Chapter 298: Greedy and Selfish (1)
Harmonized Qi wasn’t something that could be used just because you had learned the same martial art and adjusted your energy to match.
If that had been possible, the martial world would have long abandoned formations and fully embraced the foundation of harmonized qi—combined energy.
‘To use Harmonized Qi, you need complete understanding of each other.’
An understanding of martial arts.
An understanding of the other person.
Only when you understood each other more perfectly than even a married couple who had spent a lifetime together, could Harmonized Qi exert its full power.
I understood Cheon Yura’s life.
From my previous life, serving under the Cult Leader, the Heartless Demonic Empress, I had come to deeply understand her ideology and way of thinking.
But Cheon Yura didn’t understand my life.
No, to be precise, she couldn’t understand.
‘Because some guy who appeared out of nowhere without any cause or connection is throwing everything away for her.’
Before she could even try to understand, the question of why I was doing this for her would surely come to her first.
But it didn’t matter whether she understood or not.
I hadn’t started this regression expecting understanding in the first place.
Still, she had repaid my devotion to some extent.
Chzzzzzt!
The will and intent flowing from our swordsmanship mixed together.
By definition, “will and intent” referred to conveying one’s will (意) through one’s thoughts (念).
In martial arts, will and intent were often used in the form of harming others.
However, by nature, will and intent were a higher form of communication, capable of conveying intent without spoken words.
Amid the mixture of our wills, Cheon Yura’s intent flowed into me.
—I’ve thought about it countless times. Why you go this far for me.
—At first, it was pity. Then compassion. And in the end, affection. Every time we used Harmonized Qi, those were the emotions you sent toward me.
Having reached the Extreme Demon Realm, I was able to imbue my will not only with killing intent but also with various emotions.
And mixing our wills like this during Harmonized Qi meant that my very inner self was laid bare before her.
—I kept wondering why you held such feelings for me. You never told me the reason, always dodging the answer by saying you’d tell me someday.
—Back then, I thought you were projecting me onto someone else in your life.
—But no matter how much I thought, no matter how much I searched, there was no one in your life I could possibly be a substitute for.
—Will and intent cannot lie. Not unless you’re lying to yourself.
—So I made a decision.
—I decided I wouldn’t bother trying to understand your actions.
She had outright refused to meet the basic condition required for Harmonized Qi.
However, in exchange—
—I don’t care anymore whether you tell me or not.
Her emotions reached me through her will.
—I’ll never let you go to someone else.
It was an unconditional, or rather, one-sided acceptance.
Greedy and one-sided.
—Even if you try to leave me, I won’t let you go anymore.
It was selfish affection.
—Like I said before, if you get dragged away by someone, I’ll put a leash on you and drag you back. If you try to leave, I’ll cut off your arms and legs and lock you up in my room for the rest of your life.
She made her intentions crystal clear.
—You belong to me. I will never let you go.
—……
It was a twisted, madness-filled possessiveness, but I liked it.
I welcomed it, no matter how much.
—Same here. No matter where you go, no matter where you disappear to, I’ll definitely find you and drag you back.
—…How delightful.
Will and intent were always influenced by emotion.
This mutual, greedy craving for each other expanded the form of our Harmonized Qi, endlessly consuming the space around us.
The air trembled.
The earth quaked.
Yet we stood firm.
‘They’re coming.’
Yoo Jeon and Ma Seoyeon’s Mixed Origin Qi was coming at us, far more powerful than before, trying to consume us.
But for some reason, I felt like there was no way we would lose now.
I sent my will toward them.
—Do you think you can surpass us with those lukewarm emotions, Senior Brothers?!
The response came instantly.
—Hahaha!
—You cocky little bastard!
The provocation worked blatantly well.
In an instant, their momentum intensified dramatically.
Without hesitation, Cheon Yura and I unleashed our Harmonized Qi.
And thus, the Heavenly Demon Harmonized Qi and the Mixed Origin Harmonized Qi collided.
Two pillars shot up, punching holes in the sky.
---
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The two Harmonized Qi pillars, as if they would soar endlessly, collided.
