Chapter 8 - Demonic Claw (2)

＂The sword awaits you.＂

The 1st Demon spoke. An invisible hand struck the back of my head.

＂I told you not to touch it without permission.＂

＂...But.＂

＂Don't argue. What can't be done, can't be done.＂

＂Can you at least tell me why not?＂

＂A reason?＂

The 1st Demon stood before me.

＂No need for words. I'll show you.＂

Something pierced my chin, and I lost consciousness in an instant.

When I opened my eyes again, the 1st Demon's foot was on my back.

＂Demonic Claw of the Nine Heavenly Demon Arts. It's the first form you learn after initiation. The overall form is singular, but its applications are diverse. Since it's the most basic, the form itself is simple. The four basic applications focus on striking, retreating, and swinging.＂

The 1st Demon lightly struck the air.

Crack—A splitting sound echoed. Even without Qi, a ripping sound was produced.

＂Strong Martial Arts Moves require significant preparatory movements. But weaker moves can be scattered repeatedly. Artfully weaving these together is the essence of a Martial Arts Move. Infusing Qi into specific movements, imbuing meaning into the movements themselves. The Nine Heavenly Demon Arts are complex. Not simple at all. So, is the sword derived from the Nine Heavenly Demon Arts simple? On the contrary, it's even more difficult. It's not a Martial Arts skill that the likes of you can handle from the start. You're third-rate.＂

＂.......＂

＂Did I say something wrong? You're third-rate. Pathetically third-rate.＂

The 1st Demon scoffed.

＂Are you smart, then? Not at all. You're pathetically stupid. Your perception is abysmal. You don't have anything particularly outstanding. The only thing somewhat passable is your improvisation...but even that isn't particularly exceptional. Your actual mind might be smart, but your Martial Arts mind is stupid. You idiot.＂

＂.......＂

＂Jeok Un. You were born with qualities unsuited for Martial Arts. Thanks to the Thousand Veils, that disposition is slowly being altered, but will your innate qualities disappear completely? Absolutely not.＂

＂...Then why are you teaching Martial Arts to someone hopeless like me?＂

＂Because of the Cult Leader’s orders. Nothing more, nothing less.＂

Every word chipped away at my pride. But at the same time, I knew.

I'm not a genius. I'm far removed from such individuals.

She was right. I only learn what I'm taught. And even then, I don't learn it properly, needing to repeat what I've learned countless times.

＂What I'm teaching you now is preparing your body for when you eventually wield a sword. So shut up and follow my instructions.＂

My shattered self-esteem crumbled at my feet. Unable to pick up the pieces, I lowered my head.

I know she's right. But at the same time, it was unbearable how insignificant everything I possessed seemed.

I know I'm a Bum-bu.

But even so, I...

I wanted to crave something beyond my reach.

＂...Still.＂

I raised myself up.

＂I want to go even a little faster.＂

＂......＂

＂If I'm to eventually wield a sword, I want to grasp it sooner. Sir 1st Demon. Even if what I've been given is inadequate, it can't shatter my Ideal.＂

＂You're full of ambition.＂

＂I wasn't originally. But...＂

I recall the Heavenly Demon's face.

I smiled bitterly.

＂The Cult Leader changed me. Sir 1st Demon. I will never grasp the sword. But...please teach me how to become stronger faster.＂

＂Rushing leads to falls.＂

＂I'll maintain my balance so I don't fall.＂

＂That's not something a third-rate can handle. Damn it. I'll ask. What's the rush? You really...＂

The 1st Demon sighed as if exasperated.

＂Do you think you can stand alongside the Cult Leader with that body?＂

＂Even if I can't, I'll chip away at my soul to try.＂

＂.......＂

＂I already died once that day. Sir 1st Demon. It was the Cult Leader who breathed a dream into my empty corpse.＂

The pain of the Thousand Veils surged.

But I welcomed this pain.

Because it made me feel alive.

＂I want to become stronger. As a Martial Artist.＂

＂...Stubborn brat.＂

The 1st Demon stepped back. Creating distance, she looked down at me.

＂You idiot. You fool. Your talent is pathetic. Just as I said. But even a pathetic wretch like you has something.＂

＂Yes?＂

＂Endurance. That's your sword. And if you can just endure, there's one weapon you can use. Something I wouldn't recommend to any fellow Cultist. But if it's all you have, it can at least give you a fighting chance.＂

＂...What is it?＂

＂Thousand Veils. But neither I nor the Cult Leader use it. The reason is simple. It lacks refinement, it's nothing more than a mud fight, and it makes you look like a madwoman in the eyes of others.＂

The 1st Demon drew her sword.

