Chapter 99
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: The Outlaw of the Divine Cult (3)
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That night.
Back in his residence, Seo Ryang looked around.
"Hmm, I wonder if Aeng-hwa is having fun."
He had sent Aeng-hwa to the annex of the Garden of Joy, telling her to enjoy a four-day vacation.
Aeng-hwa was also part of the Garden of Joy and would normally have been swamped with work, but the handmaidens of high-ranking cultists were allowed to fully enjoy the festival known as the Festival of Papiyas.
Seo Ryang smiled.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve been rather neglectful of Aeng-hwa lately.’
Between training, prodding the Lord of the Demonic Sword House, and various other matters, they hadn't had much of a chance to talk.
‘Should I teach Aeng-hwa some martial arts? It’s unlikely anything would happen, but it’d be good for her to know enough to protect herself.’
He looked up at the sky.
The sky viewed from his residence was as beautiful as ever. Though dark with night, the twinkling stars that seemed ready to spill over and the cool, enchanting moonlight were captivating.
Seo Ryang’s smiling face gradually contorted as he watched the sky.
"......Honestly."
Perhaps it was because no one was around. He found himself lamenting his situation.
"So meddlesome. The other successors could have handled this just fine if they had stepped up."
He was suddenly reminded of Hong Wi-mun, whom he had crushed.
If Hong Wi-mun were still around, Go Gu might have asked him for help first.
His martial arts and quick wits were second to none, but when it came to knowing and understanding the Divine Cult, he was far behind the other successors. That was what Seo Ryang thought.
‘Wouldn’t it have been better to spend that time looking for a way out of here?’
No, considering his dream, that would certainly be more efficient.
Seo Ryang shook his head.
‘Don’t be ridiculous. If I didn’t know, it would be one thing, but to know and ignore it isn’t right.’
It was laughable for a former assassin to talk about what was right, but this matter was different.
‘I have no intention of becoming a righteous hero. But I have to be a decent human being.’
This was exactly that kind of matter. As a human, when asked for help with something like this, even if you can't assist, you should at least be able to share their anger.
And Seo Ryang had the power to help. Of course, he had to.
A bitter expression crossed Seo Ryang’s face.
"You fool. At this rate, when will you ever achieve your dream?"
Just then, a gruff voice came from behind him.
"What is your dream, Third Young Master?"
As if he had known all along, Seo Ryang shrugged.
"Who knows? If you're that curious, take a guess."
Moonlight slanted across the left side of Go Gu’s face as he stood with his arms crossed.
"When I first met you, Third Young Master, I thought something."
"What?"
"That you have no attachment to the Divine Cult."
"......"
"I don't know what your dream is. It has nothing to do with me. But it was strange. You are the one the Cult Leader himself chose as a disciple, so why do you not possess even a shred of ambition?"
"You overestimate me."
"You sound like someone from the orthodox sects. Why is having no ambition an overestimation?"
"Cultivating ambition makes life difficult. Just eating well, shitting well, and sleeping well is the best."
"But you did not refuse my request. A simple 'no' would have saved you all this trouble."
Seo Ryang let out a soft laugh.
"I was just bored."
"Did you know? It's obvious when you lie, Third Young Master."
"Thanks for the useful information."
"This must be why I thought that."
"Thought what?"
Go Gu's gaze grew heavy.
"That you are dangerous, Third Young Master."
"How absurd."
"Because your martial arts are strong and you're unpredictable? No. I've finally realized why I thought you were dangerous, why I felt that inexplicable sense of unease."
"......"
"You are not a person who belongs in our cult."
Seo Ryang's eyes wavered.
"If you drop a single drop of ink into a clear pond, the entire pond becomes tainted. People are the same.
No matter how good a person is, they will inevitably change when they come to an extreme place like our cult."
"He who touches pitch shall be defiled?"
"But you were different, Third Young Master. Despite holding a station more noble than anyone in the cult, you never tried to blend in."
How sharp.
Indeed, the position of Head of the Hall of Punishments wasn't something just anyone could hold. He was reminded that one needed not only unwavering principles but also an outstanding eye for judging character.
"So, are you complaining?"
"Just as your dream has nothing to do with me, the kind of person you are also has nothing to do with me. I simply do what I must in my position. Therefore, I have no complaints."
"Good thinking. Poking your nose where it doesn't belong only makes you more enemies."
Seo Ryang plopped down on the training ground.
"You haven't forgotten what I said earlier, right? Dongpil is on standby, so keep a close watch. I'll make my move when the time is right."
"......"
"You can go now. I want to be alone."
"I don't know if you're aware, but tomorrow is the day the high-ranking figures of the demonic martial world pay their respects to the Cult Leader. And after the rites, there will be a grand conference for the future of the demonic martial world."
"So what?"
"Naturally, detailed reports on the recent unpleasant incidents will be presented."
"......"
"The matter of the Righteous Heaven Alliance's grand elder's death will also be addressed."
For a moment, Seo Ryang's eyes flashed.
"You knew?"
"I did."
"If you knew, why didn't you arrest me sooner? Isn't leaving the cult's grounds without permission a serious crime?"
"Because the Cult Leader would not wish it."
"......"
"The Cult Leader cherishes you, Third Young Master. He would not be pleased if you were thrown into the Hall of Punishments over such an incident."
"But he wouldn't tell you not to do it, either."
"That is also true."
The two were silent for a moment.
It was Go Gu who broke the strange silence.
"Just as I overlooked you leaving the cult, can you overlook my transgression?"
"What have you done?"
"I haven't done it yet."
*Flash!*
A fearsome light erupted from Go Gu's eyes.
"I'm about to do it now."
*Fwoosh!*
Seo Ryang's eyes wavered.
