Even at that late hour, Eunwol’s operations room was bustling.
Because an emergency had been declared, the strategists were alert to even the smallest reports that flew in.
They were carefully watching not only the movements of the Martial Alliance and the Sado Alliance, but also those of every sect in the Central Plains. In particular, they grasped every movement along Geom Mugeuk’s route.
And at last, the report they had been waiting for arrived.
“The Young Cult Leader has safely reached the appointed location.”
The flags of the Young Cult Leader and the Demon Venerables were placed at Dongting Lake.
Socheon.
Tongcheongak had written “Soma” on Geom Mugeuk’s flag, but in Eunwol, it was Socheon. It was a name Gowol had chosen. To him, Geom Mugeuk was no different from the heavens.
‘He has finally arrived.’
The Young Cult Leader had left the cult countless times before, but never had Gowol been as tense as he was this time. An endless unease, as if something great were about to happen, kept pricking at him. That was why he had gone to see Sama Myeong.
At that moment, an unexpected person came to visit.
“The Chief Strategist has arrived.”
“Show him in at once.”
A moment later, Sama Myeong entered.
“Welcome, Strategist.”
He truly had not expected him to come here.
“I meant to come sooner, but I was delayed.”
Sama Myeong’s hands were full of food for the strategists. It was truly unexpected, and it did not suit him at all. That was why Eunwol’s strategists were even more moved.
The Chief Strategist of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had personally brought food for them.
“Thank you, Strategist.”
When Gowol thanked him on behalf of the strategists, Sama Myeong smiled.
“Show me around a bit.”
“There probably won’t be much worth seeing. This place was made by thoroughly modeling it after Tongcheongak. The Young Cult Leader moved the most perfect intelligence operations room in the murim here.”
At Gowol’s praise, Sama Myeong gave a pleased smile. It was not mere flattery. The interior really did resemble Tongcheongak, as if it had been moved here.
As he looked around inside, Sama Myeong’s gaze turned toward the flags on the map of the Central Plains. The flags that had reached Dongting Lake. In Tongcheongak, those flags would have been moved to the same location as well.
After showing him around, Gowol tried to lead Sama Myeong to his office.
“Please come in.”
“As I was coming, I found the night air outside quite pleasant. Let’s go out and talk.”
“Yes, of course.”
The two of them left the Eunwol building.
They walked through the inner grounds of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, feeling the cool night air. After walking for a long while, it was Sama Myeong who spoke first.
“The demon flame will not be lit.”
As if he had expected it, Gowol was not surprised.
“I thought it would not be an easy matter.”
“It is not because of the Cult Leader’s pride.”
Sama Myeong explained to him why Geom Ujin did not wish to light the demon flame. After hearing the whole story, Gowol asked,
“Did you come to tell me this?”
“I did.”
Gowol looked at Sama Myeong with puzzled eyes. It was something he could have sent someone to tell him, or even something he would have learned without being told.
Sama Myeong revealed the reason.
“Even if no one else knows, you, at least, must know exactly how the Cult Leader thinks of the Young Cult Leader. I believe this is the most important thing for a Chief Strategist. To know exactly what kind of person the leader you serve is. A clever mind? Cold judgment? Those are all secondary.”
Gowol bowed his head respectfully.
“Thank you truly for this precious teaching.”
And he was grateful, too, that Sama Myeong had called him Chief Strategist. It meant he acknowledged him as the next Chief Strategist. For Gowol personally, it was an invaluable moment.
“Don’t stay shut up in the operations room all the time. Come out for air like this, too. Come out and look up at the sky.”
Hearing him say to look at the sky, Gowol thought of Geom Mugeuk. Young Cult Leader, are you looking at that night sky as well?
It was then, as the two of them looked up at the stars in the night sky.
Among the clustered stars, there was one that shone especially bright.
Seeing that star, Sama Myeong was startled and let out a short cry.
“Ah!”
At his surprise, Gowol asked,
“What is it?”
Disbelief gradually deepened on Sama Myeong’s face. Wondering if he was hallucinating from exhaustion, he closed his eyes and opened them again.
But that starlight remained unchanged.
In a trembling voice, Sama Myeong conveyed a shocking fact.
“The Heavenly Slaughter Star has appeared.”
“!”
Gowol was startled as well.
The Heavenly Slaughter Star.
It was a great baleful star said to shine when a great slaughterer appeared in the murim. It was not merely ominous. It was said that when the Heavenly Slaughter Star appeared, the murim would become a sea of blood.
“That star is the Heavenly Slaughter Star?”
Gowol’s voice trembled.
Because even Sama Myeong could hardly believe what he was seeing, he could not answer right away.
But it was certain. He possessed profound knowledge of astronomy as well, and there was no way he would fail to recognize the Heavenly Slaughter Star, of all things.
“It is. It is definitely the Heavenly Slaughter Star.”
“This is my first time actually seeing the Heavenly Slaughter Star.”
Surprisingly, it was Sama Myeong’s first time seeing it in person as well.
“The same goes for me.”
It was a star he had only learned of through books and hearsay.
