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< Martial Arts Competition (5) - Declaration of War >
Finally, the martial arts competition hosted by the Murim Alliance has begun.
The man muttered as he looked around the city, which was heated by the heat emitted by countless people.
“It looks like some kind of festival.”
Masters who gathered in Gaebong to make their mark, many martial artists who came to see them, and even ordinary people who came to watch the martial arts competition itself and merchants who came to make a profit.
The city was abuzz with excitement and energy from the throngs of people, as if a grand festival were taking place.
In reality, the martial arts competition was no different from a festival regularly hosted by the martial arts alliance.
It’s a large-scale festival like the World Cup or the Olympics on Earth.
‘This time, the atmosphere is a little different because of the tension with the Demonic Cult.’
“Brother! Brother! Look over there!”
Namgung Hyun grabbed the man’s arm and pointed in a direction. There, the magician was swinging a lit staff around.
The tea master filled his mouth with alcohol and blew it out with all his might toward the tip of the lit stick. The flame on the tip of the stick exploded and swelled to dozens of times its size.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
“Wow!”
The onlookers applauded and laughed. Children cried in their mothers’ arms, saying they were scared, and the people passing by snickered.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before!”
Namgung Hyun was as happy as a child visiting an amusement park for the first time.
The man chuckled. When he saw the firefighter spitting out fire, someone’s face came to mind.
“I wonder if the little one is doing well···.”
It will probably be fine.
Even though he doesn’t speak dirty, he has a pretty sociable personality, so he probably has quite a few friends at school by now.
“Huh? Who is that little kid?”
“Yes. When you go to a place with a lot of people like this, they get entranced by the delicious smells and insist on buying everything for you…”
Just then, a street vendor selling sweets caught his eye. The man went up to the old woman who owned the stall and asked her.
“Grandma. How much is this candy?”
After a while, the man brought a large basket full of sweets and handed it over to Namgung Hyeon.
“Take it.”
Namgung Hyun, who received the basket, opened his eyes wide.
“Did you buy this for me to eat?”
The girl’s cheeks flushed slightly. But the man, as if to say, “What is that?”, picked up a piece of candy from the basket and put it in his mouth.
“No, hold it. You can eat it if you want.”
“yes···.”
The man had Namgung Hyeon carry the sweets and the basket, and they each took a bite. Namgung Hyeon walked beside him and laughed heartily.
The two were on their way to the headquarters of the Murim Alliance to participate in the Yongbongbimu.
The man walked leisurely without hastening his pace.
The streets were very crowded and there was a lot to see. Unlike the other contestants who had gone to the Murim Alliance early in the morning to get a better look at their rivals, these two seemed to have really come out to have fun.
“Ahahaha! Look at that!”
“Brother! Can I try this too?”
“pretty···.”
Namgung Hyeon stopped every five minutes to look around the street.
Curious sights, delicious food, and pretty trinkets caught the girl’s attention at every step.
This was Namgung Hyun’s first experience since he was born.
I could walk down the street comfortably, without worrying about what other people thought, and without having to pretend to be a man.
Namgung Hyun, who had been sitting on the floor and petting a puppy for a long time, raised his head and looked at the man.
“···Brother. What should I do? I’m so happy right now.”
There were tears slightly gathered in Namgung Hyeon’s eyes. The elder’s expression hardened when he saw that.
That’s why I hate melodrama.
“···Don’t cry. If you cry, I’ll leave you alone?”
Namgung Hyun smiled bashfully and wiped away his tears at his clumsy threat. The girl got up from her seat and linked arms with the man.
“Yes. I won’t cry.”
“······.”
As the two crossed the city and approached the Murim Alliance, the ratio of civilians to non-combatants increased.
Many eyes were focused on the two people. Most of the eyes were directed at Namgung Hyun.
‘Huh. Who is that lady?’
‘Was there such a beauty among the contestants?’
‘You’re beautiful now, but you’ll be even more beautiful in the future…’
As the symptoms of Cheon-eum-jeol-maek gradually improved, Nam-gung-hyeon’s complexion improved day by day.
As her body became healthier, her natural beauty also gradually improved.
Most of the men gave her a blank stare, and soon turned their jealous gazes to the man standing next to them with a sullen expression.
‘Who’s the guy next to me who looks so ordinary?
‘I’ve seen it before. I think its nickname is ‘Yihyeopgeom’?
‘Chivalry Sword? That’s some kind of old-fashioned nickname that would have been used 100 years ago.’
‘I heard he’s the older brother of the beautiful young lady next to me.’
‘Are you siblings? Oh my! Then you’re not my older brother?’
The man clicked his tongue as he looked at the men chattering in the distance. Those things are also unmanned.
“Oh my. Those pathetic males.”
“What’s wrong, brother?”
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The man released Namgung Hyeon’s arm and spoke.
“Don’t pretend not to know when you can hear it too.”
“lol.”
Namgung Hyun smiled and stuck his tongue out. Many men’s hearts fluttered at the sight.
It was then that one of the warriors of Meng came out and shouted with all his might.
“Those of you who have an invitation and those who are participating in the Yongbongbimu, please hurry and take your seats! The real event will begin soon!”
The warriors who remained outside the Murim Alliance hurriedly walked forward. Daein and Namgung Hyeon also joined their ranks.
“Let’s go in too.”
The two soon entered the Murim Alliance.
Two old men were watching the scene from the roof of a building far away on the other side.
They were Manboknogoe and Jin Noin.
“Knock knock. Those little things. They left the old people behind and had a great time among themselves.”
“They are a really well-matched pair.”
Old Man Jin looked in the direction where the two people disappeared with a pleased look.
One side is the disciple of the Sword Emperor.
