Chapter 94
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: A Magnificent Start to the Festival of Papiyas (3)
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“How are the preparations coming along?”
“They're going well.”
“What kind of preparations have you made?”
“Well… faith in myself?”
“……”
“Honestly, there's not much else to prepare. He's the eldest son of the Demonic Sword House, right? Any information I try to find on him is just superficial. I don't even know the precise level of his martial arts.”
“What in the world are you planning to do?”
“Good question. What were you thinking, asking a guy like me for this kind of favor?”
“I'm starting to regret it myself.”
“Go right ahead.”
“Stop joking and be serious. Have you really not prepared anything?”
“Nope. Aside from mentally steeling myself.”
“……”
“And well, it's a bit of a stretch to call it a preparation, but there is one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“Hmm…”
“What's wrong? Is it something illegal?”
“It’s not exactly illegal, but…”
“What is it? If it's something we can handle, I'll do my best to smooth things over.”
“Oh, you will? Then I'll tell you.”
“Go on.”
“*Whisper, whisper.*”
“…?”
“*Mutter, mutter.*”
“…!!”
“Well, that's roughly the flow of events I'm expecting.”
“……”
“What's with that expression? You don't think it's a good idea?”
“…Third Young Master.”
“Yes?”
“Are you insane? Do you want to be dragged to the Main Hall before we even catch the real culprit?”
“My, such harsh words all of a sudden.”
“No. Even if you aren't dragged to the Main Hall, you'd be a dead man. Do you think the higher-ups would just stand by and watch?”
“Why are you being so sensitive? It's not that big of a deal.”
“How can I not be sensitive?! As a member of our sacred cult, how could you even think of something so absurd?!”
“What's the big deal…? I put a lot of thought into this to catch the culprit.”
“Absolutely not. If you do that, I'll be the first to run over and slap cuffs on your wrists.”
“Why cuff me when I haven't committed a crime? You know that abuse of power is also a serious offense, right?”
“How is that not a crime? How could it possibly not be a crime?!”
“It's not in the law books. This isn't illegal. Then again, it couldn't be illegal in the first place.”
“…?”
“If you doubt me, go look it up.”
“Third Young Master! What you're planning to do is far beyond the scope of the law!”
“It's not like anyone's going to die, or I'm going to beat someone up without reason, or even dance naked in front of everyone, right? Huh? But can you get arrested for public indecency or something?”
“…Do as you please. I won't stop a man who's determined to commit suicide.”
“You should be wishing me success, not cursing me. In any case, there's no more certain way to catch the culprit, is there? Right?”
“……”
“See?”
“Do you even know why I came to you for help?”
“I know, that's why I'm going to do it this way.”
“…Fine. Do as you wish.”
“If I need help, I'll ask, so don't forget to keep an eye on the situation.”
“……”
“Your answer?”
“Just make sure you catch the real culprit.”
* * *
*Fwoosh!*
A powerful blast of energy erupted from his outstretched fist.
The formless true energy spread out in concentric circles. Yet, once it passed a certain distance, the projected force vanished as if it were a lie.
Pure joy colored Ma Dongpil’s face.
‘I did it!’
His internal energy was twice as potent as before, and his mastery of demonic arts had risen by two levels. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was on the verge of complete mastery.
His martial skill now surpassed even that of his squad leader, Gi Yang.
To achieve a level of skill exceeding Gi Yang, who could be considered the second-in-command of the Hall of Protectors after the Great Protector, was an achievement worthy of praise.
The first and second squads of the Hall of Protectors, a special guard unit, were composed of martial artists on a completely different level from the third squad and below.
The members of the first squad, in particular, were all masters whose skills were not far off from Ma Dongpil's.
The second squad was no different. And the gap in skill between the squad members was similar to the gap between their leaders.
To leap two levels at once from an already high realm and surpass even Gi Yang was something no one would believe.
This was a fortuitous encounter of the highest order.
However, despite his heightened realm, his experience and refinement were lacking.
His demonic energy had become so vigorous that he couldn't control his power. It was only through days of blood, sweat, and tears in training that he had managed to gain some semblance of control.
