Chapter 1177 — Book 2: Chapter 374: One Sword (5)
11 min read ·
‘The alliance leader of the Cooperative Alliance has made a declaration of war toward One Sword!’
This fact made the citizens focused on the tournament excited.
It would be a match between an expert with a clear position of leadership and a new expert surrounded in mystery.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The Heavenly Demon tapped on the table with the fan in his hand.
Cale was smiling brightly in front of him.
“Our young master-nim sure has quite the temper.”
Alberu was sipping tea while leisurely seated on the window sill.
“How could you leave without even looking back after the first match ended?”
Tap. Tap!
The Heavenly Demon stopped tapping.
“So-”
A low voice came out of his mouth.
"You think the Cooperative Alliance has some relations with the wanderers.”
Nod nod.
Cale nodded his head.
“And it is not being threatened like the Dark Pulse had been but a form of cooperation. Or maybe even something greater than that?”
Nod nod.
“And the Alliance leader thinks that I am the AI helping Ahn Roh Man?”
Nod nod.
“Ha!”
The Heavenly Demon laughed.
“How entertaining. This is quite entertaining.”
Alberu commented as well.
“It is very entertaining.”
Of course, the meaning behind his words were very different.
The Heavenly Demon looked toward Alberu who elegantly brushed back his hair that was getting ruffled in the wind and continued.
“Because our identities have been hidden.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The Heavenly Demon tapped the fan again before asking Cale a question.
“When would I meet the alliance leader?”
This was the Heavenly Demon’s room, so only Alberu, Cale, and the Heavenly Demon were here.
“Mm.”
Cale thought about it for a moment before answering.
"The people who win in the Round of 64 are put in a pot again to mix it up for the Round of 32.”
It was different from most tournaments.
They shuffled the board every round.
“Who knows? You could meet her at any point.”
“What about messing with the draw?”
Cale chuckled at the Heavenly Demon for openly asking to mess with the draw.
“You want to meet Hwa In quickly?”
“I need her to face the consequences for daring to point her sword at the Heavenly Demon as quickly as possible.”
Cale chuckled one more time before leisurely asking.
“Hey Heavenly Demon.”
“What is it?”
“What if Hwa In is not a subordinate of the wanderers but herself is a wanderer?”
The Heavenly Demon started smiling.
"What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing much.”
The wandering wanderer who threatened Pao Seo Tae.
So Hee.
He had confirmed that competitor number 17 seemed to match the description he had been given of So Hee.
“There may be more than one wanderer. Who knows? The Alliance leader may be a wanderer too.”
Cale didn’t have any way to determine if someone was a wanderer right now.
Maybe if Choi Jung Soo, Sui Khan, or Choi Jung Gun were here, but…
The Heavenly Demon quietly observed Cale before asking again.
“So what?”
“Wanderers are strong.”
And if the Alliance leader was a wanderer?
“Ha, haha-”
The Heavenly Demon laughed out loud.
It was such a refreshing laughter that Cale had never seen before.
But the laughter soon subsided.
“…Did you say that the wanderers are stronger than Choi Han?”
“I don't know for sure, but it is possible.”
The wanderers of the Five Colors Bloods…
Cale was preparing while thinking that they were each almost at the level of demi-gods.
“Do you really think so?”
The Heavenly Demon had an odd smile on his face.
“Whether it is that So Hee person or the Alliance leader of the Cooperative Alliance… If there happen to be wanderers in the group… I don’t think they will be considered very strong among the wanderers.”
There was something people were mistaken about the Heavenly Demon.
He was not always arrogant nor strong.
The Heavenly Demon, who had once been the weakest of his siblings, had finally risen to become the sky of the Demon Cult.
He had many weak moments until he reached it.
In fact, his brain was probably more talented than his physical prowess.
“Her task is to pretend to be the leader of a puny alliance while looking for an AI?”
The Heavenly Demon scoffed before shaking his head.
“I don’t think anybody with status in the Five Colors Bloods would be doing such a task.”
It wasn't fighting against gods.
It wasn't dealing with the Demon World or other Hunter households.
It wasn’t doing something beneficial toward their goal or creating the omnipotent god.
