Celestial Realm
I was taken aback by the intense wariness and hostility woven into Miho’s words. It was unlike her to react this way. Moreover, the aning behind her statent was sothing I couldn’t simply brush aside, so I questioned her.
“Did you really say ‘Lunar Sovereign’? Did the Queen Mother actually ntion that?”
“… Yes, so get out now! I don’t want to be disturbed by a human like you.”
I could see beyond Miho’s hostility her underlying anxiety.
‘She’s under pressure…’
Miho had a remarkable talent for concealing her emotions. Naturally, she would reveal her feelings when she needed sothing from or when she was in a good mood, but in every other instance, she manipulated her emotions to her advantage. If I could read her feelings, it was evident that she was in such a state of distress that she couldn’t control herself due to her obsession with obtaining the Lunar Sovereign.
She must have ntioned her mission to gain the Lunar Sovereign to send away, as I was sowhat related to the Celestial Realm. After a mont’s thought, I responded to her.
“… Understood. My na is Baek-ung. If there’s good news, I’ll let you know.”
“……”
Leaving the quiet Miho behind, I exited the Heavenly Emperor Palace. I didn’t imdiately feel like using Ascending Tide, so I climbed up onto the roofs of Kyoto’s streets and stared blankly at the sunlight. I had co out thinking it was a bad idea to provoke Miho again, but the aftertaste was still unpleasant.
‘Who would’ve thought that strong negotiations with the immortals of the Celestial Realm would lead to this outco?’
To beco closer to Miho, the Queen Mother’s favor was an absolute prerequisite. Miho’s liking for would hinge entirely on how the Queen Mother spoke to her. Obviously, with my actions having drawn the Queen Mother’s ire, in this reincarnation, there was no way Miho could look kindly upon .
As a hint of resentnt crept into my heart towards Mangnyang, I quickly shook it off.
‘Mangnyang wouldn’t have provoked the Queen Mother without a reason. For now, I must endure even if I can’t beco allies with Miho…’
I could have given her the Obsidian on the spot to revive her mories. I could have dropped so high-level information that I alone knew to pique Miho’s interest.
However, the current state of Miho was ntally unstable, and she was in no position to trust . Not to ntion the negative impression left by the Queen Mother, which ant she could very well see as an enemy and attack .
I swallowed hard and thought about what I needed to do in Dongyoung. Since I didn’t expect to visit Dongyoung often, I wanted to leave sothing behind for efficiency’s sake.
‘Hmm. Now that I think about it, there’s one thing.’
The hunt for the real Miyamoto Musashi!
I was determined to track down that figure, who was undoubtedly Dongyoung’s strongest master. Every person I found would expand my options from my previous life. I resolved to stay in Dongyoung for about a month to search for Miyamoto Musashi.
First, I headed toward the Hosokawa Clan, where the fake Miyamoto Musashi was said to reside. According to the rumors I had heard last ti, Musashi was supposedly living quietly in Kumamoto, under the clan’s patronage.
Kumamoto was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with vast plains extending in between, predominantly engaging in agriculture and livestock farming. As I wandered around, I spotted scenes of cattle grazing here and there. The area where Musashi was said to be staying was quite remote, so I had no choice but to ask around for three days to find him.
When I grabbed a nearby farr and inquired about Musashi, he replied,
“Are you talking about that master? They say he wanders around a house near the castle from ti to ti…”
“Is there anything special about him?”
“He’s so quiet that I hardly ever see him, and I’ve never heard any stories about him.”
I decided to head straight to where Musashi supposedly resided.
Ding-dong
The sound echoed as I approached. In the sweltering heat, I saw the traditional house with its door wide open. I hesitated to go in for a while even with the door ajar, then eventually knocked.
“Is anyone there?”
Hearing no reply, I stepped inside. As I entered the inner room, a voice finally reached .
“A formidable master. Who are you?”
In the center of the room, Miyamoto Musashi sat with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. At first glance, he appeared to be at ease, but in reality, he was poised for an instantaneous strike, ready to cut down anyone who entered his range—a deadly stance wielded with the Sword Drawing Technique.
I gazed at Musashi, assessing his level.
‘He’s not unbeatable. No… This is definitely worth a shot.’
Having spent a long ti training in the style of the Sword Demon, my insight into gauging an opponent had escalated to an extraordinary level. To my eyes, Miyamoto Musashi standing before was not quite at Dongyoung’s top level. He would likely struggle even against Nobutsuna or Bokuten, who were of the sa caliber.
