Chapter 316: Song of Swords (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 316: Song of Swords (1)
Due to Shimmasaryong's death and the information Jinhyuk had handed over to the Murim Alliance, the tide of the war began to shift in a strange direction.
The momentum of the Heavenly Demon Cult, which had been pushing forward with unstoppable force, was broken.
In contrast, the warriors of the Murim Alliance, energized by consecutive victories, saw their morale soar to the heavens.
As a result, the various sects found themselves unable to vent their anger over what Jinhyuk had done to them, reduced to merely walking on eggshells around one another.
"If we needlessly get on his bad side, he might extort even more from us."
"He's worse than the Heavenly Demon Cult. He literally stripped us down to our foundations."
"You call that a big deal? Our gold chests and silver coins vanished overnight. From today on, we'll have to survive on grass roots."
"Still, thanks to the information he provided, we disposed of over a thousand jiangshi. We're the ones in need here, so let's just wait quietly."
"Is this not also the will of the Buddha? Amitabha. Haha."
While everyone was busy walking on eggshells around Jinhyuk, Jinhyuk, left to his own devices, thoroughly enjoyed his hard-won leisure.
[Bracelet of the Returnee]
Acquisition Difficulty: A
Description: A bracelet used in the past by a person who returned from another world while climbing the Tower. It was displayed in the resident-only 'Museum' on the 1st floor of the Tower of Trials before being stolen.
Effect 1: Possesses the property of resonating when meeting a Returnee. Increases all stats by +3 during combat.
Effect 2: Can create a gate connecting to another world if specific conditions are met.
Returnees.
A term referring to those who had traveled to and returned from another world.
There were Returnees within the Tower of Trials, but even Jinhyuk did not know their exact number.
This was because they kept their identities strictly hidden.
'Still, with this, I should be able to track down a few of them.'
Could this be considered a reward for finding a sort of Easter egg?
Simply uncovering a Returnee's identity granted various perks from the Tower.
In particular, 'Medray' was an indispensable, crucial figure in the upper floors of the Tower.
Of course, all of this was still premature.
To meet Returnees, one had to at least surpass the 30th floor of the Tower.
Jinhyuk stuffed the Bracelet of the Returnee back into his Subspace Inventory.
Just then.
Hummm!
Another weapon stored inside his Subspace Inventory let out a chilling resonance.
Balmung.
The ultimate sacred relic, radiating a purple glow, writhed as if eager to answer its master's call.
'Right, I haven't forgotten about you either.'
The time to use Balmung would come soon enough.
Once all the lead actors gathered, and the moment demanding the ultimate strike arrived—
At that very moment, the completed Balmung would reveal itself.
'Well, now that I've sorted things out, I should get going.'
Jinhyuk prepared to move.
However...
"What's this? Where are you going in the middle of the night? No, more importantly, were you planning to leave without telling me?"
Alice, seeing him about to climb out the window, rushed over in a single bound.
He had deliberately made a mountain of meat dumplings to keep her distracted, but she seemed to have devoured all of them already.
Just look at the grease around her mouth.
After eating all fifty, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.
"I was just going for a short walk."
"Really? Then I'm coming too. Perfect timing, since I'm full."
"Actually, I have a rare condition where I'll die if I walk with someone... so that might be a bit difficult."
"If my contractor goes, I go. If you try to leave me behind, I'm going to scream right here. Seriously."
Alice glared at him, her eyes wide.
She was dead serious.
He could see her black pupils beginning to dye red as her mana surged.
"Whew... Fine. I'll take you, but you have to behave. Got it?"
"Yay! I'm super confident I can behave!"
Alice smiled brightly, her sharp fangs peeking out.
He couldn't quite trust her, but now that things had come to this, he had no choice.
They would have to go together.
Jinhyuk lightly vaulted over the windowsill and jumped down.
* * *
How long had they walked through the deserted market streets?
