Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Into the Black Flame
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‘I must hurry! If my carelessness leads to the Heavenly Demon’s sacred body being harmed…!’
Biting his lip, he unleashed his movement technique.
He had lost the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor right before his eyes as the man made for the Heavenly Demon.
Honestly, even if the man moved first, he had been confident he could catch up.
He had never lost in a contest of speed.
But what was this?
The skin of the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor, who was ahead of him, suddenly turned violet, and he became so fast that he could no longer be caught.
‘Was that the unusual energy he was hiding?’
The source of the unease he felt when he first encountered the man with the old elder. He hadn't pinpointed exactly what it was, but it seemed related to that violet skin.
‘Whatever it is, I have to stop him as quickly as possible!’
The only silver lining was that he knew where the man was going, so he wouldn't lose him completely.
‘That aside, they’re certainly persistent.’
He could still feel the presence of the assassins who had been following him since he started moving.
He didn't know what kind of organization the Windless Killing Curtain was, but their loyalty was commendable.
After all, a ferocious Heavenly Demon's Aura could be felt in the direction they were heading.
‘Most wouldn't even dare to approach.’
Although they couldn't be called allies right now, it wasn't a bad thing.
He wanted this incident to resolve well so he could subordinate their forces to the main cult.
To do that, he had to correct his mistake, starting now.
If the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor provoked the Heavenly Demon and ended up dead, he would have to give up on those fifty assassins as well.
He had to arrive even a moment sooner and act as a mediator to prevent that at all costs.
*Fwoosh!*
He increased his speed.
Some time passed.
Finally, the Heavenly Demon and the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor came into view.
But the scene was completely different from what he had expected.
“What?!”
That arrogant Silent Kill Demonic Emperor was kneeling before the Heavenly Demon.
And he had cupped his fist.
Anyone could see it was a posture of pledging loyalty.
He couldn't imagine what method the Heavenly Demon had used to subdue such a prideful man.
But what did that matter?
A good result had already been achieved.
“My Lord!”
He called out with a joyful heart.
The Heavenly Demon wore an indifferent expression.
“You’re late, Great Guardian.”
“My apologies.”
He was about to bow his head, but the Heavenly Demon stopped him.
The Heavenly Demon then told the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor to rise and spoke to them both.
“Now that we are family, let us return together.”
Family. It was a word unfamiliar to both the Great Guardian and the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor.
The Silent Kill Demonic Emperor had been kidnapped at a young age and raised in the Windless Killing Curtain, while the Great Guardian had grown up in a guardian family without knowing his parents.
But that was why it resonated so deeply.
In that single word, they felt a sense of belonging they had never experienced before.
“…I pledge my loyalty!”
***
And so, they returned from the outskirts of the Hundred Thousand Mountains to the Cult Leader’s Hall.
The reactions to the appearance of a new force were varied.
Some were pleased that the main cult's power had grown stronger, while others worried that what little they had would now be taken away.
The latter was the reason Maeng Ak had brought the Windless Killing Curtain into the Cult Leader’s Hall.
And he intended to resolve it.
Just after they returned, Maeng Ak spoke to the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor, who was looking around the Cult Leader’s Hall.
“Musal, I have your first order.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
He had shortened the Silent Kill Demonic Emperor’s name to Musal for convenience, and judging by his reaction, it didn't seem to be a bad choice.
So he continued to call him that.
Musal dismissed the members of the Windless Killing Curtain and awaited Maeng Ak’s command.
“It is shameful to say this to you who have just arrived, but the main cult has not yet been put in order. Therefore, I want you and the assassins of the Windless Killing Curtain to do something only you can.”
“Something only we can do… are you referring to assassination?”
“That’s right. The targets will likely be those who profited under the previous regime. They are docile for now, crushed by my martial might, but they will eventually try to incite internal conflict to reclaim the benefits they lost.”
As Musal listened to Maeng Ak, he pictured several figures in his mind.
