Chapter 384. Crazy Bastard.
Hearing the news that the Cult Leader had visited Ilyanghyeon, I was quite shocked as I gazed at the cultists, chin in hand.
The Cult Leader seemed invincible.
He did not grieve over losing cultists, nor did he care if his children came to harm somewhere. Possessing such a mindset, he was a man largely without weaknesses.
A thought suddenly struck me.
A doubt—that perhaps he thought more of old comrades like Elder Heo and the Sword Demon than of his cultists or children. In other words, of all the Cult Leader's actions I had witnessed, the only one that had seemed the least bit human was that he had come personally to see Elder Heo.
The rest meant he had no interest.
The fact that he had left Ilyanghyeon as it was meant he had effectively taken all of Ilyanghyeon prisoner, so a sigh escaped me.
Since it seemed there was no way to deal with him no matter how much I worried, I emptied my mind for a moment.
Even the cultists before me would, the moment an order was given, rush at me without hesitation and meet their deaths.
‘He’s an incredible man.’
In my past life, I had watched cultists follow me in jumping off Manjang Cliff and wondered about it, but now I knew the clear reason. They must have feared the Cult Leader more than Manjang Cliff.
The Demonic Cult was a religious organization with many flaws and shortcomings, but—
none of those shortcomings were visible in the Cult Leader.
Whether I hated this man or not, I had no choice but to acknowledge that he was a Grandmaster.
Having abandoned my stubborn desire to somehow defeat the Cult Leader, I was watching the cultists when an order fell, and they all reached into their chests and pulled out something resembling paper.
Soon, all the cultists began chewing jerky taken out from the paper.
Surely this wasn’t breakfast?
I watched the cultists eating as a group. Not even officers like Geumho Daeju were exempt.
Everyone from top to bottom chewed jerky as they stared at me. Who knew I’d find the sight of people eating so surprising.
Resting my chin on my hand, I asked the cultists.
“……Is that enough for breakfast?”
No one answered me.
When I turned my head, the Yunnam Chilsal were preparing breakfast inside as well. I asked Bigeom Gwi, whom I met eyes with.
“How much food is left in the warehouse?”
Bigeom Gwi answered.
“Roughly thirty to forty days’ worth for several dozen people? You must have had many workers.”
I nodded and looked at Geumho Daeju.
“Geumho Daeju.”
“What is it?”
“Come in and take the food.”
Geumho Daeju, chewing jerky, laughed.
“Hahaha.”
He looked at me with an expression saying, ‘What kind of nonsense is that?’ and spoke.
“We don’t need it.”
“Why? Think it’s poisoned?”
“We have no reason to eat your handouts. You must think we look pitiful chewing jerky, but spare us the concern.”
“Then I’ll give you money, so procure food from Baek-eungji.”
This time, the cultists all laughed at my words. As the cultists laughed, someone among the Yunnam Chilsal spoke to me.
“Munju, leave them be. Since when would words like that work?”
“So you’re saying they won’t even listen when told to eat?”
Shortly after, Bigeom Gwi walked over holding out a bowl of rice with chopsticks stuck in it.
“Eat this.”
The rice was piled like a mountain, with several pieces of meat cut to size placed on top, sprinkled with a bit of seasoning.
I looked at the rice and asked Bigeom Gwi.
“Any poison?”
Bigeom Gwi snapped.
“There isn’t any!”
“Bullshit.”
Bigeom Gwi handed over the rice and went back. I grabbed the chopsticks and ate while watching the cultists. Seeing those still chewing jerky, I couldn’t help but say something.
“This is a meal, you stupid bastards. Want some?”
“……”
The cultists who had eaten jerky drank water from leather pouches as they stared at me.
Chewing my rice, I spoke to the cultists.
“……Your Cult Leader is too great; there’s no way to deal with him.”
Geumho Daeju replied.
“Munju, you are truly slow to realize.”