The other side is the descendant of the Emperor.
‘What else could this be but a destiny given by heaven?’
It was like drinking kimchi stew first without even thinking about who would give rice cakes.
‘When Hyun-i becomes a little more mature, she will hurry up and···.’
Manbaknogoe clicked his tongue as he looked at the old man.
“Tsk tsk. You real punk. Stop thinking about useless things and get ready quickly.”
“···Yes, sir.”
The two old men wore black clothes and black masks.
“Keep on going. I’m doing all these things because of that disciple I took in in my later years.”
The masked Manbaknogoe looked in the direction where the great man had disappeared and laughed loudly.
“You punk. Make as much noise as possible. Then we can move around more comfortably.”
The two old men had no intention of watching the preliminary round.
While everyone’s eyes were focused on the martial arts competition, they had other things to do.
***
“Then, the leader will say something.”
When the leader of the martial arts world, Yulgi, stood up, it was as if Mt. Tai had moved on its own.
King of Kwon, Yaulgi.
As one of the ten best martial artists, he was a powerful martial artist who was most often mentioned as the leader along with Namgung Jeongcheon, the head of the Namgung family.
Yul-gi was of enormous size. He was two heads taller than the average person, his torso was as thick as a log, and his fists were as big as the average person’s head.
Most of the people who first encountered Yalulgi had similar thoughts.
‘If I hadn’t been Jeong Pa-in, I would have been in big trouble.’
Yul-gi looked around at the large crowd gathered in one place, carrying his luggage on his back.
The warriors of the old and new factions and the five great factions, the warriors of the small and medium factions and the great families, the influential figures of each region, and even the great merchants and the states.
They were all waiting for him, the leader of the martial arts world, to open his mouth.
‘Good.’
Yul-gi was a man of great ambition. He had a desire to leave his name in history.
He opened his mouth slowly, savoring his power.
“A few days ago, a huge beacon fire was lit in Xinjiang, the stronghold of the Demonic Cult.”
Groan, groan.
It was a story that had already been circulated here and there, but when it came out of the mouth of the leader of the martial arts world, its impact was different.
Yul-gi spoke in a deliberately belligerent tone.
“It’s already been three years since the demonic bastards started crawling out of Xinjiang and provoking us. We’ve been patient for a long time. But it seems like they’re determined to fight a war.”
Anger slowly grew in Yalulgi’s voice. After a while, it became a fierce shout.
“Just yesterday! Dozens of Meng warriors guarding Xinjiang were found dead!”
The anger of the martial arts leader quickly spread to other martial artists.
“That can’t be!”
“It’s the work of the cultists!”
“Master! You must pay me back immediately!”
The atmosphere that had been like a festival until now suddenly became heated with life. It was the atmosphere that the martial arts leader had wanted.
“Be quiet!”
-Kwaaaaang!
As Yul-gi stomped his feet, the noisy warriors suddenly shut their mouths.
“I, too, cannot forgive the demon cultists. Righteous fellow believers of the martial world! Will you lend me your strength so that they pay the price in blood?”
Then someone shouted, “Pay the price of blood to the demon cultists!”
“Pay the price of blood to the demonic cultists!”
“Pay the price of blood to the demonic cultists!”
A few raised their flags above their heads and shouted along, and soon hundreds and thousands of unmanned soldiers joined in the chant.
““The price of blood!!””
Yul-gi looked at the martial artists thirsting for the blood of the Demon Cult with a satisfied expression.
‘The peace in the martial arts world has been too long.’
They were unmanned. Beings who endlessly pursued strength and fought with their lives on the line to prove it. In the process, the weak were eliminated and the stronger ones were born.
But there hasn’t been a major fight in the past 100 years.
‘After the Sword Emperor, the best martial artist in the world is still the Three Jewels of the World, and those below him are just standing in a meaningless line.’
Yul-gi had no intention of remaining one of the top teenage masters forever.
He wanted to be one of the few who would make history, not one of ten.
‘I, Yalulgi, will subdue the Demonic Cult and break the neck of the Heavenly Demon.’
The Jeongma War is certain anyway.
This place was simply a place to make it public and strengthen the solidarity of the political martial arts world.
“I have heard your opinions. I will write an ultimatum to the cultists today. If they still do not listen to our warnings….”
Kwakwakwakwa!
Yul-gi raised his internal energy. His robe flapped madly, and the ground he stood on cracked.
The roar of the Murim Alliance leader’s lion echoed loudly.
“All that remains is war-!!”
Woooooooooo!
The martial artists present at the scene could not control their agitated emotions.
The leader of the martial arts world has declared war on the Demonic Cult!
A war that lasted a hundred years would inevitably give birth to a new hero, and there was no reason why that hero wouldn’t be him.
‘I···.’
‘It’s me···!’
‘If I cut off the head of the Heavenly Horse!’
Yal-gi wasn’t the only one with ambition.
The lords of the old file room, the masters of the five great families, and the powerful men who are not satisfied with their reputation as the 100 greatest masters.
And also the countless number of followers who came to participate in the Yongbongbimu.
The anticipation of the coming war made the martial artists’ bodies boil with excitement.
Except for one person, of course.
“It’s not even a speech from the principal. Why are you talking so much?”
The man sat in a corner and shook his head.
They must be crazy to be excited about the news that war will break out soon.
‘You shouldn’t associate with those kinds of things.’
Daein could neither understand nor wanted to understand the psychology of the martial artists who risked their lives to gain fame.
“So when does the martial arts competition start?”
As if he had heard those words, Yul-gi declared to the crowd.
“Then, I will now begin the Yongbongbimu!”
The biggest event of the martial arts competition has begun.
< Martial Arts Competition (5) - Declaration of War > End
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