Chapter 63: Blood Demon (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 63: Blood Demon (3)
“What position can you give me?”
I was momentarily stunned by Baek Hye-hyang’s words.
Given her bellicose nature and pride, she shouldn’t have been able to tolerate anyone standing above her. What did this mean?
“Why? Do you think I’m up to something?”
“To be honest… I don’t understand.”
She was the one so obsessed with becoming the Cult Leader.
This woman, who was so transparent about her greed, was acknowledging me as the leader? I couldn’t help but be suspicious.
“Didn’t you want to be the Cult Leader?” I asked bluntly.
Knowing her personality, it wasn’t likely she was beating around the bush. At my question, she gave a thin smile.
“I do. So, do you want to step aside and die here?”
-…As I thought, she’s dangerous. Woon-hwi, she’s a vixen. A total vixen.
The Lesser Conversation Sword practically shivered. She certainly had a knack for saying terrifying things with a smile on her face.
“…I don’t think I can do that.”
At my reply, Baek Hye-hyang let out a short laugh, her expression turning serious.
“Don’t flatter yourself thinking I’m stepping aside out of the goodness of my heart. If I were in a position to flip the script, I would have. But at this point, fighting you while breaking the Sect Laws would just be self-destructive.”
It was unexpected.
She was greedy, arrogant, and combative, yet it wasn't an exaggeration to say her insight was that of a true leader. As she said, if she ignored the laws and fought me, the outcome would be uncertain. Even if she won, she would lose two things.
-What are those?
First, by breaking the laws herself, the cult’s discipline would inevitably collapse. Second, the military strength they had finally managed to recover would be split in two by a civil war.
In short, she had discarded her greed for the sake of the greater good.
‘…The more I get to know her…’
-What, are you falling for her?
What are you talking about?
The Blood Demon Sword’s sudden remark almost made me spit out water—if I had been drinking any.
-Why so flustered, human?
I was just going to say that she, too, is well-suited to be the leader of the Blood Cult.
-Then are you going to step aside?
He was asking the same question. I answered him firmly.
‘No.’
That wasn’t going to happen. Even if she was suited for the role, I knew what the future held. Baek Hye-hyang’s Blood Cult would likely follow the same path as the previous leader. In the end, the cult would be isolated once again.
She licked her upper lip with her tongue and whispered to me.
“Well, if you really want to step aside, I might let you win occasionally at night.”
“……All the more reason not to step aside.”
She was playing with me. I could hardly handle her when it came to words.
“Then tell me. If you want to make a figure of my stature kneel, it’s only right that you offer a corresponding position in return.”
She was right. If Baek Hye-hyang fully joined my side, the cultists under her command would follow without issue. I had a few positions in mind, but unlike the others, she was a candidate for Cult Leader and a direct descendant of the Blood Demon. It wasn't a decision to be made hastily.
Baek Hye-hyang sent me a cold look via Sound Transmission.
[Just in case you’re wondering, if you spout some nonsense about giving me the position of your wife, you and I are settling this right here and now.]
‘Huh?’
I hadn’t even thought of that, but her words were puzzling. Hadn’t she been saying she wanted me all this time? Was that not it?
[I’m not kneeling to you just to become some useless wife of the Cult Leader.]
‘…Just some wife?’
Her words suddenly reminded me of what happened at Peerless Fortress. When we met in the underground prison, she had fallen into a hallucination and called me her mother. Usually, that would imply affection, but she had shown nothing but intense hatred and sorrow.
[Watch from the underworld! The girl you tried to kill! I will take everything from the man whose side you only ever coveted!]
Baek Hye-hyang’s eyes were dead serious. Perhaps her true purpose in life wasn't the position of Cult Leader, but something else entirely. She seemed to have a story of her own that I didn't know.
-Make a decision.
At the Lesser Conversation Sword’s urge, I looked around. Everyone, including the Revered Stars, was waiting for my word. My gaze shifted toward Baek Ryeonha and the Revered Stars who had supported her.
“Whew.”
“Have you decided?”
At Baek Hye-hyang’s question, I nodded.
“I promise you a rank above that of a Venerable.”
“Above a Venerable?”
That meant at least a Venerable. Given her martial prowess and lineage, she deserved at least that much. However, I couldn't finalize it right now.
She asked, “You decided on the Left Guardian’s position so quickly, yet you’re hesitating on mine?”
“It’s not a matter of hesitation; it’s just not something to be decided this second.”
I gestured with my eyes toward a certain spot. There stood the Revered Stars and cultists under Baek Ryeonha. They looked quite relieved by my decision. Baek Hye-hyang glanced at them and smirked.
