Heavenly Killing Star.
In the Martial Arts World, there are occasional births of individuals imbued with the energy of stars. Children born bearing the stars. Since these humans are blessed with heavenly energy, they are all regarded as prodigies. These individuals often grow up to become historical figures or leave significant achievements behind.
Children born with the energy of stars become prodigies. This is precisely why martial artists frequently seek out numerous astrologers. Many sects in the Martial Arts World also desired to take in these starborn children as disciples.
Even mediocre martial arts can be advanced if a child born with such a star learns them, brightening the future of their sect. They are talents that anyone would covet.
Of course, being born with the energy of stars is not always a blessing. Some children were born with remarkable talent but with abilities that no one desired.
Such was the case with the Heavenly Killing Star.
A child born with a natural talent for murder. The mere birth of a Heavenly Killing Star was a tremendous calamity for the Martial Arts World.
“Are you unable to control your murderous intent? Or are you consumed by it?”
Cheon Gi-ja spoke to the Heavenly Killing Star in front of him.
“I just gave you a small clue, so you wouldn’t have to guess.”
The Heavenly Killing Star withdrew the murderous intent she had been exuding. For a moment, Cheon Gi-ja felt as though the world around him paused before resuming.
For a small clue to provoke this much intensity. This Heavenly Killing Star was going to be a huge headache for the world. Cheon Gi-ja was already worried about those who would be ensnared by her.
“It seems you’re not entirely consumed by your murderous intent yet. Please sit.”
“Alright.”
The Heavenly Killing Star took a seat on the rickety chair in front of Cheon Gi-ja.
“Why has the Heavenly Killing Star come to see me?”
“Please tell me my fate.”
“I don’t read the fate of those who lack proper manners.”
Cheon Gi-ja rejected her outright.
“Lack of manners?”
The tip of the Heavenly Killing Star’s right eyebrow twitched slightly. The murderous intent she had drawn back started to seep out again.
“A person who asks to see their own fate while hiding their true self is lacking in manners.”
Cheon Gi-ja stared intently at the Heavenly Killing Star’s face.
Did she understand what he meant? The Heavenly Killing Star swallowed her rising anger and closed her eyes.
Before Cheon Gi-ja’s gaze, the Heavenly Killing Star’s face began to change.
“Are you done?”
Cheon Gi-ja observed her face silently. Short hair. Sharp eyes and a cold expression. However, she was so stunning that anyone passing by would take a second look.
The problem was, if she were holding a knife, that would be the last face a passerby would ever see.
“Alright. I suppose we can have a conversation.”
“Now, please tell me my fate.”
“Who would’ve thought the Heavenly Killing Star would come to me to learn of her fate? How unexpected.”
“Is it strange to be curious about the future?”
The Heavenly Killing Star showed no change in her expression, but there was a hint of doubt in her words.
“Those bobbing around on the river of fate, like floating weeds, might be curious. However, in the case of the Heavenly Killing Star, it’s different. Your fate has already been sealed; why would you be curious?”
The Heavenly Killing Star moved like a boat on the river of fate, driven towards a single goal.
“Sealed?”
“Live or die. All Heavenly Killing Stars have the same fate.”
The Heavenly Killing Star is a calamity born to kill all that can be seen. A vessel advancing toward murder. Until someone tears that vessel apart, the Heavenly Killing Star will keep advancing.
“I know that. I want to know more. Do you need my birth date?”
“No need. I already know when the Heavenly Killing Star was born. I just didn’t know who it was. You haven’t turned twenty yet; you’re eighteen this year, right?”
“That’s right.”
The Heavenly Killing Star nodded amicably.
“There’s still some time left for the energy of the stars to fill. It seems you’ve learned some martial arts; which ones have you mastered?”
She skillfully retracted her murderous intent. If she could control her innate murderous energy, she was undoubtedly practicing martial arts. Cheon Gi-ja asked based on his assumptions.
“I’ve learned the martial arts of assassins.”
The Heavenly Killing Star didn’t reveal the specific name of the martial arts, but she did confirm she had learned martial arts.
“The Heavenly Killing Star with a talent for murder has learned the martial arts of assassins. I don’t know whose design that was, but excellent choice!”
Cheon Gi-ja exclaimed with admiration.
“Don’t people usually think the opposite?”
If the Heavenly Killing Star learns the martial arts of assassins, she’s bound to kill more people. It would be fair to assume that. However, Cheon Gi-ja wore an expression of relief instead.
“It’s true for ordinary folks. A hundred years ago, a Heavenly Killing Star was raised by the disciples of Buddhas. They worked hard to keep the child from causing calamity. Do you know what happened as a result?”
“I don’t.”
“The temple from a hundred years ago no longer exists. That child killed everyone there. Until the martial artists opened the way to eliminate that child, she didn’t stop her killing spree. That’s why many say the assassins’ martial arts are superior to those of Buddhism or Taoism.”
“Why?”
“Because no one can handle murderous intent as proficiently as an assassin. And along with that, they probably carried out killings periodically to control their murderous desires.”
