The Three Great Disasters (Part 3)
Junje swallowed hard.
He could feel it.
Even back when he had still been at the Sachuk realm, the monster had fought fiercely against the Human Alliance and taken hostages.
That alone was enough to mark him as possessing the talent for Integration Grand Completion.
Such a monster had arrived right in the merged Human Domain.
How much stronger he must have become—Junje had no way of estimating.
He swallowed again, eyes locked on the monstrous figure before him, every nerve in his body on edge.
Then, raising his sword, Junje summoned the spectral image of Triple Taiji.
“Stay calm!” he shouted. “No matter how powerful you’ve become, you’re at most still at the beginning of Integration…”
Even if he himself had no chance, a leader’s duty was to rally his allies.
Junje stepped forward, golden-scaled body leading the charge.
The next instant, the vision split the Human Domain in half.
“H-huh?!”
A flash.
The sound arrived a heartbeat too late.
Yet every single person—Junje included—knew.
‘Insane…’
Junje’s face drained of color as cold sweat poured down his back.
The light in his eyes vanished. Panic loomed.
An Integration stage attack could vaporize a three-thousand-li radius in a single strike.
But look.
The single blow from the Triple Taiji monster, Seo Eun-hyun, had cut away a thirty-thousand-li stretch of land, clouds, and paths—everything.
Only a fellow Integration Grand Completion cultivator would have recognized the truth.
The being before him was a monster that could erase a small sub-domain in one strike.
Of course, he too was at Integration Grand Completion, so he could wipe out a single “sub-domain” ecosystem.
But that was a far cry from annihilating the sub-domain itself.
A single quake strong enough to twist the crust until no life could survive would have ended every living being inside the sub-domain that day.
Yet destroying the life inside it was one thing; destroying the sub-domain itself was another dimension entirely.
Because he was at Integration Grand Completion, Junje understood the instant he saw the strike:
‘That strength… is not even Integration stage.’
He could already sense the terrifying power level.
‘Star Shattering… no, but close to Void Refinement. The gap is enormous.’
He clenched his teeth.
He could not give up.
This Human Domain was a precious territory his ancestors had fought and died to obtain.
He would never let a single member’s stubbornness hand it over.
“Everyone—charge the colorless ghost king!”
The colorless ghost king, Seo Eun-hyun.
That was the new title the monster had earned after his last clash with the Integration assembly.
In other words, the ghost who wields a sword and swings it without mercy.
“Stand still, sword ghost!”
“No matter how strong you are, can you really beat all of us at once?!”
Gaejin and Eonyeon, along with the younger Integration cultivators who were still inexperienced, charged forward with reckless enthusiasm.
Wolryeong and Wusu, those with more experience or sharper minds, held back and targeted from the rear.
Junje himself, Heon-won, and any others with higher cultivation paused for a moment, then struck from behind.
But no matter where they attacked, Junje’s face stayed calm.
‘An Integration stage cultivator who can unleash a blow close to Star Shattering… but that’s all.’
He focused every ounce of attention on Seo Eun-hyun, then turned to the summoned sects and ordered the other Integration-level companions—Jeon Myeong-hoon and the rest—to strike.
‘Integration stage cultivators can only use such wild attacks a few times at most. At the very beginning, no more than three. Just be careful for the next two, and after that their strength will drop to normal Integration Grand Completion levels. Then Oh Hyun-seok and I can combine our forces to crush them.’
Junje’s eyes gleamed as he completed the most rational judgment possible.
“Keep attacking! As long as they’re under our full assault, they won’t be able to move freely!”
Wolryeong poured out flames, raising the inferno. Wusu infused the air, boosting the pressure.
Gaejin released spore bombs and mushroom spores inside the flames, smothering Seo Eun-hyun’s body. Eonyeon deployed his tower-like magical artifact and crushed down.
Gol-maek gathered spiritual energy in both hands, pouring forth a purple glow, then fired it like a spear. Junje pulled out his magnetic artifacts and slammed them against the monster.
At the same moment, they all struck with Lightning Tribulation, forgetting nothing even in a thousand lifetimes of bombardment.
‘It’s over! The bastard can’t move! We just drag this out—two more of his attacks and we win!’
Yet even with victory in sight, Junje scanned the surroundings with uneasy eyes.
CRRRRRR!
Among the six major Human sects, the Black Linen Sea Dragon Sect.
Gaejin Sect, Yeoncheon Palace.
The three great sects had thrown everything into capturing just one Jeon Myeong-hoon.