Only when they reached an abandoned temple halfway up a deep mountain did their long journey finally come to a halt.
Swoooosh...
The wind rustled through the bamboo forest.
Under a night sky blanketed with countless stars, there stood the Heavenly Demon, looking completely different from when they had first met.
"……."
The emaciated figure who looked ready to collapse at any moment was gone.
Sitting cross-legged and slowly absorbing the qi dispersed in the atmosphere, he was the very epitome of a martial artist.
...Was "reverent" the right word for a moment like this?
Jinhyuk found himself staring at the sight, utterly spellbound.
"Ahem! You've never looked at your master like that. It seems you're completely infatuated. For my one and only disciple to stray like this... I should just grow old and die. How sorrowful."
The Dark Emperor grumbled as he approached.
"My lord. You've arrived. It feels like it's been a very long time."
Beside him stood Wolyeong, holding a bundle of firewood.
The two, who had moved separately to counter Samaja before joining up last night, were currently staying here to tend to the Heavenly Demon's wounds.
"Seriously, of all the words you could choose, why 'straying'?"
"What? Are you talking back to your master, whose status is as high as the heavens?"
"No, it's not that... I just meant wouldn't it be nice if we all got along?"
"Always so quick-tongued... Oh? Did you bring your fiancée along too?"
The Dark Emperor's gaze shifted to Alice.
"……."
Alice clung tightly to Jinhyuk's back like a frightened fawn, warily scanning her surroundings.
She hadn't expected to run into the Heavenly Demon or the Dark Emperor on what she thought was a casual stroll.
'Has he recovered enough to manifest... a fraction of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? Good. Not bad.'
Jinhyuk chuckled as he looked at Alice.
It had been quite a while since he last saw her make such a face.
Then again, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was an ability on par with 'Blood Lord', so it was only natural for her to feel uneasy.
[Currently, the 10-Star Barrier 'Ether Territory' is active in this area.]
The harmony of Yin and Yang.
To restore a shattered dantian, opposing forces of qi were required.
The Heavenly Demon knew this as well, which was why he had sought clues containing both elemental energies in the town.
The problem was...
The Heavenly Demon had only instinctively guessed the solution; he hadn't figured out the precise method.
Thus, Jinhyuk had stepped in to actively assist.
So that the Heavenly Demon's dantian could be restored and his lost internal qi gathered once more.
A barrier capable of amplifying ether within a specific area would provide the optimal environment for restoring the Heavenly Demon's internal qi.
"Cough!... Ack!Gah!"
Suddenly, red blood erupted from the Heavenly Demon's mouth.
He vomited blood.
However, it was a stream of black, not bright red.
Another clot of dead blood that had been blocking his meridians was cleared away.
"……."
The Heavenly Demon looked down at his own body in disbelief.
Bit by bit.
Ever so slowly.
Qi was accumulating in his dantian.
His dantian, which should have felt completely empty, throbbed as if recalling past memories.
"Ahem. Didn't I tell you? This kid is trustworthy. It's all thanks to my excellent eye for people."
Pride for Jinhyuk practically dripped from the Dark Emperor's face.
Something that completely shattered common sense, something everyone had declared impossible—his one and only disciple had accomplished it.
"Your affection for your disciple is extraordinary."
"Of course. He's the disciple I barely managed to take in during my later years, so how could it not be? Even though I look like this..."
The Dark Emperor paused, warily checking the Heavenly Demon's expression.
"Just to be safe, you mustn't go stealing my disciple later."
"If he is your disciple, is he not also my disciple? It is only fitting for an outstanding talent to have multiple masters."
"See? I knew it! You old geezer, you've had your eye on him all along. Absolutely not this time. Over my dead body!"
"Absolutely not?"
The Heavenly Demon's eyebrows furrowed sharply.
Flinching, the Dark Emperor took a few steps back.
"N-No means no."
