NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13
*
Currently, Biyeol was in a state of trance due to the influence of the sinister spirit.
The pent-up feelings of unrequited love for her master and jealousy over the new disciple had finally surfaced, revealing her true nature.
The internal energy she had accumulated was on the verge of exploding, making it impossible to tell who would win if she fought her master, Bing Yeon.
“…I lost my mind for a moment.”
Biyeol, who had tried to keep her sanity for fear of being hated by Bing Yeon, regained her senses and woke up.
Wooosh…
Rain poured down, blood and corpses lay scattered around her, and she saw a space filled with wooden buildings erected with red pillars.
Biyeol knew this place better than anyone.
Of course, she did. This was where she had been before being rescued by Bing Yeon.
‘This is definitely the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect…’
A cult that fed her flesh and blood to turn her, a girl who bore the wrath of the Heavenly Demon Star, into a heavenly demon, using methods like making friends then killing them.
‘I clearly heard that Master completely eliminated it…?’
This place was certainly one that referred to itself as the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect. The location where Biyeol had been sold by her parents, whose faces she could not even remember, to spend a harsh childhood with other children.
“Awake? I’m currently dealing with your master.”
“You, could it be…?”
In front of Biyeol stood a woman who had the same face as her, but appeared more mature.
Dressed in a white robe, she waved her hand and looked at Biyeol, who wore a black robe.
“That’s right! I’m the ‘Bad Biyeol’ who’s been talking to you in your heart. I honestly don’t know why you keep calling me bad, though.”
The appearance of Bad Biyeol matched what Bing Yeon had described in the latter part of the martial arts web novel, King of Diamond Fist.
The difference was that she was taller than current Biyeol and had grown in form, now visibly a woman.
She looked many times stronger in Biyeol’s eyes, worthy of the name ‘Heavenly Demon.’
“…Are you my future self?”
Biyeol couldn’t shake off the illusion that this might be her future self. It was rare for someone to have such distinctive red eyes like hers.
“Well, to be more precise, you took on the burden that you should have carried as Master’s student…”
As she spoke, Bad Biyeol pondered while placing a finger on her lips, leaving an alluring smile.
“She is a being created from the combined feelings of affection you hold for Master. You can call me Sinful Star or Heavenly Demon Star; I quite like those titles!”
“…Then, Heavenly Demon Star, where are we?”
As she surveyed the surroundings, Biyeol opened her mouth.
In this dreadful space, where the stench of blood thickened, she wondered why she and the Heavenly Demon Star were here.
“This is your Imaginary World. Don’t you get it yet?”
Heavenly Demon Star chuckled at Biyeol, who seemed to refuse to believe this place despite recognizing it.
“Doesn’t it look just like the building of the cult you were trapped in as a child? You left your dead friends here, didn’t you?”
Heavenly Demon Star pointed to a place filled with corpses, crawling with maggots and flies. Next to it was a large grave dug by children forced to work with shovels.
“…No, this is a dream. It can’t be real.”
Now truly understanding the situation around her, Biyeol shook her head vigorously.
This was a dream; if she closed her eyes and woke up, her master Bing Yeon would be by her side. She desperately repeated this mantra inside her head.
“It’s not a dream, Biyeol. This is originally a place you were meant to escape from all on your own.”
Swish… As Heavenly Demon Star waved her hand, the space began to change. Rain fell harder, and a man dressed in a long robe appeared in Biyeol’s line of sight.
– “Child bearing the sin of the Heavenly Demon Star, I shall take you in.”
The figure, the cult leader who called himself the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, stared at her with an excited expression.
– “You will be reborn as our new evil star.”
His goal was to drown the peaceful martial world in blood. A revenge for those who lost their children to bandits, their wives and parents to plague and famine.
– “Now, let us take vengeance on the heavens that have forsaken us.”
Biyeol shut her eyes tightly upon seeing him. It was true she had feared this man in the past, but…
“Showing me such illusions is useless. Our master—”
One day, Bing Yeon had appeared and saved her, so even in her Imaginary World, she firmly believed in her master.
He was a man who, if it were for her sake, showed no fear of taking a blade for her and smiled while bleeding.
Yet,
“Master? Bing Yeon? No, look closely. This is the ‘future’ we were supposed to enact.”
Heavenly Demon Star glared at Biyeol with a chilling smile, seemingly mocking her expectations.
And then,
Swish… A sharp sound was heard, and
“Uh…?”
A gruesome scene unfolded before Biyeol as the cult leader’s head was severed by her hand. It was a movement she was not even aware she had made.
It felt as if her body and mind were dancing separately, as though someone was truly controlling her.
“You were supposed to be reborn as the Heavenly Demon there. You should have killed this man and ascended as the new leader.”
Biyeol trembled, unable to handle the blood splattered on her face and the warm sensation remaining in her hands, as Heavenly Demon Star continued to speak.
“To take revenge for the friends who sacrificed their flesh and blood for you, you should have crushed the heavens that never once saved you.”
With each word she said, the scene before Biyeol’s eyes began to change.
Before her lay human intestines, blood, and shards of flesh, and she became a figure who devoured human flesh and blood like food and drink to quench her hunger.
“…Uwaaaah! Uuugh, ugh!”
The taste of thick, bloody meat lingered in her mouth. The chewy, bristly pieces were horrid.
“I have to throw up. I must throw it all up…”
Biyeol tried to stick her fingers into her mouth to expel everything she had swallowed, but.
“No, without Master, we would have had to solve our hunger and thirst like this.”
