Chapter 114 : Becoming an Obstacle

Chapter 114: Becoming an Obstacle

There were thirty-two individuals from the Crushing Faction selected for Unsealing Training. They stood facing the Vice Cult Leader.

In their gazes—where awe and dissatisfaction, emotions that should never have coexisted, were tangled together—another feeling was added.

The words that sparked it flowed from the mouth of Yul Han.

“You and I will engage in one-on-one live-blade spars. Use whatever means you wish. Employ any method you like. There is only one premise. Defeat me. If you lose, even if you survive, you are as good as dead. So leave no regrets.”

Even at Yul Han’s unexpectedly forceful push, the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon did not waver.

He knew that the Vice Cult Leader wanted the Unsealing Training candidates to give their absolute best.

It was for the same reason the Vice Cult Leader had used provocative language in the sparring match against him just before.

Knowing that, the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon added a word of his own.

“If any of you lose because you held back and did not use everything you had, I will never forgive you.”

With even their own leader driving them forward, despair crept into the eyes of the Unsealing Training candidates.

What kind of man was the Vice Cult Leader?

To the orthodox martial artists, he was called Emperor Salyejin, an object of fear. Within the Demonic Path, he bore the glorious title of ‘The Butcher of the Hundred Paths.’

Oppose him?

Utter nonsense.

If the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon standing beside him stepped forward alone, the thirty-two of them would already be dead men.

And yet a live-blade spar with the Vice Cult Leader? It was no different from being shoved toward death.

Among those swallowed by fear and despair, stubborn defiance ignited in some.

‘Fuck it. If I’m going to die like this, I’ll at least leave a wound on the Vice Cult Leader!’

The first to step forward was one whose stubborn pride had flared like that.

Facing him, Yul Han did not even draw his sword. He merely crooked a finger.

It was the worst kind of provocation.

“Huh!”

Exhaling hot breath through his nose, the young martial artist of the Crushing Faction drew his great blade and charged.

From the very beginning, the ultimate techniques of the Crushing Blade Style poured forth.

Though his Crushing Blade Style was incomplete and riddled with openings from imperfect training, the momentum crashing forward was fairly formidable.

It was an attack that clearly showed diligent effort.

Yul Han met that attack with his bare hands.

But then—

Clang!

From the point where the blade and his palm met, the sound of metal rang out.

Into the stunned young martial artist’s ears came the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon’s cry of shock as he watched the spar.

“Th, the Heavenly River Hand!”

A martial art ranked at the very peak among palm techniques, left behind by the twelfth Cult Leader, the Heavenly River Demon Venerable.

It was notoriously difficult to train, and even upon completion, surpassing the Transcendent Realm was no easy task, which was why it had not been listed among elder-level martial arts.

But in the exceedingly rare case that one achieved Perfection, it was an entirely different story.

Even arms wielding perfected Force Energy—said to be able to break anything—could not sever an arm that employed a perfected Heavenly River Hand.

Because its hardness far exceeded imagination.

Its destructive power was also extraordinary.

It could bend Force Energy as though handling a straw.

The clearest sign of a perfected Heavenly River Hand was the color of the arm.

A blue deeper than the sky!

That vividly blue arm of Yul Han shot inward toward the chest of the martial artist, who had frozen in shock.

The startled martial artist swung his blade to block—

Clang!

But it was knocked aside without resistance, and Yul Han’s hand pierced through, lightly tapping the man’s chest before withdrawing.

Staring into the martial artist’s eyes—where shock, emptiness, awe, and regret were tangled together—Yul Han spoke.

“Do you have any regrets?”

“Th, that is….”

“Did you use everything you could?”

“N, not yet….”

Turning his gaze away from the martial artist, who answered in a fading voice, Yul Han addressed the other Unsealing Training candidates waiting for their turn.

“You will not be given the time to divide your moves into probing phases or blitz phases. From the start, come at me as if you intend to kill me. Otherwise, like him, you will be left only with regret after your defeat. If I had been an enemy, you would likely be dead.”

His final words pierced into them like a sharp dagger.

The defeated martial artist bit down hard on his lip.

Then the cold voice of the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon reached him.

“What is a dead man standing there for? Get down.”

With shoulders slumped, the defeated man stepped down from the platform, and another martial artist climbed up.

Unlike the previous one, he unleashed the strongest technique he could muster from the very beginning, unwilling to repeat the same mistake.

