The Heavenly Demon (2)
The winner of the late-stage prodigy tournament was announced with a booming voice: “Winner! Demon Dragon, Hyeol Mujin!”
The tournament itself seemed to be wrapping up smoothly, but the sinister forces that had infiltrated the Martial Alliance were finally beginning to stir.
[Baekho. If you need more than the Heavenly Martial Unit, take a few elders with you.]
[Elder Kwak from Kunlun is coming with us.]
If it was Kunlun’s Kwak Mugeuk, that was fine. I nodded quietly.
The ones moving near the outer edges of the Martial Alliance appeared to be using demonic arts. But this didn’t seem to be the Heavenly Demon’s intention. The moment they showed up, she had immediately deployed the Sword Demon.
[Chief Strategist. Tighten the alert level. Demonic practitioners have broken in.]
[Understood.]
Since Jegal Hyeon had lost most of his martial arts and couldn’t sense the current situation himself, I gave the order directly. This was probably the work of a faction within the Heavenly Demon Sect that disapproved of the Orthodox-Demonic Conference. I clicked my tongue without realizing it.
No matter how crazily I had lived for battle, I didn’t enjoy killing. I simply hadn’t known any other way to survive.
[Alliance Leader. We will handle this, so please wait a moment.]
Then came the Heavenly Demon’s sound transmission. Unlike before, her tone was polite. She probably didn’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings.
[Understood.]
Jin Baekho, who had stepped forward to resolve the situation, was a trustworthy warrior. That was exactly why I had appointed him as captain of the Heavenly Martial Unit. In that case, I too needed to act as the leader of the Martial Alliance.
“I congratulate Hyeol Mujin on his victory.”
“Thank you.”
Hyeol Mujin’s sharp eyes gleamed as he gave a crisp, disciplined salute. He was the very model of a promising young genius.
“Hyeol Mujin. There were many shortcomings. Continue to refine yourself.”
“By your command!!!”
But in front of the Heavenly Demon, even he was nothing more than another insignificant demonic practitioner.
Next, I turned my gaze to Namgung Hyeon, the Sword Dragon, who had put on an excellent display against Hyeol Mujin. The corner of my mouth twitched involuntarily. Serves you right.
“Young Hero Sword Dragon. That was splendid martial arts. Truly befitting the young clan heir of the Namgung family.”
“...I can only apologize for falling short of expectations.”
Namgung Hyeon’s face was twisted with humiliation at having lost in front of me. Still, with the entire Martial Alliance gathered here, there was nothing he could do to the Alliance Leader.
“Heh heh. Everyone in the Jianghu must have been astonished by Young Hero Sword Dragon’s potential. To possess such prowess at only twenty-five years old.”
That was why I felt like teasing him a little more. Since I became Alliance Leader, we hadn’t been able to meet often. He had probably been avoiding me. The thought of having to bow his head to a low-born orphan warrior who had once struggled at the very bottom must have made his blood boil as the successor of a prestigious clan.
“I am unworthy of such praise from the Heavenly Guardian Sword Sovereign.”
At Namgung Hyeon’s reply, I wanted to throw my head back and laugh loudly, but as Alliance Leader I had to maintain dignity. I could only offer a small, restrained smile.
“I hope you will continue striving for the future of the Murim!”
Using a technique derived from sound transmission, I amplified my voice so it rang across the entire area, announcing the end of the late-stage prodigy tournament.
Hmm. This is part of the Alliance Leader’s job, after all.
Soon after, the Open Beggar Sect’s young pavilion master, who had been acting as emcee, spread his voice using inner energy.
“With this, the official events of the Orthodox-Demonic Conference have concluded! Everyone worked hard!!”
We then moved to the conference room prepared inside the Martial Alliance. An urgent matter had arisen that needed immediate discussion. It was a shame I couldn’t tease Namgung Hyeon any further.
