Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon's Royal Descent
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Warm morning sunlight streamed down the cave walls, reaching deep inside.
Maeng Ak, who had been sitting cross-legged and circulating his energy, opened his eyes for the first time in a while.
*Crack. Crack.*
As he stretched languidly, the joints throughout his body popped.
Seemingly pleased by the sound, Maeng Ak spoke, his expression visibly lighter.
“Ahhh, now I feel alive.”
He couldn't even remember the last time he'd taken such a long rest.
In his past life, he'd struggled to make the Green Forest a great faction, and since waking in this new body, he'd run nonstop for revenge.
“Shall I head out?”
Exactly five days had passed since he began circulating his energy without moving an inch.
By now, everyone would be busy preparing for the fourth test. To make a timely appearance, it was best to hurry.
Taking only the Heavenly Demon Sword and the secret manual for the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon, he began his descent.
But what was this?
He could sense presences everywhere—presences that hadn't been there a month ago.
‘The Cult Leader? Or the Great Elder? It could be both. What on earth are the leaders doing on the day the fourth test begins...?’
If they had all gathered here just to catch him, it wasn't even funny.
Not only was there no way he, who had perfected the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, would be caught, but even if he were, what could they possibly do?
“Anyway, there are always rotten bastards wherever you go.”
The back alleys of a small town were like that, the Green Forest was like that, and even the Orthodox martial world, which championed justice and chivalry, was the same.
The Demonic Cult was no different.
‘Still, this is too much.’
No matter the faction, the rising stars were its future.
Yet they weren't even observing the fourth test that would decide that future.
‘Well, I suppose it's understandable they'd want to keep someone like me in check as I rise from the bottom...’
But even so, this was wrong.
He was angry.
Not because they had swarmed here to catch him, but because they had abandoned the cadets who were the future of the cult.
‘Even I, who was busy perfecting the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, am going down to watch. Aaargh!’
Since they would eventually clash with the Orthodox martial world, he had intended to preserve the Demonic Cult's strength as much as possible.
But no more.
He decided it was right to cut out the rotten parts now.
First, he had to escape the formation so they could sense his presence.
*Fwoosh!*
Kicking off the ground, he unleashed his movement technique.
The dense trees blurred past beneath his feet.
He could feel it in his very being—he had grown stronger.
Not only was he fast, but the consumption of his internal energy was almost nonexistent.
“At this speed, I can clean up here and still make it on time.”
Whether it was the Cult Leader or the Great Elder, he resolved to cut them out right here, today.
He had thought he might be a little late for the fourth test, but after using his movement technique, it seemed he had plenty of time.
‘If the Great Guardian is here, will it take a little longer?’
Of course, the Great Guardian, estimated to be at the perfected Profound Realm, was not as easy an opponent as the Cult Leader or the Great Elder.
If the Great Guardian was with them, there was a chance he'd be delayed.
“I'd better pick up the pace.”
He was already accelerating as he descended, but the thought of the Great Guardian made him impatient.
In less than half a quarter-hour, Maeng Ak broke through the formation and reached the mountainside.
Thanks to that, he came face to face with a group that was currently ascending the mountain.
“Cult Leader, where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“......!”
*Shing! Shing! Shing!*
Maeng Ak greeted him first.
Behind the slightly startled Cult Leader, the Silent Kill Squad following him drew their weapons.
Of course, they posed no particular threat to Maeng Ak.
They were weeds that could be wiped out in a single move of his Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
Rather, it was the man standing with his arms crossed, doing nothing, who caught his eye more than all of them combined.
‘The Great Guardian... I expected this, but it's still a pain.’
It seemed dealing with the Great Guardian alone would take longer than facing the entire Silent Kill Squad, including the Cult Leader.
‘Well, it's only a matter of time anyway.’
Just then, the Cult Leader spoke.
“You bastard! The Demonic Doctor has confessed everything. So speak the truth! What were you doing for the past month in hiding, only to appear now!”
He roared, but inwardly, he couldn't help but lament.
‘To become even stronger in just one month! Did he really find that cave from the ridiculous legend?!’
