Chapter 209. I Did Not Want to Fall to My Inner Demon.

Alongside the Four Great Villains, I watched the forces of the Demon Cult arrive around the Cheonli Inn. I could not tell at once how many had arrived, but they unfurled enormous rolls of red cloth and, setting up pillars here and there, blocked off the outside of the Cheonli Inn.

“What are they doing?”

The Sword Demon answered.

“It means the Red Human King’s forces have arrived.”

Of course I had heard the title before.

That was because, in the Demon Cult, there were only four masters whose titles bore the word king. They were the Four Heavenly Kings, who stood directly beneath the Left and Right Envoys of Light. But the red curtain began in the east and soon stopped in the north.

It was nothing particularly remarkable, but I had never seen such a huge curtain before, so I found it fascinating. Though it was quite a distance from the Cheonli Inn, the northeast seemed to have been painted red with a giant brush.

Only then did flags bearing the words Human King begin fluttering here and there across the red curtain. Before long, however, a snow-white curtain appeared and began moving from the north toward the west.

After painting it red, they were now painting it white. The snow-white curtain that had just set out stopped in the west after a short while.

Because of the Red Human King’s appearance, I had a feeling I knew who the white faction belonged to. I looked at the Third Young Master, who was watching with us, and asked.

“Is that the White Heavenly King’s faction?”

“It is.”

“Do all four of the cult’s Heavenly Kings ever take the field?”

The Third Young Master answered.

“There has never been such a case. I do not know whether they came to fight or to take control, but until now the Four Heavenly Kings have never moved all at once. If they came to take control, then there is a chance they are all here.”

I had no choice but to tilt my head as well.

“This is too showy. Isn’t it just a bluff?”

If the Four Heavenly Kings were executives immediately beneath the Left and Right Envoys of Light, it was not so strange for them to covet the Left Envoy’s position. Even so, I thought this was far too excessive a force.

After all, there were only six of us.

The blue curtain that began in the west ended in the south, and the black curtain that began in the south finally came to an end in the east.

The east, west, south, and north of the Cheonli Inn were surrounded by curtains of red, white, blue, and black, and on the flags rising here and there were written Human King, Heavenly King, Earth King, and Nether King.

Judging by the flags alone, it meant that all four of the Demon Cult’s Great Protectors had taken the field.

When combined with the colors.

They were the Red Human King, the White Heavenly King, the Blue Earth King, and the Black Nether King.

It was as if the combination of Heaven, Earth, and Man had been joined by the underworld as well.

From the start, I had expected that the battle at the Cheonli Inn would not be easy. That was because, around this time in my previous life, there was a possibility that the Sword Demon had somehow fallen victim to the Demon Cult, after which all news of him ceased.

The Sword of Light was retrieved by the Demon Cult.

News of the Sword Demon ceased.

The Lust Demon wasted his years on liquor and women, then, having no other choice after being branded a public enemy, threw himself into the Demon Cult.

These were the events I could roughly anticipate.

Even so, for even the forces of the Four Heavenly Kings to appear was far too excessive.

“Senior, this matter of retrieving the Sword of Light seems to have grown too large. Did you know they would come like this?”

The Sword Demon answered.

“I did not know they would come like this.”

“Hmm.”

I scratched the back of my head for a moment. It was not as if I could ask the Sword Demon, “How did you get done in during my previous life?” Then I heard the miscellaneous noise of troops arriving, and just as expected, there were many of them.

It was one bewildering thing after another.

The Lust Demon must have been flustered as well, for he asked his master.

“There are too many troops. Master, it may be disadvantageous to meet them all in one place. How about breaking through one side and fighting our way out? I also doubt whether those bastards will truly come at us one by one in a rotating duel.”

The Sword Demon answered.

“With that many troops, the damage to the surroundings would be great. In their own way, those bastards have limited the battlefield so as not to get entangled with the White Path, so there is no need for us to go out of our way to leave.”

The Ghost Demon also spoke.

“To think so many troops would come merely to retrieve a sword.”

When the Four Great Villains looked at the Sword Demon, he shook his head.

“They came to kill me. The Sword of Light is only the pretext. And if they intend to kill me, then that many troops would have to gather.”

“Did you expect all Four Heavenly Kings to come from the beginning?”

“Even if the Four Heavenly Kings are not here, many elders will be mixed in among them.”

If they were elders of the Demon Cult, then naturally they were the great demons of the previous generation. If Im Sobaek were to appear in this situation leading the Murim Alliance, this would be a miniature version of the Righteous-Demonic War.

Because the scale had grown far too large, I rose from my seat, put my hands on my waist, and walked around, looking at the Demon Cult forces filling every direction. Then I spoke to Chilgyeom.

“Chilgyeom.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Far too many of them have gathered, haven’t they?”

Chilgyeom nodded.

“I did not expect this either.”

“When did your lord say he would arrive?”

“That, I do not know.”

