There is no trigger for the awakening of the Heavenly Killing Star.
However, once it awakens, anyone—even from a great distance—would be able to sense that alien and dreadful killing intent.
Just like right now.
Kuuuung—!
Like a stone dropped into still water sending ripples across the surface, a fierce killing intent spread through the air.
Every martial artist—no, even ordinary civilians without Qi Sense—stopped what they were doing and froze at the bone-chilling sensation.
Those of relatively lower martial level turned pale and began trembling, while those who could withstand it all turned their gazes toward a single place.
Tang So-wol, who had been enjoying a lazy post-meal chat with Seol Ri-hyang just moments ago, spoke with a deeply hardened expression.
"Young hero Cheon. This is…"
"It's Heo Soye's Heavenly Killing Star. Though I'm not sure we can call this a brief rampage."
The killing intent Heo Soye had shown at the training ground the other day had been recognizable as the Heavenly Killing Star, but that was all it was.
Its viciousness couldn't even compare to mine—at best, it was on par with a notorious Demonic Head of the Unorthodox Sects.
That was why the Qi Barriers erected by several Peak Realm martial artists had been able to contain the leaking killing intent.
But now it was different. Even though I was certain a considerable distance separated us, the sensation was chilling enough to feel like it was thinly slicing my skin.
Heo Soye's killing intent had grown incomparably more intense than before. Naturally, a Qi Barrier would struggle to contain it, and even if one managed to, the internal energy of whoever erected it would soon be thrown into chaos, inflicting internal injuries.
"The last time I saw Miss Heo was when she left for a walk with Brother Jang."
"Yes. She was definitely headed toward the courtyard. But do not worry—wasn't Sister Hwa-rin moving alongside her as well?"
"…At least the worst-case scenario hasn't come to pass, then."
The worst case, of course, would be the crazed Heo Soye slaughtering everyone in her path.
But if Seomun Hwa-rin was with her, there was no need for such worries.
"We need to go right away. Tang So-wol, what will you do?"
"I will follow you. I have trained hard to be of help to you, young hero Cheon, by your side."
"Understood. But it's dangerous, so try not to step ahead of me."
"I will keep that in mind."
With Tang So-wol nodding beside me, I unleashed my Lightness Skill.
***
The place we arrived at, following the killing intent, was a small courtyard. It was the kind of small but well-kept yard where sect members could rest for a while and, depending on the season, admire a few blooming flowers.
However, it had now become a space where such leisure was nowhere to be found.
The space, overflowing with immense killing intent, was so uncomfortable that even breathing was difficult, and the plants that had been bowing their heads, waiting for spring, had died on the spot.
As if in an old myth where the sun was too much to bear, the entire space was slowly dying.
Jang Inam, who had been accompanying Heo Soye, had fallen to the ground, clutching his neck and barely managing to breathe.
In Seomun Hwa-rin's case, she had moved to subdue the situation the moment it broke out, and now stood before Heo Soye…
For some reason, she neither threw a punch nor struck any Meridians, but simply stood silently guarding Heo Soye's front.
Looking more closely, Heo Soye was also trembling, barely managing to hold on by some means.
It seemed Heo Soye was trying to withdraw her killing intent on her own, so for now, she was being watched.
The reason for that was also understandable.
"To unleash this much killing intent and still maintain your sanity?"
"Perhaps the preparations the Great Master Gakjeong made have had their effect."
I nodded and headed toward Jang Inam, who had collapsed on the ground.
Eyes wide open as if he refused to take them off Heo Soye for even a single moment, despite being unable to withstand the killing intent.
His figure, blazing with willpower and stubbornness, was admirable—but that alone would not solve the problem at hand.
I drew my sword and infused it with internal energy. A white aura naturally rose from the blade.
What needed to be done from here was simple. Killing intent was, after all, nothing more than murderous intent mixed with internal energy.
Its intensity depended on the depth of the murderous intent, but its breadth depended on the profundity of one's internal energy.
In other words, if one could interfere with either side, something like this should be possible.
I let out a light breath and brought my sword down toward Jang Inam.
Sweep.
The sensation of something being severed at my fingertips.
Just as I had cut through the combined Qi Barrier that the Diancang Sect elders had deployed the other day, I sliced off a portion of Heo Soye's killing intent and twisted its flow.
Thanks to that, Jang Inam, who had barely regained his freedom from within the current of killing intent, gasped for breath and turned his head.
"What is this… Ah."
After confirming our faces and realizing why we were here, Jang Inam's complexion turned pale.
"We're just as curious about what happened as you are, Brother Jang. What occurred while the two of you were away for a moment?"
"You do know that Soye and I have promised our futures to each other, right?"
"Of course, I remember that well."
"In the end, the Sect Leader and the elders did give their permission, but it took a long time before we could promise each other in marriage. And that's only natural. There was already much talk when they took in a disciple missing an arm, so accepting a son-in-law must have required even more deliberation. And even that has now half fallen by the wayside."
Jang Inam forced a bitter smile and staggered to his feet before continuing.
"Yes. It took too long. Long enough that Soye's true nature began to show its teeth."
"Hmm. Brother Jang. I can tell something tremendous happened to you as well, but we don't have time right now. Skip the details and just give me the conclusion."
"…We talked about holding our wedding before she fully awakened as the Heavenly Killing Star, and if possible, trying to have a child."
"What?"
"When I proposed again, she was overjoyed—and then suddenly went berserk like that."
"…"
Jang Inam spoke with a grave expression. Though the unexpected news left me somewhat taken aback, I could understand what had happened.
