The Heavenly Demon Left No Martial Arts Behind

Chapter 5: Why Else Would We Have Used the Great Law?

Crushing Demon explained what had happened.

"Not too long ago, we went to the Central Plains."

There was a certain weight to his words, and Yu Gyeongseong picked up on it right away.

"...Was it a preemptive strike?"

The Clan Lords answered his question.

"Yeah. Word was that the Sword God had appeared, and his momentum was something else. On top of that, the bastard started rallying factions to form a ‘Righteous Alliance,’ vowing to wipe out our Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. We couldn't just sit back and watch that shit happen."

"Not a Sword King, but a Sword God. If we'd just stood by, all the power in the Central Plains would've rallied behind that one man."

"All six of us from the Six Demon Clans marched. We took every single one of the six strike teams with us. The plan was to stomp out the threat before it could even sprout."

From what he was hearing, the Six Demon Clans had been in complete agreement about attacking the Central Plains.

Anyway, the conversation was flowing toward what he'd been waiting to hear. Yu Gyeongseong casually slipped in a question, something he'd wanted to ask but had been too cautious to bring up.

"Then what about the Cult Leader...?"

"Someone had to protect the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. He had to stay here at the Tianshan Mountain Range."

"......"

Still nothing that could serve as a real clue.

Maybe misread his silence as an acceptance, the Clan Lords continued explaining.

"No matter how strong the Sword God is, we had no doubt we could handle him easily if we joined forces."

“The only reason we all went was just to play it safe.”

"Where in this martial world could you find someone capable of facing all six of us at once?"

"Hell, there isn't even anyone who could take on just two of us."

The Clan Lords recalled that time.

That novel feeling as they advanced into the Central Plains felt like the resentment they'd been suppressing for so many years was finally being released.

No one could stand in their way.

They walked without a single care.

It felt like the whole world was ours!

But that feeling didn't last long.

"......"

A hand raised and spread wide in the center of the silent group. It matched exactly the shape Yu Gyeongseong had visualized in his mind.

Rock Demon opened his mouth.

"It was cut off by a single stroke of the Sword God's sword."

In that moment, Yu Gyeongseong realized something—there wasn't a trace of shame in his attitude.

"I got off easy because it was me. If it had been one of the other Clan Lords who took his sword..."

A low, rumbling voice that seemed to echo through the cave.

"They wouldn't be sitting here right now."

No one seemed to disagree with that statement, judging by how the other Clan Lords remained silent.

As if to emphasize the severity of the situation, Rock Demon spoke again.

"The Sword God has appeared. And right now, he's on his way to Tianshan Mountain Range."

"......"

"We cannot stop him."

In that moment, a figure suddenly flashed through Yu Gyeongseong's mind.

It wasn't a memory flowing from what he'd lost.

It was something he'd seen just before coming here—a stone statue standing tall in one corner of the main training grounds of the main hall.

He'd immediately known who it was.

Even from a distance, the overwhelming presence it radiated was incredible.

If that wasn't the Heavenly Demon, then who the hell could it be?!

And yet… they are saying that even someone like that can't win against the Sword God?

"Even if the Cult Leader and all of the Six Demon Clans combined forces... it still wouldn't be enough?"

Yu Gyeongseong mentioned the Cult Leader once again.

Just why are these guys being so secretive about him?

"If that were possible, why would we have resorted to performing the Great Law?"

Truth.

All of the Six Demons stated it without hesitation.

'Even the Heavenly Demon... can't handle the Sword God?'

Is it because I'm a cult member? For some reason, it was hard to believe.

"But... why me?"

Why was I the one who received the Great Law? In a situation where the Sword God was coming to attack, wasn't that supposed to be the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's last resort?

The only thing I had going for me was being the youngest. I wasn't really exceptional in any other way.

"No, you're special. Both the Cult Leader and all of us Six Demon agreed on this."

I received the Great Law because I'm special? What the hell... makes me special?

But the Six Demons did not offer any more detailed explanations.

Instead, their unified voices carried unmistakable gravity.

"The survival of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult rests on your shoulders."

The gazes of everyone present converged on him.

Those eyes brimming with expectation.

'The fate of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult...'

In this atmosphere that felt like he was being handed a mission he couldn’t refuse, Yu Gyeongseong answered.

"I'm tired. I'm going to rest first."

***

Yu Gyeongseong stood up first and started walking with long strides. He was just heading back the way he came—nothing wrong with that, right?

