A fierce fighting spirit blazed up from Seomun Hwa-rin's small frame as if she had caught fire.
Wrapped in a crimson Aura, Seomun Hwa-rin presented a completely different impression from usual as she clenched her fist toward the relatively intact Slaughter Kings.
"I hereby declare. From this point forward, not even a single ant shall pass."
She said the words, but honestly, her odds were not high.
Seomun Hwa-rin was certainly strong, but if asked whether she ranked among the top of Harmony Realm Martial Artists, the answer would be no.
After all, many absolute masters had been in the Harmony Realm for decades, while Seomun Hwa-rin had only been there for a few years at most.
She had grown quickly since entering the Harmony Realm thanks to the real combat experience she had accumulated while following Cheon Hwi, but her limits were clear.
Above all, she was a Martial Artist whose specialty was pure, straightforward combat.
Against someone like the Slaughter King, who fought in a bizarre style based on stealth, her matchup could only be unfavorable.
Moreover, now that the Taiji Divine Sword had fallen, was Seomun Hwa-rin not left to fight alone?
The only saving grace was that the Taiji Divine Sword had managed to behead one of the Slaughter Kings at the very end, leaving only two remaining.
Thus, despite her solemn declaration, the situation was extremely disadvantageous.
Even so, she had no choice.
Had she not made a promise? While Cheon Hwi was absent, Seomun Hwa-rin herself would protect Tang So-wol and Seol Ri-hyang.
"So stop rolling your eyes and look at me!"
Seomun Hwa-rin's fist shot out with lightning speed. A light but fast strike, with some of her power held back.
Yet the Aura contained within it was considerable, so even that alone produced tremendous Power.
BOOM!
The spot where the Slaughter King had been standing, moments after piercing the back of the Taeguk Divine Sword, exploded outward.
A Loud Noise. And rising dust. It was proof that while this was undoubtedly the fastest punch Seomun Hwa-rin could throw, for the Slaughter King, it was slow enough to see and dodge.
Hiding their bodies in that obscured vision, the Slaughter Kings threw themselves at Seomun Hwa-rin.
The cloned Slaughter Kings lacked self-awareness, but their intelligence was fully intact, so they saw this as their opportunity.
Two Slaughter Kings vanished from sight as if they had never been there. At that, a sound of clicking tongues came from Seomun Hwa-rin's mouth.
"Tsk. So it seems that just because they're cloned, the alias of Slaughter King doesn't become any lighter."
Seomun Hwa-rin had been trying to track the hidden Slaughter Kings' movements through the thickening dust, but—
Though the rising dust scattered in the wind, it never dispersed according to the Slaughter Kings' movements.
That was because the Slaughter Kings were moving along the flow of the wind, but there was no way for Seomun Hwa-rin to know that.
Giving up on the dust-obscured vision, she simply swung her fist on instinct.
KAAANG!
Fragments of Aura scattered through the air. The shockwave that erupted half a beat late pushed the surrounding dust far away, clearing her vision.
It was the result of Seomun Hwa-rin's Aura—redder than usual—colliding with the Slaughter Kings' transparent Aura.
Seomun Hwa-rin had faced the Slaughter King before. When she had fought alongside Cheon Hwi against the Green Forest Chief, she had watched that battle up close, and though she had withdrawn quickly due to a poor matchup, she had still exchanged a few blows with him.
That was why she threw her fist on instinct, trusting her sense of when and where he would strike—and it landed cleanly.
But her opponent was not alone.
Slicing.
"Kuh!"
Another blade cut through her thick Protective Qi and dug into her shoulder.
She twisted her body the moment the blade touched her Protective Qi, but she couldn't dodge it completely, and in the end, she was cut.
The wound wasn't deep. It hurt, but it didn't hinder her movement, and the bleeding wasn't severe either.
But the important part was that she had been wounded even by a simple coordinated attack.
