Chapter 440: Regret (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 440: Regret (6)
Crack.
Aggghhhh—!
As the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon began its ascent, piercing screams cut through the absolute darkness.
Crack-!
The sound of a leg snapping.
A Demonic Human crumpled to the ground, tumbling several times before coming to a stop. The man clutched his leg, howling in agony. It was clear the limb was shattered.
From atop a tall building, another figure observed the scene bathed in moonlight.
“…”
The Silent Fist watched the violent spectacle unfolding below.
Demonic Humans were savagely fighting amongst themselves. It was not an unusual sight. Lower-level Demonic Humans, having succumbed to madness, often turned on each other. Even without madness as an excuse, their volatile tempers and origins in the Unorthodox Faction—most bearing dark pasts—made such brawls commonplace.
Deaths in these skirmishes were normal, and of no concern to the Captain.
However…
-Aghhhh…!! Stooop!
-What do you mean stop, you bastard.
…this particular situation felt strange.
The Silent Fist observed in silence.
Hmm.
His eyes fell upon the Demonic Humans writhing and screaming in pain below. They were from the Ghostly Sword Army. Members of the Sword Demon’s faction, sent here for perimeter duty and other minor tasks, were notorious for their vile natures. True to form, they had started trouble on their very first day.
Had this been the Black Flame Army, such a hassle would have been unthinkable.
Also, because of the Captain…
No one in the Black Flame Army would dare act so recklessly unless they wished to be slowly burned alive.
The Silent Fist frowned. Normally, he would have intervened to stop the fight.
…This is.
He was at a loss for words.
The sight rendered him speechless. However weak they seemed, these were all warriors at least at the Peak Realm, sent to the Black Flame Army as they neared the end of that stage.
But the newcomer who had joined today…
…is treating those bastards like toys.
He was effortlessly beating the three of them to a pulp.
“You son of a bitch! Do you know who I am!?”
“Aghhhh!”
“…”
While it appeared to be a fight born of anger, the newcomer’s sudden, fluid movements were enough to impress the Silent Fist.
He is perfectly controlling Demonic Qi.
The man the Vice Captain had brought was far more formidable than he had initially assumed.
…I now understand why the Captain told me to keep an eye on him.
The Captain’s order finally made sense. The Captain must have known this from the beginning. The Silent Fist was certain.
Yet, one thing piqued his curiosity.
“You’re running? Are you really running? Aren’t you going to come here? I’m seriously going to kill you if I catch you.”
“Eeeek!”
“You just looked at me funny. Come here.”
“S-Save me!”
“…”
For some reason, the newcomer’s demeanor felt vaguely familiar to the Silent Fist.
“Urghh…”
One of the Demonic Humans lost consciousness, unable to endure the pain any longer.
The Silent Fist decided it was time to step in; at this rate, they would all be killed.
It’s unexpected, but I guess it shouldn’t matter for now.
Just as he prepared to intervene, a voice spoke from behind him.
“…What are you doing…?”
The Silent Fist immediately dropped to one knee. There was only one person whose presence he could fail to detect, only one person with that voice. He responded without daring to look up.
“…I greet the Vice Captain.”
Step.
As he bowed his head in respect, a light footstep landed beside him. There, in a pool of moonlight, the Demonic Sword appeared, looking down at the scene below. Two men were crawling on the ground, while a third was being relentlessly beaten by a young man.
“…”
The Demonic Sword’s gaze remained fixed, focusing intently on that one young man.
“…Silent Fist…”
“Yes, Vice Captain.”
The Silent Fist responded, his head still lowered. He knew she disliked making eye contact with anyone other than the Captain.
“…You…”
“Yes.”
“…”
The Silent Fist waited for her to continue, but only silence followed. Just as he began to wonder if he should lift his head…
“…It’s… nothing…”
With those words, the Demonic Sword vanished.
The Silent Fist was puzzled by the strange exchange, but he let none of his confusion show.
“Huh? Hey, wake up. Breathe! Breathe, damn it! Brea… Welp, he’s gone.”
A voice from below snapped his attention back. It seemed a problem had occurred in that brief moment. He quickly jumped down.
Meanwhile, the Demonic Sword was lost in thought, recalling the events of the previous night.
She had been wandering the forest, her senses expanded to their limit. She trusted no one. Even an oath sworn to the Heavenly Demon meant nothing to her. She especially distrusted people his age.
Her senses were vast enough to envelop the entire forest, capturing even the quietest of sounds. And because of that…
-She still loves the moon, huh?
As she watched the moon, she had clearly heard the young man’s voice speaking about her.
…
The Demonic Sword walked slowly, remembering the tone of his voice at that moment. The undercurrent of sadness and disappointment in his words bothered her, but there was a more pressing matter at hand.
I have to go see him.
Seeing the Captain was far more important.
Daybreak arrived.
Thanks to the ‘friendship’(?) I’d forged last night, the building I was staying in was quiet, allowing me a peaceful sleep. Perhaps it was because I’d nearly killed one of them; they now looked at me with sheer terror in their eyes.
It might’ve been a bit dangerous if the Silent Fist hadn’t intervened.
My anger had gotten the better of me, and I’d lost control of my strength. I’d beaten them without holding back, and one had lost consciousness. He wouldn’t be walking for a few days even after he woke up.
But what can be done?
That was my only thought. Honestly, I’d become much softer than I used to be. In the past, I wouldn’t have been satisfied until I’d torn a limb from its socket.
It also wouldn’t have mattered if I killed them…
That was most likely true.
