Chapter 94

Disciple Namgung Woo faced two choices.

Flee to plan for the future, or fight the demon path to the end here and die.

Even as I swung my sword, I was torn. I wished I could have seen my great-grandson’s face just once more. Then I thought of my youngest son, who had gone to heaven first after dying in battle. I wanted to see him too.

These thoughts brought peace to his heart.

If I survived, I would see my great-grandson.

If he died, he could see his long-lost youngest son.

For the old warrior, neither life nor death held any particular appeal. Simply the thought of properly unleashing the Imperial Eight Forms he had trained in for so long calmed his mind.

‘The descendant of the Six Unstoppable Swords and the Sun-Moon Heavenly Demon. Not bad at all.’

This would be quite a splendid birthday, and at the same time, the day of his passing.

As the disciple swung his sword with a serene smile…

The Sword Demon burst into laughter.

“Old man, you’ve got some nerve.”

The apprentice’s movements resembled a spinning top whirling violently. The men of the Sword Immortals were struck by blades suddenly bursting forth from the top, sent tumbling, only to rise and charge again.

He parried three demon swords at once.

He dodged two swords.

He scattered the Heavenly Demon’s force with a single strike.

Dodging the flying sword attacks from the air, he struck down two more blades. It was a flawless offense and defense, as if possessed by a spirit. Consequently, the five demon swords that had been flung away were gradually slowing their convergence speed. The men of the Sword Immortals were the first to lose their patience.

‘Damn it. How can he be this strong?’

Then, the Heavenly Demon, who had been watching for an opening the entire time, spoke in a cold tone.

“Do you want to die?”

After unleashing a fierce surge of energy, Cheonma continued.

“If you get a chance to catch your breath, it’ll be harder to capture the disciple. This is your final warning.”

Until now, Cheonma had never spoken harshly to the Twelve Demon Swords.

Because the Twelve Demon Swords were the Sword Demon’s direct subordinates.

But since this was the first warning Cheonma had ever issued, the five swordsmen felt their hearts sink. With the mindset that they might as well faint, they charged at the apprentice once more.

The Sword Demon faced equal difficulty.

The old man unleashed a truly mad martial technique, repeatedly thwarting their joint attack.

Parrying the apprentice’s blade, the Sword Demon demanded,

“Cheonma, bring out whatever hidden trump card you have. You must have one, right?”

Cheonma, continuing to unleash his martial energy, retorted.

“No opportunity. The old man is too fast.”

The sword demon spat out the words before being struck by the apprentice’s blade and sent flying backward.

Thud!

As he flew through the air, the swordsman cursed.

“Damn it.”

Cheonma addressed the five demon swordsmen.

“You lot fight using the Golden Water Technique for now. Disarm them first.”

With that simple command, the Heavenly Demon adjusted their strategy. All five swordsmen sheathed their blades.

The Heavenly Demon spoke in a cold tone.

“Hold them. By any means necessary.”

The sight of the five Swordless Ones charging forward, both hands outstretched to seize the blades, was terrifying in itself.

As the apprentice moved to deal with the demon sword first, the sword demon’s long sword flew through the air from behind.

Clang! Clang!

The disciple struck the pitch-black long sword, then clashed with the Heavenly Demon in a battle of force.

CRASH!

Then, five men crawled toward him like they were slithering across the ground. Some leaped up, some aimed for his waist, and some flew in as if to smash his face.

It was a truly bizarre and threatening attack.

They were determined to capture the apprentice at any cost.

Amidst this, the Sword Demon chanted the demonic script of the Heart Demon Speech Sword.

The Heart Demon Speech Sword was a technique similar to the White Path’s Spirit Speech Sword, meaning a man possessed by a heart demon could command the sword with his words.

He entrusted the one-on-one confrontation to Cheonma, while he himself took on the role of manipulating the demon sword to disrupt the apprentice.

A muttering that sounded like chanting sutras continued to flow from the Sword Demon’s mouth.

Then, five Sword Immortals charged from all directions around the disciple, ready to engage in close combat.

When the disciple was forced to leap into the air to break free of the encirclement, Cheonma also leapt upward along the same trajectory. As the demon sword, piercing through Cheonma’s purple robe, surged toward the disciple’s face…

The disciple struck the demon sword away, then widened the distance between them.

Then, the Celestial Demon erupted with force in midair, relentlessly closing the gap once more.

