The North Sea Martial Warrior - Chapter 11

========== 11. WEAKNESS OF THE IRON SCALE CULT ==========

“Die!”

With Balkar’s roar, a giant fist fell.

The pressure was like a boulder rolling down from the sky.

Kwa-ang…!

The earth screamed.

The spot where Airak had been standing caved in as if it had exploded.

The diameter of the deeply gouged pit alone was over one jang. However, Airak was not there.

“Heh! You’re fast. You scurry away well, just like a rat.”

Balkar looked up.

“You call it running away? That’s called dodging.”

Airak’s voice came from behind.

“What’s the difference?”

“Running away is showing your back; dodging is waiting for an opportunity.”

Balkar turned around.

Airak was already flanking him.

Seueuk.

There was no sound. The curved blade, having slid in like a ghost, aimed for Balkar’s waist.

Chaeng!

A dull metallic sound; there was no sensation of cutting. But the blade had entered.

“What is this, it tickles.”

Balkar scoffed.

“Is that the swordplay of a Northern Sea Martial Warrior? That’s child’s play!”

“…….”

Airak’s eyebrows twitched.

That leather Balkar was wearing. It was the skin of the Cheol-rin-gyo, a man-eating shark that lived in the deepest abyss of the frozen sea, ten thousand jang below the surface. It was absolute armor that even deflected blades.

Among the fishermen of the Northern Sea, it was said that if you caught a Cheol-rin-gyo, three generations could live off it. A single piece of that leather could buy a castle in the Central Plains. However, there were only three people in history who had hunted a Cheol-rin-gyo, and two of them died immediately after the hunt.

Balkar, perhaps noticing Airak’s gaze, tapped his chest and said.

“This? That’s right. It’s the leather of the Cheol-rin-gyo, the shark of the frozen sea abyss.”

“…….”

“No matter how fast or strong you are, it’s useless if your sword can’t cut through, right?”

“So?”

“What?”

“Are you going to keep blabbering?”

Balkar’s eyes flipped.

“This bastard is being short with me?”

“Because there’s no need to make it long.”

“Fine!”

Balkar twisted his waist and swung his arm.

Bung…!

The entire forearm swept past horizontally like a giant club.

Airak did not retreat. In front of the giant storm, he instead dove into the guy’s embrace.

Ttadadang!

Three sounds of impact.

Armpit, nape of the neck, back of the knee.

“Kahaha!”

Balkar laughed.

“Yeah, those are vital points. That’s right. But you see, my vital points aren’t actually vital points.”

He spread his arms. Ungpo (Bear Hug). The posture where a bear crushes its prey.

Pat!

Airak stepped on Balkar’s knee and leaped into the air.

A spin in the air followed by a downward strike.

Kwang!

The curved blade and the gauntlets collided head-on.

Sparks flew… and Balkar’s knees sank into the snow. But that was it. Airak’s internal energy pressed down on Balkar, but it couldn’t overwhelm him.

‘The pinnacle of external martial arts.’

Airak analyzed coldly.

The guy’s muscles weren’t just thick. They were structured to absorb and disperse internal energy. To pierce through from the front, he would need three times the strength.

“It’s light. Are you swinging a sword, or fanning me with a feather?”

Balkar sneered and raised his arm.

Airak was sent flying and landed on the snow ten jang away.

“…….”

“Why? Nothing to say?”

“You’re noisy. Your mouth is faster than your sword.”

“What?”

“You’ve got good strength, but you talk too much.”

Balkar’s eyes flipped.

“You bastard!”

“Hey, look at that.”

Arko, who was watching from afar, muttered.

“The Chief is provoking him.”

“Provoking?”

Taikan narrowed his eyes.

“The Chief?”

“He hates it when that bear bastard talks too much. He’s doing it on purpose.”

“Why?”

“Because when you get angry, openings appear.”

Garkan interrupted.

“The Chief never gets excited. That’s his strength.”

“But that bear looks like he’s already getting excited?”

Harku wiped blood and chuckled.

His ribs hadn’t healed yet, but his mind was fine.

“The Chief is damn good at psychological warfare.”

“But Hyung-nim. That bear bastard is really tough. The Chief’s sword won’t go in.”

Arko tilted his head.

“It’ll go in. Eventually. There’s nothing the Chief can’t cut.”

Taikan said calmly.

“That may be so, but… look at that leather. Sparks fly every time the sword touches it.”

“Still, it’s the Chief. Our job is to trust and watch.”

Garkan said firmly.

“…Alright, Hyung-nim.”

“Noisy?”

Balkar gritted his teeth.

“Yeah.”

“…….”

“If you came to fight, then fight. If you came to blabber, then go back.”

“You cheeky bastard!”

Balkar’s fighting spirit exploded.

Heat that seemed like it would melt the snowfield.

“Fine. Let’s not talk, let’s use our fists!”

Kung. Kung. Kung.

Balkar walked over.

The earth shook with every step. The snowfield cracked, and ice shards flew up.

“Do you know why I’m the number one of the Hanbingsamsu?”

“No.”

“Not interested?”

“No.”

“…This bastard, really.”

Balkar gritted his teeth.

“Fine. I’ll tell you. Undefeated. Three hundred and twenty wins, zero losses. I won all those fights with this. Among them were Elders of the Ice Palace, and swordsmen from the Central Plains. Even masters of the Evil Sect and protectors of the Demonic Cult. They all died to this fist.”

Balkar clashed his gauntlets.

The sound of ‘Kwang’ rang out like thunder.

“Shall I count which number corpse you’ll be?”

Balkar showed his sturdy forearm.

“So?”

