The Demonic Supreme Sword Novel - Chapter 68

Chapter 68
## Chapter 68: The Supreme Sword of the Demonic Path (3)

“Wait, what are those fools planning?”

Ju Yu Geol, an Elder of the Beggars’ Sect, squinted as he spoke. At the sound of his voice, Namgung Kyung shifted his attention.

“If my vision isn’t failing me, it appears they are in full retreat.”

“So it seems.”

“They are leaving their own to die while they flee? Typical behavior for those Demon Cult scoundrels. They truly are nothing but filth.”

While Ju Yu Geol spat on the ground in disgust, Namgung Kyung maintained a detached perspective on the battlefield.

“It might simply be a calculated move.”

“You call abandoning their brothers-in-arms a ‘calculation’?”

Ju Yu Geol glared at him, but Namgung Kyung simply gestured toward the senior in black robes who was currently charging at Sima Geon.

“When facing a foe that cannot be overcome, saving what remains of your strength is a logical strategy.”

Ju Yu Geol scowled at the elder in black, then his expression softened slightly as he considered the point.

“So the commander offers his life to ensure his men survive? Hmph, I suppose that makes sense. You might be right—it’s the only hand they have left to play.”

The pressure radiating from the elder in black was not the usual thirst for blood or dominance. Instead, it was a calm, final determination—a man who had moved past the concepts of winning or losing and was simply fulfilling a final duty.

“The real shock is that those two managed to corner a man of his caliber into such a desperate choice. Their prowess is truly terrifying.”

Namgung Kyung looked back and forth between Sima Geon and Cheol Woo, who were tearing through the Blood Demon Division with terrifying efficiency. He couldn’t hide the respect in his eyes; these were warriors capable of changing the fate of the world.

“Agreed. How did we miss the fact that the Demon Cult was harboring such monsters?”

The reach of the Beggars’ Sect was legendary, supposedly seeing everything under the sun. Even if their influence had slipped lately, they shouldn’t have been blind to this. Yet, names like Sima Geon and Cheol Woo had never crossed his desk.

Ju Yu Geol felt a sting to his reputation, annoyed that such powerhouses had avoided the Beggars’ Sect’s eyes.

“Who can say? Perhaps we knew of them but couldn’t put a name to the face. We’ve never crossed paths with them until today.”

“That’s a fair point. It’s possible.”

Ju Yu Geol’s face relaxed as he accepted Namgung Kyung’s reasoning over the alternative—that his intelligence network had failed.

Suddenly, Namgung Kyung, who had been focused on Cheol Woo’s devastating movements, let his eyes go wide with shock.

“That style!”

“What is it?”

Ignoring the question, Namgung Kyung stayed locked on Cheol Woo. After a tense silence, he let out a heavy breath.

“Ha! I should have known it was them.”

“You’ve encountered them before?”

“Not officially, but our paths crossed during the mission to eliminate the Golden Fox Bandit Lair.”

“The Golden Fox Bandit Lair? I remember that. They caused quite a stir before the Namgung Clan leveled the place.”

Namgung Kyung gave a dry, humorless laugh and shook his head.

“The stories were wrong. It wasn’t our main branch that took down the Golden Fox Bandit Lair—it was those two. Though they wore different faces back then.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Disguises. They clearly didn’t want the world to know who they were.”

“Then how can you be sure if they were masked?”

“We had a brief, violent misunderstanding. I traded blows with that one.”

Namgung Kyung indicated Cheol Woo.

“His strength was overwhelming even then. And just now, I saw him execute the exact same move. I doubted it at first, thinking it was a coincidence, but now there is no doubt.”

“Understood.”

“In truth, even without seeing the technique, I should have realized sooner. A person’s soul and presence don’t change, regardless of the mask. I can’t believe I was so blind.”

As Namgung Kyung cursed his own lack of perception, Ju Yu Geol looked at him with a shrug.

“If they looked like different people, how could you have known? Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

‘You think escape is an option? Not while I’m standing here, Loyal Demon Division.’

