Chapter 212: After the Assembly
Chapter 211 – After the Assembly
Those who trusted me more than the floating rumors believed my words.
But not everyone could be like that.
“I’ve seen many fellows like you. A smooth-tongued person.”
A voice full of distrust targeted me.
The people gathered here did not represent the Heaven-Rebelling Faction, nor was their voice the consensus of the Heaven-Rebelling Faction.
They were merely people who had stepped forward emotionally.
Therefore, there were many who followed the movement of emotions.
Their feeling of being unable to trust the Heavenly Demon, just as it had been until now, was felt in its entirety.
Humans move by inertia. Once they make up their minds, they rarely change them.
“If I were only smooth-tongued, there would be no reason for me to be standing here, would there?”
“……Still, I don’t believe it. Have we been fooled only once or twice?”
The deeds I had performed directly contradicted his words.
However, eyes that were already covered did not believe even after seeing.
‘It’s difficult.’
A group cannot have everyone be the same.
If there existed a group where everyone had only a single thought and made only a single voice, that in itself would be problematic.
I knew this, but the current situation was difficult and frustrating.
A person’s mind can become more complex than any knot depending on the situation.
Did I really have to shoulder all of this?
Although they were deceived, the perplexity of whether I had to go out of my way to shoulder even these kinds of people struck my chest.
“I believe!”
It was then that another voice was heard.
A shout denying the pettiness of the Heaven-Rebelling Faction surrounding the Great Martial Arena resounded clearly.
“The Heavenly Demon is not someone who would tell a lie!”
It was the man who had said a few days ago that he would offer his life to me.
He was just one of the ordinary, common demons, but because of that, his voice exerted a powerful presence.
“He is someone who always surpasses himself and always surprises us! Do not boast of your insignificant pettiness to such a person!”
Im A-hyeong.
The subsequent shout shook the atmosphere.
The Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard, who had spoken those words to Im A-hyeong, showed his pride with an awkward smile.
“Stop talking nonsense and get lost! Or come up onto the Great Martial Arena confidently! I will deal with you! I will smash your pettiness along with your mouth!”
It was Jeok So-byeok.
His bold personality, which had swung fists at me without hesitation, blazed like fire.
Beside such Jeok So-byeok, Yeom Jin-muk grinned and raised his momentum.
The countless demons standing behind them.
‘A crowd’ that had gathered from the Heaven-Obeying Faction and Heaven-Rebelling Faction under the flag of the Heavenly Demon raised their momentum together.
“Tsk……”
The demons, completely overwhelmed by the momentum, crept backward.
Although their gazes glaring at me remained as if they did not like the current situation, it was clear that their spirits were broken.
[It is not bad.]
“……Yes.”
It was the sight of the seeds I had sown knowingly or unknowingly sprouting.
As I watched those sights, a feeling that could not be explained in words seemed to strike my chest.
‘Should I think about it again?’
Originally, I did not have much attachment to the position of the Heavenly Demon.
Master Heavenly Demon had wanted it, and I had merely accepted it as if shouldering it due to the strong wishes of Yi Hwa, Old Jong, and the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guards.
Rather, every time I referred to myself as the Heavenly Demon, I had to struggle to hold back my embarrassment.
I was only sitting on it temporarily for a moment and intended to step down soon.
Once the affairs in the Heavenly Demon Cult were wrapped up, I planned to hand over the position to Yi Gang-cheon and withdraw.
But now, it seemed my thoughts had changed a little.
[Hm? Wake up, disciple.]
‘Yes?’
It was then that Master Zhang Sanfeng’s warning flew in.
[It seems now is not the time to be distracted.]
‘Is there something I missed…… Hmm?’
As I looked around slightly flustered, there were things caught by my senses.
‘This is……’
[They are coming.]
Disgusting presences felt from the surroundings!
‘Blood Cult?’
It was not just one or two.
They seemed to sweep in hazily like a desert sandstorm.
‘At this moment?’
The timing was so perfect, as if they had targeted the moment a dispute arose with the Heaven-Rebelling Faction.
Although I could not know exactly what they were thinking, I felt a strong malice.
It was not once or twice that the Blood Cult or the Crane had caused confusion by triggering crazy incidents internally.
‘Nothing good will come from letting them approach.’
Since I did not know what they were aiming for, I would bury them before they did anything foolish.
Following the rational (?) judgment, I sought the most effective method.
The Blood Net Gang Lines, a martial art I had learned from Master Heavenly Demon, was a martial art that drew out astral qi refined as thinly as thread.
