Chapter 386. The Sword Art Suited to the Demonic Path

As Eldest Brother and the Tower King faced off, I took in many things. Above all, the Tower King had brought a great many retainers with him.

In truth, retainer was quite an old word.

For instance, words like swordsman or assassin had originally derived from retainers.

But perhaps even such words changed in status and atmosphere with the times, as well as in meaning.

Right now, it felt to me as though retainers occupied a lower status than swordsmen or assassins.

After seeing Eldest Brother begin to swing the Radiant Sword……

I quickly changed my mind again.

It felt as though a swordsman stood at the pinnacle of all guests.

Because I, too, was a swordsman.

In truth, Eldest Brother also placed the swordsman above his own epithet, Sword Demon. If he did not, then by now the wailing of ghosts would already have burst forth.

The Cult Leader always seemed to want Eldest Brother to become the Sword Demon who sucked in people’s vengeful souls, and if I were to speak honestly, I felt the same. Because it was better than Eldest Brother dying. However, I had no intention of forcing him the way the Cult Leader did. No matter how he fought, the one responsible for the result was himself.

But unexpectedly, the Tower King was even stronger than I had anticipated.

Which meant that the War Demon who had died at the Tower King’s hands had not been an ordinary expert either, didn’t it?

As I watched that fierce battle, wicked thoughts slowly crept up within me.

‘Eldest Brother, can you defeat the Three Calamities fighting like that?’

The Cult Leader had been tempting Eldest Brother all along, telling him to try becoming the Sword Demon, and I looked at Eldest Brother with a similar feeling.

Because he had to survive, even if it meant becoming a devil.

Like the Cult Leader during the days of the successor struggle.

Life was worth that much.

But wasn’t what kind of life came afterward more important? It was the difference between a person capable of regret and one who did not regret.

I more or less resolved a question I had harbored for a long time.

It felt as though I had clearly figured out the difference between the Cult Leader and us.

The Cult Leader was close to being inhuman in that he had never regretted anything until now.

We, while carrying the heart that could regret, were seeking the path to completion. Of course, if we ended up getting beaten by the Cult Leader like this, we would bitterly regret it again then.

But this was life.

Every human I had seen carried their own regrets in their hearts.

...The Sword Demon kept thinking of the War Demon as he deflected the Tower King’s deformed great saber. The Sword Demon knew the War Demon. Though the man had been three or four years younger than himself, he had been someone suited to the position of Right Envoy.

What had their relationship been like?

There had been no relationship at all.

When an order was given, the man who carried it out was the War Demon.

As had always been the case before, while he had acknowledged the War Demon as a man in his own way, he had never once spoken to him warmly.

They had never shared a cup of wine.

They had never exchanged idle conversation.

He merely knew his face, knew the characteristics of his martial arts, and had roughly grasped his personality. Like most of his subordinates, the only thing they had in common was that the man hated defeat intensely. Even if the War Demon died, in truth there was no reason for him to grieve, and if he himself were to die a lonely death somewhere, the War Demon was not a man who would particularly grieve either.

Then why did he feel so uneasy inside?

Why was his heart boiling like this?

Even as the Sword Demon swung the Radiant Sword, he could not look coolly at what state he was in.

If he had walked a path a little more like that of the Great Grandmaster, might he not have pulled more people out of the cult? After entertaining a vain thought that had no possibility of realization, he decided to be a little more honest.

So, what angered him was……

He was disgusted that he had not even shared a cup of wine with the War Demon, whom he had known for so many long years. He was disgusted that he had been no different from the Cult Leader in having had little interest in his subordinates. In the end, he had been the Left Envoy of Light, no different from the Cult Leader for the most part.

The War Demon had been a man incapable of saying even a word of flattery……

Even so, he had been a man who knew how to smile from time to time.

By contrast, he himself had always looked at his subordinates with a blunt expression. A heretic had no reason to avenge a cultist.

This was merely……

Revenge for a younger brother, a few years his junior, who, like himself, had been called by a number without ever receiving a name.

What did it matter if he was a cultist or a heretic?

While deflecting the Tower King’s deformed great saber as it came rushing in like a charge, the Sword Demon lost his balance. As he defended against the Tower King’s follow-up strike, his body rose into the air and was driven far back in a straight line.

As the Sword Demon tried to regain his balance in midair, Third Brother’s voice pierced his ears.

“……Eldest Brother, aren’t you going to get a grip? Why do you have so many stray thoughts while fighting? I’m asking if you’re going to get a grip. Should I make it so you can’t get a grip even more? Are you going to come to your senses or not? Should I fix you dinner tonight? Will you only come to your senses after tasting my noodles?”

Whenever Third Brother nagged, the Sword Demon often felt as though his ears were bleeding, and this was one of those times.

“That bastard’s nagging…….”

The Tower King approached with a leisurely expression and said,

“Former Left Envoy, you are just as the rumors say.”

