C375
The Heavenly Demon and Hwa In, the leader of the Justice Alliance, were facing each other on the battle stage.
Cale, who was watching from the stands, looked around.
‘Everyone is here.’
The Queen, the Sword Master Charun, most of the leaders of the Kingdom of Lan, and those who had become famous in this competition were present.
‘No, wait.’
She isn’t.
Sohyi.
The woman presumed to be a Wanderer was not present.
‘Huh?’
What’s wrong?
Cale felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu. Though Sohyi might not be here.
‘I feel a chill down my spine.’
This feeling usually doesn’t fail.
It was at that moment...
“Sohyi isn’t here.”
“It’s true, she isn’t.”
The moment he realized that Choi Han and Alberu, who were sitting beside him, had noticed the same thing as him, Cale’s mouth opened.
“Something is going on.”
Choi Han and Alberu nodded silently in response to those words. But the atmosphere around them was so lively it was boiling.
“They say the One-Move Sword is using a sword now!”
“Wow, as expected, Kim Haeil is getting serious now that he’s reached the round of 8!”
He was called The One-Move Sword. But he had never held a sword. However, Kim Haeil, who had defeated all his opponents with a single move, without even holding a sword, was holding a sword now.
“Is it a common iron sword?”
“Yes, it seems like he bought it from any blacksmith shop.”
“For a master, the quality of the weapon doesn’t matter!”
“No, masters seek better weapons. The better someone is at using an object, the more value they give to that object.”
Of course, what the Heavenly Demon was holding was a common iron sword, which he had bought from a blacksmith shop this morning.
“…”
The Heavenly Demon, leaving the scabbard somewhere, was standing quietly, holding only the sword.
Snick.
Hwa In smiled with a deep grin, as she looked at him. She didn’t open her mouth.
-You know who I am, right?
But she conveyed a message to the Heavenly Demon. And the Heavenly Demon-
“Should I know?”
He only responded with an indifferent word.
“Hmm.”
The competition official, who was acting as the referee, noticed that the Heavenly Demon and Hwa In were communicating through transmitted messages or talking, and hesitated for a moment, but then raised and lowered the flag.
Dong!
The sound of the drum echoed, and the competition began. But both the Heavenly Demon and Hwa In were just staring at each other.
“…You don’t know who I am?”
However, Hwa In was the first to speak.
“Ha.”
She couldn’t hide her disbelief.
“How dare you-”
A slight discomfort flashed across her face.
‘How is it possible that such an insignificant thing, which didn’t even exist until now, dares to ignore me?’
Really, really-
“You’re arrogant.”
Swoosh.
She drew her sword from its scabbard. And dropped the scabbard back.
Swoosh-
A flow of inner energy, which carefully contained the sword, placed it on the ground.
“!”
“Hmm!”
The masters who were watching shuddered. Because they had seen the depth of Hwa In’s inner energy. But the Heavenly Demon paid no attention to it.
He simply closed his eyes, looking at the sky.
“…”
Hwa In couldn’t hold back her laughter at the sight.
‘Sohyi, you have to take care of the Transparent Blood Family guys, okay?’
At the same time, she remembered her companion, who had been advising, or rather, threatening her.
‘The Transparent Blood Family guys keep asking you to catch the AI. Sohyi, is it hard?’
Hwa In, no, Sohyi, had seen the anger disguised as kindness of her opponent, and had responded.
‘Why should I do that kind of senseless thing? I’m a Loner! Why should someone like me fulfill the demands of those Transparent Blood Family guys?’
At that moment, Hwa In felt a chill as she remembered that situation.
‘Sohyi, stop bothering me, okay?’
The gaze of her companion, who was looking down at her.
No, the gaze of the Wanderer of the Five-Colored Family was truly transparent.
It didn’t contain anything.
‘They’re terrible guys.’
From Sohyi’s point of view, the youngest, the Wanderers were all annoying. They had simply joined together to achieve their own goals.
‘No, wait.’
Unlike some of the first generation, who had lived as Wanderers for a long time, and had their own camaraderie. She didn’t have that camaraderie, because she had joined recently.
‘Anyway, I just have to eliminate that AI and take over the Kingdom of Lan.’
New World. Only her position and power are important in that place.
Thump.
Hwa In took a step towards the Heavenly Demon.
“It’s truly like a dance.”
Charun muttered.
A master’s step is like a dance.
One could see the path of Wu that she had traveled, in her upright posture, as she took a step.
She opened her mouth.
“Truly, I don’t care who you are.”
Hwa In didn’t rule out the possibility that Kim Haeil might not be an AI.
‘In the first place, he’s not a user.’
She could determine with certainty that he wasn’t a user of the game.
