Chapter 55

Behind The Scenes (2)

Towering trees that had grown for countless years in an unknown place were being felled one after another.

Koooom!

Each time one of those giant trees collapsed, the ground shook.

From somewhere not too far away, artificial gusts of wind—clearly not natural—kept sweeping through.

Swaaaa!

As a result, the leaves clinging to the mountain slope, which should have been calm, were whipped about violently.

Flutter!

Perhaps because of that,

Countless birds that had been resting their weary wings burst into the sky all at once.

Kwaaang!

The source of the thunderous explosions.

There, two swords were continuously flying toward one another.

In contrast to the violent clashes, the eyes of the two men facing each other were calm.

Kaang, kaaang!

Because each of their flows continued on, lofty and unbroken.

'So this is it… the Namgung Clan's sword.'

It was different from Namgung Seohee's sword.

If her sword was something entirely new, found nowhere else, then the sword wielded by the man before him was the orthodox blade—one that carried on the tradition of the Namgung Clan, known as the Sword King's House.

'This is about what I expected.'

It lived up to its reputation.

He could finally understand why the Namgung Clan was always counted among the three greatest families under heaven.

'The Sword King's House, huh….'

At this point, its prestige was such that no one would object even if it were called the Sword Emperor's House.

'The world really is vast.'

He needed to change the flow.

But it wouldn't be easy.

The Namgung sword—lofty yet honed to a singular edge—did not waver.

'What do I have?'

A sword that merely severed the heavens would only be blocked.

He needed a blade that would drag things down more forcefully.

'Ah, right. There was that.'

The sword of the royal path was one of balance, leaning toward neither extreme.

Because of that, breaking its flow was no easy task even for Cheon Muyang.

'Still, just because you're a king doesn't mean you're perfect.'

No matter how wise a ruler may be, perfection was impossible.

And what about a young king who had yet to fully mature?

'A man who tried to kill his own blood, unable to overcome jealousy and envy.'

Closer to a tyrant than a sage king.

And a tyrant never looked down below.

'With this sword….'

He could certainly drag a king down.

That sword was one he had obtained by chance at the Inspection Division's building—Ascension Sever .

Not a sword that always began in the heavens.

But one that began beneath the heavens.

'I can cut you.'

Whooom!

Heavenly Light did not point toward the sky.

It pointed toward the ground.

"...?"

Namgung Sanghyeok felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

The standoff looked the same as before, yet instinctively he sensed that something had changed.

'What is it?'

He couldn't tell what it was.

"Are you trying some cheap trick?"

"You've got a long tongue for someone who told me to shut up."

Crunch!

He ground his teeth together.

Cheon Muyang—the butcher of the Cheon Clan.

To Namgung Sanghyeok, the eldest legitimate son of the Namgung Clan who had always lived up to expectations, Cheon Muyang was nothing but trash.

'A contemptible piece of garbage.'

Trash that had merely been lucky enough to be born with the Cheon surname.

"That mouth of yours is truly asking for trouble!"

"What a load of bullshit."

Crunch!

Whatever had changed didn't matter.

The Namgung sword would not break.

With that absolute confidence, Namgung Sanghyeok instead charged straight at Cheon Muyang.

Swoosh!

A sword thrusting forward in a straight line.

Yet even in his rage, the sword of the imperial house did not lose its dignity.

'So proud.'

And that was why it was laughable.

"To have such a sword, yet be consumed by jealousy and envy."

No—perhaps that was possible.

Namgung Seohee's sword was something no one in the Namgung Clan could ever imitate.

But that didn't mean it was acceptable to make it so she could never hold a sword again.

"That girl is pitiful."

"Shut up and die!"

The sword that had always barred the path to Cheon Muyang's neck was gone.

So he was certain he could cut it.

Chill!

Yet for some reason,

Namgung Sanghyeok felt an ominous sensation coil around his entire body.

"Why don't you look down?"

Looking away mid-swing was unthinkable.

Yet Namgung Sanghyeok's head finally snapped downward.

Swoosh!

"...!"

There, he saw something he had never seen before—
a creature surging upward from below.

An ascending imugi, a dragon.

Crack!

