Childhood Friend of the Zenith - Chapter 545

The Demon Swordsman.

Leader of the Celestial Demon Sect’s elite combat unit, the Noble Executioner Sword Sect.

His age is somewhere between adulthood and middle age.
To be precise, I’m not sure. I’ve never asked.

Before becoming a Mine, he was known as a merciless killer, slaying anyone he faced without discrimination.
He was notorious for his brutal combat style, reveling in slaughter.

The method of torturing and killing subdued opponents was enough to make one shiver just hearing about it.

At that time, his nickname in the Central Plains was probably “Killing Demon Sword.”

It was an apt title, though “Demon Swordsman” sounds more refined.

Considering how mad he was, it was almost natural for him to become a Mine once the Martial World War began; it provided him with the perfect place to express his instincts.

Afterward, it is said that he gained the power of the Ghost Fighter’s Eyes from the Celestial Demons, which allowed him to perceive his opponent’s movements more accurately.

He could read the flow of a battle and grasp precise movements. It seemed somewhat similar to the realm of intuition but more intuitive than that, or so they said.

“But I’m not entirely sure.”

Since I haven’t experienced it firsthand, I can’t know for sure.

When he took over the Noble Executioner Sword Sect, he was a figure at the forefront of the war.
Compared to the Martial Ghosts at the time, he was a completely different kind of madman.

“He particularly loathed the Martial Ghosts.”

Perhaps it was because he couldn’t obtain the position of the Black Flame Corps’ leader.
I can’t be sure if that was the real reason, but he did charge at the Martial Ghosts as if he wanted to kill them whenever he saw them.

It made more sense for the Noble Executioner Sword Sect, where assassination missions were more common, than the Black Flame Corps, which lacked any significant movement.

Why exactly did he covet that position? That’s something I don’t know.

“If you wanted it, you should have gone after the Corps’ leader position.”

If he had sought my position like Nocturnal King Ma, it might have been better. But the Demon Swordsman seemed disinterested in the position of Corps leader.

He clashed fiercely with the Martial Ghost Corps leader, but the Martial Ghosts never succeeded in taking his position.

In the end, he would die in the war at the hands of the Divine Swords.

In short, he was a maniacal killer.

That one line would be enough.

Thud-!

With the debris falling from the wall, I felt a sensation.

Seeing that, I clicked my tongue.

I had swung at him intending to knock him out, but judging from his movements, it seemed that my attack didn’t do much damage.

“He dodged it slightly.”

I felt it in my hand.

Although it seemed like he couldn’t grasp my movements, he instinctively dodged my attack.

I wondered if the future Demon Swordsman would be different.

Jebok.

After waiting for a moment, he revealed himself.

His reddened cheeks and the blood trickling through his lips made his pale skin stand out even more.

With one hand gripping the sword, he glared at me with slightly cloudy yellow eyes.

I nodded as I looked into his eyes.

“Right.”

Yellow eyes. There’s only one thing those eyes signify.

“Sky Slayer.”

A fate destined to kill people from birth until death.

That’s what those eyes signified.

“It’s my first time seeing them.”

When I met the Demon Swordsman, he was already a Mine, so his eyes were dyed purple.

Moreover, the Sky Slayers’ eyes manifested from birth, so they were rare and didn’t have a long lifespan.

“If I find them, I’ll kill them.”

With a fate to become a killer, how could I spare them? It was amazing that he survived until this age in this situation.

“Maybe he barely made it this far, enduring to become the Demon Swordsman.”

I thought that wasn’t too bad.
To discover him, even now.

It wasn’t a bad thing at all.

“Who are you?”

He asked me. Looking into his eyes, he seemed partially bewildered.

I felt like I’ve been hearing that question a lot these past two days.

In response, I smiled and replied to him.

“The third son of the Gu family, here to capture you.”

…

Thud-!

“Ah.”

Perhaps my words annoyed him, as an enormous aura emanated from him.

As if he were trying to advertise that he was the Sky Slayer, an overwhelming energy surrounded him.

If the golden light of Empress Wiesel’s Gold Eye brightened as it grew, his eyes were gradually darkening instead.

His energy also gradually grew stronger, causing damage to his surroundings.

“Hee… Heeek.”

I heard a voice and glanced to the side.
The customers had already fled in fear, but the innkeeper was frozen in place, unable to leave.

I addressed him, “Old man.”

“Y-Yes?”

Startled by the sudden call, the innkeeper’s expression turned flustered, seeming frightened.

Without hesitation, I took something out from my robe and tossed it to him.

“Huh…!?”

As he caught the object, his eyes widened.

“That should be enough to cover the damages later.”

The money I handed him would be enough to rebuild the inn even if it collapsed.

Additionally,

“If you’re not too busy, please wrap up some dumplings for me.”

I had included enough money to cover the cost of the dumplings’ packaging.

“Y-Yes!”

Despite his previous despair, the innkeeper quickly moved to the kitchen to prepare the dumplings.

It seemed like he was really going to make them.

