The Heaven-Slaying Sword

The scent of blood thickened, the pounding of his heart grew louder, and the pressure that once weighed down heavily on his body was now transforming into a pleasant delight.

Despite having only peeled away the first layer, the sensations were already this thrilling.

Mok Riwon felt his heartbeat accelerate with the rising ecstasy.

Just one more layer.

Just a little further.

A craving rose within him, whispering to him to indulge in this intoxicating sensation.

He bit down on his lip until it bled.

…Pull yourself together.

It’s not a cocoon to be shed off on a path of carnage.

What he desired from this match was to prove his own righteousness.

To declare that the sword exists for chivalry, not for tyranny.

For that purpose...

I must become the trial itself.

Mok Riwon couldn’t allow himself to recklessly swing his sword with killing intent in the arena.

Sword Dragon…

I’ll apologize later.

After all, it was he who had pushed him to this point, seeking to draw out his killing intent.

Mok Riwon fixed his gaze on Namgung Jincheon.

This time, he didn’t swing his sword indifferently.

Annoyingly enough, Namgung Jincheon became increasingly cautious as he perceived the change.

I don’t have much time.

The longer he dwelled in this state, the more devastating the aftereffects.

This sensation would extend and continue to torment him, therefore he had to end this match quickly.

“If you won’t come to me, I will go to you.”

With those words, Mok Riwon stepped forward.

Clang–!

Their swords collided.

* * *

The transformation made no sense; it wasn’t a physical change, but rather a shift on an intuitive level.

Therefore, it was extremely troublesome for Namgung Jincheon.

The path of his sword has altered.

It had become sharper, more intricate–no, more ruthless.

Mok Riwon’s were a blur; his sword lashed out and withdrew in the blink of an eye.

Similar to his previous match with Hyungong, he cornered his opponent with the strong sword, suddenly switched to the swift sword, and then confused the enemy’s judgment with the phantom sword.

The aggression was relentless.

But that wasn’t the real issue.

Something else held Namgung Jincheon back from attacking.

His strength is draining.

Mok Riwon’s onslaught was seemingly meant to unsettle him, as if he was aiming for something.

Even amid the flurry of attacks, he left subtle openings that could be exploited.

He needed to be careful.

However, Namgung Jincheon couldn’t do that.

…Me?

Because his pride told him otherwise.

His star, which had always reigned supreme, was rejecting the very act of being intimidated by the opponent’s bait.

Instinct was telling him.

Strike through that opening and vanquish your foe decisively.

Show the overwhelming difference that lies between you.

Namgung Jincheon did not resist.

Whatever he attempts, I’ll crush it.

With that conviction, he swung his sword.

…That was a mistake.

* * *

In the spectator seats, Tang Hwa-seo was gazing vacantly into the arena.

She wasn’t alone in this.

The entire venue, previously alive with cheers, abruptly fell silent.

Like the natural reaction of a human when they encounter something they could not comprehend, they froze in shock.

“What in the world is that…?”

Hyeun those words muttered beside Tang Hwa-seo.

Yet, there came no reply.

No one present could grasp the move unfolding before them.

Clang–!

Namgung Jincheon's sword swung down, parried by Mok Riwon’s strong sword, which ‘was’ a swift sword.

He wasn’t merely finishing the current movement and fluidly transitioning to another.

If that were all, they would not have been so shocked.

“The sword… changed.”

Before completing the motion of his swift sword, Mok Riwon imbued a different property.

He decelerated the rapidly falling blade to almost a halt, then sharply reversed its course and slashed upwards.

All while imparting a greater force into that blade.

“…That doesn’t even make sense.”

Hyeun was stunned.

That was impossible.

Such a maneuver, swinging in reverse of the sword’s path and adding greater strength, was theoretically and logically impossible.

But when such a phenomenon was happening right before her eyes, how could she remain sane?

It wasn’t just some anomaly.

Hyeun was well aware, because she herself was a prodigy known as the White Phoenix, and a swordsman destined to lead this generation.

The moment one realized that the sword could change even mid-swing, the person facing it would be confronted with the most terrible problem in the world.

For a swordsman, this was cruel beyond any torture.

Clang–

This time, Namgung Jincheon’s down-swinging sword was weakly deflected by a heavy sword seamlessly transitioning into a phantom sword.

“That is…”

“The Sword Dragon can’t block that.”

“…Why?”

“Because he doesn’t know.”

Tang Hwa-seo’s eyes narrowed.

Hyeun continued speaking without giving her even a glance.

“Because he doesn’t know when, at what point, or how the sword will change, the Sword Dragon cannot exert his full strength.”

“What does that mean?”

“Consider this Benefactor Tang. Facing such a swordsman, how would you confront them? If your opponent were to move in a way where you do not know when, at what point, and in what way their form will change, how can your fist reach that sword? Can you bend your waist if the sword is swung horizontally? Can you sidestep if it’s swung vertically? What if the blade becomes a mere blur?”

Tang Hwa-seo’s breath stopped.

Even so, Hyeun continued.

“If that were all, it could be accepted in good taste. But it’s far worse. Not just the direction, but the speed, the weight, and even the property all change. And to top it off, the power intensifies. So how can you thrust your sword there? A fatal misstep and you’ll die right away, so how can you do that?”

In Hyeun’s voice, there was a trace of indignation, a deep-seated frustration with the irrationality.

