Chapter 540: The Law of the Jungle (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 540: The Law of the Jungle (1)
They relocated to a private room.
Wang Wiryong spoke in a deeply respectful tone.
"The reason I ascended to the throne as Emperor and spoke of continental conquest was to validate the efforts of my ancestors. The Wang family has upheld the will of the Heavenly Demon Cult for generations. Because the Cult achieved the unprecedented feat of conquering the Murim, as its sole successor, I wanted to recreate that past glory."
For generations, the Wang family kept the lineage of the Heavenly Demon Cult alive.
Those around them pointed fingers, calling them pathetic.
The Imperial Court had erased all records of the fallen Murim, and modern society developed rapidly. Even the few remaining descendants of the Murim concluded that martial arts were obsolete. In such a world, the Wang family, staring blankly at a mural day after day, looked like nothing more than fools to outsiders. In fact, Wang Wiryong's father was treated as a useless loafer in their neighborhood, and eventually, Wang Wiryong himself began to harbor doubts about his own actions.
Was this the right path?
Was he just chasing a fantasy?
Wang Wiryong, who agonized and suffered every single day, finally saw his lifelong efforts rewarded when the Great Disaster broke out.
He held onto a dream.
The efforts of the Wang family, which people had ridiculed, were real. Wang Wiryong gritted his teeth and worked tirelessly to rebuild the Heavenly Demon Cult. Thanks to that, he unified China. He gathered those who, like him, had reclaimed their martial arts. Although people criticized him as a warmonger, he wanted to prove that the Heavenly Demon Cult had been reborn through continental conquest—just as Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk had once shown.
And now, Wang Wiryong accepted a new reality.
"Please accept me. I will offer this country to you, Lord Roman Dmitry. On the day the reborn Heavenly Demon Cult conquers the continent, I wish to stand by your side and fulfill my purpose."
The man before him did not look like Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk at all.
He had a Western face and a foreign name.
Common sense dictated that it was impossible, but Wang Wiryong no longer denied the truth: the man standing before him was Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk. How the Heavenly Demon had become Roman Dmitry did not matter. The way he unleashed the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique and recognized the truth hidden within the mural gave Wang Wiryong more than enough reason to accept him.
He simply accepted the being before him for who he was.
Even without a lengthy explanation, the blood of the Wang family instinctively recognized the true Heavenly Demon.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"For keeping the will of the Heavenly Demon Cult alive all this time, you have earned the right to be my man. I will accept you and your country. However, the Heavenly Demon Cult you have built is weak. If you were to face the same tribulations as in the past, this half-baked cult would crumble without putting up a fight."
"Please, show me the way."
"Train by my side. Risk everything you have and strive so that we do not repeat our history of defeat."
An overwhelming wave of emotion washed over him.
Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk.
A legendary existence.
That very man was now showing him the way.
With a flushed face, Wang Wiryong shouted, "I will obey your command! I, Wang Wiryong, will gladly lay down my life for the Heavenly Demon Cult!"
Before the Great Disaster, he had kept the lineage of the Heavenly Demon Cult alive while adrift in a vast, trackless ocean.
For him, this moment was absolute perfection.
Just knowing that his path forward and the lord he had to follow were finally clear made it impossible for Wang Wiryong to hide his excitement.
However, there was one thing.
To fully enjoy this joy, there was a problem that needed to be resolved.
"...The Heavenly Demon Cult. There is something I must tell you regarding its traces."
* * *
He retrieved a stack of documents.
Handing them over, Wang Wiryong said, "These are records of various incidents that have occurred around the world since the Great Disaster."
Rustle.
Roman flipped through the pages.
Just as Wang Wiryong had said, the documents contained detailed accounts of specific incidents.
"Eighteen years ago, an A-Rank monster appeared in a Chinese village. Back then, the appearance of an A-Rank monster was incredibly rare. The beast slaughtered countless people before it was suddenly killed by an 'unidentified entity.' The issue lies in the martial arts that entity used. The destructive, intense sword marks left behind looked remarkably similar to those on the mural. That entity revealed itself to the world again fifteen years ago, three years after that incident."
Rustle.