Although the Taiji Divine Sword had taken down one Slaughter King, it was also proof that Seomun Hwa-rin lacked the capacity to face the remaining two at the same time.
The order given to the Slaughter Kings sent to the rear was just one thing.
Kill as many of the rising talents as possible.
And with that purpose in mind, they made their mechanical judgment.
Rather than trying to reach the rising talents through Seomun Hwa-rin's interference and the desperate resistance of the other Transcendent Peak martial artists of the Murim Alliance, it would be far more efficient to take down Seomun Hwa-rin for certain and then deal with the rest.
Though they were clearly different entities, the two Slaughter Kings, sharing the same martial art and the same way of thinking, had their wills united.
And this was soon made manifest in their actions.
"These bastards…!"
From every direction, the Slaughter Kings came at Seomun Hwa-rin without pause.
His mind, concentrated to its absolute limit, his firm resolve, and the combat experience from their previous battle—these gave Seomun Hwa-rin the chance to block the Slaughter Kings' ambush strikes that he could barely even see.
The problem was that even when he managed to block one by the skin of his teeth, he couldn't follow up with a chain of attacks—instead, he was forced to allow another blow to come in from his blind spot.
Clang! Crash! Crack!
The Slaughter Kings spun irregularly around Seomun Hwa-rin, their swords swinging ceaselessly. Every time his fists moved to track their trajectories, the sound of vicious impacts rang out from all sides as fragments of Aura burst into the air.
It looked like someone peeling fruit in a spiral. But the reality was far from peaceful. With each repeated collision, large and small wounds accumulated on Seomun Hwa-rin's body.
Red Aura flowed down like blood, and like the red Aura flowing down, Seomun Hwa-rin bled.
Yet her eyes never stopped searching for the enemy, and her fists continued to deflect the Slaughter Kings' swords.
True to their nature as assassins, the blades were coated in poison, and the toxic energy seeped in through her wounds—yet Seomun Hwa-rin's movements showed no sign of stopping.
No, if anything, they were growing faster.
As she swung her limbs in the State of No-Self, a single question surfaced in her mind.
'Why do I clench my fists, knowing full well I cannot win?'
To protect those precious to her, to keep her promise to Cheon Hwi.
Both were valid answers, and indeed the reasons she was pushing herself now… but they were not the fundamental answer.
'Cheon Hwi said he found his answer—not in killing, but in protecting.'
But Seomun Hwa-rin was different. The reason she had first clenched her fists was, without a doubt, the extermination of the Seomun Clan.
To avenge her family, she had chosen the Fist and Leg Art she could at least wield, instead of the Sword Art she had never mastered.
She had somehow managed to complete her revenge successfully… but now she knew. Seomun Hwa-rin had not been so consumed by vengeance as all that.
The memories of Cheon Hwi she had glimpsed through the Transcription. The Sword Demon who, having lost her and Seol Ri-hyang, had rampaged madly, slaughtering every single person even remotely connected to their deaths.
Compared to that image, Seomun Hwa-rin—who had killed only those deserving of death, spared the rest, and nearly fallen to the Karmic Debt that returned—could hardly be called a vengeful spirit.
Naturally, her regret over what she had failed to protect was not so deep either.
Then what, exactly, was Seomun Hwa-rin raising her fists for? What was she fighting to the end for, even knowing she would lose?
A question she had asked herself time and again. But each time, only an answer that seemed veiled by something had come to mind.
In that state of extreme concentration, her head, numbed by the bleeding that was gradually worsening, finally offered an answer that was plain and unadorned.
'I was simply envious.'
Her clan had been exterminated, and she had spent her childhood with nothing to her name.
As an adult, she had devoted her entire life to revenge, and after the revenge was complete, she had shut herself away in a remote place, claiming she would restore the Seomun Clan's martial arts—only to fail in the end.
And then she realized it.
That through all of this, there had been no life of her own. Only the duty of being the last surviving member of the Seomun Clan.
That was why she was envious.
