Chapter 22
— — —
Hong-seol headed for the dueling stage. No, she tried to.
But there were no stairs.
“Ah?”
The stage, after all, was not built for those who lacked the strength to climb onto it themselves.
As a bewildered Hong-seol could only blink,
“Pardon me, young lady!”
Namgung Uigyeol abruptly put his hands on Hong-seol's sides to lift her, but flinched at a glare from beside him.
“...My apologies.”
The loyal Namgung Uigyeol took a step back. Immediately, Namgung Ho swept Hong-seol up in his arms and placed her on the stage.
“There, you're all set.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
Hong-seol put her hands together and bowed deeply.
It was then.
Namgung Ho, meeting Hong-seol's eyes, sent her a Telepathic Message.
- Seol-ah, remember just one thing.
His eyes were filled with confidence. A strange confidence that there was no way Hong-seol would lose today.
- If you see an opening in your opponent, press your palms together, then give a light push.
---
The first thing Hong-seol noticed on the dueling stage was the hostility in Namgung Jong-woo's eyes.
His already fierce eyes had turned even more sullen after seeing the Grand Patriarch lift Hong-seol onto the stage himself.
“Can't even get on the stage by yourself!”
Just then, the elder acting as judge began the introductions.
“Namgung Jong-woo, grandson of Namgung Muyeong and third son of Namgung Mok and An Yeong-hwi!”
A huge cheer erupted from the crowd. Most of them were plants that Namgung Muyeong had paid to be there.
Of course, Namgung Jong-woo's family was there as well.
His grandfather, whose eyes were still sharp despite his bitter expression; his father, clapping with a reluctant look on his face; and his mother, clasping her hands with a worried heart.
Despite the roar that seemed to shake the training ground, Namgung Jong-woo still stood there with his lips pouting.
Hong-seol couldn't understand him.
Why was that boy so angry?
What did it matter if she was a real Namgung or not? He had so many family members cheering for him.
‘Compared to him, I...’
A sudden anxiety enveloped Hong-seol's small body.
‘What if no one cheers when they call my name?’
Just then, the elder cleared his throat with an ahem and continued.
“And his opponent... um, is Hong-seol. Let the duel between the two begin.”
A brief silence followed the curt introduction.
The moment Hong-seol's eyes drooped with disappointment.
“Waaaaaah!”
A cheer as loud as thunder erupted.
A roar no less enthusiastic than the one for Namgung Jong-woo.
The ones cheering the loudest were Heuk and Jeok.
Their bodies were small, but their voices were incredibly booming.
Jeok was even waving a piece of unbleached cloth with a crooked drawing of Hong-seol's face on it.
“Sister Hong-seol! You're the best!”
Thanks to his clumsy skills, the Hong-seol in the drawing looked like the leader of a bandit gang. Seeing the picture, Hong-seol let out a small laugh, and some of her tension eased.
Next to Heuk and Jeok was the Grand Patriarch Namgung Ho, and next to him, the Master of the Changcheon Unit, Namgung Uigyeol, both wearing pleased smiles.
That wasn't all. The maid Maeran was anxiously clasping her hands to her chest, and next to her...
“Do your best!”
“You can do it, young ladyyyy!”
A group of men she had never seen before were raising their thick arms to the sky and cheering for her.
‘Those uniforms... the Azure Sky Unit?’
Hong-seol tilted her head, recognizing the distinctive cloud pattern on their collars.
She had no way of knowing that they had sometimes secretly watched her training and been inspired by it.
She was simply grateful.
‘There are people cheering for me!’
They aren't my real family, but still!
Seeing the faces of the people encouraging her changed her mindset.
It was the kind of heartfelt support she hadn't received even once since she was five.
‘Even if I can't win, I won't show them a pathetic sight.’
Her resolve firm, Hong-seol gripped her wooden sword with both hands and faced forward. Namgung Jong-woo was likewise glaring at her, his own wooden sword held tight.
“Begin!”
“Here I come!”
With the shout, Namgung Jong-woo charged forward with terrifying momentum.
“Hiyah!”
His movements were incredibly fierce, as if born from condensed and unleashed fury.
But.
‘I-I can see it!’
His sword path was clearly visible to Hong-seol's eyes.
‘Great Firmament Sword Art, First Form. The direction... is overhead!’
Thwack!
