Chapter 160
“…”
“How about it? Will you follow me to Our Cult’s Base now?”
Grip.
At the Sword King’s words, Yu Haseong finished his brief moment of hesitation and stood up. He held his sword tightly in his hand.
To perfect his Sword Art and witness the Pinnacle of Sword.
To a Swordsman, that was undoubtedly more important than life itself.
However…
“Did you tell me to join the Demonic Cult? Me?”
“I did?”
“Stop spouting such nonsense.”
“…”
As Yu Haseong displayed intense hostility, the Sword King frowned. Just by his contorting his expression for a moment, the surrounding air felt noticeably colder, but Yu Haseong did not yield.
“Before we are Swordsmen, we are human. If we forget Human Decency to reach the Pinnacle of Sword, what meaning is there?”
“Oh my… You are severely mistaken.”
Seeing Yu Haseong raise his sword, the Sword King did not back down and raised his sword in return.
His eyes were already dyed with the pathetic pity and regret of looking at a foolish Junior.
“Humanity is the very first useless thing one must discard before becoming a Sword God.”
“…You truly are a crazy old man.”
“Haha, it might look that way in the eyes of an ordinary man. Anyway…, if you will not walk the same path as me, I shall send you off right now.”
Shring.
As the Sword King took his Initial Stance, Yu Haseong also prepared to receive it.
Because the difference in their levels was so vast, he wouldn’t be able to block even a single sword strike…, but he still intended to die with the will to Fight to the Death.
But it was then.
Rustle.
“…”
“…!”
Suddenly, a figure broke through the bushes and revealed itself.
Startled, Yu Haseong turned his gaze in that direction…
“Salwang…!”
…Another Demonic Cult Elder had appeared.
‘…Damn it.’
Seeing that, Yu Haseong gritted his teeth.
It was hard enough facing the Sword King alone, but now there was another Elder.
However…
“Hmm? What brings you this way?”
“…”
Salwang’s appearance here seemed unexpected even to the Sword King, as he tilted his head.
Then, after they briefly conversed…
“…Retreat?”
Nod.
…An unexpected word flowed from Salwang’s mouth.
‘Retreat…?!’
Yu Haseong was equally shaken upon hearing the word retreat.
Still, he quickly regained his reason and calmly observed Salwang’s appearance.
Come to think of it, her shoulder and thigh were drenched in blood, making her injuries look severe.
‘Does that mean news of victory from the other side…?’
This was truly great news. If the Demonic Cult just withdrew according to Salwang’s will like this…!
However…
“Retreat…, well?”
“…!”
“…!”
…Unlike Salwang, the Sword King did not have an expression that wanted to retreat at all.
As Salwang’s expression soon distorted, the Sword King chuckled and continued speaking.
“After doing training in an empty cave for the past few decades, I finally came outside after a long time under the orders of the Deputy Cult Leader. This old man’s heart is fluttering so much…, how could I possibly run away?”
“…”
“Haha, rather, I am curious about the person who drove you into such a corner, Salwang?”
“…”
At this, Salwang said nothing, but her eyes turned so vicious it looked as if she would kill the Sword King.
It was then.
Rustle.
At the same time another presence emerged from where Salwang had appeared…
“You rat-like bitch, you surely run away a lot. Huh? But the Yu Family Head is here too?”
“Father-!!”
…Several voices rang out.
Among them was Yoo Somyung, the daughter Yu Haseong had wanted to see most right before his death…
“But who’s that half-dead grandpa over there?”
…And Muyeon, the only person who could resolve this situation, was also there.
* * *
“But who’s that half-dead grandpa over there?”
Even though I said that, I couldn’t help but tense up the moment I arrived here.
And for good reason…
‘…That white-haired Old Man.’
…He’s at the Grand Elder level.
At the very least, he’s the best among the Elders I’ve met so far.
As I was gauging the Old Man’s combat power with slightly nervous eyes, Somyung-i’s father, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, approached me.
“Somyung-a, and…, General Stronghold Master!”
“Yu Family Head. It’s been a while. You look like a mess. I’d like to exchange warm greetings, but it doesn’t seem we have the time…, who is that Old Man?”
“Sword King…, his title was Dark Heaven Sword King…!”
“Dark Heaven Sword King…”
I drew the Heavenly Demon Sword and took a step toward the Old Man called the Sword King.
“You’re from the Namgung Family?”
“Oh, do you perhaps know me?”
