Chapter 627: Two of Them

When Dokgo Jun regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.

“......”

He had mustered the last of his strength for one final swing at the enormous golden palm coming down on him. That was where his memory ended. The instant he regained consciousness, pain lanced through his entire body.

“Ugh...”

“You were only just treated. Don’t go moving around carelessly yet.”

He turned his head toward the familiar voice and found Tang Soso looking down at him, thoroughly unimpressed. Despite the pain, a foolish giggle escaped him. He had no idea why.

Is it because hers is the first face I see after waking up?

“President, did the shock knock some screws loose in your head?” Tang Soso tilted her head thoughtfully. Conjuring a long needle out of thin air, she mumbled to herself, “Should I seal his sleep acupoint?”

Dokgo Jun hurriedly stopped her. “I’m fine. It’s just... kind of funny.”

“What’s so funny? A baldy broke the Vice President’s arm and knocked the President unconscious. The Azure Dragon Academy Student Council’s reputation is in the gutter.”

Dokgo Jun winced at the stinging jab. “Vice President, is that any way to talk to a senior who just woke up after being injured in a duel?”

“Who told you to get injured? When you realized defeat was inevitable, you should have conceded and waited for another opportunity. That’s the most basic strategy among all basic strategies. Or did nobody teach you that?”

“My strategic genius of a Vice President, who unleashed the Rain of Ten Thousand Blossoms the second her duel started, certainly didn’t.”

“Are you seriously criticizing the kind junior who patched you up?”

The Student Council’s two leaders bickered as usual, shaking their heads and sighing in unison.

“Nngh!”

Dokgo Jun tried to prop himself up, but stopped short when he saw the bandages wrapped tightly around his entire body.

At this point, I’m essentially rolled up like a straw mat.1

The smell of wound salve was pouring off him in waves, too. Given the injuries he had sustained, the treatment was wildly excessive. He didn’t need to ask to know who was responsible, but gratitude compelled him to crack a joke anyway.

“Vice President, have you been secretly nursing a grudge against me all year? Because it looks like you saw your chance and tried to bury me for good.”

“Oh, I’ve got more than a few grievances, but I’ll pretend I can’t remember any of them for now.” Tang Soso smiled playfully. “So, how does it feel now that it’s all over?”

Dokgo Jun stared into space for a moment. “I’m... relieved.”

For him, the whole of the past year had been one relentless sprint toward the Heavenly Martial Festival. Despite losing to Ilgak, he felt more relief than regret.

He had fought with everything he had and broken Ilgak’s sword with the Nine Swords of Dokgo, avenging last year’s defeat.

“Obviously, I’d have liked to win the duel, but it seems I came up a little short.”

He looked down at his hands, which were calloused and scarred from being torn open and healed over more times than he could count.

A surge of pride washed over him.

Tang Soso asked hesitantly, “...You’re leaving the Student Council now, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Dokgo Jun nodded so firmly that he seemed almost detached. He would be entering his fourth year soon, and it was an Azure Dragon Academy tradition for fourth-years to step down from the Student Council to prepare for graduation. New juniors would fill the empty positions.

“You’re staying, right?”

“Obviously.” Tang Soso folded her arms and announced her goal as the next Student Council President, “Someone has to preside over the golden age where the Azure Dragon Academy is the world’s best martial arts academy.”

Dokgo Jun almost told her to save the boasting until she won the election, but he just laughed instead.

““ROOOOAR!””

An enormous cheer drew his attention.

Right. The Dragon and Phoenix Tournament is still going.

“Who’s dueling right now?”

“Senior Hyonwon Kang and Chwi So’ok of the Heavenly Martial Academy. I really don’t think you need to watch...”

“Could you help me up, Vice President?”

“Senior Dokgo Jun. Do you realize that you come off as subtly authoritarian whenever you ask for something?”

“If you don’t like it, you should be President.”

Dokgo Jun hobbled outside, leaning on a grumbling Tang Soso. Amidst the roar of the crowd, the two prodigies on the duel stage slammed into each other.

CLAAAAAANG!

The duel was overwhelmingly one-sided. Hyonwon Kang drove Chwi So’ok of the Heavenly Martial Academy backward without pause, as if avenging Dokgo Jun’s loss to Ilgak in the previous match. The Wudang disciple was hard-pressed just to defend himself.

Dokgo Jun scratched his cheek, mortified.

SWISH!

With every arc the Asura Blood Heaven Blade drew in the air, Chwi So’ok flinched and backpedaled. Anyone watching could tell he wouldn’t last much longer.

Meanwhile, Hyonwon Kang swung his blade with the pure glee of a fish in water. The crowd gasped at his dynamic, exhilarating movements, and their gasps never let up.

Dokgo Jun smiled contentedly at his friend. “Wonkang’s having the time of his life.”

Hearing his voice, people began to notice him standing outside the tent.

“The Azure Dragon Academy’s Sword Dragon! Man, what a great duel!”

“I really thought you had him! What a shame!”

“The day the Dokgo Clan takes its place among the Five Great Clans can’t be far off!”

“Young Master Dokgo! Please compete again next year! We’ll be cheering for you!”

The outpouring of support caught Dokgo Jun completely off guard. The fact that so many people remembered him, even after his loss, was genuinely startling.

Some people cheered for the Sword Dragon of the Azure Dragon Academy. Others gave him a thumbs-up for a well-fought bout. Countless others merely looked his way.

Unlike before, not a single face showed any semblance of pity. Rather, they were filled with awe and admiration.

Dokgo Jun’s eyes shook. He had never received such widespread approval at any of his previous Heavenly Martial Festivals. “Haha...” he laughed helplessly.