Chapter 171: Sword Saint vs. Blood Demon
Chapter 171: Sword Saint vs. Blood Demon
The Sword Saint, who had been watching the Blood Demon for a moment, asked in a grave voice.
"Did Ji-gang send you?"
At that, the Blood Demon smiled faintly and answered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. And...."
Red forceful energy began to slowly emanate from the Blood Demon's entire body like flames.
At the same time, he smiled fiercely and asked.
"Does it matter?"
At the Blood Demon's words, the Sword Saint nodded.
Perhaps he was right.
It was nearly certain that Jegal Ji-gang had been communicating with the Blood Cult, and they didn't even know who would survive this moment — so what did it matter whether the Blood Demon had been sent by him?
That was something to think about after surviving first.
'And... that will likely prove to be a very difficult task.'
Though he didn't show it outwardly, the Sword Saint's condition was not good at the moment.
It was because he had used far too much power all at once in the preceding battle.
Above all, using Qi Sword Control had taken the greatest toll.
The reason he had used Qi Sword Control from the very start was to display overwhelming might so the enemies wouldn't entertain other thoughts. And it was also to quickly whittle down their numbers so they couldn't gather their wits and combine their strength.
But Qi Sword Control was not an easy technique even for the Sword Saint.
Merely exerting enough force to pierce through protective strong qi in that brief moment had consumed half of his internal energy.
'And now the Blood Demon has appeared. Moreover, if Cheok Gang, Du Dang, and Gu Woo-jeol are all still intact....'
If they launched a combined attack, he would absolutely not survive to escape this place today.
Even if the White Tiger Squad warriors were present, as he had seen earlier, they could barely handle even Du Dang alone.
'If only I can provoke the Blood Demon and drag this into a one-on-one duel somehow....'
The Sword Saint was thinking just that.
Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang, who had stanched the bleeding from his arm, let out a vile grin and shouted.
"Supreme One! We shall assist you! Hunt the Sword Saint this day!"
At his words, White-faced Corpse Demon Gu Woo-jeol and Iron God Mad Demon Cheok Gang also lowered their stances and prepared for battle.
Since they had all already been struck by the Sword Saint, joining forces to capture him was accepted as entirely natural.
Watching them, the Sword Saint's expression darkened.
It seemed the worst possible situation had come to pass before he could even attempt anything.
That was when it happened.
The Blood Demon rebuked Du Dang with a stern expression.
"You call me Supreme One, yet you seek to trample my honor into the dirt! Do you think I cannot contend with him?! Is that why you try to steal from me this opportunity to test my martial arts against the Sword Saint?!"
At his roar of fury, Du Dang was thrown into confusion.
"Wh-what?! No, no, Supreme One. This lowly one was merely...."
Du Dang, who had unknowingly regarded the Blood Demon as beneath the Sword Saint, tried to make excuses for his blunder.
But the Blood Demon, without even listening to him, declared resolutely.
"His battle with me is a noble contest of martial arts between warriors! Even if I die by his hand, none shall interfere! Do you understand?!"
At the Blood Demon's command, Du Dang and Gu Woo-jeol hesitated, unable to bring themselves to answer.
At that moment, Cheok Gang was the first to drop to his knees and respond.
"Understood, Supreme One! Let it be as the Supreme One wills!"
He appeared to be thoroughly moved by the martial dignity his master had displayed.
But unlike him, Du Dang and Gu Woo-jeol, who had been eyeing each other, only bowed their heads reluctantly after the Blood Demon fixed them with a terrifying glare.
"We shall obey your command, Supreme One."
"......."
Having secured his subordinates' pledge not to interfere, the Blood Demon looked back at the Sword Saint and spoke.
"You have already expended a considerable amount of strength, so I could not fault you if you sneered at me for playing the warrior now. Still, I wish to test myself against you as one martial artist to another, even from this moment onward. So would you give the same instruction to your companions?"
At that, the Sword Saint regarded him with an enigmatic gaze, then turned his head toward the White Tiger Squad warriors and gave his instruction.
"We of the orthodox faction cannot do what even the Blood Cultists will not. Do you understand what I mean?"
At his words, the White Tiger Squad warriors gritted their teeth and bowed their heads in answer.
"Yes! We understand, Elder!"
The Sword Saint looked at the Blood Demon with an enigmatic gaze for a moment.
In truth, telling the White Tiger Squad warriors not to interfere was a meaningless instruction.
For even if they did interfere, there was nothing they could have done.
So the Blood Demon's words were likely a gesture of respect toward him.
