Silver Dragon Chronicle – Episode 59
It wasn’t that Seosi was particularly fond of women. He was simply a bit kinder to them than to men; that alone didn’t mean he was interested in women.
It was just that Yeom Hwihyeon’s mental state was twisted.
Seosi, who had been sighing with a troubled expression, broke into a grin and spoke.
“If you meet Yeom Hwihyeon, pass this on. ‘You damn chicken-head, didn’t I tell you not to call me like that? You rotten bird!’ That’s what I want you to say.”
“Yes……”
“What’s so wrong about me being a bit nicer to women that he spouts such nonsense about me being fond of them!”
Seosi muttered with a face full of complaint.
“But, Mister.”
“Haah……”
At Jehwa’s call, Seosi let out a deep sigh.
‘I really can’t even smack that kid once.’
He couldn’t hit a clueless child, and Seosi was truly at a loss.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“Why did you let the guy who made Gaeju like that get away? Someone at your level shouldn’t have let him slip.”
“……”
Silent at Jehwa’s question, Seosi let out yet another deep sigh.
“Yeah, I could’ve caught him easily. I wouldn’t have let him get away. But while I was trying to catch him, the guy used a strange power.”
“Strange power?”
“Was it close to demonic qi? No, it was purer than that. But it was definitely not good. Pure evil—that kind of feeling.”
“Pure…… evil?”
At Seosi’s words, Hong Yuhwa’s face hardened.
“Do you have any idea what it might be?”
“My grandfather could have caught those guys fleeing here too, but he said he let them get away. And he said something similar to what you said, Lord Seosi.”
“Something similar to what I said……”
Seosi’s face turned grave.
“That so-called Demon God’s Gem—does it really not hold any threatening power?”
“It doesn’t. In the long history of the Demon Realm, no demon has ever drawn power from that gem. But I have heard that it possesses a mysterious power.”
“A mysterious…… power……”
Watching Seosi fall deep into thought, Hong Yuhwa tilted her head.
“Well, it’s a relief there’s no dangerous power. Still, we can’t just leave them be. Catch them as quickly as possible.”
At Seosi’s words, Hong Yuhwa nodded.
The Blood Cult. Known as the most notorious and evil organization in the Central Plains Murim, a place whose doctrine was the absurd belief of purifying the world through blood.
“Kurk!”
Hyeolgwang, the leader of the Blood Cult, spat out blood.
“Y-you bastard……”
“What, did that woman and that kid get away?”
A man with dark crimson hair looked around with a disappointed expression.
Hyeolgwang, known to possess considerable martial might even in the Central Plains Murim, was rolling on the ground without putting up any resistance. It had been ages since his personal guard unit had all died by that man’s hand.
A terrifying man with dark crimson hair who had appeared alone at the place where the cult leader resided and turned it into a sea of blood.
“From today, I’m taking over the Blood Cult.”
The man declared with a smirk.
***
The Blood Cult, which had been gathering forces in the West.
And the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Murim Alliance, and the Saryeon Alliance, all tense as they kept the Blood Cult in check.
One day, while this perilous tightrope act continued, the Blood Cult invaded the Central Plains Murim.
Chapter 17. Rest
“Keok!”
Sawollin was shocked by the news the demonic spirit brought.
“The Blood Cult stormed Xinjiang? Are these bastards crazy?”
Watching Sawollin’s dumbfounded expression, the third captain of the Demonic Spirit Unit carefully spoke.
“They’ve invaded not only Xinjiang, but also Qinghai and Sichuan.”
“What?”
At those words, Sawollin’s face went blank.
“Wait, you’re saying they split their forces into three?”
“Yes.”
“Just how much do they look down on us……”
“But they wouldn’t do something as insane as splitting their forces without reason. The cult orders you to return to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult immediately……”
“Huu……”
Sawollin let out a deep sigh.
“Should I go back?”
He had come out for Jehwa’s revenge, but now that the Blood Cult was moving so openly, it would be best to head to the front lines against them.
“Anyway, Jehwa has to get here first.”
Having said that, Sawollin blankly looked up at the sky.
Just as Seosi and Seoryongseon disappeared into the Palace of the Blue Dragon, and Jehwa and Hong Yuhwa were about to leave, Heukhwa called out to Hong Yuhwa.
“Princess.”
“Hmm?”
“Word has come from Bjern.”
At Heukhwa’s words, Hong Yuhwa’s eyes went wide.
“He found him?”
“He found him.”
“Hoo?”
Hong Yuhwa smiled with narrowed eyes. And from those eyes, even a sticky killing intent flowed.
“Where is he?”
“It seems he has taken over a place called the Blood Cult.”
“The Blood Cult? Those weirdos?”
At Heukhwa’s words, Hong Yuhwa tilted her head and then looked at Jehwa.
“Blood…… Cult.”
Jehwa blankly mumbled those two words.
“Did something happen to those rotten bastards?”
Watching Jehwa’s eyes flash with killing intent, Hong Yuhwa broke out in a cold sweat and laughed awkwardly.
