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The Art of Divorce (3)

Despite my many conversations with Cheon So-seon, I couldn’t uncover any information about those who had killed me.

I couldn’t coax him into revealing anything, but at least I could tell whether he knew the truth or not.

It was clear that Cheon So-seon had no idea who was responsible for my death.

“I’ll say it again, I can defeat Cheon Hwa-jin.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Your illusion of Cheon Hwa-jin is too grand.”

“To call it an illusion is to belittle him. Don’t get me wrong, though. It’s not that I like or respect him.”

One thing was certain: these people weren’t the ones who killed me.

Time continued to pass, and the grand ritual was reaching its climax.

The various devices installed in the temple were operating violently, as if they might break at any moment, and the air was thick with the scent of all sorts of potions. A pile of needles used in the ritual lay discarded to one side.

“Now, this is the crucial part.”

“Let’s focus.”

Im Yeon-jeong and Jeong So were utterly exhausted, but their minds were clear. They were fully concentrated on the ritual.

Jeong So had his own reasons for wanting to master the ritual, and Im Yeon-jeong’s purpose was beyond question.

“Now, the final stage.”

Through the devices, the potions flowed into the bodies of the two children. Jeong So sat in front of them, chanting words that sounded like incantations, while all the prepared incense burned.

The two children convulsed simultaneously.

“Please! Please, hang in there!”

Everyone in the room cheered for the children. Though their motives and feelings differed, they all hoped for the ritual’s success.

The phrase “a moment feels like an eternity” was apt for this situation.

The children groaned in pain.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Im Yeon-jeong was feeling as she watched.

As the last of the potion entered their bodies, the children’s bodies arched like bows. At that peak, the convulsions slowly began to subside.

Im Yeon-jeong rushed over to check on the children.

After a tense moment, she turned to us with a bright smile.

“It’s a success.”

The ritual, which had spanned twelve hours, was a success. The soul that had been in Jang Geun was safely transferred to the child. This marked the sixth successful transfer.

Tears welled up in Im Yeon-jeong’s eyes. Fortunately, neither Cheon So-seon nor Jeong So paid her any mind.

A brief exchange of silent communication passed between us.

As I opened the door, Jin was waiting outside. I had instructed him to be there when the ritual concluded.

I woke Chil-ho, who had been put to sleep with a pressure point technique.

“I’ll take these two women with me.”

Since both were women, it wouldn’t raise much suspicion. They might think I was taking them as hostages or for some other reason.

But they wouldn’t suspect that these two were actually my allies.

Cheon So-seon was too focused on saving his own life to care about anyone else’s. Thanks to that, I could easily extract the two women.

-Follow the warriors outside and wait.

I sent a silent message to the two women.

Im Yeon-jeong didn’t look at me. Her eyes were on the child.

-I will take the child with me.

Im Yeon-jeong was a smart woman. She knew that being away from the child was the best thing for him.

-Please.

-I’ll do my best.

Jin, who was waiting outside, took the two women away as if they were hostages. They would go to the safe house on the island and wait for me.

I had Im Yeon-jeong take the book used in the ritual.

Jeong So’s eyes widened at the sight. If he could, he would have lunged to snatch it away. No matter how smart he was, memorizing a ritual that spanned twelve hours was impossible.

I quickly pressed Jeong So’s pressure point. He fell asleep in the spot where Chil-ho had been lying.

Once the two women left with Jin, Jang Geun let out a short scream.

“Ugh!”

Jang Geun’s face turned pale, and he began to breathe heavily. The side effects of the ritual were starting to show immediately.

Cheon So-seon and I approached Jang Geun.

“Begin.”

“Of course. But first, let me ask you one thing.”

Cheon So-seon asked me seriously.

“If I save this child, will you spare me?”

“If the child survives.”

“Will you really spare me?”

When he asked again, I replied with a smirk.

“What good is a promise made with words?”

“It’s important to me.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t seem like the type to break a promise.”

Whether he believed in me or not, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Cheon So-seon successfully saved the child.

“If you were the leader of your organization, honestly, I wouldn’t spare you. Are you that kind of person?”

“No.”

“Then you’ll live.”

Cheon So-seon made a complex expression. He seemed both pleased and frustrated.

“Why? Is your pride hurt?”

“No. I’m actually glad you were honest.”

Cheon So-seon began treating the child’s pressure points.

“How long will it take?”

“Not too long.”

I stepped back to avoid interfering.

Aside from the two sleeping people, it was just me, Cheon So-seon, and the two children in the room.

Then, another child opened his eyes.

I could tell from the look in his eyes that it wasn’t the child, but another soul that had been in Geun’s mind.

“How do you feel?”

The child pressed his fingers to his temples and replied.

“Every time, it feels terrible.”

“How many times has it been?”

“The sixth.”

He answered honestly.

“You’ve done it a lot.”

Who exactly was this person?

Performing such a ritual would cost a fortune. It must have cost at least hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

And they’ve done it six times already? The financial power of this organization was beyond imagination.

As he watched Cheon So-seon work to save Jang Geun, he asked me.

“Are you planning to kill me once the child is saved?”

“What do you think?”

The child stared into my eyes.

“I’m not sure.”

He quickly added.

“But since I’m not feeling anxious, you probably won’t kill this child.”