“Martial arts, techniques, none of that matters. It’s enough to just crush them in one blow. And I can do that.”

“Simple-minded.”

“What?”

“Are you stupid? Or was your luck in matchups good? You just haven’t met your match.”

Balkar’s face turned red and blue.

“You cheeky…!”

“It’s not being cheeky, it’s the truth.”

Airak shrugged.

“Not a single word you’ve said so far has required any brainpower.”

“…….”

“It’s just ‘I’m strong’, ‘I’ll end it in one blow’. Is that all you have?”

“Shut up!”

Balkar exploded.

“You’re just like your master.”

“What?”

“Didn’t he tell you? Looking at your movements, it’s Tara’s martial arts, right? That’s your master, isn’t it? I met Tara thirty years ago. When I was young. He was stubborn back then, just like you are now.”

“You!”

Balkar bared his teeth.

“When Tara ran away, he said, ‘Next time we meet, I’ll kill you.’ Heh! Do you think the disciple will win with the martial arts his master ran away with? Ah! Should I not have said that? For the sake of Tara’s dignity.”

“…You bastard!”

Balkar’s eyes shone blue.

Pat!

Airak disappeared, leaving only an afterimage.

“Hmph! Cheap tricks!”

Balkar turned around and threw a punch. But it was empty air. His fist passed by with a ‘Bung!’ sound.

“Here!”

Below.

Airak dove for the lower body, aiming for the guy’s legs.

Seuk!

A strike aimed at the ankle tendon.

Kkii-ik!

Blocked again.

“Got you!”

Balkar lifted his foot and stomped the ground.

Jingak (Earth-shaking Stomp).

Kwa-a-ang!

A pillar of snow exploded right in front of Airak.

“Ugh….”

Airak was pushed back.

“Running away the whole time, but your mouth is still alive! Come at me!”

Balkar rushed in. Cheolsango (Iron Mountain Lean).

There was no space to dodge.

Behind was a cliff, left and right were avalanches… Airak set his curved blade vertically.

For a moment, white frost seemed to gather on the blade. A defensive barrier formed over the sword body.

Kwa-a-ang!

Collision, and Airak’s defeat!

Airak’s body was lifted by the immense force and slammed into the cliff.

The rock cracked like a spiderweb.

“Keuheok….”

Airak fell to the ground.

Dust rose. And for a moment, silence flowed.

“…No way.”

Arko’s face turned pale.

“The Chief was pushed back?”

“That’s impossible.”

Harku jumped up even while spitting blood.

“I’ve never seen the Chief lose. That… that was on purpose.”

“Chief!”

Taikan screamed, and Garkan tried to rush out.

“Don’t come.”

Airak said.

An unshaking voice, as always, extremely ordinary and cold.

“You shouldn’t interfere. It’s my prey.”

Airak stood up, staggering.

“…It’s been a while.”

“What has?”

Balkar asked.

“This taste.”

Airak licked his bloodied lips.

“I’ve seen blood for the first time in thirty years.”

“Keukeke. Yeah, that’s how it should be.”

Balkar laughed satisfactorily.

“Now it’s finally worth killing.”

“Worth killing? Huhu! You’re still talking big even in this state? You just got hit by me.”

Balkar said with a grin.

“Just to loosen up my body after a long time… I was looking for where your leather is thin.”

Airak shook off his curved blade.

“I know now.”

“This bastard keeps talking nonsense!”

“Shall we see?”

Airak lowered his sword to his waist. Drawing stance.

“The eye. I’m going to attack your eye.”

“…….”

“Your eye isn’t covered by leather.”

Balkar’s face stiffened.

His left eye. The spot where the ice bead is embedded.

“How dare you….”

“How dare I?”

Airak’s lips curled up.

“What’s so hard about plucking out one bear eye?”

“Funny talk! Before your sword touches my eye, your arm will fall off first!”

Balkar roared.

“Shall we? We’ll see if we try.”

Airak lowered his stance.

Mutu Suragyeol, 7th Form. Bingseom (Ice Flash).

Gather all the body’s strength into a single point at the tip of the sword. Not to cut. To pierce.

“Come!”

Balkar shouted.

“Stab my eye or whatever! Because your head will burst before that!”

“…….”

Airak moved instead of answering.

They shot out at the same time.

This time, not even an afterimage remained. A speed that couldn’t even cut the wind.

Balkar’s eyes widened.

‘Disappeared?’

No.

It’s right in front of his eyes.

The tip of the sword, having approached right in front of his nose, emitted a blue light and aimed for his eye.

‘Fast!’

Balkar instinctively raised his arm. He covered his eye with his gauntlet.

Chang!

Sparks flew.

The sword tip grazed the gauntlet and the direction was deflected.

“Blocked it!”

Balkar shouted.

“Did you see that! No matter how fast you are, you can’t keep up with my reaction speed!”

“…….”

Airak stepped back.

His eyes were still cold.

“Happy because you blocked it once.”

Airak’s voice was calm. Like a hunter who had confirmed the prey’s escape route.

“Your reaction speed is fast, but it’s consistent. You raise the left first, then the right. The instinct to protect your eye is ingrained in your body.”

“……!”

Balkar’s eyes shook.

He was being analyzed right now.

“What?”

“I was curious if I could pierce the Cheol-rin-gyo with this, but as expected, I can’t. The Cheol-rin-gyo is indeed amazing. Then now… it’s the martial art of the Extreme Yin Land that you’re curious about. I’ve waited a long time.”

Tense atmosphere. A bloody battle where no one retreated.

The fight between the strongest of the Northern Sea was just now reaching its climax.

A blizzard enveloped the two. A wind mixed with blood and ice blew.