The Dark Demon Art is a forbidden demonic art.
Compared to ordinary demonic arts, it is far more tyrannical and ferocious, but its side effects are just as great as its power. Most who master the Dark Demon Art are consumed by the art, fall into qi deviation, commit endless slaughter, and meet their end. Thus, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult strictly forbids learning the Dark Demon Art.
Dark Demonic Qi is the demonic energy produced when one masters the Dark Demon Art. Because that aura is so overwhelmingly powerful, I tried to break his momentum first.
“Why did you learn such trash?”
“I suppose you’ll still be saying that when you’re buried in trash and dying.”
“Then I came here for nothing. If I had left you alone, you would have died from the side effects of the Dark Demon Art anyway.”
“I won’t die from side effects. I succeeded in blocking them with the internal energy I obtained through the Heart-Soul Great Method.”
Anticipating that this would not be an easy fight, I drew my Black Demon Sword.
When Seophon Majon stretched out his hand, black energy coiled around it.
As the energy faded, a black sword rested in his hand. Even at a glance, it was no ordinary blade.
“I will kill you, and someday kill your father with my own hands as well, taking his place.”
“You are too much of a coward to ever do such a thing. You would spend your whole life hiding your ambition just to preserve that life of yours.”
In truth, even in my previous life before the regression, he had never once revealed that he had mastered the Dark Demon Art. He had kept it until the end as a final trump card to protect himself.
We were enraged at each other, and we imbued our blades with internal energy to match that rage.
Sword clashed against sword in midair.
Boom!
An ear-splitting explosion erupted. Neither I nor Seophon Majon gave an inch. We were evenly matched in internal energy. If he hadn’t expended his internal energy earlier with multiple uses of his Soul-Reaping Technique, his transformed self would have overwhelmed me. Such is the power of the Dark Demon Art.
I faced him with the Soaring Heaven Sword Art from the very beginning. This was an enemy I had to fight using only my highest stances.
The First Form, Equalizing Heaven, was unleashed.
Shiiiiing!
A streak of sword light bisected Seophon Majon. At the moment a perfect line was drawn, when his waist should have been severed, he surged upward and swung his sword. A deep, booming cry burst from Seophon Majon’s throat!
“Human Annihilation!”
It was a sword strike as swift as light.
Six sword lines flashed into existence where I had stood, then vanished.
Had I not used the Flicker Step to evade, I would have died there, sliced into six pieces.
“Ghost Annihilation!”
Seophon Majon likewise made no mistakes that would give me an opening with a sloppy attack. A second stance, stronger and faster than before, flew toward me.
This time, the space where I stood was torn into twelve pieces. The sight of twelve sword lines appearing and vanishing simultaneously was truly a spectacle.
I dodged with the Flicker Step again, but it was even closer than before.
Before he could launch his third stance, the Soaring Heaven Sword Art’s Second Form, Changing Heaven, was unleashed.
My sword transformed twelve times before Seophon Majon.
Seophon Majon did not evade; he blocked each attack one by one with his blade. Sparks flew every time sword met sword.
As the transformations of Changing Heaven grew greater, the white light radiating from Seophon Majon’s eyes intensified. After fending off the final, twelfth transformation, he immediately launched a counterattack.
“Extermination!”
His third stance, growing ever stronger, and the Soaring Heaven Sword Art’s Third Form, Profound Heaven, were unleashed simultaneously.
Fortunately, I was not in the space that split into twenty-four fragments.
I had evaded, but Seophon Majon could not.
Shhhhraaaack!
Profound Heaven tore through Seophon Majon’s shoulder. But no blood flowed from his body. His blackened skin was as tough as armor. Relying on that resilience, Seophon Majon’s attacks continued. His roar, half-devoured by a metallic screech!
“Ruination!”
Forty-eight sword lines embroidered the air in splendor. The space occupied by his sword light grew ever larger.
It was powerful, but he had one weakness. Lacking practical combat experience with this demonic art, there was a monotonous aspect to his attacks. Had I been the one using that martial art, I would never have been able to evade.
Having barely evaded, I unleashed the sword-qi release technique, the Fourth Form, Flaming Heaven.
The sword qi flew forth at terrifying speed, striking Seophon Majon with a heavy thud. He staggered greatly as if about to fall, but steadied himself. A part of him that should have been cleanly severed remained intact.
A stream of black liquid flowed from the corner of Seophon Majon’s mouth, yet he still looked unyielding.
