The Blade King had awakened the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s ferocious nature.
A nature he had hidden deep within himself, especially after meeting Geom Mugeuk.
He had awakened the violence from the days when he drove the Ten Thousand Evils Hermit to suicide, the temperament from a time when he had no faith in humanity.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was a man who possessed both sides: that side, and the one who enjoyed calmly reading books.
“Sometimes, I too get confused about which is my true self. Well, it doesn’t matter.”
Whooosh!
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon swung the Heaven-Slaying Blade as if to warm up.
The auras emanating from the two men had already begun to clash.
It was a battle of auras that would make a ruffian feel like they were standing in an alley after a brawl, while a true master would feel as if they were in the middle of hell.
It was a first for the Blade King, to encounter an enemy’s energy that matched his own cold and fearsome aura so well.
“Old Demon Sovereign, we are of the same kind.”
The Blade King genuinely felt that way, but the Blood Heaven Blade Demon denied it.
“The fact that being called ‘the same kind’ is more unpleasant than being called ‘old’ seems to tell me what kind of person I want to be.”
He was speaking not to the Blade King, but to himself, and at the same time, to Geom Mugeuk and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign.
Geom Mugeuk did not let the comment pass.
“Elder, you look your best when you are reading.”
A faint smile formed on the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s lips.
He realized that in all his long years living as a Demon Sovereign, and despite all the books he had read, he had never seriously considered what kind of person he was.
Even after meeting Geom Mugeuk, he had tried to understand Geom Mugeuk rather than himself.
To be having such thoughts during a fight with the Blade King was likely because he saw his own past in that heartless, cold aura.
A hidden nature he wished to dismiss as merely the past.
Behind them, Taesu, who had heard their entire conversation, had trembling eyes.
When the Blade King first called the Blood Heaven Blade Demon an old Demon Sovereign, he thought he had misheard.
It must have been some other title that started with ‘demon.’
But just now, he had heard it clearly.
‘A Demon Sovereign? Really, a Demon Sovereign of the Demon Sect?’
Could there truly be anyone in this martial world who was not a demonic practitioner but used the name Demon Sovereign as their title?
Taesu’s heart pounded as if it would burst.
He immediately sent a telepathic message to Jihan.
-Did you know that man is a Demon Sovereign of the Demon Sect?
Even as he sent the message, he secretly hoped for a reply like this.
A Demon Sovereign? What nonsense is this?
Or that he had misheard again.
Or he hoped for a delusional answer like, ‘It's a place that raises a thousand horses, so wouldn't it be natural to call him a master?’
But the shocking telepathic message that came back from Jihan.
—I knew that both of them were Demon Sovereigns.
A gasp truly escaped his lips.
A chill ran down Taesu’s spine.
‘Why did I never once think they could be demonic practitioners?’
The answer came easily.
It was because of Geom Mugeuk.
How could one look at that man and associate him with a demonic practitioner?
Only now did Taesu realize he had made an absurd misunderstanding.
Right, how could it be an escort agency? How could they be escort warriors and Escort Leaders?
Considering the aura and martial skill of the Sword King and Blade King who appeared as enemies, if such people were their foes, what on earth would this escort agency have to be transporting?
Even if they were transporting the most precious thing in the world, such formidable enemies would not appear.
But even though the truth was revealed, it was still hard to believe.
He had ridden in a carriage with Demon Sovereigns, and swam with Demon Sovereigns?
Demon Sovereigns had stood in line to eat Five-spice Pork?
Weren’t Demon Sovereigns the kind of people who would kill everyone in line and all the other customers, then sit among the strewn corpses and tell the chef, ‘Bring me the Five-spice Pork’?
—Those two are the Eight Demon Sovereigns, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s identity had been revealed.
Jihan thought there was no need to hide it from Taesu any longer.
Taesu could not believe that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign had been with him all this time.
They were figures he had only heard of in tales.
And even then, he had never once heard about them from someone who had actually seen them.
—Then who is that young man?
Geom Mugeuk joked comfortably with the two Demon Sovereigns and acted without reservation.
Who on earth was he?
Jihan revealed Geom Mugeuk’s identity as well.
—He is the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
Startled, Taesu shouted.
“Don’t lie to me!”
He quickly covered his mouth.
In the middle of their telepathic conversation, he had shouted out loud without realizing it.
Everyone’s attention focused on him.
Of course, among those gazes was Geom Mugeuk’s.
He spoke with a look that said he knew exactly why Taesu had shouted.
“Do you understand now? The reason I told you to meet my father before making a decision?”
Geom Mugeuk, who had been looking at the astonished Taesu, then glanced at Dan So-jin and the warrior from the Unorthodox Alliance standing beside him.
Geom Mugeuk had already noticed that Dan So-jin knew his identity.
But the scarred man from the Unorthodox Alliance was also not surprised by the situation.
It seemed he too knew his and the two Demon Sovereigns’ identities.
In any case, one thing was certain.
