Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 35
>Chapter Title: Demon Sword (2)
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Mok Kyung-un's hand reached toward the wooden box plastered with talismans.
[That sword brings human desires to the surface.]
[Brings desires to the surface? What do you mean by that?]
[Exactly as I said. It makes them unable to control their own desires. Aren't you curious? About what the true desire of that child who surrendered to us really is?]
Mok Kyung-un's true desire.
Desire was a deep longing, akin to one's innermost thoughts.
Even Sword King Son Yun was curious about it.
Though he had declared surrender, Son Yun didn't truly believe it.
It was probably just to escape the current situation.
So, what was the guy's real purpose?
-Creak!
The lid of the wooden box, affixed with talismans by Mok Kyung-un's hand, opened.
As the lid lifted, the Evil Instant Sword wrapped in its leather scabbard came into view.
The moment he tried to look closer, Son Yun felt goosebumps rise on his arms from some bizarre stimulus assaulting his senses.
-Flinch!
'What is this?'
It was an indescribable sensation.
This wasn't something felt through qi sense; it was overstimulating his five senses—no, even his sixth sense.
That subtle foreboding one might feel walking alone at night.
It seemed amplified to the extreme.
'Is this what a demon sword is?'
It was starkly different from famed swords or legendary blades.
Those didn't evoke such discomfort from the start, yet this one stimulated his senses even encased in leather.
'Hoo.'
The Shadow Sect Leader, who had been watching Mok Kyung-un's reaction more closely than the sword's contents, had a glint in his eyes.
He had seen it before.
He knew that most people got swept up in that strange sensation the first time they saw the sword.
Yet Mok Kyung-un's reaction was different from expected.
"Hmm."
Mok Kyung-un seemed utterly unaffected.
Instead, he gazed at the sword in its scabbard with evident interest.
Despite the indescribable ominous aura emanating from the demon sword, to show such a reaction—truly, he was no ordinary person.
-How is it?
Cheongryeong asked Mok Kyung-un.
Sealed in the wooden doll, she struggled to discern external energies.
At her question, Mok Kyung-un's eyes narrowed.
-Something... different.
-Different how?
The energy Mok Kyung-un was sensing resembled the demonic qi of the Imay Mangryang but also echoed the sinister spiritual qi of vengeful spirits.
It was a complex aura unlike anything he'd felt before.
Mok Kyung-un's lips twitched with interest.
-I think I'll know if I touch it directly.
The ominous energy wafting from the sword was tempting him.
Urging him to unwrap the scabbard and grasp its hilt.
'If it wants it, I suppose it's only polite to oblige.'
Mok Kyung-un gripped the scabbard and lifted the Evil Instant Sword.
Then, with his right hand, he seized the hilt.
And with that,
-Shing!
He freed the sword from its leather scabbard.
"Ooooh."
"Is that the Evil Instant Sword?"
"Ah! A true treasured blade."
Exclamations arose from here and there.
A small groove near the middle of the hilt, accompanied by unique patterns etched along the blade—it was like beholding a work of art.
Half the blade was black, the other half white, evoking an antique and beautiful atmosphere.
-Gulp!
Son Yun, seeing it up close, unwittingly swallowed.
The moment he laid eyes on the sword, a greed welled up from deep within, unbidden.
Even though he wasn't a sword enthusiast.
But in that instant, Son Yun circulated his qi to steady his mind.
'Demon sword... definitely a demon sword.'
For him, who had no interest in swords, to feel greed upon seeing it.
Truly bizarre.
If one were to fall under its spell, great disaster would follow.
Son Yun glanced around.
'Oh no...'
As he feared, it was happening.
Some warriors from Bloodpoint Valley, and others brought by the executives, were walking forward with dazed eyes, as if entranced.
Judging the scene dangerous, Son Yun infused his qi and bellowed.
"Go!"
-Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!
His shout echoed everywhere like a reverberation.
This qi-infused roar was the Lion's Roar.
As Son Yun's Lion's Roar shook the entire plaza, those momentarily captivated by desire clutched their ears in unison.
"Ugh!"
"My ears, my ears?"
Those who regained their senses after the deafening shout weren't the only ones rattled.
'Huh?'
'What was that?'
Even the two Great Deputy Leaders had half-risen from their seats unawares, then steadied their qi with bewildered expressions.
