The Heavenly Demon Copies Martial Arts
I stepped into the darkness.
My boot left a faint crunch on the frost-covered ground.
“Moyong Bi-gun. How have you been keeping yourself?”
My voice came out low, edged with irritation.
Before I could answer, a man with a snake’s face was already advancing toward me.
*Slurp.*
But right in front of him stood the Blood Sect Lord, blocking my path.
Their fingertips were already trembling with fear.
“Oh, don’t come any closer!”
Their momentum had already collapsed.
At our feet lay the corpses of the Blood Sect disciples who had exploded on the spot, still twitching as they spat out clouds of white steam.
I stopped.
From somewhere deep in the darkness, a pair of crimson eyes appeared, murmuring as if speaking to himself.
“Do you think these people can stop me? Truly?”
“Uha, uha ha.”
The Blood Sect Lord narrowed his mouth and answered in one breath.
“I’m sorry. I’d love to take my share of that beating the way I did back then, but this plan doesn’t include that kind of treatment.”
“What did you just say?”
I remembered the first time we met, back in Obyeongdong.
If the Heavenly Demon Cult had Jeokmaryeong, then the Blood Cult had Ryu Hwasa, and the two had been entangled from the very beginning.
He had beaten me until I was barely recognizable.
It was all too clear in my memory.
Even then, he had enjoyed every moment of it.
It had been his first time experiencing something like this.
Although I had clearly held the upper hand with my superior power, there had still been an unbearable sense of unease.
Even then he had been weak.
Yet when I declared I would drag him to Cheonsubaekryeonsa to be punished, he reversed the entire situation in a single sentence and carried it out in an instant.
He had looked at me with cheerful eyes while I remained silent and said, “Before we met, you started with quite the flamboyant fanfare. Turning an ordinary swordsman of the Namgung Family into pulp was deeply impressive.”
Just how much did this guy actually know?
Was there really no place in the Jianghu that his information network couldn’t reach?
His eyes flickered between Namgung Sogyo and me as he gave a low, wolfish chuckle.
He rummaged through his robes.
“For the sake of good news, let me show you a little gift. Let me see… ah, here it is.”
As if throwing playing cards, he hurled something onto the ground with all his strength.
“Ta-da!”
*Clunk.*
It was four severed tongues.
My pupils contracted.
I stared at the Blood Sect Lord.
When he saw the shock on my face, he clicked his tongue.
“Moyong Bi-gun, I’m actually quite disappointed. I could have done so much better, but you always leave loose ends, don’t you? Ha… handling you afterward is such a pain.”
“Impossible.”
Ryu Hwasa nodded.
He spat onto the ground beside the tongues.
“These are the tongues of the bastards who had the audacity to show disrespect to a man I myself recognized.”
They were the tongues of the Namgung Family swordsmen who had been provoking me and Namgung Sogyo.
I only realized now that their late decision to refuse the Musin Yeongneung Festival and remain behind in this place made sense.
“You…”
“Oh, don’t worry.”
Ryu Hwasa waved his hand quickly at my startled face.
“No one in the Jianghu handles corpses and blood as skillfully as my Blood Sect does. I dare say that in this very Jianghu, not a single bone would remain if I made the declaration.”
“But that isn’t important right now between us. There are a few things I still want to settle with you.”
Ryu Hwasa flicked the four severed tongues far away with his foot.
“I’m a little irritated. Why didn’t you kill the Blood Sect disciples who were supposed to stop the Amipa Guardian ceremony? Are you playing with me now?”
“What?”
“If you keep acting like this, drifting off-topic from my intentions.”
Ryu Hwasa’s voice suddenly dropped.
“I’m getting annoyed.”
The tone that used to be high and sharp had become low and thick with madness.
…My breathing froze.
What in the world was he saying right now?
Was he referring to the time when the Heavenly Demon Cult and Blood Sect had launched an invasion to block the Amipa Guardian’s awakening ritual?
Ryu Hwasa smoothed his expression again and spoke in his usual high voice.
“I had laid out such a beautiful long-term board just for you, but it was a little disappointing. Well, I’ll admit it. Honestly, I underestimated Moyong Bi-gun a little. I thought you would fight to protect Jeokmaryeong and turn the Blood Sect into a sea of blood, so I planned this battlefield with that in mind.”
