Chapter 62
The Eve of War (2)
The space of the pure white “Room.”
Namgung Hyuk was now facing the most difficult opponent he could imagine in virtual combat.
Kwak! Kwak! Kwakwa!
A fierce barrage of attacks.
Namgung Hyuk instinctively began stepping into the Yeondaegu Steps to avoid the rain of sword energy.
It wasn’t as refined as Hye-yeon’s performance at the Hero Tournament finals, but it was still more than enough to dodge the attacks.
‘Lightning Dragon Form!’
He slashed his sword, unleashing the technique.
But the opponent effortlessly dodged the ray of light that extended from his blade—
—and charged forward with his sword leading the way.
Cha-cha-chang!
Their swords collided, the force between them intensifying.
And the opponent matched his rising energy perfectly.
Bzzzt!
Along with his qi waves, lightning crackled and burst forth!
But—shockingly—the opponent’s sword also radiated lightning.
The figure swinging at Namgung Hyuk was none other than—
Namgung Hyuk himself.
‘To think facing myself would be this difficult…’
He thought to himself as he infused his sword with lightning, merging qi and sword energy to form Sword Thunder (Geomroe) and swung fiercely.
The illusion mirrored him exactly, responding with a sword also cloaked in thunder.
Their strikes collided again and again—it was like staring into a mirror.
‘Our strength and technique are evenly matched. Even our thoughts are identical. There’s no opening to exploit.’
How could he defeat his own reflection?
For now, Namgung Hyuk continued pressing forward, his attacks unrelenting.
Each sword strike wasn’t a mere swing—it was one of the Ten Divine Dragon Swords.
With Dragon-Smashing Form, he broke his opponent’s stance.
With Dragon-Shattering Form, he thrust for the heart.
And with Dragon-Breaking Form, he blasted the opponent away, even through his guard.
Having surpassed the limits of mastery, he could now execute these techniques naturally, beyond mere form.
“……”
But then, his illusion unleashed an attack unlike anything before.
Kuwaaa-boom!
A thrust—
the Dragon-Shattering Form concentrated at the sword’s tip, with spinning force that sent Sword Thunder roaring outward.
‘Well done, me.’
Though it appeared as a straight thrust, the rotating energy gave it terrifying penetrating power.
Knowing firsthand the destructive force of that strike, Namgung Hyuk gathered qi into his legs and leapt upward with explosive power.
He barely dodged it by a hair’s breadth.
Whoosh!
But the illusion wouldn’t let him escape—it too took to the air, sword extending toward him.
‘Not so fast!’
Namgung Hyuk focused qi into the Yongchu Point on his soles and kicked off midair—
it was Cloud Dragon’s Eight-Step Method, the secret movement art of Kunlun.
He soared higher than his illusion and flipped his body downward.
“Haaaaaat!”
With a roar, Namgung Hyuk unleashed Hundred Dragon Form.
From his sword burst forth twelve dragons—
no longer white, but a violent blue due to the thunder coursing through them—
and they crashed down on his illusion.
Chwa-cha-cha-cha!
Countless slashes filled the air.
Overwhelmed by the storm of dragons, the illusion was slammed into the ground.
Moments later, Namgung Hyuk landed.
[Your mastery of “Ten Divine Dragon Swords” has risen to 8 Stars.]
The result of pushing himself to his absolute limits.
“That was rough.”
He lay flat on his back, exhaling.
Now he could understand how those who fought him must have felt.
“Still… fighting myself taught me a lot.”
Without a master to guide him, he’d uncovered subtle bad habits and flaws on his own.
Deciding to rest where he lay, he gazed up at the blank ceiling of the “Room.”
‘If only I had more time…’
He’d honed his martial arts and improved his combat sense fighting illusions,
but he couldn’t help feeling a sense of regret.
With enough time, he could have perfected the Ten Divine Dragon Swords—
mastered both Yeondaegu Steps of Shaolin and Cloud Dragon’s Eight-Step Method of Kunlun—
and perhaps even combined them to create a new martial art.
But now, there was no time for leisurely training.
Namgung Hyuk recalled what had happened in the real world—six shijin (about twelve hours) ago.
* * *
“Tomorrow at the hour of the dragon (7–9 a.m.), the Vermilion Bird Division will depart for Hefei.”
That was the news Namgung Hyuk heard when he returned from the “Room” that morning, pretending he hadn’t been inside training.
His division—the Vermilion Bird Unit—was being sent to support the Namgung Clan.
For Namgung Hyuk, who had long wished to protect his family, this was the best possible news.
But soon, he learned something unsettling—
the Vermilion Bird Unit was the only force being sent.
Thud!
“Why is the Vermilion Bird Unit going alone?”
He stormed to Deputy Leader Yang Mi-ryeong’s office—
since Commander Lee Ja-ryong was away at a meeting—
and demanded an answer.
Yang Mi-ryeong looked at him with a hardened expression, then sighed.
“It was decided by those above us.”
