Chapter 353: His Revenge (1)
Chapter 353: His Revenge (1)
Patrick paused after passing the elders of the Demonic Cult and ascending.
The sight that greeted him at the top was quite different from what he had expected.
It was a magnificently decorated banquet hall.
Musicians were playing tunes from the Central Plains.
Peerless beauties danced like fluttering butterflies to the rhythm.
The spread of food was so lavish it could have been mistaken for an Imperial Feast fit for an emperor.
And above all…
“Welcome, Double Dragon. Or should I call you the Radiant Dragon Hero?”
A man looked toward him with eyes full of goodwill. He was a handsome man with pale skin and long, flowing black hair.
The moment Patrick saw him, he spoke.
“The Heavenly Demon?”
“That is what they call me.”
Oh, is that so?
Then there was no need for further hesitation.
Patrick’s knees bent slightly.
In the very next instant, without a moment’s delay, Patrick’s body transformed into a streak of light.
Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Styles.
Third Form.
Apex Flash Dragon Strike.
Boom!
The lavishly prepared banquet hall was instantly pulverized by Patrick’s strike. However…
“You are far too impatient.”
The Heavenly Demon, the target of the attack, was perfectly fine.
He had nonchalantly dodged Patrick’s strike while still holding his wine glass.
“I hear that a lot.”
Patrick didn’t hesitate to launch his next attack.
Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Styles.
Fourth Form.
Twin Dragons’ Chaotic Dance.
A storm of countless slashes erupted.
The Black and White Twin Dragon Swords in Patrick’s hands unleashed slashes of terrifying power.
“Tsk. Do you have no intention of talking? Even if I look like this, I have waited a long time for this moment.”
“None!”
“That is a shame. I heard you were a fellow who never turned down free booze.”
As the Heavenly Demon said, normally, Patrick would never refuse free alcohol.
However, the situation was different now.
Even at this very moment, his comrades were fighting desperate battles against powerful foes.
They were putting their lives on the line.
And the culprit responsible for that necessity was right in front of him.
No matter how irreverent Patrick was, he wasn't so mindless as to waste time here.
“Just drop dead.”
Killing intent swirled in Patrick’s eyes.
Seeing the Heavenly Demon leisurely dodging the storm of slashes, Patrick concentrated his attacks toward the man’s feet.
Crash! Rumble!
In an instant, the Heavenly Demon’s feet left the ground.
Because Patrick had shredded the floor, the man was forced into the air.
Patrick did not miss that moment.
Radiant Dragon Twelve Sword Styles.
Sixth Form.
Nine Dragons Under Heaven.
Nine dragons erupted from the tip of Patrick’s sword, charging forward to tear the Heavenly Demon apart. Facing that ferocious charge, the Heavenly Demon…
“Impressive, indeed.”
He watched the violent torrent of dragons with ecstatic eyes. And just before the dragons reached him…
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Heavenly Demon’s Reigning Step.
Thump!
The dragons were trampled.
The fierce and violent torrent of dragons, which looked as if it could sweep away the entire world, was crushed by a single step and shattered into pieces.
“…Damn it.”
Patrick gnashed his teeth at that move.
He hadn't expected it to be a finishing blow, but it was a move he thought would at least give him the upper hand.
To think it would be suppressed so easily.
I guess he really is one of the Four Grandmasters.
In the Jianghu where Patrick had lived, there were four grandmasters who reigned at the absolute pinnacle of martial arts.
Bodhidharma, Zhang Sanfeng, the Heavenly Demon, and the Blood Demon.
These four were recognized as those whose martial arts had reached the heavens.
And one of those legendary figures was right before Patrick’s eyes.
And of all things, as an enemy.
The Heavenly Demon, having nonchalantly neutralized Patrick’s attack, landed lightly and spoke.
“That was a splendid move. But surely, that wasn't all you had?”
“……”
“If it was…”
For the first time, killing intent flickered in the Heavenly Demon’s eyes.
