Chapter 0: Prologue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 0: Prologue
The Heavenly Demon was dead. With her demise, the seemingly eternal Orthodox-Demonic War had finally come to an end.
Across the world, people celebrated the fall of the Demonic Cult, heralding a new era of peace.
Yet, the end of the war left behind more than just relief and tranquility.
Two sects from the Ten Sect Alliance, staunch supporters of the Orthodox Faction, had been burned to ashes. One of the Four Noble Clans had collapsed entirely.
Countless martial artists had perished, and even the legendary Three Venerables had fallen to the Heavenly Demon.
Though the war had ended in victory with the demon's defeat, the battle had scarred the world irrevocably. The losses were immeasurable. No one could say how long it would take to restore the glory of the past.
And yet...
Even as the land lay shrouded in stygian darkness, blanketed by ashes and despair...
A seed of 'hope' would someday bloom, giving rise to heroes destined to overcome adversity and uphold justice.
As for me?
I never cared about any of that.
"Where are they?"
The woman's voice was grave.
She stood alone in the Murim Alliance's subterranean torture chamber. Though her skin was fair and her physique slender, her hair was a mess, tied back in a shabby, haphazard knot. Yet, even in such a state, she carried an air of nobility—a luminous presence that seemed untouched by a crumbling world.
Who could have imagined that this very woman would be the one to slit the throat of the Heavenly Demon, a being akin to a walking calamity? No one had foreseen that this girl, once hailed as the most promising junior, would rise to become the strongest in the world.
'Celestial Sword' Wi Seol-Ah.
The direct disciple of the Sword Venerable, who had fallen to the Heavenly Demon. The woman who ascended to become the 'Zenith Under the Heavens' after the war.
Some had initially dismissed her rise, claiming it was only possible because the Three Venerables were gone. But when they witnessed her call forth natural disasters, vanquish hundreds of demons with a single stroke of her sword, and ultimately eradicate the Demonic Cult after three days and nights of fierce combat against the Heavenly Demon herself—all doubt vanished. It became clear her title was earned by strength alone.
And now, that same woman was speaking to me.
"I won't ask again. Where are they?"
My vision swam, blurred by blood from the relentless torture. Still, I could make out her attire. Her once pure white robes were now stained black with ash.
She wanted an answer, but that was impossible. My vocal cords had been crushed long ago.
Of course, Wi Seol-Ah knew this. Yet her frustration was palpable.
"You, of all people, must know. Where are the remaining demons hiding?"
I did know. More than that, I wanted to tell her.
"If you have even a shred of conscience left..."
Since I couldn't speak, she wanted me to write or draw my answer. As if to emphasize the point, my shackles were loosened.
Not that it mattered. Freeing a wretch like me posed no danger to the woman who had slain a god. I stood no chance against her.
But even with my willingness to help, I was powerless. The true chains that bound me were not made of iron.
No matter what Wi Seol-Ah did, all I could manage was a silent stare at the floor.
Thud.
The sound echoed as she struck me—how hard had she hit me?
"This is your last chance to live. Tell me what I need to know, and even if the entire world demands your death, I will protect you."
This was the Zenith, the strongest under the heavens.
"Please... I'm begging you."
Hearing her plead so earnestly with her enemy, I felt her desperation acutely. Was it hatred for the escaped demons? A thirst for revenge?
No. It was something far more critical.
It must be because of the Meteor Sword.
Anyone in the martial world knew of the connection between 'Meteor Sword' Jang Seonyeon and Wi Seol-Ah. He was a promising swordsman, a hero who led the Murim Alliance, and her fiancé. Rumors swirled that the demons had kidnapped him.
Perhaps that was why. Who would have thought this peerless woman would be driven to such distress over one man?
"Hurry up and answer! Where are they hiding?!"
Her desperate glare bore into me.
The situation was almost laughable. We were never meant to be so estranged. There were countless reasons things had gone wrong, but I'd never bothered to remember them. It was simply my karma, the result of my own choices.
I had despised my insignificant self. So I sold my soul to the Heavenly Demon and became a traitor who stabbed countless people in the back.
She, meanwhile, became the hero who saved everyone and won their hearts.
When I still didn't react, Wi Seol-Ah finally gave up and flung me aside. My body slammed into a sharp stone protruding from the wall, but I felt no pain. I was already broken beyond feeling.
"If I had known what you would become when we first met, I would have killed you on the spot."
My greatest regret.
Her hushed whisper reached my ears clearly.
That first time I saw her... what had she been like? Probably nothing like she was now. Or perhaps I hadn't cared enough to remember. Either way, those days likely meant nothing to her now.
But to me, they were my biggest regret—a memory buried deep beneath a mountain of others, now crushed to dust.
Why had I buried it so deeply?
Creeaaak.
Just as Wi Seol-Ah was about to shut the torture chamber door and leave, she stopped, seeing me move. My bones, mostly fractured, groaned in protest as I forced my head to turn toward her.
Her bright eyes shimmered with a flicker of hope.
Using my own blood as ink, I began to scrawl recklessly on the stone floor. With each character I finished, more blood dripped from my lips.
The nature of my curse was obvious. If I forced myself to betray my master, my heart would shatter, killing me instantly.
Do not betray the Demons.
Just four words, but my entire life was bound to that oath. I had seen countless times what happened to those who broke it. No matter who you were or how powerful you became, the Heavenly Demon's Curse reduced you to nothing. You'd die like a third-rate amateur.
I had hoped the Heavenly demon's death would nullify the curse, but nothing had changed. Why? Was my will alone sustaining my heart? Or was the heavens granting me one final chance at redemption?
Even if so, my end was here.
"Huh? What's happening...?"
Wi Seol-Ah rushed toward me, saying something I could no longer hear clearly. I ignored her. She probably wanted me to go through with it, since she didn't try to stop me.
If I claimed this wasn't my will, would anyone believe me? Of course not. I had a mountain of excuses, but no one would listen.
Ignoring the increasingly agonizing throb of my heart, I struggled to write even a single character. With each beat, more blood trickled down my chin.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Wi Seol-Ah reaching out as if she'd realized something was wrong. But it was too late to stop me.
I had to hurry and finish the last character.
As if my heart had been waiting, it shattered the moment I completed the final stroke.
On the floor, I had written the precise location where the remaining demons were hiding.
As I began to collapse, Wi Seol-Ah suddenly caught my mangled body, holding me up. She was probably afraid I'd ruin the blood-written message if I fell on it.
In my fading consciousness, I vaguely saw her shocked expression. But I couldn't hold onto the image as my body grew cold, and my vision faded to black.
What a mess.
Why did I live my life like this?
Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter now. The reasons were never important anyway.
Gu Yangcheon of the Unified Shanxi Clan.
I lived for a time as an Orthodox Faction martial artist before joining the Demons.
After the Demonic Cult was destroyed, I was captured and tortured for information on the survivors' hiding place.
A simple description like that suits a life like mine just fine.
A life no one ever cared about.
And though I thought that life was over...
"Want a potato?"
"Huh?"
It should have ended there.