The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 510

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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 510
Finding one’s footing was proving to be far better than I’d anticipated.
In the moment I sought to recall the blade while contemplating it.
It was something I felt each time I trained in martial arts—the difference between knowing and not knowing was stark.
The unity of god and blade served as a perfect example.
When I didn’t know how, I had to spread wings I didn’t possess. I couldn’t find the path, couldn’t execute it.
‘Now that I know.’
I could do it bit by bit. This was no different.
Knowing the path versus not knowing it.
If I had to call what fortune I possessed, it might be something like this.
[Not bad at all.]
The Celestial Demon spoke.
Whoooosh—! Observing the completeness now captured in my blade, she seemed to be speaking of that.
[For grasping the sensation so immediately, it’s not bad.]
“That’s quite good.”
I lifted the corners of my mouth. Whoooosh—! I confirmed the form of the blade force.
Moonlight Reflection Mirror. The energy contained within it didn’t waver.
A simple, clean cross-section. I observed the blade force that emerged there.
Crack—!
Not long after, my strength faded and the form of the blade force trembled violently once more.
‘The duration is too short.’
I’d merely grasped the sensation. Whether I could actually use it was another matter entirely.
At best, I’d only been training for a short time, which made it all the more difficult.
[Are you impatient?]
The Celestial Demon asked. I shook my head at those words.
“No. I’m not that impatient.”
Clang. I sheathed the divine blade. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t impatient at all, but I wasn’t desperately so.
I knew this wouldn’t be accomplished in a day or two, which made it even more so.
“Phew.”
I wiped away the sweat. Despite not engaging in violent movements, I was drenched in perspiration.
Was it a matter of concentration?
This was harder than most ordinary training.
Clang—! Thud—!
The iron chains bound around my hands and feet fell away. By now, even this weight felt familiar. Without them, I’d feel incomplete.
[Your crude training method is exactly like that fellow’s.]
The Celestial Demon clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“Why? Does it seem odd to you?”
Since I began learning martial arts, I’d never once skipped it. Starting with sand pouches, I’d been progressively increasing weights in my training.
[I said crude, not odd. But if you ask whether it’s efficient, that’s another story entirely.]
“…That’s not something you would do anyway, is it?”
[That’s right. It doesn’t suit me.]
“Then, in your assessment, what of me?”
I asked if my training was appropriate. The Celestial Demon fell silent for a moment before responding.
[You haven’t reached a level where right and wrong can be judged. Your blade is ultimately Yoo Cheon-gil’s, after all. For now, align yourself with it.]
“….”
A peculiar answer. They don’t even know yet if I’m on the right path or not.
And here I thought I’d reached the pinnacle of martial mastery.
‘So in their eyes, I still have a long way to go?’
These Celestial Demons judge even the pinnacle as merely adequate. What point would there be in saying anything to them?
‘…Is this frustrating?’
My spirit feels dampened, but my pride is wounded first. Damn them.
I know it’s meaningless to expect anything from the Celestial Demon.
“Sigh.”
I simply finished washing up and moved on. That was enough of that.
“…Let’s go do what needs to be done.”
There’s no more training to be had. I only did it to avoid losing my edge.
‘The Sword Emperor—’
He told me to come tomorrow, so I’ll go then. For now, I’ve decided to visit Cheon Rijin-an.

* * *
“You’ve come.”
“Greetings.”
I found him immediately upon arrival. I had been granted free access to Cheon Rijin-an’s quarters.
“So, have you made your decision?”
“Yes.”
Whether to go to the Assembly Hall or directly to Shin Chang. We settled the schedule last night.
“I will go directly to Shin Chang.”
“…Hmm.”
His expression shows surprise. Did he think I would stay at the Assembly Hall?
“Your reason?”
“It’s more efficient. If I must go anyway, there’s no need to linger at the Assembly Hall, is there?”
If I must go to Shin Chang, there’s no point in stopping at the Assembly Hall first.
And.
‘After all.’
The Assembly Hall is where the Young Master comes and goes. Wouldn’t it be better to head to Shin Chang while he’s occupied?
‘…Though I’m a bit anxious about whether I’m allowed to go.’
If I must go anyway, I thought it best to find the perfect moment.
“So, I will go to Shin Chang.”
“What would be the most suitable timeline?”
“We’ll need to discuss it with the Demonic Sect. Well, if we adjust the timing, it would be best to go within a fortnight.”
“…A fortnight.”
Not much time remained. Calculating from when the assembly hall opened to the timing of my departure for Shin Chang, that was about right.
“Understood.”
I bowed respectfully and prepared to leave. There was nothing more to say. The message had been delivered, so I turned to go.
“Wait.”
Cheon Rijin-an called me back. Confused, I turned around. He was watching me with an enigmatic expression.
“There exists a way for you not to go.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m saying you don’t necessarily have to be the one to go.”
“….”
Hearing that, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
If I searched for alternatives, they would exist. Surely they must.
“But you know that my going is the best course of action.”
“….”
Cheon Rijin-an offered no response to this. He would understand it himself.
He must have known, which is why he told me to go.
After laying all that out, now he speaks of alternatives.
It was somewhat amusing.
“It’s fine.”
I simply smiled, sensing the subtle emotion beneath his words.
“I’m fine with this, Scholar.”
“…I understand.”
With that, Cheon Rijin-an said nothing further.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Leave the selection of accompanying personnel to you.”
“Yes. I’ll organize them and present the roster within three days.”
I closed the door and stepped out.
Click.
‘Personnel selection, then.’
Recruiting disciples for the journey to Shin Chang.
Three to four people, as mentioned.
‘Who should I bring?’
It was a matter for consideration, but I already had candidates in mind.

