The Heavenly Demon Steps Into the Arena (12)
Gwon-jon's words spoke for every participant in the tournament. The moment they saw the entrant list, they all shared the exact same thought: Could they actually beat Hwaryeong? Could anyone take down that monster?
Hwaryeong possessed skills so overwhelming they bordered on unfair. Someone who belonged in the Apis pro scene had wandered into an amateur playground. A massacre was inevitable. There was no way DeKay didn't know that. He was the one who had tasted her fists more than anyone else here. He knew her strength better than most. Yet he had gone through with it anyway. Why?
“...It pisses me off.”
“What?”
“Why am I the only one who gets flamed by the community for losing to Hwaryeong? She's the monster here, so why do I have to hear people call that three-second clip edited? It's unfair!”
In other words, even though he knew exactly how this would end, he had invited Hwaryeong just to drag everyone else down with him. He had shoved the rest of the participants in front of her because he didn't want to be the only one mocked.
“You absolute lunatic!”
Gwon-jon clutched his head. Did this guy have some kind of apology fetish? He had to be suffering from a terminal condition that required him to wear a suit and bow once a month or die. Why did he keep throwing himself off cliffs like this? Was this level of madness a requirement for success as a MyTuber?
In Gwon-jon's opinion, the only way to put out the fire was for someone—anyone—to take a single round off Hwaryeong. But right now, no one in this tournament could manage it. It was questionable whether every participant attacking her at once could even win. The champion had already been decided. The spark was about to bloom into beautiful flames, using DeKay as kindling.
“Still, we have Yi Sun left! The guy who got a scouting offer from the first team—maybe he'll show us something?”
“Bro. Let me ask you one thing. If either of us prepared properly, could we even compete with Yi Sun? No. We couldn't.”
DeKay couldn't bring himself to answer. It was possible. Yi Sun was certainly skilled, but not an impossible wall. Hwaryeong, however, was different. No matter how many matches he played, DeKay couldn't imagine ever beating her.
“You'd better start drafting that apology for the participants.”
After the match against Whip Master Love, the tournament moved at a blistering pace. Ha-rin, who had crushed the predicted favorite Gwon-jon in a direct confrontation, made an example of weaker opponents and advanced without mercy. Yi Sun did the same. Having acquired an illusion sword style he found genuinely captivating, he rose through the brackets as if it were only natural. There was one other contestant, but he wasn't worth paying attention to. The bracket had been kind to them.
Thus the semifinals were set, and my opponent this time was Ha-rin.
“Hwaryeong. You're not going to go easy on me, right?”
“What a foolish question.”
Was this a place for giving lessons? This was a tournament. A battlefield meant for struggle. In the past I had encountered those so pathetic I couldn't help but offer them guidance, but fundamentally this was no place for teaching.
Unlike those two who made one hesitate to even call them martial artists, Ha-rin, you have truly stepped onto the path of a warrior. Do not expect mercy from me.
“Come at me with everything you have.”
Ha-rin did not disappoint. Even knowing she would lose, she charged without hesitation. She gave everything to land even a single blow. Yes. This was what a martial artist should be. After dealing with those pathetic fools earlier, facing Ha-rin finally brought a smile to my face.
It was clear she had done her absolute best, yet the result never changed. The gap between us was still far too vast.
“I really wanted to land at least one hit!”
“If you continue training diligently, you will reach it one day.”
“Really?”
“Would I ever speak falsehoods to you?”
Of course, I did not tell her exactly how long that “one day” would be. For a fist that had only just stepped onto the martial path to reach me would require decades at minimum. It might sound like wordplay, but this was nothing but consideration. I was not the unromantic adult who would scold a child dreaming of becoming president by asking if such a dream was realistic.
The one waiting for me in the finals was Yi Sun. It was only natural. In this tournament, no one but Gwon-jon or Ha-rin could threaten him.
The location chosen for the final match was an ancient ruin bathed in blazing sunlight. Not bad. With no particular variables here, Yi Sun would not choose to flee.
The moment I stepped onto the desert sand and raised my head, our eyes met. For some reason, when Yi Sun saw my eyes he took a step back.
“Why do you hesitate?”
“Your eyes...”
“Hmm? Is there something strange about them?”
“No. It's nothing.”
Hah. What a dull fellow. If you're a man, you should speak your mind.
“I'll give you several moves as a handicap. Come.”
“Yes. I'll give it everything I have.”
“Good. That's how it should be.”
I liked that he did not retreat. That Dang So-il fellow had been utterly frustrating, refusing to advance even when offered the initiative.
