Black sleeves fluttered.
The wind tossed my hair, which hung long down to my waist, and made my clothes cling to my body.
I gripped the Yabak Stone Sword at my waist and looked at Guizhong.
"You remember the plan, right?"
"Of course, Lord Zhenwang."
"...I can’t help feeling like I’ve entrusted too much to you."
"Not at all. We must prevent the sacrifice of the people at any cost."
"...Yes. If it’s you, you should be able to buy us some time. Don’t forget the plan. Stall for as long as you can."
"Understood."
I gave Zhenwang a light bow, then turned around.
The camp of the Yaksha of the Mountain, ready to depart, was watching me.
The Yaksha of the Mountain and the immortals.
The team Guizhong had split off after clutching her head, so they could deal with the lord in one swift strike.
I turned my gaze to the other side.
The Yaksha, Ganyu, and me.
The team divided to rescue the people trapped by the Jiaolong of Qiaoying.
And the village’s defense would be handled by Marchosius, Guizhong, and Huiliya.
...Would this really be enough?
As if sensing my worry.
"Gumu."
...?!
The Yaksha of the Mountain spoke to me for the first time.
"I have burdened your shoulders with far too much. This war belongs to the gods."
...
I looked at the lord in silence, then opened my mouth.
"No. Aren’t you fighting this war for the sake of humanity? If I can lend even a little strength, I will."
"...Thank you. Then."
The Yaksha of the Mountain pulled a pure white hood over his head and turned away.
"Please take care of the people of Guili."
"......."
With those words,
the earth began to pulse.
The God of Stone struck the ground, announcing the declaration of war.
The body of the God of Stone slowly began to ascend.
At that, the immortals around the lord also shot into the sky by their own methods.
Only now did it feel real.
War.
Had begun.
As the lord flew off at tremendous speed, resonating with the earth, the immortals followed after him.
"Gumu."
Huiliya called to me.
"...Do not die. You brought me here. That means you must take responsibility to the end."
...Ha. Good grief.
"Of course, Lady Huiliya."
I lowered my head in a light bow, then cast my gaze toward Ganyu.
"...We should depart as well."
I said, looking at Ganyu, and she nodded with a tense expression.
I stepped on the empty air.
The wind supported me.
And I stood upon it.
The subtlety of [Void Treading], now fully ingrained in my body, wrapped around me.
I stepped with my other foot.
My body began to accelerate at tremendous speed.
"Everyone, move out!"
I shouted, cutting through the wind.
"All Yaksha of the Mountain! Follow Master!"
The Yaksha and Ganyu immediately began running to catch up with me.
Black sleeves flowed along my arms, slicing through the wind.
I quietly looked at those black sleeves.
They had been given to me by that child’s parents.
They had pulled me out of the black heart-demon that had tried to swallow me.
They had given me these black clothes.
It had all been possible because I met Giyeon.
I wrapped the Yabak Stone Sword in my black sleeves and steadied my emotions.
For now. I would do what I had to do.
I had taken up the sword. Let emotions flow away along the sword’s path, and think only of the objective.
I ran and ran, letting the wind spill left and right with ruthless speed.
I passed the place where I had looked up at the starry sky with Ganyu.
I passed the earth of salt where I had settled matters with Huiliya.
Everyday life drifted along with the wind.
It brushed lightly against my cheek.
Everyday life became a wind carrying a handful of the past, and passed me by.
Now it was time to face the blood-soaked present.
As I raced onward,
"...We’ve arrived."
I reached a point where Qiaoying was visible in the distance.
I looked back.
The Yaksha of the Mountain and Ganyu were breathing hard, apparently finding it difficult to keep pace with me.
With this many people, capturing a god was close to impossible.
So Guizhong must have planned for the lord to deal with the target in a short time, then immediately turn and seize the Jiaolong of Qiaoying.
There was only one thing we had to do.
Buy time. And save the people.
"All Yaksha of the Mountain. And Ganyu."
I said, gripping the Yabak Stone Sword tightly with tension.
"Remember the mission. No matter what happens to me, absolutely, absolutely focus only on rescuing the people. Understood?"
"...Understood, Master."
"Understood."
"...Yes, Master."
"...Yes."
"...But..."
Ganyu looked at me with a face that seemed ready to burst into tears at any moment.
"Can you really... do this?"
"...I’m not doing it because I can."
I looked down at my black clothes.
"...I’m doing it because I must."
At my words, Ganyu opened her mouth several more times, then gave up and quietly nodded.
"Everyone remember the mission. Move out!"
