The side where the sword had cut him started to sting, and soon, a terrible pain surged through him.
The Black Dragon King was by no means a fool. His actions and harsh words were somewhat intentional. Contrary to his external appearance, his reasoning was mostly cold, and he faced reality.
But now, if it weren't for the sharp pain in his side, he would have wondered if this situation was a dream.
'I couldn't see it.'
That bastard's form, that sword.
'Was I careless?'
That wasn't even funny.
The Black Dragon King had decided to give it his all. In a situation where so many people were watching, he had to show an overwhelming presence and turn the flow of the battlefield toward the pirates. Careless behavior was out of the question in this task.
And yet, he couldn't see it. Not a bit.
'How though…'
Cold sweat ran down his back.
Then, that meant the kid's speed really exceeded the range he could perceive, and he was just barely past his teens?
'That makes no sense!'
That was impossible!
It was even harder to accept because the Black Dragon King wasn't stupid.
Everything in the world has its limits.
A tiger that could tear apart a bear as big as a house and crush rocks could exist. Maybe once in a thousand years, once in ten thousand years, such a tiger would appear.
But wasn't a tiger that flew already beyond the classification of being a 'tiger'? People could imagine a tiger that jumps, but they could not imagine a tiger that flew in the air. That was 'common sense'.
The idea that he could accept the skills of Chung Myung as they were now was no different from believing that there existed a tiger that could fly in the sky and also drop lightning.
Throb! Throb!
His wound and instincts were screaming at him to retreat from this opponent.
But his reason was screaming that he should never show weakness here.
In the fierce battle between instinct and reason, the Black Dragon King had no idea how to react.
Wheik!
Chung Myung, who had turned his sword and was holding it, walked towards the Black Dragon King.
Flinch.
The Black Dragon King desperately grabbed his feet, which were trying to move back without realizing it. The Black Dragon King of this world would retreat against such a brat? Even if he tore Chung Myung to pieces now, this would be a shame that would never leave him.
'What are you thinking!'
He gritted his teeth.
What did it matter whether the opponent was strong or not?
He couldn't retreat anyway. The moment he backed down, he would lose the right to be called the Black Dragon King. The pirates would be torn apart, and he would live his whole life being pointed at.
It was alright for the Evil Sects to be cutthroat, but he must never be a laughingstock.
Clench!
The Black Dragon King steeled himself and slammed the blade hard into the ground. Then, gritting his teeth, he held the sword with both hands and aimed at Chung Myung.
"Euk!"
Forget everything.
How strong he was in the past, how he became strong in just three years. That all doesn't matter in this spar.
All he had to think about was one thing: how to kill him!
"BRATTTTT!"
When you didn't know the strength of the opponent, the best you could do was defend. However, the Black Dragon King instead charged forward. He judged that he shouldn't get caught up in the opponent's flow.
The sight of him explosively charging ahead with the huge crescent blade was powerful enough to take the breath away from the opposite person. The ink-colored qi, which erupted from the tip of the blade, drew a line in the air, capturing everyone's attention.
However, his momentum seemed to have no effect on Chung Myung at all. Even as he watched the Black Dragon King fiercely charging ahead, Chung Myung's eyes were no different from the start of the match.
Even the way he walked toward the Black Dragon King showed no change. It was as if his eyes couldn't see the Black Dragon King.
Kwaang!
The extended foot rushing forward shook the entire island. With such a powerful step on the ground, blood gushed from his waist. The Black Dragon King pulled out all of his qi without waste and brought down the blade he had twisted and raised with all his might.
Paaaat!
At that sound, goosebumps ran down everyone's bodies.
It wasn't the force of the internal qi. His internal qi was not being released outside at all but was contained entirely in the blade. So, the only thing creating that hollow, low sound was the body of the Black Dragon King.
His body, trained countless times, spun around fiercely with elasticity like rubber and completely contained its qi in the blade. Just through that process, his body was creating a storm.
And the blade, which held all the strength of the body and the internal qi, fell as if it would split heaven and earth in two.
Even Baek Cheon, who was watching, had to clench his fist and tighten his entire body's muscles as the incredible blade rushed toward Chung Myung's head. It was an incredible speed.
'Bastard!'
But at that moment, a sense of doubt filled the Black Dragon King's eyes.
The blade was falling as if it would shatter Chung Myung's head, but he didn't show any reaction. He didn't make any moves to dodge or block the incoming attack.
He just stared blankly at the Black Dragon King and the falling blade with eyes that seemed to be observing.
And that was the moment.
The sword that had been hanging down suddenly shot up like lightning, all toward the blade falling toward Chung Myung's head.
The Black Dragon King reflexively amplified the amount of internal qi that was being pushed back in.
Kuuung!
That was the sound that resonated not from the outside but from within. The moment the blade and the sword clashed, the shock, which could be described as dull, dug into his insides.
But that was it. The power in that sword was too weak to block his blade.
'Just that!'
He put strength into the blade he was holding as if he was going to split Chung Myung from head to toe in an instant.
As expected, Chung Myung's sword, which was clinging to the blade, bounced back helplessly like a leaf caught in a storm.
But at that very moment.
Paaat!
The sword that had bounced away flew back in like a ray of light and collided with the Black Dragon King's sword.
Kuung! Kuung! Kuung!
A dull and loud thud erupted from inside the Black Dragon King's ears, not outside but inside.
The source of that thud was none other than the blade he was holding. The blade was vibrating at an incredible speed, making his entire body tremble like a large drum.
'T-this is…!'
The Black Dragon King clearly saw it.
The sight of the sword, which was nothing more than a sword but could never be considered a mere blade, drawing numerous trajectories in the short distance between the blade and Chung Myung.
It was like a meteor shower. A meteor shower that rose from the ground to the sky.
