Kraaaaaash!
A spearhead wreathed in blue flame plunged toward the crown of a man’s head.
It was the claw of a fire dragon descending from the heavens—a force of destruction that could erase anything in its path.
This is…
In a moment split into ever-smaller fragments, the Western Heaven Demon Lord thought,
I can’t evade it.
This was no strike he could avoid by retreating a few steps.
Then what could he do? Before he could even form the question, the body that had survived countless life-and-death duels was already moving.
Whoosh!
Dark-red Sword Force surged from his waist and collided with the blue flames.
Boom!
A tremendous roar erupted, and a shock wave swept through my entire body. My ears went numb, and the breath caught in my throat.
Sword and spear collided in a burst of dark-red light. The next instant, I went flying as though someone had yanked me backward.
Bang! Bang! KABOOM!
The thick wall of sedimentary rock crumbled like castella1 the moment my back struck it.
I knocked away a stalactite falling toward my eyes and twisted around in midair.
The instant my feet hit the ground, they plowed furrows through the solid stone floor.
Krrrrrk!
Damn it. I must have flown at least thirty feet.
I tore off my leather shoes, their soles completely gone, tossed them aside, and glared at the bastard in the distance.
“Fucking bastard. You’re pretty good, huh?”
“……”
Even through the thick cloud of dust, I could see the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s stiff expression.
He silently looked down at the sword blade broken clean in half and his blood-soaked grip before opening his mouth.
“That spear is a divine weapon.”
“Divine? That’s a bit much.”
“What martial art was that?”
I answered without hesitation.
“Get Hit and Fucking Die Technique.”
“I’m beginning to understand why the Blood Lord called you arrogant. And… why he wanted to kill you so badly.”
The Western Heaven Demon Lord’s gaze swept over me.
“You’re dangerous.”
“I am kind of dangerous. Maybe that’s why all the women avoid me.”
“Cheongpung is certainly remarkable, reaching Supreme Peak at such a young age, but even he cannot compare to you. To be honest, you have far exceeded my expectations. Despite being only at Peak, you managed to wound me.”
I wasn’t surprised. I had already sensed that Cheongpung had broken through the wall and reached Supreme Peak.
The Western Heaven Demon Lord’s accurate assessment of my martial arts realm followed the same logic.
“Was that a compliment?”
“Of course. But do not be too pleased. I do not like people who exceed my expectations.”
Speaking in a low voice, the Western Heaven Demon Lord clenched and unclenched his bloodied palm. Sticky blood dripped down, wetting the rocks and sand.
“My execution of Four Ounces Deflecting a Thousand Catties2 was flawless. Yet I still failed to redirect your strike completely. A strike from a green young man who has not even advanced beyond Peak.”
Four Ounces Deflecting a Thousand Catties2—the martial principle of controlling a thousand catties with only four ounces.
And just as he said, the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s use of Four Ounces Deflecting a Thousand Catties2 had been flawless. Even after being caught off guard, his attempt to calmly and precisely redirect Heavenly Strike had been impressive enough to earn my secret admiration.
But if there was one thing he had failed to anticipate…
“I’m a little stronger than I look.”
He wasn’t facing an ordinary Peak master.
A Third Rate could not contend with a Second Rate, and a Second Rate could only kneel before a First Rate.
The higher the realm, the wider the gulf and the more overwhelming the difference in strength. That was common sense in this world—the common sense of the Murim.
But I defied common sense.
“Call me a physical Supreme Peak master.”
“A physical Supreme Peak master. I have no idea what that means, but if you say so, then so be it. Understood.”
I stared at the nodding Western Heaven Demon Lord in disbelief.
“…What exactly do you understand?”
“Live long enough and you experience all manner of things. Compared to the supernatural powers I know of, what you’ve shown is merely a drop in the bucket.”
With a faint smile, the Western Heaven Demon Lord raised one arm.
The movement was so natural that it was hard to believe he had been one-armed until only ten days ago.
That arm had to be one of the supernatural powers he was talking about.
“Everything shall unfold according to the will of the most exalted Lord of Heaven. Why not abandon your futile hopes and surrender?”
“Surrender?”
“If you do, I will personally petition the Lord of Heaven to put your talents to good use. Even the Blood Lord will not dare touch you.”
“Wow. You’ve got it all planned out.”
“May I take that as your consent?”
“Hmm, wait a second. I just thought of something better.”
I slowly walked toward the Western Heaven Demon Lord as I continued.
“Stories like this always end with good triumphing over evil anyway. So stop screwing around in Dark Heaven or Cheonggyecheon3 or whatever and come over to the orthodox faction. I’ll put in a good word with Grandpa Sword Saint and get you an easy job.”
“Heh. Well, this is something.”
The Western Heaven Demon Lord stepped forward with a faint smile.
“What a pity. Don’t regret this when you meet the Blood Lord.”
“Every bastard who’s said that to me is kneeling with his head planted before Yama4 by now.”
“Perhaps it’s your youth, but you’re far too hot-blooded. If you expect the same stroke of luck you enjoyed at the start, forget it. I know that strike was your full strength.”
“That’s the best bullshit I’ve heard all year. Have you been taking bullshit lessons from the yellow dog next door?”
I answered casually, but unfortunately, the Western Heaven Demon Lord was right.
A surprise attack had to end everything in one strike. Either cripple the opponent or kill them.
Breaking his weapon and tearing open his hand wasn’t enough.
The Western Heaven Demon Lord was a master far above me. Showing him my full strength without inflicting any significant injury had been a painful mistake.
Should I have used One Annihilation from the start?
What would have happened if I’d gone all in from the beginning?
I cast the thought aside. Even if I could return to that moment, I probably still wouldn’t be able to stake everything on one move.