‘This is the limit for now. I've succeeded, but I can't let my guard down. I must train every moment until I can strike with perfect intention, even when acting on instinct.’
But right now, his body felt too heavy. He had been training nonstop from morning till night; it was truly time for a rest.
Ma Dongpil relaxed his stance.
“Hoo! Hm?”
He glanced toward a corner of the training ground.
There, Seo Ryang was in seated meditation with his eyes closed.
Seo Ryang, emitting a faint red glow from his entire body, looked incredibly beautiful.
A flicker of concern appeared in Ma Dongpil’s eyes.
‘He’s been like that for half the day. Is he alright?’
Then again, who was he to worry? It was like a wildcat worrying about a tiger.
Brushing off his sweat, he sat cross-legged in the center of the training ground. He intended to circulate his energy to restore his internal power and relieve the day's fatigue all at once.
Just as he was about to guide his true energy…
*Whoosh.*
‘Hm?’
Ma Dongpil’s eyebrow twitched.
‘The wind?’
Winters in the south weren't particularly cold. It was only chilly because they were on a mountain; down below, it was as warm as late spring in other regions.
Of course, it wasn't strange for the wind to blow. But what put Ma Dongpil on edge was the energy carried within that wind.
‘What kind of wind is this?’
It wasn't a particularly powerful energy. But for some reason, it bothered him.
In the end, curiosity won out over meditation. Ma Dongpil slowly opened his eyes.
In that instant.
“Hah!”
Startled, Ma Dongpil shot to his feet.
“Y-Young Master?”
*Wooooong.*
Seo Ryang, his eyes still closed, continued to emit a faint red glow.
He looked the same as before.
Except for the bizarre figure that had appeared behind him and the alien energy it radiated.
*Haaaaah.*
Seo Ryang opened his mouth and exhaled a long breath.
Simultaneously, the house-sized, red beast of a figure hovering above his head also opened its maw wide.
‘…!’
An impossibly vast, illusory beast.
Ma Dongpil had seen that beast before. He couldn't remember if it was in the Solitary Bamboo Forest or during his time in the inner palace, but he had witnessed it once.
It was as if the demonic art itself were a living creature.
As if it were a monster with a spirit of its own, a parasite living in its host's body to drag him to ruin.
Back then, Seo Ryang had also manifested a similar beastly form.
But this was completely different. The beast was twice as vivid and ten times larger than before, as if announcing its presence to the entire world.
*Flinch! Flinch!*
Ma Dongpil instinctively took one step back, then another.
The faint energy mixed in the wind was flowing from that very beast. It wasn't strong enough for an ordinary martial artist to notice.
But facing the beast directly was another story.
‘How can this be!’
Ma Dongpil, a master standing at the pinnacle of his realm.
Yet the form was so overwhelming that even he was terrified into retreat.
He couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of savage, malevolent energy the beast would unleash if it were to display its true power.
Even so, he was worried.
‘Can the Young Master truly handle something so absurd?’
The thought cast a shadow of doubt even in Ma Dongpil, who trusted Seo Ryang's abilities more than anyone.
‘That is no mere beast.’
It was a true demon summoned from hell.
As the terrified Ma Dongpil gritted his teeth and held his ground…
*Wooooong.*
A faint, five-colored light flowed from the window of Seo Ryang's room and into the space between his brows.
*Ssssssk.*
Then, as if by magic, the form of the beast—no, the demon—vanished. Its immense power was completely absorbed into Seo Ryang's body.
“Hoooo.”
Seo Ryang exhaled again.
*Crackle!*
Familiar fragments of dark lightning sparked around his body.
They were smaller than before, and thus less flashy, but each fragment held a terrifying pressure.
It felt as though a mere touch would shatter a boulder into dust.
*Fwoom!*
Soon, the dark lightning and the red glow also disappeared.
*Flash!*
When Seo Ryang opened his eyes, the light within them was more brilliant than ever. His flawless red pupils were filled with a magnetic power that seemed to pull one in.
“Is it night already?”
