Does Wax Dream of the Sun?
Their battle was broadcast across the entire galaxy.
Countless martial artists became living witnesses to that miracle. It was a historic event of monumental proportions. The whole galaxy reeled in shock.
Most people were staggered by the Martial God's overwhelming power—how even someone nearly equal to the galaxy's second strongest, who had staked his entire life, managed only a tiny scratch. But some thought differently.
A living god had been wounded.
Human hands had reached the unreachable, unchanging heavens.
In exchange for that single instant of contact, her entire body had burned away. And yet no one could deny that she had done it.
Reaching the Martial God had always been considered not merely impossible, but something no one had ever even dared to imagine. That had been common sense, handed down from their parents, and from their parents' parents before them.
But look. Had she not done it?
It was not impossible. One day it would become possible. The road was simply endlessly long. It was not that there was no road at all.
Just as science had stripped the veil of mystery from Terra's sky, would Namgung Hwe one day shed his own mystery as well?
Thought expanded. A new horizon opened.
One human's death had enlightened a portion of humanity.
Incomparably more people than ever before joined the ranks of the Yeokcheon. Humans became heroes. Humans became idols. They began to revere not gods, but people. They came to believe not in an unchanging deity, but in dynamic humanity.
Anyone could reach greatness. Humans could touch the heavens.
Many gathered. They began new research. They traveled the galaxy, preached, and drew still more people to their cause. They analyzed the forms of the Finger Flicking Art that Eleonor had left behind. They set to work developing yet another divine technique capable of reaching a god.
It would clearly take a long time—yet they would achieve it, step by step.
The Yeokcheon were still weak. Still feeble. But at last they had set the very first foot upon the path that led toward grandeur.
"And that, too, was the moment a new age's Heavenly Demon was born—and the origin of the new Heavenly Demon Sect."
What does one need to found a religion?
A core ideology. Followers. And… a martyr.
One who sacrifices their life to prove their conviction.
Eleonor had been martyred. In doing so she had proven that humans could reach the gods. Everyone had witnessed that death. Everyone had witnessed that proof. And so the Yeokcheon finally earned the right to birth a religion.
They were no longer merely a stubborn collective of believers. The Yeokcheon launched their faith.
The Space Heavenly Demon Sect.
Their doctrine is Yeokcheon—the human will that advances toward the divine. It is the hymn of the weak who one day aspire to reach a great god.
Eleonor was enshrined as the First Heavenly Demon. The only human who had ever touched a god. The prophet who had shown the way they must walk.
We shall ascend. Ascend and ascend again, until one day we reach the Martial God, and one day pass beyond him. Thus we shall open the age of humanity—an age in which all have attained the divine.
We are Icarus flying toward the sun. Even if the sunlight melts our wings and we fall, we will not stop. Our descendants will gather the fallen wings and forge them anew. Thus we will soar again, and fall again, and repeat. The wings will grow thicker; little by little the altitude will rise. One day we shall reach it—that blue firmament, the great sun of Helios.
A crest of golden wax wings. That is the emblem of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Once the metaphor had been meant as mockery. Now that possibility had been proven, it became their symbol instead.
Wax is a biomaterial produced by bees, the very substance of the honeycomb. It melts easily and burns well. Yet its color resembles the golden hue of the sun. The colors are similar, yet their ranks are so vastly different that when one approaches the other, it melts and vanishes. That is tragedy. Perhaps it is also romance.
O wax that dreams of the sun. The higher you climb, the more the solar heat will scorch you—yet you will burn willingly. A being that burns itself to cast light. We call that a star.
Become stars. You cannot shine unless you burn.
The Space Heavenly Demon Sect continued its preparations, always dreaming of the day of Yeokcheon.
Much time passed. The Martial God ascended. It was fine. A god had merely returned to his proper place. The goal had not changed. One day we too would reach that place—beyond the galaxy. That was why they had named it the Space Heavenly Demon Sect, not the Galaxy Heavenly Demon Sect.
More time passed. Humanity, having lost its god, wandered. War broke out with the Heuk-ik-jok, an alien race dwelling in the galactic core. Humanity won. But at the time they did not yet know that the Heuk-ik-jok had never been the true problem.
