The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 33

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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 033
What was my first thought?
The sensation of gripping the sword.
A heavy, slightly rough hilt and a weight far different from the wooden practice blade.
And the subtle scent of iron drifting through the air.
That was the impression I felt before properly wielding the sword.
I closed my eyes.
Beyond the darkened vision, something flickered into view.
Someone’s back.
Small and thin—unmistakably my own back.
One thing.
‘It feels enormous.’
Why did my back, which should have been cramped and narrow, appear so vast? Perhaps because the presence moving my body was immense.
A single strike toward Socheongeom.
I recalled the air I felt at that moment.
Thump.
I grip the sword and take a step forward.
I summoned only sensation.
What was my body like then?
How much air did I draw in?
How much force did I channel into executing the movement?
And what of the vital energy moving within me?
I remembered each detail and etched it into my body.
Whoooosh–
The sword moves. I feel resistance from the air.
This time I channel power through my feet rather than my waist. I pay attention to the angle of my elbow.
‘Lighter. And far deeper.’
I exert force through muscles I rarely use.
I wonder why such complex movements are necessary for a single thrust, but the thought doesn’t linger.
‘He did it this way.’
So I do the same.
Boom-!
My sole stamps against the ground.
‘There is no part of the body that remains unused. There are only places where less force is applied.’
I also absorbed the Old Man’s words as he watched me.
That image of him channeling power from his sole through his entire body.
Do not wonder why it must be done this way.
‘Simply follow.’
I remembered and sought to embody it, executing it identically.
쉬이이이이이—!!!!
I didn’t watch the moving sword.
My closed eyes served that purpose.
So I wouldn’t doubt myself. So I wouldn’t harbor even a moment of hesitation.
기이이잉—!!!
Sparks burst from my dantian.
The Cheonwol Heart Technique that had begun to circulate seemed fragile enough to snap at any moment, yet it still radiated with light.
Where would the flow of energy head?
Even as I calculated and mimicked every movement, should I truly leave the energy untouched? There was no time to ponder. I had already released the energy from my hands.
Whoooosh–!!
The energy that left my hands flowed through my body.
It flowed and flowed, coiling around my hands, and what was coiled ultimately connected to the blade.
A flash of light reached the sword’s tip.
What was the name of this martial art again?
I didn’t remember. I didn’t need to know.
Energy layered itself over the described movements.
They said to create a moon with the sword, didn’t they?
That was the only thing I needed to remember.
사아아아악—!!!
The blade tore through the empty air.
Whoooosh-!
The moment I finished the movement, energy drained from my body and heat spread throughout.
“Haah…. Huff….”
I steadied my ragged breathing and slowly opened my eyes.
As I opened the eyes I’d kept closed, gazes poured down on me from all directions, just as before.
The difference was.
‘They seem shocked?’
Astonishment seeped into their eyes.
I see.
‘I suppose I did rather well.’
The mimicry seemed to have gone better than expected.
I’d wondered if I could pull it off since it was damnably difficult to execute.
“It’s easier than I thought?”
It was far easier than my expectations.
[하하하하하하하하—!!!]
Insane.
I frowned at the sudden laughter I heard.
The old man was laughing roughly while looking at me.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
Why was that demon acting up again? I had no idea, but for now, I didn’t want to get involved.
I turned my gaze toward Wol Seon-geom.
The handsome middle-aged man’s eyes widened like lanterns as he looked at me.
“I did my best with what I had. I hope it met your expectations.”
“….”
No answer came. Silence hung between us. After waiting a moment like that.
“Bang Disciple.”
Wol Seon-geom looked at me and asked.
“What is it you wish to accomplish here?”
“Your question and my answer don’t quite align, do they?”
He asked if I was satisfied, and now he’s asking what I want to do. It was a question I couldn’t understand.
Well.
“Since you’ve asked, allow me to answer….”
Since it was Wol Seon-geom’s question, I answered with as bright a smile as I could muster.
“First, I intend to become the Sowoldae Master. My teacher commanded me to become the Cheonwol Gate Master.”
“….”
“I came here for that purpose.”
The atmosphere around us grew frigid at my words.
Like the depths of winter itself.

* * *
After Bangseong-yeon departed, in the hushed atmosphere that followed, the man spoke to Cheon Seonghwa.
“It’s dangerous.”
Cheon Seonghwa looked at the man upon hearing his words.
On his desk sat a single teacup, though it had long since grown cold.
It meant the tea had been poured long ago, yet he hadn’t taken a single sip.
“Sochul Daeju. What exactly is dangerous?”
“This fellow Bangseong-yeon—his appearance now is far too dangerous.”
“Why?”