The result was the same.

After all thirty-two spars concluded, Yul Han shook his head at the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon, who watched with hopeful eyes.

“It seems difficult after all.”

“Wh, why is that?”

At the question heavy with disappointment, Yul Han answered,

“I can swing my blade freely. But I cannot learn the corresponding reactions from my opponent. I do not feel danger from their blades. It seems that subtle difference has produced an entirely different result.”

“Then is it difficult through sparring?”

“We’ll have to find another method.”

At Yul Han’s reply, disappointment deepened on the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon’s face.

Leaving behind both the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon and the Unsealing Training candidates of the Crushing Faction—who had only been burdened with a sense of defeat—Yul Han turned away.

The outcome, different from what he had expected, left him with deep regret as well.

As he walked away, a voice stopped him.

“Vice Cult Leader, could you spare me a moment?”

The man had a slender build, thin lips, and narrow eyes. Overall, he bore a sharply cut impression.

Judging by the Demonic Energy pouring off him, he was certainly no minor figure—yet unfortunately, there was no memory of him.

Which meant I had never met him since awakening in Yul Han’s body.

Because of that, I was about to ask who he was when another voice came first.

“Oh? You dare grab the Vice Cult Leader and demand his time? There seem to be quite a few fellows these days whose guts have grown too big.”

Without even turning my head, I knew who it was.

He was close enough that a smile naturally spread across my face the moment I heard his voice.

“Vice Cult Leader, what shall we do? Shall I grab that bastard and make him kneel?”

“He only asked for a bit of time. There’s no need to go that far. More importantly, what brings you here, Cold Blade Blood?”

At my question, Cold Blade Blood scratched the back of his head.

“As for me, I came because I have a sin to atone for and wanted to beg forgiveness.”

A sin?

‘Ah!’

He was probably referring to inciting the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon and pushing him to seek out the Vice Cult Leader.

Realizing that, I spoke with a cool gaze.

“I was actually considering coming to see you about that very matter.”

Contrary to what he had expected, my cold response made Cold Blade Blood’s expression stiffen rapidly.

It seemed he had judged his prediction incorrectly.

Cold Blade Blood’s voice trembled as fear seized him.

“I-I am sorry, Vice Cult Leader.”

“You should be sorry. You handed me such a troublesome assignment and went off to train in comfort yourself. Starting tomorrow, report to the Vice Cult Leader’s Pavilion every single day. You’ll be assisting in finding a solution.”

As Cold Blade Blood mulled over my words, his expression brightened again.

“As expected! Whew. For a moment there, I thought your damned temper had flared up again, Vice Cult Leader—ah, hahaha. Please, spare my life.”

Watching him bow his head deeply with a despairing face, I let out a snort of laughter.

“You say that because you know you’re not someone so insignificant to me that I’d kill you over this, don’t you? Hah, now I’m annoyed. That won’t do. Come tonight. We’ll spar.”

“Gasp! P-please spare me, Vice Cult Leader.”

“Not a chance. You’d better steel yourself.”

Thus, trading banter back and forth, Cold Blade Blood and I walked away.

Left behind alone, the man who had requested my time stood there, his expression filled with awkward dismay.

After putting some distance between us and him, I asked Cold Blade Blood,

“Why? It seemed like you deliberately pulled me away.”

It was true. He had been the first to start walking in the middle of our conversation.

At my question, Cold Blade Blood replied,

“As you know, the Death-Scorching Demon Lord Gyu Jik is practically the representative of the Bright Army. If someone like him comes looking for you, Vice Cult Leader, the reason is obvious.”

From his words, I discerned the other man’s identity and turned my gaze toward the Death-Scorching Demon Lord, who had already retreated some distance away.

“The representative of the Bright Army, why would he—?”

“Why else? Because of the Heaven-and-Earth Great Shift Divine Art.”

At that, my eyes shifted back to Cold Blade Blood.

“Surely not because of the Heaven-and-Earth Great Shift Divine Art I released to the Red Army—?”

“Of course. The ones most parched for martial arts are those Bright Army bastards.”

Within the Bright Army, high and low martial arts were chaotically mixed.

There were advanced arts capable of producing masters on the verge of the Transcendent Realm—like the Death-Scorching Demon Lord we had just seen—while at the same time, there were arts that had never in their history produced a martial artist above the level of Squad Leader.

