“You’ve grown stronger through dark sorcery, but you still can’t defeat me.”
Moyongchan pointed the tip of his sword at Okua.
“The Sword of Cheongseong holds the power of Pasa. Just as darkness can never overcome light, you will never best me.”
[What foolish nonsense you speak.]
Okua’s voice cut through the air.
Moyongchan bristled at the tone. From the start, Okua had spoken softly, as if patiently instructing a child.
[Darkness does not fight light.]
Okua lifted his eyes toward the sky.
His grotesquely twisted face deepened with wrinkles, as if squinting against a blinding sun.
He spread his palm wide.
Five claw-like fingers stretched out, casting a shadow.
Okua no longer frowned.
[Because light hid itself, darkness was born.]
“Have you even learned to spout nonsense now?”
[You cannot defeat me.]
Okua clenched his fist, shielding the sun with his hand.
Though unarmed, it was a weapon more powerful than any blade. Moyongchan had narrowly escaped death at those claws more than once.
[Now you will understand. Don’t despair too much.]
With a sweeping turn of his waist, Okua swung his fist toward Moyongchan. A ball of black energy coalesced and shot forward.
Moyongchan traced a smooth arc with his sword, deflecting the attack.
“You can’t harm me with such foul power.”
Okua unleashed another wave of dark energy.
Moyongchan countered with his own sword qi.
The two forces collided and exploded.
[Come.]
Okua spread both arms wide. He seemed even larger than before.
Truly, this creature kept growing stronger.
Moyongchan’s lips twitched.
“Is he still absorbing power?”
It was utterly disgusting.
The Cheongseongpa’s internal energy cultivation was pure and gentle.
Since childhood, Moyongchan had gathered the mana of the great natural world within himself.
But Okua absorbed the energy of other living beings. A true evil heretic, a being that should not exist.
Suddenly, Okua’s face twisted.
Moyongchan caught the glance and quickly looked away.
His disciple—the last heir of the old Paecheon swordsmen—was fighting the orcs. Despite severe injuries, he kept swinging his sword. A true stubborn fighter.
“Could it be…?”
Putting together Yuri’s actions and Okua’s sharp reaction, Moyongchan realized one thing.
He expanded his senses.
The evil energy saturating this land was not still. It was flowing toward Okua.
“So he’s even absorbing the power of his own kind.”
[Own kind?]
Okua sneered.
His voice remained soft, but the hideous grin was pure orc.
[Just as humans and orcs differ, so do I and the orcs.]
Nonsense.
Knowing Okua’s power was still growing, Moyongchan saw no reason to prolong the fight.
Even if risky, he decided to kill Okua quickly.
He raised his sword.
The flow of the air brushed against his skin. The texture of sunlight pouring from the sky, the pulse of the grass beneath his feet—his senses embraced the entire meadow.
His sword simply followed the natural flow.
Cheongun Jeokha Sword Technique.
Going with the current.
His blade moved slowly forward.
But with every step, its power multiplied exponentially.
Within his sword was a typhoon, a tidal wave. Earthquakes, lightning, wildfires, floods—disasters summoned by nature itself, all contained in a single sword qi.
Okua thrust out both arms to block.
His mouth opened wide, fangs bared. Darkness spilled out, wrapping around Moyongchan’s sword qi.
But Moyongchan did not force his strength. He simply stepped forward, matching the world’s natural current.
Okua’s body lifted.
Moyongchan took another step.
Like morning dew rolling off a leaf, his movement did not resist the natural order.
Okua retreated.
For the first time, confusion flickered in his eyes.
Moyongchan spoke.
“Have you ever just stared blankly at the blue sky?”
Okua said nothing.
“Have you ever closed your eyes because the sunset was too red to bear?”
Suddenly, Okua floated in midair.
His eyes bloodshot, but an unknown force pinned him like a target.
Moyongchan lowered his eyelids.
An image formed in the darkness.
A serene scene viewed from the peak of Cheongseong Mountain.
