Chapter 200: Hometown (2)

Carl steadied his breathing.

He had always suspected that a day might come when he would meet someone from the Central Plains like himself.

‘But to think that day would be today.’

And what’s more, it was someone who, like him, reeked of the underworld.

Still, Carl did not acknowledge the connection and maintained a calm expression as he responded to the man.

“Hometown? What are you talking about?”

“I mean the Central Plains.”

“…Central Plains. How do you know that name?”

“Because I’m from there. Hold on a second.”

The man tilted his head and looked at Carl.

Though his face was obscured by a mask, he could not catch even a whiff of the Central Plains from Carl’s aura.

“Was I mistaken? Damn, it’s been so long I can’t even tell anymore. But how do you know about the Central Plains?”

“My master told me about it. He said it was his homeland, a place far, far away.”

“Your master. Where is he now?”

“……”

Carl withheld his answer.

Instead, he silently raised his sword, and the man gave a short nod.

“So there was another wanderer like me. Interesting.”

Sometimes, silence worked better than words.

As the man responded just as Carl had hoped, a crooked smile tugged at Carl’s lips.

“In that case, I have no business with you.”

The man let out a short breath and twisted the saber in his hand.

At the same time, a heavy shockwave exploded through the air with the sound of slicing wind.

Clang!

Carl raised his sword to block the gust from the man’s blade and let out a low exclamation in his mind.

‘He’s a master. And a damn good one at that.’

Even if nothing else, his sword technique was top-class, properly learned.

The man also frowned slightly when Carl easily parried his strike.

“You blocked it? A mere greenhorn dares deflect the Blade Demon’s slash?”

“My master taught me to do this when facing masters from the Central Plains.”

Carl lowered his sword, assumed the martial salute, and spoke.

“I am Nox, inheritor of the true legacy of the Demon Sword, Jin Mugok.”

“…The Demon Sword!”

Swish!

Just as the man exclaimed in surprise, Carl’s sword slashed fiercely through the air.

A surge of pitch-black demonic energy burst forth in an instant, and the man raised his saber to block it.

Boom.

A heavy thud rang out.

Pushed back several steps, the man stared at the deep grooves etched into the ground with a serious gaze.

‘I’m being pushed back?’

In other words, the opponent’s internal energy was on par with his own.

Yet the voice and aura didn’t make Carl seem particularly old.

At most, he seemed just barely past his coming-of-age.

‘So it’s likely true that he’s the Demon Sword’s disciple.’

There was no martial artist with the title “Demon Sword” in his era.

That meant they had likely lived in different times.

“I am the Blade Demon, Han Yulim.”

Han Yulim swung his saber to release his presence.

“I serve as an Elder of the Cult and oversee execution. If you claim to be a demon inheriting the Demon Sword’s legacy, then show proper respect to me, your senior in the demonic path.”

A junior from the same path encountered in a foreign land.

Even if not directly connected, it was still a reason to show leniency due to their shared heritage in the demonic arts.

Had Carl inherited the righteous path, Han Yulim would’ve cut off his limbs and extracted information without hesitation—but now that he confirmed the boy was a fellow demon, he didn’t intend to be so cruel.

“My master also said this.”

Tight grip.

Carl clenched his sword and drew out even more demonic energy.

It had been the right choice not to reveal the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s aura.

Since the man claimed allegiance to the Cult, he would easily recognize it.

‘Or… would it be better to reveal it?’

The Cult’s hierarchy was absolute.

Any demon human from the Cult was duty-bound to kneel and obey under the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

But that was a matter for later.

Right now, he simply wanted to clash blades with a true master from the Central Plains after so long.

“If someone flaunts their seniority without the skills to back it up, then cut off their head without hesitation.”

Whoosh! Clang!

Carl’s sword swung diagonally, and Han Yulim’s saber blocked it.

Feeling the sharp power ripple up his wrist, the Blade Demon let out a cheerful laugh.

“I don’t know who your master is, but his teachings are solid! Yes, in the demonic path, strength is what speaks. Let’s see how well you’ve learned the Demon Sword’s blade!”

Fwoosh!

Han Yulim’s saber became engulfed in vivid crimson flames.

From the start, a dazzling, clearly manifested spectacle of aura blade erupted.

He kicked off the ground and leaped, swinging his saber as dozens of saber energy slashes bombarded the land below.

KABOOM!

Carl casually waved his sword.

A thick wall of sword energy rose before him, quivering under pressure but withstanding the relentless onslaught.

Shhhhhh.

A dense cloud of smoke billowed up from the now-devastated ground.

Tap.

The Blade Demon landed lightly on the ground and spoke with a twisted smile.

“If that’s all you’ve got…”

This wouldn’t be the end.

Even before finishing his sentence, he sensed a sharp murderous aura coming from his blind spot and twisted his torso low.

Planting both feet firmly on the ground, he bent only at the waist using the Iron Plate Bridge technique.

At the same time, a blade sprang from the shadows and grazed just above his upper body.

“…An assassination blade?”

Attacking from a blind spot and making no sound—everything about the strike screamed of an assassin.

For someone of Han Yulim’s caliber, it was easy to tell.

Swish!

But the next strike was a pure demonic martial art form.

Carl was now attacking head-on, relying on his internal energy, and Han Yulim’s expression turned curious.

