The Demonic Cult is more adept at sorcery than anyone else in the Central Plains. And that goes without saying for the Heavenly Demon, who has undergone regression time and again.
In fact, before the regression, I used to overcome the disadvantage of average martial strength through sorcery.
So it wouldn't be strange if one more impossible thing were to happen. For instance—
"So the dead can be reborn in another body."
It was similar to the Blood Buddha, but somehow the feeling was a bit different.
The Blood Buddha's reincarnation works by storing one's memories in a medium called a vessel, then eroding a new body and overlaying those memories onto it, repeating the cycle of being born anew.
Any memories that couldn't be stored would be lost, but fundamentally, it's a structure where memories accumulate over a long time, allowing one to build up experience.
What meaning would there be in being reborn if all memories were lost?
But the Slaughter King was different.
When I defeated the first Slaughter King, I had managed to see through his stealth to a certain extent.
And I had a record of overwhelming even the assassin's characteristic quick movements—which would have severed my neck the moment I let my guard down—with the speed of the Thunderclap Sword.
The reason the Slaughter King met death at my hands was that his two greatest weapons were useless before me.
Just as I had devised a plan to kidnap Tang So-wol the moment I regressed, the Slaughter King, had he been given another chance, would have been pondering ways to bring me down.
But with the second Slaughter King, I felt no trace of such deliberation.
He hid himself as he had the first time we met, struck from the shadows, showed a flicker of surprise when seen through, and eventually staked everything on a frontal confrontation—only to be defeated just the same.
There are slight differences here and there, but the basic flow is the same as when he died by my hand the first time.
I know this well because I've crossed swords with him directly. The Slaughter King is no fool.
Yet he keeps insisting on the very method that led him to death once before.
Come to think of it, when I saw through his stealth, that was the first time he showed any sign of emotional turmoil.
And his martial art hasn't changed one bit between the first and second time. Nearly identical in level.
Isn't that the kind of reaction you'd expect from someone meeting me for the first time?
…There's definitely something here. But with what I know now, I have no way of figuring it out.
All I can do is stay vigilant, since I can't guarantee there won't be a third or fourth Slaughter King.
Of course, that's not to say there's nothing I can do.
"The reason Assassin Valley joined the Demonic Cult. I need to find that out."
"Young hero Cheon, you believe the Slaughter King's secret lies with the Demonic Cult."
"Aside from that, there doesn't seem to be any other plausible lead."
"It's certainly an outlandish claim… but still, pinning everything on a single approach isn't really my style."
Having said that, Tang So-wol began to examine the Slaughter King's corpse closely—the Flying Dagger still embedded between his brows.
Then, as if she'd found something, she pulled a suitable hidden weapon from her bosom.
Swick.
She sliced off one ear and placed it on her palm, examining it this way and that.
"This Slaughter King's corpse is full of traces of the expulsion technique, as if his entire body was forcibly compressed into shape."
"I noticed. I suspect they needed a body as similar to the first Slaughter King as possible."
"Yes, that's what I thought as well. But look at this ear."
"…Hm?"
The ear resting in Tang So-wol's hand looked perfectly normal. A smooth ear without the slightest trace of alteration.
"If we dig a little deeper, we might find something else, but for now, this appears to be the only part that wasn't touched by the expulsion technique."
"So you're keeping it for now."
"Yes. We can't make heads or tails of it—it just seems like a bizarre occurrence, but wouldn't experts see what we can't?"
"True enough. If it's a technique beyond the grasp of upright and honorable orthodox martial artists like me and you, Tang So-wol, then there's nothing to be done."
"Ah, w-well, yes…"
Tang So-wol looked like she had plenty to say, but for now she simply nodded. She wrapped the ear in a small piece of cloth and tucked it into her bosom.
Meanwhile, I searched through the Slaughter King's garments that had been cut away.
I'd done so wondering whether there might be another letter from the Heavenly Demon this time, and sure enough—a single sheet of paper steeped in thick Demonic Qi came out.
When I unfolded it, only a short sentence was written on it.
-The Grand Ritual of Separation was not the right answer.
"Divorce Ritual?"
It was a Grand Ritual I'd never heard of before. But from the name alone, I could roughly guess what it did.
Divorce—to move the soul.
If moved to the past, it would be regression. If moved into another person's body, it would be reincarnation.
