade places with Ak Cheon-gil, Geom U-bin spun around quickly and knocked away the blade thrusting toward him.
In that instant, one man hoisted Ak Cheon-gil onto his back and bolted, while the remaining four attacked Geom U-bin.
“Get the commander away—now!”
Without waiting for the shout, the man carrying Ak Cheon-gil launched himself forward.
“Put me down!”
“We must live to fight another day, Commander!”
The fight that had been moving like frozen ice ended in a single moment—both of Ak Cheon-gil’s legs severed.
For Ak Cheon-gil, it was a bitter outcome, but there was no choice but to accept it.
While four of his men held Geom U-bin at bay, Dong Rae-su ran with Ak Cheon-gil on his back.
A long scream echoed behind them. By the voice, it was Dang Do-mok.
‘The boy’s martial arts—they’re truly terrifying.’
None of them had expected Ak Cheon-gil to fall to Geom U-bin.
Yet they moved as if by agreement, because they were soldiers.
The roar of rushing water began to fill their ears—the canyon stream that flowed along Baekdan Gorge.
Baekdan Gorge, sixty spans high and seventy spans wide, was a prepared escape route for emergencies.
A rope bridge connected across the serpentine curves of Baekdan Gorge.
It consisted of three thick strands—two served as handholds for each hand, while the thickest was meant to be walked upon with the feet.
This perilous bridge was the only one within twenty li that could cross Baekdan Gorge.
Ak Cheon-gil had struggled at first, but soon hung limply from Dong Rae-su’s back like a docile child. He understood well enough that now was the time to retreat.
“Rae-su.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“We will return. I swear it.”
“Of course. Hold tight, Commander.”
Dong Rae-su hurled himself toward the bridge. The moment his feet touched the rope, his body lurched and swayed.
Even for Dong Rae-su, skilled as he was in Lightness Technique, the three-strand bridge was treacherous to cross.
The bridge swayed with the wind, and a single misstep could cost him his balance and send him plummeting.
When Dong Rae-su had crossed a third of the way, he turned his head slightly—a hopeful gesture, wondering if any of their allies might be following—but his eyes found only Geom U-bin bursting from the forest.
Without hesitation, Geom U-bin leaped onto the bridge and came across far faster and more deftly than Dong Rae-su.
Geom U-bin had no need for handholds on either side. At this pace, he would be caught before they were halfway across, and Dong Rae-su dared not imagine what came after.
“Commander! Grip my neck tightly! I’m cutting the bridge!”
There was no other choice. Dong Rae-su moved his blade swiftly, severing the left and right handholds, then turned his sword toward the foothold rope.
Geom U-bin was closing in fast. The blade channeling martial force sliced clean through the finger-thick rope in one stroke.
Geom U-bin kicked off the collapsing bridge like a severed serpent and hurled himself toward them.
‘Dangerous!’
Dong Rae-su had never imagined Geom U-bin would take such a reckless risk. He grabbed the falling rope and tensed his arms.
His body plummeted along with the severed bridge.
Whoooosh!
The wind screamed past his ears so violently it drowned out even the roar of the canyon rapids.
Even as he clung desperately, his gaze remained fixed on Geom U-bin—the swordsman descended like an eagle diving for prey, drawing closer by the heartbeat.
The thought that the blade might split Ak Cheon-gil in two spurred Dong Rae-su to perform a superhuman feat of strength.
“Haah!”
He wrenched the rope, using the recoil to propel himself upward—a mad gambit, almost certain death, yet Geom U-bin’s descending blade was the greater threat.
So through the air came Geom U-bin, blade raised.
Shing!
But the edge did not connect. The blade merely tore a long gash through the cloth across Ak Cheon-gil’s back before passing on.
‘We’ve done it!’
Geom U-bin appeared to fall, and rightly should have. Yet just as Dong Rae-su had summoned superhuman strength, so too did Geom U-bin refuse to release them so easily.
As he fell, Geom U-bin caught the gently curved end of the rope.
At a certain point, the downward plunge halted, and they were hurled toward the cliff face.
The dark stone wall rushed toward them with terrible speed. Dong Rae-su drew a sharp breath, braced his legs, and swung his sword against the advancing wall.
Crash!
The blade shattered, slowing their speed somewhat, but the rope bridge bearing the weight of two men could not remain intact.
Thud!
A dull crack sounded at his ankle, followed by excruciating pain. His ankle had twisted badly.
Swallowing back the cry of agony, Dong Rae-su felt Ak Cheon-gil’s grip around his neck loosen and quickly seized his arms again.
“Commander! Are you hurt?”
“What about you?”
“I’m fine.”
“And him?”
Dong Rae-su craned his neck to peer down. He had hoped the impact with the wall would have sent Geom U-bin plummeting, but the swordsman hung suspended from the rope’s end.
The way she braced herself against the cliff with her legs and gripped the rope with both arms showed no sign of injury whatsoever.
“Stubborn bastard.”
Ak Cheon-gil caught sight of Geom U-bin and let out something like a groan. With the sword shattered, he couldn’t sever the rope that connected him to Geom U-bin.
“Hold tight.”
Dong Rae-su climbed the rope with his broken leg dangling uselessly, and with Ak Cheon-gil clinging to his back in these circumstances, every step felt as though he were carrying a thousand-pound weight.
Dong Rae-su was slow. Geom U-bin was fast.
At this rate, they would be caught before reaching halfway up. Dong Rae-su had no way to defend against Geom U-bin’s blade slashing from below.
As the distance between them narrowed, the time they had to think shrank just as rapidly.
‘Better the blade than—’
Dong Rae-su’s gaze fixed on the ravine below, where water churned in rough, violent torrents.
The current ran so fast it could drown even fish, and jagged rocks jutted from the surface here and there. Could he survive a fall into that water in his present condition?
If he fell into the ravine, there was at least a chance—however slim—of survival. But if he continued climbing the rope, Geom U-bin’s blade would certainly kill him.
So there was only one path left to choose.
“Hold tight!”
Dong Rae-su pushed hard against the cliff with his unbroken leg and released the rope at the same moment. His body pitched backward and fell rapidly.
He thought he had shaken off Geom U-bin. Even if she chose to plunge into the water with them, catching them in that violent current would be impossible.
But Geom U-bin had no need to fall with them. She pushed hard off the cliff and swung her blade toward the falling Ak Cheon-gil and Dong Rae-su.
Without wings, there was no way to evade her strike.
Geom U-bin’s blade was aimed straight at Ak Cheon-gil on his back. He could not afford to lose him now.
He could not dodge, but he could choose who would die. Dong Rae-su twisted his body in midair.
The blade that had been meant for Ak Cheon-gil raked across Dong Rae-su’s chest as he turned.
Geom U-bin had no time to swing twice. Dong Rae-su spewed blood from his chest and plummeted into the churning water below.
Geom U-bin could only watch as they vanished into the white spray.
Even if she fell in with them, finding Ak Cheon-gil would be impossible. And she judged that a man with injuries to both legs had no chance of surviving in those brutal waters.
Geom U-bin climbed back up the rope to the cliff top. Blood still flowed from the sword wound on her right chest, but it was not a deep cut.
She gauged the distance to the opposite cliff. It seemed to be roughly seventy paces, but she could not be certain she could make the leap.
She would have to try to know, but if she fell short, she would have no choice but to plunge into the ravine. She did not wish to create such a ridiculous situation.
“I’ll have to go the long way around.”
As Geom U-bin turned to leave, she heard Yeon Geum-hong’s voice in the distance.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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