80 - Missions, Intelligence (11) - The Heaven-Slaying Sword

Pain seared through his arm as if it were being cleaved vertically. This torment engulfed Oh Kang Ahk slowly. Yet, Oh Kang Ahk had no leisure to mind such pain. His thoughts expanded limitlessly, beginning to sketch a certain scene. The moment he realized his regression, what flitted by was his past life. * The Six Demon Gates. This term referred to the six most powerful factions beyond the divine mountain ranges, within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and Oh Kang Ahk was born as the minor sect leader among them, specifically of the Sword Fire Gate. However, it wasn't just any gate among the six. The Sword Fire Gate held significant stature as its founder was a key figure in the history of the Demon Sect. The Demon Sword Oh Chun. If the first sect leader of the Sword Fire Gate had been the third celestial killer to appear in the martial world and a freak who was born into an orthodox martial family but ended his life as a demon, perhaps its stature requires no further explanation. Thus, the Sword Fire Gate was powerful. And Oh Kang Ahk, the minor sect leader of this generation, was powerful. The 'Bloodflame Demon Technique' he constructed from the demonic energy of the five celestial killers supported him as a technique that could well be considered divine. It was perhaps inevitable that he, at the age of ten, was chosen by Cheon Ma to become the deputy sect leader. In his younger days, Oh Kang Ahk thought, The world seemed as if it were his own. Everything in sight seemed to lie beneath his feet. Indeed, it wasn't incorrect. If it weren’t for just one person, his delusion might have become a reality. At the age of eighteen. If that man hadn’t appeared the day before he was to inherit the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique. What Oh Kang Ahk remembered of that day went like this. Some beggar-like figure came seeking Cheon Ma for a private audience. Following that, he dueled this beggar-like figure for the position of deputy sect leader. During that duel, with a 'pop', skin from his face was ripped off. - I shall spare your life. That’s the most mercy I can offer. He suffered such humiliation. The days that followed were truly dreadful. Everything he thought was his slipped from his grasp and was destroyed. The esteemed position he held was no longer his. No, more humiliating was how those who always bowed their heads in respect looked at him with scorn and derision. How had a mere day beggar surpassed him? He realized the answer only after such times continued for about a year. - A celestial killer? - Yes, the celestial killer of this generation. - Huh… Ironic. The only thought that came to Oh Kang Ahk at that moment was just that. Wasn't it? Looking back, it seemed his fate was being tossed around by that very concept of a celestial killer. Born as a descendant of a celestial killer, reaping the benefits, and then falling into ruin with the emergence of another celestial killer. His life seemed merely to cast a shadow that made that star shine even brighter. From that day on, The ambition harbored in his heart began to sink into a deep, sticky mire. Day by day, he began to devour everything in sight, consumed by a rage that couldn't be quelled. Every day was hell. Everything appeared in monochrome, and whatever he chewed, nothing had any taste. The only pleasurable thing during those days was the betrayal of Dan Cheon-Hwa. Known as the Blood Demon in the Central Plains. That beggar-like figure lost the celestial killer due to a trick played by the betrayer who had betrayed their sect. It was a foolish incident, and more foolish than that was his reaction. - ...He says he will retrieve the star. How does he plan to reattach something that has fallen off? Does he know how to? The only priest who might have known, Dan Cheon-Hwa, had dropped dead, so what method was he planning to use? I recall laughing for a long while. And, amusingly, I remember consuming an entire woman that day. The star was lost. Now, only a truly skilled individual would take the deputy sect leader's seat. With that in mind, I immediately challenged him, but nothing had changed. -Don’t try to climb up. You maggot. He was still the deputy sect leader, and even though he had lost the star, I hadn't managed to regain what I had lost. Why. Why is that? Such questions never left me. And then, '...I've regressed.' It was from then. The thudding of his heartbeat quickened. It was only then that Oh Kang Ahk glanced at his arm. What dangled, precisely split vertically, was in such a state it was shameful to even call it an arm. “Is this the end?” Again, a celestial killer. 