Chapter 277: Heavenly Demonic Divine Art (3)

Heaven-Breaking Destruction.

It was the final technique of the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword, and the strongest ultimate move I could currently perform.

“A new possibility, you say?”

It was already powerful enough, but did this mean that by mastering Ma Seoyeon’s Demonic Sword, there was room to make it even stronger?

Ma Seoyeon spoke with the face of a martial artist.

“The Demonic Sword I created is a technique that systematizes the realm above it.”

The higher realm she spoke of was none other than Supreme Demon Realm.

In the entire history of Murim, only a handful of people had ever reached that supreme realm.

“And Heaven-Breaking Destruction is the result of Senior Brother Jin’s efforts to surpass Master.”

“…Hmm.”

“Originally, the Dimensional Slash of the Demonic Sword and Heaven-Breaking Destruction of the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword were aimed at the same end.”

“…!”

“It’s just that you didn’t notice because you haven’t fully entered that realm yet.”

That was an astonishing revelation.

Indeed, Heaven-Breaking Destruction felt completely disconnected from the other nine techniques of the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword, which flowed organically together.

“Even if the destination is the same, just being able to compare two different paths leading there will be an incredible help to you right now.”

“……”

I more or less understood what Ma Seoyeon meant.

Especially since I was standing before the threshold of Transcendent Demon Realm, this was a stroke of fortune more precious than gold.

I stood up from my seat and bowed deeply to her with sincere gratitude.

“Thank you, Senior Sister.”

She quickly turned her head away and mumbled in a small voice.

“…If you’re that thankful, maybe stick around a little longer.”

“Unfortunately, the situation outside doesn’t allow for that. But I promise I’ll visit again and again.”

For some reason, her expression turned bitter upon hearing those words.

“…Who knows.”

“…?”

“It’s nothing. Anyway, I’ll teach you the incantation first, so memorize it well. If you go around showing off that you’re Senior Brother Jin’s descendant while being an empty-headed fool, I won’t forgive you.”

“Well, that’s my specialty.”

As the former Inner Administrator of the Great Heavenly Demon Cult, memorization was something I was confident in.

After that, I memorized the incantation, which was over five thousand characters long, perfectly in a single go without missing a single word.

Ma Seoyeon, after checking it several times, stared at me with an expression of utter disbelief, her mouth agape.

“You’re insane! Did you really memorize all of it?”

“I told you, it’s my specialty.”

She was so shocked that she grabbed my shoulders and said,

“Are you really a descendant of Senior Brother Jin? Are you sure your bloodline didn’t get cut off somewhere, and some random guy just decided to take on the Jin surname?”

“…Aren’t you being a bit too harsh?”

I felt a strong urge to drag my younger brother in front of her to prove it.

“Ahem! Well, I understand. Senior Brother Jin was the most ignorant one among us.”

Ignorant, huh…

“No, to be exact, he had a basic brain, but it was more like he just didn’t bother to think.”

“Well, when you have such a strong body, there’s not much need to use your head.”

“…I can’t deny that, but it still annoys me.”

She pouted slightly and slowly stood up from her seat.

“Since I’ve passed on the incantation, shall we get back to sparring?”

“Sounds good.”

The moment Ma Seoyeon and I stood up, we naturally closed the distance between us again.

Just before we clashed once more, she spoke to me.

“When I first reached this place, I had barely set foot on the threshold of the Transcendent Demon Realm.”

…The threshold.

“Thanks to the power of Heaven-Slaying Star, I could display strength beyond my realm, but even so, I couldn’t overcome the absolute gap of the realm itself.”

Was it the limit of Heaven-Slaying Star? Or was the Supreme Demon Realm just that far beyond reach?

Right now, the latter seemed more convincing.

“In the past, when we faced ‘that thing,’ only Master and Senior Brother Jin could handle it one-on-one.”

I could more or less guess what she was referring to as ‘that thing’…

But before that.

“Was Senior Brother Jin’s level really that high?”

It held great meaning that he had been able to face an enemy that even the six Transcendent Demons couldn’t handle.

Ma Seoyeon spoke with a certain pride in her voice.

“That’s right. Among us disciples, Senior Brother Jin stood on a different level.”

I didn’t know how Ancestor Jin’s life had ended.

But the fact that his descendants were still alive and carrying on the legacy in the distant south meant he had defied the Heavenly Demon and survived.

“There’s only one thing I have to tell you. Steal as much as you can. Steal the techniques and insights of all your senior brothers and sisters, and forge your own Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.”

“My own Heavenly Demonic Divine Art…”

“You’ve probably heard it from Master, but aside from the essence of its power, the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art doesn’t have a fixed form.”

Rather, if one could reach the Supreme Demon Realm by their own methods without relying on that crimson energy, the Heavenly Demon would have acknowledged that as the true Heavenly Demonic Divine Art.

“If I had to guess, the martial art of that sly guy from four hundred years ago and the one used by the Cult Leader of your time are probably completely different. At best, only the Heaven-Slaying Qi would have been passed down.”

“……”

She walked closer and patted my shoulder.

“Do your best. There were eight of us, but you’re alone. You have to be even more careful.”

I could feel her genuine concern for me in her words.

However, there was one thing she was wrong about.

“I’m not alone. There are two of us.”

I had a lover more precious than my own life.

And not just her.

There were many people who sincerely helped me.

It might be unreasonable to say that our bond matched that of the Heavenly Demon’s disciples, but…

With time, I was sure our bonds would become just as strong.

“…Is that so?”

A short silence followed.

She gently closed her eyes.

As if reminiscing about the past, a voice tinged with regret came from her lips.

“I’m a little jealous. That person you’re talking about… must be your lover, right?”

“…I won’t deny it.”

