Chapter 311: Now You’re Even After My Weaknesses
Chapter 311: Now You’re Even After My Weaknesses
Was he pleased by my words?
“I shouldn’t just look after my other disciples; I suppose I should look after this one as well.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader flicked his finger, activating the Space-Time Displacement Technique.
When I first learned the technique from him, I had told him that I would treat him as my master—at least within the confines of this isolated space.
“Disciple. What is troubling you?”
Instead of answering his playful question, I looked around.
We were standing in the middle of a battlefield where blood flowed like a river and corpses were piled high.
“Why on earth did you open a place like this? Where are we?”
“I thought a place like this would suit you.”
Knowing he wasn't entirely joking, I asked him in a calm tone, “Is this how my heart looks to you, Cult Leader?”
He stared at me intently before asking back, “Isn’t the reason you grow stronger every time I see you because your heart is a constant battlefield?”
This was the Pungcheon Cult Leader when he wasn't being playful. He was a man who could instinctively scent blood.
“I’m sorry, but this is what my heart actually looks like.”
This time, I mimicked him and flicked my finger. He always seemed to enjoy that small gesture whenever he activated the Space-Time Displacement Technique.
Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh!
The scenery shifted instantly. Now, we stood in a beautiful field where pure white petals drifted lazily on the wind.
“This is my heart.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader looked around and asked with a smile, “Isn’t this just the place you dream of?”
I didn't argue. I simply gave a faint smile.
He picked up a fallen petal from the ground and spoke softly.
“When I stay here, I sometimes get confused about whether this is the real world or if the one out there is. I suppose it’s because of my greed to remain in a space I created myself. What about you?”
“I feel the same. Sometimes I want to forget everything and run away to a place like this. It feels so good to rest here.”
A sun, a sea, a sandy beach, and a comfortable chair under a broad-leafed tree. The Pungcheon Cult Leader likely had a space of his own, just like I did.
“If this place becomes a sanctuary, it is a paradise; if it becomes a refuge, it is a hell. That applies to both this space and the world outside.”
He tossed the petals in his hand into the air and asked, “Now, let me ask again. What are you thinking? What do you intend to find out from the person behind this?”
A flicker of worry crossed his face. I appreciated the concern, but I couldn't tell him about the Illusion King.
“You are a man who carries a storm with him wherever he goes. To think you’d even draw out those who cast Soul-Seizing techniques on the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord herself.”
“If someone heard you, they’d think they appeared because of me.”
“If it weren't for you, wouldn't this have passed by unnoticed? In that case, one could say they were revealed to the world because of you.”
It was sophistry, but he wasn't wrong. If not for me, Hwan-yeo would have lived out her life here as nothing more than a flower garden owner before disappearing into obscurity.
“Still, since this involves the Blood Cult, I will handle it.”
He was trying to protect me. He intended to take responsibility and end this matter that began with the Soul-Seizing technique. I was grateful to him for caring this much.
“I have one thing to ask you, Cult Leader.”
“What is it?”
“What is the weakness of those who have mastered the Soul-Seizing technique?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader looked at me with an absurd expression, as if wondering what kind of question that was.
“Now you’re even after my weaknesses?”
“Wouldn't it be better to throw away the bad things as quickly as possible?”
“Go Wol! Look at this. This is the Young Cult Leader you admire so much. Didn't I tell you? He’s not just any Young Cult Leader; he’s a wicked one.”
Despite his banter, he must have realized the question was meant to find the weakness of the woman at the flower garden.
“You can just leave it to me. What on earth do you need to find out from that woman that you’re going this far?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader began to walk slowly. I followed him along the path covered in petals. With every step, he seemed to travel back in time, recalling a moment from long ago.
“I can never forget the first time I successfully performed the Soul-Seizing technique. It’s likely the same for anyone who has mastered it, not just me. How fascinating is it to have a person move according to your will? But after a few successes, a sudden fear creeps in. What if someone stronger than me controls me the way I control others?”
This was why Seo Dae-ryong had once said the previous Soul-Seizing Demon Lord was the most terrifying of the Demon Lords. He said it was better to die cleanly by a blade than to be controlled like a jiangshi and die miserably.
“Do you know what happens after that period passes?”
I remained silent, listening to his words.
“The human heart begins to look pathetic. Seeing even the most steadfast person eventually fall to the Soul-Seizing technique makes you realize that human will isn't much of anything. And do you know what happens then?”