Jeon Myeong-hoon swung six arms in every direction, wielding lightning spears. Every time the spears struck, entire military forces of the sects crumbled like paper.
[Grrrrrrr!]
Jeon Myeong-hoon roared. Around him, a Taiji pattern emerged, and a domain of lightning took shape nearby.
CRRRRRR!
When he opened the domain, countless red lightning bolts rained down.
‘Late-stage Integration power… even though it looked like early stage at first glance, the growth potential after reaching late stage is terrifying…’
Junje looked elsewhere.
Among the six major Human sects, Bongrae-do was being fought by Hong-beom, Kim Yeon, and Buk Hyang-hwa.
The giant centipede demon’s poisonous mist had already driven the island’s protectors mad. In the gap, Kim Yeon manipulated Buk Hyang-hwa’s puppet to resist.
Bongrae-do had sent out General Seo, stolen from Seo Eun-hyun earlier, but in roughly the time it takes to blink three times, he was already under Kim Yeon’s control.
The Human Alliance’s Taesan Yeolje Art had pushed Hong-beom and the puppets back, but Buk Hyang-hwa inside the puppet was constantly upgrading and strengthening them in real time.
‘No, more than that… how is that woman so casually avoiding and dismantling the attacks of high-cultivation sages?’
Junje glanced at Kim Yeon.
A woman of only Heavenly Person realm.
Yet her movements were impossibly fast.
Whoosh…
“…?”
Junje frowned at the five rings floating around her.
Every time one entered her body, the puppet manipulation speed increased further.
Not just fast—it matched the speed of an Integration stage cultivator’s non-contact technique.
‘That woman is also a Star Shattering-level factor.’
He studied the faces of the newcomers Seo Eun-hyun had brought.
Black Ghost Valley was fighting Siho and Seo Ran.
Siho had spread his six fox tails on Seopmyeong Ship and was snarling. Black Ghost Valley had sent two Seopmyeong Ships, several Sachuk ghost kings, and Heo Gwae, Heo Ryeong to pin them down.
But…
‘What the hell is this?!’
Oh Hyun-seok.
Oh Hyun-seok had joined Changheon Gaebyeokmun, the lowest-ranked sect among the six major Human sects, and was now fighting Black Ghost Valley.
[Hahahaha!]
[Huhahahaha!]
Changhoza, Cheongmun Seon-woo.
And Oh Hyun-seok were both releasing the same martial art’s aura, facing off against the ghost kings of Black Ghost Valley.
[You bastards! What do you think you’re doing right now?! Are you betraying the Human race?!]
Junje bellowed at the Changheon Gaebyeokmun.
But all he received in return was Changhoza’s hearty laugh.
[Hahaha! We are brothers even before the Human race!
[They are traitors to the Human race!
[Before being traitors, they are my disciples!]
Changhoza stood chest out in front of Oh Hyun-seok and shouted.
[If you want to restrain my disciples, restrain this wrong-headed master first!]
Junje was speechless, stunned.
‘He… didn’t realize that because of the artifact he was at the level of near-Integration and had been accepted into the six major Human sects…’
He gritted his teeth, eyes flashing.
[Everyone’s doomed. Something’s wrong with all of us…]
KUGUGUGU!
Starting with Junje, domains erupted from inside the bodies of the Integration assembly cultivators.
Whoosh!
The domains of the Integration cultivators tightly sealed around Seo Eun-hyun, who was already trapped.
Their domains overlapped, covering the entire battlefield.
When two domains overlapped, they collided and pushed each other back.
But when the domain owners allowed each other, the domains merged and their power multiplied further.
KUGUGUGU!
Junje’s eyes burned like a blazing sun.
His body became a giant covered in golden scales.
Gol-maek turned into a giant whose entire body was encased in unknown bones.
Gaejin’s body was a mass of mushrooms and spore bombs sprouting from every inch. Eonyeon’s was a golden dragon fused with his own artifact. Wolryeong became a flaming butterfly. Wusu a butterfly with wind wings. All of them revealed their true forms.
[It’s over for you! From now on you’ll kneel before the authority of humanity…]
When the golden-scaled giant, Junje, raised one hand.
CRACK!
Junje suddenly heard a chilling sound from behind and turned.
KUGUK!
A black hand shot out from inside the fiery prison, driven by a howling gale.
And a twenty-headed ghost king stepped out of the prison, wielding a colorless sword.
[N-no way! Stop him!]
The roar of Junje’s voice made every Integration cultivator combine their strength to reinforce the ghost king’s seal and unleash a torrent of attacks.
But the ghost king, while taking countless blows, calmly continued talking to someone.
