The Master

The master raised his sword and asked again, “Is this truly the best we can do?”

Hyun Gong replied with unwavering confidence, “Is there a more fitting end for your misdeeds?”

His voice was steady, but the older warriors who remembered the Great War of Justice, like Hwa Yeon-shin and Namgung Jin-cheon, wore uneasy expressions. They felt ashamed that the master was being held accountable for the chaos he had caused in the central plains.

In the past, righteous warriors would occasionally invade the Tianshan Mountains to cut down the demonic cult’s fighters. The righteous always emerged victorious, while the demonic cult suffered heavy losses, barely managing to survive. Yet, not a single righteous warrior was ever held accountable for their actions in Tianshan.

And now, the righteous warriors were boldly demanding accountability from the master of the demonic cult who had invaded the central plains.

When the Great War of Justice began, the righteous warriors dismissed the master’s cause as flimsy. Yet, many of the demonic cult’s fighters were captivated by it.

Now, Hwa Yeon-shin and Namgung Jin-cheon fully understood why. The righteous warriors were applying a double standard, seeking to execute the master and his chief protector.

Justice is flexible. The strong are even more so. It takes a dozen people to gather and glare at an overwhelming force. That is someone’s idea of strength.

Unable to contain his shame, Hwa Yeon-shin charged at the master, swinging his sword. The moonlight caught the blade of his Tiger Subduing Sword, casting a white glow as he signaled the start of the battle.

The master easily parried Hwa Yeon-shin’s attack, and Hwa Yeon-shin followed with a fluid sequence of moves, his training evident despite rarely drawing his sword.

In a flash, Hwa Yeon-shin’s blade aimed for the master’s wrist. Even with the master’s exceptional skills, it was impossible to block such a move with a single sword.

So, the master chose not to use his sword, instead deflecting Hwa Yeon-shin’s blade with his left hand. It was a precarious maneuver, yet the master’s hand remained unscathed.

“What on earth!”

No answer came. Instead, two more warriors, Namgung Jin-cheon and Sam An-bul, joined the fray.

Namgung Jin-cheon shouted, but the master did not respond. He simply maintained a slight disadvantage without exerting his full strength.

Recently, the master’s mind had been clear and calm. Everything seemed trivial, and he was filled with a sense of resignation.

The master thought, ‘Perhaps it was too much to expect to live with my head held high after fleeing to Tianshan.’

But it wasn’t just a psychological reason that kept him from seizing victory. There was a more practical reason.

‘Even if I defeat these three, I can’t possibly overcome the supreme masters waiting their turn.’

The master thought it better to leave behind a meaningful death than to spill blood pointlessly. He hoped that by showing a semblance of resistance, the warriors’ resentment would dissipate.

‘Their nature isn’t malicious. If I die after a good fight, they might be satisfied with my death and spare Tianshan. If I’m lucky, even the chief protector might survive.’

Before the battle, Hyun Gong spoke of solutions beyond death. But the master saw something in Hyun Gong’s words that even Hyun Gong hadn’t realized. Hyun Gong seemed unconcerned with receiving praise if he could just take the master’s head.

‘A life already forfeit. If I let go of my regrets, I can save many.’

With that thought, the master boldly declared, “Come!”

He drew his sword.

Using his overwhelming inner strength, he deflected and manipulated his opponents’ swords, disrupting their energy and exposing their weaknesses. Occasionally, he left them with convincing wounds, but never fatal ones. No one sensed anything amiss, as the battle was intense enough.

In exchange for his measured resistance, the master became a bloodied figure. Blood soaked his clothes, and his vision was tinged with red.

Yet, he was content. The master saw a hint of relief on the faces of Hwa Yeon-shin, Namgung Jin-cheon, and Sam An-bul. Even Hyun Gong’s eyes, once filled with resentment and murderous intent, had softened.

‘Now, if I allow a well-timed strike, I can end this here—’

Just then, the master heard a faint sound from a distance. He turned to see Yeom So-ul and Jang Il-nam locked in combat.

It was a close fight, but Yeom So-ul had a slight edge. Surely, Yeom So-ul felt it too.

