Chapter 47: Sword Demon Desires the Old Blade
A vast plain.
Over fifty black horses were galloping across the blue fields, exhaling rough breaths.
Dudududu!
“Cut off the Sword Demon’s head!”
“Heavenly Demon returns, ten thousand horses rejoice!”
“With the heart of the army united, the Heavenly Demon is immortal!”
The warriors riding the black horses all held long spears, from the tips of which black demonic energy billowed like smoke.
They were the Black Heaven Spear Armor Unit, one of the strike forces of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
A force capable of wiping out a small to mid-sized sect in half a day had been mobilized just to kill a single man.
“Damn these black bastards. Every time I think they’re gone, they show up again to die. What am I, a suicide coach?”
Standing before them was a man clad in a black blood-stained cloak.
His back was hunched, making it unclear whether he was a woodsman carrying a load or a hunchback.
Flutter—
But when the man threw off his cloak, what appeared on his back was a strange, long chest.
Dozens of sword hilts poked out from the elongated case made of wood and iron.
“If they want to die so badly, I should oblige. Now, let’s see…”
After a moment’s thought, the man nodded, and with a rattling sound, one of the sword hilts popped up from the chest.
Clack!
“Yeah, you’re the one for the plains.”
Thud.
Reaching behind him, he grabbed a long hilt wrapped in golden thread.
This sword was born for the battlefield—its very name, “Field Greatsword (野太劍),” meant so.
Designed with a long blade and hilt to counter cavalry and spearmen, it was said that a skilled swordsman could cut down both horse and rider in a single stroke.
It was a Yatae Sword (Field Greatsword).
Among them, the one the man now held was a famed sword forged from unknown black iron, imported from Dongyeong, the birthplace of the Yatae style.
“Let’s go, Heukya (Black Field).”
Screeech—!
As he unsheathed the Heukya Yatae Sword, the green plains instantly darkened.
‘That old stray cat-looking geezer…’
Hoyeon narrowed his eyes, staring at the black long sword tied to Moyong Sangcheon’s waist.
‘That’s mine!’
Back in his days as the Sword Demon, Hoyeon had only one hobby: collecting the greatest swords in existence.
Sure, he’d also wanted the Cheonroe Sword to figure out how to control Cheonroe’s energy, but his deepest reason was pure greed for fine blades.
—Ahem! Is that so? Well, I suppose even among great swords, this one is truly exceptional!
The Cheonroe Sword, reading Hoyeon’s thoughts, boasted smugly.
But Hoyeon’s burning gaze never left the Heukya Yatae Sword.
‘Didn’t care much when I didn’t have it, but thinking I’ve been robbed? That pisses me off. Where the hell did all my collection go?’
Some swords had broken in his last battle, but not all of them.
Those that remained were legendary blades and divine swords—his precious friends.
By now, they were probably being traded at ridiculous prices under the name “once wielded by the Sword Demon.”
‘Shouldn’t they be sharing the profits with me, then? No ethics, these bastards. Should I go pay them a visit?’
Frowning as he thought of his stolen swords, Hoyeon was interrupted by a trembling voice beside him.
“B-brother… Do you… do you know the Grand Elder?”
“Huh?”
“J-just now. You greeted each other…”
“Nah. He’s just a thieving old raccoon.”
“Gasp…!”
Hoyeon grumbled, and Moyong Yul looked around in horror.
“Sh-shh! Brother, you can’t say that!”
“Is speaking the truth a crime now?”
“What are you even saying… A-anyway, the Grand Elder is… h-he’s terrifying!”
Yul’s face was filled with genuine fear.
That prompted Hoyeon to glance toward Moyong Sangcheon with a thoughtful look.
‘…I can’t see anything.’
No matter how he sharpened his senses, not even a hint of an aura could be felt.
He had clearly reached the realm beyond aging and death.
As proof, his solar plexus showed no trace of inner force flow, as if he were a powerless commoner—and only the hair by his ears still retained a touch of black among the snow-white.
‘At least Hwagyeong (Flame Realm)… maybe even beyond that…’
Moyong Sangcheon was the first “Wall-Climber” (승벽자) Hoyeon had met since becoming Namgung Hoyeon.
He wanted to stir his spirit energy and test him—but held back.
‘So he’s called the Sword Emperor. He lives up to the name. But something feels… subtly different from other Wall-Climbers I’ve known.’
Hoyeon furrowed his brow at the unfamiliar sensation brushing against his skin. He couldn’t quite place it.
Then—
Grin!
Moyong Sangcheon locked eyes with him and smiled.
‘…What’s he smiling at?’
Hoyeon twitched his nose in irritation, which only deepened Moyong Sangcheon’s smile.
“Hohoho, being around spirited young folks is a rare joy for this old man.”
He nodded like a kindly neighbor.
The young disciples’ eyes sparkled even more.
“I’d love to chat more, but my son’s given me an errand. Bah, my old bones are being worked to death all over the place.”
“Hahaha!”
“We’re honored!”
“Really, Moyong Cheol’s too much! Making the Sword Emperor do chores! Wahaha!”
The mood lightened at his jest. The tense atmosphere from his arrival faded, and the disciples resumed their chatter.
Moyong Sangcheon surveyed them with a smile and took a letter from his robe.