The existence of these people was important to the mastermind.
Especially that Dan So-jin.
Meanwhile, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Blade King charged at each other again.
As their emanating auras grew more intense, their movements changed.
The higher the master, the less emotion they put into their attacks.
But these two men did not hide their feelings.
A clash between masters who did not hide their emotions.
The emotion of ‘You, I don’t like you!’ was perfectly imbued in their attacks, which carried the killing intent to ensure death.
Clang! Kaaang! Clangclangclangclang!
The three clashing blades looked as if they would shatter at any moment.
Every time the twin blades crossed and flew, it looked as though the moon was setting and the sun was rising.
Each time the two men swung their blades, a powerful wind from the blades raged like a whirlwind.
It was a force strong enough to sweep away anyone who didn't raise their inner energy to withstand it.
Beyond the fight, the Sword King looked at Geom Mugeuk.
The Sword King could tell.
Geom Mugeuk intended to intervene if the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was in any danger.
That was why Geom Mugeuk did not look at the Sword King.
He was completely immersed in the fight.
He had to be, so as not to miss a single breath if he needed to intervene.
‘Yes, this is the kind of person you are.’
A person who strives never to lose those he cares for, who values others more than himself, and yet is utterly free.
Kwang!
The Heaven-Slaying Blade blocked an incoming attack by embedding itself in the ground.
The Blade King followed up, aiming for the Blood Heaven Blade Demon standing behind the blade.
His body twisted like a snake as he swiftly struck with his blades.
It was truly a decisive blow.
But the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was not behind the Heaven-Slaying Blade.
For a fleeting moment, a thought flashed through the Blade King’s mind.
He couldn’t have let go of his blade, could he?
As that thought turned into a sense of crisis, the Blade King instinctively threw his body aside.
Fwoooosh!
Kwwaaaaaang!
A palm strike from above swept through the spot where the Blade King had been.
The floor shattered, and the Heaven-Slaying Blade, embedded in the ground, tilted.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who had been sitting on its hilt, landed on the floor and picked up the blade.
The moment the Blade King’s attack had flown in, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had leaped up to the hilt of his embedded blade.
It was a move that anticipated the Blade King’s immediate surprise attack from behind the blade.
“You are quite something.”
The Blade King acknowledged the last move.
He hadn’t expected the Blood Heaven Blade Demon to use such an unorthodox move.
It didn’t suit him at all, nor did it fit with the previous flow of the battle.
That was why this one move had been truly threatening.
Was that the reason?
This time, the word ‘old’ was missing from his words.
Swiiiish! Swiish! Swiiish!
When they clashed again, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s fighting style had changed.
His use of the blade became faster.
One would think that against an opponent using fast twin blades, he would use overwhelming power, but the Blood Heaven Blade Demon instead increased the speed of his great blade.
It was the first time Geom Mugeuk had ever seen the Blood Heaven Blade Demon move the Heaven-Slaying Blade so quickly and lightly.
Perhaps in this fight today, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was feeling and learning many things.
Kakakakakang!
The Heaven-Slaying Blade, having grazed past his face, now grazed the Blade King’s shoulder.
In the process, the red and black blades grazed the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s neck and thigh.
Even in the midst of their fierce battle, they were strictly maintaining the fighting area.
One could tell just by looking at the fact that not a single one of the nearby dolls had fallen over despite the terrifying fight.
But then, the fighting area began to move.
It slowly shifted toward where Geom Mugeuk’s party was standing.
It was the Blade King’s intention.
He figured the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would have to be more careful if they fought near them.
But that was the Blade King's miscalculation.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon paid it no mind at all.
The Blade King did not know how great his trust in Geom Mugeuk and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign was.
And in the end, this choice provoked the Blade King’s temper.
It was because of Geom Mugeuk.
The red blade, which had been aimed at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, missed and grazed past Geom Mugeuk’s face.
Fwoooooosh!
Even as the blade passed with tremendous force, Geom Mugeuk stood his ground without moving a single step.
At that moment, the Blade King saw it.
Geom Mugeuk, without even blinking, looked at him and smiled.
‘Insolent!’
But in a fight against the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, that single moment of anger brought great danger.
Kaang!
Puak!
He barely blocked the incoming great blade with his twin blades, but blood spurted from the Blade King’s waist.
A little deeper, and the Heaven-Slaying Blade would have severed his waist.
It was the first time blood had been drawn since the two had started fighting.
Seeing his own blood, killing intent exploded from the Blade King’s eyes.
Wooooong.
Red and black Sword Force began to form on the red and black blades.
In response, Sword Force also formed on the Heaven-Slaying Blade.
The pure white Sword Force looked as if snow had fallen.
The observing Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign could see that the color of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s Sword Force had changed.
It hadn’t been such a pure white color before.
‘He has certainly changed, my brother’s martial arts mastery.’
Ultimately, it was the Blade King who unleashed his signature martial art first.
