Shhaa… Shhaa…
In the midst of a hazy consciousness, a faint sound accompanied by a sensation of something tugging at her arm could be felt.
Grasp.
The persistent grip wrapping around her arm, pulling her somewhere, finally made the woman open her eyes.
“…”
A slanted view came into focus. Dry, barren branches came into her sight.
She tried to move immediately, but for some reason, her body wouldn’t respond well.
Exhaustion? When she tried to gather strength in her dantian, a throbbing pain surged through her. It seemed she had run out of energy.
“Hrng…”
From the pain coursing through her body, Mageomhu (Demon Sword Queen) let out a groan unconsciously. She immediately understood why she felt this way.
…The backlash…
It was the backlash from forcing herself to use Thunder Fang.
This backlash was now flooding her entire body.
Her muscles were fatigued, and her spirit and vitality were completely drained. She wouldn’t be able to move for a while.
“…!”
Despite this, Mageomhu strained to turn her head, glancing around. There was someone she needed to find.
…Where…?
Where is he? She kept searching for the person, but strangely, couldn’t see him anywhere.
Where did he go?
As she kept looking with trembling eyes, something grabbed her forearm.
Grip.
She lowered her gaze to her arm to see what was holding her.
“…?”
When she looked at her arm, Mageomhu’s eyes held a trace of confusion. Understandably so—something was wrapped around her arm.
What is this?
Shhaa…
She heard a sound.
It came from her arm.
Focusing her gaze, she could tell that something was wriggling.
Shhaa…!
It was a snake.
A snake with red scales...
...Blue?
For a moment, she thought it was purely red, but upon closer inspection, she saw a gradual blue hue creeping up from the tail.
But that wasn’t what mattered.
What mattered was why this snake was wrapped around her arm. Not only was it wrapped around her, but it also seemed intent on pulling her somewhere.
What is this thing?
Shhaa—!
The creature made an urgent sound, as if trying to drag her somewhere. Mageomhu furrowed her brow at the strange sensation.
What is this creature?
In the midst of this, she sensed a peculiar presence emanating from the snake.
A snake… yet not a snake?
It was then that Mageomhu realized what this snake was. A demonic beast.
Its distinct aura confirmed it wasn’t just any snake.
So, was this an attack? It seemed unlikely that the demonic beast was trying to attack her.
Shhaa—!
Rather than attacking, it appeared to want to take her somewhere. Trying to decipher its intentions, Mageomhu frowned slightly.
Flash!
“…!”
Mageomhu’s gaze was drawn somewhere—upward.
Thump-thump-thump!
Her heart began pounding fiercely, her body reacting instinctively to the ominous presence in the distance.
Her vision trembled as she looked on. Far away, clouds parted, and something began to appear in the sky.
Is that…
Light gradually gathered in one place. An incomprehensible force, intimidating just to behold.
The condensation of realization. The tingling sensation climbing up her spine made Mageomhu brace her hand against the ground.
She needed to stand up.
Heart Sword.
What was gathering in the sky was unmistakably a Heart Sword. Moreover, the faint Thunder Qi contained within it compelled her to rise.
Her body’s fierce reaction was because of that Thunder Qi.
In this entire world, there was only one person besides Mageomhu capable of wielding such Thunder Qi.
Additionally, there were very few who could manifest a Heart Sword.
Knowing this, Mageomhu knew she had to move.
…No.
If left like this, he would die. With trembling legs, she tried to force herself upright.
Just then…
Whhoosh—!
The surging energy made Mageomhu, who was halfway up, collapse back down.
“…!!”
Scanning the air again, Mageomhu’s eyes widened in shock.
Behind the Heart Sword, which she assumed was Cheonjon's, three larger and clearer Heart Swords appeared.
Shudder.
Mageomhu realized her fingers had begun to tremble. It was an instinctive reaction of a warrior.
…What is that…
Compared to Cheonjon’s Heart Sword, whose sheer presence was enough to make her hesitate…
This was different. This was not fear or dread.
It was pure reverence.
The emotion filling her chest was unmistakably reverence.
Just by looking at it, she could sense the meaning behind the refined Heart Sword.
Her weakened legs couldn’t gather strength.
What is this?
For Mageomhu, it was a sensation she was experiencing for the first time.
Shhaa—!
Distracted by the Heart Sword, Mageomhu wavered, yet the demonic beast clinging to her arm continued trying to drag her.
Where was it trying to take her?
“…Huh?”
Mageomhu realized that the demonic beast was leading her precisely in the direction of the Heart Sword.
Was it trying to take her there? Just as she was trying to make sense of the situation…
[Get… up.]
A voice reached Mageomhu’s ears. No, it wasn’t exactly a voice heard through her ears. It resonated directly in her mind.
[Get up now.]
The voice, calm and weighty, devoid of any discernable emotion, sounded once more.