If the Heavenly Demon, who had undergone countless regressions, had studied this Divorce Ritual, what could the reason be?
I pondered for a moment, and surprisingly, the answer came quickly.
"He must have needed companions."
I had only experienced a single regression, but I knew the pain—when those who had forged deep bonds with me in my previous life no longer recognized me.
And when I realized that I could not tell anyone about my regression, and that the harder the task, the more I had to face it alone.
Even I couldn't help but feel exhausted and disheartened at that time.
If it hadn't been for the bell allowing me to share even a fragment of my memories… the loneliness settled deep in a corner of my heart would surely have grown ever larger.
Come to think of it, wasn't it the Heavenly Demon who taught me that the bell could be used this way?
If he had experienced regression multiple times, what he needed most would have been companions.
Friends would do, lovers would do. Anyone—he must have needed someone to walk this long journey with him.
Every time he regressed, everything became as if it had never happened, and having to build a relationship from scratch with someone who already held countless memories in his heart must have slowly gnawed away at the Heavenly Demon's mind.
The way he knew how to use the bell as a trick, and the way he said the Grand Ritual of Separation was not the answer—it all pointed to that.
It seemed certain that the former Heavenly Demon had set out to find a companion who would regress alongside him.
If that was the case, then the reason he was showing me a certain degree of goodwill made sense.
The reason he wasn't fully cooperating was likely because he couldn't be sure whether my regression would end with this single time, or whether it would continue again and again like the Heavenly Demon's own.
And now, apart from finding a fellow regressor, he must have his own clear goals as well.
…Damn it all, the odds were high that those goals of his would clash with mine.
He was a Heavenly Demon who had lived longer than me, mastered far more secret arts, and drawn closer to the truth of regression than anyone else.
I had no idea what he saw through those eyes, or what goal he had in mind that would justify spilling so many people's blood.
"I can't just sit here and take it."
I crushed the letter in my hand, then burned it away with the Samadhi True Fire.
Whoosh.
The letter turned to ash and scattered, leaving behind black smoke and a faint acrid smell.
Whether it was a show of consideration or something else, I couldn't say… but thanks to it, I now knew exactly what to focus on.
The Slaughter King, who had died and come back to life. A new body, adjusted to his previous physique through the expulsion technique pushed to its absolute limit. And the Divorce Ritual.
If I asked someone well-versed in sorcery about these three things, wouldn't I get some answers?
"Come to think of it, my next sparring match is against the Illusion Witch, isn't it?"
"Oh my? Is she an opponent you know, young hero Cheon?"
"I've at least heard the name."
The Illusion Witch.
In the Central Plains martial world, which shuns sorcery, she was one of the few female experts of the Unorthodox Sects with a deep mastery of the art.
Perhaps because of that reputation, it was said that very few people knew what the Illusion Witch actually looked like.
No—even if someone had seen her face, could they be certain it was truly hers? It might just be a false image layered over by her signature art of illusion.
Such rumors circulated precisely because the Illusion Witch was considered dangerous in the martial world, though in a somewhat different sense. However.
"The sword knows the answer."
If she wanted to live, she'd squeeze out whatever she could.
As long as I had the Heavenly Eye, illusion-type sorcery could never fully deceive me.
On top of that, the Illusion Witch was a fairly easy person to read.
The reason she had initially cooperated with the Black Alliance was because she wanted to live, and the reason she had tried to betray them and defect to the Demonic Cult was also because she didn't want to die.
When left alone, she was docile… but if it meant surviving, she would do anything—whether it was something cruel or throwing away her pride. A monster in the truest sense.
That was the essence of the Illusion Witch.
If I asked her politely from the start, she would surely produce an answer one way or another. Though I would likely need the sword's help.
Tang So-wol, having heard my brief explanation, wore a dazed expression for a moment before breaking into a bright smile and nodding vigorously.
"Yes! Everything the noble and upright young hero Cheon says is absolutely right!"
"Thank you."
"…"
Tang So-wol wore an expression of utter disbelief for some reason, but soon shook her head as if to say it didn't matter, and spread her arms wide toward me.
So I gave her a light hug.
"…This is fine in its own way, but please listen to a person's words to the end."
"Wasn't that a request to be held?"
"Since you went ahead and used the Samadhi True Fire anyway, I meant for you to wipe away the dirt and bloodstains on my clothes."