Hong-seol's raised wooden sword blocked Namgung Jong-woo's downward strike with a thwack.
In that moment, Namgung Jong-woo's eyebrows twitched in surprise.
“This lowly brat?”
But Hong-seol had no time to retort.
‘A sword strike is coming for my open side!’
All her focus was on dodging Namgung Jong-woo's sword as it came down at an angle.
“What, this doesn't work either?”
Having failed to strike Hong-seol's side, Namgung Jong-woo's face turned red.
Hong-seol, on the other hand, was thrilled.
‘The time I spent learning the sword from the Master of the Azure Sky Unit wasn't a waste!’
Though they were clearly the same forms, the level of enlightenment between Namgung Jong-woo and the Master of the Azure Sky Unit, Namgung Uigyeol, was worlds apart.
And that was even when Namgung Uigyeol had been holding back his strength against her.
‘I can see it all so clearly.’
To Hong-seol, Namgung Jong-woo's movements merely mimicked the shape of the Great Firmament Sword Art; they were slow and full of openings.
“Hah!”
Hong-seol once again deflected Namgung Jong-woo's sword with ease.
“This girl, really...!”
Swoosh!
As he charged in, clenching his teeth, the tip of his sword began to grow sharper.
Twenty exchanges passed like that.
“Hah, hah.”
Beads of sweat formed on Namgung Jong-woo's forehead.
He couldn't understand the situation at all.
His opponent was a little brat who didn't even bear the Namgung name.
He had thought he could win easily, but instead, he was the one struggling.
And a question naturally arose.
‘Why? Why isn't she attacking?’
She just keeps dodging and parrying the wooden sword I swing.
A hypothesis flashed through Namgung Jong-woo's mind.
‘Could it be that this girl doesn't know how to attack?’
The moment he had that thought, a thrill ran through Namgung Jong-woo's entire body.
She doesn't know how to attack.
That meant he could press his attack without worrying about defense.
‘Of course. What can a girl the size of a pea do!’
Namgung Jong-woo's gaze fell on the light sword Hong-seol was clutching as if it were her life.
‘That wooden sword.’
If I can just take that from her!
In the next exchange, I just need to thrust my sword with all my might, without worrying about defense.
Then victory would be his without a doubt.
Namgung Jong-woo's hand, gripping the sword, trembled with exhilaration.
“This is the end.”
If you're chaff, then act like it and get beaten by my sword!
“Uraaaaaaah!”
His charging momentum was extraordinary.
There was no room to dodge.
In that case!
“Ugh!”
Having made a split-second decision, Hong-seol blocked the attack with all her might.
Fwip!
“Oops!”
Was it because of the overwhelming difference in strength?
The wooden sword in Hong-seol's hand spun through the air and fell off the stage.
Namgung Jong-woo's eyes flashed.
‘This is my chance!’
Just as he executed his footwork and charged toward the empty-handed Hong-seol.
Flash!
An ‘opening’ appeared in Hong-seol's eyes.
The ‘opening’ Grandfather Namgung Ho had told her about.
As Namgung Jong-woo thrust his wooden sword with his right hand, his left chest was wide open.
- If you see an opening in your opponent, press your palms together, then give a light push.
‘Now!’
Pressing her palms together and then apart, Hong-seol gave the charging Namgung Jong-woo's chest a light push.
In that moment.
Hong-seol felt the energy that rose from her Dantian surge through her palms and out.
KWWAAAAANG!
Along with a sound like a thunderclap.
Crash, bang.
Namgung Jong-woo's body rolled over several times, pushed back to the very edge of the stage in an instant.
---
“Grand Patriarch!”
At the astonished voice from his side, Namgung Ho slowly turned his head. There stood the Master of the Azure Sky Unit, Namgung Uigyeol, his mouth agape.
“Don't tell me, th-th-this is...!”
Namgung Ho grinned, his relaxed demeanor showing he had known this would happen.
“It is exactly what you think.”
Heavenly Thunder Divine Palm.
It was the Namgung Clan's palm art, which resembled thunder and lightning.
“How on earth could the young lady use the Heavenly Thunder Divine Palm with that much Inner Energy... No, she shouldn't have ever learned it in the first place...”
Shocked, Namgung Uigyeol couldn't finish his sentence.
“Wouldn't she need at least that much to be worthy of being my disciple?”
“But you told me to prevent Miss Hong-seol from using her Inner Energy!”
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