Chapter 1565: It's Different From Back Then (Part 5)

Huff!

The scimitar, weighing a hundred jin [132 lbs], sliced through the wind.

Its speed was so terrifying that bones would shatter upon impact.

However, no matter how fast it moved, the scimitar remained just that—a blade.

Swish!

It couldn't be faster than Nangung Dowi's sword, which thrust forward like a venemous snake.

Thud!

The Namgung Family's heirloom Heavenly Divine Sword (蒼天神劍) plunged into the Black Dragon King's side in an instant.

Thunk!

As soon as it struck, the sword twisted and tore a chunk off the solid body of the Black Dragon King.

"Agh!"

Whether it was a scream or a battle cry, the Black Dragon King roared as he swung the scimitar again, gritting his teeth.

But at that moment, Namgung Dowi stuck close to the Black Dragon King without giving him any distance.

Whirrr!

The substantial force behind the blade cut through the air.

The scimitar was a weapon attached to the hilt. No matter how much power it carried, the force couldn't reach the inside where the blade didn't touch.

Thunk!

Yet somehow, it transmitted.

The aftermath of the energy that passed by his back caused the skin on Namgung Dowi's back to burst.

The flesh on Namgung Dowi's back turned black, and his white robe was dyed crimson.

But he was alive.

Whoosh!

Namgung Dowi's sword once again slashed the Black Dragon King's shoulder, left vulnerable due to the close distance. Unable to swing the sword widely, the force wasn't fully applied. It was impossible to cut through his body in one strike.

However, here, Namgung Dowi's sword reached the Black Dragon King, and the Black Dragon King's scimitar couldn't reach him.

He had forgotten.

As he was able to put intense force on the tip of his sword, he came to believe that he could crush everyone with his power.

And now, he remembered.

Originally, martial arts was made for the weak to oppose the strong. There were many ways to fight against opponents stronger than oneself.

"This guy!"

Kwoong!

In an instant, the Black Dragon King slammed his shoulder into Namgung Dowi's chest, which was tightly stuck to him. It was a clumsy attack that didn't fully exert power, but the powerful body shook Namgung Dowi's insides just with the aftermath of the internal energy.

Black blood poured out from Namgung Dowi's mouth.

At the moment when his body, like a kicked stone, was about to fly away, Namgung Dowi's fingers, strangely bent, pierced the Black Dragon King's shoulder and grabbed it.

Thunk!

Namgung Dowi grabbed the Black Dragon King's shoulder as if clinging to a cliff, and thrust his sword forward.

The Black Dragon King momentarily pulled his body back to avoid it, but he couldn't completely evade the sword striking through him.

Whoosh!

In the end, Namgung Dowi's sword cut a long gash across the Black Dragon King's chest.

The deep scars that Chung Myung had engraved on Plum Blossom Island were covered by Namgung Dowi's slash. [not sure]

"Ugh!"

Wrath welled up in the Black Dragon King's eyes. Explosive energy surged.

"Uwaaah!"

The Black Dragon King roared, twisting his shoulder forcefully.

Namgung Dowi's body, which had been attached with all his might, swung like a flag flapping at the end of a pole. 

"Die!"

Having adjusted his scimitar, the Black Dragon King swung the blade fiercely. Not just to cut the waist apart but to destroy the remaining body!

But at that moment, a smirk appeared on Namgung Dowi's lips.

Vrrrrrr!

Namgung Dowi's Heavenly Divine Sword burst with fierce energy. Simultaneously, a white aura... no, a sword energy, quickly enveloped and rotated around Namgung Dowi's sword.

Kwaaaang!

Once again, the sword and the scimitar clashed.

The embodiment of the tyrannic path (覇道) representing the Evil Sect and the virtuous path (正道) representing the righteous sect (劍家).

The purification of the martial arts built by both sides collided head-on without any reservations.

Namgung Dowi's upper arm muscles burst at once. Internal organs had exploded, and his arm began to twist strangely. The blood that had been pouring out like a waterfall now gushed out like a torrent.

No matter how powerful Namgung Dowi was, facing the Black Dragon King head-on meant there was an inevitable cost to pay.

And by paying that cost... Namgung Dowi was able to redirect the direction of his body, which was about to be bounced away like a bullet, back towards the Black Dragon King.

Kwoong!

Namgung Dowi, with his shoulder, directly struck the vacant shoulder of the Black Dragon King.

Seizing the opportunity created in that moment, he once again firmly grabbed the Black Dragon King's shoulder with his left hand.

There was no trace of the Namgung Dowi the world knew from his face slathered in blood and eyes overflowing with pure blue venom.

The Black Dragon King, forced to glimpse at that face, felt his chest sink.

"Uwaaah!"

A guy like this...!

If his arm was intact, he would have already struck internal energy into this guy's abdomen dozens of times.

But now, with only one arm left, it was challenging for him to face the clingy opponent with the scimitar in hand.

What was lost was lost. No matter how much he screamed, it wouldn't come back.

However, the impatience and anger coming from there were unavoidable.

"Nooooom!"

The Black Dragon King, who let out a scream full of hatred, forcefully struck Namgung Dowi's side with his hand. In his desperate state, he let go of the scimitar he was holding in his hand.

Thunk!

Namgung Dowi's ribs broke.

The hand that had penetrated the Black Dragon King's shoulder didn't let go, even though it had been embedded in his shoulder.

"Let go! This...!"

Kwaaaang!

Once again, the Black Dragon King's internal energy pressed against Namgung Dowi.

Letting go of the scimitar made him a fist martial artist. [not sure exactly] At this distance, being without a sword would be more advantageous than someone with a sword.

Namgung Dowi lifted the sword high.

It wasn't easy to swing the sword when the opponent was this close.