“I’m asking why such a decision was made!”
Sending only one division ahead to support the Namgung Clan before the main alliance forces gathered—
was absurdly insufficient.
That was why Namgung Hyuk was furious.
Understanding his concern, Yang Mi-ryeong didn’t scold him and continued explaining.
“Ordinarily, we would’ve sent more. But the situation has changed.”
She told him about the recent Blood Massacre caused by the Demonic Alliance.
They’d slaughtered not just martial artists but innocent civilians too—
and Namgung Hyuk’s brows furrowed deeply.
“Because of that, many small sects in Guangxi and Hunan have sealed their gates—or surrendered to the Demonic Alliance.”
That effectively meant there were no righteous sects left in the southern provinces.
And the repercussions were huge.
“The smaller sects in other regions have become restless as well. It’s disrupted all our strategic plans.”
The Martial Alliance’s headquarters in Wuhan had intended to build multiple defensive lines to block the Demonic Alliance’s advance—
—but with some of those lines now unmanned, dangerous gaps had formed.
“The Namgung Clan may be the central pillar of one defense line, but if the others collapse, it won’t matter.”
“……”
“So the forces that were meant to reinforce Namgung Clan were redirected elsewhere.”
Namgung Hyuk finally understood.
That was when he threw himself harder than ever into training within the “Room.”
‘The Namgung Clan won’t fall easily…’
The clan had twelve hundred sword masters trained in the Azure Sky Sword Art.
And they had Sword King Namgung Bi-do, one of the Ten Great Masters of the current age,
and the only one who had actually fought in the last war against the Demonic Sect.
Even if they were outnumbered many times over, the clan wouldn’t fall easily.
Besides—
‘I’ll be there too.’
Namgung Hyuk’s eyes gleamed fiercely.
With the Vermilion Bird Unit, he would defend the Namgung Clan—no matter what.
He left the “Room” with renewed determination.
Normally, discipline in the Vermilion Bird Unit was lax.
But with war at their doorstep—and Commander Lee Ja-ryong back—the members moved briskly, preparing for departure.
Having gathered his small team of three, Namgung Hyuk finished packing as well.
‘If we hurry, we can reach Hefei in four days.’
But even that wasn’t much comfort, given the Demonic Alliance’s faster-than-expected advance.
And though preparations were complete, they still hadn’t departed.
‘What’s going on? Is someone else joining us?’
Perhaps a high-ranking officer wanted to give an unnecessary speech to boost morale.
Just as Namgung Hyuk thought that, someone not of the division appeared—
a young woman in white martial attire, lightly equipped for travel.
It was Jegal Rin.
Upon her arrival, Commander Lee Ja-ryong announced:
“This mission also includes protecting Lady Jegal, our young strategist.”
Namgung Hyuk blinked in surprise. This hadn’t been mentioned before.
Then Lee Ja-ryong turned to him.
“Captain Namgung, your team will serve as Lady Jegal’s personal guard.”
It was a practical choice—
with only three members, his team couldn’t serve on the front line like larger groups.
Namgung Hyuk immediately objected.
“Please reconsider, Commander. I wish to fight on the front lines to protect my family.”
“I understand your feelings. But protecting Lady Jegal—who will devise the strategies to defend Namgung Clan—is equally vital.”
“……”
He couldn’t argue with that.
Jegal Rin was a brilliant strategist, recognized even by the Alliance’s Strategy Division.
Her presence would be a massive boon to the Namgung Clan.
He couldn’t deny that protecting her was a crucial responsibility.
“…Understood.”
Namgung Hyuk reluctantly accepted.
Even so, he knew there would come a moment when he’d be needed in battle.
“Prepare to march!”
At Lee Ja-ryong’s command, the unit finally departed.
Mounted on warhorses from the northern steppes, they sped down the main road beneath the fluttering banner of the Vermilion Bird.
It was a forced march, almost without rest.
Namgung Hyuk glanced sideways—
Jegal Rin, to his mild surprise, handled her horse well, keeping pace with the charging division.
Behind him, a groan sounded.
“Ugh… ughhh…”
It was Kim Ji-seok, the only one who couldn’t ride a horse, sharing one with Namgung Hyuk.
“Are you alright?”
No answer—his hands clutched Namgung Hyuk’s waist in terror.
‘Looks like I’ll have to teach him how to ride later.’
Namgung Hyuk turned his gaze forward again.
Just months ago, he had walked this very same road—alone.
‘To think I’d be returning like this…’
In one sense, it was a triumphant return—
but remembering the reason for it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
As he rode, he pondered the battles ahead.
‘It’s the Namgung Clan, after all. The enemy will send their best.’
Who would the Demonic Alliance deploy?
The stronger the opponents, the greater the danger—
but also, the greater the opportunity for him to grow.
‘Even now, I’m thinking about getting stronger first, huh…’
Namgung Hyuk couldn’t help but smile faintly at his own unquenchable hunger for strength.
