Chapter 152

Chapter 152: Restoration

The corrupt impurity that had tainted the Sacred Flame.

Dark energy was slowly being drawn out of Dokgo Jinak's chest in a thick stream.

I tightened my grip on the Heavenly Law Sword.

As I thought.

My guess had been right.

A little earlier...

when Dokgo Jinak grabbed my shoulder and told me to cut him down...

the Heavenly Law Sword in my hand began vibrating even more violently.

The moment I instinctively looked up—

...!?

I saw it.

No.

More accurately, I felt it.

Near Dokgo Jinak's heart.

Something black and murky was tangled deep within him.

And at the same time...

one phrase surfaced in my mind.

The Sacred Flame will burn again before the kindred spirit who inherits the Heavenly Demon's will.

The words said to have been left by Dokgo Cheonyul struck me hard.

Heavenly Demon Dokgo Cheonyul.

The legendary Heavenly Demon who possessed the Heavenly Fate Eye.

He was unquestionably someone far beyond any realm I could hope to comprehend.

The embodiment of intent, the remnant soul he'd left behind two hundred years ago...

had spoken to me.

Crossed swords with me.

Even passed on a new Flow.

There was no way someone like that would've left behind meaningless words.

And more importantly...

the sword in my hand right now was—

the Heavenly Law Sword.

Even Dokgo Cheonyul's extraordinary remnant soul hadn't been able to clearly define what this sword truly was.

Then I remembered what happened when I touched the Sacred Flame Altar.

When I touched the altar while holding the Heavenly Law Sword...

the extinguished Sacred Flame had briefly ignited.

Maybe the answer had already been there from the beginning.

There's some connection between the Heavenly Law Sword and the Sacred Flame that I still don't understand.

What I was seeing now was probably part of that same connection.

The Heavenly Law Sword was sensing the impurity tangled around Dokgo Jinak's heart meridians.

And maybe...

it could pull that impurity out.

If I can remove that thing....

Then I could restore the Sacred Flame without killing Dokgo Jinak.

That possibility alone was enough.

WHOOOOSH!

Blue flames surged violently along the Heavenly Law Sword.

As though responding to them...

the black energy being drawn from Dokgo Jinak began pouring out even faster.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Just as I began to relax—

“L-Look at that!”

Yeom Yuhwa raised one arm and shouted in a trembling voice.

What the hell?!

I couldn't help being shocked too.

The black energy being pulled from Dokgo Jinak was gathering in midair.

The pitch-black impurity clung together.

Twisted.

Entangled.

Then formed a single mass.

A round mass of darkness.

...A black moon.

It looked like a black moon floating in the sky.

The problem was...

one end of that mass was still connected to Dokgo Jinak's chest.

Cut it!

Realizing immediately that something was wrong, I moved to swing my sword.

But at that exact moment—

the black strand connecting it to Dokgo Jinak's chest pulled taut.

Then the mass of dark energy in the air suddenly reversed...

and slammed back into Dokgo Jinak's upper body.

“Kugh!”

Dokgo Jinak let out a sharp groan and dropped to one knee.

He clutched the area around his heart in obvious pain.

“Cult Leader! Are you all right?!”

Muk Jincheol shouted urgently and rushed toward him.

“Stop!”

I shouted.

But it was too late.

The moment Muk Jincheol approached Dokgo Jinak—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted.

Muk Jincheol's massive body was thrown through the air and slammed straight into a stone pillar in the center of the Heavenly Demon Hall.

“Overlord Saber Ghost Demon!”

Yeom Yuhwa screamed.

“What is happening...?”

I ignored everything else and stared at one person.

Dokgo Jinak.

He slowly rose from where he'd been kneeling.

His head remained lowered.

A strange groan came from his mouth.

“Grrrr....”

It didn't sound human.

It sounded like the growl of a beast.

No.

Something even darker and more sinister than that.

Then...

Dokgo Jinak finally raised his head.

"..."

My breath caught.

The whites of his eyes had disappeared.

Nothing but pitch-black darkness filled both eyes.

They reminded me of the black moon the impurity had formed in midair moments earlier.

I understood immediately.

Dokgo Jinak's consciousness has been pushed aside.

The thing moving his body right now wasn't Dokgo Jinak.

The impurity that had infested the Sacred Flame...

was forcing his body to move.

“C-Cult Leader....”

Yeom Yuhwa stepped toward him with a trembling voice.

I shouted immediately.

“Don't move!”

She froze.

“B-But....”

“Does he look normal to you right now?”

"..."

Yeom Yuhwa bit down on her lip.

Despair spread across her face.

I turned back toward Dokgo Jinak.

I didn't know what the others could see.

But to my eyes...

it was clear.

Black energy wrapped around Dokgo Jinak's entire body.

Thick strands of impurity clung to his neck, arms, and legs...

forcing his body to move like a puppet.

Damn it.