At that moment.

Whoosh!

Namgung Dowi's sword rotated in the air and aimed at the Black Dragon King's neck like an arrowhead sticking out of a bowstring,

Thunk!

And at the same time, Namgung Dowi grabbed not the handle of the sword but the middle part of the blade, tightly.

"Jaeksekwang."

At that moment, the Black Dragon King saw it.

Namgung Dowi's face, almost like a lump of blood, opened up as if it were about to split, revealing his white teeth.

Paaaat!

Before the ominous warning in his mind rang out, Namgung Dowi's sword fired like a powerful arrow, plunging into the Black Dragon King's throat.

Thunk!

The sword pierced the Black Dragon King's skin. It tore through flesh. No matter how he concentrated his internal strength and resisted, Namgung Dowi's sword, carrying all his internal strength, tore through it like a piece of paper, gnawing at the fragile flesh.

Thunk!

The Black Dragon King grabbed the sword digging into his neck.

"Uhuh!"

Between the slightly exhausted eyes of the Black Dragon King and the crazed gaze of Namgung Dowi stood one sword.

It seemed as if the roles of justice and evil had reversed for a moment.

However, anyone who had witnessed this scene would admit it.

Regardless of the principles of martial arts, the one being hunted was undoubtedly the Black Dragon King, Jaeksekwang.

Thunk! Thud! Thud!

The sound of the sword digging into flesh pounded more forcefully on the Black Dragon King than the pain from the throat.

But what was even more eerie were Namgung Dowi's eyes, sparkling between the swollen eyelids.

"Uhuh... Uwaaaaah!"

The Black Dragon King, pulling out the sword that had plunged into him, swung it forcefully.

Then Namgung Dowi's body soared into the air and crashed back to the ground. The body bounced up pitifully and was slammed back onto the ground.

"Hoooo... Hoooo! Hoooo..."

The Black Dragon King, breathing heavily, grabbed his throat with trembling hands. Even through the fingertips, it could be felt. The sword had penetrated a cun into his neck. [1 cun = 1.4 inch]

Even if the sword had pierced only half a cun more, his life would not have been guaranteed. It was just a matter of cuns that prevented him from losing his life to the likes of the Namgung Family's Sogaju.

'What in the world...'

Blood gushing from his throat flowed down his upper body.

The Black Dragon King didn't apply pressure to his neck to stop the bleeding and instead lowered his hand and stared quietly.

There was a clear red line. Due to gripping the sword with bare hands, a long scar was left on his remaining hand. What if this sword had penetrated deeper into his hand rather than his neck?

The tip of the Black Dragon King's chin trembled unconsciously. His gaze, filled with hatred, turned towards Namgung Dowi, who lay there as if dead.

He had experienced numerous battles.

Among them, the majority were those who bore grudges against the Black Dragon King, and others were like wolves exposing their fangs, trying to tear his body apart by any means necessary.

However, no enemy, no beast was as relentless as this guy.

"You..."

At that moment, Namgung Dowi slowly began to move.

His trembling arms laboriously pushed his body up. Just when it seemed like he was about to stand up, he lost his balance, slumped back down, and crashed to the ground.

The Black Dragon King was stunned, watching this spectacle.

A chill he had never felt even when faced with the imminent danger of losing his neck went over his spine.

"Huh..."

The blood-soaked face was now a mess, now caked with mud. Namgung Dowi raised his body.

The arm holding his sword was bleeding continuously, and the skin of his upper body, exposed through the tattered clothes, was dead black. There was evidence of numerous broken bones.

With such a battered appearance, who could imagine his original gracefulness?

However, one thing remained unchanged even in this state.

The eyes of Namgung Dowi watching the Black Dragon King.

"This..."

At that moment, the Black Dragon King, still stunned, clenched his teeth violently.

"You crazy bastard..."

No matter what anyone said, it was undoubtedly the Black Dragon King who benefited more from this exchange. Although Namgung Dowi left scars on his body, they were not fatal wounds. On the other hand, Namgung Dowi had suffered severe injuries that could easily lead to his death.

Considering the original strength each possessed, the outcome of the fight had already been decided.

However, both Namgung Dowi and the Black Dragon King knew.

This fight was far from over.

Namgung Dowi suddenly opened his mouth.

"I was curious."

Whether he was speaking to the Black Dragon King or muttering to himself, it was unclear.

"Why did he fight so fiercely? Why did he have to be so desperate?"

The Black Dragon King's face twisted at the incomprehensible words.

"What are you talking about?"

"...I was foolish. It's not that he wanted to fight like that. It was the only way to fight. If you're a weakling who must win, if you're a feeble one who must not lose, there was no other way."

The frozen tip of Namgung Dowi's sword scraped the ground and then slowly lifted.

In his weakened state, even the weight of the sword he always carried seemed burdensome. 

With the sword raised barely three cun off the ground, Namgung Dowi stared at the Black Dragon King like a predator targeting its prey.

He admired him. However, he couldn't understand.

Because he considered him as someone fundamentally different. So, no matter how much he imitated him, at the end of the day, he thought it would be difficult to fully understand him.

He was born strong, and Namgung Dowi was not. But now?

"It's different from back then."

A blue energy emanated from Namgung Dowi's eyes.

Now he knew.

His method was actually a way for the weak to fight because they had no other choice. If you were an absolute weakling who had to win, if you were a weakling who couldn't afford to lose, there was no other way.

So, Namgung Dowi could do it too.

The current Namgung Dowi was undoubtedly a weakling, a feeble creature that must thrust its fangs into the throat of that formidable enemy.

"You will be bitten to death by a bastard, Black Dragon of the Yangtze River."

Laughing, Namgung Dowi limped towards the Black Dragon King.