At my shout, all the Yaksha of the Mountain scattered in every direction and concealed themselves, while Ganyu hid her presence with immortal arts and melted into the air.
Now I...
Now I had to do what only I could do.
I drew in a deep breath.
Internal energy on the inhale.
On the exhale. Mind force!
"[Jiaolong!!!]"
A lion’s roar packed with pure mind force burst from my throat and shook Qiaoying.
The roar I had shouted with all my strength was only a moment, but it could imitate the voice of the Yaksha of the Mountain, which made the earth tremble.
And to that roar of mine,
the effect appeared immediately.
I could feel something crawling toward me, shaking heaven and earth.
An overwhelming pressure I had only felt a few times in my life.
That pressure was felt through my skin.
It was like a sharp killing intent scraping at my flesh.
Even as I drew my sword, I trembled before the overwhelming, tyrannical aura of a god.
The instant I drew my sword.
[The God] revealed itself.
A long body like a serpent’s.
A face resembling a dragon’s head, scattering an ominous aura mixed with purple and jet-black.
"What is this. I came out because I heard the voice of a god, and it’s just one black insect."
It was a light remark.
But the sinister force in that voice made me shudder lightly.
This was the full power of a god.
"Could it be that you were the one who called me?"
The crawling black dragon looked down at me.
"Answer me, insect."
As black mist began to pour from the god, an immense pressure started crushing me.
Endure... what?
Against this?
Against a god?
I wiped away the cold sweat running down my face and sharpened my will.
Focus.
What are you going to do if you break already!
I raised my sword.
And, as always.
"Oh?"
I pointed my sword at the impossible.
"Release the people of the lord, serpent."
"...Hah. A human imitating the voice of a god."
The lion’s roar, packed with mind force, pushed back the pressure by a little.
As the pressure faded, my mind began spinning like mad.
My opponent was a god. If I lost the initiative, it would be a certain defeat.
So I would begin first!
I stepped into the air.
The wind guided me.
The Yabak Stone Sword flowed along the sword path created by the wind.
And the footwork, infused with [Void Treading], reached the speed of sound in an instant.
Boom!
Leaping with a sonic crack, I swung my sword.
I would pour everything in!
Three Talents Sword Art.
First Form.
Rising Spirit to the Heavens!
Hundreds of sword energies bead at the tip of my blade like dew.
Startled by the energy that burst out like an explosion, the Jiaolong’s long body twitched.
The sword energies shot forth.
Hundreds of sword energies overlapped and overlapped until they became a single sword.
A massive shining sword came crashing down.
Under that attack, which seemed to mimic heavenly punishment, the Jiaolong shook off its scales and roared.
"GRAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Black mist gathered.
As if obeying its master’s command.
Under the massive shining sword.
A single pitch-black dragon rose up.
Its body was made of poison so dense it made the skin tingle.
It was a venom dragon.
The venom dragon opened its maw.
And swallowed.
My sword.
The light.
"...What the hell."
The curse slipped out on its own.
Darkness swallowed the light.
"Is that all? Human who resembles an immortal."
My attack was swallowed with absurd ease.
I gritted my teeth and swung my sword.
Mount-Pushing Evil, Black Severing Righteousness.
I will drive out evil as vast as a mountain.
And cut it down with my sword to set it right!
Three Talents Sword Art.
Second Form.
Mount-Pushing Evil, Black Severing Righteousness.
Evil cannot prevail over righteousness!
Sword energy gathered and gathered, then exploded, scattering grains of salt-like energy in all directions.
The pure mind force of evil cannot prevail over righteousness gathered at the tip of the sword drove out the poison!
Once more, I stepped my footwork and leaped.
Drawing near the speed of sound.
My sword, accelerated to an incredible speed, shot out.
And then.
It tore the venom dragon apart.
The poison lost its effect and collapsed under the blade forged by the pure principle of evil cannot prevail over righteousness.
"Oh! Immortal arts?"
The Jiaolong, admiring my display, gathered the black mist.
In response, I drew even more mind force to the tip of my sword and extended my arm.
Strike.
Advance.
Step.
Half a step!
Cut...!
Crash!
...?
"To think a human could reach this level. Amazing!"
It broke?
I stared blankly at the fragments of sword energy shattered and scattered in all directions.
The black spikes spat out by the Jiaolong as it shook off its scales had shattered every last sword energy imbued with mind force at the tip of my blade...
Impossible...
"But this is your first time facing a god, isn’t it."
The god laughed.
Absolute.
Unresistable.
Disaster and calamity.
This was a god.
Damn it...
"I’ll show you."
The black poisonous mist began to whirl and spin.
And then. It was formed.
A black spear that melted the earth.