Although it could be operated similarly to the silver threads used by the Unorthodox Path, because it utilized astral qi that could cut iron like clay, its powerful anti-personnel lethality and its splendor were beyond description.
Though Master Heavenly Demon himself had treated it as a trivial trick.
He had evaluated it unenthusiastically, saying that while it might be good to play with as a hand toy, its limits were clear, so it was a martial art that could not reach transcendence.
However, when I first encountered this martial art, an idea had suddenly occurred to me.
‘If I could pour my infinite internal energy within the range permitted by my vessel, what form would it take?’
Master Heavenly Demon had evaluated it as a mere hand trick, but it was the standard of the masters to view even decent high-level martial arts as basic or introductory levels.
Then, would it not be just the right level for someone of my standing to use?
‘It should be fine, right?’
I had felt embarrassed about showing off something, but now an impulse to show something arose.
That impulse led to action.
A thin red thread of astral qi drawn from my fingertips, a gang thread, stretched out.
About five zhang (about 15m).
The range that could be drawn out without overexerting myself was exactly up to this point.
‘Further from here……’
As I concentrated and poured in my internal energy, the red gang thread began to be drawn out longer.
From a length of five zhang, it surpassed six and seven zhang to reach ten zhang.
“Heup?!”
“Th-That……”
“Wh-What in the world……”
There was no way the surroundings could fail to see it.
They gasped and could not continue speaking at the red gang threads of the Blood Net Gang Lines that grew endlessly longer.
‘More……’
Nevertheless, I did not stop.
The length of the red gang thread became several times longer.
My state, with my entire mind perfectly concentrated through the Clear Brightness Mind Method, was almost close to a state of self-lessness.
However, even that had its limits.
‘More is escaping than is being filled.’
Now, even maintaining it was overwhelming.
The thin thread seemed to exceed the weight of ten thousand geun.
It was as if I was holding Mount Tai in one hand.
My body, refined by the masters in heaven, screamed that it was at its limit.
I did not know if I could even wield this.
“Twenty zhang? No, at that rate, even thirty zhang……”
“What kind of internal energy……”
Astonished voices popped up from all directions.
I felt as if a hole had been popped open in one side of my chest that had been tightly blocked!
Surprisingly, it seemed I did not dislike receiving attention.
‘Then I must do it even out of stubbornness!’
I could not end it here embarrassingly.
I swung my right hand, which was as heavy as if Mount Tai had been placed upon it, with all my might.
Fwararararak!
The red gang threads wilded like a surging melody, burning the atmosphere.
Following the trajectory of my fingertips drawing a diagonal line, the red gang threads drew a vivid line in the air.
The thread of astral qi, which could cut rocks just by touching, stretched out exhilaratingly while burning the air.
Chwaaaaaaaa!!
It split the world in half.
The power to cut all objects in front of me severed everything.
The disgusting presences approaching from afar were no exception.
Amidst the objects severed at waist height falling noisily, it was clearly heard from between them.
The short death throes uttered by the disgusting fellows who were slaughtered in an instant.
A single hand swept away everything.
“Heo……”
An admiring sigh flowed out amidst the dense silence that dominated.
Old Jong.
It meant it was a strike of such caliber that even he, one of the Demonic Sovereigns who were the absolute authorities of the Heavenly Demon Cult, admired it.
The hard work was worthwhile.
Well, if it were the masters, they would be clicking their tongues, saying I was over-immersed in a mere hand trick.
Indeed, the preparation time was also uselessly long, making it difficult to use in actual combat.
But anyway, my chest felt refreshed.
No more disgusting presences were felt.
“Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard.”
“……Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard, we receive your command!”
Perhaps because the lingering impression had not completely settled yet, the speed of their response was a bit slow.
Nonetheless, like elites, they immediately snapped out of it, knelt on one knee, and awaited orders.
“The numbers have increased a bit?”
“……Forgive our rudeness!”
It seemed those who followed the fake Heavenly Demon had newly joined.
For me, it was something to welcome.
I also had some questions.
“It seems a problem has arisen on the Heaven-Obeying Faction’s side. Do you know anything about it?”
“……Since the minor demons had been confined to their quarters for a while, we do not know the detailed information.”
“Is that so?”
“We are deeply sorry.”
The newly joined members of the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard did not know what to do with themselves out of apology.
Their expressions looked as if they would plunge their faces into a dish of water right away if one were offered to them.