From the mont I approached, Musashi sensed a deficit in his aura and had to take a defensive stance using his Sword Drawing Technique. This indicated that my pure skill was at least a level above his.
I spoke softly.
“My na is Baek-ung. I’ve co to see what kind of person the world-renowned sword hero, Musashi, is.”
“What’s your impression?”
“I’m disappointed.”
Musashi let out a curt chuckle.
“Ha ha ha… You’ve got nothing to say. So, are you going to kill ?”
I shook my head.
“That’s not why I’m here today. I’m here to uncover your truth.”
“The truth?”
I looked Musashi directly in the eyes and calmly stated,
“The scroll you possess, the ‘Five Rings,’ is not ant for you. You couldn’t possibly have used it, so where did you get it?”
“……!!”
Musashi’s eyes widened in shock, and a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He stared at intently before subtly shifting one foot forward, fortifying his stance for aggression.
‘So, he’s willing to fight.’
It seed I had struck a nerve with my words. Or rather, what I just said was likely Musashi’s biggest secret. Now, Musashi felt compelled to kill by any ans necessary.
I laughed coldly.
“Two Heavens One Style, let’s see how you perform.”
I lightly unleashed the Thunder Spirit Seal. The Thunder Spirit Seal, a specialty of the Thunder God School’s lightning technique, was renowned for its overwhelming might and was perfect for countering soone entrenched in a defensive stance. Musashi had no choice but to evade the Thunder Spirit Seal, exploding his residence in the process.
Boom!!
As debris from the house scattered, Musashi soared into the air, executing acrobatics while launching peculiar sword techniques at . His movents were agile and quick, reminiscent of a snake, while the fierce changes of his sword skills made it slightly challenging for to defend.
‘Impressive sword techniques.’
Clang-clang
After about twenty exchanges in the air, I finally landed back on solid ground. Musashi and I stood three paces apart, and I hurled a Thunderous Blade enriched with sword mastery towards him. The Thunderous Blade sliced through the air at trendous speed, expanding into a colossal size that divided the river below.
“……!!”
Musashi wore an expression of horror as he hurriedly dodged the Thunderous Blade.
I manipulated the direction of the Thunderous Blade with a flick of my finger, guiding it toward Musashi. With no way out, he swung both his swords to create a blade screen and attempted to deflect the unstoppable force.
Bang!
Unable to withstand the shock, Musashi was propelled into the air. I dashed toward him. The sword techniques I honed under the Sword Demon erged effortlessly, piercing directly toward Musashi, who defended himself desperately against my relentless assault.
How much ti passed?
Cling!
One of Musashi’s swords shattered in the air. The broken blade plunged deep into the ground, and Musashi stood there with a bewildered expression, holding the broken sword. Despite his utmost effort to weather my attacks, he couldn’t withstand the overwhelming difference in our levels and ultimately lost his weapon.
I aid the Sword Technique at Musashi’s throat and said,
“I don’t wish to take your life. I rely seek the truth.”
“……”
Musashi gritted his teeth. He showed no signs of divulging any secrets. It was clear that the truth mattered imnsely to his honor as a ‘swordsman,’ and it made more sense to die than to reveal it. Realizing that intimidation wouldn’t be enough, I spoke again.
“You must know that your current stagnation is due to training that doesn’t match your caliber; it’s causing harmful side effects. You have an inkling of this, don’t you?”
He flinched visibly!
Musashi opened his mouth.
“How much do you know? Did you see the ‘Five Rings’?”
“I’ll just say I transford a guess into certainty. Regardless, at this rate, you’ll never escape this stagnation. Haven’t you hit a wall learning from the ‘Five Rings’?”
Musashi’s expression grew anxious. I had struck a nerve.
“… What do you want?”
“If you tell the truth, I will accept you as my ally. Then you can transmit the supre martial arts necessary to break free from your current level.”
Musashi scoffed in response.
“I can concede that you’re a level above , but I can’t believe you possess those supre martial arts.”
“It’s the truth. At my age, surpassing you is not impossible.”
“……”
“This is your final warning. If you refuse my offer, I’ll resort to any ans necessary.”
If he rejected this too, I would have no choice but to cripple him and use the Eight Trigram Seal to torture him. I didn’t want to resort to such asures right away, but I was sure of the effectiveness.
Reluctantly, Musashi relented.
“… Fine. I will agree.”
“Good choice.”
“First, let put away my sword. Your aura is so overwhelming that it’s intimidating my spirit.”
Swish
As I sheathed my sword, Musashi seed to collapse from exhaustion. He stared at his broken sword, lanting,
“Eventually, this day has co!”