For that reason, they were the ones most desperate for higher-tier martial arts—advanced heart methods that could strengthen their own arts and elevate them further.

And into their ears had fallen the news that the Vice Cult Leader had distributed the Heaven-and-Earth Great Shift Divine Art to factions affiliated with the Red Army.

In less than half a day, the rumor had spread throughout the entire Bright Cult.

Seeing me shake my head as if exasperated, Cold Blade Blood added,

“They stake their lives on martial arts, so any news related to them spreads in an instant. And this isn’t just anything—it’s the Heaven-and-Earth Great Shift Divine Art. Not half a day. It probably spread throughout the Bright Cult in less than half a Gak.”

As though peering into my thoughts, he spoke so precisely that I asked,

“I understand their feelings. But the elder-level martial arts have already been fully disclosed, and the two arts of the Four Sacred Arts of the Heavenly Demon can be learned if one has the ability. Why crave other martial arts?”

“Because advancing that far isn’t easy. Did you know that people have been giving up in droves lately?”

“Giving up?”

“Not just with the Asura Sword Form and the Slaughtering Demon Art—even among those training elder-level martial arts, large numbers have been abandoning their cultivation.”

“Why?”

“They’re too difficult. No one can understand what they’re even saying. I’m training them myself, but once you enter the elder-level arts, they’re written in abstractions so vague they’re not even Daoist scriptures or Buddhist sutras—just talk about grasping at clouds.”

Because they demanded enlightenment.

Without sufficient insight, they were written so as to be incomprehensible.

In better terms, it was the principle of transmission only to the worthy—those without the destined affinity simply could not learn them.

When passed down to a small, select few, this had not been a problem.

Though rare as beans in a drought, someone would always attain enlightenment, and the lineage continued through such individuals.

But once I extended the opportunity beyond a chosen minority to the broader masses, the problem surfaced.

They simply could not comprehend it.

“Couldn’t those who’ve already learned them provide guidance?”

At my question, Cold Blade Blood gave a bitter smile.

“Who in the Bright Cult would willingly teach their martial art to another? If that person rises above them using the very art they taught, the one who suffers is the teacher.”

Might Makes Right.

The very law that had sustained the Bright Cult was now acting as an obstacle blocking its development.

As I sank into thought, searching for a way to break through this situation, my eyes suddenly gleamed.

Seeing Hope

Boom!

Amid a thunderous explosion, blazing Sword Energy flared up briefly before vanishing.

Thud—thud—thud.

The Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon was hurled away mercilessly, bouncing across the ground in a miserable state.

Having braced himself for death, he looked startled to find himself still alive. Then, upon seeing me standing there unscathed, his eyes widened as though they might split.

Tremble.

Rage, despair, and humiliation made even the corners of his eyes quiver.

That had been his final ultimate technique, unleashed with every ounce of strength he possessed.

Yet I merely brushed it off as though dusting dirt from my clothes, and with that simple motion, erased all traces left by his Sword Energy.

What was astonishing was that the mark of his Sword Energy had completely vanished.

That meant his Sword Energy had not inflicted a proper wound—not even on my clothing, let alone my body.

To the despairing Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon, I said,

“Remarkable. To wield Sword Energy without being in the Transcendent Realm. Most would have knelt here. Of course, the caster would not have remained unscathed either.”

At my words, his gaze drifted to his own left shoulder.

A long sword wound.

He remembered clearly.

My blade had struck roughly, damaging only cloth and fabric before being sharply withdrawn.

Given the speed and destructive force it carried at the time, reining it in like that must have been even harder.

It could not have been easy to control the Internal Energy surging back inward.

And yet I had withdrawn the sword.

And I stood here without the slightest wavering.

Regardless of the reason, the difference in our skill was absolute.

“Haa… Why? Why did you withdraw your sword? No—why did you spare me?”

At the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon’s question—his aura already withdrawn as though he had abandoned everything—I shrugged.

“If someone overheard you, they’d think I intended to kill you.”

“Then… you didn’t?”

“Of course not. Why would I have any reason to kill you?”

“Th-then why…?”

Looking into his eyes, swirling chaotically with confusion, I answered,

“I simply needed to conduct an experiment. For the others, I could roughly see a method. But the Crushing Faction’s martial arts require killing intent to accompany them. So I had to confirm whether mere sparring would be insufficient.”

“You mean…?”