Sama Myeong suddenly recalled the conversation he had had with Gowol last time. Could the danger the Young Cult Leader had sensed possibly be this?
“Was this what the Young Cult Leader was worried about?”
Gowol felt as though the haze that had been clouding everything until now was lifting.
“I believe so.”
If that was the case? Just how had the Young Cult Leader known that the Heavenly Slaughter Star would appear? This was not simply a matter of being well versed in astronomy. The Young Cult Leader had read the workings of Heaven.
“I will inform the Cult Leader, so you must relay this to the Young Cult Leader immediately.”
“Yes, understood.”
Suddenly, Sama Myeong realized that Gowol had somehow regained his composure.
“Are you not worried?”
“Rather, I feel reassured.”
The reason was none other than Geom Mugeuk.
“It means the Young Cult Leader predicted it accurately, does it not?”
Only someone with absolute faith in Geom Mugeuk could say such a thing. Gowol continued,
“If it is the Young Cult Leader, I suddenly feel that he may even be able to stop the one born under the Heavenly Slaughter Star.”
Sama Myeong was a man who believed there was no such thing as an optimistic strategist. A strategist was someone who always had to think of the worst outcome first.
But at least in this moment, he wanted to believe in Gowol’s optimism.
Even so, that was merely hope.
What had protected the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult until now had been his own preparations, made by thinking of the worst first. Even if the demon flame would not be lit.
“We must empty Maga Village at once.”
* * *
“We’ve arrived at Dongting Lake.”
In the distance, a lake as vast as the sea stretched out. Because it was night, the lights of the boats floating on the lake were beautiful.
“She told me to find the boat with a white flag here.”
The place where the Cheonhwa Pavilion Mistress was to meet the Divine Maiden Palace Master was one of the boats floating on Dongting Lake.
Geom Mugeuk called the Cheonhwa Pavilion Mistress, the Demon Venerables, Ian and Jang Ho, and the Ghost Shadow Unit leaders to his side.
“Tonight’s meeting will fall into one of two cases. Either the real Divine Maiden Palace Master called the Pavilion Mistress because she had something to convey in secret, or she and the Dark Palace Master have prepared a trap together. If the Divine Maiden Palace Master independently asked for this meeting, then there is no problem. We can simply enjoy a boat ride on Dongting Lake and return.”
But the Cheonhwa Pavilion Mistress was worried about one thing.
“The Divine Maiden Palace Master told me to come alone. She said she would not meet me if anyone else came with me.”
At her concern, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“To me, that sounds like she’s desperately asking you to bring everyone.”
There was a reason Geom Mugeuk thought so.
“Even if the Divine Maiden Palace Master acted on her own to tell you something, I believe the Dark Palace Master knows about it.”
He had confirmed in the underground tomb that the Dark Palace Master was someone who used people’s minds. He had used the Sword King’s heart to call forth the souls of the Twelve Zodiac Kings.
If he had joined hands with the Divine Maiden Palace Master from the beginning, then he must know what kind of person she was. There was no way he would miss her deviation.
“Through our many battles thus far, the Dark Palace Master knows me well. That means he also knows about my relationship with Lord Soma.”
How could the Dark Palace Master not know? Those fierce battles fought together with the Extreme Evil Soma. Perhaps the Demon Venerable he hated most was the Extreme Evil Soma.
“For that reason, both the Dark Palace Master and the Divine Maiden Palace Master must know that I would never send only the Cheonhwa Pavilion Mistress to this meeting alone. In other words, whether this is a trap or not, the other side will not even think that the Pavilion Mistress will come alone.”
Those listening nodded.
“Even if we concede a hundred times over and say the Divine Maiden Palace Master truly asked to meet independently, and the Dark Palace Master does not know of this, there is still no need for you to go alone. The one who wants something is the Divine Maiden Palace Master, who contacted you first. Even if you go with someone, she will not be able to refuse the meeting.”
As always, Geom Mugeuk saw through the other side, and his conclusion was clear.
The Cheonhwa Pavilion Mistress asked Geom Mugeuk,
“Then will only the Young Cult Leader and I go to that place? Or?”
“No. One of the Demon Venerables will go with us.”
They had naturally assumed he would take the Extreme Evil Soma.
“Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable, you will go with me.”
The person Geom Mugeuk asked to accompany him was the Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable. It was not merely an emotional decision.
“The other side uses dark demonic arts. The people most resistant to those dark demonic arts are me and the Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable.”
Of course, the Demon Buddha was also strong against dark demonic arts, but he had something to do outside.
The Soul-Seizing Demon Venerable was pleased. He was not simply being brought along; he was being entrusted with an important duty.
“Yes, I will go with you.”
Geom Mugeuk’s instructions continued.
“Commander Jang.”
“Yes, Young Cult Leader.”
“You and the Demon Army will wait near the lakeshore. Move under the assumption that the enemy already knows the Demon Army has arrived.”
Jang Ho’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“Yes, understood.”
They were more reliable than anyone, so Geom Mugeuk did not worry about Jang Ho and the Demon Army.
Next, Geom Mugeuk gave orders to Ian and the four unit leaders.
