The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 212

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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 212
The seventh-rank martial tournament had concluded. Dang Cheon-il’s match against Peng Dojun ended in Peng Dojun’s victory.
Yet the aftermath did not end with the simple conclusion of a tournament match.
—The Dang Clan had restored Manceon Hwau.
The century-old secret technique the Dang Clan had lost.
A forbidden art that had demonstrated tremendous destructive power across countless wars, including the Jeongma Great War, now emanated from Dok-ryong’s grasp.
Everyone expressed astonishment at this revelation.
Such was the significance of Manceon Hwau’s restoration.
And the stories surrounding Dok-ryong, who had demonstrated it in the tournament match, continued to multiply endlessly.
—Dok-ryong of the seventh-rank. Driving back Heuk Taedo.
—The growth of Dok-ryong, once called inferior.
And so forth.
Immediately after the tournament ended, countless such trivial stories circulated.
‘…Is that really the case?’
Those listening couldn’t help but question whether that aspect was truly acceptable.
‘Surely those who witnessed it couldn’t be ignorant.’
The spectators weren’t blind, and they couldn’t have failed to notice how endlessly Peng Dojun had held back against Dok-ryong.
He had only drawn his blade near the end, and even then, he hadn’t properly demonstrated his martial techniques.
‘What could it have been.’
The martial technique he had been about to use then.
I had not known it.
‘Yoo Cheon-gil had called it Heuk-un.’
A martial technique known as the Black Cloud.
What meaning did it hold, and what effects would such a technique display?
‘…At the very least.’
It was not among the Peng Clan’s martial techniques I had identified. This meant.
‘An undisclosed secret technique.’
A hidden art of the Peng Clan not yet revealed to the world.
‘…Swallow.’
I swallowed hard. The problem did not end there.
‘…He’s far too strong.’
Peng Dojun himself—his strength was also problematic. It far exceeded my expectations.
Socheongeom was commonly evaluated as being roughly comparable to the seventh-rank.
In truth, this assessment was not far off. Having faced Woon-ryong, I felt no great disparity between Socheongeom and Woon-ryong.
This meant that if Socheongeom grew slightly stronger and Woon-ryong’s growth stagnated, he could surpass him without difficulty.
‘…But Heuk Taedo is different.’
Those commonly called the upper ranks of the seventh-rank are of another caliber entirely.
Compared to Woon-ryong, a clear difference was evident.
Of course, the only upper-rank opponent I had actually faced was Cheonhye-in.
‘…But even considering that alone.’
Cheonhye-in simply failed to demonstrate her true strength against Baekcheon-in.
It wasn’t that she was weak. Peng Dojun was now certain of it.
‘Yoo Cheon-gil would find her quite appealing.’
What was it he said? That the Sword Saint mentioned blood kinship fortune was extraordinary. In any case, something along those lines.
From that, Peng Dojun could tell that even in Yoo Cheon-gil’s eyes, she possessed tremendous potential.
And even if that weren’t the case.
‘You can tell just by looking.’
From my duel with Dang Cheon-il, I clearly recognized the strength of Heuk Taedo.
‘The man was practically insane…?’
The more he got hit.
The more wounds he received, the more he laughed.
‘He’s truly a pervert.’
Just a perverted bastard, plain and simple.
Peng Dojun was definitely a pervert.
‘Tch.’
I scratched my head. The existence called Peng Dojun felt increasingly distant.
I simply didn’t want to get entangled with him. That was all I could think.
“Ugh….”
A groan came from ahead. It was Dang Cheon-il.
The man let out a pained sound and opened his eyes.
“You’re awake?”
Seeing that, I asked, and Dang Cheon-il looked at me with barely-open eyes.
“What… Ack!”
Dang Cheon-il stopped mid-sentence and clutched his chest.
From the way he gripped it with his hand, it seemed to hurt quite badly.
“Nngh….”
“Don’t move. The physician said you need to rest for a month or two without any fussing.”
“…Ugh….”
Right after I spoke, Dang Cheon-il raised his upper body.