The Blood Demon's appearance was far more refined than expected.
He looked far closer to an orthodox faction hero than a demon of the Blood Cult....
Of course, one could not fully grasp him by appearance alone.
But from his actions alone, he already felt far more like a true man than U Cha-man or Gyo Jae-gok, whom he had killed earlier.
The Sword Saint looked at him and suddenly asked.
"Were you not under orders to capture me at all costs? Or... are you so confident that you absolutely cannot lose to me?"
At that, the Blood Demon smiled faintly and answered.
"Though I am a demon swept up in the madness of the Blood Cult's martial arts, I am not so arrogant as to presume I can surely defeat the Sword Saint. However...."
The Blood Demon, who had paused to choose his words, continued with a strangely conflicted look in his eyes.
"You may not believe this, but I hold you, Sword Saint, in considerable esteem. In the past, I once wished I had been born into a powerful, prestigious family like you. But once I actually reached this position, I came to realize. Even if one attains the same circumstances as you, not everyone can live as you do. No, most people in this world could not live that way. Myself included. That is why, among the many hypocrites of the orthodox faction, I wished to treat you, at least, as one warrior to another."
The Sword Saint could not help but be seized by a strange feeling.
Right now, he found himself in a situation where Jegal Ji-gang — his close friend and the Murim Alliance's military advisor — had conspired with the Blood Cult to kill him.
And yet the very demon of that Blood Cult was telling him that he acknowledged his way of life.
Of course, since he had already used his subordinates to deplete his strength, what he was saying now could have been nothing more than deception.
But as the Sword Saint looked into the Blood Demon's earnest eyes, he somehow felt he could tell that his words were sincere.
So the Sword Saint decided to respond to his opponent's sincerity.
He raised his sword and offered a solemn bow of respect to the Blood Demon, saying,
"I am called Hae Un-baek, head of the Henan Hae Clan. My peers in the martial world have honored me with the undeserved title of Heavenly Robe Sword Saint. From this moment, I intend to face you with my clan's Stellar Net Sword Art."
At that, the Blood Demon briefly wore a surprised expression, then gazed at the Sword Saint with heated eyes, returning a formal bow of respect.
"I was once the head of the Jeon Family Estate of Yunnan, and am now the cult leader of the Blood Cult, called Jeon Mu-gwang. Unlike you, my nature is ferocious and my deeds are vicious, so I have earned no more from my peers than the title Slaughter Blood Demon. From this moment, I intend to face you with the Nine Heavens Blood Dragon Demon Art."
The Nine Heavens Blood Dragon Demon Art.
Hearing that name, the Sword Saint tensed while at the same time his fighting spirit blazed.
The Nine Heavens Blood Dragon Demon Art could be called the supreme pinnacle of Blood Cult martial studies.
Among demonic martial arts, it was considered the ultimate art second only to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art — the Blood Demon was telling him that he would face the Sword Saint with the greatest ultimate technique at his command.
The Sword Saint smiled with satisfaction and slowly raised his sword.
"Honestly... I did not expect that the feeling of fighting you would be enjoyable."
At that, the Blood Demon also smiled faintly and replied.
"It is an honor."
The next moment, both men's forms vanished from the spot.
And simultaneously, explosions began erupting everywhere.
Kwa-kwang! Kwa-kwa-kwang! Kwa-kwang! Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The forest was being devastated in an instant.
White Tiger Squad Leader Dong Bang Mu-geuk, realizing that those explosions were caused by the collisions of the two men his eyes could not even follow, desperately shouted at his squad members.
"Fall back! Withdraw at least ten jang!"
At that, among the Blood Cult demons who had already swiftly retreated backward, Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang widened his eyes and spoke.
"I can't even see them properly. Hey, Cheok Gang. Can your eyes follow them?"
Du Dang asked Cheok Gang, but Cheok Gang seemed to be so utterly focused on the duel that he couldn't even hear his voice.
Gu Woo-jeol, too, was now focused on the duel with a face that was no longer expressionless.
The moment the Sword Saint and Blood Demon's movements came to a halt was after the forest in the entire area had been completely devastated.
The two men stood facing each other with serene expressions, as if nothing had happened.
Suddenly, the Blood Demon spoke to the Sword Saint with an amused expression.
"Well then, I think we've loosened up sufficiently."
At his words, the Sword Saint also smiled faintly.
It was true that the two had just engaged in a probing exchange.
But for the Sword Saint, who had already expended much of his power, even the internal energy consumed in that probing exchange was not insignificant.