When Cheon Gi-ja asked, the Heavenly Killing Star nodded slightly.
“Right. Controlling murderous intent while using killing to prevent the increase in aggression. It’s a brilliant method, though I can’t say if they raised you to utilize you or to keep you in check.”
“But this isn’t enough.”
“Have you ever lost your senses to murderous intent?”
In a situation where everything is swallowed by the desire to kill, she would lose even the slightest bit of reason, becoming a mere killer.
“A few times.”
“Just a few? That’s not good. Do you find your murderous intent rising periodically despite your recent kills?”
“Yes. The gaps are shortening compared to before.”
“Indeed. Even if it’s a martial art capable of controlling murderous intent, it is still a martial art. The martial arts created by humans to reach the heavens cannot overcome the will of the heavens.”
Martial arts built by humans. The Heavenly Killing Star, blessed with the energy of the stars. It was obvious which would prevail.
“As time goes by, your murderous intent strengthens.”
“Likely. You probably awakened as a Heavenly Killing Star at an exceptionally young age, yet it’s a miracle that you still appear as a human.”
Once awakened, the Heavenly Killing Star becomes a tool for slaughter rather than a person. Yet the woman before him, though expressionless, appeared human.
Her martial arts did not turn her into a monster. But even that would reach a limit someday.
“Is there no way?”
“Normally, in no time, your murderous desire will engulf your body. The killing intent will dominate everything. It won’t just be that you’re consumed; you’ll change as a person, thinking solely in terms of murder.”
“I… don’t want that.”
Cheon Gi-ja detected fear and disgust in the Heavenly Killing Star’s voice.
She hadn’t been devoured by murderous intent yet. She felt no emotional aridity. Perhaps it was possible to avert the calamity of her future. Cheon Gi-ja glimpsed a small hope in the Heavenly Killing Star.
“Indeed, it’s a precarious situation. If I say nothing now, a tremendous calamity would ensue. Well then, let me take a peek at the heavens for a moment.”
Cheon Gi-ja began peering into the heavens using his tool.
Cheon Gi-ja’s hands moved briskly. The Heavenly Killing Star watched him with indifference. The dusk had already fallen, enveloping the shanty town in darkness.
Cheon Gi-ja’s bustling hands paused for a brief moment.
“Whoa. Is that how things are unfolding? What exactly is the will of the heavens that puts forth such trials…”
Cheon Gi-ja lamented, uninterested in the Heavenly Killing Star standing before him.
“What’s wrong?”
The Heavenly Killing Star questioned, puzzled by Cheon Gi-ja’s startled voice.
“Nothing, I just happened to see something unrelated while peering into the heavens. It’s not your concern, so don’t worry. Looking at the heavens, I see two paths laid out.”
“Two paths?”
“A clear path and an unclear path. Both are present. Which would you like to hear about first?”
“The clear one.”
“Master the martial arts fervently. It’s true that martial arts created by humans cannot defy the will of the heavens, but there have been those who have reached the heavens through martial arts. If you can control your murderous energy, it will surely become a path for you.”
The Heavenly Killing Star, who should have already become a monster, still maintained her human facade. The martial arts she was learning must be keeping her original nature in check.
Although the chances were low, if she could reach the peak of her martial arts, she might manage to rein in her true nature.
“And the unclear one?”
“Someday, you will meet a pivotal person.”
“A pivotal person?”
“Someone who has defied the fate of the heavens. A person who fulfilled their destiny and returned from death. A person capable of altering the fates of others. You shall meet such a person someday.”
“Where is this person?”
“He is someone who has strayed from the path of heaven. I cannot intervene any further. I can only say that the day you meet them will surely come. You may not recognize him as a pivotal person. But if you do realize it, stay by his side. A fate unexpected by the heavens will surely unfold.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Neither do I. How could I, Cheon Gi-ja, know the deeds of one who has strayed from the heavens? I can only infer through the currents around.”
“Train in martial arts and await this pivotal person. That’s all there is?”
The Heavenly Killing Star’s expressionless voice was laced with discontent. After coming all this way, only to receive vague advice was rather dissatisfactory.
“If the fate of one born bearing stars could be easily altered, calamities wouldn’t arise every hundred years.”
“I understand. I’ll keep it in mind.”
The Heavenly Killing Star rose from her seat.
After a moment of tidying up his scattered tools, Cheon Gi-ja looked up at the Heavenly Killing Star.
“Ha.”
But at that moment, she was already gone. Only an empty silence remained in the alley.
“To have received two free guests. Looks like even a master like me is getting old.”
Cheon Gi-ja chuckled bitterly. He dusted himself off, packed his tools and flags, then looked up at the sky.
In Cheon Gi-ja’s eyes, two stars shone brightly. A red star and a faint star. A star that had carved its own fate was once again being drawn into the gravitational pull of a calamity.
“The two stars are too close. They will surely meet. Are they here to judge one who has defied the fate of death, or is there another arrangement at play?”
The two stars were, for some reason, drawing closer to each other.
“It’s too early for them to meet now. With such a faint light…”
She would not be able to overcome the fate of a calamity.