“That’s right. I think I’ve roughly found a way to replace the Red Army’s Unsealing Training. Of course, for the Crushing Faction, we’ll still need to look a bit further.”

At my answer, the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon could not conceal the shock in his eyes.

* * *

The Residence of the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon was fairly well organized. Seated at the place of honor at the front was the Vice Cult Leader, and before him sat the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon along with more than a dozen faction leaders affiliated with the Red Army.

They had gathered at the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon’s summons.

Those who had come at the call of the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon—who stood as something akin to the representative of the Red Army—were visibly flustered upon finding the Vice Cult Leader seated there in plain sight.

Well, it was only natural.

After all, it had been the Soul Faction and the Monster Faction—just like themselves—who had once attacked the Vice Cult Leader.

They knew.

After the incident involving the Monster Faction and the Soul Faction, the Cult Leader had slaughtered every last member and martial artist of the two remaining factions.

The Blood Sword Unit, acting under the Cult Leader’s command, had descended upon them and killed even the dogs and chickens those two factions had raised, leaving nothing alive.

I knew as well.

Most matters that occurred within the Bright Cult eventually reached the ears of the Vice Cult Leader.

Unlike before, those who followed me were now spread throughout the entire Bright Cult.

Of course, I had not known from the beginning. Had I known, I would have stopped Yul Han.

But I could not—because it had already happened by the time the matter reached me.

The Blood Sword Unit had moved diligently under the Cult Leader’s order: do not trouble the Vice Cult Leader by letting it reach his ears, and once the matter is concluded, quietly erase all traces.

Their efforts had been rendered meaningless.

After all, the one who brought the news to me was none other than the Blood Sword Unit Commander.

He knew the Cult Leader’s heart, and he knew the danger the Vice Cult Leader represented.

Thus, he could not help but worry about the unease, displeasure, and anger I might feel if such matters were carried out behind my back without my knowledge.

He also feared that such feelings might develop into misunderstanding, and that misunderstanding might turn toward the Cult Leader—his senior brother.

To prevent that, he had come to me and confessed everything without even seeking the Cult Leader’s permission.

In any case, knowing all these Circumstances, I said nothing to the faction leaders whose expressions were clearly troubled.

In that atmosphere, the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon opened his mouth.

“You all remember the matter we discussed among ourselves not long ago, for which no solution was found.”

“You are speaking of Unsealing Training?”

At one leader’s question, the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon nodded.

“Indeed. Regarding that, I petitioned the Vice Cult Leader fifteen days ago to find us a path.”

Startled expressions erupted everywhere. Some even let out quiet gasps of shock.

Given the Vice Cult Leader’s infamous temperament, renowned throughout the world, it could easily have been taken as provocation—or defiance.

It might have been interpreted as a threat: resolve this for us, or we will not remain idle.

And not at just any time—but after the incident with the Soul Faction and the Monster Faction—making such an interpretation all the more likely.

Sensing their concern, the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon hurriedly added,

“I, too, had my worries. But Cold Blade Blood told me this: ‘Our Vice Cult Leader is not so narrow-minded a man.’”

The leaders, even more startled than before, hurriedly studied my expression.

The Vice Cult Leader they knew was not someone who would tolerate such provocative words.

But—

A twisted smirk? No, perhaps merely a smile that looked twisted?

Something like that tugged faintly at the corner of my lips.

At the very least, they all realized that the emotion attached to that smile was not anger.

Thanks to that, the anxiety that had been spiraling within them began to subside.

Then the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon’s voice followed.

“The Vice Cult Leader has come bearing an answer to that petition. I ask you all to listen carefully.”

Even had he told them not to listen, their attention would have been wholly fixed on me. It concerned Unsealing Training.

Under the watchful gaze of the faction leaders affiliated with the Red Army, I spoke.

“For the Red Army in particular, I intend—having received the Cult Leader’s permission—to transmit a single martial art.”

At once, murmurs broke out.

They had asked for a solution to Unsealing Training, and suddenly I was speaking of granting a martial art.

Looking at them, I continued.

“The martial art to be transmitted is the Heaven-and-Earth Great Shift Divine Art.”

“….”

In an instant, the murmuring vanished, and silence descended.

They were too shocked to speak.

I went on.

“Regrettably, not in its entirety. Only a portion—specifically, the First Form of the foundation and the Third Form linked to it.”

If one claimed not to feel regret, that would be a lie.

But even granting only the First Form and the Third Form was astonishing.

