Chapter 42: Blood Demon Sword (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: Blood Demon Sword (3)
Jang Myeong, the disciple of Bukyeong Doseong Gwak Hyeong-jik, had been possessed by the demonic nature of the Blood Demon Sword, leading to an unexpected alliance.
However, it was a daunting task to figure out how to suppress him.
"He’s practically at the level of the Indestructible Diamond Body. How are we supposed to catch him?"
"I cannot say for certain whether it is the Indestructible Diamond Body or not."
"What?"
"Do you think a saber is the same as a sword? A saber does not cut unless it sweeps down with the blade. Since the tip isn't pointed like a sword, piercing a body with a saber requires force to be applied to the entire weapon, rather than just throwing it."
"Ah..."
But wouldn't a master of Gwak Hyeong-jik's caliber be able to pierce a body even with a saber?
Did that mean he hadn't thrown it with his full strength?
"That is not the issue. I attempted to inflict internal injuries on my disciple using the Internal Damage Technique, but it had no effect whatsoever."
Ah, so he was trying to cause internal damage.
He meant that by throwing the saber, he had triggered the Internal Damage Technique rather than causing an external wound.
It was an incredible feat, befitting a master who had reached a high realm of martial arts.
Even though I had reached the sixth stage of the Life Bright Divine Art and could manipulate sharp killing intent, I wouldn't even dream of performing the Internal Damage Technique by throwing an object yet.
"Whether it’s a piercing wound or the Internal Damage Technique, isn't he still a monster?"
Jo Seong-won groaned.
He was right.
The fact that Jang Myeong was perfectly fine after being hit by such a high-level technique was strange in itself.
Is he really fine?
I had my doubts.
Jang Myeong’s martial arts were at the Peak Realm.
It was bizarre for such a person to not even suffer an internal injury from a strike by a master who ranked among the top of the Supreme Peak Realm.
Gwak Hyeong-jik spoke, his eyes never leaving Jang Myeong.
"Help me."
"It’s not like we have a choice."
If we didn't take him down, we would be the ones in danger anyway.
However, Gwak Hyeong-jik shook his head and said, "No. I mean, help me separate the sword from my disciple."
Those words meant he hadn't given up on his disciple, Jang Myeong, yet.
Then again, if a master were to easily give up and try to harm their disciple just because they were possessed by a demonic nature, could they truly be called a master?
Given Gwak Hyeong-jik's character, he wouldn't be able to do that.
Just then, Sama Yeong spoke up.
"Great Hero Gwak. If he truly hasn't achieved the Indestructible Diamond Body, how about cutting off the wrist holding the sword?"
Gwak Hyeong-jik frowned at her suggestion.
"…We shall do that only as a last resort if nothing else works."
Indeed, if his arm were cut off, it would be difficult for him to return to being a warrior.
Gwak Hyeong-jik likely knew that better than anyone.
From his sense of balance to the need to retrain with his other hand, it would be like learning martial arts all over again from scratch.
"We might get killed in the meantime," Jo Seong-won said coldly.
In response, Gwak Hyeong-jik gestured toward Jang Myeong with his eyes.
"No. There is a possibility. He was definitely impacted."
"What?"
"That is why he isn't attacking immediately."
Just as Gwak Hyeong-jik said, Jang Myeong’s movements had momentarily ceased.
Though he was muttering about killing us, he was merely standing there, twitching as if he might spring forward at any second.
"…It’s possible he simply can’t feel pain."
"You and I are thinking the same thing."
It was a strong possibility.
Because Gwak Hyeong-jik's Internal Damage Technique had worked, Jang Myeong might have stopped moving to resolve the damage.
Even if he felt no pain, the Internal Damage Technique would have ruptured his internal organs.
If his internal organs were damaged, it would naturally affect his physical body.
It was at that moment.
Swish!
As if mocking our predictions, Jang Myeong lunged toward me this time.
His speed was as blistering as ever.
He closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
Illuminating Shadow Sword.
As he came within three paces, I unleashed the third form of the True Life Bright Sword Technique, the Illuminating Shadow Sword.
The sword movements, as flexible as willow branches, created a dense net of strikes.
My goal was to suppress him for now.
Then, the Blood Demon Sword in Jang Myeong’s hand moved.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
What on earth…
I had tried to pressure him by creating a net with my sword forms, but he parried every single strike.
It was hard to believe he was someone driven mad by demonic possession.
"Die!"
To make matters worse, the Blood Demon Sword lunged toward the space between my eyebrows.
Clang!
Suddenly, his sword was deflected upward.
Sama Yeong had struck it away with her sword at the perfect moment.
