The Saber King awakened the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s savage nature.
It was a nature he had buried especially deep after meeting Geom Mugeuk.
He had awakened the violence of those days when he had driven Manak Sanin to suicide, that temperament from a time when he had no faith in human beings at all.
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon was a man who possessed both that side of himself and the side that enjoyed calmly reading books.
“Sometimes even I get confused as to which is the real me. Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
Whoooong!
As if loosening up, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon swung the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber.
The qi the two men were emitting had already begun the fight. If a street thug saw it, he would feel as though he were standing in an alley after a gang fight had broken out; if a true master saw it, he would feel as though he were standing in the middle of hell. Such was the contest of qi between the two.
For the Saber King, it was a first. This was the first time he had faced an enemy’s aura that meshed so well with his own cold and terrifying qi.
“Old Demon Venerable, you and I are of the same kind.”
The Saber King genuinely felt that way, but the Blood Heaven Saber Demon denied his words.
“The fact that being called the same kind displeases me more than being called old tells me, at the very least, what kind of person I wish to become.”
It was a statement made not to the Saber King, but to himself, and at the same time, to Geom Mugeuk and the One Flower Sword Venerable.
Geom Mugeuk did not let those words pass.
“Elder, you look the most splendid when you are reading.”
A faint smile formed at the corners of the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s mouth.
After living for long years as a Demon Venerable, and after reading so many books, he realized that he had never seriously considered what kind of person he was. Even after meeting Geom Mugeuk, he had tried to look into Geom Mugeuk rather than himself.
The fact that such thoughts arose during his fight with the Saber King was surely because he had seen his own past in that merciless, cold qi. His hidden nature, the one he wanted to dismiss as nothing more than the past.
Behind them, Taesu’s eyes were trembling as he listened to their entire conversation.
When the Saber King first called the Blood Heaven Saber Demon an old Demon Venerable, he thought he must have misheard. It must have been some epithet that began with “ma.”
But just now, he had heard it clearly.
‘Demon Venerable? Really, a Demon Venerable of the Demonic Cult?’
In this martial world, was there truly anyone who was not a demon practitioner yet could use the name Demon Venerable as an epithet?
Taesu’s heart pounded as if it might burst.
He immediately sent a sound transmission to Jihan.
—Did you know that that person is a Demon Venerable of the Demonic Cult?
Even as he sent the transmission, he secretly hoped for a reply like this.
Demon Venerable? What nonsense is that? Something that would tell him he had misheard again.
Isn’t it only natural to call him a horse venerable when this is a place that raises a thousand horses? He even hoped for an answer as absurd as such a delusion.
But the sound transmission that came back from Jihan was shocking.
—I knew that the two of them were Demon Venerables.
Truly, a gasp escaped him on its own.
A chill ran down Taesu’s spine.
‘Why did I never once think they might be demon practitioners?’
The answer came easily. It was because of Geom Mugeuk. How could one look at that man and associate him with a demon practitioner?
Only now did Taesu realize that he had been under an utterly ridiculous misunderstanding.
Of course. There was no way this was an escort agency, was there? There was no way those people were escorts or an escort chief, was there?
Judging from the aura and martial skill of the Sword King and the Saber King who had appeared as enemies, if such people were their enemies, just what was this escort agency supposed to be transporting?
Even if they were transporting the most precious thing in the world, such incredible enemies would not appear.
But even though the truth had already been revealed, he still could hardly believe it.
He had ridden in a carriage with Demon Venerables, and swum with Demon Venerables?
Demon Venerables had stood in line to eat five-spice pork?
Weren’t Demon Venerables the kind of people who killed everyone in line and every customer, then sat down amid the strewn corpses and said to the cook, “Bring out the five-spice pork”?
—Those two are the Eight Demon Venerables known as the Blood Heaven Saber Demon and the One Flower Sword Venerable.
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s identity had been revealed. Jihan decided there was no particular need to hide it from Taesu.
Taesu could not grasp the fact that the Blood Heaven Saber Demon and the One Flower Sword Venerable had been with him all this time. They were people he had truly only heard about in rumors. And even those rumors had never once come from anyone who had actually seen them.
—Then who is that young man?
Geom Mugeuk joked comfortably with the two Demon Venerables and treated them without reserve. Just who was he?
Jihan told him even Geom Mugeuk’s identity.
—He is the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
—!
Taesu, startled out of his wits, shouted.
“Do not lie to me!”
He immediately covered his own mouth in alarm. He had been conversing by sound transmission, only to cry out without realizing it.
Everyone’s gaze focused on him.
Of course, among those gazes was Geom Mugeuk’s as well. With eyes that said he knew exactly why Taesu had shouted, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
“Now do you understand? Why I told you to meet my father before making your decision?”
Geom Mugeuk looked at the horrified Taesu, then turned his gaze to Dan Sojin and the Sado Alliance warrior standing beside him.
Geom Mugeuk had already noticed that Dan Sojin had known his identity.
Yet the man from the Sado Alliance with the sword wound was not surprised by this situation at all. It seemed he too had known the identities of himself and the two Demon Venerables.