“…”
It was a voice she didn’t particularly like. In fact, she avoided using Thunder Fang whenever possible because she didn’t want to hear it.
Yet…
This time, she had to heed it.
[Go there immediately.]
For the first time, she could sense an uncharacteristic hint of urgency in the voice.
Forcing her trembling legs to stand, Mageomhu gritted her teeth against the pain searing through her body as she rose, refusing to utter a single cry.
There was something more important than pain.
“Haa…”
Grasping onto the remnants of her fading consciousness.
Mageomhu walked.
Towards the place where the Heart Sword was shining.
Mageomhu was certain that the person she was looking for would be there.
******************
The Generation of Shooting Stars.
They called the current era the generation of shooting stars, with countless geniuses as brilliant as the stars in the sky being born.
To Shin Cheol, it was a statement that could only make him laugh.
The generation of shooting stars, a generation of peace... If there was laughter, it would surely hold multiple meanings.
One was a sense of pride, that their sacrifices had finally led to a generation of peace. Another was a hollow laugh at the so-called generation of shooting stars.
Do they know?
That there was once an era, unlike now, referred to as a time of chaos and ruin—a time when people struggled in the grip of misfortune.
It wasn’t about anything else; they had to pick up a sword to survive. It was a time when they wielded swords to protect their kin.
And, it wasn’t to pursue enlightenment or dream of something great, but because that was the only way to live in this world.
To protect something, one needed strength.
In Shin Cheol’s era, that’s why young disciples of Mount Hua took up the sword.
The fact that one had to carry several Heart Swords on their back to even be recognized as a swordsman… It meant one needed that much strength to hold onto what was dear at their roots.
Otherwise, they would lose it.
Shin Cheol remembered his youth vividly.
He remembered the sect leader who had his heart torn out while protecting a disciple from a white-ranked demonic beast. He remembered his senior brother, who lost both eyes protecting Shin Cheol’s left arm. And he could recall his master, who, to save him from a cliff, sacrificed his lower half while throwing young Shin Cheol to safety with his arms.
That was the era back then.
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Without strength, one lost everything. Without wielding a sword, the cost was unbearable.
Knowing this, Shin Cheol wielded his sword and raised his cultivation. Wasn’t he fortunate?
He had talent. Moreover, he possessed an unyielding conviction.
With dogged persistence, he raised his sword.
Time passed in this way.
And one day, Shin Cheol finally managed to manifest a Heart Sword.
The achievement he reached just past forty, earning him the name Hua Mountain Ghost Sword.
How did he feel back then? Did he feel joy at manifesting his Heart Sword?
Nonsense. He only felt sorrow.
Sorrow that he hadn’t managed to reach this level sooner.
The grief stemmed from the countless young saplings he had failed to protect.
The Heart Sword was an extreme manifestation born from such a sentiment.
That’s why…
“You have nothing within your sword.”
While recognizing Cheonjon, Shin Cheol also found him laughable. Watching Cheonjon gaze at his Heart Sword in a daze, Shin Cheol’s expression turned cold.
“There is nothing contained within your sword.”
What was within Cheonjon’s Heart Sword? What was his conviction?
To Shin Cheol, Cheonjon was too shallow to be worthy of judgment.
“A vessel filled only with hollow desires—are you truly worthy of being called a warrior?”
Is Cheonjon a warrior? Yes, he would be, a warrior.
For one who cultivated and honed the martial path, he would be called a warrior.
However.
If Shin Cheol were to impose his own values of mu (martial integrity) on him… By Shin Cheol’s standards, Cheonjon was no warrior.
To consider him a warrior would be to demean the fallen heroes he had fought beside on the battlefield.
The three swords rising into the sky bore Shin Cheol’s will.
One held the regret of not having become stronger.
The second held the desire to save the world.
The third held the longing for peace to finally come.
“I don’t know.”
Is this world truly a righteous one? Shin Cheol couldn’t bring himself to be certain of that.
Buzz…!
Guijeong groaned in resonance, the gathered sword aura growing in intensity.
“And I don’t particularly care to know.”
Understanding the new world was solely the responsibility of the next generation. All he felt was regret for not having left a better world behind.
Screeech…!
The Heart Sword moved, aiming at Cheonjon.
The unblinking gaze of a plum blossom in full bloom was unwavering. Under its immense gaze, Cheonjon...
“Haa…haa…”
Suddenly staggered, sinking down on one knee. His appearance seemed even more aged than before.
The fight had yet to begin. The Heart Sword remained suspended in the air.
Crumble.
Cheonjon’s Heart Sword slowly began to fall apart.
Shin Cheol clicked his tongue at the sight. He understood why this was happening.
“How disappointing.”
It was crumbling. Cheonjon had lost his fighting spirit. Before they even exchanged swords, he was falling apart.