Like the flickering of stars in the night sky, the sword qi, which drew fantastic trajectories, was literally striking the blade of the Black Dragon King.
The qi contained in each sword was incomparable to that of the Black Dragon King. However, before the qi from the first sword strike had even dissipated, the second sword strike struck the blade, and before the qi could even be transmitted into the body, the third one came rushing in.
Dozens of consecutive strikes followed like that.
The moment when the qi of the consecutive strikes, which seemed to split into dozens, gathered at the center of the sword, everyone's mouth dropped open.
Kwaaang!
The Black Dragon King's blade bounced back.
The nine-foot-long crescent blade—it was the Black Dragon King himself, not someone else, who swung it with all his might. Yet, it bounced off a thin sword, and it felt unrealistic to him.
However, the one who felt the shock the most was none other than the Black Dragon King. His eyes widened as if they would tear.
Kwaaang!
Before the shock even reached his mind, the Black Dragon King kicked the ground. Since the blade had lost control, his instincts knew it was dangerous to remain at this distance.
But his opponent was Chung Myung.
Almost simultaneously with his retreat, Chung Myung followed him like a ghost.
Slash!
Soon, Chung Myung's sword cut open the Black Dragon King's thick pectoralis major muscle with almost absurd ease. He could clearly feel his chest being torn apart.
But there was something more horrifying than that.
The moment he saw the distorted eyes and the corners of his lips curling, the newly revealed white qi made the Black Dragon King feel as if his blood had gone cold.
Unable to hold back, the Black Dragon King let out a scream as if he were losing his mind.
"EUHHHHHH!"
The blade, which had bounced back, rushed towards Chung Myung's head.
But at that moment, Chung Myung's sword pierced the center of the Black Dragon King's wrist, which was holding the blade.
Clench!
The steel-like muscles were torn, and the sharp metal dug into the bones. But more than the cold sensation, this bitter coldness pierced the Black Dragon King's chest.
But.
"OHHHHH!"
The Black Dragon King was the Black Dragon King. He swung the crescent blade without paying attention to the sword embedded in his wrist as if he would split Chung Myung, even if it meant cutting off his wrist.
But at that moment, the Black Dragon King had to know.
There must be someone more insane than him in the world.
Clench!
Something blocked the crescent blade's path, which hadn't even swung halfway. The Black Dragon King opened his eyes wide after confirming the identity of the object that blocked the crescent blade.
'Hand?'
Chung Myung, who had swung the sword with great skill and stabbed the Black Dragon King's wrist, grabbed the Black Dragon King's crescent blade with his left hand.
Naturally, his hand split open, and blood flowed down the cut part. However, Chung Myung's eyes, visible through the blood, remained cold and sunken.
Clench!
Without any hesitation, the sword slipped out of the Black Dragon King's wrist and immediately unleashed dozens of sword forms.
The Black Dragon King instinctively tried to pull the long blade. However, the hand that was stuck to the blade did not let go easily, as if it had been glued.
'This fucking dog!'
The Black Dragon King drew out his internal qi and unfolded the blade. The hand holding the blade was swept away by the blade qi and began to tear apart.
But the Black Dragon King also had to pay a price for it.
Slash!
A vivid line was engraved on his upper arm.
Slash!
The sword form that dug into his thigh cut off all his muscles there.
Puaak!
The sword that dug into his side made a black hole the size of a child's fist in his steel-like abs.
Intense pain began to spread throughout his body.
"U-ughhhhh!"
He could clearly see the sword digging into his stomach. The Black Dragon King's eyes were bloodshot. Gritting his teeth, he concentrated his internal qi into his stomach. Then, he thrust the blade towards Chung Myung.
'If only there was no sword!'
Looking at the blade flying towards his face, Chung Myung smiled bitterly.
A moment later, something the Black Dragon King had never imagined happened.
Chung Myung let go of his sword, which was stuck in the Black Dragon King's stomach.
'What?'
The Black Dragon King was shocked, his heart nearly leaping into his throat.
Chung Myung extended his battered hand and seized the blade the Black Dragon King wielded. He could see the flesh on his hand tearing and scattering as it struggled to withstand the attack.
But in the next moment, the Black Dragon King witnessed Chung Myung's knee flying toward his face.
Kwaaang!
The Black Dragon King fell, blood streaming from him.
As he flew like a broken kite and crashed into the sand mound, a dead silence enveloped the entire island.
"Cough!"
The Black Dragon King convulsed violently and spat out blood.
His upper body shivering, he saw Chung Myung's sword embedded in his stomach.
"… Insane… utterly insane…"
Where in the world would you find such a person?
Even the Evil Sect didn't fight like that. No matter how vicious someone was, they wouldn't fight by sacrificing their own body in such a manner.
This kid was literally insane.
Through his blurred vision from the shock, he saw Chung Myung looking down at his ravaged left hand. He gazed at his hand indifferently without uttering a word, then wiped the blood flowing down as if it were merely an annoyance.
"Sword."
As soon as Chung Myung spoke, a white sword flew to him. He reached out and caught the flying sword, grinning.
"Nice."
It was the Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword, which had been initially thrown onto the island. Jo Gul had been quick to retrieve it.
Chung Myung nodded, satisfied with the feel of the sword in his hand.
After retrieving the sword, he turned to the Black Dragon King and moved.
Tap. Tap.
With each step, blood dripped from his wrist onto the white sand. It was a horrifying sight in its own right.
"Get up."
A voice colder than the northern wind flowed from Chung Myung's mouth.
"If not, don't speak nonsense with a hole in your body."
'Do you know about war? You?'
A twisted smile formed on his lips.
"I will tell you. Not about the war you play around with, but what real war actually is."
Those who saw the madness in Chung Myung's eyes at that moment lowered their gazes without realizing it.