The Heavenly Demon's Sword Heart
At the very moment when the Heavenly Demon's Sword Heart was bringing unimaginable changes to him, Bianca kept watching Ian as if he were the most adorable thing in the world. The trace of a hexagram flickered in her eyes for an instant; she was desperately holding back the urge to claim him completely.
'O-oh no. Even the way he looks when he's thinking is too cuuuute...'
Bianca had always liked Ian, but right now her excitement was reaching an 'abnormal' level. 'B-but why is my body suddenly so hot?' It didn't feel like ordinary lust. The sensation of something trembling deep inside her belly left a pleasant shiver running through her, yet the Archmage's cool reason still managed to detect the 'wrongness' of the situation and raise questions.
But...
'I-I like it so muuuch...'
Beneath the violent emotion called love, cold reason was easily buried.
Bianca wiped away the drool sliding down her chin, staring at me so hard it looked like her eyes might pop out.
"...Bianca?"
"Hehe... Y-yes?"
"It's a little burdensome when you stare that intensely."
Her lust-filled gaze and somewhat dazed expression felt completely unbalanced on the current Bianca. Back when she was still a girl, I had simply thought it was cute. But now...
'How the hell am I supposed to describe this?'
The sight of a cold, beautiful woman gazing at me while literally drooling... evoked an emotion that defied words. It was a situation I had never experienced in either my previous life or this one.
'Or have I?' Thinking back to the old days, similar things had happened, but they weren't pleasant memories, so I brushed them aside.
"You're so mean..."
She sounded genuinely upset. Leaving the sulking Bianca alone, I closed my eyes and tried to resonate with the 'sword' inside my mind. The sensation I had felt before slowly bloomed in my palm.
'...What a strange feeling.'
My hand was clearly still empty, yet the heavy presence of an iron sword was rising all the same. It couldn't inflict physical damage, but at least I could train whenever I wanted.
'Well, I never formally learned swordsmanship, but...'
Even so, I could create techniques based on experience. Just as I had invented the Spinning Strong Sword before, if I could discover techniques or principles worth imitating, the rest would come easily.
'I don't know if this is truly the right path, but I don't have any other options.'
Monsters swarmed everywhere, so I couldn't accurately gauge their 'level,' but to survive I had no choice but to refine my own techniques.
'Who did the future me learn the sword from, I wonder?'
If the first-round version of me had used a sword, he must have received instruction from someone. Who on earth could it have been? Since I still hadn't told Bianca about my regression, there was no way to find out.
'For now, I should just swing the sword to my heart's content.'
It had been a long time. It was finally time to reorganize my swordsmanship.
"...Is someone talking about me?"
A black-haired woman dug at her ear as if it tickled. Haryeong, sect leader of the Cloud Destroying Sword Sect, blew the earwax away and spoke to the 'someone' in question.
"So, what business does the Heavenly Girl of the Demonic Cult have with our sect?"
Behind her, a figure slowly revealed itself. The woman with ash-gray hair looked, at first glance, like an ordinary noble lady. She gave a bitter smile and greeted Haryeong.
"It's been a while. This place is still as noisy as ever."
The demon who gazed upon the heavens and brought calamity to the continent. White Lotus Heavenly Demon Biyeon. Having unified the Demonic Cult at a mere tender age and accomplished a feat never before seen in history, she was currently bringing enormous upheaval to the murim.
Anyone standing before her would feel overwhelming fear, yet Haryeong remained perfectly composed.
"My, my, what an honor it is to receive such favor from the Heavenly Girl herself."
Even at Haryeong's heavily sarcastic tone, Biyeon didn't show any anger. Had anyone else in the murim dared to act that way before her, she would have torn them limb from limb, but the person before her was different.
Biyeon lifted the corners of her mouth, openly displaying affection toward Haryeong.
"Master. Why so formal between us?"
"Bullshit. Why the hell would I be your master?"
Even under Haryeong's fierce glare, she continued without flinching.
"Once you've entered a sect, isn't it an eternal bond? Master definitely said those exact words before."
"You left an indelible original sin upon this sect. And yet you still consider yourself a legitimate successor?"
In the past, when the Cloud Destroying Sword Sect had been rising in power and advancing triumphantly, Biyeon—then a true disciple possessing unparalleled talent—had suddenly betrayed the sect. The fact that Haryeong's most cherished disciple, the one she had intended to make the next sect leader, had betrayed them had caused an enormous stir at the time.
