Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Double Agent
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---Thud.
The Nine Heavens Jade Maiden Geum Seoryeon finished organizing her documents and opened the window.
The weather itself was fine. But it left a bitter taste in her mouth. The reason was simple.
"...I didn't take up the sword to covet what belongs to others."
She had craved power. She had devoted her talent to it, allowing her to reach heights that others could only gaze up at.
Yet her longing for martial prowess remained undiminished. A martial artist was a creature of desire, after all.
Wasn't it the essence of a warrior to be dissatisfied with what they had and dream of even greater heights? The Nine Heavens Jade Maiden truly believed so.
But...
Even so, every martial artist had lines they refused to cross. The Nine Heavens Jade Maiden was no different.
If possible, she wanted to rise high wielding only the sword she herself had honed. She wished no admixture of others' trifling possessions within it.
The pinnacle of self-cultivated martial arts. That was why she hadn't refused the spirit pills circulating within the Myriad Demons Sect.
The matter of the Ghost Lion Black Night Brigade was the same.
Ancient spirit medicines of the highest quality. A fine tale. Surely a fine tale. How many elixirs in the world could elevate one's realm several times just by consumption?
But even if one bolstered their body with them, it didn't raise the fundamental level of swordsmanship one could wield. It only improved internal energy and the physical form; the sensation at the fingertips remained unchanged.
Of course, it was good. If she could partake, it would be good. But wasn't that originally the Rakshasa Sect's possession, not the Myriad Demons Sect's?
It belonged to others.
No amount of contrived excuses could change that.
The Nine Heavens Jade Maiden could state it plainly. She had no interest in the Ghost Lion Black Night Brigade.
Yet here she was... because she was a member of the Myriad Demons Sect.
"......"
She had received much from the Vice Sect Leader of the Myriad Demons Sect, so she had to repay the favor.
Thus, she had to undertake even unwelcome tasks.
That was the nature of relationships. Hadn't the Ghost Demon Brigade itself started that way?
It was a group she hadn't particularly wanted to lead. Even when she tried, it refused to move as she wished.
From the outset, she'd been pushed out of the power structure and forced into the role. In a broader sense, coming to this border fortress could be seen as a form of demotion.
The Myriad Demons Vice Sect Leader viewed her favorably, but she knew she didn't enjoy the same regard from the Sect Leader.
"...Why are there so many things in this world that don't go as one wishes?"
She wanted to cross swords with someone. Without a second thought.
But even that wouldn't happen as she desired. Empty shells masquerading as swordsmen littered the landscape.
True martial artists were few and far between. Since becoming the Ghost Demon Brigade Leader, opportunities to even spar had vanished entirely.
In the end, all she could do was swing her sword in the empty training grounds. At least in the early days at the border fortress, there had been the thrill of cutting down the reckless demons who charged without regard...
Now, the hierarchy had firmly settled, and even those who fancied themselves decent with a blade had fallen silent.
A monotonous stretch of boredom.
"...Won't something happen?"
As if the heavens heard her murmur, an anomaly occurred.
"Brigade Leader. We've lost contact with the 3rd Platoon of the Lion Butcher Squad."
"...Hm?"
"Shall I send another Lion Butcher Squad to the disappearance site?"
At her subordinate's words, the Nine Heavens Jade Maiden lightly rose from her seat.
The Ghost Demon Brigade's routine duties were handled by the Vice Brigade Leader back at headquarters, far removed.
There was no backlog of work at all, and the documents she'd been handling were mere trifles.
With time to spare...
"No need."
The Nine Heavens Jade Maiden lifted her hips from the chair for the first time in ages, thanks to this rare incident.
"I'll handle it myself."
......
One-Eyed Bird Shim Yul opened his single eye.
It was dark ahead. He couldn't see a thing. It wasn't just a dark room-something blocked his vision.
He tried to move and clear it, but his hands wouldn't budge. Nor his legs.
He was bound. By something. Rope, perhaps. He tried to muster his internal energy, but it wouldn't circulate properly through his restrained body.
Blocked. Completely.
"Wh-who's there? What do you plan to do with me?!"
"You're awake, I see."
"Danhwa. Can you use the soul possession technique?"
"Of course. But this man's... higher in realm than expected. There's a limit to this hastily set up formation. Please wait a moment. I'll finish what I was doing."
"Just bash his head in, and he'll spit it out nicely."
"What if he bursts? You said no traces should be left. This is the fastest way. Just wait a bit. Let's see... the acupoint..."
"Won't hurt to try."
---Whoosh.
In an instant, light poured in. Shim Yul, who had squinted, cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
Two men. And one woman. For some reason, a sweet scent tickled his nose.
Where am I? Why am I here?
Shim Yul frantically rewound his memory. Right. Something had happened.
A routine patrol, same as always. Chatting idly with a subordinate about how boring it was. Then suddenly...
His vision flashed. And that was it.
"Wh-who are you? What do you want from me?"
"You're not the one asking questions. I am."
The burly man cracked his knuckles.
"I'll ask. You. Are you a Blood Cult spy?"
"...What?"
Shim Yul's face hardened. The burly man grinned chillingly.
"Look at that. Different from before. He's reacting."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Brat. No need for that. I'll find out with my own hands."
