Chapter 56: Live a Long Life Next Time

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Pitch Black Demonic Art was a forbidden demonic art.

It was far more tyrannical and powerful than ordinary demonic arts, but its side effects were equally great. Most who learned it were consumed, falling into qi deviation and killing indiscriminately until their own end. For this reason, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult strictly forbade learning the Pitch Black Demonic Art.

Pitch black demonic qi was the energy that emerged from this art. Its power was immense, so I tried to break my opponent's momentum from the start.

"What kind of trash did you learn?"

"Let's see if you can still say that when you're buried in that trash and dying."

"I came to kill you for nothing. You would've died from the side effects of the Pitch Black Demonic Art even if I'd left you alone."

"I won't die from any side effects. I suppressed them with the inner arts I gained from the Great Mind Control Technique."

I sensed this wouldn't be an easy fight and drew the Black Demon Sword.

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme extended his hand, and black energy coiled around it. The energy dissipated, revealing a black sword. It was clearly no ordinary weapon.

"I'll kill you, and one day, I'll kill your father with my own hands and take his place."

"You're too much of a coward for that. You'll just cling to your life, hiding your ambition forever."

In my past life, he never revealed he had learned the Pitch Black Demonic Art. He kept it as a hidden trump card to protect himself until the very end.

We were both furious. We imbued our swords with inner arts matching that fury.

Our swords met in mid-air.

"……"

An ear-splitting explosion erupted. Neither I nor the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme yielded an inch. In terms of inner arts, we were evenly matched. If he hadn't consumed his inner arts with his multiple soul-stealing techniques earlier, his transformed self would have overwhelmed me. This was the power of the Pitch Black Demonic Art.

I immediately countered with the Soaring Sky Sword Art. He was an enemy I had to face with my best technique.

I unleashed the First Technique, the Equal Sky Strike.

SHWIIIIK!

A single streak of sword light bisected the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme. Just as a perfect line was drawn, the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme, who should have been cut at the waist, shot upward and swung his sword. He shouted in a deep voice!

"Human Annihilation!"

His sword moved as fast as light. Six sword lines appeared and vanished where I had stood.

If I hadn't used the Vanishing Step to evade, I would have been sliced into six pieces.

"Ghost Annihilation!"

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme gave me no opening. A second technique, stronger and faster than the last, flew at me.

This time, the space where I had stood was torn into twelve pieces. Twelve sword lines appearing and disappearing at once was a true spectacle.

I dodged again with the Vanishing Step, but it was a closer call.

Before he could launch his third technique, I unleashed the Soaring Sky Sword Art's Second Technique, the Erratic Sky Strike.

My sword shifted twelve times before the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme.

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme didn't evade. He parried each attack with his sword, sending sparks flying with every clash.

As the variations created by the Erratic Sky Strike grew, the white glow emanating from the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme's eyes intensified. After parrying the final, twelfth variation, he immediately counterattacked.

"Annihilation!"

He unleashed his third technique, growing ever stronger, at the same time I unleashed the Soaring Sky Sword Art's Third Technique, the Dark Sky Strike.

Fortunately, I was not in the space being split into twenty-four pieces.

I had dodged, but the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme had not.

CHWAAAAAK!

The Dark Sky Strike tore through the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme's shoulder. No blood flowed from his body. His blackened skin was as tough as treasured armor. Relying on that toughness, the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme continued his assault. His shout was consumed by a metallic sound!

"Ruin!"

Forty-eight sword lines brilliantly embroidered the air. The space his sword light occupied grew larger and larger.

It was powerful, but he had a single flaw. He lacked practical experience with this demonic art, so his attacks had a monotonous aspect. If I had been the one using those martial arts, I would never have been able to dodge.

I barely dodged and launched the Fourth Technique, the Burning Sky Strike, a projection of sword qi.

The sword qi flew at a terrifying speed and struck the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme with a thud. He staggered badly but righted himself. The part of him that should have been severed remained intact.

A trickle of black fluid flowed from the corner of his mouth, but he still looked solid.