Eating my rice, I explained Haomun to the cultists.
“But it’s the Cult Leader who is great, not you. And the Haomun I lead outnumbers you cultists.”
“Impossible.”
“Of course, our strength is lacking compared to yours. But it’s true that our numbers are greater. Most haven’t even learned martial arts. Even so, there are bound to be some in the Murim Alliance, on the Dark Path, and among the scholars. Anyone want to become a disciple of Haomun?”
I raised the hand holding my chopsticks, then lowered it when there seemed to be no takers.
“I’ll tell you how to become a disciple of Haomun.”
Geumho Daeju answered.
“We don’t need to know.”
“Just think in your heart that you want to become a disciple of Haomun, and that’s it. There are no admission conditions, formalities, or procedures. Though I am the Munju, you don’t need to ask my permission either. When you see an old man pulling a cart while walking down the road, don’t beat or kill him without reason—just push the cart a little. That is the qualification to be a disciple of Haomun. That’s all. You can become a disciple of Haomun without giving up your loyalty to the Cult Leader. It’s a simple and easy thing.”
From behind, the Yunnam Chilsal asked.
“Is that really Haomun?”
I nodded.
“I’m the Munju; why would I lie about that?”
I scraped the rice bowl clean and set it down. Someone from behind threw something and called me.
“Munju.”
I caught what flew toward me; it was alcohol. I asked the one who threw it.
“Any poison?”
“Can’t you shut up and just drink it for once?”
“It’s my mouth.”
“If you were poisoned, we’d be killed by the Sword Demon. How could we poison you in this situation?”
I looked at the cultists and lifted the bottle.
“……Anyone want to drink? Guess not. I’ll drink alone.”
Drinking, I thought that if the Cult Leader ordered the return of Ilsal, I would have no choice but to hand it over.
Much had changed because of Ilyanghyeon and Yoran.
I drank and stared at the wooden sword Elder Heo had given me. Thinking about it, since it wasn’t mine to begin with, it didn’t much matter whether I had it or not. The people of Ilyanghyeon were more important than a single sword, and because I myself was a sword.
I quickly let go of my attachment to Ilsal.
I asked Geumho Daeju.
“This sword was a gift from Elder Heo to me; was he truly the cult’s greatest assassin?”
Geumho Daeju nodded.
“He was the publicly acknowledged Number One Killer.”
“I received it from him directly. Do you have any justification to take it back?”
“If the Cult Leader has ordered its retrieval, then it is only right that we retrieve it. Once Elder Heo retired, it was a sword he should naturally have returned. If anything, this is far too late. Moreover, Blood Night Palace acts as it pleases, so there is a high chance it will be held to account soon. If you refuse to hand over First Kill, Blood Night Palace will find itself in even greater trouble.”
I nodded.
“So that’s how it works.”
Somehow, it was similar to holding Il Yanghyeon hostage and pressuring me.
It seemed the Cult Leader had a plan for everything. If so, did that mean there was some meaning behind leaving the Sword Demon and me alive all this time? I wasn’t sure about that much.
I asked the Golden Tiger Unit Leader.
“Then it should be held by the greatest killer in the Cult, excluding Elder Heo and the Left and Right Envoys.”
The Golden Tiger Unit Leader nodded.
“According to the general law, yes.”
I showed First Kill to the cultists.
“If possible, I’d like the Number One Killer to take it. At the very least, I think you’d have to defeat me to be qualified to be called the Number One Killer, yet you keep whining while citing only the general law. Golden Tiger Unit Leader, come and take it.”
As the Golden Tiger Unit Leader stepped forward, the Silver Dragon Unit Leader, who had remained still until then, spoke.
“Stop. Golden Tiger Unit Leader.”
The Golden Tiger Unit Leader ignored the Silver Dragon Unit Leader’s words and approached me.
“I will keep it and present it to the Cult Leader. Sect Leader, hand it over.”
