Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 122 – Demon Sword (2)

Mok Gyeong-un’s hand was reaching towards the wooden box covered in talismans.

[That sword makes human desires surface.]

[It makes desires surface? What do you mean by that?]

[Literally. It makes you unable to control your own desires. Aren’t you curious? What the true desire of that child who defected to our sect is?]

Mok Gyeong-un’s true desire.

Since desire is a deep wish, it was akin to one’s actual inner thoughts.

Even the Bright Blade King, Son Yun, was curious about it.

Although he had declared his defection, Son Yun didn’t really believe it was genuine.

There was a high probability that he did it to avoid the current situation.

Then, what was that fellow’s true objective?

-Creak!

The lid of the wooden box covered in talismans opened under Mok Gyeong-un’s hand.

As the lid opened, the Evil Commandment Sword wrapped in a leather scabbard was revealed.

The moment he tried to take a closer look, Son Yun felt goosebumps on his arm from something strange that stimulated his five senses.

-Flinch!

‘What is this?’

It’s a feeling that can’t be explained.

This was felt not through spirit perception, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it stimulated the five senses, no, the sixth sense.

That subtle ominousness one might feel when walking alone on a dark night path.

It was as if it had been maximized.

‘Is this what they call a demon sword?’

It’s clearly different from those called famous swords or famous blades.

Those didn’t have this unpleasant feeling from the beginning, but this stimulated the senses even while wrapped in leather.

‘Hmm.’

The Shadow Master, who had been observing Mok Gyeong-un’s reaction more closely than the contents inside, had a glint of interest in his eyes.

He had already seen it.

That’s why he knew that most people would be engulfed in a strange sensation the moment they saw that sword for the first time.

However, Mok Gyeong-un’s reaction was different from what he expected.

“Hmm.”

Mok Gyeong-un was unaffected.

Rather, he was looking at the sword in the scabbard with interest.

An indescribably strange ominousness was emanating from that demon sword, yet he showed such a reaction, so he truly wasn’t ordinary.

-How is it?

Cheong-ryeong asked Mok Gyeong-un.

Being sealed in a wooden puppet, it was difficult for her to discern the external energy.

At her question, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed.

-It’s…different.

-Different?

The energy Mok Gyeong-un was looking at was similar to the demonic energy of the Two Demonic Beauties, but also resembled the ominous spiritual energy of vengeful spirits.

It was a complex energy that he had never felt before.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un’s lips curled up as if he found it interesting.

-I think I’ll know if I touch it directly.

The ominous energy emanating from the sword was tempting him.

It was telling him to remove the scabbard and grasp its hilt.

‘If it wants, I should oblige, right?’

Mok Gyeong-un grasped the scabbard and lifted the Evil Commandment Sword.

And with his right hand, he gripped the hilt.

At the same time,

-Shing!

He freed the sword from the leather scabbard.

“Ooh.”

“Is that the Evil Commandment Sword?”

“Ah! It’s indeed a precious sword.”

Exclamations poured out from here and there.

With a small groove carved near the center of the hilt and a unique pattern drawn on the blade, it was as if looking at a work of art.

Half of the blade was black, and the other half was white, adding to the antique and beautiful atmosphere.

-Gulp!

Son Yun, who got to see it up close, unknowingly swallowed his saliva.

The moment he saw the sword, greed arose from deep within his heart without him realizing it.

Even though he wasn’t a swordsman.

However, in that instant, Son Yun drew up his true energy and gathered his senses.

‘Demon sword…it’s definitely a demon sword.’

For someone like him who had no interest in swords to feel greed the moment he saw a sword, it was truly a strange occurrence.

If one were to be bewitched by it, a great disaster would unfold.

Son Yun looked around.

‘This…’

As expected, the concerns he had came to fruition.

Some of the warriors of Corpse Blood Valley and those brought by the executives were walking over with blank eyes as if they were possessed by something.

Judging this situation to be dangerous, Son Yun infused his true energy and let out a shout.

“Roar!”

-Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!

At the same time, Son Yun’s shout spread out in all directions like an echo.

This intense shout infused with true energy was none other than the Lion’s Roar[1].

As Son Yun’s Lion’s Roar resonated throughout the entire plaza, those who had been momentarily possessed by desire as if bewitched by something all covered their ears at once.

“Ugh!”

“My, my ears?”

They weren’t the only ones who regained their senses after being shaken by the tremendous shout.

‘Huh?’

‘What is this?’

The two Grand Elders also unknowingly half-rose from their chairs for a moment, then gathered their senses with perplexed expressions while circulating their energy.

It was a moment when they directly experienced the power of the demon sword they had only heard about.