“You shall writhe for eternity in pain worse than death. O Prophesied Human.”
“Haaa… That damn ‘promised’ this, ‘prophecy’ that.”
Patrick pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Every single one of you keeps trying to play with someone else’s life however you please.”
“Do you understand the meaning of the ‘promise’ I speak of?”
A strange light appeared in the Heavenly Demon’s eyes for the first time.
Patrick frowned and replied.
“I know.”
“How do you know? The only ones who know that fact are…”
“Only Yupinel and Kalaron.”
“……”
“You’re wondering how I know?”
Patrick didn’t wait for the Heavenly Demon’s answer.
“I heard it directly from them, you son of a bitch!”
He lunged at the Heavenly Demon once more.
As Patrick’s twin swords clashed with the Heavenly Demon’s hands, a terrifying energy exploded once again.
* * *
Rewinding time a little…
This happened right after Patrick had dealt with the Black Tortoise. Although he had defeated the Black Tortoise at the time, a significant problem remained.
—Now… what are we to do now?
The other Four Calamities, including the Blue Dragon, were in despair.
Their original plan—to push all their Constellations into Patrick to artificially raise him to a Divine Rank so he could fight the Heavenly Demon—had failed.
This was because the Black Tortoise had died while holding seven of the Constellations.
“Well, what can you do? I’ll just have to fight as I am.”
At Patrick’s words, the White Tiger roared.
—Don't talk nonsense!
“What do you mean nonsense? It makes perfect sense!”
—……?
For a moment, the White Tiger thought, Does it? But he quickly snapped out of it and spoke.
—Unless you possess enough divine power to reach at least a Divine Rank, it is impossible for you to even fight the Heavenly Demon. A match cannot even be established.
Hmm, that is a serious problem.
However, this was the one and only Patrick Schneider. He wasn't the type of person with enough character to admit a mistake was a mistake.
“Is that my fault? Huh?”
—Guh… Argh…
The White Tiger clutched the back of his neck and collapsed sideways with a thud.
I guess feline creatures get stiff necks when they’re pissed off too.
Patrick noted this new discovery. Then, the Vermilion Bird approached and spoke gravely.
—This is no joke; it truly is a problem now. We have no Constellations left to give you, and we lack the divine power to fight.
“Wait, you said you ‘lack’ it?”
—…Why is that a problem?
“If you say you ‘lack’ it, that means you still have some, right?”
—…….
Ah, I guess you could interpret it that way.
Patrick looked at the three divine beasts with predatory eyes.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Hand over whatever’s left. If we scrape it all together, it’s better than nothing, right?”
—No, Prophesied Human. Calm down.
“Calm down my ass, hand it over. You’re not gonna? You pushing your luck?”
—Wait, just calm—
“You know that in the Central Plains, ‘pushing your luck’ is considered a provocative act that justifies valid violence, right?”
—Where in the Central Plains is there a law like that?
“…Ah! You guys know. Hard to trick you.”
—…….
The word ‘bastard’ flashed through everyone’s minds. Then, the Blue Dragon spoke.
—Calm yourself, Prophesied Human. It is not that we are stingy with our remaining divine power.
“Then what is it?”
—Even if we give it to you, it is nowhere near enough power to face an Outer God. Therefore, we believe it is more advisable to report to Kalaron and extend the seal as much as possible. If we use our divine power, we can at least seek an audience with Kalaron…
“Oh, really? That’s possible?”
—It is. So…
“Then I’ll go.”
—…What?
“Looking at you guys, nothing’s gonna get done if I leave it to you. Tsk, tsk. How can you not notice when one out of only four of you betrays the rest?”
Stab, stab, stab.
Patrick’s gaze, looking at them as if they were the most incompetent beings in the world, pierced the hearts of the three divine beasts like daggers.
Then Patrick said…
“Connect me. Whether it’s Kalaron or whatever, I’ll go meet them myself. I need to settle this face-to-face.”
—That makes no—
The Blue Dragon, about to get angry, suddenly stopped talking.
