The Heaven-Slaying Sword

“...I want to go to the Martial Arts Alliance.”

With those words hanging in the air, Tang Hwa-seo began recounting events from the past.

“That night, you must have heard the conversation between me and Tang Woonkyung. Yes, I was running away from the Tang Clan.”

She never went into details; the memories of her youth were too painful for Tang Hwa-seo, too filled with horrors she wished to forget.

Not to mention, opening up would be too damaging to her pride.

She didn’t want Mok Riwon to know about how she had cried and begged them to stop.

Thus, Tang Hwa-seo lightly skipped over her childhood and moved forward.

“When I met Young Hero Mok and left Suyang County, that day, I made a decision. I decided that I would no longer run from my past and wanted to live moving forward confidently.”

“…I see.”

Lifting her gaze, she met his eyes.

He offered her a warm, encouraging smile as if he were happy to listen to anything she told him.

“What do you need?”

“A position beyond the Tang Clan’s reach. That’s why I aimed for the Martial Arts Alliance.”

“The Martial Arts Alliance provides that?”

“Joining the Martial Arts Alliance and becoming a captain means protection. They’re known as the heart of the orthodox martial arts world, and from that moment, martial artists pledge their loyalty to the Alliance, leaving their old affiliations behind.”

“So, Young Lady wishes to become a captain in the Alliance?”

“I wanted to ensure the Tang Clan could never harm me.”

And with status, she hoped to eventually confront the Tang Clan, holding them accountable, now from a position of strength.

This Dragon Phoenix Tournament was her initial step toward that goal, and the trip to Shaolin was necessary for her plans.

It was to see the man who led the Alliance twenty years ago at the peak of the Bloodied History, because she needed a letter of recommendation from the Buddhist Star, Won-myeong.

“...After the Dragon Phoenix Tournament, I planned to set out on this journey and become a captain, which meant parting ways with Young Hero Mok. But…”

Tang Hwa-seo hesitated.

The time had finally come for her to tell him, but the words didn’t come out.

No matter how she thought about it, it seemed wrong.

“But?”

Mok Riwon encouraged her gently.

She nervously intertwined her fingers with his, then spoke.

“...I’ve started wishing for us to travel to the Alliance together. I want us to be together longer.”

It sounded disjointed, and Tang Hwa-seo realized this only after the words came out.

Blushing, her eyes flickered with embarrassment, her head lowered.

Her head started spinning, telling her to quickly fix her mistake.

However, the words she came up with in that short period weren’t exactly in proper form.

They weren’t beautifully put either.

They came out expressing her raw, heartfelt emotions.

“...I need you.”

“What do you…”

“I need you, Young Hero Mok.”

Tang Hwa-seo barely got those words out.

Without even knowing what she was saying, she spewed out whatever came to mind.

“So I want to go together. I want you… to go to the Martial Arts Alliance with me.”

She closed her eyes tightly, her heart pounding from the audacity of her request.

When one joined the Alliance, their allegiance also changed.

That meant that the moment he headed to the Alliance with her, his life might become chained to them, potentially against his will.

‘Even if he turns me down...’

It would be inevitable.

She prepared herself for rejection, feeling it was likely.

But then,

“Alright.”

“As expected… Wait, what?”

His agreement took her by surprise.

Mok Riwon agreed too easily.

Tang Hwa-seo doubted her own ears and wondered whether or not she was in a dream right now.

So she observed his expression.

She even asked him out of worry if he would really do it after properly considering the implications.

“Do you properly understand what I’m asking of you? Young Hero Mok, entering the Alliance is not something to think about lightly. Belonging somewhere is…”

“Didn’t I tell you? I will do anything you request of me, Young Lady.”

Mok Riwon smiled as gently as always.

“I said I will do it as long as it doesn’t go against chivalry and righteousness. Joining the Martial Arts Alliance aligns with those principles. No, rather, I believe it’s an act that strives for chivalry and righteousness. Don’t you think? Isn’t the Martial Arts Alliance a nest of heroes who run around day and night to maintain the order of the marital world in the Central Plains?”

“That story is...”

“And I also don’t want to part with you.”

Thump–

Tang Hwa-seo’s heart was pounding very loudly. It was moving very differently from the beating caused by the anxiety she felt until just before.

At that moment, she felt like her head was overloading from pondering what he was saying.

However, unfortunately, Mok Riwon didn’t let her continue thinking.

“I want to spend more time with you, Young Lady. Because there’s something I want to learn.”

“Learn...”

“Realistic chivalry. I don’t know it. The chivalry I know is the grandiose one that exists only in stories. I don’t dislike it, but I know. That reality is crueler than tales. That one person cannot become a hero just by chasing their dreams.”

Both Mok Seon-oh and Ma Il-seok had told him.

Although living with romantic ideals is what makes a hero, it didn’t mean to turn a blind eye to reality. A true hero should think about the chivalry that can be practiced in the reality they face.

“I want to understand chivalry. And I think Young Lady is the only one who can teach me that, because you are the most chivalrous person I know.”

Tang Hwa-seo was a realistic woman, but nonetheless, she was selfless.

She was someone who always thought, and also a person who pushed herself to improve.

That was why Mok Riwon liked Tang Hwa-seo.

He liked her personality.

