STM 139

His wide-eyed surprise lasted only a moment; he couldn’t feel that exhilarated.

He unleashed his power like that several times, and the powerful wind continued to rage.

But something was missing. No matter how much wind he unleashed, he felt thirsty. After continuously, continuously drawing out his power, he reached a limit.

Why? Unable to figure out the reason, he stopped releasing his power. After all, he had a master who could provide the answer. But Sornihil was kneeling, hands pressed against the ground, gasping for breath.

‘I’m fine.’

She forced a smile, but her eyes, fixed on her own hands, trembled. He later realized the reason for her agitation was his own great vessel, but by then it was already too late.

‘Creating a rift in space with the power of the divine beast is my duty.’

‘You’re trying to do it instead of me. If you fail, the emperor won’t just stand by. Since I can wield greater power than you, I might succeed…’

‘It’s not for you. It’s what the divine beast desires.’

‘Why would the divine beast want that? How could you possibly know its will?’

She smiled awkwardly.

‘The power flowing through me has always said so. It wants to fly higher, higher. It longs to transcend its limits.’

Unbelievable, yet he was momentarily startled that the divine beast’s desire mirrored his own. He too had felt the stifling limits while wielding its power and yearned to break through them. Sornihil raised both hands and looked down.

‘This is the last gift I can give the divine beast.’

Tairok understood the meaning of ‘last’ this way: the divine beast’s power would fully transfer to him, leaving Sornihil unable to use that power anymore.

Had he known it meant her life, he would have stopped her no matter what.

But Tairok didn’t know, and she ultimately left. The young Tairok, having lost the one he depended on, fell into despair.

Back then, he needed someone to direct his arrows of rage at. The emperor, the rotten power-holders, even the divine beast.

The seed of hatred that sprouted in his young heart took root and grew until he became an adult. Like leaves rustling in the wind, mere mention of those targets triggered a reflexive outpouring of hatred. So he didn’t need the power of the Borhumi divine beast. That’s what he believed. Even if accepting that power was the only way to survive. That’s why he rejected the power of the Borhumi divine beast.

Yet, absurd nagging easily broke his will.

‘So you’re fine with dying a dog’s death here? Do you wish to have Kun’s name added to Borhumi’s grave?’

The old him would have chosen a dog’s death. But for some reason, he didn’t want to disappoint the one glaring at him with cat-like eyes.

That was how he felt the power of the divine beast for the first time in ages. That alien power awakened his dormant thirst.

The limit he wanted to break through, pouring out the divine beast’s power in a trance. Impatience flowed through his veins, urging him on.

You want to, don’t you? You want to break out of the shell.

But the deep-rooted tree of hatred quickly withered that impulse. So the thirst he’d felt had to be quenched in another way.

That opportunity soon came again. When he faced Dorgo at Crystal Lake, the divine power remaining in Tairok’s body was almost gone. Needless to say, he couldn’t even use his sword master’s aura.

It was a situation where he had to face the enemy defenseless, without a single weapon, but Tairok did not hesitate. Rage squeezed the power out of him. And the moment he brought his sword down on Dorgo, the shell cracked.

Power erupted from his blade. The mass of force, enveloped in intense light, took the shape of lightning, yet it was not an aura. Dorgo, whose arm was severed in an instant, noticed it too.

‘How could he summon real lightning…’

That single strike could have killed Dorgo, but it never appeared again. Returning home, he trained under the pretense of recovery, trying again and again to summon that power, but failed.

So he needed the same situation again. The moment he pushed himself to the extreme and touched that shell again. Bayan before him now was a perfect opponent.

As she stepped forward, the two disciples instead retreated. A battle between two powerful sword masters was decided by just a few initial clashes.

And from the tips of the swords of the two who did not retreat, auras flared up, and simultaneously, they charged toward each other.

Bayan’s aura split and split again, fluttering like dozens of thin ribbons and enveloping Tairok. But from Tairok’s hand emanated an aura like lightning.

A whip-like bolt of lightning sliced through Bayan’s aura. The collision of power and power sent a reverberating sound through the earth and sky.

There was no smoke, no explosion, but instead a powerful dust storm radiated out from the center of the collision. The force was too much for a human to withstand, and Bayan stumbled back several steps.