But even so, the man was alone.
He believed there was no way Maeng Ak could face him—a master who had reached the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm—the Great Guardian, a Profound Realm master, and the entire Silent Kill Squad, which existed solely for killing.
*Gulp.*
But why was he swallowing dryly?
The Cult Leader didn't know.
He didn't know the true power of Maeng Ak, who had grown so strong he no longer had any rivals, nor what thoughts were running through his mind.
His instincts, however, were a different story.
He, who had been a predator his entire life, knew with certainty that he was now the prey.
The cold sweat dripping from the Cult Leader's brow and the slight trembling in his hands and feet proved it.
Maeng Ak found the sight quite amusing.
“I'm curious as well. What on earth did the Demonic Doctor say that made you so afraid of a single cadet that you'd personally come all this way with your pack of dogs?”
“What? How dare you!!”
Unable to endure the provocation, the Cult Leader's veins bulged.
But that alone wasn't enough to shut Maeng Ak's mouth.
“By the way, I thought the Great Elder would be here too. It's a shame I don't see him.”
“The Great Elder is...”
*Rustle.*
Speak of the devil, as they say?
Just then, the Great Elder, the Chief Instructor, and an old elder of the same generation as the Great Elder who had not shown himself until now emerged from the bushes together.
‘I knew it.’
Only Maeng Ak had anticipated their arrival, as they had approached while concealing their presence.
Thus, the Cult Leader's side reacted with surprise.
“The Great Elder and the Old Elder, too!”
“What about the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon?”
Most were more surprised by the Old Elder's presence than by the appearance of the Great Elder, the Mad Demon.
His nickname, the Reclusive Master, wasn't for nothing.
Just then, the Great Elder, the Mad Demon, spoke.
He intended to firmly seize the momentum that had shifted in their favor.
“Hahaha, what a coincidence. It's good to see a face I've been wanting to see. But it seems you were just talking about me?”
Behind him, the Chief Instructor gave Maeng Ak a welcoming glance, while the Old Elder remained expressionless.
“I was just about to hold this foolish cadet accountable for his crimes. You've come at a good time, Great Elder! How on earth have you been managing the cadets for things to turn out like this!”
“Crimes? Managing? What do you mean by that, Cult Leader?”
The Cult Leader suddenly snapped at the newly arrived Great Elder.
Words he would never have used under normal circumstances. But that wasn't the only strange thing.
The Great Elder, who would normally have challenged the Cult Leader if it wasn't his fault, calmly accepted the accusation.
It was clear to anyone that the two were in cahoots.
The Cult Leader, who had been intimidated by Maeng Ak's strengthened aura, seemed invigorated by the Great Elder's arrival and continued to jabber on.
“What do you mean! I mean he dared to use a legend full of falsehoods to recklessly brandish the name of our founder, the Heavenly Demon! This mere cadet, that is!”
At the mention of the founder, the Heavenly Demon, even the previously indifferent Old Elder opened his eyes and listened intently.
Of course, it was the Great Elder who was making a racket on their pre-arranged stage.
“I-Is that really true? If so, from this moment on, I will revoke his status as a cadet of the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon!”
With the Cult Leader and Great Elder's joint effort, the stage was set. The flow of events now depended on who would be the first to take a bite.
But Maeng Ak was not one to simply stand by and watch.
With a single shout, he flipped the table they had so carefully set.
“**Silence!!!**”
He unleashed a Lion's Roar infused with an energy that no one present could dare to ignore.
It was powerful enough to create the illusion that the entire mountain was vibrating.
At that, the expressions of the Cult Leader and the Great Elder, who until a moment ago hadn't considered the possibility of defeat, hardened.
They each looked toward their respective pillars of support.
The Cult Leader looked to the Great Guardian, the Great Elder to the Old Elder.
However, the two men they trusted implicitly were looking at Maeng Ak with expressions entirely different from what they had expected.
Yes, how should one put it?
It was a look of longing and reverence.
Since ancient times, they had followed the will of the founder, the Heavenly Demon, waiting for the day the Heavenly Demon would reappear.
