SWDnovel Chapter 264 : Jaseung, Finishes It
Chapter 264 : Jaseung, Finishes It
In the past scene shown by the Heavenly Demon Soul, this was what Yao Hong felt.“You trash bastards! To think they would sacrifice a grandson just to pass the Heavenly Demon Soul to a son! This is the very reason I rebelled!”
It was not anger, but joy. A great justification had been created for his rebellion.
Rebellion was his sensitive spot.
Furthermore, he had not seized power through a legitimate display of skill, but had succeeded in his treason by poisoning the Cult Leader.
Of course, he consoled himself. He believed he could have won even in a fair fight. He believed he could have easily defeated a half-baked Cult Leader who could not manifest the Heavenly Demon Soul.
However, his choice had been safety over adventure.
Lee Jaseung sneered at him inwardly.
Even in this situation, he was merely trash for looking out for his own justification.
But the fact that the previous Heavenly Demon Sect had its power snatched by such a trash-like human was, in a way, a natural result.
They had committed acts that should never have been done. He felt they had received the proper punishment for that sin.
Yao Hong spoke to the Heavenly Demon Soul with a smiling face.
“Hahaha. The Demon Soul has truly made the right choice.”
He showed a servile attitude, looking as if he would perform a butt dance if the Heavenly Demon Soul ordered it.
“I shall help the Demon Soul and burn this body for the cause.”
He was smiling on the outside, but he was incredibly tense. He, who did not trust people, or even himself, could not possibly trust the Heavenly Demon Soul.
To Yao Hong’s flattery, the Heavenly Demon Soul spoke.
“Do you have that much ability?”
While saying so, he stared at Lee Jaseung. The meaning behind that act was clear. It was a command to kill Lee Jaseung if his ability allowed it.
“Leave it to me!”
Yao Hong turned toward Lee Jaseung, emitting a killing intent even greater than before.
Beyond those shoulders, pitch-black eyes were staring at Lee Jaseung.
At that moment, Lee Jaseung felt the emotion revealed by that gaze.
It was loathing.
A deep loathing for humans.
Could it be?
He felt as if he had suddenly found the answer to one of the many questions that had arisen earlier.
The reason why he had not emerged from Cheon Myeongin’s body.
Perhaps the Heavenly Demon Soul at that time had felt loathing for humans?
If that speculation was true, the Heavenly Demon Soul would have spent seventy years inside Cheon Myeongin’s body, nurturing its hatred for humanity.
Lee Jaseung felt those pitch-black eyes were terrifying.
Swissssssh!
Yao Hong lunged forward while thrusting his sword.
Northern Sea Demonic Sword.
The strongest martial art among the Northern Sea Demonic Arts was the Northern Sea Demonic Sword. Because it was the strongest, it had been passed down to the successor, Yeo Su-in.
The Northern Sea Demonic Sword unfolded by Yao Hong was truly immense.
The version Yeo Su-in had performed in the past was a modified and incomplete one.
From the sharp sound of the sword tearing through the air, it could not be compared to Yeo Su-in’s.
Swaaaaaaaaak!
The sword flew in, aiming accurately at Lee Jaseung’s vital points.
Lee Jaseung twisted his body to dodge, and the sword grazed past his shoulder.
Yao Hong’s continuous attacks were fast and accurate.
Sometimes they flew in light as a feather, and sometimes with the heavy force of a mountain pressing down. Feints and real strikes were mixed, and shifting forms and illusions dizzied the eyes.
Confronting him, Lee Jaseung was perfectly immersed in the fight. All his efforts until now were imbued in every single move.
Slash!
Yao Hong’s side was sliced.
Squelch!
Lee Jaseung’s shoulder was stained with blood.
It was truly a neck-and-neck battle. The side that made a mistake first would meet death.
While such a suffocating exchange of offense and defense took place, Lee Jaseung recalled a certain swordsmanship. He did not recall it intentionally. It came to mind naturally while facing Yao Hong’s swordsmanship.