This was far worse than I'd expected.

Just as I began thinking about how to tear the impurity away—

“Grrrr....”

Those black eyes turned toward me.

Then—

BOOM!

Dokgo Jinak shot forward.

Like a wild beast.

“Kugh!”

I instinctively used Void Night Shadow Step.

At the same moment...

Dokgo Jinak's hand swept through the space where I'd been and struck the ground.

CRACK!

The floor of the Heavenly Demon Hall split apart.

Stone fragments exploded upward.

A huge crack spread across the floor.

A chill ran down my spine.

One hit and I'm finished.

The very next instant...

Dokgo Jinak's head turned again.

Those pitch-black beastlike eyes locked directly onto me.

“Grrrr....”

A growl rolled out of his throat.

Then his body vanished.

No.

He hadn't vanished.

He was simply too fast.

“Mujin!”

The moment Yeom Yuhwa screamed...

a black hand was already in front of my throat.

There was no time to think.

I twisted my body sideways on instinct.

Paat!

The black hand missed my throat...

but not entirely.

Riiip!

The cloth at my shoulder tore open.

Blood sprayed out.

Hot pain spread across my skin.

At the same moment...

Dokgo Jinak's fingertips touched the stone pillar behind me.

BOOOOM!

The entire pillar exploded.

Crushed stone fragments blasted in every direction.

Some struck my face.

Crazy bastard.

If I'd moved even a little slower...

it would've been my neck exploding instead of that pillar.

“Cult Leader! Please come to your senses!”

Yeom Yuhwa screamed desperately.

But Dokgo Jinak didn't seem to hear her.

His gaze remained fixed on me.

No.

More precisely...

on the Heavenly Law Sword in my hand.

It's targeting the Heavenly Law Sword.

The impurity controlling Dokgo Jinak's body recognized the sword as an enemy.

“GRAAAARGH!”

Dokgo Jinak charged again.

I didn't even consider trying to block him head-on.

My only chance of survival right now...

was to dodge.

I pushed Void Night Shadow Step to its limit.

BOOM! BOOM! CRASH! BOOOOM!

Dokgo Jinak attacked like a madman.

Everything his fists touched shattered and collapsed.

The sheer force was suffocating just to witness.

But—

Something's strange....

That was all it was.

His movements lacked any refinement worthy of the Heavenly Demon's martial arts.

No forms.

No variations.

No Flow.

Just the movements of a beast violently swinging an overwhelmingly powerful body.

The impurity is controlling Dokgo Jinak's body... but it can't draw out his martial arts.

Of course...

that didn't make him any less dangerous.

Even without martial arts...

Dokgo Jinak's raw strength and speed were still those of an absolute master.

One casual swing could kill me.

I was still in a life-or-death situation.

And yet—

before fear could take hold...

something else came to me.

I can see it.

His movements were gradually becoming clearer.

The old me would've died to his very first attack.

But not now.

Somehow...

I could slowly read the direction and rhythm of Dokgo Jinak's movements.

And I soon understood why.

The Flow.

The match against Dokgo Cheonyul's remnant soul in that snowy vision.

The new Flow I'd grasped after that battle...

had pushed me one step further.

That was why I could survive against Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jinak's attacks at all.

Still...

that didn't mean I had the advantage.

I can't keep dodging forever.

My gaze locked onto the black strands extending from Dokgo Jinak's heart meridians.

I had to sever those.

But....

There was no opening.

I could follow Dokgo Jinak's assault.

But I couldn't find any chance to counterattack.

Then—

WOOOOOM.

The Heavenly Law Sword roared in my hand.

At the same time, the blue flame on its blade—

WHOOOOSH!

surged even more fiercely than before.

And at that moment—

“Ughhh....”

Dokgo Jinak staggered and retreated one step.

I saw it clearly.

The black energy binding his body had noticeably weakened.

The sinister aura radiating from him also diminished.

The Heavenly Law Sword's flame weakens the impurity.

Those black strands wrapping around Dokgo Jinak.

I had to cut them with the Heavenly Law Sword.

I tightened my grip and stepped toward him.

I can do this.

Just a little closer.

If I could close that distance...

I could cut away that vicious impurity myself.

But—

the one who seized the opening first was Dokgo Jinak.

“GRAAAARGH!”

His hand shot toward me like lightning.

I twisted away with Void Night Shadow Step...

but couldn't completely avoid it.

CRACK.

His fingertips grazed my chest.

My ribs shook violently.

For a moment...

the pain almost knocked me unconscious.

“Kugh....”

I barely regained my footing.

Blood surged up from deep in my throat.

Damn it.

I could see it.

I knew exactly where I needed to cut.

But I couldn't reach it.

One final step.

The single step needed to sever the impurity...

felt impossibly far away.

Then—

“Heavenly Demon's Kindred Spirit!”

A familiar voice rang out.

I turned my head.