"We have to handle this without backlash. Getting tangled with the Lion Butcher Squad won't end well. Above them is the Ghost Demon Brigade. Just wait a moment."
"In that moment, Mi-ryeong might die."
"Our heads might fly later."
"This lord fears no Myriad Demons Sect."
"I'm scared, though? Stay put."
"Elder. Please, just a moment."
"...Ahem."
Shim Yul looked up at the man standing before him.
He was huge. Not as massive as the burly one, but imposing in his own right. And that was just the start. The muscles visible through his clothes were so perfectly sculpted they seemed chiseled from stone, beyond mere training.
His voice was deep. Like a beast growling. His speech was polite, but it carried an aura even fiercer than his appearance.
"One-Eyed Division Shim Yul. Do you know the whereabouts of Killing Blood Squad member Wolhyang?"
"K-Killing Blood Squad? Why ask me about someone missing for ages?!"
"You've been spreading rumors."
"R-Rumors?"
"That the Ghost Demon Brigade is toying with the Ghost Lion Black Night Brigade. Why would a Ghost Demon Brigade member spread such rumors?"
"Wh-what...? How...? I definitely had the seal..."
"A mere seal is nothing to my soul possession technique. No matter how bizarre the spell, it pales before a true genius. Blood Cult spy."
We're done for.
Shim Yul's face stiffened. Had they identified every single agent he'd secretly planted to spread the rumors?
Shim Yul's tone grew deferential.
"What... do you want?"
"I said it already. The whereabouts of the Killing Blood Squad member."
"Is Yeon Mi-ryeong alive? Where is she?"
"......"
Faced with the barrage of questions, Shim Yul stalled for time.
I have to escape. If I spill everything now without getting away, whether to the Blood Cult or the Myriad Demons Sect, I'll die by one's hand or the other.
Currently bound head to toe. Did he have anyone who could rescue him now?
...Yes. The Lion Butcher Squad. With him missing, another squad would come searching for traces.
The sunlight filtering through the old window was bright. Daytime. Still daytime.
Not long since he passed out, by the look of it. He didn't know their exact hiding spot, but they'd be circling nearby.
Then there was only one play.
"Since you've figured it all out, I'll tell you."
"Hm? You're really going to talk?"
"Yes. Indeed. From the looks of it, no way out. Did you search my pockets before bringing me here?"
"Obviously."
"Among them, there's a blue canister. It contains my emergency orders."
"The blue canister... this one?"
"Wait! Don't open it without knowing what-!"
---Whiiiiiirrrrr!!!
"Kuh?!"
"Ugh?!"
In an instant, a shrill sound pierced everywhere. The burly man, who had crushed the blue canister in his grip, gnashed his teeth.
"You dare play games with this lord...?"
"Games? I told you. It's an emergency signal."
"Signal?"
"Yes. Signal. As platoon leader of the Lion Butcher Squad's 3rd Platoon under the Ghost Demon Brigade..."
Shim Yul sensed presences rapidly closing in.
"...my orders are to send it immediately if anything unusual occurs. Blood Cult this, that-I have no idea what you're talking about. Ha ha!"
"You son of a-!"
---KABOOM!!!!
In that instant, the wall crumbled. Amid the shower of debris, a woman entered.
Petite and dainty cuteness flowed from head to toe-his superior. But the weight she carried was heavier than a thousand catties.
Shim Yul immediately raised his voice.
He hadn't expected her to come, but it had opened an even clearer path to survival.
"Ghost Demon Brigade Leader! These bastards wiped out the entire 3rd Platoon of the Lion Butcher Squad! Given their vile tricks, they're definitely rogue demons with no affiliation!"
"Is that so...?"
In an instant, warriors drew their swords behind her. Not many in number, but each an elite.
She'd brought Ghost Demon Brigade members? It was as good as deploying one of the Myriad Demons Sect's premier fighting forces. Every Ghost Demon Brigade member surpassed the pinnacle in basic martial skill.
Shim Yul grinned broadly.
"You scum! You're all finished! Brigade Leader! Vile bastards! Not content with framing and assaulting me, they tried to silence us all!"
"...Danhwa. Finish what you were doing."
"I'll smash that bastard's head myself. If it's the Ghost Demon Brigade Leader, then the Nine Heavens Jade Maiden. This lord will handle her. You take the small fry."
"Can you manage?"
"This lord is from the Blazing Heaven Fist School."
The burly man growled.
"Perfect timing. I was itching to earn my keep. Barking dogs in someone else's house. I'll break every one of you."
"...Blazing Heaven Fist Demon? Gunsogwang of the Blazing Heaven Fist?"
A venomous smile curled the lips of the hitherto cold Nine Heavens Jade Maiden Geum Seoryeon.
"A real one mixed in among the fakes. Worth coming out myself. I don't know why you've stirred this up, but... come. Blazing Heaven Fist Demon. I'll experience firsthand that Blazing Heaven Explosive Fist said to punch holes in mountains with a single gesture."
"Experience? You dare 'experience' this lord's martial art? Your guts have spilled out! I'll rip them all to shreds!"
"No rush. Blazing Heaven Fist Demon. It's a proper matchup after so long."
Swords slid free of their sheaths.
"Ghost Demon Brigade. Subdue all these disturbers of order and make them kneel before me. If subduing proves difficult..."
The Nine Heavens Jade Maiden commanded.
"Kill them all."