Peach blossoms fell. A flower was snow that wasn’t cold. “Alright,” I said as I held up my sword. “Let’s see it.” I charged and swung my sword, clashing it against the Viper’s. The Viper’s muscles tensed before attacking from multiple directions, creating the illusion of three or four swords striking simultaneously. These aren’t actual sword trajectories. It’s a test. The Viper raised his aura to create multiple afterimages of his sword to see which one I would respond to. Depending on my choice, his attacks would change completely, and that change wouldn’t work in my favor at all. It’s Take On The World Alone. This was probably the Skill he had acquired when he entered the Tower—an ability to predict possible attack trajectories. It was this ability that had allowed me to get a brief glimpse into Teacher’s world. I raised my sword high. “But I don’t need to choose!” After all, I had more than one sword. Sympathy blocked the Viper’s diagonal strike from the upper left. Prayer intercepted the sword strike aiming for my waist. Sacrifice stopped the strike heading for my wrist. Finally, Salvation deflected the attack coming for my throat. With that, I blocked all of the Viper’s attacks and lunged closer to him while swinging Idol. “Ugh.” The Viper stepped backward. He was probably trying to widen the distance between us and poised himself. I’m sorry, but I have no intention of giving you any time to do that. I charged forward and struck him. A smile crept across the Viper’s face. A sharp sound echoed as Idol was blocked by something that wasn’t the Viper’s sword. His wrist, wrapped in aura like a glove, was what blocked my strike. Just like that, he turned his hand and grabbed the blade, pulling the sword toward him. I narrowed my eyes. “Rao Fan, I thought you were a swordsman.” The Viper spoke over me. “Let me tell you two things.” Our voices were engulfed in an explosion. The sonic boom, created by the Viper’s other fist that flew past my ear, drowned out all other noises. I had to read the Viper’s lips to understand what he was saying. “This is also one of the great swordsmanship techniques. I mostly use a sword because it suits me and looks cool.” The moment he threw his fist, the Viper was already initiating his next attack. He pulled the sword he was holding and tried to knee me in the abdomen. If I let go of the sword and stepped back, he would likely swing the sword horizontally toward me, hitting my shoulder. Was I supposed to plant my feet on the ground? No, if I did that, he would kick me in the solar plexus. “Well, I guess that’s true,” I said. “Even when controlling the Seven Skian Heroes, you used a lot of weapons at the same time.” I could see and feel the Viper’s intentions, his predictions of my responses, and his counters based on those predictions. Each action centered on a single, pure purpose. “From a scythe to fists, there’s no weapon I can’t handle!” he declared. As we chatted, I swam through slowed time, keeping in mind all the possible aces the Viper could have up his sleeve. I counted a bit until I eventually gave up. “There are a lot,” I noted. There were dozens, perhaps hundreds of them. Well, that was true only if the Viper was smart and laid his traps upside down, or if he waited for them to be triggered before acting. In a split second, I grasped the Viper’s goals and his murderous intent surrounding me from all directions. “For god’s sake,” I said. His technique was the definition of outnumbering his opponent. The Seven Skian Heroes, the Twelve Skian Elites, the Seventy-Two Demon Lords, the One Hundred and Eight Enlightened... whatever it may be, it was completely different from the time he controlled numerous Skians with a single will. He was now alone but had countless wills. Who I saw before me now was Rao Fan, but he wasn’t alone as I initially believed. The blacksmith’s hammer-like fist came for me. Attacks that resembled a farmer’s sickle, a gardener’s scissors, and a fisherman’s net were all launched in my direction. I grinned. “Okay. Give me your all.” I was also going to do my best to defeat him. No, not just him, but every side of him. As I jumped instead into the direction of the Viper’s grip, I swung my fist. It seemed to have been the right choice. The Viper’s grip on the sword weakened. Resonate with my heart. My fist cut through the air. A Torn Goddess’s Salvation Among the four swords floating in the air, Salvation vibrated in response. [Activating the Skill.] This was the Constellation Murderer’s signature Skill. In exchange for the memories I abandoned, I could draw strength equal to the weight of the memories. The more I abandoned, the more parts of myself died. Since I promised Raviel that I wouldn’t recklessly throw away my life, I tried to avoid using A Torn Goddess’s Salvation unless I needed to give it my all, like right now. The sword ran wild in the air. The blacksmith’s fist, rushing for my right, was deflected away. One, two, three, four lives had joined the fray, but none of them could get past Salvation. My aura was being consumed considerably. I give up the memories of the four attacks I just overcame. Suddenly, my vision cleared, my heart raced faster, and my aura recharged. As my steps became lighter, I moved quicker. I glanced to the right and noticed that nothing was coming for me from that direction. Upon closer inspection, I saw the lives of four defeated people rolling and groaning on the ground. Although I didn’t remember how that happened, the reason and implications were clear. My right side was exposed. If so, my next task was clear. Sacrifice came rushing to my left. There were groans and screams as the sword blocked the attacks coming from that direction. I give up the memories of the attack I blocked