Chapter 63
Chapter 63
************************-
Translator: uly
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Double Agent
************************-
I met Seo Cho-hee.
The one who had come looking for me, claiming she couldn't do anything on her own strength.
"So... so..."
The foundation of the courage that charged through the corpses was a soul that couldn't comprehend.
She arrived, bitten by one of the living corpses, and gasped as she spoke.
"...Bi Warrior... please... this can't be right...?"
Her final words proved everything. Within the Demonic Cult, most revered strength.
...But.
There are also those who don't.
If a person is moved only by strength, how can we call them human? We each have our own soul. We have desires, and lines we ourselves can't accept crossing.
Eun Seol-ran was like that.
Baek Mae was like that.
Sa Ma-ak was like that.
...And that.
That was the same for me.
"......."
I looked down at Yeon-gwang. At the figure whose body was torn to shreds, blood flowing everywhere.
No different from rags. Unlike me, his body lacked even Heavenly Tribulation and was racing toward death.
Even when the difference in realms was starkly clear, he had charged in. Probably something he couldn't accept either.
He tried to prove it with his entire body. That struggle was something I'd seen before.
"It's not... to beg for my life... that I took up the sword... Soul-Severing Sword...!"
...The footprints I myself had left behind.
Knowing what that was, I turned around. I drew my sword and gripped it in my heart.
"Senior."
"H-Huh?"
"Please take care of Yeon-gwang."
Jin Wi-ryang panted. He shouted without hiding the breath rising to his chin.
"This...! This is fucking bullshit! It's not fair! Not fair at all! I exhausted my energy sparring with that guy! F-From the start, there's no reason to go this far!"
"......."
"If you're Blood Demon Squad, act like it! Don't get swept up in personal feelings-walk the righteous path...!"
I took one more step forward.
Cracks formed on Jin Wi-ryang's face. He hurriedly looked away.
"The old senior must be an expert stationed in Sealing Demon Cave! Th-This can't be right, can it?! Drawing blades on each other inside Sealing Demon Cave! You have to stop it...!"
"Do you think you're the only thunderbolt-headed bastard like that so far?"
The old man from the smithy.
Cheol Il-hwan of Ghost Valley Night Forge replied indifferently.
"Fight if you want to fight. I won't stop you or join in. I won't interfere no matter if blood is shed. And your words... aren't they a bit too self-serving?"
"What do you...?!"
"I heard you were the one who drew your sword first. That you tried to crush him with sheer power. If it were just words, I'd half doubt it, but with half a corpse lying there... The circumstances are clear too. Don't you think that's not something for the guy who drew first against a junior to say?"
"This is a place that reveres strength! Why should I listen to someone weaker than me in a place like that...!"
"Exactly. Well said."
Cheol Il-hwan of Ghost Valley Night Forge nodded his chin.
"Isn't what you're saying the same as that guy? If you don't like it, just prove it. Prove you're stronger than him. Since people who can't understand each other gathered here, it ended up your way in the end. Strength. The one ideology that pierces through this cult. You interpreted it your way, so there's no reason he can't interpret it his way."
"Wh-What nonsense is that...?"
I took another step forward.
Urgency clouded Jin Wi-ryang's face.
"L-Let's set a different date! I'm not saying avoid the duel!"
"......."
"What do you gain by beating me in this state?! Touch me now, and it's like declaring war on the entire Shin Won Clan! You idiot!"
"......."
"Look to the future! Otherwise, that sword you just drew will pierce your own throat..."
I raised my sword and pointed it straight ahead.
Realizing there was nothing more to say, Jin Wi-ryang hurriedly lifted his sword.
"You little...?!"
He swallowed the words he couldn't spit out. Instead, he poured internal energy into his blade, recreating the strike that had wrecked Yeon-gwang.
Fragments of energy flowed along the sword blade. They moved erratically, forming a strange aura.
A sword that wasn't just sharp but would shatter anything it touched on its own.
It was a mass of overwhelming violence.
"I'll crush you!!"
As if hiding his own anxiety, he thrust forward. Star-like sword energy clung to it.
Peak realm. My first proper opponent since reaching it.
In one breath, I circulated the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art. My steps contained Ghost Spirit Step.
My realm had risen, my vision changed, but my overall approach remained the same.
The pinnacle of crudeness. Simple movements based on fundamentals.
Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art
Second Form
Soul-Pulling Thrust
I thrust my sword.
---Kagagagagagak!!!!
A chilling sound echoed from my fingertips. My hand vibrated as if it might fly off.
I felt the sword energy squeezing my neck. My own sword aura was being devoured in an instant.
As if his unease had vanished, Jin Wi-ryang laughed right in front of me. I heard his eyes muttering.
That I was nothing special.
That his anxiety was just groundless worry.
"All talk, you bastard!"
I was pushed back steadily. The oncoming sword was astonishing. Each stroke traced beautiful arcs, pressing from all sides.
Collision. And shaking.
It made my steps precarious, like walking on thin ice. The vibrations of the clashing energy rippled across my skin.
...That's why.
That's why it was even harder to understand. My surging anger nearly faded in that moment.
".......?"
Swinging the sword clinging to me from above, driving even deeper.
Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art
First Form
Ghost Hand One Demon - Demon Horn
I twisted my body and kicked his exposed abdomen squarely.
---Kududuk!
