Chapter 55
Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Gale Blade - Epilogue
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Gale Blade - Epilogue
When Preta Path's domain collapsed, the tragedy that had unfolded around them came into view.
Countless martial artists had been torn apart by Wi-ak, dying without even leaving proper corpses behind.
The air reeked of blood, and gore was gruesomely scattered in every direction.
The few who survived were mostly moaning faintly or had lost consciousness from severe injuries and blood loss.
The magnificent pavilion built by the Heretic Alliance had been brutally demolished, and the body of its leader, once the pinnacle of the unorthodox factions, lay abandoned.
Gwiyeong knelt before the pure white blade, tears streaming endlessly down her face.
It was a time both short and long.
In that time, she had gained so much from him.
She had come to understand the pain in her heart she had always ignored, and what she truly desired.
She slowly opened her eyes and gazed at the pure white blade, bathed in the light of dawn.
'Come to think of it, I don't even know your real name...'
"I can't let you go like this. I won't turn away anymore."
She slowly rose to her feet and spoke as if making a vow.
"I will bring you back. I will, no matter what it takes."
Her face filled with firm resolve, she looked at the pure white blade through her tears.
"I'll summon every blacksmith in the world if I have to... so wait for me until then."
It would surely be a difficult and arduous path, but she could not give up.
The eyes of one who has found a clear purpose in life hold a different depth of will.
They never know how to back down and will always achieve what they set out to do.
No matter how absurd it may seem to others, they march relentlessly toward their dreams.
A task as preposterous as reviving 'a weapon that once had a will but sacrificed itself for her' would be even more challenging.
But in her heart, the face of a certain man was already clearly etched.
She could never forget that face.
Having spent a dreamlike time with him, she wanted to meet him again, no matter how long it took.
"Just wait there quietly. I will never give up."
The dawn broke, casting a soft light on her and the white tachi.
It seemed Gwiyeong's true story was just beginning.
***
Not long after Preta Path's domain collapsed, Jinseon finally regained consciousness and carried the near-dead Wi-ak on her back toward a cliff.
She moved quickly, wanting to have one last conversation with Wi-ak before his life ended.
The cliff they arrived at offered a breathtaking, open view, with a large river flowing below, painting a truly beautiful scene.
Jinseon's body was covered in wounds and her internal energy was almost completely depleted, leaving her with no strength, yet she had managed to carry the fallen Wi-ak here.
She propped Wi-ak against a rock and sat down beside him.
The two of them watched the slowly rising sun.
It had been night when they were fighting, but a whole day had passed, and the sun was now rising.
Watching the ascending sun, Jinseon began to speak.
"Whenever I was tired and struggling, I used to come to places like this to admire the view. Do you remember how you always came to find me?"
"Did I...?"
Wi-ak answered with difficulty, his voice cracked and distorted.
Having exhausted all the life force he possessed as a Blood Demon, only his own worn-out, singular life remained.
Even that ember was slowly flickering out.
Wi-ak's eyes, like Jinseon's, were fixed on the dawn, but they were as colorless as a dead man's.
His life force was so depleted that he had almost completely lost his sight.
"I still dream of those days. You have no idea how much I hate waking up from them."
Jinseon slowly turned her head to look at Wi-ak's cracked face, and said through her tears.
"I wish this were a dream."
"..."
"If I had left the village with you back then... if I had, what would have become of us?"
Thick teardrops rolled down Jinseon's cheeks.
Her former lover had taken the wrong path and crossed a river of no return.
"What am I supposed to do now? The only reason I became a Blood Demon hunter for the Martial Alliance... was to find you. But I was always so scared whenever I heard about what you were doing."
She recalled the things she'd heard while fighting countless Blood Demons in the Martial Alliance.
"I could never believe it when they said you'd become one of the Six Paths Blood Demons and taken so many lives. You weren't that kind of person."
"..."
"But after facing the truth, I realized you weren't the person I used to know anymore."
Wi-ak slowly turned his head, looking at Jinseon through his blurry vision.
She was looking at him with such a heart-wrenching expression.
"Where... where did it all go wrong for us? Huh? What should I have done...?"
Toward the sobbing woman, Wi-ak slowly opened his mouth.
"Not... following you back then... was purely... my choice. So don't blame yourself."
"But..."
"This... is a story I started. It has simply... reached its end."
He spoke to Jinseon, his voice filled with regret.
"My story... ends here. But yours is just beginning. So now... let me go."
"You..."
"Forget about... a wretched person like me, and start... anew..."
Wi-ak couldn't continue.
Jinseon had thrown her arms around him, silencing him.
She said nothing.
She just held him tightly with what little strength she had left.
Wi-ak looked somewhat surprised, then smiled faintly and said.
"I suppose... I'm not good at lying after all."
Wi-ak slowly raised his arm, which was crumbling into dust, and gently embraced Jinseon.
"I love you."
With those last words, his body crumbled like broken stone.
The bright sunlight shone down on the two of them.