At Cheon Seonghwa’s words, Sochul Daeju’s brow furrowed briefly. He knew this wasn’t a question born of ignorance.
“The competition for the Sowoldae Master position has already begun….”
By his count, there were four. The number of candidates vying for the position of Sowoldae Master in the current Cheonwol Gate.
“I believe he is a storm that has arrived far too late in such circumstances.”
“Indeed.”
Cheon Seonghwa nodded in agreement.
A belated storm. Those words fit perfectly.
“For such a person to mention the Sowoldae Master position, this surely means….”
“Yet why is that a problem?”
“Gate Master…?”
Sochul Daeju’s expression showed bewilderment at Cheon Seonghwa’s words.
“A qualified individual has simply shown their resolve. What problem do you see in that?”
The conditions for ascending to the position of Sowoldae Master of the Cheonwol Gate.
Someone who has opened their eyes in the Wol realm, and simultaneously capable of mastering the Cheonwol Sword Dance.
Bangseong-yeon was precisely the person who met those conditions.
“You witnessed it yourself. That single strike back then—didn’t it impress you?”
….
At Cheon Seonghwa’s words, Sochul Daeju found himself unable to respond.
There was no way around it.
“From my perspective, while that sword technique still carries a hint of instability, it was nothing short of magnificent.”
It was far too brilliant to deny.
Anyone who had learned the Cheonwol Sword Dance, anyone who wielded a blade, could not help but acknowledge it.
And furthermore.
“I saw the previous Sect Leader in that young man.”
“…That…!”
“Can you deny it? I cannot.”
….
“The face of that youth when he asked me why I wouldn’t teach him the secret techniques. The gaze he fixed upon me then, and the sensations I felt—they were unmistakably identical to the Elder’s.”
“…Do you mean to say, Sect Leader, that Bang Disciple is certainly a descendant of the Sword Saint?”
“No.”
Cheon Seonghwa’s answer was resolute.
“There are still too many peculiarities to be certain. However, I cannot say it is untrue either.”
Only within the Cheonwol Gate could the Sword Saint apply such energy and swordsmanship.
If Bangseong-yeon, who had mastered it perfectly, were not a descendant of the Sword Saint, what else could he be?
This was not certainty, but the justification was more than sufficient—it overflowed.
Precisely because it was not certainty, there was simply less he could do.
“Then, perhaps you intend to lend your support to Bangseong-yeon? To Bang Disciple?”
“Haha.”
At Sochul Daeju’s words, Cheon Seonghwa burst into laughter.
“As if.”
His voice carried a tone of disbelief.
“As I have said before, I have no intention of lending my support to anyone.”
“Then how….”
“Simply. I do not understand it.”
Cheon Seonghwa added, running his fingers along the teacup before him.
“Bang Disciple possesses sufficient qualifications. Whether he appeared late or was thrust forward suddenly matters not. After all, the position has not yet been decided.”
“However….”
“Sochul Daeju. I am aware of the great expectations you harbor for your daughter.”
“…!”
At Cheon Seonghwa’s words, Sochul Daeju fell silent.
“It is precisely for that reason I am letting this matter pass.”
Clink, clink, clink.
Rattle, rattle, rattle.
The tea in the cup rippled, and the window frame trembled.
“I will not tolerate crossing that line any further.”
“….”
At the chilling warning, Sochul Daeju immediately dropped to one knee.
“…My apologies. I overstepped my bounds.”
Cheon Seonghwa turned his gaze away from Sochul Daeju, who bowed his head.
The oppressive pressure dissipated as if by magic.
“There will be no second chance.”
“…I will remember this.”
“And if you’re concerned for that child, it would be wise to keep the Bang Disciple at his side.”
“…What do you mean…?”
“When similar beings are placed together, the flames won’t burn quite so fiercely, will they?”
“…!”
Sochul Daeju swallowed hard at Cheon Seonghwa’s words.
It was because the gaze of the one speaking was far too cold.
After uttering those words, Cheon Seonghwa’s eyes fell into contemplation for some reason.
What was he thinking? Sochul Daeju dared not ask.
A moment passed after that.
“Yes, that should suffice.”
Cheon Seonghwa suddenly nodded as if something had occurred to him.
“Sochul Daeju.”
“…Yes, my lord.”
“Send a letter to Dangmun.”
“To Dangmun, you say?”
“That’s right.”
At the sudden mention of Dangmun, I wondered what this could mean.
“…Could it be…?”
As if realizing something, Sochul Daeju stiffened. Cheon Seonghwa spoke, observing him.
“You showed me something good with those words. I thought I’d give you a gift in return.”
In the darkness, Cheon Seonghwa’s blue eyes curved like a crescent moon.
