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684——————==

Dark Heaven Village

“Well then, let me go first!”

Crash!

The Sword Demon observed five clones of Hong Gil-dong charging towards him like they were shot out of a cannon, recalling Zhuge Sa’s words.

[“Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong, you have the most difficult task in this plan.”]

[“What kind of task?”]

[“According to the calculations, after the World Tree’s core collapses, the Master of the Twelve Joules and his subordinates will retreat without engaging in a fight. For some reason, they seem to be focusing on conserving energy rather than actively attacking. Your mission is to hold off the Joules as they retreat.”]

[“Understood.”]

[“Let me make one thing clear. The reason your mission is tough is that you can’t die.”]

Zhuge Sa’s chilling gaze remained fixed as he continued.

[“Dying isn’t hard. It’s so easy to charge in and get yourself smashed. But your real mission is to draw out the absolute realm of the Joule’s power, the Heavenly Unrestrained Technique, and confirm his potential.”]

[“Hmm. Indeed… that’s difficult.”]

[“I could use a magic spell to listen in on everything in real-time, but when it comes to martial arts, it’s different. You must scrape the bottom of the Joule’s absolute realm and survive to relay that understanding to our forces. That’s how we can pass the information onto Baek Woong.”]

[“Got it.”]

Zhuge Sa opened his mouth again.

[“Let me reiterate. Everyone else can die, but you must return alive! And that means extracting as much as you can from the Joule!”]

While it was common to wish for the safety and success of comrades, Zhuge Sa’s words seemed entirely focused on efficiency. In fact, his gaze towards his companions felt like they were mere expendables. However, the Sword Demon was well aware of Zhuge Sa’s nature and had grown accustomed to it over decades in the martial underworld, so he felt no particular agitation. Just a bitter feeling was unavoidable.

Because Zhuge Sa had essentially tasked him with surviving against Hong Gil-dong, who had liberated two of the Seven Luminaries and was likely on par with a master of absolute realms. He might as well have fought the entire Orthodox Martial World instead.

But thoughts are just thoughts.

Now, it’s time to focus.

In the next moment, the Sword Demon shook off his sword and projected a dark blade.

Soul-Removing Sword Technique.

True Shadow Sword.

The dark blade appeared to advance slowly as if following the Sword Demon’s will. With Hong Gil-dong’s clones attacking from all directions, it looked like he had no will to engage. But just as Hong Gil-dong was about to manifest each clone and launch an attack using the Empty Spirit 108 Circle—

Boom!

“Cough.”

In that instant, Hong Gil-dong received a light cut on his shoulder and stepped back. Unbelievably, all the clones he had produced burst at once, leaving his main body hurt too! As Hong Gil-dong retreated, the Master of the Twelve Joules remarked,

“Same type of technique, but it’s different. You’ve met your match.”

Hong Gil-dong replied sharply to the Joule’s comment.

“Hiding the essence is something I’m much better at.”

“You know it’s pointless, right? If you and the Sword Demon fight, it could turn into a thousand days of battle.”

“……”

“A formidable opponent for once.”

Ohhhh

The Master of the Twelve Joules slowly walked toward the Cloud Bridge. Having sent Hong Gil-dong to probe the Sword Demon’s strength, he was now ready to engage seriously. Observing this, the Sword Demon thought,

“Cautious as expected.”

As an absolute being of the Eastern Martial World who had liberated two Luminaries, it was clear that the Joule’s power was overwhelmingly stronger than the Sword Demon. Despite that, he was diligently probing first. Considering the current situation where their base was destroyed and they were being pursued by the Eight Divine Beasts, it showcased immense restraint and composure.

Hoooom

With a sound that felt like the air was being forced out, the Sword Demon suddenly noticed a massive chain filling his field of vision. The Joule’s first strike came at a speed that momentarily slipped past his detection range. However, the Sword Demon was already sufficiently prepared for speed.

Blood Moon Blade.

The crimson blade surrounded the Sword Demon’s body. Just as the Joule’s Cosmic Fragment breached the boundary like a sword barrier, the Sword Demon’s blade struck precisely at the Joule’s throat. As if by magic, the positions switched in an instant, allowing the Joule to narrowly evade the counter of the Blood Moon’s Absolute Slash.

Piying

With a sound like snapping a thread, dozens of Hong Gil-dong’s clones zoomed in from all directions. Even in this small space, bodies filled the area, each one brimming with potent energy. The Sword Demon felt a strange excitement at the thought that they wouldn’t shy away from a joint attack and swung his sword once more.

