Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Separation (4)
Ehwa Palace, the Magic Guild, the Barbarian Tribe, Podallab Palace, and even the veiled Australia—competing organizations suddenly multiplied. I had deliberately waited for this situation. However, I hadn't anticipated the opponents' strength. In a situation where stronger groups than expected were maintaining balance, the Beggars' Sect appeared and began clashing with Ehwa Palace.
"Ehwa Palace has gotten busy."
"That's correct."
"What do you think?"
"If we're going to move, now is the time."
Jimun Seo-saeng answered coldly.
"You're saying to attack Ehwa Palace?"
"It's a situation where we naturally form an alliance with the Nine Evil Seven. There's no reason to refuse."
"There is a reason. What about Nakhwa?"
"If there's a connection, she will survive."
"You really are cruel."
Jimun Seo-saeng's expression was indifferent.
"The truth is, you were going to tell me not to fight and just stay still, weren't you?"
That would be the wisest method. But Jimun Seo-saeng knew my temperament.
"There's no need to waste effort on something that won't work, is there?"
"Do you think I don't have that much patience?"
"You don't."
"Isn't that a bit too blunt?"
"Bluntly, you don't. In your past life or present life, you've never waited around with enemies nearby."
I had nothing to say. Jimun Seo-saeng, as if he had much pent up inside, uncharacteristically added more.
"I should be grateful you've held back this long."
"You know I've only held back because of you, right?"
"I know."
"Then you'll understand even if I attack the Barbarian Tribe?"
Jimun Seo-saeng held his head. It seemed he'd been under a lot of stress.
"You've been through a lot. I know everything."
At my words, Jimun Seo-saeng let out a long sigh.
"I apologize."
He too recognized the moment of frustration and composed himself.
"I've been mentally exhausted from monitoring both Korea and Japan simultaneously."
Currently, Korea's de facto president wasn't me but Jimun Seo-saeng. He was handling everything. At some point, I had withdrawn from duties and stopped appearing in the media. Everything was being handled under the names of Jimun Seo-saeng and Jung Cheon. Their work performance was quite excellent, and Korea was stabilizing rapidly. Moreover, public response was favorable. This was possible because Jimun Seo-saeng was there. The problem was that I wasn't helping him at all.
"There's too little information to make a plan. We need time."
"Leave it to me this time. When I saw Ure, I felt they're the type that needs to be pushed with force. That's actually easier."
"So you don't simply want annihilation."
"If we can absorb them, we should try. It's worth attempting. There will be more people like Ure."
Jimun Seo-saeng thought for a long time. Then he nodded.
"Understood. But you need to create justification before going."
"How long do you think it will take?"
"Two days will be enough."
"Alright."
I trusted him and waited two days.
***
Two days later. The Barbarian Tribe officially criticized the Heavenly Demon Cult.
—The Heavenly Demon Cult accepted our defector. This is an act that disregards the warrior's pride.
"What happened?"
"I just unofficially prodded them a little."
Jimun Seo-saeng was skilled at this sort of thing. We touched them first, but from an outsider's perspective, it looked like the Barbarian Tribe criticized us first.
"At least we've created justification. But are you really planning to use force? Be careful. We lack a lot of information about their shamans."
"Trust me. I feel like I'm being overprotected lately."
I lightly grabbed his shoulder and stood up.
"Are you going right away?"
"No. I'll go in two days. They're holding a feast then. I need to flip that feast table."
I waited for two days.
***
Two days later, in the morning. I ordered all Heavenly Demon Cult members except Jimun Seo-saeng and Ure to prepare for battle and went to Egypt.
—Prepare to cross over immediately.
There was no need to attack recklessly. If possible, I intended to subdue them with force.
'A group that reveres martial prowess.'
This was the same as the Heavenly Demon Cult. This was also why I chose the Barbarian Tribe.
'Perhaps there are warriors worth absorbing.'
Although I had decided on an elite few, the Barbarian Tribe was attractive. I judged that if I could draw them in, they would become a reliable group.
