Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 74

“You’ve made a mistake you shouldn’t have. How dare you wake me up… If you’re so tired of living, you could just bite down on your sword and fall over… You fools! You mayflies dared to touch someone you shouldn’t have and tried to kill him, so don’t expect to live any longer.”

His appearance was truly horrific, something you wouldn’t want to see even in a nightmare. Every word he uttered was accompanied by swirling killing intent and demonic energy, inducing extreme fear. The fact that even the so-called elders and leaders of the Blood Demon Clan were trembling in fear at his words showed the extent of his power. It might be an exaggeration to say that a person with a weak heart would die just from looking at him, but it was essentially true.

His red hair stood on end, his face was so blue it looked like it could be dyed with a cloth, and especially those eyes! The pure white, gleaming eyes occasionally flashed with a terrifying light. Even a messenger from hell would beg for mercy. It wasn’t that a thousand people were surrounding one person, but rather that a thousand people were being threatened by one person. How absurd was this?

“Sh…shut up. You don’t seem to know who we are…”

“Don’t I? You’re just about to die! That’s enough. Hehehe, so how shall I kill you? Shall I fillet you? Burn you to a crisp? Or freeze you? Skewer you? Or turn you into a pancake? Just say the word. Is that too much to ask?”

The members of the Blood Demon Clan were speechless, staring blankly at him. Just as the old man with the golden ruler was about to have a fit, another old man stopped him.

“Who are you? What is your relationship with that guy that you are persecuting us? We don’t want to fight you without knowing the reason.”

“Fight? You against me? A puppy doesn’t know the fear of a tiger… Puhahahaha.”

Another burst of maniacal laughter erupted, and everyone covered their ears, but it was no use. As subordinates screamed and collapsed everywhere, the old man who had just spoken let out a lion’s roar.

“Get lost!”

“Puhahahaha.”

His laughter drowned out the old man’s roar. Everyone was filled with even more fear as they watched the old man’s face turn pale. Suddenly, the maniac stopped laughing and stared at them with a chilling gaze.

“Huhu, you pathetic fools! You don’t think you won because you were strong, do you? That guy was just inexperienced and got caught off guard. If he had fought properly, do you think you could have lasted even one move? You call it the ‘Supreme Poison’? Why don’t you try using it again? Huhu, you foolish things, using such petty tricks and acting like martial artists. It’s because of guys like you that there are guys like me. I don’t want to waste time talking, so just kill yourselves.”

Listening to him, they felt an overwhelming pressure that made them feel like they should do just that. It was truly bizarre.

One of the old men raised his hand, and the loose encirclement quickly tightened. The maniac watched this, grinning as if amused, then bared his teeth and laughed.

“Aha, that’s right. I can’t let you kill yourselves. Come on, try me. I’ll show you what true demonic power is. Hehehe.”

“Attack!”

The three old men and Sang Yeo-rak retreated a bit, and the Blood Demon Clan’s subordinates swarmed the maniac like a pack of dogs. The maniac looked at them, stretched out his hand towards Pa-cheon, and Pa-cheon flew into his arms.

“Puhahahaha, I’ll kill you all. I’ll make you feel that I am the grim reaper who holds the power of life and death over you.”

*Kwaaaang!*

A gust of wind, seemingly from nowhere, swept through, a gale so strong it felt like it was tearing at their flesh and pushing them away. The maniac’s hand was raised towards the sky, and from that hand, the same powerful wind was blasting out.

No one could move forward even a single step, and they seemed to be barely managing to stay on their feet. How could they possibly attack? It was then.

“Know that it is an honor to die by the ‘Wind of Madness’!”

Black currents of energy rose from the maniac’s hand and were carried away by the wind.

“Ugh!”

“Keck!”

“Kuh!”

Oh, how could such a thing be possible? How could this be explained? Look! The experts of the Blood Demon Clan who had approached the maniac were all splitting apart, their bodies exploding, blood gushing out, and they were dying helplessly. Their bodies were torn apart, their insides spilling out, and the wind was carrying them away. Within a radius of thirty yards, it instantly turned into a scene of hellish chaos.

