Demon lord’s Martial arts ascension

[Seongcheon Jo Gyeonggong is activated.]
[Due to the influence of the Chaos Energy, all stats except for Chaos Power increase by 40%.]
[2 Chaos Energy is consumed per second.]
*Kkwakwak-!*

The Chaos Energy surged through his body with great force.
Jeong Seonghui looked utterly flustered.
Her face only seemed more contemptible to me.
*‘How dare you… act so relaxed?’*
Maybe she could fool others, but she couldn’t deceive my eyes.
**[Eye of Truth].**
It was a special skill I gained when I awakened my player traits.

—

**Jeong Seonghui**
Race: Human / Age: 31
Affinity: Sword, Dao
Strength: 190 (190)
Agility: 175 (175)
Endurance: 160 (160)
Health: 160 (160)
Mana: 155 (155)
*Traits*
Seven Sword [A]
Master Swordsman [A]
Dual Swordsmanship [B]
[Eye of Truth]
—

These were Jeong Seonghui’s stats as seen through the **Eye of Truth**.
Her strength and agility were more than four times my own stats, and her mana (Chaos Energy) was about 1.5 times higher than mine.
If she had gone all out, blocking her sword strikes would have been difficult, if not impossible.
*‘No matter how skilled you are, if your raw power is overwhelming, there’s no resisting it.’*

For the five minutes of fighting, I hadn’t used Seongcheon Jo Gyeonggong or any martial techniques.
I had only relied on pure skill and ability to block Jeong Seonghui’s attacks.
Could it be done?
*‘No way!’*
She had been holding back.
Daring to show mercy?
My body may be human, but my soul bears the dual identity of both ‘Jeong Mincheol’ and ‘Deimos.’
I am Jeong Mincheol, and I am also the gladiator Deimos!
*‘To think that she would try to test me?!’*

*Kwaa-!*

The Chaos Energy, influenced by my growing bloodlust, roiled intensely within me.
“Um… Candidate, I think there’s been some misunderstanding.”
“What I said earlier was sincere. Go all out.”
The warning was over.
I wasn’t afraid of losing.
In my past life, I fought countless battles to rise to the position of a gladiator.
And I had lost many times.
Yet, I always reached the top because of the unyielding *‘Spirit of Struggle’* that burned fiercely within me.
She had underestimated the weight of my soul’s experiences.

Jeong Seonghui bit her lip a few times, then sighed.
“Understood. It seems words are pointless now.”
*Whoosh-*
A sword from the corner of the room was drawn to her side as if sucked by an unseen force.

“Seven Sword. That’s the ability I possess.”
**[Seven Sword]**
It allows the user to wield seven swords simultaneously. Each weapon’s power is maximized, and the swords can be manipulated freely without any spatial limitations.
I already knew this.
What mattered now was that Jeong Seonghui revealed her true abilities.
She was showing her determination to fight seriously.

“Good.”
I smiled.
**[I will use Unryubo.]**
**[Movement speed increases by 50%.]**
**[2 Chaos Energy consumed per second.]**
By channeling Chaos Energy into my legs, I launched myself forward.
The 30-meter distance was closed in the blink of an eye.
Jeong Seonghui, showing a surprised expression, was immediately faced with my spear.

**[Akkachang Method – Crushing Strike used.]**
**[8 Chaos Energy consumed.]**
The spear, wrapped in black energy, hurled forward with deadly force.
A killing blow aimed directly at Jeong Seonghui’s heart.
*Woo-oong-*
The third sword rang out in a resounding echo.
An invisible hand seemed to guide the spear’s trajectory, slashing towards her vital points.
*Clang-*
The wrist that held the spear felt a sharp pain.
*‘Yes. This is what I should have done from the beginning.’*
I smiled.
Even using all my martial techniques and Chaos Energy, an A-rank Hunter like her was still a high wall I couldn’t easily surpass.
And that made it all the more worth challenging.

“You continue to surprise me.”
Despite her words, Jeong Seonghui hardened her expression, preparing herself.
“You’ll be even more surprised.”
As I retrieved my spear, I stepped forward.
Inside was Jeong Seonghui’s domain.
Her Bastard Sword and Curved Sword moved simultaneously, attempting to dominate the space itself.
The speed of her strikes had changed, showing her full seriousness.
*‘Once more.’*

This was the one chance I had to dodge from her range.
I used Unryubo to twist my body drastically.
My posture resembled that of a strange mollusk. Thanks to this, I managed to deflect Jeong Seonghui’s attack.
I trusted in Unryubo’s ‘Posture Correction’ effect to perform this trick.
At the same time, I transformed Dark Star into a short blade.

