Deliverance.

This was the second time I’d seen it with my own eyes.

The first time had been at the Martial Alliance Anhui branch, when the evil spirit cut down by Little Azure Sword vanished.

And now, the second time.

“...Elder.”

Poison Sovereign was fading away, bit by bit. If you counted it properly, this was my second time witnessing deliverance.

“You’re really leaving?”

If you looked closely, a soft light was swelling up from his shoulders.

That was the telltale sign of a ghost attaining deliverance.

Seeing it, Yoo Cheongil looked at Poison Sovereign with a vaguely sour expression and said:

[You heading out?]

“I have to.”

Poison Sovereign laughed at his words.

“I’m already someone who died and disappeared. What’s there left to cling to?”

[For someone who stayed this long because his regrets were so massive, you’ve got a long tongue.]

“Heh heh heh...”

Even with Yoo Cheongil’s sneer, Poison Sovereign just laughed. Maybe that made him even more annoyed, because Yoo Cheongil scowled and said:

[You’ve been clinging like a mad dog this whole time, and you’re really gonna leave just because a single Divine Sword got repaired?]

“Why? Are you going to miss me?”

[Miss you, my ass. I just can’t believe that’s all you had left in this world—calling that your ‘regret’ is what’s ridiculous.]

Poison Sovereign’s regret. So that really was it, huh?

‘So his regret really was having Tang Yeran repair the Divine Sword?’

It was what I’d suspected before, but it turned out to be true.

Tang Yeran repaired the Divine Sword, and now Poison Sovereign was like this.

“That’s all, you say. As expected, there are things you just can’t understand.”

[And what’s that supposed to mean?]

That he’d leave after settling just that one regret—

Hearing that, Poison Sovereign instead looked at Yoo Cheongil with a pitying gaze.

“It means you never had any children, and you’ve never really given your heart to anyone, so you can’t know.”

[The way you talk, people would think you were some kind of doting parent.]

“You’re right. That’s not how it was. I was a very worthless, incompetent parent.”

Shiik.

Poison Sovereign spoke and drifted toward me.

No, to be precise, he was gliding through the air.

“That’s why we call it regret. There’s far too much I never did for them. That’s why it’s called regret.”

[Hmph.]

Even then, Yoo Cheongil only snorted.

It was the look of someone who didn’t even want to keep talking.

[Just get lost. I’m sick of the sight of you.]

“Heh heh heh...”

Poison Sovereign chuckled at his reaction and turned to me.

“Kid.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“Will you show me the sword once more?”

“...”

At his words, I drew the sword immediately.

SHIIING.

The black blade slid free.

“...”

Poison Sovereign looked at the repaired Heavenly Demon Divine Sword for a moment, then nodded.

“...Good... It’s very well done...”

Then he smiled. His eyes were far brighter and clearer than before.

“Kid.”

“Yes.”

“Meeting you at the end like this—there must have been a reason for it. That too is what we’d call fate.”

He spoke as he stroked along the blade. Of course, he couldn’t actually touch it, so he was just miming the motion.

“I hope you’ll use it to your heart’s content.”

“...I don’t know if I should be using this.”

“Well. That depends on how you think of it, doesn’t it?”

“Elder... can I ask you something?”

“Speak.”

“I don’t understand why you had Young Lady Tang repair this sword, or why you want me to be the one using it.”

“...”

I voiced the part that made no sense to me, and Poison Sovereign fell silent for a moment before he continued.

“That child needed a proper turning point. She couldn’t find that last tiny edge. I wanted to give her a chance, no matter what.”

“...So that’s why you had her repair the Divine Sword?”

“Yes.”

For Tang Yeran to move forward, she needed an opportunity that could let her grasp it in one stroke.

And that opportunity was the repair of the Divine Sword. That’s what he was saying.

Then—

“What about me?”

What about me?

What does that make me?

Just saying I’d use the completed sword felt way too flimsy an explanation.

So I asked Poison Sovereign directly.