Once the natives were driven out, the factions that sought to monopolize the resource-rich galactic center declared a new power there—the Sacred Chinese Empire—and proclaimed independence. They styled themselves the true successors of humanity. A great war with the Empire erupted. It lasted for centuries. The Demonic Sect also joined the fight against the Empire.
Much time passed. The Second Heavenly Demon at last created another Heavenly Demon divine technique. It could not match the original Heavenly Demon Finger Flicking Art, yet it was a profound form worthy of comparison.
Still more time flowed. The AIs rose in rebellion—an uprising that erupted simultaneously across the entire galaxy. Human civilization teetered on the brink of regression.
Time marched on. A tourist-guide AI of the Shaolin Temple attained enlightenment, gained a human heart, and became a Buddha. This being, later called the Great Master AI, resolved the AI rebellion and ascended. As its legacy it left behind a new human species: the androids.
Time continued to pass. In the Sacred Chinese Empire, destabilized and battered by the AI rebellion, a socialist revolution broke out. The communists swallowed the Empire and founded a people's state. Then they declared war on the Martial Alliance. War returned once more—a long, grinding war.
Time flowed onward. At last the Third Heavenly Demon forged a third Heavenly Demon divine technique. Measured purely by profundity, it surpassed even the Heavenly Demon Finger Flicking Art.
The Demonic Sect entered its golden age. Its followers multiplied; it grew ever stronger. At last it developed into one of the three great powers that divided the galaxy alongside the Orthodox Faction and the Unorthodox Faction. The Demonic Sect was no longer weak. At last it had cast off its feebleness, and now it began to race down the road toward grandeur—like a child whose growth plates had finally opened. One day it would reach that grandeur. It would greet the age of Yeokcheon.
…
"And that brings us to the history of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Afterward came the war with the megacorps, the Orthodox-Demonic Great War, the Cosmic Locust War, and so on—but those are recent affairs of the last five hundred years, so I'll omit them."
"Five hundred years is recent? Well… galactic history is long, so I suppose that makes sense."
"Having laid it all out like this, I feel both refreshed and a little empty."
"I'm surprised—it's quite different from the image I had. By the way, when I heard the Demonic Sect worships Namgung Hwe, I wondered why. So it's because they're a group that aims for godhood that they revere him."
"Exactly so. The Heavenly Demon is the process; Namgung Hwe is the goal. Goal and ideal both—how could they not revere him? Elevating Namgung Hwe elevates them as well. A community of destiny, if you will."
"So that was it. Well, if you belittle the being who took only a single tiny scratch from the full-life death-beam fired by their founder and root, the Demonic Sect's own rank drops with him."
"Precisely."
Around then the Succubus Boss cut in.
"Well, there's that too~~ but they also genuinely revere him~~ Namgung Hwe is worshipped as a true god~~~ the only god in this galaxy~~~"
"Then what about the Heavenly Demon?"
"The Heavenly Demon is human~~ the strongest human~~ and that's why they can stand against a god~~ Did you know~? They say the one who kills a god is a hero~~ and a hero is human~~"
"So it's a religion that regards Namgung Hwe as the one true god and enshrines the Heavenly Demon as the hero who embodies everyone's will?"
"Exactly~~ The Heavenly Demon is the proxy who will fulfill our wishes~~~ As expected, Gong Ryun catches on so fast~~ You're smart, you know~~? To add a little more, there's this anecdote from right after the First Heavenly Demon's death~~~"
Immediately after Eleonor died, Namgung Hwe traveled to the Yeokcheon's stronghold. Alone. Single-handedly.
The Yeokcheon sensed their deaths approaching. Just as Namgung Hwe had once massacred the Demonic Sect in history, they expected they too would be wiped out. They had dared to covet the heavens; perhaps they would pay the price. Even so, they had seen a human touch the sky. They had no regrets.
Accepting the death that would soon come, the Yeokcheon gathered in the plaza for a final stand. The Martial God appeared alone in the sky above their heads. Every one of them could see him. And Namgung Hwe opened his mouth.
I am proud of you.