[Why are you still inside all alone?]
[“Because my consciousness, spiritual power, and such at the Core Formation stage aren’t very familiar yet…”]
[Isn’t your power actually stronger now?]
[“I’m holding back a little until I can perfectly control the power.”]
[“Do whatever you like…”]
Junje watched the scene and felt an inexplicable chill.
Zzzt zzt zzt!
Countless futures flashed across his eyes.
Once he became an Integration cultivator, instead of one future he would see multiple.
He could have predicted distant futures simply by sitting still and concentrating for years.
But in the monster’s eyes, only one future remained visible.
[Everyone, dodge!!!]
KWA-KWAKWANG!
The fire prison shattered.
The shockwave crushed every domain around Seo Eun-hyun.
And Seo Eun-hyun drew his sword again.
Junje ground his teeth and shouted.
[He must have lost quite a bit of strength when he broke out! Just that one—dodge it!]
KUGUGUGU!
And Seo Eun-hyun’s next strike split the entire Human Domain in half again.
Junje felt goosebumps rise.
The power was terrifying, but even though the massive slash swept through the Human Domain and destroyed the terrain, no one was harmed.
It passed through things that were not the target and only cut what it aimed at.
Precision at a horrifying level.
But Junje finally relaxed.
‘He’s already used up most of his strength.’
He would never show such tricks again.
And Seo Eun-hyun swung his sword.
BOONG!
[…!!]
Junje screamed in shock and barely dodged the second strike.
Again, the sword split the heavens and earth.
Eighty percent of the Human Domain’s celestial maps were sliced away by Seo Eun-hyun’s blade.
He shook his head, still not believing it.
[Y-yes. There was a slight miscalculation in my judgment. But that precision… that was the end…]
Seo Eun-hyun drew his sword style again.
And he swung it toward the Integration cultivators.
The Integration cultivators fought desperately to dodge again, but Junje’s face turned deathly pale.
[He must have learned some special secret technique to preserve his spiritual energy. But this time it really…]
Seo Eun-hyun swung the sword once more.
KUGUGUGU!
A torrent of slashing strikes spread across the entire Human Domain, and the celestial maps began to fall one by one.
The foundation of humanity was collapsing.
[…Ah… I see.]
‘That’s not just a near-Integration strike…’
Only then did Junje understand.
The Seo Eun-hyun before him had never fought them from the start.
To the being in front of him, the Integration cultivators were nothing but flies.
He had simply attacked their foundation, as he had said at the beginning, to drive the Human race out of its territory.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Every time the sword swung, the floating celestial maps shattered, and the maps kept falling downward.
[D-don’t…]
A flash of sword light.
The formless sword qi crushed every formation of the Human Domain.
[Stop…!]
Junje shouted in despair.
The clouds over the Human Domain lifted, and the foundation was shattered by Seo Eun-hyun’s rampage.
[Stop it!]
The land his ancestors had guarded for generations was crumbling.
[Stop right now!!!]
Junje cried blood and screamed at the monster swinging the sword.
And Seo Eun-hyun and Junje’s eyes met.
Junje charged at the monster for the sake of Human territory.
He had to stop it.
He had to stop the extinction of the Human age!
KWAAAANG!
The next instant, Junje took the strike and his golden scales on his entire body shattered and flew away.
His domain split in half.
He understood immediately.
Seo Eun-hyun had always been able to crush and kill them at any time.
[You bastard!]
Gol-maek roared and expanded, charging at Seo Eun-hyun.
Wolryeong, Wusu, Gaejin, and Eonyeon unleashed another full-scale assault.
And under Wolryeong’s command, the six major Human sects that had been fighting Seo Eun-hyun’s companions—actually the five major sects limited to Changheon Gaebyeokmun—charged together at Seo Eun-hyun.
[Do not threaten the Human race’s foundation, you traitor!]
With Gaejin’s shout, countless Human cultivators began bombarding Seo Eun-hyun with artifacts and spells.
And Seo Eun-hyun’s eyes, forty of them glowing, revealed a chilling presence.
[…You’ve been playing around long enough. How naive.]
Seo Eun-hyun, who had never once fully released the power of Triple Taiji, raised his ears from the glowing eyes.
[Fine, let’s fight properly.]
The next instant, Seo Eun-hyun vanished.
And the next moment.
Only Gol-maek reacted properly.
Puff! BOOM!
Gaejin and Eonyeon’s bodies split in half, and Seo Eun-hyun’s sword pierced through Gol-maek’s crossed arms and severed both of her arms.
