Yellow Dragon Lord, Genius Swordsman

Episode 1

“What a peculiar sword.”

“… … Well, that’s right.”

It certainly was.

A sword that is clearly broken, with only the root of the blade remaining.

The remaining part was not even half a span long, but it was extremely wide and thick.

Originally, it was probably a weapon of the slashing horse sword series.

But now that the blade was broken, it was just a lump of iron that wouldn’t be easy to cut a piece of meat with.

“It is certainly so… … .”

The bloody old man smiled vainly.

“So you were defeated by that broken sword? This Blood Heavenly Demon, you know.”

“… … .”

“But you, can’t you show at least a little bit of joy or satisfaction? Huh? You’ve achieved something that no one in the Murim Alliance has ever done before.”

“I did that because I was thinking about it.”

At the other person’s answer, the bloody old man, the Blood Heavenly Horse, slightly turned around.

It’s not meant to be a surprise attack.

Because I had keenly realized through the fight just a moment ago that this was not an opponent that would work.

Blood Heavenly Horse calmed his breathing, which was about to burst out, and asked.

“Yeah, what were you thinking about?”

“compensation.”

“Reward? Reward. Yes. The leader of the martial arts world must have put a reward around my neck. So what did he put on me?”

“Anything.”

“hmm?”

“I said I would give anything to whoever brings me your neck.”

“What an irresponsible promise.”

“It is subject to the premise that it must be the property of the Murim Alliance.”

“Then you are a robber. It is just one of the things that the Murim Alliance has.”

The mouth of the Blood Heavenly Horse was twisted.

“Even the Shaolin’s Daehwandan or the Thousand-Year-Old Ginseng are infinitely less valuable than my neck. Are you really trying to be satisfied with just those things?”

“Not really.”

“I could give you more.”

Honest bargaining without any hint of cowardice.

But the other person shook his head calmly.

“I’ve already decided on the compensation.”

“I can give you whatever it is.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Is that so?”

The bloodthirsty horse, with its pulse at a standstill, leaned its head against the rock behind it and looked up at the sky.

“Well, even if you spare my life, I don’t think I can last long in this state.”

The whole place was literally covered in blood.

From the body of the Blood Heavenly Horse, which had lost its lower body and had its waist cut in two, red life was pouring out.

“By the way, I am so happy. You will now become a hero of the Murim Alliance and live a life of luxury.”

“I guess that’s what you’d think.”

The blood demon snickered at the man’s answer.

“You’re a smarter friend than I thought. That’s right. They’ll only treat you like a hero for a moment. Eventually, they’ll find you annoying and try to get rid of you. Just like they did to me a long time ago.”

“… … .”

“Did you know? I was originally from the Murim Alliance.”

“I didn’t know. I don’t really want to know.”

“Is that so?”

He was a young man.

A monster that appeared only half a year ago, suddenly grabbed a broken sword, and mercilessly slaughtered the elite guard warriors of the Blood Heavenly Sect.

A man who single-handedly shook up the landscape of a war that had lasted for over ten years.

A being that is feared not only by the enemy Blood Heavenly Cultists, but also by the allies, the Murim Alliance.

The Blood Demon knew exactly what that person was called.

“Sword Demon. That’s just what you’re called, right?”

“… … .”

“What is your real name?”

“Single-shot.”

“Dan Sa-hyeok. The swordsman Dan Sa-hyeok, he is the perfect man to put an end to this blood demon’s life.”

“Then can we end it here?”

“no.”

The Blood Demon slowly shook his head.

“I know very well that your question is a matter of consideration. With my limbs crushed, my waist broken, and my entire body in shambles, it is clear to me that death would be a mercy.”

“But it sounds like you want to prolong your life a little longer.”

“That’s right. Even in this place, curiosity raises its head.”

“curiosity?”

“That’s right.”

The Blood Heavenly Horse had a faint smile on its lips.

“I was wondering what you were really trying to get from the leader of the martial arts world.”

