Chapter 755: That Would not Happen in This Fight
A murderous aura had surged from One-Slash Sword Supreme’s body.
When she tried to step forward.
“Wait.”
Blood Heaven Blade Demon had walked up to her and offered the Golden Wound Medicine.
“When you get older, wounds stop healing well.”
One-Slash Sword Supreme’s blazing fighting spirit had subsided.
“Why are you doing this, draining my momentum?”
“Relax. Don’t push so hard. You were going in too forcefully just now.”
Behind Blood Heaven Blade Demon, Geom Mugeuk nodded as if he shared the same thought.
“If I relaxed, I couldn’t possibly win, could I?”
At the praise of the Sword King, Blood Heaven Blade Demon replied calmly.
“Still, relax.”
How could she not know it was concern for her?
One-Slash Sword Supreme had opened the Golden Wound Medicine, dabbed it on her finger, and applied it to her shoulder. Even though she had simply put her hand between her clothes to apply it, Blood Heaven Blade Demon had turned away and averted his gaze.
While that was happening, Geom Mugeuk teased the Sword King.
“What should we do? The most charming thing about Brother Ak is that tightly bound hair, you know?”
The Sword King had smoothed the hair at the back of his neck.
“If only the hair were cut, I’d be lucky.”
It meant the fight would not be easy.
“You can whine too, I see.”
“Who do you think made me like this?”
During this exchange, he had been exactly like the old Sword King.
Geom Mugeuk looked at Sound King standing behind him.
Sound King seemed relaxed. As if he were hearing music only he could, he swayed his upper body from side to side. His long arms waved here and there.
Watching him silently, Geom Mugeuk had suddenly said.
“She is beautiful.”
“Who? Him?”
“No. The woman Brother Ak liked — she was very beautiful.”
“Is that so?”
Ak Gunhak feigned ignorance, though he knew whom he meant.
“Yes.”
Geom Mugeuk said no more. The Sword King would know well why he had brought her up now.
Brother Ak, I would take you back to the Cult. And I would make sure to see that awkward moment between the two of you.
One-Slash Sword Supreme stepped forward again, and Geom Mugeuk stepped back.
Geom Mugeuk said to One-Slash Sword Supreme.
“Please snip off that horsehair ponytail right away.”
“So he can’t talk about freedom anymore. I’d even put those shoes on him.”
“All right. Leave it to me.”
Blade King watched the scene with displeasure. The one he disliked most was Ak Gunhak.
The Dark Palace Master had highly regarded Ak Gunhak from long ago. He always entrusted the most important missions to him.
‘To such a traitor.’
He had been displeased with the Sword King for a long time already, and seeing him trade jokes with Geom Mugeuk right before his eyes had filled him with genuine murderous intent.
‘When this is over, I will surely kill him.’
He did not hide that intent, so the Sword King had turned to him.
“Don’t forget I’m watching you.”
Until now, he had at least maintained the basic decorum, but now, that formality was gone.
At the warning not to act rashly, the Sword King smiled and turned back again. That sight only hardened Blade King’s expression even more.
One-Slash Sword Supreme and the Sword King faced each other once more.
The reason she had stepped forward was partly to obey the Young Cult Leader’s will and make him step aside, but in truth, it was because she wanted to cross blades with the Sword King one more time.
It felt as though she would never again have the chance to fight this man in her lifetime — at least, not with such sincerity.
One-Slash Sword Supreme revealed her prayer completely.
Her prayer was a sword.
A sword aimed at the Sword King’s face — a sword that filled him with an extreme sense of dread, as if it could pierce through his head at any moment.
A sword could invoke countless emotions in those who faced it: fear, elegance, terror, passion, loneliness...
Her prayer, depending on who faced it, would evoke different feelings.
What the Sword King felt was passion.
Beyond the sword, he could see her — a face bare of makeup, filled only with fervor for the sword, with an intense longing to become stronger.
The Sword King knew.
He knew who it was that had instilled such emotions into the faces of these Demonic Supremes.
He knew who it was that had made them carry this impossible gift at their waists.
Ssssss.
The Sword King, too, revealed his prayer — something he only showed when he acknowledged his opponent.
