Chapter 69: Variable (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: Variable (2)
The Blood Demon?
What kind of nonsense was this?
An entirely unexpected variable had cropped up in my plan.
I channeled my internal energy into the gasping Quanzhen Sect Taoist and asked, "I am So Woon-hwi, the disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest. I was heading to the ambush point under the orders of the Chief Strategist and Taoist Master Manjong. Tell me exactly what happened."
At my words, a strange light flickered in the dying Taoist's eyes.
"The... Twin Heroes..."
"Were you ambushed? The Blood Demon is still at the Right Army Commander's Office."
That was a lie, of course.
The real Blood Demon was standing right in front of him.
The Taoist's eyes shook with confusion at my words. As I continued to pour my energy into him, his body began to convulse violently.
"G-uugh... ugh..."
"Hey! Stay with me!"
No matter how much energy I channeled, it was useless.
Eventually, the Quanzhen Taoist breathed his last.
There was nothing more I could do.
I couldn't tell if they were intentionally impersonating me or if it was just a misunderstanding.
However, I couldn't just stand by and let someone pin a massacre I didn't commit on the Blood Demon.
I hurriedly retraced the path the Taoist had come from.
The trail of blood drops made it easy to follow.
Before long, countless ringing voices echoed in my ears.
The Quanzhen Sect was a sect that had used the sword as their primary weapon for generations.
The Lesser Conversation Sword spoke to me in a grave voice.
I could hear them too.
Every single sword was sobbing, calling out the names of their masters.
It seemed a great slaughter was taking place nearby.
I quickly deployed my lightness skill and rushed toward the source.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of clashing weapons echoed in all directions.
Pushing through the thicket toward the source of the noise, a blood-stained tragedy entered my sight.
The corpses of Quanzhen Taoists were scattered everywhere.
Not a single one was intact.
Most had been hacked in half or dismembered.
The sight of flesh and blood strewn across the grass made me frown instinctively.
A short distance away, seven Quanzhen Taoists were fighting someone, maintaining a sword formation in a combined attack.
Judging by their robes, which differed from the other Taoists, and the skill of their martial forms, they appeared to be first-generation disciples of the Quanzhen Sect.
'Is that the Seven Stars Sword Formation?'
The sword formation deployed by the Quanzhen Taoists was reminiscent of the Big Dipper.
As expected of one of the four great formations renowned as the finest in the Orthodox Martial World, the power of the formation alone was equivalent to that of a Supreme Peak master.
Unfortunately, their opponent was far too strong.
The opponent was a peerless master, capable of handling the sword formation without moving a single step.
His sword movements were precise, striking only when and where necessary.
It was remarkably similar to mine.
The man facing the Seven Stars Sword Formation wore an evil ghost mask and a bamboo hat.
Furthermore, his sword resembled the Blood Demon Sword, its blade a deep crimson.
'...It's not the result of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art.'
The blade had simply been plated in red.
However, that alone was enough to make the opponent's intentions clear.
He was mimicking the appearance I was known for, pretending to be the Blood Demon.
I didn't know who he was, but he was clearly plotting something by impersonating me.
For now, I had to join the Quanzhen Taoists and reveal that he was a fake.
Even if I was destined to go to war with the Martial Alliance eventually, I wanted to avoid being framed for atrocities I hadn't committed.
Swish!
Having made my decision, I threw myself toward the battlefield.
I was about to reveal my identity as the disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest and offer my help when—
Slash!
"Gah!"
"Urgh!"
"Junior Brother!"
In an instant, three of the first-generation disciples in the Seven Stars Sword Formation were sliced in half, their upper and lower bodies separated.
Damn it!
The bastard could have broken the Seven Stars Sword Formation from the very beginning.
His movement just now was a fast sword technique so incredible that even I could barely track it.
It meant he had been playing with them all along.
Whoosh!
I deployed the Wind Shadow Step.
