## Ch-112.
—
“Yuri.”
By now, Lorellia’s expression had returned to the one Yuri knew. Wearing a priestly smile that did not suit her epithet, she spoke gently.
“Sacred Flame Divine Art and Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Though they share the same root, the martial art of the current Heavenly Demon, Wi Jinhwa, and mine are different. And yours will be different from mine as well.”
Yuri recalled Bi-yeon, the Young Sect Leader of the Demonic Cult. Was the art she used the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? That, he could not know. But her martial art had been different from his **Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique**.
“In the past, while cultivating Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique, I felt it was incomplete. Even at the moment I could have ascended to Sixth Rank, I withdrew from advancement. Until then, I had never doubted its verses—but in that moment, I did.”
“Excellent.”
Lorellia answered with a smile.
“From now on, you must add to those verses yourself, answering that incompleteness and doubt on your own. This Lorellia also added my own mental image at the stage of doubt you have reached to become who I am now. The Heavenly Demon did the same.”
“So Sacred Flame Divine Art and Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique are ultimately the same?”
“They differ according to what one desires. Wi Jinhwa, who sought to become Heavenly Demon—his Sacred Flame Divine Art became Heavenly Demon Divine Art. My Sacred Flame Divine Art, which sought to kill him, to eradicate evil, and to correct principle—became Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique.”
The path diverges according to the mental image one carries.
“The Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique I taught you is Sacred Flame Divine Art that can become anything. Do you remember what I said—that martial arts hold countless paths?”
“Yes.”
“Even if the path begins in hell, whether it descends further or veers elsewhere is decided by oneself.”
The incomplete verses were not a flaw.
They were a question—forcing one to choose.
All those questions, contemplation of martiality, affection for it, the life one has lived and the life one wishes to live—these become nourishment for martial arts.
*‘I am the flame that carries out heavenly punishment, the asura that annihilates evil, the apostle who corrects the principle of heaven. My hands uphold sacred flame, my feet trample demons…’*
What was heavenly punishment?
What was the principle of heaven?
He had doubted those lines. If there were more verses that followed, he had wanted to ask Lorellia directly.
The answer had already been given.
“For me, this martial art is Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique.”
Its original name had been Sacred Flame Divine Art. Lorellia’s own mental image and verses did not continue into his.
“You taught it to me under the name Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique. So I will continue to call it that.”
It was a martial art aimed at becoming Heavenly Demon.
Yuri had never thought of becoming Heavenly Demon—but if one who reaches Tenth Rank and ascends to divine status is called Heavenly Demon—
Then he wished to become Heavenly Demon.
Without reaching divine rank, killing the Evil God would be impossible.
Strangely, as that thought formed, his mind calmed.
The inner force in his dantian tingled—then flared into flame.
Yuri crossed his legs upon the rock and closed his eyes.
Without intending it, Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique began to circulate.
The “heaven” spoken of in its verses was not the Goddess of Order.
Rather, the gods of this world do not permit humans to ascend to divine rank. To “correct principle” is to defy the gods.
Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique is an art of Heaven-Reversal.
It defies divine will and ascends.
What must be offered and burned to ascend?
He did not know what the Heavenly Demon had offered.
Lorellia had offered hatred and killing intent.
Yuri, too, had offered killing intent.
Most of his breakthroughs in the technique had come during battle.
When facing foes he could not defeat.
Foes he wanted to flee from.
Foes who terrified him.
When he resolved that he must win—or rather, that he must kill.
He remembered the first step.
Two years ago, in Lagos.
When fighting Blood Fiend Ghost.
He stepped forward because he did not want to lose.
Because he did not want to run.
Because he did not want regret.
He did not want to leave them to die.
He wanted to protect.
He knew stepping forward would shatter everything he had built—
Yet he did not hesitate.
Lee Su-hyeok had been empty.
Alive, yet alone.
Afraid that this world born of lies would collapse if the truth came out.
Even if he ran and survived alone, he would regret it forever.
He did not want regret.
He chose to fight.
Even if branded a liar and cast into ruin, he wanted to protect.
To avoid losing, he had to move forward.
Retreat or flight would change nothing.
*I wanted to change.*
He placed flame within the emptiness.
He nurtured it with will.
In the darkness behind closed eyes, flame appeared.
A spark the size of a fist grew—
Until it blazed.
*‘I am the flame that carries out heavenly punishment, the asura that annihilates evil, the apostle who corrects the principle of heaven. My hands uphold sacred flame, my feet trample demons. I swallow sacred flame and burn it within. I step forward and illuminate with sacred flame…’*
Before he realized it, Yuri stood before the flame.
Within it, a massive serpent of fire lifted its head and gazed down at him.
