Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Supreme Sword of the Demonic Path (1)
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“We need to hurry. They say the atmosphere isn't right.”
Kang Po, who had briefly stepped out of the Yunseong Noodle Shop, rushed back with an urgent look on his face.
“The atmosphere isn't right? You mean the fight's already started?”
Chu Sam crammed a fist-sized dumpling into his mouth and asked.
“I'm not sure. Some say it's begun, others say it hasn't yet.”
Mo In-hong, who had been rinsing his mouth with tea, turned his head to the left.
“Let's make haste. We might be too late if we dawdle.”
“You're right. We can't afford to be late after coming all this way.”
Jang Geol shot to his feet and grabbed the weapon he'd placed nearby.
As Jang Geol rose, the Nanjing Five Heroes followed suit, gathering their arms. Several groups of men who had been eating nearby also hurriedly stood from their seats.
“I'll smash them all to pieces!”
Kang Po bellowed boldly and kicked open the noodle shop's door as he charged out.
With the Nanjing Five Heroes in the lead, the first floor of the bustling Yunseong Noodle Shop—which had been packed since morning—emptied in an instant. The only ones left were Sima Geon and Cheol Woo, sitting quietly in a corner, casually working their chopsticks.
“Tch, tch. What's got them so excited? They might be rushing off to their deaths without even knowing it.”
Cheol Woo spat out a chicken leg picked clean to the bone onto the floor and stood, heading toward where the Nanjing Five Heroes had been eating. He slyly reached out and snatched a leftover dumpling from Chu Sam's plate.
“We should get moving, Boss. For the little one's sake, we can't let those guys do too much damage to the Living Immortal Medical House.”
Cheol Woo shoved the dumpling into his mouth in one go, and before he knew it, his hand held a buckwheat pancake as big as the dumpling.
“Yeah, let's go.”
Sima Geon finished off the Hanghwa wine he'd been sipping as an appetizer and rose from his seat.
“Man, this is good. That punk Thunderbolt goes crazy for buckwheat pancakes. Perfect timing. When we meet up, we ought to grab a drink here before heading out.”
Cheol Woo took a bite of the buckwheat pancake as he walked and let out a satisfied exclamation. Whatever the situation, the thought of reuniting with his subordinates after so long brought a pleased smile to his face.
The gathered heroes, including the Nanjing Five Heroes, departed from the Yunseong Noodle Shop and arrived at the Living Immortal Medical House after about two hours. They plunged straight into the battlefield without a moment to catch their breath. But Sima Geon and Cheol Woo couldn't do the same.
“Boss, that's not our guys.”
Cheol Woo said with a bewildered expression.
The ones crushing the Living Immortal Medical House's warriors and the gathered heroes were unmistakably the Loyalty Demon Division. And those clad in robes redder than fresh blood were undoubtedly the Blood Demon Division, newly formed just before Sima Geon and Cheol Woo had left the Heavenly Demon Cult.
“Yeah. I figured it'd be the Divine Demon Division for sure.”
Sima Geon tilted his head in surprise as well.
When they first heard rumors of the Heavenly Demon Cult pursuing rebels, they hadn't thought the Divine Demon Division was involved. It was hard to imagine them groveling and yielding given their nature.
But lately, word had spread that the pursuers were among the Heavenly Demon Cult's elite. Upon hearing that, Sima Geon and Cheol Woo were convinced the Divine Demon Division had mobilized. After all, they were undoubtedly the strongest in the cult.
“What a load of crap those rumors were. Who the hell says the Loyalty Demon Division is the best? They're nothing compared to our boys.”
Cheol Woo, who'd been excited about seeing his subordinates again, vented his irritation.
“Baek Sa-do would get pissed if he heard that. The Loyalty Demon Division is at least respectable. There aren't many in our crew who could beat Baek Sa-do or old man Buk Su-gon.”
“True, but if we're talking overall strength...”
Cheol Woo snorted, then trailed off mid-sentence, his eyes widening suddenly.
“What?”
“Isn't that Thunderbolt?”
“What?”
Sima Geon whipped his head around in shock toward where Cheol Woo was pointing.
