Chapter 343: Final Chapter (4)

With the appearance of the Strongest Sword Under Heaven, the Imperial Capital's regular army also arrived.

"Haa…"

The battlefield, once soaked in extreme tension—

Just when everyone thought it was all over, an unexpected beacon of hope made countless people breathe sighs of relief.

No one was an exception.

"Hyung! …It's… it's Un… Unhwi."

At his younger brother Song Woohyeon's words, Song Jwabaek grumbled.

"Damn brat. Showing up at the last second and stealing the spotlight."

Though he said that, his face was filled with relief.

If that guy hadn't shown up, everyone here would have died at the hands of those monsters.

Sama-yeong, supporting her father, spoke softly.

"Father. The young lord is alive."

"Yes. So he is."

At her words, Sama-chak of the Wolak Sword slowly stood up and smiled faintly.

That son-in-law he had always found lacking—

But at this very moment, he couldn't help but admit a certain truth.

"…Your judgment surpasses your father's."

"Hehe."

Sama-yeong beamed with a wide, toothy smile.

There was someone else overwhelmed with emotion—

It was none other than his birth father, Jin Seongbaek, Lord of Musang Castle and titleholder of Unfaltering Wind God.

'Haryeong, are you watching?'

The son she had protected was now the hope of the entire martial world.

To see him cheered and revered by all—he was overwhelmed with pride.

"Kukuku…"

Haehakcheon simply chuckled.

That young brat who once tried to negotiate with him had grown this much.

He felt more moved than anyone.

'Hojongdae… You and I are truly fortunate. To have trained such a remarkable disciple.'

He missed his old rival who had passed on.

What would it have been like if they'd raised a disciple together?

The thought made him scoff at himself.

"Hmph. All that worry for nothing."

Baek Hyeyang staggered as she stood up.

Humans truly are amazing beings.

Just moments ago, everything seemed doomed to collapse, but with his arrival, it now felt like anything was possible.

She barely felt the pain of her wounds anymore.

"Waaaaaaaaa!!!"

As Baek Hyeyang let out a cheer, she shouted to the cult members:

"What are you all doing?! Sweep away the vermin!"

"Chung!!!"

In response to her command, the Blood Cult members charged at the monsters.

Their revived morale turned them into warriors capable of fighting hundreds alone.

This spirit of battle quickly spread to everyone.

"Don't miss this chance! All warriors of the Murim Alliance, advance!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

At the shout of Vice Leader Yeol Wangpae, the orthodox faction warriors also leapt toward the monsters.

Their battle spirit soared to the heavens. No more fear lingered in their eyes.

"Just going to stand there? Attack!"

"Attack! Waaaaaaaa!!!"

The warriors of Musang Castle also roared as they charged.

General Yi Yeon, supreme commander of the Imperial Capital's regular army, bellowed to his soldiers.

"By the emperor's command—eliminate the fiends!"

"We obey His Majesty's decree!!!"

Though they lacked the individual power of martial artists, the Imperial Army had one overwhelming strength—

Sheer numbers.

As the soldiers in the rear pulled their bowstrings and fired, the sky darkened above the monsters as a rain of arrows poured down.

-PAPAPAPAPAPA!

That wasn't all.

The massive composite crossbows—capable of piercing fortress walls—launched bolts strong enough to skewer multiple monsters at once.

-SKREEEEE!

-KAAAACK!

-Guh! Guh!

Screams of the monsters erupted from every direction.

With their leader, the Demon Sage, absent, they were surrounded by humans from all sides. Like an army without a general, they were in disarray.

Split in two and flailing aimlessly, they couldn't respond effectively.

"Don't scatter! Break through the rear instead!"

A half-human, half-demon figure tried to lead them with shouts, but it was futile.

These creatures had submitted only to the Demon Sage. He alone could command them. This half-demon had neither the authority nor the ability.

If this continued, everything they had waited for could vanish like a dream.

'Do we retreat and wait for another chance?'

Just then—

A thunderous roar echoed from somewhere.

-KRRROOOOOAAAAARRR!!!

A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth. Every being on the battlefield turned toward its source.

From the mountain peak where the Demon Sage had been struck down, thick mist began to rise.

And within it—appeared a massive black shadow.

A creature swimming leisurely between the mountaintops like a great fish in the sea.

-FZZZTTTT!

With every movement, blue flames sparked in every direction.

As the form slowly emerged from the fog, everyone gasped in shock.

'!!!'

Black horns like a stag's, fiery red dorsal fins—

And a colossal scaly body, easily over a hundred jang in length.

This was a being spoken of only in legends.

A Jiaolong (蛟龍)—a dragon of myth.

While everyone stood dumbfounded, the half-demon rejoiced at its appearance.

"Yes! Master! I knew you'd return!"

To behold the dragon's incarnate form was to face catastrophe itself.

-RUMBLEEEE!

As the Jiaolong moved, entire mountaintops crumbled and shattered.

Just moments ago, the morale of the humans had peaked—but now they were overwhelmed with despair.

