Return of the God of War - Chapter 40

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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 40. Where Your Sword Points.
Muk Yeojin gazed at his mother, Nangung Yeongryeong.
‘What is this?’
She was unmistakably his mother.
And yet she was not.
An alienness difficult to put into words.
Her appearance remained unchanged, but something felt fundamentally different.
‘What is this strange sensation?’
And in the next moment, when Muk Yeojin grasped the reason, he could do nothing but turn pale with shock.
“M-Mother, what on earth has happened?!”
Nangung Yeongryeong answered as though it were of no consequence.
Her words left him genuinely aghast.
“I emptied myself of both. The Cangqiong Qi and the Cheonrae Qi.”
“……!!!”
It was true.
He sensed no righteous energy emanating from Nangung Yeongryeong.
All the inner power of Cangqiong Qi and Cheonrae Qi that had reached the pinnacle—she had scattered it all of her own will.
There remained not a trace of Baekdo residue in her Danjeon.
Muk Yeojin’s pupils trembled.
To empty one’s Danjeon?
It was akin to toppling the tower built across a lifetime.
Masters who had reached supreme heights would far more often choose death than to lose the inner power they had cultivated.
Pi Yangcheon’s jaw hung slack as well, mouth agape.
His mother’s choice had been that shocking.
Of course, his mother had not lost her martial prowess.
She had emptied it and refilled it anew.
In the process of refilling, she had received aid from Seonryeong Shin.
But.
“Why make such a choice, in heaven’s name…….”
To Muk Yeojin’s question, Nangung Yeongryeong smiled softly.
“A foolish question. Now that I have resolved to become Gungju, I have no intention of merely occupying a seat. I shall draw my blade for the glory of Sadocheon, to which I have pledged myself.”
Nangung Yeongryeong slowly unsheathed her sword.
Her unique weapon.
The Pagong Myeongwang Geom caught the cascading sunlight and emitted a brilliant radiance.
“But to grip Baekdo’s teachings in hand and turn my blade against them would be a violation of principle. So I cast them away.”
Muk Yeojin could not fathom his mother.
Yet that was only natural.
The path he walked was neither Jeongdo nor Sado. Nor was it Mado, for that matter.
Simply life.
Saengdo.
He wielded his blade solely to live, to survive.
And so he could not easily embrace such things as principle or righteousness.
What if he opposed Baekdo with Baekdo martial arts, or cut down Huekdo with Huekdo techniques?
Such was Muk Yeojin’s conviction.
Yet even if he could not understand, he harbored no desire to deny his mother.
Rather, reverence welled up within him.
Those who spoke grandly of values and convictions were mostly hollow scarecrows dressed in flowery words.
The moment a situation arose that forced them to bend, they would inevitably compromise with themselves.
‘This much should be acceptable.’
‘This is simply unavoidable.’
But Nangung Yeongryeong had not done so.
To preserve her convictions, she had cast away the inner power she had carried throughout her life.
Everything she possessed, she relinquished without hesitation.
Steadfast.
Her convictions would not waver even if wind and rain pounded them, even if angry waves crashed down upon them.
‘She is truly…… a mother worthy of the name.’
Muk Yeojin’s eyes fixed upon his mother, brimming with admiration.
Yet…….
“So then, Mother, what about me? If you’re conveniently stepping aside alone, what am I to do? Should I also just cast away my Cangqiong Qi entirely, is that it?”
In truth, he harbored no such intention whatsoever.
Scattering one’s Naegong is not as simple as it seems.
He lacked the conviction to take such a risk without good reason.
He’d meant only to ease his mother’s worry with his usual nonsense.
But the words that emerged from her lips were wholly unexpected.
“Your blade does not point toward Baekdo or Huekdo, does it? It points toward Cheonha itself. So it matters not.”
“……!”
Muk Yeojin’s eyes widened.
My blade points toward Cheonha?
He’d never thought of it that way before.
Yet no truer expression existed.
‘She really does keep me off balance.’
Nangung Yeongryeong then removed her Jangpo and handed it to Muk Yeojin.
“I’ll finish quickly. Hold this for me.”
Muk Yeojin nodded.
Meanwhile.
Gae Osu, who had been listening to their exchange in disbelief, let out a loud, contemptuous laugh.
“What? Finish quickly? At least boast with some restraint.”
Gae Osu spun his Dae Geom in wild circles.