The three old men and Sang Yeo-rak retreated thirty yards in an instant, watching from afar with terrified eyes. Bodies were torn apart, swept away by the wind, and then turned into weapons that tore apart their comrades. They had never heard of such martial arts.

“Th-th-that…”

In the end, Sang Yeo-rak could say nothing and just shut his mouth. He was relatively behind the three martial uncles. He quickly rolled his eyes.

‘Staying here is just a death wish. Running away is the only way to survive. That guy isn’t human. How can a human possess such terrifying power… No, that’s not even martial arts. It doesn’t make sense. Unless he’s the legendary Heavenly Demon, such a human cannot exist. I have to run. Running far away is the only way to survive.’

He slipped out of the scene amidst the chaos. The three old men were so focused on the horrific scene in front of them that they didn’t even notice him disappearing. In the gale, only the miserable screams and the maniacal laughter that seemed to reach the sky were rampant.

“Puhahahaha, you brought this upon yourselves, so don’t blame me. If the King of Hell asks who sent you, tell him it was your friend. Puhahahaha.”

The gale had subsided, and only a ray of moonlight was still, and in the center stood the maniac like a painting. Who was he? The only living humans were the three old men. Have you ever seen a mountain of corpses? And on top of that pile of corpses, with pieces of flesh the size of a hand, all mixed up and unrecognizable, the maniac was wrapped in a chilling killing intent. Too terrifying to be called human, too cruel to be called a god, yes, that person was definitely a demon.

That was the word that the three old men all thought of. Demon! Perhaps even that name was not enough for the maniac, who arrogantly looked up at the sky and looked down on the insignificant (?) humans living on the ground.

He snapped his fingers. It must have meant to come closer. None of them didn’t know what it meant, but none of them dared to step forward. The easiest thing to do was to look at the hierarchy, and they all looked back at the same time. The person to put forward had come to mind. They all turned their heads back at the same time and let out a cry of surprise and anger.

“You rat!”

“You bastard, I’ll tear you to pieces!”

“In that short time…”

They looked at each other. Their eyes were full of regret, wishing they had run away too.

They all rushed towards the maniac at the same time, without anyone saying a word.

‘He’s still human. If the three of us attack at the same time… Yes, the outcome is something you can only know by trying.’

‘Is that really true? Is that guy really human?’

‘He’s definitely not human. And can three puppies win against a tiger?’

Whatever their thoughts were, they stepped forward confidently. One took out a golden ruler, another a sword, and the last one a saber. They couldn’t even breathe deeply.

[Third, quickly spread the Supreme Poison.]

[It’s useless. I already spread it as soon as he appeared.]

[It might be because the amount is too small, so spread it more.]

“You pathetic fools! You’re using that Supreme Poison again. Did you think that would work on me? Let’s get started quickly. My friend is in a very bad situation right now, so I don’t have time to play with you.”

“Damn it… It’s no use. Attack!”

Their swords, saber, and golden ruler flew through the air at the same time, striking at the maniac as if to divide him into three parts. The maniac sneered and leaped into the air.

With movements as fast as light, he leaped into the air, and the weapons the three had launched followed him. The maniac spread one hand wide open in mid-air.

“Th-that is…”

“N-no way. How can that be…”

“Really, that person…”

They all had the same reaction. What did they see? In the air, the swords, saber, and ruler that the three had launched were no longer moving forward, and between them, the heads of Asuras [demonic deities] were circling in the air. Then, in an instant, the Asura heads plunged to the ground, turning their hideous faces towards them.

“Uh, uh.”

“Keck.”

“Kuh.”

“Kuk.”

The three cries of agony rang out together, each with a suitable pitch. It was the sound of the Asura heads passing through their bodies. The middle of their torsos had been blown open to the size of the Asura heads. Their organs, bones, flesh, and blood had all been turned to dust, leaving no trace, and only the wind was whistling through the large holes. The three men fell to the ground with a slight time difference. Their faces were all filled with disbelief. The maniac landed on the ground and laid Pa-cheon down. Then, with a gloomy face, he examined his condition.

