The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 376

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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 376
It was during a period when we were locked in repeated battles against the Demonic Cult.
Demons poured forth like a raging torrent.
Led by the Eight Demons, we endured a brutal war.
The righteous sects, having barely achieved unity, clashed with the Demonic Cult, and the great war that erupted in Qinghai where Kunlun stood became known as the Heavenly Blood War—a desperate struggle still recorded in history.
A day when the Celestial Demon never appeared.
Even without the Demonic Cult’s leader taking the field, the righteous sects were being pushed back by their overwhelming power.
The Eight Demons were formidable.
Having received the Celestial Demon’s blessing, they unleashed such tremendous force that even the absolute masters of the righteous sects struggled to contain them.
One might call it a defeat of strategy.
Jegal Jin employed his schemes, but we were swept away by the gaps the Demonic Cult exploited.
The absolute masters of the righteous sects.
Seventy percent of those called the current Celestial Demons were pinned down.
Only four could truly be called our full fighting force.
By simple calculation, each had to face two of the Eight Demons.
And reality was no different.
Paewang was there as well.
Against Guima and Tooma, who belonged to the Eight Demons.
He maintained a precarious engagement, but the limits were clear.
Had he only faced those two, he might have endured indefinitely.
But the righteous sects were being pushed back.
The Demonic Cult’s demons were stronger than that.
We were visibly retreating by the moment.
As it became clear the war would end in defeat if this continued.
The fervor of the righteous sect disciples grew deathly silent.
Just as defeat loomed before us.
쿠우우우웅—!!!!
Something emerged, shaking the very ground.
A single beam of light.
The azure flash that poured onto the battlefield shot skyward like a pillar.
That light instantly slaughtered the surrounding demons.
‘Krraaahhh!!’
Consumed by the light, the demons simply vanished.
It happened in a mere instant. An overwhelming aura and violent force.
All froze before that supreme power.
Demons and righteous sect members alike—everyone.
‘Ha.’
When Paewang released a breath through that gap.
‘Draw your sword.’
A voice echoed from the center of the light.
‘I have arrived.’
As the pillar vanished, a towering figure stood motionless at the center.
His abundant long white hair bound tightly back.
Blue eyes sweeping across the battlefield.
At that gaze, the Demons trembled, while the righteous sect members gradually kindled their inner fire.
The God of War.
For a moment, such an epithet flashed through Paewang’s mind.
But it was not.
‘You will not die today.’
He was none other than the Sword Saint.

* * *
Longing.
Or perhaps fearful.
Or if not that, then awe-struck.
Paewang, recalling a fleeting memory, gazed forward.
‘So he was called Jeonin.’
I did not believe it. Rather, there was no need to believe. After all, no one could ever contain or resemble that monster’s vessel.
So even if he was called Jeonin, I did not concern myself greatly. If anything, merely a slight curiosity.
That was all. Since Paewang had much to accomplish, I intended to regard it as nothing more than simple interest.
‘How strange.’
Paewang could not help but curl the corners of his mouth as he looked at the young man before him.
‘I thought he resembled him somewhat.’
Because I had received martial arts from him.
I thought the resemblance came merely from that.
‘But it is not so.’
That light from just now.
Those eyes at this very moment.
They were all his.
‘Though his appearance differs greatly.’
He is certainly Jeonin. Not merely in name, but Jeonin who inherited those very things.
‘Daewol.’
There was no doubt. That brilliant radiance that poured forth during the war of that time.
That era’s light which had instilled absolute terror in the Demons—it existed here.
Therefore.
‘Let us cross blades.’
Sinews bulged in Paewang’s eyes.
The fact that he was a much younger junior no longer registered.
The successor of the Sword Saint. A blade like the Sword Saint’s.
Someone who seemed vastly different yet resembled him in countless ways.
To Paewang, Bangseong-yeon was nothing more than that.
“…You mentioned you would show me five exchanges, correct?”
Bangseong-yeon asked.
At those words, Paewang laughed.
“Yes, five exchanges.”
“Would you have any inclination to use more?”
“One arm and one leg. And I even said I wouldn’t move—that’s a bit cowardly, isn’t it?”
“That’s true, isn’t it?”
He agrees quickly. A curious man.