As the apprentice fell toward the ground, he swung his sword upward, and a white blade of energy surged like a dragon, striking at the celestial horse still suspended in the sky.

A technique named “Sword Piercing Heaven.”

The sword energy, formed like a colossal pillar of light, flew as if to swallow the Celestial Horse.

The Celestial Horse crossed its twin blades, tracing the Reversed Taiji while colliding the energies of extreme yang and extreme yin, known as the Sun and Moon. Then, the counterattack technique containing the essence of the Demon Path, the Reversed Heaven Mirror, unfolded.

The final move he had never intended to show the Sword Demon was forced into existence because of his disciple…

The energy and sound unleashed by the Heaven-Defying Sword collided with the Heaven-Defying Barrier and vanished…

Suddenly, the Dao Extreme Heaven returned toward the Daoist disciple.

Even the most seasoned disciples were utterly startled, watching their own qi manifest before their very eyes.

‘What on earth is this!’

The disciple once again rapidly summoned his power and struck his own Dao Extreme Heaven.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!

As the disciple was swept up in the shockwave, spinning his entire body as he flew away, the Sword Demon, judging the moment ripe, caught his own flying sword and shot forward like a bow.

“Celestial Demon, well done.”

Even amidst the chaos, the fact that Cheonma had concealed his technique gnawed at him.

‘Damn brat… He only uses his true power when cornered.’

The sword demon kicked off the ground once more and leapt upward, shouting.

“They must be exhausted. Drive them back.”

The five demon swordsmen responded in unison.

“Yes.”

After unfurling the Heaven-Defying Sphere, the Heavenly Demon, wearing a bitter expression, fluttered his long robe and moved across the ground like a ghost, gliding silently. He remained vigilant, believing the disciple still had reserves of strength.

Clang!

The disciple landed, stabbing his sword into the ground, and watched the front. The Sword Immortals were charging fiercely once more. Behind them, the Heavenly Demon, still maintaining a leisurely pace, was closing the distance while keeping a suitable gap.

‘This bastard, he’s been hiding his strength.’

He believed this skill, wielding bizarre and inexplicable counterattacks, was the true form of the Heavenly Demon.

The Sword Demon charged forward and demanded.

“Old man, you still have strength left? I expected you wouldn’t die easily, but this is going too far.”

The disciple retorted.

“You worthless trash, you’ll suffer until the sun rises.”

The disciple thought of the forces of the Namgung Clan and the Imperial Council.

If they haven’t joined forces by now, it means there are those interfering midway. In a way, having his own house face this combination of the Sword of Immortality and the Heavenly Demon might have been a blessing. It was regrettable for his children and the younger members of the Imperial Council, but had they faced these foes, the Imperial Council would have suffered even greater damage.

‘I won’t see my great-grandchildren, but I will see my youngest. That’s fine too.’

The apprentice, who hadn’t fled, looked at the sorcerer who had rebuilt the encircling net and asked.

“What gift should I leave you before departing?”

The Sword Mage grinned.

“Old man, have you lost your mind? Why the soliloquy?”

The apprentice retorted.

“When you grow old, you’ll start talking to yourself. You won’t live as long as I have. None of you bastards will ever live to a ripe old age. That demonic magic must have been a sweet temptation. Bit by bit, all sorts of spirits will cling to you. You half-wits, heh heh heh…”

Cheonma retorted.

“Old man, how could we possibly wish for long life?”

The disciple said.

“Come in. I’ll give you a gift.”

The Disciple had no intention of evading now. He had also abandoned any thought of avoiding injury. From this moment on, it was no longer the Disciple’s fight, but a man’s fight. He had fully grasped the enemies’ tactics and martial arts.

He intended to let the enemies ravage his aged body to their hearts’ content and take the bodies of those inhuman sorcerers.

Cheonma watched and said.

“Be careful. The old man seems to have changed his strategy. Especially you, watch your eyes.”

As the Celestial Demon warned, the disciple shifted his stance and brought his sword down low.

The final realm of the Imperial Eight Arts: the Blood Blade Style.

The extreme yang energy pouring from the disciple’s body condensed onto the blade. As it gathered and gathered, the entire blade began to turn crimson.

A pure white mist, like the disciple’s hair, began to rise from the blade.

Even those charging forward could feel the scorching aura emanating from the master’s blade.

The words he had spoken to his son while teaching him the Imperial Eight Arts suddenly came to mind.

‘The Eight Imperial Arts—there is nothing the blood path cannot cut. But the blade cannot endure forever. Use it only in the final moment.’

