Chapter 114

I was lying on the ground, approaching a sword that was blazing fiercely.

It was the last trace of resistance from someone who wouldn’t give up until the end, targeting only me, even knowing they were about to die.

I tore off the severed arm of Hwangbo Cheon, which was still tightly gripping the sword.

The Makya Sword. As soon as I grabbed it, the blade flickered like an old lightbulb burning out and then went dark.

Man, this really is a lightsaber.

I looked around.

Of course, in the middle of all this chaos, only a few Taoists who had tripped or been pushed too far to escape remained alive, trembling with fear while clutching their seals.

Right before Soo-oh swung her sword…

Hwangbo Cheon had gathered his subordinates behind him, ensuring a clean sweep through the enemy ranks.

Snow falling from the sky slowly accumulated along the newly formed deep ravine.

Now what?

After briefly pondering, I decided to head toward where the contractor was.

Even as I moved, none of the Taoists attacked me. They just clutched their weapons tightly, their faces pale with terror as they stared at me.

In the end, I wasn’t hit once until I left the area.

I climbed the hill, heading for the Main Hall of Cheonma Church.

From afar, I could see the Main Hall and the battle taking place above it.

With localized concentrated sword energy flashing across the sky, strangely enough, Cheonma might actually survive this.

Other than that…

Gapjae died after being hit by something resembling a gun. It wasn’t a seal using gunpowder but rather some kind of projectile slicing through the air. He didn’t stand a chance.

Since bullets travel faster than sound, by the time you hear them, it’s already too late. Of course, guns exist in this world, though they’re restricted to military use. People who’ve spent their entire lives at Cheonma Church wouldn’t know about them.

Because of this, many enforcers and hall masters, including Gapjae, failed to react properly and perished.

Still, for martial artists, seeing such projectiles for the first time is akin to encountering strange throwing stars.

Even so, after some casualties, those lower-ranked than Gapjae managed to put up resistance, though not enough to turn the tide of battle.

And then there was In-simwon.

This guy immediately retreated to his hideout and tried to activate defensive techniques. But since most of his devices relied on connections through the Hematoma Mystic Art operated by Fishmen, they didn’t work. The ones that did functioned merely to slow down enemies for a brief moment.

Still, he did everything he could.

But it seems they already knew about the presence of Daegon’s technology within Cheonma Church and had prepared countermeasures. Most of the devices either malfunctioned or were destroyed outright.

When Soo-oh died…

In-simwon was also killed by disciples of the Immortals, commonly referred to as Taoists. Despite being a hall master, he didn’t go down alone.

Thanks to this, I learned that those tracking In-simwon were indeed Taoists and that they were aware of Daegon’s tech.

There is a connection here.

Daegon once fought against the immortals of this world and lost. After fleeing into the ocean, he gradually rebuilt his strength.

Thus, these immortals had information on Daegon.

They discovered traces of Daegon within Cheonma Church through Jungjae-woo and Byeon-il. This is why they deployed so many immortals to ambush me.

At the very least, they believe Daegon is still alive.

The Tongcheon Sect Leader…

I was wary that someone calling themselves that might appear.

Guess they don’t know the city created by Daegon has already evaporated due to his rampage.

Well, it was built underwater by Daegon. For news of events there to reach Kunlun instantly would be strange indeed.

Whenever a Taoist dies, I gain warmth along with fragments of memories.

Though these fragments are scattered, when pieced together, they reveal a wealth of information.

Tongcheon Sect Leader. Heretical Sect. Sea Tiger Sect.

If these words describe Daegon and his followers, then their opposites are these:

Primordial Heavenly Sovereign. Celestial Sect. Mountain Sect.

The “Celestial” in Celestial Sect doesn’t refer to the sky but illumination. Even after their victory, they remained vigilant against remnants of the Heretical Sect, which is why so many Taoists were sent.

So, Hwangbo Cheon and his teacher, Cheongdojin, were Taoists and immortals from the Celestial Sect.

“Taoist” still refers to humans, whereas “immortal” denotes someone who has partially transcended the limits of mortality.

Surprisingly, not all immortals possess massive auras like Daegon. Cheongdojin was an immortal, yet his aura was ten times larger than what I observed in Hwangbo Cheon.

Hwangbo Cheon’s aura was already ten times greater than that of an average prosperous person.

So, it’s not exactly enormous.

Even someone at Cheongdojin’s level was rare back in the First World.

Or maybe they simply don’t use methods to amplify their auras.

Daegon’s aura was ridiculously huge. Considering how ingesting pills splits the pill maker’s light into the consumer’s aura…

Perhaps even the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign doesn’t have such a colossal aura.

Daegon voraciously consumed others’ lights to grow his own, but there’s a possibility that these guys defeated him without doing so.

Maybe the size of one’s light isn’t the sole indicator of pure strength.

Until now, bigger lights equaled more power, but that’s not necessarily true. At least, among the memories I’ve gained from Taoists and immortals, there’s no mention of grinding people into pills and consuming them.