Unfortunately, that Old Man called the Dark Heaven Sword King was not someone who appeared in the Original Novel. However…
“No? I just guessed?”
Who else in the Demonic Cult would dare include the character for Heaven (Heaven) in their title besides the Heavenly Demon?
It had to be someone from the Namgung Family.
‘From the Namgung Family… On top of that…’
Rumble-.
The profound amount of Internal Energy was felt from him.
Furthermore…
“You must be the Pacheonmun Sect Leader, right? My word…, I’ve really been wanting to meet you…”
He even has the traits of a battle maniac?
‘This is tricky.’
Especially the fact that he’s from the Namgung Family.
Just because the incompetent Murim Alliance Leader is from the Namgung Family doesn’t mean the Namgung Family itself should be seen as incompetent.
The Namgung Family is a clan of monsters who have led the Righteous Murim with just a single sword for the past few hundred years.
If we clashed sword to sword, it was obvious that I, who severely lacked Sword Comprehension, would be pushed back in the fight.
However…
“Haa…, Blood Demon Corpse King, the Grand Elder, and my Master too. Why do I keep attracting grandpas like this?”
…The truth is, I’m quite the battle maniac myself.
Seeing the Sword King made my heart pound and my competitive spirit rise; it seemed it would be hard to back down now.
“Siwang! Tsk tsk, that fellow was the only one in Our Cult I could somewhat hold a conversation with…, and I hear you’re the one who killed him?”
“I’ll send you to the seat right next to where the Blood Demon Corpse King is lying in the Boiling Hell, so just wait a moment.”
Shring-.
As I drew my sword, the Sword King smiled, and Salwang also sighed and took a combat stance.
“I’ll deal with that Old Man, so you guys take care of that rat bitch. She’s injured, so if you use a Joint Attack, she’ll be manageable.”
“Understood.”
“…Yeah!”
Hearing Dongryong-i and Somyung-i’s replies, I took another step forward, and the Sword King also approached me with his already drawn sword.
“Haha, still, since I am your Senior by a long shot.”
“Are you yielding the first move?”
“No?”
And then…
“I shall go first.”
…He leaped at me with a face that looked as if he had returned to his childhood.
* * *
Claaang-!!
“…!”
I flinched the moment I first crossed swords with the Sword King.
‘It’s heavy.’
To think such Superhuman Strength could come from those thin, branch-like arms.
It didn’t feel like a sword, but rather like I had blocked the massive paw of a giant beast.
But the terror of the Namgung Family’s sword was only just beginning.
Kwang-! Kwang-!!
It was the slowest sword I had ever seen. At the same time…, it was the fastest.
Whoosh-.
If you let your guard down thinking the initial movement was slow, the moment you blinked…
Kwang-!!
…The Sword King’s sword would already be right in front of my neck.
An ultimate Heavy Sword that blurred even the concepts of time and space.
Furthermore, the blue sword aura unique to the Vast Sky Boundless Sword Art combined with the pitch-black demonic energy…
Kwaaaang-!!!
…It displayed truly insane destructive power.
“…Ugh!”
Just blocking those sword strikes made my hands go numb. I had to block the Sword King’s natural-disaster-like sword using the profound principles of the Para Demon-Slaying Sword, which was a modification of the Para Demon-Slaying Saber into a Sword Form.
Soon, another lightning-like swing followed…
Kwang-!!
“Hmm…?”
As a brief moment of pause occurred, the Sword King looked at me and tilted his head.
“You…? Are you perhaps not originally a Swordsman?”
“I originally used a Saber, though?”
“Hoh…!”
Then, upon hearing the answer that my main weapon was originally a Saber, he made an expression like a betrayed lover and became greatly enraged.
“No wonder…, I felt a slight awkwardness in how you handled the sword! How dare you wield such a precious sword with those profane hands! Do you even know what kind of sword the Heavenly Demon Sword is!”
It seemed the safety pin on this sword-nerd bastard had been pulled.
“It is a sword containing the soul of the First Heavenly Demon, the only one in the thousands of years of Murim history to reach the realm of the Sword God! And you dare grab it with the dirty hands of a Saber Wielder-!!”
“Do you think I only grab it? I even hug it to sleep at night.”
I didn’t actually do that, but as a way to provoke him, I pulled the Heavenly Demon Sword further forward and waved it around, which made him even more agitated just as I intended.
“Yeah, just like you said, grandpa, this sword is pretty awesome. If you’re mad about it, try taking it back.”
