Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 469: Back Off

So Jigwang had loved blades since he was a boy.
"I'm going to be the world's greatest bladesman!"
Adding the word 'bladesman' to 'world's greatest' made it sound even cooler. Whether it was a sword, a fist, or a spear, no weapon could compare to a blade. Even as a child who thought martial artists could fly and break rocks, he always chose the wooden dao when playing with friends.
Later, he followed an old martial artist to the Black Snake Alliance simply because of the dao at the man's waist. The old man had praised him, saying he had good bones. This led So Jigwang's parents to sell their son as a disciple for one silver tael. If life had gone differently, he might have died on the road while caring for the old man.
Fortunately, So Jigwang was lucky. His master was first-rate at best, but he had a solid grasp of the fundamentals of bladesmanship. With his natural talent, So Jigwang caught the attention of the Black Snake Alliance's top experts in less than three years.
He met the girl who would become the Bow Phantom a little later.
On a clear day like today, he met a fierce-eyed girl named Chu Biyeon. She was close to his age and highly talented in martial arts. Although she wasn't a bladesman, they frequently crossed paths at events where the Black Snake Alliance's prodigies convened.
After that, many things happened.
So Jigwang traveled the world, meeting and dueling countless bladesmen. If fighting wasn't an option, they would discuss the blade all night. He won most of the time, lost a few matches, and sometimes settled for a draw. Still, he never doubted that he was the man most suited for the title of world's greatest bladesman.
"Kh... haha..." So Jigwang laughed as he coughed. The rock he leaned against was stained dark red from all the blood flowing from his wounds, yet a faint smile played on his lips as he reminisced about the past. "This must be what people mean when they say they experienced their life flashing before their eyes during their last moments."
"......" The Third Apostle of the Blood Cult stood before his opponent like a ghost. Like the Chairman, he was in rough shape. His martial arts uniform was shredded as if he had been in a hurricane, and he was drenched in blood. The deep gash on his chest was especially disturbing.
"Is that sorcery?" So Jigwang asked.
"......" The Third Apostle did not answer. No, he couldn't answer, because he didn't know how to explain the miracle that had just occurred, either.
His opponent's blade had grazed his heart, yet he was still alive. Even more astonishingly, he had managed to block the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's finishing move from the Ultimate Blade Technique and launch a counterattack, dealing a fatal wound.
Had his heart not mysteriously withstood the blow, he was the one who would have met his end today.
"Fuck, this sucks. I didn't expect sorcery to intervene in a fight between the best bladesmen in the world..." So Jigwang grumbled, but he didn't appear too upset.
After all, he was the master of the Black Snake Alliance, one of the greatest unorthodox organizations. He had survived countless attempts on his life, including ambushes, schemes, and encounters with hidden weapons and poison. Even if the Third Apostle used sorcery, he wouldn't deem it cowardly.
He just thought it was a bit of a pity.
"I have no regrets about losing to a stronger bladesman than me. What really irks me is losing to a bladesman who hates the dao."
He lowered his head and stroked his beloved weapon, Crimson Moon.
VWOONG!
Crimson Moon cried sadly on his knees. After decades together, the divine weapon recognized its master and grieved for him.
The Third Apostle strode toward the Black Snake Alliance Chairman.
Jigwang looked up and straightened his back, intending to meet his end calmly. Nevertheless, he couldn't suppress a groan, "Ugh..."
A stinging pain shot through his damaged qi center. The inner qi he had nurtured his whole life was dissipating, yet surprisingly, the pain was more tolerable than expected.
"World's Greatest Bladesman, So Jigwang," the Third Apostle suddenly muttered.
"...Hmm?"
"I'll remember you as that."
The Third Apostle raised his badly chipped dao. Although it was one of the Blood Cult's finest blades, it was now little more than junk after clashing with Crimson Moon.
"Haha, hahahaha...!"
Suddenly, the Black Snake Alliance Chairman burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. Life returned to his face, as if newfound strength was surging through him.
The Third Apostle immediately recognized this phenomenon as terminal lucidity, when a person experiences a brief period of mental clarity shortly before dying.
"I'm the world's greatest bladesman? Me? Are you acknowledging me, Apostle? You, the master of the most devastating blade technique in history?"
"......" The Third Apostle said nothing.
Nevertheless, the dying man took his silence as sufficient response. "Haha! It seems you have a conscience, too. Right. Honestly, that was dirty. How can you be okay after I split your heart in half? Isn't that like having two hearts?"
"You only grazed my heart." The Third Apostle corrected, though the words felt awkward coming out of his mouth.
Did I always have such a competitive streak?
He had never felt this way before.
Does this agitation have something to do with my damaged heart?
So Jigwang's laughter faded, and he regarded the Third Apostle seriously. "Will you deliver a will to my friend?"
"No."
"...That's a shame."
So Jigwang smacked his lips at the Third Apostle's firm refusal. He wanted to say a few last words, and regretted not doing so earlier for fear of pissing the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom off.
"...Damn."