"Second Young Lord, why aren't you using the Nine Calamities Demonic Art?"

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme's voice had changed to a metallic tone, no longer sounding human. It meant he was synchronizing with the Pitch Black Demonic Art he had learned. At this rate, he would eventually be consumed by the demonic art. Such a powerful art always demanded a price.

He was still pushing himself, which put me in even greater danger.

"Because I think I can beat someone like you without using the Nine Calamities Demonic Art."

It was a deliberate provocation. In an intense battle, losing your composure means losing your life. This provocation had another aim.

"Your arrogance will ultimately lead you to death…"

The moment the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme began to speak, I unleashed the Soaring Sky Sword Art's fastest sword technique, the Fifth Technique, the Blue Sky Strike. It was a decisive attack meant to cut off an opponent's breath while they spoke.

The Blue Sky Strike precisely sliced his neck, but the neck wasn't severed. Only a stream of black fluid trickled out.

His neck wasn't cut even by the Blue Sky Strike?

"You've really become a monster."

At my words, the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme surged toward me. He seemed to be exploding with rage, but his breathing was steady. The provocation hadn't worked.

We soared into the sky, each looking for an opening to unleash our ultimate techniques.

Our swords clashed endlessly as we ascended. We entwined and exchanged blows like two dragons coiling toward the heavens.

Invisible to the eye, only the sound of clashing swords and the gleam of their light filled the space. A place where the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme, known only for using soul-stealing techniques, would hide such a demonic art as his final move… this was the murim.

At the end of the brilliant, chaotic battle, we separated. In that instant, the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme's eyes shone pure white.

Dangerous!

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme unleashed his final move. His shout erupted in a perfect metallic tone.

"Heaven Annihilation!"

I didn't dodge. His opportunity was my opportunity. We saw the same opening and aimed our swords at that gap.

I used the Hell Step and poured all my inner arts into the Soaring Sky Sword Art's Eighth Technique, the Sanzu River Strike.

SHWIIIIIIIIIIK!

CHWAAAAAAAAAAK!

Two lights intersected.

A brilliant sword light was drawn where I had been standing. The space was shattered into ninety-six pieces, and an entire plane was sliced away. It was a truly breathtaking spectacle.

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme ignored the breathtaking spectacle he had created. He looked down at his own heart.

Red blood, not black fluid, flowed from the heart pierced by my Black Demon Sword. His enormous, vigorously beating heart was stopping.

"How… in the world?"

I spoke calmly to him as he stared in disbelief.

"Your heart was so big, it was easy to stab."

How could that be the reason? It was my way of saying he met his end today because of his greed in stealing innocent people's hearts.

Black smoke seeped from his body as his transformation broke.

The man who had been more monstrous than a monster changed back into an ordinary-looking person, the kind you could find anywhere in the Demon Village.

"…That wasn't the Nine Calamities Demonic Art?"

"It was a combination of the Hell Step and the Eighth Technique of the Soaring Sky Sword Art."

"The Hell Step?"

"The Hell Step from the Four Strides of the Wind God."

"How do you know the Four Strides of the Wind God?"

"It seems heaven arranged it so that I wouldn't die by your hand."

It wasn't an empty boast. Without the Four Strides of the Wind God, I would have died in today's fight. I realized with stark clarity that I must never let my guard down when facing a Demon Supreme.

Honestly, I was confident I would defeat him because I had the Bloodeye Holy Water.

But he possessed a hidden trump card. It was a perilous move that would have killed me without the Four Strides of the Wind God.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the Flower Sword Supreme, and the other Demon Supremes must all be hiding moves different from what they show.

Today, I became stronger.

I became stronger not because I killed the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme, but because I will never be complacent again.

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme slowly crumbled.

As he died, the space he had created began to crack.

Life faded from his black pupils. He looked up at me and spoke with difficulty.

"…If I'm reborn, I'll be sure to kill you then."

I didn't respond with a curse of my own.

"If you're reborn, live a long, long life next time. There are surely better ways than this."

His eyes wavered at my words. He tried to say something, but it never left his lips. It could have been a more vicious curse, or perhaps he was trying to convey his final regret.

