WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 111: Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art 1
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Yuri and Lorelia had gone somewhere out of sight.
Estor took out a mirror and inspected his face from every angle, quietly marveling. How the hell could someone hit him hard enough to warp only the shape of his face while leaving the bones intact?
“What kind of relationship do you think they have?”
Just as Estor was about to practice his strikes by lightly punching the unwarped side of his face, Haryeong suddenly spoke to him.
He glanced over and saw her rubbing her cloth-stuffed nose. Perhaps because of that, the bridge of her nose looked more scrunched up than usual.
She casually kicked the robe Yuri had left behind.
“She’s probably his guide.”
Souls from another world who crossed into this one met a priest of the Sect of Order before possessing a body.
“Or maybe they met after he possessed one. Didn’t that guy wander around alone for about two years? Maybe the fortunate encounter he mentioned was his connection with the Cala... with the priestess.”
Thinking back on it, it sounded like an excuse Yuri had made up, but he had said he gained several fortunate encounters during those two years of wandering alone.
It was possible he had met Lorelia then and formed a connection with her because he was a Transmigrator.
“I don’t think that’s likely.”
There had been no trace of the Calamity Star, who moved around so flamboyantly, in the past few years.
Haryeong still did not know the origin of the martial art Yuri had first displayed in Logos. She had asked him when they reunited in Panteleon, but he had not answered.
After possessing his body, Yuri had not left Oldor for around a month. After arriving in Rutlan, he had spent nearly all his time with Elena.
He had not had the chance to meet anyone or gain the kind of fortunate encounter that would grant him such a divine art.
Then had it been from the very beginning? Had he learned martial arts under the guidance of Lorelia, the Calamity Star, before possessing his body?
‘Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art...’
It was unlikely that the Blood Fiend, once one of the Seven Evils, would mutter the name Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art over a completely unrelated martial art. Yuri’s unnamed martial art must have resembled Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art in some way, however slight.
Why did Lorelia’s martial art resemble Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art?
Biyeon, the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, had used a pitch-black martial art against the Withered Crone. It had felt different from Yuri’s. Lorelia’s martial art felt different as well. If martial arts could be distinguished by color, Lorelia’s was certainly red like Yuri’s...
‘But it’s different.’
Haryeong had seen Yuri’s martial art several times now. Scarlet flames blazing fiercely.
What had Lorelia’s martial art been like? Lorelia had not even used her full strength, so Haryeong had not seen it clearly. That sticky, ominous light, as sinister as the title Calamity Star itself, had not reminded her of flames.
‘Calamity Star...’
They had only met today, but Haryeong thought that title suited the beautiful priestess perfectly.
* * *
“How have you been?”
There were plenty of rocks suitable for sitting. Yuri massaged his leg, which still throbbed painfully, and looked at Lorelia.
“This Lorelia spent two years in a punishment cell as the price for the special treatment I gave Yuri.”
Lorelia sat on a rock as well. Had it been treated with magic somehow? Not a single stain spread across her white priestly robes.
“Two... two years?”
Yuri’s mouth fell open. He had heard she would be punished, but she had spent two whole years locked in a punishment cell?
When Yuri awkwardly tried to rise from his seat, Lorelia smiled brightly and shook her head.
“It wasn’t that difficult! This Lorelia could have left the punishment cell whenever I wished, but I simply chose not to. Have you ever practiced wall-facing meditation, Yuri?”
“Uh... you mean sitting in front of a wall and doing nothing but meditate? I haven’t.”
“You made the right choice! At your level, Yuri, wall-facing meditation wouldn’t give you a~nything at all. Rather than staring at a wall, it’s better to move around and train hard.”
Was that advice, or was she making fun of him?
“So you practiced wall-facing meditation in the punishment cell, Lorelia?”
“Yes! It’s true that I committed a sin by disregarding the Sect’s laws, so I reflected on it a great deal!”
Lorelia’s red eyes curved cheerfully.
“It seems you have also been making good use of the gift this Lorelia sent you while prepared to accept punishment.”
Her gaze was fixed on his neck. Yuri touched the area below his Adam’s apple. He could not feel it, but the Veil of Deception was there.
“Is this really the Veil of Deception?”
He had begun to seriously doubt it after experiencing the Evil God’s dream.
“That is a sudden question. Why do you think so?”
“I think its functions are very different from the Veil of Deception I knew.”
“Oh my, Yuri! Have you forgotten this Lorelia’s advice not to rely on knowledge from the game?”
She did not sound as though she were scolding him. Her quiet giggles and warm gaze were full of affection.
“But yes, that is not the Veil of Deception. You could call it the original version of the Veil of Deception.”
“The original...?”
“Do you know what purpose the Veil of Deception serves, Yuri?”
He knew what it was used for in the game. He did not know what it was used for in reality. When Yuri could not answer and shook his head, Lorelia laughed softly.
“How far have you cultivated the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil?”
“I’m at the fifth tier.”
“In terms of tiers, yes, I see. In this Lorelia’s judgment, your Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil has stepped beyond the fifth tier. Yet you have not advanced in tier, have you?”
