The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 120

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Heavenly Supreme Has Died – Episode 120
How many times had I died?
I gave up counting around the three-thousandth time.
I was told to block a single strike, and unable to do so, three thousand instances passed.
No, wait.
It wasn’t three thousand.
‘Since I stopped counting after that, it must have been well over three thousand.’
I gave up trying to remember because it was too tedious.
I deliberately forgot, but if I’m being honest, wouldn’t it have been at least double that?
It might not even be double.
I died so many times it was terrifying to contemplate.
It was so brutal I abandoned any attempt to remember.
“…Haa…. Damn it….”
Curses spilled out naturally. It had been so long since I’d spoken that hearing my own voice felt strange.
“That infuriating bastard.”
Grit-!
My teeth ground together involuntarily. Even in the Illusion, I could speak, so my voice could be heard.
“What the hell is that guy?”
But you need someone to talk to. Since I couldn’t keep talking to myself, I had to keep silent and pass the time.
If you ask why I did that even though there was someone with me in the Illusion.
‘Why indeed.’
Because that bastard wouldn’t speak.
‘Why does he keep his mouth shut like that?’
I kept trying to talk to him hundreds, thousands of times.
More than half the time, he killed me before I could even finish speaking.
Even when I managed to say something, he’d just kill me without answering.
‘He was insane.’
His frame was massive, yet his body was gaunt.
Those dead eyes—how could they burn with such ferocity?
Given that he didn’t speak, it was fair to call him a beast.
“Haa…. Damn bastard. Lunatic. Worthless scum.”
I ground my teeth and continued spewing curses. I couldn’t fathom whose youth this was—it was truly unbearable.
“Rip him to shreds. Burn him to death. Step in dog shit on the street-”
[…I’m listening to all of it.]
In the midst of my tirade, someone with an uncomfortable expression cut me off.
“-quite thoroughly, at that.”
Still, I didn’t stop cursing.
[….]
At my words, the Ghost—Yoo Cheon-gil—stares at me with a displeased expression.
Seeing that, I spoke.
“What?”
[Didn’t I say I was listening to everything?]
“But what am I supposed to do about it? It’s not like I said it directly to the Old Man anyway.”
I spoke with irritation.
[Well, that bastard would know all about my younger days.]
“Ah—? Really?”
I answered with feigned innocence.
“No wonder he’s such a rotten bastard. I was wondering who he took after.”
[Aha! So that’s it. You meant for me to hear all of it from the start?]
Of course.
I thought I’d die if I didn’t curse him out.
Though I’m saying this now…
“Are you seriously insane, Old Man?”
[Hmm?]
“How could you make me meet with that kind of bastard?”
[That kind of bastard? I’m telling you again, that man is from my younger—]
“A shameless, dog-like piece of trash.”
[Just curse me out instead.]
“Damn you.”
[…Are you seriously doing this, you crazy bastard?]
I couldn’t help myself. Truly, I couldn’t.
“And how exactly was I supposed to handle that?”
Thousands of times.
Several times more than my first encounter with the Illusion.
Moreover.
‘It took that many attempts just to block a single strike.’
Not even an exchange of blows—just a single attack.
It took thousands of attempts just to block that one strike.
[Ahem.]
Even Yoo Cheon-gil seemed embarrassed by my complaint, letting out a dry cough.
[…When was it. I’d say it was around when he’d just turned twenty.]
“…Pardon?”
That ferocious appearance was only a few years older than me?
His haggard appearance made it genuinely difficult to gauge his age.
But this was too much.
What that meant was.
‘That man was already a monster at twenty years old.’
Barely twenty years old.
The same age as Dang Yeeran and younger than Dok-ryong.
I had never felt fear when looking at those two.
Fear surged through me at the sight of Yoo Cheon-gil.
Twenty years old?
If he truly was twenty years old.
‘But why does he look like that?’
That gaunt, withered appearance—what was that about? At fifteen, his frame had been massive, yet by twenty, he’d somehow become smaller. It was bewildering.
Just as I was about to ask him about it.
[Still… you managed it, didn’t you?]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke with shameless audacity.
“Huh? As long as the result is good, everything’s fine?”
[Well, it’s not like the result was bad… actually…]
“Damn it.”
[Hey, I didn’t tell you to curse this time.]
“Then maybe don’t give me reason to curse.”
At my words, Yoo Cheon-gil spoke as if aggrieved.
[Who said you had to do it all at once? Come on. You knew this yourself, didn’t you? I made it so you could break free from the Illusion whenever you wanted.]
He was right. This time, I’d sensed instinctively that I could break free from the Illusion, unlike before.
I’d endured it despite knowing that.
Why?
‘Pride got the better of me.’
I was irritated. He came in as if to see who would win, and I didn’t want to tuck tail and flee.
So I persevered stubbornly.
Then, just before my mental fortitude finally collapsed, I broke free and ended it.
Beyond that, I had much to say about this part too.
“Repeating it multiple times wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.”
[…]
Yoo Cheon-gil fell silent at my words. It was because I was right.