At that moment, something flew in and split the ground in front of the Golden Tiger Unit Leader. It seemed to have been sword qi, for the ground ahead of where the Golden Tiger Unit Leader was walking was carved into a long furrow.
The Silver Dragon Unit Leader said,
“I told you to stop.”
I reclined obliquely against the wall, propping my head up with my right arm as I watched the cultists. Still, since I was the sort who could communicate somewhat with the Golden Dragon Unit Leader, I rebuked the Silver Dragon Unit Leader.
“He says he’ll keep it and offer it to the Cult Leader, so why are you interfering? And why are you recklessly drawing a sword against a unit leader of the same rank? What an insolent bastard. Cultists, do not quarrel carelessly. This is an order from the Hao Sect Leader.”
The Golden Tiger Unit Leader glared at the Silver Dragon Unit Leader with an incredulous expression and said,
“Do not draw your sword again.”
The Silver Dragon Unit Leader said,
“Elder Heo was the Cult’s chief strategist, and in his prime, he was the second-in-command, whose martial might surpassed even the Left and Right Envoys. Apart from the Cult Leader, he was the strongest. First Kill should be held by the strongest.”
The Golden Tiger Unit Leader replied,
“Even the Left and Right Envoys have all left. How do you propose we determine the second-in-command right now? Don’t be unreasonable.”
I mediated between the cultists.
“You foolish masses, do not fight. When I told you to come and take it, I did not mean I would simply give it to you. Whether you are cultists or Hao Sect members, if you have even the slightest sense of shame, you must at least be stronger than me to be qualified to receive this. Elder Heo would think the same. Am I wrong?”
“…….”
“Your doctrine puts strength first. Strange bastards like you are hard to find anywhere else in the world. I wish you’d be a little more straightforward. The Number One Killer Elder Heo chose is me right now. If you want to take First Kill, take it with your skills. However, as I see it, the two of you unit leaders are weaker than even the Four Heavenly Kings. I’ll allow you to attack me together.”
Only then did the Golden Tiger Unit Leader’s complexion change, as if he had lost his composure for the first time. His eyes seemed to hold flames of anger.
I was inwardly surprised.
Was it truly this difficult to stir the heart of a mere unit leader? Perhaps being humiliated in front of his subordinates was even more shameful. The Silver Dragon Unit Leader, who seemed colder than the Golden Tiger Unit Leader, walked forward and said,
“……Those words are impossible to overlook. Hao Sect Leader.”
As soon as my provocation worked, I rose from the wall.
“Leaders, you should have come out like this from the start. The method of sacrificing your subordinates first and grinding them down is the method I hate most.”
My eldest brother, having finished his meal, flew up onto the wall and sat cross-legged as if to say he would not intervene.
As I leaped down from the wall, I thought this.
In the end, the foolish mass is me.
The Silver Dragon Unit Leader and the Golden Tiger Unit Leader drew their swords and charged at me at the same time. I went to meet the two unit leaders, drew First Kill, and infused it with wood qi. The unit leaders arrived in no time and swung their blades, sending out sword wind.
I wondered why they were so angry, and it seemed it was because their skills were not shoddy. Though they belonged to the Outer Hall, they felt like leaders of their own organizations by nature.
In other words, unit leader seemed to be their position within the Cult. But as I confirmed that my movements against them had become far more relaxed than before, I sensed that my martial prowess had risen.
Checking up close,
The Golden Tiger Unit Leader used a common, ordinary longsword, while the Silver Dragon Unit Leader used an oddly shaped saber whose blade resembled a fish’s teeth. The two did not seem to be on good terms, yet once they launched a joint attack, their coordination was seamless.
Every time I knocked aside the oddly shaped saber,
The Silver Dragon Unit Leader twisted the blade to alter the trajectory of my sword, and each time, the Golden Tiger Unit Leader aimed for my opening and made a surprise attack. However, I had no need to use qi beyond wood qi to defeat the two of them.