A giant spear, packed full of poison, pointed at me.
"This is a god!"
It was fired.
I have to deflect it...!
I twisted my body in midair and set my stance.
Sword energy burst out explosively and wrapped around my blade.
Deflect it!
Lord of Rivers, Mountains, Wind, and Moon.
Let the flow follow me!
Three Talents Sword Art.
Third Form.
Overflowing Water, No Leak!
My sword and the pitch-black spear met.
And then.
Tudududuk.
...?!
All the threads snapped.
The flow I had tried to catch... reversed!
"No...!"
Kwaaaaaaang!
"Kuh...!"
My body, struck head-on by the spear, was hurled away at terrifying speed.
Boom!
Kwang!
How many times did I roll across the ground?
"Kraaaagh!"
My body was soon slammed into the ground and spat out red blood.
My insides were shaken to pieces.
Blood poured from my mouth, and the smell of iron filled it.
Worse still.
My skin darkened and began to rot.
What the hell...
Poison was invading my body? My body, which had achieved immunity to all poisons through bone-breaking transformation?
I wiped my mouth and stood up.
My insides were wrecked, but I could still endure.
I set my stance.
And once again, I was about to unleash my sword...
"Master?!"
...?!
A familiar voice called out to me.
"Yingda?! Why are you here! You should be rescuing the people first...!"
"What are you talking about?!"
I turned my head and looked at Yingda.
Around Yingda, the Yaksha of the Mountain and Ganyu were staring at me in shock.
In the Yaksha’s hands were people whose entire bodies had rotted black.
And in Ganyu’s arms was a familiar child.
...Giyeon?
"What?"
Only then did I look around.
Before I knew it.
I was in the middle of Mt. Qingshan.
It had blown me all the way here with a single attack?
A chill ran through my entire body in an instant.
This was... a god.
"Master?! Your blood...!"
"...Run."
I set my stance.
"Now!!!"
Ssssssssshhhk!
With a vicious sound that seemed to tear the air apart, a giant black spear came rushing in.
I gave up on perfectly deflecting it and would break it somehow!
I birthed hundreds of sword energies from the tip of my blade.
Three Talents Sword Art.
First Form.
Rising Spirit to the Heavens!
My technique, the one that had shattered the divine spear, was unleashed.
Layer upon layer.
It forged a single sword that could break the divine spear.
"Aaaaaaaah!!!"
Break it!!!
It soared upward.
A massive sword of light rose into the sky.
And then. They met.
The sword and the spear!
Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Darkness and light cannot coexist.
The darkness lost strength and scattered when it met the light.
I broke it...!
"Hah...hah...!"
I gasped for breath and clutched my sword.
"Oh dear. Is it already over?"
...!
"That was rather enjoyable."
Despairing.
All kinds of negative emotions began to cling to me like tar.
...No. No.
I raised my sword.
My disciples and Ganyu had not escaped yet.
I had to buy time.
"...Come."
I set my stance.
"Hm. Your mental fortitude is quite impressive for a human."
The Jiaolong looked down at me and laughed.
That smile was full of interest.
An ominous smile.
"That was fun. As thanks, I’ll turn you into one of 'my people' as well."
"...What?"
The serpent opened its maw.
Ominous.
Ominous!
"What...!"
"Karma. Obstruction."
A dark red force, like a rope, shot out at a speed I could not evade and burrowed into my mind.
"Kuh...!"
I clutched my head and collapsed.
H-how can karma be artificially...!
Kuh!
M-my...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
It’s burrowing in!
Karma!
Such an immense density of karma!
It’s burrowing into my head and trying to drag me down!
I have to... resist!
I struggled and forced my body back up.
"Oh! You can endure it!"
The serpent opened its maw again.
Ah, no...!
"Karma! Obstruction!"
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
I screamed, writhing all over from the agony of my mind being torn apart.
It sinks...
My mind slowly sinking somewhere.
And then I collapsed.
What is this?
I looked around.
It was dark.
Insanely dark.
There was no light.
Only darkness occupied the space.
Just like... that cave.
{Dark, isn’t it?}
...?!
Someone spoke to me.
Who are you!
{Hm. What should I say?}
Splash. Splash.
Something walked out.
I swung the light from the Yabak Stone Sword in my hand to illuminate the front.
A faint glow spread out, dimly lighting the way ahead.
...?
There,
{Long time no see.}
was 'me.'
...What is this.
{What do you mean, what is this? Can’t you tell? It’s your heart-demon.}
The heart-demon that looked like me grinned and shook its head.
