Chapter 63 : Chapter 63
Chapter 063. Sword Ghost
From the moment the Cult Leader opened his mouth, transcendent pressure crushed down on Dam Jeok-san.
It was hard to believe he wasn't facing a physical entity.
Irresistible—these four syllables were seared into his mind like a brand.
Whether he resisted or not, death would arrive. He could see no future other than one that concluded in death, no matter what choice he made.
If the Cult Leader was a transcendent being equal to or greater than the Lord of the Martial Sovereign Castle, this sensation of death was not a mere illusion.
Because a transcendent being with such power would naturally imbue even a mere illusion with a status capable of extinguishing Dam Jeok-san's soul.
"...Well, I can't just stand by and let it happen."
Dam Jeok-san muttered with a short sigh.
Apart from his indifferent tone, his eyes held resolute determination.
He wanted to say he had shown guts even in front of the Lord of the Martial Sovereign Castle, but...
The Lord had never truly harbored murderous intent toward Dam Jeok-san. However, for the Cult Leader, there was absolutely no reason not to kill Dam Jeok-san.
―Correct. You are quite clever.
The Cult Leader's answer returned even though he had never spoken his thoughts aloud. Still a blurry voice. He slowly revealed himself from far away.
The image of the Cult Leader, dressed in immaculate white ceremonial robes without a speck of dust, flickered on Dam Jeok-san's retina. However, an indescribable iridescent curtain rippled over the Cult Leader's face like a veil.
As if implying that someone of lowly status like him could not look upon the supreme dragon's visage.
The Cult Leader slowly raised his hand. A white halo, like his ceremonial robes, shimmered in his grasp.
At first glance, it looked like a mere ball of thread, but within it resided a destructive power capable of collapsing several mountains.
But.
"No, that's not it."
Dam Jeok-san shook his head strongly watching that scene.
"You are nothing more than a residual image left by the Dark Guest. There is no way you can handle such power."
This was inside his consciousness. And in his consciousness, what he defined became the truth.
For instance, he had once defeated Seo Woo-joo, the Predator, who was an existence even more powerful than the current Cult Leader, within his consciousness world.
So, there was no way he would lose to such a crude illusion. Dam Jeok-san repeated this to himself as he approached the Cult Leader.
―Impudent. Unfitting for that weak soul and frail body.
The Cult Leader spoke with a hint of intrigue.
"......"
―Child, you are certain. That you can handle this Seat. Why? Why can't I read the basis for that crude confidence?
Perhaps excited, the Cult Leader's voice became very fast.
―Even if this shell is dregs not even amounting to an alter ego... it should not be a pressure you can endure.
Well, testing it should suffice.
The moment the Cult Leader muttered that, the white sphere exploded toward Dam Jeok-san.
A strike with power capable of devastating a small village.
'If that were the Cult Leader's true body, and if this were reality, that is.'
Dam Jeok-san thought as he watched the sphere approaching him.
But this was Dam Jeok-san's world of consciousness, and the Cult Leader was merely dregs remaining in the Dark Guest's thoughts.
Therefore, he believed.
That he could sufficiently cut through the attack of dregs.
Dam Jeok-san kicked off the ground and sprang into the air. A bold choice to approach the exploding sphere instead.
Just when the sphere, which had swollen enormously, was about to swallow Dam Jeok-san—
The two swords he held flashed as if interlocking.
Sky Thunder vertically, and the Red Cloud Sword horizontally. The twin swords collided with the sphere drawing a precise cross.
What unfolded next was.
CRAAAACK!
The Sword Path became sword marks as they were, and the sphere split into a cross shape.
―What is this...!
Complete shock appeared on the Cult Leader's face. Enough to be recognized even while covered by the iridescent curtain.
As if in disbelief, he waved both hands quickly, trying to activate some strange sorcery.
However, Dam Jeok-san did not give that supernatural being the leisure to satisfy his curiosity.
This was inside his consciousness, so it was his world.
If he wanted to cut, he could cut anything; if he wanted to kill, he could kill anything.
Whether it was Seo Woo-joo, the Lord of the Martial Sovereign Castle, or the Yin God Cult Leader.
Dam Jeok-san swung his sword with that will.
The Red Cloud Sword split the white ceremonial robes from the shoulder.
Fresh blood did not splatter. There was no scream that should have followed.
But he definitely cut it.
The Red Cloud Sword had already split the Cult Leader's body in half.
FIZZZZZ―
The Cult Leader, who had possessed a clear form, began to flicker like a phantom.
The very faint energy he harbored was absorbed by Dam Jeok-san.
―Don't tell me...! Even passing memories to the main body...
Only then did the Cult Leader mutter as if realizing something, but it was already too late. His entire body turned translucent and soon scattered like a heat haze.
The spot where the Cult Leader's illusion had completely vanished.
Dam Jeok-san stared blankly at that spot and contemplated his internal state.
'Nothing special.'
He thought there would be something since he predated on the Yin God Cult Leader. Perhaps because it was an illusion, it didn't harbor any significant energy.
Sighing as if disappointed, he did not know. That at this very moment, a blade capable of killing the Yin God Cult Leader, who had achieved true immortality, had been placed in his hand.
What followed were the Dark Guest's thoughts. Since the Cult Leader had disappeared, it was a continuous stream of undistinguished memories.
Repetition of killing, killing, and killing again according to orders. There was no joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure in it.
And when it finally reached Dam Jeok-san. He escaped from being a heartless object and came to reflect on his slaughter.
