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Chapter 81: Demon Lord’s Heavenly Sword Second Stance, Demon Lord’s Pratpana

“Huh?”

But then, I noticed something odd. Everything—the burning sun, Il-Ho, and even the people of Gayamis, who were praying fervently to me—were frozen like paused video footage.

“I didn’t stop them, you fool. I’m talking to you through your conscience. The real you is still in peril.” The old man clicked his tongue.

He’d been calling me a fool every single time and it pissed me off!

“Um, I’m not exactly sure who you are...”

“I’m the Demon Lord!” The old man bellowed.

“Sure, sure, Elder Demon Lord. Now that we’re acquainted with each other, can you send me back?”

Why would this old man interrupt me from using the Heavenly Sword Treasury? But if time was indeed running in reality, now wasn’t the time to demand an explanation.

Moreover, this old man didn’t seem sane.

“Keke, kekeke!”

The old man laughed, his shoulders visibly shook. His raspy and harsh laughter reminded me of the sound an iron pot made when scraped with a metal scouring pad.

“Be it the righteous, the wicked, and even demons, all who pursue martial arts fear me, revere me, and would even kneel to receive a single enlightenment. How dare you treat me like a lunatic!”

Did I make a mistake?

Rooooar!

Suddenly, a thick smell of blood emanated in the air, sending chills down my spine.

“Kekeke! Heavenly Sword fooled me! He promised to aid me in my revenge, only for me to lose my memories and martial arts in the process! I had to serve him for thousands of years! I was even possessed by a mantis! How disgraceful! But...!”

His bloodshot eyes bore into mine.

“The way I feel about you is no different from that time!”

Ruuuumble!

As the ground shook violently, the scene around me changed.

Splash splash!

A sticky, foul liquid soaked the base of my feet. I looked down to see blood pooling on the ground.

Bodies of men, women, and children, all dressed in ancient China costumes, piled up high.

“Hic!” I withdrew in shock.

“Let me ask you. Do you think you’re worthy of me?”

Sitting on top of the mountain of corpses, the old man looked down at me.

“I, Demon Lord, am the demon among demons, the god of martial arts. From the ancient sage techniques to the secret arts of Buddhism, there is no martial art in this world that I do not know!”

Then, with a gaze of absurdity, Demon Lord commanded me, “Kneel!”

Baaam!

“Ugh!”

All of a sudden, I was crushed by a great weight. Unable to withstand the pressure, my knees were about to buckle...

Ding!

[The innate power Blind Eyes of God has been activated.]

Then, I finally saw Demon Lord.

***

The man was called Demon Lord.

Of course, it was just an alias. For as long as he could remember, he’d been an orphan, so he didn’t know his real name.

Surviving as an orphan was usually difficult, but that didn’t apply to him. He was a genius—a martial arts genius, at that.

The movements of those self-proclaimed martial artists were crude, with too many gaps. Flashy and loud, without substance, like a peacock trying to attract a mate.

In his opinion, a martial artist only needed to know three things. How to breathe, strike, and swing. Ah, though he struggled slightly until he was five. It couldn’t be helped, and he was still a child. He committed his first murder at the young age of eight, and for a trivial reason.

An old leecher from Black-Blooded Fang Sect used to feed Demon Lord. When he got drunk, he’d beat Demon Lord within an inch of his life. Demon Lord’s miserable life was one thing, but to die such a meaningless death? So, Demon Lord killed him.

The man cried and begged to be spared, but Demon Lord couldn’t care less about what a bastard had to say.

But it turned out that the man held some influence in the sect. Soon, the Sapas of the Black-Blooded Fang Sect surrounded Demon Lord. Young and outnumbered, he had no choice but to escape.

A few years passed, and by the time he was twelve, Black-Blooded Fang Sect was no more. He’d become stronger by taking them out one by one, while sustaining himself with money and elixirs of the departed. They were very good bad guys. Thus, the martial world praised his appearance as a heroic swordsman.

But when he turned fifteen, the praises changed. At the time, he had annihilated the dumb monks from Shaolin Temple, famous for their Big Dipper, as well as the ignorant punks from Wudang Sect.