Knowing the Sword Saint's circumstances, the Blood Demon was now telling him that they should fight in earnest once he had done everything he could to fight at his best.
There was no reason for the Sword Saint to refuse.
Suddenly, the Sword Saint spoke in a regretful voice.
"I too have heard of the Jeon Family Estate and the tragic history that befell you. Perhaps letting you go to the Blood Cult was the worst mistake the orthodox faction of this era has ever committed."
At that, the Blood Demon smiled faintly and replied.
"Is that not what fate is?"
It was a statement that although it had been unavoidable, he did not regret his own choice.
The Sword Saint nodded once, then gathered all his internal energy into his sword and cried out.
"I shall go!"
In the next moment, the Sword Saint's form became a streak of light, shooting upward toward the heavens.
Shuhak!
Truly, it was like a single ray of light.
In that moment, the Blood Demon could not see the Sword Saint's figure.
In his eyes, only a single sword remained, soaring toward the sky.
The Sword Saint's body had become one with the sword.
"Huh!"
Just as the Blood Demon let out a gasp of admiration at that sublime realm, the Sword Saint's sword suddenly burst apart as if exploding.
The eighteenth stance of the Seongla Sword Technique.
Milky Way Heavenly Stream.
Hwaaaaak!
It was like the Milky Way itself, filling the night sky to the brim.
The Sword Saint's sword qi blazed brilliantly, as if spewing forth a swarm of stars, filling the Blood Demon's vision with radiant light.
At that wondrous and beautiful ultimate technique, even the three demon heads of the Blood Cult could not help but lose themselves.
"Huh..."
"Incredible."
"..."
Then the Blood Demon unleashed the technique he too had been preparing.
It was the final technique of the Nine Heavens Blood Dragon Demon Art, a move not unworthy of the Seongla Sword Technique's greatest ultimate technique.
The final form of the Nine Heavens Blood Dragon Demon Art.
Nine Heavens Blood Dragon Dominates the World.
In the next moment, nine red dragon heads burst forth from the Blood Demon's blazing crimson energetic force.
Kyaaaaaaa!
It was a colossal nine-headed red dragon, as though it had sprung straight from hell.
At that overwhelming sight, the White Tiger Squad warriors could not help but be horrified.
"Uwaah!"
"H-how can this be!"
"Elder!"
And finally, the Blood Demon's nine-headed dragon and the Sword Saint's Milky Way collided in the sky above.
Tuung!
The moment of collision was silent.
All that those around could see was a massive radiance that brightly illuminated the world, as if heaven and earth were splitting open anew.
Hwaaaaaaak!
And immediately after, the explosion erupted.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
"We're being swept away! Everyone get down!"
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Even the White Tiger Squad warriors, who had been more than ten jang away, were caught up in the tremendous explosion and flung away like autumn leaves.
It was a blast so enormous that one could scarcely believe it had been wrought by the clash of two humans.
All the White Tiger Squad warriors were swept away, and only the Blood Cult's three demon heads, who had barely managed to hold their ground, could look upon the scene of the explosion moments later.
"Cough! Cough! Supreme One!"
"Damn it! What the hell happened?! Gah! Over there!"
"...!"
There, the Sword Saint and the Blood Demon still stood upright, facing each other.
At least outwardly, both wore expressions of such serenity that it was hard to believe they had just been fighting for their lives.
After a brief moment, of the two who had stood like stone statues, it was the Blood Demon who turned away first.
As the Blood Demon turned his back, the Sword Saint abruptly asked him.
"Do you mean to leave just like this? I thought I heard earlier that you respected me?"
At that, the Blood Demon paused in his steps without turning his head and sighed as he spoke.
"I respect you. No, I revere you. But I have my position as the leader of the Blood Cult."
And after hesitating a moment, he left his final words.
"If only... I wonder what might have been, had I met a martial artist like you when I was in need of help. I shall... never forget you."
With that, the Blood Demon slowly began to walk away once more.
The three demon heads, who had been exchanging puzzled glances, immediately fell in behind him.
The three demon heads could not bring themselves to ask about the outcome, seeing the Blood Demon's retreating figure as he walked in silence.
But once they had gone far enough that the Sword Saint's figure was no longer visible, Du Dang, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, finally spoke.
"Well..."
At that, the Blood Demon spoke in a low voice.
"If Blood Cult supremacy is to be achieved, we must first perfect the blood demon. The Sword Saint was this difficult... how much more troublesome will the Sword Emperor be?"
As he spoke, a thin trickle of blood was streaming from the Blood Demon's mouth.