Later, when it was revealed that Biyeon was a spy for the Demonic Cult and its young cult leader, Haryeong had nearly fallen into heart demons from the shock. The Murim Alliance had accused the Cloud Destroying Sword Sect of colluding with the Demonic Cult, showering them with every kind of slander and criticism imaginable. The sect's honor had been trampled into the dirt. There should have been nothing left to say.
Yet Biyeon wore a somewhat sorrowful expression and bit her lip tightly.
"There was a reason for that matter."
"You're still utterly shameless. So, why exactly have you come here? Ask me one more time and I'll draw my sword."
Haryeong wanted to cut Biyeon down where she stood, but the woman's identity as the Heavenly Demon held her back.
'We cannot allow a Righteous-Demonic War to break out.'
If the leader of the Demonic Cult died, the resulting chaos would be catastrophic. It might even spark an all-out war. Even so, at the very least...
Haryeong's eyes gleamed as she stared at Biyeon's left arm.
'I should at least take one arm.'
Crippling her martial arts entirely would be too much, but one arm was perfectly doable. The moment she placed her hand on her sword sheath with that thought in mind, Biyeon smiled and asked,
"I originally came to greet Master and my senior sisters. But it seems that would be difficult. By the way, does Master happen to know the whereabouts of our 'junior brother'?"
The instant the word 'junior brother' left her lips, Haryeong instinctively launched her sword.
Kaaang—!
The strike that barely grazed the gap in perception carried enough power to destroy the entire surroundings, yet Biyeon leisurely blocked it.
"You dare!"
"Judging by your reaction, it seems Master really has returned. Hmm, I wonder where our cute youngest junior brother went?"
"If you lay a single finger on that child, I swear I will never forgive you."
Overwhelming killing intent—born from having slain countless demons—poured from Haryeong's body. At the same time, her pupils had already split vertically like those of a reptile.
The pinnacle of the beast races. As one of the few remaining descendants of the dragon race, Haryeong's eyes gleamed with draconic pressure.
"Please rest assured, Master. I only... wish to protect junior brother."
Biyeon frowned slightly at the heavy pressure Haryeong radiated. While she wouldn't lose in simple killing intent...
'As expected, a dragon's pressure is annoying no matter how many times I feel it.'
As a descendant of a race that stood at the pinnacle of the surface world, the dragon race's innate Pressure was extremely irritating to Biyeon.
'I could respond if I wanted, but if I killed Master here, junior brother would be terribly sad, wouldn't he?'
Watching him fall into despair before her eyes would certainly bring a pleasant sense of depravity, but it was still too early. While Biyeon pondered, Haryeong muttered in a distinctly lowered voice.
"If I take your neck right here, that child will be safe."
"Pfft. Well, maybe the old Master could have managed it... but do you really think it's possible with your current body?"
Biyeon sneered, her gaze dropping to Haryeong's waist. The woman's body was clearly not in a normal state.
'It would take at least ten years to recover fully. Your love for your disciple really is extreme.'
The injury Biyeon had personally inflicted before betraying the sect. Even for a dragon descendant like Haryeong, full recovery would require a very long time.
"Next time, I'll come visit together with junior brother. Until then, stay safe."
With a sly smile, Biyeon vanished in an instant.
Beneath the ruins, a demon gazed at him with eyes full of longing. Kanmashion displayed an otherworldly beauty that was hard to believe. Of course, to the man's eyes she was nothing more than an enemy. He immediately raised his sword and swung it at her.
"Oh, so this is your sound!"
"......?"
The sword strike that could easily slaughter ordinary demons was lightly caught in Kanmashion's 'hand.' An unprecedented event that left even the man momentarily stunned. The intangible strike caught in her hand had already transformed into a single 'musical note.' At the same time, as if it were a delicious meal, she swallowed it whole.
"Very sharp... and rather fishy."
While Kanmashion was busy critiquing the man's attack, he unleashed another barrage of sword strikes. Yet once again, not a single one could inflict even the slightest damage on her. She caught every attack at point-blank range with a speed the man could not comprehend.
"A melody where blood and iron are exquisitely mixed... Hmm, you possess a 'talent' rarely seen among humans! There will be very few beings capable of appreciating your artistry!"
"In return, I shall play an unforgettable performance for you as well."
Kanmashion smiled faintly and drew out a conductor's baton.