It was the moment they directly experienced the rumored power of the demon sword.
That it ended at this level was because they hadn't touched it themselves.
'Mok Kyung-un?'
Son Yun looked at Mok Kyung-un with concern.
Yet, contrary to his worry, Mok Kyung-un gazed at the sword with perfect composure.
What?
There wasn't a trace of greed in those eyes.
The Shadow Sect Leader found it equally puzzling.
'Hmm. What is this?'
He had seen his subordinates gripped by desire after holding that sword multiple times.
Even he himself had briefly revealed a hidden desire the moment he grasped it.
[Shadow Sect Leader, how could you say such a...]
[Aaah... did I say that?]
He still couldn't forget the expression on his dead adjutant's face.
Truly regrettable.
That demon sword was genuinely dangerous.
The Shadow Sect Leader had obtained what he so desperately desired, yet lost all urge to collect it.
It was an uncontrollable demon object.
'......He can't have no desires.'
Even he, who prided himself on strong mental fortitude, had his hidden desires exposed by that demon object.
No matter how talented, a mere youth like Mok Kyung-un couldn't possibly withstand its power.
It was then.
-Pak!
In that moment, Mok Kyung-un's eyes closed as his head snapped back.
Seeing this, the Shadow Sect Leader's eyes sparkled as he muttered.
"As expected."
There was no way he wouldn't fall to the demon sword.
-Mortal? Mortal?
Cheongryeong called out to Mok Kyung-un, who had suddenly lost consciousness.
She had no idea what was happening.
He'd called it a unique energy and said he'd absorb its form by donning it, yet he suddenly passed out.
What in the world was going on?
* * *
Jeong ran.
After running for a while, he reached the mountaintop.
'!?'
Jeong furrowed his brow.
Black smoke was visible there.
The smoke rose from where the house was.
Seeing it, Jeong tossed aside his water jar and raced madly toward it.
Soon, he arrived.
-Roar!
Intense heat washed over him.
The house was blazing fiercely.
Jeong's face hardened terrifyingly.
Looking around frantically, Jeong dashed to the back of the burning house.
The rear garden had a small herb patch.
Normally, Grandfather would rise early in the morning to pull herbs from it.
'Please... please....'
Rushing to the patch, Jeong halted.
His widened eyes beheld something bloodstained.
Things that should be inside a body were scattered across the herb patch.
-Grind!
Jeong clenched his teeth.
He followed the trail of blood and chunks.
Looking down the slope, Jeong shouted.
"Grandfather!"
Grandfather was there.
With his lower body torn away, only his torso remained—a gruesome sight.
Jeong's face, staring at it, twisted like a vengeful ghost amid sorrow.
The killing intent he'd suppressed deep in his chest filled his mind.
-No.
In that instant, everything froze.
-Killing intent from revenge...... that's not your fundamental desire.
Examining the memories, the entity shook its head.
Revenge could be a desire, but it wasn't this one's core.
-Show me your true desire.
It wanted to see the desire closest to the purest origin.
That desire was the reason it was born.
-Truly unique. Who blocked the root of your desire?
It delved into the depths of the mind and found a massive barrier filling every direction.
Seeing the barrier, it couldn't hide its puzzlement.
Strong willpower sometimes manifested as such barriers.
But this wasn't created by the will of Mok Kyung-un—no, the one called Jeong.
It seemed planted by someone else.
-To erect a barrier like profound sorrow in another's mind. How peculiar.
An artificial barrier.
Stronger emotions than the previous sorrow and vengeance emanated from it.
This was blocking Jeong's origin.
Yet, once this seemingly impenetrable barrier of sorrow shattered, the pent-up root of desire would pour forth.
-I shall open it for you.
A barrier of sorrow that seemed impossible to breach.
But it possessed the power to open even that.
No need to destroy it.
If it altered the barrier's nature to let it flow naturally,
-Slide!
The wall would become a path.
It was right then.
-Fwoosh!
Something began pouring from the portion of the barrier that had become a path.
It was,
-Darkness?
Dense darkness.
It scarcely resembled fragments of desire.
-What is this?
How could such thick darkness lurk within a human?
Gazing upon it, it began to feel ecstasy.
It believed this was the pure desire it had so long sought.
It entrusted its spiritual body to the gushing darkness.