"There is an organization called Dark Shadow. They are a secretive group whose true identities remain unknown, operating as a typical mercenary syndicate that takes on requests from countries all over the world. The issue arose fifteen years ago. Markov, the current Russian President, commissioned Dark Shadow to eliminate a political rival. When Dark Shadow carried out the hit, the 'sword marks from the mural' appeared once again. What's worse is that there wasn't just one person using those techniques. We are certain that the members of Dark Shadow use martial arts similar to those of the Heavenly Demon Cult, leading us to conclude that they are directly connected to it."
Up to that point, it wasn't a major issue.
If they were people rooted in the Heavenly Demon Cult like Wang Wiryong, they could potentially form an alliance and plan for the future.
The problem lay in their origins.
"After unifying China, I reviewed the records of the Emperor who carried out the policy to exterminate the Murim. According to the records, the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon Cult were not completely lost. While the Emperor feared Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk's power, he also revered it. As a result, he stole a portion of our martial arts and ordered his subordinates to study them. His intention was to make that power entirely his own. Fortunately, the Emperor died early from an illness, causing the related records to vanish. However, after cross-referencing various documents, it is clear that Dark Shadow is comprised of the descendants of the Emperor who destroyed the Heavenly Demon Cult. It is unclear what they intend to achieve by forming this organization. What I can tell you for sure is that their ancestors were present the very moment the Heavenly Demon Cult fell."
Thud.
Roman closed the folder.
Just as Wang Wiryong said, traces of the Heavenly Demon Cult could be seen in Dark Shadow.
If they were descendants of the Emperor who had brought down the Heavenly Demon Cult, their existence had to be verified.
It was amusing.
The existence of Dark Shadow, and the fact that the descendants of the Emperor who burned down the Heavenly Demon Cult might still be alive.
"Wang Wiryong."
"Yes, my Lord."
"I told you clearly before. Two emperors cannot exist under one sky. The same goes for the Heavenly Demon Cult. If Dark Shadow truly inherited the power of the Heavenly Demon Cult, they will never allow anyone else to stand above them."
He smiled.
Anyone who knew Roman Dmitry would have recognized the thick murderous intent laced within that smile.
"The sky of the Heavenly Demon Cult is a place reserved solely for me. Before long, I will imprint my existence upon this world. If the hypothesis about Dark Shadow is true, they will show themselves before me. Either way, there is no need to worry. If they are such cowards that they cannot even show their faces, they are not worth dealing with. But if they step forward in the name of the Heavenly Demon Cult..."
His eyes gleamed with lethal intent.
The suffering of his people, recorded on the mural, flickered vividly before Roman Dmitry's eyes.
"I will do what I must."
* * *
The meeting concluded.
They wrapped up the situation with the agreement that Wang Wiryong would follow Roman Dmitry from now on, and that they would continue investigating Dark Shadow.
Wang Wiryong led the way.
As he guided Roman Dmitry through the halls, a passing official spotted Wang Wiryong and rushed over, bowing deeply.
"I greet His Majesty the Emperor!"
It was a natural reaction.
Wang Wiryong was the Emperor of China.
It was only fitting to bow upon spotting him, and Wang Wiryong had always taken such behavior for granted. The problem was that Roman Dmitry was walking right beside him. Seeing the official bypass Roman Dmitry to pay respects solely to him, Wang Wiryong felt his heart instantly drop to his stomach.
Oh, no.
Roman Dmitry had just said that two emperors could not exist under one sky.
Having witnessed the gleaming murderous intent that accompanied those words, Wang Wiryong hurriedly sent a voice transmission to the official.
`[Quickly, pay your respects to Emperor Roman Dmitry!]`
"Pardon?"
The official's eyes widened.
He couldn't understand.
Since all context was completely lost on him, he could only blink in confusion.
`[You goddamn piece of sh*t! If you don't want your head flying off this instant, pay your respects!]`
The harsh curse rang sharply in the official's ears.
He hurriedly bowed his head.
Even if he didn't understand the situation, he knew what he had to do to survive.
"I-I greet His Majesty, Emperor Roman Dmitry!"