Despite the considerable distance between them, Go Gu was already right in front of him.
‘Fast!’
It was an incredible speed. Unlike in the Hall of Punishments, where he had merely been testing Seo Ryang's skills, Go Gu's movements were terrifying now that he had fully unleashed his martial arts.
Seo Ryang reflexively gripped his Dragon Scale Saber.
*Kwang!*
A massive saber scar was carved into the training ground.
It was a strike that no one could have easily dodged, yet Go Gu evaded it with remarkable ease. Instantly shifting to the right, he threw a palm strike.
Seo Ryang raised the flat of his Dragon Scale Saber.
*Pow!*
His body trembled.
‘He’s strong!’
He could have easily dodged, but Seo Ryang chose to defend.
*Swish!*
Leaping into the air, Go Gu swung his leg toward the crown of Seo Ryang's head.
It was a kicking technique so sharp it made one's hair stand on end. It was as if a blade were swinging, not a leg.
The wrist of the hand holding the Dragon Scale Saber rotated.
*Clang!*
Go Gu's body shot higher into the air. The repulsive force from the Dragon Scale Saber was beyond imagination, so a simple defense couldn't disperse the power.
*Fwoosh!*
He had never properly seen Lee Cheonsang's martial arts, but at least when it came to movement and footwork techniques, Seo Ryang was undoubtedly the best in the world.
Instantly soaring into the air, Seo Ryang swung the Dragon Scale Saber once more.
It was the first stance of the Nine Hells Calamity Saber Art, the Six-Linked Hellwind.
*Rumble!*
A storm of saber energy raged, accompanied by the sound of thunder. Go Gu's clothes were sliced in multiple places.
Go Gu shielded his face with both arms, his eyes gleaming through the gap. He realized that Seo Ryang's saber arts had advanced significantly since their last encounter.
*Thud!*
Seo Ryang's body fell downward. He had blocked Go Gu's fist technique, which had targeted an opening, but his time in the air was drastically reduced as a result.
But Seo Ryang didn't just take the hit.
*Boom!*
Go Gu's body fell in an arc. While blocking the fist technique, Seo Ryang had landed a blow with the Golden Silk Divine Palm, a palm technique from the Heaven-Lifting Technique.
*Thump!*
The two men landed on the ground at almost the same time.
And at almost the same time, they leaped toward each other.
*Fwoosh!*
Their movements were too fast to follow with the naked eye. Having closed the distance in an instant, the two unleashed their ultimate techniques without restraint.
*Boom! Crash!*
Explosions echoed all around, and scattered energy blasted out in all directions.
And at a certain moment.
*Clang!*
The heavy Dragon Scale Saber was blocked by a flexible sword that stood perfectly straight.
A flexible sword weighing next to nothing had blocked a heavy saber that was thirty times its weight. It was an incredible feat, hard to believe even when seeing it with one's own eyes.
Seo Ryang grinned.
"Finally bringing that out?"
"You knew?"
"That glare of yours was sharper than usual."
"But you haven't brought out your true skills either, Third Young Master."
"I told you, didn't I? It's probably best you don't know too much about me."
Go Gu, who had been watching Seo Ryang with an unreadable expression, suddenly channeled energy into his flexible sword.
*Twang!*
The two men each retreated several feet.
Seo Ryang frowned.
"Anyway, what's with the sudden sword fight in the middle of the night? Were you trying to boost my morale before we get started?"
"......"
"In any case, it seems you want to stop fighting. I'll let it slide, so go get ready and stay on your toes."
Seo Ryang slung the Dragon Scale Saber onto his back.
Go Gu looked down at the flexible sword in his hand.
‘The straightened blade...?’
*Woooooong.*
Without an infusion of true energy, a flexible sword would bend freely.
But now, his flexible sword was losing its form and bending even with true energy infused into it. That was how immense the saber pressure radiating from the Dragon Scale Saber was.
Go Gu wrapped the flexible sword around his waist.
"I see now why the Cult Leader took an interest in you."
"Like I care."
"Third Young Master."
"What now!"
"Be wary of the Cult Leader."
Seo Ryang froze.
Go Gu's low voice swirled like shallow rapids before reaching his ears.
"He is a man so endlessly dark that one cannot see his depths, yet so blindingly bright that human eyes cannot look upon him fully. A man whose heart-wrenching anger and resentment have reached their peak, hardening into a cold resolve, yet who would not hesitate to erupt like an active volcano at any moment."
"......"
"A man for whom everything in the world is a game, yet who simultaneously fears everything in it. A man who once stood in hell gazing up at the heavens, and has now risen to the clouds to look down upon the depths of hell."
*Squeeze.*
Go Gu clenched his fist.
"That is the kind of man the Cult Leader is."
"I don't understand a single word of that."
"I didn't expect you to. However, should such a moment ever come, I hope you will remember my words."
Go Gu turned around.
"You are the captain, Third Young Master. For this matter, I hope you will take the lead and guide us."
With those words, Go Gu left Seo Ryang's residence.
Seo Ryang let out a sigh.
"I was already feeling gloomy enough, and now he's just making things more chaotic."
* * *
*Rustle.*
A faint movement. And the sound it made.
Ma Dongpil, who had been sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes.
"You've come."
He raised his head.
A grotesque figure, backlit by the bright moonlight, was looking down at him.
Ma Dongpil's eyes darkened.
"The Young Master was right. It really was you."
The grotesque figure, looking down at Ma Dongpil with a blue gleam in its eyes, slowly raised one hand.
*Woooooooong!!*
A powerful wave of energy emanated from its fingertips.
Ma Dongpil gripped the hilt of the Silent King Sword.
*Chaaaaang!*