“You fool! How could you be so badly hurt by these guys… Pa-cheon. Can you hear me? Pa-cheon. Pa-cheon.”

Even after pressing acupoints and stimulating blood points, Pa-cheon did not wake up. The maniac pondered for a while, then sat Pa-cheon upright. Then, he began to pour his inner energy into the Mingmen acupoint on his back. He was taking a risk by doing this in the middle of a field, especially after a fierce battle and in a place where there might still be enemies. It made them even more curious about who he was. Who was he?

About an hour later, a little color began to return to Pa-cheon’s face. The maniac behind Pa-cheon tapped him on the back.

“Keck.”

A lump of blood the size of a fist was coughed out of Pa-cheon’s mouth. Seeing that, the maniac seemed relieved and hugged Pa-cheon. Then, he disappeared somewhere.

★ ★ ★

This was a cave in the Jung Mountains. The maniac who had brought Pa-cheon there examined Pa-cheon’s wounds for a long time.

“I’m relieved, but I’m still worried. If he’s not careful, he might never wake up. It’s dangerous if he doesn’t regain consciousness and heal himself soon.”

Was it that serious? The maniac seemed to be knowledgeable in medicine, but what he knew wasn’t exactly medicine. He only knew about inner energy, acupoints, and the human body. He didn’t have the ability to cure common illnesses. He had no choice but to wait. He had to wait for Pa-cheon to wake up on his own…

The first time Pa-cheon opened his eyes was an hour after they had entered the cave. He just stared blankly and then fell back into a deep sleep. It was morning. But Pa-cheon still didn’t wake up. The maniac went into the forest to hunt. It was embarrassing to hunt rabbits with his incredible martial arts, but what could he do? He couldn’t stand being hungry… He returned to the cave, skinned the rabbit, removed its entrails, and covered it entirely in mud. Then, he held it in his hand and ignited Samadhi Fire [a powerful, mystical fire], and the mud lump turned black in an instant. He shook off the dried mud and bit into the roasted flesh inside. It wasn’t seasoned with salt, but it was edible.

At noon, he was hungry again. This time, he decided to catch a deer. He leaped into the air, rising ten yards, and stopped there, looking around. He saw a deer. They were everywhere in the mountains. He shot towards his target. It was then.

“Wait, that sound…”

*Swaeak*

He twisted his body away from the deer and was returning to the cave.

What Pa-cheon saw when he woke up was a monster. At least, that’s what he thought. Humans are creatures that judge by what they see, so it was natural for him to think that way. The monster was similar to a human, but it was definitely not a human. If it were a human, it wouldn’t look like that.

His red hair was sticking up towards the sky, and his face was dyed blue. And his eyes had no black pupils, no matter how hard you looked. It was the spitting image of a monster. Pa-cheon thought he had died and come to a place where monsters lived. He felt that the monster seemed happy (?) at Pa-cheon’s blank stare. His face was contorted, and he looked like he was crying. But that monster was speaking human words.

“Pa-cheon, you’re finally awake.”

He knew my name? Since he was a monster, it must be easy for him to find out. Pa-cheon didn’t know how to react, so he tried to get up.

“Ugh.”

Pain surged through his entire body. It felt like he was being pricked with needles, like he was being sawed with a saw, and like he was being crushed with a hammer.

‘Damn it, does a person who died so badly feel pain even after death?’

“Are you okay?”

When the monster tried to reach out, Pa-cheon recoiled in fear. Seeing this, the monster said,

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Pa-cheon stared at him blankly and asked,

“Who are you?”

The monster was dumbfounded for a moment, then suddenly said to Pa-cheon,

“I’m the Heavenly Demon, you idiot. Get a grip.”

