“Rest.”
With those words, Lee Ro-woon’s languid eyes slowly began to sharpen.
Thrum.
A massive pressure bore down on his entire body.
It was a pressure he hadn’t felt in a long time, and Ro-woon looked at his opponent.
What Ro-woon saw now was not Yoon Tae-sun.
‘The Heavenly Demon.’
To be precise, it was the Heavenly Demon’s will.
While Baek Cheong and Lee Shin-woo were stalling for time, Ro-woon had made contact with the will of the Heavenly Demon Tomb.
As Ro-woon was originally qualified as its master, he was able to connect with the demonic energy that filled the Heavenly Demon Tomb and read its memories.
This place had become problematic because it recognized two masters.
Ro-woon had spent time regaining some control and establishing equal standing.
“How unfortunate.”
Ro-woon’s voice, the will within it, was not that of Dank’s Ro-woon, but of Shin Yeo-wool’s disciple, Ro-woon.
Having read the memories, Ro-woon could only feel that the Heavenly Demon’s will before him was unfortunate and sorrowful.
‘The Demonic Cult.’
A powerful force that once dominated all of Eun [ancient kingdom].
Even the imperial palace dared not raise its head, and all the forces of the martial world knelt before the Demonic God.
Also, many forces that followed the Demonic God sprang up like mushrooms after rain, but Shin Yeo-wool only recognized three of them as belonging to the Demonic God.
The Hao Clan, which managed internal affairs and coordinated each force.
The Blood Cult, which acted as executioners, punishing those who had committed crimes.
And the role of the last, the Heavenly Demon Cult, was.
‘Challengers.’
Shin Yeo-wool was a martial artist.
He was a salmon leaping towards the sky of martial arts.
When he finally reached the end, what he felt was a great sense of loss.
There was nowhere higher to climb, and those below could not catch up to him.
The Heavenly Demon Cult was created by Shin Yeo-wool’s will.
“Despite such effort.”
Challengers.
That name.
“You could not reach the sky.”
The Heavenly Demon.
A being created to learn everything about the Demonic God and defeat him.
Therefore, they were beings who pursued only power and the end of martial arts.
Yet, they never ascended to the sky.
They died and were trapped underground, leaving behind their will.
What was overlaid on Yoon Tae-sun was that will.
Fwoosh.
The will of the Heavenly Demons who sought to reach the sky.
That power remained and lingered here.
The preparation to face that unfortunate fate and will was complete.
Fwoooooosh!
Black flames rose from beneath Ro-woon’s feet, soaring to the sky.
“………!”
Baek Cheong, who was watching the scene, was shocked.
“Ugh.”
The immense demonic energy was suffocating.
The black flames engulfing Ro-woon were dense and vast, not at all inferior to those of the Heavenly Demon.
But soon, the sensation she felt slowly changed.
“Haa.”
Her breathing became easier, and she felt refreshed.
A clear energy, like the inner energy that had been in Baek Cheong’s dantian [energy center] her whole life.
The feeling she had felt before was not a delusion.
At the end of the demonic energy, there was the Dao [the Way, the ultimate truth].
Clench.
At that moment, Ro-woon clenched his fist.
Grrrrr!
The Heavenly Demon’s will roared at Ro-woon.
Ro-woon slowly took a stance, then slowly extended his clenched fist as if performing a ritual.
Ripple.
The world distorted as if a gate was opening.
At the end of it.
Kwaaaaaaa!
The Heavenly Demon’s will also rushed in, burning everything.
***
Ro-woon, who had reached the black flame.
The power he had built up was a martial art reborn to become a vessel different from that of Shin Yeo-wool in the past.
Therefore, he had reached the extreme of the Blood Demon Divine Art and the black flame of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but it was still not enough to face Baek Cheong alone.
But here, in the Heavenly Demon Tomb, it was different.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
This place was created for the battle between the Heavenly Demon and the Demonic God, and it had become the tomb of the Heavenly Demons who were challengers.