“You really hate discord, don’t you?”
“I have to embrace everyone.”
The Guardians were positions meant to protect me, but other ranks were different. Positions at the level of a Blood Star or higher granted significant power and influence over the cult, so I had to be cautious. Furthermore, if I gave her a rank, I would have to give Baek Ryeonha a corresponding one—though I wasn't sure what would happen given her current state.
Just then, I heard my master Hae Ak-cheon’s voice via Sound Transmission.
[Heh heh, well done. You handled that wisely. Until you have firm control over the internal affairs, avoiding conflict is the best policy.]
It seemed Hae Ak-cheon shared my thoughts. Giving too much power to Baek Hye-hyang’s side right away could trigger a backlash from Baek Ryeonha’s supporters, who hadn't fully become my people yet.
Baek Hye-hyang stared at me with narrowed eyes for a moment, then snorted.
“Fine. I’ll look forward to seeing what you decide.”
With those words, Baek Hye-hyang dropped to one knee.
‘!!!’
As she knelt, the expression of the First Blood Star, Thunder Blood Sword Jang Ryong, twisted. He was clearly disappointed by the situation. Regardless, Baek Hye-hyang clasped her hands toward me and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“I pay my respects to the Blood Demon!”
She had officially recognized me as the Blood Demon. Even though I hadn't guaranteed her a specific rank, she showed no lingering resentment. She truly was a woman of great caliber.
Thud!
“I pay my respects to the Blood Demon!”
Hae Ak-cheon knelt, clasped his hands, and shouted. As if that were a signal, the Second Venerable Raging Demon Lord Seo Gal-ma and all the remaining Blood Stars knelt in unison, solemnly clasping their hands.
Thud! Thud!
Every cultist in the square knelt like a crashing wave. Then, they shouted with a force that seemed to shake the heavens.
“WE PAY OUR RESPECTS TO THE BLOOD DEMON!!!”
‘Ah…’
Standing alone in the square, a thrill surged through my entire body, making my skin tingle. In my past life, I had died as a mere third-rate spy for the Blood Cult. But this life was different. I had ascended to the position of the Blood Demon, the very pinnacle of the cult.
I closed my eyes and savored the moment.
-You’ve really made it big. To think the kid who was all gloom and doom when he got kidnapped by the Blood Cult again would come this far.
Who are you calling gloomy? I was just momentarily discouraged.
-Same thing.
-Was he really like that?
-Heh. Come to think of it, you guys didn't see it. I had to comfort him so much back then.
Stop teasing me. Honestly, if the Lesser Conversation Sword doesn't tease me for even a second, he must get cramps or something. Just as the emotion of the moment was about to be diluted by his badgering—
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
The sound of someone running frantically toward the square reached my ears. It was a cultist, though I didn't know whose unit he belonged to.
“They have appeared!” the cultist shouted as he entered the square.
‘They?’
At this, the Revered Stars and all the cultists who had been kneeling stood up. Baek Hye-hyang, who was right in front of me, also stood up—and she was smiling.
‘She’s smiling?’
The Revered Stars also looked heightened, as if they had been waiting for this moment. Based on the report, enemies had undoubtedly appeared. Yet, this was their reaction.
Hae Ak-cheon asked the reporting cultist, “Is it the Martial Alliance?”
“Yes. They are still far off, so it’s hard to see clearly, but the flag of the Martial Alliance is definitely flying. Judging by the auxiliary flags, it appears to be the Guangxi Branch.”
As expected, it was the Martial Alliance. It wasn't surprising that they had noticed; nearly ten thousand Blood Cultists had gathered in one place in broad daylight.
Baek Hye-hyang curled the corner of her mouth and spoke to me.
“The time has finally come.”
“The time for what?”
“We must begin the Bloody Opening Ceremony.”
The Bloody Opening Ceremony! To think I’d hear those words in person.
-What’s that?
The Blood Cult’s opening ceremony was different from that of the Orthodox or any other sect. For over twenty years, the Blood Cult had waited, nursing their grievances and sharpening their blades after their defeat in the Great Orthodox-Evil War. Their re-emergence would begin simultaneously with the washing away of their enemies' blood.
In fact, the reason this massive force had gathered so openly was to lure the enemy in. By annihilating them all, they would announce the Blood Cult’s magnificent resurrection.
This was how the Blood Cult’s opening ceremony had happened before my regression as well. However, there was one critical problem. A problem that no one here knew about.
Baek Hye-hyang said to me, “You should… no, the Blood Demon should give the order to all the cultists.”
