Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Fourth Demon's Offer
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I took out the spirit pill from my pocket and spun it around. It was covered in so much grime.
The thing, steeped in the Black Heaven Axe Sect Leader's scent, certainly seemed like a spirit pill. But the method by which it had been made gave off a bizarre smell, as if the whole process was unnatural.
Number 20 spoke.
"Don't eat it like that. You don't know what might happen."
"I want to share it with Number 20."
"You eat it all yourself. I have no fate with something like that."
"If Number 20 hadn't said she'd come with me, I would've died under the combined assault of White Teacher and Maeng So-un..."
"Stop sharing. You idiot. Why are you so desperate to share everything?"
Desperate to share, huh.
I just want to do it.
After all, it wasn't something I did alone.
I tried to split it in half a few more times, but Number 20 stubbornly refused. Later, she even kicked my shin.
"Listen to me! You stubborn fool!"
"......"
"You eat it. Eat it yourself! But not right now! Hold onto it for the time being. That kind of spirit pill needs to be processed first."
"...Then I'll repay you another way."
"Ah, forget it. My role as Wang So-hong's wife is over. She was the one who cleared your debt, right? I'm Number 20. Not the one who cleared it. I'm a third party, so eat that stinky spirit pill by yourself."
"...Then just keep being my wife."
"W-what did you say?! Are you crazy?! Don't you know how to read the room?! We're not kids...!"
Number 20 and I arrived at Demon Valley after five days. Looking down at the entrance, she wiped her face.
"I wrote the report to sound the most plausible... There's nothing to catch us on... You know what to say, right?"
"I do."
"...Let's go. We have to report. Even if we ran, a pursuit team would come after us anyway."
"Sorry for dragging you into this mess."
"Forget it."
Number 20 stepped forward.
"I did it because I wanted to."
We traversed the endless cliff ledge downward. The only hidden path into Demon Valley.
We planned to pass through it and return to our nest. But there was no one to greet us, no one at all.
The air inside Demon Valley was chillingly still. No signs of life from the places we'd passed.
"...Something's off."
The deeper we went inside, the stranger it felt.
...Like.
Sticking my foot into a beast's maw.
Our nest. Where Number 20 and Number 30 received roll call.
Someone was there. His massive frame was visible even in the faint glow of the luminous pearl, and his strikingly white hair evoked the image of a polar bear.
Someone was clutched in his arm. A stranger. Trembling like an aspen-something seemed wrong.
That one didn't look weak either. I could naturally sense he was from a higher rank than me.
But...
What was that guy who felt utterly empty?
Why...
Does he smell just like the 'First Demon'?
"You're tense."
I flinched.
His voice was deep and heavy. I involuntarily stepped back.
The white-haired man smiled.
"Come here."
I couldn't dare refuse. My instincts screamed that everything would crumble if I did.
I advanced trembling, then knelt on one knee before him.
"......"
"......"
Even without lifting my head, I knew. He was observing us.
I could feel Number 20 shivering. If she was trembling, he definitely possessed real skill.
Who the hell was this man before me? I couldn't tell. He wore a mask, so I couldn't even see his face.
"Do you know who I am?"
"...I don't."
Number 20 answered. I stayed silent.
One person answering was probably right. Number 20 was technically my superior.
But the white-haired man didn't seem pleased. He deliberately crouched down in front of me.
"I know, though. Red Cloud."
".......!"
He knew my name.
My real name, known only to the Heavenly Demon and the First Demon.
"Who... are you...?"
"Someone who watched you from afar."
"......"
"Relax. I'm here to talk. Number 20... or should I say Eun Seol-ran?"
Number 20 flinched.
"Did... my father send you...?"
"Your father? Who knows. I didn't realize he was great enough to command me. Even so, he's just a commoner to me. Ah, that might be rude to Number 30."
"......."
"I'd appreciate it if you both relaxed your expressions. And while we're at it, tear off those fake faces too. Number 30, yours is already torn and hidden under bandages, isn't it? Covering half your face must've been stuffy. You can tear the rest off. I permit it."
I had to obey.
That was the only thought in my mind.
I tore off the bandages, revealing my true face.
The white-haired man exclaimed in admiration.
"Your bone structure has improved even more. And... your looks have changed too. Is this the effect of martial arts? Or that thing? I wouldn't know since I don't have it. What I possess is only half anyway."
"...How much do you know...?"
