The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 202

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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 202
I drew my sword.
Swiftly, yet deliberately.
With composure, I unsheathed the blade from its scabbard and grasped it firmly, regarding my opponent.
‘Hmm.’
A soft exhale through my nose. I remained indifferent and languid.
My movements betrayed no particular interest.
In truth, my mood was no different from any other day.
‘How tedious.’
There was no excitement in this. The Yongbong Tournament held no such meaning for me.
I was already regretting having ascended to this martial stage at all.
‘What was I thinking?’
Apathetic and cold.
As I drew my sword, I glanced furtively at my own cheek.
What would my expression look like? Surely I wasn’t smiling.
‘This is troublesome.’
When did it start? Ah, yes. It must have been right after fighting that disagreeable man, the Protagonist. That wretched boy.
I lost pathetically. When I awoke, battered and broken.
That’s when this problem began.
‘I cannot muster an expression.’
The smile that once came so naturally no longer appears.
The mask I had worn my entire life had slipped away, and I could not replace it.
The performance of my nature crumbled.
I could no longer grasp what I had once held so desperately.
Time was what I needed.
I had to don this mask again. Only then could I accomplish what I truly desired.
‘That pathetic wretch.’
The incompetent fool that haunted my mind.
To keep my ignorant, whimpering brother alive as he is now, there were things I had to do.
Since I could no longer do them, what should I call this feeling?
‘It feels refreshing.’
Absurdly, it felt refreshing. It was ridiculous, yet true.
Swish.
Had it been so heavy?
As I lifted my sword, I spoke.
I grasped the hilt lightly.
What had I told him when I came here?
‘I will teach you that sword technique.’
To myself and Cheon Euijin.
That radiant sword technique—I had said to pass it on, hadn’t I?
I can’t quite recall it. Which means it probably wasn’t that important.
‘A strange man.’
Peculiar.
Clearly he’s full of cunning stratagems and concealing his power—that much is obvious.
Yet on the surface, he appears more fragile than anyone else.
Cheonhye-in had prided herself on her keen intuition since childhood.
She had never been wrong in her assessments.
This man was the first to defy all her expectations.
‘What could it be?’
Geomseong’s Predecessor. He appeared out of nowhere, and everything about him is a mystery.
She had judged him easy to handle, thinking he seemed unfamiliar with the Central Plains.
But that wasn’t the case.
‘He’s skilled.’
Bangseong-yeon was more adept at handling people than anyone she knew.
As if he possessed years of experience managing countless individuals. Or as if he had encountered every type of human nature imaginable.
He adapted to whoever he faced.
What was remarkable.
‘He never changes himself.’
He maintained his own character while adjusting to his opponent, orchestrating matters in his favor with perfect naturalness.
‘How?’
How could it be so seamless?
To maintain oneself while adapting to others—Cheonhye-in found it nothing short of miraculous.
Especially.
‘That expression.’
The way he had displayed his fury toward her sent shivers down her spine.
‘Which one is the real you?’
During conversation.
During combat.
During anger.
Every version of Bangseong-yeon was different, and she wondered which was the true one.
Cheonhye-in suddenly found herself curious about him.
Yes, she was curious about Bangseong-yeon.
The thought struck her unexpectedly.
‘Is this love?’
She laughed the moment the thought crossed her mind. Nothing could be more absurd.
It wasn’t love.
This was curiosity.
Grip.
She grasped her sword and took her stance. Her gaze swept across the spectators’ stands.
There. Those blue eyes were far too easy to spot among the crowded masses.
And alongside him.
‘Hm?’
I could see another presence standing beside him.
‘Geombong?’
Though she wore a face veil, her identity became clear from the robes she had on.
Maehua Geombong.
The First Disciple was standing next to him.
‘Why is that monster…?’
Why on earth was Geombong suddenly standing with Bangseong-yeon?
Watching this, Cheonhye-in’s brow furrowed.
‘…What is this?’
Cheonhye-in knew Geombong.