There was something distinctly sinister about his expression.

* * *
“Damn, it’s freezing.”
I rubbed my forearms against the sudden chill.
“…This feels like something else is about to go wrong somewhere.”
An ominous premonition, if there ever was one. My body trembled at this wretched sensation.
‘Please, let nothing happen.’
I prayed desperately, again and again.
It had always been this way, but my ill omens were almost always correct. Damn it.
“Hell.”
As I barely managed my mood and continued rubbing my forearms.
[…What are you doing?]
Yoo Cheon-gil looked at me with a peculiar expression.
“Just feeling a bit cold, sir.”
[It doesn’t seem like the season for cold.]
“Sometimes when I get these wretched feelings, I feel cold like this.”
[Hah, did you receive some divine blessing?]
“That’s….”
I’ve never seen a god, but if I were to receive one, wouldn’t I have?
If I received that, wouldn’t I be rolling around miserably through past and present lives?
Unbearably unfairly, at that. Just as I was about to say so, I clicked my tongue loudly instead.
“It has nothing to do with you, sir.”
[Hehehehe….]
At my attitude, Yoo Cheon-gil let out a hollow laugh.
“Never mind.”
[Are you still sulking?]
“Sulking? Who’s sulking? No, I’m not.”
[Your expression looks like a rotten cucumber.]
“That comparison is really irritating.”
A rotten cucumber? What kind of ridiculous thing to say…?
As I continued clicking my tongue in annoyance, Yoo Cheon-gil scratched his cheek and spoke.
[Didn’t I tell you there was a reason for everything? For a man, you’re being awfully petty.]
“What?”
Petty? Me, petty? At such a cutting remark, I had to furrow my brow.
“If there was a reason, you should have said so beforehand. You just pushed me away suddenly—how is that acceptable?”
[How was I supposed to know you’d suddenly volunteer to demonstrate? I thought you had some sense.]
“There was no time to think in that situation! It was already urgent enough that we needed to act immediately!”
Just before, when I was proving my existence to Wol Seon-geom, that’s when Yoo Cheon-gil refused to help me.
I was still furious at that Demon over it.
“Because of you, I’m suffering like this, and you made me look like a fool?”
[Everything worked out fine in the end, didn’t it? I had faith in you from the start, after all.]
“Yes, that would be correct.”
[…He really does look a mess. How can someone contort their face into such a grotesque shape?]
“I won’t.”
[I’m sorry.]
The Old Man seemed to realize he’d gone too far this time, quickly spitting out an apology.
Of course, that wasn’t nearly enough to smooth things over.
He’s still grinding his teeth at me.
[But listen, boy.]
“What is it.”
The Old Man posed a question to me.
[May I ask you one thing?]
“Does it seem like I’d allow it?”
[When you unfolded the Wol Seon-geom earlier, why did you let the energy flow freely?]
“So you never intended to ask for permission in the first place?”
If that was the case, why bother asking at all?
It’s absurd. I almost decided to ignore him entirely, but the question caught my attention slightly.
“…What do you mean?”
[You mimicked the movements perfectly from start to finish, yet you never actually channeled the energy. That’s what I’m asking.]
“…Ah.”
I understood.
When I performed the sword dance earlier, I mimicked the movements while simply letting the energy flow naturally without controlling it.
It seemed Yoo Cheon-gil had noticed this.
“Is that not allowed? It seemed to unfold quite well.”
[As I just said, it’s pure curiosity. Given your peculiar nature, there must have been a reason for it.]
“….”
The word “peculiar” bothered me, but I let it pass for now.
The reason I did it? Honestly, it was nothing special.
“You said it yourself, sir.”
[What did I say?]
“That the moon isn’t something you ignite—it simply rises on its own.”
[…!]
“So I just let it be. Let it flow naturally. That seemed like the right way, doesn’t it?”
‘The moon simply rises.’
It was something the Old Man had said while demonstrating his initial technique. I deliberately let it flow freely because I remembered those words.
[Heh heh….]
The Old Man stares at me with a face at a loss for words.
Was it the wrong choice? Just as I began to feel slightly anxious.
[Remarkable.]
The Old Man gave me a calm compliment.
“…Mm….”
Hearing that, I scratched the tip of my nose. It was nothing special, yet my mood lifted.
‘Yes, I did strike him down.’
Even by my own assessment, it wasn’t a poor showing.
That was precisely the extent of it, wasn’t it?
That’s what I thought at the time.
Later, I would hear that only two beings in existence had ever drawn words of greatness from Yoo Cheon-gil’s lips.
One was me.
The final one was.
The Celestial Demon.
Such was the true value of his praise.

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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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