Absorbing it to become one would birth the entity of man-sword unity composed solely of the purest desire it craved.
-Come, become one with me.
It sought to assimilate with this darkness.
But,
-!?
In that instant, it realized the darkness was no simple thing.
-This is.......
It wasn't pure darkness.
It was turbidity itself, dizzyingly chaotic.
This murkiness that strained to destroy everything......
* * *
-Swish!
Mok Kyung-un, whose head had been thrown back, slowly lifted it.
Sword King Son Yun watched him intently.
He clearly seemed enthralled by the demon sword, and soon they'd know what desire he harbored.....
'!?'
Eyes like black jade dyed pitch-black.
They resembled an endless abyss.
'......How are his eyes?'
Was that the state of desire surfacing?
Something was off.
Then, one of the Great Deputy Leaders, the Infernal Demon Great Deputy Leader Bo Hyeok-so, shouted at Mok Kyung-un.
"You bastard! Snap out of it!"
Mok Kyung-un's state made him appear clearly possessed by the demon sword.
Believing he needed to awaken him immediately, Bo Hyeok-so hurriedly tried to pry the demon sword from Mok Kyung-un's hand.
Right then,
-Shing!
Bo Hyeok-so clutched his own throat.
His eyes bulged, sweat beading as if he were utterly tense.
'!?'
Why was he doing that?
Bo Hyeok-so's pupils trembled wildly.
Seeing this, Sword King Son Yun met Mok Kyung-un's eyes, wondering what was happening—and,
'Huh?'
In an instant, time seemed to speed by: the sky reddened then darkened, the ground everywhere slick with sticky blood.
It was undoubtedly the same place.
Yet everyone around had throats slit or bodies torn apart, screaming in agony.
Every being breathing in this plaza met a horrific death or awaited it in torment.
'What in the world......'
What was happening?
Lost in bewilderment, looking around,
-Roar!
The bodies of the dead and dying ignited all at once.
The red-crimson flames soon turned blue, then violet, deepening until they became black flames.
-Roar!
These black flames spread like fire demons, encroaching everywhere at tremendous speed.
Startled, Sword King Son Yun leaped back to evade.
However,
'I can't move.'
His body wouldn't budge, as if gripped by someone.
He couldn't fathom what was going on.
-Roar!
The black flames engulfing everything grew massive, swallowing him.
Though Son Yun feared death little, its eeriness made him unwittingly close his eyes.
A sudden silence fell; nothing was heard.
Then,
-Flicker!
Light returned, and Sword King Son Yun opened his eyes.
But,
'No?'
The plaza, moments ago consumed by black flames, was back to normal. Infernal Demon Great Deputy Leader Bo Hyeok-so was drenched in sweat, breathing raggedly.
And that wasn't all.
The Shadow Sect Leader also scanned around with shocked, startled eyes.
As if he too had seen something.
Then,
-Krrrrring!
A bizarre resonant hum echoed from somewhere, vibrating his eardrums.
'This sound?'
Its source was the demon sword, Evil Instant Sword.
The blade trembled on its own, the hum seeming to emanate from the groove in its middle.
It looked as if the sword itself were in agony.
* * *
-Unbelievable....... this is..... chaos.......
Itself.
Swept into darkness like chaos, it trembled in fear.
It had sought unity with this origin, yet now it felt it would be devoured instead.
Then,
-Shwooo!
The overflowing darkness reversed like time rewinding, and before the pierced sorrow barrier sat Jeong, chin propped on his hand.
-!!!!!
Seeing him, it shook even more violently.
Terror, fear.
Such emotions were byproducts of humans it had never felt.
But what was that thing?
To it, Jeong wagged his index finger, then clicked his tongue.
"Not yet."
-Snap!
With those words, he lightly flicked his finger.
Then, the entity—the will of the Evil Instant Sword—that had delved into the mind vanished from this space as if dissolving.
-Fizzle!
* * *
Soon, Mok Kyung-un's pitch-black, jade-like eyes returned to normal.
As if it had never happened.
Regaining his senses, Mok Kyung-un furrowed his brow, then looked around.
'Hm?'
Yet Sword King Son Yun, the Shadow Sect Leader, and the other executives stared at him with grave expressions.
End of Chapter 35: Demon Sword (2)