5.
Clang!
I swing my sword.
"Huff, ha. Hehe."
I swing my sword again.
"Ouch! Damn it, it's so sly to use sword techniques like this! You, who've grown up so much, don't even listen to your senior's words! Huh!"
I continue swinging my sword.
Infernal Heavens Divine Art.
First Form.
Sword of Starvation.
The Salvation Sword fiercely dances in the air. Even if I don't control them directly, my demonic swords have walked and watched lifetimes with me. Being extensions of my body and mind, they naturally execute the Infernal Heavens Divine Art just like me.
"Huff! Ack!? Now, the swords that ran away using sword techniques are casting demonic arts on their own!? Hey, Death King! Kim Gong-ja! This is seriously unfair gameplay, you know!?"
Venomous Snake, while generously cursing, skillfully steps forward and blocks the demonic swords. Calmly parrying their elaborate and dazzling swordplay,
"That's it!"
Clang!
"I've starved for 60 days too! Hahaha! Ugh, hoo… Ugh. Ugh. Hmm, ugh… Ugh. Cough, ha… Ha… Ha. Ah. It was utterly meaningless suffering!"
Venomous Snake kicks away the Salvation Sword. When his sword and my demonic sword clash, a sharp clang sound echoes unmistakably.
Venomous Snake, wiping the blood trickling on his belly with his robe, chuckles.
"Ha. Hoo… Ah… Hehe…"
It's obvious he's at a disadvantage.
Facing me, who has reached the realm of Ghost Swords, it's nearly impossible for Venomous Snake to stand a chance. Actually, if I were to attack with all five swords, each carrying a fragment of Infernal Heavens, he wouldn't last three seconds without falling.
"…"
But still.
That wouldn't mean I have defeated Venomous Snake.
If he recovers, he would challenge me again with an unaffected face, saying, 'Hey! Let's have a rematch!'
'It's not about defeating the body, but breaking the spirit.'
That's why it's difficult.
'Despite being at a disadvantage and continuing to fight… he doesn't stop smiling.'
At first, I suspected he might have fallen into disharmony. But no matter how closely I observed, it wasn't the case. His eyes were clear, not clouded by madness, and even his laughter contained happiness. A very small happiness, which seems like it could disappear if not listened to attentively, but…
'He looks happy.'
After the initial probing phase.
Venomous Snake started to swing his sword joyfully.
'How can he be happy?'
Was it the result of his long seclusion?
Before entering seclusion, Venomous Snake seemed tormented while wielding his sword.
It all seemed painfully unbearable.
In fact, didn't he lose himself in disharmony during our fights?
'How can a person change so much?'
I firmly grip my sword hilt.
A question I asked myself, I already knew the answer to.
'Of course, people can change.'
And that excites me.
I feel tense, but I'm so eager to understand how Venomous Snake, this human, has changed. I'm almost impatient to ask him, 'What happened to you?'
'Carrying so many emotions, the burden of jealousy towards me, the obsession with the Heretic Questioner, the self-loathing for not being the protagonist, the guilt of not making the Martial Arts Leader happy… With all these emotions, Venomous Snake…'
I swing my sword.
'How can you hold a sword and smile?!'
One of my demonic swords, the Sacrifice Sword, vibrates deeply.
Infernal Heavens Divine Art.
Second Form.
Sword of Thirst.
Blood bursts forth.
"Wow! Wow!?"
The demonic sword wildly charges at Venomous Snake. A swift sword. Like an eagle diving from the sky, the demonic sword relentlessly stabs from above, left, and right, giving no rest to Venomous Snake. He desperately parries the stabs.
"Die! Hey, I'm going to die! Death King! I'm really going to die! Si— Huh!? Oh no! Damn, aahhh! Just now, it grazed my arm! Did you see it skim my arm? It really did. If it had gone any deeper, I might have gone from having one eye to one arm!"
Clang!
The sound of metal rang out.
Venomous Snake successfully repelled the Sword of Thirst. Although the wound on his arm was quite deep, causing blood to flow, and his robe was already in tatters from the numerous cuts.
"Khuhuhu… Damn, this is tough."
Venomous Snake wiped the sweat dripping down his chin and smirked.
"It's seriously intense. Hey."
"..."
"Come at me with all the Infernal Heavens Divine Arts at once! Won't I go down instantly then? Huh? Why don't you come? Ah, right. You can't talk. You're planning to defeat me without saying a word. Anyway, you're so serious. How can you live without the joy of conversation? Eventually, you will have to speak."
Sigh.
