Chapter 425: Come Here and Have a Drink
Chapter 425: Come Here and Have a Drink
Lee An and Han Seol were staying at the Ice Palace.
There was a specific reason for their visit today.
“I apologize for the intrusion,” Lee An said, bowing politely to the Ice Palace Master.
“The Young Cult Leader gave strict orders that we were not to leave the Palace Master’s Hall under any circumstances.”
“The Young Cult Leader already paid a visit before he left.”
Before departing the palace, Geom Mu-geuk had made a specific request: to look after Lee An and Han Seol while they stayed together for a time. Had it been any other enemy, he might have allowed Lee An to accompany him to gain experience.
But not against the Blood King. Even if Lee An had reached the Great Achievement of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, Mu-geuk would have still kept her confined to the Palace Master’s Hall.
The Ice Palace Master did not consider this an intrusion at all. It concerned the safety of his daughter and the Ice Palace itself, and the request was a sign of Mu-geuk’s absolute trust in him.
However, there had been a small disagreement before he accepted the request.
— Are you not underestimating the Ice Palace too much?
It had sounded as if Mu-geuk was telling the Palace Master himself to hide within the hall.
— If it were an ordinary enemy, I would have left them to you, Palace Master, and already departed the North Sea. But these people do not hesitate to use the Self-Destruction Art. The cost of victory would be a great sacrifice.
— Even so, they are enemies targeting my palace. We should be the ones to handle them.
Of course, the Ice Palace had many masters besides the Palace Master. Their intervention would be a great help, but it would indeed come at the cost of many lives.
— They aren't enemies; they’re monsters. And we are very good at hunting monsters.
As the Ice Palace Master continued to hesitate, Geom Mu-geuk offered one final argument.
— Please, let the devil catch the monsters.
How could he refuse when the man went so far as to humble himself by calling himself a devil? Though grateful, the Palace Master had been curious about one thing.
— Why go to such lengths to help us?
Because the enemy is Hwa Mu-gi’s subordinate.
— Because I was treated to some excellent liquor.
Following Geom Mu-geuk’s request, the Ice Palace Master had withdrawn all the warriors stationed around the Drunken Demon’s residence. He believed that as long as the Blood King himself was on the move, anyone guarding the area would only be a needless sacrifice.
Emerging from his recollection, the Ice Palace Master looked at Lee An. She was standing by the window, gazing outside.
She was a woman he had felt strangely drawn to since the first time he saw her.
“Lee An, was it?”
Lee An turned away from the window and answered politely. “Yes, that is correct.”
“The Young Cult Leader seems to cherish you quite a bit.”
“He has always been a man of deep sentiment.”
“A man of deep sentiment... the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.”
“You are currently witnessing the birth of a new Heavenly Demon Divine Cult,” Lee An said.
She spoke as if it were a joke, but the Ice Palace Master took it seriously. After all, this was the Young Cult Leader who had restored his relationship with his daughter.
‘Years from now, I might look back on today and remember that I saw the Heavenly Demon when he was still the Young Cult Leader.’
Han Seol asked Lee An, “What was the Young Cult Leader like when he was younger?”
The Ice Palace Master looked at his daughter. It was the first time he had seen her show interest in someone else. She had never been curious about others before. Truly, thanks to Geom Mu-geuk, she was having many new experiences.
Lee An hesitated for a moment at Han Seol’s question.
He hadn't always been like this. He was a good person, but he hadn't been this good.
Everything changed the day Geom Mu-geuk seemed to suddenly hatch from an egg—the day of the New Demon Competition.
From the moment he returned from that duel, Geom Mu-geuk was different.
That day, he had said:
— From today on, I’ve decided to live a different life.
And he had truly kept his word. Geom Mu-geuk changed, and that change transformed everyone around him. Lee An herself, the Demon Lords, and even the Heavenly Demon.
Lee An shared what he had said that day with the two of them.
“The Young Cult Leader said this: He doesn't believe people change bit by bit. He believes that when the right moment comes, they change all at once.”
That was why she, too, had tried to change. To become the exception to the saying that people never change.
“He grew up and changed a great deal.”
Just as she answered with a smile, something caught Lee An’s eye.
Far outside the window, red smoke was billowing into the sky. It didn't look like an ordinary fire. It was clearly a signal.
“Ah! There’s smoke rising over there too.”
As if responding to the first signal like a beacon, another plume of smoke began to rise far away in the opposite direction.
*
“I’ll raise your wages next month.”
At the innkeeper’s words, the cook in the kitchen gave a faint smile. The cook was a mute.
However, hiring this cook was the greatest stroke of luck in the Northern Ocean innkeeper’s life. The food was excellent, the man didn't complain about his treatment, and he wasn't fickle about quitting. He simply worked in silence in the kitchen.