In the past, when Maehua Ilgeom, the Sect Leader of Hwasan, had visited Cheongwol Sect.
Back then, she had met Yoo Yeon, who was not yet Geombong.
And by chance, they had engaged in a martial duel.
That memory was not a pleasant one for Cheonhye-in.
Her first despair.
The moment she realized there was heaven above heaven.
Genius Slayer.
Cheonhye-in knew better than anyone why Geombong was called by that name.
The one who trampled down the arrogant ones called geniuses.
A single duel and just one exchange of blows.
With that alone, Geombong had shown her opponent their true standing.
And those who tasted it called Geombong a monster.
And this was true for Cheonhye-in as well.
Cheonhye-in privately referred to Geombong as a monster.
What else could she be if not a monster?
She had to be treated as a monster. If she were to regard her as human, she would feel far too pathetic.
But.
‘They’re together?’
Bangseong-yeon was together with such a monster? Watching this, Cheonhye-in felt oddly irritated.
Something twisted inside her.
It was annoying.
What was this?
Why was she feeling annoyed? Just as Cheonhye-in’s brow narrowed with clearly unsettled feelings.
“Haha. Well, well.”
A voice came from ahead.
“To think I would face the renowned Wol Muhui. It is truly an honor…. Eh?”
The Young Man, Baekcheon-in, who met Cheonhye-in’s gaze, widened his eyes in apparent confusion.
“My lady…. Are you perhaps displeased…?”
“Who? Me?”
“Yes… yes, yes…”
“Angry? When did I ever get angry?”
“No, it’s just… your expression right now…”
“I’m not angry.”
“Yes. Of course. You weren’t angry at all. I must have misread it. Hahaha.”
Baekcheon-in laughed awkwardly and changed the subject.
How irritating.
Yes, she was irritated by this nameless, docile-looking existence before her.
That seemed to be the case.
Suddenly ascending to the Yongbong Tournament and becoming a spectacle for the masses.
Being forced into a match with this incomprehensible person when she was already exhausted.
None of it sat well with her.
That’s why she was irritated.
Cheonhye-in convinced herself of this.
‘I need to finish this quickly.’
Only then could she suppress this emotion.
Shhk.
She drew her sword.
One strike would end it. Looking at her opponent, she believed she could do it.
Moreover.
‘…I shouldn’t have watched that match.’
Cheonhye-in’s junior and Sowoldae’s former youngest member.
Having witnessed Do-hyeong’s match directly, her body tingled slightly.
It had been ignited.
The heat he radiated.
The conviction behind what he was trying to express.
It had touched something within the martial artist Cheonhye-in.
“Hah.”
She steadied her breathing. This wasn’t good. She needed to always remain rational.
‘This is all because of that person.’
Getting entangled with this strange individual had made her feel bothered.
She suppressed her thoughts and poured strength into her blade.
She’d finish off this dullard and then visit Bangseong-yeon briefly.
For some reason, it felt necessary.
The moment she thought this.
-Match, begin!
The referee announced the start of the match.
Whoosh!
Cheonhye-in’s body accelerated as she rushed toward Baekcheon-in.
A sword wreathed in sword energy sliced through the air, and in that instant before it could strike Baekcheon-in—
Clang—!!
“…!”
Cheonhye-in’s blade was deflected.
“Ugh!?”
Yet absurdly, it was Baekcheon-in who cried out.
Despite Cheonhye-in’s sword being deflected, Baekcheon-in’s blade wobbled awkwardly in response.
As though he had blocked it by sheer accident.
‘Was it coincidence?’
It happened sometimes. Coincidence could always occur.
Thinking thus, Cheonhye-in resumed her offensive.
Clang—! Screech—!
Whoosh—!
“…?”
Something felt wrong.
“Ugh! Gasp!”
Clashing sounds and cries mingled together, yet her attacks weren’t landing.
By the slimmest margin.
With subtle precision, Baekcheon-in continued deflecting every one of Cheonhye-in’s strikes.
‘What is this?’
