Seomun Hwa-rin's fist, thrown for the first time not in defense but in counterattack.
The fist, wrapped in red Aura, seemed to swell to an enormous size in an instant—yet it shot forward in a straight, rapid line.
The moment it entered my field of vision, I knew instinctively.
'That I cannot block.'
Even if the force wrapped around my sword were Sword Force rather than Sword Flame, it would make no difference.
Better to dodge than to meet it head-on; no one could possibly stand in front of that fist and break it.
A single strike carrying an Aura so intense that such a thought was only natural.
But a sword already swung cannot be called back.
The fiercely blazing Sword Flame meets the Fist Force, condensed solidly into the shape of a fist. And then.
It shatters the Sword Flame and pushes forward. A decisive strike that permits not even a single moment of resistance.
Though the sword traces a trajectory incomprehensible even to one who has reached Sword-Mind Unity, it is nothing compared to Seomun Hwa-rin's fist.
The moment I grit my teeth, bracing for the coming impact.
Suddenly, the Aura emanating from Seomun Hwa-rin's fist weakens. The Fist Force remains, but the overwhelming pressure felt just moments ago has vanished. And then.
KWAANG!
With a loud noise, my body is sent flying backward.
"Kugh!"
"A-are you alright? You could have just dropped the sword, so why did you stubbornly hold onto it!"
Seomun Hwa-rin rushes over, flapping her arms, and examines my arms this way and that. At the sight, a hollow laugh escapes me.
No matter how I look at it, the difference between when she clenches her fist and when she doesn't is just too great.
Of course, Seomun Hwa-rin, apparently displeased with me chuckling to myself, puffs out her cheeks and glares at me with dissatisfaction.
"What's so amusing that you're laughing? You may not be as bad off as Hyang-i, but your body wasn't in perfect condition either. Do you want to end up back in bed the moment you recover?"
"It's not that."
"And why were you gripping the sword so tightly in the first place? I know you're serious about your sword, but I thought you didn't hold the same belief as those Taoist masters—that you must never let go of your sword no matter what."
"Well, if letting go of the sword means I can win, or if it means I can end things with just a little injury instead of death, I can let go anytime. But in this case, I had no choice."
"Speak, then."
"While maintaining Sword-Mind Unity, it becomes difficult to release the sword from my hand."
"…I see. So it's a state in which one regards the sword and body as one. I am a fist artist—my fists have been mine since birth—so I hadn't thought that far. No matter how urgent the situation, it's hard to simply tear off one's own arm."
"Yes. That's why I deliberately scattered my concentration to break Sword-Mind Unity, or treated the act of letting go itself as part of the Sword Art and tried to swing it that way from the start. …However."
"However?"
Seomun Hwa-rin tilted her head. As if chasing the last sensation still lingering in her hand, she clenched and unclenched her fist as she continued.
"That final sword strike was beyond my understanding. If even I don't know how I swung it, how am I supposed to control it?"
This was the problem that had been plaguing me for the past few days.
Sword-Mind Unity is a state where I can swing the sword exactly as I intend.
That means I can only ever deliver the perfect strike, one without a single flaw—but conversely, I can never unleash a sword that surpasses my own thoughts.
Yet the sword I struck in that final moment when I brought down the Blood Flame Fist Demon was the most perfect sword I had ever wielded. No—it was beyond that.
It was on a level beyond my understanding.
Perhaps that was why, no matter how many times I practiced alone, I could never reproduce that sword…
As expected, it was a good decision to ask Seomun Hwa-rin for help. Even if it took a little time, to succeed on the very first sparring match.
It's probably similar to how you can run faster when chasing someone running just ahead of you than when you run alone with no clear direction.
I nodded inwardly and continued.
"Isn't it strange? Of course, I know that enlightenment is inherently like that. At first, you don't fully understand it yourself, but as you look back, you come to grasp it bit by bit. If you keep swinging your sword within that vague sense and faint understanding of the time, it becomes ingrained… But that doesn't mean we deny the enlightenment we gained in the past, does it?"
"Hmm. So that's what's been troubling you."
"Yes. Sword-Mind Unity is the highest enlightenment I hold, the one closest to my very life itself. I wonder if it's right to deny it."
The sensation I felt when fighting the Blood Flame Fist Demon grows fainter and fainter, and since I can't reproduce that sword, my progress in making it my own has stalled?
Well, if I keep at it tirelessly, I'll surely make it mine again someday. It just takes longer than other things.
That, too, unsettles me, but not deeply.
What truly torments me is the thought that the lament of a pitiful swordsman who lost everything and was left with only a single sword in hand—that Sword-Mind Unity—might have been wrong, and that I might be the one trapping myself in a cage.
I do not wish to deny it. How could I possibly deny it?
It came after my regression, and I have since made it something that can never happen again… but even so, it is an enlightenment born from the mental image that forms the very foundation of who I am.
If someday the mental image I hold were to change on its own, and Sword-Mind Unity were to naturally transform along with it, that would be another matter.
But I did not want to prioritize a sudden, incomprehensible enlightenment over the past.
Even if it were the key to moving forward into the future.
…Yes. I know it well.
That this is an obsession, and another form of Simma.
Perhaps sensing my circumstances, Seomun Hwa-rin opened her mouth with a faint smile.
"I didn't expect you to experience it this soon… but in truth, your confusion is more common than you might think."
