The Young Tyrant
*Twenty-one...*
I had so many other things I wanted to ask Myeongjon, but after exchanging just a few words, the thirty-three bows were already nearing their end.
*Myeongjon, if I return here, will I be able to see you again?*
'The Holy Fire Altar is usually off-limits, heavily restricted by your father. It will not be easy for you to come here.'
*Do you know my father well?*
'Of course I do. I have watched that boy since he was a mere child. To put it simply, he is an eccentric, stubborn fool.'
*Ahaha... Then will it be difficult to meet you again?*
'This venerable one can be reached from the other holy sites of the Ming Sect as well...'
*Holy sites! Understood.*
The "Ming Sect" was the ancient name of the Sun and Moon Sect. It seemed Myeongjon preferred the old name.
*...What a boomer. Always nagging about seniority and generations.*
'What did you just say?'
*Oh, crap. I didn't mean to think that out loud.*
In any case, with those final thoughts, the bows came to an end, and Myeongjon spoke to me no more.
"The Grand Assembly of Demons and Gods is hereby concluded. The position of the Young Sect Leader has been recognized before Myeongjon. Until the next assembly, no one shall raise any objections."
With the Right Guardian's solemn declaration, the official ceremony drew to a close.
But then.
"Let me see the Young Sect Leader!"
A commotion broke out among the gathered crowd. It seemed Yeongho Bin, who had fainted after being struck by my Finger Flicking Art earlier, had already regained consciousness.
Pushing past those trying to hold him back, Yeongho Bin rushed forward and threw himself flat on the ground before me.
"Yeongho Bin, a humble disciple of the Sun and Moon Sect, begs to address the Young Sect Leader!"
The Right Guardian, startled, stepped forward to restrain him, but I gave a slight nod to indicate it was fine. He quietly stepped back, allowing the warrior to speak.
Even with his forehead pressed firmly against the dirt, Yeongho Bin spoke with fierce, trembling passion.
"This foolish disciple dared to think he could withstand three of the Young Sect Leader's strikes before the Holy Fire. Such arrogant, idiotic misjudgment deserves nothing less than death. Yet, because the Young Sect Leader showed mercy and spared my life, I am deeply grateful to have this final opportunity to offer my apologies before my Lord and Myeongjon. Furthermore, having received such profound guidance from the Young Sect Leader, I can die with no regrets!"
Having said his piece, Yeongho Bin raised his head, his expression grim and resolute. He drew a dagger from his waist.
"I pray that the Young Sect Leader will become the light of the Sun and Moon that banishes the darkness, and bring about the reign of the Demonic Path over the entire world!"
With those words, Yeongho Bin brought the dagger to his own throat and slashed without a single shred of hesitation.
My body reacted before my brain could even process the thought.
"Stop."
Ever since I had killed Chief Administrator Song not too long ago, I had been living in a state of lingering trauma. I simply did not want to see another person die right in front of my eyes. That was my only motivation.
Before I knew it, my hand shot out and grabbed the hilt of the dagger Yeongho Bin was trying to end his life with.
The watching disciples gasped in unison.
*Wait. Did I screw up?*
In that split second, my eyes locked with my father's. The Sect Leader was watching the scene from across the clearing with an expressionless face. He might have looked indifferent, but I knew better. Right now, he was coldly evaluating his successor. He was placing his expectations on my supposed "Heavenly Killer Star"—on a ruthless, cruel, and bloodthirsty nature. I could not afford to disappoint him, not here, not ever.
Slap!
I slapped Yeongho Bin across the face with all the strength I could muster. The sheer force of the blow sent the dagger flying from his grip, clattering onto the stone floor.
"Worthless trash," I spat coldly.
Yeongho Bin's eyes widened in shock.
"The moment you dedicated yourself to the Sun and Moon Sect, your life ceased to belong to you. It belongs to the Sect, and for now, I have claimed it. Who gave you permission to throw it away as you please?"
"Young Sect Leader...?"
"When you die is for me to decide, and me alone."
At those words, Yeongho Bin grit his teeth, his lips trembling violently.
"Young Sect Leader! I swear to dedicate this life entirely to the Sun and Moon Sect and to you, my Lord!"
"Do not celebrate just yet. You will live to regret surviving this day."
The surrounding disciples nodded, their faces filled with deep admiration for the Young Sect Leader's cold-blooded cruelty. Behind them, the Sect Leader's face remained largely expressionless, but the moment our eyes met, I saw the corner of his mouth twitch upward into a faint smirk.
The Sect Leader turned and began to make his way down from Gwangmyeong Peak. Leaving behind Yeongho Bin, who was still repeatedly bowing with his forehead pressed to the ground, I followed my father down. I stole a quick glance back; Yeongho Bin was still prostrate on the stone floor.
*Thank goodness, I survived another crisis.*
I had secured my position as the Young Sect Leader, and I had managed to prevent someone from dying right in front of me. Believing I had safely navigated another day, I let out a quiet, internal sigh of relief.
Despite the many tumultuous events that had recently shaken the Sun and Moon Sect, Sect Leader Baek Mumyeong's daily routine remained largely unchanged.
He had only one priority of absolute importance: closed-door cultivation in his private training chamber.
Due to the unique nature of his martial arts, he required absolute solitude to train. While no one knew the exact secrets of his techniques, this fact was common knowledge to everyone in the sect.
