Into the Creations 1522

Chapter 1522 – 1522. Ascending To The Light

Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功), Black Flame Demonic Dragon (黑炎魔龍).

Whoosh!

Black flames formed on the blade.

Oh Young-geom, Song Jik’s face hardened. The fact that he, an absolute master who had reached the Three Flowers realm, had to be tense meant that the black flames were truly threatening.

‘Of course. It’s the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, not just any martial art.’

In terms of pure power, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was superior to the Lightning Heaven Style. With the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, even if the opponent’s cultivation was higher than mine, I could handle it.

I swung my sword as I approached Song Jik. Whoosh. The sound of the black flames flickering was chilling.

“Evil! How can such evil flames exist…! It is truly demonic!”

Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功), Heavenly Demon Black Bullet (天魔黑彈).

Heavenly Demon energy was shot like a bullet from my fingertip. Song Jik tensed his entire body. His muscles twitched once, and a protective aura manifested. I stepped back. It wasn’t just a simple protective aura.

‘He’s applying pressure around him. He’s using the protective aura not just for defense but also for offense.’

I moved forward again and swung my sword. The black flames clung to the protective aura and blazed. Song Jik raised his middle and index fingers on the hand not holding the sword. It was a hand seal called the Sword Finger Seal. He tilted the Sword Finger Seal sideways. At that moment, the protective aura rotated. The black flames that had clung to the protective aura couldn’t withstand it and vanished.

“No flame can ever burn the righteousness of Jongnam!”

“What a load of crap.”

If the black flames were truly nothing, he wouldn’t have bothered rotating his protective aura to extinguish them. The black flames were definitely dangerous to him as well.

I began to continuously swing my blazing sword. Song Jik moved back and forth, defending.

The more the exchange continued, the more impatient I became. If time dragged on, I would be at a disadvantage. I didn’t know when Jongnam’s reinforcements would arrive.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功), Heavenly Demon Sword (天魔劍), Ninefold Triple Kill (九中三殺).

I linked techniques while stepping with the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps. Three thrusts simultaneously targeted Song Jik’s vital points. Song Jik’s eyes widened, and he moved his Sword Finger Seal and sword back and forth. The three thrusts were deflected.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Song Jik. There was something faint and hazy around Song Jik.

“…Formless Sword?”

“You can see it. You’re at least competent.”

“It’s just a sword made of qi.”

“That’s right. It’s shameful compared to those who have reached the realm of true Formless Sword and Mind Sword. However, the spirit of Jongnam is contained within this sword. It’s not a sword that someone like you can ignore.”

“I’ll shatter your Formless Sword and break your neck.”

[Using Flash (刹那). Remaining stacks: 6]

I used Flash to instantly close the distance. Song Jik’s pupils trembled slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and responded.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功), Heavenly Demon Sword (天魔劍), Demonic Wind (魔風).

A black wind arose from the sword.

If he insisted on defending, I would attack so chaotically that he wouldn’t be able to defend.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The attack was blocked. The black wind was pushed back by two invisible swords and the one he held in his hand.

‘This isn’t the end.’

Black wind and black flames arose. The black flames became a barrier, engulfing Song Jik.

“Jongnam’s sword is heavier than Mount Tai, and even the heavens cannot withstand it.”

Song Jik swung his sword.

[Using Flash (刹那). Remaining stacks: 5]

I used Flash to prepare for a counterattack.

In the slowed-down world, Song Jik’s sword was clearly visible. There was something faint and hazy above and below the sword. It was the Formless Sword. The Formless Sword was merging with Song Jik’s sword. The merged sword became heavier, and the space around the blade momentarily distorted.

It was a very subtle distortion of space. If the black flames hadn’t been distorted by the contact with the sword, I wouldn’t have noticed it either.

Song Jik’s face was visible through the disappearing black flames.

It was a confident face. A face that didn’t think for a moment that he would lose.

He had already realized that my cultivation was lower than his.

‘I don’t like that.’

I didn’t retreat; I advanced. There was no opening for a counterattack. It was an advance toward death.

‘I’ll die once. But in return, you’ll have to die too.’

I thrust my sword. It collided with Song Jik’s sword. The distortion of space was also applied to my sword. My sword broke easily, feeling almost futile. I gripped the broken hilt tightly and took a step forward.

Song Jik’s eyes widened. He was surprised that I hadn’t retreated. His eyes showed a hint of urgency.

Song Jik’s sword slashed my side. Blood splattered, and I felt my insides being torn apart.

The broken sword touched Song Jik’s chest.

Clang.

It wasn’t the sound of flesh piercing but the sound of striking metal. My waist was half-cut, and I grimaced in pain, glaring at Song Jik.

Song Jik wore a victorious smile.

“It’s a magical artifact called the Tranquil Guard Armor (靜守身鉀). It’s less than an inch thick, but it’s more durable than any armor. As you can see, it can even withstand strong qi. Demon, your mutual destruction attempt was meaningless.”

The armor wriggled as if it were alive. It wasn’t just blocking or deflecting qi; it was absorbing it. It seemed to have the ability to not only block but also absorb qi and counterattack.

“This mere armor…”

Feeling my lower body being severed, I grabbed Song Jik’s shoulder with my left hand. Song Jik didn’t push me away. He calmly continued to sever my lower body. He trusted his armor.

Thud, thud, thud.

My intestines spilled out from my severed lower body. I supported my upper body with the hand that was holding Song Jik’s shoulder, discarded the sword in my right hand, and extended my palm toward his armor.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功).