He stopped walking for a moment and looked at me.
“People start to look trivial.”
Was he ashamed of his past self? His gaze shifted from me toward the distant mountains beyond the path.
“When people look trivial, eventually the whole world looks trivial as well.”
“How did you overcome it?”
“Overcome it? I didn't,” he confessed honestly. “You think things change once you become a master? That’s as groundless as assuming one becomes wise just by getting old. A wise youth becomes a wise elder.”
For the first time since we met, the Pungcheon Cult Leader let out a sigh.
“You would have been different. Even if you had mastered the grandfather of all Soul-Seizing techniques, you wouldn't have looked down on others. But for ordinary people like us, it’s different. There is always a price to pay for stealing another’s spirit.”
Perhaps he was confessing that he had been that way when he kept Go Wol in shackles.
But I knew. Though he said he hadn't overcome it, he already had. From the moment he released Go Wol’s shackles, he had begun to see people differently.
“Somewhere deep in that woman’s heart, there will surely be arrogance, conceit, and futility. She will look down on your heart, she will look down on people, and she will look down on the world. Somewhere in that heart, there will be a gaping black hole.”
A gaping black hole in the heart.
I knew exactly what that meant. In my life before the regression, there was such a hole in my heart as well. A hole so deep it felt bottomless, one that nothing could ever fill.
Then, the Pungcheon Cult Leader suddenly said, “Thank you.”
He credited me for the fact that he had begun to fill that hole.
“If not for you, I would still be in the Cult Leader’s Hall of the Pungcheon Cult. I would be living my life staring at the same sacred relic every day, keeping Go Wol tightly bound for fear of losing it. Back then, I thought it was the most comfortable life in the world, but it was never truly comfortable. Looking back now, the one wearing the shackles was me.”
Pure white petals showered down upon us.
“Well? Was that of any help?”
How should I thank a man who went so far as to reveal his own weaknesses?
Yes, this one word would suffice as an answer.
“Yes, Master.”
As if he had never been serious, the Pungcheon Cult Leader burst into a loud, hearty laugh.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been in here. Shall we stay a bit longer before heading out?”
I stayed with him for a long time, letting him fully enjoy the feeling of being a master for the day. Inside, it was spring, but outside, winter was approaching.
*
I entered the Demon Dragon Courtyard, where the Demon Army resided.
The passing warriors of the Demon Army recognized me and bowed politely. It had been a while since I’d seen these hulking men. They were not the same Demon Army as before; there was discipline and spirit in their eyes and movements.
It was all thanks to one man.
“I heard the news of your return, Young Cult Leader.”
Demon Monarch Jang Ho greeted me with a dignified presence. They say a position changes a person, and the current Jang Ho felt completely different from the man he used to be. He now suited the title of Demon Monarch better than anyone.
“I came because I wanted to see you, Commander Jang.”
“I should have visited you first. My apologies.”
“There’s no need for a busy man to do that. A person of leisure like me should be the one to come.”
Jang Ho laughed. He knew well enough how busy I actually was. I was a man who was often impossible to see even if one wanted to offer greetings. Regardless, seeing the grim scar on his face felt strangely welcoming; it really had been a long time.
“How have things been lately?”
“Nothing has changed for me. If anything, this martial artist and Pavilion Master Seo have become so busy that we haven't even been able to gather for drinks.”
“Lazy people always pretend to be the busiest.”
Jang Ho laughed again. Like Seo Dae-ryong, he probably didn't have many reasons to laugh while with his subordinates. Both of their organizations required the absolute authority of a leader. Fine, laugh as much as you want while you’re with me.
Whether it was the Fist Demon or Jang Ho, seeing these usually stoic men laugh made me feel good as well.
“You’ve kept my trust.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Didn't I tell you? That you would become the greatest Demon Monarch in history.”
“You flatter me.”
It wasn't flattery. He was already hearing such praise from others. My words seemed to remind Jang Ho of the past as well.
“I have yet to fulfill my wish.”
“What wish?”
“I told you when you placed me in the position of Demon Monarch. I said I wanted to become a person like you, Young Cult Leader. Someone who makes others feel like they can accomplish any difficult task just by being together. I haven't fulfilled that wish yet.”
“Haven't you already fulfilled it?”
To his puzzled expression, I said, “A difficult matter has arisen, so I’ve come to find you, haven't I? I need your help.”
Jang Ho’s expression brightened. The words I need your help likely pleased him more than any other praise.
