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Chapter 351. Escape
What is martial study?
The process of mind-image training in pursuit of enlightenment induces exhaustion of the physical body.
One may aspire to the realm of sudden enlightenment, yet until that moment arrives, humans must ultimately live trapped within their flesh.
The martial arts of Buddhist martial sects were born from that understanding.
What had originally served the purposes of self-defense and health gradually developed over the passage of time, and now stood exalted alongside gold and power as one of the "Three Great Forces."
W е b ňòṽ еĺ Е̃_n̈u m̂а
Shaolin Temple, at least, was said to still view martial study as one branch of the path to enlightenment.
But considering that martial monks monopolized far more support and positions within the temple than scholarly monks, one could say their words and their actions were at odds.
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Nor was the situation any different for the Wudang Sect, which had opened the chapter of Daoist martial sects beginning with Patriarch Jang Sambong.
Now there was even the Black Path, which openly declared that gaining power through training was its sole purpose, and the Unorthodox Side Path also claimed to be a branch of martial study.
Perhaps martial study had been reduced to something that could be shaped into whatever one wished it to be.
But.......
Е́ n̈_u.ṁa
'Can this even be called martial study?'
Il-gak let out a low, troubled sound as he beheld the being before him.
Gah ha ha ha ha.
A long protruding snout. Shaggy fur covering its entire body and rolling, wild eyes that looked nothing like a human's.
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No matter how generously one looked, the creature appeared to be nothing more than a demonic beast walking on two legs.
"Not bad, baldy monk!"
Еǹu m а̄.і ḋ
No, perhaps the more fitting description for this opponent, who resembled a talking animal, was--
"Hee hee. To hold off the Ever-Changing Monstrous Demon Art to this extent. Have you learned the Tendon-Changing Classic?"
--that it was calling what it displayed "martial study."
"......Amitabha."
Il-gak tried to use the Hegemon Beads to create distance, but this bipedal beast...... no, this excessively hairy human...... well, whatever it was, it closed the gap with an uncanny four-legged gallop.
"Hmm, a revolting stench assaults my nose. But the tastiest food always has the foulest smell. Heh heh."
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CHOMP, CHOMP.
Clacking its teeth together, the creature snapped its jaws as though chewing on something at that very moment.
It stirred a visceral revulsion in Il-gak.
"Could it be......"
"Is there something you're curious about?"
An unsettling curiosity arose even as razor-sharp claws closed in.
Еṅ ů m̀.a.і̆d́
But the feeling that merely voicing it aloud would taint him with corruption made him press that curiosity down, down, deep inside.
Gah ha ha ha ha ha.
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Then, without warning, the beast erupted into wild laughter toward the sky.
It should have been nothing more than laughter.
Yet his head shook violently and his heart lurched in his chest.
"You baldy monks are such cowards, every last one of you. Heh. Why? Does the thought of cannibalism frighten you that much?"
E ǹ ù m.а.і d́
"......!"
Was it because of the laughter?
He summoned Immovable Mind and tried to reclaim his composure, but his heartbeat refused to settle.
His heart pounded fast, so his breath grew short. His breath came in gasps, so strength involuntarily flooded into his hands.
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CLANG—! CLANG—!
The aftershock of Fist Projections striking empty air forced distance between him and the beast.
Е̊ ṅ um̆ а .і̄ ḋ
Despite being overpowered, the beast made no effort to hide its delighted expression.
"Gah ha ha ha. Baldies always react the same way."
The fragmentary words spilling from its mouth kept conjuring terrible images.
Agonized screams.
The terror of watching one's own flesh being torn away.
The dread of something inhuman moving.
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The suffering of every fragile thing shook his Immovable Mind with brutal force.
Even with his Immovable Mind shattered, his body knew precisely what movements it needed to execute.
Arhat Fist, Dragon Body Fist, Dragon King Flowing Fist.
He could not compare to his senior brother, but Il-gak too had mastered a more than sufficient number of Shaolin martial arts.
"Amitabha."
With a face settled into calm composure, elegant Fist Projections shot forth.
Wе̊bǹ оv̀ е̂_l̃ Èn u̇ ṁӓ
The beast's movements shifted in a peculiar way.