But she didn’t retreat indefinitely. She swung her sword through the air several times in quick succession, and crescent-shaped auras poured forth from the blade’s tip one after another.

Yet, they posed no threat to Tairok, who charged toward her. With his large frame, he leaped into the air, easily evading the attack.

Seeing this, a smile flickered in Bayan’s eyes. The reason was that one crescent-shaped aura had, at some point, turned back.

The small crescent quickly and silently approached Tairok from behind. Tairok was just landing on the ground and couldn’t jump up again to evade.

His only option was to turn his back and block the aura with his sword. Bayan assumed he would naturally choose this path. Attacking Tairok in that exposed moment would secure her victory.

However, Tairok’s unexpected reaction made Bayan’s eyes harden. Instead of halting his charge toward Bayan, he actually accelerated.

Is he insane?!

His instincts should have made him aware of the attack flying toward his back. Even if luck allowed him to miraculously dodge, the mere graze would inflict severe wounds.

Yet he seemed unconcerned about injury. Slaughtering Bayan was his sole purpose.

Why?

Bayan wondered, but she had no time to ponder it. Tairok was already before her, raising his sword high.

Clang! Clang!

The clash of blades echoed through the forest like a metallic roar.

Clang-clang~ Thud!

The blades slid past each other, clashing repeatedly. Bayan was forced back by the force. Yet Tairok showed no mercy, swinging his sword relentlessly.

Clang!

As the blades met again, Tairok sneered.

“Do it properly. This isn’t fun.”

This bastard.

Rage flared in Bayan’s eyes. No matter how many decades she’d honed her swordsmanship, facing countless opponents, she’d never encountered such recklessness.

Yet, there was no vicious intent directed at her. Instead, those golden eyes were filled with laughter.

Like someone thrilled to death by the prospect of giving up his life. She’d never heard that Kun Tairok had lost his mind.

“Fun?”

Clang!

The two blades collided again, the recoil sending both of them stumbling backward. Bayan adjusted her grip on her sword and sneered.

“What good is worrying about fun when you’re about to die?”

Unlike before, her eyes began to glow like a beast’s. Facing that, the smile in Tairok’s eyes deepened.

As if he genuinely wished Bayan would pour every ounce of strength into it. And just as they were about to charge at each other, something happened.

Both launched themselves forward simultaneously, but instead of advancing, they moved in completely opposite directions.

The reason became clear instantly. An unexpected attack struck the spots they had just occupied.

Crack!

Thud!

The aura that slammed into Bayan’s former position felled surrounding trees, while the aura that struck Tairok’s spot tore deep into the ground, shaking the earth.

Rather than panic, their gazes sharpened with alertness.

Who dared to interfere in a sword master’s fight?

Tairok, having stepped back, repositioned his sword and turned to look for the newly appeared attacker. Who could possibly generate an aura like that?

Unlike Tairok, who was filled with questions, Bayan seemed to recognize the opponent’s identity just from the aura. Her face twisted as she spat out through clenched teeth.

“…You.”

Rustle.

Amid the sound of crushed leaves, a figure emerged from between the trees Bayan was glaring at. A middle-aged woman with graying hair. Black Bear. She surveyed the interior with impassive eyes, murmuring as if reading a book.

“What a pity. It was an opportunity to eliminate all the divine families.”

Then she suddenly threw whatever she held in her hand to the ground. Simultaneously, Bayan lunged toward her.

“Black Bear!!!!”

Bayan’s furious shout echoed through the forest. But already, the air beneath Black Bear’s feet shimmered like heat waves, and her figure was vanishing. But Bayan commanded her disciples in a murderous voice.

“It’s a short-range portal. She couldn’t have left the forest. Search every inch!”

She led the way, plunging deep into the forest, her disciples following. The commotion died down, and soon, silence fell.

But Tairok’s gaze, watching this scene, couldn’t tear itself away from one spot. The ground where Black Bear had attacked him.

The dust cloud had obscured something from the others. That mist-like aura had attacked, missing the spot where Tairok had been standing.

Tairok’s eyes flashed coldly. Who dared try to help me?