The Heaven-and-Earth Great Shift Divine Art was known to consist of five forms in total. To teach two was to reveal nearly half.

Still—

“If it is divided like that, can it even be used?”

“The Cult Leader and I researched and tested it. It operates without issue. I circulated only the First Form and Third Form for about fifteen days—there were no abnormalities.”

At my answer, the leaders’ faces showed clear astonishment as murmurs rose again.

I continued,

“I confirmed its efficacy just moments ago in my spar with the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon.”

At this, even the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon widened his eyes. It was the first he had heard of this.

Knowing his surprise, I elaborated.

“In that spar, using the First Form as the base and operating the Third Form, I found that it precisely received the Internal Energy carried within my opponent’s attack. Its efficiency was eight-tenths. Of course, for you it may differ. The Cult Leader estimated roughly half—about five-tenths.”

The murmuring grew louder.

From among them, a question burst forth.

“We understand that teaching us such a supreme art as the Heaven-and-Earth Great Shift Divine Art is a great grace. But what relation does that have to our Unsealing Training?”

I did not know who had asked.

Had I been the original Yul Han, I likely would have known from his standing—but I had no such memory.

And that prevented me from even asking who he was.

For some reason, that discomforted me. I did not wish to remain trapped in that discomfort.

So I abruptly asked,

“You there—who are you?”

The man who had posed the question went pale.

“My, my apologies. I am Chukjan of the Severing Faction. I dared to pose a question to the Vice Cult Leader.”

He had taken it as a rebuke—how dare he ask a question without first introducing himself.

Nodding, I said,

“Ah! I recall hearing of you from the Fourth Elder. They say you wield the Severing Hand with remarkable skill.”

No one dared say, ‘We have met several times before.’

They simply misunderstood it as, ‘Naturally, someone like him would not remember each of us individually.’

Whether I knew of their misunderstanding or not, I continued,

“I focus on the Third Form of the Heaven-and-Earth Great Shift Divine Art as the solution because of its effect. Borrowing the Great Atmosphere.”

I dropped the name of the Third Form.

No one understood.

So I explained further.

“The Third Form, which possesses the effect of drawing out what one desires from Natural Energy, can also receive only the necessary energy from an opponent’s attack.”

The greatness of the Heaven-and-Earth Great Shift Divine Art lay precisely in that effect.

Seeing their puzzled expressions, I gave a bitter smile and began explaining in greater detail.

As the explanation continued, their eyes grew wider and wider.

In the end, some even clapped and cheered.

When I ordered that training in the First Form and Third Form of the Heaven-and-Earth Great Shift Divine Art would begin tomorrow, and that after breakfast all martial artists affiliated with the Red Army were to gather at the Grand Training Grounds without exception, they responded in loud voices before dispersing.

Their faces were filled with hopeful excitement as they left.

When all the other leaders had departed and only the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon remained, I said to him,

“The Crushing Faction will undergo a slightly different process.”

“What process?”

“It is not yet clear, but I intend to attempt resolving it through sparring.”

“With respect, Vice Cult Leader.”

“Yes, speak.”

“The Crushing Faction’s Unsealing Training can never be replaced by sparring.”

“Because the Killing Intent is excessively high.”

“Exactly. The likelihood of injuring one’s sparring partner is far too great. It could even lead to death…”

“That is true between equals.”

“…Pardon?”

“What did you feel when you sparred with me just now?”

“If you mean just now… despair?”

At his answer, I gave a wry smile.

“So it could be understood that way. I had hoped you would feel, ‘I can swing my blade freely without worry.’”

The Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon’s eyes widened.

Only now did he fully understand the purpose behind my sudden proposal of a live-blade spar.

“Th-then…?”

“Yes. If handled well, there may be a possibility. The exact details will depend on meeting the Crushing Faction’s Unsealing Training candidates…”

“Sh-shall I summon them at once?”

Understanding his urgency, I smiled faintly.

“That would be appreciated.”

At my answer, believing that hope had appeared for them as well, the Heaven-Mixing Crushing Demon answered loudly and rushed out.

“Pl-please wait just a moment, Vice Cult Leader!”

The way he ran spoke of his impatience.

Watching his retreating figure, my eyes softened.

‘Was it not because they could find no other method that they had no choice but to adopt such a brutal way of transmission?’

The Strategist’s words, spoken abruptly the day before, were being proven true.