Chapter 55: I Know You
Chapter 55: I Know You
A purple radiance signaled the activation of a forbidden demonic art.
The Mind-Reading Soul-Stealing Technique, an art designed to rip the truth from an opponent’s soul, had been unleashed.
This technique was strictly forbidden within the Demonic Cult, never to be used on a fellow member without the explicit permission of the Cult Leader. Because it allowed the user to peer into a person’s mind and compel them to answer any question, the potential for abuse was far too great.
Yet, the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord had broken the taboo.
While high-ranking ghost practitioners were capable of performing the Mind-Reading Soul-Stealing Technique, their success rates varied depending on their mastery and internal energy. The deeper the shade of purple, the more powerful the technique.
The brilliant, shimmering violet emanating from the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord suggested she could drag out memories the victim didn't even know they possessed.
“Who are you?”
“Geom Mu-geuk.”
“How do you know so much about me?”
“I investigated you. Everything from your personality to your habits.”
The Mind-Reading Soul-Stealing Technique, which attempted to infiltrate through the eyes, had no effect on me thanks to the Blood Eye Purifying Water I had used.
Nevertheless, I answered as if I were under its spell. By observing what she asked, I could learn more about her in return.
“Is the Cult Leader behind this?”
“No.”
A flicker of relief crossed the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord’s face. As expected, the person she feared most was my father.
“Why did you come here?”
“To kill you.”
“Did you tell anyone you were coming?”
“No one.”
The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord deactivated the technique. Since it wasn't the Cult Leader’s doing, she likely saw no reason to continue wasting internal energy. The consumption of energy and mental strength required for the Mind-Reading Soul-Stealing Technique was more taxing than almost any other sorcery.
Her question about whether I had told anyone revealed her intent. She had decided to kill me.
“Second Young Master, as of today, you shall vanish from this world.”
“I’m not worried about myself, but can you handle the aftermath of killing me?”
“Why should I handle it? The Blood Heaven Blade Demon will. It won’t be me who kills you. You will die at his hands while attempting to take his life.”
She intended to use her Soul-Seizing Technique to command me to kill the Blade Demon. Since she believed I stood no chance against him, she concluded I would inevitably die by his blade.
“That sounds just like you.”
“What do you mean, ‘just like me’? Why do you keep acting as if you know me so well? You investigated me? The fact that you think you can kill me proves your investigation was a failure.”
The moment she finished speaking, the world began to spin.
Dazzling, intense lights flew toward me, so bright I couldn't keep my eyes open. When the light faded, I found myself standing alone in a dark void. A voice whispered in my ear.
— Kill the Blood Heaven Blade Demon!
The words repeated incessantly.
At first, it was the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord’s voice, then my father’s, then Lee An’s, then Seo Dae-ryong’s. Every voice I knew echoed the command. I even heard my own voice, and that of the Blade Demon himself.
Even when I covered my ears, the words burrowed into my mind. It felt as if the command was being hammered into my brain. My head throbbed with agonizing pain.
If it felt this intense even with my Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art active, an ordinary person would have succumbed to her Soul-Seizing Technique instantly.
I looked around.
In the distance, amidst the pitch-black darkness, I saw a faint bluish light. Instinctively, I knew that light was the counter-dispelling method for this technique. I began walking toward it.
As I drew closer, the light grew until it was large enough for a person to pass through. Without hesitation, I stepped into it.
The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord was standing outside, staring at me with a look of shock.
“How did you open your eyes on your own?”
It seemed that walking into the light within the illusion translated to opening one's eyes in reality.
“No one should be able to wake up before the Soul-Seizing Technique is complete.”
“I must be more fond of the Blade Demon than I thought. I didn't want to kill him.”
Once again, the world spun as intense light surged toward me. I was back in the darkness.
— Kill the Blood Heaven Blade Demon!
This was a more powerful version of the technique, fueled by even more internal energy. If the first attempt was like a small hammer, this one felt like being struck by a sledgehammer.
However, the bluish light was still there, and I was able to escape through it again. My head spun with a splitting ache even after I emerged, a testament to the sheer power of her sorcery.
“Why... why is the Soul-Seizing Technique not working on you?”