'Let's go.'
And so I went to Egypt alone.
***
I arrived at the Barbarian Tribe's territory on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. True to their name, the Barbarian Tribe rejected modern buildings and lived in log cabins and huts. Because their lifestyle involved only sleeping in their homes, they had almost no desire for living space. They fought battles when they woke up, and when exhausted, closed their eyes on the grass. That was their culture.
'The Urak Tribe.'
The tribe Ure had belonged to. As I approached near the fence, I heard the sound of drums that had started in the clearing. It was a sound that felt like it touched one's heart with magic power.
'It's started.'
There was a reason I deliberately waited two days.
'I heard an interesting story from Ure.'
After setting the Barbarian Tribe as my target, I met with Ure frequently.
'From what Ure says, there's collusion between the shamans and the chieftains. But this goes against their rules of revering martial prowess and allowing anyone to become chieftain.'
The Heavenly Demon Cult had the same rule. Anyone strong could become the Cult Leader. Ure also said this,
—We warrior people have a rule that the strongest becomes chieftain. It can be inherited by his son, but at the succession ceremony, he must defeat the strongest person excluding the chieftain.
That battle happened every time. However, there had never been a case where the chieftain's son lost.
'This is the strangest part.'
When I asked about this, Ure answered,
—The chieftain is decided by the gods. There were battles at succession ceremonies, but the opponents always failed to display their full ability. The elders called this the gods' choice.
This was most suspicious. The Barbarian Tribe members just accepted it, but I was convinced there was corruption here.
"Corruption that could shake their very foundation."
So I waited for this feast.
—The tribe that expelled me will soon have a succession ceremony. The opponent has been decided as a warrior named Taduka. He is the strongest warrior in our tribe.
I asked about Taduka.
—He is a true warrior. For this succession ceremony too, the chieftain chose another warrior, but he volunteered himself to directly verify the suspicions up until now.
Warriors wouldn't be foolish enough not to have doubts.
'Otherwise, there would be no reason to try to kill Ure and even exile him.'
This wasn't suspicion but certainty.
***
I approached the fence. A guard blocked my way.
"Who are you?"
"I heard there's a chieftain inauguration ceremony, so I came to watch."
"Outsiders cannot be involved."
"Alright."
They didn't recognize my face. So I just turned around. Then, when their gaze turned elsewhere, I deployed Yongcheon and crossed the fence. With few structures, there wasn't much place to hide my body. So I climbed onto the roof of a log cabin from where the clearing could be seen in the distance.
Once I crossed the fence, there were no guards. Anyway, Egypt was a safe area for them, and it wasn't particularly a place to guard against intrusion. And everyone's attention was focused on one place.
About sixty warriors formed a circle, and two warriors stood at the center. A veteran warrior wearing crudely shaped iron armor and a young warrior with an appearance similar to Ure's. Under the intense sunlight, their black skin shone even more, making their robust appearance stand out more clearly.
When the drumming reached its peak, the warriors shouted. Then one man wearing a hood stepped into the center of the clearing.
"By the command of the great god Urak, the chieftain succession ceremony begins. Warriors qualified to become chieftain, swear to accept the gods' will."
It was a shaman. The shaman held a bizarrely shaped wooden staff, and when he tilted it, water flowed. The young warrior first cupped his hands to receive and drink the water flowing from the staff's tip. Next was the veteran warrior's turn.
'It's the same.'
The shaman tilted the staff again. I thought if they were going to manipulate it, they would do it right now.
'Shall I start?'
I stopped watching any longer and launched my body. I stepped on the shoulders of spectators once and stood at the center of the clearing. The veteran warrior was just about to drink the water. I deliberately went around behind the veteran warrior to reach the center. Before reaching the center, I whispered to the veteran warrior.
"Don't drink that water. It's a trick."
Along with my words, I lightly tapped his hand, making the water spill. Then I drew attention from the center. When I appeared, great turmoil arose.
