- Crackle! BOOOOM!
The lightning that shot upward in reverse was truly a spectacle to behold.
> "It's hard to control after all."
The secret technique of the Grand Heaven Thunder Sword Art, Reversed Thunderlight of Heaven-Shaking Lightning, had a power that was beyond imagination.
Harnessing thunder energy through resonance and unleashing it through the sword strike—its area of effect alone could reach a massive 20 jang (approximately 60 meters), capable of inflicting widespread destruction.
> "Still nothing compared to my master, who possesses the Divine Thunder Body."
Of course, it was still an incredible feat.
But the wider the range, the more the power of the lightning diminished.
The closer one was, the more devastating the damage from the thunderbolt; the farther away, the weaker the shock—thus increasing chances of survival.
> "Well calculated."
Every technique shows its worth in the right situation.
With top-level masters approaching and skilled warriors spreading out to surround him, Reversed Thunderlight was the perfect technique.
However, it was unexpected.
Even though he had adjusted the power somewhat, he had meant to kill them all.
But through his Qi sense, and seeing the silhouettes through the dispersing dust, he couldn't hide his surprise.
> "Ughhhh…"
A middle-aged man, his clothes burned and torn to shreds from the lightning, appeared.
It seemed he was the bamboo-hat man who had continuously provoked him.
The man staggered in agony, vomiting blood again and again.
When he looked around, he was visibly shocked.
> "A… A monster…"
Every one of the 200 soldiers surrounding them had collapsed.
A few twitched, but that was just the effect of the lightning—none survived.
Even amidst this chaos, he couldn't hide his astonishment.
> "Ha…"
It was because he realized the blast radius of Reversed Thunderlight.
Some of the fainted members of Hwangryong Party were caught in it, but the majority, though unconscious, had narrowly avoided the blast range—intentionally spared.
It had taken considerable effort to pull that off.
Killing them all would mean no one left to spread rumors about the Golden Emperor.
The bamboo-hat man clicked his tongue.
> "I misjudged you… Descendant of the Sword Immortals? Hah!"
Perhaps he hadn't expected to be dealt with like this. The man trembled with frustration.
But he was already in a near-incapacitated state—it didn't matter.
He continued coughing up black blood, his energy rapidly declining.
It must've been the side effect of the drugs.
The real concern lay with the other two.
> "Unbelievable regeneration…"
He had hoped the Heaven-Shaking Lightning would inflict some serious damage.
But the burnt and scorched areas regenerated instantly.
To that man, Seobok, it was only a brief moment of pain.
> "Annoying."
Still, this was within expected limits.
The real problem was the former Alliance Lord, Baek Hyang-muk, known as the Infinite First Sword.
His hair, dyed crimson like blood, and his overwhelming aura stunned him.
A clear sign that he had reached at least Five Stars in Blood Heaven Grand Ascension Art.
> "Looks like you've trained that Blood Heaven Art diligently."
His pure martial prowess was already remarkable, but with the art boosting his capabilities beyond limits, he endured the Reversed Thunderlight.
> "Huff… Huff…"
—Crackle!
Thunder energy flowed from under Baek Hyang-muk's feet as he panted heavily.
At first, he looked fine on the surface, but seeing him emit the lightning embedded in his body—it was clear he hadn't blocked it completely.
He slowly stood up and said:
> "Gunbang. Just a moment. Hold him briefly."
> "Got i—Kgh!"
Seobok nodded in response but immediately twisted his face in agony.
Veins bulged across his forehead—it was clearly painful.
The middle-aged man, still coughing up blood, spoke:
> "Ugh… Stay focused. If we don't kill him, he may become enraged."
> "He?"
Seobok clutched his forehead and staggered.
Something was off.
His bloodshot eyes looked at the protagonist with confusion.
In pain, he muttered while looking at him:
> "Lord…?"
The middle-aged man screamed, vomiting blood:
> "What are you saying?! That man is not your lord—he's an imposter! You must kill him!"
> "Kill… him? But… he is my lord…"
> "Didn't I say he's not—!"
—Slash!
> "Gah!"
Before he could finish his sentence, the protagonist severed his neck with Qi.