“I heard that the Demon Army’s training includes exercises to counter evil sorcery and illusions.”
“Yes, we conduct special training to prepare for experts of the Unorthodox Faction.”
“What about Soul-Seizing?”
“We have a special squad composed of those with naturally strong mental fortitude.”
“Support me with them.”
A flash of joy crossed Jang Ho’s face. We hadn't worked together recently, and finally, an opportunity to be of use had arrived.
“When do you need them?”
“Right now.”
A short while later, I stepped out accompanied by about twenty warriors of the Demon Army, including Jang Ho. I could feel Jeok-yeon and the guards waiting outside tensing up. The mobilization of the Demon Army meant that something seriously dangerous was about to go down.
*
Hwan-yeo had been unable to leave the flower garden.
It was because of the Young Cult Leader’s threat: if she left before the investigation was over, he would distribute her portrait across the Central Plains and hunt her down. More than anything else, she could not afford to be exposed to the world.
However, she couldn't remain trapped here indefinitely, not knowing when the investigation would end.
Just then, a man entered the garden pulling a cart. He was there to deliver seedlings and flowerpots. As he unloaded the pots, he sent a message via Voice Transmission.
— Reporting. The Pungcheon Cult Leader has returned to the Demonic Cult Headquarters.
Hwan-yeo’s expression instantly turned grave. The Pungcheon Cult Leader, who had been absent, returned at this specific moment?
‘Could it be?’
Had he realized she had cast the Yin-Yang Soul Reversal Technique on the Soul-Seizing Demon Lord? If it was the Pungcheon Cult Leader, he might be able to detect it. No, he must have been summoned precisely because they had noticed something.
— It seems you should leave.
Despite the worried transmission, she remained calm.
— Don't be so dramatic.
— My apologies.
After a moment of thought, she issued an order.
— Have the Blood Spirits stand by, and tell Gwi Suk that there might be a guest.
The man was startled but soon replied respectfully.
— Understood.
Having received his orders, the man pulled his cart and left the garden. It was just as Hwan-yeo was about to pick up a delivered flowerpot to move it. The wooden wind chime hanging under the eaves let out a sharp sound.
Hwan-yeo picked up the pot and headed toward the back of the garden. The moment she turned the corner, her figure vanished instantly.
Wooooooong.
She was walking through a place filled with a low, vibrating hum. The surrounding walls writhed as if they were alive, and hideous protrusions stuck out from them. It was like walking through the belly of a monster.
Her appearance had also changed upon entering this place. Her lips had turned blood-red, and her eyes were sharply slanted in a terrifying manner. That wasn't the only change. The flower in the pot she held had transformed into a man-eating plant that devoured insects. Judging by its eerie aura, insects likely weren't the only things it consumed.
After passing through a labyrinthine corridor, she reached a small space. As she entered the area filled with a chilling atmosphere, the front wall began to writhe and bulge outward.
Riiiiiiip.
A man’s face poked out. It was a grotesque sight, as if a face were struggling to push through a transparent membrane. Naturally, his voice was equally bizarre.
“He wonders why you haven't returned.”
It was a message from her younger brother.
“Tell him I cannot return yet.”
“He will want to know the reason.”
“Later. Tell him I will explain later.”
“He is worried—”
Before the message could finish, she waved her hand. The wall tightened as if snapping the man back, and the protruding face vanished. She threw herself backward as if to lie down. The floor bulged and rippled, wrapping around her like a comfortable bed.
This was her favorite place and the only space where she could truly rest. She closed her eyes for a moment, contemplating how to handle this situation. The problem was the Young Cult Leader. The fact that she couldn't read his intentions irritated her.
Riiiiiiip.
A face pushed through the same wall again. A face struggling to break through the membrane.
— I told you, I’ll handle it myself.
The next moment, she flinched. It wasn't the face of the subordinate responsible for connecting her with her brother. The face pushing through the membrane was somehow familiar.
Pwaak!
Someone thrust their face through, tearing the membrane. To her shock, it was Geom Mu-geuk. Upon making eye contact, Geom Mu-geuk gave a smirk and spoke.
“So there was a villain among those who love flowers?”
At that moment, Hwan-yeo’s eyes snapped open.
It was a dream.
She had fallen asleep for a moment and dreamed in the interim. This was the first time she had ever dreamed about someone just because she was conscious of them.
Then, she heard someone calling for her from the garden outside.
“Owner! Is the owner here?”
It was the voice of the protagonist from her nightmare.