Because the wood qi of before and the wood qi of now differed in depth.
With First Kill, I deflected the two weapons while searching for an opening to land a finger technique. Perhaps because they were a swordsman and a saber wielder who had trained for a long time, I could not find one immediately. After exchanging over twenty moves, I honestly contested palm force with the Golden Tiger Unit Leader and drove ice energy into the Silver Dragon Unit Leader’s shoulder with a finger technique.
Tak!
The Silver Dragon Unit Leader swung his oddly shaped saber with a slowed body.
The Golden Tiger Unit Leader, who had been pushed back by palm force, shouted and charged at me again. I watched the trajectory of his sword, knocked it aside, and injected ice energy into his chest.
Tak!
Then I kicked the lower body of the greatly slowed Silver Dragon Unit Leader, breaking his balance, and once again injected the cold qi of the Moon Shadow Heartless Art into his chest.
Even as they staggered, the two pitifully swung their sword and saber. I stepped back, sheathed First Kill, and watched.
When I retreated…….
Even as their bodies stiffened, the two stubbornly followed me.
“Wow…….”
Their expressions were something to see. Humiliation and rage were thoroughly mixed together. In that instant, I saw the two unit leaders exchange glances. When I sensed something ominous, the two moved as if wringing out their strength and swung the oddly shaped saber and longsword at each other’s bodies.
As soon as I drew First Kill with a sword draw, I sent the two weapons flying into the air with sword wind.
With a pak sound, the spinning longsword and oddly shaped saber soon stabbed into the ground. What shocked me came next. The two inhaled at the same time, raised one hand, and struck down at their own Baihui acupoints.
As soon as I sheathed my sword, I approached the two with Dark Fragrance Step and struck them both with ice energy at the same time.
Pak!
The two unit leaders, who had frozen briefly in the motion of striking their Baihui acupoints, collapsed into sitting positions where they stood. I had prevented their suicides, but inwardly, a deep sigh escaped me.
Just what is the Demon Cult?
The two unit leaders looked at me with faces gone white, trembling violently. The cold qi must have overlapped and been circulating through their bodies. They were vicious bastards; even as they endured the cold qi with their bodies, they were not regulating their breathing and qi.
I said to the two bastards who had made breakfast of jerky,
“……Is this your usual level? It isn’t, is it?”
“…….”
“You need to eat properly if you want to fight properly, don’t you? Is the Sect Leader that scary? If you’re that scared, then die when the Sect Leader tells you to die. There’s no need to die right now. You haven’t even been ordered to die, yet if you commit suicide, that’s insubordination too. If you’re going to die, you should die with honor. What kind of childish evasion is this?”
“….”
“It was a fight to verify whether you were qualified to possess Ilsal. You’re not qualified. I’m better than you, aren’t I? If an incompetent claims Ilsal, Elder Heo will be disappointed. Elder Heo has been loyal to the sect for a hundred years. If a man like that has entrusted Ilsal to me, you ought to show some respect too.”
The Geumho Great Lord looked at me.
“Kill them.”
I shook my head.
“It has been common since ancient times to admire the brave even when their affiliation and purpose differ. Stop trying to order me around.”
“….”
I stepped back and spoke to the two men.
“I’m the sort of person who became a Gate Lord because I hate taking orders.”
I returned to the wall, sat side by side with my eldest brother, and looked at the two Great Lords with their eyes closed. Ice energy seemed to have spread throughout their bodies, with pale, hazy cold air rising to their chins and parts of their faces. The fact that they had grown stronger was palpable even to the eye.
My eldest brother, who had been watching the Great Lords, looked at me.
“Third.”
“What.”
“It seems this really is Demon Transcendence.”
I nodded and looked at my eldest brother.
“Stop flip-flopping. I’m a Mad Demon.”
My eldest brother looked at me with an impassive expression and, for the first time, cursed at me.
“Crazy bastard.”
“….”