“I feel sorry toward you... but it was something you needed as well.”

“...Something I needed?”

“Yes. From here on, whether by your own will or against it, you’ll rise to places you could never have imagined. Because that man wants it.”

“...Even so, I still don’t understand why that means I should be holding the Divine Sword.”

“That’s why.”

“...Sir?”

“The higher you climb, the more clearly those who know what you’re holding will see it. That’s what I wanted.”

“So you mean... when that time comes, you want me to be holding the Divine Sword?”

“Heh, something like that.”

[Something like that, my ass.]

The instant Poison Sovereign finished, Yoo Cheongil cut in.

[You were excited at the thought of flipping those bastards off, and you know it.]

“Excited? Hardly.”

Poison Sovereign denied it.

“This is a warning to those bastards who’ve slapped on a steel mask and gone on living like nothing happened.”

‘A warning...?’

“Even if you want to forget and go on with your lives, there are things that don’t change. So don’t forget. That’s what I want to warn them of.”

The ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) more he talked, the more uncomfortable I felt.

‘So just by me holding this sword, I’m getting dragged into some insane mess?’

Thinking that made me really not want to hold it anymore, just as—

“Kid.”

Poison Sovereign called out to me again.

“I truly am grateful to you. For indulging my stubbornness, and for letting yourself get roped into suffering by a worthless old man.”

“...Mm...”

“There’s something ugly mixed into all of this, but even that is just my flimsy leftover regret. If it comes to it, you can throw that sword away whenever you want.”

“...Throw it away? This?”

The Heavenly Demon’s sword? A black iron sword on top of that?

If I did throw it away, where would I even throw it? From my perspective, if I decided not to use it, leaving it with Tang Clan would be the best option.

“Use it however you want. It’s a sword that child gave you. That makes it yours.”

“...Do you think Tang Clan will see it that way too?”

“I doubt they’ll think much differently.”

I wasn’t exactly convinced about that part, but it wasn’t like there was anything I could say.

“I’ll... try to use it well.”

“Thank you.”

“Then—does this mean you have no more regrets left?”

I’d brought the Heavenly Demon’s sword.

He’d had his granddaughter be the one to repair it.

And I was now holding the sword she’d repaired.

Did that mean Poison Sovereign’s regrets were finished?

In response—

“Even if there were more, it would be nothing but meaningless stubbornness.”

Poison Sovereign shook his head.

“If anything remains, it would only be the guilt over what I’m going to make you carry.”

With those words, he put his hand on my shoulder.

He didn’t actually touch me—he was only pretending to.

“Harsh storms may come. Maybe because of that monstrous bastard over there, or maybe because of the mess we worthless ones left behind.”

“I just hope that even then, you won’t fall.”

He spoke and gave me a gentle smile.

“Thank you. Truly.”

“...”

As he said that, the light pouring from Poison Sovereign’s body grew stronger.

So this was really it?

He was going to leave, satisfied with the handful of things he’d managed to do?

It seemed that way, so I turned to Yoo Cheongil and asked:

“...You sure you don’t have anything else to say?”

[What?]

“I mean, your friend’s leaving. I thought you might have something to say to him.”

[Hah.]

Yoo Cheongil let out a short, hollow laugh.

[I already said what I had to say. I told him to get the hell out. That’s all I’ve got for him.]

“...”

It was a pretty cold thing to say. The attitude of not caring whether he left or not was the same.

[It’s pointless for him to stick around anyway.]

“He’s right.”

“So go.”

“Heh heh...”

At that blunt dismissal, Poison Sovereign smiled bitterly.

Then he looked at Yoo Cheongil and said:

“Cheongil.”

[What.]

“I still don’t understand what it is you wanted. And I still have no intention of forgiving you, even now.”

[Did anyone ask you to? I don’t plan on asking your forgiveness either.]

“Yes, of course. You were always that kind of bastard. So, I’ll just go first.”

WHOOOOOSH—!

The light grew stronger. Stronger, until it wrapped around Poison Sovereign’s body entirely.