Just then, a customer spoke up.
“Looks like there’s a fire. Look at that smoke.”
“Why is the smoke so red? If it’s a fire, shouldn't it be black?”
The innkeeper was looking at the distant smoke with the customer when it happened.
“Whoa! You scared me!”
The innkeeper jumped as he glanced to his side. The cook had come out without a sound and was staring at the smoke. He had never once left the kitchen during business hours.
“Looks like a fire broke out somewhere over there,” the innkeeper said.
The cook replied, “It is not a fire.”
Both the innkeeper and the customer were stunned. It was surprising enough that the cook had left the kitchen, but this was the first time they had ever heard him speak.
“You... you can talk?”
The man who opened his mouth felt like a completely different person from the one they knew.
“It is the signal. Our Master is calling us.”
“Your master? What are you—”
The innkeeper’s eyes widened in confusion, but he couldn't finish his sentence.
Thwack!
The cook’s hand pierced through the innkeeper’s heart.
“There is no need to raise my wages.”
The customer who was with him screamed and tried to run. With a casual sweep of his hand, the cook tore through the fleeing man’s body, leaving him to collapse in a spray of blood.
The cook looked down at the blood dripping from his hands and arms with a smile.
He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of blood, and stepped outside with his blood-slicked hands.
As he recited an oral formula, red smoke began to rise even from the blood that had dripped onto the ground.
It was a smoke meant to awaken someone else.
*
The Drunken Demon was sitting on a wooden bench in the courtyard, drinking.
Dozens of liquor bottles were scattered around him, along with a large earthen vat. He was drinking with clear intent.
It wasn't just one kind of liquor. He was tasting dozens of varieties found in the North Sea.
The Drunken Demon took a sip from one bottle, then another. With every drink, he offered a critique. This one is good because it’s light. This one is good because it’s strong. This one is good because it’s sweet. This one is good because it’s bitter.
He didn't judge any of them for their flaws; he praised them for their virtues.
Then, he looked up at the top of the wall and asked, “Care for a drink?”
A man was standing on the wall, staring down at him. No one had noticed his arrival.
The man was the Blood King. He was no longer naked, now dressed in red martial robes. The thick scent of blood radiating from him revealed exactly who he was.
He had faced no interference on his way here. There were no warriors guarding the place. It meant they had been waiting for him to arrive.
Far behind the Blood King, red smoke was rising from various locations. The tension of an impending war could be felt in those crimson plumes.
The Drunken Demon took another drink.
“Come here and have a drink.”
The Blood King only looked down at him in silence.
“Suit yourself.”
The Drunken Demon downed his liquor. Even as he drank, his gaze remained fixed on the Blood King.
Hot and cold.
Cold and hot.
Both men possessed eyes that held both fire and ice.
The smell of liquor and the smell of blood.
In the space where they faced each other, two primal scents that stir the human soul mingled.
The Drunken Demon acted as if he weren't tense at all, but his body reacted differently. Instinctively, his muscles tightened, bracing for an attack.
‘He’s come to kill me.’
Geom Mu-geuk was right. He had said the mastermind would surely target him, and here the man was, paying a personal visit.
And the Blood King hadn't come alone today.
A dozen warriors climbed onto the wall where the Blood King stood. The one standing right next to him was the North Blood Sect Leader. Those with him were his most trusted subordinates.
The North Blood Sect Leader asked the Drunken Demon, “Where have you hidden the Extreme Cold Body?”
Instead of answering, the Drunken Demon rebuked him.
“How can a man of your status, the North Blood Sect Leader, allow himself to be led around by this foul stench of blood?”
It was a blow to his pride, but the North Blood Sect Leader ignored it and asked again.
“I asked where the Extreme Cold Body is.”
The Drunken Demon took a drink and replied, “Why do you keep asking? Did you leave her with me for safekeeping?”
The North Blood Sect Leader looked at the Blood King. Finally, the Blood King spoke in a low, resonant voice.
“He is not one to speak submissively. Kill him.”
The Blood King had accurately sized up the Drunken Demon. He might look like he was just fooling around and drinking, but that liquor was as thick as blood. He was not an easy opponent.
The Drunken Demon said to the Blood King, “I have one thing I’m curious about. Mind if I ask?”
The Blood King stared at him silently, as if giving him permission to proceed.
“That Self-Destruction Art you lot use... when you pop, does that red head of yours explode too?”
It was a deliberate provocation. Since the North Blood Sect Leader was present, the Drunken Demon expected the Blood King to show some emotion. But the Blood King’s gaze didn't flicker.
‘He’s calmer than he looks.’
