"The first slash summoned the heavens. The second broke them apart. The third brought the remains down to smite the earth. What remained after was a cloudless, clear blue sky."
-Legend of the Clear Blue Sky Conquest
***********
Amid the still air lay'd a deep bitterness, the likes of which could turn a man to dust in mere moments. The table stationed front and center had layed out a story of blood and steel, told under the foggy front of "justice" to shave away any doubt or guilt from it's founder. To the table's side was all types of weaponry, from spears to shields, all bereft of any stains or sustained damage.
The man by the table was a sturdy, stalwart figure, nobly dressed and tidy. Withered, pale locks tied together, bereft of all youth. Face riddled with signs of battle, the likes of which not just any warrior would have. The man's face reflected the bitterness felt in the air as he was in deep thought, contemplating various things. He seemed... tired.
- "Commander Hou, the preparations are set. Our soldiers are ready to advance into the heart of the mountains." A warrior in light armor interrupted the stillness as he stepped into the room.
The formerly stagnant air transformed into a torrent as the man stood up from his seat. Behind him was an iron greatsword that, in stark contrast to the other weapons, had seen it's fair share of wear and battles, slumb'ring peacefully against the wall. As his right hand grasped the rusted hilt, the man steadied his resolve, lifted it from its slumber, turned around and left the room.
- "Today is the day you and your cult perish, Heavenly Demon."
With his weapon in hand, the man rallied his warriors and charged forth into the Heart of the Heavenly Mountains
************
After the battle known as the "Clear Blue Sky Conquest", the World Murim Alliance was formed. The Righteous Sects, The Warrior Federation and the Sky Dragon Company, along with many others, allied one another after decades of war to defeat their common enemy, the Demonic Cult and their leader, the Heavenly Demon. It has been seven years since then and the World Murim Alliance had, at long last, advanced their way into the Heart of the Heavenly Mountains, where the Lightless Palace, home to the leader of the cult, resides.
- "The palace is in sight, commander. All we need is your order." said the lesser commander, a grizzled man in light armor, with two curved blades on each hip.
Finally. The day we fought oh so long and hard for has arrived. This day will either be known as the day the world overcame absolute evil, or will be forgotten to time as an attempt to disobey the masters of a blood-filled world. Whichever it is, this is looking to be my final day under the heavens. As the second son of the Sky Dragon Company, I had to fight tooth and claw for my standing as it's rightful heir. After all was settled, I made a name for myself by reenvisioning the Slicing Wind Sword Technique, the Sky Dragon Company's hereditary swordsmanship. Foe after foe, blade after blade, I swung my sword until I was the only one at the peak of this world. I passed my knowledge down to my only child, making sure he never has to experience my past fighting for the title of Heir. After fighting a large battle that was later known as the Clear Blue Sky Conquest, I founded the Murim Alliance along with the Great Conquerer King of the Warrior Federation as well as the masters of the Righteous Sects to rid the world of the Demon Cultists and their Heavenly Demon.
This war has been ongoing for seven years and only now have we made it to the end. Was it worth the boundless blood we shed along the way? Was there truly no redemption for these cultists, the majority of which had no choice but to join the cult if they wished to survive? Every year the answers for these questions became more apparent. The citizens of the villages around the outer area of these mountains weren't even warriors. They were quiet, peaceful inhabitants that welcomed any stowaways and the ones rejected by this world. Yet we spared no expense to slaughter them purely because they were cultists. The deeper we advanced, the more I came to realize that these cultists were no different from us. They had people they wanted to protect, dreams they wished to fulfill, families they wanted to raise and lives they wanted to live to the fullest. The only differences in hierarchy and culture were purely in name. Instead of Masters they had Lords, The Shining Light instead of The Tao, yet everything was the exact same. They were just different, following a different Lord inside a different part of the world. Was this truly a crime deserving of restless genocide?
Long have I stopped debating it. This wasn't Justice. That much is clear. Yet if they are left to live, the cult would overtake this world. The Heavenly Demon was the only one in the history of Murim to singlehandedly start a faction rivaling the biggest sects combined. Her influence and power was far too much to be left alone. It's either her, or this whole world. The cultists had been brainwashed from birth to praising her as a god. There is no redemption, even if they have commit no crimes. Vanquishing the Heavenly Demon would mean the abolishment of the cult and the salvation of it's inhabitants. The choice is as clear as a cloudless sky.
I look towards the palace and steel my resolve. Raising my blade to the heavens, as if asking them to give us their blessing, I rally my warriors:
- "Long has this bloodshed continued! Day after day, week after week, moon after moon, year after year! We have vanquished any and all evil in our paths. And today, the source of it all, the Heavenly Demon, will part with this world! I swear on my name as the Conquerer of the Clear Blue Sky, as well as my life, that this demon shall be vanquished, no matter the cost! Warriors, LET THE HEAVENS HEAR YOUR SCREAMS!!"
