Chapter 43

The six individuals who entered were priestesses dressed in white, dancing the sword dance that graced the conclusion of the martial arts festival.

Since coming to this world, they were also successors of the Harmonious Sword Technique (棗花劍法), one of the sword techniques I created that could be ranked among the best.

‘They are my first masterpieces created in the human world.’

Those who had transcended the realm of sword intent and reached a level where they could show a blooming illusion.

In the martial arts world, they resided in the domain of the chosen ones, the peak realm.

Among the disciples who came under me, only Priegoss and Duberv reached the realm of the second tier.

Considering their age of initiation into martial arts and the absence of special elixirs, their level of growth was remarkably fast for the two.

Naturally, no ‘humans’ had yet reached the peak realm.

‘Among the “humans.”‘

Outside, they might seem quaintly referred to as ‘the priestesses of life,’ but their true identity was that they were succubi, sisters, and kin of Alia.

Lamia and the four succubi who surrounded me at the time, along with one who was not present.

Having survived for centuries on the Eastern continent, they possessed significant energy within them.

In terms of quantity, perhaps about three times that of the forest keeper elf from back when I left the forest?

While their abilities were quite modest for survivors of centuries of war, the difference from the perspective of humans was immense.

‘So Priegoss always felt regret.’

Priegoss was not an idealist.

Even if he hoped for humans to become stronger in the distant future, he would not turn away from the powerful sword before him due to that belief.

However, Alia and the succubi had to be Priegoss’s hidden sword.

The kin of Ul Kanadiel generally radiated an aura that felt evil and was to be avoided by the beings of nature.

And the nature of the succubi was… well… lewd? Something along those lines.

Even Alia, who controlled her energy well, exuded a subtle seduction that would be hard for human men to endure.

Roa’s hunt was impossible with just humans alone, and the help of succubi was essential.

Thus, Roa’s hunt was only conducted with trusted soldiers under Priegoss.

It wouldn’t be beneficial to let the public know that we were closely associated with women flying through the sky with ominous bat wings, exuding an evil aura.

And when Priegoss began to study under me, he asked me a question regarding those succubi.

‘With martial arts, can we change those children’s dispositions?’

Priegoss wanted to bring the succubi, the most important force on the human side, into the light.

After that, I began to ponder.

The theory of martial arts that could govern the succubi’s dark energy and transform it into something positive.

Above all, there was a need to change the essence of the negative energy close to the devil in the teachings of the central continent’s martial arts.

A group embodying the principle of demolishing evil and revealing the righteous.

Thus, the concept I came up with was one of martial arts imbued with religious colors.

The unarmed arts carrying religious significances had developed significantly in the central continent.

Notably, the Shaolin Temple of the Buddhist sect was one of the most prominent among the large martial arts sects known as the Nine Great Sect.

The Tao of Zhang Sanfeng, a grand master compared to Bodhidharma of Shaolin.

If you include the demonic cults such as the Blood Cult, it was a school of martial arts that covered a very diverse realm.

After all, magic and martial arts were not separate disciplines.

In any case, wanting to bring succubi into the light, it was not permissible to teach them magic.

I had no real desire to create something like magic, and naturally began to reference the martial arts of the Buddhist or Taoist schools.

Any of them would have sufficed, but the one I drew the most reference from was the martial arts of the Huoshan Sect.

Though the Shaolin and Wudang martial arts also held exceptional philosophies, the fundamental concepts were alien to this world, and the foundational knowledge was lacking.

In comparison, the philosophies of the Huoshan martial arts were grounded in the earth.

The Huoshan was a perilous mountain range among the Five Peaks of the central continent.

Moreover, it was an incredibly harsh environment, making it difficult to survive for a secular school that possessed religious inclinations like the Huoshan.

The Plum Blossom Sword Technique, which represented the Huoshan, was born in such an environment.

The practitioners from Huoshan had likely identified themselves with the plum tree, which blossomed despite the harsh natural conditions, breaking the frozen ground fearlessly and adding fragrance to the mountains.

One day, they, too, probably harbored a desire to bloom like that after overcoming difficult trials.

They believed that the Plum Blossom Sword Technique was not merely a technique but a philosophy-based form of martial arts created by the aspirations of those living on that land.

While it was true that Shaolin and Wudang were exceptional, I wanted to create philosophies and thoughts that were entirely from this world, not from otherworldly concepts.

Therefore, I chose the fundamental philosophy of the Huoshan Sect.

The passionate aspiration felt when those who tread this land see ‘something.’

I needed ‘something’ that would become the foundation of martial arts.

The discovery was not difficult.

The fact that something could be made that everyone could see and feel meant it was close enough.

When I saw that tree, it resembled a palm tree from the central continent.

Trees that exhibited tremendous vitality growing in barren sandy lands where nothing else seemed to thrive.

The fruits dangling from the branches, seemingly ready to break, exuded a sweet scent.

Date palm tree.

