Chapter 471: Ten Thousand (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 471: Ten Thousand (2)
Celestial Sword awoke to a clamor of urgent voices.
—Hurry… move!
—…We don’t have much time…!
The sounds of haste spurred her to action. She pushed herself upright, her breath coming in heavy pants.
“You’re awake?”
A voice cut through her disorientation. Celestial Sword turned her head toward the speaker.
The man flinched the moment he met her gaze—her eyes were like shards of ice, sharp and unnervingly cold. Recognizing him, she consciously softened her expression.
“…Beggar King?”
He was known by that title, the master of the Orthodox Faction's network of informants, the one who commanded its beggars.
The Beggar King cleared his throat awkwardly. “Something bad must have happened… judging from your expression.”
Celestial Sword said nothing. He seemed to expect her silence and pressed no further.
Her eyes tracked the figures rushing past. “…Did something happen here?”
“Well, it’s… nothing too special…”
“Beggar King.” Her voice turned cold, cutting off his evasion. “What happened?”
She demanded an answer. The Beggar King sighed. She was always perceptive in situations like this.
However.
“Really… it’s not a big deal.” This time, he had no intention of telling her the truth. “It’s something we can handle without your help. Please, just rest.”
In truth, the situation was dire, but they couldn't possibly send her out immediately after she had collapsed from her previous battle. Of course, the higher-ups were already ordering him to summon her. Those bastards. This was the famed cooperation the Orthodox Faction took such pride in? Forcing a single woman to carry everything? He’d long known the faction was corrupt, but his disgust only grew with time.
Perhaps it would be better to burn it all down and start anew.
Or maybe…
It might be better to let the Heavenly Demon win.
The thought shocked even him, but he knew he could never allow it. The realization of his own powerlessness was pathetic.
There was another problem.
“Beggar King.” Regardless of his feelings, Celestial Sword would not be deterred. “Where is the Heavenly Venerable?”
“…”
“Please answer me.”
After a moment of avoiding her gaze, the Beggar King sighed in resignation. “He isn’t here… It seems he went to Sichuan.”
“…”
Celestial Sword bit her lip. Her memory before losing consciousness confirmed it.
Slide—!
As she slid the door open to leave, the Beggar King moved to block her path. “Where do you think you’re going in your condition?”
“…Step aside.”
“I told you, the situation isn’t dire enough to require you. Don’t waste your energy for no reas—”
“I must go.”
Despite his efforts, determination already burned in her eyes. The Beggar King could only frown in frustration.
“It’s the Heavenly Venerable we’re talking about. I’m sure he’ll return safely. Besides, we’ve already contacted the Dishonored Venerable for support—”
“The Dishonored Venerable?”
“…!”
Damn it. The Beggar King cursed inwardly, realizing his mistake.
“You contacted the Dishonored Venerable?”
“…Well, about that.”
“So it really is a major incident.”
As he feared, Celestial Sword instantly grasped the implication. The Dishonored Venerable should have been hunting Demonic Humans in a distant region. For him to be recalled for support spoke volumes.
“Just what is going—” she began, her voice rising in anger, when—
Thud—!
“…!!”
A sharp pain wracked her body, forcing her to one knee.
“Celestial Sword!”
The Beggar King rushed to support her, but she waved his hand away. “Hah… Hgh…” A groan escaped her lips as she fought the agony.
Her heart began to resonate violently with her dantian. Veins bulged across her skin, and the thunderous beat of her own heart echoed in her ears. The vibration threatened to overwhelm her exhausted body, pushing her toward unconsciousness. She bit down hard on her tongue, using the pain to anchor herself.
That’s why…
This maddening sensation told her everything. It explained the panic around her and the Beggar King’s secrecy.
There was only one cause for such a resonance.
“Heavenly Demon…”
“…!”
“Is she here?”
The Beggar King’s grim expression confirmed her fears.
She forced herself upright.
Swoosh—!
Energy flared around her.
“Celestial Sword…! Wait…!”
It was too late. Her body was already transforming. Her golden hair bleached to a brilliant, shining white. A radiant light enveloped her form.
Swish—!
Pure white blades materialized behind her, spreading like ethereal wings.
“Wait… Please!” the Beggar King shouted again.
Swooosh—!
Ignoring him, Celestial Sword shot into the sky, flying straight toward the source of the resonance.
* * *
Upon arrival, Celestial Sword had to fight to conceal her shock. The figure staring up at her from the ground had pitch-black hair and wore dark robes. Violet eyes locked onto hers, sending a chill down her spine. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
And…
Thud—! Thud—!
The resonance pounded relentlessly.
Shoving the discomfort aside, she scanned her surroundings. She found what she was looking for almost immediately.
…Ah.
The Heavenly Venerable’s severed head lay on the ground. A young man stared at her, horrified. The sight of him made her gasp inwardly.
Why?
His entire aura felt altered, fundamentally different from before. What could have happened?
She clenched her fist, her anger solidifying into cold fury. “…Heavenly Demon.”
The name was a venomous whisper.
Swoosh—!
“…!”
An invisible force yanked her from the sky. Unable to resist, she was slammed onto the ground.
Skid—!
She barely managed to land on her feet, already gathering her energy for a fight.
