Chapter 192: Encounter (2)

Yuri stepped back, startled by those words.

Laurent was in Française.

“Don’t touch Laurent.”

“That boy will die soon. Do you want to save him?”

“Yes.”

“Then drop the sword.”

Without hesitation, Yuri let Guilty fall. Cedric smiled.

“Yes, you value people a lot. Maybe that’s the biggest difference between you and me.”

Cedric spoke while smiling.

“Yuri, humans are terribly flawed, aren’t they?”

Yuri clenched his teeth.

He had never expressed negative emotions toward Cedric. Maybe that’s why, even now that he revealed himself as an enemy, Yuri couldn’t feel hostility toward him.

Yuri forced a contemptuous grimace.

“Don’t state the obvious.”

“Why would it be obvious?”

Cedric spoke with the same gentle expression as always.

“Yuri, did you know? Humanity’s current production is enough to feed everyone, and still have leftovers. Yet, there are poor people dying of hunger and children digging through trash.”

“And?”

“And what about war? Is there anything more stupid and irrational than killing each other? And yet, wars don’t disappear. You know this well, Yuri. You know what battlefields are like.”

“Weren’t you the one who started the war?”

“No, of course not.”

Cedric caressed Yuri’s cheek.

Yuri realized. It wasn’t just that he was hesitating, unable to move.

Cedric had him wrapped in an unknown energy that immobilized him.

“Humanity is badly made. Full of foolish instincts. They were given the gift of reason, yet they surrender to laziness and greed. If you let them be, they’ll turn the world into hell.”

“And that’s why you say all this?”

“Because someone must stop them.”

“And that someone is you?”

Yuri glared at him.

“You think you’re a god just because you obtained what they call black magic? Now you want to do whatever you want?”

“No.”

Cedric shook his head.

“I don’t want you to misunderstand me, Yuri.”

“What?”

“First, I’m not drunk with the power of black magic. If I hadn’t gotten it, I would’ve found another way. It’s just a matter of methods. It just happened that black magic, this efficient tool, fell into my hands, so I’m using it.”

Cedric leaned slightly toward him, with a serious expression.

“From the beginning, this world… and the human species disgusted me. They need correction.”

“You’re human too.”

“Yes. But, Yuri, one day you’ll understand.”

Cedric shook his head regretfully.

“This world isn’t full of humans, but of apes in human form.”

Yuri could feel the deep hatred in his eyes.

“Living among those monkeys who think they’re human, pretending to be one of them… it’s truly repulsive.”

“So I’m a monkey too?”

“Not all of them are. You, Yuri, are different.”

Cedric slowly took off his glasses.

With his face revealed without them, his once gentle expression turned curiously cold.

“Of course, you’re also different from me. You’re the only exception I’ve ever known, Yuri.”

“Don’t say nonsense.”

“Of course you’ll try to stop me.”

“Of course.”

“I look forward to it.”

Cedric held both of Yuri’s cheeks in his hands.

And bringing his face closer, he whispered.

“Please, break my prediction once more.”

Their eyes met. Cedric gave him a faint smile before turning around.

Yuri shouted, paralyzed in place.

“Stop! Where are you going!?”

He kept shouting.

But Cedric didn’t stop and walked out the door of the office. The door closed.

And at that moment, the energy that surrounded Yuri’s body vanished. And the world changed.

“Huh?”

Yuri was alone in a completely black space. Impenetrable darkness surrounded him entirely.

“Here.”

He heard a strange voice behind him and turned around. A man appeared as if he were a hallucination.

He was dressed in black and wore a veil over his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

“And who the hell are you?”

Yuri asked irritably.

“I asked who you are.”

He got no response.

Sighing, Yuri ran his hand through his hair.

“Damn it…”

And suddenly, he threw Guilty at the man.

He had summoned a large amount of mana and had covered the attack with chaotic energy. He thought it would be enough to cut the enemy down in one blow.

But it was blocked. Yuri’s eyes widened, surprised by the opponent’s skill.

He was strong.

Suddenly, the man in black seemed gigantic.

As if the entire dark space were made up of his body.

“Who are you?”

Yuri asked, holding Guilty in hand.

An aura that powerful was rare even among the Ten Greats.

Yes… like Fiore.

