Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The Tournament (1)
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Fourteen days have passed since the second test, the joint battle, concluded.
Today, the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon was bustling with preparations for the tournament set to begin the next day.
“Chief Instructor, we've moved all the necessary items to the main plaza.”
“Good work. Time flies, doesn't it? To think the third test is already upon us.”
“Indeed. It won't be long before we announce the revival of our cult to the world.”
“The very thought makes my heart race... By the way, has Ha Song returned?”
“We haven't heard anything yet.”
“Tsk. Those wretched fools.”
The Chief Instructor scowled at his subordinate's words and muttered to himself.
As the phrase 'wretched fools' suggested, he had been asking not only about Ha Song's return but Maeng Ak's as well.
But to hear there was no news at all...
With the third test, the tournament, just around the corner, he couldn't help but worry about where they had gone and why they hadn't returned.
‘They didn't take the path the Council of Elders prepared for them. Where on earth did they disappear to?’
The Chief Instructor clenched his fists.
He vowed to plant these fists squarely on Ha Song and Maeng Ak's heads when they finally returned.
Of course, for that to happen, he first needed them to return safely.
The only silver lining was that the tournament brackets were drawn on the day of the event, which bought them a little more time.
Although, even that time was now down to just a few hours...
The preparations for the tournament were now complete.
The VIP seats were arranged in the main plaza. The training ground was laid out with precious materials. Even the medical station in the corner was thoroughly prepared.
‘Hm? Wait, what's that?’
Something caught the eye of the Chief Instructor as he scanned the plaza.
Looking closer, he saw a man dressed in a physician's robes.
But his tall and brawny physique was hardly that of a physician.
‘Could he be an assassin?’
Suspicion was his first instinct.
As far as he could remember, no one on the medical staff had such a build.
However, acting rashly could lead to overlooking something important.
For now, he approached slowly.
“How are the preparations coming along?”
He asked a question that was natural for a Chief Instructor, careful not to betray his suspicion from the start.
And the other man responded with practiced ease.
“Ah, Elder No Baek-yeon, the Sword Fiend. It is an honor. The preparations are nearly finished. The Demonic Doctor, my master, tasked me, his youngest disciple, with the final touches.”
“Wait... the Demonic Doctor's youngest disciple? Would that be Dang Hyeon-woo?”
“Yes, that's right. Haha. My appetite has been quite good lately, so I've put on some bulk. It's only natural you wouldn't recognize me.”
“More than 'some bulk,' I'd say. Now that I look closer, I can see traces of your old face.”
The Chief Instructor was inwardly impressed.
‘To change so much in just a month or two... Did he have some sort of fortuitous encounter by the Demonic Doctor's side?’
His internal guess was only half right.
Dang Hyeon-woo had indeed had a fortuitous encounter, but it was thanks to Maeng Ak, not the Demonic Doctor.
In any case, his suspicions allayed, the Chief Instructor turned away, his worries returning to the forefront of his mind.
Dang Hyeon-woo watched the Chief Instructor's retreating back and let out a deep sigh.
“Haaah. Seeing the Chief Instructor so on edge makes it feel real. The test is tomorrow, but where could my lord be?”
The truth was, he and Maeng Ak hadn't seen each other since that first day.
Because of that, Dang Hyeon-woo was looking forward to this tournament even more than the cadets who were actually competing.
He wanted his lord to acknowledge his growth, and he was also curious about the remaining verses and forms of the technique he had been promised.
It wasn't just Dang Hyeon-woo and the Chief Instructor who were awaiting Maeng Ak's return to the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon—or rather, to the cult itself.
First, there were Hwan Cheon-hwa and Eum Cheon-myeong, who believed Maeng Ak to be the second coming of the Heavenly Demon, along with the rest of the Three Phoenixes, One Dragon. The Cult Leader and the other high-ranking officials were waiting as well.
The Council of Elders, in particular, was on the verge of an uproar. They had gone so far as to oppose the Cult Leader and the heads of the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates to support Maeng Ak, only for him to vanish instead of taking the path they had prepared.
In a way, Maeng Ak had thrown the cult into turmoil before the tournament had even begun.
Whether anyone would admit it or not, Maeng Ak was already at the center of the cult, his influence extending far beyond the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon.
* * *
The day of the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon's third test, the tournament, had arrived.
Nearly every martial artist residing in the cult's main headquarters had gathered here in the main plaza.
With the cult's revival to the martial world all but certain within the next ten years...
...it was no exaggeration to say that today's event would determine the leader of the rising stars who would one day guide the cult. The massive turnout was understandable.
Despite the huge crowd of martial artists, the main plaza was eerily silent.
They dared not speak carelessly because of the high-ranking officials filling the VIP seats.
To the right sat the heads of the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates, known as the five pillars supporting the cult. To the left sat the Council of Elders, composed of old monsters who had survived since the cult's golden age.
And in the center of the VIP section sat the current Cult Leader, flanked by the Left, Right, and Great Guardians.
Their eyes scanned the crowd, each searching for the rising star they had sponsored.
It was a desire to check on their condition before the tournament officially began.
Of course, this was not the affectionate concern of a parent for their child.
This was the Demonic Cult, where the strong reigned supreme.
Their feelings were merely those of someone cherishing a puppet that would serve as a pawn in their power struggles.
And this sentiment was not limited to the leaders.
The underlings of each faction were also strongly inclined to think this way.
As if to prove it, their conversations were filled more with concerns about the results than about the rising stars' well-being.
In the spectator seats, far from the VIP section, a man from the Sword Heavenly Pillar Gate spoke up.
The moment he noticed the person next to him was from the Saber Heavenly Pillar Gate, he started a war of nerves.
