Chapter 159: The Sword That Awoke to Darkness

As everyone except Baek Moo-jin’s party rose from their seats, the Demon Lord slowly stepped forward. Except for his hair, which was long like a woman’s, he possessed the appearance of a noble prince. He wore a long robe reaching to his ankles, embroidered with a pattern of thin white and black lines crisscrossing each other.

The Demon Lord walked to the center of the stage, surveyed the surroundings once, and spoke.

“Sit down.”

At that, the entire Demon Clan fell silent and sat back down. The Demon Clan Leader turned his gaze toward Baek Moo-jin’s group.

The Demon Clan Chief addressed Baek Moo-jin’s group in a gentle tone.

“You must have traveled a long way. I am the Demon Clan Chief.”

Such an ordinary, normal greeting left Baek Moo-jin and the others speechless as they stared at the Demon Clan Leader.

Meanwhile, the Demon Clan Chief, seemingly aware of each member of Baek Moo-jin’s group, observed their expressions and gazes. Then, to test their cultivation, he transformed his eyes into Demon Eyes.

Though his outward appearance remained unchanged, his gaze now held demonic energy. The moment he looked at someone with these demon eyes, he could shatter their soul-capturing techniques.

Of course, Baek Moo-jin and his group had no intention of using soul-capturing techniques.

It was merely a demonic art he had cultivated while the Demon Clan fought for supremacy against the Demon Sect.

However, when gazing at an opponent with the Demon Eyes… those with low cultivation might have their vital energy reversed, causing them to spit blood and die instantly. Therefore, it was a method the Demon Cult Leader often used when testing an opponent.

With demonic eyes gleaming, the Demon Cult Leader spoke.

“Dang Guishun, was it? Pleased to meet you.”

His tone was calm and deliberate. It was a natural remark, as if he knew everything about Baek Moo-jin’s group.

The moment Dang Gwisun looked at the Demon King, he swallowed hard.

Then, the Demon Lord turned his gaze to Go Seon-woo and said.

“So you are Go Seon-woo.”

Amidst the silence, only Go Seon-woo and Dang Gwi-sun’s breathing broke the stillness, suddenly becoming ragged. The moment their eyes met the Demon Lord’s, their breaths had involuntarily faltered. Both men were bewildered by this inexplicable occurrence and were now trying to steady their breathing again.

The Demon King smiled and turned his gaze to Lee Neung-so this time.

“Evil King, Lee Neung-so, welcome. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

Lee Neung-so nodded in response.

“Where did you hear my old nickname? Well, I came because I was curious about you too.”

The Demon King nodded and looked at the King of Power.

“It is an honor that the King of Power has come in person.”

“······.”

The King of Kwon merely glared at the Demon King, offering no reply. Then, the Demon King extended a hand toward the King of Tao and said.

“If one were to name the master closest to a miracle in this martial world, it would undoubtedly be the Dao King. Welcome.”

The Taoist King also offered no reply, merely nodding his head. To the blind Taoist King, the ominous presence on the stage felt like a human shell speaking human words.

‘This is someone only Baek Gajwa could face.’

This was Dowang’s honest thought.

This time, the Demon King looked at Jin Sohye and smiled. That smile held an emotion that delighted in Jin Sohye’s beauty.

Surprisingly, the Demon King bowed his head slightly and addressed Jin Sohye.

“Princess Jin, welcome. You are even more beautiful than the rumors suggest. It’s astonishing.”

The moment Jin Sohye heard the Demon Lord’s words, goosebumps rose on her arms. The way he addressed her made it painfully clear he saw everyone beneath him.

Jin Sohye glared at the Demon Lord with murder in her eyes, but he did not lose his smile.

Finally, the Demon King, still smiling, turned his gaze toward Baek Moo-jin.

The two men locked eyes.

Mahon Jongju spoke.

“Good to see you. So this is how we meet. You should have come to me sooner. Well, I suppose you couldn’t have known what kind of person I am, so I won’t blame you.”

Baek Moo-jin offered no reply, staring intently into the Demon Lord’s eyes. The Demon Lord withdrew his demonic gaze and looked at Baek Moo-jin with an ordinary expression.

The Demon Lord silently conveyed his intent.

‘Welcome.’

Baek Moo-jin nodded in acknowledgment, recognizing the Demon Lord’s presence in his own way.

Was this the feeling enemies felt when facing Baek Moo-jin? In that moment, Baek Moo-jin understood why the Demon King had invited him and his companions with such confidence. This was a being whose aura radiated the conviction that he alone was supreme in heaven and earth.