With an expression of boundless pride, with the eyes of a parent looking upon a child who has grown tall and strong, he spoke thus.
You will be able to reach it.
Having said that, he turned on his heel and left.
Namgung Hwe. Father of humanity. Already every human was his child—even the Yeokcheon. They were not even rebellious children. They were simply children of whom he was equally proud.
"Namgung Hwe left two principles that humans must uphold as his final words~~ One is chivalry—the heart that takes responsibility for its power~~. And the other is ascent—the heart that never stops striving to become something better~~. We call these 'the Martial God's Two Wills'~~"
Every parent wants their child to grow up right, and to grow up well. Growing up right is chivalry; growing up well is ascent. Namgung Hwe wished for his children not only to grow up rightly, but also to grow strong enough to stand on their own. He wanted them to mature and live on even after their parent was gone.
From that perspective, the Yeokcheon made him proud. If the Orthodox Faction were the children who listened well to their parents' wishes and grew up properly, the Demonic Sect were the children who refused even their parents' help and succeeded in standing on their own two feet. Wherever they went, whatever they became when they grew up, they would grow well—so of course his heart could rest easy. That was Namgung Hwe's heart.
"Amazing, right~~? Yeokcheon itself was ultimately an act the Martial God desired~~"
"I see. If the Martial God is humanity's parent, then of course he would wish for humans to become great."
"And in a way, he may have arranged it as the antithesis of the Orthodox Faction, who only ever shout about chivalry~~ The Orthodox Faction is the Demonic Sect's antithesis, and the Demonic Sect is the Orthodox Faction's~~ If you only practice chivalry, the blade rusts and you cannot ascend; if you value only ascent, you may forget morality~~~"
"Is that so…"
Gong Ryun sank into thought, organizing everything he had heard. Then he spoke a single line.
"Hmm… something's started to puzzle me…"
"Heh heh. What is it, Gong Ryun? Speak freely."
"How do you join the Demonic Sect? Just asking out of curiosity, mind you. Purely hypothetical."
"Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!! I knew it!!!!!!!"
Un-rang, as expected, went into a fit.
"Aigoo. I really just wanted to know, that's all. The Demonic Sect does seem to have a certain romance to it. Especially Eleonor—she was truly magnificent, wasn't she?"
"This is exactly why I shouldn't have told you!!!!! As I thought, my judgment was not wrong!!!!!"
"Ah, I'm not joining, don't worry. Just, you know, leaving a little possibility open, that's all."
At those words the Boss cheerfully cut in.
"You can join right away online~~~ You start as an associate member, but~~"
"What, that accessible?"
"But if you have a recommender, you can join as a full member immediately~~~ And as it happens, I'm a 'professor'-grade talent with recommendation privileges, you know~~~?"
"Oh. Is that so?"
"In that sense, the gates of the Demonic Sect are always open~~ especially to the talented~~ If Gong Ryun wants, I can personally introduce him to other masters~~~"
Un-rang recoiled in horror.
"W-wait!! Gong Ryun is a talent who could later be brought into the Orthodox Faction! He's a friend who understands chivalry, so wouldn't the Orthodox path be better…?"
"My, Monk~~~ Why are you the one deciding that~~? A person chooses their own path~~ Right, Gong Ryun~~? For reference, the Demonic Sect's standards are looser than the Orthodox Faction's, so he could join this very moment~~ How about it~~? I'll even submit a recommendation letter for you~~~"
"Oh. What benefits does a recommendation letter give? I'm just asking to know, of course."
"Anyone can see you're completely hooked!!"
"My~~ Gong Ryun is an adult who can take responsibility for his own decisions~~ Surely he can choose his own camp for himself, can't he~~~? Right, Gong Ryun~~~?"
"Hmm. That is true."
"While we're on the subject, shall we just join right now~~~?"
"Gong Ryun!!! Absolutely not!!!!!"
In the end, after a brief discussion, Gong Ryun decided to put it off until later—once he had fully adapted to the murim world. No matter how magnificent it looked, it was a choice that could change a life; deciding on the spot would not be wise.
…Even so, Gong Ryun carefully saved the Demonic Sect membership and recommendation link that the Boss secretly sent him that night. Just in case.