From their grandfathers' time, or perhaps even earlier.
Deep in their bones were etched generations of loyalty, reverence, and fear.
So, of course, they had to recognize it.
The martial art Maeng Ak had now mastered.
“Th-The Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon...!”
The two of them muttered it almost simultaneously.
But unfortunately, the Cult Leader and Great Elder beside them did not hear.
Because Maeng Ak, who had just unleashed the Lion's Roar, followed it with a powerful stomp that shook their minds and bodies.
*KUUUUUUNG!!!*
The power was incomparable, making the previous tremendous Lion's Roar seem like child's play.
It was just a single step.
But the result it brought about was beyond imagination.
Everything around Maeng Ak disintegrated.
It was as if a meteor from legend had struck the earth.
The lush trees were torn apart beyond recognition, and massive boulders that looked like they could stand for a hundred years were shattered into pieces.
After some time, when the storm created by one man had subsided, fewer than five people remained alive.
Only the Cult Leader, the Great Guardian, the Great Elder, the Old Elder, and the Chief Instructor were left standing, tattered and torn.
The number, which had been at least a hundred, was reduced to six, including Maeng Ak.
The fifty-plus members of the Silent Kill Squad brought by the Cult Leader and the henchmen brought by the Great Elder were annihilated so brutally that not even their forms could be recognized.
It was a catastrophe.
Yet, the one who had caused this catastrophe was not even breathing heavily.
“The mountainside is a wreck. This is why I didn't want to use it. Tsk.”
At the center of the disaster, Maeng Ak could be seen, calmly brushing dust off his clothes.
At that sight, the Cult Leader and the Great Elder lost the thirst and greed they had felt for him.
In the face of such overwhelming power, the only emotion they could feel was desperation.
‘I-I want to live...’
Even shock was a luxury for those two.
As the two lost their will to fight, the Old Elder and the Great Guardian made their decision.
*Thud! Thud!*
“This humble servant pays his respects to the current Heavenly Demon!”
They knelt side by side before Maeng Ak and cupped their fists.
The two of them were different from the Cult Leader and the Great Elder.
Survival? That didn't matter at all.
They were simply moved to be witnessing the revival of the Heavenly Demon they had awaited for generations.
“Took you long enough to recognize me.”
Maeng Ak murmured briefly, looking down at them.
At that, the Old Elder and the Great Guardian slammed their foreheads to the ground without a hint of hesitation.
*THUD!*
“F-Forgive me! Please kill this humble servant who only recognized you after seeing the Heavenly Demon's Royal Descent!”
The Great Guardian, who was usually a man of few words, cried out.
“Please take this insignificant old man's head!”
The Reclusive Master, the Old Elder who wouldn't even bow his head to the Cult Leader, had reduced himself to an insignificant old man.
In response, Maeng Ak waved his hand dismissively and said.
“Tsk, I've lost interest. Enough. Deal with those two pieces of trash quickly and follow me.”
*Fwoosh!*
With those words, without waiting for a reply, Maeng Ak used his movement technique to head towards the main plaza where the fourth test was being held.
In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Yet, the Old Elder and the Great Guardian cupped their fists towards the empty air and shouted.
“Loyalty!”
And then they turned around.
To carry out the Heavenly Demon's first command.
“W-Wait! Great Guardian! Wh-What are you doing now!”
“O-Old Elder! Wait, let's t-talk!!”
Seeing the chilling, crazed look in their eyes, the Cult Leader and the Great Elder recoiled in terror.
But the movements of the Great Guardian and the Old Elder were faster than the trembling hands fumbling for the weapons at their waists.
*Shing! Shing! Shing!*
Still, as masters who had surpassed the wall of the Transcendent Realm, they barely managed to block the first strike.
But having lost their balance, they couldn't block the ensuing barrage and began to bleed.
“Kuaaaack!”
On the devastated mountainside, screams echoed with every clash of weapons.
After about half a quarter-hour passed,
the Great Guardian and the Old Elder wiped the blood from their blades and belatedly followed Maeng Ak.
Despite having cut down their former master and friend, not a trace of regret remained on their faces.