With a fluid motion, Sima Geon ended the life of the Thunderclap Elder Left Protector, then turned his cold gaze toward the retreating Loyal Demon Division.

In the hierarchy of the Heavenly Demon Cult, no unit was closer to the Divine Demon Division than the Loyal Demon Division.

They had bled together in the wars of unification, saving each other’s lives more times than could be counted. They were brothers who would normally share a bottle of wine and trade stories of glory. Having to hunt them down felt like a tragedy.

But his hesitation lasted only a heartbeat.

The Divine Demon Division weren’t just soldiers to him; they were his family, his brothers from Black Dragon Valley. The moment the Thunderclap Division turned their blades on his kin, those old ties were burned to ash.

Sima Geon threw his weapon.

The blade, slick with the blood of Demon Duke Ho and the Left Protector, turned into a streak of silver light as it whistled toward the back of the Loyal Demon Division.

“Look out!”

The elder in black, surprised that Sima Geon would ignore him to strike the fleeing men, shouted a warning and launched his own sword in interception.

As a high elder of the Heavenly Demon Cult, his skill was such that even the Sword Saint Namgung Kyung only held a slight edge against him. Even with the late start, his blade flew to cut off the trajectory of Sima Geon’s attack.

Just as the elder’s sword was about to knock the projectile aside, Sima Geon’s blade defied physics and veered sharply upward. The elder’s sword followed, trying to keep up.

However, Sima Geon’s mastery of Spirit Sword Control was far beyond the elder’s imagination.

The sword danced through the air, weaving through the elder’s defense with impossible agility before plunging into the rear ranks of the Loyal Demon Division.

“Aaaargh!”

“Gack!”

The sound of dying men filled the air.

Those caught in the path of the flying blade fell like harvested wheat.

Despite the chaos and the screams of their fallen friends, the Loyal Demon Division didn’t slow down. Their commander, Loyal Demon Division Leader Oro, kept them moving with iron discipline. He knew that stopping meant total annihilation. They had committed to the retreat, and his only job now was to save as many as possible.

Sima Geon pulled his sword back to his hand after taking down a dozen men. He realized that as they scattered into the dense forest, even his Spirit Sword Control wouldn’t be able to catch them all.

As he prepared to give chase, the elder in black stepped into his path. His own sword had returned to his hand, though his face was tight with the failure of his previous intervention.

“Enough blood has been spilled.”

“You think you can stop me?”

“That is the reason I stayed behind while they fled.”

“It’s a shame. That we have to meet like this.”

“I feel the same. I had a heavy heart when I left the sanctuary of the cult.”

The elder in black offered a weary, bitter smile.

“Why go through with this betrayal? The elder I remember was a man of honor.”

“Betrayal? I have served only one master from the beginning—the true successor of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor. This is simply the world returning to its proper order.”

“The successor… you’re referring to Gwan Ung?”

The elder’s eyes sharpened at the mention of the name.

“You are acquainted with the Lord?”

“Is that what you call him now? It seems your coup of the Heavenly Demon Cult is complete. I don’t know him well. He claimed to be someone of importance, so I thought I’d ask.”

Sima Geon gestured toward Cheol Woo, who had finished off the Blood Demon Division and was now dismantling the reinforcements that had arrived.

“The Diamond Yaksha. The Lord wanted him by his side. I had to convince him not to approach; that man strikes first and asks questions never.”

The elder in black let out a soft sigh.

“It seems no one understands Cheol Woo’s nature better than you.”

Sima Geon gave a small, grim smirk, then his face went cold.

“What happened to your previous leader?”

“……”

The elder’s silence was the only answer needed.

“The way it happened was foul, but he was still my superior. He honored the old pacts. But your biggest mistake was laid on the Divine Demon Division.”

“I regret that choice as well. But once the Divine Demon Division Leader turned down the Lord’s invitation, there was no other path.”

“If he had accepted, he wouldn’t be fit to lead them. Who was it? Who was the Leader?”

“Yeon Jeokju.”

“Ah.”

Sima Geon felt the air leave his lungs. He hadn’t expected that name.