"A… a dragon?"

"How can we fight… that?"

The mythical creature they'd only heard of in tales—how could anyone kill such a thing?

-KROOOAAAAARRR!

The Jiaolong slowly flew toward them.

With every motion, thunder and lightning raged, making it hard to even breathe.

No one could take their eyes off the beast.

-KRAAAAH!

Then, the dragon slowly opened its mouth.

Smoke billowed out—then suddenly:

-FOOOOOOSH!

A massive burst of flame erupted.

The inferno spread like a giant fan, swallowing everything in its path.

No one could even scream. It felt as if the entire world would burn.

But then—a figure streaked through the air.

Someone using Sword Flight flew straight toward the flames and swung their sword.

Then—

-SSSHHHHHHH!

The very air shimmered as the fire split in two.

"He… he cut it!"

"He split the fire?!"

The sight of someone dividing such a massive flame—spanning an entire battlefield—left everyone speechless.

But the one who had done it…

Was not satisfied.

---

---

'…I didn't cut it.'

I thought I would not only cut the flame but sever the creature's neck.

With perfect unity of mind and sword—and my formless blade—I believed it was possible. Yet not even a scratch marked its body.

Just as Master said, this creature had surpassed even a spiritual beast and entered the realm of the divine.

I remembered my master's warning from within my inner world.

> [That creature cannot be killed by mere physical force.]

> [Even at the level of transcendence?]

> [That is only the prerequisite to stand on the same plane.]

My master had said the Demon Sage Fire Dragon Jin-in had reached the pinnacle as a swordsman.

That's why people once called him the originator of the sword sects.

> [Then how can he be killed? He was already immortal as a dragon—and with the forbidden technique left by Xu Fu, he has become even more complete.]

Even my master couldn't kill him.

That's why the sage Jeongyang Jin-in sealed him away with a mystical script.

Even with a human body, his regenerative powers were beyond logic. Now in the form of a dragon, there was no way to kill him.

At that moment, the creature's sharp gaze turned to me.

And then—

-RUMBLE! BOOM! BOOM!

A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, landing a direct hit on me.

Even though I had reached a level that could be called the realm of the Wind God, I kicked off the air and narrowly avoided it.

It was indeed a divine beast capable of manipulating the very harmony of heaven and earth.

To think it would strike lightning to target me...

"Did you think that was the end?"

At that moment, the creature's voice echoed in my head.

A brilliant light then surged from all directions.

Looking up, white arcs of lightning burst forth from the entire dark cloud and struck down toward me all at once.

The scale was massive—covering an area of hundreds of jang.

The bolts of lightning were connected like tree roots, forming a mesh that blanketed the sky. There was no way to avoid it.

"...Tch!"

I unleashed sword strikes with my invisible blade toward the sky.

If I couldn't dodge it, I would have to cut through the lightning to block it.

The intangible sword, coated in multi-colored lightning, cleaved through the descending bolts.

Crack-crackle-crack! Zzzzzzzt!

It was overwhelming.

At least with martial arts techniques, one could see the movements.

But now, each flash of light was followed by a bolt appearing right in front of my face.

Zzzzzzt!

Even though I thought I had cut them all down, blocking hundreds—no, thousands—of lightning bolts in mere moments was impossible, even for me.

Eventually, one bolt pierced through my shoulder.

Zzzzzzt!

"Gah!"

Lightning struck me again in quick succession.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!

"Die."

The creature didn't miss the opportunity and kept raining down lightning to finish me off.

At this rate, I would truly be crushed.

The lightning was terrifying, but even more so was the sheer impact—causing the ground beneath me to collapse.

Already, over ten jang deep had caved in.

"If that's the case..."

Boom!

I redirected the intangible sword—not upwards, but toward the ground.

Rather than dodging the lightning, I dug deeper underground like a mole.

Once buried deep enough, I adjusted my path toward where the creature was.

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

The creature seemed to sense my energy and sent lightning crashing down above, but the ground shielded me.

Bang!

"Let's see if you can survive with your head sliced off!"

I shot upward from the ground and swung my intangible sword at the creature's massive neck.

Slaaaaaash!

Roooaaarghhh!

With a painful roar, a torrent of black blood poured like a waterfall.

Leaping across the air to dodge it, I saw my Saryeon Sword, which I had dropped earlier when struck, fly back toward me.

Clack! Ssshhhh!

Once I escaped from under the creature, an astonishing sight unfolded.

The massive body that had been sliced was regenerating at an incredible speed.

It made my effort seem meaningless.

Kuhahahahahaha!

The creature's booming, maniacal laughter echoed behind me as I fled.

It was clearly satisfied with its overwhelming regeneration.

As expected, true immortality cannot be killed, even by beheading.

"You cannot kill me. I am a divine beast—a being far beyond your kind of worms."

At those words, murmurs spread among those watching.

Well, seeing it regenerate instantly from a severed neck was certainly cause for confusion.

With a triumphant tone, the creature spoke again:

"Even the noble Sunyangja and the true master Jeongyang could not defeat me. What makes you think you, who merely learned from them, can?"