The difference between the fifth and sixth tiers was the opening of the Upper Dantian. Once someone reached the sixth tier and fully opened their Upper Dantian, they could handle Intent in far more varied ways.
People commonly said that the sixth tier was the realm of adding Intent to martial arts. The seventh tier was the realm of manifesting Intent through martial arts.
Yuri was still at the fifth tier. He had opened a small gap in his Upper Dantian and drawn out Intent, but he was not yet proficient with it.
“I had a chance to advance, but I didn’t.”
While taming Gebra, if he had not stepped back after gaining enlightenment through his Inner Demon, he would have fully opened his Upper Dantian and reached the sixth tier. Still, if he had reached the sixth tier then, things would have become difficult later.
“Why not?”
“I thought it was the wrong path.”
“The wrong path. Yuri, there is no wrong path in martial arts. There is a saying that all rivers return to the sea. If someone seeks the ultimate of martial arts, then even if they take a wrong path, they will eventually reach the realm they desire. If there are thousands, tens of thousands of martial artists, then there are also thousands, tens of thousands of paths for them to walk.”
That was not said in a scolding tone either. Lorelia continued with a clear smile.
“But if you believe it is the wrong path, Yuri, then it is better not to take it. If you walk a path while believing it is wrong, you will regret your choice with every step and wonder whether you are truly on the right path.”
That was why Yuri had not advanced to the sixth tier.
Until then, he had never doubted the verses of the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil. Yet the moment he was about to reach the sixth tier, an intense doubt had seized him.
Could he really walk this path? What came next? What was the heavenly punishment he had to carry out, and what were the principles of heaven? He was supposed to set right things he did not even understand?
“This Lorelia is very happy. You are not simply thinking of raising your tier. You are looking at martial arts themselves. That is why you ponder and wander as you search for the path that is right for you.”
Lorelia had been the first to teach Yuri how to walk.
Lorelia had taken his hand and led him, telling him to try walking that path.
Lorelia had taught Yuri how to clench his fist and throw a punch.
Lorelia had taught him the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil and Sacred Flame Release.
“While cultivating the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil, I... came to think of this martial art as a flame. The further I cultivated it, the larger that flame grew. I felt as if it would one day devour even me.”
Lorelia was probably the only one who could answer this question. Yuri looked at her with a slightly tense expression.
“I once fought the Blood Fiend, who had been one of the Seven Evils of the Demonic Cult. As he died from Sacred Flame Release... he left behind dying words I couldn’t understand.”
“Even if he had been ruined, killing a demonic martial artist who was once one of the Seven Evils is impressive.”
Lorelia smiled as if she were genuinely pleased.
“...Is the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art?”
The words the Blood Fiend had left behind before dying had remained buried deep inside Yuri’s heart.
“What do you think Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art is, Yuri?”
Lorelia’s smile changed slightly. Yuri had prepared himself because his words could sound rude and insulting. Yet there was no anger or displeasure in her smile.
It almost seemed as if she found his question admirable and endearing.
“I... don’t really know. Isn’t it a divine art handed down through the Demonic Cult, one that only the cult leader can learn?”
“No.”
Lorelia slowly shook her head.
“The Demonic Cult is both a group of demonic martial artists seeking divine status and a religion that worships the Divine Demon who will one day be born. That is why the title of the Demonic Cult’s leader, the Heavenly Demon, is not inherited.”
The theocracy ruled by the Demonic Cult was an enormous region. Nearly everyone living in the city called the Demon Subjugation Palace was a follower of the Demonic Cult. It was the Demonic Cult’s headquarters, Sacred Domain, and grand diocese.
“The demonic martial artist of the current generation who has reached the tenth tier and come closest to divine status earns the name Heavenly Demon. The Heavenly Demon is the strongest demonic martial artist in the Demonic Cult.”
There was no former Heavenly Demon in the Demonic Cult. They had all either died at the hands of the current Heavenly Demon or been defeated and withdrawn.
Defeat did not simply mean they had failed to reach divine status. It meant they could not bear the name Heavenly Demon, so they could no longer be called one.
“Of course, there have been times in the Demonic Cult’s history when a Heavenly Demon’s disciple or child became the next Heavenly Demon. But there have also been many other cases. From among the Seven Evils, from renowned lineages of the Demonic Path, from outsiders who joined the cult, and so on.”
The Heavenly Demon owned all the Demonic Cult’s wealth. If he wished, he could even learn the martial arts of his predecessors.
Naturally, the Heavenly Demon possessed the talent of a grandmaster. The Demonic Cult’s vast body of martial knowledge was compiled by the Heavenly Demon, who further perfected its martial arts.
“The martial art wielded by the Heavenly Demon is Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art. If there had been dozens of Heavenly Demons before him, then there would be dozens of Heavenly Demon’s Divine Arts, one for each of them. But that has no meaning. Those who were weak and defeated are no longer Heavenly Demons, and the martial arts they learned are no longer Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art.”