If one had mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and the Blood Demon Divine Art.
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
They could draw out their true power here.
The two flames collided.
The blue and black flames intertwined, continuously creating explosions.
“……”
Even with the eyes of a Heavenly-level martial artist, Baek Cheong found it difficult to follow the speed.
Occasionally, when she could see the figures, Baek Cheong couldn’t help but open her mouth.
“Ah…”
The emotion she felt was one.
“Beautiful…”
Beautiful.
The way the two flames mixed and danced, the will contained within them.
‘Martial Arts.’
The martial arts they had built up were conveying another realization to Baek Cheong.
Their fight was like a shaman’s salpuri [ritual dance].
A salpuri that soothed the souls of the dead and released their resentment.
Kwaaang!
Ro-woon was soothing the Heavenly Demon’s will.
Kwang!
The will contained in one punch could be felt.
‘Your efforts are not in vain.’
As a martial artist, he spoke through martial arts.
Kwaaang!
‘I know your hard work.’
Kwaaaaaaaang!
‘Now, stop…’
Fwoooooosh!
The two flames finally merged, emitting an unparalleled heat.
Within the flames, Baek Cheong felt Ro-woon’s will.
The same words he had said to her and Lee Shin-woo.
‘Rest.’
Words that brought peace.
“……”
Baek Cheong, who had regained her senses, found nothing left around her.
When she turned her head and looked at the members of the Cheongcheonha, they were no different from her.
Looking at the members of Baran’s guild, who were far away and taking a respectful stance, they were also no different from her.
Reverence, an unknown resonance beyond that.
Flicker.
Now, only one flame was burning.
The black flame.
It had swallowed the blue flame.
No matter what anyone said, the victor was clear.
Fwoooooosh!
The black flame that had been at the center of the battlefield swirled and disappeared.
The man who appeared within had blood-red eyes and vivid blood-colored patterns all over his body.
He extended his fist and slowly clenched it.
It felt as if he was grasping the entire space.
“Hiss.”
The moment those who had their breath taken away by the suction exhaled again.
Fwoosh!
A new flame bloomed in the man’s hand.
Black and white, a new flame born from their mixture.
A violet light.
At that moment, Baek Cheong was so surprised that she instinctively covered her mouth.
It was because she was reminded of something that looked too much like the flame that had bloomed in the man’s hand.
“Violet… Qi… Energy.”
The energy called the essence of Mount Hua came to mind.
But it was different.
This energy, similar yet different.
It confused Baek Cheong even more.
* * *
Flicker.
Looking at the flame that had bloomed on his palm, Ro-woon smiled contentedly.
‘It’s done.’
The fulfilling sensation felt from this flame.
At that moment.
Click.
He felt another gear falling into place.
It was the moment when the second gear, which had been built up to become a vessel of chaos, was finally completed.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Its end.
“Sacred Flame.”
The sacred flame was dancing wildly on Ro-woon’s hand.
Originally, the Heavenly Demon energy was an extremely difficult energy to accumulate, unlike the Blood Demon energy.
Unlike the Blood Demon energy, which was transformed by absorbing life, the Heavenly Demon energy was an energy that arose from fighting spirit.
The clash of life and death.
The flame that bloomed in the battle of life against life.
That was the source of the Heavenly Demon energy.
However, it was not easy for Ro-woon to feel that much fighting spirit, and he had only been absorbing the Heavenly Demon energy from the fighting spirit that his opponents felt in actual combat.
The same was true now.
The Heavenly Demon’s will certainly seemed like a formidable power to most eyes, but it did not ignite enough fighting spirit in Ro-woon to risk his life.
“I received it well.”
However, the Heavenly Demon’s will.
That fighting spirit, accumulated over thousands of years, had greatly boosted Ro-woon’s Heavenly Demon energy, which had been stagnant.
As the insufficient Heavenly Demon energy was filled, he reached a new stage.
Sacred Flame.
Ro-woon organized the new energy and looked ahead.
