NOVEL NEXT Chapter 702
Dark Heaven Village
*Splash…*
The sound of the river gently rippling tickled the ears. The Sword Demon and Miyamoto Musashi sat silently, facing the river. Both were recovering their energy, harnessing their internal energy cultivation techniques to enhance their healing powers. Yet, despite their personal circumstances, the scenery in the area was undeniably beautiful and serene.
How long had the silence lasted? Just as the sun was setting on the river horizon, Musashi finally spoke.
“How was the fight with the Joule?”
The Sword Demon didn’t turn his head, still gazing at the riverbank.
“He was practically invincible.”
“You realized the essence of the Heavenly Unrestrained Technique.”
“Of course, you knew.”
“I couldn’t not know. I accepted this ridiculous title of Master of the Twelve Joules precisely because I wanted to break that.”
The Sword Demon glanced at Musashi and asked, “I’ve been wondering, when did you become so fluent in the Central Plains language? I heard you’ve lived in Dongyoung for decades.”
The Sword Demon’s question wasn’t unfounded. Originally, Miyamoto Musashi struggled with the Central Plains language and was quite awkward with it, yet in this rebirth as Baek Woong, he suddenly spoke it unusually fluently. The Sword Demon needed to find out why this change occurred.
“I asked the Joule to help me learn the language quickly. So he helped me acquire it faster.”
“Did you get yourself a language tutor?”
“No. It was thanks to this.”
*Whoosh!*
Musashi tossed a small pair of objects to the Sword Demon. As the Sword Demon caught them, they appeared to be metallic devices resembling something that could be worn in the ears. As he stared bemusedly at these odd objects, Miyamoto Musashi explained, “It’s called a Hearing Device that the Joule gave me.”
“Hearing Device… how is this supposed to help?”
“Just put it in your ear.”
The Sword Demon inserted the Hearing Device into his ear. Sure enough, it fit snugly despite being a bit tight. Almost immediately, Musashi began rapidly speaking in Dongyoung, and before long, the Sword Demon felt a wave of astonishment wash over him.
“… Now… Can you hear me? Can you hear the tale of the Kisara family’s streets and their drinks clearly?”
The Sword Demon realized he could naturally understand and converse in Dongyoung. The words flowed from his lips.
“I hear you well.”
“Just like that, we can converse in Dongyoung directly.”
“……”
The Sword Demon took the device out of his ear, looking at it suspiciously. It indeed sounded as if Dongyoung were his native tongue the moment he used it. Though there was a slight time delay, it was negligible compared to the difficulty and duration of learning a language.
“If you wear it long enough, at some point, you’ll understand what the other person is saying even without it.”
“I can’t believe it. How did the Joule create such a mystical device?”
“I don’t know either. I heard him brag that it doesn’t need charging, but I don’t understand what that means.”
The Sword Demon was filled with doubt. Was this also a device of the Demon Path? But more importantly, he turned his gaze back to Musashi.
“This device is certainly miraculous, but I’m more curious about your motivation. You seem solely interested in martial arts; why have thoughts of learning the Central Plains language?”
“…Hmm.”
Musashi looked up at the sky and said, “Because you all were about to face the Absolute Realm.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“When I guided you all, I intuitively sensed most of your group was nearing the peak of peak experts and would soon enter the Absolute Realm. It was only a matter of time. If I led you, wouldn’t it make things more interesting?”
“…I see.”
The Sword Demon understood Musashi’s mindset.
Musashi likely believed to raise his own realm; he needed an equally capable opponent. After all, his martial arts were so high that it was nearly impossible to spar with someone else who wasn’t in the Absolute Realm. In such a situation, the Twelve Joules, using organizational operation as an excuse, barely provided any opponents, and finding an expert of the Absolute Realm in the Central Plains was exceedingly difficult—Musashi must have felt frustrated.
Upon seeing Baek Woong and his companions, he likely sensed their potential and devised a plan to cultivate his rival. Accumulating experience through mutual honing would ultimately be beneficial for Musashi himself.
At the same time, he could definitively understand the kind of person Musashi was.
This man was definitely not a hunting dog of the Twelve Joules.
A purely devoted seeker of martial arts!
He had little regard for the balance of power or the ideals of saving humanity.
The Sword Demon remarked, “The reason you wanted more experts in the Absolute Realm was indeed because of the Heavenly Unrestrained Technique.”
“Right. You experienced it firsthand; you know why I made that choice. The reason I taught you while revealing my understanding of the Fast Sword.”
“I understand well.”
The Sword Demon continued solemnly. “…That can’t be defeated through normal methods.”
It wasn’t merely about strength or weakness; it was more about the principle of compatibility. The problem was that the essence of the Heavenly Unrestrained Technique was so bizarre that without finding a way to counter it, they couldn’t even touch it.
Miyamoto Musashi stated, “If I can break the Twelve Joules with my sword, I can proudly declare myself the strongest in the world. That guy is indeed the strongest in the East, and perhaps even in the world.”
“Perhaps.”
While the Sword Demon responded that way, he privately thought it might not necessarily be true.
‘Who is the strongest human has not been determined. If the Master of the White Lotus were in good shape, he would have made a fine rival for the Twelve Joules.’
Although the Master of the White Lotus seemed far lower in martial arts comprehension compared to the Twelve Joules, that wasn’t entirely the case. The Sword Demon felt he could grasp the reason why the Twelve Joules had avoided clashing with the Master of the White Lotus. It was akin to a rock-paper-scissors relationship.
Musashi gently swung his sword.
*Slash!*
The next moment, the river split in half and stood still, as Musashi drew out several fish from the severed waters with his psychic power, tossing them to the Sword Demon.
“Eat something.”
“Thank you.”