It was the swordsmanship from the iron chest he had obtained in Jang Wonso’s secret warehouse in the past.
A martial art that made him wonder why an iron chest containing such great swordsmanship was in that place.
He felt like he would win if he used that swordsmanship. At that moment, Lee Jaseung realized.
That the swordsmanship from the iron chest was a martial art that acted as a counter to the Northern Sea Demonic Sword.
I can win!
He was confident he would surely win if he used the forms of that swordsmanship.
However, because it was swordsmanship, it could not exert its true power using a dagger.
Squelch! Slice!
Taking advantage of Lee Jaseung’s distracted thoughts, Yao Hong’s sword cut his waist and thigh.
Lee Jaseung staggered and retreated. The touch of hot blood dampening his waist and leg gave him a sense of crisis that he might die.
At that very moment, Lee Jaseung’s instinct found a method.
Woooooom.
A long Sword Qi erupted from Asura. The dagger grew long like a sword.
Yao Hong had no idea that this was not to strengthen the power, but to use the swordsmanship from the iron chest.
Instead, he thought Lee Jaseung was resorting to a reckless move because he could not overcome the disadvantage.
“It is time for you to die! I shall take that girl Baek Seolyoung for myself! Kuhahaha!”
Woooooom.
Sword Qi also gathered on Yao Hong’s sword. No matter how much of a treasured sword it was, it could not face the Sword Qi Lee Jaseung unfolded directly.
Thud! Booom! Thud!
The two swords imbued with energy collided repeatedly.
The forms created by Asura changed.
The sword and Asura collided from different directions and at different speeds.
Before even a dozen moves had passed, Yao Hong became flustered.
Asura, which emitted long energy, stabbed from unexpected directions, and each time, he felt as if his breath were completely choked.
Each time he blocked Lee Jaseung’s attacks, his breathing grew rougher. His breath was not flowing smoothly.
‘Just what is this swordsmanship?’
Yao Hong snapped his eyes wide.
He felt a sensation that he should not continue fighting like this.
He resolved to retract his sword and face Lee Jaseung in a different way, but Lee Jaseung gave him no such opportunity. He began to press in like an angry buffalo.
Thud! Booom! Thud! Boooom! Thud!
The energy created by the two Sword Qi sparked in all directions like fireworks.
“No!”
A cry from someone expressing urgency.
Swaaaaaak. Squelch!
The sound of wind that produced the result and the sound of flesh being torn.
The silence that followed naturally.
The loser’s head slowly lowered to face his own chest.
The Sword Qi emitted from Asura was piercing through his chest. Yao Hong frowned at the smell of burning flesh. The area around the hole was charred black. It was an irreversible fatal wound.
Yao Hong grit his teeth and poured out curses.
“Damn! You piece of trash Unorthodox bastard! You vermin! I shall chew you up raw!”
He looked vigorous. He looked like a person who had not been injured at all.
But he was currently in a state of fatal injury where he could not even budge a finger. In other words, the curses just now were the phenomenon of a final flare before death.
Ssssss.
The Sword Qi that had been emitted from Asura disappeared. A hole was left where the Sword Qi had vanished.
Through that wide-open hole, the form of the Heavenly Demon Soul was visible.
The moment he saw his own body’s condition personally, vitality began to disappear rapidly from Yao Hong’s eyes.
Yao Hong spoke with his final strength.
“This Jianghu is... mine.”
Lee Jaseung spoke coldly.
“No matter how much I think about it, the Jianghu would be a waste in your hands.”
Asura slashed in a straight line.
Swoosh.
Slice.
Yao Hong’s head was separated from his body. Immediately after, his torso collapsed to the floor, spraying blood.
A smile formed on the lips of Lee Jaseung as he looked down at Yao Hong’s corpse.
He was truly happy. He was happy to have killed the trash-like Yao Hong, and he was happy to have crossed the highest and steepest mountain in the process of heading toward his dream.
