The Heavenly Sword Demon Queen arrived at her destination—a lair engulfed in darkness.The carriage came to a stop.
She stayed low, silently observing her surroundings.
The carriage door creaked open, and hooded figures began to enter, one by one.
"Bring them out," a low, gravelly voice commanded.
She tensed, lowering her body further.One after another, women were dragged from the carriage.She followed silently, blending into the flow.
Before her stretched a vast, cavernous chamber—not a prison, but something far more sinister.Ancient arcane symbols were etched into the stone.Unfathomable devices hummed with dark energy.
And in the center,stood the Lich—a high sorcerer who had rejected death.
A Lich is no mere undead.He had sealed his own soul in a phylactery,defying mortality itself.
He was not a corpse brought back to walk,but a fusion of death and knowledge—the worst kind of mage.
The Lich slowly raised a hand and murmured,"A new supply... I sense fresh life in this one."
The Heavenly Sword Demon Queen listened in silence.
This place was not simply a prison.It was a facility—an arcane engine of horrors.Devices powered by magic pulsed across the chamber.
And then,something caught her eye.
"...What is that?"
Women, restrained.Some bound in chains.Others half-exposed, their bodies tethered to grotesque instruments.
One device,like a milking pump,was extracting something directly from their chests.
"...Disgusting."
Her expression froze.
This Lich was not merely a sorcerer.He was a degenerate, reveling in a twisted pursuit of vitality.Like a vampire,he fed not on blood himself—but harvested essence from others.
Virgin blood. Mother's milk.Life-force.
That was the price of his magic.
She studied the space calmly—and found her.
In the corner—Dana.
Her head hung low,but she was still alive.
The Sword Demon narrowed her eyes.A choice had to be made.
She decided swiftly.
"I continue the infiltration."
She held her breath and faded into the shadows.
First, she would learn.Find a way to dismantle the magic defenses.Neutralize the source of power.
And then—
the real hunt would begin.
**
Chapter : The Title of the Strongest in Murim Was No Empty Boast
The Heavenly Sword Demon Queen moved without a sound.
This place—not a prison,but a fortress built on magic.
But none of it mattered to her.
She eliminated the cloaked sentries with precision and silence.A shadow.A whisper.None sensed the steel until it was too late.
She reached Dana first, then the other captives.Gently undoing Dana's restraints, she whispered,"We move now. Stay quiet."
She scanned the surroundings—golem-like constructs powered by mana stood at attention.Unseen detection spells crackled through the air.
"If we move directly, we'll be spotted."
She decided in an instant.
She would draw attention.She began destroying magical devices as she moved,leading the women out, step by step.
"We're almost clear."
Then Dana, barely standing, spoke.
"There are still… so many left."
The Demon Queen looked at her.She could leave.She could end it here.
But that wasn't her way.
"I'll return."
She turned back—toward the Lich's sanctum.
It was larger than she had realized.She had been brought in by carriage—hadn't sensed the vastness.
"A labyrinth…"
But size didn't matter.
She was the strongest of Murim.The Sword Demon Queen.
She crouched low, seeking the flow of magic.
There—a pulse, thick with power.
"Found him."
She moved like lightning.No ward, no spell could stop her.The rules of this place meant nothing to her.She had honed her own path—beyond their comprehension.
At last, she reached the Lich's chamber.
He sat still.Clad in bone-plate armor,dark magic undulated from his form.
"I knew you would come."
He lifted his gaze slowly.
But before he could say more—
CRACK!
Her blade pierced through his back, straight to his heart.She hadn't hesitated.
"Not so impressive."
His body collapsed.
She withdrew her sword, voice cold.
"Is that all?"
But then—
His limbs twitched.
The body rose again, staggering upright.
"To think… you'd strike me down without even alerting my senses."
His voice came not through air,but directly into her mind—a whisper made of shadow.
"Your body… your strength… I want them."
She narrowed her eyes.
Her blade had pierced his heart.She was certain.
And yet—he stood unharmed.
"An immortal…"
She gripped her sword tighter.
This was not an opponent from Murim.Not a man of flesh and blood.
But neither would she retreat.
She was the Sword Demon Queen.
And no one—no onecould stand in her way.
***
Chapter : The Battle That Would Not End – The Lich's Secret
s voice echoed in the air.Before her eyes, his body scattered into a cloud of black mist, only to reform again.