While Miyamoto Musashi demonstrated the strange feat of slicing the horizontal river with his sword, the Sword Demon wasn’t particularly shocked. An existence in the Absolute Realm could shake the world with their will and martial prowess. Perhaps even the Sword Demon himself could achieve something like that if he put his mind to it.
*Tap tap…*
The Sword Demon and Musashi grilled the fish together in silence, focusing solely on their recovery. They fell into a meditative state by the riverbank, waking up the next morning as dawn broke.
In the calm of the early morning, Miyamoto Musashi stated, “Until now, the envoy of the Twelve Joules hasn’t come to me. He must be dead.”
“……”
“Now I’m no longer the envoy of the Twelve Joules.”
“And so?”
Miyamoto Musashi’s eyes shone sharply.
“I will compete against you and win, then go to the Central Plains. My plan is to kill the leaders of the Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Families, and the Eight Demons of the Demon Path, so that my Two Heavens One Style can overshadow the martial arts of the Central Plains and make its mark in the world.”
Those were chilling words. In truth, should Miyamoto Musashi rampage through the Central Plains, there was no one currently capable of stopping him. The experts of the Absolute Realm didn’t openly exist in the Central Plains Martial World, nor could they be overwhelmed in numbers. It wouldn’t be surprising at all for the Central Plains Martial World to be destroyed due to Musashi alone. Visions of the Supreme Slash annihilating thousands of orthodox experts in one blow formed.
However—upon hearing those words, the Sword Demon felt no thoughts arise. Instead, the words that escaped him next were filled with disappointment.
“Pathetic.”
“…What did you say?”
Seeing Musashi frown, the Sword Demon calmly replied,
“I said it’s pathetic. Is that all you intend to do after reaching such a realm?”
“Is destroying the Central Plains small?”
“Yes, that’s a small feat.”
Instead of getting angry, Musashi tilted his head in confusion.
“Then what do you consider a great feat?”
“Eliminating the gods that ruin this world.”
“Don’t misunderstand me. Wasn’t your actual goal that?”
Musashi laughed softly.
“Indeed. Destroying the Central Plains Martial World is merely a warm-up. However, for now, I lack the strength to kill a god, so I’ll start with small goals.”
“Is that your plan, to accumulate grudges through repeated massacres, hoping that from those grudges, a new absolute expert will rise in the Central Plains?”
Nodding in response to the Sword Demon’s words, Musashi affirmed,
“As expected, you’re sharp. That’s why I plan to kill the people of the Central Plains. As I break the skulls of those who are indulged in peace, there will emerge strong individuals among them, some may even be worthy opponents for me. And…”
“You’ll grow stronger through life-and-death battles with those opponents.”
“Exactly.”
As they spoke, the Sword Demon began to feel a foggy daze. Of course, based on his long experience in the Demon Path, he fully understood the theory Musashi was discussing. In the muddied depths of the Dark Dao, life-and-death struggles had often led to the emergence of exceptional talents akin to pearls.
Yet, he never expected someone as absolute as Miyamoto Musashi would propose such a low-level, unlikely notion! He couldn’t believe Musashi would think of stirring blood in the Central Plains Martial World, a place devoid of enmity.
“What kind of basis do you have for that? I can’t believe in the unfounded certainty that a peerless master will emerge amid a tide of blood.”
“I’m not looking for your understanding. I’m merely going to put my theory into practice. The martial arts world of Dongyoung has developed this way.”
“Umm.”
The Sword Demon sighed.
“You are insane.”
And he confirmed that Miyamoto Musashi was indeed a madman devoted to martial arts. This man was a tremendous genius; however, that very genius put him beyond the realms of commoners’ thoughts. His willingness to disregard the lives of thousands or even millions for the sake of elevating his own martial arts was incomprehensible.
“The Eight Parts of the Divine and the Imperial Palace will be active from now on. Are you not going to fight them?”
“Why would I?”
“If you pursue your goals, you’ll inevitably clash with them.”
“Of course, I’ve considered that too. However, I won’t confront the Eight Parts of the Divine.”
“……?”
“I have no reason to stop them. Moreover, those annoying martial artists will likely propose an alliance if I agree to take care of those nuisances. I’m confident that ultimately, I will get to do as I please.”
“……”
“And when my strength increases, I can decimate the imperial palace at that time. One by one, I’ll eliminate the Eight Parts of the Divine.”
The Sword Demon’s face hardened. Only now did he begin to grasp Musashi’s thoughts accurately.
‘In this man’s mind… There is no consideration or recognition for the weak… No heart of justice!’
He wasn’t truly a born villain, but for his own goals, he was willing to disregard everything—this was pure arrogance from someone destined to be a genius.
As he felt this mindset resonate deep within him, the Sword Demon’s heart grew heavy.
*Swish!*
The Sword Demon unsheathed his sword, aiming it at Miyamoto Musashi.
“Miyamoto Musashi.”
“Have you made up your mind?”
The Sword Demon sincerely emanated killing intent. The grace of having learned martial arts from Musashi had vanished from his mind entirely.
“I’ll kill you.”
Seo Mun-dae-ryong devoted his life to eliminate Musashi’s head.
This was no longer a matter to be resolved through sparring.
In a state where the envoy of the Twelve Joules had vanished, Musashi was nothing more than a runaway colt.
‘Martial arts without chivalry is merely violence.’
The Sword Demon had an instinctive realization that killing Miyamoto Musashi would indeed assist Baek Woong’s future in this life. A stance like Musashi’s would ultimately only empower the most vicious of groups.
The battle-maniac Musashi grinned with delight.
At the thought of finally being able to fight someone who was genuinely serious, he felt exhilarated.
“That’s just it.”
And so, on the nameless riverbank, a duel between peerless swordsmen commenced.