Rather, they avoid meat and grains, favoring bitter herbs, mushrooms, beans, and fruits.

Not all immortals grow by consuming humans, obviously.

In fact, their methods seem alien compared to the Heretical Sect’s.

To sum up, Cheonma Church failing means it was destined to fail.

On one side, we have morality, purity, and the recognition of humanity. On the other, we have the extreme wickedness forged from distilled malice.

I don’t deny standing in an odd position just because there were good people among them. In fact, I am the epitome of that extreme wickedness.

At the very least, I don’t delude myself about what I am.

I’m a monster, plain and simple.

Time can’t be reversed; I can’t shape the world according to my thoughts, nor do I possess omnipotent powers to help everyone I meet.

I’ll never become a god.

Because I’m a monster.

For the sake of gaining warmth, I’d do anything.

Anything.

While thinking this, I watched as the sky turned dark violet and split in half, sending an immortal crashing to the ground.

SPLAT!

One of those shards landed beside me as I walked toward the Main Hall of Cheonma Church.

Only the left half of this man remained.

He’s an immortal too, one of the highly regarded Twelve Immortals of the Celestial Sect. However, he wasn’t particularly powerful, having only recently earned the title of True Person.

High above the Main Hall of Cheonma Church, Cheonma clashed with a formidable immortal.

Given how overwhelming Daegon was and how Cheonma barely held his ground against him, it seemed unlikely Cheonma could defeat the immortal. Surprisingly, he’s doing well.

As I reached the main building at the top of the hill, another immortal’s leg fell beside me.

This one wasn’t dead, just severed.

The brilliant purple sword beams illuminating the sky showed no sign of stopping, but the natural disasters surrounding them were gradually weakening.

Now, they’ve diminished to mere magic—like the occasional spells seen in the First World.

Just that level.

Cheonma will definitely survive.

But Cheonma Church is finished.

If there are no more Harvesters nearby, it’s over.

Of course, besides Cheonma, there are still Harvesters left.

The initial frontline infantry-like spear troops who used me as a bullet. Only nine remain, but they survived by avoiding strong opponents while venturing too deep into the Martial Arts Alliance’s territory.

Apart from them, Cheonma is the only Harvester still alive. Meaning, there are almost no proper members of Cheonma Church left.

Thinking about this, I looked up toward the top of the Main Hall where Cheonma stood.

A massive dark violet ring of light appeared above Cheonma Church.

From Cheonma’s perspective, someone muttered “Dark Ring” before being torn apart and dying.

The ring exploded outward, instantly dispelling the magical phenomena surrounding it.

Cheonma surveyed the area. Several immortals lay battered and broken everywhere.

Then Cheonma noticed me.

COUGH.

She coughed softly before approaching.

Soon, she stood before me.

She’s a mess.

Her blue skin is covered in wounds, and dark purple blood flows from various cuts.

Of course, her blood isn’t actually purple. Her crimson-stained clothes reveal the truth.

A long gash on her forehead has caused one eye to swell shut.

She asked me directly.

“Soo-oh?”

“Dead.”

Upon hearing my reply, Cheonma simply nodded. Then she tilted her head upward, though her gaze doesn’t land anywhere specific.

She’s lost in thought.

“What were her last words?”

Her tone implies she already knows the answer. Still, I decided to respond to her question first.

“Soo-oh’s Divine Art Choseul.”

At my words, Cheonma chuckled softly. She wiped the blood from her eye, though it was futile due to the excessive flow. Instead, she pressed against her wound.

But with her slightly cleaned eye, she fixed me with a direct stare.

“That’s enough for me, but there’s no way you’d make that face after hearing just that. What did she say before?”

Her tone suggests she knows me well. Unfortunately, I can’t read her thoughts directly. I can only gauge her reactions physically.

Given her current state, it’s hard to accurately deduce much.

So, I relayed the words I heard just before—the incantation.

Upon hearing them, she glanced toward where her home once stood.

For a brief moment, her gaze lingered there before moving beyond it.

The vast ravine where snow falls from the sky.

The place where Soo-oh died.

Then she looked at me.

Removing her hand from her wound, she stared at her blood-soaked azure palm before stepping closer.

THUD.

She pressed her bloody handprint onto my chest.

“I’d prefer placing it on your forehead, but unfortunately, my arm won’t lift any higher. Let my wish reside within Soo-oh’s.”

Amidst the approaching surviving immortals, filled with reverence and resolve, Cheonma cast a spell upon me.

“I planned to renounce the name Cheonma after three years and embark on a journey with you and Soo-oh to fulfill your wish. But things didn’t go as planned.”

Taking a small breath, Cheonma gazed skyward.

“I’ve always done this. But now, having swept away the futility of leaving nothing behind and done everything I could for those I love…”

She extended her sword forward with an arm hindered by her injuries.

“Unnamed one. Who am I?”

I know what’s coming.

Knowing full well, I replied thusly.

“Contractor. Cheonma.”

Cheonma smiled.

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