Judging by Seobok's reaction, something had gone wrong with the brainwashing from the Illusion Demon Poison.
If he was starting to resist it himself, he couldn't allow others to interfere.
As the man died, Seobok turned his head and glared.
> "Seobok. Snap out of it. They drugged you with Illusion Demon Poison and are just using you."
> "Using… me?"
> "Will you let yourself be a pawn?"
In response, Seobok grimaced and shouted:
> "Lies! Nonsense!"
With that, he charged forward.
So a few words weren't enough to break the spell.
Baek Hyang-muk, seizing the chance, dashed in with his sword drawn.
Unlike before, his sword qi cut like a crimson crescent, slashing toward the protagonist.
> "Single Line Slash…"
It was Blood Heaven Sword Art's Single Line Slash.
To use it with a sword gesture alone—he truly was impressive.
But not unstoppable.
—Clang!
He cut it down with the Saryeon Sword.
At that moment, Seobok launched a punch at him.
He caught it with his left hand.
—Boom!
The force was so strong it created a violent gust around them.
He attempted to slice off Seobok's right arm with the sword.
—Slashslashslash!
But Baek Hyang-muk closed in from the right, unleashing a sword combo.
A flurry of eighteen sword strikes targeted the vital points.
> "Take him down!"
—Slash!
As Baek Hyang-muk cried out, Seobok, even with his right arm nearly severed, grabbed the blade of the Saryeon Sword with his left hand.
Not stopping there, he delivered a lightning-fast kick to the ribs, leaving only an afterimage.
A tactic only possible due to his extreme regenerative abilities.
Baek Hyang-muk trusted him and unleashed a barrage of sword strikes.
> "Impressive."
But such a tactic only worked when their strength was close or slightly superior.
Even with his regeneration and boosted power from Blood Heaven Art, the gap between them and the protagonist—who was now unleashing his full strength—was overwhelming.
> "Huh?"
As he twisted the hilt of the Saryeon Sword, Seobok's body, still clinging to the blade, was dragged along helplessly.
> "No!"
—Shlickshlickshlickshlickshlick!
Before he could even drop his sword, Seobok was stabbed by four forms of Baek Hyang-muk's sword technique.
Baek Hyang-muk tried to change direction and unfold a counter-stance using his footwork, but—
"Great Thunder Escape Sword Technique: Thunderbolt Sky Escape, Second Form—Full-Bloom Lotus."
Pachichichichik!
Like a lotus blooming in full glory, sword shadows of thunder and lightning spread out in all directions, engulfing the figures of both men.
Baek Hyang-muk wrapped fierce qi around his sword fingers to form a sword net in an attempt to block it, but it was useless.
Pierced by the lightning, both Baek Hyang-muk and Seobok were sent flying at the same time.
Pachichichichi!
As their bodies were flung away, the thunder left an arc in its wake.
"Kh!"
Baek Hyang-muk quickly escaped the trajectory, rolled his body mid-air using a falling technique, and immediately turned himself into a blade, slashing the thunder back at me.
"Huh?"
But the more he slashed at the thunder, the more it scattered like tangled spider webs, just like the roots of a gnarled tree.
"Thunderbolt Sky Escape, Fourth Form—Expanding Thunder Net."
It was a form meant to trap the opponent.
From the beginning, the Great Thunder Escape Sword Technique was designed not just as a sword style but as a means to face off against superhuman beings and artifacts beyond normal standards.
That's why Master had warned to use it only in extreme situations.
Srrk!
Before I knew it, I had moved in front of Seobok, whose right arm had almost fully regenerated.
Seobok, startled to see me, hastily threw a punch.
I gently twisted my upper body and sliced his elbow.
Slash!
With his arm cut off, Seobok shouted at me.
"It's useless!"
He must've become accustomed to pain.
Despite losing an arm, he didn't flinch and instead launched a palm strike with his remaining hand.
Then let me change my approach.
"Let's see if you can come back to life without a head."
"What?"
Slash!
Without a shred of hesitation, I severed Seobok's neck.
The Martial Alliance would swarm in soon, and I had no time to waste dealing with him.
