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**

There was something. An irresistible something.

For a moment, I felt like I was back with Eungmin. It was the same feeling that crept into my body when I first experienced the Heart Sword.

And…

Like this.

“Jeok-un.”

I heard my master’s voice in my ear. I turned my head, searching for something that shouldn’t be there.

But there was no one around. Only the gleaming sight and the struggling figure of the Lord of the Cheonryong Association were all that remained.

…Alone.

I’m alone.

“…….”

I wanted to hold a sword. But there was none.

My hands and feet… neither were left to me.

The limbs that the Heart Sword had taken were strangely not regenerating. The wails of Cheongeop sounded like nothing I had ever heard before.

Something feels different.

This is not the same as what happened with Eungmin. Back then, I still had the strength to stand…

But now, it’s different.

That’s a monster. A complete monster.

If I had my master as my enemy, would this be the feeling? I couldn’t dare to rise but could only look up.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

I remembered the whisper that said to run when you meet a warrior like yourself.

“…….”

…Ha… but…

That can’t be right.

—Goouuuuu…

Cheongeop is crying. I can hear that sound.

In a world where heaven and earth are breaking apart and the Heart Sword flies through the battlefield, that voice is unmistakably clear.

To the first time hearing Cheongeop scream that it would die, I whisper back.

Still, I have no choice but to fight, do I? I really have no choice but that.

I can’t let something like that chase my companions, my daughter.

I need to move to protect them. Cheongeop. Please.

Even though I realized the absurdity of the situation with just one stroke…

Still, I must try to overcome it. Just like always.

—KWAaaAAAAAAAM!!!

“Cough!”

The Lord of the Cheonryong Association crashes into the ground. The dragon formed from the Heart Sword groans along with him.

Jin Baek-cheon, who withdrew his sword, licks his lips.

“Not enough… One isn’t sufficient, you see. Now, Jeok-un. I gave you ample time. Move. I must have told you that if you can’t satisfy me, I’ll just hunt down what I so graciously let go.”

“…….”

“The undulating sword-like flow. Cheongeop. Yes, it’s Cheongeop. Use that. Surely, you could reattach your severed limbs.”

Following his whisper, I raise the arms that do not exist.

Cheongeop screams. Slowly, the limbs that had flown away begin to return.

Jin Baek-cheon’s brows slightly furrowed.

“…Hmm? Faster than expected? Well, it seems you have a hidden card. Quite different from the ordinary. Fascinating…”

My broken body begins to gradually return to its original form.

I exhale the breath that had been blocked inside. I pick up the sword I had dropped.

Focus…

Let’s focus.

“You have good eyes.”

“…….”

“Struggle with all your might.”

Jin Baek-cheon moves his sword again.

“For me.”

.

.

I grip the sword tightly.

I won’t leave any strength behind. I pour everything in as if this single moment is my last.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique

Sixth Form

Blood Dyer

The sword I wield devours the world. It advances, painting everything in red.

But in the next moment, the arm wielding the sword disappears.

“It’s light.”

Before I even have time to think about what happened, I snatch the Ear Sword with my left arm. Instantly, Bai Ya takes its place and lets out a piercing scream.

An overwhelming surge of malevolent energy. It accelerates the sword.

Ice White Blood Demon Sword

Sixth Form

Blood Dyer

But that left arm disappears in an instant as well.

“Slow.”

The arm that had risen into the air was torn into hundreds of pieces and vanished. The last shard I saw seemed smaller than the first chunk.

I lost both my arms. I still manage to clutch the Black Pearl with my remaining mouth.

I press on without collapsing.

Fire Wheel Blood Demon Sword

Sixth Form

Blood Dyer

But…

That one, too, fails to land.

“Weak.”

The bursting flames split apart right before my eyes. The Ear Sword I had bitten into shattered in an instant.

That sword, which had never broken before, shattered like glass, and the spirit that had been my rock was scorched away with the flames.

The sword pierces into my chest. Stumbling back, I choke on my own blood.

Just as I barely managed to regenerate my hand, I gripped Bai Ya once more, but it was the same outcome. The instant I moved, what had been a sword turned to pieces and vanished.

“Seems you have some skill… It looks like you had some decent liquid within you.”

Both Ear Swords vanished at once.

Without even a proper resistance…

They shattered.

The Lord of the Cheonryong Association let out a roaring scream. He jumped in, colliding with Jin Baek-cheon like a tidal wave.

I heard some sound. But I couldn’t see it. Strangely, my legs lost strength, and I knelt down.

I struggled to stand.

But I couldn’t get up.

I could see the scattered pieces of the shattered Ear Swords. I wanted to gather them, but I had no hands.

Cheongeop’s regenerative power was slowly weakening. I could feel my energy draining at a rapid pace.

Something was severed. Something beyond the flesh. That horrific sensation felt as if it were carving out my soul, and Cheongeop’s wails grew smaller.

I must fight.

I must stand up against it. I should at least grab onto its feet.

“…….”

Stand…

Let’s get up.

My body, slower than before, moves again. Instead of letting the Lord of the Cheonryong Association crash to the ground and bleed, I throw my body into harm’s way.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique

First Form

Ilma

I swing my fist. I move my body and pour my sincerity into it.

But it collapses. In the next moment, my wrist flies off into the air.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique

Second Form

Dan Hoon Choo

I leap like a beast, forcing the detached wrist back onto my arm.

Jin Baek-cheon smiles. He moves his hand to sink a sword into my face. The blood sword that had been far away was sucked into my hand…

—KAaAAN!!!