He slammed his palm down with a fist and clicked his tongue.
“I never imagined you would actually block Jeokmaryeong head-on. Right in front of the Yama King of the Surayeomrang Squad! Just holding your own against him… if there had been more witnesses, it would have become a legendary tale in the Jianghu.”
If the words he was saying were true, then this man had planned every single board in the game.
A man who had never shown his face once was now playing with an army of masters who had fought with their lives on the line in that battlefield, wielding power that could shake the heavens like mere pawns.
My head grew hot.
I no longer wanted to hear his nonsense.
“Stop the nonsense and hand over the kid. If you don’t…”
“What will you do if I don’t?”
Ryu Hwasa’s voice dropped again.
“You can only do the same thing you always do. Beat me? Tear me apart? Kill me? Moyong Bi-gun. That’s far too simple. You shouldn’t think that way.”
He stepped toward Namgung Sogyo.
From his robe he pulled out a hidden blade.
He pressed it against her chin.
He smiled as if mocking me.
“Simple thinking can’t solve anything. We need to pursue a little more dignity. You know that, right? My dear mad dog.”
*Ziiiing.*
Both of his eyes turned blood-red in silence.
“This is your only warning.”
His gaze drifted through the chilly wind like falling snow.
It was the same feeling as gunpowder ready to explode.
“Hand him over.”
Ryu Hwasa trembled.
“Oh, hahaha. Uha ha ha… Those eyes. Those eyes. I fell for eyes like those of that evil spirit’s avatar. That’s when I truly woke up. I had always been free, and I had always lived believing this was reality. Right, Moyong Bi-gun.”
Ryu Hwasa smiled brightly and spread both hands.
“You gave birth to me.”
The blizzard intensified.
Two pairs of crimson pupils stared at each other on a sea of white snow.
“You’re insane.”
“And you are too. Let’s have fun playing with madmen. Isn’t that a sin worthy of death?”
“…”
“This plain, vulgar Jianghu needs a fresh, shocking contrast right now. Forget about the power and strength of martial arts. What creates history isn’t some simple logic. It’s human instinct and madness. So.”
Ryu Hwasa stepped forward, his eyes gleaming red.
“Let’s have fun. Moyong Bi-gun.”
My body jerked back a step.
I braced myself.
Something felt off.
Too quiet.
It was winter, but even though the Namgung Family had left for the Musin Yeongneung Festival, the silence was so complete it felt as though the world had died.
“No more games. No more nonsense. I won’t play along anymore.”
“No. You have to play along.”
Ryu Hwasa’s mouth split into a grin as if it were a watermelon splitting open.
“This world’s game was created by the one who understands you best.”
My steps halted abruptly.
“Well, watch carefully?”
Then Ryu Hwasa flicked Namgung Sogyo toward me.
“?”
I caught the child who was being shoved forward hurriedly.
I wrapped her in the sleeve of my black robe.
“You?”
What kind of scheme was this?
Ryu Hwasa laughed in a low, drawn-out chuckle.
He raised his white fingers and spoke languidly.
“From this moment onward, I, as one of the Seven Palace Lords of the Blood Sect, shall issue orders regarding the Blood Blood Eight Doors. Did you hear? This is a command given to all of you. No exceptions.”
Ice pierced my spine.
It wasn’t referring to the Blood Sect disciples I could see before my eyes.
“Mumyeong! Impossible!”
[…Even I…]
Mumyeong spoke with great effort.
[I almost didn’t notice. Sorry, Host.]
Mumyeong let out a dry cough.
[I should have noticed the rodent-like Qi of the Blood Sect disciples. How is it possible for such a savage group as the Blood Sect to hide so perfectly…!]
Ryu Hwasa’s fingers dropped.
“From now on, Moyong Bi-gun, we will help you feel your own power and turn you even more insane. From this moment, you must absolutely obey my orders. Understood? I said ‘absolutely.’ You all know what happens when I say ‘absolutely’ and fail, right?”
“…”
The world fell silent.
Not a single bird chirped.
Even the fallen leaves that had been swaying in the winter wind stopped moving.
The flow of air itself had halted.
“From this moment, I issue my decree.”
I pulled Namgung Sogyo tightly into my arms.
Ryu Hwasa’s finger pointed at Namgung Sogyo in my arms.
“Kill that brat.”
Time itself froze.