**
The people who entered the conference room were the high-ranking officials of the Martial Alliance, including myself, along with the Heavenly Demon Gang Soyeon and a single warrior from the Blood Dragon Imperial Guard who had accompanied her for protection. The Sword Demon had taken a small detachment of the Blood Dragon Imperial Guard to clean up the situation, so he was not present.
“There are currently sinister forces that have infiltrated the Martial Alliance.”
Only Gang Soyeon and I had noticed the situation earlier, but the enemies’ subsequent movements had become so obvious that most of the Martial Alliance elders seemed to have caught on as well.
“They appear to be a group that has learned demonic arts.”
It was Paeng Mugeang, an elder of the Paeng Clan. He furrowed his fierce face into a deep scowl and glared at Gang Soyeon.
True to her title as the Heavenly Demon, she didn’t even twitch an eyebrow as she spoke.
“There were indeed some within the Council of Elders who disapproved of the Orthodox-Demonic Conference. Regardless, this incident occurred because I failed to manage them properly. I apologize.”
Despite her words, her attitude was haughty. It was exactly what one would expect from the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
However, Paeng Mugeang clearly didn’t like her demeanor.
She’s such a beautiful woman apologizing. He should just accept it.
I narrowed my eyes and hardened my expression, intending to show my displeasure toward Paeng Mugeang. But he simply gave me a cautious nod before continuing to glare at Gang Soyeon.
“Is there any reason we should believe those words?”
What the hell is this bastard saying?
I unconsciously clenched my fist. From a rough estimate, the Sword Demon alone should have been more than enough to handle them. Just accept the apology and be done with it.
[Hyeon. Shut that bastard’s mouth for me.]
The only person I could trust in this room was Jegal Hyeon. So I asked for his help, but his reply was completely unexpected.
[No. Right now we need to get something out of the Heavenly Demon. This is tied to the Martial Alliance’s reputation.]
My trusted friend’s answer momentarily dampened my mood, but when I thought about it as the Alliance Leader, he was right. An unauthorized external force had brazenly revealed itself inside the Martial Alliance. That fact alone could completely destroy trust in the Alliance’s security system.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue without realizing it. Had the first emotion I’d felt since birth completely broken my brain?
At that moment, the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect spoke again. Her attitude was slightly softer than before.
“What do you want?”
Paeng Mugeang glanced around at the others before straightening his shoulders and speaking in a bold tone. Looking at it now, they must have coordinated this through sound transmission. When I glanced at Jegal Hyeon, his calm expression told me he had already known.
“We must receive a portion of the rights to the Black Moon Merchant Group.”
“Hmm...”
While Gang Soyeon was briefly considering it, a massive explosion erupted from the location of the mysterious demonic group.
-KWAaaaaang!!!
Without a word, we all dashed toward the source of the blast using our light footwork. The ones at the very front were me and Gang Soyeon.
“Tch!”
I had let my guard down during the brief moment of peace. All of us had. We had experienced this kind of situation countless times during the war with the Blood Sect. The Blood Sect was a splinter group that had broken away from the Heavenly Demon Sect. It wouldn’t be strange for the main sect to use self-detonation techniques as well.
“Get back!!”
Since we had already pinpointed their location, we arrived at the scene in an instant. There stood Jin Baekho, facing off against a group dressed in black martial uniforms. Fortunately, the damage didn’t seem too severe. Only a few people appeared injured.
“Jin Baekho! Move the injured to the rear!”
“By your command!”
As I tried to close the distance toward the masked group, Gang Soyeon approached my side and spoke.
“Alliance Leader. I will handle this.”
She probably didn’t want to owe us any more than she already did. However—
“My subordinate was injured in my own house. I have no intention of borrowing an outsider’s hand.”
No matter how much I had fallen for her, I was still the leader of the Martial Alliance. As the pinnacle of the orthodox Murim, I couldn’t keep making concessions forever.
“...Understood.”
Gang Soyeon took a step back, and I moved forward once again. The black-clad bastards had already encroached upon my territory.
“These sons of bitches.”