Still, it ended at this level because they didn’t personally hold it.

‘Mok Gyeong-un?’

Son Yun looked at Mok Gyeong-un with worried eyes.

However, contrary to his concerns, Mok Gyeong-un was looking at the sword with indifferent eyes.

What’s this?

There wasn’t a hint of greed in those eyes.

The Shadow Master also found this strange.

‘Hmm. What is it?’

He had already seen his subordinates being possessed by desire several times after grasping that sword.

Didn’t he himself also reveal the desires he had hidden the moment he grasped it?

[Shadow Master, how could you…]

[Ah ah ah…did I say such a thing?]

He still couldn’t forget the expression his dead subordinate had made.

It was truly a regrettable incident.

That demon sword was a genuinely dangerous sword.

The Shadow Master had obtained what he had longed for, but he decided to give up his desire to collect it.

It was an uncontrollable demon.

‘…There’s no way he doesn’t have desires.’

Even he, who prided himself on having a strong willpower, had revealed the desires he had hidden because of that demon.

However, no matter how outstanding Mok Gyeong-un’s talent was, there was no way a greenhorn like him could endure the power of that demon.

Right at that moment,

-Thud!

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes closed, and his head tilted back.

Seeing this, the Shadow Master muttered with gleaming eyes,

“As expected.”

There was no way he wouldn’t be captivated by the demon sword.

-Mortal? Mortal?

Cheong-ryeong called out to Mok Gyeong-un, who had suddenly lost consciousness.

She didn’t know what was happening.

He had said it was a unique energy and that he would try absorbing it through the Ritual of Binding, but he suddenly lost consciousness.

Just what was going on?

***

Jeong ran.

After running for a while and reaching the top of the mountain,

‘!?’

Jeong frowned.

He saw black smoke there.

The place where the smoke was rising from was where the house was located.

Seeing this, Jeong threw the water jug and ran like crazy towards that place.

Soon, he arrived there.

-Crackle crackle!

The scorching heat was felt.

The house was burning fiercely.

Jeong’s face stiffened terribly.

Jeong, who was hurriedly looking around, ran to the back of the burning house.

There was a small vegetable garden in the backyard.

Normally, his grandfather would wake up early in the morning and pick medicinal herbs in the vegetable garden.

‘Please…please…’

Jeong, who ran to the vegetable garden, stopped in his tracks.

Through his eyes that had widened as if they would burst, he saw something stained with blood.

Things that should be inside the body were scattered in the vegetable garden.

-Gnash!

Jeong gritted his teeth.

And he followed the trail of blood and fragments.

Looking down the hill, Jeong shouted,

“Grandfather!”

His grandfather was there.

The sight of his grandfather with only the upper body remaining, the lower part torn away, was indescribably horrible.

Jeong’s face, looking at this, was distorted like a demon, along with sadness.

The killing intent that had been pressing deep in his chest filled his mind.

-No.

At that moment, everything stopped.

-The killing intent from revenge…this isn’t your fundamental desire.

The entity examining the memories shook its head.

Revenge could also become a desire, but this wasn’t the desire that this person fundamentally possessed.

-Show me your true desire.

It wanted to see the desire closest to the purest origin.

That desire was the very reason for its existence.

-You’re truly peculiar. Who blocked the origin of your desire?

It dug deep into the depths of the mind and discovered a huge wall filling all sides.

The moment it saw this wall, it didn’t hide its bewilderment.

Strong willpower was sometimes projected in this way as a wall.

However, this didn’t seem to be created by the will of Mok Gyeong-un, no, the one called Jeong, but rather planted by someone.

-To erect a wall of lamentation in another person’s mind. How truly strange.

An artificially created wall.

Here, a strong emotion beyond the sadness and vengeance seen earlier was felt.

This was blocking the origin of this fellow named Jeong.

However, once this seemingly impenetrable wall of lamentation was shattered, the origin of desire that had been accumulating would pour out.

-I will open this for you.

The wall of lamentation that seemed like it would never open.

However, it had the ability to open even this.

There was no need to break the wall.

If the nature of the wall was changed so that it would naturally flow out,

-Slither!

The wall was meant to become a path.

It was right at that moment.

-Whoosh!

Something began to pour out from a part of the wall that had become a path.

It was,

-Darkness?

Deep darkness.

It was difficult to even see it as a fragment of desire.

-What in the world is this?

How could such deep darkness be lurking inside a human?

It began to feel ecstasy upon seeing this.

It thought it was close to the high-purity desire it had been searching for.

It entrusted its spiritual body to the pouring darkness.

If it absorbed this and became one, an individual of sword-human unity[2] made solely of the high-purity desire it had longed for would be born.