A man followed behind him like a shadow.

The conversation from earlier replayed in Yu Gyeongseong's mind.

[The survival of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult rests on your shoulders.]

The solemn declaration of the Six Demons.

[I'm tired. I'm going to rest first.]

They must've been expecting some determined response from me, judging by how they struggled to maintain their expressions after hearing that.

It was the Mind Demon who’d recovered first and responded.

[Right. You must still be confused. It must be difficult to even comprehend the situation.]

Either way, the Six Demons had accepted my unexpected reaction without much fuss. They probably thought my fatigue was a side effect of the Great Law.

The final words he'd thrown out before leaving.

[From the moment I woke up, I’ve been surrounded by lies. First, there were the guards who tried to sneak me off somewhere. Then, as soon as I got back, someone barged into my bedroom in the dead of night and did something weird to me. It felt like some kind of mind control spell. I wonder if they were trying to puppeteer me….]

First, I needed to make sure people couldn't mess with me so easily.

I figured the first thing I needed to do was make it harder for them to pull any more crap on me.

And just as I'd intended, the atmosphere in the room immediately shifted. The unified front of the Six Demons began to waver.

[…Something like that happened? I am truly sorry to hear that.]

I'd said with a sincere face.

[If you Clan Lords had lost your memories like me, and then went through one thing after another like that, could you just easily trust someone?]

[We completely understand. That would be difficult.]

[I want to trust you all. So please, give me a reason to.]

And with that, the Clan Lords started stumbling over each other to talk.

[Of course!]

[We will do so.]

[We're only telling you the truth.]

[We get where you’re coming from. This must be confusing.]

[But you have to trust us!]

[What can we do to help you?!]

Faced with their frantic reactions, I'd given them a look of pure innocence.

[First... I want to know what kind of person I was.]

The Six Demons nodded.

[Very well. But we can't give you much time. We don't have much time left in the first place. You need to spend as much time as you can with us.]

Yu Gyeongseong, who'd been walking at a steady pace, came to a stop.

He could feel the strength of the Six Demons clearly enough. Each one of them was an Absolute Master. And yet, an existence that even such people feared was coming.

And I'm supposed to face that existence.

'The Sword God...'

I don't know exactly how strong he is, but...

The fact that the Six Demons had each offered up their sacred relics to perform the Great Law meant he was just that formidable an enemy.

Preparation is necessary.

Whether I end up fighting the Sword God.

Or...

Yu Gyeongseong suddenly turned his head.

There stood the statue of the Heavenly Demon, looking down upon the grand training grounds.

***

Illusion Demon returned to Illusion Demon Hall in one go.

He’d had to roughly shake off the other Clan Lords who'd gone crazy the moment Yu Gyeongseong left.

There was an order he’d secretly given the previous night as soon as he met the boy. The order was to use the Soul Seduction Spell on him.

But he’d heard nothing from Nawida, who’d gone out in the middle of the night. Worse, a message had come from the kid himself at dawn, asking to see them. That's when he’d started to think something had gone wrong.

But he’d had to meet with the kid right away, so he never got a chance to check out what really happened.

'I didn't think it was that serious...'

But thanks to being called out in front of the other Clan Lords, it looked like he was about to get branded with the same mark as Mind Demon.

His voice came out as rough as he felt.

"Where's Nawida?"

A subordinate on standby reported immediately.

"While you were meeting with him, I went to her quarters and brought her here. But... you should see for yourself."

Illusion Demon immediately entered the adjacent room. And what caught his eye...

It was her…

Pacing in circles, over and over.

With a happy look on her face.

'...!?'

Illusion Demon's eyes widened. He was so shocked that anyone who knew him would have found it hard to believe. And it was all because he had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

'Not only did the Spirit Illusion Formula not work on him... but he reversed it and used Soul Seduction Spell on her?!'

The subordinate's voice came from behind.

"She's under a powerful spell. I've tried several times, but it won't break."

That was the end of the conversation.

Illusion Demon moved immediately.

When it came to illusions, nobody was better than him. Why bother listening to his guy’s report when he could check it out himself and get it right? That was just a waste of time.

The Illusion Demon placed his hand on Nawida's head.

A red glow appeared in his azure eyes.

Whoooosh

In an instant, his mind dove into Nawida's. mental world.

Illusion Demon looked around.

