Chapter 82: Chapter 82
If the Second Young Master and the Third Young Lady destroyed each other, who would benefit?
The First Young Master would simply sit back and reap the rewards.
“I’m not asking for much. Just let me crash here quietly. Very quietly, for a while.”
“Who says you can just do as you please?”
“Why are you being like this? You’re the one who started this. If the youngest received the Hundred Commander’s Seal, he should be the one to use it. For the third child to hijack it? That’s a foul. It sours the relationship between siblings.”
This wasn’t my doing! Sa Hae-ryeong swallowed the words surging to her throat.
“Even so, you intend to block this outright?”
“That’s why you shouldn’t have gone around putting up notices for no reason. Did you think we’d just let it slide?”
For no reason? Yes, she supposed that was right. Why had Jang I-seo done such a thing?
If he had simply come to her privately and asked for help, she would have gladly given it.
“So don’t waste your energy. Go inside. Sleep, eat, whatever. I’ll wait out here very quietly. Go rest, sister. Don’t even dream of stepping outside.”
Hah. An ultimatum out of nowhere.
Sa Hae-ryeong fixed her gaze on the grinning Mu Han-seong. Anyone would be at a loss for words in this absurd situation. But this was only the surface.
[Narak. I’ll buy time. You get outside, grab both Jang I-seo and Mao, and bring them to me.]
A sound transmission. Sa Hae-ryeong wasn’t the type to meekly obey an order to sit still.
“Why is our sister so quiet?”
After a brief moment, Mu Han-seong tossed out the remark, perhaps sensing something was off.
Perceptive as ever. Sa Hae-ryeong nodded and turned her back.
“Heh, good. Isn’t it wonderful when you listen to your brother so well? Keep it up. Stay cute, and who knows. Maybe when I become Young Cult Leader, I’ll set aside a position for you. Shall we form an alliance while we’re at it?”
Alliances were forged when both sides stood to gain.
[Now.]
The moment her eyes met Narak’s. A short transmission fired out, and simultaneously, BOOM! BANG! KWAANG! Massive explosions erupted from all directions.
At the same time, Sa Hae-ryeong and the Moon Mad Ten Ghosts launched forward, lining up to block the path. And in the gap between them, Narak vanished like dust.
“Tch! Formation mechanisms?!”
Mu Han-seong shielded his face with his sleeve, shouting with a voice laced with dismay. Yes, that was right. Jegal Gwi-ryong was Sa Hae-ryeong’s man. Did he truly think the Third Small Palace would lack defenses of this caliber?
“After him!”
Mu Han-seong confirmed Narak’s escape and roared. The Hundred Strange Brigade, momentarily hesitating, drew their weapons with a CLANG! and lunged forward. Or rather, tried to lunge.
SCHING!
Until the ground was deeply gouged in a crosshatch pattern exactly one step ahead of their toes. A distance of fifteen meters, to be precise.
“Take one more step, and the next thing planted here will be your ankles.”
The Hundred Strange Brigade flinched and looked up.
About a dozen paces ahead stood a woman who had unleashed the crosshatch sword winds almost dismissively, staring them down.
The Ice-Fire Sword Empress, Sa Hae-ryeong. It was her.
Truly overwhelming divine prowess.
Moreover, flanking her left and right were the silver-masked Moon Mad Ten Ghosts, radiating the resolve of a fight to the death.
Even for the crazed Hundred Strange Brigade, charging in blindly would be a perilous gamble.
“Hahahahaha!”
Whether Mu Han-seong sensed this as well, he suddenly burst into laughter and clapped his hands.
“Our sister is truly impressive. I knew she wouldn’t go down easy. But I didn’t expect you to send your adjutant out. Your brother got played.”
It was an honest assessment.
If Sa Hae-ryeong had shown any sign of moving herself, he or his adjutant, the Certain-Death Hand Jo Yang-ak, would have intervened.
