The Gwangcheon Samgwi shared not only pain but also emotions, desires… truly everything, as if they were a single body.
If that was the case, didn't it also mean that the effects on their bodies and spirits could be split three ways?
“Because everything is split three ways, you didn’t lose your sanity even after taking that strange drug.”
“Heh heh heh. You are quite the clever one.”
The Gwangcheon Samgwi nodded in unison, a murderous smile on their faces.
“That’s right. We brothers even share the side effects of the drug.”
By sharing the drug's side effects among three people, they were able to maintain their sanity and clear minds.
In other words, the rumors that the minds and bodies of the Gwangcheon Samgwi were connected as one were true.
“You there, they call you the Mad Sword in the Martial World, don't they?”
The Gwangcheon Samgwi strode forward and drew their swords in unison.
Their swords were much narrower than ordinary longswords and about six inches longer.
Not only that, but the tips were split into three strands, making them look like torn pieces of paper.
“We’re known as the mad triplets. Let’s see who’s crazier.”
Swish!
The technique they unleashed was the exceedingly common form, Wind and Rain from Eight Directions.
But something strange happened.
Tsk.
Although he had perfectly dodged the sword technique, the edge of a blade grazed Bu Eunseol’s shoulder.
‘Did the three of them split a single sword technique?’
The Gwangcheon Samgwi had not all executed the same form at once.
They had split a single sword technique among the three of them.
To put it simply, what Bu Eunseol had dodged was the first brother’s initial execution of the Wind and Rain from Eight Directions form.
But midway, the second brother's execution of the same form detected Bu Eunseol’s evasive maneuver.
And finally, the form unleashed by the third brother managed to graze his body with its blade.
It sounded simple in words, but to be able to split a single sword technique into three parts like this…
It meant they could alter the same sword technique three times over, and that they could use time about three times more slowly than ordinary martial artists.
Swish! Swish!
With sharp sounds of tearing air, three streaks of sword light once again aimed for Bu Eunseol’s vital acupoints.
This time, too, it was the common form, Immortal Points the Way.
Flash!
But divided into three strands, Immortal Points the Way was no longer a common sword technique.
The sword technique, which should have thrust straight forward, now poured in from different directions at different speeds.
Screech!
Bu Eunseol immediately deployed the Supreme Heavenly Flow, intending to neutralize the changing sword technique midway.
But the Gwangcheon Samgwi reacted faster.
As Bu Eunseol unleashed his sword technique, they changed theirs again, interrupting his Supreme Heavenly Flow.
It was as if a painter had picked up a brush to paint, only to have his grandson run up and shake the handle.
‘They can even divide their defensive movements into three?’
Any technique was divided into three movements, coming from three directions at three different speeds.
This wasn't a joint attack; it was like executing a completely new martial art.
‘Impressive.’
They split not only their attacks but even their defensive sword techniques into three, protecting their bodies perfectly.
Moreover, perhaps due to the power of the drug, their internal energy and the might of their sword techniques were like a raging storm.
Swish! Swish!
Two streams of sword qi grazed past Bu Eunseol’s shoulders.
They had already broken through his tight defense and were unleashing sharp sword techniques.
Swish swish.
In the end, the three streams of sword qi they unleashed created a line of blood on each of Bu Eunseol’s shoulders and his back.
As the Gwangcheon Samgwi's swords grazed his body, a smile formed on his lips instead.
‘But is that all?’
Having discovered a flaw in an instant, a sharp light flickered in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
‘It’s impossible to unify three individuals with different personalities into one.’
Having gained enlightenment, Bu Eunseol immediately changed his sword technique.
The trembling tip of his sword suddenly exploded with light, creating dozens of streams of sword qi.
“Hah.”
As the Gwangcheon Samgwi retreated in surprise, the streams of sword qi transformed into two powerful blasts of energy, sending two of the brothers, Cheon U-gang and Cheon U-sang, flying back more than ten jang.
Swish!
Bu Eunseol now focused his attack on the remaining enemy before him.
The youngest brother, Cheon U-ryang, who was the weakest of the three.
A sword technique that seemed to stretch out limply and weakly like a jellyfish suddenly poured down in a dense, net-like pattern.
Clang! Clang-clang!
As their weapons clashed repeatedly at close range, metallic sounds rang out and sparks flew.
Bu Eunseol was pouring all his killing moves onto the youngest, Cheon U-ryang, as if attacking a mortal enemy.