Kim Haeil hadn’t logged out for several days.
Also, he was someone who couldn’t be assigned a mission.
That means he’s an existence like an NPC.
‘But he’s not under the system.’
Because he lives as he wants.
In that sense-
‘He’s an AI.’
In reality, that decision didn’t make sense.
“You’re an arrogant guy.”
She muttered softly. The Heavenly Demon’s gaze was reflected in her eyes.
Hpmh~
Would there be any NPC who would dare to look at the leader of the Justice Alliance like that?
The probability of him being designed that way was extremely low.
‘We also didn’t find anything in the Transparent Blood Family.’
She had asked them to give her Kim Haeil’s data. But those guys, who were the administrators, didn’t know anything about Kim Haeil’s data. The answer is simple.
AI.
And also…
‘They couldn’t even identify the subordinates who accompany Kim Haeil.’
Those subordinates must have been created by Kim Haeil, the AI.
“…”
“…”
The surroundings became increasingly silent.
Thump, thump.
Hwa In walked towards the Heavenly Demon without hesitation. And she, as she continued to walk. She took a step and raised her sword.
As natural as a human walking.
Her arm rose. Her hand moved.
Everything was natural, as the sword extended.
And finally, the sword was aimed at Kim Haeil.
It didn’t look like an attack.
Everything seemed mundane.
But she was holding a sword.
“!”
Choi Han’s shoulder twitched.
“The Wanderer, yes, it seems like she’s the Wanderer.”
The moment that voice reached Cale’s ears. The Heavenly Demon saw the tip of the sword aimed at him. Like when he had cut the sword of the Celestial Sword’s heir, Sorak, a while ago.
From top to bottom. The tip of the sword, which seemed to split the Heavenly Demon. Hwa In, who was behind that line.
“It seems like she’s going to split Mount Tai in half.”
The Sword Master, Charun, couldn’t hide his astonishment. He didn’t know that Hwa In’s skill was so high.
It’s not martial arts, it’s everyday life. The sword was her everyday life. The life that a human has decided to live their whole life. It contained the same everyday life.
-Cale.
The voice of the Super Rock echoed in Cale’s mind.
-That sword.
-It’s strange.
The Ancient Powers, who had been silent until now, began to react the moment Hwa In drew a line with the sword.
-There is power, immense power, in it.
There was no aura in Hwa In’s sword.
“What is she doing?”
“I don’t know. Is it a warning?”
Therefore, the ordinary citizens didn’t notice anything. But the masters were different.
“!”
The Ghost Swordsman felt a chill.
Passote’s eyes widened.
“…The One-Move Sword, be careful!”
Passote realized that Hwa In was trying to split Kim Haeil, the One-Move Sword, with a single move.
Humans can’t defeat nature. But that sword can split Mount Tai. There’s no mountain that sword can’t cut.
How is it possible for a human to resist that force?
Even if he himself were a mountain, he would surely crumble.
“Choi Han.”
Cale asked with an indifferent expression.
“Do you think he’s going to lose?”
The answer to that question came without hesitation.
“No.”
The moment Choi Han answered like that. Cale saw the Heavenly Demon’s sword move.
New World.
A new world.
After arriving in this place, the Heavenly Demon had used a sword for the first time.
“!”
Hwa In’s eyes widened suddenly.
“How? How can you have that strength-”
The moment she was surprised, it was all too late.
“What is this?!”
Queen Tamahi jumped up from her seat. Without realizing it, she grabbed the handrail in front of the separated stands.
“What is that?”
Her voice trembled.
Kim Haeil.
The Heavenly Demon.
The blood-red aura that had gathered on his sword.
It’s not inner energy.
It’s not aura.
It’s not magic.
It’s an aura she had never seen before.
However-
“T, terrible-”
It was terrible.
Snick.
The corners of Cale’s lips curled upwards.
“You’ve grown a lot.”
The moment Choi Han smiled slightly as he looked at the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon’s mouth opened.
“I-”
A sword that can split Mount Tai-
A human standing in front of that sword-
The Heavenly Demon.
Who is he?
He’s human, but he’s not.
I am the Demon-
“I am the Heaven.”
The Heaven of the Demons.
The Heaven and the God of many Demons.
That existence is me.
The Heavenly Demon.
That is me.
Even a sword that can split Mount Tai.
It can’t cut the Heaven.
As long as that faith exists.
The Heavenly Demon’s aura will never fade.
If Choi Han’s sword contains conviction. The Heavenly Demon’s sword contains a calm, almost frenzied faith.
Hwa In’s sword, from top to bottom.
From Heaven to Earth.
The moment it seemed like it was going to split the Heavenly Demon in half. The Heavenly Demon’s sword didn’t move to block that sword.