At that moment, a man from the Demon Cult approached, holding something like a cult edict in his hand. He came near the Cheonli Inn, stopped, and said this.

“I have words to deliver to the former Left Envoy. May I go and convey them?”

The Sword Demon nodded.

“Come.”

The messenger arrived before the inn and spoke to the Sword Demon.

“The news that the former Left Envoy is detaining the Third Young Lord has been delivered to the Cult Leader. Is this true?”

The Sword Demon answered.

“It is not.”

The messenger looked at the Third Young Master and said.

“That is a relief. Young Lord, please return. A carriage has been prepared.”

The Third Young Master answered.

“I have not been detained, but I have no intention of returning either.”

The messenger said.

“He said that if you remain with an apostate and show hostility toward the cult, you too, Young Lord, will soon be dismissed.”

“Whose words are those?”

“They are the Human King’s words.”

“Tell the Human King this. Whether I remain in the position of Young Lord and am killed by my brothers, or am branded an apostate and killed, it is all the same.”

“Understood.”

The Sword Demon asked the messenger.

“What is that edict?”

Only then did the messenger unfold the edict and read.

“I deliver these words. The former Left Envoy shall return the Sword of Light to the cult. If he returns it without dispute, the former Left Envoy’s life shall be extended by five more years before his crimes are judged. If the former Left Envoy personally returns to the cult carrying the Sword of Light and petitions for judgment, then in consideration of his past merits, the elders and the Four Heavenly Kings will aid in securing a pardon so that he is not sentenced to the severest punishment. Furthermore, this is proclaimed to those who are with the apostate: if you escape this encirclement and seek to bide your time for the future, the survivors of the Mong Family, the Hao Clan, and the Yukhab Sect will be treated the same as the apostate. It is hoped that the three of you will not aid the former Left Envoy and show hostility toward the cult.”

Having finished speaking, the messenger folded the edict.

“That is all.”

The Sword Demon asked the messenger.

“Have many of the elders come as well?”

“Yes. If you escape from this place, the forces that have come this far plan to head for the Mong Clan first. As for everyone except the former Left Envoy, you need only go to the elders now, plead guilty, and withdraw.”

At the messenger’s words, I replied.

“We’ve really been marked, huh.”

The messenger looked at me and answered.

“Yes, Lord of Haomun.”

“Tell those old fiends I’m sorry.”

“I cannot convey such words.”

“Confirmed.”

The messenger looked around at everyone, then said,

“I will give you one gak. Please inform us of your answer. I shall withdraw.”

I waved at the messenger.

“Take care.”

“Yes.”

After the messenger left, I looked at the Four Great Villains.

“This has gotten big. So if we run, they’re saying they’ll strike our forces?”

The Ghost Demon answered.

“I have no forces. That must be what they mean in words. That they’ll kill everyone around us.”

The Sword Demon spoke in a bitter tone.

“It should be enough for those with skill to settle things among themselves. Yet to the very end, they pressure me in the way I hate most.”

I looked around at our surroundings, encircled by colorful tents, and asked,

“What are the chances the Cult Leader has arrived?”

The Third Young Master shook his head.

“An excessive number of troops have already arrived. They deliberately sent more than ten times what we would have expected, to make us feel pressured first.”

Everyone looked at the Sword Demon. The Sword Demon spoke with a sneer on his lips.

“Even if they swarm in like this, they cannot kill me anyway. I am more curious what they were thinking when they established a siege like this.”

It was a slightly strange thing to ask, but since I was curious, I had no choice but to ask.

“Even troops like this are no use against you, senior?”

The Sword Demon nodded.

“That is so.”

I looked at the Demonic Cult’s forces and thought hard. I pondered while looking at the Sword Demon’s expression, calm from beginning to end.

“Is this perhaps siege warfare?”

The Lust Demon answered.

“What siege warfare? There isn’t even a castle.”

“They said that if we escape, they’ll attack Haomun or the Mong Clan, so we’re trapped. And because we’re trapped, once food runs out, we’ll be isolated in a castle. Only by killing all the Demonic Cult’s troops before the food runs out will the siege end. There’s no castle, but that’s the mood. These bastards didn’t come here intending to fight for just a day or two. They plan to surround us and let us wither to death. If Senior Sword Demon or I go on a rampage, the elders will attack together.”

The Lust Demon nodded.

“Then we have no choice but to kill them all.”

I asked the Ghost Demon.

“What do you think?”

The Ghost Demon gave the same answer.

“Then we have no choice but to kill them all.”

I asked the Third Young Master as well.

“If we fight, you’ll have nowhere to return to.”

“I have nowhere even now.”

Lastly, I confirmed the Sword Demon’s intentions.

“Senior, it seems this won’t end unless we kill them all.”

The Sword Demon nodded.

“If none of you have regrets, let us do that.”

Just then, the messenger’s voice came from the Demonic Cult’s side.

“One gak has passed. Former Left Envoy and companions, surrender.”