Baek Moo-jin found himself unconsciously propping his chin with one hand, gazing at the Demon Lord as if admiring a work of art.

Thus, the destiny of the Snow Mountain Hundred Families and the history of the Demon Clan converged in one place.

2.

The Demon Clan Patriarch, having withdrawn his gaze from Baek Moo-jin, looked around the Demon Clan and declared.

“We are here.”

What on earth did that mean?

Yet the entire Demon Clan echoed the Demon Clan Leader’s words.

“We are here.”

It felt like the atmosphere at a religious gathering, where followers echo the leader’s words. The Demon Clan Leader’s words flowed out.

“The Mad Demon, the Sword Demon, the Water Demon, the Five Lords. The other masters have perished at the hands of the White-Robed Demon. We are those who revere the strong… There can be no grudges. They are in the realm of the dead.”

Mahonjong’s reply flowed out coldly.

“They are in the realm of the dead.”

The Demon Clan leader nodded and turned to look at Baek Moo-jin’s group.

“We did not confront you with overwhelming numbers. I did not permit an ambush. Today’s outcome will be decided by Baek Moo-jin and myself… but witness this stage. We must enjoy the spectacle. Go Seon-woo and Dang Gwi-sun, you lack the qualifications and must only watch. But the remaining four—Dong Wang, Kwon Wang, Lee Neung-so, and Jin So-hye—must fight to the death. That was the condition for your bloodless entry into this place.”

Baek Moo-jin retorted curtly.

“Wouldn’t it be settled if just the two of them fought?”

At Baek Moo-jin’s words, the Demon Clan Leader shook his head and held out his hand.

“No. The reason you arrived here unscathed, without a single wound, is because I showed consideration. Had you brought troops, it would have been the same… I would have slaughtered most of them. So this time, it is your turn to accept the terms. We will settle this by force… determining who lives and who dies. That is our way, and the law you must follow here. Refuse, and I’ll lead the entire Mahon Clan against you. Baek Moo-jin, what will you do?”

At the Demon Clan Leader’s words, the entire Demon Clan looked at Baek Moo-jin with eyes that seemed to wish it would actually happen.

The Demon Clan Leader added.

“This is the pastime you chose by abandoning everything. Look. At your faces… The Martial King, the Taoist King, Yi Neung-so, even the Young Palace Master… Look at those eyes. Is anyone afraid?”

The Demon Clan Leader shook his head as he spoke.

“None. They’re ready to charge out at any moment. If anyone is afraid, speak now. I’ll provide a boat; return with Dang Gwisun and Go Seonwoo.”

Baek Moo-jin and his group had no choice but to accept Mahon Jongju’s words, a mix of provocation, threats, and personal desire, as if they were trapped in a dead end. Moreover, as Mahon Jongju said, there was no one here who feared a one-on-one duel.

Observing the group’s expressions, Baek Moo-jin nodded.

Lee Neung-so responded indifferently to Mahonjongju’s words.

“Enough talk. Get on with it.”

Mahonjongju nodded, glanced at his subordinates, and declared.

“Tal-myeong… Let us begin.”

Talmyung Majon stepped lightly onto the stage.

The moment he saw Talmyung Majon, Lee Neung-so leapt to his feet as if he couldn’t bear it. Talmyung Majon shook his head at Lee Neung-so, then pointed his finger at the Sword King.

“Dowang, let us see your Haemyeongdo once.”

Dowa, having been singled out, nodded.

“It is an honor that you even know my blade’s name. The alias ‘Tal Myeong’ is new to me—what is your name?”

“Talmyeong Majon.”

“How grandiose.”

As the Sword King ascended the stage, the crowd felt his presence fill the rather spacious platform.

The Sword King, a swordsman with no eyes.

His fame was already familiar to Mahonjong. Only then did Mahonjong understand why the leader had arranged this meeting.

Simply seeing the Dao King and the Demon King of the Nameless Realm face each other filled the watching Demon Clan members with happiness.

Each felt their hearts swell with emotion at being able to witness this duel.

How could the Demon Clan leader not have anticipated this? Returning to his own empty seat of honor, he said.

“Enjoy the spectacle, everyone…”

3.

When the Demon King stepped forward first, Baek Moo-jin remained silent. Glancing at the enemy’s leaders, he saw few masters who could truly match the Demon King.