{You really are a stubborn bastard. The usual 'me's you bring out, you just cut them down right away. Only after getting hit by layers upon layers of karma do you finally show a crack.}
...What are you talking about?
{Well... something like this?}
Snap!
The heart-demon snapped its fingers.
...!
And something grabbed my foot.
What?!
I hurriedly looked down to see what had seized my foot.
It was.
Me.
Countless 'mes' were grabbing me.
And trying to drag me down.
{Don’t remember? To escape that goddamn cave, every time a heart-demon appeared, you cut it all down. Along with your past memories. You really didn’t know why you had no memories?}
The heart-demon laughed as it loosened its body.
{You killed 'me' a total of 999 times. I’m your thousandth heart-demon.}
...Heart-demon?
So right now...
I had been swallowed by a heart-demon?
The heart-demon laughed and slashed the air with a jet-black sword.
There was clearly not a single ray of light,
but the jet-black sword was emitting a strange black radiance.
Beyond the background cut horizontally open, the scenery outside could be seen.
{Rest for a while. 'The real you.'}
Damn it! I can’t let go of this!!!
I resisted and threw punches in every direction, but...
I sank.
Down below.
---------
"...Hm?"
The Jiaolong of Qingshan looked toward Gumu at the strange aura it had suddenly sensed.
"...I must have misread it."
"Nope?"
Gumu slowly rose to his feet.
As if nothing had happened.
"...?"
The Jiaolong stared blankly at Gumu, seemingly unable to understand the situation.
"Wow. What kind of junk is 'the real me' even swinging around?"
Gumu suddenly threw the Yabak Stone Sword in his hand to the ground.
Seeing him discard his only weapon on his own, the Jiaolong clicked its tongue and said, "...Has he gone mad from karma? What a shame..."
"Nope? I’m not crazy."
Gumu looked up at the Jiaolong brazenly and said, ""
"...Hah."
The Jiaolong laughed in disbelief and formed a giant black spear.
But even then, Gumu was smiling.
"Die. So you were just a madman after all."
"Eh. Killing me right after I just came out is a little cowardly, don’t y—"
Kwaaaaaaang!
The black spear slammed into the earth.
The ground trembled, and a terrain-shattering scar was carved into it.
"Hmph. I should just recover the people of Morax then."
The Jiaolong turned its back.
"...!"
It sensed something.
It was an aura of the same kind as its own.
"Wow. Now this is it. As expected, 'the real me.'"
Dark red energy poured ominously from Gumu’s body.
And all over Gumu’s body, jet-black sword energies had sprouted like thorns.
"Why was I not wielding these things when I had them in my hands..."
He looked like a monster.
The Jiaolong, tense without realizing it, opened its mouth.
"...Who are you."
"Ah. Me? Hmm... Ah! Right! Since I’m the thousandth heart-demon..."
A human made of hundreds of razor-sharp sword blades stepped forward.
"Call me the Thousand Demon!"
"...Huh?"
The Jiaolong of Qingshan looked toward Gumu at the strange aura it had suddenly sensed.
"...I must have misread it."
"Nope?"
Gumu slowly rose to his feet.
As if nothing had happened.
"...?"
The Jiaolong stared blankly at Gumu, seemingly unable to understand the situation.
"Wow. What kind of junk is 'the real me' even swinging around?"
Gumu suddenly threw the Yabak Stone Sword in his hand to the ground.
Seeing him discard his only weapon on his own, the Jiaolong clicked its tongue and said, "...Has he gone mad from karma? What a shame..."
"Nope? I’m not crazy."
Gumu looked up at the Jiaolong brazenly and said, ""
"...Hah."
The Jiaolong laughed in disbelief and formed a giant black spear.
But even then, Gumu was smiling.
"Die. So you were just a madman after all."
"Eh. Killing me right after I just came out is a little cowardly, don’t y—"
Kwaaaaaaang!
The black spear slammed into the earth.
The ground trembled, and a terrain-shattering scar was carved into it.
"Hmph. I should just recover the people of Morax then."
The Jiaolong turned its back.
"...!"
It sensed something.
It was an aura of the same kind as its own.
"Wow. Now this is it. As expected, 'the real me.'"
Dark red energy poured ominously from Gumu’s body.
And all over Gumu’s body, jet-black sword energies had sprouted like thorns.
"Why was I not wielding these things when I had them in my hands..."
He looked like a monster.
The Jiaolong, tense without realizing it, opened its mouth.
"...Who are you."
"Ah. Me? Hmm... Ah! Right! Since I’m the thousandth heart-demon..."
A human made of hundreds of razor-sharp sword blades stepped forward.
"Call me the Thousand Demon!"
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