It was an overwhelmingly bright world to the point it was hard to make out what was what.

It was a world filled with the emotion of pure bliss.

Shwaak

For a second, it was like the Illusion Demon sprouted multiple eyes. It was a trick to figure out the spell in one go.

'...'

But wherever he looked, the whole world was exactly the same. He couldn't find a single unique thing.

Illusion Demon assessed the situation.

Nawida's Spiritual Power was by no means shallow. And yet such a firm emotion had been implanted in her. There must definitely be a principle that blinds the soul’s eye and puts the consciousness to sleep.

'Where is it?'

Even at this moment, the light of that emotion bursting forth endlessly from all directions made it difficult to distinguish the world.

What an exquisite spell. It consumed the target's Spiritual Power to maintain the caster's will.

But at the same time, doubt crept in.

Yu Gyeongseong's face flashed in his mind.

How the hell could that kid display this level of supernatural ability?!

But putting that thought aside, the more he looked at the spell, the more impressed he was.

However...

A few moments later, the Illusion Demon's admiration cooled off fast.

You can only admire stuff when you have the luxury. He had a gut-chilling feeling that this was not one of those times.

Illusion Demon eliminated even the slightest trace of contempt for that kid.

He gritted his teeth.

But nothing changed...

Why is this happening?

He was forced to look inward.

He couldn't help but question himself.

No way….

Don’t tell me this is actually better than my Spirit Illusion Formula?

'I can't believe it!'

In a knee-jerk reaction, the Illusion Demon’s Spiritual Power surged in an instant. For a second, it was like his eyes multiplied into the hundreds.

And finally, he saw something behind the wall of light.

‘There you are!’

Illusion Demon's consciousness leapt across space in an instant.

And then.

'...??'

What the hell is that?

The place he had arrived at was a vast space filled only with darkness.

Illusion Demon could tell.

This space… was not something that could be expressed with the simple word ‘vast.’
He knew that even the immense desert south of the Tianshan Mountain Range would be nothing more than a handful of sand compared to this darkness.

It’s common knowledge that where there's light, there’s shadow. After all, darkness is just the absence of light.

But...

[Something’s over there.]

A quiet voice suddenly spoke.

And that's why he could see it.

A piece of darkness the size of a fingernail, floating in the endless abyss.

The Illusion Demon questioned the judgment of his own soul.

Darkness within darkness? How am I supposed to tell them apart?

His soul whispered.

[It's different.]

They're both darkness... but different?

[Yes, darker than this space... and greater.]

Even though it's the size of a fingernail?

[......]

In this moment, Illusion Demon understood even without his soul's whisper.

'...Is it just appearing small because it's so far away?'

The second he had that thought, the distance between them vanished, like he'd jumped through some invisible wall.

At the same time, the tiny speck of darkness swelled to the size of a mountain.

The Illusion Demon asked himself.

What happened? Did that thing come closer?

Then the truth hit him.

'...!!'

No. I was dragged here the moment my mind recognized that darkness.

Ruuuumble

The colossal darkness rose before his eyes.

'What... the hell is that?'

[A Primordial God?!]

The moment he saw it, even without his soul’s horrified cry, the Illusion Demon knew instinctively.

If he stayed here a second longer, his mind would be devoured by that thing.

And as the fully risen abyss turned its back,

Illusion Demon's soul howled,

[NO!!]

***

Illusion Demon urgently pulled his hand away from Nawida's head.

His hand tore away fiercely, as if it had been firmly glued down.

Maybe it was the recoil?

Thud

Nawida’s body went flying and slammed onto the floor. She just lay there, totally limp.

Huff... huff... huff...

Illusion Demon panted while bent over. He’d been thrown out of her mind just as brutally.

"......"

It felt like his soul itself was out of breath.

"Clan Lord!"

His subordinate started to rush over, but he put up a hand to stop him.

And in that same posture, the Illusion Demon turned his head.

His eyes went beyond Illusion Demon Hall toward the distant Heavenly Demon Palace. The Cult Leader wasn't there anymore, so the building was now empty.

"......"

The Great Law that had been performed there...

He'd watched it clearly from beginning to end with his own two eyes.

But he didn't understand.

What the fuck had he just seen?

Behind the long golden hair that had fallen to cover his face, the Illusion Demon's azure eyes darted back and forth, as lost as he felt.

‘Heavenly Demon… what the hell did you leave inside that kid?’