Roman Dmitry didn't pay much attention to the flustered official.
But that wasn't the end of the problem.
Every time Wang Wiryong and Roman Dmitry passed by someone, clueless officials would inevitably run up and raise their voices.
"I greet His Majesty the Emperor!"
"His Majesty the..."
"His Majesty..."
Each time, Wang Wiryong's face turned a shade paler.
Completely abandoning his dignified reputation as the Emperor who unified China, he anxiously and frantically stole glances at Roman Dmitry's reaction. Fortunately, Roman Dmitry seemed understanding of the situation. However, knowing that his new Lord would surely grow annoyed if this continued, Wang Wiryong resolved to thoroughly re-educate his subordinates the moment Roman departed.
In the distance, their destination came into view.
Wang Wiryong intended to guide Roman Dmitry all the way to the end, but Park Min-woo rushed over and blocked his path.
"From here on, I, Park Min-woo, His Majesty's second-in-command, will guide him."
In an instant, Wang Wiryong's expression crumpled.
Park Min-woo glared at him, his nose slightly turned up in arrogance.
It was obvious.
That bastard was definitely trying to establish dominance and keep him in check.
Wang Wiryong knew it instinctively.
"So, you can head back inside now."
Park Min-woo gave a cheeky wink.
It seemed that Park Min-woo's presence was going to be extremely annoying in the future.
* * *
A few days later.
The day of the 2nd International Conference finally arrived.
All the member nations were already present, and everyone was waiting for Roman Dmitry, the main protagonist of this gathering.
Patrice, the French President, suppressed a laugh at what was about to unfold.
Roman Dmitry. I don't know how you managed to sweet-talk China, but this conference is as good as over.
A few days ago, Patrice had contacted Wang Wiryong.
His intention was to persuade the Chinese Emperor to agree to punish Roman Dmitry, but for some reason, Wang Wiryong had taken a firm stance in Roman's defense. Patrice had formulated a hypothesis: China had been trying to swallow South Korea for a long time, so Roman Dmitry, driven into a corner, must have sworn allegiance to China.
Otherwise, there was no logical reason for Wang Wiryong to shield South Korea to this extent.
Even if two superpowers like China and the United States advocate for South Korea, the international conference is decided by a majority vote. Simply arguing that an exception should be made for Roman Dmitry, like during the 1st International Conference, won't work this time.
The goal of the Church of Maron was clear: the absolute punishment of Roman Dmitry.
Patrice had been busy in the meantime.
He had met with the leaders of various countries—including Russia, Brazil, Germany, Spain, and Italy—and convinced them of the undeniable reasons why Roman Dmitry had to be sanctioned. Everyone had agreed. Although Roman Dmitry had proven his strength by defeating the SS-Rank Vampire Lord, his overwhelming power had instead bred fear. The fear was unanimous: if they did not keep him in check now, there was no telling what kind of dangerous ambitions Roman Dmitry's South Korea would display. Because of this, countries around the world had rallied tightly around the French government.
With some time still left before the proceedings began, Patrice spoke in a low voice to Markov, the Russian President sitting next to him.
"Isn't he incredibly arrogant already? To think he hasn't even shown his face yet, despite being on trial as a criminal."
"Indeed. He should be showing up early to curry favor, yet he acts like this. This is exactly why I cannot forgive South Korea. If someone who calls himself an emperor is this arrogant, there's no telling what kind of disaster he might bring upon humanity in the future."
"Well said, President Markov."
The two got along famously.
Markov also held a deep grudge against South Korea.
Despite having no connection to the Church of Maron, he harbored pure hostility toward Roman Dmitry.
As they chatted away, a booming voice finally echoed from beyond the conference room doors.
"The President of South Korea, Lord Roman Dmitry, is entering."
The announcer recognized neither the name of the Korean Empire nor his title of Emperor.
It was a blatant attempt to belittle him before the international community.
Patrice watched the door with a smirk, but in that instant, a shocking sight unfolded right beside him.
"...W-what on earth are you doing right now?!"
Wang Wiryong, the Emperor of China, was deeply bowing his head toward Roman Dmitry as he walked inside.