“Right? If my eyes aren't playing tricks, that's definitely Thunderbolt.”
“Yeah, it's Thunderbolt.”
Sima Geon nodded gravely.
“They said it was a rebel. And that rebel's Thunderbolt? What kind of bullshit is this? More importantly, why's that idiot staggering around like that?”
Just as Cheol Woo spat curses irritably and moved to act—
“I am Thunderbolt of the Divine Demon Division!”
Thunderbolt's shout, raising his sword high, shook the battlefield. Cheol Woo, who had been about to leap in, chuckled instead.
“The guy's about to croak, but his voice is still as loud as ever. Right, Boss?”
“...”
With no response from Sima Geon, Cheol Woo awkwardly shut his mouth.
After Hwang Jin's deliberations ended, the Living Immortal Medical House and the gathered heroes withdrew as per the Heavenly Demon Cult and Thunderbolt's demands.
Sima Geon, who had been observing, made his move the moment Thunderbolt's strike failed and Ma Gong-ho moved to strike him down.
“How dare you!”
Ma Gong-ho's face twisted in rage upon confirming the sword embedded in the ground. If his reaction had been even a fraction slower, it would have been fatal.
Ma Gong-ho's murderous gaze turned toward the Living Immortal Medical House.
“Pretending to retreat, only to launch a sneak attack?”
The Living Immortal Medical House had no choice but to falter under Ma Gong-ho's aura, as if he might charge at any moment. Most eyes were on Hwang Jin, but he was scanning the gathered heroes instead.
As people panicked in confusion, the Black-Clothed Venerable and Nangong Kyung—along with a select few—had their gazes fixed on one spot already.
A breeze blew in.
It wasn't a gale strong enough to shake heaven and earth. It was barely a whisper. Yet it carried an energy potent enough to alert everyone.
Without anyone needing to say it first, all eyes locked onto the man striding across the battlefield. The hulking figure swaggering behind him went unnoticed by all.
Sima Geon advanced slowly, drawing every one of the hundreds of gazes assembled there with his overwhelming presence.
'Divine... Demon Division Leader?'
The Black-Clothed Venerable's eyes trembled violently; he had recognized Sima Geon first.
To seize control of the Heavenly Demon Cult alongside Gwan Ung, the first and most essential hurdle was none other than Divine Demon Division Leader Sima Geon.
Gwan Ung, confident in his skills, had boasted of victory over Sima Geon, but few supporters believed him. Sima Geon's feats during the cult's unification were that legendary.
Yet Sima Geon, who could have enjoyed glory second only to the leader, suddenly abandoned everything and left, resolving the issue effortlessly.
And with Cheol Woo—the monster on par with him—gone too, it felt like the heavens were aiding them.
'If those two had stayed with the Divine Demon Division and guarded the Leader, we never could have taken the Heavenly Demon Cult so easily. We'd have failed outright. Even with our long preparations, the current Leader only rapidly expanded his power after Sima Geon left. So why the hell is he here now!'
The Black-Clothed Venerable clenched his fists tightly.
He had felt a vague unease for some time.
That ominous premonition clinging since hearing of the Heavenly Demon Cult's turmoil had now materialized before his eyes—the very scenario he'd dreaded imagining.
“L-Leader.”
Loyalty Demon Division Deputy Leader Buk Su-gon approached Baek Sa-do O Ryu with a dazed expression. In that short time, sweat beaded on his wrinkled forehead from sheer tension.
“It's the Divine Demon Division Leader. And even that madman Diamond Yaksha.”
Buk Su-gon shuddered as Cheol Woo met his gaze and grinned, beckoning with a hand.
“I see him.”
O Ryu stared at Sima Geon with hardened eyes and said.
“What do you plan to do?”
“Follow orders, I suppose.”
His face showed resolve, but his voice lacked strength.
“You don't mean to kill all the men, do you?”
“...”
“Damn it all!”
Buk Su-gon bit his lip hard and turned to survey the division members.
The newly recruited members of the Loyalty Demon Division and the freshly formed Blood Demon Division—who had only heard tales of Sima Geon and Cheol Woo's exploits—felt none of the gravity. But the veterans who remembered them clearly looked as if they'd just come face-to-face with the King of Hell.