"Is something like that even possible with the Samadhi True Fire?"
"Didn't it seem like Father and Seomun unni could do it?"
I didn't use the Samadhi True Fire often, so I couldn't say for sure, but if those two could do it, then it must be possible. My ability to control internal energy and Intent wasn't particularly worse than theirs, so it was worth trying.
"Let me give it a shot."
I stepped half a pace away from Tang So-wol and focused on her body… no, on her clothes.
Perhaps it was because she was exhausted. Her appearance, more haggard than usual, stirred a strange sense of thrill…
"Young hero Cheon?"
"Ah. I'm concentrating, so don't disturb me."
"That doesn't seem right…"
Tang So-wol tilted her head with a suspicious look. I quietly focused my Intent on her.
If the Samadhi True Fire were ordinary fire, it would have been impossible to burn away only the filth.
But the Samadhi True Fire is something I create with my Intent and internal energy.
Just as one can cut away only what one wishes, burning away only what one wishes should also be entirely possible.
Whoosh.
The flames clinging to Tang So-wol's garments slowly swelled in size.
Yet even with her clothes on fire, Tang So-wol's expression remained perfectly serene.
That was because the flames on her clothes were neither hot, nor did they burn the fabric itself.
It was a simpler matter than I had expected.
The sensation was similar to burning away the impurities in my meridians with internal energy.
After discovering this new application of the Samadhi True Fire, Tang So-wol and I found a reasonably clean building to rest in. Before long, Twin Ghost Sword arrived with an assassin in tow.
"Everything has been taken care of as you commanded, and I have brought the assassin. He calls himself a squad leader."
"Well done. You must be tired—go in and rest. There are plenty of spare rooms."
When I demonstrated the technique of burning away the filth on one's clothes with the Samadhi True Fire to Twin Ghost Sword, he was startled at first, but soon looked over his own clothes here and there with an expression of wonder.
I let out a small chuckle at him, then turned to the assassin.
"But you're not allowed to sleep just yet. You and I have quite a bit to discuss."
"…"
The assassin leader glared at me with the gag still in his mouth.
I understood it was to keep him from biting down on the hidden poison capsule and killing himself, but it was a rather unsightly sight.
***
The interrogation results were less substantial than I'd expected.
Partly because the assassin leader's lips were sealed tight… but also because he genuinely didn't know much.
At the very least, he seemed to know nothing about the relationship between the Heavenly Demon and the Slaughter King.
As for the second Slaughter King, he only knew that one was a hidden disciple of the previous Slaughter King.
So I dealt with it appropriately and got some proper rest. And then.
"Since you've gathered everything you need, set the place on fire. Just be careful not to let the flames spread to the surroundings."
"W-will that really be alright, Great Hero White Moon Sword Lord?"
"Of course it will. Didn't you say you'd released all the servants who worked here and the families of the merchants who were being held captive?"
"That's right."
"And the accumulated wealth was distributed in a reasonable ratio with the Tang Clan, on the premise that the Black Alliance would take responsibility for transporting it."
"No one harbored any complaints about that part."
"Then why are you hesitating… Ah, are you worried about hidden funds or land deeds? Forget it. If someone like the Golden Wolf King hid them, they'd be hard to find anyway, and even if you did find them, whether it was the Imperial Court or whoever had been managing them, they'd have already swallowed them up long ago."
"How is it that you know all that… Ah, no. That's not what I meant either."
"Then what is the reason? Speak plainly."
"…It's just that you're a man of the Orthodox Sects now, and I worry that wiping out a clan and burning it to the ground might be a bit excessive."
"Ah."
So that's it. He was worrying over something so pointless.
"I'm handling it excessively on purpose."
"On purpose?"
"Yes. That way, the entire Central Plains will see what happens to someone who refuses my sparring request and even brings up my betrothed on top of it."
"…"
"It's a kind of example, you could say."
"…"
Twin Ghost Sword, who had been staring blankly with his mouth open since a moment ago, nodded with a firm expression as if he had made up his mind.
"I understand the will of the White Moon Sword Demon."
"It's Sword Lord."
"Ah, yes."
Twin Ghost Sword nodded with a rather deflated reply.
The Golden Wolf King's estate was engulfed in flames before long.
…And then, rumors began to spread that I had defected to the Unorthodox Sects and was plotting to swallow up the Black Alliance.
Why, though.