“I hear that in the fortnight since the joint battle, the martial prowess of our Sword Heavenly Pillar Gate's pride, Young Master Geom Cheon-ha, has improved greatly. Have you from the Saber Heavenly Pillar Gate heard?”
“What nonsense is this? When it comes to growth in martial arts, that's the specialty of our more talented Young Master Do Cheon-mu. I'm sorry to say this, but hasn't the Sword Heavenly Pillar Gate always been second best?”
“What? Have you said your piece?”
But the man from the Saber Heavenly Pillar Gate had thrown back a sharp retort.
Thanks to him, the atmosphere grew heavy.
It was as if they might draw their blades at any moment.
However, knowing they would surely be purged for causing a disturbance, they settled for glaring daggers at each other.
Just then, a man from the Poison Heavenly Pillar Gate took the opportunity to interject.
“You both seem to be behind on the news. I heard our Young Master Dok Cheon-roe has shown the most growth.”
“Hah! Don't make me laugh.”
At his words, the men from the Saber and Sword Gates scoffed.
With that, the three of them began to argue over which rising star had improved the most.
But their argument came to an abrupt halt without a conclusion.
The Chief Instructor had taken the stage and was announcing the start of the tournament.
“Now, I will announce the start of the third test from the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon, the future of our cult!”
“Woooooah!!”
The vast, silent plaza was instantly filled with cheers.
While it was a test for the cadets and instructors of the Divine Hall, for the rest of the cult, today was one of their few festivals.
The leadership might have silenced them before it started, but they had no intention of quelling a festival already in full swing.
In fact, an atmosphere like this would only add to the cadets' tension.
This noisy environment was, in itself, part of the test.
“First, we will draw the brackets for the tournament. As previously announced, we will use a random selection method to group ten cadets at a time. These ten will form a single group and will fight until only one remains.
In other words, we will select one winner from each of the twenty-five groups, leaving only twenty-five cadets standing.”
In a way, these conditions were disadvantageous for Maeng Ak's and Ha Gyeong's teams.
Although it was random, far more followers of the Five Phoenixes, One Dragon had survived.
Once the groups were formed and the tournament began, they would likely be the first to be targeted.
Maeng Ak might be fine, but it was sure to be an incredibly difficult test for his team members.
But this was the Demonic Cult, a place where fairness was not a consideration.
The Chief Instructor began to call out the names for the first group.
Everyone focused on his lips, waiting to hear the name of the first cadet.
“Cadet Do Cheon-mu.”
“Woooooah!!”
A member of the Five Phoenixes, One Dragon—no, the now Three Phoenixes, One Dragon—and the representative rising star of the Saber Heavenly Pillar Gate had been named.
A fervent cheer erupted from the spectator seats. It was likely from members of the Saber Heavenly Pillar Gate or those affiliated with them.
The announcement of names had to be paused.
Seeing that this would cause significant delays, the Chief Instructor forbade any further interruptions.
Of course, a slight stir still went through the crowd whenever the name of a prominent rising star was called for a group.
But it was nothing like the first time, so the announcements proceeded quickly.
Perhaps because it was random, luck was on their side, and none of the major players were grouped together.
The members of the Five Phoenixes, One Dragon and their followers were evenly distributed.
Of course, every cadet who had survived this long was formidable, but this was still a relief.
At least there were no unlucky matchups between the members of the Five Phoenixes, One Dragon.
The only unsettling thing was that the names of Geom Cheon-ha and Maeng Ak had not yet been called.
As the announcements continued, the number of remaining groups dwindled, until finally, only two were left.
The announcement for the 24th group began.
“Cadet Jo Gwang-uk. And Cadet Geom Cheon-ha.”
“......!!”
At the mention of Geom Cheon-ha's name, the crowd stirred once more.
Maeng Ak's team, listening to the announcements from the back of the plaza, was no different.
“Geom Cheon-ha... So they're finally facing off.”
“Hey, Jo Gwang-uk. You're not scared, are you?”
“What? You're one to talk, *Gwang*. It's not like I'm the one in the same group as our Lord, so who's scared?”
Jo Gwang-uk and Do Gwang, who often bickered, exchanged words.
In fact, Maeng Ak's and Ha Gyeong's teams had been lucky enough to be scattered into different groups, avoiding the Five Phoenixes, One Dragon.
But Jo Gwang-uk alone had been matched with Geom Cheon-ha.
Of course, having been taught by Maeng Ak, Jo Gwang-uk wasn't afraid, but it was true that his test would be harder than that of his teammates.
Just then, they heard the name of the final member of the 24th group being called.
The Chief Instructor had never faltered during the announcements, except for the pause after the first cheer.
But this time, for some reason, he paused for an uneasy beat.
And then, a name that should not have been spoken left his lips.
“...Cadet Maeng Ak.”
“......!!”
Not only Jo Gwang-uk and the rest of Maeng Ak's and Ha Gyeong's teams listening from the back, but everyone in the main plaza was stunned.
Jo Gwang-uk, in particular, regretted his last words and muttered to himself.
“Son of a bitch. Talk about tempting fate... haah...”
Jo Gwang-uk wasn't the only one cursing.
Every cadet in the 24th group let out a curse of their own.
Among them was Geom Cheon-ha.
“Huuu. Dammit... Is this fate? Fine. Let's just say the heavens have granted me an early chance for revenge.”
A faint tremor could be seen in the hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
He had yet to completely shake off the despair he had tasted at the pond.
However, the very person who had dealt him that despair, Maeng Ak, was currently unaware that his name had even been called.
Having left the secret storehouse the day before, he had only just arrived at the main plaza.
And so, the tournament began.