Muk Jincheol, who had been thrown into the stone pillar, was staggering back to his feet.

Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

Yet the light in his eyes hadn't faded.

Muk Jincheol raised his massive saber.

“Stay back.”

I frowned.

“The Cult Leader isn't himself right now.”

Muk Jincheol spat the blood pooled in his mouth onto the floor.

Then he smiled.

“I know.”

His grip tightened around the saber.

“That's exactly why I have to stop him.”

Muk Jincheol spoke with resolve.

“I'll create the opening.”

His eyes hardened.

“When I do, tear that filthy thing off the Cult Leader's body.”

Overlord Saber Ghost Demon gripped his saber with both hands and shouted toward Dokgo Jinak.

“Cult Leader!”

His voice thundered through the hall.

“Please forgive this disloyal servant for standing in your way!”

Then—

Muk Jincheol charged.

His massive saber collided with Dokgo Jinak's hand.

BOOOOOOM!

The floor beneath them cracked apart.

The strongest Heavenly Demon of the Divine Cult...

and Overlord Saber Ghost Demon, the second-in-command who had guarded him more closely than anyone else.

Their clash shook the hall.

But the outcome was completely one-sided.

“Kugh....”

Muk Jincheol's feet scraped across the ground as he was forced backward.

Blood burst from his lips.

Yet he didn't retreat.

He bit down hard and received Dokgo Jinak's power head-on.

And finally—

Now!

A single opening.

An instant bought with Muk Jincheol's life on the line.

I didn't waste it.

“Aaaaargh!”

I drew out every ounce of energy inside me and rushed toward Dokgo Jinak.

At that moment...

the snowy plain from the vision flashed through my mind.

The memory of my match against Dokgo Cheonyul's remnant soul.

The technique I'd used to answer his sword appeared vividly before me.

I brought the sword path I'd used in the vision...

back into reality.

Flowing Flower Kunlun Sword, Fourth Form.

Falling Flower Turning Aside.

Using the Heavenly Law Sword wielded by Dokgo Cheonyul...

I recreated the sword path of True Immortal Cheongun.

SWOOOOOSH!

The sword path of Falling Flower Turning Aside poured toward Dokgo Jinak.

But my blade wasn't aimed at him.

Like a falling flower petal naturally changing direction as the wind carried it...

my sword followed the Flow I'd comprehended and formed an elegant arc.

The black strands extending from Dokgo Jinak's heart meridians...

wrapping around his limbs.

The Heavenly Law Sword flowed directly toward them.

CRRRRACK!

There was no sensation of cutting flesh.

Instead...

it felt like severing a soaked rope.

A sticky, wet resistance traveled through my hand.

“GRAAAAAAAARGH!”

A scream erupted from Dokgo Jinak.

No.

It came from the darkness clinging inside him.

The instant the black strands were severed...

black energy poured wildly out of Dokgo Jinak's body.

The impurity crashed onto the floor...

then gathered into one mass again.

And like a snake...

it tried to slither away across the ground.

But—

the Heavenly Law Sword was faster.

WHOOOOOOOSH!

The blue flame on the blade poured out like a raging waterfall.

It wrapped around the black energy...

biting into it.

SSSSSSSSSS!

A sound like rotten blood boiling filled the Heavenly Demon Hall.

A foul smell spread through the air.

I gritted my teeth and swung the sword downward.

The blue flame of the Heavenly Law Sword swallowed the black energy.

A shriek-like cracking sound echoed through the hall.

The darkness struggled.

It tried to scatter.

Tried to dive back into Dokgo Jinak's body.

But it was too late.

The flames of the Heavenly Law Sword wouldn't release it.

And finally—

the blue fire completely erased the black energy.

“Ugh....”

The blackness in Dokgo Jinak's eyes had already disappeared.

Their original color had returned.

Muk Jincheol, who had been holding him back, finally dropped to one knee as his strength gave out.

Dokgo Jinak also staggered with a groan.

I hurriedly lowered my sword and caught him.

“Cult Leader!”

Yeom Yuhwa and Muk Jincheol shouted at the same time.

I immediately checked Dokgo Jinak's breathing.

Fortunately...

it was faint, but steady.

“Don't worry.”

I let out a breath.

“He's alive.”

Tears immediately spilled from Yeom Yuhwa's eyes.

Muk Jincheol collapsed onto the floor, covered in blood, visibly relieved.

Dokgo Jinak had survived.

And the darkness that had bound him...

was completely gone.

Then—

I felt strange heat behind me.

I turned.

WHOOSH!

The Sacred Flame Altar.

The brazier that had remained completely empty.

A blue flame was now rising above it.

Yeom Yuhwa stared blankly at the fire.

Then her knees gave out.

She collapsed to the floor.

“The Sacred Flame...”

Her voice trembled.

“It has returned....”

At last...

one of the things that had fallen out of place...

was returning to where it belonged.