That same level of pressure. Several names passed through his mind before he realized the identity of his opponent.

“The Shadowless Sword.”

One of the unrevealed Ten Greats. The deadliest weapon in the Emperor’s service.

Since Cedric had conquered the Royal Palace using black magic, it wasn’t surprising he’d be using the Shadowless Sword.

“Is it true?”

The Shadowless Sword replied briefly.

“Yes.”

“Are you going to stop me?”

“By his order, I won’t kill you.”

An insulting declaration.

Yuri gripped Guilty tightly, summoning the energy of his technique Cut the Soul and the Heart.

The blade began to vibrate.

The energy of the Cut of the Soul and the Heart spun like a whirlwind around him.

Even if it wasn’t public knowledge, Yuri was already a master on par with the Ten Greats.

“Then you can’t stop me without killing me!”

He lunged forward with a thrust. But it was repelled by the Shadowless Sword.

Yuri didn’t stop. He continued with a flurry of attacks.

In that dark space, the metallic clash echoed again and again.

“Damn it!”

Even giving it his all, nothing was going his way.

Yuri clenched his teeth. He couldn’t back down now, not this powerless.

He thought of Cedric.

The rage repressed since that encounter began to boil over. He had been deceived.

After trusting him throughout this and the past life, Cedric had betrayed him.

His entire life now felt invalidated. Yuri’s eyes turned bloodshot.

With his core overheating, the energy of the Cut of the Soul and the Heart overflowed violently. The chaotic energy dispersed like ink.

An infinite possibility, able to become anything. And that’s what manifested on Guilty.

Yuri swung the sword.

As if the atmosphere were swept into a vortex, the darkness wrapped around Guilty.

Through the spiral patterns, the boundaries between the inside and outside of the space blurred.

Yuri’s attack tore through the Shadowless Sword’s domain and cut his body.

His chest split open and blood gushed out. But it wasn’t a fatal blow.

The Shadowless Sword retreated, and the compressed black space returned to normal.

Yuri panted. With a forced smile, he threw back the same words.

“Hey, I won’t kill you.”

He wasn’t in shape to feign composure, but he tried anyway.

“That attack just now…”

The Shadowless Sword was visibly shaken.

“How did you do it?”

“What?”

“How are you handling that power?”

“Speak clearly.”

Suddenly, the Shadowless Sword attacked again.

“You’re talking while attacking?”

The pressure was more intense than before.

Every time the swords clashed, Yuri felt his bones vibrate in pain and had to retreat.

To survive, he intensified the chaos energy. His body was already overloaded, but he didn’t care.

Ignoring the invading shadows beyond his field of vision, Yuri aimed for his opponent’s neck.

Clang!

Both swords collided. Yuri spat blood.

The Shadowless Sword’s veil tore.

Biting his lips, Yuri looked up.

The cloth fell, revealing a face with a wound on the cheek.

“You’re…”

Yuri spoke.

“Are you from the East?”

Indeed.

Like Moyongchan, the “Shadowless Sword” had a subtly different appearance from the Continentals.

The Shadowless Sword, looking down at Yuri, opened his mouth.

“My name is Dan Socheon.”

“Didn’t ask.”

“And I am also the Heavenly Demon who leads the Demonic Sect.”

It was a sudden revelation. Yuri looked at him, puzzled.

Dan Socheon, the Shadowless Sword, lowered his sword and suppressed his energy.

Yuri frowned.

“Your pronunciation’s good. Did you go to a language academy?”

“I’m the Heavenly Demon. That sort of thing is easy for me.”

“And a guy like you comes to the West to play attack dog?”

“Even I can’t disobey the laws of the Demonic Sect.”

“What law is that?”

“Members of the Demonic Sect must obey whoever possesses the sacred artifact. Even if that someone is the Heavenly Demon.”

“And the emperor had the artifact?”

“The emperor only had a cooperative relationship. He promised to find the artifact in exchange for my help. But…”

Dan Socheon spoke with an expressionless face.

“Your brother has the sacred artifact of the Demonic Sect.”

“My brother? Cedric?”

“Yes.”

“And what artifact is that?”

“The Secret Manual of the Heavenly Evil Spirit.”

“Ah…”

A tough name to grasp. But somehow, Yuri felt he understood.

