Chapter 152: Moonlit Sword Blossom (1)

Ten-Thousand Slayer, the Murder Demon So Munyak.

His face bore little distinction—just a slightly cold demeanor, one that could easily pass for a commoner at a glance.

But beneath that ordinary exterior burned a chaos unmatched by any—he was the very embodiment of a killer.

‘The Murder Demon came in person?’

Things had taken a spectacular turn for the worse…

Regardless of the situation, I slowly clasped my fists and bowed toward So Munyak.

“I greet the Head of the Hidden Shadow So Clan. I am Jin Yeomyung of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan.”

He didn’t respond to my greeting.

Instead—

Pop!

He suddenly shot a burst of Qi Wind toward my forehead.

‘This crazy bastard…’

Crack!

The gust of Qi pierced through where my head had just been and impaled a wooden pillar behind me.

I tilted my head and narrowly dodged the attack, letting out a dry chuckle inwardly.

‘Kinda nostalgic. That’s his idea of a greeting.’

Back when I was just the Internal Affairs Officer with weak martial prowess, that sudden “greeting” of his had left holes in my shoulder multiple times.

‘He’s always been unpredictable, then and now.’

The only thing I could ever discern from him was a rare glimmer of ambition for power.

Aside from that, his behavior was so erratic it wouldn’t have been strange to call him not just a Murder Demon, but a Mad Demon.

“Head of Clan. If you have business, I ask that we speak civilly.”

At my words, So Munyak finally spoke.

“Both of you—come quietly.”

Should I be thankful he at least responded to that?

Of course, it was a request I had no intention of granting.

“I refuse.”

“Then it’s best you leave your limbs behind.”

Flash!

Without so much as a warning, So Munyak’s arm moved like lightning.

He swung a chopping hand strike, aiming to sever my arm as if to make good on his words.

“Young Master! No!”

Gu Chil desperately tried to move Nine Heavens Threads, but So Munyak was much faster.

However—

“Hm?”

The moment his hand strike touched my forearm—

Crack!

A sound erupted—one that should never have been heard upon impact—

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, my body was flung from the Demonic Heaven Pavilion, soaring into the market streets of Miok Fortress.

* * *

A portion of the fifth floor of the Demonic Heaven Pavilion exploded with a thunderous crash, as if it had been directly hit by a cannonball.

“Y-Young Master!”

Gu Chil was panicked.

His master had suddenly been sent flying far into the distance.

Neither of the two outcomes he’d imagined came true—his master’s arm getting cut off, or a flashy counterattack.

‘What the hell just happened?’

As Gu Chil desperately tried to make sense of what had occurred—

“An amusing technique.”

So Munyak murmured under his breath.

“At the moment of contact, did he concentrate some sort of special Qi on the defensive point to turn my strike into a blunt blow?”

“…Master?”

“I see now why both the Sword Demon and the Saber Demon couldn’t stop praising him.”

A rare, twisted grin spread across So Munyak’s face.

Gu Chil blinked, surprised to see a different expression on the face of the man who had once taught him—he’d never thought the man capable of anything beyond a blank stare.

“It’s certainly impossible for someone at the late-stage First-rate level. And he’s not using an alternate technique like the Sword Demon claimed…”

Staring through the gaping hole at the market street of Miok Fortress below, So Munyak muttered,

“Is it the peak of Master Level? Otherwise, it makes no sense.”

“…!”

Gu Chil’s emotions churned violently.

A secret not even the Ming Five knew yet, the Murder Demon had figured it out after a single clash.

“I’ll either kill him or drag him to my side—one of those two must be settled today.”

“M-Master!”

“Byeok Cheon-un. I’ll postpone your punishment for now.”

Pop!

The moment he finished his sentence, So Munyak’s form vanished without a trace.

“D-Damn it!”

Gu Chil also launched himself toward where Jin Yeomyung had flown off.

If he didn’t intervene, the chances of the Murder Demon killing his master seemed far more likely than recruiting him.

With that, Gu Chil disappeared from the Demonic Heaven Pavilion as well.

Now, only two members of the So Clan remained on the blood-soaked, desolate fifth floor.

“Aaah, what a shame. I wanted to see more of Brother’s cool side.”

So Soryu, who had just faced death moments ago due to Samadhi Flame, stretched lazily as if none of it had mattered.

She turned her head.

Her eyes settled on So Cheon, still sitting calmly in place.

“By the way, why didn’t you do anything? With your skill, you could’ve at least interfered a little, right?”