Normally, she would’ve reacted with something like, “You bastard, are you bragging in front of me?”

But instead, Ma Seoyeon gave a faint, wistful smile and nodded.

“Don’t end up like me.”

“……”

She roughly ruffled my hair.

“Make sure you find happiness, you little brat.”

I couldn’t give her an answer to that.

After that, Ma Seoyeon and I continued to clash swords.

Even though I had my head cut off several more times, as time passed, the amount of time I could withstand her sword strikes began to grow longer.

There were two reasons for that.

One was the power the Heavenly Demon had imbued me with.

That power resonated with the fragment that the Immortal Demon had entrusted to me, providing me with nearly infinite inner energy.

It was honestly strange that my body hadn’t already burst apart from the sheer pressure.

And the other was the Demonic Sword she had passed on to me.

Surprisingly, her Demonic Sword was the exact opposite of the violent and destructive Blood Demon Dragon Heaven Sword Art.

It was a sword of silence and tranquility.

If I had to compare it, the essence of the Demonic Sword was remarkably similar to the Ten Heavenly Record Demonic Sword that I had already mastered.

‘I see now why she created such a sword.’

Having learned both sword arts, I immediately understood her reasoning.

If Senior Brother Yoo Jeon’s sword was created to reach their master, the Heavenly Demon…

Ma Seoyeon’s Demonic Sword was directed toward Yoo Jeon, not toward their master.

As if to say, “I have grown this much, and my heart is still turned toward you.”

As a martial artist, as a disciple, as family, and as a man and woman.

The Demonic Sword was another form of a love letter from Ma Seoyeon to Yoo Jeon.

The moment I grasped the true nature of the Demonic Sword, her blade could no longer easily pierce my body as it had before.

And after we had clashed without end for nearly two hours without a clear result…

Ma Seoyeon sheathed her sword and nodded.

“This should be enough.”

She pointed to the northern part of the forest and spoke.

“Go over there. That Senior Brother Jin should be waiting for you.”

“Not Senior Brother So?”

Ma Seoyeon looked at me with a pitiful expression.

“Going in order doesn’t mean following seniority, you idiot. I’ve planned your route so you can grow as efficiently as possible.”

“……”

“And in your current state, your mind won’t survive facing Senior Brother So.”

I trembled slightly.

“…Just how brutal is he supposed to be?”

“Well, I consider myself pretty good at killing people, but that guy is a literal butcher.”

“……”

“You’ll understand when you see him. So just shut up and go.”

As she waved her hand to shoo me away, I felt an odd sense of discomfort.

It was as if she were trying to cut ties, like she was looking at someone she might never see again.

Usually, there was a simple reason for such behavior.

“Yes, then I’ll see you again.”

“……”

I had my own thoughts as well, so I simply bowed quietly.

After I disappeared from her sight…

She sat down silently and buried her face in her knees.

The northern area where Jin Gwanchun was waiting was a rocky region, completely opposite from the forest where Ma Seoyeon had been.

At the top of a hill, I saw Jin Gwanchun doing one-arm push-ups with his legs stretched toward the sky, balancing on a single finger.

I stared at him in disbelief.

‘There’s no way training here would have any meaning.’

As evidence, not a single drop of sweat was visible on Jin Gwanchun’s body.

“Oh, you’ve arrived?”

“Yes, Ancestor Jin… No, Senior Brother.”

Jin Gwanchun, who had just finished his light workout, burst into hearty laughter.

“Ha ha ha! Seems you’re still not used to the title.”

Well, who could blame me?

If I got used to calling you Senior Brother, the entire family tree of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan would be thrown into chaos.

‘At this rate, Jin Gun-ak might have to call me Ancestor… What kind of ridiculous family tree is this?’

“Heh heh heh, but the higher your rank, the less you lose.”

“That’s true.”

I quickly agreed.

Of course, to claim that status, one needed the skills and potential to back it up, but for me, that wasn’t much of an obstacle.

“By the way, why are you doing such meaningless training…?”

“It’s just a habit. I can’t stand it unless I do something like this.”

Crack, crack.

Jin Gwanchun casually stretched his neck muscles as he approached me.

“Normally, I’d teach our youngest the Jin Gwanchun-style physical training method…”

Chill!

“But in this place, physical training is meaningless aside from mental discipline, so it’s truly a shame.”

It was just a gut feeling, but…

I had the strong sense that if I underwent that so-called Jin Gwanchun-style training, my mind might actually break.

Jin Gwanchun smacked his lips and sized me up from head to toe.

“What a shame, what a shame. You look like you could actually handle it.”

“……”

It gave me goosebumps a hundred times worse than being harassed by some perverted old man.

“Well, a shame is a shame, but as promised, I’ll properly pass on the Asura Divine Technique I mentioned before.”

“Ah, but before that, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know about the feelings Senior Sister holds for Senior Brother Yoo Jeon?”

“……”

Ma Seoyeon had claimed that Jin Gwanchun was indifferent to the relationships between the disciples.

But having witnessed that moment, I thought differently.

Jin Gwanchun had been the only one who had shown visible regret toward Yoo Jeon.

I believed this: Jin Gwanchun wasn’t indifferent.

He had been watching all along, but had hesitated to get involved — he was more of a timid observer.

It was hard to imagine from his boisterous exterior, but often, a person’s inner self was very different from their outer appearance.

After looking at me with a strange expression for a while, Jin Gwanchun finally opened his mouth with difficulty.

“I know. Honestly, how could I not?”

“…I see.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Senior Brother.”

I looked directly at Jin Gwanchun and revealed the plan I had been considering for some time.

“At the end of this path, could you help Ma Senior Sister muster the courage to express her feelings honestly to Senior Brother Yoo Jeon?”

It was just my speculation, but…

If not now, I doubted she would ever have another chance.

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