Published at 26th of January 2026 9:27 am

Chapter 337

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A blade so blunted it couldn't possibly be used as a sword.

Yu Yun gripped it tightly, staring straight ahead.

Bang Sung-Yun. He was staring directly at her.

"Let's have a match."

He appeared out of nowhere, dragged her out, and challenged her to a fight. What's this? Her mind was a tangled mess. She couldn't figure out what this sudden situation meant.

"......"

Yu Yun looked at Bang Sung-Yun with a puzzled expression, but he simply waited for her answer, having already spoken his piece.

A match? Now?

"......"

Yu Yun looked at Bang Sung-Yun, then turned around. That was where her master lay.

He expected her to fight here? Yu Yun shook her head.

She meant to show she wouldn't.

"Running away?"

"......"

Freeze.

At Bang Sung-Yun's next words, she froze in place.

"You go on about being one of the rising stars and all that, but in an actual fight, you can't even kill a person or protect anyone. Now you're going to try running away, too?"

"......"

That stung. She felt like her insides had been scraped raw. Why was he going this far? Yu Yun's gaze sharpened.

Still, Bang Sung-Yun's attitude didn't change at all.

"I bet the Sect Leader would be so pleased to see you like this."

"......"

Grit. Yu Yun gripped the sword. Unconsciously, her presence started to spill out.

The worn-out sword. Clutching it, Yu Yun pointed the tip at Bang Sung-Yun.

At that moment.

Suuuuu--!!!

Flower petals gently began to settle from the sky, centering around her.

***

'Wow.'

Secretly, I swallowed dryly at the scene before me.

'Amazing.'

How should I put it? Facing Yu Yun as my opponent, it felt like staring at the vastness of nature itself. She was merely holding a sword.

She was beautifulbut she looked so wild it was almost bewildering. Just by holding a sword, something had changed.

She was beautiful. The way Yu Yun danced with her sword at night had always been that way. More a sword dance than swordsmanship, with delicate, wavering movements atop light, graceful stepsalmost impossibly lovely.

'But this is deadly.'

Now that deadly edge was pointed my way, my thoughts changed.

'Is this why everyone was so shocked?'

Maybe it was her aura.

Or her very presence.

As an opponent, Yu Yun was nothing like the clumsy girl I once knew.

'A beast.'

I bristled. The pressure was intenserelentlessly so.

Yu Yun faced me with a chilling presence.

Suuu.

A subtle floral scent drifted through the tranquil air. Though not a true fragrance, it was a familiar aura, one I'd grown used to after coming to Mount Hua Sect.

'... Mount Hua Sect's divine art.'

Plum blossom swordsmanship, said to embody falling plum petals and the majesty of nature.

It was a signature of their mind technique.

You foul brat.

From behind, Sung Hun looked at me, sounding appalled.

Didn't think you'd use me as an excuse.

Maybe he was bothered that I'd used provoking the Sect Leader to rile Yu Yun up.

I grinned.

'Who cares.'

If I could make use of anythingeven thatI would.

Why did you even challenge that child to a fight?

I guessed Sung Hun couldn't understand why I picked a fight with Yu Yun. Of course. It wasn't because I liked fighting for its own sake.

'I have my own reasons.'

The reason was the sword Yu Yun held. The goal, to strip away the karma from that sword.

If I took an item left by a ghost, that karma would get transferred to me.

If I'd found it by chance, maybe it'd be fine. But if I'd taken it with information from a ghost, it became a problem.

No matter how battered it was, that sword was heavy with narrative.

'The one who wielded that sword was no ordinary person.'

Sect Leader of Mount Hua Sect, a hero, one of the Heaven Beyond Heaven.

Since he used that sword, it certainly carried his story. Such a grand story, for someone unapproved, would act as a curse.

And the unapproved one was me.

A being who twisted fate, who made miracles out of those who died due to twisted destiny.

The world hated people like that.

It even dealt terrible curses to those who wore clothes that didn't fit.

'That's why.'

If I accepted that sword as it was, that karma would pile onto my spirit and become a curse. So I needed a solution. Fortunately, there was a way.

'It's a loophole, but...'

That's why I'd given the sword to Yu Yun.

By having the person with fate use the sword before I owned iteven if we're linked by fatethat was the trick.

'I've already touched it, so some aftereffects are inevitable...'

I layered one narrative over another.

The stronger Yu Yun's presence, the more the sword's karma would be concealed.

'... Not bad.'

The conditions were solid. Yu Yun was extraordinarily talented. She was Sung Hun's disciplethe true owner's.

'Daughter of the Heavenly Demon.'

The actual blood daughter of the Heavenly Demon, which gave her the Heaven-Slaying Star trait.

Not a typical narrative, and in my view, it was definitely high grade. At this point

'It should be enough.'

If I let her wear it for a while beforehand, it'd be manageable.

So I had to make her use her full strength.

'Make her wield the sword as best she can.'

And pour emotion into it.

That was how I would free myself from that sword's karma.

Bury one narrative with another.

If you're the one passing it along, it's a necessary step.

'... Even setting that aside.'

Suuu...

Watching Yu Yun draw on her power, I composed myself as well. To be precise, I felt Sung Hun behind her, eyes closed.

'Seems like it must be done.'

Pointless meddlingor perhaps unwarranted concern.

I couldn't say exactly whybut it felt necessary.

For her, not for me.

