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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Bi Wol was currently in a state of Qi Deviation caused by her Heart Demon.
Her suppressed feelings for her master, combined with her jealousy towards his new disciple, had unleashed her true nature.
Her internal energy raged within her, her inner world had become a chaotic battlefield where even Bing Yeon, her master, wouldn’t be guaranteed victory.
“…I lost consciousness for a moment.”
The “good Bi Wol,” the part of her that had desperately clung to reason, fearing her master’s disapproval, had finally awakened.
Swish
Rain poured down, blood and corpses littered the ground, and wooden buildings with crimson pillars stretched towards the sky.
Bi Wol recognized this place.
It was where she had been before Bing Yeon rescued her.
‘This is… the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect…’
The cult that had sought to transform her, a girl cursed by the Heavenly Demon Star, into the Heavenly Demon. They had fed her blood and flesh, encouraged her to form bonds with other children, only to have them murdered before her eyes.
‘But Master said he eradicated them…’
This was undoubtedly the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, the place she had been sold to by her parents, where she had endured a childhood filled with horrors.
“You’re awake? I’m keeping Master busy.”
“You… you’re…?”
Standing before her was a woman who looked exactly like her, only older, more mature.
Unlike Bi Wol, who wore a white robe, this woman was dressed in black, and she waved casually, a playful smile on her lips.
“That’s right! I’m the ‘bad Bi Wol’ you’ve been talking to. Though I don’t really get why you call me ‘bad’.”
Bad Bi Wol’s appearance was identical to her appearance as described by Han Dohyun, the author of the martial arts web novel [King of the Diamond Fist], in the later chapters of the story.
The only difference was that she was taller than Bi Wol with her figure being more mature and womanly.
She radiated power, a formidable presence befitting the title of ‘Heavenly Demon’.
“…Are you my future self?”
Bi Wol was almost convinced that this woman was a glimpse of her own future. After all, few possessed her distinctive red eyes.
“Well, to be more precise, I’m the embodiment of the karma you were supposed to carry… ”
Bad Bi Wol tapped a finger against her lips, as if deep in thought. Her seductive smile sent shivers down Bi Wol’s spine.
“…and your love for your master. You can call me a Heart Demon, or the Heavenly Demon Star. I like both titles!”
“…So, Heavenly Demon Star, where are we?”
Bi Wol looked around, her voice trembling.
Why was she in this horrible place, with the stench of blood and rain heavy in the air, with this… creature?
“This is your mindscape, Bi Wol. Don’t you recognize it?”
The Heavenly Demon Star chuckled, sensing her denial.
“It’s identical to the cult’s headquarters, isn’t it? This is where you left your dead friends.”
She pointed towards a pile of corpses, swarming with flies and maggots. Next to it was a large pit.
It wasn’t a pit dug by adults. It was a pit dug by children, forced to bury their own friends.
“…No. This is a dream. It can’t be real.”
Bi Wol shook her head violently, her denial turning into a desperate mantra.
This was just a dream. When she woke up, her master, Bing Yeon, would be by her side.
“This isn’t a dream, Bi Wol. This is the place you were supposed to escape from.”
Swish. The Heavenly Demon Star waved her hand, and the scenery shifted. The rain intensified, and a tall man in a long robe appeared before them.
– You, the child cursed by the Heavenly Demon Star, I shall take you in.
He was the leader of the self-proclaimed Heavenly Demon Divine Sect. He stared at her, his expression a mixture of excitement and malice.
– You will be reborn as a new harbinger of destruction within our ranks.
His goal was to unleash chaos upon the peaceful martial world. It was his revenge, a twisted retribution for the loss of his loved ones at the hands of bandits, for the suffering caused by plagues and famine.
– Come, let us take revenge on the heavens that have abandoned us.
Bi Wol squeezed her eyes shut. She had been terrified of him, back then.