- "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!" The whole of the Murim world felt the weight of their voices that day. Different warriors from different lands and different cultures, uniting as one for the fate of the world, roaring in unison. It was truly a beautiful sight.
My blade shifts targets towards the palace:
- "WARRIORS, FOR THE FATE OF THIS REALM AND EVERYTHING THAT WILL COME AFTER!!!
CHAAAARGE!!!!!"
The thunderous voices disappeared into the air as they were overshadowed by the rumbling of thousands of warriors sprinting towards their enemy. I took the lead in this charge, spearheading the assault. Mere moments after we began advancing, another couple thousand cultists could be seen around the palace. They were all getting ready to brace the assault and hold the line with their lives. As we proceeded, a few dozen or so cultists came forth from the crowds. Any warrior could tell that they were all worth their salt in martial arts prowess. Our advance was closing the distance fast and steady. We were now nearly face-to-face with these cultists. Collision in three. Two. One.
Impact. My blade had met another as it slammed into the enemy with tremendous force. They were seemingly caught off guard by the sheer weight of my strike, so I took advantage of this.
-Brewing Storm Sword Technique: Unrelenting Torrent
My sword collided with the enemy's once. Then again. Then once more. Then again and again, unleasing a ruthless onslaught of horizontal slashes that overwhelmed the enemy. I broke through his guard and sliced him cleanly across his kidney to his shoulder, splitting his torso. I redirected my edge to one of the two that were by his sides and immediately cleaved them in half. The third one tried to take advantage of an opening, however I purposefully left it there to bait an attack.
-Cloud Dance Step
I jolt to the side, readying a vertical slash, however they caught on and feinted their strike. This one was a sharp one.
Aborting my attack, I block the enemy's fist and push it to the side. In reaction, they immediately regained their balance and stepped forth, closing the distance instantly. In just mere moments I had lost my reach advantage and they were in their element. This fighter's fist was clearly among the world's best. I had no time to dodge or block, so all I could do is brace for impact. Their hands came together and stroke my solar plexus with devastating force. It was as if a master had caught lightning in their hands and proceeded to slam it into me. I was blown about 10 steps back from this incredible strike. Had I not reinforced myself with Qi in time, that would have spelt the end of me all at once.
The Alliance was 30 paces behind me. That exchange was apparently but a few moments. This is one of the most dangerous enemies I've ever faced.
- "HALT!"
The alliance's booming footsteps came to an abrupt stop as they killed the momentum by pausing the charge. If there are more warriors of this caliber among their defense, this approach would have resulted in immeasurable casualties on our side.
I point my blade at the warrior.
- "I am Jagak Hou, Captain of the Sky Dragon Company and leader of the World Murim Alliance. Warrior of the Demonic Cult, state your name." The Alliance was bewildered. A warrior asking for the name of a demon cultist? Have I gone senile?
The cultist stepped forth and introduced himself. He seemed to be much younger than I thought on second glance. Barely past adolescence, jade green eyes piercing through his mask and a slender figure. You'd never guess he was a warrior.
- "Linsheng Hu, Vice-Lord of the palace of Silent Thunder" A Vice-Lord? This powerful? Seemed too unreal, yet I could not argue that his strength was the real deal.
- "Linsheng Hu, I shall remember your name. Now, face my blade and be put to rest, cultist."
I face the alliance.
- "Pheasant Vanguard formation!"
The platoon spreads out and enshrouds the army of cultists as our forces finally collide with theirs. I dash towards the boy and join the battle.
- "Forgive me, but after witnessing your prowess firsthand, I shall not be holding back any longer."
The boy readies a stance and prepares himself. His martial art seems to be focused on counterattacks. Perfect for guarding the palace, I suppose.
-Brewing Storm Sword Technique: Rising Updraft
I drag my sword across the dirt as I approach, leap into the air and swing it vertically towards the sky. He dodges and prepares to attack back, but this technique leads seamlessly into another.
-Brewing Storm Sword Technique: Crashing Thunder
The blade descends back onto the ground as it smashes into the dirt below with a thunderclap, shaking the earth. As the dust settles, the boy emerges with one less hand than before. Taking advantage of this, I zip to the boy and swing my sword two times, creating a gash on his side and shoulder. As I swoop in to deliver the finishing blow, his body overflows with Qi as he uses his remaining arm to channel a palm strike. This seems to be a desperate move, since it goes completely against his style.
- Brewing Storm Sword Technique: Swirling Zephyr
I spin and thrust my blade against his hand. Our Qi clashes with one another in an explosive impact. The boy seemed regretful as the tip of my blade tore through his remaining arm and drilled past his lungs and throat, severing his head. I'm sorry it had to be this way, young warrior.