That final moment he had spoken of had now returned to haunt him.

The Daeje struck down the shoulder of the demon sword that charged first, its blade seemingly soaked in blood.

Thud!

It wasn’t cutting; it was more like melting steel.

“Gah!”

The fifth-ranked demon sword, its arm severed, let out its first scream······. The faces of those performing the ritual paled.

The apprentice moved even faster, swinging his sword. Amidst this, he slid along the floor, thrusting both hands out to meet the incoming demon sword. He pinned it down with his left foot and simultaneously drove a blood-piercing blade into the back of its head.

Thud!

Even the Sword Demon was flustered.

“What?”

How on earth had he managed to cut and stab through the body of the Sword Immortal?

But the Heavenly Demon watched intently, then spoke in a tone as if nothing had happened.

The blade won’t hold. Keep attacking. This is a limited-use blade. It wasn’t cut through with sharpness, but melted by heat. Believe me. Unless it’s the Heaven’s First Treasure Blade, it won’t stand a chance.

In an instant, the remaining demon swords retreated, slashed by the blade. The sizzling sound and the acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air. As the demon swords stopped attacking, writhing in agony, the Heavenly Demon tilted his head and said.

“Twelve Demon Swords, I thought I made myself clear when I said this was my final warning.”

Cheonma lifted the Five Swords, still breathing, with his right hand and sought understanding from the Sword Demon.

“Sword Demon, understand.”

The Sword Demon, who had been holding on while infused with a massive amount of sword energy, spat out curses.

“You crazy bastard!”

Cheonma spoke to the Five Swords, who had lost an arm.

“You’re going to die anyway. Wouldn’t it be meaningless to just leave?”

Cheonma absorbed all of Ogeom’s life force and inner energy right then and there.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

When the screams began and ended, the absorption had also concluded. As Ohgeom’s body shrivelled and shrank before collapsing to the floor, Cheonma flinched momentarily, as if overcome by a sudden chill.

“Haah…”

Cheonma watched the situation unfold while catching his breath.

Once more, with a thud! The body of Samgeom was splitting in half.

Cheonma spoke as if utterly bewildered.

“Ah, what a formidable old warrior. Truly remarkable. It draws admiration.”

Cheonma clapped and approached the apprentice. Now, the only surviving swordsmen were the Sword Demon and his two guardian deities, the First Sword and the Second Sword.

The Sword Demon bellowed.

“What the hell are you doing not helping me?”

At those words, Cheonma instead folded his arms behind his back and looked around as if searching for someone. Then, after gazing intently into the pitch-black darkness, he gestured and said.

“Right-hand man, I can’t just let my friend die. Join me.”

No answer came from the darkness.

“······.”

It was a silence that felt truly chilling.

But Sword Demon, First Sword, Second Sword, and the Disciple could only continue the fight, their expressions filled with shock.

Had an assassin arrived nearby?

In the midst of the fight, he couldn’t detect any movement around him.

Cheonma lowered his hand with a stealthy motion.

It looked like a hand signal telling him to just wait for a moment.

Cheonma spoke.

“The blades are melting. First Sword and Second Sword, draw your swords again.”

As he finished speaking, a smile touched the corners of his mouth.

With a sharp clang, the left and right generals of the Sword Demon drew their blades.

Then, as if he had regained control of the situation, Cheonma spoke again in a clear tone.

“Black Demon, I told you. I’ll give up the disciple. If I help here, I’ll inevitably absorb the disciple. And I might get stabbed by you in the process. It’s awkward either way, so I’ll give the exhausted disciple to you.”

As the four fought a bloody battle, the Heavenly Demon pointed a finger and clicked his tongue.

“Look at that. His blade’s already dulled. Like a toothless old man. The disciple is fighting with sheer willpower. He must be reaching his limit. Against us, this is nothing short of legendary. Usa, sever the disciple’s arm first.”

At that moment, Cheonma answered his own question in a disguised voice, as if responding from the location where he had shifted positions using his miraculous ventriloquism.

“Yes.”

Cheonma’s gaze was fixed precisely behind the apprentice. As the apprentice, feeling a chill down his spine, swung his sword behind him once more for no reason, Cheonma, thinking he had been tricked, burst out laughing.

“Hahahahaha… Old man, did I fool you?”

While his friend was in the midst of a bloody battle, Cheonma held his stomach and laughed heartily for quite some time.

ⓒ Yoo Jin-seong