Afterward, there were many twists and turns, but they were not worth mentioning. When he finally came of age, the whole world touted him as the world’s greatest master. When he reached thirty, he was called the greatest master since ancient times. And at the age of forty, he was just called Demon Lord.

By then, there was no worthy opponent left. Filled with boredom, he decided to recruit disciples. He picked up a few orphans along the way and raised them, but their qualities were garbage. He stopped it after a few years, before all the nagging and scoldings could kill him.

Among them, there was a child called Senior Brother. He wasn’t made for martial arts, but seemed to have a knack for running a sect. In just ten years, Senior Brother managed to build a sect with over 100,000 members.

To show his respect toward his master, Senior Brother even named it the Demon Lord’s Heavenly Sect. Such an embarrassment it was! Demon Lord wanted to wipe it from the face of earth! But he held back. After raising the kid for a few years, Demon Lord had grown fond of him.

That was the issue with me. Argh! I harbored too much affection!

Those beaten up by Demon Lord would deny it, but that was the truth.

There was a saying that heroes should be ruthless. That was nothing but nonsense spouted by weaklings!

For a man of his stature, showing a bit of affection wouldn’t hurt? At that time, he felt that way.

In Eunju Nation, at the residence of the emperor who ruled the continent...

Since it was midnight, most of the imperial family was asleep.

“It’s been a while, Master.”

A man—no, woman, gracefully knelt before me. She was the emperor.

“How unnecessary. Did I teach you anything in the last three seconds?”

“Still, once a master, always a master.”

“...Ahem. The imperial robes suit you.”

“I owe everything to you, Master.” The emperor replied with a smile as pure as the moon.

Despite her lack of talent in martial arts, her looks were second to none.

Demon Lord knew of her true identity since she was young, and wasn’t interested in her at all. Like he said, he’d raised a few disciples before. And one day, when he was wandering about, looking for someone with potential, he chanced upon a woman.

The bloodied woman, holding an infant, was chased by some soldiers.

Demon Lord killed the soldiers without batting an eye. His level and status allowed it. Later, Demon Lord learned that she was a palace servant who fled from an uprising. As for the infant, she was the only descendant of the deceased emperor.

Naturally, the recently crowned emperor was more than eager to get rid of the infant. In fact, those soldiers were the assassins he’d dispatched to ensure the deed was done.

And like he said, Demon Lord bore too much affection. He killed every single assassin sent their way, but there was simply no end to them! Reaching the limits of his patience, Demon Lord killed the emperor, reinstating his youngest disciple to the throne.

“Why do you look like you’re about to die?”

She was Demon Lord’s least disliked disciple. Since it’d been a while since they last met, he came to visit. But why did his disciple look so haggard?

“Why? Did some treacherous punk trouble you? Keke, just say the word! It doesn’t matter if they’re an emperor or a demon, I’ll behead them right away!”

“T-that’s not the case...” the emperor hesitated, before cautiously continuing. “I’ve been having an ominous dream lately. A crack formed in the sky, and an abominable being emerged from it, about to devour the world... At the end of the dream, an eerie, spiteful voice whispered in my ear, ‘Your Majesty, think of this as an honor. This great god has chosen you.’ Whenever I recall that voice, my soul threatens to leave my body... I’m so, so afraid...”

“It’s just a nightmare. Tsk, tsk. How can the ruler of a nation be this weak? Don’t tell anyone you learned martial arts from me.”

The emperor\'s shoulders sunk in dejection, making Demon Lord wonder if he was too harsh.

“Ahem. Even if that nightmare becomes reality, what is there to be afraid of?”

Picking up a brush from the table, Demon Lord dragged the emperor out with him.

Dark clouds covered the moon and stars in the night sky, reminiscent of the emperor’s expression.

Slide—

Demon Lord lightly motioned the brush toward the sky, drawing something.

Kwaaaa!

The emperor’s eyes widened in surprise. The clouds were erased, and the words Demon Lord appeared in their place.

“The one and only in this whole world. With me here, why fear a nightmare?”

The light of the moon and the stars filtered through the writing in the sky, shining brightly on the emperor\'s face.

“No. I\'m not afraid. Master...no, Father.”

“Ahem!” Demon Lord\'s face flushed in embarrassment.