"As much as Sajae knows. I have quite a few eyes. Not a small number."
"Sajae...?"
"There are only two people in the world I call Sajae. And one of them is the Leader's Grand Protector. The top disciple who voluntarily withdrew from the power struggle."
...The First Demon!
Then this man before me was one of the Heaven and Earth Eight Demons?!
"No need to be surprised. How many times do I have to say I'm not here to blame you? Anyway. Eun Seol-ran. Aren't you going to take yours off?"
Number 20 hesitated before tearing off her human skin mask. The white-haired man admired her along with the mask that fell to the floor.
"As expected of Eun Yang-baek's bloodline. If you'd been raised as a woman rather than a warrior, your beauty alone would've conquered the world."
Number 20 bit her lip. I couldn't say a word either.
A beauty beyond imagination. Her slender yet fierce eyes resembled a wild cat's. But even that couldn't overcome the allure at the tips of her long eyelashes.
Her beauty surpassed the fierceness. Despite the sharp features, the urge to possess her hit first.
A rare beauty?
That was an understatement.
It was the kind of beauty you might see only once in a lifetime-or so the thought struck me. Her looks could rival the Heavenly Demon's.
"A beauty and a handsome man gathered together. Quite the sight. I'd love to take you both with me."
"......"
"......"
"Don't be on guard. Right, Blood Demon Squad Leader? Am I really someone you need to be wary of?"
"N-no, absolutely not! Fourth Demon!"
Fourth Demon?
And Blood Demon Squad Leader... isn't that our highest superior?
The Fourth Demon chuckled heartily and patted the Blood Demon Squad Leader's head.
"You nearly scared me with that cute stunt. Sending a letter to big sis saying they were arriving... Didn't I warn you not to before?"
"Hey, there was a promise..."
"The Blood Demon Squad Leader gets a pass because I like you. No second time. Got it? Blood Demon Squad Leader. Big sis chose the Grand Protector position knowing her forces are weaker than mine, right? Whose face should you be watching?"
"O-of course, Fourth Demon sir...!"
"I'm not old enough to be called 'sir'."
"F-Fourth Demon!"
"Good judgment."
The Fourth Demon glanced sideways at me.
"Red Cloud. Do you know who you took down?"
"...Maeng Cheon's eldest son, Maeng So-un."
"Maeng So-un, yes. But put differently, it's not. Better to call him the one who cultivated 'White Demon Body' than that rotten name."
White Demon Body.
The martial art mentioned again left me silent. I still couldn't grasp what was what.
"You look clueless. I'm in a good mood, so I'll teach you. Now, you know the three pillars upholding the Divine Cult, right?"
"...Myriad Demon Sect, Rakshasa Sect, Black Fiend Sect."
"Well-taught. Exactly. The three pillars every cultist must know. The three sects representing the Divine Cult. Then who manages them?"
"The Heaven and Earth Eight Demons."
"Spot on. Excellent."
The Fourth Demon moved the twig he held.
"Myriad Demon Sect's top leader is the Second Demon. My sa-hyung. Rakshasa Sect? Fifth Demon is in charge. That scary sa-je holds it tight. Then Black Fiend Sect's leader?"
"The Fourth Demon before my eyes..."
"Your head's not just for show. Excellent."
Pure praise. But I saw through it-it wasn't sincere.
Just lip service. A fox's playacting from a bear in light guise.
"The three pillars uphold the Divine Cult while checking each other as military organs. One of us is usually named Vice Cult Leader. What happens to those who don't become Vice Cult Leader?"
"......."
"They're all eliminated. It happened in the previous generation, and the one before. Being the Heavenly Demon's disciple means that position. Only the chosen rule, the unchosen lose their lives. Survival of the fittest. The Heavenly Demon's power starts from this successor structure. People usually ask this: Is there no way to survive even after becoming her disciple?"
"......."
"There is. Of course. Sajae is the prime example. Give up the power struggle early. Stay in the position the Heavenly Demon assigns and prove you're uninterested in power-then no matter who rises, you survive. I was thrilled. Big sis, hailed as the strongest among us, gave up her seat herself-it made me laugh."
The Fourth Demon, who had been chuckling, suddenly stopped.
"But I was disappointed too. No ambition means unfit as the Heavenly Demon's disciple."
"......"