＂If all you have is endurance, I'll teach you this. It may not be elegant, but it will make you stronger. Your growth rate will also improve somewhat.＂

＂I want to learn it.＂

＂I'm not finished. There's a price. It's based on endurance. It will bring you more than double the pain you're currently experiencing. Every step you take will be accompanied by a splitting headache, and the agonizing pain might even drive you to slit your own throat.＂

＂.......＂

＂Do you still want it?＂

The 1st Demon asked.

I answered.

＂Not learning when there's a path to improvement is more painful for me.＂

＂Tsk.＂

The 1st Demon muttered.

＂You're the craziest bastard I've ever met.＂

. . .

---Thwack!

A hand flashed before my eyes. Blood spurted from my sliced nose.

First-Rate. Yi Ho’s hand, nearing that level of Martial Arts mastery, was as sharp as steel. His Qi-infused strike effortlessly sliced through the air.

＂You little worm. How dare you.＂

His voice was cold. As if he'd killed many times, his fingertips held no hesitation.

I pushed the Nine Heavenly Demon Arts to their limit. Distributing my Qi, I unleashed the Demonic Claw.

Our hands collided. I was the one flung back. My arm bent backward with searing pain.

He laughed.

＂Pathetic. You piece of trash.＂

---Crash!!!

My body was thrown back. My struck abdomen lurched as if it would burst.

Blood mixed with my ragged breaths. As I stumbled back, Yi Ho approached, cracking his knuckles.

＂Let me ask. Why did you target me? Seong Ja-Myeong? Who the hell is that?＂

＂...Shut your mouth...＂

＂Seong Ja-Myeong...Seong Ja-Myeong...Shit. I still don't know. I don't know that name. I don't know why you targeted me.＂

My chin was kicked.

＂But judging by your eyes, you're not the same as me. There's reason in your eyes. You're not someone who enjoys killing. That makes it even stranger. I've never met you. We've never crossed paths. I'm not even holding anything to eat, so why are you after me?＂

＂......＂

＂Could it be...because of the guy I killed yesterday? I don't remember the number. But he was pathetically weak. Just like you. Yeah...could that guy be Seong Ja-Myeong?＂

Yi Ho burst out laughing.

＂A pair of pathetic losers! Hahaha! Did you come here for revenge? With those hands that can't even throw a proper punch? That Seong Ja-Myeong guy must be crying in hell. You're pathetic. A piece of trash to be chewed up. Oh...where are you going? Crawling away?＂

My back was stomped.

＂You and I are worlds apart. Thirtieth. It's been a while since I've laughed. Ah, yes. Let's see... I didn't even remember that guy's number. But I remember other things.＂

＂...Ugh!＂

＂That guy, you see, seemed to think I was a newbie. He approached me with a freshly caught snake in his hand. Do you know what his first greeting was? 'Little Brother, you look hungry. Would you like to have this?' He said something ridiculously naive. But he wasn't entirely wrong. I was hungry. Hungry in a different sense...＂

My neck was grabbed. I was thrown.

The tree I collided with shook. Leaves fell on my face.

I couldn't see.

＂I, you see, took the snake he offered. Wondering if he'd played a trick, I took a bite. I said, 'Eat it first to make sure it's safe.' So he ate it. He must have been quite hungry, the way he swallowed it without chewing was amusing. Isn't it pathetic? Even though he was hungry, he offered the food to someone else before filling his own belly.＂

Yi Ho drew his sword.

＂He was a complete sucker. I played along for a while, then I sliced his arm. Thinking it wasn't enough, I slit his abdomen. When his guts spilled out, his expression changed. He gurgled, unable to speak, so I ate one of his arms right in front of him.＂

＂.......＂

＂His face was hilarious. The arm was quite tasty. The sword sang beautifully after a long-awaited kill. Thirtieth. No, wait. You're called Jeok Un, right? You reek of the same scent as that guy.＂

Yi Ho slowly approached me.

＂What will you say when your guts spill out?＂

His face, now without the hood, was hideous. Grotesquely distorted, it was far from human.

A Beast. A blood-soaked murderer. I pushed myself up, leaning against the tree.

Even after a brief exchange, the difference in our abilities was clear.

The 29th was right.

It's too early. I can't beat him.

...But.

I can't back down.

「Third Brother, Demonic Valley is a very cold place.」

Indeed, it is. Ja Myeong.