Lightning Heaven Style (雷天流).

I used two martial arts simultaneously. That wasn’t my original intention. Perhaps because I was dying, I unconsciously used the Lightning Heaven Style, the most familiar martial art, while using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Crackle, crackle.

Lightning sparked.

It was black lightning.

The black lightning seeped into Song Jik’s armor. The wriggling armor stopped and then tore apart. I endured the fading strength with my willpower and concentrated all my demonic energy into my palm.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功), Heavenly Demon Palm (天魔神掌).

“You…! What are you doing!”

Song Jik tried to push me away. But it was too late. The Heavenly Demon Palm struck his heart.

Boom!

The armor Song Jik was wearing suddenly swelled and exploded. I and Song Jik were caught in the explosion and died.

[Death Resistance has been activated. You will not die for the next 15 seconds.]

[Using Full Recovery.]

The aftermath of the explosion disappeared, and I used Full Recovery. I got up from the ground and reflexively looked around. Corpses, of unknown origin, were scattered around. I looked at my severed lower body and then turned my head away.

‘I’m not even bothered by seeing my own corpse anymore. It used to be so unsettling at first.’

I grabbed the Heavenly Weapon and threw myself into the forest.

There were no pursuers.

***

I spent time sitting in the old inn where I first met the Mook Jiryun Jongnam branch manager.

About half an hour later, the Mook Jiryun leader, Rakshasa Woman, entered. I noticed that her left arm was missing.

“What happened to Hye-il Jin-in?”

“He was no ordinary man. It was a bit tough, but I won. He’s probably crossing the Three Ways River by now. I had to give up my left arm… but it was a cheap price. I can always find a way to restore my arm.”

Rakshasa Woman pulled out a chair opposite me and sat down with a thud, crossing her legs. She checked the Heavenly Weapon behind me and gave a satisfied smile.

“You got the Heavenly Weapon safely? I’ll take the Heavenly Weapon.”

“It’s useless to me, so I don’t care… but what are you going to use it for?”

“There are many uses. The most common use will be consumption. It’ll be much more effective than consuming human flesh when training the Reverse Demon Divine Art.”

I looked at her and asked.

“What are you going to do from now on?”

“My original plan was to go into hiding. I was going to clean up the Jongnam branch and stay quiet for a few years.”

“Did the plan change?”

“Jongnam is in chaos right now. 600 Jongnam martial artists who were cleaning up Jongnam City died, and more than half of the elders died. It seems my subordinates were more capable than I thought.”

That was probably due to Mireyeong’s intervention. With a sorcerer who had reached the Three Flowers realm stirring up chaos, it was natural that Jongnam’s damage would be greater.

Rakshasa Woman continued.

“And I killed Hye-il Jin-in, the leader of the Supreme Gate. The problem is that even Oh Young-geom, Song Jik, the head of Jongnam, is dead. You killed him, right?”

Rakshasa Woman was certain that I had killed the head of the sect.

“…More important figures died than I thought. Jongnam will be shaken.”

“It’s not just shaken. There are rumors spreading in Jongnam and Jongnam City that the Demonic Cult attacked. There are even a few who felt demonic energy. Some are even saying that the Heavenly Demon has invaded. The situation is more serious than you think. So, tell me honestly. Did you learn demonic arts?”

Without a word, I raised my hand.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功), Heavenly Demon Asura (天魔修羅).

Black qi rose from my hand like flames.

Rakshasa Woman’s eyes widened.

“…Heavenly Demon Divine Art! Ah, no. Looking closely, it’s similar but different. I can see why people are saying the Heavenly Demon has come. With this dense demonic energy, it wouldn’t be strange to call it the Heavenly Demon’s demonic energy.”

Rakshasa Woman laughed. Not just her lips but even her eyes were trembling. It was as if she was ecstatic about the current situation.

“I used demonic arts to hide my identity. Is that a problem?”

“Your identity won’t be revealed, but the unit dispatched by the Martial Alliance will think differently. They’ll almost certainly believe that the Demonic Cult attacked. And Jongnam is a member of the Nine Great Sects, right? The Jongnam members in the Martial Alliance will go wild… and the Martial Alliance won’t stay still.”

The Martial Alliance would first protest to the Heavenly Demon Cult. But the Heavenly Demon Cult would deny it. It was natural since they hadn’t done it. It didn’t seem like the Martial Alliance would believe them.

Listening to Rakshasa Woman’s laughter, I could see what would happen in the future.

A war would break out.

A war between the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Cult.

The Imperial Family wouldn’t interfere. They wanted the large martial arts forces to fight each other and weaken themselves. The Imperial Family would benefit just by watching.

“…Apart from the serious situation, you seem happy.”

“Of course. It also means that the opportunity to kill that bastard will come sooner. So, you should prepare too. That day will come sooner than you think.”

Rakshasa Woman got up from her chair.

“Are you leaving already?”

“I have things to do. Now that things have turned out this way, I need to keep things quiet. I don’t know the details about the monsters that attacked the city, so it doesn’t matter… but there’s a guy who knows a lot about this.”

“Ma Ho-beol?”

Rakshasa Woman smiled.

“He’s smart and has decent martial power, but sometimes he forgets his place and tries to cross the line. I’m going to take care of him this time.”

“Can I do it? I didn’t like that guy from the first time I saw him.”

“That’s fine. Let’s go together.”