He said “this child” instead of “me.” A clever response. He understood that I wasn’t the type to harm a child and emphasized that he was inside the child’s body.

He was someone who trusted his instincts. He must have lived his whole life following them. Just like me. Who could he be?

Whose soul are you?

This time, I asked.

“Can you tell me who you are?”

“That’s difficult. I promised not to say.”

“With whom? That brat?”

“Hardly.”

The child tilted his head as he looked at me.

“You’re just a kid too, but…”

“And?”

“It’s strange. There’s something worn and experienced about you.”

It felt like he left out “just like me.”

In any case, he dismissed someone like Cheon So-seon as a brat and had the insight to see through my nature.

In my past life, there was no one with such insight and presence among my opponents.

No, there was one.

The most challenging adversary I ever faced, the one I barely defeated using the Great Catastrophe, the leader of the Blood Heaven Sect, Cheonma.

Cheonma Baek Cheon-gwang.

He was recorded as the strongest Cheonma in the history of the Blood Heaven Sect.

Could it be?

My gaze returned to the child.

Did these madmen really reincarnate Cheonma?

Surely not?

Then the child looked around the temple and spoke.

“It’s too stifling in here.”

Hearing those words, I was suddenly reminded of that day long ago.

“It’s too stifling in here.”

At Baek Cheon-gwang’s words, I looked at the shattered window.

There wasn’t a single intact part of the building after our fight. The furniture inside was in pieces, and there were holes everywhere.

“It’s raining heavily. Are you okay with that?”

The rain poured down outside the building.

“It’s atmospheric. Even better, don’t you think?”

“Fine. Let’s take this outside.”

Baek Cheon-gwang and I walked out of the building. It had been two days since our life-and-death battle began. We fought like madmen, but the fight was far from over.

We kept changing locations, fighting in the mountains, in buildings, in training grounds, on the roadside.

We genuinely wanted to kill each other, but at the same time, we were enjoying the fight.

I had never met an opponent this strong. No matter what tricks I used, I couldn’t kill him. Of course, the same was true for him. Despite all his dark arts, I didn’t die.

The dark arts of the Blood Heaven Sect were powerful. His unique martial arts were incomparable to the martial arts of the Black Path Thirteen Alliance I had faced before.

If it hadn’t been the peak of my martial arts career, I would have lost to him.

I could sense it.

This fight would be the toughest of my life. I would never meet another opponent like this. I would long for this fight for a very long time.

Not that I would miss him. What I would miss was this fight. The battle where I gave it my all.

For a martial artist, meeting a lifelong rival is the greatest blessing.

The rain poured down.

Baek Cheon-gwang stood under the eaves for a moment. I stood beside him. We didn’t ambush each other. We didn’t even think of it.

At least at this moment, an ambush would be out of place. We had tried enough ambushes in the years since our war began, and in the past two days of fighting.

We took a moment to watch the pouring rain, savoring the last moments.

Since I became the leader of the Martial Alliance and the war with the Blood Heaven Sect began, we had hated and despised each other. We had tried everything to kill each other.

And now, as the final moment of our battle approached, a calm settled over me. He seemed to feel it too.

“If only I were ten years younger.”

He was already sensing his defeat.

“Are you really going to blame your age now?”

I teased him, and he responded with a wry smile. But it wasn’t the kind of bitter sarcasm we’d exchanged before. There was a hint of warmth in our banter.

“Isn’t it true? If I were ten years younger, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“If I were ten years older, you’d already be six feet under.”

“In ten years, you’ll just be another old stick-in-the-mud from the orthodox sect.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment for now.”

A slight smile tugged at the corners of Baek Cheon-gwang’s lips.

Was it the rain that made me feel a bit sentimental? I couldn’t help but wonder. If we had met on the same side, if he had been a warrior of the orthodox sect or I had been born into the demonic cult, could we have been allies?

But fate had cast us as enemies, destined to kill each other. For all those who had fallen in the war against the demonic cult, I had to end him.

After watching the rain for a while, we finally began our fight.

I took the first step and spoke, “Shall we?”

“Let’s.”

I was preparing to use my ultimate technique, the Great Annihilation. It was a dangerous move that could kill me if I failed to control my energy. But if I succeeded, he would surely die, and the long war with the demonic cult would end.

Boom!

As thunder rumbled in the distance, I slowly drew my Suramyeongwang Sword.

Baek Cheon-gwang looked up at the dark, rain-filled sky with eyes even darker.

“If we are reborn…”

Was it the sound of the pouring rain? Or perhaps he trailed off? Or maybe I was too focused on the Great Annihilation, eager to end this long battle?

I didn’t hear the rest of his words.

“What is your connection to that child?”

The question snapped me out of my reverie.

“No connection at all.”

“Then why try to save them?”

“Don’t you think that’s the wrong question to ask?”

The child laughed at my response.

“That’s something only an orthodox sect geezer would say.”

Orthodox sect geezer!

The words sent a shiver down my spine.

It was a phrase Baek Cheon-gwang had used many times during our battles.

As I stared at the child, they looked back at me.

Seeing Baek Cheon-gwang in them, I could see it—the dark, deep abyss in their eyes. The same look he had when he gazed up at the rainy sky in our final battle.

The Heavenly Demon. They’ve reincarnated him.

These madmen!