Demonic Valley is too cold. It's not a place for someone like you.

Someone offering words of kindness gets stabbed. How does that make sense?

It's absurd.

I can't accept it.

So...

I'll show them, at least.

＂...Haa.＂

The moment that absurdity shatters.

＂I'll tear you apart.＂

He walks. His wavering foot disappears for an instant.

Ghost Shadow Step. His is more advanced than mine. But I also unleash the Ghost Shadow Step simultaneously.

I don't infuse Qi. I conserve as much as possible. Compressing and compressing, I dash forward.

I extend my hand. There's only one thing I can do. The basics I've honed since arriving here.

Demonic Claw of the Nine Heavenly Demon Arts.

---Thwack!

The air ripped. My forcefully thrust hand struck forward.

But only the air burst. His passing sword was stained with blood. My blood, scattered in the darkness, stained the ground.

Nine Heavenly Blood Demon Sword Arts.

His sword devoured my right arm.

＂Gaaaaaaaaah!!!＂

＂Haha! Your face is priceless!＂

He licked the tip of his sword. Chuckling, he slid his hand along the Sword Body.

＂Stained with blood. Yours is quite tasty. A rebellious flavor. I'll slice off all your limbs, especially for you. It will be a fun time. A time so fun I wish it wouldn't end.＂

I searched for my severed arm. Agony surged.

I wanted to scream. But I endured. The horrific pain wasn't simply from my severed arm.

The Thousand Veils were writhing. Just like that time.

Like when the 1st Demon severed my arm.

「It's based on endurance. It will bring you more than double the pain you're currently experiencing.」

The Thousand Veils were seeking my lost arm. I slammed my head against the ground.

I laughed to avoid crying. I reached out and picked up my severed arm.

「But if you can overcome it, you will become even slightly stronger than before you collapsed. The Nine Heavenly Demon Arts are learned on the Death Line. The more blood you shed, the deeper your understanding of the Martial Arts becomes.」

I grasped it with one hand. Yi Ho’s laughing expression hardened.

＂...What are you doing?＂

I reattached my arm. Pain, unbearable even for me, now accustomed to the Thousand Veils, washed over me.

The Thousand Veils thrashed. Realizing I was trying to use them, they constricted the blood vessels throughout my body.

I wanted to die. But at the same time, I couldn't die. I did this to avoid dying, so I couldn't slit my own throat, could I?

Instead, I stood. Swallowing the pain, I clenched my fist. While my severed arm reattached itself, I whispered constantly.

Don't stop. Jeok Un.

Crawl forward, even covered in blood.

Because that's...

That's the path you chose.

＂...A, arm...reattached...what kind of nonsense...?!＂

I took a stance facing the terrified Yi Ho. Circulating the Nine Heavenly Demon Arts throughout my body, I whispered.

I was born in the mud. Even when I first opened my eyes, I didn't see the sunlight.

A life beneath the clouds.

That's me.

---And I hated it with a passion.

「Fufu. Entering Demonic Valley wasn't entirely bad.」

Ja Myeong. How about you?

Did you love your life?

「I was so happy that someone like Third Brother was here.」

I don't know you well. I don't know exactly what your dream was.

Like licking the surface of a watermelon, we didn't ask each other deep questions. We just looked at the surface and talked, looked at the surface and laughed.

But it was still good.

「Third Brother. Third Brother, you're...」

Ja Myeong.

So don't feel sorry about this.

I'm doing this because I want to. If you're watching from the afterlife, smile brightly.

That's my friend.

A snake in the mud, crawling up this unfair world---that's him.

「Survive...live on...for me too.」

A snake can't become a dragon.

But I dare to dream.

A dream beyond my reach.

＂...Ja Myeong.＂

I stumbled forward. Something welled up in my eyes.

It felt like all the blood vessels in my body were bursting. But I took another step.

The pooled tears mixed with blood and fell to the ground. But I pulled the corners of my mouth up.

My friend is watching.

I can't show him a pathetic sight.

＂Look.＂

My voice. Reach him.

Pierce even the sound of the wind and soar.

＂How I survive.＂

Wallow in the mud. Jeok Un. Wallow and cover yourself in blood.

Even covered in wounds, move forward. Towards that distant, unattainable height.

Because there will always be one Martial Arts skill at its foundation.

＂Nine Heavenly Demon Arts.＂

I clenched my fist.

I painted the time I laughed and talked with him in blood.

＂Demonic Claw...!＂

Crimson afterimages enveloped my body.

The Thousand Veils cried out.