Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 289
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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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Chapter 289
“…Do you truly not understand what it means to kill the Prime Minister within the Royal Fortress?”
General Gwak Seo-jin spoke thus, casting a glance toward the Crown Prince.
“No matter that the Crown Prince was present—this is a grave crime. Not only will you face ruin, but the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance and the Eternal Snow Palace will be endangered as well!”
Surprisingly, the Crown Prince said nothing. The two Martial God Five Realms masters standing behind him remained equally silent.
Seol Woon-hwi merely laughed.
“So, your master is dead, and you intend to prattle on with words?”
“…You… wretched vermin!”
General Gwak Seo-jin kicked back from his seat.
* * *
Gwak Seo-jin’s rise and his hand’s movement toward the sword at his waist occurred nearly simultaneously.
His blade flew toward Seol Woon-hwi’s head.
The air throughout the Jeong Sa Cheong grew suddenly heavy.
Heaven-Human Realm.
This realm was far from trivial, and General Gwak Seo-jin was a government soldier honed over forty years in the Imperial Court.
Naturally his blade was keen, yet being a government soldier, he could not escape the rigid sword patterns unique to such warriors.
Heavenly Snow Domain.
Ice Snow Energy spread outward from Seol Woon-hwi, whose eyes had turned pure white. Crystalline flowers of ice bloomed in the empty air before him and to his right.
Gwak Seo-jin’s blade shattered through the ice flower directly ahead, extending forward. Then, becoming aware of the ice flower that had formed to the right, the tip of his sword wavered for a brief moment.
Confusion seized him.
Why had that appeared here?
Unnecessarily?
Government soldiers are linear. They follow what they have learned, what they have always done.
Their approach differs from the raw instinct of true martial artists.
This lack of adaptability naturally created the briefest of openings—and for one of Seol Woon-hwi’s caliber, such an opening was truly vast.
As I rotated my body, Gwak Seo-jin’s blade grazed past my temple. The space before me lay wide open.
In this moment, I
recalled the sword of Seol Heun, the Eternal Snow Emperor, whom I had witnessed on the Ten Thousand Year Snow Mountain.
My blade began to cleave through the empty air.
Swish—!
Gwak Seo-jin, who had hastily twisted his body to evade, opened his eyes wide.
My first sword momentum.
White energy spread along its trajectory, beginning to turn the Jeong Sa Cheong white.
Despite the ceiling above, snowflakes formed in the air and drifted slowly downward.
“This… what is this…!”
A sword that brings down snow—he had never heard of such a thing, let alone witnessed it.
Gwak Seo-jin, having landed, kicked back once more.
His blade extended toward Seol Woon-hwi.
Imperial Sword Technique.
Second Form: Torrential Ascension.
Seol Woon-hwi’s eyes blazed with intensity.
His second sword momentum.
As his blade completed its arc, the falling snowflakes transformed instantly into shards of ice, hurtling toward Gwak Seo-jin’s sword.
From all directions, they converged—
CRASH—!!
The deafening explosion shattered Gwak Seo-jin’s blade, his body hurled backward through the wall and beyond it.
An open courtyard lay before him.
Snow began to fall once more upon the place the King had created for his walks.
“What… what nonsense is this…?”
Gwak Seo-jin’s eyes fixed upon Seol Woon-hwi approaching from the distance.
Seol Woon-hwi’s third sword momentum begins.
As his blade thrust upward, every snowflake in the air froze in place. As if time itself had stopped.
Gwak Seo-jin’s face drained of all color.
Just as he rose to his feet, Seol Woon-hwi’s fourth sword momentum commenced.
As his blade swept horizontally, the very air of the Government Office split asunder.
Gwak Seo-jin hastily assumed a defensive stance.
Imperial Sword Technique.
First Form: Iron Wall Guarding Heaven’s Fortress.
A martial art meant to protect the nation.
A defensive form meant to uphold the will of the government.
Now it manifested as a desperate struggle to preserve a single man’s life—
Yet the cold energy in the void exploded, shattering his defense to fragments.