The reason for saying these words wasn’t far from such sentiments either.

“I want to know you. I want to learn that chivalry by your side. If possible, in that process, I hope that the righteous Young Lady will be happy. Therefore, I won’t part with you.”

Tang Hwa-seo weakly laughed at his long words.

‘…Why do you speak in such a way that can be misunderstood?’

Mok Riwon’s words were being conveyed in such an ambiguous form.

Clearly he was praising her righteousness, but wasn’t he speaking too sweetly?

It was as if he were speaking in a way that wanted her to misunderstand.

“...You won’t regret this?”

“I consider meeting you the second biggest fortune that came to my life. And that feeling will not change. So I won’t regret it.”

“What was the first?”

“Being taken in by my master.”

Second to his master.

Not bad.

Upon realizing that he would remain by her side, she made an expression full of joy.

Tang Hwa-seo felt so overwhelmed by emotions that she expressed her gratitude with a trembling voice.

“...Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me at all. It’s only natural.”

“Nonetheless, thank you so much.”

Tang Hwa-seo let go of his hand and reached out her arms to hug him.

It was something she did after being overcome by emotions, but Tang Hwa-seo didn’t regret it.

There was such a cool and warm scent.

The scent of his body emanating from him made her feel more comfort than embarrassment.

On the night the Dragon Phoenix Tournament ended, the brightly risen moon hid behind the clouds, and on the slightly darkened earth, the shadows of a man and woman overlapped for a long time.

* * *

Three days flew by.

Unlike Tang Hwa-seo’s worries, it passed without incidents.

But Shexian was anything but calm.

After Mok Riwon’s victory, the city was so abuzz that there wasn’t even a moment of silence. The interest in Mok Riwon, who had finally shown his marvelous swordsmanship, was soaring.

Renowned clans and sects became even more aggressive in their approach.

Those waiting in the alleys Mok Riwon passed by were so excited that they came to the courtyard house where he resided.

If this place wasn’t run by the Namgung Clan, Mok Riwon would have already been harassed by those barging in to meet him.

Stepping outside had become a challenge.

However, unlike his lively disposition, Mok Riwon had remained unusually silent.

The reason was simple.

“Is he still inside?”

“Yes. Brother Mok is truly great. How is it he hasn’t taken even a single step out of that room for three days?”

“He said he was training.”

“I heard he was refining his enlightenment.”

“We have to leave soon, but he’s taking too long…”

Tang Hwa-seo glanced at the closed door with worry.

Still, it wasn’t like the door would open because she did that.

Mok Riwon had no time to pay attention to the two people waiting outside the door.

Ssssss–

The room was swirling with faint black qi.

Mok Riwon sat cross-legged at the center with his eyes shut.

Controlling his cultivation technique, he delved deeper into his meditative state.

Mok Riwon was siphoning through many enlightenments.

The words Sword King Namgung Hyuk had casually remarked, or the insights on swordsmanship he gained from his match, and even enlightenment on techniques he gained from using his true nature for the first time in his life.

‘I am just a swordsman.’

Nothing else.

The sword that descended cannot define me, and the heart that wields the sword is entirely my own. Even my true nature is ultimately just a fragment that makes up the ‘sword’, so I, as the swordsman, should not be swayed by it.

‘I really did it.’

He had found a clue in his fight with Namgung Jincheon.

The Heaven-Slaying star wasn’t completely uncontrollable.

In other words, this killing intent was a mania that could be overcome as long as the will of the swordsman was sufficient.

‘Killing intent, like the star, is part of the sword.’

As Mok Seon-oh had long taught him, and as Namgung Hyuk had told him, the star was, in the end, just a star.

This was merely a sword in his hand.

It had a truly hideous appearance, but even such a hideous sword would have a different nature depending on who wielded it.

‘Just a swordsman.’

Mok Riwon repeated it again and dove deeper into the Star God Technique, envisioning the celestial realm in his mind.

Ssssss–

A scene reminiscent of the dark night sky with three stars materialized in his mind.

Mok Riwon stared, reaching out with his hand and touching the third star's back.

A faint cluster of light began to form there.

‘May it be the Star of the Sword.’

Mok Riwon gave that name to the cluster of light.

As befitting the name, the newly engraved light twisted and turned, then began to blaze in the shape of a sword.

As it completely settled, the stars revolved.

From the first constellation, sequentially, following a fixed path.

The revolution of the stars continued. The image in his mind, which had barely been illuminated by the three constellations until now, emitted an even more dazzling light with the addition of the fourth constellation.

After feeling that the fourth star had properly settled, Mok Riwon opened his eyes.

As he exhaled deeply, his qi gathered.

Then, Mok Riwon’s shoulders relaxed comfortably.

He grinned.

‘It’s the fourth star.’

Although it couldn't be called a completed four stars yet due to his insufficient cultivative force, even that would be resolved in a few hours.

Mok Riwon didn’t bother suppressing his rising joy and stretched, then he stood up, dusting himself off.

Click–

He opened the door of the room.

There was Tang Hwa-seo and Zhuge San, who had already finished preparations and were waiting for him.

“Let’s go!”

With that shout, Mok Riwon stepped out of the room.

Their destination was the arena where the finals had been held.

Today, Mok Riwon would become a /genesisforsaken