Chapter 33: Is That a New Suit of Protective Armor?
Chapter 33: Is That a New Suit of Protective Armor?
“If I shove it down your throat, do you think you can even digest it?” the Blood Heaven Blade Demon asked provocatively.
“I’ll make sure to chew thoroughly before I swallow.”
“Look here, Young Master Lee. There is a natural order to the things of this world.”
“And isn't it also the natural order to have snacks while you drink?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon pressed his fingers against his temples as if a headache were coming on. Then, exploding in a fit of rage, he leaped to his feet.
“I can’t take this anymore! I waited three days for you, and you offer me such nonsensical conditions?”
He ripped the Heaven Extermination Great Blade from the earth where it had been planted.
“I’m taking that head of yours straight to the Heavenly Demon Hall!”
Swoooosh!
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon swung his Great Blade. It wasn’t a true attempt to kill me, but it was a sharp, irritable strike fueled by genuine fury.
Clang!
A piercing metallic ring erupted as I parried the blow with my Black Demonic Sword.
“Not bad! Not bad at all!” the Blood Heaven Blade Demon marveled. He hadn’t expected me to deflect an attack backed by such significant internal power so easily. “I suppose taking that precious head of yours won’t be as easy as I thought, will it?”
He swung the Heaven Extermination Great Blade again. This strike was faster and more powerful than the last. As the blade tore through the air in a vertical descent, I deflected it once more with the Black Demonic Sword.
Claaaaang!
The sound was even more deafening than before.
Despite its reputation as the "Weapon Breaker," the Heaven Extermination Great Blade couldn't leave a single scratch on the Black Demonic Sword. I felt a wave of composure wash over me.
— He keeps acting up. Should we just snap his blade? "The Broken Weapon Breaker!" It’d make for a fantastic rumor to start the morning, wouldn't it?
It was a thought I directed toward my sword as a joke, but perhaps because I harbored such a sentiment, a sudden urge to use the Wind God Four Steps surged within me.
Could the Blood Heaven Blade Demon actually stop the Underworld King Step if I unleashed it now?
This was a temptation born of pure fighting spirit. When facing a formidable foe, high-level martial arts like the Wind God Four Steps naturally react. They want to fight. They want to win.
‘No! Not yet.’
Time is on my side. There’s no reason to engage in a dangerous battle using my currently insufficient internal energy.
Before the third strike could land, I hopped backward, feigning a sore wrist. Of course, that didn't mean I was backing down from my demands.
“Give the Demon Army to me.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon lowered his blade and asked, “Exactly who are you asking me to put in the seat of the Demon Monarch? Surely not yourself?”
“Of course not.”
“Then who?”
“Appoint Jang Ho, the leader of the Third Division.”
“Jang Ho?”
If Jang Ho became the Demon Monarch, I could turn the Demon Army into an allied organization. If that happened, my foothold within the Cult would become incomparably stronger than before. Not only would it benefit me, but having a martial artist like Jang Ho as the Demon Monarch would be a great boon to the Main Cult as well.
“Appointing Jang Ho as the Demon Monarch is no easy task, even for me,” the Blade Demon admitted.
He was telling the truth. If they were choosing a leader from within the Demon Army, Jang Ho would be a prime candidate. However, for elite organizations like the Demon Army, the leader was usually chosen from the outside. The Heavenly Demon Hall and the Eight Demon Lords often engaged in a war of nerves, each trying to install their own puppet.
“Young Master Lee! If your greed is excessive, your stomach will burst.”
“Isn't the path we walk one where we eat until our stomachs burst?”
“We?”
“You were the one who said we should devour everything with madness, Elder. You were the one who suggested we join hands. Since when is the path walked by madmen ever ordinary?”
“Madmen?!”