“Yi Gongja, why do you not wield the Guhwa Demon Art?”
Seophon Majon’s voice had changed into a metallic rasp, no longer sounding human. It meant he was merging with the Dark Demon Art he had learned. At this rate, he would eventually be consumed by the demonic art. Such was the way of powerful demonic arts—they always demand a price.
Even so, he was pushing himself beyond his limits, and I was in just as much danger.
“Because I thought I could defeat one such as you even without using the Guhwa Demon Art.”
It was a deliberate provocation. In a fight where the slightest edge decides life and death, the moment you lose your composure, you lose your life. And this provocation had another aim as well.
“Your arrogance will eventually lead you to death...”
The moment Seophon Majon began to speak, the Soaring Heaven Sword Art’s finest swift-sword technique, the Fifth Form, Azure Heaven, was unleashed. It was a decisive attack meant to sever the breath of a speaking foe.
Azure Heaven precisely split the bastard’s throat. But his neck was not severed; only black liquid trickled out.
He didn’t even get his neck cut by Azure Heaven?
“You have truly become a monster.”
At my words, Seophon Majon charged at me. He seemed to erupt in fury, but his breathing remained steady. The taunt tactic did not work on him.
Aiming for a chance to unleash my ultimate final technique, we soared into the sky.
Even as we rose, sword clashed endlessly against sword. Like two dragons ascending as they coiled around each other, we exchanged blades in an entangling dance.
Invisible to the eye, only the sounds of swords and the radiance of blade light filled that space. That Seophon Majon, known only for his Soul-Reaping Technique, would hide such a demonic art as his final trump card—this place was the martial world.
At the end of that brilliant melee, the instant we separated from each other, Seophon Majon’s gaze blazed pure white.
‘Danger!’
Seophon Majon unleashed his final move. His roar erupted in a perfect metallic screech!
“Heavenly Annihilation!”
I did not evade. His opportunity was also my opportunity. We saw the same opening, and we sent our blades toward that gap.
Together with the Bright King Step, I poured all of my internal energy into the Soaring Heaven Sword Art’s Eighth Form, Yellow Spring.
Shhhhhhheeeeek!
Shhhhraaaaaack!
Two lights intersected.
Radiant sword light painted the side where I stood. Space fractured into ninety-six pieces, and an entire plane was sheared away. It was truly a spectacle worthy of awe.
Seophon Majon did not look at the awesome spectacle he had created. He was looking down at his own heart.
Blood flowed from the heart pierced by my Black Demon Sword. Not black liquid, but red blood. His massive heart, which had been pulsing powerfully, had ceased to move.
“How... in the world...?”
To his disbelieving face, I replied calmly.
“Your heart was so large, it proved easy to pierce.”
Why else? I said it because his greed in robbing the innocent of their hearts had brought him this very end today.
Black smoke leaked from his body, and his transformation began to break.
He, who had been more monstrous than an actual monster, transformed back into an ordinary person—the kind you might save ten of in Magachon.
“...It wasn’t the Guhwa Demon Art?”
“It was the union of the Bright King Step and the Soaring Heaven Sword Art’s Eighth Form.”
“The Bright King Step?”
“The Bright King Step of the Wind God Steps.”
“How do you have the Wind God Steps?”
“Perhaps Heaven arranged it so that I would not die by your hand.”
It was no empty word. Had it not been for the Wind God Steps, I would have died in today’s battle. I realized it keenly: one must never let one’s guard down when facing a Demon Lord.
To be honest, I had been confident I could defeat him because I had obtained the Blood Eye Essence.
But he had possessed a hidden trump card. A truly perilous final move that would have killed me, had it not been for the Wind God Steps.
Hyeolcheon Doma, the Ilhwa Sword Venerable, and the other remaining Demon Lords as well—they would surely have hidden moves different from what they show.
Today, I have grown stronger.
Not because I killed Seophon Majon, but because I will never let my guard down again. That is why I have grown stronger.
Seophon Majon slowly crumbled.
As he died, the space he had created began to crack.
The life faded from his black pupils, which had dilated and contracted so violently. He looked up at me and spoke with difficulty.
“...If I am reborn, I will surely kill you then.”
I did not respond with a curse.
“If you are reborn, live a long, long life then. There will surely be better ways than this.”
At my words, his gaze wavered. He tried to say something, but it never made it past his lips. It might have been an even more terrible curse, or perhaps he had tried to convey his final regret.
Seophon Majon lowered his head and perished. At the same time, the world he had created vanished.
