The sword was embedded in the ground.
It was the Heaven and Earth Sword. The sword once wielded by Sword Sovereign Seol Lee Moon.
The sharp edge, adorned with a harmony of black iron and white steel, had been swung only in service of Cheongdo.
Beyond the sword, the image of the Sword Sovereign who had once tried to set Cheongdo ablaze in the distant past came into view.
His figure was in tatters.
He sat cross-legged with his head bowed. Blood poured from his wounds.
Yet in the laughter that rumbled from his throat with every ragged breath, there was a lingering satisfaction.
Sitting across from him on the opposite side of the sword was the king of demonic spirits. An eerie and grotesque being.
It seemed to take the form of a human, yet at the same time, it appeared to be a twisted, monstrous entity. Simply looking at it was enough to provoke nausea.
Its body resembled that of a person, but only because it had yet to fully reclaim its power.
In reality, the Plague Demonic Spirit, the ruler of all demonic spirits, was a being so enormous that it could have easily covered half of the vast Cheongdo Palace with its sheer size.
That it had sought to claim the body of Seol Lee Moon was, in a way, inevitable.
He was the greatest Sword Master of his time. A man so revered that no one in Cheongdo would have dared to question his loyalty.
If such a man’s body could be seized and brought under control, the Plague Demonic Spirit would be able to reclaim its full strength.
And so began a battle that raged for decades within the depths of Seol Lee Moon’s inner world.
He fought to keep control of his own body, while the Plague Demonic Spirit fought to take it away.
Their struggle had continued for countless years. An endless duel of blood and steel.
In reality, it had lasted no more than a fleeting moment, but within the realm of the mind, they had been locked in battle for what felt like half a lifetime.
And in the end, the one who remained standing as the victor was the Plague Demonic Spirit.
A being devoid of language, driven solely by an instinct for slaughter, nothing more than a mass of pure killing intent.
With his head bowed, Seol Lee Moon, the greatest swordsman in Cheongdo’s history, spoke his final words.
– You are strong.
The greatest swordmaster to ever exist in the history of Cheongdo had ultimately faced a trial even he could not overcome.
With Taoist magic that gnawed away at the human mind, raw strength powerful enough to shatter boulders despite not having fully regained its former might, and an insight that could perceive the very fabric of the world—
He knew he could not defeat the Plague Demonic Spirit.
In the end, he would be devoured by the worst disaster in history and get reduced to nothing more than a mindless beast that slaughtered everything in sight.
He had endured. Again and again, he had withstood it.
Every time that cursed whisper crept into his mind and ate away at his thoughts, he clenched his teeth and resisted with all his strength.
But at last, he had reached his limit.
Even so, Seol Lee Moon was smiling.
Drip. Drip.
Blood dripped onto his crossed knees, trickling down and seeping into the dirt below.
As it soaked into the earth, it felt as if the weight of the years he had endured was sinking into the soil along with it.
Seol Lee Moon lifted his head and let out a clear and unshakable laugh. Enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
– So, do you think that means you’ve won?
A glint of light flickered in his eyes.
It was not difficult to see whose killing intent Seol Tae Pyeong resembled.
– You may be stronger than I am, but you will never defeat me.
The Plague Demonic Spirit did not respond. It was nothing more than a manifestation of pure killing intent, a force created solely to kill.
And yet, Seol Lee Moon declared his victory for it to hear.
– Your fatal mistake was underestimating the fact that I am human.
The blood-soaked Sword Sovereign spoke.
Before he was a warrior of Cheongdo, he was a human.
Before he was the greatest swordmaster in history, he was a human.
Before he was a warrior facing his final moments, he was a human.
Before he was Seol Lee Moon, he was a human.
– You mindless beasts, who do nothing but kill and destroy, could never understand. Humans, as they live, plant seeds.
Even in his final battle against the Plague Demonic Spirit, he had never lost his mind. He had not spent all those years in vain.
– She is a girl entrusted to the Anpyeong Merchant Guild. One day, she will play a great role. Protect her well and make sure she finds her place within the palace.
Seol Lee Moon had given the girl a name. Ah Hyun.
One day, she would become the Heavenly Maiden. She would safeguard the new Sword Master and make sure he took his rightful place in Cheongdo.
– Our daughter’s name should be Seol Ran. Seol Ran would be a good name.
Alongside the woman he had loved with all his heart, the merchant Seong Hyeol Hwa, he had chosen a name for their daughter.
Like an orchid that bloomed in winter, a name befitting one who could stand strong even in a world full of storms.