‘He doesn’t find me difficult.’
It had been a long time since I encountered a disciple who didn’t find me particularly daunting.
I don’t have many points of contact with disciples in general, but still, most of those I face tend to find me formidable.
This one does not.
‘Is it because he’s encountered many?’
Could it be because he’s already faced masters of the Celestial Demon—not just Shin Chang, but also the previous sect leader of Hwasan, who is now dead?
‘No.’
That wouldn’t be it. If it were something so simple, there would be a problem.
This is simply his nature.
Or perhaps.
‘Unless one spends all day clashing with monstrous humans.’
His inherent character and disposition are what they are.
‘He’ll become something great.’
Not bad. Paewang gave him a mental note and shifted his stance.
“…Will you begin right now?”
“Is there a problem? I’ve given you sufficient conditions, haven’t I?”
“…Hmm…. Then may I ask one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
With permission granted, Bangseong-yeon asks Paewang.
“What is it that you can gain from this match, Senior Paewang?”
A match with only losses on your side. What could you possibly gain from this?
At that question, Paewang’s mouth split wide in a grin.
“Entertainment.”
“Pardon?”
At the firm answer, Bangseong-yeon’s expression turns bewildered.
“Entertainment…?”
“Yes. Entertainment.”
“What could possibly be entertaining about this…?”
Bangseong-yeon fails to comprehend and asks—what entertainment could exist in a match that brings only losses?
“How could there not be entertainment?”
Paewang answered simply.
“I witnessed the past that you have forgotten. So show it to me. That will suffice.”
“…No.”
“If that doesn’t satisfy my understanding… Very well, then I shall ask you one thing. If you answer my question with truth, that alone will be enough. Does this work for you?”
“….”
Had I simply remained silent, nothing more would have been added. It felt like I’d unnecessarily invited something unnecessary upon myself.
“Understood.”
Still, Bangseong-yeon’s choice remained the same.
“Let’s do it.”
Strangely enough.
I didn’t feel like I would lose this wager.

* * *
Shhhhh.
I drew my sword and steadied my breathing.
‘Is this alright?’
Is this wager really alright? Such a thought flickered through my mind for a moment.
‘Why is that man doing this?’
It was absurd enough that Paewang suddenly proposed a duel.
‘He’s serious?’
I could sense that this man genuinely intended to face me in combat.
‘…Why?’
What could the real reason be?
Was this martial art called Daewol the problem? I had no way of knowing.
The issue was that I’d already accepted before understanding the reason.
‘…The conditions aren’t bad though.’
Five exchanges of concession. One arm and one leg. I wouldn’t move from where I stood.
These terms alone were extraordinary.
However.
‘The opponent is Paewang.’
Among the Five Tyrants of the realm, he might stand at the very pinnacle in terms of martial prowess, and some even spoke of him as being on the level of the Celestial Demon.
I wondered if it was even possible to fight such an existence under these kinds of restrictions.
Shhhhhhh—!
Contrary to my thoughts, my body moved of its own accord.
‘…If I can use that energy from just now.’
A power that surprised even me as I unleashed it.
If I could harness only that incomprehensible force well, things might be different.
[Drag, drag, drag—]
The wretched Demon woman laughed as if she found this situation amusing.
‘…One strike.’
I moved forward, ignoring her.
First, one thing.
‘Wolrang.’
Not merely mimicking Wolrang, but attempting the genuine technique itself.
Azure sword energy permeates, drawing a crescent moon.
The delicately traced line rushes toward Paewang, but—
Thwack!
“…!!”
Paewang threw a casual punch, striking the flat of my blade and shattering Wolrang.
I stagger. My upper body lurches violently, yet I barely anchor myself with my lower stance.
I neither lose my grip on the sword nor dissipate my energy.
“Haah…!”
Not yet.
Using the rebound to spin once, I thrust my blade upward in one fluid motion.
The overhead strike aims for Paewang, but he arches his torso backward, evading it.
‘Insane.’
He keeps his legs planted while bending back so far? The old man possesses extraordinary flexibility.
‘…Then.’
What about this?
While in the overhead position, I channel Gwangwol Seomgyeong into the strike.
I cast Yaweol.
Slashing downward, I create darkness, but—
“Hmm.”