“…Shouldn’t we be evacuating first?”

I wondered if that was even possible in this situation.

“Well, whatever.”

To be honest, I didn’t really care.

It didn’t seem like there would be any significant damage.

“Seems like it won’t cause much harm.”

Considering the situation, I thought there wouldn’t be much damage.

“Keek-!”

The tip of the sword brushed against my nose.
If I hadn’t evaded, I would have been cut.

“Hmm.”

He’s fast.
No hesitation.

Keeik-!

Of course, it wasn’t going to end with just one attack. The Demon Swordsman relentlessly swung his sword.

Moreover, he was persistent.

It was evident from his overwhelming desire to cut me down.

The speed was so fast that afterimages remained in the air, and his body emitted an intense aura.

Each strike aimed at vital points.

“But… his realm is a bit ambiguous?”

It felt like he had surpassed his peak. Judging from the intensity and speed of his energy, it was apparent.

However, the reason I found it ambiguous was…

“He’s at a crossroads.”

Between perfecting his peak and entering the transcendent realm, he seemed to be at a crucial juncture.

After avoiding another attack, I extended my hand slightly forward.

Thunk-!

“…”

The palm of my hand precisely struck the Demon Swordsman’s chest.

He staggered backward, coughing.
Although he may experience physical pain, the backlash from his energy would be considerable.

“This, huh.”

Gazing at him, I couldn’t help but admire him inwardly.

To be at a crossroads, considering his current age, was quite remarkable.

I couldn’t determine his exact age, but he was undoubtedly in the later stage of the Transcendence Realm.

Hence the question.

“Why wasn’t such a guy known until now?”

After seeing him in person, I felt even more curious.

That’s why I came to Guangdong Province around this time.

It was because I knew he had started to act around this period.

In other words, it meant that he had begun his activities quite late.

Although understandable if he hid to survive as a Sky Slayer.

But if that were the case, it was even more puzzling.

“How could someone of this level survive until now?”

Considering his talent, it was truly remarkable that he had reached this age.

While I didn’t know his exact age, he was most likely in the upper ranks of the Transcendence Realm.

Thus, it raised questions.

“Why wasn’t he discovered until now?”

I had been curious about this since seeing him.

In this situation, discovering someone with this level of strength was quite late.

“This guy must have had some support along the way.”

It seemed like he had external backing to enhance his power and ensure his survival.

If not, there was no way he could have survived until now as a Sky Slayer.

Of course,

“What does it matter?”

To me, it was a good thing.

“It’s just the right time.”

Now that he was gradually becoming active, it was the perfect time.

It was an opportune moment to capture the future Demon Swordsman.

“I’ll kill you…! I’ll kill you for sure!”

Attacks were not landing, and it seemed to frustrate him further, making his expression contort with anger. At the same time, his aura became much more intense.

Thunk-!

He gathered immense pressure and quickly lunged at me, his energy taking the shape of a sword.

It looked quite threatening, but…

Whack-!

“Ugh…”

It would be pointless if it didn’t hit.

I deflected his sword and struck his face with my palm, causing him to stagger.

“I’ve seen enough.”

Dragging this on seemed futile.

I nodded to myself, thinking, ‘I’ve wasted too much time already.’

It took me two days to capture this guy. It was fortunate that I finally caught him, but it was still mostly thanks to luck.

As a result, I needed to finish things quickly and move on to the next task.

I took a step forward, and he moved at the same time.

Even though he must have experienced considerable pain from my weak strike, his eyes were filled with madness.

For me, that was all the better.

“He is still an evildoer.”

Even if I turned him into a Sky Slayer, there was no issue with that.

I liked dealing with such people; it made things easier for me.

I raised my stakes.

“Let’s break one of his arms or legs; it will be troublesome if he goes berserk later.”

I intended to move in that direction when I noticed something strange.

“Uh?”

That movement…

It bothered me.

I swayed to avoid his attack.

Shwick-!

His sword grazed my cheek, and I felt blood trickling down.

Due to the suddenness of his attack, the Demon Swordsman’s eyes showed surprise.

Without stopping, he swung his sword again.

Clang-!

“…!!”

I grabbed the swinging blade with my thumb and index finger, holding it firmly.

And then, I struck his jaw hard.

Thwack-!

“Crack…!”

It connected properly. As proof, he screamed in pain, falling to his knees.

Thud.

I didn’t bother supporting him.

His body wasn’t that fragile, and besides, it wasn’t the time to be concerned about that.

Looking at the fallen Demon Swordsman, I felt puzzled.

“What’s with this guy?”

A sword brimming with energy, eyes glowing with a murky yellow indicating Transcendence, and even an aura of madness.

This was undoubtedly the Demon Swordsman I knew.

So why?

“Why is he using the Guardian’s Sword?”

Furthermore, not just any Guardian, but one from the Gonyunpa, one of the prestigious branches of the Gufilebang.

They were renowned as the protectors of the Blue Sea.

His swordsmanship clearly bore the marks of that lineage.