The other cultists seemed to have lost a bit of morale, seeing how one of their best warriors was dealt with so quickly. This was all interrupted, however, by a gigantic shockwave behind the palace. Judging from that Qi and spectacular entrance, it's the Great Conquerer King showing off. That means the other team made it here as planned. The cultists were now surrounded on both sides. My side was faring well too, having moved into the Pheasant Vanguard Formation. The only way to face the crowd of masters was to make sure our frontline had our strongest warriors, spread out like a pheasant's wings and having the weaker ones act as a vanguard for them. And although we weren't making much progress, we've had zero casualties so far. If we keep this up, we'll emerge victorious in no ti-
A flash of dark crimson cut both my thoughts as well as a third of our army in one fell swoop. After the flash, a furious blaze immolated whoever survived it as well as the remains of those that didn't, leaving nothing but ash in it's wake. I had managed to block it, but the same couldn't be said about our men. I looked over to the source of the flash.
A robe of pure black with crimson flame patterns riddled around it was covering the figure standing atop the palace. The figure was wearing a hood and was high in the sky, so I couldn't make out any details like face or hair. All I knew was that they were the ones who slaughtered my men, clipping the pheasant's wings. Overcome with fury, I jumped at the figure with all my might and swung my blade, yet their feet did not move an inch. The only movement they made was a flick of their wrist, which was holding their sword, clashing with mine. I examined the figure more. Piercing scarlet eyes emanated from behind the hood, hiding feminine features. They pushed my blade back along with me into the ground before jumping down in pursuit. As I landed on the dirt, I saw the face behind the hood.
The scarlet eyes were more like brilliant gems, yet they were but distractions from the true treasure. Her hair was a deep black, with it's length reaching all the way to the heavens. Her lips radiated moisture, as if she sipped from a fountain of youth every morning. Her cheeks followed this theme, as they were the perfect blend of sharp and feminine. Her nose had not a single edge, with only smooth, linear curves making up it's shape. Her eyelashes were elegant blades that could slice any man's heart into pieces. She was the very personification of beauty. She was the Heavenly Demon, Cheon Mahwa.
Mesmerized, I did not notice her edge tearing it's way through my side until it had left. I looked back and saw the flowers wither, the gems dust and the fountain dry up. That cold, sharp gaze turned the gemstones into scarlet flames ready to burn anything in their paths.
I came to and prepared myself for battle. I dashed and cleaved at her side, only for her to block it with one hand. I swung again, yet got the same result. This went on for a long time, however I couldn't say an exact number, since I was so focused I didn't even hear the horrifying screams of the alliance burning alive from her first attack and their cherished ones grieving with it. After countless swings, she finally attacked back. I reflected the Qi and momentum of her blade as it travelled towards my shoulder, fused it with mine and redirected it back towards her, hoping to catch her off-guard. She finally used her other hand and cleaved our combined Qi in two before landing a kick I couldn't even see that blew me back considerably. I was clearly out of my league.
Snapping out of my trance, I finally notice the hell scape around me. The remnants of the alliance are fading out as the cultists have overwhelmed them, showing no mercy to their enemies. Corpses and ash riddled the battlefield, screams echoed throughout the plane and the smell of burnt bodies covered the entirety of the Heavenly Mountains. At this rate, we will all perish, both from this mortal plane as well as history.
Enough is enough. The Heavenly Demon WILL die today. I will make sure of it.
I am no match for her in speed, so I'll make up for it with power. Sheer, raw power.
- "The first slash summons the heavens..." I lift my blade before swinging it with all my might towards the sky, creating a devastating gale that completely changed the land scape. Bodies and ash went flying everywhere and the palace was utterly blown away, along with any remaining warriors in the area. After the dust cleared, a mass of clouds enshrouded the mountains. The Heavenly Demon was slightly startled by this.
- "The second breaks them apart..." I leap towards the heavens as I raised my blade again, creating a gust of sharp wind that sliced the clouds into thousands of pieces, turning them pitch black. I enter the shattered clouds and feel their thunder connecting with my iron blade. Hundreds of thunder strikes emolated my body from within. The pain was indescribable. This technique requires all the Qi I can currently muster for the last phase, so it's an all-or-nothing gamble, however I have no choice. I apologize to any poor souls that will get caught in the blast radius.
- "The third... brings the remains down to smite the earth." I concentrate a third of my remaining Qi to the very bottom of my feet before releasing it all in a burst, leaping off the air towards the Heavenly Demon. The lightning converges into me, turning my blade and body into an ethereal bolt of energy. In response, the Heavenly Demon drags her blade across the ground, bringing forth hell itself in a fiery blaze. I swing my weapon, smiting her with the power of the heavens as she retorts by raising the fires of hell against it.