“……”

So Cheon didn’t reply to her question.

“I mean, if you’re off in your own world, that’s fine and all. But don’t think that means I’ll cut you any slack. If I lose Brother because of you, I’ll kill you myself.”

She scowled, noticing the blood spattered across her clothing.

Leftover traces of their subordinates, who had been torn apart by Gu Chil’s Nine Heavens Threads earlier.

“Ugh, useless bastards. Couldn’t even serve their purpose properly.”

It was a level of coldness no one could’ve imagined directed at subordinates who had died due to her own misjudgment.

“Well, since the Clan Head got personally involved, this should all be resolved soon. I’m heading out first. Gotta get ready to welcome Brother to the So Clan.”

And with that, So Soryu disappeared somewhere.

Left all alone, So Cheon slowly rose and stared into the distance.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to find what you asked for.”

—…….

“No, it doesn’t seem to be on his person.”

-…….

“Understood. I’ll proceed with the next plan. I trust… you’ll keep your promise.”

It was a conversation between So Cheon and a third party—one that no one else could hear.

* * *

‘Damn, that really hurt like hell.’

After crashing into some corner of the market district,

I pushed aside the remains of what had once been a small storage shed and stood up.

‘Ugh! Thankfully, no one got caught up in it?’

If any civilians had been swept up in that fall, it would’ve left a bad taste in my mouth.

Well, I’d make sure to compensate for the destroyed shed later.

“Haven’t used that technique in a while, but it turned out pretty well.”

The sharpness of the Murder Demon So Munyak’s hand strike easily surpassed the sword qi of most skilled masters.

Not to mention the speed was utterly transcendent—no way to respond normally to it.

That’s why I had resorted to something I often used in my first life: a combination of elemental transformation and Qi dispersion.

‘It works even against highly condensed slashes.’

It was originally developed to block the breath of a corrupted dragon race in my first life. Thankfully, I’d adapted it well.

‘Phew… Honestly, fighting massive demonic beasts might be easier than this…’

Fighting masters in martial arts—especially those who’d broken through to the next realm—was overwhelmingly difficult.

‘I managed only because I’ve reached the peak of the Master Level through sheer luck. Otherwise, I’d be dead.’

The divine power of light I’d obtained as a perk from my past life constantly clashed with the demonic energy I’d cultivated in this life through the Heavenly True Divine Art.

Worse still, since my vitality’s source was my heart rather than my dantian, one slip in the circulation of Qi would’ve turned me into a cripple in an instant.

To fix that, I had spent all seven days of grace that Cheon Jumyeong had granted me, focusing entirely on stabilizing the integration of my lower dantian.

With fortune on my side, I’d managed to break through another wall.

‘Tch… And yet, I still haven’t crossed the wall of Extreme Demon. Cheon Yura really is amazing.’

Muttering under my breath, I checked my physical condition.

Aside from some twisted Qi, there were no external or internal injuries.

‘Knowing the Murder Demon’s personality, he won’t leave me alone.’

The reason I let myself get flung out of the Demonic Heaven Pavilion wasn’t random.

If So Munyak and I went all out in that place, it would’ve been completely obliterated in moments.

And countless innocent believers in the vicinity would’ve been killed.

So Munyak was the type who absolutely wouldn’t care about such “trivial” collateral damage.

Pop!

I swiftly used light footwork to escape from Miok Fortress.

‘He wouldn’t have ignored me and gone after Gu Chil instead, right?’

A grim thought passed through me, but it was soon erased by the ominous killing intent I felt from a distance.

Thus, I moved to a forest slightly outside Miok Fortress.

In less than a minute, So Munyak landed before me.

“…So, you’re not running anymore?”

“There’s no paradise to be found in the places you run to.”

At that, So Munyak tilted his head slightly.

“No paradise where you run, huh… not bad.”

Even if I fled to the Jin Clan, it would only result in making enemies of the So Clan.

Besides, this kind of one-on-one meeting without interference was rare.

“By the way… are you sure about this? Causing such a bold disturbance—what will the Cheon Clan and the other Six Clans say…”

“They won’t say anything.”

So Munyak coldly cut me off.

I frowned slightly.

“And what makes you so sure of that?”

“They don’t know which side I’ll take.”

“……”

“Sure, the Cult Leader or Jin Gun-ak might say a word or two, but it won’t lead to anything serious. Of course, that’s assuming things end quietly.”