There was one reason I had been startled when I first sensed Heo Soye's killing intent.
It was because the Diancang Sect still had a considerable amount of time before its Clan Extermination in my past life—so how could she have awakened this quickly?
She had been overjoyed at Jang Inam's words, then suddenly went berserk like that, hastening her awakening. More likely, the Vajrayana technique that Great Master Gakjeong had employed was the real problem.
As expected, the Heavenly Killing Star's awakening has no particular trigger…
"Wait."
A sensation of something just out of reach tickled my mind.
Did the Heavenly Killing Star's awakening truly have no trigger?
I can say with certainty that no one in the Central Plains' martial world handles killing intent as well as I do. That is to say, among those who are not the Heavenly Killing Star, I am the closest to being one.
I must not ignore this faint sensation I am feeling now.
Soon after, Great Master Gakjeong and Great Master Jeonghyeon arrived. And while Seomgeomja explained the current situation to Tang So-wol.
Having organized my thoughts, I asked Great Master Gakjeong, who was managing to hold on with a body devoid of internal energy thanks to Great Master Jeonghyeon's help.
"Great Master Gakjeong. Have there been cases where the Heavenly Killing Star bloomed like this, yet the person did not run wild and held on?"
"…There have been. My disciple was like that just before he died."
"I know that the Vajrayana Grand Ritual you performed on Lady Heo recently has the effect of suppressing killing intent, but please tell me the exact principle behind it."
"Young benefactor Cheon. In this situation, what does that matter so much…"
Was it because the past seemed to overlap with the present? The Great Master Gakjeong, overcome with emotion, started to speak but stopped short.
He gazed quietly into my eyes before opening his mouth.
"…Do you remember the story of Angulimala I told you the other day, young benefactor Cheon?"
"You mean the one who was believed to be the Heavenly Killing Star of the distant past, but who took refuge in the Buddha and ultimately escaped the cycle of karmic sin from killing?"
"That's right. It is a mantra containing the story of the World-Honored One's enlightenment of Angulimala—a mantra imbued with the power to recreate that moment and free those suffering under the karmic sin of killing from their shackles."
"Recreate… what do you mean by that?"
"He was blinded by his pursuit of enlightenment, and used the malicious teachings of his old master as justification to commit slaughter. The World-Honored One showed him that this was wrong."
"Could you be more specific?"
"The mantra was the words spoken by the World-Honored One at that time, and to put it simply…"
The Great Master Gakjeong paused for a moment in thought before speaking.
"Angulimala, I have stopped, and have laid down my sword forever for all beings. But you have no restraint toward living things—I have stopped, and you have not. …That is about the extent of it."
"As I thought… Thank you."
"Have you discovered something?"
"There is one thing I wish to try before I cut down Lady Heo."
The awakening of the Heavenly Killing Star has no catalyst. That is how it has always been known.
And rightly so—for he had killed people driven by impulses born of reasons too trivial, too absurd to even be called reasons.
Having experienced that killing intent firsthand, my thoughts shifted somewhat.
It wasn't that there was no catalyst—rather, everything was a catalyst.
Whatever one saw, whatever one felt, whatever thoughts one held in one's mind, it all ultimately converged on the urge to kill. Because one couldn't understand where the killing intent originated, it had always been assumed there was no particular catalyst.
The sense of dissonance from feeling only pure killing intent, untainted by any discernible emotion or will within the Heavenly Killing Star's murderous aura, must have arisen from the same context.
If everything in the world served as a catalyst, wouldn't it be difficult for any single will or emotion to stand out clearly?
Finally, there was the content of the mantra that Great Master Gakjeong had taught me. This would create a different branch of catalyst for the Heavenly Killing Star.
So that when faced with someone devoid of murderous intent, the rampaging killing urge could be calmed once more.
"Of course, this is all merely speculation on my part. I have neither knowledge of Vajrayana nor experience observing the Heavenly Killing Star up close. I've simply synthesized what I felt from Lady Heo's killing intent with everything I've heard thus far."
"…Not bad. At this point, the only choice left is whether to sever the neck or the limbs."
Having heard my story, Great Master Gakjeong shook his head. The others said nothing, but their silence suggested they shared his sentiment.
It was Great Master Jeonghyeon who broke the quiet.
"I understand your words, Young Master. However, I wonder if it is truly feasible. Does not every martial artist reflexively harbor hostility the moment they encounter killing intent?"
"That is true. If there is anyone who could suppress Lady Heo's killing intent, it would be her father, the Seomgeomja, or Brother Jang. …However, the Seomgeomja stands at too high a level and has lived as a martial artist for far too long."
"Ah."
At those words, the Seomgeomja nodded with a grim expression.
As Great Master Jeonghyeon had said, a martial artist instinctively reacts upon facing killing intent. And the Seomgeomja was a man far too accustomed to such matters.
Then there was only one thing left.
Everyone's gaze turned with concern toward Jang Inam, who was looking at Heo Soye.
"Me… me?"
"Yes. Only you, Brother Jang."
Among those present, if there was anyone who fit the title of Mugol Hoin, and anyone so blinded by love that he would ask her to bear his child even in a situation like this, it could only be Jang Inam.
Tang So-wol, who had been quietly gauging the flustered Jang Inam's level, asked carefully.
"Um… just in case, shall I apply a strong numbing poison in advance so you won't feel any pain?"
"…"
No. It's not like I'm going there to die.
Though if I make one wrong move, I'll be dead for sure.