Rising to his feet, Seo Ryang took out a carefully folded piece of paper from his robes. It was a part of Lee Cheonsang's insights, the writings that complemented the Dark Shadow True Demonic Art.
Seo Ryang's eyes wavered.
‘That man is truly…’
Lee Cheonsang's insight was as sharp as a dagger.
Without even knowing the incantations of the demonic art, he had seen through its flaws just by observing its emitted energy and projected force.
As if that weren't amazing enough, he had gone on to create several new incantations to supplement the art.
And thanks to that, Seo Ryang was able to ‘complete’ his demonic art.
It wasn't just a matter of combining two things to make one whole. It was, in the truest sense, perfected, with nothing to add and nothing to take away.
Like the secret arts of the Nine Great Sects, honed over countless years to achieve unparalleled fame.
*Rustle.*
He unfolded the paper.
At the end of the two-hundred-character text were four characters: The Ultimate Chapter of the Nine Hells.
*Riiiiip.*
Seo Ryang tore the paper to shreds.
*Fwoosh.*
The shredded pieces of paper were consumed by a blue flame, turning to ash.
Ma Dongpil's face was a mask of astonishment.
“…Supreme Demonic True Fire?!”
Supreme Demonic True Fire, a state known as Samadhi True Fire in the orthodox arts.
It wasn't a flame produced by practicing a solar art.
It was a flame of internal power that could only be manifested upon reaching the state of pure perfection, a realm where one's true energy became extremely refined through pure enlightenment.
It meant only one thing.
“Could it be that the Young Master has already…”
“No, it's not the Realm of the Ultimate Demon. Though I am very close.”
Seo Ryang smiled bitterly.
“It's just that my demonic energy, which was refined long ago, is only now showing its true light.”
The Realm of the Ultimate Demon was equivalent to the realm of the Ten Great Masters of the world. The Nine Great Demonic Venerables of the cult were absolute masters who had reached that very state.
Seo Ryang, too, had reached a similar realm in his past life. The only issue was that the Dark Shadow True Demonic Art was not a complete enough art to fully contain his enlightenment.
If he continued to strive as he was now, he would one day be able to reach the Realm of the Ultimate Demon through his demonic art.
Even Seo Ryang didn't know when that would be. It could be as soon as tomorrow, or perhaps a year from now.
‘Though it won't take more than a year.’
He looked up at the sky.
Countless stars were packed tightly into the night sky, a dark curtain drawn across the world.
“I had forgotten all this time. The sorrow of the nameless.”
No one in the martial world knew his real name.
Not even the leader of the Righteous Heaven Alliance knew his name. He was simply called by a number, called the Righteous Killer, and later, the King of Slaughter.
In that existence, there was only an assassin dreaming of freedom; the human Cheon Hajin was nowhere to be found.
“Even the realms of martial arts have their own names.”
*Squeeze.*
Demonic energy pulsed in his tightly clenched fist.
It was a demonic energy that seemed a shade darker than before, and for that reason, had reached an even more perfect red glow.
‘Combining the Dark Shadow Energy and the True Demonic Art and naming it something so clumsy? Real smart.’
Seo Ryang, who had been gazing at the twinkling stars, now turned his eyes to the moon.
Beneath the pouring moonlight, a sorrowful smile drifted on the wind.
“An art magnificent enough to pry open the gates of an illusory hell deserves a fitting dignity.”
Seo Ryang lowered his head.
Faced with his majestic form, which now emitted a red glint from his eyes, Ma Dongpil swallowed hard.
‘Nine Hells Demonic Art. From now on, this art shall be called the Nine Hells Demonic Art.’
There was a great difference between knowing what you possessed and not knowing its true name.
Seo Ryang, the Third Young Master of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
An absolute demonic art that would mark a new epoch in the cult's history was quietly stretching its limbs, witnessed by the moonlight, the starlight, and the guard of a Grandmaster.
Another day passed.
“Dongpil.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Tell Aeng-hwa to prepare some clothes.”
Seo Ryang grinned.
“Let's go see the face of our real culprit.”
The first day of the Festival of Papiyas had begun.