The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 235

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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 235
I had won by forfeit, entirely by accident.
Apart from drawing my sword and bracing myself fully, I found myself scratching my cheek at this absurd victory.
Then.
-Boooooooo!!!
-What is this!!
Jeers rained down from all directions. They weren’t directed at me, but at my opponent.
Those who had come to witness a proper match were furious at being denied the spectacle.
I understood. The previous match must have been quite intense, and the final bout had gone cold in an instant, so such a reaction was inevitable.
However.
‘…Thank goodness.’
All I could do was heave sighs of relief. How wonderful to win without exerting myself unnecessarily?
‘Damn these people. Do they love fighting so much?’
I’m the one who has to put my body on the line. And they jeer because I didn’t put on a flashy show.
It was truly infuriating.
[Ugh, tsk tsk tsk.]
Meanwhile, Yoo Cheon-gil clicked his tongue in disbelief as he materialized.
[What a coward. Running away without even fighting? This is utterly ridiculous.]
‘….’
The world had truly gone mad.
I would have fled too, honestly.
‘Regardless of what I did.’
I had defeated Woon-ryong while unconscious, and though I only briefly witnessed the match between Heuk Taedo and Do-hyeong, it was ferociously intense.
Moreover, the bout between Baekcheon-in and Geombong was elegant yet sharp without a single opening.
How terrifying would it be for someone of inferior skill to step into such a level of combat?
‘I understand.’
I would have fled too.
My spearman friend whose name I could barely remember.
I understand you.
I nodded my head to express my gratitude.
Others might not know, but I was relieved not to have fought, after all.
‘Thanks to this, things became easier.’
My body still hadn’t fully recovered, and I’d been aching all day long.
Being able to conserve my strength was a gain.
“Phew.”
As I exhaled and was about to leave the arena.
“That must be disappointing.”
The Referee approached me with genuine regret in his voice.
“Don’t be too disappointed, though…. Everyone, not just the others, is looking forward to tomorrow’s match.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Could it be? Is he trying to console me for not being able to fight right now? If that’s true.
‘The world has truly gone mad.’
Without exception, these were all strange people.

* * *
And.
It wasn’t just the Referee and the others who felt this way.
“How could such a thing happen…!”
“…”
The moment I arrived at the medical tent, Cheon Euijin let out a lament.
“You’ve truly been treated most disrespectfully…”
“…Disrespectfully? Ah…Yes.”
When I mentioned that I’d lost by forfeit in the match, Cheon Euijin reacted as though genuinely outraged.
What is this, really.
How could this even be considered disrespectful? It was something I couldn’t comprehend.
Moreover.
“I don’t like it.”
Even Do-hyeong, who had just awakened, was frowning on his bed—a rare sight.
If even that composed Do-hyeong reacted this way, it must be quite an improper action.
‘…Was there such a custom?’
For me, who had studied the customs of the Central Plains, this was the first I’d heard of it.
So if you don’t fight and step down from the arena, it’s disrespectful to your opponent.
‘Truly a fascinating world.’
And an incomprehensible one at that.
“…Please, stop being angry now, Senior. Are you feeling alright?”
“…”
At my question, Do-hyeong quietly closed his eyes. I felt the air shift subtly.
Qi brushed across his body.
And then.
“I’m fine.”
Do-hyeong spoke matter-of-factly. He seemed to have checked his condition using his qi.
But.
“Fine? That’s nonsense. I saw you coughing up blood and collapsing just moments ago.”
I poked his chest lightly, speaking as though exasperated.
“Ugh…”
Do-hyeong let out a groan. This stone of a man was actually wincing from just a light touch.
“So you’re fine? Even like this, you’re still fine?”
“…I’m fine…”
“That’s stubbornness, Senior. If it hurts, just say it hurts.”
“…”
Do-hyeong clamped his mouth shut as if he’d rather die than admit it. What was I supposed to do with these people?
“…At least you’re alive.”
Right, it wasn’t my business anyway, so what did it matter?
I nodded and decided to let it slide. I’d come out of concern, true enough, but that wasn’t the only reason I’d made the trip to the infirmary.