just now.Prayer. My left side was the one exposed now. Look, Sect Master. I am giving it my all right now. You aren’t nothing to me. Why would I use the Demonic Heaven Arts against someone insignificant? Even if these memories are momentary, why else would I abandon them? Why else would I scrape together my soul and gather the pieces of flesh from my crumbled wounds just so that I can connect them in a single sword stroke? You want to stop me? You’re going to make me your karma? Sympathy. I’m taking you on with all my strength. Using all my strength means that I’m placing my life upon my sword. I wonder what I should tell Raviel since I can’t just say that I didn’t break our promise because I’m not dead. It’s terribly shameless to justify myself with lame excuses. I can’t do that to Raviel. Don’t you agree? The Guardian’s gaze has been catching my attention. That mister has become much more serious since I created the Demonic Heaven Formula Arts. He now spends more time observing me than speaking to me. It means he’s begun to see me as a more equal martial artist. That makes me happy, but it also worries me. I wonder what he would think of my sword right now. Wouldn’t you feel the same? I think about my teacher and relive the final battle between her and the Murim Alliance leader. At that time, Teacher fought using her vital energy. With every step she took, peach blossoms bloomed and fluttered in the wind. The world absorbed her vital energy and blood, turning them into blooming flower petals. That would be how far I should go to bring you to your knees and cut you down. I wonder if I can even reach that level with my fingertips right now. I’m worried. You have made me worry about my love, my friendship, and my idol. You can’t be nothing to me. Don’t you think so? My left side was exposed. No one came for me. So was my right and back. Nothing was coming for my nape. Now, the only exposed area left was my front. Only the wide open path leading to the Viper stood before me. I’ll break through your entire life. With my first step, I summoned back the swords I had sent out to block the incoming strikes. Salvation, Sacrifice, Prayer, and Sympathy—the four swords quickly gathered around me from a distance and resumed circling me. And I’ll cut down your heart. After I took another step, the four swords scattered like metallic dust as I withdrew the aura I had been using for Sword Telekinesis. For a moment, my vision cleared up even more, and my blood rushed quicker in my veins. An accountant’s pen, a vegetable seller’s bucket, a drunkard’s bottle... Lives of countless people flew toward me. I strode forward, determined to take all of them on. “Sect Master!” I yelled. The long night settled, and the shadow cast over the jungle turned pale blue. The leaves trembled in the cool light of dawn, and my roar echoed through the jungle. Suddenly, it seemed like something flowed underneath my steps. With my third step, I realized that the sensation wasn’t an illusion. One step, two steps... A few flower petals briefly flowed down the ground I walked on. It wasn’t like the fight between Teacher and the Martial Alliance leader. I didn’t leave a long trail of blooming flowers, nor did my sword scatter and crush the petals that filled the air with fragrance. No garden of flowers was in the area where our blades crossed. The white flower petals danced away between the Viper and me for a fleeting moment. Self-Determination Death. With my fourth step, my sword cut through one of the petals. I heard a gasp at the tip of my sword. The white petals silently split into two. As they parted left and right, they slowly revealed my surroundings. On one side, Rao Fan’s black eye patch appeared; on the other, his left eye was fully exposed. The blade of my sword halted inches away from his throat. His fist was pressed against my solar plexus, around where my heart would be. We probably stopped a little too late. My sword left a shallow cut on Rao Fan’s skin, and a droplet of his blood trickled down the blade. Rao Fan’s fist also left a slight impact on my torso. Blood seeped from my lips, cascading down my chin. I could no longer swing my sword. If I tried to do that, my heart would burst. He could no longer throw a punch since doing so would mean losing his head. We both understood the consequences, so we instinctively paused. The forest stirred with murmurs, not just the Hunters watching the fight, but their species had formed a big crowd. All the vassals of my clan were also watching intently from the shadows of the trees. With so many onlookers, it felt like the jungle was made of people instead of palm trees. With everyone’s attention on me, I blurted out, “I beat the Sword Star.” I sensed someone flinching from one side of the forest. It was probably the Sword Star himself. As if it were nothing, the Viper answered, “I defeated that old man too long ago.” As expected, the Sword Star flinched again. I laughed. “You lost an eye, didn’t you?” “That doesn’t mean I lost the fight.” “What? So, Gramps Sword Star always loses? He’s just a measurement of people’s combat prowess, huh? All people gotta do is defeat him first to start talking about how strong they are?” The Viper shrugged. “He’s old.” “Maybe he’ll have a chance at life rejuvenation.” “Ah, so he’s going to turn into a pretty boy with silver hair. Well, that’s cliche, but I guess it’s possible.” “I was thinking of him returning to his twenties or middle age... Why in the world would he turn into a pretty boy? I’m getting the ick.” “I don’t think you’re getting as much of an ick as I am!” the Sword Star yelled at the top of his lungs. I laughed, and so did Rao Fan. Our blood dripped down on the ground as we laughed. We collapsed at the same time.