Both were fighting cautiously, but the one who was more rushed was the relatively younger Blade King.
In truth, it was because the Sword King was watching.
With him watching, he was failing to kill one old man.
It might not have been intentional, but at this moment, the Sword King’s mere presence was on Geom Mugeuk’s side.
Sun Moon Dark Blood Blade Technique, First Form, Blood Dragon Breaks the Heavens.
The Blade King stepped forward with his right foot, stomped down, and thrust his blade.
The floor cracked open as the red force from the Blade King’s red blade raged forward in the shape of a dragon.
Kwwaaaaaaaaaah!
The force, flying forward with its mouth wide open, was not an attack that could be blocked with ordinary Sword Force.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon also unleashed his signature martial art.
First Form of the Heaven-Slaying Demon Blade technique: Annihilation Blade Strike.
It was the Heaven-Slaying Demon Blade technique, wielded by the hands of a Blood Heaven Blade Demon who had grown even stronger than before he left the Sect.
Shwiiiiiiik!
A single, fast, and powerful line of force poured out from the Heaven-Slaying Blade.
Puuuaaaak!
The head of the approaching dragon was severed, and the force following it scattered in mid-air.
To be countered so easily? The Blade King was neither surprised nor flustered.
His opponent had already shown more than enough skill.
If he couldn't counter it, that would have been the real trap.
The Blade King immediately unleashed his second form.
Second Form of the Sun Moon Dark Blood Blade Technique, Sun Wheel Extreme Slash.
This time, the black blade emitted a blinding light.
Chwaaaaaaaang!
With a sharp sound, Sword Force poured out like sunlight.
Dozens of strands of force rained down toward the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
The counter to the Sun Wheel Extreme Slash was the Second Form of the Heaven-Slaying Demon Blade technique, Annihilation Blade Wave.
Kwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
The Blade Energy extending from the Heaven-Slaying Blade flowed like a wave.
This was not the same wave the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had shown before.
This wave was deeper and grander.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwang!
Dozens of strands of Blade Energy were submerged in the wave and swept away.
The Blade Energy, unable to advance, was clearly seen being swept back by the wave.
But the aftershock of this collision shook the walls and the ground.
At this rate, using a greater form could cause the cave to collapse.
But the Blade King immediately unleashed his next move.
He was determined to kill the Blood Heaven Blade Demon before him, even if the cave collapsed.
The Blade King drew upon an even more extreme level of inner energy.
Third Form, Blood Blade Chain.
A chain of linked force flew forward.
Its appearance was like a red-hot iron chain flying without a set path.
It was an attack that bent and twisted, flying erratically, making it impossible to know where or how it would change its course to strike.
Third Form of the Heaven-Slaying Demon Blade technique, Annihilation Blade Blood Wind.
Several strands of Blade Energy extended from the Heaven-Slaying Blade, spinning as they flew.
The next moment.
The watching Blade King’s eyes widened.
It was an attack far more powerful than the previous two.
Pak! Paaak! Paaak! Pak!
The flying Blade Energy precisely severed the links of the chain of force.
The severed chains lost their irregular trajectory and flew straight forward.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwang!
The force that flew backward was all neutralized by Geom Mugeuk and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign, who swung their swords.
If they had let it pass, it could have shattered the back wall and brought this place down.
“Old Demon Sovereign, let’s end this!”
The Blade King raised his inner energy even further.
An intense light emanated from the sun and moon drawn on his blades.
It was right at that moment, as the sun and moon rose simultaneously.
The Sword King moved forward smoothly and blocked the Blade King’s path.
Despite the risk of being attacked by both, the Sword King had fearlessly stepped into the fight.
No matter how agitated he was, he couldn't unleash a form at the Sword King, so the brilliant light from the red and black blades slowly faded.
“How dare you interfere in my fight?”
The Blade King glared at the Sword King with terrifying eyes, as if he would tear him apart alive.
The Blade King was not the only one who was angry.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon aimed his great blade at the Sword King.
His body was still shimmering with untiring demonic energy.
“Fine, you can join too!”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s aura was such that he was willing to take on the Sword King as well.
Of course, he only said it out of bravado; he didn't mean it.
He could already sense that the Sword King’s martial arts were superior to the Blade King’s.
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk stepped forward.
“Calm down. That man, who looks even older than you, is your opponent to deal with anyway.”
After throwing a barb at the Blade King, who always called him old, Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned to the Sword King.
When he had asked why he had come, the Sword King had said he was here to protect someone who was trying to kill Geom Mugeuk.
“I don’t think that person is the one Brother Ak needs to protect. Who is it?”
He thought that, at the very least, the target wasn’t the Blade King.
Geom Mugeuk saw it correctly.
The reason the Sword King had stepped forward was not to protect the Blade King.
The Sword King’s gaze turned to the back.
Swoosh.
Then, the door behind the space where they stood opened wide on its own.
From within, a beautiful melody, unfitting for the thunderous bloody battle, began to flow out.