Staring at the night sky too long makes you look like a lunatic. I drew Fang of the Black Rabbit and stepped back into the battlefield, wrecked in the wake of Sun and Moon Radiant Heaven.

As the Sword Demon said, Sun and Moon Radiant Heaven was far from perfect.

From the perspective of top-tier martial artists, the charge-up and release time was far too long. The sharper ones likely noticed it and prepared in time—raising their inner energy, generating protective force, or hiding behind earthen walls to minimize damage.

Some bugs had surely survived.

If I’d come to beat down a black-market thug, this would’ve been enough. But assassins get no mercy.

As I entered the chaos with my sword drawn, the others spread out to finish off the remaining enemies.

Then, something began falling from the sky.

Plop… plop…

Weapons thrown by the blast, chunks of flesh, shredded garments, severed fingers—random debris began to rain down like a storm.

Yongmyeong murmured in awe.

“Wow… now it’s starting to fall.”

I moved through the mess, searching for any assassins still breathing.

“…If you wanted mercy, you should’ve knelt earlier. But now, even your knees won’t work. It’s too late for regret.”

At that moment, we all looked up at the night sky. The one-armed old man—his clothes in tatters—was falling from above.

He must’ve been launched by the explosion and the force of his own counterattack, rocketing up to some absurd height before coming back down.

Even I had to admit it.

“Wow… the old man’s got some spine.”

Too bad his once-flowing hair had burned off, leaving a pathetic, half-singed mess.

As he hit the ground, the Sword Demon spoke.

“Was that Elder Deung, the one who supported the Second Prince?”

The old man nodded.

“Finally recognizing me.”

“What was your connection to the Seventh Instructor?”

“Of course, he was my master.”

“So you gathered defectors and led an assassin faction.”

As I approached with Fang of the Black Rabbit still in hand, the old man spoke.

“Cult Leader.”

“What?”

“If you all work together, killing me won’t be difficult. But now that it’s come to this, I’d like to have one last duel with the Sword Demon. He was the young master we all admired in our old age. As his position rose, I never had the chance to challenge him. We’re both defectors now, but still—I want to cross blades with the former Left Guardian and Second Prince’s escort. Sword Demon, will you grant my request?”

I looked at the Sword Demon.

‘There’s no need for this.’

But I already knew what his answer would be. He’d never shy away from a duel like this.

The Sword Demon nodded.

“Escort Deung, so be it.”

The [N O V E L I G H T] old man grinned, revealing gaps in his teeth.

“Thank you. Were you part of the pursuit unit back when the Second Prince was on the run with his retainers?”

“I was.”

“Who did you kill back then?”

“The Black Wolf Unit who stood in my way.”

“And the result?”

“I believe I killed them all.”

“Weren’t you close with the unit leader?”

The Sword Demon nodded again.

The old man laughed.

“So even the great Sword Demon carries regrets.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“You don’t?”

“Regret your weakness instead. I imagine the instructors taught you to remember that even in death. I’ll give you the first move, Escort Deung.”

I crossed my arms.

First you watch a fire, then you watch a fight—that’s the classic order. If he’d survived the imperfect technique by deflecting Sun and Moon Radiant Heaven with raw force, he must’ve been quite skilled. Still, the energy he burned doing that had to be immense. This wasn’t a battle where the result mattered.

What mattered was that the Sword Demon now held the Bright Sword. It wouldn’t be the same fight as when he dueled the cult leader.

Meanwhile, the Lustful Bastard, clearly uninterested in his master’s duel, wandered around finishing off the remaining assassins.

I focused on the one-armed elder and the Sword Demon.

***

At the edge of the wreckage, the old man swept across the ground with strange footwork as he closed the distance, then leapt into the air.

He moved so fast he nearly vanished like a flash of light.

“Huh?”

His sword struck the Sword Demon’s chest first.

Clang…!

A grim metallic clang rang out.

The Sword Demon, seemingly allowing the blow on purpose, simultaneously thrust the Bright Sword into the old man’s abdomen and lifted him off the ground.

Puak!

Dark sword energy surged from the Bright Sword, clinging to the old man and tearing at his body.

Even for a demonic technique, I’d never seen sword energy this grotesque.