She would one day return to the palace and become the key to restoring order to Cheongdo’s turbulent political landscape.
She would also become the spiritual pillar of the next Sword Master who would rise after Seol Lee Moon.
As people walked the long road of life, seeds were inevitably sown in their footsteps, whether they wished for it or not.
Behind the path that Sword Sovereign Seol Lee Moon had walked with all his might, countless seeds had already begun to sprout, whether he had intended it or not.
Seol Lee Moon could not kill the Plague Demonic Spirit.
That cold truth remained unchanged, yet the blood-soaked Sword Sovereign grinned so widely that his white teeth showed.
– I’ll pave the way to the afterlife first, so we’ll meet again.
***
Claaang!
Through the rising mist, Seol Tae Pyeong’s sword tore through the cold winter air.
“……!”
Great General Seong Sa Wook’s eyes widened the moment he blocked the strike.
The weight behind this attack was entirely different from the ones they had exchanged so far.
And it was only natural.
Up until now, Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong had only been trying to subdue him.
Everything he had done had been nothing more than a performance. A grand spectacle to find the Plague Demonic Spirit.
That was why he had never truly attempted to kill the Great General.
But now, the nature of his sword strikes had changed completely.
Now, they carried a clear intent to kill.
Gone was any hesitation about harming his opponent. Any reluctance to escalate the situation further had vanished without a trace.
His eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
Does he truly… believe that I am the Plague Demonic Spirit?
Seong Sa Wook gritted his teeth.
He had slain the very Plague Demonic Spirit that had devoured Seol Lee Moon.
There was no doubt about that fact.
And yet, the Vice General before him showed no sign of believing that the monster was truly dead.
I don’t know what has filled this young general with such deep suspicion, but…!
Claaang!
Clashing swords, Seong Sa Wook clenched his jaw.
I cannot stand idly by while such a promising warrior strays from the right path…!
Grinding his teeth, he shifted his footing and kicked Seol Tae Pyeong’s left arm.
Seizing the opening, he tried to drive his blade into Seol Tae Pyeong’s chest.
But the Vice General retreated just the length of a sword’s blade, then immediately lunged forward again, aiming for Seong Sa Wook’s throat.
A killing intent.
A clear and undeniable intent to end his opponent’s life.
As he walked through countless battlefields, Seong Sa Wook had grown accustomed to the presence of killing intent, yet he could never fully adapt to the sheer weight of Seol Tae Pyeong’s killing intent.
He was a true warrior, one blessed by the divine fever.
Seong Sa Wook himself had endured the Heavenly Trials of the divine fever.
He knew, down to his very bones, just how immense that power was.
And because of that, he understood all too well…. if he miscalculated even slightly, he would truly die.
Claaang!
But in the very next clash, Seong Sa Wook’s sword was sent flying upward.
Did I… just lose in a battle of strength…?
Beneath him, Seol Tae Pyeong’s eyes gleamed with an eerie light once more.
Puk!
By the time he regained his senses, a deep gash had already been carved across his chest.
A strike too fast for the eye to follow. Not just in speed but in sheer force. It was a blow that couldn’t be blocked without a blade of his own.
From his right shoulder down to his left waist.
A deep wound tore through his body, and blood splattered into the air.
Had he been in his prime, he would have widened the distance.
But with one arm lost and his agility no longer what it once was, he had been struck.
Seol Tae Pyeong drove his foot into Seong Sa Wook’s stomach, sending him flying.
Thud! Crash!
Seong Sa Wook hurtled through the air before crashing into the forest behind Taehwa Pavilion. His body tumbled down the slope, rolling uncontrollably.
Tall grass obscured his vision, and the stench of blood pouring from his wound filled his nose.
Splurt!
Yet Seol Tae Pyeong did not stop his pursuit.
He slipped through the underbrush with a terrifying speed.
Swoosh!
Claaang! Kwaak!
Chasing after Seong Sa Wook as he rolled down the slope, Seol Tae Pyeong struck again and again from within the dense foliage.
Wounds tore across Seong Sa Wook’s body. His battered form was now covered in wounds, and blood gushed wildly from each fresh cut.
Blood sprayed in all directions, startling the crows hidden in the trees. With sharp cries, they took to the sky.
Shlak! Kwaak! Kaak!
Amidst the chaos, Seong Sa Wook barely managed to block the final strike.
He was in tatters.
“Huff… huff…”
Clack.
The sound of a grip locking into place.
He had caught the last strike with his bare hand.
The sight of General Seong Sa Wook gripping the blade with his bare hand was beyond words.
He struggled to speak while gasping for breath in his battered state.