Dark Sword.

True.

Shadowless Soul Steal.

As hundreds of energy masses flew in unison from Hong Gil-dong’s clones, the Sword Demon’s sword vanished and transformed into a mass of photons, entirely changing the style of his technique to slice through the energies. Light streaked in a chaotic whirl, eventually puffing up like clouds, forcing Hong Gil-dong to retreat significantly as he felt compelled to use the Joule’s defensive technique.

Empty Spirit 108 Circle.

Essence.

Empty Wing.

Whoosh!

“Guh.”

Even while exhibiting the Empty Body Technique and deflecting the torrent of light, Hong Gil-dong realized he was soaring downwards toward the cliff at incredible speed. Although Empty Wing represented his strongest defensive martial arts, had he taken a direct hit, he would have been reduced to countless pieces.

‘My eagerness to help the Joule led to this mistake!’

He knew his martial arts surpassed in the realm of illusions, yet they lacked the overwhelming destructive power contained in the Sword Demon’s Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword ultimate techniques. He didn’t have a clear edge in absolute realms, but Hong Gil-dong’s attempts at offense had played directly into the Sword Demon’s strengths. Had he merely defended calmly, things might have been different, but his aggressive advance only opened him up for a counterattack.

‘Damn it. I could have sworn I was knocking on the door of the absolute realm when I first saw the Sword Demon… Musashi! What were you thinking raising such a monster?’

The time it took for Hong Gil-dong to be propelled over the cliff was merely a few breaths, but for the two absolute masters remaining in the arena, it felt like an eternity. The Master of the Twelve Joules immediately began casting a spell in response to the Sword Demon’s Shadowless Soul Steal.

[How about this?]

At that moment of Heart Command, the Joule’s will was transmitted to the Sword Demon. The Sword Demon perceived in that intent a certain eerie delight.

Seven Stars Greed.

A cunning footwork seemed to warp the space around them. The Sword Demon witnessed the Joule twisting through the gaps of light as if his body was merging with the photons. Although he couldn’t discern exactly, he recognized the Joule’s footwork as the martial arts of the absolute realm, which contained the mysteries of the Daoist Seven Stars. For now, the Sword Demon chose to withdraw.

‘A perfect footwork…’

It resembled Bowing Sky Slash in principle. The principle of Bowing Sky Slash is to manipulate space to gain the upper hand, while the Joule’s Seven Stars Greed seemed a transformation of that principle into footwork. In any case, attacking such footwork would clearly be a challenge, so he opted for a retreat.

A brief tension held between them when the Master of the Twelve Joules suddenly extended his hand, wearing the Milky Way’s cold aura.

Fwooosh!

“……!!”

The Sword Demon was instantly enveloped in a bone-chilling aura that engulfed not only where he stood but also almost everything in sight, as a massive snowstorm swept through. The Master of the Twelve Joules, Ha Eun-cheon, swung the Cosmic Fragment.

Cha-ching!

An ice dragon emerged mightily in mid-air, and Ha Eun-cheon leapt onto it, suddenly taking flight. The Sword Demon was initially astonished by his abrupt use of magic to flee the scene but quickly realized there were no options left for him.

‘Can I not catch him…!!’

Sure, he could have chased the ice dragon using the Air Step or martial arts techniques, but the Sword Demon was still unfamiliar with the Joule’s absolute realm, the Heavenly Unrestrained Technique. If it was an unfavorable match-up to begin with, then the likelihood of being counterattacked and dying was far too high. His strategic possibilities were vastly limited compared to the Master of the Twelve Joules, who was atop the absolute level and had liberated two Luminaries.

The Joule spoke up.

“Don’t chase me.”

The Sword Demon hesitated for another reason. Given the Joule’s power, he could choose to knock him out outright, so the very choice to escape could be another trap he couldn’t disregard.

‘What should I do?’

If he faced the Joule head-on, there was an 80-90% chance he wouldn’t survive. Not knowing what tricks his opponent held and with the likelihood of the Joule being superior in martial power, launching a direct assault would amount to suicidal behavior.

If he played his cards right, there might be a chance for a mutual kill, but that would mean failing the mission given to him by Zhuge Sa. The Sword Demon felt a rising panic as he found himself being pressured into a choice without having drawn out any information about the Joule.