The Sword Demon replied,

“What is?”

“The rumor that you are wary of demonic arts. Have you now decided you want to fight like the Alliance Leader? This is so much weaker than the great rumors that it kills my mood…… If you fight like this, you are no different from the War Demon, are you?”

The Sword Demon inhaled, then replied,

“If I am stronger without using demonic arts, then there is no reason to use them.”

“Are you saying that is how you are now?”

The Sword Demon shook his head.

“I am in the midst of training, so forgive me if you see shortcomings. Tower King. Judging by your skill, you are fully worthy of the epithet of king, yet I do not know why you have placed yourself under the Wei Clan. If you grew up eating and sleeping in the Wei Clan since childhood, I would understand.”

For whatever reason it offended him, the Tower King charged again.

The Sword Demon erased his thoughts and entered the Dugu Heavy Sword. Entering the Dugu Heavy Sword meant that he would now reduce the proportion of defense.

For the Sword Demon, changing the mindset within the sword arts he had learned had been extremely difficult.

In other words, the Dugu Heavy Sword was all offense.

Because he had to abandon the defensive and guarding moves within the techniques he had previously learned, adapting to it had not been easy. He realized that it was a sword art infused with a certain rhythm, but because he even had to stake his life on that rhythm, raising its level was no easy task.

In order to give up defense……

He met the Tower King’s attack with an attack that followed almost the same trajectory. As the two were driven back at the same time and then clashed again, the Sword Demon found the optimal path and thrust the Radiant Sword toward the Tower King’s neck half a beat faster.

The moment the Tower King had no choice but to strike away the Radiant Sword with his deformed great saber……

From that moment, the Dugu Heavy Sword began.

Having seized the initiative, the Sword Demon thrust out his sword, filled only with the intent to attack, as though he had forgotten defense. He stabbed at the neck, stabbed at the flank, aimed for the retreating Tower King’s foot, launched a sword wind, and then pursued. Increasing his speed, he multiplied the afterimages of his sword, then in midair, he stabbed as though sweeping down across the Tower King’s head, neck, and chest, and found the rhythm of attack.

This rhythm was subtle……

It was a rhythm that changed according to the Tower King’s responses.

In other words, the Tower King’s breathing, movements, counterattacks, habits, internal energy, and external arts thus far were all contained within the Sword Demon’s rhythm. This was a sword art that could not be mastered through calculation alone.

Above all, it had to become familiar to the hand.

At the same time as it became familiar to the hand, his mind had to read the Tower King’s response in advance.

And even once he was accustomed to all of that, he had to know that a single mistake could send him plummeting into the abyss.

In other words, the Life-and-Death Sword, which could never be unleashed unless one first staked one’s life, was precisely the Dugu Heavy Sword.

The instant the Sword Demon suddenly felt that he had staked his life…

He realized that the Dugu Heavy Sword was a martial art more dangerous than demonic arts.

Because demonic arts, rather, had a stronger tendency toward self-preservation. If so, what sword art was more suited to the Demonic Path?

In that it staked one’s life, moment by moment, on victory and on the choices made in an instant, there could be no sword art under heaven more suited to the Demonic Path than the Dugu Heavy Sword.

It was a truth that only a man of the Sword Demon’s caliber could come to understand after staking his life.

As the Sword Demon launched an assault against the Tower King that did not break even once,

he felt satisfied with himself for the first time in a long while.

With a sword art of this degree, it would not be lacking to call it demonic.

He thought he would not have to feel ashamed before those he had killed. Nor would he be ashamed before the subordinates who had died in vain.

Strangely, when he put even more strength into the rhythm with conviction, the power of the Dugu Heavy Sword also grew greater and greater.

It was like swinging a blade while standing on the edge of one.

The Sword Demon danced his blade like a madman, then added one more psychological trap to the Dugu Heavy Sword.

Only at a certain moment, he twisted the rhythm ever so slightly, dancing as though there were a single opening.

That opening in the rhythm was his left arm, already permeated with demonic energy and rendered impervious to blades.

The process of showing an opening was something he had already tested against the Sovereign Sword King.

And so, even in the midst of battle, the Sword Demon came to realize anew just how terrifying a sparring duel of the righteous path could be. Since it was a process he had already tried against the Sovereign Sword King, he could apply it to the Dugu Heavy Sword he was now unfolding with great naturalness.

In other words, killing the Tower King…

was the same as killing him together with the Sovereign Sword King, who had faced him head-on.

Even as the Sword Demon performed the sword dance perfectly, he faintly exposed a weakness only in his left arm. It was easy to say, but this was a tiny gap created through a lifetime of training. Even amid that, the Dugu Heavy Sword blended into the rhythm remained unchanged, continuing to drive the Tower King back. The Sword Demon realized that if he had fought the Tower King before going to Manjang Cliff, he would have had a much harder time.