* * *
Shortly after Bangseong-yeon departed, Cheon Rijin-an returned his gaze to the letter, yet his concentration refused to settle.
“Hmm.”
My tangled thoughts scattered my focus like dust in the wind.
This was rare for me.
“This is troubling.”
Troubling indeed. With mountains of tasks awaiting me, to be ensnared here of all places.
This foolishness was entirely my own doing.
‘There were certainly ways to avoid going.’
An unnecessary thing to say. Bangseong-yeon knew it, and I knew it—what meaning lay in such pointless words?
‘Is it age catching up with me?’
In the distant past, when similar situations arose, I never hesitated like this. If anything, the circumstances had been far more dire.
‘You would go alone? Do you call that speaking sense?’
When Yoo Cheon-gil declared he would stand isolated in the heart of the battlefield.
Even knowing his reason was to save someone, I had refused him.
‘League Leader. Come to your senses. We cannot win this war without you.’
‘So you’re saying we abandon them now?’
‘It would be more efficient.’
‘Absurd. You fool Jeol. Be honest with yourself.’
I had never taken offense at being called a fool. I was no fool.
If anything, the man before me was the greater fool. Yet even so, I had felt something catch in my chest—a strange anger.
‘Honest about what?’
‘If they had been Shin Chang or the others, would you have chosen the same?’
‘Of course. If there were differences in efficiency when saving someone, my choice would have followed that logic.’
‘Is that so?’
Yoo Cheon-gil laughed at my answer—a scoff, really.
‘You….’
‘No matter what you say, nothing changes. You don’t know yourself. I will save them. And.’
Thud.
Yoo Cheon-gil, gripping Manwol, spoke.
‘I will win this war as well. Nothing changes.’
‘League Leader…!’
Yoo Cheon-gil ignored my words and withdrew from the operational zone.
And true to his word, he saved those people.
Moreover, the war itself ended in victory.
‘No.’
Should this even be called victory? How could one call a war steeped in falsehood a victory?
It was arrogance and proof of his accomplishment.
The reason I sit here alive is because of that.
And the reason the Demonic Sect’s revival stirs not fear but pity and displeasure is also because of that.
“Sigh.”
Yoo Cheon-gil’s words finally began to gnaw at me.
‘You don’t know yourself.’
Yoo Cheon-gil’s assertion that I didn’t know myself.
Only now did I begin to grasp the meaning behind those words.
“You’re right.”
I recalled how I had spoken of efficiency, then shifted my words.
I ran my hand through my hair.
“Yoo Cheon-gil.”
What choice would you have made in this situation?
Cheon Rijin-an could not conjure any answer to that question.
The Sword Saint, once called the pillar and entirety of the League, no longer existed.

* * *
After my conversation with Cheon Rijin-an, I moved on.
A training ground that existed just beyond my quarters.
In the end, it was training again.
This time, I grasped a wooden sword instead of a divine blade. A true sword would have been superior, but there was something I needed to practice with a wooden one.
‘Let’s begin.’
I picked up one of the wooden swords I had stacked in abundance and infused it with my inner force.
Crackle—!!
I activated Wol Cheon and continued into Radiant Moon Blade Technique.
I wrapped Sword Force around the wooden sword.
The reason was the same as before—to refine the form of my Sword Force further.
I did not reduce the intensity of the force I expelled.
I had learned from the Sword Emperor that reducing the quantity would render it meaningless.
Just as I was gradually adjusting the level of my Sword Force—
Crack—!
“As expected.”
One wooden sword shattered. Just as I had anticipated.
“Even the slightest failure in control sends the pressure shooting into the blade.”
I could immediately tell whether I had succeeded or failed.
The divine blade proved its status as a supreme-grade weapon through its extraordinary durability. That’s why I chose the wooden sword.
It was only natural. A Mukcheol blade shouldn’t break so easily. Especially not one with properties that allowed it to receive Sword Force so well.
If it broke, that would be absurd. I’d lodge a complaint with the Dang Clan about it.
I’d tell them it was counterfeit Mukcheol.
With a wry smile at such trivial thoughts, I repeated my training.
“…Next.”
Snap. Snap. Snap.
Three wooden swords shattered in succession. As expected, it wasn’t easy. I had anticipated this, but the difficulty was considerable.
“Hmm.”
This is difficult. I’ve grasped the sensation, but finding the right way to control it is proving challenging.
‘Still.’
This feels like the correct approach. Though I’ve had to destroy countless wooden swords in the process.
I repeated the technique several more times. As the shattered remnants of wooden swords accumulated across the floor.
“….”
I loosened my grip on the sword slightly. I had been training diligently when a visitor arrived.
“What brings you here?”
I turned around. Standing in my quarters was a figure shrouded in a mask and crimson robes.
[Wol-hyeop Bangseong-yeon.]
A dense demonic aura swept across my body. A Marin. One of the Eight Demon Fists, no less.
Eight Marins under the Young Master’s direct command. It appeared one of them had sought me out.
[The Young Master summons you.]
“What?”
I narrowed my eyes at the Marin’s words.

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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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