'It's' always about the celestial killer. The very same cause that elevated him, brought him crashing down, and now sought to end his life. Ultimately, he couldn't resist. He had only been swept away by this star. Oh Kang Ahk stared blankly ahead. He saw the celestial killer and the imperial star, now at a distance, from him. “Just a mere star…” Wasn't it just one of the talents he was born with? Why should it be the thing to decide over me? Oh Kang Ahk despised it immensely. He resented how his life was swept away by that single star. "Merely, merely a star…" Click! Oh Kang Ahk, his shoulder joint now damaged, lifted his arm that was just previously split vertically. Grasping the part above his elbow, he exerted strength into his hand. Pop. His shoulder snapped into place. Crunch, crunch. Flesh and muscle were utterly crushed. “Aaaargh!!!” Pop! His shoulder popped out. Oh Kang Ahk then threw his useless arm to the ground. Next, he placed his palm over the shoulder, from which blood gushed, and released demonic energy. With a hissing sound, the smell of burning flesh began to disseminate. He was cauterizing the wound by burning the severed area. With bloodshot eyes, Oh Kang Ahk glared at Mok Riwon and Namgung Jincheon and said, “What would brats like you know about acting so cocky?” Now, he was down one arm. Even the shoulder joint of the remaining arm was completely destroyed. But it was fine. “I'll kill you. Both of you and that damned star as well.” His heart was still beating. And he still had demonic energy left. Oh Kang Ahk shaped his hand like a claw and then plunged it deep into his left chest. He pierced his heart, bursting the life that resided within. Keiiing! A great technique that converts life into demonic energy by burning innate vital energy. A great technique executed with the determination to willingly throw away one's life to kill the enemy. It was the last move of Bloodflame Demon Technique, Malevolent Deity Assassination. * The anomaly was detected the moment Oh Kang Ahk ripped off his own arm. “Mok Riwon!” Namgung Jincheon, sensing an indescribably ominous energy, shouted out. In an instant, he drew his sword and was about to charge forward. The judgment was made that Oh Kang Ahk needed to be killed now. And it was a misjudgment. “Stop!” Mok Riwon grabbed him by the nape of his neck and pulled him back. Boom! A burst of flames erupted from Oh Kang Ahk, sweeping right in front of Namgung Jincheon’s nose. Namgung Jincheon felt a chill down his spine. ‘If I had gone…’ I would have died. With that thought, he glanced at Mok Riwon, but Mok Riwon’s gaze was fixed on the flames. Following his gaze, Namgung Jincheon looked at the flames, and when they subsided, he gasped. ‘...His body.’ Oh Kang Ahk’s body was burning. It wasn’t just engulfed in flames; his skin was actually cooking. The arm that had been torn off was replaced by one made of flames. “Ju...st…” Oh Kang Ahk took a step forward. “Namgung Jincheon! We must fight!” At those words, Namgung Jincheon clenched his jaw. A ‘hiss’ of blue chi flowed from his sword and filled the space. Without a moment’s delay, Namgung Jincheon swung his sword, releasing the chi, and Oh Kang Ahk received it with his body. Sizzle! There was only a sound. Not a single mark was left on Oh Kang Ahk’s body. ‘What…!’ Despite the surprise, there was no time to hesitate. Mok Riwon charged forward. Suppressing his shock, Namgung Jincheon stepped forward as well. Once again, he executed the Imperial Sword Form. This time, intending to cleave Oh Kang Ahk’s body in two, Namgung Jincheon moved his sword. Simultaneously, Mok Riwon started to muster all his remaining internal energy. Dark and blue chi. Two streams of chi attacked Oh Kang Ahk from different directions. Oh Kang Ahk spread his arms and blocked them with his hands. Boom! The explosion blocked the sword energy, but the two men did not stop. Namgung Jincheon felt ominous. Mok Riwon felt murderous intent. It was immediately clear. This was an exhibition of power