He stared blankly at the blade descending upon his neck. The flawless technique was worthy of admiration, yet for some reason, his thoughts were consumed by something else entirely.
"It's a bit of a shame... that I couldn't say it."
"Wait! It's not too late!"
CLANG!
An arrow struck the Third Apostle's blade so forcefully that he was knocked backward.
THUD!
The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom landed between the two bladesmen.
"Bow Phantom..."
The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom couldn't turn around, even though the Black Snake Alliance Chairman was calling her name. She wanted to tend to his wounds immediately, but turning her back on the Third Apostle now would be suicide.
CREAK...
Drawing her bow as far back as it would go, she glared at her enemy. "...I'll be your opponent now, Apostle."
"......" The Third Apostle hesitated. The Black Snake Alliance Chairman was strong. Strong enough to shock him, someone who considered the current Ten Supremes beneath himself.
While he didn't sense the same level of strength from the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom, fighting her in his current state seemed unwise.
He'll die soon even if I just leave him be.
He glanced at the pale Black Snake Alliance Chairman lying down behind the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom. The old man's qi center had already been shattered. He would never again live as a martial artist.
Furthermore, the Asura Blood Heaven Blade's killing intent had infiltrated his body and was likely tearing him apart from the inside out. Unless he expelled all that energy, death was inevitable.
"...You'll only prolong the pain."
"Shut up. That's none of your business."
The Third Apostle decided to retreat. He was more concerned about the Fourth Apostle, who seemed to be in dire straits, than about the dying Black Snake Alliance Chairman. After taking a few steps back to create some distance, he spun around and used his movement arts to sprint away.
The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom fixed her gaze on the Third Apostle until he disappeared completely, then hurried over to her old friend.
"So Jigwang, you stupid bastard!"
Unaware that she was calling him by his real name, she took out golden medicinal ointment and smeared it all over his body.
"...Bow Phantom. You came at the right time."
"Shut your trap! I need to stop the bleeding."
"I want to tell you something."
"Didn't you hear me telling you to shut up? Just how did you fight for your body to become so messed up?!"
"...Bow Phantom..."
"If you call me that one more time, I'll gag you. Close your eyes and focus. I'll help guide your qi..."
So Jigwang reached out and grabbed the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom's wrist. "Biyeon."
"W-What?" Surprised, she looked up at him.
Where did that strength come from?
"...Finally, you're looking at me. It's so hard to get you to look at my face."
"......" Chu Biyeon stared blankly at So Jigwang. He was smiling just like he did in their childhood.
"I don't have much time left, so shall we talk for a moment?" he whispered.
Faced with her old friend's final request, she could only bite her lip and nod.
"GWAAAK!" A rough, cracking sound burst from the Fourth Apostle's damaged vocal cords as he kneeled on the ground and tore out his hair in agony.
"Ugh..." Baek Suryong used telekinesis to slowly push out the Divine Azure Dragon Sword that had pierced his back, even as his own screams echoed in his head.
[You! How could you pull such a crazy stunt without telling me?!] the Divine Azure Dragon Sword shrieked.
"...Don't make a fuss. This is a useful technique, provided you know where to stab to avoid the vital organs. I'll heal in time." Baek Suryong stopped the bleeding and forced a smile. Even though his face was as pale as a ghost, he acted like it was no big deal. "That guy's the problem, not me," he insisted.
Wiping the blood from his mouth, he observed the Fourth Apostle. Seeing his former trainee in such anguish hurt him more deeply than his own wounds could ever hope to.
"Did you succeed in breaking the spell?" he asked, knowing that the Fourth Apostle's suffering didn't stem from the cleanly cut chest wound, which didn't bleed much, but rather from the Divine Azure Dragon Sword's sorcery.
[I did my best, but...] The Divine Azure Dragon Sword sighed uncertainly.
Her sword tip had only touched the Fourth Apostle's heart for a split second. Although it was difficult to fully grasp the Blood Demon's sorcery within that brief moment, she had nonetheless carved a new formula to destroy the sorcery into his heart.
Consequently, the two sorceries were now competing for dominance inside his body.
[Maybe... it might have no effect at all.]
Although she was acknowledged by all as the world's greatest sorcerer, even the Dark Heaven Goddess found the heaven-defying sorcery left by the Blood Demon difficult to fully understand.
"Don't blame yourself. I was the one who said I'd bet on even the smallest possibility."
Baek Suryong smiled bitterly and walked toward his suffering former student. The Fourth Apostle was smashing his surroundings in his pain. Everything his fists touched was demolished.
RUSTLE...
His hair returned to its original color as he deactivated the Heaven Defying Divine Art. One reason was that he was exhausted, but more importantly, he didn't want to stand before his student looking like the Blood Demon any longer.
"...It's okay now," Baek Suryong carefully soothed the suffering boy, who was now an old man.
Just as he reached out to hold the Fourth Apostle's hand, however, he instinctively recoiled and leaped backwards.
SLASH!
A sharp blade qi raked the spot where he had been standing just a moment ago.
"...Back off," the Third Apostle growled, glaring at Baek Suryong with killing intent fierce enough to sting skin.