The seal of the Demonic Cult was broken, and the hidden power was unleashed.
The name of the Heavenly Sword Demon Queen resurfaced once more.
At the heart of the chaos, she stood.
The righteous and unorthodox factions of the martial world united to oppose her.
And among them stood two figures who had once walked alongside her.
Jin, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.
Wi-Yeon, the Sect Leader of Kunlun.
They were no longer wandering warriors.
Now, they had become the leaders of their respective sects, guardians of order in the martial world.
However, the enemy standing before them was none other than Heavenly Sword Demon Queen, Lee So-Eun.
"Tell me… Have you truly become the Lord of the Demonic Cult?"
Jin's voice trembled with disbelief.
Wi-Yeon let out a bitter smile.
"This… this isn't the reunion I wanted."
So-Eun gazed at them with unreadable eyes, void of emotion.
"Are you hesitating now?"
No more words were needed.
Their swords were already drawn.
Now, they had to cross blades.
The Final Battle Begins
Mount Hua's blazing sword technique tore through the air,
Kunlun's fluid spear technique surrounded her from all sides.
Yet, her blade deflected them all.
Jin and Wi-Yeon had reached the peak of their martial prowess.
But so had she.
Each clash of steel shattered the ground beneath them,
each strike carved through the mountains,
but none of them would fall so easily.
Heavenly Sword Demon Queen was strong.
Too strong.
Jin and Wi-Yeon recalled the first time they had witnessed her swordplay.
It had been an overwhelming force back then.
Now, it was something beyond comprehension.
Yet, even as she fought, she wavered.
Once, they had walked the same path.
Once, they had protected each other.
Now, they stood as mortal enemies.
After countless exchanges, the decisive moment arrived.
All three of them were exhausted.
But an end had to come.
Jin and Wi-Yeon prepared for their final strike.
So-Eun raised her sword in response.
Their three techniques collided—
A blinding explosion of steel, will, and fate.
When the light faded,
only three fallen figures remained.
A Tragic Ending
Jin, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, tried to lift his sword.
But his body had already reached its limit.
"At the last moment, he hesitated.
The memories of their time together…
The times when he had called her a comrade…
That moment of hesitation… became his fatal mistake."
He gazed at So-Eun.
Her vision was already fading.
Wi-Yeon lay on the ground, breathing heavily.
He, too, knew that death was inevitable.
With blurred vision, Jin forced out a question.
"…Was this truly the path you wanted to take?"
So-Eun did not answer.
She, too, was fatally wounded, yet she tried to stand.
But her body had no strength left.
Jin looked at her one last time before closing his eyes.
Wi-Yeon did the same.
That was how their journey ended.
The Heavenly Sword Demon Queen fell into the abyss of the valley.
As she plunged into the darkness,
the last thing in her mind was their faces.
Once, they were comrades.
Once, they had protected each other.
But now…
She had sent them to their graves with her own hands.
Even the slightest hesitation had cost her everything.
And so, she sank into endless darkness.
"Fate refuses to let her go."
A Second Chance
But she did not die.
Beneath the freezing currents,
someone pulled her out.
Her body was broken, wracked with unbearable pain,
but her inner energy had already begun healing her wounds.
She had crossed the threshold of death,
but she could not stay there.
"Fate still refuses to let me go."
The martial world rejoiced.
With the disappearance of the Heavenly Sword Demon Queen,
the Demonic Cult retreated.
The righteous and unorthodox factions breathed a sigh of relief.
But she knew the truth.
This was not the end.
The Birth of a New Era
Decades passed.
Or perhaps, mere years.
The martial world once again trembled.
The Demonic Cult had not disappeared.
From the shadows, it had been growing stronger.
The righteous and unorthodox sects continued to watch each other warily,
knowing that another great conflict was inevitable.
Yet, Lee So-Eun had discovered something even more important.
A variable that could change everything.
A man who was defying the fundamental laws of the martial world.
The Black Cloud Sword, Lee Do-Hyun. ⚔
The martial world's truth had always been the same:
"The strong thrive, the weak perish."
That was the principle of the Demonic Cult.
That was the undeniable nature of the martial world.
But he…
He was different.
The righteous and unorthodox sects were no different from each other.
They merely wore different masks, hiding behind so-called justice.
But he…
Lee Do-Hyun was shaking the very foundation of the martial world.
"Is he really achieving the impossible?"
"Is he the one who will change the very essence of this world?"
So-Eun had to find out.
Thus, she took a new identity.
She became Cheong-yeon (靑蓮), the Wandering Swordswoman.
And under this name, she knocked on the doors of the Black Cloud Pavilion.
She would see for herself whether this new force could truly alter the fate of the martial world.
And when the time came—
she would decide.
Would she shatter his ideals?
Or would she acknowledge his vision?
That answer…
Had yet to be determined.
[The Story of the Heavenly Sword Demon Queen and the Black Cloud Sword continues in the main story of Lee Do-Hyun.]
https://www.webnovel.com/book/31998437500321605/85914906049700494