The legendary supreme sword technique that had swept the martial world—Cheongun Jeokha Sword Technique.
Its true form was revealed.
Cheongun Jeokha Sword Technique.
Gongsan Myeongwol—Empty Mountain, Bright Moon.
Okua flailed, but Moyongchan’s sword remained steady.
A bluish glow at the blade’s tip illuminated Okua’s entire body.
[What are you doing?]
Okua’s body twisted.
His muscles contracted, his massive frame wasting away.
He desperately summoned black energy, but the light at Moyongchan’s blade pushed it back, dissipating it.
The blue sword qi sliced through Okua.
He offered no resistance. Like an ancient tree battered by rain, Okua’s entire body was torn apart by Moyongchan’s sword.
No blood flowed. Only his skin cracked open.
The attack ended.
The intangible energy that had engulfed Okua vanished.
At once, blood gushed from his body as the massive form collapsed to the ground.
Okua crawled on the floor, utterly mutilated.
Moyongchan gasped for breath.
Cheongun Jeokha Sword Technique was a taxing supreme skill, even for him.
But it was devastatingly effective against those like Okua, who had built their power on corrupted energy.
Without letting his guard down, Moyongchan approached the fallen foe.
He had wandered the world, eliminating countless unholy beings. He knew well their vile tricks—pretending to be dead, then suddenly rising to strike from behind.
“Vermin.”
Moyongchan drove his sword into Okua’s head.
No surprise followed. The blade pierced through his skull.
Blood dripped down.
Leaving the sword embedded in Okua’s head, Moyongchan stepped past the corpse.
He stood before a pit.
Up close, it was even wider.
Inside were countless naked human corpses. Like livestock, each had a brand seared into their foreheads. Without exception, all had eyes wide open in sheer terror.
They were sacrifices.
Their souls would have belonged to Okua even in death.
Moyongchan felt bile rise.
“I’ll have to perform a ritual.”
He muttered and turned.
Then he froze.
Though his sword still pierced Okua’s head—
[Your little show was quite entertaining.]
The being he thought dead stood before him.
Okua pulled the sword from his head.
A hollow hole gaped.
Blood and brain matter spilled out, yet Okua smiled.
[That pit is quite large, isn’t it?]
Okua approached Moyongchan.
[But you don’t know how deep it is.]
His soft voice whispered into Moyongchan’s ear.
[Deep. Very deep.]
Okua handed the sword he’d pulled from his head to Moyongchan.
[I’ve been filling it for a long time, filling it well.]
The many corpses meant many offerings. Okua was flaunting his power.
[They starved inside, biting each other like worms.]
Moyongchan unleashed the Cheongun Jeokha Sword Technique again.
Okua’s body was torn to shreds.
But his mouth survived, still moving.
[You are insignificant.]
Moyongchan’s sword pierced through Okua’s mouth.
Okua muttered through clenched teeth.
[Insignificant.]
The blade spun.
Okua’s head was ripped apart. No mouth remained to speak.
Panting, Moyongchan ground the corpse to dust.
He destroyed the body.
Yet why did a chilling premonition crawl down his spine?
[Insignificant.]
A voice came from behind.
Moyongchan turned.
The voice rose from the pit.
He sealed his lips tightly and stepped forward. His sword vibrated faintly.
The corpses crumpled inside the pit spoke in unison.
[Insignificant.]
Moyongchan grimaced and raised his sword.
Suddenly, a fierce wind blew, pushing him back.
He fell, hitting his rear.
[Insignificant!]
A dark mass rose from the pit.
A form made of tangled human corpses.
Moyongchan stared blankly upward.
Okua had been right.
The pit was deep.
Endlessly, the mass crawled out, revealing a colossal true form.
Moyongchan whispered.
[Primordial Heavenly Sovereign…]
Yuri suddenly glanced back.
Moyongchan was cutting Okua down without restraint. Okua couldn’t resist, his body shredded.
A smile played on her lips.
“As expected of my master.”
In a past life, Moyongchan had been defeated by Okua.
