Episode 75
One-Branch Plum (5)
Gulp-
Theo swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.
‘The Sword of the Demon Dragon… … ‘
It was clear that Theo was targeting his father Kyle’s sword.
But it was Julius who made him decide to truly walk the path of the sword.
Because I was able to draft
He who was like that,
The dragon Julius was trying to teach.
So I tried to suppress the tension that I felt without realizing it,
Thump thump thump!
This guy’s heart just wouldn’t calm down.
That also meant that this was the moment Theo had been hoping for.
Phew-
Theo took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.
A thought that came to my mind whenever I thought of Julius’ sword.
“I think the devil’s sword is ‘violence’.”
Huh?
Julius’ face turned cold, as if he had not expected the answer at all.
“What made you think that?”
“Because that is the essence of ‘Ma (魔)’.”
Short answer.
There was a deep silence for a very short time.
and,
Phew!
Julius ended up laughing bitterly.
“… … I think I understand why Princess Plum made such a suggestion to you. Your taste is truly extraordinary.”
It was just then.
The world surrounding Theo and Julius has changed.
Hwaaaaak!
Glass space.
Julius’ signature opened.
Theo stood in a world of ruins where everything had been burned black and broken.
In some ways, it seemed similar to the world of the Black Dragon, where the smell of death was everywhere.
‘No. It’s different.’
In Theo’s eyes, it wasn’t like that at all.
The essence was different from the beginning.
The world where the black dragon was visible was ultimately one of the laws of nature.
But this wasn’t the place.
Devil.
It was a world where everything was a mess.
It was a world that could not exist.
“You are right. That is the nature of ‘Ma’. Violence, destruction, ruin, apocalypse… … It is the darkness itself that fills humans with fear and anxiety.”
At that moment, Julius appeared, holding a sword in his hand.
Shhhhhhh-
He lowered his sword lightly into the air.
A path that is incredibly simple.
“What was the plum blossom princess’s sword like that you saw?”
“It was splendid and beautiful.”
“That’s right. The black plum blossom princess’s sword contains the essence of ‘life.’ The process of sprouting from a seed and growing vigorously to become a gorgeous flower expresses life itself. It’s soft and fast. That’s why the sword’s outline is mainly composed of curves and circles.”
Julius continued his explanation.
The speed of the sword also gradually increased.
“But my black one is the opposite. It is made up of only straight lines and diagonals. There is no way to turn. There is no way to dodge or shed. When it hits, there is only one thing. It either breaks or shatters.”
There is a heavy history contained in the speedy swordsmanship.
Little by little, my skin started to feel warm.
“That’s why I want my sword to be stronger and more overwhelming. Give it everything in one breath. Never back down.”
Theo immediately thought of the slogan that the Baek Gap Yong Gi Squadron put forth.
Indomitable. Never retreat.
No surrender, no retreat.
That teaching was already incorporated into his swordsmanship.
“This is the sword of the demon dragon.”
Wedge! Wedge! Wedge!
Julius’ sword was engulfed in light and began to erupt.
Spectrum.
It was as if the light had been chopped into dozens of tiny pieces.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Kwarrung- Kwarrung- Kwarrung-
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Each flash of light was followed by a thunderous roar that shook the ground and an overwhelming destruction.
As the ground was eroded away, canyons were revealed, and hillsides were split, leaving behind pits.
It seemed as if an apocalyptic disaster had descended upon the world.
Julius was suddenly surrounded by pitch-black dragons, exuding an incredible killing aura.
“… … !”
Theo was startled and took a step back.
Julius, who had always been a good person, was nowhere to be seen.
There are only evil spirits standing there, who only do violence and destruction.
Urrrrrr… … !
Before we knew it, the pitch-black aura of the demon dragon had covered the red sky.
I was worried that if I continued like this, I would suffocate and die.
Phaaaah!
Suddenly, some of the remaining spirit poison in my body began to stir and my mind became clear.
And a new sight appears.
‘… … That?’
The black smoke that Julius was sprinkling began to appear little by little, and it looked somehow familiar.
Although the momentum and destructive power are different, it is the common vision of the Baek Gap Yonggi Unit that we have seen countless times during this mission.
