Chapter 56: Live a Long Life Then
Chapter 56: Live a Long Life Then
The Dark Demonic Art was a forbidden technique.
While it was far more overbearing and powerful than typical demonic arts, its side effects were equally devastating. Most who practiced it were eventually consumed by the art, falling into qi deviation and committing mindless slaughter until they met a miserable end. For this reason, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult strictly prohibited its practice.
Dark demonic energy was the specific type of power produced by this art. Because its pressure was so immense, I attempted to break my opponent’s momentum from the very start.
"Why did you learn such trash?"
"Let’s see if you can still talk like that when you’re buried in it," the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord spat back.
"I shouldn't have even bothered coming to kill you. You would have died from the side effects eventually anyway."
"I will not die from side effects. I have successfully suppressed them using the internal energy I gained through the Heart-Soul Great Law."
Sensing that this would be no easy feat, I drew the Black Demonic Sword.
As the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord reached out his hand, black energy swirled around his palm. When the mist dissipated, a black sword rested in his grip. Even at a glance, it was clear it was no ordinary blade.
"I will kill you," he growled. "And one day, I will kill your father with my own hands to take that throne for myself."
"You’re too cowardly for that. You’ll spend your whole life clinging to that borrowed breath, hiding your ambitions until the day you rot."
In my previous life, he had never once revealed that he practiced the Dark Demonic Art. He had kept it as a hidden trump card for his own protection until the very end.
We were both fueled by rage, and we poured that fury into the internal energy channeled through our blades.
Our swords collided in midair.
Boom!
An ear-splitting explosion erupted. Neither I nor the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord gave an inch. In terms of internal energy, we were neck and neck. Had he not exhausted his reserves earlier with multiple uses of the Soul-Seizing Technique, his transformed state likely would have overwhelmed me with pure power. Such was the terrifying strength of the Dark Demonic Art.
I utilized the Flying Heaven Sword Technique from the start. He was an enemy that required nothing less than my finest forms.
The First Form: Balanced Heaven Form was unleashed.
Shwaaaaak!
A single streak of sword light sought to bisect the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord. But as the perfect line was drawn, the Demon Lord—who should have been cut at the waist—soared upward and swung his sword. His voice boomed with a heavy, guttural roar.
"Annihilation!"
His sword was as fast as light.
Six sword lines manifested where I had been standing, then vanished. Had I not used Blink Step to evade, I would have been carved into six pieces.
"Ghost Annihilation!"
The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord was not the type to make mistakes or offer openings with half-hearted attacks. A second form, stronger and faster than the first, came flying at me.
This time, the space where I stood was torn into twelve pieces. The sight of twelve sword lines appearing and disappearing simultaneously was a lethal spectacle.
Again, I evaded using Blink Step, though it was a much narrower escape than before.
Before he could launch a third strike, I unleashed the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, Second Form: Changing Heaven Form.
My sword transformed twelve times in front of the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord. He didn't dodge; instead, he parried every single strike. Sparks flew with every collision.
As the variations of the Changing Heaven Form grew more complex, the white radiance emitting from the Demon Lord’s eyes intensified. After parrying the twelfth and final variation, he immediately counterattacked.
"Extermination!"
His third form, growing progressively stronger, clashed with my Flying Heaven Sword Technique, Third Form: Profound Heaven Style.
Fortunately, I was not within the space that was being split into twenty-four pieces.
I had dodged, but the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord had not.
Slash!
The Profound Heaven Style tore through his shoulder. However, no blood flowed from the wound. His blackened skin was as durable as a protective robe. Relying on that unnatural sturdiness, the Demon Lord continued his assault. His shout was now entirely consumed by a metallic rasp.
"Destruction!"
Forty-eight sword lines wove a brilliant, deadly tapestry. The space occupied by his sword light grew larger and larger.
It was powerful, but he had one fatal flaw. Because he lacked actual combat experience using this demonic art, his attacks were somewhat monotonous. If I had been the one using that technique, I never would have been able to dodge it.
Narrowly escaping the strike, I unleashed the Fourth Form: Blazing Heaven Form, a technique designed for qi emission.
The sword qi flew at a terrifying speed and struck the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord with a heavy thud. He staggered violently as if about to collapse, but managed to steady himself. Parts of his body that should have been severed remained intact.