In the final moments of his life, he was able to find a warm repose.
The negative emotions that had tormented his heart saw his end and quietly let him go.
Wi-ak, who had suffered his entire life, now closed his eyes peacefully in the arms of his beloved and let everything go.
Jinseon remained there, staying by the side of the departed Wi-ak for a long time.
The story of the young man who had forgotten what was most precious to him came to an end beside the one who was most precious.
***
"Uggghhhhh!"
I pushed myself up in the forge, stretching my body as I stood.
My original body felt stiff from not having moved for so long.
"That story was~ so~ fun~!!"
I shot up from my spot, shouted energetically, and looked around.
Seeing the bland workshop again felt a bit stifling.
The adventure with Sword Demon and Gwiyeong was incredibly fun, and its well-paced beginning and end left a strong impression.
"It's over again. I should hurry up and craft the next story."
Like a child playing a PC game for the first time, all I could think about was playing with my demon swords.
It was so much fun that I just couldn't stop.
"Ah, but what should I make the next weapon with? I used all the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron and the spirit beast's inner core in Gale Blade... I don't have any left."
As I was pondering this, I felt as if someone was calling me.
I looked around, but there was no one there.
"What the? Hyeon-a, are you playing a prank?"
I called out, thinking Hyeon-a might be hiding to mess with me, but there was no response.
"What is it?"
Despite that, the feeling of being called persisted, and I remembered the demon sword I had given to Hyeon-a.
'Ah, no way.'
I focused my mind and transferred my consciousness to Hyeon-a's demon sword.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Hyeon-a repeatedly slapping me with her palm.
"Hey! Why aren't you answering! Come on! Say something! Come on!"
[Hey, I'm here now. What's all the fuss about?]
At my words, Hyeon-a jumped and burst out in frustration.
"Seriously~! I've been calling you forever, and you only show up now?! Huh?!"
[Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I was busy playing with the second demon sword. The story just ended. So, what do you need?]
Hyeon-a replied in a fuming, angry tone.
"I was just annoyed because I can never get in touch with you!"
[Well, yeah, that's because I was playing with a different demon sword.]
"Ugh! Aaargh!"
Unable to contain her frustration, Hyeon-a rolled around like a child.
After calming down a bit, she spoke in a slightly more composed tone.
"Hey, by the way, what the hell did you do? The Heretic Alliance suddenly collapsed overnight."
[Oh, that? You mean that.]
Hyeon-a waited for my next words, her eyes filled with a hint of anticipation.
Seeing her like that, I felt a mischievous urge.
[You know, that thing. Hmmm~]
"Ah, what is it! Just say it!"
[What? Oh, that thing?]
"Ah, you crazy bastard!"
Hyeon-a threw the demon sword she was holding at a nearby tree.
-*Thwack*
[Kahahahak!]
Seeing her so infuriated, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Seriously, stop messing around! I have to write an investigation report on the collapse of the Heretic Alliance!! What the hell happened?!"
She strode over, picked me up, and stared straight into my demonic eye, demanding.
"What exactly did you see?! Show me what you saw!!!"
I wanted to tease her more, but since she had to write a report, I decided to stop.
[The master I went to as a demon sword fought the Heretic Alliance's leader alongside one of the Six Paths Blood Demons.]
"Huh? You teamed up with the Blood Cult?"
A chill ran down my spine, and I quickly replied.
[No, I didn't know. He approached her hiding the fact that he was a Blood Demon. When I found out later, my contractor and I defeated him.]
"Ah, right? For a moment there, I was worried I'd lose my only interesting conversation partner."
Hyeon-a replied with a grin, but knowing how easily she could take someone's head off with that same smile, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
[Well, anyway, my contractor and I took care of the Six Paths Blood Demon called Preta Path. You picked a good contractor, by the way. I had a lot of fun, thanks to you.]
When I thanked her for connecting me with Gwiyeong, Hyeon-a grinned and replied.
"Hey, I've got a good eye for these things. I checked out a few guys before finding her, but none of them were to my liking. I had to search all over before I finally found her."
[Ah, so there were other candidates before Gwiyeong? What happened to them?]
"Huh? They were boring, so I killed them, of course."
[Huh? You killed them because they were boring?]
"Why are you acting so surprised? It would be a problem if someone found out about your little games, right? I just took care of them because I didn't want to leave any traces."
[Uh, oh. Right. I see.]
I felt a bit guilty, as if they had died because of me, but I decided to let it go.
It was unfortunate, but it was an unavoidable collateral sacrifice that came from entrusting the job to a psychopath like Hyeon-a.
"Well, anyway, if that's what happened, it makes sense that the Heretic Alliance collapsed in a single day. Honestly, it's amazing enough that you took down one of the Six Paths Blood Demons."
Hyeon-a nodded and asked me.
"Hmm, okay. That's good. But do you happen to know where the body is? Recovering it would make my work a lot easier."
