Chapter 1
“No. 7, you truly are a formidable individual.”
Crimson blood flowed down from his entire body like rainwater.
He had already exhausted over 90% of his internal energy, and with severe injuries to his dantian and lower left abdomen, circulating his energy had become nearly impossible.
“I’ve never seen an assassin like you before. To be honest, rather than the Assassin King, you’re closer to a Heavenly Gifted Body…… a one-of-a-kind martial talent in this world.”
What should he do?
He was lost in contemplation.
At this rate, he would surely be unable to withstand their next joint attack.
There was only one option left.
To utilize the Innate True Energy dormant in his lower dantian and unleash a move of mutual destruction.
“No. 7, not only did you single-handedly slaughter 120 members of our Heavenly Demon Sword Squad, but you also endured 300 exchanges against the combined attack of us Four Heavenly Kings…… I can’t help but acknowledge your strength. You truly are the Greatest Assassin of All Time.”
However, the Innate True Energy was a double-edged sword; the moment it was used, death was guaranteed.
“Black Demon King, why…… are you trying to kill me?”
“……No. 7.”
He was seven years old.
He lost his parents and was barely surviving by begging on the streets when he was kidnapped by the Demonic Cult.
After entering the Assassin’s Guild, he gave up being human to survive.
For a mission, he once spent a fortnight without food, lying in wait in a snowy field with his eyes wide open. He also endured ten days without a single drop of water to avoid relieving himself.
The only missions assigned to him were assassinations.
He mostly killed masters of the righteous factions, often referred to as the Righteous Path, but occasionally, he also ended the lives of government officials and merchants.
“I’ve lived as a dog of the Cult for 20 years. Why would you do this to me, someone who has carried out over 100 first-rate missions……?”
He didn’t feel particularly wronged by the betrayal of these Demonic Cultivators.
Because his origin was that of an insignificant assassin.
And an assassin was nothing more than a disposable tool……
But even an insignificant being like him should have a proper reason to die, shouldn’t he?
He had never failed a mission, nor had he ever violated even the most trivial rules of the Demonic Cult.
“No. 7, as a martial artist, I’m ashamed to admit this, but I’ll be honest.”
“……”
“You’re simply too strong.”
“Is that your reason?”
“The Great Heavenly Demon Cult is a world where the strong reign supreme, a world governed by the law of the jungle. But you, a mere assassin, are revered as the second strongest in the Cult, only after the Cult Leader. How do you think the Four Heavenly Kings and the elders feel about that?”
“I……”
“Furthermore, 10% of the Cult’s forces, 3,000 assassins, follow you more than they follow the Cult Leader. This could potentially lead to a rebellion. The higher-ups have deemed you a threat.”
Was that it?
In the end, the reason the Heavenly Demon Sword Squad and the Four Heavenly Kings attacked him was……
“That’s b*llshit.”
B*llshit.
“Heh.”
“You should have come up with a more believable excuse, Black Demon King.”
It was utter nonsense.
“Let me ask you one more thing.”
“Speak, No. 7.”
“Does the Cult Leader know about this?”
Yes.
Perhaps he had wanted to ask him this from the very beginning.
The moment he was ambushed by the Heavenly Demon Sword Squad and the Four Heavenly Kings, he had actually anticipated his end.
He had fought back, seeking a way to survive, a way to escape, but deep down, he had already accepted death.
But even if he were to die, he wanted to ask.
His friend.
His lord……
Whether he was the mastermind behind this treacherous scheme.
“He knows.”
“……”
“No. 7, the one who ordered your death…… is none other than him.”
It was about 10 years ago.
Around that time, he vaguely realized the futility of life.
He had been assigned a mission to kill No. 3, a fellow assassin from the Assassin’s Guild with whom he had shared life and death.
At that time, without a moment’s hesitation, he beheaded No. 3.
Even when he received the mission to eliminate No. 3.
Even as he severed No. 3’s neck with his blade.
He felt no remorse or guilt.
But as a year passed.
And another year passed.
He began to suffer.
Sometimes, No. 3 would appear in his dreams, tapping his shoulder, and a terrible loneliness and self-loathing would engulf his body and soul.
“I shouldn’t have killed him.”
“……What are you talking about, No. 7?”
“If only…… if only I had escaped with No. 3 back then……”
“Haha. With death imminent, even the great you have lost your mind.”
Now, in this moment.
For the first time in his life, he pondered the meaning of the word ‘regret.’
Come to think of it, he had had opportunities.
Around the time he reached his early twenties.
His martial arts had grown exponentially, to the point where he had no rivals in the Cult except for the Cult Leader.
If he had decided to escape the Cult then, no one could have stopped him.
But he missed the chance.
He trusted his friend, the supreme martial artist of the era and his lord.
He believed that being with him.
Serving by his side for the rest of his life was his destiny.
But it was a delusion.
It seemed he had never been……
Wi Ji-hon’s friend, not even for a moment.
“Come.”
“……?”
“Black Demon King, White Demon King, Red Demon King, Blue Demon King. I don’t know which one of you it will be, but…… I’ll take at least one of you with me to the afterlife.”
He would……
Completely deplete the last vestiges of his life force coiled deep within his lower dantian.
He intended to exhaust all of his Innate True Energy.
“Hahaha! That’s a bit much, don’t you think? Look here, No. 7. Get a grip. Even a great immortal couldn’t withstand the combined attack of us Four Heavenly Kings with depleted internal energy. A companion to the afterlife? Haha. How arrogant.”
Perhaps provoked by his words, the Blue Demon King burst into a fit of laughter.
It was understandable.