“This illusion means nothing. My master…”
But then Bing Yeon had arrived, saving her. Even in this mindscape, her faith in him remained unshaken.
He was the man who had shielded her from harm, who had smiled reassuringly even as blood stained his clothes.
But…
“Your master? Bing Yeon? No, look closely, Bi Wol. This is the future that should have been.”
The Heavenly Demon Star’s smile was chilling. She seemed to revel in Bi Wol’s pain.
Then,
Swoosh!
“Huh…?”
The leader’s head flew off, severed by Bi Wol’s own hand. She hadn’t even realized she had moved.
Her body seemed to be acting on its own, as if controlled by an invisible force.
“This is where you were supposed to be reborn as the Heavenly Demon. You were supposed to kill him and take his place.”
The Heavenly Demon Star continued to speak, her words a relentless assault on Bi Wol’s sanity as she trembled, unable to process the warmth of the blood staining her hands.
“You were supposed to avenge your friends, those who sacrificed themselves for you, to break the heavens that had abandoned you.”
With each word, the scenery shifted.
Bi Wol saw a gruesome display of human flesh and blood, severed limbs and spilled intestines.
And then she saw herself, drinking blood and devouring flesh as if it were water and food, driven by an insatiable hunger.
“…Ugh… Blech… Gah…”
The metallic tang of blood filled her mouth, the taste of flesh, coarse and gamey, made her gag.
“I need to vomit… I have to get this out…”
She tried to stick her fingers down her throat, desperate to expel the repulsive contents of her stomach, but…
“You can’t. This is how we would have survived if it wasn’t for Master.”
The Heavenly Demon Star forced her head up, forcing her to acknowledge the horrific feast before her. This was the twisted reality the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect had instilled in her.
In the original story, she was supposed to be incapable of consuming anything other than flesh and blood.
“Candied hawthorns? Sugar-coated mahua? You couldn’t even imagine tasting such things.”
The Heavenly Demon Star munched on a snack as she watched Bi Wol suffer, relishing her pain.
“You were supposed to fall asleep to the screams of your victims. The cries of babies, the desperate pleas for mercy, the anguished wails of those who had lost everything.”
Her words triggered a cacophony of sound, a symphony of human suffering, the screams of men, women, and children echoing in Bi Wol’s ears.
“This is who you were supposed to be. A creature abandoned by heaven, destined to bring about its downfall.”
Bi Wol saw herself sleeping on a cold, hard floor, surrounded by jagged rocks, a far cry from the comfortable bed Bing Yeon had provided.
“But not anymore.”
She tried to fight back, to regain control of her body, but it was no use.
“Stop… please, make it stop…!”
“Everything you love, everything you cherish, it’s all thanks to your master.”
The Heavenly Demon Star knew how painful this was, but she had a duty to make Bi Wol face reality.
She was the Heart Demon, the embodiment of Bi Wol’s inner turmoil. She knew the truth, the burden Bi Wol was supposed to carry.
“So don’t look away. Watch closely.”
The Heavenly Demon Star waved her hand again, and this time, a mob of people surrounded them, their faces contorted with rage.
– The leader of the demons is right there! Form the Five Elements Formation!
– A creature of darkness, a demon in human form!
– Forget about the rivalry between good and evil! We must protect the innocent!
– Set aside our differences, both righteous and demonic sects, and fight together!
Some wore the emblem of the Martial Alliance, others wielded axes, signifying their allegiance to the Demonic Sect.
“…W-Who are these people?”
“They’re all here to kill me, or rather, us.”
They glared at her with hatred, their weapons drawn, their auras crackling with killing intent.
“The Poison Dragon of the Sichuan Tang Clan, the Infinite Sword Emperor of the Namgung Clan, the Beggar Sect Leader, the Hao Clan Leader… there are too many to name.”
The Heavenly Demon Star sighed, shaking her head as if overwhelmed by the sheer number of her enemies.
After all, this was the moment when both the righteous and demonic factions, even those from the outer martial arts world, united to eliminate Bi Wol.
