The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 223

Swordmaster Wants to Live Peacefully – Episode 206

Cheon Woo-gong (2)

In the deepest part of the Abyss, where the great red palace stood, Cheon Woo-gong sat cross-legged, focusing on his breathing.

The power he had consumed when opening the Abyss was immense.

There was also the backlash from trying to use incomplete power, but the meteor shower intervened, amplifying the backlash even further.

He swallowed the blood that threatened to gush out, calming his battered insides.

Barely managing to calm himself, he coughed up phlegm mixed with blood and took a long breath.

“Hoo…”

Having eased his internal injuries, Cheon Woo-gong rose and turned toward the palace entrance.

Inside, the ‘god’ he had longed for was sleeping.

How long had he strived for this one thing?

He gathered people, created false organizations like the Se-ga [powerful clans] and Moon-pa [martial arts sects], and established the Cheonmaeng Fortress [Heavenly Demon Fortress].

All to make her a god.

“It’s already been ten years.”

You could say he fell in love at first sight.

She was more beautiful than anyone else and possessed a mysterious aura.

When monsters appeared and destruction loomed, he met her on a mountain after escaping from them.

She had a charm that made him want to give her everything, but she wouldn’t even reveal her name.

She showed fear, saying that if her name became known, they would come looking for her.

Cheon Woo-gong found that even more endearing.

He thought only he could protect this woman, that he was the only one who truly cared for her.

“I still don’t know your name. You’ve used various names for nearly ten years, but none of them were your true name.”

Muttering, Cheon Woo-gong grabbed the sword at his waist.

She had been incredibly weak, but after recovering her strength through numerous human sacrifices, she became strong enough to share her power.

She was skilled in rhetoric and mercenary tactics, significantly contributing to nurturing the Murim Alliance’s [martial arts alliance] hidden forces.

“Looking back, it was a tough life, but I never thought it was difficult. It was for you, so how could it be difficult?”

Afterward, Cheon Woo-gong, muttering like a lovesick young man, turned and gripped his sword.

Heuksa-hyang stood there, her black hair fluttering.

Her gleaming red eyes and the murderous intent radiating from her body prompted her question.

“Is it over? Murim Alliance Leader. I always thought you weren’t in your right mind, but I didn’t know you were a woman-crazed bastard.”

“Call it pure love.”

“…I never understood why you were spouting nonsense until now.”

Heuksa-hyang had navigated through numerous rooms without a single wound.

A fox made of illusions couldn’t stop the Cheonma [Heavenly Demon].

Having reached the deepest part alone, she spoke while holding the Cheonma Black Sword.

“I was going to divide you into three parts, but unfortunately, the others couldn’t come, so I get you all to myself.”

Cheon Woo-gong, destined to become the Murim Alliance Leader in three parts, wondered about the significance of the three parts while tightening his grip on his sword.

Cheonma, Heuksa-hyang.

He had faced her before, but she was so different now.

Back then, she was just a small, weak girl, but now?

Her height was similar to his, and an overwhelming aura emanated from her.

It told him she had truly become the Cheonma.

“It’s really funny, did you turn an illusion into reality?”

Cheonma or whatever.

Se-ga or whatever.

Moon-pa or whatever.

These were all illusions Cheon Woo-gong had pulled from martial arts novels.

The swordsmanship and mental cultivation they used were fake.

It seemed to affect some people, but it was nothing more than preaching imaginary stories.

In response, Heuksa-hyang raised her sword and said.

“Do you know the saying that intense belief transcends reality and creates miracles? You’ll never know, though…”

With those words, she launched an attack.

The jet-black sword energy flying from a considerable distance was extremely threatening.

Despite its slowness, the ominous energy within had the power to immobilize.

Cheon Woo-gong swung his sword to counter it.

The tremendous impact felt beyond the sword caused his muscles to scream and his bones to creak.

Barely enduring the first exchange, he groaned and adjusted his stance.

“Intense belief… creates miracles? What a ridiculous thing to say. All that belief creates is an illusion. Your power will also disappear someday.”

“It doesn’t matter. I just need to protect those who believe in me until that time comes.”

As Heuksa-hyang calmly replied, he gritted his teeth and unleashed his ability.

Cheon Woo-gong’s ability was ‘Plum Blossom (梅花) [Meihua, referring to the plum blossom].’

He scattered his energy like plum blossom petals, deceiving the enemy’s eyes and sharply cutting them.

Through this, he founded the Hwasan Sect [Mount Hua Sect] and falsely claimed it was the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

Even though no plum blossoms bloom in the real Hwasan.

“I should have killed you back then. My unnecessary sympathy has come back like this…”

“Sympathy? Don’t talk nonsense. What you had back then wasn’t sympathy, but the thought that it was okay to leave useless trash alone.”

Heuksa-hyang, still calm, slowly walked into the storm of plum blossoms.

“Die!”

Cheon Woo-gong amplified his energy, creating a fierce storm of petals.