“Ahaha! The guys I’m chasing seem to have taken over that place, or something……”
Then Jehwa said with an indifferent face.
“Is that so? If I meet them later, I’ll just kill them.”
“……”
At Jehwa’s gruesome words, Hong Yuhwa muttered inwardly.
‘Ah, a troublesome matter disappeared.’
If Jehwa had the ability to read minds, Hong Yuhwa would not have been safe right now.
“I'm back.”
With an indifferent face, Jehwa returned to where Sawollin was.
“Yoohoo!”
At the thought of a troublesome matter disappearing, Hong Yuhwa’s expression was nothing but bright.
“A tremendous noise was echoing from the direction of Gaeju…… Did you get into a fight?”
Seeing Sawollin ask with a worried face, Jehwa nodded.
“Yeah.”
Seeing Jehwa no different from usual, Sawollin let out a sigh of relief.
“But, you know.”
Sawollin carefully opened his mouth.
“Hmm?”
“The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult sent word to return to the cult.”
At Sawollin’s words, Jehwa spoke.
“I know.”
“What?”
“And I heard the Blood Cult has come picking a fight?”
“Huh? How did you……”
Sawollin’s eyes went wide in surprise at Jehwa’s words. How could Jehwa know information that he himself had just heard?
“Hmph!”
Just then, Hong Yuhwa crossed her arms with a smug expression. At that sight, Sawollin realized that Hong Yuhwa had relayed the information to Jehwa.
“Where do you get all that information?”
Nothing was known about Hong Yuhwa. He had told the demonic spirits to investigate her, but they too had thrown their hands up in the air, finding it incredibly difficult to dig up anything on her.
‘Come to think of it……’
Hong Yuhwa had once said something. That she was a demon.
‘Nah, no way!’
Sawollin smirked and denied that thought inwardly.
“Me? I have my own channels for gathering information!”
“That person called Heukhwa?”
“Yeah, and besides him, I have other little minions. Heeheehee!”
As Hong Yuhwa spoke with a victorious smile, Sawollin grimaced and soon asked Jehwa.
“What are you going to do?”
“What else? I'll go kill them all.”
Jehwa answered with a bright smile. The sight was both beautiful and horrifying.
“Huh? Is everything done?”
The next morning, I Seolhye, who had been sleeping deeply, asked with bleary eyes, and Hong Yuhwa nodded.
“Yeah, the investigation is over.”
“Heh? What investigation?”
“Ah, to see if the culprit who killed everyone in Gaeju was still there. Or if he left any traces.”
“……What would you have done if he really was there?”
“I'd have fought him.”
Hong Yuhwa answered I Seolhye’s question with a smirk.
“Could you beat a murderer like that?”
“Yeah.”
Watching Hong Yuhwa speak confidently, I Seolhye narrowed her eyes and asked, and once again Hong Yuhwa confidently nodded.
“Come to think of it……”
She had forgotten because they traveled together, but the girl in front of her was a complete monster.
“You're a monster, aren't you?”
“Who are you calling a monster?”
“……”
I Seolhye flinched at Hong Yuhwa, who spoke with narrowed eyes.
“I-I just mean…… you're incredibly strong! S-so…… monster is just…… I mean incredibly!”
Thwack!
Hong Yuhwa smacked I Seolhye on the head with her fist.
“You really have a way with words.”
“Ack! My head!”
I Seolhye grabbed her head and started groaning. Watching her, Hong Yuhwa snorted.
In the past, someone who said something she didn't like would have been half-killed, and if the opponent was a human, killing them lightly would have been nothing.
But being with Jehwa, she couldn't recklessly kill people around her.
And from spending time together, they had become close.
“Pack your things. We're heading to Xinjiang.”
Sawollin said with a sigh as he looked at the two.
“Xinjiang?”
“The Blood Cult has finally picked a fight.”
“Eek?”
I Seolhye made a shocked expression at Sawollin’s words.
“You didn't know?”
Hong Yuhwa asked in disbelief as Sawollin packed his things.
“I slept sprawled out all day yesterday.”
Then he looked around and opened his mouth again.
“But where's Jehwa?”
A young boy stood on a cliff with his arms crossed.
Whoooooooosh.
The boy Jehwa's hair fluttered in the wind blowing from afar.
Jehwa blankly reached his hand toward the wind. As if trying to grasp it.
“Hmm.”
Jehwa, who had been blankly looking at his clenched hand, tilted his head and opened it.
“There's nothing.”
It would have been strange if there had been something in his hand after merely waving it in the air.
Jehwa, who had briefly assumed a blank expression, began to raise his aura. At that, the surrounding temperature immediately plummeted, and gradually, frost began to whirl about.
“I've changed a lot.”
Jehwa realized anew just how much he had changed.
Until recently, he had been just an ordinary boy.
Of course, his strength had been formidable enough that calling him ordinary was a stretch, but it was still within the realm of human capability.
But every step he took out into the world, Jehwa grew by leaps and bounds. He came to realize that through his fight with Seoryongseon.