“Just hold on a little longer!”
The two brothers, Cheon U-gang and Cheon U-sang, hastily returned to the front line to block Bu Eunseol’s attack, but,
Whoosh!
The cold points of light Bu Eunseol had been unleashing transformed back into a powerful blast of energy, pushing the two brothers away again.
And again, the Black Sword drew a strange arc, continuously striking Cheon U-ryang.
“Keuk.”
As Bu Eunseol relentlessly focused his attacks solely on him, Cheon U-ryang became flustered.
Bu Eunseol’s sword techniques would pierce like sharp awls bursting forth, then spread out like a net.
As the endless barrage of sword techniques, impossible to defend against alone, continued, the rhythm of his own sword technique began to falter.
‘If the three of them were truly one in spirit, the distribution of power in their swords should have been identical.’
Bu Eunseol could feel it the moment their sword techniques grazed his skin.
The Gwangcheon Samgwi might be sharing their senses, but contrary to what was known, their bodies and spirits were not completely unified.
If they had been, the depth of the wounds on his shoulders and back should have been uniform.
Swish!
In that time, Bu Eunseol launched three consecutive strikes.
No matter how they countered or what kind of offense they mounted, he persistently aimed only for the youngest, Cheon U-ryang.
“Keugh.”
A groan finally escaped Cheon U-ryang’s lips.
For the first time, one of them had spoken alone, not as three brothers.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
As their perfect harmony shattered, their sword technique began to collapse.
The outstanding and marvelous sword technique gradually became simple and mundane.
“U-ryang, get a grip and block that bastard’s attacks properly!”
Because Cheon U-ryang kept losing the rhythm of his sword technique, their combined technique was collapsing.
The eldest, Cheon U-gang, unable to watch any longer, shouted, and the second, Cheon U-sang, cried out in agreement.
“Because you can’t do it right, I’m getting internally injured too!”
Their spirits were not one, but they shared physical pain.
And now, one person’s mistake was causing pain to be shared between two people, and their anger flared.
“Use Blowing Leaf Eight Divisions, each one different!”
Cheon U-gang’s eyes flashed as if he had an idea, and he shouted.
“If that bastard only attacks U-ryang, then we just need to use different sword techniques at the same time!”
At the eldest Cheon U-gang’s shout, the second, Cheon U-sang, cried out.
“There are still more Soul-Lost People left, I’ll call them!”
He took out a thin flute from his robes and played it.
Then, about twenty more Soul-Lost People appeared from behind and charged at Bu Eunseol.
But that was their big mistake.
By abandoning their method of splitting one sword technique into three and instead unleashing different techniques like a normal joint attack, the marvel of their swordplay vanished in an instant.
—Uwaaaah!
Also, as the Soul-Lost People charged forward like a wave, their once-tight defensive formation crumbled.
‘Now!’
After cutting down the charging Soul-Lost People, Bu Eunseol quickly used his movement technique to approach the Gwangcheon Samgwi.
“Not a chance!”
The Gwangcheon Samgwi, immediately realizing their response was wrong, once again split their sword technique into three, creating an impenetrable sword barrier.
But Bu Eunseol’s sword technique was faster.
Flash!
As a purple bolt of lightning flashed, a sharp sword qi drawn in a zigzag pattern wrapped around Cheon U-ryang.
The peerless killing sword of the world, Lightning and Thunder Without Equal, was unleashed.
Chiiing!
Surprisingly, the Lightning and Thunder Without Equal missed for the first time.
Knowing full well that Bu Eunseol had been targeting only Cheon U-ryang, the two brothers had set up a tight defensive sword technique around his body.
But that was Bu Eunseol’s trap.
The technique aimed at Cheon U-ryang had been a feint from the start.
Until now, Bu Eunseol had persistently targeted Cheon U-ryang.
Therefore, the two brothers had naturally expected the Lightning and Thunder Without Equal to be aimed at him.
A killing sword is an ultimate move.
It is meaningless unless one can seize the perfect moment to end the enemy’s life.
Flash!
The real Lightning and Thunder Without Equal, not a feint, was unleashed.
Its target was the necks of the two twins, whose guards were wide open.
Sploosh!
As blood spurted from the necks of Cheon U-gang and Cheon U-sang, the eyes of the remaining Cheon U-ryang turned vacant.
Was he also feeling the pain of his neck being cut?
Or was he feeling a sense of liberation as the shared physical and mental senses with his brothers were severed?