“Have you forgotten that day at the Cheolheol Arena when I trampled you so thoroughly? When the Righteous Path’s new star went down on her knees before my blade? When the Nangung Clan’s honor was dragged through the mud?”
He went on at length, reliving those events and laughing shrilly.
“And what’s this about scattering your Naegong? Are you preparing an excuse in case you lose?”
Yet Nangung Yeongryeong simply regarded him with an impassive gaze.
Gae Osu’s brow furrowed.
“Even now, looking at you, those eyes are insufferable.”
Thud.
The space around Gae Osu’s true strike rippled violently.
As the Hongmang Guicheon Gong surged to its peak, his pupils turned a bloody red.
Simultaneously, Gae Osu’s Dae Geom began to split and multiply like phantoms.
This was the opening move of the Hyeolak Chomong technique of Hongmang Guicheon Gong.
Twenty-four crimson great swords floated into existence behind him.
“The Murmyeong Ujuk!!”
Someone cried out.
The Murmyeong Ujuk art—
a method of weaving techniques by manifesting blade forms through Naegong alone.
But they were mistaken.
This was no mere trick that someone like Gae Osu could perform.
Even the Cheonwusililjwa—masters of the martial way—would find it difficult.
And yet.
‘That man, though… he could manage it.’
Nangung Yeongryeong glanced upward.
There stood Muk Umyeong, regarding the world below with the same arrogant composure as ever.
It had been years since she’d seen him, yet he was unchanged.
A truly constant man, if ever there was one.
Soon Nangung Yeongryeong cast aside her thoughts and turned her attention back to the battle.
Twenty-four great swords hung suspended in the void.
They were nothing but illusions to deceive the eye—Hwangeom.
Yet with no way to discern which was the true blade, one had to account for all of them.
Gae Osu wore a blood-tinged smile.
“Last time, you went down on your knees playing with merely twelve illusory blades. Mine are twice as strong now. Let’s see how you fare this time. Hahahaha!”
At once, Gae Osu’s form vanished into crimson mist, leaving only the twenty-four great swords to dance through the air.
Nangung Yeongryeong watched calmly as the blades hurtled toward her.
Then she exhaled slowly.
“It was my fault.”
At this cryptic words, Gae Osu shouted.
“What nonsense!”
“That day……”
Nangung Yeongryeong’s Pagong Myeongwang Geom stirred to life.
“I should not have let you win.”
At the same instant, a shimmering blue haze rose from her entire being.
But it was neither Cangqiong Qi nor Cheonrae Qi.
A seed newly planted in Nangung Yeongryeong’s Danjeon sprouted and blossomed.
And as if answering her graceful swordplay, the flowers bloomed across heaven and earth in full glory.
Nangung Yeongryeong’s esoteric heart method.
The Cheonghwa Ryeongsim Gyeong.
As azure petals scattered everywhere, Gae Osu’s illusory swords began to fade like smoke.
His cry of astonishment echoed through the arena.
“This… what is this!”
When Nangung Yeongryeong drew her blade sideways, two more illusory swords vanished.
“At the time, I wanted to take revenge on my clan’s sworn enemies.”
She brought her sword down vertically.
The Samjae Geom Beop.
Taesan Apjeong.
It was the basic swordwork she could muster without resorting to her clan’s techniques.
But it was enough.
Two more illusory swords dissolved into nothing.
“When I was young and foolish, all I could do was show everyone at the Cheolheol Arena how the Nangung sword was trampled mercilessly by heterodox practitioners.”
This time her blade swept from left to right.
Hoengso Cheongun.
The remaining illusory swords hanging in the void shattered into fragments.
“My victory became poison for you. By burying you in this hollow, empty sword, I robbed you of your years—and that fault lies with me.”
Whish.
Her blade thrust straight forward in a single breath.
Seonin Jiro.
The sword wind carrying the Cheonghwa Qi that poured from its tip split the Hyeolak Chomong mist with a sharp crack.
“An apology cannot restore the lost years, but even so, I have come to regret.”
Tap.
Before anyone realized it.
The tip of Nangung Yeongryeong’s blade rested against Gae Osu’s throat.
Clang.
The Dae Geom slipped from Gae Osu’s grip.
The victor had been decided.
Yet the arena fell into a silence as complete as death.
The result of the match was simply too overwhelming.
Was Gae Osu’s skill truly contemptible?
No.