‘From what I heard on our way back to the Cult Leader’s Hall, the Cult Leader, the Great Elder, and the Sword Heavenly Pillar are dead, so…’
He had infiltrated the Demonic Cult while investigating the roots of the Windless Killing Curtain.
He had already memorized the names and faces of the cult's leadership.
He guessed there were a few likely candidates.
Maeng Ak continued.
“From your expression, it seems you have some ideas without me having to say more. Yes, watch them closely and report to me. You may also kill them at your discretion.”
“Do you trust me so soon?”
“Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”
“It’s not that, but…”
There was no reason, but Musal found it hard to understand.
The Windless Killing Curtain was a force that had just joined the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
It was difficult to trust them enough to grant the authority to execute on the spot.
However, Maeng Ak not only treated the Windless Killing Curtain without discrimination as promised but also entrusted them with a crucial role.
‘He must know that this could cause great chaos if mishandled.’
If the Windless Killing Curtain had ill intentions, they could abuse the authority of summary execution and tarnish the Heavenly Demon’s prestige.
Even if not, it would be easy enough to sow seeds of suspicion everywhere.
And yet, he dismissed even that possibility and assigned them this important task as if it were a matter of course.
When Musal showed a look of incomprehension, Maeng Ak answered with a relaxed smile.
“Haha, I am not unaware that you could betray me. However, who would serve a lord who doesn't show trust first?”
“...!”
Surprised by the unexpected answer, Musal thought with admiration.
‘This man is indeed different. If that man were alive, would he have been like this?’
Musal projected the image of a man who had suddenly come to mind onto Maeng Ak.
The linchpin that had united the Green Forest, once a den of bandits: the Fist King of the Green Forest.
Musal thought that if the Heavenly Demon and the Fist King of the Green Forest had ever met, they would have become close friends who understood each other well.
Of course, unfortunately, such a thing was impossible.
Maeng Ak continued, meeting Musal’s steady gaze.
“Even if you were to betray me, I would not blame you. It would be my fault for appearing as a lord so incompetent as to be worth betraying.”
Anyone who heard those words would surely think they were spoken by a benevolent and magnanimous king.
But to Musal’s ears, it sounded slightly different.
‘Betrayal… it feels like he’s daring me to try if I can.’
His imposing physique and the ferocious Heavenly Demon's Aura emanating from it supported that thought.
In truth, it wasn't an entirely wrong impression.
It would be fine if the Windless Killing Curtain, or anyone else, betrayed Maeng Ak’s trust.
He would still be strong then, still striding steadfastly toward his dream.
Paradoxically, that confident audacity was what built trust.
How should one put it?
Because he believed in himself more strongly than anyone else, others beside him came to believe in him too.
One thing was certain, though it couldn't be clearly defined.
At this very moment, Musal had completely become Maeng Ak’s man.
His expression of incomprehension had vanished, and he found himself accepting the Heavenly Demon’s command.
“I pledge my loyalty!”
Thus, by Maeng Ak’s order, the Windless Killing Curtain began to monitor the inner workings of the Demonic Cult.
Thanks to them, he could set aside his worries about internal conflict for a while.
Now, all that was left was to tackle the remaining tasks one by one.
“The first thing to do is…”
Maeng Ak rose from his seat and stepped outside the Cult Leader’s Hall.
The Great Guardian, who had appeared at some point, stood by his side.
“Great Guardian, lead me to the Hwancheon Pillar Gate.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Hwancheon Pillar Gate.
The Great Guardian knew without being told why Maeng Ak was going there.
There was a process that had to be completed before the official coronation ceremony of the Heavenly Demon could be held.
As Maeng Ak moved under the Great Guardian's guidance, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
‘The Sacred Black Flame…’
The very thing Hwan Cheon-hwa had first mentioned.
Along with the Heavenly Demon Sword, it was a sacred relic indispensable to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Unfortunately, the Heavenly Demon Founder hadn't told him about the Sacred Black Flame.