Paewang watches and moves one arm again.
Kuguguguung—!!!
“…!!”
Violent energy erupts from his arm, colliding with Gwangwol Seomgyeong.
Though the offensive burst is brief, Gwangwol Seomgyeong is pushed back instead.
The blade’s angle shifts, grazing past Paewang’s side.
Crack! The sword embeds itself in the ground.
“Ugh….”
Tremors radiate from the divine blade.
“Is that all?”
Paewang asks. His eyes hold a question—is this truly everything?
A genuine sense of doubt emanates from him.
His words scratch at something inside me.
At this, strength surges into my grip—
[What did I tell you?]
Yoo Cheon-gil’s voice reaches me, his tone and expression dripping with contempt.
[I taught you that pointless strength is as futile and unhelpful as anything else. Have you forgotten already?]
“….”
Useless force.
The moment I recalled that, strength drained from my hands.
Clang. The sword rang out.
[Do not rush. You are simply walking a path you have already walked. Do not try to move faster than necessary. Listen, there is only one thing you must see.]
I shifted my breathing to a leisurely pace. Rough as it was, I still needed to maintain composure.
[With precision.]
Crackle—!!! Light wrapped around my body like thunder striking.
[Your footwork must be exact. Hold only that thought.]
Rather than rushing down the path I had already taken, I would walk it with greater accuracy.
At those words, I sharpened my gaze.
“Hoo.”
Paewang’s eyes gleamed.
I unleashed Wol Cheon. It should have been possible from the fourth sword strike, but this time it came faster.
‘I understand now.’
Once I used it, I grasped it.
‘This should have reached Wol Cheon from the very beginning.’
Yoo Cheon-gil’s martial arts.
They were.
‘Crafted to be used entirely in the Wol Cheon state.’
Now I understood why Yoo Cheon-gil had repeatedly said I was unqualified.
Crack—!!!
Light seeped into my muscles.
“Shhh—”
My breathing quickened, shedding its leisurely pace.
Whoosh—!!!
The blade advanced toward Paewang. It was the fourth sword strike.
This time was no different. Paewang deflected the blade lightly. Though it was strengthened by unleashing Wol Cheon, the result remained the same.
“…Is this also….”
The end.
Paewang, about to speak thus, flinched.
‘Five times.’
After four comes five.
After a brief pause, I poured strength into the blade.
Before, I had unleashed it immediately, but now was different.
‘The reason I swung the sword four times.’
Wolrang and Yawol. The sword strikes hidden between them.
The question of how they could exist remained unanswered, but.
‘The purity of the energy is different.’
With each swing, I felt how the energy responded.
‘As if….’
It was like witnessing a lake on the verge of overflowing and the eve of a storm about to burst forth.
The energy gathered as a sword strike was contained entirely within my blade.
‘Creating an intentional gap in the fifth sword path.’
I organized the accumulated energy in this manner.
‘And gathering it once more.’
To concentrate it all into a single point.
This was my understanding.
쿠우우우우우—!!!
So I executed it.
I cast Wol Cheon and channeled my reinforced body and gathered energy into the tip of my blade.
Rather than releasing it immediately, I accumulated and accumulated. After gathering it to its absolute limit.
‘Here it goes.’
I turned my divine sword into a launcher and unleashed it.
“Wait, hold on.”
Paewang tried to say something upon witnessing this.
But it was already too late.
Thwip-!
쿠가가가가각—!!!!
Light erupted forth in a magnitude incomparable to before.
Kugugugun–!!!!
A tempest. A storm of pure energy ravaged the surroundings indiscriminately.
It shook violently as though a typhoon itself had descended, yet it subsided with surprising speed.
Shhhhh….
After the energy dissipated.
“Haah…. Huff….”
All strength drained from my body and I collapsed.
“Ugh…. Huff….”
I had no energy left. I had expended every last bit I’d reserved.
As I staggered and looked ahead.
“…Ha….”
Paewang stood before me, completely unharmed.
Had I lost the wager? In that moment of bitter regret, I nearly bit my lip.
“…You’re a monster.”
Paewang spoke.
“…I’ve lost.”
At those words, my eyes widened as I gazed down at Paewang’s feet.
One step.
He had retreated one step from where he originally stood.

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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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