This was the future she was supposed to face.
The destiny that had been altered by Bing Yeon.
The Heavenly Demon Star’s expression softened, a hint of sadness flickering in her eyes.
After all, she was the embodiment of the Heavenly Demon Star, a creature who could only survive by killing.
“…Master… Where’s Master? He can reason with them. He can explain everything. It’s all a misunderstanding.”
Bi Wol desperately searched the crowd, her gaze scanning for a familiar face: a man with white hair and blue eyes.
Bing Yeon, the leader of the Ice Dragon Blossom Heart Sect, her master. But…
“There is no Master in my original destiny.”
Just then,
Thud. Roll.
“…What?”
Something heavy landed at her feet with a sickening thud.
“I killed Bing Yeon. The me that embraced my true destiny.”
Bi Wol looked down, her eyes widening in horror.
Lying at her feet was Bing Yeon’s severed head.
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Bing Yeon and Bi Wol (or rather, the Heart Demon pretending to be Bi Wol) were sitting in a meditative pose, our legs crossed.
We were about to engage in a verbal spar, a battle of words instead of fists.
“Heehee, I never expected you to resort to such a cute tactic, Master. A verbal duel?”
Bi Wol chuckled, her smile laced with amusement.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper spar.”
I smiled inwardly, watching her. It was always a joy to see a disciple challenge their master.
It meant they were ready to step out of their master’s shadow and become their own person.
“You’ll regret giving me a three-second head start, Master.”
“I doubt it. I think you’ll lose regardless.”
I chuckled, watching her contemplate her opening move.
After all, I was the one who had created her. Every martial art technique she knew, I had envisioned.
I might lose in a physical confrontation, given my current condition, but when it came to a battle of words, I was confident in my abilities.
“Are you sure about this?”
“It’ll be fine. If we can resolve this life-or-death situation with a little verbal sparring, I’d say we’re getting off easy!”
Wolfram and Verdandi whispered to each other, observing us with concern. Thanks to Wolfram’s healing magic, Verdandi was back to her usual energetic self.
I had asked the others to refrain from interfering. I had suspected that Bi Wol harbored certain feelings for me, but…
I had chosen to ignore them until her Heart Demon manifested.
And there was another reason why I had chosen this method.
“My title is Ice Dragon. I am the leader of the Ice Dragon Blossom Heart Sect, and a descendant of the North Sea Ice Palace.”
“My title, though bestowed upon me by those pathetic cultists, is Heavenly Demon.”
We declared our titles, ready to begin the duel.
“Let’s begin, Master.”
“Alright. What will be your opening move?”
“I’ll use the First Stance of the Heavenly Demon Art, the Heavenly Demon’s Imperial Walk, to close the distance between us in a single step.”
“Then I’ll use the Second Stance of the Ice Crystal Divine Art, the Ice Shadow Wall, to block your approach.”
“Excellent! Then I’ll use the Second Stance of the Heavenly Demon Art, the Heavenly Demon’s Blood Severing Strike, to shatter your wall of ice!”
The Heart Demon countered my every move with ease, as if reading my mind.
I had written in [King of the Diamond Fist] that the protagonist, Kim Hyul, used a special method to defeat his Heart Demon.
‘It was a verbal duel.’
When consumed by a Heart Demon, one’s original personality would be trapped within their mindscape, but…
‘A verbal duel could penetrate Bi Wol’s mindscape.’
This method could also be used to help others who were suffering from a Heart Demon. After all, the thoughts and visualizations of a powerful individual could manifest in reality.
“…I’ll use the Fourth Stance of the Ice Crystal Divine Art, the Ice Solidifying Root, to make myself impenetrable. Your attacks will have no effect on me.”
“Master, you’re amazing! You’ve already blocked two of my attacks without a scratch!”
To save Bi Wol, I had to defeat her Heart Demon.
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This sounds like a yugioh battle