And not just the Blue Dragon; the other Four Calamities also suddenly went silent.
“Hello? Hey? You ignoring me? Uh… Hey! Hey!”
Patrick tapped the head of the nearby White Tiger, but there was no movement. It was as if they were broken magic tools. Then…
—They say they will meet you.
“What?”
Suddenly, the White Tiger spoke again.
And from the side, the Vermilion Bird and the Blue Dragon added a word each.
—Prepare yourself, Prophesied Human.
“Prepare for what?”
—Kalaron, the God of Destruction, and Yupinel, the Goddess of Harmony, wish to see you.
“…Oh? Really?”
He hadn't actually expected this to work.
After that, things moved quickly.
The Four Calamities took Patrick to their dwelling, sat him in the center, and took their positions around him.
—You may have an audience with the gods for as long as our remaining divine power allows. It will not be long, so achieve your purpose within that time.
“Got it. But am I really meeting actual gods?”
He had suggested it himself, but he hadn't truly thought it would happen.
In terms of his past life, wasn't this the same as meeting the Celestial Emperor or the Buddha in person?
For Taoists or Buddhists, this would be a divine encounter they would give their entire lives to obtain. However…
“Well, how big a deal could it be? Let’s do this.”
Well, let’s try to understand.
To a demon, it seemed this was neither a glory nor a miraculous opportunity.
—Then, we begin.
At the Blue Dragon’s word, the four divine beasts mobilized all their remaining divine power to open a portal in front of Patrick that led to the Divine Realm.
“Shall we go then?”
—Hurry. We cannot maintain this for long.
“I know. I’m going.”
—Go on.
“…But now that I’m actually about to go, I’m a bit nervous. Would it be rude to go empty-handed without a gift…?”
—Just get lost already!
Patrick, who kept testing their patience until the very end, stepped into the portal.
* * *
Patrick passed through the portal.
And what Patrick saw inside was…
“Huh? What’s this?”
There were two desks in a space that looked exactly like an office.
On those desks were strange objects he had never seen before, and a man and a woman were sitting in front of them…
Click-clack, click-clack. Tap.
They were busily tapping away at something.
He wondered if it was the sound of a musical instrument, but there was no rhythm to it at all.
What on earth were they doing?
Even though Patrick had entered, the two individuals were staring intently at the rectangular objects in front of them, their fingers busily tapping away.
Dark circles hung heavy under both of their eyes.
“…Excuse me?”
When Patrick called out cautiously, the man turned his head, glanced at Patrick, and spoke.
“Wait three minutes. Let me finish this first.”
“Uh… you look busy?”
Crack!
At Patrick’s words, the woman on the other side smashed something with her fist.
“Hehe… Busy? You’re asking if I’m busy? Huh?”
The woman looked at Patrick with eyes full of madness.
“Yeah, I’m busy. I’m so damn busy. Why do we have to be this busy? Huh?”
“……”
I don’t know, but I hope it’s not because of me.
She was a peerless beauty, no less than his own wives, but he could see the madness of a woman who had lost her mind in her eyes.
From experience, he knew well that he shouldn't provoke a woman like that.
Then the man spoke.
“Yupi, don't break the keyboards for no reason.”
“Shut up, Kala!”
“At least you should be the one to write the supply request form then.”
“Screw you!”
So they’re Yupi and Kala.
Those names sounded familiar.
No, it can’t be. It won’t be. It shouldn't be.
While Patrick was thinking that, the man called Kala stood up.
Pressing his eyes with his fingers, looking exhausted, he approached Patrick and spoke.
“It is a pleasure to meet you like this, Patrick Schneider.”
“And your name might be?”
“I am Kalaron, the God of Destruction.”
Oh, I see. In that case…
“And the name of that beautiful lady over there is…”
At Patrick’s words, she stood up herself and introduced herself.
“I am Yupinel, the Goddess of Harmony and Benevolence.”
Are you sure?
Aren't you the Goddess of Hysteria?