Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: A Step Forward as the Heavenly Demon
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The main square was on the verge of erupting into a riot.
But with the appearance of one man, it fell silent as if by magic.
It was because of the formless energy emanating from him.
It was unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar.
‘Ugh!’
It felt as though something etched into their very bones from birth had been awakened.
Yes, their instincts were speaking.
Do not, under any circumstances, oppose that energy.
Regardless of martial skill or status, everyone had to bow their heads without realizing it.
It was not something that could be controlled by reason.
Thanks to this, though no one explained who he was, everyone present could guess his identity.
‘The… the Heavenly Demon…!’
All Maeng Ak had done was walk onto the training grounds while channeling the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
As he released the power he had kept restrained and let it flow freely, even the Great Guardian and the old elders, who could be called absolute masters, felt overwhelmed.
An indescribably dense demonic and malevolent energy radiated from Maeng Ak's entire body.
Even he himself was inwardly astonished.
‘The power of the perfected Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon is truly beyond imagination.’
Only by becoming the Heavenly Demon himself could he understand.
Why the Orthodox martial world practically had seizures at the mere mention of the Heavenly Demon's name, and how the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, enemies since time immemorial, could join forces.
‘Now that I’ve become the monster, I understand how they must have felt facing one.’
In truth, Maeng Ak was a monster even before becoming the Heavenly Demon.
After all, in his past life, he had a record of taking down three absolute masters single-handedly.
But even for him, the thought of facing his current self was enough to make him feel dizzy.
It made sense, as the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger, which had been his everything, was actually only half of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
Now, he had found the other half, completed it, and obtained this power.
Though it was called a half, the difference in power was not merely double.
‘At least four times….’
With one hand, he could perform the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger, and with the other, the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
Both were divine arts that, even if one possessed only one, would be enough to mark a new era in the history of the martial world several times over.
Honestly, even he didn't know the exact extent of its limits.
Of course, he knew better than anyone how to use it.
As if to prove it, Maeng Ak imbued his voice with internal energy and began to speak.
“Everything the Great Guardian said is true. I, Maeng Ak, who carries on the will of the founding Heavenly Demon, personally gave the order.”
Those with bowed heads were permitted only to listen, forced to comprehend the unbelievable information coming from Maeng Ak's mouth.
‘So what the Great Guardian said was true…!’
The reaction was completely different from when the Great Guardian had spoken.
How should one put it?
No one dared to question Maeng Ak's words.
Was it because he claimed to be the successor to the founding Heavenly Demon? Or because they could feel his overwhelming martial prowess?
No.
Their bodies simply reacted that way on their own.
As if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Maeng Ak continued speaking.
“The order to kill was given because their greed crossed the line. The new Divine Cult I will build requires ambition and purpose, not greed. Therefore, from this moment on, I will begin reorganizing the cult.”
Before his eyes, the grand spectacle of countless people bowing their heads unfolded.
It was a different feeling from when he had become the Grand Commander of the Green Forest.
And then.
*Shuk! Shushushuk!*
“The Heavenly Demon has returned, ten thousand demons bow in submission! Long live the Heavenly Demon, for ten thousand years!”
As soon as Maeng Ak finished speaking, starting with the Great Guardian, every single person knelt on one knee, cupped their fists, and shouted.
The sound was so loud it felt as if the entire Hundred Thousand Mountains range had trembled.
Thanks to their swift acceptance, the reorganization also proceeded quickly.
The venue changed from the training grounds in the main square to the grand conference hall of the Cult Leader's palace.
All the high-ranking officials gathered, and the meeting began.
The first order of business was to consolidate the power of the leadership.
The power held by the name Heavenly Demon was immense.
Unlike the former Cult Leader, who had to share power with the five pillar lords and the Council of Elders, he seized all decision-making authority.
But no one thought it strange.
Because he was none other than the Heavenly Demon.
They simply thought that a proper center had finally been established, allowing them to unite.
No, to be more precise, it was the only way they could think.
After all, the Cult Leader and the Great Elder, the highest authorities, had died without a trace for the crime of being greedy.
So, who would have the nerve to look after their own interests in this atmosphere?
In reality, the four pillar lords and a few elders, whose positions within the cult were certain to diminish due to this reorganization, did feel uncomfortable.
But every time they met Maeng Ak’s gaze, they were terrified that he would see their inner thoughts, and their knees went weak, preventing them from daring to voice any opposition.
Honestly, when they were bowing their heads and shouting "ten thousand years," they had still thought of him as nothing more than a cadet from an orphanage.
Their greed, not wanting to lose their benefits, had suppressed the instincts that were screaming at them not to resist.
However, the moment they entered the grand conference hall and faced him directly.
‘Kuhk….’
It was on a completely different level from watching him from afar on the VIP platform in the main square.
A single glance from him sent cold sweat pouring down their backs.
In the end, one by one, they accepted reality.
They realized that a fox trying to play king in a den where the tiger had returned would not live to see a natural death.
And so, the meeting ended more anticlimactically than expected. There were still many loose ends, but he decided to address them again in four days, after absorbing the Windless Killing Curtain.
After the four pillar lords and the elders, including the old ones, had left.
Only Maeng Ak and the Great Guardian remained in the grand conference hall.
As the Great Guardian organized the meeting minutes, he was once again filled with admiration.
