A village nearby, right up against Beijing.
After all the residents had left, the land had fallen into disrepair from long neglect. Now, a group had gathered upon it.
“Hehehe. Welcome, Master Gwak.”
One of their representatives—the orthodox martial arts’ leader, Shaolin Temple Abbot and Divine Monk Mujin—greeted the middle-aged man who had just arrived with a one-handed gassho.
“Venerable Monk, I heard you suffered a crushing defeat... but your condition is worse than I imagined. Can you really fight properly?”
“Amitabha. Though my cultivation was insufficient and I ended up like this, this humble monk still has one arm and two legs left, does he not? Hehe, I will not be a burden, so do not worry yourself overmuch.”
“Hmph. Very well. If you say you can manage, it would be laughable for others to interfere.”
The middle-aged man’s words were rough to the point of seeming rude, yet no one dared challenge him over it.
Contrary to appearances, he was of an age similar to Grandmaster Mujin, and his status was equally towering.
The Heaven-Sundering Blade Emperor Gwak Cheol—former Alliance Leader of the Demonic Coalition, an unorthodox alliance now disbanded much like the Martial Alliance, and the man called the foremost of the unorthodox martial world.
That was the identity of the middle-aged man who had just arrived.
‘…Still, I felt it even on the way here. As expected, it’s terrifying. Now I understand why those who’ve seen it were all making such a fuss.’
His gaze turned toward the sky in the direction of Beijing.
There, pitch-black storm clouds were piled upon piles in a way that looked plainly unnatural, completely blocking the sunlight shining down from above.
Rumble—
Moreover, the fierce thunder and violet flashes intermittently flowing between the clouds instilled an instinctive foreboding and dread in the minds of those who watched.
As if one were facing the sky of hell itself, spoken of only in tales.
“The lesser ones would lose their minds just looking at that. But for such demonic energy to persist for days on end… The Demon Cult bastards seem truly determined this time.”
The face of the Heaven-Sundering Blade Emperor, who muttered in a low voice, hardened stiffly.
Though he had recognized the severity of the situation and come here personally, a sliver of optimism had still remained in one corner of his heart.
He had been confident that even if the Heavenly Demon was praised by the world as the greatest under heaven, he himself would never lose if they clashed directly.
But now that he had felt the momentum flowing from *that* directly…
‘Such overwhelming pressure couldn’t possibly flow from merely performing a ritual. The terrifying presence and exalted level contained within. Could it be that the Heavenly Demon has truly reached the Divine Transformation Realm?’
His gaze, which had lingered on the dark sky for a moment, turned again to those gathered here.
A crowd of easily several hundred at a glance.
From their bodies, all emanated sharply honed auras.
They were famous experts who had made names for themselves in their respective regions, having gathered from across the entire continent with the aid of Taoists using the Earth-Shrinking Technique…
Normally, he would have nodded in admiration at their level, but having personally gauged the level seeping from that energy, he couldn’t feel confident that they could stop it even with these people.
‘The Divine Monk and the Sword Saint, the Asura Blood Lord and Great General Jungcheon. And myself… So these five are all the Transcendence Realm experts.’
His expression furrowed unconsciously as he swept his eyes over those particularly conspicuous among them.
Their number was fewer than he had previously understood.
‘Did some mishap befall them and prevent them from coming, or did they stay away to look after their own safety?’
No matter how many had become guests of no return during the long war, the names of those who had reached exalted realms were bound to become known in some fashion.
Just a little over a year ago, talk of the Ten Greatest Experts Under Heaven had circulated frequently.
‘This is troublesome.’
Whether they had perished, swept up by the chaotic times; been killed by preliminary operations the Demon Cult had carried out beforehand; or deliberately absented themselves out of fear—it was hardly good news either way.
In any case, what mattered was that their chances of victory had decreased by that much.
“Hm?”
Then, the Heaven-Sundering Blade Emperor’s face, which had been examining the more than ten Transformation Realm experts with a stiff expression, twitched momentarily.
His gaze turned naturally toward the densely wooded area, as if drawn by something.
Rustle— Rustle—
His keen hearing detected the sound of undergrowth being pushed through, approaching at high speed from afar.
Something dangerous enough to stimulate his instincts.
As the distance closed, his body naturally entered a state of tension.
‘This is…’
He was not the only one showing such a reaction.
Starting with those possessing keen senses, the eyes of those gathered in one place began turning one by one in that direction.
Some had already drawn their weapons.
“On guard! Something is—!”
“Kuh, a Demon Cultist?!”
Because the approach from that direction was so fast, the wait was not long.
With everyone on guard and their gazes focused, someone suddenly burst out from beyond the undergrowth.
“Oh! So many have already gathered! Kahahaha! Looks like we’re a bit late!”
With a carefree laugh that seemed to scatter the frozen atmosphere.