It simply went forward.
Why should he fear a sword that can only split Mount Tai?
The target is only one. The enemy in front of him.
Only Hwa In.
The existence who dared to call him arrogant. It wasn’t just an insult to a person. Ignoring the Heavenly Demon, the Heaven of the Demon Cult, was ignoring the demons.
The Heaven couldn’t allow those under his rule to be ignored.
Wooong-Wooong-
The blood-red aura gradually left the Heavenly Demon’s body, passed through his sword, and moved forward.
“…”
“…”
The audience fell silent.
When that blood-red aura appeared and became so large that it was visible to the naked eye.
They felt like they couldn’t breathe.
At the same time, they felt an inexplicable chill, from a terrible feeling.
Also, they felt an irresistible fascination.
A terrible force, terrifying and suffocating, but one that draws the eye.
“It’s dangerous-”
The moment someone said that.
¡Kwaaang-Kwaaang-Kwaaang-----!
A roar echoed.
The One-Move Sword.
And the One-Move Sword.
The roar, which had been created by a single clash, vibrated the entire arena.
A large cloud of dust rose.
People waited for the dust cloud to settle.
But it wasn’t necessary.
Swoosh-
The wind blew.
The wind was blood-red.
The blood-red aura bloomed, and pushed the dust away.
“!”
When the people, who had understood the meaning, opened their eyes.
¡Swoosh---!
Someone was pushed back. It was Hwa In, the leader of the Justice Alliance.
The sword that had been falling and the sword that had been extended forward. The two swords had aimed at each other, perfectly.
Crackle-
A sword broke and fell to the ground.
It was Hwa In’s sword, who had been pushed back.
The sword, which was famous in the Kingdom of Lan as a legendary sword, had broken before a common iron sword.
As if it had been pierced by an awl.
It split and shattered.
“What?!”
“What?!”
But people couldn’t even see that sword.
Drizzle.
Blood ran down the corner of Hwa In’s lips.
She had received an internal injury.
Blood-red aura.
She had tried to block that aura, which had appeared suddenly, with her inner energy.
The leader of the Justice Alliance.
The supreme technique that had brought her to that position.
The inner energy she had accumulated with that technique was truly pure and clean. Because she had thought she could overcome that terrible feeling.
Because she had thought that AI couldn’t have that strength.
That strength is a strength that only the chosen can have.
A grand force that can no longer appear.
“…Truly-”
But she couldn’t block that force.
Drizzle.
That blood flowing was the answer. The distance she had been pushed back was the answer. She didn’t wipe the blood from the corner of her lips. Hwa In, while bleeding, said.
“Do you truly, have a Unique Power?”
The view cleared, after the dust settled.
The Heavenly Demon, who was standing, containing the blood-red aura flowing, as if hundreds of snakes were writhing.
His figure was clear, even within the sinister blood-red.
As Choi Han had said, the Heavenly Demon had grown. Because he had learned a lot, while experimenting with the Dragons and Apitoyu.
“How? How can you have that strength, which the Celestials had sealed, you, a mere-”
Hwa In was standing, with a stunned expression. And the Heavenly Demon raised the corners of his lips.
“It’s fun.”
The moment he said that. The stands shook.
“That person isn’t Hwa In!”
“Why Hwa In, Hwa In-!”
The Heavenly Demon’s sword. No, Hwa In had to use another power to block his blood-red aura. That strength was the unique power of Sohyi, the Wanderer.
A power that the Celestials had sealed in the past, and is now simply known as Ancient Power.
That power, which has unlimited potential.
The aura the Heavenly Demon was using had the potential to become that force, and was already becoming that force, that Unique Power.
“You-”
Sohyi.
A new master who has emerged alongside Kim Haeil.
But she, who hadn’t received that much attention.
She took off Hwa In’s mask, and faced the Heavenly Demon with her true body.
“Who are you?”
A strange frenzy began to gradually spin in her eyes. Her eyes became clearly hostile.
“Finally, a look I like.”
And the Heavenly Demon laughed.
Wooong-Wooong-
As if it was going to cover the sky of the battle arena. The blood-red aura was gradually spreading. As if that aura was announcing that he is the Heaven.
And as he watched that scene, Cale said calmly.
“It seems like our Young Master is very angry.”
Also, he took Choi Han’s shoulder, who was sitting beside him.
“Calm down. It’s not your turn yet.”
Sohyi.
From the moment he saw her face, Choi Han’s expression had hardened.
And Cale and Alberu began to observe Sohyi.
Cale was recording, Alberu was exploring, Choi Han was watching.
With their own thoughts, they watched that Wanderer. And the Heavenly Demon.