He had displayed more than sufficient strength in his sword.
If he had been merely a hollow weakling from the start, he would never have reached this place.
Then what was the problem?
The answer was simple.
Simply that the blade of the swordmaster called Nangung Yeongryeong reached toward a higher realm.
Even though the match was over, none of the sword wielders dared to speak.
Instead, they closed their eyes and reviewed the sword Nangung Yeongryeong had just shown them.
It was merely the trivial Samjae Geom Beop—cutting and thrusting.
But to the sword wielders’ eyes, it was perfectly clear.
The exalted Geomdao embodied within that simple blade.
Thump.
Both of Gae Osu’s knees struck the ground.
“It… it’s impossible….”
Nangung Yeongryeong looked down at him.
His entire Mudao, honed over a lifetime, had been utterly negated.
Such a shock must be beyond imagination.
But.
‘I too took up the sword again. I emptied myself and bloomed anew. So if your heart does not shatter, you too can do the same.’
She left these words unspoken and turned to leave.
But.
Gae Osu possessed no such unwavering conviction as Nangung Yeongryeong.
“Impossible… impossible!!!”
Boom-crack!
In an instant, Hongmang Qi exploded from every inch of Gae Osu’s body.
“I will kill you!!!”
In the next instant, his Dae Geom thrust toward Nangung Yeongryeong’s back.
“Mother?!”
At that critical moment.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
With a whistle of wind, Gae Osu’s body collapsed to the ground.
He did not rise.
Of course not.
How could a man without limbs pull himself up?
“Aaaaaahhhhh!”
Gae Osu’s anguished scream tore through the arena.
Crack.
A foot kick silenced his mouth.
And as Nangung Yeongryeong slowly turned her body.
The figures who had taken Gae Osu’s limbs.
Ten of the Cheon-ui Geomgwi stood before her, their eyes fixed upon her.
Each of their Jeonggi was like a finely honed divine blade.
The Cheon-ui Geomgwi, who had gazed into Nangung Yeongryeong’s eyes for a long moment, dropped to one knee in unison.
“The Cheon-ui Geomgwi greet their Gungju.”
Simultaneously.
Boom!
“The Ji-ui Geomgwi greet their Gungju!”
“The In-ui Geomgwi greet their Gungju!”
Hundreds of Geomgwi shouted as one.
As Nangung Yeongryeong gazed quietly across their faces, Muk Yeojin handed her the Jangpo once more.
“Congratulations, Geom Gungju.”
She held her son’s gaze for a moment, then released a deep breath and broke into a radiant smile.
“So I’ve done it after all…… My son. I don’t even know anymore if this was right or wrong. We’ll just see where it goes.”
Nangung Yeongryeong accepted the Jangpo, draped it across her shoulders, and walked forward with measured steps.
Then she lifted her gaze to look at him.
Cheonju Muk Umyeong.
A political marriage, yet a union bound by wedding vows nonetheless.
Her husband.
But from this moment forward, she would have to address him differently.
Thump.
Nangung Yeongryeong performed the bow of Gunsin-ui Ye, her head lowered.
“I am Yeongryeong of the Nangung Clan, Geom Gungju, and I greet my Cheonju.”
Muk Umyeong nodded.
“A worthy blade, Geom Gungju.”
With those words.
Just as always, the moment he began to vanish without sound.
“Cheonju.”
Suddenly Nangung Yeongryeong stopped him.
Muk Umyeong turned to look at her.
“…What is it?”
“In commemoration of my ascension to Gungju, grant me but one gift, would you?”
Her boldness startled everyone present.
Moreover, because it was directed at the Cheonju himself, their shock quickly transformed into astonishment.
Muk Umyeong’s expression grew peculiar for an instant.
It was not displeasure, but intrigue.
“A gift, you say…… Is there something you desire?”
Muk Yeojin was equally startled by his mother’s sudden move.
For some reason, her words from moments before echoed in his mind.
We’ll just see where it goes.
From a mother who was always cautious and grave, such reckless words were utterly uncharacteristic.
Yet a thought struck him then.
Could this be the true nature of the woman once called Gwangnyong?
And Muk Yeojin’s suspicion proved precisely correct.
What fell from her lips next was enough to scatter everyone’s senses into the void.
“Teach my son one Mugong technique, would you?”
Nangung Yeongryeong’s face was radiant with a smile.
“Just be a father for once. You damned fool.”

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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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