Something like that…

It was unsurpassable.

No matter the effort, the yearning, the struggle, it was an unbreachable barrier.

That was a move that could only be executed with innate intuition and talent.

A sense of helplessness and powerlessness weighed down on Hyeun, her gaze already turning towards Namgung Jincheon.

If just watching is like this…

What would it be like on the receiving end?

Hyeun couldn’t even imagine that feeling.

* * *

Namgung Jincheon was someone who ruled over every moment of his life.

The Emperor’s Star that had been with him since birth dictated as much.

His blue eyes, embodying the vast skies the Namgung Clan revered, marked him as the master of the Namgung Clan from birth.

The martial talent that descended with the star was beyond extraordinary, so he had been a winner for as long as he lived.

Thus, Namgung Jincheon was not grateful for the spiritual elixirs that came his way.

They were rewards he was entitled to because of his marvelous talent.

He held no admiration for the martial arts masters above him.

After all, he was destined to surpass them in just a few years.

Guided by the star of a ruler, Namgung Jincheon was just walking along the perfect plan.

Perhaps this was the root of his heartlessness, his quickness to boredom, and his current inability to grasp this unfolding scenario.

Clang–!

Once again, the sword was deflected powerlessly.

At this moment, Namgung Jincheon faced an emotion he had never felt even once in his life.

It didn’t work?

The disorientation of not a clear path forward.

The frustration of looking at a goal seemingly out of reach.

The Emperor’s Star which showed his path ahead so perfectly was becoming a curse to him at this moment.

Even if he wanted to turn a blind eye, Namgung Jincheon had no choice but to know.

The move Mok Riwon was executing right now was something he could never replicate.

Clang–!

The dissonance between blade and belief, the sword tip blurring with reality, induced an earth-shattering foreboding.

I... will lose?

Defeat loomed ahead.

It plunged him into an unprecedented sense of despair and emptiness.

His past actions of wandering in search of stimulation now seemed utterly absurd.

His boredom was the curse of his excessive blessing.

For the first time, Namgung Jincheon faced his deep-seated dread of defeat and failure.

Clang–!

Yet, even amidst this revelation, his arm moved.

It was desperation.

A desperate struggle to not be defeated.

However, ultimately, it was a futile endeavor.

Clang–!

Because Mok Riwon’s sword was forged at the end of an ascetic practice that Namgung Jincheon couldn’t even imagine.

Mok Riwon had learned nothing.

It was just an infinite continuation and exploration of the fundaments, fundaments, and more fundaments.

That was why Mok Riwon was thirsty for application.

This sword was something that emerged only at the end of that long thirst.

Mok Riwon analyzed the only sword dance he knew, not separating form from the basics, nor movements within the basics, but breaking down the movements themselves into pieces and splitting them into tens of thousands of branches.

Reassembling those scattered pieces into infinite forms, he continued that ascetic practice endlessly for more than a decade after learning the sword, to form this blade.

Clang–!

The result was terrifying.

Mok Riwon’s sword posed a question within its fleeting moment of descent, containing tens of thousands of possibilities.

It made the opponent constantly second guess where this sword was headed next, driving them into despair.

His sword endlessly forced a choice that must never be wrong even once.

Clang–!

Namgung Jincheon looked into his eyes, then his sword.

His thoughts were already concentrated to the point he couldn’t focus any further.

The momentary instant was already stretching close to infinity.

It was a level of concentration where Mok Riwon’s sword had almost seemed to come to a standstill.

However, even so, Namgung Jincheon couldn’t find the answer.

The phantom sword? Strong sword? Or will it remain the swift sword?

The myriad possibilities froze him in a moment outside time.

If he slashed upwards like this, that sword would curve and pierce his waist.

If he tried to block by bringing his sword near his body, that sword would aim below.

If he unleashed his qi to take the initiative, that sword would be shot out faster by redirecting that power.

As the possibilities swirled, Namgung Jincheon continued to ponder the neverending uncertainties.

He gradually lost his footing amidst the endless doubts.

The more he did, the more his final conclusion solidified into one.

Incomprehensible.

Mok Riwon’s sword transcended the realm of understanding.

Namgung Jincheon’s eyes rolled over and looked at his.

For a moment, Mok Riwon’s eyes seemed to be blood-red.

Shiver–

Namgung Jincheon felt a chill running through his entire body.

Ah...

Unknowingly, he lost the strength in his hands.

Even so, the sword flew out again, demanding an answer.

And this time, Namgung Jincheon chose wrong.

Clang–!

His sword split in two, the broken pieces soaring skyward as sounds dimmed and his vision tunneled.

…I lost.

The harsh reality dawned.

Here was a frog.

A frog that confined itself in a well, thinking it was the whole world.

The frog named Namgung Jincheon one day looked at the shadow cast over the well.

Not knowing what it was, he approached the shadow, just assuming it was of the well where he reigned supreme.

And this was his awakening.

Thus, in his hubris, he finally realized.

Beyond the well, which he thought was the whole world, a viciously cruel snake was lurking in wait.

Swish–

Mok Riwon brought his sword before Namgung Jincheon’s throat.

[I-INK SWORDDD!!! WIIINNNS!!!]

Mok Riwon smiled.

“I won.”

On a certain day, at the late age of twenty-two, Namgung Jincheon learned /genesisforsaken