Chapter 81

Kwangshin caught the scent of blood.

It was a scent that brought his vow to mind. A vow to devote his entire life to the single-minded pursuit of slaying demons. Fanatic was a man who kept his promises. He intended to kill demons without question, then descend into hell itself to tear apart the demons gathered there. Thus, the boundary between life and death held little meaning for this man.

He had merely confined himself to his quarters to avoid killing those who were not demons.

The seal was broken.

Watching the young man fight alone now, Kwangshin felt deeply satisfied. Danwooseong fought with utter brutality. Most of his blows shattered limbs in a single strike.

Kwangshin entered the battlefield and said.

“Excellent. This is why I still live.”

Kwangshin’s form seemed to waver, but he seized the Golden Mask Man’s leg barehanded, crushed it, and turned it into a weapon. He grabbed the screaming weapon with his right hand, sweeping it wildly across the battlefield.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

To prevent the weapon from moving on its own, he slammed it into the ground, smashing its skull first. To Kwangshin, it was a corpse and a weapon, feeling no heavier than a pair of chopsticks. Before long, he held two corpses in each hand and began his slaughter.

When a situation appears too horrific, people either lose their minds or it starts to look like some kind of absurdly humorous situation that transcends the horror. It becomes unclear whether this is reality or a dream, and the atmosphere spirals into madness.

Fanaticism was a magic born of magic. Aside from being magic’s enemy, it was no different from magic itself. If there was a virtual boundary line in the white path, he was a man precariously standing on that line.

That’s why he insisted on wearing gray clothes.

Gray, the overlapping of white and black, was the color of death and the very essence of fanaticism.

He was truly a man like ashes.

While Danwooseong fought two sword-wielding men, the rest of his forces were instantly annihilated by Gwangshin.

Gwangshin wiped his blood-soaked hands on his clothes as he looked at Dan Wooseong.

His expression held a gloomy look.

Normally, he would have rushed to help immediately, but the young man’s fighting was worth watching.

Watching, Gwangshin spoke.

“Drop the Pan-gwan-pil. No need to aim for the eyes.”

Dan Wooseong sheathed the Pan-gwan-pil and began facing the two swordsmen with his bare fists.

Kwang-shin’s eyes read every nuance of Dan-woo-seong’s movements. He thought the man was skilled. His offensive and defensive combat was far superior to that of ordinary swordsmen. However, both of the Sword Demon’s subordinates wielded swords without hesitation and were deploying their combined attacks, prolonging the battle.

Kwang-shin eased Dan Woo-sung’s worries.

“Fight freely. With me here, no one can join this battle.”

Dan Woosung’s eyebrows shot skyward as he raised the power of the Tenfold Battle Technique to its peak. Ki waves erupted from his entire body, and every hair on his body stood on end, blazing like flames ignited by the extreme yang energy.

Naturally, Dan Woosung trusted Gwangshin.

Kwang-shin felt Dan-woo-seong’s prayer in its entirety and uttered a single word.

“Good.”

As Danwooseong unleashed his martial arts, the swordsmen were tossed about before they could even begin to execute their opening moves.

CRASH!

Dan Wooseong grabbed the leg of Chilgeom, who was flying from his punch, yanked him back, and then struck Chilgeom’s jaw. He executed a series of movements so superb they seemed to represent martial arts at its pinnacle.

Dan Wooseong continued dragging Chilgeom along while grappling with Gugeom.

Every time a sword flew, he blocked it with Chilgeom’s body.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Amidst the chaos, the body of the Seven Swords twisted and fell to the ground, causing a ruckus by obstructing the Nine Swords’ path or colliding with the swords and bodies.

The spectator, Kwang-shin, shed his gloomy expression and laughed out loud.

“Hahaha… Kwahahahaha…!”

This gloomy man clapped with his blood-stained hands, cheering on Danwooseong.

At some point, Danwooseong seized the Seven Swords’ right arm with his right hand, channeling lightning energy into it. Simultaneously, he twisted the Nine Swords’ wrist as it pressed forward, channeling lightning energy into that as well.