The next moment, the surroundings gleamed, and astonishment filled the eyes of One-Slash Sword Supreme.
Countless blades surrounded her — hundreds, thousands of sword edges so sharp that even the slightest movement could slice her to ribbons.
One-Slash Sword Supreme could feel it. If she moved carelessly, she would truly be cut. The blades within this prayer were sharper than any real sword.
‘So this is where the true Sword Tomb was.’
That was the impression the Sword King’s prayer gave.
Truly, it was the first time she had encountered such a murderous prayer.
One sword against thousands.
The two prayers collided, evenly matched.
Wooooong.
One-Slash Sword Supreme infused her internal energy into the One-Slash Sword. Then, a pure white Sword Energy flowed along her blade.
But the Sword King did not release his own Sword Energy.
‘He intends to block my Sword Energy with that iron sword?’
Anyone else would have cried out in fury — ‘How dare you!’
But instead, One-Slash Sword Supreme grew tense. Could that sword truly withstand even Sword Energy?
And the result was indeed astonishing.
Kaaang!
When her One-Slash Sword and the Sword King’s iron sword collided head-on, the iron sword did not break.
‘It truly doesn’t break even against Sword Energy?’
But the surprise lasted only a moment. Upon closer look, she felt something invisible emanating from the Sword King’s sword. Another shock coursed through her.
“Formless Sword Energy!”
The Sword King’s Sword Energy showed no visible sign. Since he used Formless Sword Energy, even his Sword Energy could not be seen.
If one were to charge at him without knowing that he wielded the Formless Sword Energy, their sword would be severed in an instant—along with their body.
Kakakakakang!
The invisible energy clashed with the pure white Sword Energy.
Each collision sent an immense vibration through the air. Though the iron sword merely held Sword Energy, it was astonishing how it endured both the inner and outer shocks. And that was not because the sword itself was special.
The opponent felt like a cool autumn breeze, but when fighting, he turned into a fierce winter wind.
‘To think he is truly this strong…’
The Sword King was the strongest among twelve masters raised by an organization that had prepared for three hundred years for vengeance.
One-Slash Sword Supreme had a premonition that this battle might become the opportunity for her One-Slash Sword Art to rise from the Eleventh Star to the Twelfth. Such was the depth of inspiration and realization that this fight with the Sword King brought her.
From her hand, her exclusive martial art was unleashed.
Her personal art was One-Slash Sword Art.
No longer bound by the old sword forms, she had forged her own path. The original eight forms had been reduced to only three.
When all of these remaining forms vanished, she would finally reach the ultimate realm of swordsmanship.
The first new form she had named — Blossom.
As the tip of her sword lightly trembled, a dozen blades of sword energy bloomed like flowers petals.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh!
The sword energy flying toward the Sword King was not mere internal energy.
Each strike carried profound insight, the essence of swordsmanship that had reached true mastery.
The Sword King sensed that nothing but his own personal martial art could stop it.
His exclusive art was Formless Divine Sword.
The First Sword — Formless Return to Void.
The air around him shifted, and even the Sword King’s blade began to quiver.
Whirrrrrr!
In an instant, a vortex formed at the sword’s tip.
Her flying blades of energy were caught in that whirlwind and vanished.
One-Slash Sword Supreme neither panicked nor felt surprise. That move of his was no less refined than her own.
Her second personal technique was then unleashed.
One-Slash Sword Art, Second Form — Falling Blossom.
Like petals drifting down in the wind, blades of energy slanted downward in sweeping diagonals — from the hardest angles to block!
Swaaaaaaash!
The Sword King again countered with his Formless Divine Sword.
Formless Divine Sword, Third Sword — Formless Defiance of Heaven.
A pitch-black void seemed to open in front of him.
Whoosh.
It absorbed the incoming sword energy in an instant — and then vanished.
That was not the end.
The next moment, darkness burst open from a single point, expelling the absorbed sword energy.
Swish swish swish swish swish swish!
The very swords that had flown toward him now turned back toward her.
She had never imagined her own attack would return to strike her.
Papapapapapap!
Clang clang clang clang clang!