The belief that Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art was a special martial art prepared for the cult leader was only an illusion people had created.
The martial art learned by the cult leader, by the Heavenly Demon, was Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art.
“That is why the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil is Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art.”
There were no former Heavenly Demons, and their martial arts could not claim to be Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art.
“...”
Yuri was too shocked to say anything.
“The current Heavenly Demon, Wi Jin-hwa, was once my senior brother.”
Lorelia’s smile gradually faded.
“The original name of the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil is Sacred Flame Divine Art.”
The current Demonic Cult was full of demonic martial artists who cultivated demonic arts, but that had not been its foundation.
Over time, the name Heavenly Demon and the cult that followed him had become cruel and demonic. Yet the first Heavenly Demon Cult had not been that way.
The Heavenly Demon Cult’s central doctrine was that one would ascend to the tenth tier and become a god while retaining a human body.
Yet in a world where gods already existed, humans could not establish nations or become kings. There was no way becoming a god would be permitted.
Those who defied the will of the gods. Those who set right the natural order.
That was why the first cult called its leader the Heavenly Demon.
“Sacred Flame Divine Art was the guardian martial art of the old Heavenly Demon Cult and a martial art for those seeking to become the Heavenly Demon.”
A martial art was not a demonic art simply because it was evil. Martial arts so domineering that they carried a high risk of an Inner Demon were called demonic arts.
In that sense, Sacred Flame Divine Art was a demonic art. A martial art that turned its practitioner into flame and cleansed all demons and all heaven caused an Inner Demon that burned even the practitioner.
“Wi Jin-hwa, who was once my senior brother, was the direct descendant of the Wi Family, a secret lineage of the Demonic Path that had inherited Sacred Flame Divine Art. This Lorelia was an orphan taken in by the Wi Family.”
The Wi Family had cultivated and developed Sacred Flame Divine Art for generations.
By later generations, even the name Sacred Flame Divine Art had faded from the Demonic Cult’s history, and almost no one remembered the Wi Family, that secret lineage of the Demonic Path.
The Wi Family had no desire to make themselves known. The Demonic Cult had already changed, and a challenge for divine status could be made without seeking to become the Heavenly Demon and rule over the cult.
So the Wi Family lived as recluses and preserved the line of Sacred Flame Divine Art.
“The peerless genius born into that family was Wi Jin-hwa.”
The head of the Wi Family recognized Lorelia’s talent and taught her Sacred Flame Divine Art as well.
“By now, we have gone down different paths. Wi Jin-hwa annihilated the family and left after declaring he would become the Heavenly Demon.”
There had always been something alien about him.
Lorelia had felt it when she first met him as a child. The way she addressed him had changed from Young Master to senior brother, and each time they trained in martial arts and exchanged fists, she felt that difference become more pronounced.
When the Wi Family was massacred and Wi Jin-hwa declared he would become the Heavenly Demon, Lorelia had not been greatly surprised. Wi Jin-hwa had long been someone for whom such an act would not be strange.
“Sacred Flame Divine Art is a martial art that contains a Mental Image. Its form changes depending on the Mental Image one holds, leading it down a different path.”
No smile remained on Lorelia’s face as she remembered the past. Her expression had gone cold, just as it had been in the days when she was the Mad Demon and the Calamity Star.
“At that time, this Lorelia’s Mental Image was filled with nothing but blood, hatred, and killing intent.”
A martial art that sought to become flame would someday burn even its practitioner.
It was a martial art that had always contained the danger of an Inner Demon. Making hatred and killing intent the Mental Image that fed that flame naturally made it grow violently and immensely beyond control.
“The Divine Relic this Lorelia gave Yuri originally belonged to the Heavenly Demon Cult. It was granted to the Wi Family, who sought to become living flames. It was used to suppress flames, madness, and demonic nature. Its original name is the Burning Flame Suppression Lock.”
Though it was a Divine Relic that suppressed flames, madness, and demonic nature, Lorelia had not used it at the time.
“Because I did not want to suppress them.”
After wandering and wandering, she had finally arrived.
Wi Jin-hwa was being called the Heavenly Demon.
“I attacked him, vowing that I would kill him, but I could not. Instead, this Lorelia survived through the Heavenly Demon’s mercy.”
Now, she could speak of that humiliation without smiling. At the time, though, Lorelia could not endure that defeat.
“At the time, this Lorelia could not properly treat my external or internal injuries, and I had even gained an Inner Demon. You could have called me a walking corpse. I wandered like that until I finally collapsed, and just as I thought, ‘So this is how I die,’ I received the Sect of Order’s grace.”
At that time, transmigrators had not yet begun crossing over, so the Sect of Order was not hated by the world.
“I received grace and guidance. Had I been completely consumed by the flames that failed to burn the Heavenly Demon, I would have become a Mad Demon. But through faith, this Lorelia became able to control the flames.”
She took off her martial robes and put on priestly robes.
She swallowed her killing intent and received Baptism.
The Calamity Star became the Calamity Saint.
Footnotes:
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