'And he decided.'
To give value to a life of following orders. To devote himself to slaughter carried out according to orders.
One might think that if he gained enlightenment, he should have turned his sword around and taken revenge on the Yin God Cult Leader who exploited him, but Dam Jeok-san, having looked into the Dark Guest's thoughts, could understand him.
'In his life, only the Yin God Cult Leader and his orders were meaningful.'
Everything else was merely inanimate matter with no value. So even if he gained enlightenment, he had no choice but to continue that life.
Dam Jeok-san forcibly suppressed the rising compassion. Feeling pity would be an insult to his will. At least he, who had crossed swords and cut his throat, should not harbor such feelings.
'Well, still, the ultimate technique he showed at the last moment was quite useful.'
Although it was a nameless ultimate technique without a name, that single strike forged with thick murderous intent was enough to give Dam Jeok-san deep inspiration.
Having read all the thoughts and finished predation, Dam Jeok-san returned to reality and drew his sword.
"Shall I try it once?"
It wouldn't be perfect. Although he absorbed the thoughts, Dam Jeok-san didn't have the concentrated single-mindedness like the Dark Guest.
But yes, he could mimic it.
Even if it's just barely imitating the form...
Dam Jeok-san slowly gripped his sword and straightened his posture.
At the same time, his eyes, filled with the predator's temperament, scanned left and right, spotting monsters still stirring up the battlefield.
And toward the individual that looked the most gigantic and powerful among them,
he swung the sword containing deep murderous intent.
* * *
"W-What, what, did I just see...?"
Peng Wu-yeol, who watched the fierce battle between Dam Jeok-san and the Dark Guest.
Deep shock appeared in his eyes.
To speak a bit more precisely, the series of events that occurred after Dam Jeok-san cut the Dark Guest's throat made him astonished.
Surely, the duel between the two was also amazing. Dam Jeok-san drove the Dark Guest, who was rampaging like a beast, with surprisingly sophisticated swordsmanship, and eventually drew out the guy's full power...
'And only then did he cut him.'
As a swordsman, and as another martial artist. It was a fight one couldn't help but be captivated by.
It felt as if the martial artist's passion, which he thought had all disappeared while being chased out of the family and pushed to the North, was reviving again, so what more could be said?
But what was truly astonishing was what happened next.
Suddenly, terrifyingly intense killing intent soared from Dam Jeok-san's body.
Enough to make his clothes flutter even without drawing up internal energy. And enough for even Peng Wu-yeol, who didn't directly face the murderous intent, to feel the fear of death.
He felt the pressure from Dam Jeok-san that he only felt when the Peng Family Head, an expert who reached the Entering Transformation Realm, revealed his full power in front of the family members.
Soon, he swung the sword that fully harbored that killing intent.
―――!
The slash stretched out, splitting the earth. Things that could be called obstacles were all crushed and ground away just by entering the range of its trajectory.
"Hah..."
A gasp of dismay flowed from Peng Wu-yeol's mouth as he watched.
It was understandable, because the obstacles Dam Jeok-san ground away were all monsters capable of dealing with first-rate experts.
At the place where the slash stretched out, there was a strange bird as gigantic as a house. If the Dark Guest broke the Divine Dragon Squad's spearhead by killing the Divine Dragon Squad Leader, that strange bird was the monster that directly killed the most Divine Dragon Squad members.
But that monster.
SLASH!
Was split in half by Dam Jeok-san's single sword.
SPLURT! Along with the sound, fresh blood scattered noisily. It was clearly a single sword strike beyond the level of a peak expert.
Peng Wu-yeol vowed as he watched that scene.
From now on, absolutely, never again, would he act stiff in front of Dam Jeok-san. He would make sure to get on his good side.
That was his worldly wisdom that saved his life even while being pushed to the frontier by the infighting within the family.
"D-D-Dam Daehyup! Saved the Divine Dragon Squad!"
He shouted loudly, putting internal energy into his voice as if reminding himself of the vow.
"Ah... Surely that Sword Dragon?"
"Right, I heard he recovered his dantian recently and was appointed as the Monster Repelling Squad Leader."
"To think he would be here."
"...We owe our lives to the Martial Sovereign Castle."
The Divine Dragon Squad members who heard Peng Wu-yeol's voice muttered in surprise one by one.
Although most of them were arrogant youngsters, they couldn't act that way towards the benefactor who saved them in a life-or-death situation.
No one put forward their pride to disparage Dam Jeok-san.
However, Dam Jeok-san, who cut down the strange bird in a single stroke, cut down the remaining monsters with ghost-like movements as if he had no interest in them at all.
The Divine Dragon Squad members, not knowing that the action was merely 'predation' to replenish the internal energy consumed by the previous slash, watched Dam Jeok-san's movements in a trance.
Dam Jeok-san, unfolding mysterious footwork, disappeared from the Divine Dragon Squad members' view before they knew it.
The place he headed was none other than where the Monster Repelling Squad was ambushing.
* * *
"Did everyone see?"
Dam Jeok-san, arriving at the ambush point of the Monster Repelling Squad, asked nonchalantly.
This is the first time the Monster Repelling Squad members properly saw his martial prowess.
Still, since he won, they wouldn't be disappointed. Thinking so, Dam Jeok-san looked around.
"......."
However, unlike his expectation, silence had settled around him.
Even if he didn't expect cheers, he thought there would be quite a reaction.
Everyone was quiet as if they had become mute, with no one opening their mouth.