But not long after, the emperor\'s nightmare came true.

The God of Destroyer descended into their world. And the emperor...

***

[Your innate power Blind Eyes of God has seen through the Demon Lord.]

Ssss—

I opened my eyes and looked around. My surroundings seemed familiar.

I finally recognized the mountain of corpses as the remains of the Demon Lord’s Heavenly Sect. All 100,000 followers, including the sect leader, were there.

Then, I saw the emperor. The God of Destroyer’s apostle and Demon Lord’s precious daughter. Demon Lord personally ripped her heart out.

“I said kneel!” Demon Lord roared like a lion at me.

“Huff, huff!”

My legs were trembling, but I gritted my teeth. Then, I crawled up the mountain of corpses where the old man was. I reached out to him, who sat at the top.

“I’m unworthy of you, but...”

I’d seen through the Demon Lord’s essence. Thousands upon thousands of years, he waited for a chance to avenge his death!

“Please lend me your strength! I have things that I need to protect, just like you back then! You might be dissatisfied with me, but if you lend me your power, I shall promise you one thing! I swear upon my title as a god!”

“And that is...?”

“I’ll let you hack that fucking God of Destroyer!”

The Demon Lord\'s brows twitched wildly.

Thump!

At the same time, the Mountain-Gnawing Titan began responding. Until now, he’d been curled up in silence.

“Huh, Titan, you’re vouching for him? Really? For such a greenhorn?”

After staying still for the longest of time, Demon Lord seemed to have come to a decision. He finally opened his ashen lips, “...Alright. I shall try putting my trust in you, Young God.”

Demon Lord reached out to me, “Pull me out!”

I grabbed onto Demon Lord\'s hand and pulled him with all my might.

Ptzzz!

Then, Demon Lord\'s eyes shone a dazzling red. As I returned to reality, new messages popped up on God-Maker.

Ding!

[Demon Lord has recognized you as his master and god.]

[Demon Lord has become Yu Il-Shin\'s follower.]

[Demon Lord may be deteriorating, but he’s still a high-ranking follower. He had once reached the transcendence level as a human.]

[Conditions for the Low-tier Benevolent God Promotion quest have been fulfilled!]

-----

[Quest: Low-tier Benevolent God Promotion (In Progress)]

Normal followers: 50,212,321/1,000,000,000

Followers S-rank or higher intelligent creatures with potential for transcendence: 10(8+2)/10

-----

[You have completed the quest.]

[Congratulations. Yu Il-Shin has been promoted to a Low-tier Benevolent God.]

Flash!

A white light rose from within me, a polar opposite of the overwhelming darkness when I was promoted to a Low-tier Malevolent God. I didn’t expect to be promoted as a benevolent god!

But it was too soon for me to be happy about it.

“Ughhh!”

Craaack!

Refusing to mix, the clashing power ran amok in my body to the point of explosion.

-Never! Never shall I forgive you for ruining my god-given body! Burn to death, all of you! Perish, you lowly god and darned insects!

Kwaaaa!

In the meantime, the colossal, 10-meter sun incarnate was descending upon me and the people of Gayami nation.

How was I supposed to stop that?

Just as despair threatened to overtake me, Demon Lord spoke.

-Despite my missing martial arts and memories, I\'m still the Demon Lord! I’m connected with one of your followers, Sword Demon! His enlightenment has given me an insight to my martial arts!

Then, Demon Lord roared.

-Young God! I\'ve waited for eons! Channel all of your divine power into me! Let me wield the inferno!

I did accordingly like a drowning man clutching at straws.

“Arghh! Convicting Middle Finger of God!”

Kwaaaa!

From the crimson Sword God, black flames erupted like a volcano. Nothing I’d unleashed so far could compare to it! It was at least a hundred times stronger!

-One way to extinguish a fire is to throw it against a larger fire!

The image of Demon Lord wielding a sword flashed across my mind. I raised the sword of black flames above my head.

-Kekeke! This is the second stance of Demon Lord\'s Heavenly Sword, created after the most terrifying of the eight infernals!

Then, he swung the flaming sword at the apostle of the Sun God.

-Demon Lord’s Pratāpana, Fire Sword Mirage!

Flash!