After taking a light breath, Venomous Snake turned his head.
There, a group of hunters were watching our duel.
"Hey! Heretic Questioner!"
"Hmm?"
The Heretic Questioner, holding a snail shell, tilted his head in curiosity.
"Yes, Master of the Chen Mu Sect."
"It's been decades since I last saw your face, right?"
"Ah, yes! I also chose to stay in the world and continue training! Ahaha. It's a coincidence that it's the same for me too!"
"Aren't you happy to see me after such a long time?"
"Yes, I'm happy!"
"Does it really matter whether we reunite after a day or after 100 years?"
"Yes! Both are equally delightful!"
"Right."
Sigh.
Venomous Snake took another moment to steady his breath.
"That's just the way you are, isn't it..."
"Ahaha."
Venomous Snake gripped his sword.
Then, with a smile on his face, he asked.
"Heretic Questioner."
"Yes!"
"Are you happy right now?"
"Yes! I am!"
The Heretic Questioner answered without a moment's hesitation. Beside him, the Black Dragon Witch looked disapproving with an expression as if to say, 'What nonsense are these two talking about?' But both men paid no attention to this local broadcast banter.
"Weren't you quite troubled in the past?"
"Hmm."
The Heretic Questioner pondered, touching his chin.
"If you're talking about physical pain and psychological trauma, yes, I think I was quite troubled in the past."
"And you're still troubled now, aren't you?"
"Considering the intensity of my work and the scope of my duties, it would be normal to feel troubled!"
"But are you still happy despite that?"
The Heretic Questioner beamed brightly.
"Yes!"
"..."
"Although it's very difficult, this work has its enjoyable aspects! Master of the Chen Mu Sect! Recommending you an espresso is also quite fun!"
Silence lingered for a moment.
Venomous Snake slowly opened his lips.
"Can you be happy despite being troubled?"
"Of course!"
"Yes, of course. You're a strange creature but still human after all. Right. It hurts when it hurts. It's troubling when it's troubling. And you smile when you smile."
Venomous Snake turned his head back towards me.
His breathing, which had been rough, had long since calmed down.
"Kim Gong-ja of the Demonic Sect."
"..."
"It's not just the strong you need to defeat in this world, nor just the weak you need to help."
Venomous Snake addressed me not simply as the Death King or Kim Gong-ja, but specifically as [Kim Gong-ja of the Demonic Sect], acknowledging that he was facing not just a hunter from the Tower, not just my martial prowess, but the weight of the Demonic Sect and the expanse of the Infernal Heavens I bore.
"Your Demonic Sect took the cries of the common people as its doctrine. Those cries became revenge, and the revenge turned into bloodshed, staining the world red. Bloodthirsty avengers! The world is already soaked in blood, yet you still pretend to be the weak."
"..."
I paused.
This was a declaration of war from the 990th duel.
It was similar to what the Martial Arts Leader Namgung Un had said to my master, the leader of the Demonic Sect.
"Did you always cling to the Heavenly Demon's coat, crying endlessly? Begging for someone else to perform the rites of death on your behalf. While clinging to the sleeves, you considered yourselves weak commoners, sad people."
Venomous Snake's eye swept over the audience.
Not only the Heretic Questioner and the Black Dragon Witch, but also Estelle, the Death King Family, and followers who appeared to protect me in case of an emergency, were all hidden in the leaves of the forest, watching us.
Venomous Snake nodded.
"Thirst."
Despite his body being battered, Venomous Snake's eye shone brightly.
"Why do you continue to dwell on the wrongful spirits of the past when you all have feet to walk and hands to work? Huayan says that even a single tree must shed its flowers to bear fruit. What about you? Are you just flower vendors in a garden, exploiting your own pain?"
Is that so?
Really, is that so?
'I need to.'
I couldn't keep silent.
I had to break my vow of silence, my determination, my stubbornness to defeat my opponent without speaking. Because this crazy Master of the Chen Mu Sect had elevated this place from a mere duel between the Death King and Venomous Snake to a confrontation between the Demonic Sect and the Orthodox Faction.
Kim Gong-ja might be silent, but the Infernal Heavens cannot be.
"Ha."
I let out a laugh.
"I wonder if the Master of the Chen Mu Sect has the right to say such things."
Finally, as my lips parted, Venomous Snake smirked.
"Why? You finally got a voice. You should check if it's still working properly."
"Did the Martial Arts Leader Namgung Un acknowledge you as his successor? Have the masters of the Hundred Paths chosen you as the representative of the Orthodox Faction?"
