Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Silent Kill Demonic Emperor
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Silent Kill Demonic Emperor. Or Honored Killer.
Before I earned these two titles, I was called by a number.
I had no family, no friends, no dreams.
I only endured horrific training, over and over, to be raised as an assassin.
There was no reason, no motive.
Only the instinct to survive.
And so, I killed all my peers with my own hands and survived.
The one who survived, I was strong.
Even those demonic instructors feared me.
So I killed them all.
The moment they showed fear, it was like a lie.
They were no longer frightening.
That was the beginning.
From the black market merchants who kidnapped and sold children to the leaders who bought them to raise as assassins, I hunted them all down and killed them.
Only after a storm of blood did I learn.
That the name of the organization I had fallen into was the Windless Killing Curtain.
And that the place I had barely managed to destroy was, in fact, just one of many branches.
*I will kill them all…! All of them…!*
Just as I had slaughtered the instructors and leaders, I planned to start with the outposts and kill everyone all the way to the main headquarters.
I hoped that, at the very least, it would reduce the number of people living a horrific life like mine.
Of course, I knew it was impossible to do alone.
So, I created and built an organization.
Not by the filthy method of kidnapping children, but by gathering those with deep stories of abuse and nowhere to go.
But by the time my forces had grown to a certain size, it was already too late.
I heard that someone had found the headquarters before me and wiped them out in one fell swoop.
Unlike me, this someone had supposedly charged into the headquarters alone and beaten them all to death.
I couldn't believe he had done it alone, let alone with his bare fists.
I felt empty.
Of course, that was only for a moment.
A new goal had formed.
I admired the man who had achieved my grand dream in my stead.
I wanted to help him by dealing with his enemies from the shadows.
But even that became impossible.
I heard that not long after he made an enemy of the entire Orthodox martial world, he died.
I was steeped in helplessness.
My reason for living had been erased twice.
But I couldn't give up.
Because I discovered that the martial art he used had a subtle connection to the roots of the Windless Killing Curtain.
*Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger… Heavenly Demon… Windless Killing Curtain…*
And so, with my organization, I traced back the history of the Windless Killing Curtain.
In the process, I learned that the Windless Killing Curtain was actually divided into two factions.
And that both factions had since been annihilated.
So, I aligned myself with the faction opposite the one I hated and continued my investigation.
As time passed, we grew stronger and were able to get closer to the truth.
At one point, I was even indebted to a member of the Green Forest who had been a subordinate of the man who fulfilled my dream.
While by his side, I learned more about that man.
Fist King of the Green Forest, Maeng Ak.
That was his title and his name.
I also learned of the vast dream he sought to achieve.
He was truly a remarkable man.
*To think he tried to turn the Green Forest into a great sect…*
Honestly, it was an absurd notion.
But he had come very close to achieving that dream.
*So those hypocritical bastards of the Orthodox Faction…*
The pieces started coming together.
I came to understand him even more.
I even tried to help his subordinate from the Green Forest achieve the dream he had left unfinished.
But, having already lost him, the Green Forest lacked the strength.
In the end, I became more obsessed with the connection between the roots of the Windless Killing Curtain and his martial arts.
Before I knew it, I had entered the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the den of the Demonic Cult.
And now, at this very moment.
I regretted coming here.
*What is this…?!*
I felt an energy that was impossible to describe with words.
He was still too far away to be seen, yet it felt as if a knife were pressed to my throat.
It was a fear I hadn't felt in a long time.
No, it was a far greater fear than that.
Back in those days of enduring horrific training to become an assassin.
It was on a different level from seeing demons in the faces of my instructors.
At least with them, I had suffered direct violence and harm.
But what was this?
How could I be so overwhelmed by his energy alone, without him saying a word or making a move?
Then, thankfully, that man came to mind.
Courage welled up inside me.
The man who had charged bare-handed into the headquarters of the assassins that had terrorized the martial world.
Compared to him, wasn't my situation much better? There was nothing I couldn't do.
*I am the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor!*
Reciting the title that encapsulated my entire life, I took a step forward.
*Fwoosh!*
I unleashed my movement technique.
I could feel that Great Guardian bastard and my fifty subordinates following behind me.
It didn't matter.
Right now, I would approach the source of this oppressive energy and find out the truth.
If necessary…
*Shhhk.*
"I'll kill him for it!"
I even drew the throwing dagger I rarely used.
Next, I awakened the spirit beast, the black snake, that was coiled around my neck.
It was a creature that usually just slept, intoxicated by medicine.
Perhaps because it had been a while since I'd woken it.
Its eyes looked particularly vicious today.
"Try not to make it hurt too much…"
As if it had no intention of granting my small wish, the creature raised its head high.
And then.
*CRUNCH!*
It sank its fangs precisely into my right arm, the one holding the dagger.
In an instant, excruciating pain spread throughout my body.
At the same time, my skin turned purple from head to toe, and my dantian began to burn fiercely.
"Tch, with the Black Poison Purple Body, I should be able to withstand it to some extent."
It was the Black Poison Purple Body, a secret art of the Windless Killing Curtain.
A secret art that utilized the black snake's venom, which even the Sichuan Tang Clan could not neutralize.
Overusing it would destroy the caster's body, and even without overuse, one had to endure pain that was normally unbearable.
But it granted an equally overpowered ability.