“…Could I have won by doing that while using Sword Force?”
That bastard—twenty-year-old Yoo Cheon-gil—had used Sword Force.
It meant he was a peak Martial Artist. And I couldn’t block that single strike.
Why?
‘Because Sword Force can only be blocked by Sword Force.’
I couldn’t use Sword Force.
So I lacked the capacity to block that strike.
Then, to overcome that Illusion, what must I do?
The answer was obvious.
‘I must use Sword Force.’
I had to use it myself.
Something that isn’t even peak had to manifest strong force.
By the standards of the Central Plains, it would be absurd.
But.
‘I already know the solution.’
I had seen it long ago.
That sensation from when I was a first-rate martial artist, channeling inner force through this body of mine.
Thus, the moment I realized that bastard was a martial artist who wielded sword force, I could understand why this illusion was created.
Block a single strike.
That’s what Yoo Cheon-gil said.
But this.
‘Awaken your sword force.’
That’s what it really meant.
To escape the illusion, I had to awaken my sword force.
‘The concept of blocking comes after that.’
If I couldn’t channel inner force, I’d be sliced apart whether I blocked or not.
That was when I first learned that a sword could cut through things as easily as tofu.
‘What a mad monster.’
Just remembering it draws a sigh from me.
I died that helplessly thousands of times.
‘…Still.’
The one saving grace here was.
‘That I finally succeeded.’
화아아아아—!!!
Brilliant light bloomed at the sword’s edge.
I narrowed my eyes at the radiant azure glow.
What was the name of this technique again?
‘Was it Luminous Moon Annihilation?’
Unlike the first and second forms of the Azure Moon Sword Dance, which were martial techniques.
‘The third form is merely sword force.’
The third form’s sole purpose was to manifest light.
The inner force contained within the blade.
I had manifested it directly. The color was truly beautiful, like moonlight captured within, and.
The rippling appearance was radiance itself, but.
“….”
My gaze observing it was somewhat indifferent.
It couldn’t be otherwise.
‘I’ve awakened it so many times.’
I had already grown accustomed to it within the illusion, again and again.
Manifesting sword force wasn’t the end.
I had to block a single strike, but merely awakening sword force wasn’t enough to parry that bastard’s blade.
‘…Thanks to that, my proficiency has accumulated.’
Because my sword force was weak and slow to manifest, I couldn’t block the opponent’s force.
So this time too, I had to keep trying until I succeeded.
And by the time I blocked that strike and escaped from the Illusion,
Saaaaaah–!!
the Moonlight Swordsmanship had achieved a certain level of completion.
‘Fascinating.’
Training within the Illusion doesn’t improve my physical body.
However.
‘My control over qi improves.’
The more I experience applying qi in this way, the better I become at it.
That’s what fascinated me.
If this is the case,
‘isn’t the Illusion the ultimate training ground for qi control?’
A place where I can train infinitely.
If I used the Illusion that way, it seemed entirely possible.
[Ho. Not bad at all.]
Then, Yoo Cheon-gil grins as he observes my qi output.
[See? I was right, wasn’t I?]
“What do you mean?”
[I told you. Don’t focus on emitting light.]
“Ah. That.”
It was something Yoo Cheon-gil had said to me before entering the Illusion. He’d offered that advice, or so he claimed.
“…Well.”
[Hmm?]
“I didn’t pay attention to it anyway.”
[What do you mean by that…?]
Yoo Cheon-gil looks bewildered at my claim that I hadn’t heeded his advice despite his effort.
[Then how did you manage it?]
“How? Well, like I said before, abstract concepts don’t work for me.”
Something about light.
Something about the moon.
Hearing such things means nothing to me. So I simply went with what I knew.
‘I already understood the method.’
My body’s condition when I activated the Moonlight Swordsmanship.
The sensation at that moment.
I remembered everything.
Then there’s only one answer.
‘Just keep doing it until it works.’
If I keep repeating it, eventually it will happen.
Not being able to do something despite knowing it must be due to unfamiliarity.
So I kept at it until I grew accustomed to it, until it worked.
“And that’s how I managed it.”
[….]
At my words, Yoo Cheon-gil wore an expression of speechlessness.
[…Hmm…. I see.]
There was a lingering sense of dissatisfaction.
I’d given him such brilliant advice, yet he’d found another path instead—was that it?
‘Well, what can I do.’
That man and I simply weren’t compatible.
Whoosh.
I rotated the blade half a turn. The sword energy dispersed as the light faded.
“Haa….”
A deep breath escaped me. The qi that had been in my dantian had completely drained away.
‘This is difficult.’
Manifesting sword energy proved far more challenging than anticipated. The consumption of qi transcended imagination.
Just thinking about maintaining such qi movement while applying it in actual combat made me break into a cold sweat.
‘Either way, I’ll manage it if I keep at it.’
This was no different.
I still didn’t fully understand what a Martial Artist truly was, but ultimately their methods were all the same.
‘Until it works.’
It was a simple yet fundamental conclusion.
‘For now, I’ll be satisfied that I’ve manifested sword energy.’