The tree that grew in that territory was referred to as ‘the tree of life.’

In Pohelrn, dried dates were widely distributed.

If asked what the most valuable crops were in the human world, barley and date palms would be the answer.

‘Let’s use this.’

Just as the Taoists of the Huoshan felt something when they saw the plum trees in bloom on the mountains.

So that the people here could feel something when they saw the date palm trees exuding life even amidst harsh nature.

The qualities possessed by the date palm tree are resilience and abundance.

Ironically, these were surprisingly well-suited qualities for succubi.

Having overcome centuries of war and the fierce storms of the rough seas.

And though excessive lust is a sin, one cannot conceive new life by remaining purely chaste.

I began to weave martial arts from those concepts and the aspirations of the humans of this land.

Thus, I created the Sacred Life Martial Arts (正命神功) and the Harmonious Sword Technique (棗花劍法).

Though I had encountered many martial arts in my past life, I had never seen the supreme techniques of an established sect or the personal techniques of a sole successor.

However, I was confident that the martial arts I now created would not be inferior to the Huoshan’s Zihua Shinkong or the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

Though it had become a swordsmanship with far stronger religious overtones than the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

Once the succubi began to practice the Sacred Life Martial Arts, it was as if their energy, once resembling black ink in warm water, started changing into a warm, life-giving energy.

Thus, the first Harmonious Sword Masters, six of humanity’s strongest forces, were born, who would subjugate the 72 demons alongside the goddess who offered sword dances and the terrestrial representative, the king.

The Mother World Tree, El Prigion, not only serves as a tree but has become one of the symbols of the New Divine Church, as the date palm is incredibly common and important in the human world.

This is also the reason why the tree of the Mother World Tree, the avatar of the Mother World Tree behind the Grand Temple in the Room of Worlds, is a date palm.

The avatar of the Mother is regarded as the Divine Tree (神木) in the New Divine Church, and the sword handles used by the Harmonious Sword Masters are all made from the branches of this divine tree.

Perhaps if a Harmonious Sword Master were to emerge among humans someday, they would receive a sword handle made from the branches of the divine tree.

But considering the current situation of humans, that would be a distant future.

“Lady Araya, the warriors of the martial arts festival are waiting in front of the Room of Worlds.”

“Mm, thank you for your hard work. Everyone, prepare to welcome the new children.”

I responded to the words of the Harmonious Sword Master, awakening from my brief contemplation, and addressed those around me.

Those who had been kneeling and praying in the wide Room of Worlds, which had no chairs, moved quietly and orderly.

In an instant, the priests and disciples aligned into rows to the left and right.

Once ready, the Harmonious Sword Master nodded and signaled to the outside.

Then, nine men of varying ages clad in emerald-hued garments entered.

Although they received treatment, a few with severe injuries still showed signs of lingering swelling.

“Welcome to the embrace of the divine, young warriors.”

Speaking to the group, which included a man who looked older than me, around ten years old, appeared quite comical from a third person’s perspective, but I continued to speak as solemnly as possible.

“This place is the sacred ground where humans descend upon this world without logical reasoning.”

I lifted the plush branches of the divine tree next to the throne.

“”…!””

As I took a single step forward toward the first warrior in line, the humans inhaled sharply.

“I do not know what position you held in the secular world. However, here, you are merely one human with a finite body.”

“”Kneel down!””

As the Harmonious Sword Masters shouted, the nine knelt.

I walked sideways and brushed the humans with the branches of the divine tree.

When I reached the last boy, around thirteen years old, I suddenly paused my hand.

The boy had eyes that seemed possessed with a deep intensity.

‘I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere… Ah, I see.’

Seven years ago, when I first arrived in Pohelrn, he was the slave boy repairing the city walls.

He was the one huddled close to a small child, guarding and getting whipped by the overseer.

‘…How curious.’

If he worked for just five years as a slave in Pohelrn, he could gain his freedom.

However, being at the end of the line, third from the last.

He was in the youngest tier of the slave class within the martial arts festival.

That meant he was still a slave.

Though he was trying to hide it as much as he could, he could not conceal the venom in his eyes.

In such times, being a child would not spare him from hardships.

‘But, having come here, he must forget his ties to the secular world.’

I resumed my hand movement, brushing the last child before taking a step back to sit on the throne.

“With this, you have shed all your ties to the secular world. From today, you will devote yourselves to the divine as servants of the divine, forgetting everything from the secular world and receiving new names.”

I bestowed upon the preceding eight the names prepared by Alia.

It was somewhat irresponsible, but I entrusted this part to Alia.

After all, naming was not quite my specialty.

When it came to the final child, however, I felt a compelling desire to give him a name of my own rather than the one Alia had prepared.

“A child with deep emotions in his eyes. Let your name, embraced in the divine’s arms, be Iscariot from now on.”

As I saw the child, the first among my disciples, gazing up at me emotionlessly, I couldn’t help but smile and ended up laughing.