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Every martial art has its stages.

What is also referred to as “realm” changes as one ascends from the bottom to the top. And those walls are sometimes called by a certain name.

The realm of a person, or of martial arts, drastically differs.

A warrior who first picks up a sword is called a third-rate fighter. Naturally, as a beginner, they can be likened to an ordinary civilian who hasn’t swung a sword at all.

Next comes the second-rate fighter. Those who have tasted some battle fit into this category. And then, with a bit more progress, you become a first-rate fighter known as an adept…

Following that is the pinnacle.

This is the place determined by innate talent. It’s the realm where one can skillfully manage their inner strength and can unleash sword energy.

Needless to say, there’s the peak of peaks. They can lift boulders as big as houses and can run great distances in a single step, starting to be called superhumans.

What lies above that? The stage begins the process of imprinting intention into reality. From there onward, it becomes hard to even call them human. Like monsters, perhaps that’s how we should refer to them.

By reaching the final stage, the “realm of existence,” it is said one can truly be called a ‘living god.’ Of course, few ever see that with their own eyes. There are barely a handful in the world, and even those few are titans difficult to encounter even once in a lifetime.

…But.

If that’s the case…

What should I call ‘that’?

A member of Green Forest’s Seventy-two Strongholds.

The master, Huang Zhang-yin, trembled.

Something feels wrong. It’s far too wrong.

So… this really weird thing…

If a “living god” is one who has reached the realm of existence…

Then shouldn’t that be called a living calamity?

“……”

My vision is breaking. There’s no other way to express it.

Mountains, trees, rocks, cliffs, the land, people, swords, metal, clothing.

Every bit of it is breaking in a way that defies description.

Huang Zhang-yin glanced at himself on the battlefield.

I, Huang Zhang-yin.

How did I live?

I lived as a bandit of the Green Forest’s Seventy-two Strongholds. It was incredibly tough when I first came in, but now I’ve been thriving.

“…Haha.”

I enjoyed many women. Is that all? I also attempted to set fire to the faces of those who said they didn’t want me.

Stimulation can’t be obtained by doing the same thing over and over. What I had was strength, and naturally, with that comes power, so I wanted to wear the kind of stimulation that matched that.

At first, I hesitated to kill, but later it became as casual as eating.

I even tried the human flesh made in the stronghold, searching for my favorite part.

I pissed on top of corpses and spat on them. I carried poison and rubbed it on the faces of handsome fellows if I came across them.

But kids, you know. I hated them. So I broke the legs of every one I met. Their crying faces weren’t too bad, after all.

Ah.

It was enjoyable. Yeah, I had fun. Is this not a pretty good way to live?

“…Hahaha!”

But still.

To be honest, I want to live.

I want to enjoy more. More than I have until now. Greed. Isn’t that one’s motivation?

That’s why I polished my martial arts. It’s also why I was able to get under King of Green Forest Kwak Cheon-geuk.

Aside from him, my confidence grew with my sword. The pinnacle I reached made everyone tremble just by its name.

I thought I could have even more from now on.

But… what now?

Here, where corpses are flying and bloody rain is falling, what am I supposed to do?

“T-The heavenly… net… is…”

Green Forest’s Seventy-two Strongholds.

The Heavenly Net formed from the majority of skilled masters.

“The Heavenly Net is… breaking… Hahaha!!!”

I won’t let even an ant slip out.

That Heavenly Net that would eventually devour any master.

It shatters before my eyes.

By just two people.

Ah, no.

It’s not two. One could say it’s just one. One is merely matching the rhythm.

Huang Zhang-yin chuckled. The will-less sword dropped to the floor.

A man, carrying a blood-soaked corpse, stood before me. Despite being slightly shorter, the moment our gazes met, I wet myself.

“Kuhuhu… Hehe… I- I’m… going to die today…”

“……”

He stared at me blankly. Then he casually lifted the sword he dropped.

With a spin, the sword shot to the sky. At the same time, he whispered.

“I’ll at least give you the chance to die as a warrior.”

“…….”

“Pick up the sword.”