‘I can’t pin him down. I wish I could at least see his face…’

Not even his piercing eyes, which could see through Disguise Masks or Illusion Masks, could peer inside the mask Carl wore.

He could only infer Carl’s expression from the occasional glimpse of his eyes.

There was just one thing he could be sure of—Carl was smiling even while clashing swords.

‘Interesting.’

The Blade Demon launched three saber strikes.

The aura blades, shot in three different directions, became three snakes that burrowed into Carl’s openings.

Crackle.

The sound of protective aura being gnawed away spread as an unpleasant noise.

The weakened parts got scratched, tearing a bit of his clothes, but Carl’s body remained unscathed.

Hummmm.

Riding the momentum, the Blade Demon seemed intent on ending it here as he gathered his saber energy.

‘This guy’s internal energy surpasses mine.’

Whether he had inherited combat power from his master or obtained a great fortune in internal energy, that was certain.

In that case, the solution was to win through superior techniques and mastery.

“If you’re so confident, then take this! If you can block even this, I, the Blade Demon Han Yulim, will acknowledge that you have properly inherited the Demon Sword’s legacy!”

The flames turned blood-red.

Like a horde of vengeful spirits had arrived, ear-splitting screams echoed, the ground trembled violently, and the surroundings shook.

Clatter.

In the midst of it all, Carl slowly raised his sword.

He wanted to enjoy the fight a little longer, but his opponent wasn’t someone to take lightly.

If they clashed head-on, even he would need to be on edge.

Of course, that was only if he didn’t use the Primordial Unity Divine Art.

‘I will not use the Primordial Unity Divine Art.’

To a tyrant, he would respond as a tyrant.

As Carl refined his demonic energy, the Blade Demon rotated his body and swung his saber at a wide angle.

Slaaash!

An enormous demonic flame swept through the area, engulfing Carl.

It devoured everything it touched and surged in all directions, leaving no trace of what it passed over.

Carl, in the center of it all, merely swung his sword in a straight arc.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s ultimate form—

Heaven-Flow Twilight Flash.

Unlike the past, when it erupted like an active volcano, the Heaven-Flow Twilight Flash at this level of mastery drew a single arc.

From the beginning, the essence of this technique was the Flash (閃).

Only now could Carl realize he had been misusing the technique all this time.

‘The Heaven-Flow Twilight Flash is the will to strike down the opponent without fail.’

That intent became a single trajectory.

Crackle, crackle.

The wave of demonic flames that had been devouring everything and growing in size halted.

As if time had stopped, the flames trembled and then were split diagonally as though someone had ripped them apart.

Crack.

The Blade Demon’s eyes widened.

Blood vessels burst in his eyes as he stared at Carl, and black blood oozed from between his tightly clenched teeth.

What shocked him wasn’t that his technique had been effortlessly broken, nor that he had been overwhelmingly defeated by a youth.

His gaze was fixed on the black flame swirling around Carl’s sword.

It was the Demonic Flame he had admired all his life, yearned for, and would’ve risked his life to manifest.

Drip, drip.

Blood trickled from his crown.

Though it wouldn’t have been strange for him to die in that situation, he had survived.

That could only mean his opponent had shown mercy.

And so, the Blade Demon Han Yulim was genuinely moved and prostrated himself on the ground.

“Invincible Cult! Unmatched Heavenly Demon! In this distant land of another world, the unworthy Blade Demon pays his respects to the noble successor!”

He erased all doubts from his mind.

Had Carl revealed the power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art from the start, he would’ve shown proper respect.

But surely, he had his reasons.

Perhaps it had been a test.

To verify whether he truly was a demon human of the Cult.

‘Let this be enough proof, I pray.’

The Blade Demon lowered his head even further and displayed the highest courtesy he could offer.

Crossing dimensions had cost him about half of his original martial prowess.

Though he had recovered some of it through painstaking effort, there was no denying it still fell short compared to the past.

Even so, he had demonstrated his best technique—he only hoped it was enough to earn Carl’s approval.

“I ask for your understanding. I needed to confirm whether you truly were a demon human of the Cult.”

“I am the Blade Demon, Han Yulim. Once again, I offer my greetings.”

“I’ll call you Blade Demon, then.”

“As you wish, Supreme One.”

“How did you end up in this place?”

“…That, I’m afraid, would take quite some time to explain.”

The Blade Demon looked around.

Because of their fight, the surrounding terrain was in poor condition.

Before long, others would notice the commotion and come this way.

And if a crowd gathered, things could get troublesome.

In the worst case, even the Imperial Guard might show up.

Knowing all too well how annoying it was to get entangled with the Empire, the Blade Demon carefully voiced his concern.

“Would it not be better to relocate? My dwelling is not far from here.”

“No need. This organization will soon be dealt with. Blade Demon, you’ll come with me.”

Carl gestured toward the distance and began walking.

It was clear the enemy had placed their faith in this Blade Demon.

With someone this powerful, they had likely thought he could handle NOX without issue.

In other words, they probably had no other notable forces remaining besides the Blade Demon.

—Six, finish cleaning up on this end.

—Understood.

Issuing orders to Six, who had been watching from afar, Carl lightly kicked off the ground and returned toward the Madeira Trading House.

With the Blade Demon following behind.

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