“So, Senior.”
“…Yeah.”
Do-hyeong shifted his body slightly as if still in pain, then looked at me.
I watched him and asked.
“That last technique. Do you remember it?”
“….”
The last technique.
When I asked about the Black Cloud that Heuk Taedo had used, Do-hyeong’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you asking about the technique itself?”
“Yes. It’s the first time I’ve seen it.”
The other techniques were famous, and most of them were documented in the information Wol Seon-geom had obtained for me.
But whenever an anomaly like this appeared, there were countless gaps in my knowledge.
‘Especially something like the Black Cloud.’
A secret martial art created not long ago.
Moreover, it was a power that had never been revealed to the world before.
‘Doshin refined and developed it, didn’t he?’
The hero representing the Peng Clan.
An ultimate technique and secret art created by Pang Seol-hyeok.
There was no information about it whatsoever.
Right—a martial art with zero information had been revealed to the world for the first time.
And it was wielded by Heuk Taedo, the masterpiece and miracle of the Peng Clan.
‘That’s why it’s still so chaotic.’
While the result of the match mattered, the martial art that had produced the victory was the subject of heated discussion.
-What martial art did Heuk Taedo display?
-The revelation of a new ultimate technique of the Peng Clan?
-The name of the technique is….
And so on.
Like the trivial articles I’d seen in my past life, rumors swirled and spread abundantly.
The manifestation of a divine technique held this much value in this place.
“So, since there’s no information, I came to ask you about it, Senior. Because my next opponent is who it is.”
I could tell just from the bracket. My next opponent was Heuk Taedo.
It meant we were destined to meet after all.
So I’d come to try to extract information about the Black Cloud from Do-hyeong.
Upon hearing my question, Do-hyeong fell silent in thought for a moment.
“My memory of it isn’t very clear.”
After a brief pause, he began to speak to me.
“A dark aura swept across my vision in an instant. I couldn’t see anything.”
‘A blockade of sight.’
Just as those outside couldn’t perceive what transpired within, the reverse held true as well.
“Moreover, it was as if my Gigam itself had been severed—I felt neither sound nor scent.”
Not just my vision, but my other senses were also blocked?
“With all my senses cut off, it even felt as though time itself had slowed. I sensed the wrongness and tried to respond somehow, but.”
Do-hyeong tapped his chest lightly as he continued.
“By the time I opened my eyes, it was already over.”
“…Hmm.”
I frowned upon hearing his account.
What he was saying was.
“So there’s no real countermeasure?”
“…That’s right. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”
“No, at least I know what happens now. Thank you.”
Information was far better than ignorance.
Besides.
“Senior.”
“Yes?”
“By the way, did you know you’ve been given an epithet too?”
“…?”
Do-hyeong, who had displayed considerable skill against the formidable Heuk Taedo and Peng Dojun, had indeed earned himself an epithet.
The name was.
“Moonlit Azure Sword, they’re calling it.”
“….”
Moonlit Azure Sword Do-hyeong.
It was a name the crowd had given to Do-hyeong, who had held his own against Heuk Taedo without yielding.
Something about how he clashed against the dark aura while wrapped in the azure energy of the moon.
‘It wasn’t strange that he got one.’
He should have earned an epithet long ago.
Do-hyeong wasn’t weak, and he was a member of Sowoldae who had opened his Wol-an.
It was truly peculiar that someone of his caliber had gone without an epithet until now.
It was only natural that he finally received one.
But that aside.
“Senior, are you smiling?”
“No.”
“You’re not? But you’re clearly smiling.”
I could see the corners of Do-hyeong’s mouth lift slightly.
Was this stone of a man actually pleased?
‘What’s so special about an epithet….’
That it could brighten the mood of such an impassive person.
“…Anyway, congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
I offered a perfunctory congratulation on acquiring a new epithet and pushed myself upright.
“Rest for now. I’ll visit again later.”
“No, I can get up now—”
“…Tomorrow I’ll tell you that you can come out. Don’t be stubborn and rest today.”
“….”
It was obvious he would drag that broken body off to training if given the chance, so I forced him back down.