If that had happened, no one would have escaped. Sa Hae-ryeong knew that, which was why she had moved Narak instead.
“Fine. I’ll let one go. I can’t just move entirely as my dear brother wishes, either… that would hurt my pride too.”
Mu Han-seong grinned and raised his hand. The Hundred Strange Brigade took a step back and sheathed their weapons with a CLACK!
The dispute ended here.
Sa Hae-ryeong gave a brief nod and slid both swords back into their scabbards in lieu of a reply.
‘Jang I-seo… the drinks you’re buying next time will be very expensive.’
She ground her teeth and turned her steps back toward the Third Small Palace.
* * *
Meanwhile, around the time Mu Han-seong occupied the Celestial Isle.
A pigeon carrying his news flew swiftly back to the First Small Palace.
“A message has arrived. The Second Young Master has reached the Third Small Palace.”
This was relayed into the room through the Phantom Demon Lord’s eerie voice.
Seated at his table, painting, Cheon Mu-gi brushed his strokes without hesitation. Swish! Swish! He spoke in a low tone.
“The second child must be quite angry. Look how fast he rushed over. Still, it can’t be helped. When someone seizes a treasure through sheer luck, it’s only natural for others to feel resentful. It’s a slight to those who have worked tirelessly, wouldn’t you say?”
Was he talking to himself?
Cheon Mu-gi casually lifted his gaze toward the sliding door ahead. Then he asked again.
“Does everyone not agree?”
At that, Clatter!
The sliding doors were thrown wide open, revealing the full scene beyond. A long corridor lined with dining tables, and seated before them, facing one another, were men whose numbers were too vast to count from the first row to the last.
More astonishing still were their identities.
From the division commanders in charge of practical operations, to prominent figures from every major family.
The very pillars of the Demonic Cult had all answered his summons in one go.
“You are right, First Young Master.”
“Indeed, a most just observation.”
And the majority of them voiced their agreement with Cheon Mu-gi’s stance.
Even those who had declared neutrality were no different.
‘The First Young Master holds the moral high ground. There’s nothing to be said.’
Had it been mere factional division, they might have pushed back. But he was framing it as a problem of the Third Young Lady attempting to seize what belonged to the Seventh Young Master. No one had the standing to challenge that.
Moreover, who would be foolish enough to defy the matter when the Second Young Master had joined forces over it?
This was a clear defeat for the Third Young Lady.
“I’m glad everyone seems to understand. You may return now.”
Those gathered swallowed hard at his eerie dismissal. They scrambled to their feet, bowed their heads, and withdrew.
“Now only the youngest remains.”
The Third Young Lady’s plan had failed. All that was left was dealing with the Seventh Young Master.
Naturally, it would be harsh.
Cheon Mu-gi was about to pick up his brush to finish his painting when.
“Hm?”
At the very end of the last table, there was one person.
A man still seated, wholly engrossed in his meal.
A thoroughly unremarkable face.
Most of those who had attended today had at least some prior acquaintance, leaving a faint impression. But this face was entirely unfamiliar.
Cheon Mu-gi sent a glance to the Phantom Demon Lord, but he wore an equally clueless expression. The same went for the Black Fire Guards stationed as security.
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
Surely he hadn’t come just to steal a meal.
More importantly, how had he even gotten in here?
“Who are you?”
The Phantom Demon Lord demanded in a voice thick with killing intent. But the only response was the sound of chopsticks.
The Phantom Demon Lord gave a brief nod to Cheon Mu-gi and stepped forward. He smoothly drew the sword of a nearby Black Fire Guard with a SHRING! and hurled it like a vengeful demon.
FWIIIISH!
A blade shot forth like a flash of lightning.
If he had no reason to be here, he would die. And if he did have a reason…? He would die all the same.
He had already forfeited his chance to answer.
However.
“I wasn’t finished eating yet. How rude.”
The Phantom Demon Lord and Cheon Mu-gi both saw it clearly.