Larger than before—no longer merely a serpent, but like an imugi on the verge of becoming a dragon.
Yuri met its gaze.
Slowly, he extended a hand.
Not for a handshake.
His hand was a fist.
The serpent, having no hands, did not return the gesture.
Instead, blazing flame surged toward him.
Fist and flame met.
“Ah…!”
Lorellia clasped her hands and gasped.
Flame erupted around Yuri’s cross-legged body and slowly lifted him into the air.
*Have you attained enlightenment!*
He must have found his own answer to the doubt he carried.
If one’s destination is clear, there is no right or wrong in the answer chosen.
Lorellia watched with a warm smile as Yuri floated in meditation.
The blazing flame stirred nostalgia in her.
When she and Wi Jinhwa first cultivated Sacred Flame Divine Art, their qi had resembled flame as well—
Yet it changed according to their mental images.
*Though I said there is no right or wrong…*
Once, she had wished for a flame like that.
To become sacred flame itself.
Now?
To burn and cleanse all evil in the world, to trample ten thousand demons—
That was sacred flame to her.
She had cultivated an art aimed at becoming Heavenly Demon, defying heaven—
Yet she embraced faith.
That itself was a contradiction.
*Faith does nothing to help one shed mortality and challenge divine rank.*
*Awaken from delusion, Lorellia. Cast away and burn. Temper and refine yourself.*
Wi Jinhwa was her mortal enemy—
Yet his advice had been correct.
That was why she spent two years facing the wall in contemplation.
Yuri slowly descended.
The flame went out.
He exhaled long and opened his eyes.
Crimson light flashed.
Lorellia smiled brightly.
“Have you crossed the wall?”
“Yes.”
He could have reached Sixth Rank long ago.
Now there was no reason to hold back.
“How do you feel?”
“It’s hard to describe.”
Sixth Rank—where the Upper Dantian opens and one steps into Intent.
The Upper Dantian grants more than Intent alone.
Yuri shook his head as dizziness washed over him.
Though standing on solid ground, he felt as if upon a ship tossed by storm waves.
He forced himself upright and focused.
Mana—
Qi—
He felt them too clearly.
Though this land was not particularly dense with energy, it brushed his senses tangibly, pushing against his body.
*No wonder my attacks never landed.*
Against masters like Lorellia or the Fist King, he had never truly struck.
For them, such transcendent perception was ordinary.
*If I add Gate Sealing Thunder to this…*
He tried lightly.
His head spun violently.
The lightning perception became wider, denser, sharper—so intense it overwhelmed his physical senses.
His knees buckled.
He caught himself, breathing heavily.
*First, I must acclimate to the Upper Dantian’s perception.*
Even when he consumed an elixir, he had not felt this disoriented.
So this was what it meant for the Upper Dantian to fully open.
Shaking his dizzy head, Yuri looked at Lorellia.
—Blood.
An overwhelmingly intense scent of blood poured from her.
It was not real.
It was the vision granted by the opening of the Upper Dantian. Intent, now clearly perceived, conjured even nonexistent smells.
That was how powerful Lorellia’s Intent and mental image were—
A hell reeking of blood.
Yuri swallowed hard and clenched his fist. He forced strength into his legs that wanted to retreat in fear.
Perhaps it had been better when he was still Fifth Rank—when he could not see, could not feel, did not know.
Now that his Upper Dantian had opened, he keenly realized just how strong Lorellia was, and how horrifying her Intent truly felt.
“From this level onward, you must be even more cautious with Intent.”
Lorellia smiled.
The slaughterhouse stench vanished cleanly.
“Battles of Intent presuppose that you can see and feel it—but if you are careless, you may be crushed by Intent before you even fight. To sublimate Intent into martial force—that is Intent Deification.”
The line between Sixth and Seventh Rank lies in refining Intent until it becomes something one can manifest as martial art.
Yuri nodded stiffly.
“Now then, Yuri! Let’s start by putting some clothes on!”
Clap!
Lorellia struck her palms together and beamed.
Yuri froze and looked down at himself.
“……”
Just like what had happened at the Maybeld estate—
He was completely naked.
The only difference was that Estor and Haryeong were not here to witness it.
“This Lorellia feels immense joy that Yuri’s body has been so excellently tempered!”
She did not even pretend to avert her eyes.
Rather, she examined him seriously, as if appraising livestock.
Yuri hurriedly covered his groin and crouched.
“C-could you at least lend me something to wear?”
“Yuri! What are you saying? These garments are vestments worn only by priests of the Order Church!”
“I mean… it’s urgent…”
“It is not urgent! Yuri has already ascended to Sixth Rank, and this Lorellia finds that most admirable!”