"Watch out… Argh!"
Jang Myeong kicked her in the ribs.
As she was about to be sent flying backward, she gritted her teeth, slammed her sword into the ground to use as a pivot, spun her body, and delivered a kick to Jang Myeong’s face.
"Take this!"
Thwack!
Jang Myeong caught her foot.
Seeing the veins on the back of his hand throb, I hurriedly struck his chest with my left fist.
Hit in the chest, Jang Myeong’s torso leaned back slightly.
Ha!
I had combined ten stars of internal power with the True Blood Golden Body, yet he withstood it.
At that moment, someone wrapped their left arm around Jang Myeong’s neck.
It was Gwak Hyeong-jik.
Simultaneously, Gwak Hyeong-jik slid one leg between the boy's thighs and wrapped his right leg from the inside out to prevent him from using any footwork.
"Hurry, grab him!"
At Gwak Hyeong-jik's shout, I quickly grabbed the boy's right arm.
It was to prevent him from moving the sword.
"Me too!"
Sama Yeong didn't miss the opportunity either. She bent her waist, pressed a pressure point on the wrist of the hand holding her foot, and wrapped her other leg around him like a snake.
"Grrrgh!"
With three masters holding him at once, he couldn't budge an inch.
However, his internal power and physical strength were so immense that it didn't seem like we could hold him for long.
"Get the sword out of his hand!"
At my shout, Jo Seong-won rushed in.
He tried to force the boy's fingers open.
But his grip strength had increased to an absurd degree; he didn't budge.
"I-I can't do it!"
"Stimulate the pressure points on the Large Intestine Meridian!" Gwak Hyeong-jik advised Jo Seong-won.
"Understood!"
Jo Seong-won tried to press the area near the inside of the index finger.
However, the veins bulged and shifted, causing the positions of the pressure points to change.
!?
I had heard that there were eccentrics who could move some of their pressure points, but this was the first time I had seen such a visible change.
When that didn't work, Jo Seong-won shouted, "Damn it!"
Deciding that wouldn't work, Jo Seong-won tried a different approach and attempted to strike the sword away.
Since the arm was fixed, he seemed to be trying to force the fingers open by hitting the sword itself.
"Hah!"
Jo Seong-won struck the sword with all his might.
But the moment his sword touched the palm—
"Gah!"
Jo Seong-won’s arm jerked, and his veins began to writhe and bulge.
Realizing something was wrong, I didn't even have time to think before I kicked Jo Seong-won away.
"Oof!"
Sorry.
If I hadn't done that, the sword would have tried to erode him as well.
If even touching the sword caused such an abnormality, the only answer was to separate them quickly.
Just then, Jang Myeong’s body began to convulse.
I could feel his latent potential surging, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Gwak Hyeong-jik shouted urgently, "Get back—"
Boom!
"Gah!"
"Aaaah!"
In that instant, an immense repulsive force sent me, Gwak Hyeong-jik, and Sama Yeong flying.
The internal power surging into our bodies was too much to withstand, forcing us to let go.
I skidded back and came to a stop about ten paces away.
His internal power has increased even further.
I hadn't expected his power to rise any more.
At this point, he could only be described as a monster.
How are we supposed to suppress him?
I figured that to subdue Jang Myeong while he held the Blood Demon Sword, it would take at least three masters of Gwak Hyeong-jik's level, or someone even stronger.
"Are… are you okay, Senior Brother?"
Sama Yeong asked me, her hair completely disheveled.
Looking at her trembling hands, it seemed her internal injuries had worsened.
To think she was worrying about me when she wasn't in good shape herself.
"Haa… haa…"
Ssssh!
I hurriedly deactivated the True Blood Golden Body.
If I pushed myself any further, my body might give out and I’d collapse like last time.
Fortunately, because I deactivated it quickly, it didn't seem to take too much of a toll.
The bigger problem was Jang Myeong.
I might have to kill him.
At this rate, we would be the ones killed.
With his internal power rising, it was no longer possible to keep him restrained.
However, abnormal signs began to appear on Jang Myeong.
Psh! Psh!
The veins that had bulged from the back of his hands to his face began to burst, spraying blood.
Even his clothes were being dyed crimson, suggesting that veins all over his body were rupturing.
"Senior Brother!"
Sama Yeong’s eyes widened as she spoke to me.
I noticed it too.
His body couldn't handle the strain.
As I thought.
Something felt off.
Even if it was the power of a demon sword, he had overused strength that far exceeded his own realm.
There were bound to be side effects.
Jang Myeong staggered, forcing himself to stay upright.
"Kill. Kill them all!"
