LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 396
Chapter 397
‘…This feels different.’
Yeon-woo thought to himself unknowingly. He might not have reached a conclusion yet, but that was how he felt.
Unlike the Demon Kings of Earth, he couldn’t shake the feeling that victory was unattainable here.
However, that didn’t mean Yeon-woo was destined to lose to the Heavenly Demon. Their fight was still very much alive.
But this only served to validate his intuition.
It felt like two pairs of gears meshing together too perfectly.
Yeon-woo could dispel the magic enveloping him. The Heavenly Demon could block Yeon-woo’s attacks without harm.
Especially if they were in a realm of martial arts, that magic wouldn’t even show signs of wear after a year of constant fighting.
It was possible to kill. With Jin Baek-cheon and Dang Jin-ho by his side, they could suppress the magic being supplied to the Heavenly Demon from outside and fight non-stop for about a month; it seemed possible to achieve it then.
The same went for the Heavenly Demon. He could kill Yeon-woo too; if he gave up on tainting him with magic and aimed to kill instead, it wouldn’t take long.
However, that was undesirable for both sides.
Spending a whole month solely focused on the Heavenly Demon. After which, Yeon-woo would fall into a deep slumber for a long time.
If the outside world found out about this, it was certain that most Demon Kings would run rampant.
Time. The most precious resource for Yeon-woo would vanish.
To the Heavenly Demon, life was pleasure. To him, pleasure meant coloring something in his own hue.
Thus, the man aimed to grasp the most colossal thing he could color… the world itself.
For such a Heavenly Demon to choose to kill rather than color what was before him made no sense.
Killing Yeon-woo meant forfeiting his pleasure.
‘This won’t do.’
‘I don’t want to do this.’
The two, who had been attacking each other, simultaneously halted their assaults.
The Poison King and the Martial Arts Alliance leader, watching from a distance, expressed confusion at this sudden pause. As if they had come to some sort of agreement, they both sheathed their weapons.
It felt as if an intricately crafted mechanism had perfectly halted; everything seemed aligned.
It was as if the world had balanced itself so that Yeon-woo wouldn’t kill the Heavenly Demon, and vice versa.
It was as if some unseen force was providing excuses for the two not to fight, akin to how Earth’s heroes might not desire for the martial arts Demon Kings to perish.
If that were the case, was it just Yeon-woo’s feeling?
He didn’t want to lower his weapon. He knew he shouldn’t.
Lowering his weapon here would feel like a compromise for Yeon-woo.
A compromise that broke the oath he once made: to rescue those within his reach, even if he couldn’t save everyone.
Was there really no choice? Was there no way to kill the Heavenly Demon from here?
Distrusting his instinctive judgment, Yeon-woo’s mind began to spin.
After numerous examinations and reviews, his mind still couldn’t provide a clear answer.
It was only natural. His judgment was intuitive yet, above all, accurate.
Thus, Yeon-woo had no choice but to call forth the Doppelganger. Until an idea flashed through his mind.
He turned to look behind him. What lay there was an endlessly stretching road. A path leading to Earth. A pure white road, devoid of magic, which Yeon-woo had purified.
At the end of it was the dimensional gate leading to Earth. More accurately, it was the sword mark left by the Sword Saint.
It was said that even an inexperienced martial artist could gain enlightenment within it, the longing of all martial artists. The dream of every swordsman.
Of course, enlightenment is not something you can demand on the spot.
Only when the stars align and coincidence strikes, under the right conditions, can true enlightenment be grasped.
Therefore, it couldn’t really be called enlightenment. If one were to desperately search for a proper expression…
‘Special guest speaker…?’
Yeon-woo made a puzzled expression as he saw the figure of In-young at the edge of his vision. This was someone who shouldn’t be here, so why were they here…?
The gray attire fluttered. The shabby sword secured at his waist swayed with each step he took. The figure of In-young approached with confidence.
Yeon-woo thought he’d appreciate even a fragment of enlightenment, but he never expected to be visited directly.
– It’s been a while.
Upon hearing the Sword Saint’s voice echo in his head, Yeon-woo could only manage an awkward smile.
*
Sword Saint, Ye Dong-bin. He has many accomplishments, but the most significant is the opening of a dimensional gate connecting Earth and martial arts.
This means he reached a level that no swordsman in this world has ever achieved.