“The Ghost Shadow Unit and the guards will disguise yourselves as men and women in pairs, or groups of three to five, as people who have come out for a night stroll. You are to search for traces of the enemy’s ambush. If this place is a trap, there will certainly be traces of them somewhere. If you find anything, inform the Demon Army at once and move together.”
“Yes, understood.”
Then he assigned roles to the remaining three Demon Venerables as well.
“Demon Buddha, Drunken Demon, how about a boat ride after so long?”
It was a request for them to take a boat out and guard the area near the boat where today’s meeting would take place.
The Drunken Demon was excited at the thought of drinking while floating on a boat on the lake.
“I knew this would happen, so I brought wine perfect for a boat ride.”
Lastly, Geom Mugeuk entrusted a role to the Extreme Evil Soma.
“Lord Soma, please command this operation.”
It was the role of operational commander, overseeing the entire situation from outside and responding to variables—the most important role.
“Understood.”
The Extreme Evil Soma understood this order to mean that Geom Mugeuk would protect the Cheonhwa Pavilion Mistress, so he should take good care of the Ghost Shadow Unit and the Demon Army.
Geom Mugeuk spoke especially to the Ghost Shadow Unit and the guards.
“Listen well. In my demonic path, there is no individual sacrifice for the whole. Prioritize your own safety above all else. It does not matter if you let the enemy escape, and it is fine if you show cowardice. What I cannot forgive is you getting hurt or dying. And above all, do not worry about me.”
It was Geom Mugeuk’s honest feeling for his subordinates.
At that, the Drunken Demon slipped in a comment.
“Can we do that too?”
Looking at the Demon Venerables, Geom Mugeuk said,
“Of course not. Our Demon Venerables, please prioritize the mission over your own safety. You must never let the enemy escape. I will tease you about it for ages. And above all, please worry about me! The Young Cult Leader comes before your safety!”
Only the two eyes within the Extreme Evil Soma’s eye sockets laughed brightly, while the other three Demon Venerables turned their heads as if they had not heard.
Looking around at everyone, Geom Mugeuk said with vigor,
“Now then, let’s finish this matter safely and enjoy a boat ride!”
Just as they were about to begin the operation in earnest.
The Cheonhwa Pavilion Mistress, who had been looking up at the sky and praying that today’s operation would end safely, cried out in surprise.
“That star!”
So shocked was she that her eyes widened. Because it was the first time they had seen her so startled, everyone looked up at the night sky in tension.
“The Heavenly Slaughter Star has appeared!”
At the words Heavenly Slaughter Star, everyone was startled. They all knew what it meant for the Heavenly Slaughter Star to appear. It meant the arrival of a great slaughterer who would dye the gangho in blood.
The problem was that the person signified by the Heavenly Slaughter Star was not the Dark Palace Master. He had already been living through this era all along.
The emergence of a new villain.
The Demon Venerables exchanged grave looks, and the Ghost Shadow Unit leaders also traded glances with Ian. Thanks to Geom Mugeuk, the atmosphere had been exceedingly relaxed even just before the operation, but in an instant it turned cold.
Everyone’s gaze naturally turned toward Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk silently looked at the Heavenly Slaughter Star. Only Geom Mugeuk knew whom that Heavenly Slaughter Star signified.
So you’ve finally appeared.
He had hoped that he would appear as late as possible.
Because he had not yet achieved Great Completion of the twelve stars of the Nine-Fire Demonic Art, nor had he learned the final ninth technique.
But Geom Mugeuk was not afraid.
Because he had run with all his might until this moment, without regret. This was why it was good to live with every ounce of one’s strength. Even with such an overwhelming enemy before him, he did not tremble.
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze, which had been directed at the Heavenly Slaughter Star, turned toward those looking at him.
“Do not worry. Stars are not found only in the sky. We have stars on this side as well. There is a smiling star, a drunken star, a shining star, and a strange star. There is a beautiful star, and a reliable star. That star is alone, but we are many.”
At those words, the Drunken Demon smiled with drunken eyes and said,
“And among them is one that shines the most brilliantly.”
Just then, the Extreme Evil Soma, who had been listening, suddenly spoke.
“The Young Cult Leader is not a star.”
Everyone looked at him with expressions asking what he meant.
“He is the very sky itself, which allows those stars to shine.”
To the Extreme Evil Soma, if not for Geom Mugeuk, they could not have become stars.
Even the Heavenly Slaughter Star could not stop the drunken Drunken Demon’s mischief.
“Not the sky, but darkness, surely. Darkness. After all, it is darkness that makes the stars shine. That black darkness that always arrives late.”
Whether sky or darkness, no one denied the words that Geom Mugeuk had made them all shine. They had all changed greatly because of Geom Mugeuk, and these days, they were shining like stars.
Geom Mugeuk did not miss this chance to show off.
“As expected! Only our Lord Soma recognizes my true worth. Now, in that spirit, I, as the sky, will say a word to that Heavenly Slaughter Star.”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned toward the Heavenly Slaughter Star again.
“I already have countless stars…”
Geom Mugeuk’s clear, deep eyes shone more intensely than the Heavenly Slaughter Star.
“So you may lose your light in my world.”