Chapter 235
Episode 235. Sword Ghost (6)
Ssskt—
A translucent sword rose above the Sword Ghost’s sword seal, cloaked in an ashen aura of condensed sword force. The blade, appearing white as if it had been so from the start due to its extreme concentration, not only cut through everything, but even sliced halfway into the Sword Ghost himself.
The Sword Ghost stared blankly at my sword that had slashed diagonally across his upper body.
He vomited a mouthful of blood, then barely clung to life with the last of his inner energy as he asked,
“How...?”
The martial arts of the Sword Ghost and I were similar yet opposite, and while our cultivated techniques differed little, even our realms were roughly on par.
Even if I had the upper hand, it shouldn’t have been enough to crush him head-on like this.
To begin with, the Sword Ghost’s unbreakable sword was a manifestation of his own willpower.
That was why he couldn’t understand. His will had not yet been broken. However— “The weight carried by our swords is different.”
“Weight...is it?”
Willpower is heart. Then what filled the Sword Ghost’s sword must be infinite confidence in himself.
I am right. This path is the truest sword path. By becoming the sword, one can reach a higher realm, and so on.
Whether that belief is right or wrong, it’s not something easily judged. After all, the Sword Ghost had reached the Flowering Stage. As much as I hate to admit it, perhaps his path was not mistaken after all.
But in the end, isn't that a sword meant only for himself?
“My sword is not meant for me alone.”
“Sword Demon. For someone like you, is that even possible?”
Of course, it is.
No doubt, before my regression—back when I was still called Blood Wolf—I might have been no different from the Sword Ghost. I was a martial artist at the Peak Stage then.
But even then, there were always good people around me… and that's where things began to change.
The fragrance of a single pear blossom. A falling camellia flower. And a pavilion engulfed in flames.
My sword was ultimately forged in blood and fire.
And in the end, it faded in the bitterness of a broken promise I couldn’t keep.
Then I was given a second chance. At some point, my sword stopped being mine alone.
I do not swing it to perfect it, nor for personal glory.
I simply wanted to protect. I had lost too much. That resentment ran deep.
“People’s hearts are all different, and understanding one another completely is impossible. That’s why I sought an unchanging sword.”
“As you said, Sword Ghost, maybe that’s true. I won’t deny the desire for an unwavering standard. Especially when it comes to the sword.”
“Then—”
“But there is one thing you’re wrong about. Maybe living as a sword rather than as a person is easier...but what can I do about those who’ve already made their way deep into my heart without me realizing?”
My heartscape is mine alone. But as one lives, others naturally find their way into it.
At some point, a sword meant only for oneself becomes a sword for others as well.
“There are people who simply cannot become the sword.”
The Sword Ghost was silent for a while, then shook his head with a gloomy voice.
“No. Even so, I believe I was right.”
“...I feel the same.”
“Hmph. I thought so.”
Though he tried to force a smile, the Sword Ghost soon lost strength and slumped forward.
His dying eyes dimmed as he muttered faintly,
“I should never have accepted the Heavenly Demon’s help... What meaning was there in reaching the next realm using someone else’s power...?”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
No response.
I slowly pulled my sword from his unmoving chest.
The Sword Ghost’s body collapsed to the ground, lifeless. I let out a short sigh as I looked down at him.
“I have no idea what’s going on anymore.”
Pain and exhaustion surged as I spoke aloud.
My inner energy was already near rampage. Gathering my entire willpower to unleash that desperate strike had triggered a brutal backlash.
But the battle was not yet over.
I felt a fiery sensation pulsing along my blood vessels. I forced down a headache so sharp it felt like my skull was splitting and aimed my sword at the next opponent.
The Heavenly Demon struck down the Black Lotus Sect Master's spear with sword aura, met Seo Mun-Hwarin’s fist with his own, and blocked Namgung Dowi’s sword with a knife-hand.
Just from the shockwaves of colliding massive inner energies, weaker martial artists collapsed bleeding from their ears.
The confrontation of will versus will exuded such pressure that even seasoned fighters found themselves frozen in place.
I kicked off the ground toward him, who still wore a bored expression while facing three warriors at the Flowering Stage.
Crash!
The roar of the Thunderous Footstep Art filled my ears as the scenery around me blurred.
It was incomparably faster than any Thunderous Footstep I had performed until now—only possible due to my current rampaging energy.
In an instant, I was right in front of the Heavenly Demon.
His sword aura was tied up with the Black Lotus Sect Master, both arms fending off Seo Mun-Hwarin and Namgung Dowi.
Still gripping my sword, now glowing with moonlight, I drew it back behind my shoulder, like pulling a bowstring taut. And then—
Boom!
Instead of slowing, I pushed off the ground with full force.
All the strength of my body flowed into my sword through flexible movement of joints and muscles.
Then, a simple thrust followed.
It was the first form of the Taesan Piercing Sword, capturing the essence of the Hwangbo Clan’s Taesan Crushing Fist—a straightforward sword strike that pierced through any obstacle in its way.
But that alone wouldn’t be enough.
Even if the Taesan Piercing Sword was a top-tier technique, the Heavenly Demon was fending off three equally powerful attacks with ease.
So I added more.