When we did not answer, there suddenly came the sound of something bending in unison, and outside the tents, a black rain of arrows shot up into the air.

I stared up at the sky with my mouth open, utterly dumbfounded.

“No… arrows?”

As soon as I drew my wooden sword, I tried to do something, but there were too many arrows. With no other choice, I stood still and struck down only the arrows that were about to touch my body. In an instant, hundreds of arrows were embedded around the inn.

When I listened closely, the sound of bowstrings being drawn was continuing again.

“Let’s go inside for now.”

I entered the Cheolli Inn with the others and watched outside the window. In an instant, the sound of bowstrings snapping rang out noisily, and this time flaming arrows shot up into the air.

“Haha.”

I burst out laughing because it was so absurd.

“Wow, flaming arrows.”

I looked around at the Cheolli Inn’s final appearance. Soon, it would burn down and disappear. It was certain that inns I stayed in often caught fire. Before long, arrows struck the ceiling with a tremendous clatter, and flames began to catch.

I cursed and yawned, then went outside the inn. Flames added to flames, and the roof of the Cheolli Inn was already being engulfed by the fire. It was one absurdity after another, so my head went briefly dizzy.

We watched the Cheolli Inn being swallowed by flames, then looked around. All we could see were tents rippling in red, white, azure, and black. Then, a voice I had never heard before rang out.

“Left Envoy, all you need to do is hand over the Light Sword. Must you be so prideful?”

It was a voice that could be heard clearly because of profound internal energy.

The Sword Demon answered.

“Elder Byeok, it has been a long time. What is the meaning of these arrows? You come out first and let us have a bout.”

This time, an old man’s voice came from the west.

“Sword Demon, it is truly detestable how you pretend to be calm even in this situation.”

There were not only old men’s voices. From beyond the tents to the south, a voice that felt relatively young rang out, imbued with internal energy.

“The Sword Demon is invincible, is he…? I respected you when you were in the cult. But I respected you because you were with the cult. No matter how exceptional you are, did you not become strong thanks to the cult’s consideration and aid all this time? Left Envoy, return to the cult.”

From here and there, threats, mockery, envy, and jealousy from the demons poured down upon the Sword Demon. For the moment, the attack had stopped.

It felt as if I were the one being mocked. As soon as the Demonic Cult’s masters finished speaking, I clapped with all my might. A loud applause burst out, as if my palms were slapping each other across the face.

“Haha, the Demonic Cult has fiery tongues too. Good. That’s how our Demonic Cult should be.”

I had only managed to say one thing, but the Sword Demon spoke to the Lust Demon.

“Third, hold him. It seems his madness is acting up.”

“Yes.”

I took a few steps toward the Demonic Cult’s forces, only to be seized by the Lust Demon and dragged back. The Ghost Demon rushed over and wrapped one arm around my neck, leaving me unable to speak.

“Let go for a bit.”

The Ghost Demon raised his voice.

“Sect Leader, stay still. I told you not to fight alone. Eldest Brother must have a plan too. Calm down. Calm down, I said. Settle your mind. We have to fight for a long time anyway.”

I raised both hands as if surrendering.

“Confirmed, confirmed. Fine.”

When I was caught and brought back to the inn that had all but collapsed, the Sword Demon looked at me.

“I’ll step forward first.”

If our eldest brother said he would go first, then this was a situation where we had to yield. I was also extremely curious to see how the Sword Demon fought.

But as the Sword Demon walked alone toward the broad open space, the Radiant Light Sword was nowhere to be seen on him.

I looked at the Lust Demon and asked.

“Where is his sword?”

The Lust Demon smiled with a strange expression.

“Get a hold of yourself. It was a demon sword from the start.”

“Is that so?”

As the Sword Demon walked toward the Demonic Cult forces, he said,

“Elders, come out. If you covet the position of Left Envoy, you’ll have to defeat me in the end.”

Someone answered from beyond the tents.

“Of course. That’s how it should be.”

From behind the red tent, an old man with a head full of white hair sprang up and then descended without a sound. Recalling the voice, it was the old man the Sword Demon had called Elder Byeok earlier.

Elder Byeok slowly approached the Sword Demon and asked.

“Where is the Radiant Light Sword?”

The Sword Demon looked at Elder Byeok in silence, his arms folded. In that instant, our gazes turned toward something that abruptly shot up from the wreckage of the Thousand-Li Inn.

Swish!

The Radiant Light Sword, which had been buried in the rubble, rose into the air on its own and was flying toward the Sword Demon. It was such an absurd sight that even as I watched it with my own two eyes, a laugh escaped me. The Lust Demon let out a short sigh and said,

“Heart-Demon Sword Control.”

At those paradoxical words—that one fallen into a heart demon controlled a sword—I nodded.

If so, the Sword Demon’s actions all this time...

Were the same as saying he had not wanted to fall into his heart demon.

Because he had trained with a wooden sword.