The swordsmen could not launch another counterattack. The thunderous energy was surging through their entire bodies. Dan Woosung, fueled by his fanaticism, intended to unleash his inner energy without restraint.

A violent burst of energy erupted from Dan Woo-seong’s entire body.

Crackle-crackle-crackle!

The Seven Swords and Nine Swords trembled violently, resisting the thunderous energy.

Kwang-shin locked eyes with Dan Woo-sung.

“Burn them to death. Sword Immortality is meant to be burned to death.”

Dan Woosung’s hand was drenched in white lightning. The screams of the Seven Swords and Nine Swords grew louder.

“Kkhaaaaah!”

As the Seven Swords and Nine Swords poured their entire strength into resisting, Gwangshin glared and rebuked Danwooseong.

“If you want to burn them to death, make sure you’re the first to be engulfed in the flames. Your body is far stronger than theirs anyway. With me here, what are you hesitating for?”

Danwoo Seong, consumed by the will to survive, glared at Gwangshin. Gwangshin’s words pierced him like a dagger.

‘Let yourself be engulfed by the thunder first.’

Danwooseong channeled his power to become the lightning itself. Moreover, his opponents were the enemies from his past life, the Twelve Demon Swords. The psychological root of using extreme yang energy was anger from the start. As Danwooseong transformed his body into lightning, his upper body began to tear apart and scatter.

The Twelve Demon Swords’ screams grew even louder.

“Kkhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Kwangshin tilted his chin slightly as if listening to fine music, then relished the scream.

“Ah… Screams, how splendid.”

The realm of the Tenfold Dan of the Hundred Battles Tenfold Dan was vast from the start. The moment the entire realm was filled to the brim with Danwooseong’s brain qi, Danwooseong’s eyes turned white. He had reached a point worthy of being called Great Achievement.

Now, the shockwaves of the brain energy were surging into the entire body of Gwangshin, who was watching. Gwangshin did not avoid the desperate release of internal energy from his junior; instead, he shared in the agony and relished it.

The Nine Swords and Seven Swords rolled their eyes back, foaming at the mouth as they fainted. Yet they couldn’t collapse due to the thunderous energy Dan Woosung unleashed. He held them fast, preventing them from being swept away by the storm of thunderous energy.

Kwang-shin narrowed his eyes and addressed Dan Woo-sung.

“Don’t stop. Since you’ve reached the limit, stake your life on it. In the end, only those who push their limits grow stronger and stronger. Tear apart the Sword Immunity. You can burn it away. Sword Immunity is just skin—burn everything beneath it. Burn every last drop of blood.”

Danwooseong’s face trembled violently, as if his own aura was causing the water’s surface to ripple. He closed his eyes tightly once, then opened them, clenched his teeth, and unleashed his aura.

In that instant, Kwang-shin thrust out his arm in a defensive stance, then slid backward as he blocked the shockwave erupting from Dan Woo-sung’s entire body.

Kwang-shin looked at Dan Woo-sung and the Sword Demon’s subordinates as if wondering what had happened.

While Dan Wooseong’s expression, his eyes drenched in white lightning, twisted into a truly vicious grimace, those possessing the Sword Immortal’s body were being torn to shreds by the thunderous energy.

Goong-shin felt a chill run down his spine.

Where in the world could you witness such a spectacle?

It was a sight the fanatic had never seen before.

Even to Gwangshin’s eyes, it seemed as if the Thunder God himself had descended upon this spot.

The interior of the sword-pierced body cracked open under the impact of tens, hundreds of millions of vibrations and surging thunder energy. It split apart, then split again, then collided as if crushing each other, splitting further, and gradually disintegrating into dust. The crimson blood flowing from between the body fragments vanished as if evaporating the moment it was engulfed by the thunder energy.

Kwang-shin drew a deep breath, then exhaled a trembling shudder.

He felt a sense of relief.