"Kuhk?!"
I just stared at the Shin Won Clan playboy being pushed back. I didn't chase recklessly.
This is weird. It shouldn't be like this. Even if lacking, it should be by a lot...
Shouldn't it be lacking by a lot?
"...You. What the hell are you doing right now?"
"Wh-What bullshit...?"
"Why aren't you going all out?"
Does he have so much in reserve that he can afford to hold back against me in this situation?
Jin Wi-ryang blinked. As if hearing utter nonsense, he exploded in anger.
"You fucking moron! What does a mere Peak realm punk know to spout off like that?!"
What do I know?
Well...
Anyone seeing a dimwit who only knows sword energy would say the same, wouldn't they?
His strokes had too many tremors. No power in his lower body, his body staggering because it couldn't keep up with his swinging force.
That was all. His footwork was lacking too. Without a solid foundation, his power scattered.
Even the Eight Directions stance he'd briefly occupied had gaps between strokes-nothing I couldn't block.
A sword that couldn't do anything properly.
This... is Shin Won Clan's promising talent...?
"...If you have any hidden cards, pull them out. Right now."
"Wh-What the hell are you talking about?!"
None?
...Really none?
He didn't seem to be lying, so I blinked.
Eun Seol-ran had said.
"Bi-cheon. Aren't you misunderstanding something?"
"...Pardon?"
"Not everyone in the world is like you. That side is the 'normal' one."
Normal.
...That? That half-sharpened blade?
"There aren't many who hone their sword to the extreme like you. If we're talking the completion of Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art alone... you're even a step above me. It's an era that values qi arts. If realms differ, you can just crush with raw power."
I clenched my fist. Casually gripped my sword.
Things I'd taken for granted started feeling off. Isn't honing the sword standard for any warrior?
...Then this guy just got drunk on his natural talent and climbed there as if it were natural...
Neglecting to refine it.
"...Ha."
Realizing the situation, my swirling emotions calmed even further.
The anger didn't cool-it just sharpened.
With a sword that couldn't even reach this level...
He's been smashing things from powerless people caught in his greed?
"...Peak realm?"
What's the point of an empty shell of a realm?
I moved my feet again. The panicked Jin Wi-ryang thrust his sword once more.
The same violent sword as before. Sword energy sparkling at its tip.
I clashed my sword aura against it.
No need to unleash my own sword energy. Just adding a bit more internal energy made my sword aura hold firm.
"Wh-What?! This doesn't make any sense...?!"
Sword energy. Right.
If it had been perfect sword energy like the Soul-Severing Sword, I would've changed tactics too.
But Jin Wi-ryang's sword energy was only half-baked. The foolishness of a genius who trusted only his talent and neglected honing his sword.
I swept away the pouring vortex.
Shattered it in an instant, scattering it everywhere.
"Kuaaaah!!!!!"
Jin Wi-ryang screamed, sliced by the fragments of his broken sword energy. Just a shallow cut on his shoulder blade, yet he trembled in pain.
I couldn't understand it. That made me even angrier.
I knocked aside his hasty thrust and dismantled his logic right before his eyes.
Without mercy.
Thoroughly.
"N-No...! This can't be...! My Breaking Heaven Sword...!"
A vortex of sword energy rushed at him head-on.
It tore through the inside and shattered.
"I-I'm a renowned genius! What I have is in a realm no one can look up to...!"
His strokes bent before his eyes. The sword thrust from an impossible angle.
I trampled and smashed it.
"A mere Blood Demon Squad runt! Some no-name bonehead who crawled out of nowhere...!"
I saw internal energy gathering. The guy who'd barely sharpened his blade condensed power and swung.
I crushed and burst it.
"Th-This... so...!"
Calmly advancing step by step.
Along the path he had taken.
"W-Wait... wait...!"
"N-No..."
I tore it all apart right before his eyes.
"...A... Ah..."
A final scream as he finally tumbled down. Jin Wi-ryang, having poured out every stroke he could, gasped for breath.
Backing away with all his spirit lost. His face, realizing all his signature moves lost to mere 'sword aura,' was filled with terror.
"Y-You... what the hell are you... ex-exactly...?"
"......"
"D-Don't... do this... don't do this... Why are you doing this... I didn't even touch you..."
"......"
"Wh-What do you even gain from this...! Even if you do...!"
He gripped his sword tightly amid his panting.
"You gain nothing from this! You fucking bastard!!"
The sword flashed. The blade slicing the air bellowed fiercely, squeezing out his last bit of true energy.
I heard that tremor. Choosing to advance over retreat, I planted my feet firmly on the ground.
One breath.
One stroke.
I dodged the sword by a hair's breadth and twisted my body.
Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art
Second Form
Soul-Pulling Thrust - Tomb Razer
The boiling Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art. The sword charging like a beast fully bared its savage claws.
Blood-red shadows enveloped the surroundings. Amid the pouring panic, I whispered.
"Nothing to gain?"
Shattering the deviated treasured sword, devouring even the sword energy...
The swirling storm of energy before my eyes shattered completely.
"That's what you think. Jin Wi-ryang."
---Thud.
The sound of something hitting the ground. I sheathed my extended sword.
Jin Wi-ryang, realizing too late, trembled as he looked to the side.
"...Ah..."
He wailed at his severed right arm.
"Kuaaaaaaaaah!!!!!"