If not for the Heavenly Demon Soul standing in front of him, he would have been overjoyed enough to leap.
Cheon Myeongin, or rather the Heavenly Demon Soul, was smiling with an expression that looked as if he wanted to clap.
Even though it was a space that should have disappeared the moment Yao Hong died, the space of this demonic art he created was still being maintained.
This alone clearly spoke of the difference in skill between the Heavenly Demon Soul and Yao Hong.
Through the fight with Yao Hong, Lee Jaseung was able to know.
“So it was you. The one who placed that iron chest containing the swordsmanship in that spot.”
“Yes, it was I. Based on the Ten Heavenly Secret Arts you mastered, I placed a swordsmanship containing the essence of counteracting.”
Lee Jaseung had thought it was strange back then.
That an iron chest no one had opened was in that place. While the previous iron chest containing the Ten Heavenly Secret Arts had a reason for being there, the iron chest with the swordsmanship was in Jang Wonso’s secret warehouse.
If anyone obtained such an iron chest, they would have opened it at least once. Especially if it were the greedy Jang Wonso.
In the end, that iron chest did not belong to Jang Wonso. That Heavenly Demon Soul had brought it there.
In order to make him master it.
It meant the Heavenly Demon Soul had been wishing for him to kill Yao Hong. Or it meant he wished for him not to die at Yao Hong's hands.
Lee Jaseung gripped Asura powerfully and asked.
“Why?”
* * *
Baek Seolyoung and Mujin came to the place where Lee Jaseung was fighting. They had approached cautiously because he did not come out no matter how long they waited outside.
The manor where they fought was completely devastated.
In that ruined place, Lee Jaseung was standing.
As if time had stopped, Lee Jaseung stood without even blinking. Opposite him stood Yao Hong. He, too, stood like a painting.
“I don't think you should approach further.”
Mujin restrained her with a whisper.
Leaving Lee Jaseung a few paces away, Baek Seolyoung stopped her steps.
The experienced Mujin could tell. That Lee Jaseung was engaged in some kind of mental duel with Yao Hong.
At that moment, a change occurred.
Sssss.
Yao Hong’s form began to change into black and white.
It was unknown whether this phenomenon was advantageous to Lee Jaseung or not. In any case, though the two were silent, it could be known that they were fighting fiercely somewhere.
Baek Seolyoung turned to Mujin and spoke.
“I think we need to guard this place.”
Mujin looked around. Demonic humans were not coming yet. But they would soon swarm in like a cloud of bees. He knew well how dangerous it was to stay here, but even so, he could not leave while leaving Lee Jaseung behind.
“Yes, understood.”
Mujin called Ma Young-gi, who was standing far away.
“Gather all our guys here, and convey this situation to the Strategist.”
“Understood.”
This place was strictly the territory of the Asura Demon Sect.
It seemed necessary to make all the forces of the Divine Sword Regiment and the Iron Cavalry Regiment, which were waiting in the distance, come here.
The rest would be handled by Dan Woobin.
Baek Seolyoung’s gaze would not pull away from Lee Jaseung.
I don't know what is happening to you right now... but you must win!
* * *
“I have been watching you all this time.”
At the Heavenly Demon Soul’s words, Lee Jaseung suddenly recalled the past.
Even at that time when Yim Sayeon asked Lee Jaseung to kill her son, this Heavenly Demon Soul would have been inside his body.
He wouldn't have been able to kill him even if he had tried.
The Heavenly Demon Soul clearly had some purpose regarding him.
It was not merely at the level of wishing for him to kill Yao Hong. If it were such a task, the Heavenly Demon Soul could have stepped forward personally, or there would have been many easier methods.
“There is something you must do.”
“And that is?”
Lee Jaseung stared at the Heavenly Demon Soul. The eerie feeling had vanished somewhat. Since he had requested something of him, he now held the upper hand in the negotiation. This was a separate matter from the opponent being stronger than himself.
And from the Heavenly Demon Soul’s mouth, words he truly did not expect flowed out.