A trail of black liquid trickled from the corner of his mouth, yet he still appeared formidable.
"Second Young Master... why do you not use the Nine Calamities Demonic Art?"
The Demon Lord’s voice had turned into a metallic screech, sounding less and less human. He was synchronizing with the Dark Demonic Art. At this rate, he would eventually be consumed by it. Such powerful demonic arts always demanded a price.
Nevertheless, he was pushing himself to the limit, and I was in corresponding danger.
"I felt I could defeat someone like you without needing it."
It was a deliberate provocation. In a battle between equals, the moment one loses their composure, they lose their life. And this provocation had another purpose as well.
"Your arrogance will lead you to your death—"
The moment he began to speak, I unleashed the Flying Heaven Sword Technique’s fastest strike, the Fifth Form: Azure Heaven Form. It was a decisive strike aimed at cutting off the opponent's breath while they were mid-sentence.
The Azure Heaven Form slashed accurately across his throat. However, his head was not severed; instead, more black liquid simply oozed out.
Even the Azure Heaven Form couldn't take his head?
"You’ve truly become a monster."
At my words, the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord charged. He seemed to be exploding with rage, yet his breathing remained steady. My provocation hadn't worked.
We both took to the air, searching for the chance to land a finishing blow.
Even as we soared, our swords clashed incessantly. Like two dragons ascending while coiled around each other, we traded blows in a whirlwind of steel.
The area was filled with the sound of clashing metal and flashes of sword light moving faster than the eye could follow. This was the reality of the Murim—a place where a man known only for his Soul-Seizing Technique could hide such a demonic art as his final trump card.
At the end of the fierce melee, as we pushed away from each other, the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord’s eyes flashed brilliant white.
Dangerous!
The Demon Lord unleashed his final move. His shout erupted in a pure, metallic shriek.
"Heaven Annihilation!"
I didn't dodge. His opportunity was also mine. We both saw the same opening and thrust our swords toward it.
Using the Underworld King Step, I poured all of my internal energy into the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, Eighth Form: Yellow Springs Form.
Shshshshshing!
Slaaaaaash!
Two lights crossed paths.
A brilliant display of sword light was etched into the side where I stood. The space was carved into ninety-six pieces, shearing away an entire plane of existence. It was a truly magnificent, awe-inspiring sight.
The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord did not look at the magnificent sight he had created. He was looking down at his own heart.
Blood flowed from the wound where my Black Demonic Sword had pierced his chest. It was red blood, not black liquid. His massive, pulsing heart was slowing to a halt.
"Just... how?"
To the man filled with disbelief, I spoke calmly.
"Your heart grew so large, it was easy to stab."
Was that really the reason? It was my way of saying he had met his end today because of the greed that drove him to steal the hearts of innocent people.
Black smoke began to leak from his body as his transformation broke. The man who had looked more like a monster than a monster itself returned to the form of an ordinary-looking man—someone who looked like he could have saved ten people in Ma Clan Village.
"...That wasn't the Nine Calamities Demonic Art."
"It was a combination of the Underworld King Step and the Eighth Form of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique."
"Underworld King Step?"
"The Underworld King Step of the Wind God Four Steps."
"How do you know the Wind God Four Steps?"
"I suppose the heavens ordained that I shouldn't die by your hand."
It wasn't an empty boast. Without the Wind God Four Steps, I would have died in today's battle. I realized then with absolute certainty: one must never let their guard down when facing a Demon Lord.
To be honest, because I had obtained the Blood Eye Purifying Water, I was confident I would win.
But he had a hidden trump card. It was a move so perilous that I would have died if not for the Wind God Four Steps.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the One Flower Sword Venerable, and the remaining Demon Lords—they surely all had their own hidden moves that differed from what they showed the world.
Today, I became stronger.
Not just because I killed the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord, but because I would never be careless again.
The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord slowly collapsed.
As he died, the space he had created began to crack. His black pupils, which had been dilating and contracting so actively, lost their spark of life. He looked up at me and spoke with great effort.
"...If I am born again... I will surely kill you then."
I did not respond with a curse.
"If you are born again, live a long, long life. I'm sure there are better ways to live than this."