That playful swing slashed through my upper body.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique

Third Form

Overlord Demon Technique

Unimaginable pain surged within me. But I endured it. I pushed onward.

Like a beast. Just as always, I howled. I threw my entire body into it. To overcome the insurmountable wall.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique

Fourth Form

Flash Dispersal

The sword I slashed was enveloped in light. It seemed as if it would slice through the instant before my eyes.

But the single stroke swung in a monotonous manner smashed through the technique I barely managed to unleash. It shattered into pieces, completely destroyed.

The Blood Sword trembled. It began to crack as if it were about to break at any moment.

No.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique

Fifth Form

Blood Shadow Two Flowers

Haven’t I always overcome? No matter what confronts me, haven’t I managed to rise above it?

Trust your efforts. Trust the time you’ve built up.

You can do this. Jeok-un.

You can…

“It’s not enough. Jeok-un. It’s simply not enough.”

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique

Sixth Form

Blood Dyer

The martial arts and the energy techniques of the strong.

All of it blocked right before my eyes, as Jin Baek-cheon let out a sigh while clashing swords.

“I know of few with eyes like yours. They carry pride, thinking they’ve spent a truly extraordinary time. But you see, time is relative. It is not the same for everyone. Someone’s time can be heavy, while another’s can be light. Even when doing the same thing, the total amount differs. Do you know why?”

My body is slamming against the ground.

A sword pierces my shoulder. It slices through, and my right arm falls.

“It’s talent.”

The end drives straight into my heart.

I struggle to stifle a scream.

If I let it out, I might crumble.

I might truly give up everything.

“Only talent can divide the two. Time isn’t fair. Neither is effort, in the end. What you can do is just the things that I naturally can do, and the point of this story is that you are nothing special.”

“…Cough…ugh…!”

“Did you think you were the protagonist of the stage? Did you think that because you were special, you could do anything? No, that’s not it… There are many who can replace you in this world. The swords you currently wield are merely the struggles of a supporting role in my eyes.”

The sword that drives into my chest whispers to me.

“So, enough already. Show me everything you can. But if this is the end, if it’s truly the case…”

Jin Baek-cheon looks into me.

In his disappointed gaze, there is nothing. And that’s how I realize all at once that his words are sincere.

“Chase after me to repay the disappointment you’ve given me. Just for your companions.”

A predator.

The eyes of a predator.

“I’ll pluck out the eyes of the first to be caught.”

My voice doesn’t come out.

“Then, I’ll break your waist. A bug’s spine can be crushed with just a finger.”

My voice… won’t come out.

“After I crush and shatter everything, the last thing I’ll do is face your daughter, Jeok-un. And I’ll kindly teach her how you died.”

I have no hands. So I cannot resist.

I can’t hold a sword. I don’t know what to do.

“Probably, she will tremble like a baby deer. I’ll savor that sight one by one. After letting her decorate the corpses beside her with her own hands…”

…Still.

I must move.

“That neck.”

Even if the odds are against me.

Even if I have no strength to fight.

Even if I want to scream right now.

Even if the words of defeat threaten to burst from my throat.

…Still.

“I’ll twist it myself.”

I can’t let this bastard go.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique

Seventh Form

White Malevolent Blood

“…Hmm?”

My body twists. At the same time, complete Yi-hyeong Ki swallows me.

But that alone is not enough. With just the sword I built from Huashan, I can’t surpass him.

Just a little more length.

So that I can catch him.

“…What are you doing…?”

Eungmin.

Recall the Blood Demon you saw there.

Incomplete, but strong.

In the end, it grasped what it wanted…

The back of a warrior.

“What?!”

In the next moment, even if I can’t breathe, it’s fine. Even if I can’t move and end up vomiting blood, that’s okay.

Reach out toward what you see. The insufficient realization supports your body.

“Become me. The Heavenly Demon.”

Just like that. Just as he did.

Even if it’s incomplete, push it in forcibly.

Into the world of the Heart Sword…!

—KAAaaaAAAANG!!!!

The burst of red energy swallows my future. Jin Baek-cheon, flung away, slides across the ground.

An act of burning everything accumulated for a single moment.

I step onto the earth. The world, now tinted in red, begins to accelerate, forcefully reaching the realm of Hyun-kyung.

I push through stubbornly.

With the load increasing on my body.

My red light bursts forth.

The side effects must be tremendous. I will have to worry about the repercussions from the moment I push through what should have been natural.

But it’s okay. Burn everything.

Struggle, even if ugly. Grasp it even if it breaks.

“…Puhah.”

I pick up the cracked sword. I begin to reveal my soul to the one who has started to laugh.

As my energy escapes, rich natural energy burrows into my body. The blood energy, absorbing the essence of all things, blooms from the sword’s tip and steps, forcibly, towards the world.

Half-baked.

A similar sight to what he had shown in Eungmin.

I substitute that inadequacy with Cheongeop. Gripping the raging power, I forcibly unveil my sky within his domain.

A sky painted in red.

A realization that vibrates heaven and earth—a Grand Opening.

“…You…!”

My consciousness wavers. I can feel my life burning away with the side effects.

A trance. I am now standing on the brink of life and death. The price of my forced entry burrows through time, tightening around my neck.

But bark.

Like a beast trained in swordsmanship, let out a howl.

Even if this breath could be my last.

Even if I may not be able to hold the sword in the next moment.

“I can’t go back from here…!”

I am a warrior.

One who moves the sword to protect what he desires.

The Blood Sword, trembling and on the verge of shattering.

Cheongeop howls. As if sensing the end.

 

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