Sword Demon.
The leader of the Heavenly Demon Cultâs slaughter unit, the Ghost Blade Corps.
His known cultivation level exceeded Hwagyeong, and in terms of strengthâ
âLower ranks of the Ten Great Masters.â
Roughly at that level.
While he wasnât overwhelmingly powerful on his own, the true terror of the Sword Demon was revealed on the battlefield.
My own infamy stemmed not only from being a traitor to the orthodox sects but also from my ability to wreak large-scale devastation.
Spreading flames and relentless suppression.
It was a strength tailored for war, and so my notoriety grew swiftly upon my emergence.
The same applied to the Sword Demon.
A blade that never hesitated to kill.
Manifesting killing intent to tear through everything around him, he was perfectly suited for the chaos of war.
Yes, manifested killing intent.
That was the power that earned him the title Sword Demonâproof of his identity as the Heavenly Killing Star.
He never gave it a name himself, but the martial world called it Bloodsteel (Salgang).
Killing intent doesnât come directly from the dantian.
Itâs purely an emotional manifestationâthe desire to kill.
When that emotion merges with a martial artistâs Qi, it produces killing intent.
The strength of this killing intent depends on how intense the will to kill is.
Of course, cultivation level also plays a role, but ultimately, killing intent originates from that desire.
The Bloodsteel technique the Sword Demon wielded took that concept to a whole new level.
âThe Sword Demon thrived on killing, and his killing intent was monstrous. Thatâs why his Bloodsteel was overwhelming.â
Because his urge to kill never ceased, his Bloodsteel never stopped.
And since he didnât care about friend or foe, he was even harder to deal with.
Which led me to this question:
âWhat if the Sword Demon had no Bloodsteel?â
He was a martial artist at the Hwagyeong level.
There was no way heâd be weak.
But could he have reigned as a master without the Heavenly Killing Starâs power?
Thatâs what Iâd always wondered.
âBut now⦠heâs just naturally talented.â
Facing Seong Yul, who now embodied the Sword Demon in this life, forced me to reevaluate.
He was strong.
For someone his age, he was far stronger than averageân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
A genius comparable to the Six Dragons Three Peaks.
Howeverâ
âOnly to that extent.â
He fell short of the absolute heights.
He wasnât leagues above others, just another genius among the many.
âSaying âjust a geniusâ feels wrong, but still.â
âGeniusâ isnât exactly a common title, and yet here I was using it casually.
He wasnât a monster like Namgung Bi-ah or Wi Seol-ah.
In other wordsâ
âTo reach the Sword Demonâs level, Seong Yul needs the Heavenly Killing Star.â
Could he reach it without that?
Maybe, if I pumped him full of elixirs and trained him for years.
âBut I donât have that kind of time.â
I lack manpower.