“…Fine.”
And then…
Hwoooo-.
“…I shall personally show this arrogant Saber Wielder the true essence of the sword.”
…He began to channel an even heavier energy into his sword.
“…!”
“No, this is…!”
As if realizing what the Sword King was about to unleash, Yu Haseong groaned from behind.
The most outstanding Ultimate Technique among the countless Martial Arts of the Number One Sword Family Under Heaven, the Namgung Family.
Imperial Sword Form.
Especially, the Imperial Sword Form unleashed by the Sword King would be incomparably superior to that of the Murim Alliance Leader.
Tremble.
In fact, just from the sharpness radiating from the Sword King’s sword, my body began to tremble from the heavy pressure.
‘His presence is truly terrifying.’
Looking as if he had contained all the energy in the world within his sword, the Sword King truly appeared as an emperor himself.
And…
Vwoom-.
…That overwhelming and massive emperor’s sword immediately surged toward me.
“N-No-!”
“Leader-!!”
This seen and the danger sensed, cries erupted from all around.
In reality, if I were hit by that, I would instantly be torn to shreds without leaving a trace.
However…
“…You’re finally using it.”
…At that moment, I had a full smile on my face.
Actually, as soon as I found out the Sword King was from the Namgung Family, I was waiting for him to use the Imperial Sword Form.
And for good reason…
‘Unknown Sword-Breaking.’
The Pajeon Divine Art’s First Stance, Unknown Sword-Breaking, literally cuts through energy.
The Imperial Sword Form, swung with massive condensed energy, was exactly what Unknown Sword-Breaking was meant to counter.
Hwooo-!
Kwasasasa-!!
“…!”
“The Imperial Sword Form is…!”
Indeed, the moment it met Unknown Sword-Breaking, that mighty Imperial Sword Form was shredded away like crumbling styrofoam.
And my sword, having shattered the Imperial Sword Form, headed straight for the Sword King’s neck.
‘It’s over.’
I intended to take advantage of the gap where his momentum collapsed to immediately slice his neck.
But then…
“Huh…?”
Swish-!
…As if he had expected this, the Sword King’s Sword Path changed, and a new Stance began to unfold.
And…, that Stance was quite familiar to my eyes.
The shock I felt upon seeing it was far greater than when I saw Cheon Ye-Seo in Anhui.
And for good reason…
“You…, how…!”
“Isn’t the Heavenly Demon Divine Art ultimately a sword art as well?”
…The Stance he unleashed was the first Stance of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the Unknown Killing Sword.
“It took me decades to master that single Stance I saw in the past.”
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art cannot be learned unless one is the Cult Leader. The Unknown Killing Sword unleashed by the Sword King was also subtly different from the real thing.
Then, could it be…!
“…Did you modify it so that your body could learn it too?”
The Pajeon Divine Art was also ultimately a degraded, modified version of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Right now, the Sword King must have modified it so that someone who wasn’t the Cult Leader could unleash the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, just like the First Pacheonmun Sect Leader had done.
However…
“…If the Heavenly Demon or that bitch Cheon Ye-Seo finds out about this, they won’t let it slide, you know?”
…The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is originally a Single-Successor Tradition Unique Martial Art. Even though Cheon Ye-Seo’s case was special, unless the Demonic Cult had collectively gone crazy, they wouldn’t just sit still if they found out a mere Elder had learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art…
“There won’t be any witnesses, so what does it matter?”
Fuck.
“What I serve is not the Cult Leader, but the sword itself.”
Cheon Ye-Seo, this idiotic bitch.
A martial arts thief like this had even snagged an Elder position, and she couldn’t recognize it?
Kkagaagagak-!
But I didn’t even have the time to curse at Cheon Ye-Seo.
To face the Sword King right now, I couldn’t afford to lose even a single ounce of focus.
“…Keuk-!”
When clashing at close range with such similar Martial Arts, I could never match the Sword King’s Sword Comprehension.
Paat-!
And that difference led to a momentary opening…
“Farewell.”
“…!”
The Sword King did not miss that gap and thrust his sword.
And at that moment…
Vwoom.
“…Huh?”
…This time as well, the Heavenly Demon Sword reacted and moved on its own, pulling my hand along with it.
‘…Again?’
At this, I couldn’t help but be greatly flustered…
Claaang-!!
“…No! Just now…!”
…Watching my movement, the Sword King was even more flustered and showed a violent reaction.