Other than his cultivation, his only other duty was occasionally showing his face at major gatherings. Even then, he merely observed, leaving all administrative and practical matters to the Left and Right Guardians of Light. To an outsider, it might have seemed irresponsible, but within the sect, no one dared to question the Sect Leader's ways.
"Sect Leader."
"Right Guardian. What is it?"
"I wish to discuss a matter regarding the Young Sect Leader."
"...To the Council Chamber, then."
However, this was one of those rare moments where the Sect Leader's direct input was absolutely necessary. Inside the Council Chamber of the Sun and Moon Temple, the Left Guardian, the Right Guardian, and the Lord of the Blood Cloud Palace were already waiting.
"Yeongho Bin, who stepped forward as the challenger during the Grand Assembly, is a formidable warrior with no equal in his age group across all Five Gates," the Left Guardian, who oversaw the sect's frontline military forces, began by praising the Young Sect Leader's achievement. "To be frank, I was worried the Young Sect Leader might suffer a defeat."
"But it seems our worries were entirely unfounded."
The Lord of the Blood Cloud Palace, who was in charge of instructing the disciples in martial arts, nodded in agreement.
The Sect Leader scoffed inwardly. Not even half of the people in this room had truly believed the Young Sect Leader would win. And those who actually wanted him to win were even fewer. In truth, even he himself hadn't expected the boy to emerge victorious...
The Sect Leader recalled the series of recent events surrounding his son.
'I merely feigned weakness to make him lower his guard. It was all an act.'
He had been deeply disappointed by the flashes of vulnerability the boy had shown recently. When he first heard that it was all a calculated performance to deceive Song Mugyeong, he had been skeptical. But looking at the boy's actions afterward, it seemed he might have been telling the truth.
Moreover.
'I simply didn't like him. I have wanted to deal with him myself for a long time.'
The words the boy had spoken right after executing the fanatic Song Mugyeong, who had dared to commit blasphemy, had deeply impressed him. A cold-blooded ruthlessness, a relentless cunning that created an airtight justification for executing a high-ranking member without anyone raising an objection... If anything, this incident had only reaffirmed the Sect Leader's belief that his decision to appoint the boy as his successor so early had been correct.
"However, there is a matter of concern."
The voice of the Right Guardian, Baek Yeong-hu, the oldest member in the room and Baek Mumyeong's uncle, snapped the Sect Leader out of his thoughts. He knew this was the real reason for the meeting.
"The Heavenly Killer Star is a terrifying, uncontrollable trait. The Young Sect Leader has already manifested its crimson light on three confirmed occasions. Fortunately, he has not lost control, but..."
Once when he killed the assassin who threatened him in the Great Hall, once when he executed the traitorous Chief Administrator Song, and once when he defeated the challenger at the Grand Assembly.
The Heavenly Killer Star, the ultimate proof of his worthiness to lead, had earned him the absolute adoration of the disciples. Yet, the experienced Right Guardian could not help but harbor deep anxiety beneath his admiration. What if the Young Sect Leader failed to suppress the murderous impulses of the Heavenly Killer Star and fell into madness?
"The future is the problem. Now that the Young Sect Leader has passed the Grand Assembly, he will soon face his next trial. If he loses control and succumbs to the bloodlust, it will bring ruin upon us. Furthermore, considering his naturally cruel and violent temperament, we cannot help but be deeply concerned."
The ancient records of the Sun and Moon Sect held clear warnings. When a possessor of the Heavenly Killer Star manifested crimson eyes, it meant the destructive energy had awakened. While it could be temporarily pacified through slaughter or deep meditation, doing so was no simple task. If the crimson glow persisted for more than two hours, madness would inevitably take hold—a state of pure, unbridled insanity that would not subside until the host had slaughtered everything and everyone around them, including themselves.
The Left Guardian, the Right Guardian, and the Lord of the Blood Cloud Palace waited in tense silence for the Sect Leader to speak.
"Gentlemen."
After a long silence, the Sect Leader finally spoke. His voice carried a heavy, mocking weight.
"Has this long period of peace turned your minds into those of fragile maidens? If so, perhaps you should all start wearing skirts and putting hairpins in your hair from tomorrow onward."
"...!"
The faces of the three elders flushed bright red at the sudden, biting reprimand.
The Sect Leader continued, his voice cold and unyielding.
"The throne of the Sun and Moon Sect is a seat built upon mountains of corpses. Wherever the Young Sect Leader walks, a storm of blood must follow. The rampage of the Heavenly Killer Star? If anything, I would welcome the chance to witness it at least once."
"...My wisdom was lacking," the Right Guardian murmured, bowing his head.
"Listen well. I did not choose my son, Baek Yeon, as the successor because he is my eldest, nor did I choose him simply because he possesses the Heavenly Killer Star. There is only one reason..."
The Sect Leader declared, his voice more solemn than ever.
"It is because he possesses the most ruthless, cruel nature of anyone I have ever known. To lead the Demonic Cult and crush the Murim Alliance, the Sect Leader must be a merciless tyrant. If he lacks that cruelty, he is utterly useless to me."
Knowing the cold-blooded nature of Sect Leader Baek Mumyeong, the elders knew this ruthless declaration regarding his own flesh and blood was no exaggeration. And in that moment, everyone in the room—save for the Sect Leader himself—realized the truth simultaneously.
*He has finally made up his mind.*
The unification of the world under the banner of the Sun and Moon Sect. The Sect Leader's grand design had officially begun. And the success or failure of that plan rested entirely on the shoulders of the Young Sect Leader, a boy possessing talent unmatched in the history of their sect.