“
The dragon’s rampage also stopped with Theo’s soliloquy.
Paaaaaaa-
A cloud of dust swept past where Theo had been,
Julius laughed as he put his sword back into its scabbard.
“Since you have seen the true nature of the devil, it seems you have also seen this? It is called the
“Wasn’t it a bunch of sword strikes?”
“That’s true too.”
What a strange word.
But soon Theo’s eyes changed as he realized the meaning.
“So, the sword strikes were the basis of the Dragon Six Arts.”
Julius shook his head.
“No. I will oppose you. The Magic Dragon Six Arts are the foundation of multiple sword strikes.”
“… … !”
Julius chuckled, finding Theo’s reaction cute.
“This is what the Demon Dragon Six Arts without any magic mixed in looks like.”
Shh shh shh-
Julius swung his sword several times again.
A field of view filled only with straight and diagonal lines.
It looked like simple, basic swordsmanship.
“The Magic Dragon Sword is a kind of shell. Its shape changes depending on what you put inside. The guys in the Baek Gap Yong Gi Unit put their sword skills inside, so it becomes a bundle of sword strikes.”
“… … .”
Theo swallowed dryly.
Julius said it as if it was nothing, but in reality it was nothing like that.
‘You just handed over the vision you spent your whole life developing to the military?’
It was something that was absolutely unimaginable in a normal dance.
“Do you find it strange that I just gave my sword away for nothing?”
“Yes… … . I guess it’s because there is no such precedent… … .”
“Just because there is no precedent doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”
Julius’ mischievous smile grew.
“Actually, it’s not just me. The entire Baek Gap-yong Unit is doing this.”
“… … !”
“Unless it is a secret that must be kept for the sake of the family or the order, the members are generally not hesitant to share their visions and realizations in this way. Rather, they discuss what they have been stuck on and come up with new solutions. Or, they may be stimulated by unexpected external forces and seek another path.”
“… … .”
“A vision cannot simply be hidden. It must be shared, discussed, refuted, analyzed, problems identified, solutions found, and supplemented. And in the process, we also get to know each other more deeply.”
“ah……!”
“The vision of the Marryong Yukye was born to create such a foundation. Each member melts their own different enlightenment into it. And they share it together. That’s why the Marryong Yukye continues to develop, and the swordsmanship is always on the rise. This is why the Baek Gap Yonggi Unit can always be invincible.”
Theo felt as if he had been hit hard on the back of the head with something blunt.
-Share the vision.
That was a completely unexpected turn of thought.
Since ancient times, vision is like the life of an inspector. It is not easily shared even with parents and children… … It was common sense.
‘But rather, it is because we share that kind of life that we are able to create such a strong camaraderie.’
For example, all of the Baek Gap-yong-gi-dae were Julius’ children and disciples.
Theo ended up laughing out loud.
“… … Aren’t you worried about betrayal?”
“Why? Because a sabotage law might be created that would leak out and break us?”
“Yes, that could be the case.”
“For now, there hasn’t been a traitor… … Well, if that’s the case, then let it be. By then, both the Dragon Six Arts and the Sword Strike Multi-Blade will be different from before. In fact, it’s welcomed because they’ll be even more different thanks to the Destruction Law. And.”
Julius smiled mischievously.
“Just because you know the hidden secret doesn’t mean you’ll instantly become a SSS-level chef, right?”
The confidence that you will never give up even if you lose all your capital.
No, it showed arrogance.
No matter how kind of a person Julius was, he was ultimately just a swordsman representing Ragnar.
“That’s exactly why I rejected Princess Plum’s offer in the past.”
Plum Blossom Princess’s suggestion?
What does this mean?
“Princess Plum Blossom said that she would like to make you her and my co-conspirator.”
“… … !”
Jeonin (傳人). Meaning disciple.
That is, Princess Plum suggested to Julius that they take Theo as their common disciple.
“You have already come into my arms and become my disciple and family, so why bother doing that? It will only shake up the discipline of the unit. So instead, I told Princess Plum Blossom to take me as her disciple if she wants to do so.”
“Then the reason why Iljimae came to me is… … .”