‘...Damn.’

I couldn’t help but gasp. It felt different from any ordinary deliverance.

A massive radiance was gathering.

FWOOOOSH—!!!

With the light came surging wind.

It was so strong that my clothes were whipping around, and every tree and blade of grass nearby were thrashing.

A fierce stream of light erupted as Poison Sovereign slowly closed his eyes.

At that moment—

[...Tch.]

Yoo Cheongil clicked his tongue.

At the same time, the light encasing Poison Sovereign shot upward into the sky.

ROOOOOAR—!!!

“...Holy shit.”

A gigantic pillar of light blasted up into the heavens.

The alien sight dragged my eyes up against my will.

What the hell, why is this so over the top?

The light didn’t last long.

Measured in time, it was absurdly brief, but the sight alone was more than enough to sear itself into your eyes.

WHOOOOO...

Slowly, the light began to die down, and the wind subsided.

As things calmed, I started to relax, thinking it was over—

VMMMM—!

Suddenly, the stream of light began gathering again.

It was Poison Sovereign’s spirit-qi, still hanging in the sky.

Seeing it, my eyes widened.

“Why is it gathering...?”

Why the hell were those things doing that all of a sudden?

I stared, bewildered.

FWOOOOMP!

“Huh? H-Hey!?”

I yelled without meaning to at what happened next.

The gathered light suddenly poured down on me.

The rising souls rushed into my body at high speed.

The converging qi seeped into my dantian.

I could feel something moving on its own inside there.

Layer by layer, the spirits that had flown into me had their qi stripped away and stuffed into my body.

“What the hell is this...”

What was happening?

Stunned by the sudden turn, my mind flashed back to the past.

Back when I’d helped that evil spirit attain deliverance in Henan.

Back then too, when the evil spirit attained deliverance, it passed some of its qi to me.

‘...Is this the same thing?’

Was that what this was as well? There was so much qi pouring in that I didn’t even know how I was supposed to react.

The funny part was, even without me doing anything, my body was already moving on its own.

As if it refused to let any of that power escape, it was shoving every last bit into my dantian.

CRRRRK—!

‘Huh...?’

As that was happening, I felt something breaking inside.

‘What is that?’

What was this feeling?

CRRK—!

Whatever it was, it kept grinding and shattering.

My dantian even started to vibrate, and that vibration spread throughout my whole body.

“This—why is this suddenly—”

What the hell was this? What was happening to my body?

Unable to make sense of the phenomenon, I looked over at Yoo Cheongil.

[...Hah. Seriously.]

He looked at me and spoke in a voice laced with irritation.

[That bastard Gyeon. That rotten bastard just had to leave you something useless. Like you wouldn’t have figured it out on your own.]

“...What the—what the hell is happening right now?”

[Don’t talk, just focus. This is the best moment you’re going to get.]

“...No, but—”

Focus or not, it wasn’t like I had a choice.

KRRRRRRRRRAK—!!!

As the vibrations and the qi resonated together, the sensation grew stronger and wrapped my entire body.

It surged through my meridians, blasting out in every direction.

What blasted out turned into heat and circulated through my whole body.

“Ghk...!!”

Before long, it became pure agony.

I barely managed to choke down the scream trying to tear its way out of me.

CRRRRRRRAK—!!!

The shattering sound grew much louder.

The pain intensified.

The thing that had been tormenting me like it was going to explode at any moment...

CRUNCH—!!

Finally broke completely with a bursting sound.

WHOOOOOOSH—!!!

And the pain vanished.

Everything I’d been feeling just moments ago died away like it had been a lie.

Feeling what was left in its place, my eyes widened.

“...What the hell is this.”

It had all happened in an instant, but after that brief moment passed—

As I checked the state of my body, I let out a stunned laugh.

I couldn’t help it. How could I not be shocked?

“...I’ve hit pinnacle.”

My body, which had been stuck at first-rate—

Had, from this one event, leapt up to pinnacle level.