“What… in the world… is driving you….”
“…….”
“To go this far….”
Despite everything, his eyes still held a fierce resolve.
This was the same general who hadn’t flinched even when his arm had been severed. His blood loss was beyond reason, yet his gaze remained sharp as if this much was still bearable.
“I told you… I am not the Plague Demonic Spirit… I made that clear….”
“You must consider it from the Plague Demonic Spirit’s perspective.”
Seol Tae Pyeong lowered his head slightly and spoke slowly.
“The world is caught in an endless cycle of reincarnation. The enemy is an irritating foe, one who can rewind time as many times as they wish.”
“What… are you even saying….”
“And if its true identity is revealed before it regains its full strength, it will likely be exterminated before it can act. Therefore, it sends its subordinates to stall for time while it hides its existence until the moment of its resurrection.”
Seong Sa Wook’s eyes wavered as he clutched the blade tightly.
He looked as if he had no idea what Seol Tae Pyeong was talking about.
Yet Seol Tae Pyeong continued as if he didn’t care.
“But how can anyone deceive the eyes of the Heavenly Maiden who has observed the world through countless cycles of reincarnation?”
The girl who was likely lounging at the Hwalseong District mansion at this very moment and idly snacking on meatballs.
Even in the face of the world’s crisis, she would let out a small chuckle, watching it all unfold as if it were someone else’s concern.
The previous Heavenly Maiden who could remain unaffected as she observed the world.
She possessed considerable spiritual power herself, was always accompanied by the Sword Master, and continuously reset the world’s cycle, rendering the Plague Demonic Spirit’s repeated resurrections meaningless.
To the Plague Demonic Spirit, she must have been the most formidable of adversaries.
No matter how perfectly it mimicked the body it had devoured, the Plague Demonic Spirit could never fool the eyes of a girl who had lived through decades of reincarnation.
So there was only one way to deceive Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun.
The Plague Demonic Spirit couldn’t seize control of the body’s mind. Instead, it had to remain hidden deep within while waiting for the right moment to act.
If it carelessly cast out the soul and pretended to be the body’s original owner, it would only expose itself even faster.
It had to be insidious and cunning and make sure the world’s flow remained undisturbed.
Until the day the Heavenly Maiden’s energy withered and she could no longer sustain the cycle of reincarnation, the Plague Demonic Spirit had to bide its time in the shadows and wait endlessly.
That was the only method left for the Plague Demonic Spirit, the root of all these disasters.
“To force out a monster who has decided to hide like that… in the end, I have no choice but to become just as mad.”
His fingertips trembled violently.
Seong Sa Wook’s energy was nearly depleted as he gripped the blade.
Standing right before him, Seol Tae Pyeong’s eyes burned as he spoke.
“Whether you reveal yourself and emerge or quietly accept death… I will cut down Grand General Seong Sa Wook here and now, no matter what.”
“…….”
But what if he killed Seong Sa Wook, only to find that he wasn’t the Plague Demonic Spirit?
In that case, the one who would be branded a traitor and die as a rebel against the world would be none other than Seol Tae Pyeong himself.
Yet he did not hesitate.
This was the final cycle of reincarnation.
He didn’t know about the Plague Demonic Spirit, but there would be no more chances beyond this. Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun’s power had been completely exhausted.
At the last stage of this relentless gamble, he had to wager everything he had.
Whether he left the table with a little more or a little less didn’t matter.
He had to be the victor.
And Seol Tae Pyeong was certain of it.
He closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth.
He still remembered the look of Grand General Seong Sa Wook as he watched him silently through the falling snow.
– ……..
The Sword Master who had been bowing his head in front of the Heaven and Earth Sword stuck in the ground seemed to be speaking.
Between teeth stained crimson with blood, a ragged, eerie laugh leaked out.
Kuwoong!
It happened in an instant.
Just moments ago, Seol Tae Pyeong had swung his sword down to cut off Seong Sa Wook’s arm, but now his body was sent flying backward and crashed into a nearby tree.
Even in his weakened state, Seong Sa Wook had sent him flying.
Seol Tae Pyeong quickly executed a breakfall to regain his stance, but the impact still lingered in his body.
Struggling to his feet, he looked upon the old Grand General once more.
“…I see. So that’s how it is…. You have come quite close to the truth…”
His voice carried an eerie chill.
As if recalling something, Seong Sa Wook twisted his body grotesquely as he slowly rose up.
From the severed stump where his arm had been, a grotesque mass of flesh began to sprout… and the mass of flesh shaped itself into the form of an arm.
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