The World's Greatest is Dead

The road to Xinjiang was not especially remarkable.

Two carriages simply climbed along the mountain path. As the quiet, identical scenery went on and on, now and then a pouring waterfall or the occasional cry of birds shattered the silence.

Sometimes we stopped to camp. Sometimes we stopped so each of us could train.

We took night watch as well, but it did not mean much.

It was only a silent mountain journey, yet no one seemed dissatisfied. That was the atmosphere.

SWISH—!!! SHIK—!

On nights when we camped, I swung my sword in the forest. Again and again.

There had been times when I kept going until I was soaked in sweat and could do nothing else, but the higher my realm rose, the more impossible that became.

Maybe my stamina had increased. Maybe I had started looking for efficient movements by habit. Either way, violent training only brought fatigue when I layered several iron chains on myself.

Was that supposed to be a good thing? When it came to training, it was hard to call it purely good.

I don’t even know whether this counts as training anymore.

I attempted body-and-sword unity. I sent the tip of my sword into empty air and focused.

At that instant, the flow of time before my eyes slowed again. The wind blew slowly, and the falling leaves seemed to hang still in midair.

I entered a state of complete absorption and grew accustomed to the sensation of becoming one with the sword. Several months had passed since I first entered body-and-sword unity.

At some point, I had reached this far.

A level where I could enter it if I wished. The problem was—

TUK—!

“...Tch.”

It cut off before long. Should I say I could not hold it for long? Since the flow of time slowed, what I felt was longer than that.

Even so, it was short all the same. Was the short duration an issue with inner qi? No, it probably was not.

I still have energy left.

Body-and-sword unity belonged to the realm of the mind. Applying it purely through energy was something different.

CLINK.

I slid the sword back into my belt. I caught my breath. I was not particularly tired, but it was a habit I had.

“Finished?”

A voice reached me. In front of me was Sword Emperor.

He was sitting on a rock, watching me.

“Yes. How was it?”

At the moment, I was receiving lessons from Sword Emperor. I was carrying out the request I had accepted from Moon Immortal Sword. I had not taken many lately, but since setting out for Xinjiang, I had been taking a great many.

Almost every night, or whenever we kept watch.

Thanks to that, they had been a great help.

“Your posture and the situation in which you enter it are not bad. But holding on remains the problem.”

“...Holding on.”

Maintaining body-and-sword unity. Since I could not do that, Sword Emperor pointed it out. It was something I already knew.

“Body-and-sword unity is not something like a sure-kill strike. You know that as well. Correct?”

“...Yes. I know.”

Rather than a sure-kill strike, it was a continuous state. It meant maintaining complete absorption and erasing hesitation and all unnecessary things from the sword.

In the process, the five senses that had developed to the extreme even made the flow of time seem slow.

Stepping beyond one’s realm and taking one more step as a human.

The process and result of entering the superhuman. If I had to express it with words that existed, that was roughly what it would be.

It was absurd to see it simply as something for a single sword strike. If that were all it was, there would be no need to use body-and-sword unity.

“You mean I have to maintain it.”

“Calling it maintenance is not quite right either. In the first place, it is closer to entrusting your body to the flow. However, your direction is already different from that.”

“When you say it’s different...?”

At my question, Sword Emperor thought for a moment.

“All who have already reached that place choose and use their own methods. My teaching will likely not mean much here. Just think of one thing.”

“So in the end, you’re telling me to think it through on my own.”

“You should have reached a realm where you must do so, haven’t you?”

“...Yes. I suppose I have.”

Transcendent peak. I was in a position where I would be called a master anywhere I went, and if I said I wanted to join a renowned family, they would take me in while showering me with an enormous amount of gold and silver.

It was a position where I might even be stronger than the Family Heads or elders of renowned families.

It was only because there were too many monsters around me.

My current level is...

Absurdly strong too.

I did not know whether I could reach somewhere higher from here, but it meant this was no longer the point where I should be receiving instruction from someone.

Well.

I had already received plenty from someone who was not even my master.

As for the man who actually was my master—

I have no idea what the hell he’s doing, disappearing and not coming out.

Somewhere higher than this. Could I really reach a realm above transcendent peak?

Squeeze. I touched the grip of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword as I wondered. That place was the domain of the beings beyond heaven.

The position of Sword Emperor right in front of me, and of the beings beyond heaven who had been active at that time.

Somewhere that had transcended the shell of humanity and seemed almost close to godhood.

Could I reach a position I could not even imagine?

And.

Do I have to go there?

Did I have to? That thought occurred to me.

At that moment.

Tickle.

This again.

My chest itched again. It felt as if a feather were tickling my heart. It had been doing this since before I left Henan. Why in the world was this happening?

It was annoyingly distracting. Tch. I clicked my tongue and scratched at my chest.

What is this, seriously?

Nothing had broken out on my body or anything. It was just uncomfortable. And not even unbearably itchy. Just exactly annoying enough to bother me. What kind of shitty feeling was this?

What is it?

It was only unpleasant, so I did not care too much.

But after days of this, there was no way I could ignore it entirely.