“hmm.”

“So, wouldn’t you like to be a short companion to this old man on his way?”

Dan Sa-hyeok frowned slightly.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like it, but rather that I didn’t know how to get rid of it.

“That’s what I’m saying.”

* * *

The long and fierce Battle of Blood Heaven.

The war started by Cheon Mu-yeol, the best in the world and the bloody heavenly horse, who appeared with the banner of destruction of Baekdo, pushed the entire Central Plains into the abyss of misery.

In response, the Baekdo Murim Alliance gathered together in resolute opposition, and fierce battles unfolded throughout the Central Plains.

The result was a victory for the Baekdo Jeongpa martial arts community.

Although the Blood Heavenly Sect was powerful, its numerical superiority lay in the Baekdo Murim, and its decisive defeat at Huashan in Shaanxi Province completely changed the course of the war.

In that battle where the ten greatest martial artists gathered, the Blood Heavenly Horse was seriously injured, and the Blood Heavenly Sect’s leadership also suffered a devastating blow.

Eventually, the cornered Blood Heavenly Sect was driven out to the northwestern tip of Central Plains, to Gansu Province.

After that, he joined forces with the northern new foreign forces, including Gwangpungsa, and began his final resistance.

The Murim Alliance, which had been pursuing them, also entered into a fierce battle of annihilation.

The tense tug-of-war that began like that continued for over ten years without ending.

There may be many reasons why the war was prolonged, but there were two decisive reasons.

First of all, the desperate resistance of the Blood Heavenly Church and the Gwangpung Temple.

And it could be said that the Murim Alliance had no strength left.

Gansu Province, a land of plateaus, wilderness, and barren lands, was a natural fortress in every corner.

Even the Murim Alliance did not have the power to completely destroy the Hyeoncheon Sect and Gwangpungsa Sect, which were hiding in every dangerous area and waging guerrilla warfare.

The best we can do is stalemate the front lines and keep them in the wilderness forever.

Thus began a ten-year global war.

Meanwhile, the number of troops heading to Gansu Province began to gradually decrease.

At first, there were those who honestly declared that they would fight for the cause of peace in the Central Plains.

Next are those who were pushed out in the political fight within the Murim Alliance.

Finally, those who had committed serious crimes or were wrongly accused were sent to Gansu Province.

While the war continued, the rest of the martial arts world enjoyed the restored peace and forgot about the Blood Heavenly Sect.

A war forgotten by everyone.

In the midst of these ten years of bloody fighting, a legend finally emerged: the story of a swordsman who wielded a broken sword.

Without any other fancy expressions, he was simply called the Sword Demon. The man who suddenly appeared and completely changed the course of the war, which had been sluggish, in just half a year.

That’s the guy.

The swordsman Dan Sa-hyeok defeated the Blood Heavenly Horse a little while ago.

Even though he was seriously injured, he was still the closest thing to being the best in the world.

A being who had been slowly recovering from his injuries for nearly ten years, and was almost back to regaining his former strength.

Considering that during the Battle of Volcano, the ten greatest martial artists and hundreds of special warriors were mobilized to kill the Blood Heavenly Demon Cheon Mu-yeol, this was truly an incredible feat.

A man who achieved it without even batting an eyelash.

Dan Sa-hyeok was standing there with a more serious expression than ever.

It was a much more serious attitude than when he had confronted the Blood Demon a little while ago.

“What do you think?”

“Can I be honest with you?”

“I told you everything because I wanted it to be that way.”

“I think you’re a genius.”

Dan Sa-hyeok’s expression brightened noticeably.

“Is that really so?”

“okay.”

The Blood Heavenly Horse responded softly and snickered.

“By the way, you seem happier than when you defeated me or when you heard me praise your martial arts skills.”

“Well, I’ve been getting compliments on how strong I am, so I’ve been hearing that it’s painful to my ears.”

“I guess so. I must have received as many jealous stares as I did compliments.”