She used formal language with me, which felt out of character. When I looked at her in surprise, she sent a Sound Transmission.
[Discipline must be maintained in public. Don’t look at me with those surprised eyes. Hmph!]
She spoke while grumpily twitching her lips, and for the first time, I thought she looked cute. Wait, what was I thinking? Thinking this terrifying woman was cute?
Baek Hye-hyang continued her Sound Transmission.
[Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only treating you with respect because we’re in public.]
So she’d go back to her usual self in private? It seemed she was on the same wavelength as my master. Well, as long as she kept her boundaries in public as she said, I didn't particularly mind.
[Understood.]
At my response, Baek Hye-hyang quietly added more.
[…And since you’ve become the Blood Demon, you may call me by my name.]
[Pardon?]
[I’m giving you the privilege of calling me by my name.]
……Hmm.
Was that a privilege? I suppose since no one had ever dared to treat her casually, she might consider someone calling her by her name a privilege.
“I will. Or rather, I shall. Hye-hyang.”
“Who told you to drop the surname and say it like—”
“You told me to call you by your name, didn't you?”
Baek Hye-hyang started to say something in response, but then she snorted and shut her mouth. She looked like she was forcing herself to endure it for now. I still wondered how a woman with such immense pride could give up the position of Cult Leader.
Clang! Clang!
My master, Hae Ak-cheon, struck his fists together as if his fighting spirit had been ignited.
“Blood Demon, please give the order.”
He was asking me to order the start of the Bloody Opening Ceremony. Every cultist in the square gripped their weapons, their morale soaring as they waited for my command.
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
Just then, another cultist came running frantically from outside the square. His face looked much more serious than the previous one.
“I-It’s a disaster!”
“A disaster?”
“Besides the Martial Alliance, an army that appears to be from the government is also swarming this way!”
“From the government?”
“At a glance, there are at least four to five thousand of them!”
‘!!!’
The Revered Stars and cultists, who had been burning with fighting spirit until a moment ago, began to murmur. This meant that not only the Martial Alliance but also government troops were heading here. It was happening much faster than before my regression, so I had wondered, but as expected, the same events were unfolding.
“Why the government army?”
“What on earth is going on?”
Amidst the murmuring cultists, the Fifth Blood Star, Fist and Kick of Blood Rain Hwang Kang, shouted.
“Hmph! It doesn't matter. They were in league with the Orthodox bastards twenty years ago anyway. If the government interferes in the affairs of the martial world, they must pay the price!”
“I agree. To drag the government into our opening ceremony… we must make an example of them.”
The Third Blood Star, Blood Killing Demon Yang Jeon, shouted his agreement. Some of the older cultists, sharing their sentiment, began to cheer.
In response, I infused my voice with internal energy and roared.
“SILENCE!”
“Ugh!”
The cheering cultists clutched their ears at the echoing shout and stopped. Everyone, including the Revered Stars, looked at me.
“Are you planning to fall for the enemy’s scheme and make the government your enemy as well?!”
At my shout, the cultists who had been boosting their morale just moments ago shut their mouths like mutes. The same went for Yang Jeon and Hwang Kang. Regardless of who caused it, clashing with the government meant their enemy wouldn't just be the Martial Alliance.
Before my regression, this was exactly why the Blood Cult had been forced to return to a decentralized intelligence network without a proper headquarters after the Bloody Opening Ceremony.
“That’s exactly how fools blinded by revenge think.”
“Ahem.”
At Baek Hye-hyang’s sarcasm, the two Blood Stars cleared their throats. Then, the First Venerable, Blood Breaking Sword Emperor Dan Wi-gang, spoke up.
“There is no one here who doesn't know that. However, if we retreat now to avoid a clash with the government, it is obvious that our cult’s opening ceremony will become a laughingstock. Blood Demon, what is your wise opinion on this?”
As Dan Wi-gang said, the honor of the newly re-established Blood Cult was at stake. Avoiding a clash with the government was certainly the best move. However, if we fled, the Martial Alliance would surely spread word throughout the Central Plains that we had run away out of fear.
Baek Hye-hyang’s voice reached me via Sound Transmission.
[Your first hurdle right after becoming the Blood Demon. It’s one of two choices. Either retreat and choose practical gain even if our honor is somewhat tarnished, or choose the cult’s honor and make an enemy of the government.]
It was a situation where neither choice offered a clear benefit. Baek Hye-hyang watched me curiously, wondering what choice I would make.
I curled the corner of my mouth and sent a Sound Transmission back.
[Do you really think there are only two options?]
[What?]