Most sword energy mimics the shape of a blade. But this—it looked like a black phantom, with limbs, a face, a gaping mouth. The phantom enveloped the old man in an instant, and blood spurted from every limb. Even that blood was devoured by tiny clawed hands extending from the sword energy like fern fronds.

I let out a round-mouthed breath.

“Oof…”

The old man’s body was torn apart midair by the Bright Sword. The phantoms absorbed his remains, then vanished into the blade.

The Sword Demon let out a deep sigh.

“Haah…”

A strange tone.

Like a sigh of regret. Or perhaps guilt.

I watched him, arms still folded, reading the heavy expression on his face.

‘…This is one hell of a demonic art.’

No wonder the cult leader couldn’t hold on to him.

The Sword Demon, having fully unleashed the Bright Sword, was a man teetering on the edge. If he kept growing stronger like this, I had the irrational thought that someday, the Bright Sword might devour him.

I asked on impulse.

“Senior, is it alright to keep using a technique like that? It looks dangerous.”

He looked at me.

His eyes, pitch-black moments ago, slowly returned to their original color. As the Sword Demon returned to being a man, he said,

“I try not to… but when my competitive spirit flares, this is what happens. I need to master the wooden sword as soon as possible.”

That was a powerful statement.

He was undoubtedly a strong man, but I saw now—there was also a very vulnerable side.

How could a man be both so strong and so fragile?

That’s who the Sword Demon was.

I asked,

“The side effects—are they severe?”

“Fairly.”

“What kind of side effects?”

He looked over at the Lustful Bastard and said,

“The Bright Sword is insatiable. That’s the side effect. I tried to teach it to my disciple, but gave up.”

I thought of the tattoo on the Little Shit’s body.

“That’s why he has a tattoo?”

The Sword Demon shook his head.

“A similar technique. It’s a protective art.”

Then, as if all he needed was a moment of quiet, he sat down and crossed his legs. He wasn’t cultivating or healing any wounds, but he looked… deeply drained to me.

The Lustful Bastard returned after cleaning up the wounded assassins.

“Master, are you alright?”

The Sword Demon nodded.

“I’m fine.”

I sat beside him, gazing at the ruined assassin stronghold.

Yongmyeong called out to the three of us.

“Please rest more. I’ll move wide and clean up the rest.”

I nodded, then looked back at the Sword Demon.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

He glanced between me and his disciple, then—like a man reflecting on a past life—began to speak.

“I’ve often felt humiliation… because it felt like the weapon was strong, not me. I tried not to use it too often, but… it’s not so easy to turn your back on this kind of power.”

So now, the Crazy Demon, the Lustful Bastard, and the Sword Demon all rested after slaughtering assassins.

What haunted the Sword Demon seemed different from the inner deviation I’d experienced.

A heart demon of competition—and emptiness.

He used the demonic sword because he didn’t want to lose.

Then afterward, he was left with only shame.

He feared defeat more than death. And now, death lingered around him, waiting.

I suddenly thought—

Maybe in my past life… the Sword Demon died alone, somewhere.

Not killed by someone else.

But by himself.

In a desolate and barren place, the thought seized me—what if the Sword Demon had disappeared from the world together with the Bright Sword?

The Sword Demon’s problem looked truly complicated, so even I couldn’t offer a clear answer.

To die fighting with an ordinary longsword?
Or to continue thriving with a demonic sword and live on like a devil?

Is there really such a thing as a clear answer in life?

“Sword Demon, senior.”

The Sword Demon looked at me with a gaze more hollow than ever. With eyes like that, he could probably cut down hundreds—no, thousands—without a shred of guilt. Maybe the only reason he didn’t go on a rampage was because his nature had always been calm and rational.

The Sword Demon said,

“Speak.”

“Your heart demon is visible to me now.”

“That’s the state I’m in.”

“To die fighting with a wooden sword or to keep being tormented by internal deviation while wielding a demonic one... it seems like a binary choice.”

“It’s more complicated, but yes, if simplified.”

“There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to. Would you meet them?”

“You’re saying this person can cure my heart demon?”

“They can’t.”

“And yet you still want me to meet them?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

I crossed my arms and answered.

“This is about whether you sit still and become a demon… or if you actively search for a way to remain human by seeking out someone. Of course, no one can fix this easily. But the act of trying—of wanting to find a way to be human while being tormented by a heart demon—that effort itself could be a starting point to change things… What do you think? I won’t force you.”