Her One-Slash Sword wove through the air, cutting down the falling petals one by one.
Slash!
A sword aura she failed to block grazed her side, and blood splattered once again. It was the first time she had ever had to block her own technique.
This time, the Sword King was the first to unleash his next form.
Formless Divine Sword, Second Sword — Formless Flash.
In a single flash, a streak of light drew a perfect line between the Sword King and One-Slash Sword Supreme. No — it was as if that line had existed there all along.
At the same time, she released her final form.
One-Slash Sword Art, Third Form — One Blossom.
It was the last and third form that bore her own name.
In a blinding flash, the two techniques crossed.
No sound followed.
Sssrrrk.
As she twisted her body to evade, the front strands of her hair were sliced away.
Piiit.
A thin line of blood was drawn across her forehead.
Was it intentional? The wound mirrored perfectly the cut that had once marked the Sword King’s own forehead.
Jjjjjjjjak!
A long diagonal line was carved into the wall behind the Sword King.
He stood before it. If the wall had been cut, one might think his body had been as well—
Jing.
The iron sword he held forward trembled with vibration. He had blocked even the third form.
And then—
Pat!
The cord tying the Sword King’s hair snapped, and his hair fell loose around his shoulders.
Instead of cutting his hair, One-Slash Sword Supreme had only severed the tie that bound it.
The two looked at each other. This time too, they exchanged no formal bow. Yet, within their eyes, mutual respect shone clearly.
At last, it’s over—so thought One-Slash Sword Supreme as she relaxed her guard.
That was when Blade King moved.
‘I knew you’d spare her again!’
He had been waiting for that moment—waiting for the chance to strike. He knew Ak Gunhak would never kill her, and so he had watched for the opportunity to do it himself. Now was the perfect chance.
Shraaaak!
Just as the Blood Blade was about to tear across One-Slash Sword Supreme’s back—
Kwang!
It was Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s Heaven-Extinguishing Saber that intercepted it. Though she had relaxed, Blood Heaven Blade Demon had not. The instant Blade King moved, he had moved too.
Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s fury erupted.
“You dog-blooded bastard—how dare you!”
An immense wave of demonic energy and killing intent burst from his body.
The Heaven-Extinguishing Saber, charged with internal energy, cleaved through the air.
Shraaaaaaaaak!
Blade King raised his twin sabers to block. Having clashed several times before, he knew well the force behind that attack.
Kwang!
When blade met blade, Blade King’s eyes widened. Never before, even in their earlier battles, had he seen such overwhelming power in a single strike.
It was a strike filled with Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s fury.
Kwang! Kwaaang! Kwang!
The Heaven-Extinguishing Saber rained down upon him.
Even under blows so fierce they seemed about to shatter his wrists, Blade King felt exhilarated.
‘Yes, lose yourself in rage! The more you lose control, the more openings I’ll have!’
Kwang! Kwaaang! Kwaaang!
Blade King’s body was gradually pushed backward. Blood Heaven Blade Demon surged forward like a tidal wave.
He was truly consumed by madness, swinging his saber with frenzied abandon.
‘This old man’s strength!’
Kwang! Kwaaang! Kwang!
Sensing that Blade King was at a disadvantage, the Dark Blood Four Blades launched themselves into the fray at once. Just as Blade King had aimed for One-Slash Sword Supreme’s back, their target was the battling Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk moved. In a blinding flash, his body shot forward like light, passing cleanly through them.
Shiiiik!
He had cut down four men — yet there was only one sound.
Their deaths looked as if the same moment were infinitely reflected between two mirrors — four different men, all cut down as one.
“I told you not to so much as lift a finger, didn’t I?”
Geom Mugeuk’s warning wasn’t aimed at the already-dead Dark Blood Four Blades.
He pointed his sword toward the Iron-Masked Man and Sound King.
“Don’t even dream about it!”
His roar made the place tremble.
The only reason he hadn’t stopped Blade King earlier was because Blood Heaven Blade Demon had already intervened. Any further interference, however, would not be tolerated.
At that, Sound King sneered.
“You bar us from entering, but surely the Young Cult Leader himself isn’t planning to step in, is he?”