“I told you, it’s because of my deep bond with Elder Blade Demon.”
“Nonsense!”
“You’re looking anxious. That’s not like you.”
“Then I, who have no such bonds, shall step forward myself.”
The surroundings turned dark once more.
Something writhed in the shadows.
The ground undulated as pitch-black silhouettes rose. They were monsters with eyes and mouths torn wide and unnaturally long limbs—creatures so grotesque they chilled the very soul.
These beings, looking as if they had crawled straight out of hell, lunged at me.
I slashed at them with my Black Demonic Sword.
Small bluish dots were visible on the bodies of the black monsters. Some were on their heads, some on their bellies, others on their arms. The Blood Eye Purifying Water was showing me the exact way to break this sorcery.
Whenever I pierced a light, the monster vanished into a cluster of white mist. Had I not struck those precise vitals, these spirits likely would have attacked relentlessly, never dying. They were enemies that could not be stopped by martial prowess alone.
Once I had cut down every monster, the darkness lifted, revealing the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord standing there with a grim expression.
Without a word, she unleashed her next sorcery.
When the world went dark and then brightened again, I was taken aback. I was standing on a large log in the middle of the ocean.
It was real seawater. Though it was undoubtedly an illusion created by manipulating the human mind, it was a real ocean where one could drown and die.
Then, I heard the sound of waves in the distance.
I turned my head to see something massive rushing toward me. To my horror, it was a gargantuan tsunami.
Swaaaaaaaa!
It was the wrath of nature, something no human strength could hope to withstand.
I finally understood why those of the Orthodox Faction considered the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord their most troublesome opponent. How could a mere human overcome such a colossal illusion?
The approaching wave was as high as a cliff. It was so tall that its crest seemed to touch the heavens. I looked for a way to break the technique, but no light was visible anywhere on the wave.
With nowhere to run, I was swallowed by the tide.
I was plunged underwater, the crushing weight of the impact nearly overwhelming me. Had it not been for the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art, I would have lost consciousness from the shock. I was tossed about by the currents, helpless against the water's will.
After what felt like an eternity...
“Pah!”
I broke the surface and gasped for air.
Just as I thought I might survive, I saw another tsunami rolling in from the distance. If this cycle continued, even the greatest master would eventually die of exhaustion. I had to find the way out before then.
I scanned the area and dove beneath the surface, searching for a bluish light. But the depths were nothing but darkness.
I was swept away by the second wave. Minimizing the impact with my protection art, I surfaced again. No matter where I looked, there was only the vast, open sea. Finding the counter-method in this endless ocean seemed nearly impossible.
Where could it be? There were no seagulls, no rocky islands—just the boundless sea and me.
There has to be something here for me to find.
At that moment, a thought flashed through my mind. There was one thing.
Could it be?
I launched myself out of the water. Kicking off the surface, I searched for that one thing. I failed to find it before the third wave hit. Before the fourth wave could reach me, I leaped into the air again, searching desperately.
Finally, I found what I was looking for.
Please! Let this be it!
What I found was the log I had been standing on when I first arrived. I flipped the log over and saw a bluish light glowing on its underside.
The Blood Eye Purifying Water always revealed the solution accurately and quickly, but this time, the answer had been right under my nose. It made sense; the very thing protecting me in the middle of the ocean was the key to escaping it.
Or perhaps it had been glowing on top originally, and the log had simply rolled over in the waves.
Just before the fourth tsunami could crush me, I slashed the log with my Black Demonic Sword.
In that instant!
The rushing wave vanished as if it had never existed, and the ocean disappeared with it.
It must have been her trump card, but the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord did not let her despair show. Immediately, a new space unfolded. She was pouring out every lethal secret art she possessed.
I found myself surrounded by about thirty mirrors. Each mirror held a piece of my life.
There was my childhood self, my current self, my middle-aged self, and even a version of me as an old man. It was as if the mirrors were showing my entire life in three or four-year increments.
I walked slowly, looking at the versions of myself in the mirrors. Most were ages I had lived through before my regression, but at a certain point, they began to show ages I had never reached. The version of me in the final mirror was so old I could hardly recognize myself.