[Ah, I wouldn't know. I went down with the Blood Demon in a mutual kill, so I don't know what happened after that. It's probably somewhere around the collapsed Heretic Alliance pavilion, right? That's where we fought.]
"Hmm. I suppose so. The other factions haven't sent official investigation teams yet, so I should go first."
She stretched her body, preparing to move out.
Watching her, I made a request.
[Oh, right. If you find Preta Path's body, could you get something for me?]
"What?"
[I was hoping you could check if Blood Demons have something like an inner core, like spirit beasts do. I want to use it in my next weapon.]
"Hmm."
Hyeon-a thought for a moment before giving a small nod.
"I probably shouldn't, but since you're the one who killed him... fine. If there's something like that, I'll give it to you. By the way, you really are a blacksmith to the core, thinking of taking an enemy's inner core to make another weapon."
[It's what I do.]
At that, Hyeon-a let out a small laugh and set off.
***
Hyeon-a, the captain of the Heavenly Demon Cult's assassination squad, searched the area for a long time but couldn't find Preta Path's body.
"Ugh, where the hell is it? Is this even the right area?"
The sun was already high in the sky; if she delayed any longer, investigation teams from other factions might arrive.
Needing to finish her work quickly, Hyeon-a hurriedly scanned her surroundings and found some footprints and residual energy.
"Oh, this is..."
Upon closer inspection, the tracks looked as if someone had carried a fallen person away from here.
"Hmm."
Feeling she had found a clue, she gave a slight smile.
Just then, her assassination squad members appeared and gave their report.
"Captain, we've finished surveying the area. We've confirmed the death of the Heretic Alliance's leader and found the bodies of several high-ranking executives."
"Captain, my team has also secured the Heretic Alliance's important documents."
"Good work. You all head back first. I have something left to do here."
At her words, the assassins bowed their heads and replied.
"Yes, sir. We'll return ahead of you."
They vanished without a trace, melting away like shadows.
Left alone, Hyeon-a used her footwork to stealthily follow the tracks.
A short while later, she arrived at a cliff and guessed that someone had been there.
"Looks like someone was here. They haven't been gone long."
Scanning the area, her eyes fell upon an inscription on a rock and a mound of earth in front of it, shaped like a grave.
"Hmm."
She narrowed her eyes and examined the inscription on the rock.
-Rest peacefully now and have sweet dreams
There wasn't much to it.
However, she could feel a faint bloody aura from the grave in front of it.
"This must be it."
Hyeon-a took out the demon sword and called for the Blacksmith.
"Hey, hey! Come out!"
A moment later, the demon sword's eye opened, and the Blacksmith spoke.
[Did you find it?]
"Yeah, I think so. It seems to be inside a grave. Do you know anything about this?"
[Oh, really?]
The Blacksmith thought for a moment, then remembered Jinseon.
Gwiyeong wouldn't have made a grave for Preta Path.
[Ah, I remember there was a female Blood Demon hunter from the Martial Alliance who was close to Preta Path. She probably made it.]
"Is that so?"
[Just dig it up.]
"The grave?"
[It's a Blood Demon's grave. You'd have to do that anyway to retrieve the body, right?]
Seeing him so calmly tell her to desecrate a grave, Hyeon-a couldn't help but be impressed.
"Hey, there's really no one better suited for our Cult than you. Huh? You're completely heartless."
[What are you talking about? There's no one more normal than me. I'm not the one going around lopping people's heads off all day like you.]
Of course, a madman never knows he's mad.
"Oh, is that so? Anyway, I get it."
However, as the captain of the Heavenly Demon Cult's assassination squad, Hyeon-a was also far from 'normal'.
She kicked at the grave with her foot, desecrating it.
A moment later, she saw Preta Path's body buried inside and frowned.
"Hey, I don't think I can take the body. It's already crumbled to pieces."
[Well, that's a shame. So, is there anything like an inner core?]
"Ugh, I don't want to touch it."
Hyeon-a picked up a nearby stick and poked around the corpse.
If Jinseon had seen this, she would have immediately unleashed her killing intent, but she wasn't there, and Wi-ak, being dead, was silent.
A moment later, she found a glowing red orb and her eyes widened slightly.
"Oh, hey, there actually is something. It's a red orb."
[Oh, really? Then bring it to me.]
She carefully reached in, took the orb from the corpse, and blew the dirt off it.
After turning it over in her hands for a moment, her eyes gleamed.
"Hey, this thing is pretty. The more I look at it, the more I feel like there's something to it."
[Be careful. If you handle that wrong, you might turn into a Blood Demon.]
"Oh, that would be a problem."
Hyeon-a took out a small pouch, put the orb inside, and tied it to her waist.
"Alright, I'm heading out now."
[Okay, I should get started on the next weapon then. Good work.]
After their conversation, Hyeon-a left the scene.
All that remained was the brutally desecrated grave of Wi-ak.
Their actions made it perfectly clear why they were key figures in the Heavenly Demon Cult.