First, the Blood Demon, the Lion of the West, and the middle-aged man beside him…

Baek Moo-jin studied the middle-aged man and thought.

‘So you must be the Left Lion.’

Excluding Mahon Jongju, the only masters capable of facing the Duke were the Left and Right Lions.

Baek Moo-jin had no intention of following the Demon King’s lead. If someone too formidable for the masters he brought stepped forward, Baek Moo-jin planned to step forward first.

That is, even if it meant facing both the Left and Right Lions before confronting the Demon King… Baek Moo-jin was prepared to do so.

But the Demon King was an exception.

Baek Moo-jin intended to appreciate the King of the Way’s martial prowess.

After exchanging greetings, Tal Myeongmajon and the Demon King clashed.

The stage was vast, its floor solid as stone. Baekdo’s Dowa and Tamyeongmazon of the Demon Path moved their bodies so swiftly that the stage felt narrow.

Everyone knew the Dao King was blind.

Yet once the fight began, heads and eyes darted everywhere, tracking the King of Tao’s movements.

‘He dodged that.’

‘Huh? He dodged that too.’

‘Whoa! How did he know to block that?’

What exactly is the role of ‘eyes’?

How could the blind Dowa act as if he possessed eyes like that?

This was the shared sentiment of those watching the duel.

But the advantage possessed by the master swordsman, the King of Tao, lay in his senses themselves. He could distinguish sounds better than others, react sensitively to life, and even his sense of touch was sharp enough to detect changes in his opponent.

His cherished sword, Haemyeongdo, meant ‘to comprehend darkness.’ His movements embodied the very form of a sage who had grasped the essence of darkness.

His sword technique possessed a sharpness capable of cleaving an opponent with a single stroke. Tal Myeongmajon, who had initially entered wielding a left sword and right blade, now found both weapons’ edges completely misaligned.

After another thirty exchanges, with a crack! both blades snapped simultaneously and flew off the stage.

In that instant, Tal Myeongmajon unleashed his signature technique.

He drew black daggers from both hips and hurled them at the Sword King.

The sound of their flight was eerie.

These were no ordinary daggers. As if linked to Talmyung Majon’s demonic arts, a grayish demonic energy stretched between them like chains. Thus, Talmyung Majon wielded the daggers like a sword while wielding the grayish demonic energy like a whip.

Tal Myeongmazon dominated most of the stage, while the Sword King dodged to the periphery, deflecting the daggers. At that moment, black demonic energy oozed silently from Tal Myeongmazon’s feet, spreading across the stage without a sound.

Jin Sohye looked at Baek Mujin.

‘Should I say something?’

Seeing the look in her eyes, Baek Moo-jin shook his head.

Jin Sohye turned her tense gaze back to the stage, while Baek Moo-jin waited confidently for the King of Tao’s response.

‘He’s not the type to fail to notice the spreading demonic energy.’

Before long, the demonic energy that had seeped out covered most of the stage.

The moment the Demon-Shedding Battlefield, which shatters an opponent’s five senses, touched the King’s feet, its demonic energy would envelop his entire body.

In that instant, the Demon-Exorcising Zone, its prayers erased, vanished from the stage.

The moment the king is enveloped by the magic, the outcome is decided.

At that moment, the King of Tao, who had retreated to the edge of the stage with several leaps, suddenly dropped to one knee and braced himself with one hand on the floor.

It was an astonishing sight.

It was also proof that he could see everything.

Black magic energy was surging toward the Sword King.

At that instant, the sword king’s sword fell to the stage floor.

Kwaaaaang!

Its direction was already clearly set. The sword energy shot out like it was cutting through a sea of black, pouring over the entire body of the Demon King of the Netherworld, who had been hiding.

Startled, the Demon King of the Fallen Sky leapt into the air and flew toward the Demon King.

Shush! Shush!

Two daggers flew toward the King of Swords.

For the first time, the Sword King smiled, then unleashed the Heaven’s Edge Blade, a sword technique, through the flying daggers.

Pure martial energy itself.

A technique where the blade touches the edge of the sky.

The martial art the King of the Way had pursued his entire life.

As this rarely used technique manifested, a colossal form of energy, taking the shape of his beloved sword Haemyeongdo, split the divine form of the Demon King of the Fallen Heaven, suspended midair, clean in two.

POW!

Even after the split, the azure blade forged by the Heavenly Sword reflected the pouring sunlight, perfectly maintaining the form of Haemyeongdo in midair.

Sword of Awakened Darkness End