BOOM—!!
“Cough…”
Gwak Seo-jin was driven backward, his back slamming against a pillar.
He lifted his head and coughed, blood spilling from his lips.
Seol Woon-hwi did not pause.
His fifth sword momentum.
Seol Woon-hwi moves. His blade cuts through the air, his legs propel him forward across the ground. It resembled a dance, yet it was Seol Heun’s sword dance reinterpreted through Seol Woon-hwi’s own essence.
His blade, brimming with radiant light, began to whirl. It moved so swiftly that one could not even follow its trajectory.
Blue traces etched themselves upon the ground, and hundreds of flowers wrought from Ice Snow Energy bloomed in the empty air.
Gwak Seo-jin, having risen to his feet, desperately attempted to swing his blade, but it was futile.
From Seol Woon-hwi’s condensed and re-condensed blade, a violent burst of Ice Snow Energy erupted. Though weaker than Seol Heun’s swordsmanship, it was a force of despair for Gwak Seo-jin.
A flash of brilliance engulfed the Government Office.
Gwak Seo-jin felt it.
The aura of death closing in from all directions.
No—this was inevitable.
The flash subsides.
What was revealed thereafter was enough to astound all who witnessed it.
Gwak Seo-jin had become a statue of ice.
Not only that, but everything around them lay frozen.
I approached slowly.
Seol Heun’s sword technique had no name.
Now I sought to give it one.
Having witnessed a sword technique that embodied the principles of heaven and earth atop the Snowy Plains’ peak.
“Snowy Plains Heaven-Earth Sword.”
It was a name that pleased me.
As I slowly pushed Gwak Seo-jin’s head away, his frozen body crashed to the ground and shattered.
I turned my head.
A man’s head was falling to the earth.
* * *
Fifteen years had passed since An Wi-gwan and I began our partnership.
Throughout those fifteen years, I never ceased contemplating an end, yet I never imagined it would come like this.
General Yeol Gwang-yeo burned with fury.
Watching the figure named Seo Hyo rushing toward him, he drew his sword. He would kill this wretch.
And he would kill Seol Woon-hwi as well. He would tear out his throat and rend his limbs asunder.
The moment he gripped his sword with force, Seo Hyo lowered his body.
“Die!”
Yeol Gwang-yeo’s blade flew toward Seo Hyo. True to his mastery of the Heaven-Human Realm, the sword extended at a speed akin to rays of light.
In an instant, Seo Hyo’s form became hazy like a shadow, evading Yeol Gwang-yeo’s strike.
Simultaneously, he burrowed into Yeol Gwang-yeo’s blind spot at an impossible angle.
Murky Darkness Breaking Demon Step.
“What… what…!”
Yeol Gwang-yeo panicked and tried to turn his blade to block, but Seo Hyo’s palm was already pressed against his ribs.
Dark Ghost Soul-Seizing Palm.
Boom—!
Under the force of Martial God Grade martial arts, Yeol Gwang-yeo was sent sliding sideways.
“Ugh…”
Yeol Gwang-yeo was certainly no easy opponent, yet this vile energy pouring through his ribs caught him off guard for a moment.
Demonic Energy.
How often would government troops ever encounter such a thing?
Even so, as he swung his blade, he managed to inflict a light wound on Seo Hyo’s shoulder, but it was meaningless.
Seo Hyo spun his body to evade while simultaneously sweeping his leg.
Murky Darkness Bone-Breaking Kick.
Seo Hyo’s foot struck Yeol Gwang-yeo’s wrist. With a thunderous crack, his sword fell from his grasp to the ground.
Not just his wrist, but his entire arm tingled with numbness.
This much damage was only because he had managed to gather his qi for defense. He furrowed his brow. Ignoring the demonic energy, he gathered his qi once more in both arms and rushed at Seo Hyo. But unfortunately, Seo Hyo’s martial arts were not limited to merely hands and feet.
Seo Hyo’s gaze turned cold.