It temporarily doubled one's internal energy.
*Fwoooosh!*
As if to prove it, my body felt much lighter, and my movement technique grew faster.
The Great Guardian and my subordinates who had been following were no longer in sight.
Not long after, I came face-to-face with the man who claimed to be the Heavenly Demon.
He possessed a physique as overwhelming as his energy.
*Is that a level of external arts even possible for a human?*
His large, solid frame could not be hidden by the black robes covering his body.
*That aside, his face doesn't match.*
Another thing that caught my eye was his handsome face, which seemed completely out of place with the body below his neck.
The combination of a beast-like body from the southern lands and the looks of a pretty boy left an impression.
As my gaze lingered on his face for a moment, he took a step forward and spoke.
His movements and voice carried the ease that only the powerful could possess.
And yet, for some reason, it felt more threatening than any threat.
"You've arrived. It would have been faster if I'd gone myself from the start. My apologies. The Great Guardian is quite a thorough fellow. Haha."
"Are you truly the Heavenly Demon? You give off a completely different feeling from the ferocious energy I sensed."
"You..."
*Glare!*
Annoyed, he glared and unleashed his energy once more.
*Kugh.*
Even with the Black Poison Purple Body, it was difficult to bear.
If I hadn't used it, I might have coughed up blood.
"I was the one who broke our agreement first, so I'll let it slide this once. Now, what is the reason you wished to see me?"
"If you have inherited the will of the Founding Heavenly Demon, do you perhaps know about the martial art used by the man called Maeng Ak, the Fist King of the Green Forest?"
At my question, his relaxed expression hardened.
*Gulp.*
I swallowed dryly without realizing it.
But I didn't regret asking.
His hardened face meant he knew something.
And his subsequent answer proved my guess was correct.
"...How much do you know, and how do you know it? Answer carefully. The lives of you and everyone in the Windless Killing Curtain depend on it."
Once again, his energy pressed down on my shoulders.
If not for the Black Poison Purple Body, I think I would have been flattened to the ground.
"Kugh! Judging by your reaction, you are certainly the Heavenly Demon. I will speak slowly, so please withdraw your energy."
I slowly and meticulously told my story.
For some reason, as I continued to speak, I could see a sense of relief on his face.
In any case, there wasn't much to tell, so it ended quickly.
Now it was time to hear his answer.
But what was this?
After hearing everything and sinking into thought for a moment, he suddenly burst into a hearty laugh and spoke.
"So you admired Maeng Ak, the Fist King of the Green Forest... Puhahaha! Yes, is this fate? I like it!"
He then proposed that I join the Demonic Cult.
"Join my Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. I will treat you no less than the Great Guardian and the Old Elder."
"Your answer comes first."
"Ah, I was so pleased I almost forgot. Yes, your guess is correct. Maeng Ak, the Fist King of the Green Forest, learned a divine art that comprises one part of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon. And his master's lineage, from generation to generation, passed down his name and a portion of the Founding Heavenly Demon's will to their children."
"Then, because the Fist King's master had no children...?"
The pieces were roughly fitting together.
I was happy.
To be able to learn the truth about the man I had so admired.
If I took this information to his subordinate from the Green Forest, I could repay a part of my debt.
But just then, the Heavenly Demon stressed the need for secrecy.
"No one else must know of this. As for the Green Forest member to whom the Windless Killing Curtain is indebted, I will deliver the news myself."
"Then, does that mean...?!"
I had just learned a tremendous piece of information.
It was enough to potentially rewrite the history of the martial world.
Contact between the Demonic Cult and the Green Forest.
The Heavenly Demon himself had said it, so it couldn't be a lie.
The Green Forest had suffered a great blow from the Orthodox martial world and scattered.
If they used this opportunity to regain their former strength...
The Orthodox martial world would have to fend off the Demonic Cult and the Green Forest.
They would have to block two forces at once.
As I was swallowing my surprise, the Heavenly Demon asked me again.
"I will say it one last time. Join the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
"..."
Honestly, there was no reason to refuse.
It was a chance to serve a lord who possessed both overwhelming martial power, enough to dominate even me, and a just cause.
But there was one thing that bothered me.
I had to muster my courage.
"Before I pledge my loyalty, there is something I wish to ask."
"What is it?"
"What is your goal? And in the process, is there a possibility you will use the innocent?"
Frankly, I had a rough idea of how he would answer.
He would probably laugh at the master of the infamous Windless Killing Curtain for having such a soft heart, or just pressure me to follow orders.
Everyone always had.
But his answer was completely unexpected.
"My goal is to erase hypocrisy from this world, and in the process, I will save those who suffer due to their circumstances and prejudice. You, Honored Killer, need not worry and simply aim for the necks of hypocrites by my side."
"...!"
It was shocking.
It was the complete opposite of the Heavenly Demon's public image.
It was entirely different from the depiction of the world's greatest villain.
Yes, in a way, wasn't this the mindset of a saint who would save a chaotic world?
"Your servant, the Honored Killer! I swear to the current Heavenly Demon! I will devote my entire being to the revival of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the achievement of its goals!"
Without realizing it, I was already pledging my loyalty.
My right hand, which had been holding the dagger, was now gripping my left fist.
One knee was on the ground.
And just then, I sensed the presence of the Great Guardian and the fifty subordinates who had been following.