It wasn’t a question of talent.

Yeon Jeokju was the most formidable and battle-hardened warrior in the division after Sima Geon and Cheol Woo. He was the natural choice.

But while most members were there because they had no other life, Yeon Jeokju had a home and a family he remembered vividly. He had every reason to walk away.

‘Haha! I’ll stay a while longer. I’ve waited years; what’s a bit more time? If you and that guy leave, these kids will be lost. As the eldest, I have to see them settled before I go.’

Thinking of Yeon Jeokju’s parting words felt like a physical blow to Sima Geon’s chest.

He was a man of too much heart for a group like the Divine Demon Division. He had stayed out of pure devotion to his brothers.

Seeing the grief on Sima Geon’s face, the elder in black remained silent. He knew there was no room left for words or deals.

Suddenly, a massive explosion of sound and a final scream echoed from the other side of the field.

The elder watched as his elite experts were tossed aside like broken dolls by Cheol Woo’s strikes. He slowly raised his blade, Blue Wolf, and pointed it at Sima Geon.

“It is time for us to finish this.”

Sima Geon raised his own sword, his expression unreadable.

“I am aware you possess greater strength than I. But do not be overconfident. I am not an easy opponent to kill.”

With that, the elder made his move.

In a duel of this level, it was customary for the younger warrior to let the elder strike first out of respect. But the elder in black knew he was the underdog.

He immediately poured his entire being into the Death Spirit Twelve Resolutions. It was his ultimate technique, the one he trusted above all others.

Dark, suffocating sword qi poured from Blue Wolf, seeking to swallow Sima Geon whole.

The elder’s power was on a different level than Demon Duke Ho or the Left Protector. Those men were strong, but the elder was a true master of the cult.

“Hyah!”

Despite being over eighty years old, his attack was relentless.

The killing intent he projected was freezing, and the sword qi expanded to cover a ten-foot area, choking the very air out of the clearing.

Then, from the center of the storm that should have crushed him, Sima Geon struck back.

A brilliant blue light erupted from his blade, shattering the darkness that the elder had conjured.

Boom!

The impact created a shockwave that rattled the teeth of everyone nearby.

A massive cloud of dust kicked up, hiding both men from view.

Before the dust could even begin to settle, the elder pushed forward again. But the blood running down his chin and his strained face showed he was hurting.

“Death Spirit Web Emergence!”

He gritted his teeth and funneled every last drop of his inner energy into the final move of the Death Spirit Twelve Resolutions. It was a do-or-die strike.

“Heh.”

From his vantage point, Namgung Kyung let out a low groan.

This was a move the elder hadn’t used in their own skirmish. Just the sight of it made his skin crawl.

‘Could I have countered that?’

He wouldn’t have been defeated instantly, but stopping it cleanly? He wasn’t sure.

The power behind the strike was monumental.

But then, something impossible happened.

Sima Geon didn’t retreat or parry; he lunged directly into the heart of the killing zone.

Cries of disbelief rang out from the observers.

To anyone watching, it looked like suicide.

The elder in black thought the same thing.

‘Is he that arrogant?’

A flicker of hope for victory flared in his mind.

It vanished a second later.

“Gah!”

The elder gasped in pain.

His eyes were wide with shock as he stumbled backward.

He had been the one to strike. He had used the absolute peak of his martial arts. Sima Geon should have been shredded to pieces—so why was his own chest burning with such agony?

He looked down, trying to understand.

There was no visible wound at first, but then a light breeze blew past.

His heavy robes suddenly split apart, and a line of crimson appeared on his skin.

The elder pressed a shaking hand to his chest.

The blood quickly turned from a trickle to a flood, soaking his palms.

‘When did he… how?’

There were no answers forthcoming.

He looked at Sima Geon, hoping for a final explanation.

“You may rest now.”

Sima Geon gave a small, respectful bow. But they weren’t the answers the elder wanted.

The elder’s sword slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the dirt. A moment later, his body followed, the secrets of Sima Geon’s strike dying with him.