Even though he came face-to-face with numerous martial artists pointing weapons at him with tense faces, there wasn’t the slightest hesitation in his attitude.
No, rather, he seemed not to pay any mind to such trivial things at all.
As if such blades could pose no threat whatsoever to him.
“Phew, isn’t this all because you dawdled? Eating and eating without getting sick of it… Are you planning to eat every wild animal on this mountain?”
“Keuung! There weren’t even any ferocious beasts here; they were all so plump and juicy. How could I resist?”
“…Stop stuffing your face already. I don’t know how all that meat fits in your stomach.”
“Kehahaha! This is embarrassing!”
The strange giant began exchanging idle banter with his companions who followed him out of the undergrowth.
But the Heaven-Sundering Blade Emperor didn’t give his gaze to those who followed. He couldn’t.
Because his eyes would not fall away from the man who had emerged first.
‘I’ve heard of him. The one called the Divine Light Demon, is it? Rumors are bound to be exaggerated, so I didn’t think much of it…’
He could tell instinctively.
That the opponent was definitely not beneath him.
A height so great that even he, famous for his tall stature, had to look up; shoulders broad as a wall; vicious muscles filling his entire body; tattoos and clothing that accentuated his wild nature.
His eye-catching appearance was unusual as well, but that wasn’t what mattered now.
What he truly needed to pay attention to was the unknown *something* coiling around that giant’s body—the unknown *something* sleeping within his flesh.
‘What is that?’
He fell into contemplation watching the Shaolin Divine Monk greet that strange giant.
Could that really be human?
‘Impossible.’
He was certain.
That creature, that monster, only wore human form; it was definitely not human.
Then what was its true identity…
“Huh? You there, mister, you got something to say to me?”
At that moment.
His eyes, which had been observing the strange giant intently, collided head-on with the gaze of the opponent strolling over like a satiated predator.
Those abyssal eyes, so ill-matching his infinitely light attitude.
‘…I see. At this point, I suppose that hardly matters.’
And immediately after facing the infinite madness dwelling within—madness he could not comprehend how it maintained its reason—
He revised his thoughts.
Perhaps this battle.
Might not have such low chances of victory after all.
***
At last, Hallie had joined with the martial artists of the Martial Union.
‘More gathered than I thought. As expected, there was merit in moving diligently.’
While Hans was preparing the final stage and martial artists gathered from all over the continent in one place, he had not been idly playing either.
His task was to separately visit forces that were not cooperating properly or responding lukewarmly, and freely consult with them to see if there was any problem.
Simply put, it was a sincere activity no different from a teacher making a home visit to a student refusing to attend school.
Of course, unlike real teachers, the consultation process involved a very slight bit of coercion and violence.
‘I should just view this as the rod of love. Isn’t it much better than having their entire sect annihilated later?’
What an action overflowing with love and compassion!
If they still didn’t follow the trend even after he went to such trouble to lower the last lifeline of salvation, then truly regrettably, they would have no choice but to face punishment as a whole.
Leaving such fellows alone would only harm the harmony and peace of this world.
‘I’ve also prepared separate stages for those who would have difficulty getting here because they’re a bit far. Let’s see, by now the other places should mostly be ready too?’
What Hans, who remained in the Ganghwangye, had prepared was not only the stage in Beijing.
Small stages prepared to allow more people to participate in this grand event—to expand the scale even further—were waiting only for their opening across the continent.
The Demon Cult branches prepared in each province would nominally serve as branch points assisting the ritual being held in Beijing.
Though Beijing was the most important place, those attacking the branches needed to be able to strive with their own sense of mission.
‘Of course, since they have to be able to overcome the trial, I’ve adjusted the forces appropriately. So that if everyone gathers their strength and cooperates, they can subjugate the Demon Cultists without great casualties.’
If that subjugation operation failed, it would mean someone hadn’t fought properly.
Then they could simply use the remaining Demon Cultists to strike the headquarters of those who hadn’t cooperated.
Truly killing two birds with one stone.
“Amitabha, it seems all who are coming have now gathered.”
As Hallie was lost in thought alone.
A voice carrying a profound aura resounded, capturing everyone’s attention.
“Then let us move now. We do not have much time remaining.”
Heroes who had gathered here with a single great cause against the world’s crisis.
Their gazes turned toward Beijing, following the eyes of the Divine Monk who stood at the very front.
Kururung—
The land still covered in pitch-black storm clouds sucked in even the surrounding light, already becoming a night black as pitch.
As if day and night had switched along some line dividing territories.
Even for them—experts counted among the finest in the world—it was a strange sight they had never seen before.
“…To that place, a hell where hope is imprisoned.”
Not long after.
Hundreds of figures hurled their bodies toward the land shrouded in darkness.
***
‘It has begun.’
The greatest elites of the Ganghwangye dug into the heart of Beijing in perfect unison.
Of course, among them were also famous spellcasters from the Zhuge family and the Maoshan School.