Their task was simply looking for the AI?
And aiming for the position of heir?
“Especially someone who needs to take care of the competition using cheap tactics to rise up-”
The Heavenly Demon shrugged his shoulders.
“I don't think they are that strong.”
Cale nonchalantly commented as soon as he said that.
“Then you take care of the Alliance leader.”
Knock knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door at that moment.
Alberu opened the door, and Cheon Ryeo of the Dark Pulse was standing there.
She reported to Cale.
“My lord, this is information we just received. If you make it to the top 4, you will be invited to the Royal Palace as there will be a feast with the Queen and her husband.”
Cale had asked them to quickly inform him about anything related to the Royal Palace.
“Oh. Is that so?”
Cale, the Heavenly Demon, and Alberu exchanged glances.
“I guess I just need to win four times.”
The Heavenly Demon calmly said that before looking up at the ceiling.
“I wish it would move a bit faster.”
Tap. Tap. He tapped the fan on his palm as he spoke in a casual tone.
“I think I might get bored.”
He looked very antsy.
It looked as if he wanted to fight right away.
* * *
“On the left, Seo Rak!”
Woooooooooooooooo–
The Sky Sword, one of the five major forces…
The place where people who saw the sword as the apex of martial arts gathered.
Seo Rak was the future leader of this place.
He was considered a genius when it came to the sword.
“…….”
However, the look on his face did not look very good.
In fact, he looked uncomfortable.
“On the right, Kim Hae-Yi!”
It was because of the person walking up on the other side.
One Sword.
This nameless person who dared to receive a title with the word ‘Sword’ in it was getting quite the attention right now because the Alliance leader of the Cooperative Alliance had pointed him out.
Actually, that didn’t matter.
The lay people always enjoyed seeing the nameless underdogs shine.
‘But it becomes an issue when the sword becomes involved with it.’
Alliance leader Hwa In was a swordswoman and Kim Hae-Yi was also a swordsman.
But they were not a part of the Sky Sword.
They were not people who had devoted their lives to the sword.
‘But they dare to get more famous than us with the sword?’
The fact was making Seo Rak disgruntled.
Of course, this did not mean that Seo Rak was looking down on Kim Hae-Yi.
In fact, he was tense right now.
Arrogance was a useless emotion.
Boom!
The drum announced the start of the match.
People filled the stands.
A lot of people were curious about the match between Seo Rak and Kim Hae-Yi.
‘The Martial Scholar is here too.’
The Queen was not here, but Martial Scholar Cha Run, basically her eyes, was here.
Seo Rak was not planning on wasting this opportunity.
He got into position and addressed Kim Hae-Yi.
“I am happy to fight against someone famous in the way of the sword.”
Annoyance was annoyance, but…
He was also happy.
Martial arts with the sword was always entertaining.
“…….”
Kim Hae-Yi did not react at all to Seo Rak's greeting.
Flick.
He just flicked his head in place of a greeting.
He then quietly stood there.
He looked very bored.
“…….”
Seo Rak's eyebrows twitched.
He calmed himself and tightened his grip on his sword.
‘One Sword.
You will crumble at a single strike of my sword.’
Seo Rak had never shown the full extent of his ingenuity.
However, he thought it would be okay to show it all today.
‘Even if that leads to this guy losing his life-’
They had never said that killing was not allowed in this tournament.
‘It shouldn’t matter, right?’
Seo Rak took a step forward.
He then pulled out his sword.
It was something he had done dozens of times before.
It was so natural.
Clang-
It was to be expected.
That was why it was scary.
Something even more precious than ingenuity was repetition.
Seo Rak knew this very well.
He was most confident in his basics.
It was what allowed him to maintain the position of heir that he gained at a young age and what made others see him as the future of the Sky Sword.
Shh-
The movement of pulling out the sword…
That one movement made Cha Run open his eyes wide.
"The world-”
Following the sword being pulled out…
It felt as if the world was being split horizontally.
Was it an illusion?
No. It was an illusion that could turn into reality.
“Ho-”
Sky Sword.
That place was raising a monster.
Seo Rak, this guy is quite strong.
Cha Run got chills all over his body.