Namgung Sanghyeok stood at a crossroads.

Should he continue swinging and aim for Cheon Muyang's neck,
or twist his body as much as possible to minimize the damage?

'This bastard…!'

Rage surged.

He wanted nothing more than to beat Cheon Muyang to death, but Namgung Sanghyeok had no intention of perishing together with trash he despised.

So he withdrew his sword and twisted his body as far as he could.

'Damn it! Was I too late?'

It was only an instant of hesitation.

But that instant decided life and death.

Seeing Heavenly Light about to pierce his heart, Namgung Sanghyeok's mind went blank.

Pa-at!

Cloth fluttered through the air.

A few drops of blood scattered between them.

A thin line had been carved across the skin just above Namgung Sanghyeok's heart.

"...!"

"Did you flinch?"

Thud!

Namgung Sanghyeok had studied the art of kingship.

A king must never lose.

He had trained his sword while grinding his teeth, never suffering a single defeat until now.

Everyone had always been beneath him.

Those now called masters of the martial world were, in his mind, merely people who had trained longer.
He believed that once he reached their age, he would surely surpass them.

"Th-this…!"

Among the younger generation of every faction living in the same era, he believed himself to be the strongest.

That pride was what had sustained Namgung Sanghyeok.

So how long had it been since he had collapsed like this, legs giving out beneath him?

"I thought about killing you outright."

"...!"

A chill ran through him.

He wanted to stand immediately.

But the killing intent pouring off Cheon Muyang's body robbed him of even that courage.

'I'll die.'

If he moved, his head would truly be taken.

Yet, as if nothing had happened,

Cheon Muyang's killing intent vanished.

"There's nothing to gain from making an enemy of the Namgung Clan. Consider yourself lucky."

Crack!

Using his sword as a support, Namgung Sanghyeok stood up.

He didn't even seem inclined to stop the bleeding.

Snap.

Cheon Muyang's gaze shifted.

He saw Namgung Seohee staring at the scene with sorrow-filled eyes.

'Where have I seen those eyes before?'

He remembered.

Back then, when she had asked him to kill her.

Namgung Seohee had worn the same expression then.

'So she realized that blood kin stood behind the Thousand-Faced Sound Demon.'

Now he understood why such a vibrant woman could look like that.

"But you know."

"...."

Cheon Muyang sneered at Namgung Sanghyeok.

"To try to kill your own blood over nothing more than jealousy and envy—aren't you ashamed?"

"Shut up! Shut up!!"

Having lost his reason, Namgung Sanghyeok swung his sword wildly.

There was no trace left of a king's blade in his movements.

"So only your pride's still alive, huh."

With his legs giving out and his balance completely gone, there was no way he could display a proper sword technique.

Kaang!

After casually knocking the blade aside, Cheon Muyang—wearing a butcher-like smile that Namgung Sanghyeok would surely despise—drove his fist straight into the man's jaw.

Thud!

A thrilling sensation surged through his hand.

A feeling he could never experience with a sword.

"Kuheok!"

Namgung Sanghyeok was sent flying backward, rolling across the ground several times before coming to a stop.

"W-what are you doing right now?!"

"What does it look like? Beating down a bastard worse than a dog. They say the Beggars' Sect uses a beating stick for times like this, but I don't see why. What's better than a fist?"

"Y-you bastard!"

Thud!

Pow!

It wasn't any kind of refined fist technique.

Just crude, relentless punches thrown without restraint.

'Then why… can't I block them?!'

Yet Namgung Sanghyeok couldn't even bring himself to try.

Because separate from the fists themselves, the pressure flowing from Cheon Muyang's entire body was real.

"Kkhhh…!"

Pain had a way of forcing even kings to bow their heads.

Namgung Sanghyeok slowly began to curl in on himself, a desperate struggle to survive.

"P-please… stop…."

Perhaps it was too hard to watch.

Namgung Seohee staggered forward.

It seemed the poison had not yet been completely neutralized.

"This man tried to kill you."

"I—I'm sure there's been some kind of misunderstanding…."

"A misunderstanding?"

Cheon Muyang pointed toward the Thousand-Faced Sound Demon, his head severed and lying on the ground.

