Chapter 47
**
A month.
To keep the deadline of one month I had set for myself, I gripped my sword. Now, I moved deeper inside, beyond the animals of Demon Valley that I could mostly handle.
Twenty-Nine followed me, looking horrified.
“What’s going on?! Why are you suddenly like this? You left without a word and now you want to meet the Demon Lord… Can you at least explain?!”
“I’ll explain everything once it’s over.”
“What?! What do you mean?!”
She tugged at my clothes, but I shook her off mercilessly.
If I talked to her, we would probably have differing opinions. There was a high chance she would try to stop me.
But before leaving, thinking I might never see her face again…
I wanted to give her this much.
“I’m not keen on being in debt either.”
“Can you just say it in a way I can understand?! Seriously!”
In the center of the Demon Valley, I faced a bizarre creature standing tall in that vast land.
It resembled a tiger in shape but was several times larger than an ordinary one.
Its skin was thick, and its teeth were longer. The protruding fangs could reach its jaw.
Its claws were massive enough to kill even considerable beasts with a single swipe.
However, what drew my attention were its other peculiarities.
The entire body seemed to glow reddish. From it came the scent of inner energy.
“……”
That beast.
It’s one that can handle ‘Qi’.
The air was heating up. The nature of Qi must have been close to fire. Twenty-Nine wiped the sweat that flowed down naturally.
“What kind of beast is as big as a house?! I-it’s a spirit…?!”
“I expected at least this much from the lord of the Demon Valley.”
“Y-you’re going to catch that thing?! Is it even possible?!”
“I don’t know.”
That’s what I was about to find out.
I drew my sword, steadied my breath, and raised my body.
“Twenty-Nine, you should go back from here.”
“What?! No! We can just catch it together…!”
“It has to be done alone. If we do it together, it loses its meaning.”
She still wants to help me despite witnessing something like that.
I smiled at Twenty-Nine, pulling off the distracting mask.
“Thirty?! You shouldn’t take that off…”
“There’s no one who’ll see me anyway. It will clearly get torn, so there’s not much difference if I take it off beforehand.”
I exhaled at the tip of the sword I held diagonally.
I infused my energy into the ruined blade, that it wouldn’t break any further, and took a step forward into the searing blood-colored haze.
“Twenty-Nine. I’ll see you in a month. You don’t have to worry about patrols. I received permission from the Blood Demon Leader to be absent for a month.”
“Why are you doing this without my consent…!”
“Didn’t you see it at the Sma Clan?”
I decided to live like this.
That’s all there is to it.
“This is how I usually live.”
…
Twenty-Nine returned to the Nest. Even while receiving the patrol orders, she couldn’t understand.
The actions of Thirty seeking to subdue the lord of Demon Valley suddenly. It felt as if they had seen someone who was not Ilma…
After that, she didn’t share anything more. She remained silent and kept her mouth shut.
Twenty-Nine felt curious. But since she didn’t say anything, she didn’t pry further.
Doesn’t everyone have secrets? It’s just a little disappointing.
“……”
Still…
I thought of us as comrades, though.
There must be a reason they couldn’t say it. Yes, there has to be.
…Still.
Shouldn’t a hint be given?
“……”
In her frustration, Twenty-Nine drew her sword. As always, she swung the sword.
She attempted to translate fighting against the giant beast in her mind into her fingertips.
Ilma.
No chance at all. The hidden stances couldn’t even move the massive body, let alone deliver a proper impact.
The imaginary beast seemed to be tickled by the hardened leather. The claws descending immediately were sharper than any typical sword.
She bent her body, narrowly dodging and thrusting the sword forward.
Dan Hoon Choo.
The tip of her sword grazed the leather slightly. But no blood flowed out.
Even with the sword’s energy infused, she had only grazed a thin layer of skin. What would have happened if that had been real?
—Could the sword even penetrate that leather from the start?
Using the Ghostly Spirit Step, she attempted to initiate a speed battle. But even that couldn’t keep up with the beast’s charge.
Her body was thrown to the ground. In the end, she thrust her energy-infused sword into the beast’s mouth, but it broke with a simple snap in the middle.
In the end, she was caught by its neck and died.
Twenty-Nine rose from the dirt. Despite fighting based on mere appearances and imagination, she suffered defeat without a chance for retaliation.