Silent Ghost Linked Chain Hands.
Seo Hyo’s two hands began moving with ghostly speed.
Distinct black palms materialized in the empty air, pouring down toward General Yeol Gwang-yeo.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
General Yeol Gwang-yeo desperately tried to defend himself, but this was far more than simply swinging his fists multiple times. The punches came from unpredictable angles, and there was no way he could block them while barely maintaining his own balance.
“Ugh… Kgh…”
Blows landed across General Yeol Gwang-yeo’s face and body.
His armor shattered, flesh tore, and blood erupted.
Seo Hyo did not stop.
His legs and arms grew darker still.
Dark Soul Pursuing Heart Technique.
Seo Hyo’s movements became even more grotesque—like a specter chasing souls through darkness, his body circled around General Yeol Gwang-yeo, striking from all directions.
General Yeol Gwang-yeo could not predict from which direction the attacks would come. If Seo Hyo’s assault seemed to come from the front, it came from behind; if from above, it rose from below.
“Where… where are you!”
Even among those of the Heaven-Human Realm, there were differences in level.
Above all, the martial artists of the Government Office lacked real combat experience. Seo Hyo, who had lived cutting through danger since birth, possessed experience that overflowed abundantly.
Beyond knowing how to fight government troops, he understood how to gain advantage in battle itself.
Seo Hyo was a man who could make such calculations.
As General Yeol Gwang-yeo flailed desperately at the empty air, Seo Hyo appeared behind him.
Seo Hyo’s index finger extended toward General Yeol Gwang-yeo’s neck.
Ghost Gate Heavenly Defeat Finger.
This was the pressure point technique Seo Hyo was most confident in.
“Ugh!”
General Yeol Gwang-yeo’s body stiffened momentarily. But true to his mastery of the Heaven-Human Realm, he was not completely paralyzed.
“There you are—!”
General Yeol Gwang-yeo gathered his remaining strength, spun his body, and threw a punch at Seo Hyo, but Seo Hyo had already prepared his next move.
Seo Hyo did not rely solely on martial arts.
His hands traced intricate seals, directed toward General Yeol Gwang-yeo.
Strange energy descended from all directions, dulling General Yeol Gwang-yeo’s physical body.
“Sorcery… sorcery…?”
The precise name was Soul Spirit Soul Seizing Technique.
A mystical technique that disrupted a scattered opponent’s spirit, causing them to lose control of their body—sometimes classified as sorcery.
General Yeol Gwang-yeo’s pupils began to waver. His fist froze just before it could touch Seo Hyo’s face.
Exactly one inch short.
Seo Hyo’s cold eyes fixed upon General Yeol Gwang-yeo.
“I harbor no personal grudge against you.”
All of Seo Hyo’s energy concentrated in his right hand. Now, far beyond mere darkness, everything around his hand turned black as if space itself were being dyed.
Then.
His hand extended with lightning speed.
Ghost God Beheading.
Skreeeee—!
The clean sound of flesh being severed echoed through the air.
The sound of General Yeol Gwang-yeo’s neck vertebrae separating.
Seo Hyo stepped toward Seol Woon-hwi, watching the general’s head roll across the floor.
Though his expression betrayed nothing, Seo Hyo was somewhat taken aback.
He had finished matters as swiftly as possible to demonstrate his own worth, yet Seol Woon-hwi’s battle was already concluded.
‘…Truly, when I saw him at Yang-ryeong before, he was someone who only knew how to use his mind. Now he’s become someone who knows how to use both mind and blade.’
His rate of growth was genuinely terrifying.
This was what true genius looked like—nothing else could compare.
Standing beside Seol Woon-hwi, Seo Hyo did not suppress his aura.
Causing trouble is not difficult.
Cleaning up afterward—that’s the truly difficult part.
Seo Hyo asked.
“What shall we do now?”
“I’m not sure.”
As I spoke, my gaze turned toward the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince wore an inscrutable smile.
Then, as words flowed from his lips, Seo Hyo let out a hollow laugh.
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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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