Seo Eun-hyun used non-contact technique, sword flight, and gliding flight to scan the surroundings with cold eyes.
From the very beginning he had never intended to fight the entire Human army in front of him.
Jeon Myeong-hoon had said to kill everyone, but since he was perfectly capable of suppressing the entire Human race without killing anyone, the entire Human race was next in line.
His goal was to display overwhelming fear and drive the Human race out of its territory.
That was why he had used only large-range attacks and left the Human Domain in ruins.
But no one.
Not a single Human cultivator feared Seo Eun-hyun.
They were shocked, yes, but nothing more.
They had all burned with fighting spirit to protect their own territory.
‘That’s why I was wrong to fight together with the Demon race.’
The Demon race who kept burning their fighting spirit even when it was hot.
The Human race who burned their fighting spirit even when their lives were being burned away.
Both had an unyielding part of fighting spirit, which was why they were called the “Hell race” together.
‘I was mistaken. Even I am Human…’
Seo Eun-hyun finally made up his mind.
‘With half-hearted resolve, I cannot make the Human race kneel.’
He corrected his sword style.
From merely frightening his opponent to properly killing them.
He filled his eyes with a dangerous killing light and spoke.
[Sorry for underestimating you. Then from now…]
And he began to unleash his killing move.
[I will fight you properly.]
The one he was facing now was the Human race.
One of the two races that would never be broken in this vast Gwanghan Realm.
A sword qi that felt like silk sprayed from his hand.
No, it was far more than sword qi.
It was too dangerous to be called sword qi, too tyrannical to be called sword gang, and too sharp to be called sword radiance.
It was, indeed, something that could be called a breakthrough.
The final technique of the first half of Danak Sword Art was named Sunrise Peak.
Surmounting the peak, just like sunlight pouring in.
The countless stabs that poured out beyond the technique resembled a sunrise.
But what Seo Eun-hyun was unleashing now was nothing like a sunrise.
Not a sunrise.
This was… an opening of the heavens.
Danak Sword Art
Twelfth Technique
[Dodge!!!]
[You will be annihilated!]
Six-Eyed Light Opening Peak
The tiny sliver of sword will pierced through the four directions of heaven and earth.
And it did not stop at piercing.
KWA-KWAKWAKWANG!
It exploded.
Where the silk-like stab struck, a storm of sword qi erupted and scorched everything around it.
Slash storms rose from every direction.
The Human race’s foundation collapsed and fell to the ground.
One of the six great Heavenly races’ territory had fallen.
Gol-maek stared at the monster in front of her with a dazed expression.
[Sword… sword… ghost…]
In front of her was the famous sword ghost.
But she simply could not accept it as the “sword ghost.”
That title was far too small to describe what she was seeing.
And the same feeling had clearly spread to the entire Integration assembly.
From Wolryeong’s mouth, seeing the collapsing Human foundation, a new name burst out.
“…Sword Demon. Sword Demon, you say.”
KUGUGUGU!
The slash storm passed once, and they swallowed and stared at the being before them.
The Sword Demon who had turned the Human Domain into wasteland was still moving.
Whoosh, whooong, whoooooong!
The energy of heaven and earth surged toward the being in front of them.
The Sword Demon was preparing the next technique.
[Annihilate everything…!]
Wolryeong shed tears.
[Everyone, run away!]
Her will spread to the entire Human race.
The thousands of clones Wolryeong possessed issued orders to the tens of thousands of sects.
[The Integration assembly has fallen! The Sword Demon wants to trample our Human race!]
He shouted while facing Seo Eun-hyun’s killing intent.
[Run! If you want to live, run out of the Sword Demon’s attack range!]
The Human race had lost.
They had been robbed of their living territory by the Sword Demon with twenty heads and forced to flee into the unknown.
From that day on, Seo Eun-hyun gained a new infamous title.
The formless sword-wielding evil ghost.
Formless Sword Demon, Seo Eun-hyun.
And before long, every race in the Gwanghan Realm would face the Three Great Disasters that had begun to sweep through the realm in earnest.
A mad puppet master who began growing the Wondrous Castle in earnest.
Goe-gun, Jo Yeon.
The mad puppet master who had driven the Human race, one of the six Heavenly races and one of the Hell races, out of its territory.
The formless sword demon, Seo Eun-hyun.
And the mindless ghost that led the ghosts and began swallowing the world.
Ghost Dao Holy Mother, Kang Min-hee.
Goe-gun.
Ghost Mother.
Sword Demon.
The Gwanghan Realm called these three together the Three Great Disasters.