Heavenly Demon Versus Heavenly Demon
Staring into the eyes of her own self within the game world that had lost its way, laughter slipped out. It was already strange enough that another version of herself had appeared, but to learn that this self was actually a player in the game? Even she would have been bewildered. The one standing there flustered right now was herself, so was it really so odd to say "even she would have"? Hmm. This was getting complicated.
She spread the inner energy that was swelling madly inside her body due to the pressure point strike throughout her surroundings and continued her thoughts. From the light exchange of fists just now, she had realized something: the person standing before her was indeed herself. She carried the exact same habits, the same thoughts, and the same realizations she once possessed. How could she claim otherwise? Of course, she was not perfectly identical to her current self. Those days were so long ago that she could no longer remember precisely what she had been like. Still, she could tell they were different. Compared to the version of herself who had wasted time lost in delusion, the game-world self before her eyes seemed full of vitality. Was this also the influence of an outsider? If she had to find a reason, it would be that man named Han Seo-woo, the variable within the game. Perhaps meeting him, who lived in the modern era, had made them friends. After all, if someone who had lived in the harsh world of Murim encountered another who had lived in a world similar to her previous life, they might find some relief from that harshness. The her of that time had not yet let go of many attachments to the modern world, either.
There were several things she was curious about, but those questions could wait until after the current sparring match ended. For now, she needed to focus on the opponent before her. Of course, the one standing across from her would also have to focus solely on herself.
She drew the inner energy she had spread outward back into her body. Even after performing such a feat, the physical realm of the game-world self was still far above her own. That was only natural. She had trained for decades through countless battlefields, while the other had been connected to the game for barely a month. If the latter possessed a higher realm, would that not be unfair? To put it plainly, even the physical body she had reached now was unfairness itself, but if one had already attained a certain realm, what reason was there to be fair? The gap was clear, yet she did not feel she would lose. The path the game-world self was walking was one she herself had traversed long ago. She was not so weak that she could be overtaken on a road she had already passed.
"Heavenly Demon of this world."
"...What is it?"
"Does it matter that I am me?"
"Is that even a question?"
"Is there not something more important than that?"
Before you stands a mountain you must climb. Before you exists a heaven you must shatter. What else could possibly matter? Whether you crash and fall, or whether you break through and rise to an even higher sky. If you are one who wields the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, if you are one who carries the will of Pacheon, should you not look upward and seek the means to break it?
"This seat was the foremost of the Divine Cult."
"At the same time, this seat was the foremost of Murim."
"This seat was the foremost under heaven."
Until she departed for the modern era, she herself had been regarded as a myth within Murim. She had been a terror reigning above the world, a deterrent that prevented anyone from even considering touching the Heavenly Demon Cult.
"And you? Do you currently reign as the sky of Murim?"
Of course not. Even if she had entered the ranks of Murim's strongest, she had not yet shattered every sky. The path she still had to walk was long and arduous, and the realizations she needed to obtain were so numerous that she could not even look up.
"Look. Before you stands a heaven."
"You point to the heavens with a body that has not even reached the Peak Realm?"
"Of course. Do you believe this seat would utter empty words?"
She might lie about other things, but when it came to martial arts, she was someone who never spoke a single falsehood. The game-world self would know that as well, for she was herself.
Instead of denying it, the game-world self circulated inner energy through her body and assumed a stance. Was she asking for proof? That had been her intention all along. Very well. Let us dance. She would show her the path she herself had walked.
*
Baek Hwaryeong found it strange. She saw no reason she should lose to this outsider who claimed to be herself. Her physical realm was several levels higher, the martial art they both used was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in its entirety, and what they pursued was perfectly aligned. Therefore, the one who should have held the advantage throughout their battle was naturally Baek Hwaryeong. Yet strangely, their exchanges remained evenly matched. What difference was creating this situation? Baek Hwaryeong had been denying it in her heart, but her mind, her heart as a martial artist, was shouting the answer at her.
The difference in realm.
The other self had declared it. She had said she had been the foremost under heaven. It was an arrogant claim. Though Baek Hwaryeong had risen to the position of Murim's greatest expert by crushing the orthodox factions, she still lacked something to call herself the foremost under heaven. The Three Venerables, still called living myths, remained in Murim, and countless hidden masters still existed in the world. No one could deny that she was the foremost of the Divine Cult, but plenty could deny that she was the foremost of Murim. That had been the case until now.