“…this…”
Her current realm was just at the beginning of peak existence. Concentrating her sword energy enough to cut through rock, an otherworldly territory.
And yet…
She couldn’t even stretch out her sword properly.
“You’re going to catch that…? What would happen if I use the Overlord Demon Technique?”
Even after returning to the initial state, the result remained the same.
I mustn’t get caught up in this.
Regardless of whatever orders I had received, if it led to death, what meaning would it hold?
Twenty-Nine returned to where Thirty was supposed to be. Yet upon arrival, she froze, unable to utter a word amid the stench of blood and the despair all around.
Thirty was fighting, with his whole body torn apart.
As if he sincerely… believed he could win against that enormous beast.
…
The Demon Lord.
A gigantic tiger as big as a house.
The first strike commenced as his left arm was torn away. I needed to turn my body around and fix the shattered body first.
I extended Dan Hoon Choo but was blocked. Despite surrounding it with sword energy, there wasn’t even a scratch on its skin.
The rebound was as if it was a matter of course, enveloping my whole body. The emitted fiery energy was hot enough to suffocate.
I closed the distance. Aimed for the underside of its belly; even that didn’t work.
A beast without weaknesses. It felt as if I were witnessing that.
One of my legs was torn away as the price of failure. Amid the burst of blood, Cheongeop cried out.
The pain surged, but as always, I endured it quietly. Even as my entire body was torn apart, I struggled.
Dan Hoon Choo does not work.
Ilma doesn’t, either.
Then…
What about the Overlord Demon Technique?
Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique
Third Brother.
Overlord Demon Technique.
An incomplete crimson shadow engulfing my entire body. The gripping strength increased significantly compared to before.
The laws of movement, body techniques, and sword techniques—all of them evolved to one step higher.
All martial arts advance a level.
I stomped the ground. Unfolding Ghostly Spirit Step, I soared up and struck the beast’s flank.
However, even then, the thick skin did not yield. The Demon Lord’s body shook, unlike before, but that was all.
With a seemingly trivial disdain, its mouth chewed my arm apart. I twisted my body just to barely grab hold of it.
Nothing works. None of my attacks get through.
Is there genuinely no breakthrough?
“…….!”
Back on the beast’s skin, something appeared.
A narrow scratch. A shallow yet clear wound had appeared where I had just struck.
It was impossible with a simple sword energy, but could it be possible if I used the Overlord Demon Technique?
The energy consumption of this form is fast. The key is to maintain it while delivering as many effective strikes to my opponent as possible.
Although it was a wound, not a single drop of blood leaked out. Yet quickly, it seemed to disappear, settling down as if it had never existed.
Does it also possess regeneration…?
If I can’t inflict a fatal wound at once, it seems it would maintain its form.
A head-on battle is impossible. No matter how wildly I struggle, the moment my body gets tired first, I will return to square one.
In a situation with no answers. But still, a smile crept to my lips.
“…a fight of blood, huh.”
Neither of us die when killed.
Neither of us can be cut down.
It’s like standing before a mirror, siblings of different forms.
The Demon Lord growled low. Its mouth opened, starting to threaten me.
I lifted my sword amidst it. From holding it with one hand, I gripped it with both.
It certainly hurt.
Everything from before hurt.
But I could endure even that.
The emotion of being able to surpass an opponent deemed unbeatable.
Focused and intoxicated with power.
If there is a breakthrough, then I’ll just break through. What stands before me is like an immense warrior.
So, let’s step on it. Let’s step over it.
Not a sword to endure, but a sword to win with.
“If I surpass you… I can aim higher.”
Pain is heavy. Life is heavy too.
At the end of life, we must weigh our respective burdens on the scale. Among them, those who can survive are those who bear an even heavier load.
So. Therefore…
“I… shall prove my worth with this sword.”
“I shall surpass you right here and now.”
The weight of those who surpass.
The time of those who surpass.
I vowed before the Heavenly Demon to present myself boldly.
Yet even that method, the Heavenly Demon had no intention of following.
A little faster.
A little stronger.
Beyond breaking expectations, to surpass predictions…
Can I catch up to that being known as the Heavenly Demon?
My sword sang in my hand. Within that sorrowful sound, I heard Seongja Myung’s voice.