“Miss, those are the friends you mentioned.”
Gok Ja-yu, his face smeared entirely in blood from a head wound, said with wide eyes.
“So it seems.”
Hwang Yeong nodded, brushing back sweat-matted hair. Blood stained strands here and there, suggesting she'd fought as fiercely as anyone.
'I knew they possessed extraordinary inner energy, but I never imagined they were masters of that caliber.'
Gok Ja-yu and Yu Sa-ha were experts in their own right from the Receiving Chamber, but Hwang Yeong surpassed them both. She had fully grasped just how extraordinary Sima Geon's strike was—the one that forced Ma Gong-ho to retreat moments ago.
“Not sure if they've come to aid the main house or that man.”
Gok Ja-yu tilted his head.
“Obviously the latter. If it were for the main house, there's no reason to provoke the enemy now that the fight's essentially over.”
Yu Sa-ha, bearing wounds as severe as Gok Ja-yu's, snapped coldly. Though they'd bonded in Soho, any ties to the cult filled him with instinctive revulsion.
Sima Geon, drawing every eye on the battlefield, arrived before Thunderbolt.
“L-Leader.”
Thunderbolt, rubbing his eyes repeatedly to make sure he wasn't seeing things, tried to rise in tearful joy but collapsed weakly.
“Stay put. What the hell's happened to you?”
“I have no face to show.”
“How's your body holding up?”
“It's... manageable.”
Thunderbolt forced a cheerful expression, but Sima Geon saw differently.
“Manageable my ass. I saw earlier—your sword moves were off. Looked like a sluggish worm crawling.”
At Sima Geon's light jab, Thunderbolt bantered back.
“That's only because it was me. Anyone else couldn't have done a thing in this state.”
“Bullshit. Couldn't even handle one idiot properly and took that humiliation?”
Cheol Woo, who had approached unnoticed, wiped the worry from his face and instead looked disdainful as he shouted.
His voice boomed unusually loud. In this moment of rapt attention, no one could fail to hear him.
“Y-Your words are too harsh.”
Ma Gong-ho's eyes twitched as he forcibly suppressed his anger.
“Want me to show you real harshness?”
Cheol Woo sneered at Ma Gong-ho.
“Quiet.”
Sima Geon silenced Cheol Woo with a single word and asked Thunderbolt,
“I heard there was a rebellion.”
“Yes.”
“The Divine Demon Division?”
“No way.”
Thunderbolt shook his head firmly.
“The men?”
“Well...”
Thunderbolt trailed off with a gloomy expression, and Sima Geon's gaze grew impossibly heavy.
“Don't tell me they all got taken out?”
Cheol Woo couldn't hold back and asked.
“Everyone left except those who followed you and the deputy leader mostly fell. There were heavy sacrifices in the process of helping me escape.”
“You didn't just run off to save your own skin, did you?”
At Cheol Woo's retort, Thunderbolt shot him an incredulous look.
“Your empty head hasn't changed.”
“What?”
“How can you say such nonsense after seeing me? I'm hurt.”
Thunderbolt, looking like he might keel over any second, glared with fierce eyes and pushed back. Cheol Woo trailed off awkwardly.
“I mean, you just said you escaped. That's why I...”
“I had a mission, that's why. You think I'd flee for no reason? Think before you speak.”
“Maybe you should think before speaking?”
As Cheol Woo grabbed him by the collar, Thunderbolt quickly rummaged in his robes and pulled out an object wrapped in silk.
“It's something the Leader said to deliver to you.”
Sima Geon stared silently at the item Thunderbolt handed over, then shook his head.
“Later. Rest for now.”
As Sima Geon reached out, Thunderbolt's dropped sword flew to his hand like iron to a magnet.
Gripping the sword, Sima Geon turned.
“A-Are you declaring war on our cult right now?”
Ma Gong-ho cried out, staggering back.
“Who takes the Heavenly Demon Cult doesn't matter to me. But the Divine Demon Division does.”
Sima Geon's arrogant gaze swept over Ma Gong-ho and the Heavenly Demon Cult warriors arrayed behind him.