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme's head drooped in death. At the same time, the world he had created vanished.

We were back where we had first intended to perform the Great Mind Control Technique.

Even in death, the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme presented one last mystery.

The Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme was dead, sitting cross-legged on the spot. Though we had fought so madly, he had no external wounds, as if he had died from qi deviation. He had died in his own world, which he had loved so much.

I picked up the child from the altar and quietly left.

I bought good liquor and snacks and returned to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

I entrusted the child to Seo Daeryong, telling him to secretly find his parents. Since I told him the child was almost sacrificed for the great technique, the quick-witted and smart Seo Daeryong would handle it discreetly on his own.

"What took you so long? Did you really make the snacks yourself?"

"How'd you know?"

"What?"

"It took a while to make the snacks."

"What are you talking about? What kind of snacks were they?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked puzzled at the dishes I had bought.

"These aren't dishes that would take a long time."

I smiled and poured a drink for the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

"Here, have a drink. The night's still young."

"Do you think an old man has the same stamina as you? If I stay up all night, I'll be groaning all day."

"You're still full of vigor, aren't you? Come on, let's drink to our hearts' content today."

"Second Young Lord, you seem to be in a good mood today."

"Yes, I am."

"Why's that?"

"I'm just happy to see you, Elder, after so long."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon gave me a look that said, What on earth are you up to?

But how could he know? In the time I was gone, I had killed the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme.

Meeting after a long time, we downed several glasses of liquor in a row. It felt like the first time I had drunk so refreshingly and cheerfully with him since we first met.

We talked about many things. We discussed the state of the murim, martial arts, and even Seo Daeryong and the Sword Supreme.

Others might find it surprising, but we were both talkative, so the topics never ran out.

"Do you know why I took a liking to that little rat?"

"Why's that?"

"On the first day, I asked him if he could lay down his life for you. He said he couldn't."

"That rascal. I'll have to scold him."

"I liked his honesty."

"Please tell Detective Seo that yourself. He'd probably like that."

"No need."

"Then I'll tell him next time. Someone has to do these things. A single word like that can change a person's life. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You really take care of all sorts of people. At this rate, you'll be looking after the guy who shovels horse manure in the stables. Why don't you go give him a hand with the feed?"

"If I can, isn't that a good thing?"

"I've never met anyone like you in my entire life."

"Our Cult will be the same. It will become a Heavenly Demon Divine Cult that has never been seen before. Isn't it okay for our Cult to be like that for at least one generation?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stared intently at me. His gaze was deep, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Second Young Lord."

"……"

"Pour me a drink."

I had poured his drink every time until now, but this time felt different.

I could feel it. This drink had a different meaning.

So I told him.

"I pour the first drink for my Left Envoy."

He could have called it nonsense, but he accepted the drink without a word. I filled his cup to the brim.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked down at the cup for a long time.

Then he drained it.

Perhaps, in that moment, he had truly resolved to follow me.

Of course, I could only guess. He was a truly unpredictable person.

Then, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon suddenly remarked.

"Is the Left Envoy higher? Or the Right Envoy? If you're going to give me one, make it the higher one."

I stared at him blankly for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha."

We drank all night.

This is how human relationships are. Things can be great like this, and then one day, a single slip of the tongue can ruin everything. That's why you have to keep building. Until the relationship is so solid that one or two mistakes can't break it. Whether it's through drinking sessions or brawls, gifts or careful advice, or even insincere compliments. Whatever it is, you have to solidify it, build it, and build it again. Because I can make mistakes, and so can he.

"Seeing you today, you're quite handsome."

"You crazy bastard."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon lifted the Heaven Destroying Dao, reflecting our faces on its surface.

"Here, look clearly at my face and say that again."

"Hahaha."

"Why are you just laughing! Go on, say I'm handsome!"

"I see I shouldn't confess to a woman when I'm drunk."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon laughed, saying he'd caught a flatterer. I laughed with him.

Because the good fortune of gaining a truly loyal person is given, at the very least, to someone among those who make such an effort.