Shin Cheol couldn’t hide his disappointment.
To crumble at the mere sight of a larger wall—was this truly…
‘Myung. Is this truly your descendant?’
Was he truly the descendant of Namgung Myung, the Thunder Heavenly Sword?
It was hard to believe. The one among the five least likely to disappoint had so thoroughly botched things.
‘Seems like he really messed up raising his kid.’
It was enough to elicit a wry laugh. The one so desperate to protect his lineage…
How on earth had he let things get to this point?
…
A complicated array of feelings stirred within him.
Whoosh…!
Shin Cheol’s Heart Sword, suspended in the air, began to fade as well.
Its role was over, so it dispersed without a trace.
In the first place, Shin Cheol had no intention of fighting Cheonjon to the death.
While the power of the Heart Sword was immense, defeating Cheonjon by matching his cultivation alone was a stretch.
Besides, the thought of killing a friend’s descendant was an uncomfortable notion.
Of course…
‘If Myung were here, he might have killed them all himself.’
Considering the Thunder Heavenly Sword’s nature, he might indeed have done that. However, even if that were so, it wasn’t Shin Cheol’s role to do it.
Slish.
The power of Guijeong, which had been held in his hand, dispersed, returning to the form of a cloth.
The cloth, seemingly possessing its own will, crawled back up Shin Cheol’s left arm, transforming into a bandage wrapped around his arm.
He saw the vacant gaze in Cheonjon’s eyes.
For a warrior who had lost his will, that was as good as death.
He was not dead as a human, but as a warrior, he might as well be.
‘For something so small.’
He had shown him merely a higher wall. Yet that alone had left him exhausted and collapsed.
‘…I can’t understand.’
The more he observed, the less sense the situation made.
Though they spoke of it being a time of peace... This was too low, far too low a level.
Gazing at Cheonjon, Shin Cheol’s recurring question grew ever larger. Why were the warriors of this era so weak?
How could this era be so different from his own? He didn’t know.
Was it truly because there was no longer an age of war? It couldn’t be that simple.
No matter the peace, such a drastic difference was strange.
Even looking at the young talents they called the Generation of Shooting Stars.
Compared to his time, the talents of the current youth were undoubtedly higher. Yet, when compared to the elite warriors of his prime, their quality seemed to fall noticeably short.
Perhaps it was only Cheonjon, but…
It was hard to comprehend that a figure called one of the Three Great Masters of Central Plains could only manifest a single Heart Sword.
Was it because he was mixed with demonic influence? Or was there another reason?
Shin Cheol didn’t know.
‘I don’t understand… Ilcheon, what were you dreaming of?’
The memory of his golden-haired friend, who once vowed to save the world, left a cold sensation in his chest.
“…You…”
In the silence, with a cold wind blowing, Cheonjon’s feeble voice could be heard.
The once noble gentleman had in a short time become a powerless old man.
“What… are you?”
The words were mumbled, but layered with many implications, to which Shin Cheol tilted his head.
What was he?
“My identity…”
It was something he had been asked often.
And Shin Cheol’s answer was always the same.
“A warrior.”
“…”
“I am simply a warrior.”
A response without a hint of hesitation. In Shin Cheol’s eyes, he was merely a warrior.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Hearing this, Cheonjon’s head lowered.
That resolute answer seemed almost as if…
As if Cheonjon himself was not a warrior. It was a thought that Cheonjon himself could not bring himself to refute.
Looking down at the ground in silence, Cheonjon was lost. Shin Cheol watched him, sighing as he brushed his chest.
He had only intended to buy some time or stall him. Things had taken an odd turn.
Though it was fortunate in a way, what mattered was ultimately…
‘Are you doing well?’
This scoundrel, lying dormant within himself.
‘Tch. An old man went this far for you, so if you don’t get it right this time, I’ll spank you until you’re red.’
He would whip him soundly, no holding back.
So, unless he wanted that…
‘Wake up already, you rotten scoundrel.’
With this thought, Shin Cheol briefly closed his eyes.
******************
Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing chaos…
Bubble—
A lone bubble rose to the water’s surface and briefly burst.
Following the faint traces of bubbles, we delve deeper inside.
A vast, boundless space was filled with water. It was deep and wide, yet strangely, no other life could be seen.
Though, it wasn’t entirely devoid of life.
At the very center of this almost oppressively silent space floated a single figure, appearing as if he were asleep, drifting peacefully.
The young man’s face was slightly furrowed, as if something troubled him.
Was he having a nightmare? His expression contorted intensely, only to ease up again, over and over.
After some time passed like this…
Finally.
The young man’s eyes trembled slightly, and his eyelids slowly began to lift, opening just a crack.
“…”
In the tranquil space known as the realm of the mind.
Gu Yangcheon, who had lost consciousness there, finally opened his eyes.