Each of the Four Heavenly Kings was a top-tier master of the Demonic Path, and the Blue Demon King alone had mastered the Star Absorption Technique to its peak, recently achieving Transcendence from Demon. It was only natural that they would find his defiance amusing, considering he was on the verge of death.
However,
“I choose you.”
“Wh-what?”
“As my companion to the afterlife.”
For 20 long years, he had been a specialist in killing, chewing, tearing, and ripping apart the throats of countless masters scattered throughout the world.
Based on his vast experience……
Those like him never escaped death.
Whoosh……!
He flew.
He executed a movement technique that could only be described as ‘flying,’ launching himself towards the Four Heavenly Kings.
With this attack, he would die.
So, that place where Wi Ji-hon’s dogs stood would become his grave, wouldn’t it?
But his heart was light.
Was it because of the relief of finally escaping Wi Ji-hon’s shadow, even in death?
Or was it because he had read the fear in the Blue Demon King’s wide eyes and trembling shoulders, startled by his explosive attack?
It didn’t matter either way.
He was an orphan assassin who had long forgotten his name, a fool who had lived his entire life believing only one person was his friend, an idiot who had lived without knowing what truly mattered.
If a murderer like him could die with a light heart.
That wouldn’t be a bad ending either.
Boooom!
The blade of the sword in his right hand scattered brilliance along with a thick white flame.
“Th-this is impossible!!!”
For a moment, shock flickered across the faces of the Four Heavenly Kings, especially the Blue Demon King. He poured all his remaining strength into his attack, unleashing over 100 sword strikes in the blink of an eye, all aimed solely at him.
Clang!
Then, the palms, fists, and kicks of the Black Demon King, White Demon King, and Red Demon King struck him from all directions, piercing his body.
Crack!
The moment the gruesome sound of bones breaking echoed, he knew that all the bones in his upper body had been shattered.
Moreover, as if shards of his fractured bones had pierced his internal organs, dark clots of blood oozed from the corners of his mouth.
But,
“Y-you crazy bastard!”
He focused on only one opponent.
He maintained his sword attack solely on the Blue Demon King.
Then, a fear disguised as rage erupted from the Blue Demon King’s mouth.
“Y-youuu baastard!”
Most of his nerves were already severed, so he couldn’t feel the pain.
The muscles throughout his body had lost their power, and even his once-precise senses had dulled. He could no longer tell if he was stabbing a person or merely the air.
“Ugh!”
At the same time, his endurance seemed to have reached its limit, as dark red blood gushed from his throat, nostrils, and even his ear canals.
“But still……”
But still.
Nevertheless, he did not release his grip on the sword.
He was even surprised by himself at this moment.
How could a human being made of flesh and blood still move when their bones were broken, muscles torn, and nerves severed?
No, was he even moving?
He soon found the answer to his own question.
Thud!
The moment his Soul-Stealing Sword, which had claimed hundreds of lives, pierced the Blue Demon King’s throat.
“Gurk, guuurgh!”
The moment blood spurted like a fountain from the Blue Demon King’s cleanly pierced throat.
It was,
“I…… my name is.”
The Greatest Assassin of All Time.
It was a ‘miracle’ born from the sheer tenacity and unwavering determination of a murderer who had entered the Assassin’s Guild at the age of seven and lived as a killing expert for 20 years.
“Not No. 7…… but Jin So-cheon.”
And sometimes, miracles do happen in this world.
Even in the moment of his death, he succeeded in ‘killing’ the Blue Demon King.
While remembering his own name, Jin So-cheon, which he had forgotten.
◈ ◈ ◈
Whoosh!
A snowy field.
He knew it without having to see it with his eyes.
A year ago, he had spent seven days lying in wait in the snow-covered Yeonhwabong Peak, enduring the biting frost, to assassinate the Mount Hua Sect Leader.
This sensation could only be that of a snowy field.
But.
Whoosh!
Why was he rolling around in the snow?
And what was this excruciating headache that was crushing his skull?
“Ugh……”
At the same time, a low groan, a sound he had forgotten for over a decade, escaped his lips.
It was strange.
He had undergone rigorous assassin training, allowing him to consciously suppress most pain.
He wouldn’t groan even if his flesh was being burned with fire.
“Ugh……”
So, groaning in pain felt incredibly awkward.
Ironically, his body, as if it were not his own, continued to express its agony.
‘I need to get up……’
His entire body was enveloped in a sense of exhaustion, rendering him unable to move.
‘By the way, I……’
He was dead, wasn’t he?
What was this?
He was certain that the moment he plunged his Soul-Stealing Sword into the Blue Demon King’s neck, the remaining Four Heavenly Kings’ joint attack had shattered his body into pieces.
Could he be alive?
No.
That couldn’t be.
At that moment…… he couldn’t believe his ears.
“D……a……”
“……???”
“Dadd……y……”
Strangely, the moment he heard that faint voice, vitality surged through his immobile body.
He focused on that faint life force, circulating the stagnant energy within his body.
This was a realm of heightened mental concentration that transcended human limitations.
But for him, it was child’s play.
It was the moment when his assassin’s instincts, honed from spending ten days without water, meticulously reviewing every action, habit, and breath of his targets, shone brightly.
Thump.
Somehow, he managed to raise his body.
Then, he turned his gaze towards the source of the unidentified voice.
“Daddy……”
His gaze landed on a two or three-year-old child, lying collapsed in the snow with a pale face, repeatedly murmuring ‘daddy.’
“What in the……”
He didn’t know what had happened or how, but.
The moment he saw the child turning pale from the rapid hypothermia……
Flash!
Filled with the single-minded determination to save the child, he scooped her up and ran through the heart of the snowy field.