As Alliance Leader, I was supposed to always maintain a cold rationality, but emotion slipped into my voice without me realizing it. Because of that, the first step of my Iron Castle Steps changed slightly. Instead of the heavy, fortress-like footwork I usually used, it became the aggressive, all-out attack style I had used as a third-rate warrior when I didn’t know any better.
-Thud.
There was no need to draw my sword. With a single step, the powerful inner energy that accompanied it intervened with reality and shot toward the black-clad freaks like a lightning bolt.
-Slaaaaaash!
In a single instant, a fountain of blood erupted from those who had lost their upper bodies. This was the most effective way to destroy their dantians and prevent them from using self-detonation techniques.
“That footwork is...”
At that moment, Gang Soyeon spoke in a trembling voice.
“Hmm?”
It was admittedly a rather crude martial art for the Alliance Leader to be using. It wasn’t some profound high-level technique; it was something an orphan who only knew how to fight had created to survive. After getting beaten by Master Hyun-geom, it had become a bit more stable, but as they say, old habits die hard. I still found this aggressive style the most comfortable.
“Jin Muhyeok. Low-ranking warrior from the Martial Alliance...”
She suddenly began reciting my personal information. Then she started scanning my face.
“...You were alive?”
Gang Soyeon muttered to herself as she gently stroked the area near her wrist, hidden beneath her long sleeve. Sensing something strange, I was about to speak when—
“I’m sorry!!!”
The Sword Demon, Dokgo Hyeok, suddenly threw himself flat on the ground and shouted. This idiot. We had been on the verge of something that could have advanced our relationship.
“Sword Demon.”
The pitiful expression she had worn just moments ago vanished, replaced by the cold demeanor of an absolute ruler. The Heavenly Demon rebuked Dokgo Hyeok in an icy tone.
“You have tarnished the name of the Heavenly Demon with your incompetence.”
“I will apologize with my life!!!”
By then, the elders and Jegal Hyeon had arrived and were quietly standing behind me, watching the situation unfold. Even for Gang Soyeon, executing a master of Dokgo Hyeok’s caliber with a single strike wouldn’t be easy—especially now, when she hadn’t fully secured control of the Council of Elders. So this conversation was clearly meant to be seen by us. At least, that was how it looked to me.
“I will decide your punishment after we return to the sect.”
“Understood!”
Once the situation had been settled for now, Gang Soyeon turned to look at me. But unlike before, her eyes seemed to tremble slightly. The eyes of a high-level expert were unnecessarily precise. The change in her attitude made my own feelings grow strange again.
Did she fall for my martial arts?
Though faint, her face had turned slightly red. There was no way a master of her caliber would be charmed by something like that. She was probably just embarrassed by her subordinate’s mistake. Even this side of her is cute.
“...The situation seems unfavorable, so I will take my leave. As for the rights to the Black Moon Merchant Group, I will transfer a portion of them. I will send a representative later.”
It was a shame, but I had no justification to keep her here. I spoke with a regretful expression.
“Understood. I am sorry I cannot give you a proper farewell.”
When I gave a polite salute, she left with the Blood Dragon Imperial Guard. Like a mirage in the middle of the night.
“Alliance Leader. You’ve worked hard.”
At that moment, the Martial Alliance elders approached me with excited expressions. After seeing such a peerless beauty, looking at these old men soured my mood.
“Thank you.”
I couldn’t even frown, so I forced a smile and answered. Damn it. In my heart, I wanted to leave with her.
“Heh heh. When you turned the Heavenly Demon’s rude proposal against her, it was incredibly refreshing.”
“As someone who has only trained in the sword, I could never have handled it that way. Truly the conduct of an Alliance Leader who has experienced everything under the sun.”
“Indeed. You seem very well-matched with a woman from the Paeng Clan, Alliance Leader. Hahaha!”
Amid the elders’ praise and Jegal Hyeon’s proud gaze, I quietly thought of her. Skin like white jade. Eyes like rubies. Alluring lips. My heart grew hot and my mind felt dazed.
The leader of the Martial Alliance, in love with the Heavenly Demon.
It was the beginning of a love that could not be told to anyone.