“Am I wrong? Anyone else aside, how could you join hands with me unless you were out of your mind, Elder?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon glared at me with smoldering eyes. I didn't know where his ultimate ambitions lay; he had died before he could ever reveal them to the world in my past life. Surprisingly, the first among the Eight Demon Lords to die had been the Blood Heaven Blade Demon—this fastidious and shrewd man.
“Hmph! You act as if you’ve already become the Heavenly Demon.”
“Weren't you the one who put these ideas in my head, Elder? What exactly do you plan to do with me? Are you just trying to use a young man with flowery words? Just like you do with your disciples?”
As if I had hit a sore spot, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon roared. “Your greed has overturned the table!”
Crash!
He actually kicked the table over before flying off into the distance. Watching him vanish, I let out a faint smile. It was the first time the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s composure had truly shattered.
He wouldn't be able to refuse my proposal. He knew better than anyone that I had seven other tables I could sit at besides his.
*
I immersed myself in training at my private grounds.
As I always felt while training after my regression, I truly loved the tireless energy of youth. This wasn't just a matter of how much internal energy I had; even without trying, my body felt light and vibrant.
The eternal truth that one only realizes the value of something after losing it applies most powerfully to youth. Back then, I didn't know. I didn't know how precious this time was as it flowed away. I didn't know how much I would miss these moments later on.
Martial arts? Money? Power? The fact that youth is the price paid to obtain them is both ridiculous and sad. Even after regressing, my reality is that I have no choice but to keep running.
Still, this is a mistake I make knowingly. Because I know its value better than anyone, I put my heart and soul into every single step of my training.
I wove through imaginary enemies using the Wind God Four Steps. At first, there were three or four, but as I continued to train, their numbers grew. Five became seven, and seven became ten.
Initially, they stood still like scarecrows, but now the enemies in my imagination moved, spoke, and even cursed at me. As I practiced, the level of their martial arts rose as well. The quality of my training was determined by the depth of my martial imagination.
I devoted seventy percent of my training to the Wind God Four Steps, and the remaining time was spent on the breathing exercises my father taught me and the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art.
After a session, I lay on the floor of the training ground, catching my breath. I was drenched in sweat, but there was no better feeling than the moment after finishing a workout. Through the window, I could see the clouds drifting by, dyed red by the sunset.
How wonderful would it be to tour the Central Plains with this young body? The sunset I saw while searching for materials for the Great Regression Art would feel completely different from the sunset I’d see as the strongest man under heaven after killing Hwa Mu-gi.
Before my regression, I endured all that hardship by imagining this very moment. Now, I endure by looking forward to the future after Hwa Mu-gi is dead. I cannot only think of the 'me' of today. The 'me' of tomorrow, who might die a miserable death because of insufficient training, is also me. Yes, I must endure.
As I stood up again, my imaginary enemies rose with me.
*
Two days later, news arrived.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon had recommended the Third Division Leader, Jang Ho, as a candidate for the Demon Monarch. Despite storming off in a huff, he had ultimately accepted my terms. It was a table he couldn't afford to overturn in the first place.
The person most shocked by this news was Jang Ho himself.
“What on earth happened?”
The fact that he came to find me and ask showed that he was a bright and perceptive man. An ordinary person would have considered this a sudden stroke of luck, but Jang Ho was someone who realized that such luck doesn't just exist in this world.
“You made this happen, didn't you, Young Master Lee?”
“I did. I made a request to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.”
“I am grateful that you think so highly of me, but that is not a position I can handle.”
“There’s no need for modesty. It’s a seat once held by the Demon Monarch I killed.”
“That was a different case.”
“Just lead them the way you led the Third Division. Then I’m certain you’ll become the greatest Demon Monarch in history.”
In truth, he was the strongest among the squad leaders. He also had the active support of the warriors in the Third Division. If the leader was to be chosen from within, he was more than qualified.
“You are overestimating me, Young Master Lee.”
“Or perhaps you are underestimating yourself. Regardless, other candidates are being mentioned, so let’s wait and see.”