She had wanted to run and play without a care, just like any other child.
As women of age do, she wanted to feel her heart flutter over idle talk of men, to worry over such things.
And someday, she wanted to build a family of her own, just as she had vaguely dreamed of in her childhood.
But Seomun Hwa-rin trampled even this modest wish beneath her own feet. Because she chose to remain not as a single woman, but as the last survivor of the Seomun Clan.
Even though there was no reason anywhere to abandon either one.
Seomun Hwa-rin, facing her own purest, most childlike conviction, came to realize something.
That what she had wanted was something this simple—and that if she could turn back the years, she would gladly gather up everything she had once let slip through her fingers.
It was a thought almost childish in its simplicity, yet such an image had always lain at the foundation of Seomun Hwa-rin's heart.
…Then why, before the regression, had Seomun Hwa-rin cast everything aside and thrown herself into the Black Alliance?
What reason was there to let the years slip by merely watching from afar once she had finally found the one her heart truly desired?
And why, in her final moments, had she left Cheon Hwi with the dying wish to remember her only in her best light?
The Seomun Hwa-rin of now had experienced things utterly different from the Seomun Hwa-rin before the regression, so fully understanding it would be difficult.
But she knew. Just as when she had attained the enlightenment that led her to the Harmony Realm, there was no grand reason behind this either.
Simple, childish. But above all, pure at its core.
"I see. So this was what I envied all along."
She envied the children who laughed brightly without a care in the world, the youths who could grow excited over talk of men instead of worries of survival and revenge, and those who had built families that always stood by their side.
And though the order was reversed, she envied Seol Ri-hyang, who was closing the distance with Cheon Hwi in great strides.
She envied Tang So-wol, who had already become Cheon Hwi's betrothed without her even knowing.
She envied Cheon Hwi, who had already surpassed her martial level.
It was not jealousy.
It was not about tearing down those who possessed what she lacked, but rather about desperately striving to reach that same place.
If one were to put a name to it…
"Admiration."
A change came over Seomun Hwa-rin's movements, which had relied purely on instinct to predict her opponent's attacks.
The tension that had gripped her entire body began to slowly loosen.
She had not given up resistance. Even at this very moment, Seomun Hwa-rin continued to deflect the Slaughter King's attacks. She was merely shedding unnecessary force.
Standing there motionless, moving only her arms, Seomun Hwa-rin's form… resembled Cheon Hwi.
Just as Cheon Hwi had once learned Seomun Hwa-rin's martial arts by copying her, this time it was Seomun Hwa-rin who mimicked Cheon Hwi's martial arts.
What she envisioned in her mind was the Thunderclap Sword.
That brutish sword art, which had recklessly altered the Seomun Clan's secret art until only he alone could wield it — she now unleashed it through her fists.
When she blocked the first sword strike, another strike would surge forward as if it had been waiting.
At the sensation of it piercing her Protective Qi, she reflexively twisted her body and thrust out her fist.
It was an instantaneous burst of power made possible by her relaxed body. But this alone was not enough to keep pace with the Slaughter King's speed.
However, Seomun Hwa-rin did not give up and repeated the same action over and over again.
Faster, stronger, like a descending bolt of lightning… or perhaps like the sword strike Cheon Hwi had shown that day, the one that now raced far ahead of her.
Enlightenment.
It was a rather unimpressive change to call by such a name. After all, this was not her own realization—it was Cheon Hwi's.
At best, it was a change in mindset. But it was also precisely what Seomun Hwa-rin needed most right now.
She had spent her whole life reaching upward, and she had come to realize that more than one thing had slipped through her fingers because she hesitated for one reason or another.
And so, now she could reach out without hesitation.
Toward the self she wished to become.
"Fast and deadly. Even I can barely track you with my eyes."
Seomun Hwa-rin murmured in a calm voice. Even at this very moment, small wounds were being carved into her body, but she paid them no mind. Because—
"But it feels like I can reach you if I just stretch out my hand."
