Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Festival's End, Gwiyeong's Epilogue
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As various duels unfolded, I was able to gather a lot of information.
'Hmm, so this is generally how ordinary martial artists fight.'
Since these were martial artists from the Heavenly Demon Cult, their style might differ slightly from those in the Central Plains, but here, almost everyone wielded their weapons with immense aggression.
They swung their wooden swords so fiercely it was as if they were in a life-or-death battle. More than a few people were carried off to the infirmary after being struck hard enough to actually break their swords.
'But maybe it's because I've seen some really intense people while working as a Demonic Sword. This doesn't seem all that brutal.'
I'm the guy who's seen an attack from one of the Six Paths Blood Demons up close.
I wasn't about to be impressed by duels between martial artists who were merely at the first-rate or peak level.
Still, it was quite entertaining to watch.
The problem was Hyeon-a, who wouldn't stop chattering next to me.
"Wow, he's doing it like that? If it were me, I would've ducked under and attacked his legs long ago."
"No, you have to counter that! Why is he so scared! This is so frustrating!!"
"He's doing it like that? He hasn't mastered the basics. The absolute basics."
"If it were me, I would've dodged to the side right there and then..."
"Wow, this is why I watch. This is the stuff."
She was being so loud that I shot her a sharp glance.
Noticing my stinging gaze, she cleared her throat and fell silent.
"Ahem, ahem."
Watching her, I was reminded of a friend from my past life.
The one who reached a high rank in an online team-based game and would mock lower-ranked players as they fought.
'People are pretty much the same everywhere, I guess.'
Of course, there was the difference that one was a game and this was reality, but in the grand scheme of things, there wasn't much of a distinction.
While I was watching for some time, Yuhwa's turn finally came.
Most of the contestants were men with grim faces, and while there were some women, they were mostly built like men or had fierce expressions. Yuhwa's aura was completely different from theirs.
She had the body of a young girl, and though she possessed a venomous air, her face was too young to be called fierce or grim.
One might have been tempted to dismiss her based on her appearance, but her opponent did not take her lightly at all.
The reason was simple: the fact that Yuhwa was the Sword Demon's one and only disciple had already spread.
Most of the spectators here were also aware of this fact.
When someone unfamiliar with the situation expressed doubt, the person next to them would quickly explain, and the moment they heard she was the Sword Demon's disciple, their expression would harden.
The title of 'disciple to the second-in-command of the Heavenly Demon Cult' truly carried immense weight.
Moreover, those who had caught even a glimpse of the training she was undergoing watched Yuhwa with even greater interest.
They seemed to be anticipating what kind of performance she would deliver.
A moment later, as the duel began, the grim-faced man facing Yuhwa spoke in a threatening but relatively polite tone.
"I heard you are the Sword Demon's disciple. You may be young, but I will not go easy on you."
It was the classic line used to threaten the protagonist in manga and the like.
Yuhwa didn't bother to reply, instead settling into a stance, ready to attack.
Even to me, who hadn't properly learned martial arts, it was clear she was highly trained.
It wasn't the beast-like form of a common heretic martial artist, but a clean, refined stance learned from a proper master.
In contrast, the man facing her approached, swinging his large wooden sword menacingly.
Soon after, he let out a thunderous shout and charged.
"Hyaaaah!"
-Fwoosh
The large wooden sword rushed toward Yuhwa, but she dodged it with light footwork, then immediately used the man's swinging sword as a foothold to close the distance cleanly, efficiently, and swiftly.
-Thwack
She struck the man's shoulder with her wooden sword.
"Keuk!"
The man let out a pained groan and swung his fist and wooden sword, trying to shake her off.
But Yuhwa flowed like water, naturally evading his attacks and relentlessly pressing forward.
Watching her, Hyeon-a was genuinely impressed.
"Wow, to show that kind of movement at her age? It seems the Sword Demon taught her well, but that girl must have quite the talent, too."
"Even I can tell those aren't ordinary movements."
Even I, who knew little about martial arts, could instinctively tell.
They were movements that bordered on 'perfection'.
The Sword Demon's teachings, born from a life chasing 'perfection', were visible in Yuhwa's movements.
I glanced over at the Sword Demon in the executive seating.