"Since when did you, the Right Dharma Protector, start talking back to my commands? If I recover even ten percent of my strength, I will hold you accountable for this."
"Now, now. Stop trying to solve everything with violence. Why is an old man who just underwent Rebirth overflowing with so much energy? Besides, with your internal qi still at a mere speck, it would be troublesome if you got hurt while bluffing."
"Bluffing? Did you just accuse me of bluffing?!"
The Heavenly Demon and the Dark Emperor growled at each other.
"You can't go to them. I'm stronger. Probably..."
Alice muttered anxiously.
"My lord. Though I am not as strong as them, I am ready to fight by your side whenever you call."
Wolyeong chimed in as well.
Both of them seemed terribly anxious, as if terrified of being abandoned.
'Are they idiots?'
They weren't children.
To be bickering over ownership and pride in a situation like this was beyond absurd; it was downright ridiculous.
'Well...'
Still, it wasn't a bad feeling.
Because they could share memories and experience the countless events unfolding on this floor together.
A gentle smile played on Jinhyuk's lips.
This would probably be the last day he could rest like this.
Soon...
...one of the Four Guardian Deities would awaken.
The Eastern divine beast known as a natural disaster, the 'Blue Dragon'.
Although he had prepared for it, his fists clenched involuntarily at the thought of the massive battle ahead.
Tension, excitement, and above all, a burning desire to grow even stronger surged within him.
Anyway.
It was about time...
Jinhyuk looked at the time on his status window.
Exactly midnight.
The appointed time.
Right then.
Rustle!
The sound of footsteps came from the bushes.
* * *
A man and a woman emerged.
They were Cheon Yu-seong and the Soul-Chasing Shadow.
"How are you here...?"
The Dark Emperor's eyes widened.
They had enjoyed a vacation together outside the Tower before, but that was strictly outside.
In Murim, they were enemies.
The Heavenly Demon also looked at the Soul-Chasing Shadow with an intrigued expression.
"You do not seem particularly surprised to see me."
Now that he was exuding the qi of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art rather than that of an ordinary person, there was no way the Soul-Chasing Shadow wouldn't recognize his identity.
Yet, she showed no signs of agitation.
"I heard it from Young Master Kang over there," the Soul-Chasing Shadow spoke slowly.
"Heard what?"
"That you... saved Murim. And that you lost all your internal qi as a result."
"...And?"
"Pardon?"
"Are you pitying me for losing my strength? Or are you saying I am not even worth fighting?"
"No. I have no intention of insulting you."
Shring!
The Soul-Chasing Shadow slowly drew her sword.
"Young Master Kang. You said that Yin and Yang qi are required to restore the Heavenly Demon's internal qi, correct?"
"That's right. He's recovering bit by bit even now, but at this rate, there's no telling how long it will take."
"In that case, we must step in ourselves to unleash both types of qi. Conveniently, there are many here who have mastered Yin and Yang qi to their absolute limits."
At her words, the Dark Emperor's eyes widened even further.
"The leadership of the Murim Alliance... is going to help us? There's no way the Alliance would have permitted this."
Indeed.
The Murim Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Cult could never coexist.
Throughout a history drenched in blood, the two had always aimed for each other's throats.
For them to help one another... was simply impossible, an unthinkable notion.
"I did not inform the Murim Alliance. This is a decision I made entirely on my own."
"Why? Why go to such lengths...?"
"Because we are 'Murim'."
At this very moment, Orthodox, Unorthodox, and the Heavenly Demon Cult did not matter.
To defeat the catastrophe that was the manifestation of the 50th Floor, and Samaja, who followed it—
Only that single entity existed.
"Heavenly Demon Cult. Right Dharma Protector. Dark Emperor."
The Soul-Chasing Shadow's gaze locked onto the Dark Emperor.
"I, the Soul-Chasing Shadow, representing the Murim Alliance, hereby request a duel with you."
Her sword bloomed, leaving afterimages in its wake.