I had to stop his sword's trajectory before it could tear the remaining disciples—who were screaming at the sight of their brothers—to shreds like a wolf's claws.
Clang!
The red-plated fake Blood Demon Sword collided with the Namcheon Iron Sword.
A powerful pressure of wind erupted at the moment of impact.
Crunch!
My body was pushed back nearly ten paces.
I had managed to block his sword using only the internal power from my lower Dantian, but I hadn't expected him to possess such profound cultivation.
I hurriedly shouted to the Quanzhen disciples.
"I am So Woon-hwi, the disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest! Fall back immediately!"
"The... the Twin Heroes!"
Upon hearing my identity, their expressions brightened for a moment before darkening again like a setting sun.
Perhaps it was because their losses were too horrific to simply celebrate the arrival of a savior.
One of the Quanzhen disciples shouted, "It's the Blood Demon! We will help you!"
This is driving me crazy.
The fake becomes the Blood Demon.
Yet, I couldn't just blurt out that he was a fake the moment I appeared.
It was better to get them away from here first.
"You'll only be a hindrance! Go get help instead! Hurry!"
At my shout, the four Quanzhen disciples hesitated.
It seemed their orthodox spirit made it difficult for them to turn their backs and run.
Then, the fake Blood Demon in the bamboo hat and evil ghost mask spoke.
"I'll let you go. Leave."
His voice sounded deep and distorted, likely altered.
The man's attitude of granting mercy so readily made the Quanzhen disciples' expressions turn wretched beyond words.
"You wicked heretic!"
Unable to contain himself, one of the Quanzhen disciples lunged forward.
The fake Blood Demon shook his head.
He began to thrust his sword, laden with majestic power, toward the charging disciple, but I intercepted it mid-way.
Clang!
Shatter!
Upon clashing with him, my body was pushed back once again.
"Don't do anything foolish and just go!"
"But the deaths of our brothers..."
They really weren't listening.
Should I just let one or two more of them die?
Fortunately, another Quanzhen disciple grabbed him and held him back.
As they hurriedly retreated, he shouted, "Please hold on just a little longer! We will return with our Master!"
No, you don't have to come back.
The fake Blood Demon, who had shown mercy, stood with his hands behind his back, still holding his sword, and looked at me.
His gaze was fixed precisely on the sword I held.
"The Namcheon Iron Sword."
Since I had identified myself as the disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest, it was a natural deduction.
However, the words that came out of his mouth next were entirely unexpected.
"Did you learn the sword from a dead man?"
He sounded as if he knew something.
I pointed my sword at him and asked, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"You should know exactly what I mean, shouldn't you?"
Despite his cruel methods, his manner of speaking was refined.
Who exactly was this man?
I hadn't opened my middle Dantian yet, but I could instinctively feel his strength.
The man's right arm moved slightly.
In that instant, I hurriedly raised my sword horizontally.
Creeeeeak!
The sound of screeching metal was loud enough to burst my eardrums.
The man was suddenly standing right in front of me, our swords locked against each other.
My palms stung as if they were being torn open.
"How curious. You're still standing before the Wall, yet how did you open your Qi?"
He had realized that I had opened the Qi of the Essence, Energy, and Spirit.
This confirmed that he was a master who had already broken the Wall.
Until now, no one except for the superhumans at the level of the Eight Great Masters had been able to perceive me so accurately.
Tremble!
The clashing blades vibrated.
The masked man stared at me intently and asked, "Does it stem from the martial arts you possess?"
He was analyzing me.
I couldn't let this continue.
I closed my left eye, opened my middle Dantian, and instantly pushed my Life Bright Divine Art to the 7th star.
Immediately, the blade of the Namcheon Iron Sword began to push back against his sword.
Clang!
As I pushed his sword away, I threw a kick toward his abdomen.
The fake Blood Demon lightly drifted backward, evading the strike.
Not wanting to lose the momentum, I stomped the ground and lunged at him.
Boom!
'True Chasing Return Sword.'