Even in his confusion, Jang Ho was clearly happy. What else would be the dream of a Demon Army squad leader?
“Well, we’ve done our part. Let’s leave the rest to heaven’s will.”
*
I told Jang Ho to leave it to heaven, but I doubted that indifferent sky would ever answer. I had to move diligently to make things happen myself.
That night, I went to see my father.
My father had his own quarters within the Heavenly Demon Hall, which were likely the largest and most luxurious in the world. As I stood before the unfamiliar sight of my father, I blinked, wondering if I was seeing things.
“Is that a new suit of protective armor?”
“No, it’s my pajamas.”
“...”
“...”
“It’s a floral pattern. Not demons or ghosts, but flowers...”
“I’m of the mind that one should sleep comfortably.”
It was the first time I had seen my father in pajamas. The bright floral pattern was shocking enough, but the fact that he showed himself like this was even more surprising. He could have told me to wait and changed into something else.
“What brings you here in the middle of the night?”
“The middle of the night? It’s barely evening. I didn't know you went to bed so early. Isn't this top-secret information? If the Murim Alliance found out, they’d invade immediately. 'The Heavenly Demon sleeps early, let’s launch a midnight raid!'”
“State your business!”
“Right.”
I stopped the banter and revealed the reason for my visit. “I intend to use the Blood Heaven Blade Demon as my blade.”
“I thought you said you were going to kill him?”
“It’d be a waste to kill him now.”
This probably wasn't news to my father. When the Blood Heaven Blade Demon recommended Jang Ho, he would have already guessed that the Blade Demon and I had joined hands. Not just my father, but anyone interested in the Cult’s politics would have guessed as much. Everyone was watching to see how the relationship between me and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would unfold, how my brother would react, and how the other Demon Lords would move.
My father changed the subject. “How is the new sword?”
“I like it.”
“Let me see.”
I handed the Black Demonic Sword, still in its scabbard, to my father. He slowly drew the blade and nodded with satisfaction.
“You’ve broken it in well.”
“Can you tell just by holding it?”
“I should be able to tell by holding it. Should I wait until I’m stabbed to find out?” My father handed the sword back and said, “The Blood Heaven Blade Demon won’t be broken in so easily.”
“I have no intention of breaking him in. I’ll use him until he snaps and then throw him away. He has no collection value yet.”
“And if you get cut in the process?”
“Then I’ll get cut. But there will be a difference between the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and me. Once the old Blade Demon snaps, that’s the end for him. But for me, the more I’m cut, the stronger I’ll become. I’ll apply medicine, wrap myself in bandages, and keep moving forward.”
“Easier said than done. But why are you reporting this to me?”
“Since I’m now receiving a stipend from you, Father, it’s only natural that I report to you.”
My father’s eyes narrowed. “You didn't come here to ask me to accept the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s recommendation?”
He was a sharp man, but he was wrong this time.
“No, quite the opposite. Please do not grant the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s request under any circumstances.”
“Not grant it? Why?”
“I’m planning to take the wind out of his sails. He was acting so high and mighty in front of me. Sometimes he acts even more arrogant than you, Father. I intend to crush that spirit of his.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Tell me your real intention.”
“Why do you think I’m not being sincere?”
“This is your chance to gain the Demon Army. You’d give that up just to humble the Blood Heaven Blade Demon? You aren't that kind of child.”
As expected, my father was keen.
“Yes, you caught me.”
“What are you aiming for?”
“There is something I need to get from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. For that to happen, this matter must not go his way.”
“Is it more important than the Demon Army?”
“In some ways, yes. Oh, and I’ll make the Demon Army mine as well. I’m going to make everything mine.”
My father, who had been staring at me, simply turned away. “Stop being ridiculous and leave.”
He said that, but I could feel it. He would grant my request. Looking at the flowers blooming across my father’s back, I chuckled to myself.
‘Father. At least for tonight, nothing will be more ridiculous than those pajamas.’