Like a volcanic eruption, the unleashed energies gradually died down and began to lose strength after nearly reaching their peak.
The result of this clash that shook the entire surrounding area was none other than—
“Huff, huff!”
“Haah! Huff!”
Mutual destruction!
My Senior Brothers and I glared at each other, panting for breath.
Unlike the first clash, the two’s Mixed Origin Qi had failed to consume our Heavenly Demon Harmonized Qi.
But likewise, our Harmonized Qi had also failed to completely overwhelm and erase theirs.
“You… you bastards… you’ve got some skill, huh?”
“You two are quite passionate yourselves, aren’t you?”
There were two reasons we hadn’t won.
First, we still hadn’t overcome the absolute difference in level.
And second, those two harbored feelings for each other just as intense as ours.
Even if the result of the Harmonized Qi ended in a draw, it didn’t matter—we all leapt forward, swinging our swords.
We didn’t want to lose.
It was the common desire shared by all of us.
Yoo Jeon, who was crossing swords with me, gave a playful grin.
“Honestly, I’m aware that this is a bit ridiculous.”
I also smiled as I faced him.
“I understand, Senior Brother.”
Originally, Yoo Jeon and Ma Seoyeon’s role was to use the same Harmonized Qi to elevate our level.
But now, the two of them had clearly strayed from that original purpose.
“Watching you two makes me feel a burning desire to defeat you.”
“Does losing a fight make you feel like your feelings for your lover are lacking?”
“Judging by the fact you’re saying that, you must be feeling the same way.”
Yoo Jeon and I, both laughing heartily, simultaneously swung our sword qi.
Paang!
With a crisp sound, our swords clashed in midair.
But that wasn’t the end.
Before we knew it, Cheon Yura and Ma Seoyeon appeared, aiming for the gaps in each other’s partner’s defense, thrusting their swords in.
Dozens of moves happened in the span of a second, as a storm of sword qi raged around us.
It was such an intense clash that even a peak expert would be torn apart the moment they stepped into it.
‘Still, they’re holding back.’
If Yoo Jeon had fought at full strength, he would have been more than capable of handling both me and Cheon Yura at the same time.
But he was focusing entirely on coordinating with Ma Seoyeon.
Thanks to that, the balance of offense and defense was somewhat even, but it was still overwhelming.
‘When Senior Brother says he wants to surpass us, it’s not about personal skill, but about overcoming us by harmonizing with his lover.’
If that’s the case, then our chances of winning are more than enough.
The more we exchanged blows, the clearer that possibility became.
‘As I thought, the two of them lack harmony in their swordplay.’
Ma Seoyeon’s violent and domineering Blood Demon Dragon Sky Sword Technique rejected harmony with other sword arts.
No matter how much Yoo Jeon tried to adjust to her sword, the Blood Demon Sword itself had a fundamentally solitary nature.
In contrast, Cheon Yura and I were in harmony.
Even though the Heaven-Slaying Qi was extremely aggressive and domineering, the Heaven’s Record Sword I had learned blended effortlessly with it.
“Seoyeon, if this continues, we’ll fall behind.”
“I know!”
As expected of those who were still a level above us, they tried to break through by exploiting the smallest gaps in our defense.
Cheon Yura sent me a voice transmission.
-This is strange. If they split us up and fought separately, they’d have more than enough chance to win. Why do they keep sticking together?
If Yoo Jeon took me on and Ma Seoyeon faced Cheon Yura, the fight might end quickly.
But they never took that approach.
I gave her a confident answer.
-Because their pride won’t allow it.
-Pride?
-Two versus two, not one versus one. They want to overcome us as a pair, united as one.
The initial clash between Ma Seoyeon and Cheon Yura could be excused as a “first encounter,” but after sharing Harmonized Qi, the situation was different.
-Our bond is stronger!
This fight wasn’t about proving who had the superior martial arts.
It was about proving that statement.
“How amusing. You’ve thrown down a fight you absolutely cannot afford to lose.”
Cheon Yura’s face filled with determination.