If I couldn't return him to normal, the only answer was to kill him.
But surprisingly, Seobok—his head fallen to the ground—blinked and began mouthing something to me.
He couldn't speak, lacking vocal cords, but he was clearly conscious.
Sigh...
So this is what true immortality looks like.
If this man, blessed with such talent, had seriously trained in martial arts—would there have even been a way to defeat him?
Even with his neck severed, he didn't die.
Wriggle wriggle!
More shocking was the way veins, bones, and muscles sprouted from the severed area, rapidly regrowing his body.
It was an unbelievable sight.
As the area from his neck to chest began to regenerate, his voice rang out.
"I told you—it's useless. I cannot die."
Exactly.
Even the Golden Emperor could do no more than seal him away.
Ah!
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.
I swiftly cut off Seobok's regenerating neck once again.
He glared at me as if to say it was pointless, but I extended my hand and summoned a sword hilt that had been rolling on the ground.
'What's he trying to do?'
He mouthed the question at me.
"What do you think?"
Stab!
I drove the sword into the back of Seobok's head.
His body trembled as if in pain.
Then his expression shifted to surprise.
'!?'
Just moments ago, his body was regenerating at lightning speed—but now, the process had slowed drastically.
"Ha. It works."
I recalled the sword blade that had been embedded in the head of Ghost Slayer Sect Leader Jang Mun-ryang.
At the time, his body had failed to regenerate.
Seobok was even more powerful and had a more absurd regeneration ability, but I took the gamble and stabbed him in that exact spot—and it worked.
'This should be enough.'
I grabbed Seobok's head and, using Seoreumji's qi circulation technique, unleashed freezing energy.
Crack crack crack crack!
The intense cold rapidly froze his head.
As the ice layer thickened and completely sealed his head in frost, I pulled out the All-Containing Pouch from my robe.
I stuffed his frozen head inside.
"See you later."
After tucking the pouch into my chest, I turned my head—Baek Hyang-muk, still trying to expel the thunder energy from his body, looked at me in disbelief.
Now only he remained.
As I approached, Baek Hyang-muk let out a sigh of resignation.
It seemed he had accepted that the situation could no longer be turned around.
"...Now I understand why that man was so determined to kill you."
A realization too late.
The choice had always been his, and now he was simply paying the price.
Baek Hyang-muk stared at me, then suddenly offered his neck.
"Please end it with this neck."
I frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Though my reputation has waned, killing this old man who once led the Alliance would have a greater effect than slaughtering hundreds of others. Please show mercy to the rest."
Trying to act righteous now?
Or was there truly some circumstance?
"I don't understand."
At my words, Baek Hyang-muk, still offering his neck, said,
"What's the point of excuses? Just know... this old man had no choice."
"No choice, huh…"
Looking at him, I brought the blade of the Saryeon Sword to his throat.
With a little pressure, I could sever his neck—yet he showed no hesitation, accepting it calmly.
So I asked,
"If you were given the chance to undo all of this... what would you do?"
He looked up at me in confusion.
His eyes seemed to ask, what are you scheming now?
As I met his gaze, I raised the corner of my mouth and said something quietly.
Baek Hyang-muk's expression slowly contorted.
---
Martial Alliance Headquarters
In the Vice Leader's office, someone burst in urgently.
"Vice Leader! It's an emergency!"
Vice Leader Yeol Wang-pae, Jin Gyun, was quietly drinking alone and looked up curiously.
"What is it?"
"A man with golden eyes in one eye has attacked the location of the Seongnae branch master!"
"What!?"
Jin Gyun shot up from his seat.
He reached out and his personal weapon, the Paeyeoldo, flew into his hand from the wall.
As he rushed out, he asked the warrior who reported,
"What's the damage?"
"The Hwangryong Division, led by Lord Moyong, is nearly wiped out. Other surrounding divisions have also taken heavy losses. But… there's something even stranger…"
"Stranger? What is it?"
"Well… I'm not sure it's certain, but… it seems that a man known as the Blood Demon is fighting alongside the Sword Immortal against that man…"
"What!?"
Jin Gyun froze in place.
What kind of unbelievable nonsense was this?