The petals, raging in all directions, split the air and tried to tear apart the person trapped inside.

However, Heuksa-hyang didn’t back down.

Instead, she stepped forward, unfolding her energy in reverse to erase the petals one by one.

Realizing his power was being devoured, Cheon Woo-gong swung his sword and jumped into the storm.

He unleashed the ‘Plum Blossom Sword Technique’ he had created, wielding the petals.

The petals, raging from all directions, once again unleashed fierce waves to tear Heuksa-hyang apart.

However, she…

“Alliance Leader, do you still see me as that child from back then?”

She emerged from the storm, enduring everything with her body.

Stopping Cheon Woo-gong’s sword with a hand wrapped in black energy, she looked at him with ruthless eyes and continued.

“Or have I become too much of an adult?”

It was different from the past.

The weak child had become an undisputed powerhouse, revealing her murderous intent to repay the debt she had owed.

Cheon Woo-gong, receiving the murderous intent, bled profusely from his mouth and nose.

Heuksa-hyang’s energy, flowing through the grasped sword, wreaked havoc inside him.

“You haven’t improved since then.”

Heuksa-hyang swung the grasped sword, slamming Cheon Woo-gong into the palace gate.

Then, she waved her hand to erase the petals and strode toward him.

She reached out to kill him.

“I won’t have to see that face anymore. Cheon Woo-gong.”

“…I didn’t want to do this, but I’ll have to borrow some of your power. One Tail (一尾) [Ichibi, referring to the One-Tailed Shukaku in Naruto].”

Heuksa-hyang, noticing his intent, hurriedly reached out, but something popped out of the slightly opened palace door even faster and struck her.

Heuksa-hyang, who had flown away, landed lightly and wiped the blood from her cheek.

Then, she looked at what had emerged.

“…Tail?”

It was a huge tail.

The fluffy fox tail suddenly appeared and wagged before disappearing into Cheon Woo-gong’s body.

And Cheon Woo-gong, who had been collapsed, rose, looking ridiculous.

“Now you’ve become a beast.”

A wagging fox tail and ears.

Moreover, long whiskers had grown around his mouth.

The sight of a middle-aged man wearing those was hard to bear.

Moreover, Heuksa-hyang had never seen a beast-man, which made it worse.

“If you want to die as a beast rather than a human, I’ll grant you that wish.”

“…No, it’ll be different from now on.”

As Heuksa-hyang gripped the Cheonma Black Sword, Cheon Woo-gong charged.

Heuksa-hyang was startled by the tremendous speed.

“From now on, it’s the real deal. It’s not like I haven’t improved at all.”

He swung his sword, approaching within striking distance.

With faster speed and stronger power.

As he swung, the petals raged, but the momentum was different.

Heuksa-hyang responded by wielding the Cheonma Black Sword with an indifferent face.

The swords collided fiercely, and sparks flew.

Cheon Woo-gong was pushed back, and Heuksa-hyang looked down at her hand with a strange sensation.

She quickly realized what he had done.

“I don’t know how long that power will last, but it’s not enough.”

“I think so too. It’s difficult to achieve equality with just one tail… Then how about two?”

The palace door opened, and another tail popped out.

The tail was absorbed, becoming two tails.

Cheon Woo-gong’s power amplified again.

Heuksa-hyang narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue.

It seemed things were going to get troublesome.

***

“You died again, it’s a really boring game…”

“If it’s boring, you don’t have to do it, right?”

“But that’s the charm.”

“What…”

Shua-nel and Batory, waiting outside the Abyss, were killing time.

Blocking external access until Yoo Seong-woo brought the others out.

“……?”

Batory looked at the Abyss with déjà vu.

Soon, she narrowed her eyes at the powerful force flowing out and muttered.

“…So you were in China? Your lifespan is really long. I can’t believe you made another man and were plotting this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It seems I’ve figured out who’s behind this. I’ll have to go inside too.”

“Then I’ll maintain the barrier. Someone has to protect it, right?”

“I’ll transfer the authority, so please take care of it.”

Batory snapped her fingers, handing over the authority to Shua-nel, and took out her ‘broom’.

A witch’s broom in the form of a bench.

She plopped down and flew into the Abyss like an arrow.

Shua-nel, staring at her receding figure, muttered.

“Now I can enjoy the game in peace…”

***

Yoo Seong-woo, advancing by burning all the barriers with Samjeong [a powerful flame], arrived at the deepest part.

The first thing he saw was the large red palace.

The second was Heuksa-hyang, who was a mess, and Cheon Woo-gong, who looked ridiculous.

He had four ears.

A pair of human ears and a pair of animal ears.

And four fox tails wagging from his butt.

Cheon Woo-gong, about to finish off Heuksa-hyang, stopped and looked at Yoo Seong-woo.

Yoo Seong-woo, meeting his gaze, muttered.

“Who’s into middle-aged kemonomimi [animal-eared characters]? What the hell…”