Even the Hunter from the uninhabited island grows stronger over time, yet only the Sword Saint has managed to do the impossible task that even the current Ten Sword Saints cannot.
Looking as if he had used some form of teleportation, the Sword Saint swiftly closed the distance from the distant dimensional gate to Yeon-woo with a grin.
Thinking back, the last time they met, he was an old man with a long beard, and now he appeared as a young man with long black hair.
“Wow, you look rejuvenated!”
“To a transcendental being, appearance means nothing.”
As he laughed, the Heavenly Demon wore a look of surprise for the first time.
It was a face he had seen before. The one who appeared just before the annihilation of martial arts, drawing countless lives to Earth. Sword Saint Ye Dong-bin.
Of course, the Heavenly Demon held appreciative feelings towards him; thanks to him, he was able to stretch his reach beyond martial arts, all the way to Earth.
However, aside from that, he deeply felt that the Sword Saint was not someone he could contend with.
If that man swung his sword, he would not survive.
“No, if you can come out like this…”
“It was a strain to come. You needn’t worry too much; I can no longer impact the world significantly.”
Another one of those causal laws or some such, was it?
A law that binds the gods and the Demon Kings. It seemed even a transcendent being like the Sword Saint was not free from it.
“Thus, you must learn.”
With a bright smile, the Sword Saint drew his sword from his waist and handed it to Yeon-woo. Without thinking, Yeon-woo accepted it.
Despite its age, he felt an extraordinary aura emanating from the blade.
The moment he gripped the sword with both hands, he felt enormous power surging through his body.
Surprised, Yeon-woo didn’t resist that power. He simply followed the flow naturally.
This was the sword given by the Sword Saint. It wouldn’t harm him.
While facing the Heavenly Demon, Yeon-woo slowly began to sink within himself.
“…What a bold move to introspect in this situation.”
“For now, we must do what we can.”
Seeing Yeon-woo’s composure, Dang Jin-ho and Jin Baek-cheon stood before the Heavenly Demon. Amused, the Heavenly Demon twitched his hand.
“Is this how you’re entertaining yourself? I appreciate it.”
“Heh, it’s only temporary.”
Boom!!
Jin Baek-cheon’s spear, struck with full force, struck against the thick magic of the Heavenly Demon.
*
It was a space shrouded in fog. A familiar space. Just as it was when he reached the level of Master by reading the sword marks left by the Sword Saint.
“I’m here again.”
Yeon-woo muttered as he surveyed his surroundings. The difference from last time was that the Sword Saint was nowhere to be seen. It felt like a kind of training ground.
But what exactly was he supposed to learn here?
As if answering Yeon-woo’s question, clouds gathered and began to take human form. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Sword Saints swung their swords simultaneously.
“…Am I supposed to do all this?”
Well, doing it wasn’t the problem. However, ‘understanding’ all these movements posed a significant challenge.
Would this lead to an advancement in the ways of the Sword Saint?
Regardless, there was no other option now. He could only hope that the Sword Saint had put in a lot of thought.
With that in mind, Yeon-woo gripped the old sword and took his stance. Starting from the very basics. A simple downward slash. He drew the sword path that felt immensely familiar.
He swung, and swung, and swung again. There was no end to the swinging.
…How much time had passed? Yeon-woo had endured it because of the countless times he had swung the sword in suspended time.
‘…I think I’m starting to get it.’
He was beginning to grasp what the Sword Saint aimed to convey through this sword.
At first, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t sense the meaning, but after some reviews, he started to catch on.
To be honest, it brought a wry smile to his face. It was as if the Sword Saint knew exactly what Yeon-woo needed, so naturally, this was what he brought.
Yeon-woo swung the sword. At first, no aura would even emerge, but then suddenly, an aura began to manifest.
With each swing of the sword enveloped in aura, the space quivered. He pondered why he was locked in this place, but it all made sense now.
It meant he was to tear through the space himself. The fact that he was shown what he needed was appreciated but did it have to go this far? He worried for the two who were outside.
‘…Well, what else is there to do?’
Even if he mastered all of this completely, it wouldn’t be possible to open the dimensional gate like the Sword Saint. At Yeon-woo’s level, it would probably be a fleeting opening and closure.
But that was sufficient for him. There was a necessity to open a space governed by providence.
If he could open that space, killing the Heavenly Demon wouldn’t be impossible.
(continued in next chapter)