The Sword Ghost’s path was vastly different from mine, but I did acknowledge one thing:
His sword was true to its nature as a sword.
Despite his cryptic remarks about newfound enlightenment with the Heavenly Demon’s help, one thing was clear—
The translucent sword he wielded, formed from sword and will united, was sturdier and sharper than any vague sword aura.
A sword only needs to be hard and sharp. That, I agree with.
So I took what I could from him.
My sword, aimed at the Heavenly Demon’s heart, became enveloped in a thin film of tightly condensed aura, glowing like moonlight...
At that moment, I ceased making distinctions.
The black iron sword, the thin aura coating it—I saw them all as part of the sword.
A sword exists to kill.
The reasons for wielding it may vary, but its value as a tool lies in the kill.
If what I held was truly a sword, then it should pierce the opponent’s vital point no matter the situation.
It would neither break nor dull before then.
That is the ideal sword I believe in.
Whummmm!
The half-drawn sword howled fiercely before quieting.
Was it because the will I had infused shared the same nature—one that pierced through all obstacles to reach its goal?
As expected, the two wills blended naturally, adding even more force to my sword.
Maybe it was because, along with my own heartscape, I had awkwardly mimicked the ultimate techniques of others and fused them into this one strike.
For a moment, I felt as though the world warped around my sword—my overflowing will distorting the very laws of reality.
Soon, the others' eyes turned toward me.
The Black Lotus Sect Master, Seo Mun-Hwarin, Namgung Dowi—all three had expressions filled with shock, awe, and conviction.
They truly believed that my sword would pierce the Heavenly Demon’s heart.
But what I saw in the Heavenly Demon’s eyes was… joy.
While facing three warriors of the Flowering Stage, the one who had kept a bored expression now clearly smiled.
It was the look of someone who had found an unexpected treasure—like picking up a pearl on the seashore.
Clenching my teeth, I pushed the sword in deeper toward that smiling Heavenly Demon. And then—
A massive black aura surged around his body and halted my sword.
“What the...”
I hadn’t expected it to be blocked so easily, but I couldn’t let it end here.
I poured every last drop of inner energy and will into my sword, forcing it forward.
It worked.
The incandescent blade trembled and slowly pierced into the black aura, finally brushing against the Heavenly Demon’s collar.
That was as far as it went.
Protective Aura
A power that makes a Flowering Stage martial artist nearly invincible.
Between equals, this technique could be shattered, but...
The Heavenly Demon’s Protective Aura was on another level. That he could block even a strike like this—
I was stunned.
Then I heard his voice near my ear.
“Excellent. And don’t worry. I always keep the promises I speak aloud.”
His tone was falsely benevolent.
At the same time, his Protective Aura began to twist, forming a distinct shape.
Sharp claws. A giant clenched fist. Its height rivaled the tallest building in the Black Lotus Sect, and atop its crown was a wicked grin.
“What...?”
A demon rose high into the sky. The moment I looked up, I realized—
The essence of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was sword aura, and this was its ultimate form.
Heavenly Demon Ruler’s Steps were the demon’s footsteps in the Heavenly Demon’s heartscape. The aura blocking the Black Lotus Sect Master's spear had been the demon’s gesture.
The illusion of the sky darkening each time he used it—it had always been because this demon was watching from above.
Now, the Heavenly Demon had revealed everything.
Forced back by the sheer aura, I stood at a distance and stared at him with the others.
Was he even a fellow Flowering Stage warrior? The pressure was overwhelming.
Thankfully, he wasn’t truly invincible.
The minor wounds left by the other three. The thin line my sword had carved through his aura.
Like water droplets hollowing stone, someday, someone would cut through his sword aura and behead him.
...If we were at full strength.
But we were all exhausted. Only the Heavenly Demon remained calm and unbothered.
“As promised, I will withdraw now. That is, if you will let me go.”
Even the temperamental Black Lotus Sect Master or sword-obsessed Namgung Dowi couldn’t say let’s fight more in this situation.
Seo Mun-Hwarin, who wasn’t even that combative, said nothing.
The Heavenly Demon looked around at them, then nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. Then hear me.”
Boom!
As he stomped, a vortex of energy exploded from his body.
As the storm of aura gradually engulfed the demon’s form, his voice echoed—
Or rather, it wasn't sound, but something that resonated throughout space like a spiritual transmission.
—I am the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the master of ten thousand demons.
—I claim to be the executor of heaven’s punishment, and those who blaspheme the heavens shall remember my name.
—You shall call me, without hesitation—Heavenly Demon.
With that declaration, the immense demonic aura storm dissipated, and the spot where the Heavenly Demon had stood was now empty.
The colossal demon was gone. So was the crushing pressure.
As if it had never existed to begin with.
Only the Sword Ghost’s corpse remained on the ground. And the lingering demonic aura—proof that it hadn’t been a hallucination.
I remained alert for a while longer, but when I finally realized the Heavenly Demon had truly left, I let out a deep sigh.
Then, from the residue of the lingering demonic aura, I heard a whisper—one only I could hear.
—Heaven no longer watches over us, yet their gifts and chains remain.
—Sword Ghost. You and I are not so different.
“...”
Words meant only for me.