“Hah… Huff.”
“I told you not to get up.”
He really doesn’t listen to a word.
“I….”
As I furrowed my brow, Dang Cheon-il asked me a question.
“Did I… lose…?”
The way he asked so weakly struck me as somewhat amusing. Hearing that, I chuckled and spoke to him.
“You lost. Quite miserably at that.”
“….”
“Did you think you’d win?”
“….”
He didn’t answer. But from his expression, I could tell what he was thinking.
“If you thought you’d win, you should have committed harder. I told you—don’t hesitate. Besides, dragging out time in that situation wouldn’t have helped.”
“….”
Wrapped in bandages, he grew increasingly dejected.
Ah, I didn’t really mean to say something like that.
I awkwardly scratched my head and brought up something else.
“Heuk Taedo asked me to pass along a message.”
At the mention of Heuk Taedo, Dang Cheon-il looked at me with curious eyes.
“He said it was fun.”
“…Ha.”
Fun. After fighting so intensely, that’s all he had to say?
Dang Cheon-il found it absurd, yet—
“…That’s irritating.”
Despite his words, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
What’s with that reaction? I felt oddly displeased. Ah, was it because Dang Cheon-il looked so fierce?
That could have been it.
Anyway, I left Dang Cheon-il groaning in pain and got to my feet.
“The treatment is mostly done, but don’t act up—just lie still quietly. It’ll take more time from here on. Oh, and if you want, can you contact the Dang Clan?”
He was still a direct bloodline member of the clan.
Even though a Younger Master had been designated, Dang Cheon-il was undeniably a descendant of a prestigious family, so I thought it was right to report his injuries.
‘It’s funny that they didn’t send a single Dang Clan member to the Manceon Hwau in the first place.’
For such a grand festival, they sent not a single support member.
I found Dokuou’s choice peculiar.
‘Really…’
It was absurd.
As I was thinking that and about to move—
“…Are you leaving?”
Dang Cheon-il asked me a question.
“Yeah, I have to. The martial matches are still going on.”
I was in the medical station inside the main sect grounds.
After the matches ended, I had to stop by to treat the groaning Dang Cheon-il.
Because of that, I had to carry that heavy guy here.
My shoulders were completely sore.
‘It feels like it’ll be my turn soon.’
It didn’t seem like it would be yet. But I still had to go.
There was nothing good about being late.
Just as I was thinking that and about to move—
“Do your best.”
“…Huh?”
Dang Cheon-il suddenly offered me encouragement.
When I looked at him with disbelief at those words, he averted his gaze.
‘What is this guy?’
How repulsive—what was he doing? As I stared with a look of disgust, Dang Cheon-il’s expression wasn’t much different.
He too showed clear signs of regretting what he’d just said.
“Ha.”
What a ridiculous man.
I let out a slight laugh and spoke.
“We’ll see.”
I’ll think about whether to exert my full strength or not.
With those words, I moved forward.
‘Strength, is it.’
I had been planning to demonstrate it anyway, even without him asking.

* * *
-Waaaaaah!
Upon returning, cheers filled the air.
It seemed another match had just concluded.
I quietly examined the dueling platform and realized something.
The person descending was someone I recognized.
“Senior.”
“…Mm.”
It was Do-hyeong. He descended from the dueling platform with his characteristic stoic expression.
‘Ah, that’s right.’
Do-hyeong had a match scheduled. I’d forgotten about it while dealing with Dang Cheon-il.
“Did you win?”
“Mm.”
Do-hyeong nodded. Fortunately, he had emerged victorious from the match.
‘…Impressive.’
Remarkable, really. I knew Do-hyeong was strong, but seeing his condition now, I could instinctively sense just how formidable he truly was.
‘His robes aren’t damaged at all.’
He hadn’t taken a single blow from his opponent.
For someone to have reached this stage, they would have to be quite formidable. Yet Do-hyeong remained in pristine condition.
‘Do-hyeong appears to be stronger than I anticipated.’