“Do you understand?”
“…Yes.”
Do-hyeong nodded with a reluctant expression.
Seeing that, I spoke to Cheon Euijin.
“The Heavenly Supreme should rest as well. Would you mind keeping watch over him?”
“Pardon? Me too…? I….”
“Your condition is worse. Come on.”
“Yes….”
Do-hyeong was merely cut, but Cheon Euijin was the one who had a blade driven through his body.
I understood his desire to open Wol-an and begin training immediately. But that was beside the point.
‘These foolish creatures….’
The proper course when injured is rest, yet I couldn’t fathom why they were so eager to push themselves.
“Anyway, I’ve said my piece, so I’m leaving. Make sure you follow my orders.”
I left the men behind.
Cheon Euijin and Do-hyeong wore expressions as though they had much to say, but I ignored them.
Whatever they said would be predictable anyway.
But as I stepped out of the medical tent, someone was waiting for me ahead.
“Found you.”
“….”
It was Daeju.
The man who claimed his purpose was protection but whose true intent was surveillance.
Had he finally reappeared after vanishing when some matter arose?
Things had been peaceful without him…. He smacked his lips regretfully as he reappeared.
“…Yes. Let’s go.”
Surrender always comes quickly. Right—the situation was already perilous enough. Having one guard like this would be useful.
Just as I was moving forward with that reluctant acceptance, not quite convinced.
“Bang Disciple.”
“Yes?”
Daeju spoke to me.
“You’ll need to come with me.”
“…Where to?”
“A request has come for you to attend as a witness to the incident.”
“…?”
Daeju handed me a document.
It contained a request for my attendance as a witness regarding matters concerning Socheongeom and the Demonic Cult.
“…This is troublesome.”
I furrowed my brow deeply.
An annoying matter had arisen.

* * *
Instead of heading to the inn, I turned my steps toward the interior of the sect.
This was a space I was visiting for the first time.
Following a staircase descending underground, I emerged into a somewhat damp and quiet space.
A distinctive metallic smell wafted up acridly.
‘A prison, perhaps.’
Seeing the abundance of iron bars, I could easily discern its purpose.
As I walked through that place alongside Daeju.
“Heaven…. Heaven….”
A voice called out from one location. The moment I turned my gaze.
Clang—!!
‘What the hell.’
Someone gripped the bars with tremendous force. I nearly cried out in surprise.
“Heaven!! Heaven has arrived!!”
“…Namgung Seong?”
The man was surprisingly Namgung Seong. He had become a complete wreck, his eyes burning with madness.
Moreover.
‘Where did the Demon go?’
The Demon that had been attached to him was nowhere to be seen.
“Heaven comes…. Heaven…!!”
Namgung Seong stretched his hands toward me frantically. Before I could even react.
Crack—!
“Ugh!”
Daeju suddenly released his energy. Namgung Seong’s jaw twisted slightly as he collapsed.
“Restrain the prisoner.”
“Understood.”
And immediately he moved forward again.
“….”
I followed after him. Namgung Seong’s condition weighed on my mind.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
How had he come to such a state?
Pondering this confusion, I continued forward until we reached a chamber.
“Let me clarify—this is not an interrogation.”
At the door, Daeju speaks to me.
“I merely have a few questions to ask. Simply answer comfortably, and that will suffice.”
“…Yes.”
Can that even be called words?
In this atmosphere, how could anyone answer comfortably?
Suppressing the sigh that threatens to escape, I step into the room.
A single table and one person sat within.
“Ah, welcome.”
The man greets me with a warm smile, introducing himself.
“I am Hyeong Yeong-hwa, belonging to the Maeng Clan’s escort division, tasked with this investigation. Please, sit comfortably.”
At first glance, he appears to be a good-natured fellow.
Unlike the harsh atmosphere of this place, he possessed an impression that would put anyone at ease.
‘What is this now.’
Yet standing before such a person, I find myself forced to gaze at something behind Hyeong Yeong-hwa.
A musical instrument drifting weightlessly in the air.
It clustered behind him, and it was embracing him.
As if it had transformed into the shape of a human.

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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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