“You already received the plum blossoms? I just mixed up what I originally wanted to tell you on the way to the <24-hand plum blossom sword>. Of course, since the two of you put your heads together, the depth will be different. That’s your blessing.”
Thump thump thump… … !
Theo’s heart was pounding wildly.
Julius says no, but handing over the Iljimae meant that he was going to make Theo a joint heir with Princess Plum!
Julius readjusted his grip on his sword.
“Starting today, I will teach you the Demon Dragon Six Arts for one hour. But be careful. It will be a very difficult task to touch the essence of ‘Ma’.”
Theo nodded heavily and picked up Drake’s blade.
This too was a coincidence.
No matter what, I wanted to get my hands on Julius’ sword.
“The ‘Ma’ is so vicious that it sometimes eats its owner.”
As soon as those words ended,
Paaaaah… … !
A jet-black aura began to blow away, centered around Julius.
Thump thump thump thump!
Theo gripped Drake’s blade tightly, causing a magical resonance.
It seemed like killing him would never be easy.
* * *
An hour later.
Theo left Julius’ office, exhausted.
“Are you okay?”
Theo shook his head weakly at Evelyn’s question.
“I feel like I’m going to die… … .”
“The captain’s guidance can be harsh at times. Rather, there are many times when I enjoy those moments, so I’d better be more careful in the future.”
Certainly Julius was very happy whenever Theo was in pain.
The first lesson was like this, but the next lesson will be harder, right?
Theo let out a laugh without realizing it.
‘Still… … I’ve learned all the basics of the Demon Dragon Six Arts. Parts that I didn’t understand are starting to be solved little by little.’
Even though it was tiring, it felt so good.
Above all,
The words Julius said during the swordsmanship lesson kept lingering in my ears.
-Is there a reason you are doing this?”
-The reason I do this is… … Well. I’ve never really thought about it that deeply. I’m just doing exactly what I learned from my master.
When asked what prompted him to share his vision, Julius replied:
‘I never thought my father would come out of there.’
-Everything I have comes from you, my lord. So I’m just giving it back to where it came from.
Julius’ warm voice showed his absolute trust and loyalty to Kyle.
-I’m so greedy.
Theo had such an idea.
Will he, too, in the distant future, meet someone like Julius on his way to power?
And can you receive this much trust and loyalty?
‘I should work harder to meet someone like that.’
Fortunately, I think I met someone like that.
Isn’t there his own ‘First Sword’ right next to him?
“More than that, Theo, as you requested, all the prisoners were locked up in the dungeon without any particular interrogation. Is it okay to leave them like this?”
Evelyn changed the subject.
I’m talking about the Central Intelligence Agency agents captured at Fort Blanqui.
The Baek Gap-yong Unit has yet to discover their exact identities.
This was because the identities of Sidra and the agents were completely hidden from the beginning.
So, I had to question him separately.
Theo objected.
“Just leave it alone for now and watch. You will soon see something interesting.”
“As expected. You know who the culprit is, right?”
Theo just smiled without answering.
Evelyn sighed deeply, pressing her index finger to her temple as if the ground was collapsing.
“I wonder what he’s thinking… … But I’ll just watch as instructed for now. But I can’t wait too long. The agents won’t understand.”
“Don’t worry. They’ll take the bait in three days at most.”
Theo’s eyes sank deeply.
‘Because Hangryong’s personality wouldn’t just leave the parts that could be his weaknesses alone.’
Theo’s judgment was that Edgar would somehow move to clean up the mess.
Then from that point on, it will really start to break out.
Theo and Ed. Their political strife.
‘So, before the full-scale political strife begins, I must make sure that Princess Plum is on my side.’
-Once my swordsmanship instruction is over, go straight to the Plum Blossom Palace. Princess Plum Blossom, you must be really excited right now, right?
I still can’t forget the scenery of
So, I was trying to walk towards the plum blossom palace,
Tiring!
Suddenly, several messages filled my field of vision.
[Tutorial Quest #18 is not yet complete. Please complete it as soon as possible.]
[If the quest is not completed, it is considered a failure and a penalty is applied.]
[If failed: ■■]
[The player’s authority has been increased, so information that was previously blinded is re-printed.]
[On failure: death]
“… … !”
How the bastard of the Return Sword Family lives