**[Huahuadan Do Sword Art – Hua Zhuo Feng Yue used.]**
**[5 Chaos Energy consumed.]**
With a thrust, I lunged in close.
At that moment, something wiggled from inside Jeong Seonghui’s cloak.
A sword emerged from the gap in her armor, roughly the size of my dagger.
**Seven Sword.**
It was the fourth sword she wielded.
The short blade lightly parried my Hua Zhuo Feng Yue.

“Damn.”
I hadn’t expected her to pull out another sword from her clothes.
*‘Could this be some form of telekinesis?’*
I shook my head.
If it were simple telekinesis, she wouldn’t need to use a sword.
This was clearly related to her unique abilities.
I used Unryubo to retreat.
*Pat!*

Jeong Seonghui sprang forward, chasing me immediately.
*‘As expected, she’s fast.’*
Her agility and reflexes with a stat of 170 were impressive.
Even with the boost from Seongcheon Jo Gyeonggong and using Unryubo, I was still lagging behind her speed.
It was fine.
What I needed was just a brief moment to unleash my inner energy.
**[Dark Star – Great Sword (Daito)]**

I infused the Chaos Energy I had drawn out into the black sword.
This was the most powerful martial technique I could execute at the moment: Ohodanmun-do.
**[Using Ohodanmun-do.]**
**[150 Chaos Energy consumed.]**
A jet-black aura formed around the sword.
Though it was an incomplete martial art, thanks to the use of Chaos Energy, which was far stronger than mana, the power of this technique surpassed the completed sword energy (刀氣).

**Patsutsuts!**
The blue energy wrapped around the Bastard Sword and the curved sword.
Sword energy and blade energy.
Unlike the unstable aura that surrounded Dark Star, this energy felt much more stable.
*‘Damn. Did she also learn to materialize mana?’*
The clash of jet-black and blue light collided.
The power was evenly matched!
I successfully blocked Jeong Seonghui’s full-force attack for the first time.

The third sword found an opening.
“Hah!”
I squeezed out every last ounce of strength I had.
*Clang!*
I pushed the sword and blade away with the full force of Ohodanmun-do.
At the same time, I swung the sword widely, releasing the black energy, which helped me barely block the third sword.

“This is not over.”
The fourth sword followed.
The tip of her sword was aimed at me.

*Damn.*
The reckless use of Ohodanmun-do left my body exposed.
I no longer had the strength to swing the sword or dodge.
**Kagak!**
The sword tip sank into my shoulder.
With a loud screech, a terrible friction noise echoed.
*‘If I can just endure, I’ll be able to counterattack.’*
I pushed away three swords.
If I closed the distance, I could unleash Ohodanmun-do again and force Jeong Seonghui into a corner.

I gritted my teeth and held my ground.
**Bang!**
The sound of the strike shattered my eardrums.
I was launched into the air.
For a brief moment, it felt like I was floating in the sky, but I quickly crashed to the ground.
*Thud.*
I was sent flying more than ten meters and tumbled across the floor.
Damn, the ground is hard as hell.
My whole body felt like it had been through a deep tissue massage.
Despite the pain, I immediately got up and assumed my stance.

Then,
“Candidate, how are you still fine after taking that hit?”
Jeong Seonghui’s voice, filled with shock, echoed loudly in my head.
**Mi mi mi**
“Phew.”
I spat out blood mixed with saliva.
The force from the third sword had shaken my insides.
But,
the shoulder that had been pierced was fine.
The muscles there throbbed with pain, but it hadn’t been severed.
*‘As long as I can still wield my weapon, it’s fine.’*
I clenched and relaxed my left hand.
It felt like my arm was being burned, but I could still wield Dark Star.
That was enough.
*‘If not, I would’ve lost my arm by now.’*
I glanced at the half-torn leather of my arm.
**[Tarlos’ Promise – Internal Skill: Hard Armor used.]**
**[150 Chaos Energy consumed.]**
Just before being stabbed, I infused mana into the **[Tarlos’ Promise]** armor and activated the internal skill.
Hard Armor

Category: Magic
Grade: C
Restriction: Tarlos’ Promise internal skill.
Uses the user’s mana to enhance the physical defense of the armor.
Chaos Energy is an upgraded version of mana.
For the same amount, it has two to three times the effect.
Yet, it still couldn’t fully negate the force of the sword strike.
*‘Endurance was the best option.’*

When the third sword failed to pierce my shoulder, I relaxed the strength in my legs, which had been holding me steady.
The recoil from the sword struck me, causing internal damage, but it allowed me to escape Jeong Seonghui’s attack range.
In that brief moment of impact, my battle instincts, honed through countless struggles, used her force against her to escape the crisis.
Jeong Seonghui seemed to realize this.
“Candidate, what in the world are you…?”