‘He took control of the cult with just one statement and one glance. Of course, it remains to be seen if greedy individuals will emerge to incite internal conflict… but even considering that, his ability to command is truly unbelievable.’
In fact, Maeng Ak himself knew.
Just how ridiculously fast this was.
But he did not lose his humility and become arrogant.
Because he knew better than anyone that this was not all due to his own abilities.
‘Fortuitous encounters build up, making one bigger. And when one is bigger, it’s easier to swallow others.’
The hectic days he had spent since waking up in his new body suddenly came to mind.
From his meeting with Dang Hyeon-woo to this very moment, so many things had happened.
It wasn't just a series of fortunate encounters.
Risking his life was a given, and amidst it all, he had put in an effort that went beyond just carving his bones—it was as if he had melted them down.
‘It won’t be long now, my brothers. And wait for me, Un Geom.’
Taking control of the Demonic Cult meant he could finally take a step toward his goal.
A smile naturally formed on his face at the thought of being able to stride toward a world free of hypocrisy and prejudice with even greater steps than before.
Just then, the Great Guardian, who was beside him, spoke up.
“My Lord, it is about how to deal with the remaining forces of the deceased Cult Leader and Great Elder. I request your esteemed opinion first.”
“Remaining forces…”
He used the word "forces," but it mostly referred to the remaining family members or the servants who had attended to them.
The Cult Leader and Great Elder, who only cared about filling their own bellies with greed, couldn't have had any truly loyal subordinates.
No, to be precise, they had died long ago from a single use of my Heavenly Demon's Royal Descent.
Anyway, aside from them, there were quite a few people like the Right Guardian or the Chief Instructor, who were close to them but couldn't exactly be called part of their faction.
However, killing even them would surely create a major obstacle in the future operation of the Divine Cult.
“First, inform them of the location of the Cult Leader's and Great Elder's bodies so they can be retrieved. After that, plant spies and report only on those among them who have the potential to cause internal strife.”
“Yes, my Lord!”
With the Great Guardian's departure from the conference hall, things were concluded.
He thought he had kept it as short and simple as possible, but the meeting alone had consumed two days.
‘The takeover of the Demonic Cult is more or less complete, so what’s left is…’
Starting with the meeting with the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor in two days, there was no shortage of things to take care of.
In fifteen days, there was the formal coronation ceremony of the Heavenly Demon, and before that, he had to visit the Hwancheonju Gate, among many other trivial matters.
‘As expected, it’s not easy.’
But it wasn't a question of 'can I or can't I'.
It was 'I must'.
The thought that those hypocrites were still living comfortably made his blood boil.
Because even now, at this very moment, not only his brothers from the Green Forest but countless others were suffering from their circumstances and the prejudice against them.
I had both the power and the justification to change it.
I had to be the one to do it.
*Grip.*
His fist clenched on its own.
His chest burned with passion.
But his mind was colder than ever.
Because reason was essential for mapping out the next plan.
* * *
The Demonic Cult's headquarters, located in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
On its outskirts, an abandoned pavilion stood lonely under the night sky.
It gave off such an eerie vibe that anyone who stumbled upon it would likely turn back and leave.
But today, the air around it was slightly different than usual.
How to describe it?
Yes, perhaps too quiet?
Even the occasional sounds of wild animals could not be heard.
Just then, a man appeared, his presence so immense it seemed to fill the empty space in an instant.
*Whoosh!*
And he was in the very center of the pavilion's roof.
It was truly instantaneous.
It was as if he couldn't have appeared like this unless he had sprung from the ground or fallen from the sky.
That was only the beginning.
*Shing!*
As if forming a formation around him, fifty points of light glittered in a circle.
A closer look revealed they were sword blades reflecting the moonlight.
“Identify yourself!”
Among the fifty masked figures holding swords, one man stepped forward and shouted at the man on the roof.
Then, astonishingly, as soon as he finished speaking, the figure on the roof vanished.
And.
*Whoosh!*
He reappeared behind the man who had shouted.
*Thwack!*
The man from the roof moved with speed the eye couldn't follow, striking the back of the masked man's neck and knocking him unconscious.
Then, in a low voice imbued with an internal energy that anyone would recognize as profound, he murmured.
“Silent Kill Demonic Emperor, stop playing games and come out. The Heavenly Demon summons you.”
A voice as cold as a winter wind from the North Sea.
It was the Great Guardian.
Provoked by his words and actions, the remaining 49 masked figures started to move.
But their master raised a hand to stop them.
Their master, the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor, was also an expert at concealing his presence.
So much so that even the Great Guardian couldn't sense him accurately until he revealed himself.
He lowered his raised hand and retorted to the Great Guardian.
“Aren’t you the one playing games? I clearly told you to bring him here.”
“The Heavenly Demon thinks favorably of the Windless Killing Curtain. Do not ruin things with your pointless pride.”
“What did you say?”
The Silent Kill Demonic Emperor's brow furrowed as an indescribable killing intent rose from his entire body.
But the Great Guardian answered without batting an eye.
“Tsk, this is the last time. Receive the Heavenly Demon's command and follow me quietly.”
“How dare you…!”
The Silent Kill Demonic Emperor intended to charge at the Great Guardian the moment he finished speaking.
But he couldn't even finish his sentence.
Because from a great distance, he felt a formless energy that overwhelmed even him.
‘What is this…?!’