Huang Zhang-yin gaped. Warrior. Warrior.

Ah. Damn.

I shouldn’t have set foot in this place.

Time flowed past like a rushing river filled with many pasts. The time spent trembling amidst the corpses of comrades and the shattered terrain flashed before my eyes.

Huang Zhang-yin snatched the sword.

Instantly, my vision warped.

“…Damn…”

I couldn’t even swing it.

Inside this turned world, Huang Zhang-yin saw one last thing.

Corpse mountain, blood sea.

The steps of the bloodied.

…

The Heavenly Net.

The act of casting nets between heaven and earth.

I gazed at it blankly. Watching the bandits charge in like moths drawn to a flame.

Each and every one of them is a master. The term master isn’t common after all.

To stack martial arts, even the most talented must put in effort.

The path one must tread silently is like asceticism; some even compare it to a seeker.

Each one has dedicated their life to the sword. That’s why I couldn’t understand it even more.

With the sword they’ve painstakingly built up.

With the time they’ve meticulously gathered.

Why are they causing such nonsense?

“…….”

Perhaps we won’t ever understand each other. Not now, and not ever.

I was certain of that. At the same time, I moved the sword.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique.

Second Form.

Dan Hoon Choo.

Humans and monsters cannot genuinely understand one another.

—Drrrip!!!

The sword I unleashed contained my will. Beyond mere sword energy, it splits the world.

There’s no need to conserve my power. My inner strength is infinite. And simultaneously, my vessel was also completed.

Now I can split anything and cut anything. At the same time, I could feel it getting slightly familiar.

My previous strike and my next strike are different.

With the slash brought down, the world split.

—Kwauuuuaaaang!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dan Hoon Choo is nothing more than a simple cut. Just a sword technique wielded with all its might.

But as it contained immense inner strength and power, every warrior in its path collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

No one could take my strike.

Even if they did manage to, they would die, spitting blood from every hole in their body.

I walked along the path made of blood. The bandits, who had charged in like moths, were now retreating, revealing their forms.

From that moment on, I became the hunter. Picking up speed to hunt beasts, I split their formations and devoured them all.

Those who pursued are now being pursued.

And those who were chased now turn to hunt them.

As the Heavenly Net’s formation collapsed, the enemy’s top experts began to be deployed.

And naturally…

I split them all apart.

“What… is this… nonsense…?”

The head of one who introduced himself as a super-expert flew off with my strike.

“Monster…!”

A guy who growled, claiming to be a master of the martial arts stage, had his heart pierced.

“Human… butcher…!”

The head of one who presented himself as the bodyguard of the King of Green Forest was ripped off with a single hand.

Slaughter. Pure slaughter.

But in that slaughter, I didn’t burden myself with emotions.

They all deserved to die.

Tear them apart.

Crush them.

I broke everything that caught my eye.

“…Mi…”

And finally, I faced them.

The master of Green Forest’s Seventy-two Strongholds, trembling and retreating.

“You crazy… bastard!!!”

His eyes were already filled with fear. Though he held a sword, it seemed completely ineffective.

Gu Ok-gyeong, who was following and cleaning up behind me, finally stood beside me. She nudged me and asked.

“Can’t I have that one for myself?”

“…Why?”

“That bastard has been giving me lecherous looks every time he sees me. Well, there’s no one who doesn’t give me lecherous looks… but he’s particularly lewd, okay? Plus, he doesn’t listen to me at all… Pass him over, okay? Honey.”

I sighed. Nodding made her smile brightly.

She stepped forward, licking the blood off her face. The moment she removed her mask, Kwak Cheon-geuk flinched.

As if he had seen something that shouldn’t be here.

“…Lianju…? Ha, but Lianju is definitely at the center of Sado Clan…!”

“Yeah. Long time no see?”

“Y-You… How can you do this… Are you not afraid of the council…?!”

“What the hell? Fakes who are serving that kind of bullshit talk, huh? And aren’t we also not in a position to have this kind of chat? You’re just plotting to devour me after all.”

Gu Ok-gyeong tossed aside the broken sword.

She grabbed any one of the swords scattered nearby.