Even this moved me deeply.
I, who once lived as a third-rate nobody, had not only reached the first rank but now wielded sword energy.
‘…Truly.’
Life remains mysterious even when you think you understand it.
At this rate.
‘Could I actually become the Heavenly Supreme?’
As Yoo Cheon-gil had told me.
Could I too ascend to that position?
Such an absurd hope suddenly brushed across my mind.
[Haha.]
Just as Yoo Cheon-gil, reading the thoughts from my face, was about to speak with a grin.
Boom-!!
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the door to the Training Hall burst open violently.
“You bastard–!!”
Looking toward the door with confusion, the one who appeared was none other than Dang Cheon-il.
Dok-ryong.
“…Young Master of the Dang Clan…?”
Why did he suddenly appear? And while cursing no less?
Wondering what was wrong, I watched him.
“It’s you–!!”
Dang Cheon-il rushed toward me and suddenly grabbed my collar.
“What? Why are you doing this?”
Had he lost his mind?
“It’s definitely you. It has to be you.”
“…Let go of me, would you? Put me down and we can talk.”
His grip tightened. My frustration grew.
“What did you do? What exactly did you do to make her act like that?”
“I’m going insane… Just let go and listen-”
I needed to calm him down first.
A man who’d been carried away sick yesterday shouldn’t be thrashing about like this.
So I tried to pry him off and have a proper conversation.
“Did you seduce her with that handsome face of yours? That must be it.”
Dang Cheon-il sneered at me.
“I hear your father in Yeolyeong is quite skilled at such things. You’re no different, I’m sure.”
“…What?”
[Oh, damn.]
My body went rigid at Dang Cheon-il’s words.
Yoo Cheon-gil’s expression shifted in alarm upon hearing that.
But Dang Cheon-il didn’t stop talking.
“Even so, how dare you-”
[Looks like he needs some education. Aah. Help me out.]
Before Dang Cheon-il and Yoo Cheon-gil could finish speaking.
Whoooosh–!!
Light erupted from my body.
“Huh!?”
Dang Cheon-il squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden flash.
In that instant.
Boom-!!
“Ugh!?”
My fist drove into his solar plexus. His body flew backward and slammed into the wall.
Dang Cheon-il bounced off and collapsed to the ground.
Crack-!
Before he could even hit the floor, I stomped on his face with my heel.
“You bastard.”
“Ugh…!”
“Just because I’ve been patient doesn’t mean you can walk all over me. You pathetic wretch. What?”
I pressed down harder with my foot.
“Argh–! …You… you bastard…!”
Dang Cheon-il struggled desperately to get up.
At that moment, I released the pressure from my foot and lifted it slightly.
With the obstruction gone, Dang Cheon-il, who had been forcing his strength forward, found his head rising uncontrollably from his own momentum.
I seized the opportunity and swept my foot across his cheek.
Crack-!
“Ugh!”
His cheek twisted from the impact of my foot against his face.
Blood spilled out, wetting the floor.
Even seeing that, I didn’t stop.
I tried to strike his face again with my fist, but—
“You insignificant bastard-!”
Coming to his senses, Dang Cheon-il moved his body to evade.
The distance between us widened in an instant.
Where my strike had landed, Dang Cheon-il’s cheek was flushed red.
Malice filled his eyes.
“Disgusting bastard. How dare you ambush me…?”
“Ambush? You’re the one who grabbed my collar out of nowhere, you bastard. You’re a real hypocrite, aren’t you?”
“Hypo… what?”
“Don’t worry about it, asshole.”
Sigh.
I exhaled and ran my hand through my hair.
“Pathetic little punk….”
I kept restraining myself because I didn’t want to be bothered.
But he kept provoking me.
“I was willing to let most things slide.”
I was still trying to hold back.
Making an enemy of the Dang Clan was truly something I wanted to avoid.
But.
“Touching family is crossing a line, you uneducated bastard. You son of a bitch.”
This bastard had crossed it.
[…I see. Your mouth was always this crude—]
“If you’ve lived this long, you should have some sense. Did you swallow your manners along with poison?”
Crack crack crack.
I cracked my knuckles, producing bone-crunching sounds.
“Is this what the Dang Clan teaches?”
“…!”
At the mention of the Dang Clan, blood vessels formed an angry X-shape between Dang Cheon-il’s brows.
“You bastard-! How dare you bring that up!”
He was clearly furious, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
Seeing that, I let out a hollow laugh.
“Why? You brought up my father, so why can’t I bring up your clan?”
At least I had the decency not to lay a finger on Dokuou.
Unsatisfied even with such considerate restraint, Dang Cheon-il spoke to me with a contorted face.
“…How dare you compare your pathetic clan to the Dang Clan?”
“It’s not a comparison… forget it.”
Explaining was too much effort.
Conversing with an ignorant fool. It was my least favorite thing to do.
In times like this, there’s only one answer.
“Shut your mouth and pick up a weapon.”
This won’t do.
Not at all.
“You need a beating.”
That bastard only understood one language—violence.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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