“There won’t be any need for that in this fight.”
It was a declaration of absolute faith in Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
Meanwhile, Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s assault continued.
It was truly a wild, unrestrained rampage — a storm of blows that saw nothing before it.
Boom! Kwaaang! Boom! Boom!
Yet even while forced on the defensive, Blade King was secretly grinning. Against any other master, this onslaught would have crushed them already. But he wasn’t weak enough to die at the hands of an opponent blinded by rage.
For a master to lose control like this — it already meant he had accepted defeat.
And then, the chance came. Overcome with fury, Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s saber struck the wall behind him and rebounded.
Blade King did not miss the opening. The Blood Blade slashed for Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s fingers. As he evaded, his grip on the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber loosened—
Shraaaaak!
Thud!
The saber flew into the air, knocked loose from his grasp by Black Blade.
‘It’s over!’
Among masters of this caliber, losing one’s weapon meant the fight was already decided. There would be no chance to retrieve it.
Shweeeak! Shraaaak!
As the twin sabers rained down upon him, instead of leaping back to evade, Blood Heaven Blade Demon stepped in close — and seized both of Blade King’s wrists.
A string of grapples — and Blade King laughed. Barehanded, he was trying to seize his wrists?
Wooooong.
Energy began to gather along Blood Blade and Black Blade.
Just a slight movement of those blades imbued with blade energy, and the old man’s wrists would be sliced clean off.
“Old Demon Supreme, did you like that woman?”
His taunt didn’t end with mockery.
“I’ll kill you, and then tear that woman apart alive.”
He had expected to see agony on his opponent’s face.
But instead, a strange smile appeared at the corner of Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s mouth.
“Heaven-Extinguishing Demonic Saber Art, Fifth Form — Direct Blade Strike.”
“What?”
At the sudden chill running up his spine, Blade King lifted his head—only for his eyes to widen.
“!”
The Heaven-Extinguishing Saber he thought he had flung far away was floating right above his head, aimed straight down at him, gleaming with a cold blue aura.
His opponent wasn’t some lunatic driven by rage. He wasn’t some reckless old fool.
The fox-like old man had waited, planned, and struck for this very moment. The frenzy had been only his; the true fool who’d lost control was he himself.
Shraaaaaaaaak!
He tried to dodge, but it was impossible.
Blood Heaven Blade Demon had drawn up every ounce of internal power, gripping both his wrists in an unbreakable hold.
Kwang!
The Heaven-Extinguishing Saber, descending like a flash of light, tore through his protective energy and buried itself deep in his shoulder.
Kwa-du-du-duk! Puk!
“Aaaaargh!”
A scream burst from Blade King’s mouth. The massive saber impaled in his shoulder sent a wave of unbearable pain surging through him.
Clang.
Blood Blade fell to the ground first. It was the first time in his life he had dropped his weapon in battle.
At that moment, Blood Heaven Blade Demon, still gripping his wrists, yanked his arms apart.
In that instant, Blade King’s eyes stretched wide in terror.
‘He’s trying to tear me apart.’
There was no time now for proper words like “Old Demon Supreme.”
“You insane old bastard! Stop!”
He raised Black Blade again, gathering energy to slice off the man’s wrists—
Puuuk!
But the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber drove deeper, sawing through flesh and bone alike.
Unable to endure the agony, he dropped Black Blade to the ground as well.
Even then, Blood Heaven Blade Demon only pulled harder, spreading his arms wider apart.
“You bastard! I said stop!”
Blade King tried to draw up his internal energy to resist, but the saber had already cut halfway through his torso.
He saw it then — the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s eyes glowing red, demonic energy pouring out like burning mist.
The frenzy from earlier had been nothing.
This—this was the true nature he had kept hidden.
“...Please!”
Puuuk!
The Heaven-Extinguishing Saber sank in even deeper. There was no mercy in that blade.
“Aaaaaargh!!”
The saber cleaved through from shoulder to waist, splitting Blade King’s body clean in half as it struck the ground.
Puaaaaaaak!
Kwang.
Soaked in blood, Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked down coldly at the half of the corpse that still had its head attached.
“If I see you even in Hell, I’ll kill you again.”