"Pardon?"
"The sword you swung just now. Do you know why you yourself don't understand it, and why I was so startled that I struck back in earnest?"
"I don't know."
"Because that sword strike carried a trace of Intent, however faint."
"…Intent?"
It was an answer I never expected.
The greatest wall separating the Transcendent Peak from the Harmony Realm. It was Intent that the me of my previous life had brushed against death countless times to reach, and even after actually dying once, had never been able to touch.
Intent was defined as will and thought.
Most martial artists use Intent, whether consciously or unconsciously… but its power was so feeble that it was difficult to see any significant effect, or so it was said.
It was a principle similar to how all beings in the world possess Qi in their bodies, yet not all of them are martial artists.
Even the killing intent I used so often was, in the sense that thought gains power, a very basic application of Intent.
However, once one began to truly wield Intent, many things changed.
Just as salt poured into saltwater eventually stops dissolving no matter how much more is added, no matter how much internal energy one gathers in a single place, it cannot be condensed beyond Qi Flame.
But Intent makes this possible by force. Aura is internal energy several times greater than Qi Flame, refined and compressed into a higher density.
That is why Aura can only be countered by Aura, and why, once one dons Protective Qi, even dozens or hundreds of Transcendent Peak martial artists charging in would find it difficult to inflict a proper wound.
Beyond that, there were feats like splitting a river with a single punch and overturning its very bottom, or creating an Extreme Poison capable of killing not just a person but even their internal energy itself, or a spear thrust that never fails to find its mark.
What makes such ordinarily impossible feats possible is precisely Intent.
"You're saying I used that Intent?"
"Correct. It was crude to the point of being clumsy… but I could clearly feel the Intent."
"…I'm a bit taken aback."
Undoubtedly, the enlightenment I had gained from my battle with the Blood Flame Fist Demon was a great stride in expanding my own limits.
However, no matter how wide one's stride may be, a single step is still a single step.
I had thought it would take me a long time to even reach the level of Intent… but here I was.
Seomun Hwa-rin let out a soft laugh at the sight of me wearing a bewildered expression instead of rejoicing, and continued speaking.
"What is there to be so surprised about? In the first place, you had already melted killing intent into all of your martial arts."
"There are countless martial artists who can emit killing intent, but that doesn't mean all of them can wield Intent."
"However, you are a somewhat special case. How many people do you think live with killing intent as thick as yours?"
"…"
That was true enough.
"It is a simple matter. Up until now, killing intent—a slight trace of Intent—was layered upon a sword that was swung first. This time, the Intent rose first, and the sword was swung as if chasing after it."
"…So that is why I cannot understand it, and why it is difficult to imitate. After all, it was not a swing born of the desire to swing."
"You are right. For the same reason, this is not an enlightenment that denies Sword-Mind Unity. According to your words, the defining trait of Sword-Mind Unity is perfectly transferring the ideal trajectory you envision in your mind into reality. Then where does that ideal trajectory come from?"
"It comes from the sword I have been swinging all this time."
"Then, is it not only natural that you cannot envision a sword you have never been able to swing—one you have never even thought of swinging?"
"I understand. However, it is also true that one question remains."
"What is it?"
"It is that even though it was my own Intent, I could not feel it. If Intent is will and thought, should I not be the first to notice it?"
"You have already been feeling it. You simply have not realized it."
"Pardon?"
If there was one thing I was confident in above all else, it was my ability to control myself.
So my pride was slightly wounded, but the words that followed made me understand completely.
"Well. Though it is called Intent, is it not merely at the level of a child taking its first steps? It is enough to serve as a clue pointing toward the Harmony Realm, but… countless martial artists have died clinging to nothing more than such clues. Do not become too arrogant or excited."
"I will keep that in mind. …Still, would a little advice be too much to ask?"
"Of course, this one does feel something faintly. That is why this one also put her Intent into that final strike. …However, this one cannot put it into words for you."
"Why not?"
When I spoke with a hint of disappointment, Seomun Hwa-rin's eyes wavered as if her heart had softened. But soon she shook her head vigorously and spoke with a resolute demeanor.
"As I said before, it is because your Intent is at the level of a toddler. Is it not said that no one knows what a child will grow up to become? Yet, for this one to define it would be to confine you within limits based on a vague sensation."
"Ah."
"You are still young, and you are not someone who will stop here. So do not be impatient, do not compromise, and simply think and wish with fierce intensity. Do not confine your own martial art."
Having said that, Seomun Hwa-rin raised her fist toward me with a thump.
She continued, as if a little embarrassed.
"…Of course, if you want advice that is vague and theoretical, I can give you as much as you like."
"Even that is precious to me."
As I bowed my head, Seomun Hwa-rin gently tickled her own forehead with the raised fist and continued speaking.
"Intent is but a single thought. Do not forget this."
"I will take it to heart."
With those words, I raised my head again, and Seomun Hwa-rin clicked her tongue as if a little disappointed while withdrawing her fist.
I looked down at her for a moment before carefully adding,
"Senior Seomun Hwa-rin. There's still plenty of time before evening—would you be willing to keep me company a while longer?"
"Hm?"
At my words, Seomun Hwa-rin's eyes went wide, and she broke into a bright smile, nodding vigorously.
"Of course, that's fine! Come at me once more!"
After that, we sparred in utter chaos.