But this Okua had yet to reach the strength of the Ten Strong.
Besides, Moyongchan had allied with the coalition forces.
He was not an unbeatable opponent.
“Oh.”
Watching Moyongchan drive his sword into Okua’s head for the final kill, Yuri admired him.
“Roland.”
“Yes!”
She called to Roland, who was focused on fighting the orc horde.
“Look at that.”
“I’m not really in a position to—”
“This is serious. You’ll regret it if you don’t see.”
“All right, understood.”
Laurent quickly slashed off the orc’s leg and turned his head as Yuri instructed.
At that moment, something dark and ominous shot up from the pit.
“Uh…”
Yuri’s mouth fell open.
The Soul Slash embedded in his core sounded an alarm.
“Just as the prince said… this is really bad.”
“So it seems…”
A wicked energy was raging wildly. Even Okuah hadn’t radiated such a dense, malevolent aura.
Instinctively, Yuri took a step back.
Not only the allied forces but even the orcs were retreating in fear.
What should they do?
Yuri had no idea.
Suddenly, a strong sense of déjà vu washed over him.
He’d felt this same helplessness when the Empire’s Black Army marched on Briolo—facing a colossal enemy and not knowing what to do.
He clenched his fist so tightly his gauntlet tore.
“Prince, what do we do now…?”
Laurent’s panicked voice reached him.
Yuri silenced him with a raised hand.
“Prince?”
“We do what we can.”
Once his resolve was set, his mind cleared.
Even the sharpest minds falter in a crisis, but Yuri had a natural knack for thinking clearly under pressure.
“Jared!”
He called over a trusted ally.
Turning to Laurent and Jared, Yuri said, “Find the sorcerer and kill him.”
Their eyes widened, instantly understanding his meaning.
“Understood.”
Yuri glanced back at Moyongchan.
He stood facing the massive heap of corpses.
From behind, he looked enormous.
Praying he could hold out a little longer, Yuri moved without hesitation.
“Where are you going?”
Suddenly, the Empire’s Third Knight Commander appeared before him.
Yuri said, “See that? Now’s not the time to be swinging swords. I’m going after the sorcerer. There’s not much time left—I can feel it.”
The commander nodded as if he understood immediately.
“Then we’ll come with you…”
A deafening explosion cut through the air.
Both men turned at once.
Moyongchan was flying through the sky, crashing to the ground. In front of him, a moving pile of corpses took on a shape eerily similar to Okuah.
“Can you just stand by and watch that?”
Yuri demanded boldly. The commander was stronger than him.
The Third Knight Commander stared at the monster with steely eyes, then nodded.
“Yes. I trust you, Prince.”
“Good. Trust me.”
Yuri’s voice was dead serious.
He had asked them to go to the battlefield, so he had to bear that responsibility.
“I’ll get it done.”
The commander called out the names of some of his strongest knights—Graham, Jose, and others—those who might actually be able to hold their own against the corpse monster.
A group of knights set off to fight the creature.
“Good luck.”
Yuri grabbed a dazed soldier standing nearby.
“W-what is this, Prince? What’s going on…?”
The soldier was still in shock. Not only were they fighting orcs, but now an unknown monster had appeared.
Yuri slapped him across the cheek.
“Snap out of it.”
“Y-yes…”
“I have a mission for you.”
“What kind of mission…?”
“Run to the rear and find the mage Hernando. Tell him to throw a fireball. If I sent you, he’ll know what to do.”
“A fireball?”
“Yeah, a fireball. Can you do that?”
“Y-yes…”
“My life depends on you.”
“W-Your life, Prince?”
“Exactly.”
The soldier was still bewildered.
Yuri grabbed his cheeks and brought their eyes close.
The soldier’s shaky gaze slowly focused on him.
“Your name’s Fides, right?”
“Y-yes, that’s right. How do you know my name…?”
“Fides.”
Yuri smiled faintly and gave his cheek a light tap.
“I’m counting on you.”
Fides stared at Yuri, stunned, then nodded resolutely.
“Yes.”