He stood frozen like a stone statue.
‘His mind is broken.’
He had shared the sensation of death that had been inflicted upon his two brothers.
Therefore, Cheon U-ryang’s mind had already experienced the pain of death.
But since his body was still intact… for the rest of his life, he would be haunted by the pain of death he felt today.
Drip, drip.
The gushing blood began to fall again like rain.
Bu Eunseol cut down all the remaining Soul-Lost People, except for Cheon U-ryang, who stood there with unfocused eyes.
“Ugh…”
Cheon U-ryang, who had been trembling at the sight,
“Aaargh!”
raised his sword and charged at Bu Eunseol.
Cheon U-ryang, who had shared his life with his brothers all along.
But now that his brothers were gone, all his courage to continue living had vanished as well.
Bu Eunseol unleashed his sword technique.
He cut Cheon U-ryang’s neck so swiftly that there was no pain.
Thud.
His severed head fell to the ground.
Without looking back, Bu Eunseol walked slowly towards the building in the center of Blood Thread Valley.
Creak.
As he opened the door, a dark passage leading underground was revealed.
There was no need to use his Void-Breaking Eye.
He could tell by instinct that Seo Jin-ha was imprisoned here.
After walking down the seemingly endless passage, a large stone chamber was revealed.
Oil lamps burned on the walls here and there, but the chamber was absurdly large.
Because of that, dark shadows stretched out near the lamps.
Bu Eunseol spotted a door on the opposite side of the chamber.
It was a massive iron door, about six feet high and over thirty feet wide.
It was obvious at a glance that it was made to imprison people inside.
Seo Jin-ha was surely inside.
As Bu Eunseol tried to walk forward,
“…”
Four shadows had suddenly appeared around the stone chamber, standing tall.
They were all wearing masks, carried swords of different shapes, and their stances and auras were all completely different.
However, judging by the aura flowing from their bodies, they were undoubtedly famous swordsmen in the Martial World.
“What a magnificent aura.”
One of the four masked men, who had been observing Bu Eunseol's stance, approached him and spoke.
“We are called the Sa-geomja.”
“Sa-geomja?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed slightly.
It was the first time he had heard of anyone with the title of Sa-geomja in the Martial World, and the eyes of the masked men all glinted with a sharp light.
Moreover, there was no trace of drugs, and the aura flowing from their bodies was righteous and upright.
These were not cruel demonic cultivators or villains.
They were likely Great Righteous Masters of the Righteous Faction who had once made a great name for themselves.
“Are all of you named Sa-geomja?”
“We have discarded the names we once held as individuals.”
The masked man, staring into Bu Eunseol’s eyes, said calmly.
“I am simply the First Swordsman.”
They had all discarded their names and were calling themselves the First Swordsman, Second Swordsman, Third Swordsman, and Fourth Swordsman.
“We all made our names with the sword, and we shared a common goal of creating a perfect sword technique.”
The First Swordsman began to tell a story he hadn't been asked to.
“But we realized. That even with a lifetime of effort, we could not create a perfect sword technique with our own abilities.”
“…”
“But what if, when I perform a sword technique, an excellent swordsman covers my weakness? And what if another swordsman then covers that weakness?”
It was a somewhat absurd, yet brilliant idea.
Four genius swordsmen continuously covering the openings that appear in a sword technique…
Wouldn’t that truly be a sword technique with no weaknesses?
“We named this the Heavenly Seamless Form. And to complete it, we sacrificed everything. Even our lives.”
This was why they had become the Sa-geomja.
And Bu Eunseol understood why the First Swordsman was being so talkative.
They had dedicated their lives to reaching the True Path of the Sword.
And they wanted their opponent, Bu Eunseol, to recognize that.
“Step aside.”
The usual Bu Eunseol would have cut them down and passed without a second word.
But he could feel it.
Beyond that iron door, powerful beings with immense killing intent were coiled, waiting.
In that case, he had to avoid the battles he could and conserve his strength.
To be sure he could save Seo Jin-ha.
“I can’t do that.”
The First Swordsman, as if possessing a shred of conscience, spoke in a low, apologetic tone.
“This is also a promise.”
“A promise with whom?”
“I can’t tell you that either. However…”
In a low voice, he pointed to the iron door behind him.
“We are only here to stop you from entering that place. If you turn back now, we will not harm you.”
For a moment, Bu Eunseol felt a sense of unease.