He was watching his disciple with a faint smile.
The other Seven Demons beside him also had expressions of acknowledgment as they watched Yuhwa's movements.
Then, my eyes fell on an empty seat, even more lavishly decorated than those of the Seven Demons.
I looked at Hyeon-a and asked.
"Is that the Heavenly Demon's seat?"
"That's right."
"Seeing as there's a seat, I guess he usually comes?"
"He usually does. But after the Ghost Demon... I mean, after that apostate died, he hasn't shown his face at all."
"I see."
I gave a small nod and turned my attention back to Yuhwa's duel.
However, the situation seemed to be almost over.
The man's movements had slowed as he gasped for breath, and Yuhwa pressed her advantage, attacking him even more relentlessly.
Her small frame moved with fluid grace, targeting only his joints and vital points, reminiscent of a snake.
Just then, Yuhwa's wooden sword struck the man's throat, and unable to withstand it, he collapsed.
"Keoheok!"
He was still conscious, but due to the overwhelming pain and helplessness, there was no longer any fighting spirit in his eyes or actions.
Seeing the man's condition, the referee raised Yuhwa's hand, declaring her the victor.
The crowd roared for Yuhwa.
The Seven Demons, also seemingly acknowledging her skill, were saying something to the Sword Demon, who shrugged with a smirk.
Yuhwa looked at the Sword Demon with a happy expression, and he gave her a slight nod of approval.
They looked like the very picture of an ideal master and disciple.
'This is it. This is what I want to do.'
Watching the Sword Demon and Yuhwa, I got a rough idea of what concept I should use for the next Demonic Sword.
If the Demonic Swords so far had been like bickering friends, next time, I wanted to play the role of a life mentor, offering advice.
Of course, I hadn't lived a long life myself, so I planned to jot down helpful advice and words from those around me before I started.
I'd also write down good quotes from books.
I'd been exhausted from sleepless nights, unable to come up with a good idea, but now that a great one had struck, my body felt revitalized.
I decided to head straight for the forge to write down the story and plan for the next weapon.
Seeing me, Hyeon-a said.
"Hey, there's still more to see. Are you leaving already?"
"I saw the Sword Demon's disciple win, so I've seen enough. Besides, I just thought of what to do for the next weapon. Oh, and about 'that thing' I asked for before. Drop by the forge tomorrow and give it to me then."
If I received Preta Path's inner core in such a crowded place, I might lose it, so I decided to get it tomorrow.
As I was about to leave, Hyeon-a looked a bit down, so I gave a small smile and waved.
"Thanks, I had fun today. Let's meet up outside again sometime."
"Huh, uh? Really? Yeah! Let's do that!"
Hyeon-a's expression brightened instantly, and she waved goodbye to me.
And so, I left the crowd behind, humming to myself as I headed for the forge.
As expected, I was happiest when I was doing what I wanted to do.
***
A month had passed since the collapse of the Heretic Alliance. A bloody storm was brewing in the world of the heretics.
With the fall of the massive power that was the Heretic Alliance, an age of rival warlords had truly begun.
Some declared they would succeed the Heretic Alliance and formed new coalitions, while other factions that had been quietly hiding their strength rose up terrifyingly, absorbing neighboring guilds.
In the heart of this chaos, Gwiyeong acted with terrifying boldness.
She expanded her influence more greedily and ruthlessly than ever before.
But her goal was no longer simple greed, as it had been in the past.
All her efforts to expand her territory and build her power were for a single purpose.
To resurrect the one who was most precious, and most loved, to her.
She moved in a completely different way from Wi-ak, who had forgotten what was most precious to him.
She knew all too well what she was fighting for.
-Step, step
As Gwiyeong headed toward the Black Ghost Guild's main hall, a number of subordinates incomparable to before bowed their heads to her.
The Black Ghost Guild martial artists greeting her were all dressed in uniform black robes, adding to their intimidating presence.
"""We greet the Guild Leader!!"""
Since the old hall had burned down and collapsed, she had established a new base in a place with a larger commercial district and scale than the previous town.
The new halls of the Black Ghost Guild were planned to be incomparably larger and more magnificent than before.
The main hall alone was scheduled to take nearly a year to complete, which spoke to the truly immense scale of the future Black Ghost Guild headquarters.