Heavenly Demon Star forced Biyeol to look at what she was consuming, the common sense drilled into her by the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
Originally, she couldn’t eat anything except human flesh and blood, according to the setting of King of Diamond Fist.
“If you had been offered sweet fruit candies or sugar-glazed pastries, you would never have thought you could eat those.”
As she watched Biyeol suffer, Heavenly Demon Star crunched away at snacks.
“Normally, you would have to hear the cries of the people to get to sleep. The wails of infants, pleas for life, cries from losing a loved one.”
As soon as she spoke, a cacophony filled Biyeol’s mind. The horrid sounds of screams from people of all ages blended together.
“You were supposed to be that existence. A being forsaken by heaven, a Heavenly Demon who would bring down such heavens.”
Biyeol lay on the ground, starkly contrasting the coziness of the bed where Master Bing Yeon would have rested. Instead, here she was, sleeping on a rugged, uneven, and rocky surface.
“But that’s not the case anymore.”
Even as she bit her tongue and tried her utmost to regain control of her body, it had no effect.
“Stop, please make it stop…!!”
“As long as you breathe, everything you love is thanks to Master’s grace.”
Heavenly Demon Star acknowledged Biyeol’s suffering but felt it was her duty to make her realize this fact.
She was the Sinful Star.
A trial that had nested deep within Biyeol’s heart.
She knew the burden the original her had to bear.
“So, turn your eyes away and watch closely.”
Heavenly Demon Star waved her hand again, and now many people began to swarm towards Biyeol.
– “The head of the evildoers is right there! Form a encirclement!”
– “What a wretch, is she really even human?”
– “Before we talk about justice and evil, there’s peace! Let’s protect peace!”
– “Let’s set aside the conflicts between justice and evil for a moment and unite our strength!”
Among them were some marked by the Martial Alliance, and others appeared to be from a renegade group wielding axes.
“…Who, who are all these people?”
“They all come to kill me, or rather, to kill us.”
The faces of the people bore monstrous expressions as they glared at Biyeol. They drew their swords against the young girl and radiated killing intent.
“Independent Dragon of the Sicheondang, Infinite Sword of the Namgung Clan, Captain of the Seafarers’ Alliance, Hao Clan Leader… Who else was there? There are too many to remember.”
Heavenly Demon Star counted each of them and sighed deeply, shaking her head as if to indicate she’d lost count.
And it made sense, for literally all factions—both righteous and evil—had gathered to kill Biyeol.
It was the future that the original Biyeol was meant to face,
And now it was a destiny twisted by Bing Yeon.
Knowing this fact, Heavenly Demon Star looked at Biyeol with sorrow.
She was a being fated to kill, or she would not survive.
“…Master, where are you? If Master were here, she could persuade them. It’s all a misunderstanding; they’re all mistaken.”
Biyeol strained to find a familiar face among the crowd. A man with white hair and blue eyes.
She sought Bing Yeon, the leader of Ice Dragon Blossom Heart and her master, but…
“In my original state, Master is absent.”
Then, it happened.
Thud, thump…
“…What?”
A dull sound rolled, and Biyeol felt something hit her foot.
“Bing Yeon, I killed her in the future with the sin I carry.”
Biyeol’s eyes widened in shock as she looked down. There lay Bing Yeon’s severed head.
*
I and Biyeol (the sinful star, or so she claimed) were currently sitting cross-legged.
We were now meditating side by side to engage in a verbal spar.
“Hehe, I didn’t expect Master to prepare such a cute scheme. A verbal battle of martial arts, huh?”
Before we even started a proper spar, Biyeol chuckled lightly.
“Actually, it’s been quite a while since I last had a proper duel with you.”
I smiled inwardly as I watched her. It was always a delightful achievement when a disciple tried to surpass their master.
It meant they wanted to step out of their master’s shadow and fully embrace their own identity.
“I shall regret giving you three seconds!”
“Well, I’m still thinking you might lose, even with that!”
I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Biyeol take a deep breath, contemplating what technique to use.
I am, after all, the author who created Biyeol. All the martial arts she wields originated from my mind.
While I could potentially lose in physical sparring due to my body state, this area was where I felt most confident.
“Is that alright?”
“It should be fine. If we manage to get through this verbal confrontation rather than face death, it’s a steal!”
Wolfram and Verdandi were whispering as they watched us. The hero, having received healing from the Gold Tower, appeared vibrant as if he’d never suffered a wound.
I had already asked the others not to interfere in the spar. While I was aware of the feelings Biyeol had developed for me, I had remained oblivious until now due to my stubbornness.
And, there was another reason we had to engage in a verbal duel.
“My alias is Ice Dragon. I am acclaimed as the leader of the Ice Dragon Blossom Heart, descendant of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
“My alias is Heavenly Demon, a name bestowed by those filthy cultists.”
Biyeol and I proclaimed our aliases, having prepared for the martial contest.
“Then we shall begin. Master.”
“Okay, what will you start with?”
“I’ll close the distance with the first technique of the Heavenly Demon Art, Heavenly Demon’s Imperial Walk.”
“Then I’ll block your approach with the second technique of the Ice Crystal Divine Art, Ice Crystal Barrier.”
“I like it! I will use the second technique of the Heavenly Demon Art, the Heavenly Demon’s Blood Splitting Cut with the hand strike to break through your ice wall!”
As I conjured up the martial arts I had created in my mind, the Sinful Star began to energetically respond with a wide smile.
To save Biyeol, I had to fight her own sinful spirit.