Meanwhile, Dong Bang Mu-geuk, the grand master of the White Tiger Squad who had been swept away by the explosion, came to his senses and frantically rushed to where the Sword Saint was.
"Sword Saint Elder!"
But what he saw as he drew near the Sword Saint was the sight of him—who had been standing upright with his sword planted in the ground—suddenly staggering and vomiting blood.
"Keoheok!"
Dark red blood gushed from the Sword Saint's mouth.
He did not fall, supporting himself with his sword against the ground, but his entire body was trembling as if he might collapse at any moment.
The startled Dong Bang Mu-geuk rushed to him and supported him.
"Elder! Sword Saint Elder! Are you all right?!"
At that, the Sword Saint spoke with great difficulty.
"Quickly, rally the troops. The appointed time has passed."
Hearing this, Dong Bang Mu-geuk cried out in alarm.
"Appointment?! Do you mean your duel with Ghost Sword Seo Il? You cannot, Elder! In your condition, you cannot proceed with the duel!"
But the Sword Saint shook his head with effort.
"Do you not see? Jegal Ji-gang's hand is already encircling us. The moment I try to leave this place, they will attack."
After the Blood Demon's departure, the Sword Saint could sense the thick killing intent that had surrounded the area.
The encirclement was already complete.
The reason they did not attack, knowing his condition, was obvious.
"They wish for me to die naturally, defeated by the Ghost Sword. In order to complete Jegal Ji-gang's plan."
At that, Dong Bang Mu-geuk cried out as if wailing.
"Why must you oblige that plan, Elder?!"
The Sword Saint smiled faintly with a pale face.
The reason he had to oblige the plan was that if he were to be killed by the Ghost Sword, the White Tiger Squad warriors might be spared—but if he attempted to escape this place and was attacked, the White Tiger Squad warriors would all die as well.
But the Sword Saint did not speak of this.
"I cannot leave the disgrace of 'flight' upon my life. I shall die as the Heavenly Robe Sword Saint until the very moment of my death."
That was all he said.
And this was not entirely a lie.
In his current body, escape was impossible in any case. And if he were to attempt flight, Jegal Ji-gang would somehow spread word of it to all the martial world to chip away at his reputation.
The Sword Saint took out a spirit medicine from his bosom and gazed at it quietly.
It was the Life-Death Pill, called the Saengsahwan, made by the Eccentric Physician, which his daughter Hae Cheong-yeon had given him.
'She assured me it was better than the Small Reversion Pill, didn't she?'
Of course, he knew that taking it would be of no use.
Because in his current state, no matter what spirit medicine he took—even if he were to take the legendary Greater Revival Pill—his body could not recover enough to fight Seo Il.
But the Sword Saint swallowed it in one gulp.
He needed to recover at least enough to walk on his own at the final moment.
After swallowing the medicine, the Sword Saint immediately felt its effects coursing through his body and forced himself upright.
"Now, let us go."
In the end, Dong Bang Mu-geuk could not break the Sword Saint's stubbornness.
With a grief-stricken expression, he had no choice but to follow the Sword Saint to the main camp of the Flying Dragon Squad.
And when they arrived, many people from the Murim Alliance were already waiting for them.
Dong Bang Mu-geuk immediately spotted him sitting at the center of the crowd.
The one-eyed swordsman with an eye patch—the Poisonous Eyed Ghost Sword, Seo Il.
Seo Il watched the pale-faced Sword Saint walking toward him, then slowly opened his mouth.
"You are late. I thought you were not coming."
At that, the Sword Saint smiled faintly and replied.
"My apologies. I nearly mistook the time."
The two gazed at each other wordlessly for a moment.
Then Seo Il drew his sword first and spoke.
"I shall go."
The Sword Saint likewise extended his sword with effort, as if nothing were wrong, and replied.
"Come, then."
In the next moment, Seo Il's form became a streak of light and crashed forward.
Puuuk!
"Keuk!"
It took but a single stroke for Seo Il's sword to pierce the Sword Saint's heart.
For the Sword Saint as he was now, standing on his own two legs was the utmost he could manage—let alone blocking Seo Il's blade.
Seo Il slowly withdrew his sword from the Sword Saint's chest.
Then he gazed briefly at the Sword Saint, who, even with his heart pierced through, stood upright supporting himself with his sword planted in the ground, and turned away.
And with a sour expression, he muttered.
"...I should have just killed that damned bastard with my own hands."
It was the moment that the Sword Saint—the chivalrous hero among chivalrous heroes, revered by all orthodox martial artists of the martial world, the greatest star of this era—met his death.