It felt so refreshing, as if several of the mental torments he’d endured were finally resolved. It was even more satisfying than killing with his own hands.

He was a welcome junior.

Dan Woo-sung trembled all over, then knelt down to steady his breathing. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.

“Huuu…”

Kwangshin, enveloped in silence, sank to the spot, crossed his legs in the lotus position, and closed his eyes. He kept his eyes shut, clearing his mind of distractions until his junior had calmed his qi.

Kwangshin’s aura gradually expanded, as if seizing control of the entire area.

He was scanning with his mind’s eye to see if anyone was approaching.

As Danwooseong, who had been regulating his breath, opened his eyes first, Gwangshin spoke.

“Proceed with the Great Circulation. Think of it as stamping your footprints across the expanded domain. Stamp your footprints everywhere, then complete your qi circulation.”

Fully understanding Gwangshin’s words, Danwooseong shifted into the lotus position and began regulating his breath and qi amidst the slaughter.

And so, amidst the corpses, Dan Wooseong and Gwangshin sat cross-legged, welcoming the night.

Danwooseong was lost in a trance, and only after two hours had passed did he finish his qigong practice and open his eyes. It didn’t feel like he’d been clinging to his usual routine; rather, it felt like he’d wandered through the realm of the martial god for quite some time before returning.

Kwangshin opened his eyes and looked at his junior.

“Finished?”

“Yes.”

Kwang-shin broke his cross-legged posture and lay down flat, gazing up at the night sky. Dan Woo-seong also sat comfortably and looked around.

Gwangshin propped his head on his arm and asked.

“You’re the disciple of that junior who was reported missing, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’re better than Kwonwang, aren’t you?”

Gwang-shin asked while counting the stars in the night sky.

“Where is the King of the Heavens? Is it over there? Is it that star shining near my wife and children?”

Danwoo Seong lay sprawled out like a fanatic, gazing up at the night sky.

“No. He’s still fighting somewhere. Even in death.”

“Then I’ll meet him someday too.”

“Yes.”

Gwangshin said as he gazed at the night sky.

“Now you are the King of Power. Bear the weight of the title.”

“I will.”

“How is the demonic path moving?”

“They’re scattered and stirring things up.”

“Like rats?”

“Yes.”

“I knew it. After losing at the Great Battle of Oryeong, I expected them to resort to even more despicable tactics.”

Kwang-shin pointed at the night sky with his hand.

“See that star shining alone in the pitch-black space beside the Seven Stars? Can you see it?”

“Yes.”

I named it the Heavenly Demon Star. It’s my own star. I never imagined a man could withstand the attacks of the Three Gods, including myself. But demonic arts proved possible. Because it’s martial prowess built by stealing from others. We Three Gods did not face the Heavenly Demon alone; we faced the countless weak of the world simultaneously. How many of the weak were absorbed by the Heavenly Demon? My heart ached throughout the battle. The stronger the Heavenly Demon grew, the more sorrowful my heart became.”

Kwangshin stretched out his hand and pointed toward the sky.

“Have all the dead become stars? I cannot know. What joy could there be in merely shining in the night sky? I will not become a star.”

Danwooseong heard Gwangshin’s quiet voice sounding like sobs.

Kwang-shin said to Dan Woo-sung.

“Look at me. I am the very will of heaven. The me that Mado remembers from the Great Battle of Oryeong had disheveled hair, filthy clothes, and an unshaven beard. Now, for days like this, I bathe and purify myself daily. My beard is neatly trimmed, I have prepared multiple sets of clothing, and even my hair has turned black. Who could possibly recognize me as the fanatic from the Great Battle of Oryeong?

The fanatic’s laughter suddenly echoed long and loud across the quiet night sky.

“Hahahahaha…”

He was a man living mad. A man who lived and endured, acknowledging his own madness.

Kwang-shin was laughing and crying at the same time.

And so, King Kwon met Gwangshin.

ⓒ Yoo Jin-seong