Then again, he’d never truly demonstrated his full power before.
‘The Guardian Spirit still shines brilliantly.’
I had simply thought of him as someone who carried the Guardian Spirit.
But after witnessing his match, my assessment was changing.
“You worked hard out there.”
“Mm.”
Pat.
Do-hyeong placed a hand on my shoulder as he passed by.
“Take care of yourself.”
“Ah, yes.”
His words reminded me of a past life phrase about enduring hardship.
After speaking, Do-hyeong moved on.
His body seemed fine, though weariness was plainly visible in his demeanor.
‘He should be alright.’
I nodded while observing the Guardian Spirit circling beside him.
The light was intense. The Guardian Spirit’s power was unmistakably at the Mountain God level.
However.
‘…Something about that Guardian Spirit feels off?’
Unlike what I knew, its power was strong and its light was strong, yet it had never demonstrated any actual efficiency as a Guardian Spirit.
The same was true in Sacheon.
‘I was hoping to benefit from the Guardian Spirit’s protection. Instead, I suffered greatly.’
Had it not been for Yoo Cheon-gil, we would have been slaughtered on the spot. Even then, the Guardian Spirit remained still.
By nature, a Guardian Spirit’s instinct and attachment is to protect those beside it with all its might.
‘This one doesn’t seem to follow that pattern.’
That Guardian Spirit was different.
It felt as though it merely observed, no matter what happened to Do-hyeong.
How could a Guardian Spirit act this way? Unless it were something else.
‘…Is it because of Yoo Cheon-gil?’
Perhaps the Guardian Spirit thought it was fine because Yoo Cheon-gil was present. But this too was merely speculation.
‘Hmm.’
I would need to investigate this matter someday. There was something subtly nagging at me about it.
Thus, as I quietly observed Do-hyeong’s Guardian Spirit.
-The next contestant, please come forward!
I turned my head at the Referee’s call.
-Bangseong-yeon of the Yoryeong Clan and Namgung Cheon of the Namgung Clan. Prepare for your match.
It was my turn.

* * *
I climbed onto the dueling arena, now grown somewhat accustomed to it.
I steadied myself and gradually regulated my breathing.
The cascade of gazes still felt unfamiliar, but I feigned indifference.
Just as I was clearing away countless thoughts to cultivate a composed demeanor.
“Haha.”
A cheerful laugh echoed from across the arena.
“At last, I get to see you.”
Namgung Cheon.
He was grinning at me.
“I’ve been counting the days for this moment. You have no idea how much I’ve been anticipating it.”
“There was no need to wait so eagerly on my account.”
“Ah, how could I not.”
Namgung Cheon’s smile faded as his expression turned sharp and cutting.
“I finally get to face the legendary Socheongeom.”
“Hmm….”
His expression was truly fierce. Handsome though he was, those cold eyes constantly shifted the atmosphere around us.
“Besides, I have quite a lot riding on this duel, so I had to make it happen somehow.”
‘A lot riding on it?’
I narrowed my eyes at his cryptic words.
“Is it the wager with Heuk Taedo?”
That crude bet where they’d stake their respective treasured weapons.
I asked if that was what he meant.
“Ah, yes. That too.”
“…?”
Namgung Cheon responded as if he’d only just remembered it.
What?
“That wasn’t it?”
“No, well, that’s part of it, but….”
As Namgung Cheon hesitated in his response, the Referee’s voice overlapped.
-Ready.
At that word, both Namgung Cheon and I drew our blades simultaneously.
Shing!
Even as I assumed my stance while drawing my sword, Namgung Cheon continued speaking.
“Something far greater is at stake. And even if it weren’t.”
His eyes blazed with intensity.
In that moment.
-Namgung Cheon of the Namgung Clan versus Bangseong-yeon of the Bangseong Clan.
“The fact that I’ve been eagerly anticipating this duel. That is what matters most.”
Along with Namgung Cheon’s deep smile.
-The match begins.
Krrrrrrrummmmble──!!!!
Thunder erupted across the clear sky.

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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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