In any case, one thing was certain. To the bastards behind this, the existence of these people was important. Especially that Dan Sojin.
Meanwhile, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon and the Saber King once again rushed toward each other. As the qi they emitted had grown even more intense, their movements had also changed.
The greater the master, the less emotion they put into their attacks.
But these two did not hide their emotions.
An exchange between masters who did not conceal what they felt.
Attacks imbued wholly with the emotion of I don’t like you! contained a killing intent that would not stop until the opponent was dead.
Kang! Kaaang! Kang-kang-kang-kang!
The three sabers that clashed seemed as though they might shatter at any moment.
Each time the twin sabers crossed and flew, it looked as though the moon set and the sun rose.
Each time the two men’s sabers were swung, powerful saber winds whirled and swept forth. If one did not raise internal energy to withstand them, they had the force to seize and fling a person away.
Beyond the battle, the Sword King looked at Geom Mugeuk.
The Sword King could tell. Geom Mugeuk was preparing to intervene if the Blood Heaven Saber Demon were to fall into danger.
That was why Geom Mugeuk did not look at the Sword King. He was completely absorbed in the fight. Only if he did not miss even a single breath would he be able to intervene.
‘Yes, this is the kind of person you are.’
A person who strives never to lose those he cherishes, a person who cherishes others even more than himself, and yet a person freer than anyone.
Kwaang!
The Heaven-Destroying Great Saber drove into the ground and blocked the incoming attack.
The Saber King followed up, flying in as he aimed for the Blood Heaven Saber Demon standing behind the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber. His body bent like a snake as he entered, swiftly sending out his sabers. It was truly a decisive strike.
‘!’
But behind the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon was not there. In that instant, a single thought flashed through the Saber King’s mind.
There is no way he would have let go of his saber.
The instant that thought turned into a sense of danger, the Saber King instinctively hurled himself away.
Whoaaaaang!
Kwaaaaang!
A palm force dropping from above swept through the spot where the Saber King had been. The floor shattered, the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber embedded in the ground tilted, and the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, who had been sitting on its hilt, stepped down to the floor and took up his saber.
The moment the Saber King’s attack came flying in, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon had leapt up onto the hilt of the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber embedded in the ground. It was a move made in anticipation that the Saber King would immediately raid the space behind the great saber.
“You’re quite something.”
The Saber King acknowledged that last move.
He had not expected the Blood Heaven Saber Demon to use such an unorthodox trick. It was a move that did not suit him at all, nor did it suit the battle up to that point. For that reason, this single move had been truly threatening. Was that why? This time, the word “old” was missing.
Swaeaeaaeng! Swaeaaeng! Swaeaaeng!
When they clashed again, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s way of fighting had changed. His use of the saber had become faster.
One would think that if the opponent wielded swift twin sabers, he would instead push back with power, yet the Blood Heaven Saber Demon increased the speed of that enormous great saber.
It was the first time Geom Mugeuk had ever seen the Blood Heaven Saber Demon move the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber so quickly and lightly. Perhaps in today’s battle, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon was feeling and learning many things.
Kakakakakang!
The Heaven-Destroying Great Saber that grazed past the tip of the Saber King’s nose swept past his shoulder again.
In the process, the Red Saber and Black Saber brushed past the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s neck and thigh.
Even amid the fierce battle, they were clearly maintaining the boundaries of the fight. One could tell simply by seeing that, despite this terrifying battle unfolding, not a single doll beside them had been knocked over.
But the area of that battle began to move.
It slowly shifted toward where Geom Mugeuk and the others stood. It was the Saber King’s intention. If they fought around them, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon would naturally have to pay more attention.
But that was the Saber King’s miscalculation.
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon did not pay any attention at all. The Saber King did not know how great his trust in Geom Mugeuk and the One Flower Sword Venerable was.
And in the end, this choice provoked the Saber King’s temper.
It was because of Geom Mugeuk.
The Red Saber that had aimed for the Blood Heaven Saber Demon missed and grazed past right in front of Geom Mugeuk’s face.
Whoaaaaaaang!
Though the saber passed with tremendous force, Geom Mugeuk stood there without taking a single step.
At that moment, the Saber King saw it. He saw Geom Mugeuk looking at him and smiling without so much as blinking.
‘Insolent!’
But in a fight against the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, that brief surge of emotion brought about great danger.
Kaaang!
Puaak!
He barely blocked the incoming great saber with his twin sabers, but blood sprayed from the Saber King’s waist.
If it had gone just a little deeper, the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber would have cut him in half at the waist.
It was the first moment blood had been drawn since the two began fighting.
When he saw his own blood, killing intent burst from the Saber King’s eyes.
Wooong.
Red and black saber force began to coil around the Red Saber and Black Saber.
Then saber force also gathered around the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber. The pure white saber force looked as though snow had fallen upon it.
Watching, the One Flower Sword Venerable could tell that the color of the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s saber force had changed. Originally, it had not been such a pure white.