"Ah, recognition. It's good to have. But that guy Namgung Un, he's gotten old, right? He was heavily defeated by the Heavenly Demon, wasn't he? What authority or recognition does a defeated person have? As for the other masters, well, they are all resting under the snow. Let them rest in peace, as is proper."
"So, you claim to be righteous yourself?"
"That's right."
My heart is pounding.
"Do you have the skill to match?"
"I just blocked your Infernal Heavens Divine Art with a sword technique twice in a row. Isn't that enough? What more skill do I need? Damn, it's tough playing the role of a hero."
"I'm not the Heavenly Demon."
"Right. You're not the Heavenly Demon, and people around don't call you that, but I want to call you that."
"..."
"The followers of the Demonic Sect have sworn allegiance to you, spread doctrines to an absurd continent to the Dokkaebi Race, and the whole race has become demonic followers. Damn, you're not the Heavenly Demon, but just a little leader? Isn't that too modest? I'm already objective and scientific by nature. I'll just live as I want. The second Heavenly Demon, Kim Gong-ja."
"Ha."
Ha ha.
"Hm."
Ha ha ha.
Ah.
"That's funny."
Lightly.
I smiled.
"..."
Seeing that smile, Venomous Snake's face lost some of its cheerfulness.
Well.
I paid no mind and grasped my [Idol Sword].
"I thought if you were filled with jealousy towards me like last time, I could easily defeat you… Or is the jealousy still there? Your emotions towards me don't seem to have changed much. I can feel it in the way you look at me."
"..."
"But then, I see."
I gestured slightly.
One of my demonic swords hovering around me as a guard reacted, wooing.
Infernal Heavens Divine Art.
Third Form.
Sword of the Drowned.
Ambush.
"...!!"
Venomous Snake immediately rolled on the ground. Thud! The [Prayer Sword] struck the spot where he had been standing. The Prayer Sword immediately raised its head, scattering dirt as it circled around Venomous Snake, striking whenever an opening appeared.
"Damn it!"
Venomous Snake quickly stepped around, avoiding the attacks. However, swish! A sword strike grazed his ankle. Blood spurted from his ankle. It wasn't a fatal injury, but it was certainly damaging.
"Really,"
Clang!
"Like a true demon, you use any means necessary!"
Venomous Snake gathered his aura throughout his body to counter the demonic sword. The sword flew back into the air and then returned to circle around me, continuing to guard me.
"Damn it! My foot, it hurts!"
"..."
Another clang of metal was heard.
Not an unusual sound and something that could easily be mimicked with aura, but I intuitively felt there was some connection between Venomous Snake's joyful laughter and the metallic clangs.
The reason he elevated our duel to a battle between the Demonic Sect and the Orthodox Faction.
'Is he confident he can win?'
No.
Perhaps.
'He's confident he can break me.'
Me too. Not just as the Young Master, but also the Infernal Heavens.
Just like I came here to break everything about Venomous Snake, the Chen Mu Sect Lord, Liao Fan, he too has raised his sword intending to shatter everything about me.
'Good.'
My heart won't stop pounding.
'Good.'
What did the teacher say at such a time?
Remembering the teacher's face, smile, breath, and the words uttered upon hearing the Martial Arts Leader's declaration of war, I now understood it all.
So, I said,
"Okay."
I lifted the corners of my mouth.
"I accept the duel."
I sheathed the [Idol Sword] for a moment, brought my fists together, and assumed a formal bowing position. Venomous Snake twitched, but soon he too composed himself and mirrored my gesture.
Though I didn't know why, I couldn't stop smiling.
It was enjoyable.
"I hope the 991st duel does not disappoint the virtuous ones watching."
The Battle of Good and Evil.
Even after a world in a snowy field had perished, there were those who carried on the Demonic Sect and those who wished to continue the Orthodox Faction. So here, even after the world had been buried in snow, the 991st battle took place.
I decided to consider it happiness.
Just.
"Master, I think strong people are impressive, I support the weak, I want to make people fallen into hell happy, and I want to hold the hands of those who still insist this place is not yet hell."
"Okay."
"I dislike those who make promises they can't keep."
I smiled broadly.
"The stronger they are, the more I dislike them."
"..."
"I'll cut them down if they're trivial. Liao Fan."
"..."
Venomous Snake swallowed.
Then slowly, he smiled.
"Okay. Kim Gong-ja."
In an instant.
I scattered the four demonic swords and swung the one holy sword, taking a step forward.
In the tranquil forest.
Clang!
Suddenly, the sound of metal echoed.