Prologue: At the Threshold of Consciousness
Jin-ho's consciousness was pulled into a deep darkness. As the boundary between reality and dreams blurred, he felt himself becoming someone else entirely.
A cold wind brushed against his face. No, this wasn't Jin-ho's face. It had sharper jawlines, deeper-set eyes, and hands covered with calluses from countless years of swordplay.
'Whose memories are these?'
While Jin-ho struggled with confusion, an unfamiliar voice emerged from his lips.
"Hahaha! I've grown stronger!"
113 Years Ago, Atop Heaven Sword Mountain
Blood Heaven Emperor Awakening Rate: 89%Host Mental Entity Remaining: 11%Final Stage Imminent
Kang Cheon-hyeol swung his crimson sword energy while laughing. After his 45th awakening, his power had already transcended human limits. However, his eyes no longer held any human warmth.
The surrounding rocks crumbled to dust upon contact with his sword energy. Watching massive boulders shatter with a single strike, Kang Cheon-hyeol became intoxicated with his own power.
"With this level of strength... with this much power!"
He raised his hand. Crimson energy began swirling in his palm. As the energy stretched toward the sky, the clouds above turned blood-red.
"The world will kneel before me!"
But in that moment, a faint resistance stirred in the depths of Kang Cheon-hyeol's heart.
'No... this isn't me. I am Kang Cheon-hyeol. I'm just a descendant of the Kang family!'
"Kang Cheon-hyeol... no, you're almost mine now."
The voice that emerged from Kang Cheon-hyeol's lips wasn't his own. It carried the weight of three thousand years, filled with ancient authority. The voice itself was power incarnate.
Jin-ho watched everything through Kang Cheon-hyeol's perspective. It felt like watching a movie while simultaneously experiencing every emotion firsthand.
'Is this... my future?'
Through Kang Cheon-hyeol's memories, Jin-ho realized a terrifying truth. Kang Cheon-hyeol had once been just like him. Kind and weak, merely an ordinary boy.
"I'm still... I'm still Kang Cheon-hyeol!"
With his last remaining consciousness, Kang Cheon-hyeol resisted. But his body already belonged to the Blood Heaven Emperor. Every movement was controlled by another being's will, not his own.
Kang Cheon-hyeol covered his face with both hands. What seeped through his palms wasn't tears, but crimson energy.
"Please... please stop. No more..."
But the Blood Heaven Emperor's consciousness pressed harder.
"Cease this futile resistance. Your flesh is already mine. Your soul will soon be absorbed as well."
Kang Cheon-hyeol's memories began scattering like fragments. Jin-ho watched them flash by like a film reel spinning at high speed.
Kang Cheon-hyeol as a child. Laughing with his parents. The excitement of holding a sword for the first time. The fear and confusion of his first awakening.
And the gradual changes with each awakening. At first, they were subtle personality shifts. A little colder, a little more calculating. But over time, these changes became irreversible.
After the 10th awakening, Kang Cheon-hyeol began suspecting his friends. After the 20th awakening, he distanced himself even from family. After the 30th awakening, he abandoned human relationships entirely. After the 40th awakening, he began taking pleasure in killing.
And now, the 45th awakening...
"Do you see? This is your destiny."
The Blood Heaven Emperor's voice mocked both Kang Cheon-hyeol and Jin-ho, who watched it all.
"No matter how much you resist, you'll walk the same path. Power is addictive. Once you taste it, you can never let go."
Around them, righteous martial artists retreated in terror. Their faces were filled with nothing but despair.
"Is that... is that even human?"
"It's a demon god! A true demon god has appeared!"
"Run! Everyone run!"
But Kang Cheon-hyeol... no, the being that was now almost entirely the Blood Heaven Emperor wouldn't let them escape.
"Blood Demon Sword Art, 43rd Form - Blood Sea Heaven Splitter!"
The sky split open. Literally torn apart, revealing a crimson waterfall pouring through the rift. Every living thing touched by that blood-colored cascade instantly withered.
"Hahaha! This sensation! This feeling!"
The Blood Heaven Emperor, using Kang Cheon-hyeol's body, laughed in ecstasy. The absolute pleasure of watching hundreds of lives disappear in an instant.
Jin-ho felt those emotions directly. Disgusting, yet at the same time... strangely exhilarating.
'No! These aren't my feelings!'
But the more he denied it, the deeper those emotions seeped into Jin-ho's heart.
Then, Kang Cheon-hyeol's final consciousness cried out desperately.
"Descendant... please... don't walk the same path as me..."
His voice was barely audible beneath the Blood Heaven Emperor's laughter. But Jin-ho heard it clearly.
"There is a way... the Heaven's Blood Reverse Sealing Art... only that can..."
But before he could finish, the Blood Heaven Emperor's consciousness crushed Kang Cheon-hyeol's last resistance.
"Silence! Now become mine completely!"
The last human light vanished from Kang Cheon-hyeol's eyes. Only the Blood Heaven Emperor's will remained.
"Now... it's time to reclaim this world as mine."
The Blood Heaven Emperor spread his arms toward the sky and roared. In that moment, the entire world turned crimson.
Watching this entire spectacle, Jin-ho realized this was his future. No matter how much he resisted, no matter how much he tried to maintain his good heart, with each awakening he would inevitably fall down this path.
But simultaneously, he realized something else. The 'Heaven's Blood Reverse Sealing Art' that Kang Cheon-hyeol mentioned at the end. That might be the only way to stop the Blood Heaven Emperor.
'Heaven's Blood Reverse Sealing Art... what is that?'
As Jin-ho struggled to understand its meaning, Kang Cheon-hyeol's memories began to fade. Like watercolors dissolving in water, everything turned crimson.
And in the center of that red sea, a massive shadow reached toward Jin-ho.
『Memory Infiltration Complete』『Blood Heaven Emperor Consciousness Activation in Progress』『Direct Contact with Host Initiated』
Jin-ho's consciousness was pulled deeper into the abyss. Soon, he would meet the Blood Heaven Emperor face to face.