The moment the game began, Yi Sun charged. The illusion sword I witnessed with my own eyes was truly mesmerizing. It was a sword like a starving beast. The relentless barrage seemed meant to pressure the opponent, but that was only the surface. In truth it was bait—to force movement when defense could no longer endure. It planted impatience, the fear of inevitable defeat, then dragged the opponent into a carefully laid trap and devoured them. A vicious, cruel blade. Every strike an illusion, every strike lethal. A sword that turned the opponent into a puppet dancing on the stage it created. It deserved the name illusion sword.
It showed the opponent a vision of disadvantage and led them to defeat. Excellent. You are worthy of facing me.
Since you have defined your sword and produced results with it, I shall show you a fragment of my realm.
Now then. I will offer a glimpse of my true power.
The way to escape such an illusion sword is simple. Why waste time searching for gaps among countless sword paths? Simply shatter every last one of them.
I threw a fist into the tiny opening between attacks. It was not aimed at the opponent. It was aimed at the illusion he had woven. The mirage born from countless sword paths was solid, but not solid enough to withstand my fist.
The illusion shattered.
Yi Sun did not cling to the attack. He retreated immediately. A wise decision. In a situation where his offensive had collapsed, forcing the issue would only lead to his own ruin.
“Rejoice. I have taken a liking to you.”
“...I see.”
Why such a lukewarm expression? You should be happy to receive recognition from someone far above your station.
“So I shall exert a little more effort.”
“No, there's really no need—”
Yi Sun tried to stop me, but I had already decided. If you wish to halt my decision, then block it with your sword. A true martial artist moves their weapon, not their tongue.
I circulated my inner energy and stepped forward. What my feet trod upon was not the earth. Because the Heavenly Demon is an existence that has become the heavens themselves, what the Heavenly Demon's steps crush is the heavens and the world.
The air was crushed. Nearby buildings collapsed with a grinding roar. Even the desert heat could not rise and instead sank to the ground. Yet within that pressure, Yi Sun stood firm on both legs, resisting my domination.
“Impressive.”
“Th-this... what is...”
Hmm. Using the Heaven-Crushing Step with this body is indeed highly inefficient. The amount of inner energy I possess is too small to crush all creation as my true self could. Originally Yi Sun should have been unable to resist and would already be swallowing desert sand. In a way, this might be fortunate. With my original body I would not have enjoyed this at all, but with this pathetically weak vessel I can savor the struggle.
“Here I come.”
Endure it. Overcome it. Ignite your fighting spirit. Prove how high the martial artist called Yi Sun has climbed!
When DeKay first offered him the tournament invitation, Yi Sun had agonized over the decision for a long time. It was true he had produced good results in recent competitions, but those were all achieved as the Sword Saint. If he entered as Sword God to match the tournament's concept, even he couldn't predict the outcome. He might suffer the same pathetic early elimination he had experienced before switching classes.
Nevertheless, the reason Yi Sun chose to participate as Sword God was because that character represented his true essence. He was only playing Sword Saint out of necessity. The moment his skills improved enough to fully utilize Sword God, he intended to abandon the other class without the slightest hesitation.
Yi Sun decided to use this tournament to measure exactly how far his Sword God abilities had progressed. If he felt they were on the right track, he would bring the class to other competitions. He prepared with everything he had. From the moment the participant list dropped, he stayed up through the night running analysis after analysis. This would be Sword God's comeback stage. Losing due to inferior skill was unavoidable, but losing due to inadequate preparation was unacceptable.
He studied the gameplay of all fifteen other entrants besides the favorites like Gwon-jon and Dang So-il. This person's weakness is here. I should target that later. This is that person's habit. They're strong in this area but surprisingly sloppy in that one.
He had been devising specific strategies for each individual, but one participant continued to trip him up.
Hwaryeong. The recently skyrocketing Heavenly Demon user. Finding her videos was easy. Lately they had been circulating through the Apis community every single day. That much was fine.
The problem came when he tried to analyze them.
In Yi Sun's eyes, Hwaryeong was less a player and more like a raid boss. How was he supposed to beat someone like that in a one-on-one fight? No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't find an answer.
He hadn't given up immediately. He tried desperately to find some weakness. Believing that no matter how skilled she was, she was still human and therefore had to have some opening somewhere, he watched the videos again, and again, and again.
In the end, he reached only one conclusion.
This person cannot be defeated.
It defied common sense. No matter how skilled a user Hwaryeong was, the Heavenly Demon character she used was identical to everyone else's. Apis was not an RPG—there should be no inherent gap between characters. Yi Sun understood this logically.
Yet every time he watched her, doubt crept in. Because Hwaryeong's skill existed completely outside the realm of understanding.