For now, therefore, she was using a building she had seized from an existing dark arts guild.
The Black Ghost Guild now wielded a power nearly equal to the prestige of the Four Dark Sky Lords back when the Heretic Alliance was at its peak.
After all, hadn't the Black Dragon Society's leader wielded immense influence despite only being in the late stages of the Transcendent Peak?
And here was Gwiyeong, who had reached the Profound Realm before the age of thirty.
In just one month, she had toppled and absorbed four dark arts guilds.
The surrounding factions could only tremble at her arrival.
She went straight to the meeting hall, sat in the grand master's chair, and spoke to the executives who were waiting.
"So, have you found out?"
"Yes, we have summoned the most skilled blacksmith from southern Hunan."
"Where is he now?"
"We had him wait in the guest hall for your arrival, Guild Leader. We will call him immediately."
A moment later, a middle-aged man appeared before Gwiyeong.
The burn scars scattered across his body and his thick arms made it clear at a glance that he had worked as a blacksmith for a long time.
"It is truly an honor to meet the famed leader of the Black Ghost Guild in person. I am Guyong, and I run the Guyong Forge in southern Hunan."
"I have heard of your reputation. I'm told you have crafted many fine weapons."
"Not at all. I've simply been at it for a long time, and I've been lucky enough to stumble upon a few good ones."
She took out her old friend, the pure white tachi wrapped in cloth once called the 'Gale Blade', and handed it to Guyong.
"What do you think of it?"
Looking at the Gale Blade she gave him, Guyong narrowed his eyes to inspect it for a moment before replying in great surprise.
"Oh, oh! Guild Leader, this... this is truly an incredible piece. In all my life, I have never seen a weapon so exquisitely crafted. Not only are the materials themselves superb, but the skill of its maker seems to be beyond imagination. How on earth could such a weapon..."
Gwiyeong knew the ones who made the weapon were from the Blood Cult, so his words did not sit well with her.
She glanced at the executives around her.
Understanding the meaning of her gaze, the executives, save for the general manager and a few others, all left the hall.
Once only the key figures remained, Gwiyeong got to the point.
"Guyong, was it? How long have you worked as a blacksmith?"
"Hmm, it must have been over thirty years since I first started hammering iron in the forge."
Hearing of his experience, Gwiyeong nodded and asked cautiously.
"Promise me you will never reveal what I am about to say to anyone else."
Seeing her words and the atmosphere, Guyong swallowed dryly, nodded, and replied.
"Yes, I will not speak of it to anyone."
After confirming the look in his eyes, Gwiyeong slowly began to speak.
"Have you ever heard of a weapon that talks?"
"...Pardon?"
Guyong looked at Gwiyeong with a greatly flustered expression.
The tense expression he had worn just moments ago, trying to make a good impression on Gwiyeong, was now filled with great bewilderment.
"A talking weapon? Is that some kind of metaphor I'm not familiar with?"
He asked again to confirm if he had understood correctly.
Gwiyeong answered him firmly.
"It is not a metaphor. I mean a weapon that literally talks. No, to be precise, a weapon with a will of its own."
"..."
Guyong looked slightly baffled for a moment, then quickly composed himself and answered calmly.
"Guild Leader. Uh... I have never heard of a talking weapon."
"I see."
"Surely, such a thing cannot exist."
Gwiyeong replied as if she had expected this.
"I didn't believe it either, until I saw the weapon myself."
"Are you saying this white tachi spoke?"
"It did. But it can't anymore. It has exhausted all its power."
"..."
Guyong couldn't tell if Gwiyeong was joking or being serious, so he was at a loss for words.
He even began to wonder inwardly if there was something wrong with the Black Ghost Guild leader's mental state.
"It's hard to believe, I know. But I heard those bastards from the Blood Cult used people as sacrifices to create weapons, and as a result, the weapons gained sentience."
"Ah, the Blood Cult, you say?"
"Yes. Those cruel bastards used living people as sacrifices to forge weapons, and that white tachi in your hands is one of them."
"Hah... So that's what happened."
The mention of the Blood Cult made it plausible for Guyong.
That was the kind of reputation the Blood Cult had in the Central Plains.