"I am the Heavenly Demon, Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult. I heard there's a chieftain succession ceremony today, so I came to congratulate."
I said with a smile. Then the warriors showed their fighting spirit.
"Don't the great warriors have this much generosity?"
At my words, a giant with brilliant red patterns drawn all over his body approached.
"I am Chieftain Oltan. This is not a place for the Heavenly Demon Cult leader."
"I know. But since I'm already here, I can at least watch before leaving, right? There's a lot of food prepared, let's eat together. Surely the great warrior tribe isn't trying to chase me away because you're afraid of one person?"
The chieftain frowned. But he soon showed magnanimity and gestured. Soon two warriors each stepped aside to create space.
"Watch the great warriors' battle clearly."
The chieftain returned to his place as if to show off. The shaman glared at me, then checked the two warriors who had stepped forward again. Both had moisture around their mouths.
'Did they drink?'
I couldn't confirm that far either. But the veteran warrior's mouth also clearly had moisture.
'If he thought the succession ceremonies until now were strange, he definitely didn't drink.'
Thud! Thud!
When two powerful drum sounds were heard, the shaman stepped back. The chieftain's son first screamed and charged. The watching warriors also raised their fists and shouted in response. The veteran warrior stood in place to meet the charging chieftain's son's force.
Thunk!
An intense collision occurred. The surrounding dust rose due to the energy waves, obscuring their forms. The surroundings became momentarily quiet. And when the dust settled, the young warrior was kneeling. It was just one move. The difference in their abilities was this stark.
"Uoooh!"
The veteran warrior raised both fists and cheered. The young warrior's shoulder was completely shattered and his body was trembling. The spectators were stunned by the unexpected situation, but soon rushed into the clearing to celebrate the new chieftain.
I examined the expressions of the chieftain and shaman. They looked displeased, knowing something had gone wrong. Except for them and the fallen young warrior, the rest were in a festive mood. They treated the birth of the new chieftain like a festival.
Then, the shaman stepped forward.
"Stop!"
His voice echoed throughout the entire fence.
"I will convey Urak's will to everyone!"
At those words, the warriors stopped their actions and looked at the shaman. Just the action of slightly bowing their heads in unison conveyed reverence.
"Warrior Taduka, step forward."
It was the name of the veteran warrior who won the battle.
'So it was Taduka after all.'
The person Ure called a true warrior. Taduka stood confidently before the shaman. Then the shaman asked in a solemn voice.
"Did you drink the gods' water?"
"I only moistened my mouth."
"Why did you do so!"
"A commotion occurred and I spilled the water."
The shaman glared at me. But he soon spoke while looking at Taduka to settle the situation.
"A warrior who did not drink the gods' water has no qualification to hold a succession ceremony. This battle cannot be recognized, and Taduka, who entered the succession ceremony without drinking the gods' water, is commanded to exile in the name of god Urak."
Taduka looked at the shaman in surprise. The other warriors were the same. Taduka, who suddenly went from next chieftain to exile, looked at the shaman and shouted.
"I cannot accept this!"
"How dare you! Will you defy the gods' will!"
The shaman raised his staff. Then black energy surged from the staff's tip. And it transformed into a spear in the sky and fell toward Taduka's crown. Taduka just stared blankly at the black energy falling toward his head.
Clang!
Just before his head was pierced, I launched Wind Dragon Palm to strike away that energy.
"Were you just going to die?"
When I suddenly intervened, the shaman grew furious and shouted to the warriors.
"He has interfered with Urak's will! Kill him!"
The warriors all raised their heads in unison.
"Everyone think carefully. Taduka is the chieftain. You all saw it."
"This is not an outsider's business."
"Until now, all the chieftain's sons won because that shaman manipulated it. Can you believe in battles where strong warriors couldn't win?"
My words, infused with internal energy, stuck precisely in the warriors' ears.
"From now on, let's reclaim the lost warrior's pride. How about it?"
I looked at the shaman and gave him a deep smile. It was a practiced expression, though I don't know if it showed well.