"He was the one pulling the strings behind that bastard, and you call it a misunderstanding?"

Grabbing Namgung Sanghyeok by the collar, Cheon Muyang hauled him roughly upright.

"Go on. Say it yourself. Was all of this a misunderstanding?"

He didn't know why, but anger boiled up inside him.

Namgung Seohee's predetermined future felt disturbingly similar to his own past life.

"Ugh…."

Namgung Sanghyeok couldn't say a word.

"Pathetic."

Cheon Muyang flung him away without ceremony.

Then he swung his sword toward Namgung Sanghyeok.

"...!"

Namgung Seohee gasped in shock.

Swoosh!

Heavenly Light flew—

—but it passed Namgung Sanghyeok by, slicing through a shadow standing behind him instead.

"You'd better take him and get lost."

Clink!

The sound of something like a glass vial hitting the ground rang out.

Slide.

Cheon Muyang's gaze flicked briefly toward a nearby tree.

It was only for an instant—too fast to be noticed.

"...."

Someone hidden in the shadows took the unconscious Namgung Sanghyeok and disappeared.

Fssssss!

Gray smoke billowed up from where the vial had fallen.

It was likely a lethal poison.

'The Tang Clan….'

Cheon Muyang didn't pursue them.

He had already given an order to the Heaven-Seeking Division Lord.

'So they're really going to strut around Zhejiang this openly?'

Zhejiang was Cheon Clan territory.

Whether Demonic Cult, Tang Clan, or Namgung Clan—

None of them had the right to roam freely here.

'You'll pay for that. I'll make sure of it.'

Cheon Muyang looked at Namgung Seohee.

She stood there with the same expression worn by the nameless man from his previous life.

A face that looked ready to shatter at the slightest touch.

Drip.

"Ah…."

It seemed touching wasn't even necessary.

Tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

"...."

Cheon Muyang said nothing.

No hollow words could possibly comfort her heart.

So he simply stood beside her.

Until dawn broke in the east.

How much time passed?

A faint voice drifted in from somewhere.

"P-please…."

Flinch!

Namgung Seohee reacted to the sound.

As if entranced, she moved toward its source.

Not far away, a cave came into view.

"...."

The voice grew clearer.

Without hesitation, Cheon Muyang and Namgung Seohee entered and found women bound from head to toe, imprisoned inside.

Crunch.

Namgung Seohee bit down on her lip.

Not clear tears—but red blood flowed.

Kwaaang!

She shattered the crude prison and faced the women captured by the Thousand-Faced Sound Demon.

Every one of them stared back with hollow eyes, as if their minds had already been broken.

"Please… save us…."

Unlike the emaciated women—

There was one whose will to live still remained, as though she had been captured only recently.

"You are…?"

Cheon Muyang froze.

He recognized her face.

"Isn't that Maehong?"

"Y-young master?"

Maehong recognized Cheon Muyang as well.

"How are you here…?"

"Sniff…!"

Overcome with relief at being alive, Maehong burst into tears.

Namgung Seohee pulled her into a tight embrace.

"It's all right."

"...."

"It's all right now. All of you."

Had she made some kind of vow?

'She's changed.'

Namgung Seohee no longer cried.

With resolute eyes, she gathered them in her arms.

"I'll protect you all."

Namgung Seohee erased Namgung.

She would no longer live for the Namgung Clan.

Cheon Muyang felt he could vaguely grasp what that resolve meant.

'Chivalry….'

Namgung Seohee had made her decision.

Cheon Muyang simply stayed by her side and watched.

"It's all right."

At Namgung Seohee's gentle reassurance, even those who had stared with empty eyes began to shed hot tears.

Thud!

Perhaps even that was too much.

Some of them lost consciousness.

Cheon Muyang infused them with inner energy so they could endure, even if only a little.

"Hurry. Let's go to the Cheon Clan."

"Yes."

"I—I'll help too!"

With Maehong's help, they carried the unconscious women and returned to the Cheon Clan estate.

That day, the Cheon Clan officially announced the death of the Thousand-Faced Sound Demon.

"The Cheon Clan's eldest son, Cheon Muyang, has severed the head of the Thousand-Faced Sound Demon."