"We all dream of our Divine Cult. Sa-hyung does, sa-je does. I do too. And it keeps me alive. What's the point of supreme martial arts if unused? We're ambitious, competitors who must overcome each other to survive. Disciples not on the same line sometimes unite with like-minded ones to achieve their goals. I have one too. The Sixth Demon, who shares my will. Here's where your question comes in."
"......"
"White Demon Body. That's Myriad Demon Sect's martial art. Not widely known externally, but extremely dangerous. One the Cult Leader warned against teaching. There are piles of such things in Myriad Demon Sect and Rakshasa Sect."
"Was the Black Heaven Axe Sect incident... orchestrated by Myriad Demon Sect?"
"You got it right. But I'm not here to talk about Myriad Demon Sect. My Black Fiend Sect, with its shorter history, has fewer such arts. It's fine to say we're short on power. I'm the weakest of the three military organs. In forces and numbers, sorely lacking."
The Fourth Demon tossed the twig aside.
"The Cult Leader will step down someday. Less than ten years left on the founding Heavenly Demon's term."
"......."
"So I'm personally gathering those who'll bolster my power until then. Laughable sight of the sect leader running around... but what can I do, I'm desperate. That's why I'm here. Two at the peak. One's a bit... tricky since big sis has her eye on you, but that means potential."
"......"
"You're an interesting one, Red Cloud. But my goal today isn't you. I don't want bad blood with big sis, and it might tangle me with the Cult Leader. I'm greedy for talent, but I don't eat poisoned apples."
The Fourth Demon's gaze left me.
It turned to Number 20.
"What I want is you, Eun Seol-ran. I'll get you out of here."
".......!"
"I'll give you the success your father so desperately wants. Join Black Fiend Sect. I'll use you as squad leader. Your level's high enough; others will accept it. But first, a question. Why did Eun Yang-baek put you here? With your talent... he wouldn't have chosen this."
Number 20 trembled as she answered.
"I never touched martial arts before entering here."
"...That one sentence explains it all. As Eun Yang-baek's daughter, it fits. Then you're even more impressive. Eun Seol-ran, you have talent. And I can nurture it higher. How could I miss someone who reached the peak's extreme at such a young age? Just one wall from super peak-truly splendid. So if you join me..."
The Fourth Demon whispered sweetly.
"You'll bear not just squad leader, but also the title of Fourth Demon's disciple."
Number 20's eyes widened. She trembled at the unbelievable offer.
I couldn't speak either, knowing what it meant.
Fourth Demon's disciple. Disciple of one of the Heaven and Earth Eight Demons.
It was a heavenly opportunity dropping before her. Immense significance.
Do you know how heavy it is to be disciple of the Divine Cult's top experts?
The ultimate chance for any Demon Cultist. Reveal it, and most famed masters in the cult would bow.
A seat of honor and power. Not for just anyone.
It also meant Number 20's talent was that extraordinary.
"Leave Blood Demon Squad and come with me, Eun Seol-ran."
"I-I..."
"If your father's the issue, I'll handle him myself. Eun Yang-baek. Even if he wields some power, he's beneath me. Might clash a bit with Myriad Demon Sect he belongs to, but you're worth the loss."
"......."
"You have a future you want to draw too, right? Everyone grasps the sword for what they desire. That's a cultist. Come with me. Whatever you dream of, I'll give you the power to make it real. You'll rise as the Fourth Demon's disciple. Claim the most glorious seat fighting by my side."
The Fourth Demon extended his hand.
"Take my hand. Then I'll pull you right out of this damn Demon Valley..."
"What the hell do you think you're doing right now?"
A familiar voice. I turned my head.
From afar, a blazing figure appeared. Its blood-red afterimage so deep it momentarily felt like a sea of blood surging.
"That guy's personally marked by the Cult Leader. Not someone you can touch."
"......? No, big sis. You're misunderstanding some..."
"This one's mine."
The First Demon.
One of the Heaven and Earth Eight Demons gripped my shoulder and yanked me into something soft.
I crashed into it.
Hugged.
Half-forcibly.
"I taught him myself, broke him in myself. My toy. No one can take him from me. If they try..."
"......?"
"I'll snap those fingers myself."
".........???"
The Fourth Demon forced back a laugh as he looked at me.
"First time seeing big sis react like that."
"......"
I held my tongue.
"First Demon."
"I never told you to speak. You stupid bastard. Shut it."
"The Fourth Demon came to recruit Number 20, not me."
The First Demon froze.
"...What?"