His eyes wavered at my words. He tried to say something, but the words never made it out. It might have been a more vicious curse, or perhaps he wanted to convey a final regret.
The Soul-Seizing Demon Lord’s head fell, and he breathed his last. Simultaneously, the world he had created vanished.
We were back in the room where we had first intended to perform the Heart-Soul Great Law.
Even in death, the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord provided one last mystery.
He was sitting in a meditative posture. Despite the frantic battle we had just fought, there wasn't a single external wound on him, as if he had died from qi deviation. He had died within the world he loved so much.
I picked up the child lying on the altar and quietly left the room.
* * *
I returned to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon with good liquor and snacks.
I had entrusted the child to Seo Dae-ryong, telling him to find the parents discreetly. Since I told him the child was almost sacrificed in a ritual, the quick-witted and clever Seo Dae-ryong would handle it secretly and efficiently.
"What took you so long? Did you actually make the snacks yourself?"
"How did you know?"
"What?"
"It took some time to prepare the snacks."
"What are you talking about? What kind of snacks are they?"
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked puzzled as he saw the food I had bought.
"These aren't dishes that take a long time to make."
I smiled and poured him a drink.
"Here, have a glass. The night is still young."
"Do you think an old man's stamina is the same as yours? If I stay up all night, I'll be groggy all day."
"You're still full of energy, aren't you? Come, let's enjoy ourselves tonight."
"Second Young Master, you seem to be in a good mood today."
"Yes, I am."
"Because of what?"
"I'm just happy to see you after a while, Elder."
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at me with eyes that seemed to ask what I was up to.
But how could he know? That in the time I was gone, I had killed the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord.
Meeting after a long time, we downed several glasses of liquor in a row. It felt like the first time since meeting him that I was drinking with such a refreshing and pleasant feeling.
We talked about many things. The state of the Murim, martial arts, Seo Dae-ryong, and the Sword Venerable.
Others might find it surprising, but since we both had a lot to say, we never ran out of topics.
"Do you know why I took a liking to that runt?"
"Why is that?"
"On the first day, I asked him if he could give his life for you. He said he couldn't."
"I'll have to scold him later."
"I liked his honesty back then."
"Please tell Investigator Seo that yourself. He'll probably be happy to hear it."
"No need."
"Then I'll tell him next time. Someone has to say these things. A single word like that can change a person's life. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You really look out for all sorts of people. At this rate, you'll be looking out for the guy shoveling horse dung in the stables. Why don't you go help him feed the horses while you're at it?"
"If I can, isn't that a good thing?"
"I've never seen someone like you in my entire life."
"The Cult will be the same. It will become a Heavenly Demon Divine Cult like no one has ever seen before. Isn't it fine for the Cult to be like that for at least one generation?"
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stared at me intently. His gaze was deep, as if he were lost in thought.
"Second Young Master."
"Yes."
"Pour me a drink."
I had been pouring his drinks all night. But this time, it felt different. I could sense it. This pour carried a different meaning than the others.
So, I said to him:
"I am pouring the first drink for my Left Guardian."
He could have snapped back, asking what kind of nonsense I was talking about, but he accepted the drink in silence. I filled the cup to the brim.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked down at the cup for a long time.
Then, he drained it.
Perhaps in that moment, he truly resolved to follow me. Of course, I could only guess. He was a truly unpredictable man.
Then, the Blade Demon spoke up abruptly.
"Is the Left Guardian higher? Or the Right Guardian? If possible, give me the higher one."
I stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
We drank through the night.
Human relationships are such that even when things are going well, a single slip of the tongue can ruin everything. That is why one must keep building. Until the relationship is firm enough that it won't break over a mistake or two. Whether it's through drinking, fighting, gifts, careful advice, or even insincere praise. Whatever it takes, you must build and build again. Because both I and the other person are capable of making mistakes.
"Looking at you today, you're quite handsome."
"Crazy bastard."
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon lifted his Heaven Extermination Great Blade to reflect our faces.
"Here, look at my face clearly and say that again."
"Hahaha."
"Why are you just laughing! Hurry up and say I'm handsome!"
"I guess I should never confess to a woman when I'm drunk."
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon laughed, saying he had caught a flatterer. I laughed along with him.
The luck of gaining a true ally is surely granted to those who put in at least this much effort.