True… The Cheon Clan factions supporting Cheon Yujeong and Heavenly Illusion Hwan Clan absolutely needed the So Clan on their side.

And the Pa Clan, Jin Clan, and Ma Clan wouldn’t want the So Clan to join the opposing camp in such a tense situation.

So Munyak knew how to make use of his ambiguous position.

“So, have you decided which side you’ll stand with?”

“Not yet.”

He pulled something from his robes—some kind of gauntlet—and slipped it on.

Crackle! Zzzzt!

Faint electric Qi sparked along the gauntlet.

That must be the Nine Heavens Thunderclap Technique, a lightning-based martial art said to rival the Celestial Storm Divine Art of the Black Gold Sa Clan.

It had undoubtedly reached the highest level—beyond Great Mastery, into the realm of Perfection.

So Munyak spoke to me.

“From what I’ve observed, you play a critical role in the three-clan alliance. Meaning, if you die, the alliance collapses.”

“……”

“If your potential were mediocre, it’d be better to take your head to the Cheon Clan.”

Indeed, if he presented my head to them, the Cheon Clan and the Hwan Clan would welcome So Munyak with open arms.

And if I died in this situation, the Pa and Ma Clans would surely return to neutrality.

With only the Jin Clan left, reversing the situation would be near impossible.

“Mediocre potential, huh…”

I let out a faint chuckle.

“What level of talent would satisfy you, Clan Head?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure.”

So, in other words, he didn’t have a set standard—but he wanted me to impress him regardless?

“This isn’t a test. It’s a duel to the death. You’d best take it seriously.”

“…!”

I was surprised by how ‘kindly’ So Munyak offered that warning.

The Murder Demon I knew would never have said something like that.

‘Does this mean… he likes me in some way? Can I interpret it that way?’

In any case, it was a chance hidden within a crisis.

‘If things go south… I’ll just go crazy and pull that out again.’

Although, if I drew upon that power again, there was a good chance I’d really die this time…

Still, better to leave myself an option than be definitely killed by So Munyak’s hand.

And then—

“A duel to the death, huh. Then there’s no need to make it one-on-one, is there?”

“…Hm?”

“Hmmm?”

Step, step.

Along with a low but clear voice, someone pushed through the brush and appeared.

A luxurious blue outfit, similar to a palace robe. If it wasn’t a man going out of his way to wear such attire, then the intruder was undoubtedly a woman.

Judging from the sword in her hand, she seemed to be a martial artist, but…

‘A mask?’

A mysterious woman whose face was completely concealed by a mask engraved with a crescent moon on the forehead. Monster? No—maybe “mysterious lady” was more fitting?

In any case, she suddenly appeared and stepped in between So Munyak and me.

“…Who are you?”

Strangely, So Munyak didn’t greet her with his usual “courtesy” but calmly asked for her identity.

The masked woman plainly introduced herself.

“I am called Moonlit Sword Blossom.”

So Munyak tilted his head slightly.

“Moonlit Sword Blossom?”

Ah?

While I was struck by a familiar feeling from that nickname—

“How curious. Was there ever a female sword expert in our cult who wielded a blade like that?”

So Munyak gave the same ominous smile he had shown me earlier.

I felt a slight sense of danger from that expression.

‘This is bad. He’s harboring killing intent.’

Though his face wore a smile, there was no doubt he was already thinking of how to eliminate this unknown intruder.

“Are you curious?”

“Not particularly.”

The killing intent within So Munyak grew even denser.

In that tense atmosphere—

The one who had introduced herself as Moonlit Sword Blossom slowly approached and stood beside me.

“To take on the Murder Demon of the world, this much seems like a fair balance.”

Two against one.

“Interesting. Come at me.”

From So Munyak’s entire body, a needle-like aura of murderous intent surged outward.

In response, a pure silver sword qi began to flow from her blade.

‘There’s no doubt. That’s definitely Moonlight Sword Qi!’

The symbol of the Moon Maiden Sword, a style said to have been lost from the Central Plains long ago!

Regardless of what internal cultivation method one used, this technique had a distinct feature—it always produced a silver sword qi that resembled moonlight.

And more than anything, the Moon Maiden Sword belonged to none other than her…

“Can you match my rhythm?”

Breaking my thoughts, Moonlit Sword Blossom asked me calmly.

I had no idea why she was standing here like this, in this form, at this place—but…

Smiling faintly, I drew my sword and stood shoulder to shoulder with her.

“Gladly—wherever it takes us.”

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