“...Should I go find a physician or something?”

It had even come to that thought. At this point, just going and asking might be faster.

I don’t know.

It was not as if I was in pain, so I thought about leaving it alone for now.

[Heh-heh.]

But every time this happened, that man laughed, and that kept bothering me.

Why do you keep laughing?

When the Heavenly Demon laughed, it usually felt as if something was about to happen.

The annoying part was that even if I asked, no answer came back.

Damn evil ghosts.

*****

“You’re back.”

“Yes.”

When I returned, Peng Dojun was preparing to switch out from night watch. We did not usually keep watch, but we did when the surroundings were dark and the position was easy to ambush.

This happened to be one of those times. The terrain, the humidity, the density of the air. Everything made this place vulnerable to an ambush.

At such times, the members took turns.

I sent Peng Dojun off and loosened my body slightly. Everyone else should have been asleep by then.

After confirming that, I looked somewhere. Sword Emperor was at a bit of a distance.

There was somewhere I needed to go before sleeping, so I moved. I slipped into the forest.

After killing my human presence as much as possible—

“Come out.”

“...”

When I spoke, someone walked out with their back to a tree. It was a figure wrapped in an ink-black cloak.

She was called Severing Demon, if I remembered right. The Young Cult Leader called her that, but since I already knew her name, there was no need for it.

“Are you going to keep doing that? Your face is already known anyway.”

At my words, Severing Demon revealed her face. It was Mi Yeonhwa. She looked at me with irritation written across her face and spoke.

“What exactly are you planning to do?”

“What do you mean?”

When I asked with a small laugh, Mi Yeonhwa immediately furrowed her brow.

“You know very well what I’m talking about, don’t you?”

“I’m not a mind reader. How would I know that? You need to speak properly if you want me to understand.”

I said it with a shrug. She seemed to dislike that even more. Mi Yeonhwa’s expression worsened beyond measure.

“Are you not afraid?”

“Of what?”

“Of me revealing everything about you to Little Sky.”

“Ahaha.”

Oh, so that was the problem? When I laughed, Mi Yeonhwa looked at me and asked,

“How can you laugh?”

“No, because it’s funny.”

“What is?”

“If I were going to be afraid of something that minor, I wouldn’t have told you. And.”

I stepped toward Mi Yeonhwa. The closer I came, the stronger her wariness became, but that was all. Mi Yeonhwa showed no further reaction.

“You didn’t say anything either.”

“...”

“If you were going to reveal it, you should have done it already. Why didn’t you?”

“...I intended to observe your petty scheme first, then inform Sky.”

“Oh, is that right?”

What kind of excuse was that? I scratched my cheek and erased my smile.

“Then tell him right now. I’m full of thoughts about fucking over your Young Cult Leader.”

“...What...?”

“I don’t like that someone without the qualifications is ruling over the Demonic Cult’s Sky. I don’t like that a fake is acting so proud either. Then I should break him thoroughly.”

“Do you expect me to believe that bullshit?”

“Why can’t you?”

CLINK. I drew my sword.

Help a little, will you?

I spoke to the Heavenly Demon. No answer came back, but that did not matter.

SSSSSS—!!!

Demonic qi boiled up, and my eyes grew hot. My pupils were probably dyed red now.

I drew the Divine Sword and aimed it at her.

“Do you think an idiot who cannot even properly hold the Divine Sword is allowed to violate the qualifications just because he has a single pair of eyes?”

“...”

Mi Yeonhwa flinched. Seeing me must have made it worse.

“It does not matter whether you belong to the orthodox faction or the Demonic Cult. If you have chosen to submit to demonhood, then see the world properly, you ignorant thing.”

Demonic qi flooded out. The sensation of it coiling around my body through the shadows was unpleasant no matter how many times I experienced it.

“You should think properly at least once with those feeble eyes and that feeble head of yours. Who it is you ought to serve. Who it is you ought to uphold.”

I retrieved the sword I had drawn and pointed at her.

“I am not someone who gives many chances.”

“...I do not... I do not understand.”

Mi Yeonhwa spoke with trembling eyes.

“Who are you?”

“How disgraceful to ask after seeing.”

I really could not get used to this way of speaking. But I had to do it. This could not be helped.

“I am Sky. The true one, not the fake you hold in your heart. For what purpose do you think I am going to the Demonic Cult?”

“You are a man of the orthodox faction. You expect me to believe this nonsense...?”

“What is there that cannot be believed?”

“What?”

“Were you originally one of the Demonic Cult? I doubt it.”

“...That is...!”

“If you intend to see only with those idiotic eyes, there is no need to continue. See only what you wish to see.”

Instead—

“The time you have to choose will not be very long.”

After saying that, I turned my back. I did not look at Mi Yeonhwa’s reaction.

Because either way.

She’s almost there.

She had almost come over. It felt like it would work soon.

If I pushed just a little more—

I might get myself one useful slave.

I did not particularly like shaking someone like that and stealing her away.

It’s not as if I’m bad at it.

I was fairly good, in my own way. Not that it was something to boast about.

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