‘Your martial realm has certainly changed, brother.’
In the end, the Saber King was the first to unleash his unique martial art.
Sun-Moon Dark Blood Saber Art (日月暗血刀法)
First Art: Blood Dragon Sunders Heaven (血龍破天)
The Saber King stepped forward with his right foot, stomped down with a tremor step, and thrust out his saber.
As the ground split open with a crack, red astral force from the Saber King’s Red Saber whirled into the shape of a dragon and came flying in.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa!
The astral force that flew in with its jaws wide open was not an attack that could be blocked with ordinary saber force.
The Blood Heaven Saber Demon also unleashed his unique martial art.
Heaven-Destroying Demon Saber Form, First Form: Heaven-Destroying Strike.
It was the Heaven-Destroying Demon Saber Form displayed from the hands of the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, now stronger than before he had left the cult.
Shiiiiiiiik!
A single swift and powerful strand of astral force poured from the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber.
Puaaaaak!
The head of the oncoming dragon was cut off, and the astral force that followed behind scattered in midair.
To break it so easily? The Saber King was neither surprised nor flustered. His opponent had already shown sufficient skill. If he failed to break it, that would more likely be the trap.
The Saber King immediately unleashed the second technique.
Sun-Moon Dark Blood Saber Art, Second Art: Extreme Sun Wheel Slash (日輪極斬).
This time, the Black Saber emitted a dazzling radiance.
Chwaaaaaang!
With a sharp sound, saber force poured down like sunlight. Dozens of strands of astral force rained toward the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.
What opposed Extreme Sun Wheel Slash was the Heaven-Destroying Demon Saber Form, Second Form: Heaven-Destroying Wave.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa!
The saber qi extending from the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber flowed like waves.
They were not the waves the Blood Heaven Saber Demon had shown before. These waves were deeper and grander.
Kwak kwak kwak kwak kwak kwak kwaang!
Dozens of strands of saber qi sank into the waves and were swept away. One could clearly see the saber qi failing to extend forward, instead being caught in the waves and driven backward.
But the aftermath of this collision shook the walls and the very axis of the earth.
At this rate, if they used even greater techniques, the cave might collapse.
But the Saber King immediately unleashed his next move. Even if the cave collapsed, he intended to kill the Blood Heaven Saber Demon before his eyes without fail.
The Saber King drew up even more extreme internal power.
Third Art: Blood Saber Chain (血刀連環)
Astral force forming a ring came flying in.
It was as if chains heated red-hot in a fire were flying in without any set path.
An attack that twisted this way and that, flying in at random—an attack whose course could change anywhere, at any moment, to strike who knew where.
The third form of the Heaven-Destroying Demonic Blade Art: Annihilating Blade Bloodstorm.
Several strands of blade qi extended from the Heaven-Destroying Great Blade, spinning as they flew.
The next instant.
The Blade King, who had been watching, opened his eyes wide. It was an attack far more powerful than the two before it.
Pak! Paaak! Paaak! Pak!
The incoming blade qi cut precisely through the linked rings of astral qi. The astral qi, its rings severed, lost its irregularity and flew straight ahead.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The astral qi that shot backward was all dispelled by Geom Mugeuk and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable as they swung their swords. Had those attacks flown on as they were, they might have smashed through the rear wall and brought this place down.
“Old Demon Venerable, let’s see this to the end!”
The Blade King drew up even more of his internal energy. A brilliant radiance burst from the sun and moon engraved on his swords. It was just as the sun and moon rose at the same time.
The Sword King glided forward and blocked the Blade King’s path.
Though he could be attacked by both men, the Sword King had fearlessly stepped into this fight.
No matter how worked up he was, the Blade King could not unleash a technique at the Sword King, and the light shining from the Red Blade and Black Blade slowly faded.
“You dare interfere in my fight?”
The Blade King glared at the Sword King with eyes so fierce they seemed ready to tear him apart alive.
The Blade King was not the only one enraged.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon pointed his great blade at the Sword King. Demonic qi that had yet to tire still wavered around his body.
“Fine, you come in too!”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s air was as if he would take on the Sword King as well.
Of course, he had only said it for the sake of momentum; he did not truly mean it. He had already sensed that the Sword King’s martial arts were stronger than the Blade King’s.
That was when Geom Mugeuk stepped forward.
“Please hold back. That man who looks even older than you is yours anyway, Elder.”
After tossing a remark at the Blade King, who always made sure to call others old, Geom Mugeuk turned his gaze to the Sword King.
When asked why he had come, the Sword King had said he had come to protect the person who was trying to kill Geom Mugeuk.
“I don’t think the person Brother Ak needs to protect is that man. Who is it?”
At the very least, he thought that person could not be the Blade King.
Geom Mugeuk had seen correctly. The reason the Sword King had stepped in was not to protect the Blade King.
The Sword King’s gaze turned toward the rear.
Srrrk.
Then the door at the back of the space where they stood swung wide open on its own.
From within, a beautiful melody began to flow out, utterly at odds with the bloody battle that had been filled with thunderous roars.