-Now, let’s become one.

It tried to assimilate with this darkness.

However,

-!?

At that moment, it realized that this darkness wasn’t simple.

-This is…

It wasn’t high-purity darkness.

This was turbidity itself, dizzying enough to make one lose their mind.

This turbidity that seemed to destroy everything was…

***

-Swish!

Mok Gyeong-un, who had his head tilted back, slowly raised it.

The Bright Blade King, Son Yun, carefully observed Mok Gyeong-un.

It was clear that he was possessed by the demon sword, but what kind of desire he had would soon…

‘!?’

Pitch-black eyes like black jade.

They were like an endless abyss.

‘…What happened to his eyes?’

Is that the state of desires being expressed?

Something was strange.

At that moment, one of the Grand Elders, the Flame Demon Grand Elder Bo Hyuk-so, shouted at Mok Gyeong-un,

“You bastard! Come to your senses!”

Judging by Mok Gyeong-un’s condition, it seemed like he was definitely captivated by the demon sword.

Thinking that he needed to be awakened immediately, Bo Hyuk-so hurriedly tried to separate the demon sword from Mok Gyeong-un’s hand.

Right at that moment,

-Swish!

Bo Hyuk-so grabbed his own neck.

Then, he widened his eyes and broke out in a cold sweat like someone under immense tension.

‘!?’

Just what was he doing?

Bo Hyuk-so’s eyes were trembling like crazy.

Seeing his appearance, the Bright Blade King, Son Yun, wondered what was happening and the moment he met Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes,

‘Huh?’

In an instant, it was as if time had passed quickly, the sky turned red and then darkened, and the ground all around was stained with sticky blood.

It was definitely the same place.

However, all the people around had their necks cut or various parts of their bodies torn off, screaming in agony.

Every being breathing within this plaza was suffering a horrible death or agonizing in the face of it.

‘What in the world…’

What was happening?

As he was engrossed in questions and looking around,

-Crackle crackle!

The bodies of those who were dead or dying all began to burn at once.

The red and crimson flames soon turned blue, gradually darkening from purple, and ultimately transformed into black flames.

-Crackle crackle crackle!

These black flames quickly became a fire demon and tried to devour everything around.

Surprised by this, the Bright Blade King, Son Yun, tried to leap back to avoid it.

However,

‘I can’t move.’

His body wouldn’t move as if someone was holding him.

He couldn’t understand what was going on.

-Crackle crackle crackle!

The black flames that had devoured everything around had grown enormous and tried to swallow him.

Although Son Yun wasn’t greatly afraid of death, it was so eerie that he unknowingly closed his eyes for a moment.

In an instant, silence came, and nothing could be heard.

Then,

-Swish!

Soon, the surroundings brightened, and the Bright Blade King, Son Yun, opened his closed eyes.

However,

‘No?’

The plaza that had been devoured and burned by black flames had somehow returned to normal, and the Flame Demon Grand Elder, Bo Hyuk-so, was seen drenched in cold sweat with heavy breathing.

But that wasn’t all.

The Shadow Master also seemed shocked by something, looking around with surprised eyes.

It was as if he had also seen something.

While that was happening,

-Clang clang clang!

A strange resonance sound that hurt the ears spread from somewhere.

‘This sound is?’

The source of it was none other than the demon sword, Evil Commandment Sword.

The blade of the Evil Commandment Sword was trembling wildly on its own, and this resonance sound seemed to be coming from the groove carved in the middle.

It was as if the sword was in agony.

***

-This can’t be…this is…chaos…

Itself.

It trembled in fear, swept away by the chaos-like darkness.

It had tried to become one with this origin, but it felt like it would be devoured by it instead.

While that was happening,

-Whoosh!

In an instant, the overflowing darkness was rewound as if time was going backward, and Mok Gyeong-un, no, Jeong, was sitting in front of the pierced wall of lamentation with his chin resting on his hand.

-!!!!!

Seeing his appearance, it trembled even more crazily.

Fear, dread.

These emotions were the by-products of humans that it had never felt before.

But just what was that?

At this, Jeong wiggled his index finger and clicked his tongue, saying,

“Not yet.”

-Snap!

With those words, he lightly flicked his finger.

Then, the will of that entity, no, the will of the Evil Commandment Sword that had dug into his psyche, disappeared from this space as if it had been extinguished.

-Sizzle!

***

Soon, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes, which had turned black like black jade, returned to normal.

As if nothing had happened.

Mok Gyeong-un, who had regained his senses, frowned and then looked around.

‘Huh?’

However, starting from the Bright Blade King, Son Yun, to the Shadow Master and the other executives, they were all looking at him with serious expressions.