We had returned to the place where we had first attempted to carry out the Heart-Soul Great Method.
Even in death, Seophon Majon presented a final mystery.
Seophon Majon sat dead in a meditative posture. Though we had fought like madmen, there was not a single external wound, as if he had died from qi deviation. He had died in the world he had loved so dearly.
I took the child lying on the altar into my arms and quietly left that place.
* * *
I bought good wine and side dishes and returned to Hyeolcheon Doma.
I entrusted the child to Seo Daeryong, telling him to find the parents secretly. Since I told him it was a child who had nearly been sacrificed for the great method, the quick-witted and clever Seo Daeryong would handle it secretly on his own.
“Why did it take so long? Did you really make the side dishes yourself?”
“How did you know?”
“What?”
“Making the side dishes took some time.”
“What nonsense is this? What on earth did you make?”
Hyeolcheon Doma looked puzzled when he saw the dishes I had bought.
“These aren’t dishes that take long to make.”
I smiled and poured wine for Hyeolcheon Doma.
“Here, have a drink. The night is still long.”
“Do you think an old man’s stamina is like yours? If I stay up all night, I’ll be drowsy all day.”
“But you’re still full of vigor, aren’t you? Come, let’s enjoy ourselves today.”
“Yi Gongja, you seem to be in a good mood today.”
“Yes, I’m feeling good.”
“Why?”
“It’s just good to see you after so long, sir.”
Hyeolcheon Doma looked at me with eyes that wondered what I was up to.
But how could he know? That I had killed Seophon Majon while I was away.
Meeting again after a long time, we drank several cups in succession. Since meeting him, this was the first time I had drunk so refreshingly and pleasantly.
We shared many stories. About the state of the martial world, about martial arts, and about Seo Daeryong and the Sword Venerable.
Others might find it unexpected, but both of us were talkative, so the conversation at the drinking table never ran dry.
“Do you know why I took a liking to Jwibangul?”
“Why?”
“On the first day, I asked him. Whether he could lay down his life for you. He said he couldn’t.”
“That rascal, I’ll have to scold him.”
“I liked his honesty then.”
“Please tell Inspector Seo directly. He will probably be pleased.”
“Don’t bother.”
“Then I will tell him next time. Someone has to say these things. A single word can change a person’s life, after all. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You really take care of all sorts of people. Next you’ll be looking after the stable boy mucking out horse dung. Why, why don’t you go feed the horses with him?”
“If I could, wouldn’t that be a good thing?”
“I have never seen anyone like you in my life.”
“The Cult must be the same. It will become a Heavenly Demon Divine Cult the likes of which no one has ever seen. Wouldn’t it be fine to have such a Cult for a generation?”
Hyeolcheon Doma stared at me. The gaze he fixed on me was profound, as if weighing his thoughts.
“Yi Gongja.”
“Yes.”
“Pour me a drink.”
I had poured him drinks every time until now. But this time, the feeling was different from usual.
I could feel it. That this drink I was pouring now held a different meaning from the others.
So I said to him.
“I pour the first drink for my Left Emissary.”
He could have said something like, “What nonsense is this?” but he silently accepted the drink. I filled the cup to the brim.
Hyeolcheon Doma stared at that cup of wine for a long while.
And then he emptied it.
Perhaps in this moment, he had made up his mind to truly follow me.
Of course, it was only a guess. He was truly an unpredictable man.
Then, Doma suddenly spoke.
“Is the Left Emissary high, or is the Right Emissary high? If you’re going to give me a title, give me the higher one.”
I stared at him blankly for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha.”
We drank through the night.
Even relationships that seem so good can go awry because of one misspoken word. That is why you must keep building them. Until they become a solid bond that won’t be shaken by one or two mistakes. Whether it’s drinks together, a brawl, a gift, a cautious piece of advice, or even praise you don’t mean. Whatever it is, you must forge and pile and pile again. Because both he and I can make mistakes.
“Looking at you today, you are handsome.”
“You crazy bastard.”
Hyeolcheon Doma raised his Heaven-Annihilating Great Saber, reflecting our faces in its blade.
“Here, look clearly at my face and say that again.”
“Hahaha.”
“Why are you just laughing! Hurry up and tell me I’m handsome!”
“I suppose one shouldn’t confess to a woman when drunk.”
Hyeolcheon Doma laughed, saying he’d caught a sycophant. I laughed along with him.
For the fortune of gaining a true follower is surely granted to someone among those who have made at least this much effort.