“This way!”
Under the guidance of the Zhuge family representative, who specialized in formation techniques, they advanced quickly without disrupting their ranks even while moving.
Actively resisting the demon realm environment that disturbed internal energy, the demonic energy trying to erode their bodies, and the widespread illusions of the labyrinth formation that made them lose their way.
‘Amazing. To think this spell technique could be applied in this way. This is something I couldn’t learn even on Jin’ao Island.’
Originally, to properly use formation techniques, it was essential to spend long years coordinating with each other.
It was not something that people who had just met for the first time like now could use.
Moreover, making hundreds of people move as one body like this was utterly impossible.
‘Yes, this is why they’re called a great family, isn’t it? At this level, if the intervention of absolute experts is excluded, they could unconditionally dominate battles between lower-level warriors.’
But the Zhuge family had overcome that limitation by merging spell techniques into the process.
They had improved communication spell techniques, which normally required very difficult and complicated conditions, making them easier to cast, and connected thin threads to the surface unconsciousness of nearby people.
Thanks to that, the martial artists could intuitively feel the correct positions they should be in without special training, and move without a single inch of error.
‘Moreover, they can immediately pinpoint the locations of allies in crisis and change formations. In this world, they are no different from the best operators.’
Buoyed by that, the Murim Alliance was approaching the heart of the Demon Realm far more smoothly than they had anticipated.
Originally, they would have stumbled about in greater confusion and barely managed to reach the site of the ritual.
‘Well, this isn’t bad either. Then shall we begin in earnest?’
Several hundred people advanced swiftly in formation.
But when they had nearly reached the center of Beijing, where the ritual was being held, even their unstoppable advance was soon forced to come to a halt.
“Heh— You crawled all the way here, did you? Not even knowing this is where you’ll die.”
As though he had been waiting, a one-eyed old man holding a black sword engraved with the image of a ghost stepped forward to block their path, letting out a sneer.
Behind him stood an army numbering not merely in the hundreds, but in the thousands.
“Ghost Sword Demon Emperor Yeo Muncheol…”
Sword Saint Namgung U, who had a bitter history with the man, muttered with a frown.
He had fully expected him to be here, but now that they were facing each other like this, he could not help feeling uneasy.
“The White Bone Demon Lord, the Cheongsu Demon Lord, and even the Heavenly Wolf Demon Empress…”
“Aren’t they all infamous fiends of the Transformation Realm? …Come to think of it, that one is the old monster from the previous generation, the Blood Mountain Old Man. To think even the Blood Cult joined hands with the Demon Cult.”
“Wait! Over there, that jiangshi! Why is our sect’s elder there!”
The moment they faced the Demon Cult forces blocking their way, the momentum of the Murim Alliance, which had been charging in so confidently, could not help but falter.
Even at a rough glance, the number of Transformation Realm masters on the enemy side seemed comparable to their own. And when experts from their own side—people long thought missing or dead—appeared as jiangshi, their resolve was shaken.
And then, following after them—
“…Blood Demon.”
The Tyrant Heavenly Saber Emperor murmured in a low voice, as if spitting the words out, when he saw the figure at the head of the jiangshi slowly stepping forward.
Before his eyes stood an opponent he had clashed with several times and regarded as a worthy rival.
Gone was the vitality he had possessed when last they met; now his face was stiff and hardened like that of a wax doll.
Though their temperaments had not matched and he had never particularly liked the man, he had certainly acknowledged his strength.
Yet to think that even such an ultimate master would appear in such a state…
‘They didn’t join hands with the Demon Cult. They were destroyed and absorbed. Just how long have they been preparing for this?’
But the confusion shaking the Murim Alliance lasted only a moment.
As befitted the finest elites who had experienced every kind of hardship, they quickly came to their senses and prepared for battle in perfect order.
The martial artists stepped forward, gripping their weapons tightly, while the spellcasters took out their ritual implements and talismans, raising their tension as they prepared to counter the Demon Cult’s sorcery.
The two sides’ surging auras slowly heightened the looming sense of war.
At that moment.
[“So you have come this far after all, vermin of the murim.”]
A voice laden with wicked power resounded across the battlefield.
“Urgh!”
“T-this is…!”
“Ghk!”
Those of relatively lower cultivation staggered, desperately trying to settle the turmoil inside them.
Some among them even had thin streams of blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.
A sinister voice that seemed to shake the entire space.
That voice, as though flowing out from hell itself, polluted the mind and disrupted one’s internal energy just by being heard.
[“Since you struggled so hard to make it here, as your host, I ought to welcome you grandly.”]
The current greatest under heaven, and the cult leader of the Demon Cult—the Heavenly Demon.
It was the moment the scenario’s final boss appeared.
‘This much is excellent. As expected, a first entrance needs impact.’
The being orchestrating the battlefield from behind the curtain.
Together with the production Hans had so carefully arranged.