The 6th form of the True Life Bright Sword Technique: Chasing Return Sword.
Just as my sword began to spin, creating a whirlwind—
Whoosh!
The man's figure blurred as he dove inside my reach, attempting to slash the wrist holding my sword.
I immediately aborted the Chasing Return Sword, pivoted like a top, and swung my blade toward his neck.
Clang!
'What...?'
The man blocked my swinging blade with his bare palm.
Then, he thrust his sword toward the space between my eyebrows.
Leaning my body back, I performed a backflip while simultaneously kicking upward at his chin.
The man drifted back slightly to avoid it.
Then, he tried to snatch my ankle.
'Not a chance.'
I stabbed my sword into the ground, using it as a pivot to swing my legs around.
My body spun, and a kick flew toward his wrist.
Thud!
The man simply raised his wrist and blocked it.
I expected him to be pushed back even slightly, but he didn't budge an inch; instead, the top of my foot throbbed with pain.
The man tried to sever my ankle with his sword.
I put strength into the top of my foot, pushed off his wrist, and narrowly avoided the strike.
Slash!
If I had been even a moment slower, my ankle would have been gone.
Behind the mask, the man's eyes curved into inverted crescents.
"You're worth playing with."
...This bastard is holding back.
He could overwhelm me if he went all out, but he was intentionally leaving openings.
I had to find out what his intention was.
I said to him, "Why are you impersonating the Blood Demon?"
At my question, his smiling eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about?" he countered.
He was playing dumb, but there was no way that would work.
"The Blood Demon is currently undergoing a trial at the Right Army Commander's Office. And that red-plated sword is a fake too."
At my words, the man suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"What's so funny?"
"I never once told anyone I was the Blood Demon."
Whoosh!
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure blurred.
The Lesser Conversation Sword's shout echoed in my head.
Without a moment to think, my body moved on instinct.
Whoosh!
A sharp blade traced a red arc as it grazed the air above my head.
I thrust my sword forward.
The man suddenly grabbed my lunging blade with his bare hand.
Then, he kicked me squarely in the stomach.
Thud!
"Gah!"
With a gut-wrenching pain, my body was sent flying backward, tumbling roughly across the ground.
It was an incredible amount of internal power.
Blood welled up in my throat and spilled out.
Even though I wanted to track his movements with my Golden Eye, he was so shrouded in light that it was difficult to discern how he was attacking.
The man looked off somewhere and said to me, "It seems everyone who was supposed to come has arrived."
"What?"
"Stay right there. If you do, you can be reborn as the hero who repelled the Blood Demon."
What kind of nonsense was he spouting?
Just then, I felt a ringing in my head.
It was a familiar resonance.
Soon, the man who possessed the sword causing that resonance arrived.
It was Taoist Master Manjong, the leader of the Quanzhen Sect and the 6th Elder of the Martial Alliance.
The fact that he appeared here so soon after the disciples left meant the trial was over, and he had realized I wasn't there.
Master Manjong looked at me and asked, "Are you alright?"
".......I'm fine."
At those words, Master Manjong's eyes swept over the surroundings.
"How dare you!"
His face contorted like a demon's at the sight of the dead Quanzhen disciples.
Master Manjong drew the sword from his waist.
That precious sword, shimmering with silver light, must be the Central Yang Treasure Sword, the divine sword of the Quanzhen Sect.
Master Manjong pointed his sword at the fake Blood Demon and roared, "Let us die together this day! Blood Demon!"
He was showing a resolve prepared for death.
I shouted to him, "He is not the real Blood Demon, Master!"
Master Manjong frowned at my words.
"What are you saying?"
"The real Blood Demon is..."
Before I could finish, the fake Blood Demon's figure lunged toward Master Manjong.
His speed was so great that Master Manjong, caught off guard, hurriedly deployed his sword forms to keep him at bay.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Master Manjong desperately blocked the man's strikes.
Despite being a renowned and powerful warrior in the Orthodox Martial World, he was no match.