fueled by burning one’s own life. And if they were to flee, this power would target others. “Namgung Jincheon!” “I know!” In that brief moment, Mok Riwon and Namgung Jincheon exchanged looks. No other words were needed. They must stop it here. But it was impossible to merely block the display of power that even burned away innate vital energy from a martial arts master. There was only one method. A combined attack. Whooom! The swords resonated. The two men, positioned in front and behind Oh Kang Ahk, charged at him simultaneously. And like a well-rehearsed play, they thrust their swords at the exact same moment. Mok Riwon's sword aimed for Oh Kang Ahk’s shoulder, while Namgung Jincheon aimed for his neck. As Oh Kang Ahk reached to block Namgung Jincheon’s sword first, Mok Riwon twisted the path of his sword, deflecting Namgung Jincheon’s strike and using the repulsion to slash Oh Kang Ahk’s back. Sizzle! Yet, there was no fatal wound. The flames burning Oh Kang Ahk’s body cauterized the injury from the burst, sealing it immediately. Oh Kang Ahk turned and aimed a back kick at Mok Riwon’s chest. At that moment, Namgung Jincheon sliced at the knee of Oh Kang Ahk’s supporting leg, disrupting his balance. Crack! Simultaneously, the two distanced themselves from Oh Kang Ahk. And then they charged again from different directions. This time as well, the attack unfolded at the exact same moment. The relentless assault began to pressure Oh Kang Ahk. Boom! With a violent explosion, the offensive intensified. Incredibly, the tide of the battle gradually started to turn in favor of Mok Riwon and Namgung Jincheon. The reason was unthinkable. They had achieved what should have been impossible: They had executed a combined attack without ever having practiced it before. How could such a thing be possible? The answer was surprisingly simple. It was because the two knew each other’s swordsmanship too well. For Namgung Jincheon, this was the first time in his life that he had staked everything in a battle against another, Mok Riwon. Mok Riwon was the only opponent for whom Namgung Jincheon had struggled so fiercely, even leveraging his very nature in an attempt to win. Such was their profound understanding of each other’s swords. It was because Namgung Jincheon so thoroughly anticipated Mok Riwon’s moves that he could conjure a technique to twirl his sword path by leveraging Mok Riwon’s diversion. Mok Riwon, in turn, could intensify the twist of his sword path using Namgung Jincheon's force. Boom! Despite cutting through a human body, an explosive sound burst forth. The skin heated up in the erupting flames. Yet, in that moment, the two men thought not of danger but of something else. ‘A path...’ It became visible. A new sword path appeared in the unextended space of their swords. New sword strokes, unattainable alone, began to unfold endlessly. This was a novel experience neither had ever encountered. The experience of one’s move blending with the other’s to forge countless new formations, evolving into a single technique, was profoundly mystical. Though it was their skin that touched the fire, it was their minds that heated up. What direction to thrust the sword in so the other’s would align and strike the enemy, how to retract the sword so their vulnerabilities would cover each other – ideas by the dozens flashed and faded in an instant. State of No-Mind. Immersed in this state, they observed new possibilities that a sword could reveal. Clang! Their swords collided, pushing against each other. The repulsion drove them away from Oh Kang Ahk’s explosion. In that moment, they simultaneously realized something. Right after causing the explosion, Oh Kang Ahk’s body briefly halted. Their eyes rolled towards each other, confirming through a glance that both had made the same realization. They enveloped their bodies with chi. And in the moment the explosion subsided, they hurled themselves into the flames. Two swords pierced simultaneously from opposite sides. And in between, the demon martial artist twitched. Immediately after the scene was revealed, a chilling sound of swords piercing flesh rang out. Thump! Two swords penetrated Oh Kang Ahk at the exact same moment. One targeted his solar plexus, and the other his danjeon. Tzzzz-. The flames around Oh Kang Ahk’s body diminished. “Cough!” He spat out blood and collapsed.