"How smug. Fine then. I have no choice."

Crackle!

I entered a state of complete synchronization with the lightning.

My entire body shimmered with multicolored arcs.

Seeing this, the creature's white eyes writhed as if smirking.

"Fool. The power of Cheondun is useless against me."

Of course it is.

The Great Cheondun Sword Technique originated from you.

And now that you've taken the form of a dragon, it's even more ineffective.

I smirked and said,

"Who said I'd fight you using Cheondun?"

"What?"

This was to unlock the final gate of the Seven-Star Mystic Gate.

To open the final seventh star—Yogwang (摇光)—one must unify the peak states of essence, energy, and spirit.

Roooaaarghh!

Sensing something ominous from the immense power concentrating within me, the creature once again summoned lightning.

Rumble-rumble-rumble!

"You think I'll just sit back and watch?"

At that moment, someone appeared near the creature's massive head.

It was none other than—

"Master?"

It was Haehakcheon, terrifying and eccentric as ever.

"A dragon! A real dragon! Hahahahaha!"

With his blood-forged body fully activated, he had suddenly appeared right in front of the creature's snout.

And not just him—my father, the Silent Wind God Jin Seongbaek, had appeared too.

"Father!"

"I'll buy you some time!"

Father's figure split into eight forms, forming whirlwinds that charged at the creature's jaw.

Not to be outdone, my master also soared up with both fists aimed at the dragon's chin.

Boom!

Just as the creature was about to unleash another lightning strike, its head reeled slightly from the combined blows of the two supreme masters.

But it wasn't a fatal blow.

Rather, it seemed enraged that such insignificant beings had touched it and tried to punish them immediately.

"You insects!"

Roaaaaar!

The creature opened its gaping mouth wide to devour them.

But thanks to my energy, I pulled them back just in time, and the beast bit into empty air.

Boom!

Having missed, the dragon grew even more furious and opened its mouth again to spew fire.

But then its white eyes shook at the sight before it.

"What is... this?"

Suddenly, the entire battlefield of Masang's land was glowing with a radiant light, like a galaxy.

Everyone at the warfront gasped in awe.

The light came from none other than swords.

The swords of those who had died fighting monsters were now glowing brilliantly, slowly rising into the air.

There were nearly thousands of them.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but it's useless."

Fwoooosh!

The dragon sensed something ominous and breathed fire at the broken, glowing swords.

I held out my hand.

The space shimmered, and the fire it breathed was reflected back.

Fwoooooosh!

Roaaargh!

Engulfed in its own fire, the creature writhed.

Meanwhile, thousands of glowing swords began to gather around me.

The light surrounding them gradually took on human shapes—

Like spirits.

"This can't be..."

"Gonghyeong!"

"Uijeong?"

People began crying out in shock, recognizing the glowing figures holding swords.

They were the spirits of the swords' fallen wielders.

"...What is this?"

The dragon brushed off the reversed flames, its eyes wide with disbelief.

No wonder it was surprised.

This was the final insight my master had discovered long after the beast had been sealed.

Yogwang, the final gate of the Seven-Star Mystic Gate, draws out the final will that once wielded the sword.

My master had called it:

Absolute Sword Resonance (絶對 劍感).

The stars of the Big Dipper on the back of my hand all glowed blue.

At once, the thousands of swords and their spiritual wielders charged toward the dragon.

Bababababababam!

It was like thousands of shooting stars falling from the sky.

Under the onslaught of their will, the dragon let out a shriek.

Kraaaaaghhhhhh!

These were not divine or cursed swords.

But they resonated with the unwavering will of their wielders in life, achieving divine unity.

Each time they struck the beast's body—capable of immense regeneration—it disintegrated.

"You bastard!"

"Stop your nonsense and die."

As the miracle of Yogwang rained down like meteors, the beast screamed in agony.

Kyaaaaaghh! If I die, I'll take you with me!

In a final act of desperation, it gathered its strength and fired a concentrated blue flame at me.

Boom!

"Watch out!"

"You idiot!"

My father and master soared upward, trying to intercept the final blow.

At that moment, light flickered from my chest.

It shot out in front of me and struck the oncoming blue flame with a sword.

BOOM!

The flame split and scattered before it could touch me.

From my chest, a spiritual will had emerged—a sword's spirit.

I didn't understand why.

As I stood in awe, my master Haehakcheon, still in midair, gasped at the fading figure.

"Huh...? Jongdae, was that you?"

"...!!!"

My chest tightened.

The fading figure held the Namcheon Iron Sword in his hand and smiled warmly.

'Ha...'

Was this the miracle of Yogwang?

To see that beloved face once more...

As the will and light of the Namcheon Iron Sword dispersed, I saw the dragon's body crumbling like dust before me.

...

Its white eyes, once filled with malice, now held only emptiness.

Then, even its head dissolved completely.

Fsssshhhh...!

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

As the massive dragon vanished into dust, cheers of joy shook the battlefield of Masang.