Even with his body overloaded like that, he tried to move without a single change in his expression.
Even if he couldn't feel pain, his limit was in sight.
If we made him use his strength just a little more, he would likely destroy himself.
"Jang Myeong!"
Gwak Hyeong-jik called out to him with a face full of grief.
There was no way a master like Gwak Hyeong-jik wouldn't notice what we had already realized.
He really cherishes his disciple.
I could tell by the way his eyes grew red.
Gwak Hyeong-jik flicked his foot to retrieve his saber.
Then he said to me, "I, too, managed to make a comeback even after losing an arm. That boy can surely do the same. I am sorry for going back on my word, but please help me."
"Great Hero Gwak…"
It had gone beyond that point now.
Seeing his veins burst like that meant there was an abnormality in the meridians used for circulating energy.
The chances of him being able to move, let alone use his left hand, were extremely low.
There was no way Gwak Hyeong-jik didn't know this.
As I looked at him with pity, Gwak Hyeong-jik took a deep breath and spoke.
"He is like a son to me. Still, shouldn't he at least live?"
He knew.
He knew, yet he refused to let go of even the slightest shred of hope.
The sound of bones cracking echoed from Jang Myeong’s body.
Then, the blood that had been spraying from his veins slowly began to subside.
"Crazy!"
A curse escaped Jo Seong-won’s lips.
It seemed the Blood Demon Sword was manipulating the host so that he could keep moving without dying.
Is it trying to make him run wild until he dies?
It was a truly wicked sword.
It wasn't called a demon sword for nothing.
I was starting to wonder how Baek Ryeonha or Baek Hye-hyang intended to control such a weapon.
Gwak Hyeong-jik said to me, "If you two brothers can distract him for just a moment, I will somehow cut off his arm."
His voice was filled with firm resolve.
I could feel his desperate love for his disciple.
I stared intently at the Blood Demon Sword in Jang Myeong’s hand.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
The Blood Demon Sword was running wild.
Its demonic nature was so strong that it could erode someone just by touching the blade.
With the talismans removed and no scabbard, even if we cut off Jang Myeong’s wrist and retrieved the sword, would we be able to carry it safely?
Even I, who could hear the voices of swords, had almost been eroded by its madness.
…Whew.
Perhaps this was an opportunity for me as well.
It was better to make contact and speak with the Blood Demon Sword while a master like Gwak Hyeong-jik was present.
If my consciousness began to be eroded, he could immediately separate me from the sword.
This might be truly insane.
Unless I could persuade the thing somehow, there was no way to take the sword with us.
"Great Hero Gwak."
"Are you ready?"
"Could you trust me and try to suppress Jang Myeong one more time?"
"What?"
Jo Seong-won was the one who looked horrified by my words.
He seemed shocked that I would make such a proposal when we weren't even sure if we could safely cut off the arm, let alone suppress him.
"We already failed once, did we not?"
"Wouldn't it be better than your disciple losing his arm?"
"It is no longer just a matter of his arm, is it?"
"Let’s try to suppress him, and if that doesn't work, we’ll go straight to cutting it off. We have nothing to lose."
"…What exactly are you thinking?"
"If it works, you’ll owe me one."
Swish!
With those words, I lunged toward Jang Myeong.
"You!"
Rather than giving Gwak Hyeong-jik time to deliberate, acting was faster.
"Die!"
As I lunged, Jang Myeong unleashed a sword form overflowing with murderous intent, as if he had been waiting for me.
The sword created afterimages like a torrential downpour, pressing in on me.
Hidden Convergence Void Sword!
The second form of the True Life Bright Sword Technique, the Hidden Convergence Void Sword.
It was a technique that parried the opponent's attack and countered.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Urgh!
Since I had deactivated the True Blood Golden Body, it felt like my palms were being torn apart.
Barely blocking Jang Myeong’s rain-like sword strikes, I slowly bent my knees.
My feet were sinking into the ground.
The force behind the sword was so immense that I had no choice but to divert at least some of it into the earth.
Clang-clang!
The sword form was nearing its end.
I’ve been waiting for this moment!
I unleashed the power I had been condensing upward.
Screeeech!
Blue sparks flew with a bone-chilling metallic screech.
Like a crouching toad leaping high, my upward strike momentarily knocked his sword back.
However, he immediately tried to swing it down again.
"Now!"
Swish!
Not missing the moment, the three of them lunged simultaneously.
This time, Sama Yeong grabbed his right arm, Gwak Hyeong-jik wrapped around his neck and fixed his legs as before, and Jo Seong-won grabbed his left arm.
"Aaaaaah!"