Shiiik-!!!

"......!"

With a flash, a sword was caught in my Moon Eye technique. I didn't even consciously trigger itlight already filled my vision.

Virtuous Moon Sword Path.

The sword's path dug sharply in. The problem: there were many, many of those paths.

Just a single thrust. Yet Yu Yun's advance was a single line that split into nearly dozens of branching paths.

Flick-!

I twisted my head, dodging.

'No time to think.'

Which is real? No time to figure that out. Notuntil it was almost at my nose could I twist aside and evade.

'Damn.'

This confirmed I'd improved. Before, this dodge would've been impossible. My body felt unbelievably light.

Whirr.

Using the recoil from twisting my head, I spun once and slashed at Yu Yun.

Crrreeak-!!!

'Huh.'

Somehow, Yu Yun had already retrieved her sword to block. The blade scraped right along mine, yet the old sword held firm, special despite its shabbiness.

Slik.

The sword that was pushing me back shifted its angle. Not my doing. Yu Yun had effortlessly deflected me.

The scent of blossoms struck my nose.

Plum Blossom Swordsmanship.

Plum Blossom Dream Incense Technique.

Purple-red sword ki enveloped the area. A full bloom of petals. My vision was completely obscured. Sensing this, I moved my body.

Shiiik-!!!

I dodged her thrusting sword. My vision was momentarily shaken.

'But Moon Eye can still see.'

Even in that chaos, Virtuous Moon Sword Path found a way.

Dodging repeated strikes, I turned my eyes. There were no gaps at alleach of Yu Yun's piercing attacks came as tightly packed as possible.

'... But slow?'

Strangely, I thought her sword seemed slow. Was it because I'd reached Transcendence? My sight and body felt so much sharper and faster than before.

Even

Ting!

"......!"

I exploited a mid-swing gap to twist Yu Yun's sword path.

'I can see it.'

I saw.

Things I'd never seen before, I now saw. As my body grew faster, I sensed more.

Which meant

'I could even go further.'

Yu Yun, startled, hesitated, then slashed again.

Ting!

"......!!"

Again, I parried it aside.

The thing that really changed when I gained this awareness

'I can see her habits.'

How many steps she takeshow much her shoulders move alonghow her nose or gaze shifts when cutting side-to-side.

I could see it all.

"......"

Yu Yun looked at me, her face twisting. Change happened fast.

Her sword strikes were the same, but they'd already shifted.

'Her habits disappeared.'

What used to stand out faded. Like what that madman from the Peng Family used to dospot possible weaknesses and immediately fix them.

'That's why geniuses are...'

Geniuses of a different caliber are a real pain.

I bit my lips and moved in.

Ting! Ting ting-!!

Sword and sword clashed repeatedly for quite a while.

"......"

Yu Yun's face kept hardening. Was she surprised at how I could fight her? Or

'Is it because she realized she's losing?'

Maybe she'd realized she was slowly losing ground.

Probably the latter.

'I never thought I'd be able to push her this far myself.'

Yu Yun had always seemed overwhelmingly strong. Even to me, she was a monster. But with some new advances, I was pushing her back. Strange.

Of course,

'I doubt that's the only reason.'

There must be some reason. As I recalled that, I widened the distance.

"What are you doing?"

"......"

At my words, Yu Yun stiffened as well.

"If this is all you've got, what's the point? Are you going easy on me?"

"......"

Yu Yun's eyes said no, as if denying it.

"Give me a break. You're scared, so you're holding back. Isn't that it?"

"......"

"You're afraid something weird is going to happen like last time. That I might die, just like before. Isn't that right?"

"......"

Yu Yun's eyes trembled. She looked like I'd hit the mark.

The Heaven-Slaying Stardid she even know she had it? Either way, she was obviously afraid of something.

Knowing that, she was hesitating to fully wield her sword.

So

"Enough."

I needed to overcome that first.

"No matter what you do, I'll win anyway."

"......"

"Being scared like that gets you nowhere. Look."

I gripped the Divine Sword.

I poured my power into it.

Saaahhhhhh...!!

Radiant Moon Annihilation rebelled. A beautiful glow burst out as sword ki.

"You couldn't protect your master, or yourself. And now you're worrying about someone else?"

"......"

As I mentioned Sung Hun, Yu Yun's brows showed another reaction. Man, every time I said something, I felt how ill-suited to this I was.

Bringing up someone's precious person like that, dragging it into things.

"Worry about yourself. You haven't even done everything you can. What's the point of being afraid? Living like this, you won't be able to protect anything in the future, either"

Pause.

I stopped mid-sentence.

Yu Yun's aura had changed.

Not just her aura.

'The atmosphere...'

Somehow the air itself seemed heavier.

Oh no...!

Sung Hun's urgent voice reached me.

But

Suuuuuuuuuu.

'Oh....'

Too late, Yu Yun's shadow wavered.

Chills. My skin bristled all over.

Just like beforethe murderous intent. Lethal aura leaked from Yu Yun's body.

But it wasn't identical to last time.

Not enough to overwhelm the entire space.

The problem

'... Looks like I went too far.'

Even at that level, I found myself very intimidated.

I realized it wasn't just my imagination.

Crash!!

"Ugh?!"

Yu Yun's sword thrust for my throat.

I barely managed to block itand felt sure.

'... I'm screwed.'

This was going to be rougher than I'd thought.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Still lost. Tsk.

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