“Cheh.”
I clicked my tongue instead of answering.
*‘She really is strong.’*
There’s a big difference between seeing the stat difference in numbers and experiencing it firsthand.
Even with Seongcheon Jo Gyeonggong, there was still a three-fold difference.
Even after using the A-rank martial technique, Ohodanmun-do, I was only able to match her power.
*‘I need stronger techniques.’*
Merely tying isn’t enough.
I’d need to hit that examiner, who had shown me mercy, hard to feel satisfied.
I closed my eyes.
The world turned pitch black.
A bright flame bloomed in a space that was all darkness.
It was everything I had accumulated in my past life.
It was the *karma of struggle*.
*‘Karma’ refers to all the actions performed from the moment of birth to death.*
I drew some of the karma of struggle I had accumulated in my past life into the present.
**Seven Star Demon Sword.**

It is one of the most powerful martial techniques in the long history of the Demon Sect.
There was no time to repeatedly practice swordsmanship in front of an enemy.
I absorbed a portion of the karma I had accumulated into my body.
**Shudder—**
My body trembled as if I had contracted a fever.
I wondered if this was the sensation of termites crawling all over me, eating my flesh.
Attempting to forcefully draw down my past life’s karma without any preparation, side effects immediately took hold of my entire body.

*‘I must endure.’*
I clenched my teeth tightly.
The pain that had enveloped my body slowly started to fade.
**[You have acquired the Seven Star Demon Sword.]**

**[Seven Star Demon Sword]**
Category: Martial Technique
Grade: S
Restriction: Those who can wield Mana/Chaos Energy
This is a swordsmanship technique said to embody the principles of the heavens in seven sword strikes.
It is the unique martial art of the sword master Seoryu Min. Originally called the Seven Star Sword, it was later enhanced after he joined the Demon Sect, combining it with the sect’s techniques to increase its power.
I couldn’t have been more pleased with the system’s voice.
At last, I had absorbed the karma from my previous life and settled the martial art into my body.

**Flash!**
I opened my eyes.
The time spent in the mental world was but a moment.
The horrific pain that had covered my body now felt like a brief nightmare, no longer present.
I locked eyes with Jeong Seonghui.
**Swish—**
A ray spear appeared, joining the others.
There were now five swords in total: two in her hands and the other three swirling around her.
“Sorry. This is all the swords I brought, so I won’t be able to unleash my full power.”

Each sword was imbued with a fierce mana.
The intangible energy pricked at my skin like needles.
At the very least, she had kept her promise to use her “full power” for this match.
Both she and I now knew that this was the moment to use our final trump cards, techniques we hadn’t yet revealed.
“Enough.”
I smiled slightly.
A murderous intent that made my skin prickle.
A powerful foe I must face by pushing myself to the limit.
This was exactly what I had wanted.

**[Dark Star – Seven Star Sword]**
I recreated the Seven Star Sword used by the sword master in Dark Star.
Though it only took form for now and was weaker than its original mystical power, as I had not yet accumulated the karma to fully realize it,
what I needed was the shape itself that could maximize the Seven Star Demon Sword.
I lowered it to my side as if sheathing the sword.
Some parts of Dark Star transformed into a sword sheath.
I slightly spread my legs, bent my knees, and leaned forward just a little.
I gripped the hilt with my right hand and gently held the sheath with my left.
The calm before the storm.
It was Jeong Seonghui who moved first.
“Sword blade, scream! Blade Storm!”
The Bastard Sword and curved sword, wrapped in blue light, along with the three swords circling behind her, all unleashed their power one by one.
Thousands of blades of wind cut through anything they touched—the floor of the training ground, trees, rocks—all were sliced without exception.
It was truly a storm of swords.
The overwhelming destructive wave created by the rotating blades.
The vast storm of wind pressed toward me.

**Swish—**
I drew my sword from its sheath.
The ceremonial swordsmanship of the sword master.
The first strike of the Seven Star Demon Sword was about to be revealed for the first time on Earth.