The Sword Demon replied.

“I’ve no intention of listening to the tired words of old men who act like they’ve mastered the world.”

I nodded.

“Fair enough. But the one I want to introduce is a young man.”

The Sword Demon looked at me like I’d just punched him.

“A young man?”

“If you hate the dry lectures of the elderly and also dislike the foolish rambling of youth, then you’re fated to die of internal cultivation in the wilderness. Just meet him. Don’t feel pressured. I’m not expecting much myself…”

While the Sword Demon gave me a bitter look, the Lustful Bastard offered his advice from the side.

“Master, you should at least meet him. If he turns out to be a cocky bastard, I’ll knock some sense into him.”

I looked at the Lustful Bastard.

“Shut the hell up. Who are you knocking sense into? You lunatic.”

Just then, the Sword Demon—who seemed to have regained some composure—stood up and said,

“Let’s double-check for any remaining assassins and kill them before we go. Best to finish things properly. Any wounded won’t have gotten far.”

I nodded and told the Sword Demon,

“Break off a tree branch or something and use that.”

The Sword Demon answered obediently.

“I will.”

***

“Sir! Sir, Master Moyong! I’ve come!”

I barged into the Moyong family and called out to Moyong Baek with full confidence. There was no need to bring Yongmyeong along, so I sent him back to Blood Night Palace midway. The spoils of Saryugok were to be collected by Blood Night Palace and divided later, so Yongmyeong had his hands full.

From somewhere inside, a crashing sound echoed out, and Moyong Baek ran out with a startled face.

“Cult Leader! You’re here?”

“Busy?”

“Not at all.”

Moyong Baek glanced at the two people beside me, then asked nervously,

“May I ask… who are these people?”

I glanced at the Sword Demon, then replied.

“...I brought a patient.”

The Sword Demon let out a sigh.

Moyong Baek, looking completely confused, asked me,

“Ah, if you brought a patient… why do you look so happy about it?”

“Good point. Now that you mention it.”

Moyong Baek introduced himself.

“Either way, you’re welcome here. I’m Moyong Baek of the Moyong medical family. But…”

“……”

Moyong Baek studied the Lustful Bastard and the Sword Demon carefully, then asked in a serious tone,

“Which one is the patient?”

I was momentarily taken aback and answered,

“Oh, that’s a sharp question. It’s this one. Critical case.”

I pointed at the Sword Demon.

Moyong Baek gestured toward his office.

“Come in, then.”

The Sword Demon gave me a look like he was being dragged to a slaughterhouse, and I met his eyes, then gave him a thumbs-up.

“…Listen well to the doctor, senior.”

“……”

“He’s like a sworn brother to me, so don’t hit him if he pisses you off.”

“I won’t.”

After the Sword Demon and Moyong Baek went into the office, two unfamiliar women approached and bowed to me.

“Cult Leader, it’s been a while.”

“Have you been well?”

I looked at them and asked,

“Who are you two?”

They answered with flustered faces.

“We’re Heukbaek Soso.”

“Heuk So-ryeong and Baek So-ah.”

Only then did I realize their appearances had changed quite a bit. They looked much better than before.

“Ah, it’s you two. You look so good now I didn’t recognize you.”

“If we look better, how could you not recognize us?”

“Shut up.”

“Yes.”

“Go inside and tell the other medical women that no one is to even show a shadow around here today. Everyone’s to wear masks while working.”

“Excuse me?”

I frowned.

“Are you talking back? Get inside. The top pervert in the martial world is here.”

I waved my hand to chase them away.

The Lustful Bastard, seated in a chair, glared at me coldly.

“Hey, Cult Leader.”

“What?”

“You really think I’d mess with the ladies even in a place like this? Give me a break.”

“Mongrang, you’re so far gone you don’t even count as a patient. Sit still, unless you want me to call the medical girls and start telling them your stories.”

The Lustful Bastard replied with a confused look.

“My stories? What stories?”

“……”

When I fell silent, the Lustful Bastard seemed to realize something—and his face turned bright red. I narrowed my eyes and looked at him with a smirk.

Seems like he just realized it always ends in shit jokes.

What a fool.