“I don’t care about that kind of thing.”

“That’s a good attitude. But how come you’re so strong?”

There was a strong sense of doubt in the Blood Demon’s voice.

“Are you a master from the previous generation who has returned to life? Or are you an ancient master who was brought back to life by a twist of fate? Or are you saying that you have gone back in time?”

“I didn’t turn back, I didn’t come back to life, I didn’t regress. Why on earth do you have such questions?”

“Because he’s too strong. Because he defeated Cheon Mu-yeol by himself.”

A strange heat swirled in the Blood Demon’s eyes.

“That’s what I want to know. How did you become so strong?”

“It’s not that difficult to answer. It’s just a question of whether you can accept it.”

“Let’s talk first.”

“That’s right.”

Dan Sa-hyeok shrugged his shoulders.

And his subsequent words were enough to make the Blood Heavenly Horse flustered.

“My old master said, ‘You are a genius.’”

“… … Is that really the end?”

“exactly.”

“Who on earth is your teacher?”

“Even if you heard about him, you wouldn’t know. He’s a nobleman who spent his whole life locked up in a thatched cottage in the mountains, eating grass.”

“Umm… … .”

“Didn’t you say I was a genius a little while ago, senior?”

“Yes, but that was a compliment to your idea. Something to extract from the leader of the martial arts world.”

“Isn’t he a genius at swordsmanship? He must be a genius at that as well.”

“Well, well. That’s a bit… … .”

The Blood Heavenly Horse responded in a nonchalant manner and changed the subject.

“So then. What do you plan to do after receiving it from the leader of the martial arts world?”

“I have to live.”

“The serpents of the Murim Alliance won’t stay still. They might even refuse to hand it over.”

“The sworn oath of the leader of the martial arts world was personally made to the martial arts world. If you try to go back on your words now, I will only resolve it with force.”

“That’s interesting!”

The Bloodthirsty Demon raised his voice and coughed up blood.

“Damn it! Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“Because your death must come first.”

“If you had explained it better, I might have supported you even if it meant pretending to be dead.”

“I’m sorry, but that won’t work. Your death was also a promise with your Master.”

“Your so-called teacher, do you have any grudge against me?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“If I get the chance, I’d like to talk to him.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been buried in the wilderness, so I guess that’ll be difficult.”

“I see.”

The Blood Demon’s eyes became hazy.

As he was looking up at the sky in deep thought, he soon caught sight of Dan Sa-hyeok’s face.

“It must have been about half a year ago. That’s when you suddenly appeared. Isn’t that right?”

“exactly.”

“Yeah. That’s right. Anyway… … It’s a blessing in disguise.”

The Blood Heavenly Horse smiled brightly, its eyebrows furrowed.

Even though he was dying, his face was more lively than ever.

“Because of you, it seems like a storm will hit the Murim Alliance and Baekdo Murim.”

Blood Heavenly Horse, who had said those words, looked at Dan Sa-hyeok’s expression, but he did not seem shaken at all.

“Hahaha, it looks like you’ve already prepared yourself for that. No, rather than being prepared, it’s more like you just didn’t care at all in the first place?”

“… … .”

“I really wish we hadn’t met like this.”

The Blood Demon let out a deep sigh.

“Thank you for granting my wish on my last journey.”

“It was nothing.”

“I would like to repay your kindness, but it seems impossible. My weapon is quite valuable, so take that and use it. It will be better than a broken sword.”

“Thank you for your kind words, but I don’t think that will be possible. There are only a few pieces of evidence that prove my senior’s death.”

“Haha, well, showing them the Blood Dragon Sword would be the most certain way to prove my death. They must know that I value their lifelong companion more than my own life.”

“… … .”

“The Murim Alliance guys probably won’t give it back to you.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah… … It’s none of my business anyway… … .”

The Blood Demon’s voice died down.

Dan Sa-hyeok, who had been quietly watching his head fall down, turned around.