If you attached the name 'Blood Cult' to any incident that seemed too horrific or cruel to be true, most people would believe it.
"If it's those cruel demons, I suppose it's entirely possible."
Guyong also nodded slightly in agreement.
"So I ask you. Can you revive the will dwelling within that weapon?"
"..."
Guyong stared at the pure white tachi for a long time before shaking his head.
"I am sorry. I have no idea how."
"I see."
She had expected as much, but she couldn't hide her disappointment.
Seeing Gwiyeong's expression, Guyong carefully spoke up.
"Uh, Guild Leader. I may not be able to do it, but I know of someone who might."
At his words, Gwiyeong's eyes flashed as she asked.
"Who is it?"
After a moment of hesitation, Guyong answered with difficulty.
"Well, I've only heard rumors, so I can't be certain..."
"It's fine, just speak."
"Have you ever heard of the 'Haunted Blacksmith'?"
"The Haunted Blacksmith?"
It was a truly chilling moniker.
But paradoxically, such a bizarre title gave Gwiyeong confidence.
"Who is this person?"
"There is someone in the Heavenly Demon Cult who forges weapons of terrifying perfection."
Guyong spoke as if recounting a tale of a legendary monster.
"He is called that because all who wield a sword made by this blacksmith become cruel demons and bring about great slaughter."
"Hah, is that so..."
Gwiyeong couldn't help but be surprised by his words.
However, this was a bit unfair from the Haunted Blacksmith's perspective.
It was simply that those who were already demons to begin with suddenly obtained superior swords, allowing them to commit massacres far more cruel and vast than their skills would normally allow.
In the first place, if the weapons were made in the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Cult, who else would be wielding them?
A little deeper thought might have raised such questions, but the Heavenly Demon Cult's reputation was so infamous that the truth was obscured.
"If it's a blacksmith who creates weapons that can break a person's mind, he might know a way."
"Does such a person truly exist?"
Guyong slowly nodded and replied.
"Occasionally, weapons made by that madman appear in the Central Plains. They are what's left behind after crazed demons cause a bloodbath and are subsequently subjugated and killed. When that happens, the 'Black Market' goes into an uproar."
The Black Market is the clandestine trading hub of the Central Plains. It is a shadowy place whose location constantly changes and whose operators are unknown.
"I, too, once had the chance to see a sword made by that Haunted Blacksmith."
Gwiyeong showed a hint of tension as she asked.
"And? What was it like?"
Guyong swallowed dryly and answered as if recalling a nightmare.
"It was a demonic sword...! A blade that called for blood. Just looking at it, I could hear the wails of ghosts."
"Incredible...!"
Gwiyeong was greatly shocked by Guyong's words.
'To think there was a weapon similar to the Gale Blade!'
But unfortunately, this was a fabricated memory of Guyong's.
It was true that he had seen a weapon made by the Haunted Blacksmith, but he hadn't heard any wails of ghosts.
Aside from its utterly perfect and exquisite form, it possessed no other mystical power.
Guyong also had no memory of the sword speaking back then, but he got caught up in the mood and ended up spouting falsehoods, slightly exaggerating a distorted memory.
Guyong often told such exaggerated lies, but Gwiyeong, unaware of this side of him, was completely taken in.
"I can't believe such a person exists..."
"I remember it clearly. The chilling aura that demonic sword gave off...!"
Guyong had no such memory.
Lost in thought for a moment, Gwiyeong dismissed Guyong, saying.
"Thanks to you, I've learned something valuable."
"I'm glad I could be of help."
After receiving a small payment from a Black Ghost Guild executive, Guyong left the hall.
With only the general manager and key executives remaining, Gwiyeong slowly began to speak.
"...Has anyone here been to the Heavenly Mountains?"
The general manager, understanding her intent, spoke.
"It is too dangerous. The Heavenly Demon Cult is, by all accounts..."
"Don't worry. I'm not planning on going right now."
"But we must first confirm if that man's words are true..."
"Enough. Say no more. I will achieve what I set out to do, no matter what."
She spoke, her eyes filled with resolve.
"My only path is forward. No one can stand in my way."
It was a conclusion she had stumbled upon by chance, but her destination was indeed the correct one.