Sword Purgatory

WARNING! This article may contain major spoilers for the Hero Killer manhwa series. Please read at your own risk!

Sword Purgatory
Item Information
hangul	검 연옥
Romaja	geom yeon-og
Type	Weapon Shard
User	The Executioner of the Silver Forest

Sword Purgatory was a shard and one of the famed swords that was once wielded by the legendary swordsman, The Executioner of the Silver Forest. The sword was destroyed in his final duel with Yushin.

Description

Sword Purgatory was a long cane sword with a thick handle. Its sheath had the appearance of an ordinary walking stick, but the blade itself was thin pure white that glowed with an otherworldly energy that appeared to be EST.

History

On the eve of his death and incoming duel with Yushin of Yerim, the Executioner explains to his student Ijincheon that if a talented young warrior is described as one in a million, then Ijincheon's lack of talent is one-in-a-billion. However, the Executioner tells Ijincheon that he believes he is the one who will make his dreams come true despite that.

Confused at his master's words, Ijincheon repeats back to his master that he is indeed talentless to an extraordinary extent as his master described him to be, and if he were at least mediocre in skill, he would have hope for more, but the Executioner asks Ijincheon even if he were to have an infinite amount of time which confuses his student further.

The Executioner then states that his other pupils have already taken his three cherished swords and that he only has one left. The old swordsman draws Sword Purgatory from his walking cane and asks Ijincheon if he still wishes to become strong, like what he said on the first day that they met.

Ijincheon draws his respective sword. And the Executioner commands him, the Inept Apprentice, to take his master's sword. Ijincheon unflinchingly accepts and readies himself. The two swordsmen simultaneously attack each other, but Ijincheon fails to defend against this attack and is wounded. He sheathes his sword and closes his eyes as he slowly passes out. The Executioner gives his wounded student one final monologue:

“	If you can't accomplish anything, even with a million swings, swing it a billion times. If you can't accomplish it with a billion thrusts, thrust it ten billion times. See what lies at the end of this path of swordsmanship with your own eyes.	”
— The Executioner's passing words to Ijincheon.

The Executioner then passes on his title to Ijincheon as he is absorbed by his master's sword.

Ijincheon, strangely healed of his wound, finds himself in a void of complete, utter white with only a single sword in front of him. Grabbing the sword, he hears laughter coming from somewhere and meets a strange-looking giant entity wearing a straw hat that's dressed in old clothing and holding an equally massive sword. It welcomes him into the Sword Purgatory, where souls of swordsmen driven mad by the desire to perfect their skills have gathered. The entity tells Ijincheon that he will see what lies at the end of the path of swordsmanship by "training" with the souls for eternity.

Ijincheon spends over one year endlessly fighting against the souls as they exchange blinding slashes and strikes. He repeats this for over ten years and then one hundred years. One thousand years later, Ijincheon is set on top of a mountain of the souls' broken swords and blades. He asks the soul with the straw hat, which was the first one to greet him if it is the last foe. As it answers him, Ijincheon cuts it down in an instant. The soul praises him and acknowledges him to be The Executioner.

Abilities

The sword contained a void-like world of pure white nothing filled with the souls of swordsmen and masters driven mad by their pursuits of the sword. Time was meaningless as days became a year, a year became a decade, and a decade became centuries.