So he was a little curious.
He had a feeling that he might gain something new by going there this time.
Just then, the Great Guardian stopped his movement.
“My Lord, this is the place. Please enter.”
“Very well.”
He stepped beyond the very large pavilion of the Hwancheon Pillar Gate.
The interior was ornate, but there was nothing particularly special about it.
Since it was his first time here, he didn't know the way.
But he didn't bother calling for anyone.
‘I can just use the Heavenly Demon's Aura.’
With the Heavenly Demon's Aura, someone—be it Hwan Cheon-hwa or anyone from the Hwancheon Pillar—would notice and come out.
*Fwoooom!*
The moment he used the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon to envelop his body in the Heavenly Demon's Aura.
A familiar voice echoed in Maeng Ak’s mind.
[You who carry the Heavenly Demon's Aura after me, come to me.]
‘An auditory hallucination?’
He had his doubts, but it didn't feel like a coincidence.
Just as the chest containing the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon had reacted to the completed Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon and become the Heavenly Demon Sword, something might have reacted to his aura.
With that thought, Maeng Ak let his feet carry him where they would.
Unaware of this, the Great Guardian spoke.
“My Lord…? Are you alright?”
It was a reasonable question, as he had suddenly changed direction as if possessed.
“Hush. Someone is calling me. You remain here.”
“I-I pledge my loyalty!”
It was the Heavenly Demon’s command.
Though he was worried, he could not refuse.
***
A short while after the Heavenly Demon had left.
A scream was heard from somewhere.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“That direction is?!”
The sound came from the direction in which the Heavenly Demon had disappeared.
He hurried toward the source.
Rounding a corner, he saw a large pavilion that exuded a sacred aura.
The sound seemed to have come from there.
Looking around, it seemed like a place one shouldn't enter carelessly, but there was no time to hesitate.
*CRASH!*
“What is going on!”
He forcefully threw open the pavilion doors.
The force came from the momentum of his speed.
Thanks to that, the doors swung wide open, allowing him to grasp the situation at a glance.
“...!”
The Heavenly Demon was lying collapsed and naked.
Fortunately, his sacred body appeared unharmed.
He hastily took off his outer robe and covered the vital areas.
That aside, when he cautiously examined his aura, he found that it had grown even more powerful.
‘Heh… Now there will be no one in the world who can match my Lord.’
He thought he finally understood why the former Cult Leader had been so obsessed with his Lord, who was just a cadet at the time.
To become stronger as if by some fortuitous encounter after being gone for only half an hour.
‘If I’m not careful, I feel like I’ll be left behind if I take my eyes off this man for even a moment.’
As the Great Guardian, he should be sticking close to the Heavenly Demon and being of help, but he felt as if the distance between them was only growing.
He resolved to increase the intensity and duration of his training starting tomorrow.
***
Whether he knew this or not, Maeng Ak was still dreaming.
Or more accurately, he was in another world, summoned by the Sacred Black Flame.
It was just like when he had met the Heavenly Demon Founder in the cave and obtained the Heavenly Demon Sword.
This is what had happened.
Following the voice in his head, he had entered a pavilion.
Inside, a black flame that was obviously the Sacred Black Flame was burning fiercely.
It seemed as if it would never go out, even without any firewood.
Then, the voice spoke again.
[Come closer.]
He didn't know what it wanted, but it didn't seem like it would harm him.
The moment he took a step forward.
The black flame engulfed Maeng Ak’s entire body.
It wasn't hot.
It was warm.
When he closed his eyes and opened them again, he was in a completely different place.
And there, he saw a familiar man.
“The current Heavenly Demon, Maeng Ak, greets the Heavenly Demon Founder.”
The man who received Maeng Ak’s greeting also opened his mouth.
“Hoh, from your reaction, you are the child who has already met me once.”
But something was strange.
It felt as though he didn't remember meeting Maeng Ak.