This horizontal line made by this normal looking sword…
People who knew the true power behind this line would have no choice but to stiffen up as Cha Run had reacted.
Clunk!
However, Cha Run moved.
He jumped up from his seat.
His old body found it difficult to quickly sit or stand like this, but…
He couldn't think about that right now.
The line that looked as if it would split the world…
The omnipotent force created by the sword…
Kim Hae-Yi raised his hand toward the horizontal line.
Then from top to bottom…
He drew a vertical line.
His movements looked even more relaxed than Seo Rak.
‘Ho-’
Cha Run didn’t even see the illusion of the world being sliced in half.
It gave off no presence at all.
However-
Shaaaaaaaaaaa-
The gentle movement of the hand from top to bottom created a soft breeze.
Shhhhh-
The line that looked as if it would split the world disappeared.
Plop.
Cha Run plopped down on his seat.
‘Kim Hae-Yi. I can't fathom the depth of this person.’
The words Queen Tamahi had said with astonishment echoed in his mind.
Tamahi, the strongest individual in the Lan Kingdom.
He thought that she might be the person who saw through Kim Hae-Yi the most.
“…….”
As for Seo Rak…
“…….”
He looked at Kim Hae-Yi without being able to say anything.
And Kim Hae-Yi… The Heavenly Demon…
“…….”
He quietly looked up at the sky.
‘How boring.’
Living in a new environment where nobody knew of him as the Heavenly Demon had been stimulating and fun.
They were experiences he had not had in a long time.
But he was feeling bored right now.
‘…Choi Han.
Choi Han, Cale Henituse…
Thinking about fighting against them is not boring at all, but…
So weak.’
The people he met here were so weak.
This was not arrogance.
It was a natural emotion for him as the Heavenly Demon.
“Kim Hae-Yi, you-”
Seo Rak’s voice was shaking.
He looked toward Kim Hae-Yi with astonishment as he asked.
“How many times did you swing the sword?”
The Heavenly Demon looked down from the sky and at Seo Rak.
Seo Rak felt the lethargy in the Heavenly Demon's eyes.
The Heavenly Demon answered.
“I do not remember.”
Tens of thousands?
Hundreds of thousands?
Millions?
Tens of millions?
Who knew?
The Heavenly Demon did not remember.
Swinging the sword was basically the same as breathing to him already.
“Why do I need to remember that?”
Seo Rak felt suffocated when he heard that question.
“…I admit defeat.”
He lowered his head.
The Heavenly Demon won.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-
The Heavenly Demon heard the cheering as he thought to himself.
‘…This place is too peaceful.’
The fact that he was in a world very different from the Central Plains…
The Heavenly Demon truly felt that he was outside the Demon Cult right now.
“You worked so hard, young master-nim.”
The Heavenly Demon ignored Cale’s comment and continued to walk when Cale said something that made him stop.
“Don’t you think it is about to become fun?”
The Heavenly Demon smiled.
* * *
The rowdy tournament continued, and…
Top 8.
Only the top 8 remained.
Among them-
Kim Hae-Yi.
His name was there.
The Sword Ghost, Hyun Seong.
And…
“Hwa In, So Hee.”
Those two names were there as well.
“It looks like the Alliance leader will fight against So Hee next.”
Alliance Leader Pao Seo Tae of the Dark Pulse.
He was to face So Hee in the Quarterfinals.
As Pao Seo Tae flinched at Cale’s comment… Cale placed his hand on the Heavenly Demon's shoulder.
“Of course, our young master-nim will have to fight against Hwa In first.”
The Heavenly Demon quietly sipped his tea.
Choi Han, who was currently serving as Pao Seo Tae's guard, commented.
“Cale-nim, I will go with you that day.”
“I'm going to go too.”
Alberu and Choi Han were going to move together.
* * *
“One Sword! One Sword!”
“Alliance leader-nim! Defeat him with one move!”
Woooooooooooooooo–
In this area full of cheers…
The Heavenly Demon's lips twisted up while looking at the Alliance leader of the Cooperative Alliance.
“Now it should be a bit entertaining.”
—
Translator's Comments
One Sword! One Sword!
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