Still smiling, Lorellia’s crimson eyes shifted.
She stared at Geburah on Yuri’s right wrist.
“However, Yuri… you carry something peculiar. What is that?”
“A relic of the Hammer Church.”
“Then all the more reason this Lorellia cannot remove her vestments for you!”
“You don’t seem angry that I possess another Church’s relic?”
Better to sit than awkwardly stand.
Yuri dropped down and leaned forward as if stretching.
“A relic without faith is ultimately a convenient tool! And Yuri is not a believer of the Order Church! Thus, even if you wield a relic of the War Church, this Lorellia would not mind!”
“Phew…”
He had worried that possessing Geburah or Death-Reversal Banner might offend her.
The sigh escaped him unconsciously.
“Why are you sighing? Do you truly possess a relic of the War Church?”
“Eh? Yes.”
“?”
Lorellia’s smiling lips twitched stiffly.
“How does Yuri possess a relic of the War Church? That idiotic Church would never grant one to an outsider.”
“Well, technically, I didn’t receive it directly from them…”
He had stepped on a landmine.
He knew it instinctively—but too late.
So Yuri hurriedly explained how he had obtained Death-Reversal Banner.
“Fuu…”
After hearing everything, Lorellia’s cheek trembled.
“Ex…cellent, Yuri…! So you accepted that relic with the resolve that no matter what formidable foe you face, you will not flee—but fight, kill, and prevail!”
“Yes, of course!”
“Truly ex…cellent! If only it were not from that idiotic Church!”
Her emotions were split—admiration and anger in equal measure.
She admired his lethal resolve.
She was furious it was a relic of the War Church.
To resolve such complex feelings, one might throw a punch.
But Lorellia was not a madwoman who struck indiscriminately.
Why would she strike Yuri—who had crossed the wall into Sixth Rank and resolved to fight rather than retreat?
“Young Sect Leader!”
A thought flashed.
“Yuri fought alongside the Demonic Cult’s Young Sect Leader!”
“Excuse me?”
Suddenly? What was she talking about?
“The Demonic Cult is evil! Heavenly Demon Wi Jinhwa must be killed! The Young Sect Leader as well!”
“You said you wouldn’t condemn families by association—”
“Are you defending the Young Sect Leader in front of this Lorellia?”
“I didn’t know the circumstances—”
“Now you do!”
Lorellia’s foot slammed into Yuri’s back.
Violence resumed without warning.
The commotion drew Ha-
ryeong and Estor back over.
“……”
They stood speechless.
They did not know the details—but naked Yuri was being stomped by Lorellia.
“You two as well—come!”
She beckoned sharply.
Haryeong hesitated, then handed Yuri the robe she was carrying.
Yuri had not fought alongside the Young Sect Leader alone.
Violence must be equal.
“Let us end here for today.”
Only as the sun dipped low did the beating cease.
Lorellia shook the blood from her hands and smiled in relief.
“F-for… today?”
Unlike before, Yuri could not even sit.
Collapsed on the ground, he barely lifted his head.
“How long do you intend to keep this up…?”
“Are Dark Flower and Sword Dragon your companions?”
It was an abrupt question.
The two in question were unconscious on the ground.
Yuri nudged Haryeong so she lay properly.
“They’re my friends.”
Lorellia smiled brightly.
“Sword Dragon and Dark Flower will also be able to cross the wall if given the opportunity. Thus this Lorellia shall provide that opportunity and push them past it.”
“Then… what about me? I’ve already reached Sixth Rank…”
“Sixth Rank is not the end of martiality! Yuri shall walk with me toward its ultimate limit!”
He had asked in faint hope of escaping harsh training.
It was, of course, futile.
“I… need to return to Jeongyeon Inn in Dunjeong in a few days.”
“Go, then! If you run at full speed, even the current Yuri could reach Dunjeong within a day!”
*Go and come back,* she said.
Yuri swallowed a sigh and nodded.
Setting aside the pain…
It was training no martial artist would refuse.
“But are we staying here the whole time? What if someone comes?”
He looked around.
They had caused quite a commotion, yet no one had appeared.
“Someone may come—but you need not worry!”
“Where exactly are we?”
“Pointed Sword Valley of Yicheon Mountain!”
Yuri’s mouth fell open.
Yicheon Mountain was home to Yicheon Sword Sect, one of the foremost orthodox sword sects.
And Pointed Sword Valley was its forbidden ground—
In the game, the place where the Yicheon Sword Lord appeared.
“Are we allowed to be here?”
“Of course!”
Yuri asked in disbelief.
Lorellia answered with a bright smile.
“If someone comes, we shall ask them for a meal!”