Seeing that the Tower King was drenched in sweat yet maintained a fighting spirit that did not shrink in the slightest, the Sword Demon smiled faintly.

He had merely smiled, so why did the Third’s expression come to mind?

Thinking about it, it was because this was the first time he had ever smiled while fighting.

The Sword Demon, who had been pouring attacks down on the Tower King as though toying with him completely, opened his mouth like a man utterly off guard.

“Listen. Tower King, the War Demon and…”

Before he could even finish speaking, the Tower King’s bizarre great saber, as he charged in, dropped vertically and struck the upper part of the Sword Demon’s shoulder with precision.

Thuk!

Rather, the Sword Demon had taken a step forward, and his Sword of Radiance had already pierced the Tower King’s arm that held the bizarre great saber. Without allowing even the instant of impact against his shoulder, the Sword Demon gripped the Sword of Radiance with both hands, split the Tower King’s arm in two, and in the same motion cut through his neck in an instant.

Splat!

The Tower King’s right arm was torn apart, and the movement with which he had tried to counterattack with his left palm shifted according to human instinct and clutched at his own neck. Fountains of blood burst from his arm and neck.

The Sword Demon shook the blood from the Sword of Radiance, then looked at the Tower King, who had fallen onto his backside.

“……”

In all the battles the Sword Demon had fought until now, he had never packed so many deceptions into his sword and movements.

Yet as he looked at the Tower King’s expression, why did he feel so utterly refreshed?

The Sword Demon said,

“A traitor to the cult has no reason to avenge a cultist. But this is clearly revenge for my younger brother, the War Demon. Tower King.”

The guest warriors all shouted something and charged in together. But before they could even arrive, the Sword Demon swung his sword once more and sent the Tower King’s head flying.

As blood surged high from the Tower King’s body…

all manner of hidden weapons, sword winds, and sword qi came surging toward the Sword Demon, and the guest warriors of the Myeongcheon Wi Clan began a joint attack, disregarding the principles of the martial world.

The Sword Demon swept out his left palm, blowing away the brilliantly colored hidden weapons and surprise attacks in a single stroke, then lowered his sword once more to the lower right.

Mere guest warriors of a clan belonging to the Outer Hall?

The Sword Demon was not one to attach meaning to the deaths of such people.

The Sword Demon greeted the approaching guest warriors with a smile unlike his usual expression.

“Come.”

In that instant, those running at the very front froze stark white, and the Third dropped down from the air. Having frozen a portion of the guest warriors in one blow with ice arts, the Third turned his head and looked at the Sword Demon.

There was nothing in particular for them to say to each other.

The Third grinned, drew Ilsal, and said,

“I knew it would turn out like this. I told you it’d become a complete mess. It always does.”

The Sword Demon wanted to say something in response to the Third’s babbling, but at the moment he had no knack for it and could not think of anything to say. Instead, he went to the Third’s side, struck his shoulder once, and walked toward where the enemies were.

“Let’s go.”

…A short distance away, the Golden Tiger Unit Leader and the Silver Dragon Unit Leader let out sighs at the same time.

“……”

The sighs continued three more times. The former Left Envoy and the Hao Gate Master were already swinging their swords against the more numerous guest warriors of the Jungcheon Wi Clan.

The Golden Tiger Unit Leader and the Silver Dragon Unit Leader checked each other’s expressions.

Naturally, the Jungcheon Wi Clan had to win, but through each other’s expressions, they confirmed that this was not how they truly felt. That was why the sighs kept coming.

The Golden Tiger Unit Leader finally opened his mouth.

“What will you do? Your injuries are serious, aren’t they?”

The Silver Dragon Unit Leader cleared his throat, then said,

“My internal injuries are deep, so I think I’ll have to stay out of this for a while. Will you move with me?”

The Golden Tiger Unit Leader nodded.

“Let’s catch up with our subordinates first.”

The two of them chose to flee for the time being. Nearby, the Seven Killers of Yunnan were watching with dumbfounded expressions, but they decided to think of it as a momentary disgrace and simply chose to run. As they hurried away, the comparatively honest Golden Tiger Unit Leader added one more remark.

“Now that the Tower King bastard is dead, I feel damn refreshed.”

The Silver Dragon Unit Leader replied,

“That’s a statement that could become a bit controversial, you know?”

“What controversy is there in a life-and-death duel? It was a fair fight.”

Even while using lightness skill, the Golden Tiger Unit Leader justified his own flight.

“…At any rate, I do not want to fight the former Left Envoy. I’m not avoiding him because I’m scared.”

“Same here.”

They had no idea how exactly the fight was unfolding, but a thunderous roar erupted from where the former Left Envoy and the Hao Gate Master were. Judging by the abundance of screams, it did not seem to be a situation in which the former Left Envoy’s side was suffering.