What if the Soul-Lost People, the Gwangcheon Samgwi, and the Sa-geomja before him, as well as those inside the iron door, had all been sent at once? He wouldn’t have been able to break through so easily.
Moreover, the enemies blocking his path grew stronger in the order they appeared.
‘Their intention wasn’t to kill me.’
Bu Eunseol finally realized it.
This trap was a testing ground to accurately gauge his martial level, and…
a device to break his spirit using Seo Jin-ha.
No matter how powerful a force was, if they directly killed the successor of the Demon Palace, they would leave a trail one way or another.
‘It was to break my spirit.’
The method to break a person’s spirit was simpler than one might think.
Just as they finally reach their goal after overcoming hardship and trial, you shatter that hope right before their eyes.
Just like Bu Eunseol, now facing the iron door blocked by the Sa-geomja.
They had simply sent Seo Jin-ha's ear along with a threatening note.
By doing so, they made sure he wouldn’t let go of the desperate hope that Seo Jin-ha was still alive.
“So you have no intention of turning back.”
The First Swordsman, who had been staring intently at Bu Eunseol’s ice-cold, still eyes, drew his sword.
“Then show us. Show us your skill.”
Bu Eunseol did not answer further and immediately unleashed Meteor Chasing the Moon.
This sword technique, which combined a swift sword and a heavy sword, was a sword art possessing both incredible speed and formidable power.
Swish!
The First Swordsman also quickly extended his sword.
He immediately suppressed the speed of the Meteor Chasing the Moon form.
At the same time, the Second Swordsman standing next to him unleashed his sword technique, completely blocking the heavy sword power contained within the Meteor Chasing the Moon form.
“Incredible.”
The First Swordsman nodded in admiration.
“To make the Second Swordsman step out with just a single sword technique.”
He was genuinely praising him, but Bu Eunseol’s pride was slightly hurt.
To think they blocked Meteor Chasing the Moon with the combined power of just two people.
“Try blocking this too.”
Bu Eunseol, raising his internal energy, continuously deployed the Supreme Heavenly Flow.
Unleashing not one, but three techniques at once, the sword art became a massive storm, pouring down on the First and Second Swordsmen.
Swish! Swish!
The First and Second Swordsmen stood side by side, continuously swinging their swords, but they could not block its power and intricacy.
Chaang!
Then, with a clear sword resonance, the Third Swordsman stepped forward.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As he countered the sword art that poured down in a large circle, he perfectly blocked the techniques Bu Eunseol had unleashed.
Chiiing!
Bu Eunseol, not letting up his offense, continuously tried to break their combined attack.
But as the First Swordsman’s technique was complemented by the Second, and the Second’s by the Third, he could not break through their defense.
Individually, they were all outstanding swordsmen who had made a name for themselves in the Martial World.
But as they calmly complemented each other’s sword techniques, they actually overwhelmed the Supreme Heavenly Flow and even managed to counterattack.
Bu Eunseol could only stack the Supreme Heavenly Flow to a maximum of three techniques.
Yet, they were easily blocking it.
As sharp sword techniques grazed his skin, blood spurted from various parts of Bu Eunseol’s body.
The sword techniques pouring down at close range continuously interrupted his own, exploiting his openings.
Drip, drip, drip.
The blood flowing from Bu Eunseol’s body was now soaking the floor.
But he fought on, his eyes completely unwavering as he continued to clash with them.
“To make even the Third Swordsman appear. That’s incredible.”
The First Swordsman, while executing his sword technique, had a truly impressed expression.
“But it will end when the Fourth Swordsman joins.”
He, who had been leisurely blocking Bu Eunseol’s sword art, now wore a regretful expression.
He had never in his life seen a genius with such outstanding sword skills at such a young age as Bu Eunseol.
But to kill him with a single stroke felt like a waste.
“But it can’t be helped.”
They had already promised to kill Bu Eunseol.
—Kill just one person for us.
When we want you to.
That was the single condition demanded by the power that had supported them wholeheartedly for over ten years, allowing them to create the Heavenly Seamless Form.
“Let’s start wrapping things up.”
Clang!
Finally, the Fourth Swordsman drew his sword.
With the Third Swordsman, they were evenly matched with Bu Eunseol… so if the Fourth Swordsman also joined, only defeat would remain.
“This is where it ends!”
With a shout, the Fourth Swordsman’s sword thrust towards Bu Eunseol’s throat.