But then, the master saw something unexpected. Yeom So-ul was crying as he fought.

The master realized that Jang Il-nam had no intention of sparing Yeom So-ul.

Moreover, the master understood that Yeom So-ul wasn’t ready to let go of everything like he was.

Yeom So-ul had fought hard to live, achieving glory not long ago. He was still young, like a child who had climbed a treacherous peak and needed time to take in the view.

Yeom So-ul’s face was full of regret, unable to let go, and he wept.

The master imagined Yeom So-ul facing death after his own demise. He saw his daughter’s face in Yeom So-ul’s, and his wife’s too. The small graves on Mount Bukmang came to mind.

His heart sank.

The master’s once-calm mind was now filled with worry.

He raised his sword to block Namgung Jin-cheon’s attack.

“Ugh!”

Namgung Jin-cheon, as he had done before, withdrew his sword to exploit the master’s weakness, but the master didn’t let him. Using his technique, he trapped Namgung Jin-cheon’s sword, keeping it firmly attached to his own.

Beyond that boundary lay a world of pure tranquility. To enter it, the master knew he had to shed all impurities and distractions.

At the same time, he realized he hadn’t fully let go of everything.

The shame and emotions accumulated as a warrior of the demonic cult had only quieted, not vanished. The cold, fierce poison that had settled within him over three years still tormented him.

But the master had no choice.

So he took one last step.

The serene world seemed to retreat, refusing to accept him. He took two steps forward, and the world retreated two steps.

He took a deep breath and ran toward that world. An inappropriate sense of euphoria filled him.

Would he never reach it?

The master pushed off the ground with all his might, reaching out with both hands. He felt something.

He grasped a small corner of that world.

With all his strength, he pulled the world toward him. Finally, he stood, hands on the ground.

He realized he had entered a world he could only reach by cleansing himself of the demonic.

Yet, paradoxically, he knew he hadn’t fully cleansed himself.

He was a tainted being in a pure world, an outsider who would never be fully accepted.

But he had arrived.

For now, that was enough. The master was not a seeker of enlightenment, not someone who needed to endlessly pursue the beyond.

A small whirlwind of dust accompanied him.

When the whirlwind vanished, a suffocating silence enveloped the surroundings.

The strange phenomenon and the master’s sudden change in demeanor were unspoken, but everyone knew something had happened to him.

Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, the master had transformed.

The leader raised his sword, which had been lying flat, and pointed it toward the stars. As if in response, a star from the heavens touched the blade, causing it to shine with a pure, clear light. The star seemed to flow along the sword.

In the arms of the Three-Eyed Buddha, the priestess Hwayeon whispered a name she hadn’t uttered in a long time.

”…Amitabha.”

It was an unprecedented situation, one she had never heard of before. Yet, Professor Sim, who had been conducting the lesson, realized that the execution was over and that it was now a matter of life and death. He understood that even sacrificing his life might not be enough to overcome what lay ahead.

Finally, the leader opened his eyes, taking a deep breath in and out. A small inner demon, which should have dissipated upon reaching the next level, had instead grown larger. An undeniable bloodlust rose within the leader’s chest.

‘Right now, if I wanted to, if I truly wanted to, I could destroy everything.’

The leader’s eyes flashed like a predator’s, but then he noticed Eom So-um. A slight sense of calm washed over him. He took another deep breath.

He didn’t walk toward the people. Instead, he reached out to Eom So-um, a twisted smile playing on his lips. Yet, he thought to himself, perhaps his final duty had not yet failed.

“So-yom.”

Eom So-um wiped away her tears and approached with small, quick steps, looking at the leader with eyes that sparkled like a child’s.

”…Yes, Master.” “It’s not time to die yet.”

With those words, the leader sheathed his sword and turned away.

“Let’s go back. Let’s return to Cheonsan.”

In that moment, when no one could stop the leader and Eom So-um, a voice broke the silence.

“That’s all well and good.”

Yoo Jin-gwang drew his sword and approached the leader.

“But why do you get to decide that?”