“You’re the King of Green Forest, right? If you’re going to use the title, then we should fight with swords, not words. Here. If you can beat me, I’ll bark on command and maybe wag my tail too. Like this. Like this.”

“…….”

“Ooh. I can see your eyes getting lewd. Why? You really think you can win?”

“…If I win… will you spare me?”

At Kwak Cheon-geuk’s question, I frowned. Gu Ok-gyeong poked me in the side.

“Honey. You promised to let me have him.”

“…Tsk.”

I reached out to tidy up the leftovers. The trembling masters shouted desperately.

“P-please spare us! We’ll never show our faces again!”

Spare you, huh…

I asked.

“What happened to those who said that to you?”

“Y-yes?”

“Were they spared, or killed?”

They couldn’t answer such a simple question. They seemed unable to grasp my intentions, and yet they also appeared to know the answer all too well.

Yeah. That’s it. Their silence is as good as an answer from beasts.

Gumang cried out.

To calm that crying sound, I moved the sword.

“I’ll respond just like you did back then.”

“…What the hell…!”

Those were pretty lackluster last words.

But it didn’t matter.

Since I didn’t want to hear their final words at all.

…

Gu Ok-gyeong whirled her sword. She whispered to the frozen Kwak Cheon-geuk amidst the slaughter happening beside him.

“Let them handle their side, okay? There’s something we need to discuss, right?”

Kwak Cheon-geuk turned his head. His face, half resigned, had a bit of hope mixed in.

Though he held the sword, it seemed like he wanted to ask something before fighting.

“…Is the Lianju in Sado Clan a fake?”

“It’s fake. Isn’t it obvious? Mine has been completely different from my past actions. It’d be daft not to notice.”

“…I didn’t know.”

“Then you’re a fool.”

Kwak Cheon-geuk gradually shifted his stance.

“Who the hell is that monster? What the heck have you been nurturing?”

“Huh? He’s my honey.”

“…Huh?”

“Someone I want to mate with. Seriously… so damn alluring. I want to lick the back of his neck but am holding back. Even from a man’s perspective, isn’t that so?”

“What does that…”

“The blood-dyed sword. The Blood Sword. That’s the only thing proving his existence. He’s not likely to direct it towards humans. He wouldn’t want that himself. But you know, when it’s drawn, it becomes exceptionally merciless, right? You were right. That’s a monster. But it’s a monster I want to obtain so desperately…”

Sado Clan Master Gu Ok-gyeong sighed. She lightly touched her blood-stained cheek.

“I want to obtain him. I want to hold him, devour his soul. I want to raise him for my whole life, feed him only the food I make, and lock him in a cage that I create. I’ve never seen a man like that before. Even in pure martial arts, my whole body trembles, and I like his personality too. I mean, it’s amazing that I would ever think someone was ‘beautiful.'”

“…….”

“So hey, you damn bastard. Quit rolling your eyes and focus. You’ve been staring at my body, haven’t you? You’ve been plotting to devour me by all means. I’ve seen and heard quite a lot too.”

“…Make me a promise.”

“What is it?”

“That you’ll keep your word.”

Desire-filled eyes glistened. Even in this situation, those eyes opened.

Truly animals.

Gu Ok-gyeong chuckled.

She deliberately loosened the front of her garment slightly to reveal her cleavage to him.

“Do as you please. If you win, I might even ride you myself. I could bark like a dog, too, if needed.”

“…Keep that promise.”

Kwak Cheon-geuk showed his teeth. Along with that, an immense internal strength spread throughout his body.

As expected of the head of Green Forest’s Seventy-two Strongholds. Has he reached the pinnacle of martial arts? He’s not called one of the pillars supporting the Sado Clan for nothing.

…But.

“If that damn bastard were stronger from the start, he would’ve long since taken the position of Sado Clan Master.”

Gu Ok-gyeong grinned, baring her teeth.

“If I win, I’ll tear off your limbs and toss you into a pig pen. Of course, I’ll cut out your tongue and pull all your teeth, okay? How does that sound? Not bad, right?”

 

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