If coincidence continued, it became a miracle. And if miracles continued, what would that be?
‘It was never coincidence to begin with.’
Screech—!!
I shifted from sword energy to sword force.
From flowing, fluid movements, I channeled sharp, concentrated power.
My waist twisted, and a moon rose in the void.
Wolrang.
The first form of the Cheongwol Sword Dance burrowed toward Baekcheon-in.
“Argh!”
Baekcheon-in evaded the attack and rolled across the ground.
Ungracefully.
The spectators burst into laughter at his clumsy tumble.
-Hahahaha—!!!
-What are you doing! Fight properly!!
They were too busy mocking Baekcheon-in. To them, it appeared he was desperately fleeing from Wol Muhui’s onslaught.
“…Who are you?”
Cheonhye-in glared at Baekcheon-in, her sword force fully deployed.
“Uh…. What?”
Baekcheon-in stared back at her with a blank expression.
As if he knew nothing at all.
But.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Mock? Me? I wouldn’t…”
“Stop wasting time. Be serious.”
This was no coincidence.
Nor was it a miracle.
Cheonhye-in’s intuition was screaming the truth.
“Are you hiding your strength?”
“No, that’s not it. I’m not…”
“…This is infuriating.”
What was this man playing at?
Everything about him rubbed her the wrong way. Her mood was already sour enough.
Heat flared through her.
So Cheonhye-in poured her strength into her blade.
Whatever he was hiding, she would strip it bare and expose it.
Cheonhye-in unleashed her full power and rushed at Baekcheon-in.
Whoooosh.
Light seeped into her body. A power different from before. Baekcheon-in’s expression grew peculiar as he witnessed it.
“Ah. This won’t do.”
An awkward smile crossed his face.
“…You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”
He chuckled softly.
A chill.
Cheonhye-in’s steps faltered for an instant. A mere moment.
An inexplicable unease pressed down upon her body.
‘What was that?’
What just happened?
She looked again, but Baekcheon-in appeared unchanged.
Then what was that strange sensation she’d felt?
‘An illusion, perhaps.’
It must have been an illusion. When she tried to sense it again, her senses gave no response.
Was this itself an illusion?
Whoosh!
Cheonhye-in gathered her strength again and surged forward.
The Cheongwol Sect’s sword technique.
A different swordplay unfolded from what Bangseong-yeon wielded.
Its form was like a dance.
—Ohhhhh!!
The Cheongwol sword dance, graceful as a waltz.
This was why she had earned the name Wol Muhui.
‘I’ll tear it off.’
Regardless of what mask the author wore, I would strip it away with my blade.
What was he hiding that made him mock me so thoroughly?
Channeling my irritation, I swung my sword without restraint.
“Ahhhhh!”
Baekcheon-in flinched in surprise and twisted his body away.
Crack—!
“Tsk.”
Again.
He dodged the blade once more—
Stagger—!
“…!?”
Cheonhye-in’s body collapsed.
Thud—! His posture crumbled, and suddenly his knees buckled beneath him.
“What…?”
Cheonhye-in’s eyes widened at the incomprehensible turn of events.
At the same time, a sharp pain radiated from his jaw.
‘I was hit…?’
When? I took a blow to the jaw? Was there such an action in that last movement?
I couldn’t remember.
No.
‘I didn’t see it.’
Even if it had happened, there was no record of it in Cheonhye-in’s mind.
While he rolled his eyes in bewilderment.
Shing.
“….”
The blade pressed against Cheonhye-in’s throat.
“Haha… haha….”
Baekcheon-in let out a hollow laugh and spoke.
“…My goodness. Well… that was fortunate.”
“….”
At his ungraceful tone, Cheonhye-in glared at Baekcheon-in with sharp eyes.
“You…!”
Just as he was about to burst forth with fury.
“Match concluded.”
The Referee approached and announced the end of the duel.
“Victor: Baekcheon-in.”
Cheonhye-in had lost.
Remarkably, not a single cheer echoed from the crowd.

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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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