However, the Sword Demon’s unease didn’t last long. He soon found his resolve and began to act.

‘But still, I will fight!’

Fwoosh!

With the momentum of his stance, the Sword Demon sliced through the storm with unyielding vigor, resolving to draw out weaknesses through close combat since a wide-area technique wouldn’t be able to capture him. The Master of the Twelve Joules stood atop the ice dragon, slowly lifting the Cosmic Fragment.

Bang!

The Joule formed a barrier through magic, but the Sword Demon concentrated the Soul-Removing Sword Technique to easily shatter it and targeted the Joule’s neck. In that moment, the Sword Demon was thrust into a swirling vortex reminiscent of space-time as he forced his way into the Heart Command moment.

[“I didn’t expect such tenacity. Your charge shows more than arrogance; it shows conviction, so I acknowledge you, Sword Demon.”]

In the space adorned with black and white, he could hear the Joule’s voice.

[“I will fight you properly.”]

Suddenly, a radiant light erupted from the Master of the Twelve Joules.

[“And engrave the arts of this divine being into your eyes as you perish!”]

Absolute Realm.

Heavenly Unrestrained Technique.

‘Take this!’

The Sword Demon unleashed one of his most powerful attacks, the True Shadow Sword. This technique, having decimated Hong Gil-dong’s material clones in a single blow, represented the apex of the Shadowless Soul Steal. In a moment of fusion where both the entity and the shadow of the blade became indistinguishable, it could unleash dozens of times the force. Though it might have resembled Hong Gil-dong’s clones, the Sword Demon could focus solely on the sword energy without having to project his entire being.

Furthermore, the True Shadow Sword contained aspects of Bowing Sky Slash and Seven Great Techniques, making it unbeatable. Additionally, through the Great Master’s Nine Ninety-Nine Harmonious Secrets, he had mitigated every flaw, leaving even Musashi with no option but to deploy all his might to block or counter.

But –

Just as the True Shadow Sword was set to pierce through the Joule, an unexpected technique unfolded in the Joule’s hand.

Heavenly Unrestrained Technique.

Three Extremes Limitless Method.

Boom!

Three palms flicked from the Joule’s left hand, neutralizing the True Shadow Sword’s fury. What was astonishing was that each palm bore different attributes—speed, weight, and illusion respectively.

Even that wouldn’t determine the victor. The issue arose in that instant when the Joule’s right hand simultaneously swung the Cosmic Fragment, accurately targeting the Sword Demon’s weakness.

Clang!

“……!!”

Cough

The Sword Demon felt the ethical energy rising as the Cosmic Fragment struck his side, shattering his ribs and delivering serious damage to his organs, despite activating his Protection Energy Technique. Although it wasn’t an injury that made him unable to fight, he couldn’t help but retreat in shock.

In his mind, only one thought persistently echoed.

‘How?!’

Just moments ago, one could understand the Joule merely exchanging attacks, but that wouldn’t explain this away. The mastery of the absolute realm should demand immense spiritual and energy consumption to unleash even one technique, and simultaneously manifesting different attributes bordered on impossible. Not to mention, the counterattacks of the Three Extremes and Cosmic Fragment seemed to suggest foresight, as if they’d read the trajectory of the Sword Demon’s attack!

To reiterate, such a thing was impossible. The nature of the Sword Demon’s swordstyle made it nearly indistinguishable between entity and shadow; he could create countless trajectories. With the Sword Demon capable of solidifying only during the attack, how could one accurately counter that?

Seeing the Sword Demon flustered, the Master of the Twelve Joules, still positioned atop the ice dragon, spoke.

“What’s the matter? You attained the absolute realm with your extraordinary talent. Didn’t you think you could finally have a proper fight with me?”

“……”

He spoke coldly.

“I won’t deny that you’re commendable. But trying to break my techniques at your current level is futile.”

Thud!

The Master landed, with the Cosmic Fragment trailing behind, beckoning with a flick of his finger.

“Come in.”

The Sword Demon gritted his teeth.

He realized this was the crossroads of his fate.

Should he retreat now?

Or should he discover exactly what the Heavenly Unrestrained Technique is?

“……”

One step into fate.

The Sword Demon took a step forward.

“I’ll go.”

This was not enough.

He had to find out what the Heavenly Unrestrained Technique truly is.

For Baek Woong, he resolved to cross the line of danger once again.

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