The man’s face, grinning directly at them just before the sword embedded itself in his temple. And the way he tilted his head, casually dodging by a hair’s breadth.
THWACK!
The flying sword embedded itself in the far wall, leaving a deep, ringing vibration.
The man set down his chopsticks, rose from his seat, and began walking slowly toward the interior.
Swish!
Dozens of Black Fire Guards instinctively moved to block the path, shielding the First Young Master.
‘So he’s not entirely worthless.’
The First Young Master chuckled faintly, set his brush down once more, and waved toward the outside.
At the Phantom Demon Lord’s signal, the Black Fire Guards parted to open a path.
The man had already reached the front of the sliding doors.
He stopped and spoke.
“A pleasure to meet you, First Young Master.”
Steady and unwavering.
“I am the Seventh Young Master’s adjutant. Jang I-seo.”
“…!”
Jang I-seo. He had shown his face directly here at the First Small Palace.
To meet the First Young Master, Cheon Mu-gi.
*
“The Seventh Young Master’s adjutant, you say…?”
In place of the silent Cheon Mu-gi, the Phantom Demon Lord spoke.
Though his expression was hidden beneath bandages, his eyes alone betrayed a mix of disbelief and absurdity.
And Cheon Mu-gi, who had maintained an impassive facade throughout, felt the same.
‘At the very moment when the youngest’s fate is to be decided, his adjutant comes to me?’
He scoffed inwardly.
In the dozens of scenarios he had predicted, this situation existed in none of them.
Perhaps that was why his first emotion toward Jang I-seo was curiosity.
“You dare call yourself an adjutant and sneak in here without permission?”
The Phantom Demon Lord’s raspy voice lashed out.
“Sneaked in is a bit harsh. I just showed them this, and they let me right through.”
Jang I-seo pulled out an identity token from his inner robe. On one side was a demon insignia, and on the back was the character for “three.” A divine token designating a Third Grade Ghost.
Seeing this, the Phantom Demon Lord’s eyes widened, and the Black Fire Guards darkened.
Today was a gathering of one hundred prominent figures.
It was customary to grant passage to high-ranking officials of Third Grade Ghost status without question.
However.
“Nonsense. An uninvited wretch brazenly taking a seat can only mean you came to spy. Do not overstep yourself.”
At the Phantom Demon Lord’s rebuke, Jang I-seo’s eyes went round.
Not bad. When he threw that sword, I thought he was just an ignorant brute. But he does have a brain.
However.
“Spy? Why would you think that? Was today’s gathering something so dishonorable that it warranted spying? Or is that simply the excuse of someone desperate to deflect from their own blunder?”
“Shut your mouth! How dare a mere adjutant run his mouth to someone of my station?”
“I’m an adjutant too. Same rank, Third Grade Ghost.”
“You little…”
BOOM! A detonation erupted from the Phantom Demon Lord’s body along with a massive surge of energy. Unable to hold back any longer, his internal energy had exploded.
Seeing this, Jang I-seo nodded as if he had expected it.
‘First Young Master’s adjutant, the Phantom Demon Lord. Smarter than I heard, but lacking in patience. His martial arts… undoubtedly top-tier among adjutants. A troublesome opponent in every respect.’
Swift analysis befitting the Hidden Pavilion’s finest agent.
However, the cost of extracting this information through provocation appeared devastating.
The Black Fire Guards had already cut off his retreat, and the aura radiating from the Phantom Demon Lord was intense enough to blow through the ceiling.
A grand fiend whose realm rivaled the Elders, far beyond what Jang I-seo could handle.
Of course, he had a safety net.
“Hwan-sa.”
The one person who could extinguish the Phantom Demon Lord’s volcanic fury with a single utterance of his name.
The First Young Master, Cheon Mu-gi, whose lips were faintly curved upward.
It was him.
“He is the man the youngest sent to me. We should at least hear him out, shouldn’t we?”