Pa-cheon leaned against the wall. His eyes were still full of disbelief. His mind was a tangled mess. He didn’t know where to start. He wasn’t even sure if the strangely shaped guy who called himself the Heavenly Demon was really the Heavenly Demon…

“So, you’re saying that you’re the Heavenly Demon and that you saved me?”

“That’s right. Why doesn’t this guy believe what I say?”

He seemed to be hiding something, and he emphasized the word ‘human’ with particular force. His tone made him sound like the Heavenly Demon, but his appearance was not at all…

“What happened? And what’s with that strange appearance?”

“You’re making me feel awkward… This is my original form.”

“How can the guy who was inside Dokgo-mu regain his original form?”

“Because that guy died… It’s complicated, but listen carefully. Dokgo-mu is dead. When he died, I regained myself, and my demonic nature exploded in a moment of anger, and I regained my original form. If you look closely, you’ll see that it’s still Dokgo-mu’s face.”

Listening to him, it seemed to be true. If you looked closely at his features, it was definitely Dokgo-mu. But overall, he looked like a completely different monster.

“Hehehe… Hahahaha.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Hahahaha… No, it’s nothing. Are you going to walk around the world like that?”

“Hmm… There’s nothing more petty than people judging by appearance. But there was a time when all the women in the Central Plains were crazy about this look.”

“Hey… No way! They must have been afraid you would kill them. Do you think they thought you were cool? By the way, are you sure Dokgo-mu is dead?”

“Yes. That guy is dead. I didn’t expect this result either. It seems that this result occurred because the time of his death was coincidental… If he had been dead for a long time, I wouldn’t have been able to take over this body. When I regained consciousness, my inner energy was scattered, and my side was empty. As soon as I gathered the scattered inner energy, I felt a surge of anger. When I pulled up too much inner energy, my old demonic nature returned, and I turned into this form. As a result, I became quite strong…”

“Really? So, are you as strong as you used to be?”

“Not yet. But if a little more time passes, I might be able to regain my old power. Rather, it’s a blessing in disguise for me. I can live my life as I please, day or night… Hehehe, now is the time to fulfill my dream.”

‘Crazy guy! That guy is thinking about that again.’

“By the way, you’re a really stupid guy.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have more than ten cycles of inner energy, and you couldn’t even overcome that Supreme Poison or whatever it was.”

“All the inner energy in my dantian [energy center] was scattered, so I had no way to do anything. Come to think of it, how did you recover your inner energy?”

“That’s why I’m saying you’re stupid. Inner energy is the materialization of an intangible force, so there’s no need to panic just because the materialized force has become intangible.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just as I said. Once inner energy is created, it never disappears under any circumstances. Where do you think the lost inner energy went? It’s scattered somewhere in the meridians [energy pathways]. Gather the inner energy that arises in the meridians in one place, send that power back to the dantian, and send the new power that arises in the meridians to the dantian. If you do this, you can regain your inner energy. Inner energy depletion is something that humans cannot do. It’s just how it looks. They only close off a part of the meridians or destroy the dantian to prevent the use of martial arts. So, if you reach your level of inner energy, you can recover on your own under any circumstances.”

“Is that so?”

Pa-cheon nodded as if he finally understood. Then, he suddenly became serious and asked,

“What about them?”

“I killed all but one.”

“One?”

“The guy who was the leader of the Martial Alliance escaped.”

“Tsk, that guy is a natural at running away… Well, let’s go now.”

“Where? Are we going to the Martial Alliance?”

“No. We’re going to the Demonic Alliance.”

“Why the Demonic Alliance?”

“Kwangmajon and the others are in danger. We need to wipe out the Blood Demon Clan’s forces in the Central Plains at this opportunity. Heavenly Demon!”

“Why?”

“As you know, Geumeung is probably at the Heavenly Demon Sect right now. So, how long will it take you to get me to Ak-yang?”

“I don’t know. I guess it’s possible before sunset?”

“Good. Let’s go.”

“You’re so impatient… Okay, let’s go. But let’s eat a deer first. I can’t do anything when I’m hungry…”