“Don’t tell me… the demon’s grimoire?”

“That’s what some call it.”

Yuri opened his mouth, then closed it.

Did that abomination originate in the East? The scattered pieces were starting to fit together.

Yuri gripped Guilty tightly as he spoke.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because of that power you’re using. It was created by Seon Woo-Kyeong, the Heavenly Demon of his time, who fought your ancestor, the Heavenly Sword.”

Yuri invoked the energy of Cut of the Soul and the Heart and then wrapped Guilty in Chaos power.

Within that murky energy, infinite possibilities stirred.

“This power, you say?”

“That’s right.”

Dan Socheon responded.

“Seon Woo-Kyeong was the greatest of all Heavenly Demons.”

“But he lost to my ancestor, didn’t he?”

“Greatness isn’t measured only by strength.”

Yuri felt a bit embarrassed by the sensible response after provoking him for no reason.

“So then?”

“He tried to surpass the Secret Manual of the Heavenly Evil Spirit.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be a sacred artifact?”

“It’s also a demonic creature.”

“At least you know that much.”

“The Demonic Sect reveres that artifact, but also fears it.”

According to Dan Socheon, the Demonic Sect knew that the Secret Manual of the Heavenly Evil Spirit was a demonic creature that humans couldn’t control.

That’s why, for generations, Heavenly Demons would absorb the demonic energy leaking from the artifact sealed in a cave, using that residue to deepen their martial arts.

It was a sort of waste recycling.

But Seon Woo-Kyeong wanted to overcome that limitation.

To cut through the immeasurable energy within the artifact and obtain its true essence, he developed a new technique: the Heavenly Demon Martial Art.

“But he delved too deep into chaos and fell into madness. That’s why the Murim Alliance was called, and the Demonic Sect fell. At that time, your ancestor, the Sky-Defying Heavenly Sword, appeared. He had a long conversation with Seon Woo-Kyeong before his death… and took the Secret Manual of the Heavenly Evil Spirit. I came to the Western Continent to recover it.”

A tangled fate.

Erich Briol not only killed a Heavenly Demon, but also took with him the core of chaos from the Heavenly Demon Martial Art and the demon’s grimoire.

“Perhaps all of this is the work of the heavens.”

Dan Socheon closed his eyes.

“Now that a demon who deciphered the grimoire has emerged, perhaps you, heir of the Heavenly Demon Martial Art, have appeared to face him.”

“It’s not the Heavenly Demon Martial Art. It’s Cut of the Soul and the Heart. An upgraded version.”

Dan Socheon ignored the remark.

“I don’t know what will happen from now on, but your brother seems to have a special fondness for you. Do your best.”

“You seem skeptical of all this. Then why do you follow it?”

“Because that’s what the laws dictate.”

Dan Socheon approached Yuri.

Yuri tried to gather energy again, but couldn’t do it properly. The conversation had gone on too long and his internal injuries were severe.

“When you wake up, the real battle will begin. For now, accept the difference in power.”

“Wait.”

Yuri extended his hand. Dan Socheon asked.

“Do you have something else to say?”

“Aren’t you going to give me some advice on how to deal with the inner demon? Moyongchan at least cared. Isn’t there any way to prevent it?”

Dan Socheon gave a slight smile.

“Were you planning to gain something without losing anything?”

In that instant, Yuri understood the difference between a Murim warrior like Moyongchan and someone from the Demonic Sect like Dan Socheon.

The Demonic Sect didn’t fear downfall. They were willing to sacrifice everything to become stronger.

Even if their future was destroyed by demonic power, they wouldn’t stop.

Yuri gave a smile.

“Of course not.”

Dan Socheon extended his hand and grabbed Yuri by the neck. Yuri couldn’t resist.

He ran out of air. Little by little, his consciousness faded.

Just before he lost consciousness, Dan Socheon asked:

“Your brother has a question. Do you really want to save your friend?”

“Of course I do… what kind of stupid—”

“But that friend seems to want to die.”

“Shut up…”

“Sometimes, death can be sweeter than life.”

“I don’t care about that…”

Yuri forced a smile.

“Tell him… to save him…”

And he lost consciousness.

As he watched Yuri’s body collapse, Dan Socheon murmured.

“A human who would fit well in the Demonic Sect.”