“You should greet us properly when you visit. Staring down from the sky is terribly rude.”
Celestial Sword looked up. A face greeted her that was hauntingly familiar, like a distorted reflection of her own.
“What an ugly expression.”
Celestial Sword’s brow furrowed at the Heavenly Demon’s taunt. “…Why are you here, Heavenly Demon?”
The Heavenly Demon gave her a strange look. “What a odd question.” Her voice dripped with subtle arrogance. “There is no place in this world forbidden to me. A worthless thing to ask.”
“…”
“Moreover,” the Heavenly Demon continued.
Skid—!
“…!”
Celestial Sword felt her feet sliding uncontrollably forward, pulled toward her nemesis. She flared her energy, trying to anchor herself, but it was futile.
“I should be the one asking questions. Why are you reversing our roles?” Despite the malevolent energy saturating the air, the Heavenly Demon smiled. “Sichuan is my territory. I made it clear that the Three Venerables are not to set foot here.” Her foot tapped lightly against an object on the ground. “That’s what I said.”
It was the Heavenly Venerable’s severed head.
“But seeing these insects still daring to crawl toward me, I must have seemed like a joke to you all.” Her smile remained as she spoke.
Ddddd—!
A thick, palpable darkness began to pour from the Heavenly Demon’s feet, swallowing the light around them.
“You disgusting insects.”
Celestial Sword knew the smile was a mask for fury.
Swish—!
She directed her floating blades toward the Heavenly Demon.
“I have been so merciful, so generous, yet you still don’t know your place.” The Heavenly Demon began gathering energy in her palm, utterly unconcerned by the poised blades. “I suppose it makes sense…” Power coalesced in her hand. “That’s why you dared to lay hands on what is mine.”
Then, she summoned night itself.
It poured forth.
Grrgrgrgr.
A tsunami of darkness surged forward.
Celestial Sword moved instantly. With sharp gestures, she sent her blades slicing into the advancing gloom.
Clack—!
For a moment, it seemed the light was dissolving the dark.
Craaack—!
But it was a futile effort, utterly insufficient to stem the tide of the Heavenly Demon’s power. From this brief exchange, the truth was painfully clear to Celestial Sword.
I’m still…!
The gap between them was still immense. Overwhelming. No matter how much of her life force she poured into her power, she could not bridge the chasm. How was it possible? How much further did she have to climb?
“You are still the same as ever.”
“…Ugh!” Celestial Sword was thrown back as the darkness swept over her.
“Still so pathetically weak.”
Notably, the Heavenly Demon had not moved a single step since the fight began. Whether it was due to Celestial Sword’s exhaustion, she lacked the strength to prevail. She had rushed toward the resonance but found no solution here.
Everyone believed in her power to destroy demonic forces, but that power was nothing against this true, absolute darkness. Each confrontation with the Heavenly Demon plunged her deeper into despair. Yet she had to keep fighting, a never-ending hell. She swung her blades to disperse the darkness, only for a greater wave to follow. There was no end.
“I despise you.” A voice reached her as she cut through the blackness. “If you came here to struggle, you should be more serious. It still seems you are only seeking a place to die.”
Celestial Sword frowned at the calm, mocking tone. “…You know nothing about me…!” she shouted in rage.
As she did, a tendril of darkness shot out and gouged into her shoulder. She barely managed to deflect it with three of her blades.
Slam—!
Even blocked, the impact shattered her energy barrier and the blades themselves, the recoil hurling her backward.
“Do you really think that?” the Heavenly Demon continued. “I’ll bet there is no one in the world who knows you better than I do.”
“Stop your nonsense—”
“Don’t try to deny it. If you are a leftover, act like one.”
Craaack—!
At a gesture from the Heavenly Demon, the ground beneath Celestial Sword fractured and heaved upward.
“I’m telling you to know your place.”
Slam—!
The shattered earth coalesced around Celestial Sword, compressing into a suffocating sphere dense enough to crush any ordinary person.
Slash—!
A flash of light erupted from within, and the sphere split in two. Celestial Sword burst out, immediately unleashing a storm of Sword Qi—dozens of pure white blades raining down on the Heavenly Demon from all directions.
The Heavenly Demon merely waved a hand dismissively.
The darkness on the ground rose to form an impenetrable shield. The blades shattered against it without effect.
The difference in power was absolute. Victory was impossible for Celestial Sword even at her peak; in her current state, it was hopeless. This was obvious to all, and she knew it better than anyone.
Yet she did not stop.
The light had not fully faded.
She would swing her sword until the last glimmer was extinguished.
Even if it meant her death here.
Seeing her unwavering resolve, the Heavenly Demon’s expression shifted to one of boredom. “I’m bored.”
Celestial Sword seized the moment, charging forward with speed beyond human perception.
Swish—!
Her twin blades flashed toward the Heavenly Demon’s neck. A strike meant to decapitate, delivered without hesitation.
Clang—!
But her attack failed catastrophically.
“…!”
Celestial Sword stared in horror.
One of her blades shattered into pieces against the Heavenly Demon’s neck. The other was caught effortlessly in her hand.
Devastation washed over Celestial Sword, and she could no longer hide her despair.