Jang Myeong let out a monstrous roar and tried to shake off his left arm.
"Gah!"
As expected, Jo Seong-won’s strength alone wasn't enough.
I dropped the Namcheon Iron Sword and quickly grabbed Jang Myeong’s wrist with my left hand.
With my strength added, his movement stopped.
Gulping, I used my Innate True Qi to open the connection I had been sealing.
—I will kill you all!
Sure enough, a voice filled with immense murderous intent, madness, and resentment swirled through my head.
"Urgh!"
It felt like my head was going to explode.
At that moment, I heard the voices of the Namcheon Iron Sword and the Lesser Conversation Sword simultaneously.
—Un-hwi!
—Stop! It’s too dangerous!
It was good to hear them again, but for now, this was the only way.
Barely enduring the feeling of my head bursting, I reached out toward the Blood Demon Sword with a trembling hand. The Namcheon Iron Sword spoke.
—Un-hwi. It’s dangerous. That sword doesn't just have a sword's ego.
What do you mean?
—There is an ego composed entirely of murderous intent. You could be consumed as well.
Are you saying there are two egos?
—That ego is not something that can be reasoned with. If it erodes you, it will take over your body instead.
The result of that was Jang Myeong.
But I couldn't give up on the Blood Demon Sword.
If I didn't settle things with it now, I would have to leave the sword behind.
If that happened, all our efforts would be in vain.
…Help me so that my own ego doesn't waver.
At the same time, I grabbed the hilt of the Blood Demon Sword above where Jang Myeong was holding it.
"Senior Brother!"
"Young Master So!"
Sama Yeong and Gwak Hyeong-jik shouted in shock at my sudden action.
They had wondered what method I would take, but they hadn't expected me to suddenly grab the sword.
"It’s okay, just keep holding—gah!"
In that instant, a chillingly cold energy surged through my palm.
It was on a completely different level from Innate True Qi or internal energy.
Veins began to bulge and throb on the back of my right hand.
"Hup!"
I pushed my Innate True Qi to its absolute limit.
If I were consumed by this energy, I would end up just like Jang Myeong.
Having pushed my Innate True Qi to the max, I spoke to the Blood Demon Sword in my mind.
Blood Demon Sword. Can you hear me?
Unless my heart was connected to the sword, I had to make physical contact to speak to it.
I desperately hoped my voice would reach it.
Jang Myeong’s body began to tremble as if he were having a seizure.
"We have to cut it!" Gwak Hyeong-jik shouted urgently.
"Not yet!"
Restraining him, I shouted to the Blood Demon Sword in my mind.
—If you can hear me, answer!
In that moment, Jang Myeong’s convulsing stopped.
The bulging veins on the back of his hand began to subside.
It heard me.
I was certain it had heard my voice.
Blood Demon Sword. Let him go. And let’s talk.
Then, the voice filled with murderous intent that had been ravaging my mind went silent.
Thank—
I thought we were going to talk, but suddenly, a chilling voice echoed in my head.
—To think such a body existed. I like it.
What?
In that instant, my vision was dyed blood-red.
"Huh?"
"He let go."
At Sama Yeong's words, Gwak Hyeong-jik couldn't hide his astonishment.
Just moments ago, Jang Myeong had been twisting his body to break free, but now he had stopped.
And more than that, Jang Myeong was releasing his grip on the Blood Demon Sword.
"Aaaah!"
He had truly thought they had nothing to lose.
But it had actually worked.
As he let go of the Blood Demon Sword, the aftermath seemed to hit him; Jang Myeong’s body went limp, and he began to collapse.
Gwak Hyeong-jik caught him.
Gwak Hyeong-jik spoke to So Un-hwi in a joyful voice.
"Young Master So, how on earth did you—"
It was at that very moment.
Boom!
A powerful repulsive force erupted from So Un-hwi’s body, sending everyone nearby flying.
No one understood what was happening in the wake of this sudden event.
But then, a transformation began to occur in So Un-hwi.
"W-what is this?"
Jo Seong-won couldn't make sense of the situation.
So Un-hwi was holding the Blood Demon Sword, but a slightly different phenomenon than what had happened to Jang Myeong was unfolding.
"His hair color…"
So Un-hwi’s black hair was being dyed the color of blood.
And it wasn't just his hair.
A red glow emanated from So Un-hwi’s eyes, and the silver blade of the Blood Demon Sword was stained a vivid crimson.
Gwak Hyeong-jik muttered in a voice full of horror.
"This can't be…"
So Un-hwi’s current appearance brought to mind a certain absolute master from twenty years ago.
'The Blood Demon!'