The Drunken Demon also got a sense of the Blood King. This wasn't just a mindless, rampaging murderer. He was the type who could be hot when needed and cold when required—the most difficult kind of enemy to deal with.
Shring!
The one who drew his sword was the North Blood Sect Leader. Now that the Blood King’s order to kill had been given, they had to act. Moreover, if he just stood by while the Drunken Demon provoked the Blood King like that, he might end up dead at the Blood King’s hands himself.
As the North Blood Sect Leader drew his sword, his subordinates followed suit. Their momentum was formidable.
Though they radiated killing intent, the Drunken Demon’s eyes remained on the Blood King.
The fact that he was sending them in first, knowing they would be sacrificed...
‘He wants to test my skills?’
And likely intended to drain his internal energy as well. Despite reeking so strongly of blood, the man was truly heartless.
‘And that smoke! It’s definitely a signal to call someone.’
On the other hand, the North Blood Sect Leader was just as cold-blooded.
He had been forced to come because of the Blood King, but he knew exactly how dangerous his current situation was. He was being pushed to face a Demon Lord.
‘Even if all my subordinates are sacrificed, I must survive.’
First, the North Blood Sect Leader ordered three of his men to attack.
The three subordinates leaped down from the wall. The number of people who could attack at once was limited anyway. It was best to use a relay of attacks to wear down the opponent’s strength.
The three warriors approached the Drunken Demon from three directions.
The Drunken Demon remained seated, still drinking.
Whooooosh!
Suddenly, a massive surge of Liquor Qi erupted around them, and in an instant, all of them were hidden within a thick mist.
From within the mist came the sound of whistling wind as swords were swung. There were sounds of flesh and bone being severed, and the sickening crack of a neck breaking.
Ssssss.
When the mist cleared, the Drunken Demon was still sitting in the same spot, drinking.
The three men who had approached to kill him were now corpses strewn about the ground. Since it had happened inside the mist, no one had seen how they died.
“If you prefer the smell of blood over the smell of liquor, I’ll let you smell it to your heart’s content.”
The North Blood Sect Leader’s expression hardened. He had expected the three to be defeated, but not this quickly.
Furthermore, fighting inside a mist that completely blocked one’s vision was a massive disadvantage.
“Pour in your Sword Qi and Sword Force!”
At the North Blood Sect Leader’s command, the remaining subordinates unleashed their Sword Qi all at once. Once again, the Liquor Qi obscured their vision.
Swish, swish, swish, swish!
Only after a barrage of Sword Qi did the North Blood Sect Leader signal them to stop.
The mist cleared, revealing the devastated courtyard. The ground was gouged and shattered.
The Drunken Demon was perched on the edge of the broken wooden bench, drinking.
What was shocking wasn't just that he was unharmed. It was the fact that not a single liquor bottle scattered around him had been broken.
In other words, the Drunken Demon had protected the bottles even amidst the flying Sword Qi.
‘Is such a thing even possible?’
The North Blood Sect Leader and the remaining warriors began to lose heart.
The Drunken Demon looked up at the Sect Leader and said, “I told you, come here and have a drink.”
When no one answered, the Drunken Demon took a long swig directly from the bottle.
Since the Blood King still hadn't uttered a word, it was the North Blood Sect Leader who dealt with him.
“You seem to be trying to buy time, but you shouldn't count on the Young Cult Leader’s help.”
“You’re the ones buying time.”
It was a rebuke for why the Blood King or the North Blood Sect Leader didn't step forward themselves, instead sacrificing their subordinates.
“Are you worried? Worried the Young Cult Leader will arrive before you can kill me?”
Naturally, the North Blood Sect Leader was worried.
He could sense that the Blood King held the Young Cult Leader’s martial arts in high regard. If the Blood King had been confident he could eliminate both of them together, he wouldn't have had Yang-seok lure the Young Cult Leader away.
“The Young Cult Leader cannot come. He is already in our hands.”
It was a lie meant to shake the Drunken Demon’s composure, but he didn't fall for it.
“If that were true, you would have offered to trade the Young Cult Leader for the Extreme Cold Body right here and now.”
The Drunken Demon was exceptionally brilliant, and he had absolute faith in Geom Mu-geuk.
He even cracked a joke.
“Don't worry. The Young Cult Leader always arrives at the very last moment for me.”
The Drunken Demon slowly stood up, holding his bottle. He was just a drunkard standing up, but his presence made everyone tense.
“The one you should be worried about isn't the Young Cult Leader. It’s me.”
Even in this moment of suffocating tension, the Drunken Demon guzzled his liquor.
“Since none of you will be my drinking companions and keep swinging your swords instead, I’ve been drinking alone...”
The color of the Liquor Qi shimmering around his body began to change.
“And I’ve gotten quite drunk.”