Its hunched, pouncing posture gradually transformed into something more human, and its instinctive biting gave way to hand techniques employing its long nails.
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CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK—!
The exchanged Fist Projections and claw qi spread powerful shockwaves.
Eighteen Arhat Palms, Arm-Crushing Palm, Great Strength Diamond Palm.
Folding through space, palm force shot from Il-gak's hands.
Wе́b̆ńо̂vе l̇ E ǹ ũm а̇
The beast, which had been defending with hand techniques, soon stumbled backward as if its limbs had gotten tangled.
One-Finger Zen Art, Diamond Finger, Dharma Flower Finger.
SHING—!
The instant his finger techniques shot through an opening, aiming for the opponent's weakest vital acupoint--
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WHOOSH—
"Peekaboo!"
W̊е̇b̊ n о̄v̌ е̄l Ėn̈ u m̆ӓ
The beast vanished from before his eyes and reappeared three jang behind, where it finally put those massive teeth to use.
CRUNCH—!
"GAAAAAH!"
The academy student whose nape had been half-bitten through could not even prepare a defense before dying on the spot.
The inhuman, beast-like being rolled the torn flesh around inside its mouth.
CHEW, CHEW. PTOO.
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"Tastes awful."
"!!!"
"This one must have loved his drink while he was alive! A Daoist, of all people. Heh heh heh."
Discarding the corpse as casually as one might toss away a bad apple, the beast turned its head to seek its next prey.
Il-gak's body trembled so violently it seemed it could tremble no more.
"Il-gak, sir......!"
Ẅeb ǹ ov е l̈ È n̈üṁ a
Before Nam Hwa-seong, who had been fighting the beast alongside him, could stop him--
Il-gak's form became a streak of light.
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A glint of interest flickered in the eyes of the beast, which had been idly picking at its teeth.
"Heh heh, are you finally getting serious?"
Despite watching Il-gak approach radiating golden brilliance, the beast showed not a shred of tension and merely flicked its fingers.
THWACK—! THWACK—!
Е̂ nù ḿâ . і̇d̀
The instant two wounds burst open on his left shoulder, Il-gak's eyes flew wide.
He had dodged for certain.
"Tsk, did you think the Peerless Diamond Art was some kind of invincible shield?"
Just as the beast said, even the Peerless Diamond Art had been breached.
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Il-gak, who had been about to shake off his hands, withdrew his Dragon Flower Fist and fired off the Demon-Subduing Ten Aspects Palm instead.
For someone who had taken an attack unawares, it was an exceptionally agile and swift maneuver.
Eñǔ m̄а̇. іd
BOOM BOOM CRASH—!
But despite switching attacks in the blink of an eye, the beast shifted its position as though it had predicted the move entirely.
"I was preparing to hunt the Small Buddha, you know. Did you think I would fall to a mere pale imitation? Kah ha ha."
Then the beast assumed a peculiar stance, and its hands moved with speed beyond the eye's reach.
The Fist Projections that emerged a beat too late crashed into Il-gak's entire body.
THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK—!
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Il-gak had thought himself accustomed to enduring pain, but this was something else entirely.
This was not merely striking the skin. It hurt as though his bones were about to shatter.
Moreover, the places the fists grazed left behind a tingling numbness that bled into a strange paralysis.
'If I let this remain, catastrophe will surely follow.'
Il-gak desperately gathered every last wisp of energy remaining inside him into one place.
But.
Ŵеb̀ṅ о v̊ е̌l È n um̄ â
"......!"
The signal came before he could expel it.
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His insides twisted violently, and blood surged up his throat.
"GGGHK-- COUGH--"
In matters of tranquility, Shaolin's martial study was incomparable to anything else under heaven.
Il-gak could scarcely believe he had sustained internal injuries.
Wе̇ b ǹ ō v̈ е l̄ Е̃ñú m̈ã
But there was no time for hesitation.
"GAAAH!"
"HURK!"
The moment Il-gak faltered, the academy students who had been bravely engaging the beast were dying.
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'So this is why even Unit Leader Jin couldn't stop?'
The image of that man's back that suddenly came to mind looked more painful than he had imagined.
Е̂ n̄ ům а̇
Il-gak roughly wiped his mouth and pressed his palms together.
Fortunately, after coughing up the blood, his left arm, which had been sluggish, began to move again.