Yet the other self had said she had already passed the path Baek Hwaryeong still needed to walk. Baek Hwaryeong knew it was true. She would never speak empty words about such matters. No matter how self-serving she might be, no matter how readily she lied for convenience, when it came to martial arts, she never lied. The other self had truly placed the world beneath her.
Fist met fist, yet once again Baek Hwaryeong failed to break the other self. The same was true for her opponent, but while the other self smiled, Baek Hwaryeong's heart was slowly being dyed with impatience. It was strange. Truly strange. The one being chased should have been the other self. This current stalemate was nothing more than a miracle created by the pressure point strike. The moment it ended, the other self would lose. Therefore, if the stalemate continued, the advantageous side should have been Baek Hwaryeong herself. The one who needed to grit her teeth and end the fight quickly should have been the other self. Then why—
"It seems the years spent in the Divine Cult have made you quite lax."
Had impatience shown in the fist she thrust? The other self let out a laugh.
"How long do you intend to keep denying it?"
For the first time, Baek Hwaryeong was pushed back by the fist the other self thrust. The balance had tilted slightly in the other self's favor. Seeing this, Baek Hwaryeong realized one fact. This stalemate was not occurring because their skills were equal.
"Ha."
Her eyes had narrowed. Had the hibernation during her time in the Divine Cult dulled this seat so much?
"Hahaha."
She had not noticed that her opponent had been holding back? Yes. The other self was right. This seat had grown lax.
"Hahahahaha."
Laughter spilled out. Because of her own foolishness. Because she could guess what the other self must have thought upon seeing her. The laughter would not stop.
"This seat acknowledges it."
You can become this seat's heaven. You are a martial artist who passed the path this seat is currently walking long ago and reached a realm this seat cannot even look up to. As one who has learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, as one who has chosen the path of Pacheon, if a heaven stands before you, there is only one thing to do.
She drew a breath. She did not think of what lay behind. Only the strong could afford to look back. What the weak must think of was simply the best way to survive. She gathered the inner energy of the Divine Art she had spread around and concentrated it within her body.
"Let us go again."
Even if the opponent's realm was truly higher, that did not mean she had no means of victory. The advantage of her far superior physical realm remained. If she did not worry about what lay behind, she could maintain the stalemate as long as she wished.
Fist met fist. Heavenly Demon Divine Art clashed with Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Pacheon sought to shatter Pacheon. Within that clash, Baek Hwaryeong saw the realm the other self had reached. Indeed. Your Heavenly Demon Divine Art is not only that of the Divine Cult. You did not cling to the Divine Cult's martial arts but accepted any technique in the world if you believed it was right. Correct. What right or wrong exists in martial arts? There is only strength and weakness, efficiency and inefficiency.
While their fists clashed, Baek Hwaryeong smiled. So that was it. She was trying to show her how to follow the path she had walked. She was trying to give her a signpost for the path she now walked. How considerate of her. But since she was herself, she would know. She was born with a rebellious nature. Too obvious consideration only provoked resistance. Let us see, then. Whether this seat's ultimate technique can reach the heaven you claim, or whether that heaven called you is so high that it strikes only empty air.
Baek Hwaryeong stepped forward with true footwork. What she aimed for was a single fist that would reach the heavens. To her, a fist was not something she thought about and swung. A fist was the very life of Baek Hwaryeong herself, so neither thought nor deliberation was necessary. If she herself was the fist, what need was there for thinking? Breathing, moving inner energy, moving muscles—everything was optimized for the fist. All she had to do was inscribe her will upon it.
Seeing this, the other self slightly raised her eyes and stepped forward with true footwork, smiling. Baek Hwaryeong saw it. The inner energy that had been running wildly within her body compressed into a single point. The energy that could erupt at any moment traveled from her knee through her waist and into her arm and hand along with her footwork. The ferocious energy created by the pressure point strike merged into one, amplified as it passed through her body, and completed the fist that would reach the heavens.
Baek Hwaryeong exhaled in resignation as she watched. If she was going to reveal the answer she had been seeking in this manner, what was she supposed to do? She had thought it was consideration, but it was not. She simply could not bear the urge to boast about herself. Ha. Damn it. Were all the strong of Murim like this? She had thought she did not want to grow old like that, yet in the end, she too would become the same. Well. Still. If she herself could reach that level, that future was not so bad either.
The moment she saw the energy contained in the fist being thrust forward, Baek Hwaryeong sensed her defeat.