Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: Reverse Heaven
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Yeokcheon.
There was no reason not to speak of it.
In truth, it seemed that was the very reason they were being pursued.
I roughly organized the information I knew and laid it all out. Sa-do Alliance Leader, who had been groaning throughout my tale, nodded.
"A mad group that only desires war...? What the hell is their reason?"
"I don't know the reason for that. But I do know they've infiltrated martial society everywhere. Yeongwol is undoubtedly one of them."
"...That bitch."
Sa-do Alliance Leader spat out the thick curse and rose to her feet. But in the next moment, she staggered and collapsed.
Her condition didn't look normal. I caught a pungent smell brushing my nose.
It wasn't the stench of not having washed.
The smell of poison.
"You've been poisoned."
"That bitch's doing. Ha. Fuck. How vicious is this stuff? Just when I think I've pushed it back, it surges again... Can't even root it out completely. What dirty trick did she pull?"
Blood mixed into her hacking cough. Poisoned, indeed.
I asked the Heavenly Tribulation that had taken root inside me once more. My own Heavenly Tribulation, evolved completely differently from the Heavenly Demon's.
A bizarre entity that had brought me back to life even from death.
Couldn't it remove poison as well?
"......."
We exchanged brief words. The Heavenly Tribulation now possessed a complete ego. In other words, the Nine Forgets whispered to me.
It was my Heavenly Tribulation.
It was my Nine Forgets.
The being that was both separate and one explained it clearly to me. It could be done, but enduring it was another matter.
From that single phrase, I realized.
This wouldn't be over in a single night.
The poison could be removed. But if we tried to purge it all at once, Sa-do Alliance Leader would die.
Not from the poison. She wouldn't survive the agony of the Heavenly Tribulation in the treatment process.
A pain no one but me could endure. It wasn't mere pride; it was reality.
But...
Couldn't we remove it bit by bit?
The Nine Forgets gave an affirmative response to my question. I immediately summoned the Heavenly Tribulation to my hand.
A blackish-red aura flickered darkly. After returning from death, it had truly become one with me. I showed it to Sa-do Alliance Leader.
Naturally, she freaked out.
"What the hell?! What's that?!"
"I can detoxify you, Sa-do Alliance Leader. But the process will bring immense pain."
"...What did you say?"
Applications of the Heavenly Tribulation were now possible at will.
Even treating another's body.
Sa-do Alliance Leader eyed the Heavenly Tribulation in my palm warily. The Greatest Sword of the Unorthodox Paths, Black Great Cloud, shook his head.
"...Even with all my martial arts, I couldn't fully cure that poison. It only slightly improved her condition. Not something to take lightly."
"No harm in trying, right? Can you entrust it to me?"
Sa-do Alliance Leader took a subtle step back.
"...You're not planning to shove that freakish thing inside me, are you?"
"That's exactly it."
"How can I trust you?"
She had a point.
There was no reason for her to trust me. But it was also true there were no other options.
I needed her. If Jin Baekcheon was still at the heart of Sa-do Alliance, things would get complicated.
Yeongwol would surely try to block me by mobilizing forces. Jin Baekcheon might even ambush me mid-battle.
With victory uncertain, it was best to eliminate variables. Having Sa-do Alliance Leader as an ally would be unbeatable.
...So.
I spoke honestly.
"I have to kill Yeongwol."
"......."
"And behind her is probably a martial artist named Jin Baekcheon. He already pushed me to the brink of death once before. Even improved as I am now, I can't be sure of victory. I don't even know exactly where I stand right now..."
I extended my hand to Sa-do Alliance Leader.
"I propose a deal, Sa-do Alliance Leader. I'll do my utmost to heal you. I'll even help you return to your rightful place. In exchange... please help me take Yeongwol and Jin Baekcheon's heads."
"...No other reason?"
"None. That's it. Nothing hidden, no reason to hide. I'm here solely to kill those two."
Schemes or plots.
Those didn't suit me at all.
If there was a problem, we'd break through head-on.
"If I meant to kill you, I wouldn't have saved you back there. If I wanted to control you, I'd draw my sword right now. Since neither is true, I'm just trying to help. For my sake."
"...That last line appeals to me most. 'For your sake.'"
Sa-do Alliance Leader sighed. She took my outstretched hand.
"Do it. Treat me. If it goes wrong, I'll kill you somehow... But if you're telling the truth and can heal me, I'll mobilize everything I have to help you. And one condition change."
"What...?"
"You can take their heads however after killing them..."
Sa-do Alliance Leader smiled.
Maniacally.
"But killing Yeongwol? That's mine. No yielding on that. Got it?"
The one doing the killing.
I didn't argue. She deserved that right.
"Fine."
The deal was struck.
I began treating her immediately.
"Guhhh...!!!"
As expected, she couldn't endure even the slightest treatment and rolled back her eyes, fainting.
Black Great Cloud's face drained of color. Even Song Namcheon broke into cold sweat, watching me.
But I didn't mind. The Nine Forgets was handling the crucial power control.
Eating away and healing just enough not to kill.
Then, rest.
We kept moving our hideout. Later, it felt like just punching holes straight through walls.
Pursuers kept swarming. I could have killed them all, but Sa-do Alliance Leader didn't want that.
"They're my subordinates anyway. Killing them is just cutting my own flesh."
Thinking of her future position upon return, perhaps.
I didn't add any commentary to her words.
I didn't want to get used to killing people either.
Time flew by. Sa-do Alliance Leader, who had been passing out from the pain, started enduring bit by bit.
Not that she was getting used to the agony. Her condition was genuinely improving.