"Namu Amitabha......"
He began to recite the oral formula of the Tendon-Changing Classic, which he had chanted a boundless number of times in the state of selflessness during his facing-the-wall meditation.
His wildly beating heart went dead silent as though it had stopped entirely, and the myriad afflictions that had been clouding his mind shattered to pieces on the wind.
As one hand unfolded from his clasped position, countless hand-shadows trailed behind it.
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"......Hm? You've attained the Thousand Hands?"
A glint of interest flickered in the eyes of even that supremely confident beast.
"Amitabha."
With every light gesture of his hands, dense hand-shadows followed in their wake.
CLANG—!
Hundreds, thousands of golden palms closed in on the beast from all eight directions.
Е́ n̂ û mа̀.î d
THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK—
As if the sun itself had descended upon the earth, golden brilliance blazed so intensely it could blind both eyes.
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The overwhelming might, as though it would reduce everything to dust, revealed the true worth of Shaolin--a worth often forgotten thanks to his gentle nature.
But.
A flinch.
Was it the wound?
Ѐ nŭ m̂ӓ
The left arm that should have extended next rattled and shook.
Il-gak clenched his teeth and thrust his left hand forward, but the beast did not miss that gap and slipped free from the Thousand Hands.
"Kah ha ha ha ha! I knew it!"
For someone laughing with such confidence, the beast looked utterly wretched, yet even while bleeding it remained triumphant.
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Bulge, bulge.
The wounds that had been pouring blood began to heal, and the fur that had been crushed flat sprouted anew.
Е n u mа̀.і d
In the face of this unbelievable reality, Il-gak's psyche, which had just regained Immovable Mind, was violently shaken once more.
The beast, restored to its original pristine state, stroked its mane and shook off the blood in one motion.
"I didn't expect you to go this far."
WHOOSH--
Once again folding through space, the beast appeared before his eyes.
"......!"
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The beast drove its fist forward with that grotesque face.
Caught off guard, Il-gak hastily raised both arms, but the beast paid no heed and threw its punch regardless.
The instant the beast's fist met Il-gak's form, bolstered by the Tendon-Changing Classic--
THOOM—!
Il-gak strained not to be pushed back, and the beast poured even more force into the blow to shatter him in a single strike.
The colliding forces, rather than yielding to either direction, erupted outward in all directions.
W̄е̃ b̌ n̄ о̄v́ е̄l̇ Е n̊ů m̂ а
BOOM BOOM CRASH—!
A thunderous roar accompanied a violent gust of wind.
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"Uggh......"
"Ghk......"
Those who had been holding their ground nearby could not keep their footing.
"What in the......"
Ẅ ӗ ḃn о̃v́.е l̃ Ě ñ ùma
While they stood dumbfounded at a reality they could scarcely believe even with their own eyes--
WHOOOOSH—
The explosive energy subsided.
The two at its center remained locked in their standoff.
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However.
"Il-gak, sir!"
Е n̆ūm̌а. і́d̈
Their conditions were starkly different.
Il-gak was coughing up blood without end, while the beast wore a smile it could not wipe away.
The instant the beast moved to throw another punch--
"HAAAAH!!"
Nam Hwa-seong and the others charged at the beast.
"Tsk, pests should stay out of my way!"
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THOOM—!
Hand force extended from the beast's casually swung fingertips.
Far from helping Il-gak, they were in too dire a situation to even ensure their own safety.
"Not bad, baldy monk."
"......"
The only feeling was one of being utterly overwhelmed.
Е̌ ǹ ů mа
Rather than fear at the pressure and killing intent the opponent exuded, what flooded in was futility.
He had believed that tempering body and mind and enduring pain was the shortest path to gaining great strength.
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Restraining desire and weathering hardship--that was true martial study.
Just as the Black Path's martial study, which sought to take shortcuts, would ultimately meet ruin in the end.
The strength held by those who did not walk the righteous path would ultimately crumble before the strength of those who did.
That was martial study.
Ën̆ ú mа́
'And yet......'
What was this?
Far from patience and the renunciation of desire, a being that wallowed in its own urges and violated the very laws of heaven was overwhelming them.
Those the beast killed with such ease were not people who had merely put in a passable effort.