-Brewing Storm Sword Technique (Sacred Art) : Clear Blue Sky
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- Heavenly Demonic Sword Technique (Demonic Art) : Hellfire
As the two otherworldly blades clashed, the Heart of the Mountains was reduced to ash from the sheer power produced. Any remaining soldiers followed suit, aside from a scarce few that defended against it in time. Her blade had the weight of every single damned soul in existence poured into it. The overwhelming weight would've been unbearable for me alone, had I not borrowed the power of the heavens. I used the last embers of my Qi to put just a little more strength into my weapon and...
***********
The entirety of the world shook from the impact of that day. Of course, that was nothing compared to what transpired at the site of the event. From the clash, all that remained was a cloudless, clear red sky, having been somehow split into two, reflecting the view of what was formerly the ground, now being but a half-circle-shaped crater, with the linear wall being shaved clean of any uneven abnormalities in it's shape that you'd expect from a rock surface.
The Heavenly Demon stood there, with her back up against the crater, clutching a gaping wound on her chest. Her face reflected many emotions: pain, anger, surprise, acknowledgement and more. I'd wager mine was no better as I was taking a knee in this pool of my own blood from my missing arm and/or shoulder, clutching the air that was once part of my body, my weapon mercilessly parted with its edge and laying on the cold ground with my severed hand still clutching the grip.
- "Be proud. Had I not been born, you would've been the strongest under the heavens" Her voice graced my ears with the presence of an angel, comforting me and letting this overwhelming pain subside slightly.
- "...Why must you fill this world in a bloodbath..? What suffering compelled you to think this was the path you must take?"
- "You should know that by know, after mercilessly slaughtering my people. This world is unjust, rotten to it's core. Most believe it is governed by order, yet they are foolishly mistaken. This semblance of order is there to disguise the fact that the strong take what they want, whenever they want. Strength is what is supposed to control the world, yet status and bloodline is valued just as much. To hell with it, I say. Let us rip off the disguise and embrace the true rules of this world: survival of the strongest. The strong live and the weak nourish the strong with their lives. That is what true order is."
Her look had shown that these words come from a place deep within her. She most likely had every right to think like this.
Yet, I didn't accept it. I couldn't accept it.
- "AND YOU THINK THE BEST ALTERATIVE IS EVEN MORE BLOODSHED!? YOU UTTERLY VILE DEMON! THAT SEMBLANCE OF ORDER IS THE VERY THING THAT IS KEEPING THE WORLD AFLOAT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO JEOPARDIZE THE LIVES OF MILLIONS OF INNOCENTS FOR YOUR TWISTED VISIONS OF THIS WORLD!! A LESSER OF THE TWO EVILS IS STILL AN EVIL, NO MATTER WHAT!!!"
- "...shut your ignorant mouth. Nothing you say will change what I have witnessed. Now, last bastion of a false bygone order, you shall perish." She lifts her blade above her head, ready to deliver the final blow.
She had obviously gone mad. Sure, the world isn't perfect, but it's endlessly better than what she wants to make it. This world has no future so long as she lives. I know what I must do.
At blinding speeds, I dash and latch onto her as hard as I can. She was immediately startled by this and tried to shake me off with a step technique.
- "You should've made sure to cut off both my arms, demon!!"
Internal Qi. The energy one is born with, also known as life energy. It is the very core of life. As such, spending it is the same as spending one's life. The older one gets, the more it becomes depleted, until it fully fades along with one's life. I had never before used it, however I didn't have much left, as I was getting further and further in years. Nonetheless, this remnant was enough to grab onto the Demon, which was all I needed. I held firm against her movements and began circulating both the embers of my Qi as well as my internal Qi out of my limbs and organs and into my Upper Dantian and also my remaining hand. She sliced my feet off, yet I felt no pain, as they were already bereft of life. She tried to sever my arm, but I was able to dodge for long enough.
- "When you get to hell...*pant*
Tell them... Jagak Hou sent you... *pant*
And apologize... on my behalf... for the inconvenience..!"
The energy that gathered into me erupts from my brain all at once, exploding inside me and blasting me, the Heavenly Demon as well as the surrounding area into smithereens. I pass into the heavens with a smile on my face and a conscience as clear as the red sky, knowing that the Heavenly Demon is no more...
.
.
.
Or so I thought.
I open my eyes expecting heaven, yet am presented with a wooden roof and the face of a tired woman. Is heaven really this cheap...
- "@#$_#$_#€^|¢#$!!" The woman spoke with a tongue I couldn't even begin to understand.
- "&$__%®¢£`•••`€€¢£..." Someone else uttered words in the same tongue before I was picked up by someone (something that seems impossible, as I am a rather large man)
They then carried me somewhere. I was blinded by sudden light, before being presented with lush, yellow plains spanning across the horizon, being overlooked by a cloudless, clear blue sky.