*Boom!*
“We obey the command of the Seven Palace Lord!”
The world joined in chorus.
Everything around us trembled.
The ground began to flip and shake.
“…Impossible!”
I waved both hands.
*Clang!*
The inner energy wrapped around my arms deflected five swords that flew back.
*Whoosh!*
I widened my eyes in disbelief.
From all directions, martial artists clad in full-body red light leaped up like a waterfall.
I could instantly tell.
They were elite warriors of the Blood Sect who specialized in combat, not in concealment and subterfuge.
Their presence was incomparable to the low-grade Blood Sect disciples.
It was the same overwhelming might as facing the Surayeomrang of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
*Swish!*
Forty Blood Sect warriors burst forth from the east. A straight line of white sword edges gleamed in the moonlight.
*Swish!*
Thirty warriors rose from the north. Red blood threads were wrapped around their arms.
*Swish!*
Twenty warriors emerged from the south. The air around their hands flickered.
*Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!*
From far away, an army of Blood Sect warriors jumped out after pushing off the ground.
More than a hundred Blood Sect warriors swirled together, crashing toward us like a tidal wave.
“How is it possible for such a massive Blood Sect force to appear in the middle of the Jianghu!”
I was horrified.
It was impossible.
Something beyond common sense had happened.
Even setting aside the fact that such a large-scale power could penetrate here without any restrictions, the red wave surging in the darkness before my eyes felt utterly unreal.
Ryu Hwasa shrugged.
“Why? Is there a master of this land? There isn’t. There are no witnesses, so whether the mice are set up or not is irrelevant. When the owner returns later, they won’t notice as long as everything is clean, right?”
“Are you thinking about the aftermath of letting other orthodox sects know about this incident!”
Ryu Hwasa pulled out his hidden blade and fiddled with it.
“Well, let me give you a piece of advice that will help you live a vivid life.”
Ryu Hwasa grinned.
“People who have are terrified. Do you know the most disgusting thing I think personally? It’s that someone who has someone to protect—loved ones, family—is strong.”
Ryu Hwasa enveloped himself in red energy, and his toes began to lift off the ground.
*[Vacuum Absorption?!]*
Mumyeong was shocked.
[No way! I remember you couldn’t unfold Vacuum Absorption back then… What the hell is that?!]
Ryu Hwasa spread his hands.
Beneath his palms, a vast plain spread out against the dark night sky. Far away, red light sparkled, and a brilliant nightscape unfolded according to the lives of the people.
“Do you think Moyong Bi-gun has the resolve to abandon today’s sweetness and walk into hell by himself? I’m sure he doesn’t. I can stake my own neck on that. They have far too much, and they’re well-fed. Of course, there won’t be any witnesses… Oh, oh ha ha ha!”
*Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!*
The red waves tightened.
Ryu Hwasa raised his nails and showed a laugh dripping with madness.
“Watch them protect the child carefully! We’ll do our best to snatch and slaughter them. If that happens…”
They were elite warriors.
They carried both the Blood Sect’s madness and the Heavenly Demon Cult’s purity.
“A little madness on top of your unstable mind would make the perfect seasoning!”
The fear of death crashed over me.
“Ah… Uncle…”
Namgung Sogyo whimpered inside my arms.
But she never cried.
The girl had already resigned herself to the approaching death.
She simply clenched her fists in my arms and held back her tears until the end.
Her expression made me think of a younger version of myself.
I held her closer.
“Children can cry.”
“Huh?”
With a hoarse voice, I spoke to her and to the me of the past.
“You don’t have to endure everything from a young age with that stubborn heart. Looking back now… it was unnecessary.”
“Uncle…”
At that moment, tears filled the eyes that had always been so composed in Namgung Sogyo.
“Are we finished? Are we dying?! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”
The girl gasped.
“Are we ending like this?!”
I suppressed her quickening breaths.
I raised a trembling hand.
And clenched it into a fist.
“No.”
“Eh…?”
Namgung Sogyo looked at me.
*Crack. Crackle.*
The Heaven and Earth Great Shift began to activate.
Violet flames mixed with lightning surged through my entire body.
*Grrroooow…*
Ryu Hwasa’s expression grew hard as he watched.
*Grind.*
He clenched his teeth.
I pulled my inner energy to its limit and spoke.
“I haven’t even started yet.”