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And yet....... And yet.......
Such people toppled and fell like reeds, powerless.
Е̃n ů m а. і̄ d́
'......What is martial study?'
Everything he had known and believed in absolutely was shaken to its core.
The words of the Buddha, which had always weighed as heavily as a thousand gold coins, became as light as the wind.
Carried on that wind came the beast's grating voice.
"But this is where it ends."
Dark smoke coiled thickly around the fist the beast drew back.
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Whether it was fist qi or Fist Projection, he could not tell.
But one thing he could be certain of: that energy would not bring a peaceful death.
"Die!"
The instant the beast moved to throw its fist once more--
BOOM—!
CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH BOOM—!
Е̇ n ū mа . і d
A thunderous roar loud enough to split eardrums erupted from the distance.
Forgetting that this was a life-or-death moment, Il-gak's gaze turned toward it.
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'That's where Unit Leader Jin was......'
The last time he had looked, a strange energy of blue and red had been filling the area in every direction.
The enormous explosion of qi had filled him with worry he could not suppress.......
But he had been too occupied fighting the beast right before him to pay proper attention.
Ẁ ё bňóvē l̀ Е n̈ um̄а̀
Yet the energy that had been surging as though about to burst just moments ago had vanished without a trace.
CRASH CRASH CRASH BOOM—! BOOM—!!
Only an ear-splitting clamor echoed through the air.
Then.
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WHEEEEE—
With a sound like a signal arrow, a massive ball of fire flew through the air from within the explosion.
Ẅе̊ b̃ n ӧṽе l̂. Е̇ n u m а̊
Normally, both Il-gak and the beast would have ignored it and continued their battle, but this time, neither could.
Because no matter how he looked, the fireball was heading straight toward them.
"......Je Geum-hak?"
The beast's face contorted as it stared hard at the fireball.
And the moment the beast turned its head--
"Hm?!"
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Il-gak too realized that what had appeared to be a fireball was, in fact, shaped like a person.
Then, hurtling in--
"You...... son of a bitch!!!"
A voice more vulgar and coarse than any he had ever heard.
Along with that voice came a searing wave of heat.
"Out of the way, baldy!!!"
W̆ёb ǹ_о̇v̄ e̊ l Eń u m̆a
He did not understand what was being said, but he knew exactly who was saying it.
SHING—!
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Without a second thought, Il-gak threw himself into a full-powered Nine-Grade Lotus Pedestal.
"How dare some Orthodox brat......"!
The beast still showed no sense of crisis and threw its fists.
Several hazy black Fist Projections flew through the air toward the falling Jin So-un.
Е̊ n ū m а̌ . і̄d̊
Having been struck by those fists himself, Il-gak knew. He knew just how terrifying the force packed inside that deceptively vague energy was.
"Unit Leader Jin, be care......"
But the moment Il-gak looked up at him to speak--
"Die, you son of a bitch!!!"
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THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK BOOM—!
Dozens--no, what must have been over a hundred fireballs began pouring down without end.
Ӗ ñ um̈ ă
And.
FWOOOOSH—!
They burned away the beast's hazy Fist Projections and instantly drenched its entire body in searing heat.
"GRAAAAAAAGH!"
The beast, which had acted as though pain was a foreign concept, let out a howl more befitting itself than ever before.
Il-gak's eyes flew wide at the heat reaching even the skin of his scalp.
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......This is.
'F-Fire rain?'
He had seen many who practiced Yang-Style Qi Arts breathe forth flames.
There were also many masters at the main mountain who could kindle Samadhi True Fire, so that in itself was nothing remarkable.
But heat like being inside a kiln firing pottery...... could a human truly produce this?
......Could this, too, truly be called martial study?
Ӗ ṅ um̆ã . і ḋ
"......Amitabha."
Il-gak found himself understanding less and less.
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And then, the Lion's Roar that jolted him awake.
"What are you doing, baldy!!! Are you going to fight or not?!"
His vulgar superior showed not the slightest interest in what injuries his subordinate had sustained.
Even so, he knew well enough that now was not the time to voice complaints.
Е̄n̂ u m̊а̌ . і̇d
"Amitabha."
He had not even recited the Tendon-Changing Classic, yet his mind was more at peace than ever before.
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