Musashi fell silent, seemingly wanting to gather his thoughts amidst the ruins. Finally, he spoke.
“It seems this will take a while, so let’s change locations. The guard soldiers will be here soon.”
“Agreed.”
Whoosh!
Musashi and I left the city and made our way into a nearby forest. When we reached a small pond, Musashi finally spoke.
“First, I am not Miyamoto Musashi.”
“What do you an?”
With a somber expression, he continued,
“I am Sasaki Kojiro of the Ganryū style.”
“……!!”
I was taken aback.
Sasaki Kojiro!
He was known as the greatest rival to Miyamoto Musashi, and their duel on Ganryūjima was legendary throughout Dongyoung’s martial arts community. Miyamoto Musashi erged victorious, which elevated him to the rank of one of Dongyoung’s premier swordsn. So, to find that the person before was not Miyamoto Musashi but Sasaki Kojiro left flabbergasted.
“What do you an? If you are Sasaki Kojiro, then where is Miyamoto Musashi?”
Sasaki Kojiro pulled out the ‘Five Rings’ from his robe. Then he calmly recounted the past.
“While it was reported that I and Musashi engaged in a life-and-death duel on Ganryūjima, in reality, I never even landed a strike. I had prepared for death that day, but… Musashi, seeing my talent as a waste, gave this ‘Five Rings.’”
“No way…”
“Yes… Miyamoto Musashi had grown disappointed in the martial arts world after battling , so he commanded to live on as him, claiming I should cultivate my own skills from now on.”
I gawked in disbelief.
“How is that possible? With such different looks and appearances known to others?”
“Musashi made it possible. He executed a technique to alter my appearance right there on the spot, disguising .”
“……!”
“He seed quite skilled in aura and human physiology…”
After collecting my thoughts, I replied,
“Alright. Then where did the real Miyamoto Musashi go?”
“He said he was heading to the continent in search of worthy opponents. Beyond that, I don’t know.”
“To the continent…?”
I felt a mix of shock and surprise. The continent surely ant the Central Plains, but I had yet to hear any reports of soone resembling Miyamoto Musashi. This left without any leads on Musashi’s whereabouts.
‘This should be considered a half-success.’
I had now understood that I must search for the real Miyamoto Musashi in the Central Plains. After taking a mont to collect my thoughts, I said to Sasaki Kojiro,
“Kojiro. Co with .”
“Are you truly willing to teach martial arts?”
“If you follow well as my ally!”
“Understood.”
With Kojiro’s agreent, I tucked him away into my pocket dinsion and then used Ascending Tide to return to the Central Plains. Either way, being a master of the Ganryū style, Kojiro would surely prove useful in the future.
The next place I headed was the Black Night Gate. Upon my return, the Sword Demon greeted warmly.
“Baek Ho-bok! How’s everything going?”
“Very well.”
I detailed all that had occurred since eting Mangnyang. The Sword Demon listened calmly, then spoke.
“It seems that Mangnyang has a plan in place. I don’t know the details, but first, let’s see that Kojiro.”
Following the Sword Demon’s words, I pulled Sasaki Kojiro out from my pocket dinsion. The Sword Demon then addressed the confused Kojiro.
“Show the ‘Five Rings.’”
When I translated this for Kojiro, he hesitated before revealing the ‘Five Rings’ before us. The Sword Demon examined the scroll closely and remarked.
“Upon closer inspection, I can agree that a real Miyamoto Musashi exists.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“Hand Kojiro over to . I was just lanting my lack of hands for taking down the Tomb Master.”
“If that’s the case…”
I readily handed over Kojiro’s custody to the Sword Demon. The Sword Demon would surely manage Kojiro without issue, plus for Kojiro, learning martial arts from the Black Night Gate wouldn’t be a bad fate either.
“How do you intend to handle interpretation?”
“Not long ago, I stord the slave market in Gyeongju and gathered so intel. I also rescued an astute interpreter there. Don’t worry about that.”
“A slave market?”
“It was a secretive underground deal, even the Lord of Hanyang pretended not to see.”
The Sword Demon spoke bitterly,
“Baek Ho-bok, do co for another visit soon. I must learn the Undead School techniques from you again.”
“Understood.”
From the Sword Demon’s words, I keenly sensed that the darkness he had uncovered in Gyeongju ran deeper than expected. If the current Sword Demon was on par with or even exceeding Lee Gwang in prowess, it indicated a keen awareness of his own shortcomings.
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