“I… I…”
The Heavenly Demon energy was not a power that took life.
A power that instilled fighting spirit.
Therefore, the members of the Cheongcheonha, who had been engulfed in the blue flame, the Azure Flame, were able to survive.
“I-I’m not a… a bug…”
The same was true for this one.
The Heavenly Demon’s will.
Rather, the target that the dense will had clung to was sitting perfectly fine in front of Ro-woon.
“I… I…”
“Yoon Tae-sun.”
“……?”
Yoon Tae-sun raised his head at the voice he heard.
“Do you know who I am?”
Ro-woon said, meeting his gaze as he sat down.
“Who… who…”
At that moment, Ro-woon’s face flickered as if engulfed in flames.
When the flames subsided.
With the power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, which controlled the body, Ro-woon’s face had completely changed.
“……!”
Yoon Tae-sun had a terrified look on his face, as if he had seen a ghost.
“Now you know.”
“Ro… Ro-woon!”
Because what was there was the face of Ro-woon, the former guild leader of Dank.
“No! You! You’re dead! You should be dead!”
Ro-woon’s hand reached out.
“Hiiiik!”
He tried to step back in fear, but there was no way Yoon Tae-sun could avoid Ro-woon’s hand.
The collar was grabbed.
“Don’t run away.”
Words spoken not to the body, but to the mind.
Although the Heavenly Demon’s will had taken hold, it did not mean that Yoon Tae-sun had gone mad because of it.
The Heavenly Demon’s will only exploded fighting spirit, it was not something that could drive someone mad.
Yoon Tae-sun’s actions now were not because of the Heavenly Demon’s will, but because of his guilt.
“Because it’s the reality you have to face.”
“I…”
Yoon Tae-sun’s eyes gradually regained their color.
“I’m sorry.”
The apology that followed.
“I-I couldn’t help it. If I hadn’t handed you over back then… we would all…”
Ro-woon’s expression did not change as he listened to Yoon Tae-sun’s words.
“I know I can’t be forgiven! But…”
A member of Dank.
Before that, they were friends who had grown up together.
Before that, they were people who had suffered the same pain.
But now, Yoon Tae-sun in front of Ro-woon was not the person Ro-woon knew.
“Kim Shin-hong was better.”
Ro-woon said.
“Because he was the same as I knew him.”
It was okay because he had accepted it even though he knew it.
But Yoon Tae-sun was different.
‘Ro-woon!’
He was always confident and did not hesitate to stand in front.
It was Yoon Tae-sun who had fought with him at the front of the party for his comrades.
“That figure is gone now.”
He had changed.
He had, and so had he.
Swoosh.
Ro-woon rose from his seat.
“Ro, Ro-woon.”
Ignoring Yoon Tae-sun’s cry, Ro-woon reached out his hand.
Was it because of Baek Cheong that he had become like this?
No, it wouldn’t be.
It was the choice he had made, he had made himself like this.
The truth that Yoon Tae-sun had betrayed him.
That was all that mattered.
“The Yoon Tae-sun I knew is gone now.”
“Ro-woon!”
Baek Cheong’s words came to mind.
‘A bug.’
A being with no fighting spirit or pride.
A being who had sold everything for his own sake.
“Baek Cheong.”
Instead of using his own hands on Yoon Tae-sun, Ro-woon called out to Baek Cheong, who was standing far away with a blank look on her face.
“Take care of it.”
He thought it was better than using his own hands on Yoon Tae-sun.
After a long moment of contemplation, Baek Cheong slowly approached Ro-woon and Yoon Tae-sun.
At the same time, she cast a complicated gaze at Ro-woon.
“Die like a bug.”
She had already placed her hand on her sword.
“You, even you… would have…”
A bright red line was drawn on Yoon Tae-sun’s neck as he spoke.
That was the end.
Yoon Tae-sun, who had collapsed, did not even twitch and remained there.
“You, no… you.”
Baek Cheong said, facing Ro-woon’s back.
“Are you Ro-woon?”