“I believe Third Brother will rise higher than me.”
The voice of my close friend whispered as well.
There was no reason to stop now.
“Let’s play, beast. I too…”
The claws gleamed.
I clashed my sword against it.
“Since you’re a beast.”
Do you know how to carve into mountains made of stone?
It is to move a shovel.
Not even resting for a single day.
…
“Really? Did the dog say that?”
The Heavenly Demon laughed cheerfully. Ilma nodded in agreement.
“Even though I gave you half a year, you chose to shorten it to just a month. Hmm… Well, if you can do it, that’s good. In fact, it allows me to extend my learning time with you even longer.”
The Heavenly Demon pondered. Ilma stealthily looked up at that figure.
Her eyes were glistening with delight. That slight tilting movement was extraordinarily precious.
Had the Heavenly Demon ever enjoyed someone else’s affair this much?
A toy.
Among them, her gaze seemed to cherish watching the most precious toy’s journey.
“Ilma.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think? Do you believe the dog can do it?”
“……”
Can he do it—she pondered.
Jeok-un’s condition was already examined in the previous consultation. Whatever the Heavenly Demon did, the balance of his spirit body was completely stabilized.
It was in a perfect peak state. But can one who is at the peak defeat the Demon Lord?
No way.
Absolutely not.
“It’s leather that cannot be pierced by sword techniques.”
“Correct.”
“Even if he enveloped himself with the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique, he would only make shallow scratches.”
“That statement is also correct.”
“Unless it’s fierce energy, killing the Demon Lord is impossible. The realm to generate fierce energy… is essentially the realm of true leaders leading a proper unit. It is not something achievable merely through unification of spirit bodies. It’s a realm unreachable by ordinary people, no matter how hard they try. Even half a year would be impossible. A month is out of the question.”
Disappointing.
That’s what I decided.
The Heavenly Demon chuckled wickedly.
“Ilma.”
“Yes.”
“Yet, you can’t bring yourself to say that the kid can’t do it.”
“…….”
He can’t do it.
I was about to mouth that word now. However, even when I opened my mouth, nothing came out.
I pondered briefly. Then I blinked.
“…….”
Why can’t I say it’s impossible?
…No.
Why can’t I speak those words?
“Ilma.”
“…Yes.”
“Why did you accept that ridiculous proposal?”
Jeok-un was the first to ask him for a favor. He made a proposal with something at stake.
That arrogance was pleasing. There was something adorable about not knowing his place.
Every element seemed nonsensical to me. A proposal that would benefit no one but others.
Each one was amusing.
That’s why I listened.
Honestly, I thought it was a ridiculous proposal. I figured someone who reached their peak would have no chance of defeating the Demon Lord.
…However.
His actions spoke for themselves. Hadn’t he always shown me things that were beyond reason?
He had followed my teachings. He’d stuck to me desperately.
He had even defeated the White Demon Body. A mere rookie had reached the peak in an instant.
Now he had been stubbornly contending even with the Soul Stealing Sword for several hundred seconds. He had endured awful pain even after consuming the Ice Crystal.
…And a Blood Demon Junior dared to…
An ordinary person is performing something unbelievable.
Ilma belatedly realized she had not responded earlier.
Jeok-un had always been like that. When one predicts, he plays outside that boundary.
Having a talent that doesn’t even catch her eye…
He always showed himself that he could do far more than that.
So she felt curious.
And at the same time, anticipated.
“I thought it was a ridiculous deal.”
“And?”
“Strangely…”
He can’t do it. He shouldn’t be able to.
It was normal to think so…
“I felt he would succeed.”
—That guy itself isn’t sane from the start, isn’t he?
The Heavenly Demon chuckled, bursting into laughter, even banging the table.
“I never thought the typically cold and detached Ilma would say that. Isn’t it a feeling immensely distant from the word ‘reason’ you loved?”
“……”
“But I can’t say I don’t understand at all. Yes. Ilma. You’re right. For some reason… even if it’s something ridiculously outrageous…”
The Heavenly Demon stopped laughing. She fidgeted with the tip of her lips.
“He’s aiming for the goal of the heavenly maiden from the start. If he’s dreaming of the impossible, shouldn’t he succeed in something improbable as well?”