I was on the verge of death.
I asked the man in the mirror, “What are you regretting so much?”
The mirror-self was withered, lying alone in a large room, staring vacantly at the ceiling. There was no one there to be with me in my final moments. It was a lonely, desolate death.
This isn't my future. It’s an illusion created by the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord.
Someone more hot-tempered might have smashed the mirror in rage. Had I done that, the situation would likely have worsened. I reached out and gently stroked the image of the old man.
“You lived with so much blood on your hands... did you really expect a happy death? That’s greed, Mu-geuk. If you kill Hwa Mu-gi and save those who need to be saved, then a death like this is perfectly fine.”
I comforted myself. What would my actual death be like? Would I die lonely like that? Or would I die smiling, comforting those I left behind?
“It’s alright, so rest in peace. I know you.”
I was stroking the mirror-self, but perhaps I was comforting my current self. Telling myself that it was okay, that I was doing well.
I walked back toward the mirrors showing my youth. I stopped before a mirror showing me a few years into the future; a bluish light was shimmering around its frame.
“Now, shall we head out?”
Crash!
I swung the Black Demonic Sword and shattered the mirror. Beyond the shards of glass, I saw the stunned face of the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord.
“How... how did you know it was that mirror?”
Out of dozens of mirrors, only one was the exit.
“If I had broken the wrong one, the number of mirrors would have doubled. And if I broke another wrong one, they would have doubled again. I would have been trapped there forever.”
“I was lucky.”
“Lucky? You don't escape that place through luck!”
The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord’s face was completely frozen. Her surprise had turned into shock, and she had reached the one conclusion that must have been haunting her throughout her failed attacks.
She asked in a trembling voice, “Have you truly mastered the Nine Calamities Demonic Art?”
Before I could even answer, she decided that it was so.
“That mad Cult Leader! He already chose a successor behind our backs?”
It was a natural misunderstanding. In her mind, there was only one reason her sorcery would fail so completely. The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord erupted in fury.
“Damn it! Using his own child as a blade to kill me? That filthy bastard! The Cult Leader never once showed his true heart. Always stabbing us in the back.”
“Wait. Let’s get one thing straight. Aside from this, when has my father ever stabbed you in the back?”
“What?”
“You said he’s always doing it. Tell me about the other times.”
The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord couldn't find the words.
“My father said you were the person the Orthodox Faction feared most. It means he held you in high regard. Would he really stab someone like that in the back? I don't think so.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Don't just say whatever comes to mind because you're angry. My father hesitated to kill you until the very end. I might even lose points with him because of this.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“I thought about it. People were farming, trading, going to schools and martial arts halls. They were just living their ordinary lives. Then one day, they’re dragged away for no reason and have their hearts ripped out while they’re still alive. Don't you think that’s incredibly unfair?”
“Life is inherently unfair. If you don't like it, become a master.”
“That unfairness... you can have it all for yourself today.”
Even though she mistakenly believed I had mastered the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord did not lose her spirit.
“You said you investigated me? Fine. Then you should know I am a person who has lived solely for the desire to live a long life. Do you think someone like me wouldn't have anticipated a day like this? A day when the Cult Leader would betray me and try to kill me?”
She still believed my father had orchestrated this entire situation.
“Do you know why I delved into the Heart-Soul Great Law? Was it just to gain a bit of internal energy?”
“Was it not?”
“Of course not!”
A dark, smoke-like energy began to billow around the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord’s body.
“You called me a monster? Have you even seen a real monster?”
Within the black energy, she began to transform. It was a literal metamorphosis. Her stature grew, and her skin turned black. A brilliant white light flowed from her long, slit eyes, and her ears rose like those of a demon. Through her chest, a massive, crimson heart could be seen pulsing violently.
Was this an illusion, or reality?
The transformed Demon Lord exuded an aura completely different from before. It was cold and impenetrable. I tensed. This demonic art was her ultimate trump card, prepared specifically to counter the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. That alone spoke of its power.
“I will tear your precious Nine Calamities Demonic Art to shreds!”
The demonic energy she unleashed swept through the surroundings. It wasn't mere energy; it was Dark Demonic Energy.