I had to avoid gambles that left only total victory or utter ruin—especially when lives other than my own hung in the balance.
Besides… I haven’t played all my cards yet.
Step. Step.
The Western Heaven Demon Lord and I. He and I. We slowly approached each other.
Unlike our first clash, neither of us launched Finger Qi or daggers.
We measured the distance, watched each other’s hands and feet, and waited for the right moment.
A moment exactly like this one.
Snap!
The Western Heaven Demon Lord moved first.
He erased thirty feet in a single step, his hand blurring. Ink-black Sword Force burned along his crooked, serpentine Snake Sword.
Avoid a direct clash at all costs.
If there was one gap even the System couldn’t bridge, it was enlightenment.
The difference between someone who had attained the insight required to reach Supreme Peak and someone who had not was as vast as heaven and earth.
No matter how great my strength was, if I repeatedly clashed with Sword Force, I would inevitably suffer internal injuries.
Whoosh! Boom!
The Sword Force split the ground, blasting out a crater that looked like something from a movie. If I hadn’t barely dodged the strike, it would have cut me in half.
I retreated and flicked my hand.
Inventory open. Summon.
Shhk-shhk-shhk!
I had never formally learned the art of throwing blades, but with enough force and speed behind them, the daggers were deadly in their own right.
Not that it mattered against the Western Heaven Demon Lord.
Slice!
A single horizontal line flashed through the air.
Ink-black Sword Energy shot from his blade, slicing through the daggers and flying straight at me.
I tilted my head, and searing heat and Sword Energy grazed past me.
Boom!
Ignoring the roar and tremor behind me, I planted my foot.
Grind. Crack!
The solid stone floor split like a spiderweb. The next instant, I shot forward like a streak of light.
I moved with enough speed to rival a Supreme Peak movement technique—perhaps even surpass one.
“As expected!”
With a short exclamation, the Western Heaven Demon Lord brought his sword down.
Ink-black Sword Force, so dark that it dimmed the very air around it, swept across my body.
It would have cut me apart, if not for the thought that had flashed through my mind a fraction of an instant earlier.
Thirty points each into Agility and Strength.
Swoosh.
The change came with dazzling speed. My whole body grew lighter, while my muscles gained density and elasticity, squeezing out every last bit of strength.
As I stepped upon the wind, the ink-black Sword Force sliced through empty air.
Kraaaaaash!
The Western Heaven Demon Lord’s eyes flew wide.
It was already too late for him to pull back his sword. He thrust out his other hand, trying to seize the spear hurtling toward his chest.
His reflexes were astonishing.
Just as astonishing was the fact that my prediction had been exactly right.
Inventory open. Store.
Whoosh!
The Western Heaven Demon Lord’s Force-wreathed hand swept through empty air.
The spear that had seemed certain to fall into his grasp—White Flame—was now safely tucked away somewhere in my inventory.
This was the moment I had been waiting for.
Flame Divine Palm.
My right hand, wreathed in blue flames, slammed into the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s abdomen.
Boom!
His body lifted slightly into the air amid the tremendous heat. At that exact moment, I drove my waiting left fist forward.
Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fist.
Crack!
The strike that had brought down a cliff buried itself in the Western Heaven Demon Lord’s side.
The impact ran back through my fingertips. His body flew like a cannonball and smashed into the wall.
Bang! KRA-KA-BOOM!
The entire underground prison shuddered. At the same time, unbearable weakness and hunger washed over me.
I had poured everything I had into every movement of that exchange. No wonder ragged breaths spilled from my lips.
“Whew.”
Rumble.
I steadied my breathing and slowly walked forward through the stones raining down around me.
Driven deep into the solid rock, the Western Heaven Demon Lord stared at me with unfocused eyes.
“I was definitely trying to catch the spear… How did you…”
“It’s probably something like those supernatural powers you believe in.”
“Cough. I see. Then is that also how you suddenly became faster?”
“Yeah. A few perfectly good lives were wasted because of you. They were bastards who deserved to die anyway, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is an underground prison. Haven’t you noticed anything strange?”
After a brief silence, the Western Heaven Demon Lord answered.
“…There are no prisoners.”
“Correct.”
“How did you do it? Did you perhaps use the Essence-Siphoning Great Technique on them?”
“You could say that, in a way.”
The difference was that the Essence-Siphoning Great Technique absorbed an opponent’s qi, while I sucked up EXP.
Thanks to those guys, I earned sixty points. It was a stroke of genius.
Instead of destroying the prisoners’ dantians, the Sichuan Tang Clan had chosen to suppress their internal energy and shackle them.
That way, they could live longer. That way, the clan could make them taste hell through prolonged torture.
Thanks to that, the dozen or so prisoners other than the Heavenly Power Demon had become nourishment for me.
“Cough. The Essence-Siphoning Great Technique. I see. So that was it.”
“Are you satisfied now?”
“If I ask, will you answer?”
“Yeah. So…”
I looked down at the Western Heaven Demon Lord as he weakly nodded.
“Drop the lousy act and get up. And enough with the coughing when you’re not even bringing up blood.”
“Well, this is something.”
The Western Heaven Demon Lord’s eyes, which had seemed ready to go out at any moment, curved into crescents.
“Apparently, I’m really no good at this sort of thing.”
“…Haa.”
Fucking bastard.
Footnotes
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Castella is a soft sponge cake of Japanese origin, also popular in Korea. ↩
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The name uses traditional Chinese weight units: a liang, rendered here as “ounce,” is 50 g (1.76 oz) in modern usage, while a jin, or catty, is 500 g (1.10 lb). Historical weights varied. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Cheonggyecheon is a stream in central Seoul. Its name sounds similar to Dark Heaven in Korean. ↩
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Yama is the Buddhist ruler and judge of the dead. ↩
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