“Can you do it again?”
By “again,” she was clearly referring to Harmonized Qi.
“Of course, as many times as you want.”
“This time, we’ll definitely surpass them.”
Cheon Yura and I leaned on each other’s shoulders, pouring energy into our swords.
In that moment, my will reached Cheon Yura.
-If we do it the same way as before, we’ll only get the same result.
-Do you have something in mind?
-Yes. I think it might be possible now.
I was referring to the transcendence that the Heavenly Demon Investigator had spoken of—created by joining forces with someone whose cause aligns with yours.
-Let’s create it together.
Create it together.
That phrase represented one of the core principles of Harmonized Qi.
Going beyond perfect understanding, holding hands, and creating what comes next!
Yoo Jeon and Ma Seoyeon instantly realized we were preparing Harmonized Qi again.
“If I don’t accept this, I don’t deserve to be called Senior Brother.”
“Of course.”
The two of them also curved their lips into smiles and crossed their swords.
Their inner energies blended smoothly, creating the power of Mixed Origin in an instant.
Seeing how quickly and smoothly it formed compared to before, Yoo Jeon clicked his tongue slightly.
“You’ve gotten even stronger than before.”
To be precise, it was more accurate to say they were regaining their original strength.
“We absolutely won’t lose. Even if I’m the youngest, the bond between me and Senior Brother is invincible.”
“Sorry, Junior Brother.”
Even if they couldn’t surpass us right now, they certainly had the talent and potential to overtake us given enough time….
Chzzzzzt!
“Huh?”
“What the—!?”
Yoo Jeon and Ma Seoyeon were momentarily distracted by the bizarre phenomenon unfolding before them.
This wasn’t like the Harmonized Qi they had seen until now.
Unlike the usual hemispherical explosion of energy, this one was focusing into a straight line, forming a sword blade.
From that blade, we could feel transcendence—something one could only achieve by surpassing the Transcendent Demon Realm and reaching the state of Transcendence.
That blade carried potential surpassing even Yoo Jeon’s Heart Path Transcendence and Ma Seoyeon’s Space-Time Flash.
“This can’t be!”
“Unbelievable!”
Yoo Jeon and Ma Seoyeon cried out in shock.
What we had created was clearly a refinement of will and intent—tempering it by mixing our energies and wills into a single blade.
“You’re telling me you’ve combined two wills and refined them into a single blade?!”
Ma Seoyeon practically screamed.
“Stop! One mistake and your minds will fuse together, turning you both into mindless idiots!”
This was on a completely different level from merely releasing qi and will to form a lump of energy.
For a martial artist who had reached the Transcendent Demon Realm to refine their will meant molding their inner world and self into the form of a blade.
And we were entrusting that to someone else?
This wasn’t just a matter of trust.
If either of us made even the slightest mistake, everything would collapse!
For the sake of each other’s safety, Yoo Jeon and Ma Seoyeon would never dare to attempt something like this!
It was truly an acrobatic feat that could only be performed if both fully affirmed every part of each other!
Yet here we were, successfully pulling off that perilous feat!
“They’re coming!”
“Damn it! You reckless little bastard!”
If the body died here, it could be revived, but if the mind died, it would be gone forever!
But the dice had already been cast—the arrow had already left the bowstring.
In an instant, both pairs’ Harmonized Qi completed.
Heavenly Demon Harmonized Qi.
Mixed Origin Harmonized Qi.
Yoo Jeon and Ma Seoyeon’s Harmonized Qi erupted slightly earlier.
Great Destruction of the Primordial Wasteland.
However.
What Cheon Yura and I unleashed wasn’t the same Great Cataclysm as before.
Toward the oncoming wave of Mixed Origin Harmonized Qi, Cheon Yura and I swung the blade we had formed through Harmonized Qi in a straight line.
Chaaaak!
The wave of Mixed Origin Harmonized Qi, which had been surging with the force to destroy the world, was cleanly split in two.
Toward our two astonished Senior Brother and Senior Sister, we conveyed through our will the name of the blade we had created.
—True Bright Luo Sword.