“It seems the situation requires us to hurry more than I thought. We might clash head-on with the Heaven-Obeying Faction. Will you be okay?”
“Use us as you wish! We will carry out your command even if we must offer our lives!”
It was a truly loyal declaration.
However, instead of answering, I glanced slightly at Baek Gi-seo.
As if he had thought of the same thing, Baek Gi-seo smiled awkwardly.
As if realizing something, the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guard let out a low groan and changed his declaration.
“……We will carry out your command.”
Only then did I wear a smile.
“There will be many difficult things. Perhaps we might even have to wipe out the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline.”
“If it is such a matter, please leave it to us by all means!”
At the mention of possibly slitting the throats of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline, the voices of the Heavenly Demon’s Personal Guards suddenly grew louder.
The awkwardness of not knowing what to do with themselves disappeared, and they returned to peerless warriors who could tear a tiger apart with a single finger, their eyes flashing brightly.
It was like looking at a wild beast released from its leash.
“I shall look forward to it.”
My heart felt reassured by the shouts of these people who were loyal only to me.
“Let’s go!”
As I turned around with the command, those who followed me clung to me like shadows.
Those left behind, those who distrusted me, remained in their places like stone statues.
***
Ma Gwan was from a prestigious family even within the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Ma Gwan, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had grown up receiving all kinds of benefits, was fortunately even gifted with innate talent.
Selected as an anticipated rising star, Ma Gwan had been drawing attention as a talent who would become an expert of at least the Demonic Monarch level, or perhaps even the Demonic King level.
Whether it was because of the environment or his born temperament, Ma Gwan naturally possessed a sort of elitism.
Since Ma Gwan had always lived being held in high esteem by those around him, the instruction that had come down now was highly dissatisfying.
“Ah, fuck. What kind of bullshit is this?”
It was an instruction never to go out of the quarters.
Although he did not know why they were doing this, there had to be something called flexibility in all matters.
Should they not make exceptions for the talents who would lead the future of the Heavenly Demon Cult?
Ma Gwan did not hide the rising irritation.
“No doubt it’s because of those Heaven-Rebelling Faction bastards. It’s obvious without even looking. Beast-like fellows who know nothing of discipline!”
To Ma Gwan, whose deep elitism was engraved to his very bones, the Heaven-Rebelling Faction was literally disgust itself.
This was because they, who ignored authority and discipline, did not even follow the commands of the superiors.
“Because of that scoundrel, the Heaven-Entering Divine Demonic Sovereign, the prestige of the Demonic Cult is…… Phew……”
But reality was reality.
With the power of the Heaven-Obeying Faction, they could not suppress the Heaven-Entering Divine Demonic Sovereign.
The discrepancy between thoughts and reality presented an unpleasantness, as if his very existence was being completely ignored.
“Are you not feeling well?”
Ma Gwan turned back to look at his peer, whose physical condition seemed poor.
“A sound…… is heard…… a sound……”
He looked as if he had lost his mind.
Though he was a peer with whom he usually got along well, Ma Gwan voluntarily drew his body back at an unknown chill.
“Fuck, how irritating.”
“……It’s heard…… the sound……”
“Hey!”
Unable to endure any longer, Ma Gwan grabbed his peer’s shoulders and shook him roughly.
“W-What is it……”
His peer was clearly strange.
Foam bubbled at the corners of his lips, and his eyes rolled around, moving randomly.
“Wait a moment! I’ll call a physician right away.”
At the unusual sight, Ma Gwan hurriedly turned his body.
Had he been of an inferior status, Ma Gwan would have smashed his head right then and there, but this peer was of the same status.
At that moment, his peer’s rolling eyes found their place and stared at Ma Gwan’s back.
Kwajik! Udeudeuk!
“Aaaack!”
Ma Gwan, who was about to open the door of the dormitory, instantly suffered a pain that felt as if his arm was being torn off.
Though his arm was not actually torn off, it had reached a state equivalent to that.
The bones of both his shoulders were crushed.
The moment his knees were about to buckle from the terrible pain.
Eujik!
“Ugh…… Aaah…… Aaack!!”
A pain like being pierced by a red-hot skewer penetrated his neck.
Ma Gwan’s last thread of reason, falling forward with a scream, escaped from the reality before his eyes.
This was because his peer was eating away at his neck.
“I am…… a man…… who will become…… a Demonic Sovereign…… There is no way…… I would die…… in a place like this……”
Eujeok-eujeok!
There was no one to help him, who was being eaten away like a hunted beast.