I’d discovered while pummeling them that they weren’t from the Black Flame Army. Judging by their aura, they seemed to be from the Sword Demon’s army. I could tell from the way they fought; these bastards used swords, and I could feel the killing intent emanating from their very hands.
They were always like this.
Their Captain was a crazy bastard obsessed with slaughter, and his underlings were cut from the same cloth. There was a reason I beat up the Sword Demon every time our paths crossed.
To be honest, I only beat him up because I didn’t like him…
But that’s a story for another time…
I shifted my gaze, scanning my surroundings. Everyone from yesterday was gathered in the headquarters, standing in rigid lines. Not a single one of these Demonic Humans dared to move a muscle, paralyzed with nervous tension.
Why are they so scared?
I could only look at them with curiosity. Then, I noticed what I was wearing and let out a sigh.
…I can’t believe I’m wearing this again.
The black uniform of the Demonic Cult. I was clad in the specific outfit bearing the Black Flame Army’s symbol. I never thought a day would come when I’d have to wear this damned garbage again.
I could only sigh.
Each time I slept and woke, I hoped to return to the normal world, but I had to abandon that hope—it had already been three days. I’d felt the same way when I first regressed. It took me about three days to fully accept reality.
Damn it.
…So I guess I have to do something in order to go back.
My first task was to figure out what exactly I needed to do to return. But so far, no answers had come to mind.
I’ll have to gather some information when I get the chance.
The thought of having to work my ass off in a place like this was depressing, but I had no other choice. I had to accept reality and find a solution as quickly as possible.
Creaaak.
I straightened my posture as the door groaned open.
Slaaam.
The door swung wide, and an immense, heavy presence instantly flooded the room. The pressure was so intense I felt I would collapse if I relaxed even slightly.
That crazy bastard.
I couldn’t help but curse the idiot who emanated such an oppressive aura wherever he went. This dumbass probably didn’t even realize how much power he was leaking. Dumb retard. If you have that much Demonic Qi, you should at least try to control it.
Thud.
A heavy footstep echoed through the room.
And there he was. My past self.
His black cape swayed as he scanned the room with those piercing purple pupils. I felt goosebumps rise on my skin. It was unbearably embarrassing.
I think I’ll die of embarrassment… before I die of my vessel exploding.
That was the honest truth. That bastard was trying so hard to look cool. What the hell was wrong with him?
Behind him stood six people, including the Demonic Sword and the Silent Fist. The elites of the Black Flame Army.
Thud-! Thud-!
Everyone dropped to one knee the moment he appeared. I did the same.
“We greet the Captain!”
Their voices boomed through the vast, tall hall.
The Demon Emperor walked forward in silence, ignoring the loud welcome.
However.
Why is that bastard staring at me?
I noticed his gaze flicker toward me for an instant. There were only two reasons my past self would look at someone like that: either the person bothered him, or he planned to kill them.
It was one or the other… but judging by the bastard’s expression… I think he’ll…
…do both.
Someone who bothered him, and whom he wanted to kill. It was obvious. I had gotten on his bad side. I ignored his gaze and lowered my head further.
Creak.
The Demon Emperor finally looked away and took his seat.
“…I was given a report,” he began, getting straight to the point. He was as impatient as ever. “The Heavenly Venerable. That damned old man is wandering around the perimeter.”
The Heavenly Venerable was near the land of Sichuan.
A ripple of unrest passed through the assembled Demonic Humans. His words hinted that another war could erupt, shattering the fragile peace that had barely been maintained.
My mind began to race.
The Heavenly Venerable is in Sichuan.
I remembered the Demonic Sword telling me this in my past life. If I recalled when she had delivered this report to me…
W…Wait, this is when—
My eyes widened as a memory surfaced. I knew why the Heavenly Venerable was parading around Sichuan. He was flaunting his presence, deliberately ignoring the Heavenly Demon’s warning to attract the attention of the Demonic Humans.
So it was around this point in time.
Everything began to click into place. I finally understood exactly when I was.
I looked at the Demon Emperor, a realization dawning.
There was only one reason the Heavenly Venerable would purposely attract such attention.
…To see that old man.
His goal was to draw everyone’s eyes so he could meet one specific person.
And that person was…
The Dishonored Venerable.
It was none other than the Dishonored Venerable. This was his plan to meet the Dishonored Venerable in Sichuan.
Which meant this was the point in time right before the Dishonored Venerable would appear and throw everything into chaos. If I remembered correctly, he would make his entrance about a week after this report reached me.
Fuck.
Of course, I was thrown into this shitty situation. I couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed, a headache throbbing behind my eyes.
Was the problem the imminent appearance of the Dishonored Venerable?
No.
That wasn’t the reason for my reaction. I bit my lip as I stared at the Demon Emperor.
You know it as well.
I already knew the Heavenly Venerable was in the area even before the Demonic Sword reported it. More than that, I knew the Dishonored Venerable was going to appear. Yet, that dumbass was pretending he knew nothing.
If I remembered correctly, his next words would be—
“Because of this,”
…An order was sent out from the main cult.
“An order was relayed from the main cult.”
I clenched my eyes shut. I had guessed right.
“We must show the Heavenly Venerable what it means to ignore the Leader’s warning.”
He looked down at the Demonic Humans, his purple eyes devoid of emotion. The Demonic Humans trembled under the pressure of his gaze.
“Now,” he continued, utterly oblivious to their fear, “We will begin our hunt for the old monster.”
“Understood-!” everyone in the room shouted in unison.
I could only bite my lip, a deep frown etched on my face. It was exactly as I had expected. There was only one conclusion I could draw from all of this.
I was trapped, struggling within a painful memory from a past I could not escape.
This world was indeed my hell.