"Your sword is strong. But it alone cannot kill me."
The Heavenly Sword Demon Queen withdrew her blade and calmly widened the distance.No matter how many times she struck, the lich remained unbothered.Even as she fought, she was analyzing quickly:
The lich made no effort to defend himself.
Even when struck, he showed no concern.
That means… his true body must lie elsewhere.
"Then..."
She muttered, eyes narrowing.
"His true body is hidden."
But such a thing was unheard of in the Murim.The resurrection of the dead was already absurd—let alone a body that was merely a shell.
As she grappled with this impossible thought, the lich extended his hand.
"Allow me to show you a realm your sword cannot reach."
A violent magic circle erupted beneath him.Space twisted. Dozens of black arrows materialized in midair.
But they were no ordinary arrows—They shimmered like living shadows, laced with curses meant to corrupt all life.
"Let's see you dodge this."Lowering his hand, the lich unleashed the arrows all at once.
As the volley rained down, the Heavenly Sword Demon Queen moved instantly.True to her title as Murim's mightiest, she read the trajectories and found the most efficient path to evade.
She sidestepped the first arrow, deflected the second with a swift flick of her sword,and leapt through the air to avoid the third and fourth.
The lich narrowed his eyes, clearly intrigued.
"Impressive. Dodging at that speed... You're no ordinary human."
She gave no reply.Even while avoiding the storm of arrows, her mind was fixed on a single question:Where is his real body?
"Not even cursed arrows can touch her... Then—"
The lich raised his hand again.This time, black fire surged toward her.
She dodged once more, striking back with her blade.Yet even as it cut through him, the lich showed no pain.
She grit her teeth.
"I'm certain of it now. This body is just a puppet."
While she fought, some of the rescued women began to escape through the chaos.Yet a few remained. Among them, one—Dana—searched the area intently.
"What are you doing?"The Demon Queen called out as she parried a blow.
Dana ran toward her, shouting, "You can't kill him just by cutting him down!"
"How do you know that?"
"The lich… He sealed his soul in an object!Unless it's destroyed, he'll keep coming back no matter how many times we destroy his body!"
The Demon Queen scoffed.
"That's ridiculous."
But the lich's words echoed in her mind:"I cannot die. No matter how many times this body falls."
And still, the lich seemed to be enjoying the battle.For the first time, she realized—there was no way to kill this creature with strength alone.
"Then all we need to do is break that object."
Dana nodded. "It has to be nearby!"
The Demon Queen changed her strategy.Until now, she had fought to destroy him—Now, she fought to stall him, to buy time.
As the lich swung his staff and roared,"Your blade grows dull!"
She gave him a faint, knowing smile."Not dull—just chasing a more interesting game."
With that, she began pressing him back, toward the outer wall.
"From here on, forget about killing him. Find the sealed object—destroy it."
She wasn't just fighting. She was opening a path.
While she held the lich at bay, Dana and the others began to search his lair.
At last—
"I found it!"
A woman called out, revealing a hidden crystal orb embedded in the wall.It pulsed with dark energy.
"That must be it!"
She hurled it to the ground with all her strength.
"No—!"
The lich flinched, momentarily shaken.
"Stop!"
But the women, one after another, raised their weapons and struck the orb.
"NOOOOO—!"
The lich's scream filled the air as his body convulsed.Dark smoke burst from him in all directions.And then—His form collapsed completely.
With the last remnants of his soul extinguished, the lich vanished.
As the silence returned, the Demon Queen lowered her sword and exhaled slowly.
"Nothing special."
But inside, she felt something unfamiliar.It wasn't me who finished him… it was them.
In the Murim, only the strong resolved everything.But here, in Elysium—there was such a thing as collective power.
She reflected on that truth as she rose to her feet.
"All right. Time to get out of here."
The women offered their thanks, but she gave no reply.
"Let's go. Return to where you belong."
Without looking back, she turned and walked away.
Days later, rumors spread throughout Elysium:
"Someone defeated the lich!""She must be an envoy of the gods!""No, maybe a transformed elf or dragon!"
Upon hearing the rumors, Lee Do-hyeon simply nodded.
"The Heavenly Sword Demon Queen."
Yet even he didn't know why she walked this world in shadow and legend.But he made up his mind.
"I have to find her."