“Now then. Time to announce the winning team. The winners of this Baekga Sword Assembly are… Group 2.”
“Woooah!”
“Yes!”
“Haha! Victory!”
Group 2 cheered loudly.
Moyong Cheol smirked arrogantly, as if it were only natural.
“Group 2 successfully eliminated the Child Thieves and apprehended the kidnappers disguised as traders, so they are awarded the win.”
“…It was all thanks to big bro,”
Yul bit his lip in frustration.
Sure, Group 2 had done some work, but the decisive intel came through Hao Clan—provided by Hoyeon.
“Next, let me announce the MVP of the assembly. The ‘One Sword’ of this year is… Moyong Hu.”
“Ooh! Congrats, Brother Hu!”
“Haha! As expected!”
“Congratulations!”
Moyong Hu gave a modest smile, while Moyong Cheol furrowed his brow.
Sangcheon continued:
“Moyong Hu led from the front in subduing the Child Thieves and took down the Northern Fiend Trio single-handedly. Thus, he is this year’s One Sword.”
“The Northern Fiends?!”
“Is that true?”
“Their leader’s a peak expert!”
“Haha, Brother Hu sliced all three with his Flash Blade!”
“As expected of the Flash Dragon!”
Praises followed, but Moyong Hu didn’t smile brightly.
His eyes were on Namgung Hoyeon—who was staring at the sword on Sangcheon’s waist.
‘This is embarrassing. I used to puff out my chest as Flash Dragon… but I’m ashamed now.’
The true MVP of this assembly was undeniably Namgung Hoyeon.
But he’d mobilized the family’s Iron Sword Unit—violating the rules and thus was disqualified.
Hu felt like he’d stolen the spotlight from a junior, and it sat heavily on him.
‘Tch. It’s a stall.’
Meanwhile, Cheol could read the deeper meaning in his father’s announcements.
‘He gave the win to Group 2 and named Hu as the One Sword.’
Clearly, Sangcheon was postponing the decision on the next family head.
‘He’s maintaining balance, asking us to prove ourselves further. Makes sense, considering the timing—the family needs reorganization.’
Baekyak Mountain Villa, once in-lawed with their family, had been the enemy’s base. Worse, it may have ties to Salmak.
Their father clearly didn’t want a succession war to further divide the family now.
‘Time to lie low for a while.’
‘…I’ll have to apologize later.’
As Hu and Cheol followed their own thoughts—
Rustle.
Sangcheon folded the letter and addressed the young disciples.
“Ahem. That ends the official announcements. From here on, consider it the ramblings of an old man.”
“Yes, sir!”
Their bright eyes focused on him, and he called out a name:
“Namgung Hoyeon.”
“…Hm? Ah, yes.”
“I heard you were the first to suspect Baekyak Villa and deployed the Iron Swords immediately. Why?”
“Well… I needed people I could trust. Our group had the fewest members.”
Hoyeon replied, and Sangcheon smiled gently.
“It’s good to trust your family. But couldn’t you have convinced Groups 1 and 2 beforehand?”
“Possibly. But that would’ve taken time—and I might’ve missed something more important.”
“What was that?”
“…”
Hoyeon didn’t answer.
Instead, Moyong Yul stood up and stammered,
“B-Big bro just wanted to rescue the kidnapped kids safely! T-that’s why he risked disqualification—!”
“I didn’t ask you.”
“Ack!”
Sangcheon spoke coldly without even glancing at him. Yul collapsed back to his seat.
“So? What was it?”
“…”
Pressed again, Hoyeon chuckled and answered.
“Baek Jongu, the villa master. If he’d escaped, it’d all be meaningless. Convincing the others would’ve made us stronger, but we’d have lost the element of surprise. We needed to strike fast and hard with a small, elite force—and the Iron Swords were perfect. They follow my command, and they’re the Namgung family’s finest.”
Sangcheon watched him silently, then burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Excellent! Discipline is essential—but sometimes, something more important than rules exists. And you knew that!”
“…”
“But disqualified means disqualified. You must take responsibility for your choice. Don’t take it too hard.”
“Sure, I’m fine.”
Hoyeon nodded casually, and Sangcheon beamed.
“Still, your actions brought the best results. The Moyong family owes you. Ask for anything. I’ll grant it in the name of Moyong Sangcheon.”
“Gasp!”
“No way!”
“He said it in his name!”
The disciples were stunned. Sangcheon wasn’t just the Sword Emperor—he was the Moyong family’s Grand Elder and the leader of the Baekga Alliance.
His name carried the weight of a mountain, and his word was priceless.
“You want elixirs? I’ll get you a Daehwan Pill. Want guidance? I’ll teach you myself. What do you say?”
All eyes turned to Hoyeon.
What would he ask for?
Hoyeon’s face lit up as he asked back,
“Really? Anything?”
“Of course.”
“Then give me your sword.”
“Hahaha! Sure, I’ll show you—what?”
“I don’t want to be your student.”
“…Excuse me?”
Sangcheon had just started laughing, thinking he’d made a disciple in his old age. But Hoyeon’s next words left him speechless.
“That sword on your belt. It looks nice. I want it.”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
Everyone at Sword Cloud Pavilion stared at him with one shared thought:
‘Is this guy insane?!’