The fake Blood Demon was pressing Master Manjong with sword forms even swifter than those he had used against me.
At this rate, it would be over in just a few moves.
"Urgh!"
Master Manjong was being pushed back continuously.
The fake Blood Demon seemed ready to unleash a finishing move.
Thud!
"Gah!"
In that instant, Master Manjong lost consciousness due to a sharp pain at the back of his neck.
The fake Blood Demon, who was about to strike, looked at me with a bewildered gaze.
"What are you doing?"
Because the one who had knocked him out was me.
Without stopping, I struck Master Manjong's pressure points to ensure he wouldn't wake up, then grabbed him by the collar and tossed him backward.
I gave the man a thin smile and said, "Didn't you say you'd make me the hero who repelled the Blood Demon?"
The man's eyes narrowed at my words.
After staring at me intently for a moment, he finally let out a chuckle.
"It's been a long time since I've encountered such a 'piece.'"
"I'd prefer it if you didn't treat a perfectly fine person like an object."
At my displeased remark, the man chuckled and said, "I apologize if I offended you. It's just been a while since I've met a young man who knows how to read the situation so well, so I spoke out of excitement."
The man's attitude turned favorable.
"How exactly do you plan to make me a hero?"
The man gestured toward the corpses around them.
"Isn't the reputation of having repelled the Blood Demon who killed all these people enough? Twin Hero."
"And the price?"
"I like that you're easy to talk to. I was just in need of more useful pieces to move within the Martial Alliance."
'More pieces?'
While I was wondering about that, the man continued.
"A talent who has reached such a realm at your age... He would certainly be pleased. However, I have one question I'd like you to clear up."
"What is it?"
"Is the Namcheon Sword Guest still alive?"
I shook my head at his question.
"No. I simply discovered the legacy he left behind before he passed."
"I thought as much."
...This man definitely knows something.
The fake Blood Demon muttered to himself as if satisfied, then gestured toward my face.
"I've been meaning to ask, why have you been keeping one eye closed?"
At that, I closed my middle Dantian and opened my closed eye.
Since I had closed the middle Dantian, the Golden Eye was no longer visible.
"One of my eyes has always been poor and blurry, so I simply close it to focus better."
The man nodded at my explanation.
He reached into his robes, pulled something out, and tossed it to me.
It was a round pill.
"What is this?"
"A small ritual for becoming a comrade."
"A ritual?"
"Take that and wait; we will find you when the time comes."
"We? What kind of organization do you belong to that you speak like that?"
"That is something you will naturally learn once you prove how useful you are to us."
So he wasn't going to give me any more information.
I held up the pill and asked, "And if I don't take this?"
"Then you're throwing away your chance to be a hero."
There was a strange sense of intimidation in his voice.
He seemed ready to kill me on the spot if I didn't comply.
"I don't have much of a choice, then."
"Take it and kill that man. Then, stay within the Martial Alliance; we will meet again soon."
I stared at him intently.
I debated whether my current guess was correct.
If it was, this man was undoubtedly a member of the organization I was thinking of.
And for such a man to be impersonating me...
The man said to me, "Hurry. We don't have much time."
...Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I tucked the pill the fake Blood Demon had given me into my robes.
The man's gaze sharpened as he spoke.
"......Are you forsaking the chance to be a hero?"
At his words, I thrust the Namcheon Iron Sword into the ground, placed my hands behind my back, and adopted an arrogant expression.
"You don't recognize me."
"......What are you talking—"
Before he could finish, I opened my middle Dantian.
This time, without closing my left eye.
'!!!'
The man's eyes, visible through the gaps in his mask, widened.
He seemed shocked to see the Golden Eye.
"What on earth..."
I spoke to the bewildered man in a voice filled with overwhelming authority.
"Why are you staring so intently?"
As soon as I finished speaking, the fake Blood Demon dropped to one knee and bowed his head in a gesture of deep respect.
"I greet the Jonju!"