I even performed additional treatment on the Greatest Sword of the Unorthodox Paths. He hadn't shown it, but he had mild poisoning symptoms causing him pain.
During the next two treatments, Song Namcheon asked me,
"...Are you a god or something?"
His short question held much. So I answered briefly.
"Human."
Yeah.
I was still human.
Sa-do Alliance Leader's prickly temper toward me gradually softened as she watched me. Her cursing lessened, and now she casually extended her hand.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"How long you gonna keep with the formal speech? You're not my subordinate. Aren't you stronger than me anyway?"
"Wouldn't know until we cross swords."
"Humility's a disease if overdone."
"I'll... keep the polite speech."
"Why?"
"Because I don't see us as that close."
"...No. Saying that crap now?"
Sa-do Alliance Leader had a peculiar competitive streak.
"Let's see how long you keep it up."
"......?"
She started teasing me slyly more often. Especially as her condition improved.
I'd thought her just a harsh, ill-tempered woman, but that wasn't entirely true. She was frank with those she'd opened her heart to.
"Ditch the cult and come to Sa-do Alliance? Be my personal physician. Nice gig. Fat salary too."
"That's a bit."
"They smear honey on the cult or what?"
Her light banter grew fun once familiar. Lighter than even Joo Ryeongryeong, say.
Speech unbecoming a faction leader. But fitting for Sa-do Alliance, somehow.
Before long, we'd completely shaken the pursuers. Things I'd learned under the First Demon helped, plus constant rapid moves day after day.
The enemies still thought we were trapped in their encirclement, combing the terrain, but we'd escaped long ago.
Using human-skin masks Song Namcheon had prepared, moving at night instead of day...
We finally reached a spot quite far from Sa-do Alliance. There, for the first time in ages, we slept inside a building instead of camping.
"...Ah."
We four filthy ones washed off our travel grime first thing.
Sa-do Alliance Leader Gu Okgyeong was the happiest.
Once the sweat and filth hiding her beauty were scrubbed away, there stood a stunning beauty who drew the eye despite the human-skin mask.
Thanks to splurging Song Namcheon's money on perfume for her hair, even her red tresses gained a new allure.
The gaunt, deathly look from poisoning was history. As stamina and health slowly returned, her former robustness was coming back.
Recovery was nearing completion. I stroked the Nine Forgets.
Thanks to you. All of it.
"You know."
Early night, as I slipped out alone to gaze at the moon, a voice came from behind.
I knew who without turning. I said nothing until she sat beside me.
She, Gu Okgyeong, was the same. Despite starting the talk, she just gazed at the moon without continuing.
The words that should have followed came much later.
"What position did you hold in the cult?"
"I was in a place called the Soul-Reaving Pavilion."
"What's that?"
"Do you know of the Heavenly Earth Eight Demons?"
"I... do?"
"The First Demon, who oversees one of their seats, is the master of the Soul-Reaving Pavilion."
I boasted a little. Gu Okgyeong blinked.
Her reaction burst out belatedly.
"F-F-First Demon!? Your boss was one of the Heavenly Earth Eight Demons?! For real?!"
"Yes? That's... right."
"R-Really?! Truly?!"
"What's... wrong?"
"You're my benefactor!"
Gu Okgyeong poured out excited words.
"I almost got raped by that Murim Alliance Leader fucker once? But she saved me then. The world thinks I escaped on my own, but she rescued me!"
"...Yes?"
The First Demon had come to the martial world?
News to me; I tilted my head. Gu Okgyeong frowned.
"For real! Pure coincidence, sure... But the point is, I owe her. Still... no one's as cool as her."
"Did the First Demon reveal her identity?"
"As if. I investigated after, obviously. Circumstances point to her. Spent a fortune too. Having a superior like that? How's she up close?"
At this unexpected connection, I shared what I knew.
"The greatest martial artist."
"Knew it!"
"Righteous and kind..."
"Mm! Mm! Mm!"
"Flawless in her duties, handling all work with perfect precision."
"A role model for all... Ahh... Just as I guessed."
Gu Okgyeong peppered me with questions after. I answered suitably, without leaking internal secrets.
It felt great having someone who adored my most cherished master.
Even to the point of thinking she matched well with Gu Okgyeong.
. . .
"...Black Great Cloud."
"Yes."
"Have you ever seen the Leader so excited, chattering away like that?"
The Greatest Sword of the Unorthodox Paths, Black Great Cloud, gazed from the shadows at the animated Gu Okgyeong.
A sight even rarer than her laughing with Yeongwol. Like sharing an intimate memory with someone.
Black Great Cloud shook his head.
"First time."
"...They oddly suit each other, don't they?"
Black Great Cloud nodded slightly. What he held for his master was pure loyalty.
Not romantic affection.
He glanced at their laughing profiles. It felt oddly like sending off a daughter at marriage, so he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"We can only wait and see."
"True."
Former Chief Steward Song Namcheon turned to him.
"What are your plans for the matter?"
"I'd like to hear the Chief Steward's thoughts."
"Mobilize forces first. Charging in with just Sa-do Alliance is suicide. Solidify our justification, rally scattered sects, and impeach the impostor. That's the proper order."
"Will people follow us?"
"I have troops I've secretly split off and hidden. But not enough alone. Using them as base, we must covertly gather the dispersed sects. Quietly enough the enemy doesn't notice."
"Is that... possible?"
"Fortunately, I've heard of an intelligence network operating around here."
Song Namcheon said casually.
"The Killing Gate, supposedly wiped out. They have a branch nearby. Active since two years ago. How about contacting them to gather forces?"