From some point, the fist strikes of Seomun Hwa-rin, which had been growing faster and faster, began to ring out with a sound like thunder.
KWA-RUNG!
A single strike reached after overworking every muscle in her body, consciously rotating each joint one by one, and detonating her Aura.
Her arm went numb from just one extension, and Seomun Hwa-rin's eyes narrowed slightly—but the effect was certain.
It was an impact that went beyond simply blocking, one that pushed the Slaughter King's body far away, as if to show him exactly what she was made of.
The two Slaughter Kings sensed that something had changed and tried to adjust their movements, but Seomun Hwa-rin was one step ahead.
Kwa-rung! Kwa-rung! Kwa-rung!
Her fists tore through the entire area around where she struck, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
To the one of the two Slaughter Kings who stabbed at her from an angle, she only gave minimal wounds, focusing entirely on the one who kept getting pushed back by her.
If they tried to hide using stealth arts, she smashed everything in her sight.
If they tried to evade with a movement art, she smashed the surroundings first.
She had pushed her speed to the point of causing thunderous booms, but it still wasn't enough to catch up to the Slaughter Kings.
However, when Seomun Hwa-rin—whose raw Power alone was second to none even on a normal day—unleashed an extreme Technique like Cheon Hwi's Thunderclap Sword, the scope of destruction became absurdly wide.
The Slaughter King's body, continuously pushed back, began to accumulate injuries.
The arm blocking Seomun Hwa-rin's fist began to break, and even when he dodged a direct hit, the shockwave alone shattered his ribs and twisted his ankle.
In the end, Seomun Hwa-rin's Fist Strike slammed squarely into the chest of the Slaughter King, who could no longer move properly or even swing his sword.
Boom!
Though hastily formed, he was clearly a Harmony Realm Martial Artist and had urgently wrapped himself in Protective Qi, but…
His entire upper body was blown away by Seomun Hwa-rin's single strike.
At the sight of the masterless legs sprawled out as if nothing had happened, the Slaughter King's behavior—which had been leaving small wounds on Seomun Hwa-rin's body until now—changed.
He turned around and ran straight toward where the rising talents were gathered.
Judging that bringing down Seomun Hwa-rin was beyond his reach, the Slaughter King moved to kill at least one more of the rising talents.
Thunk.
Cheon Hwi's sword, which had arrived without a sound, pierced his heart, and he collapsed on the spot.
Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been hurriedly turning to throw a punch behind her, blinked in an awkward posture.
"…Why are you here?"
"Well, I was worried about you, Senior Seomun. Look at you—you're covered in blood."
"I've shed some blood, but they're all shallow wounds. More importantly, the fact that you're here… Surely not—the other Slaughter King was merely a decoy to confuse our judgment."
"No. It seems we were the main force. There was even one who claimed to be the Slaughter King's original."
"Then how did you find me so quickly…"
"Because I finished things up quickly."
"…"
"Ah, actually, I could have helped you in the middle, but it seemed like Senior Seomun was on the verge of Enlightenment, so I decided to watch for a while. Congratulations on your achievement."
"…"
At the news that Cheon Hwi had taken care of the Slaughter King—whom she had struggled and strained to barely bring down—long ago, and in far greater numbers at that, Seomun Hwa-rin's lips jutted out in a pout.
"…Eek! Eek!"
Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been about to pat Cheon Hwi's shoulder, let her arm droop limply instead.
She subtly leaned her head in, like a child begging for praise.
"Still, wasn't I quite impressive this time?"
Cheon Hwi, who had been quietly looking down at her white hair, let out a dry laugh and slowly stroked it.
"Yes. You seem to have grown much stronger than before. It was magnificent."
"…That will do."
Thud.
Seomun Hwa-rin rested her forehead weakly against Cheon Hwi's chest. A faint smile bloomed at the corner of her lips.
Yes. For now, this was enough.