The Absolute Being's Wrath
Creak.
Whoosh.
Thud.
“Whew……”
Fortunately, Balak had returned without running into any angels at the recycling center. He let out a long sigh of relief.
He’d screamed at the last second and fretted that someone might come investigate, but luckily no one had shown up.
“Can I go now?”
“Yeah. Go.”
Do-ha, still examining the counterfeit Longinus, waved Balak off without so much as a glance.
He’d finished every scrap of business with the demon; Balak could leave for all he cared.
“Couldn’t you at least say thanks for the hard work……?”
Balak’s face crumpled with wounded pride.
He’d been stabbed by a holy weapon, tracked down Longinus, and even opened the portal at the recycling center—yet Do-ha treated him like he was invisible.
“Ah……”
Footsteps approached.
At those words, Do-ha finally turned and walked toward him.
Ah…… right. Come to think of it, the Absolute Being and demons were enemies, weren’t they?!
Swoosh.
As Do-ha’s hand reached out, Balak squeezed his eyes shut.
Fighting back would only get him killed without leaving a single scratch. Better to just give up.
Thud.
A low hum of power.
“Now go.”
“?”
Balak opened his eyes and tilted his head.
It felt like some kind of energy had just been injected into him……
What had he done?
No pain. Nothing he could even feel.
“From now on, whenever I summon you, you’ll come.”
“What?!! Ah—no, why all of a sudden?!”
Startled, Balak frantically brushed at his body.
Had that energy just now been a shackle?!
Brushing did nothing, of course.
“Th-this isn’t fair! Please take the energy out!”
“Shut up and go.”
“Please!”
“Want to die right here?”
Swoosh.
Do-ha clenched his fist.
“I must have lost my mind for a second. I’m going……”
The moment he saw that fist, Balak spun around at once.
Damn it, that psycho with the completely shattered personality.
“Then…… I’m really going?”
“Go!”
“……”
Whoosh.
Balak tore open a portal to the Demon Realm, flung himself through it, and vanished.
“Another slave acquired.”
Watching the portal shrink shut, Canteas shook his head.
The reason Do-ha had spared Balak was almost certainly the demon’s particular talent.
Among demons, Balak’s ability to locate treasure was exceptional.
He was also markedly weaker than other noble-class demons.
That was exactly why Balak had been absent during the Demon Realm’s previous invasion—he knew full well how weak he was and had simply sat the fighting out.
“Later I should have that guy dig up some orichalcum mines.”
The ones they had now would eventually run dry.
When that day came, Balak would prove useful.
“If a demon’s strong, kill them. If they’re weak, use them……”
“Isn’t that how it usually works?”
Do-ha shrugged at Canteas’s remark.
Whoosh!
Crunch.
“……What the hell is this?”
Bound Baal stared at the crude sword that had just been driven into one of the chain holes.
Do-ha had simply walked in and jammed the rough-looking blade into place without a word of explanation.
“I can feel holy power from it……”
“I went all the way to Heaven because of you. Be grateful.”
“……That’s not even funny……”
“It’s true.”
When Baal still refused to believe him, Canteas chimed in.
“We used Balak to snatch something from Heaven.”
“That ‘friend’ you mentioned before—was it Balak?”
“That’s right.”
Do-ha nodded at Baal’s question.
“But you just said you ‘used’ him, didn’t you?”
“Must’ve misheard.”
“I don’t think so…… You definitely said ‘used’……”
“Anyway, after a little while the power binding you will fade. From that moment on, you’ll be working hard for me.”
“I only agreed to help you fight the Demon Kings.”
“Everything I do is for fighting the Demon Kings. So you’ll help.”
“You swindler!”
Baal glared and spat the curse.
Come to think of it, this bastard had set the contract term for life, hadn’t he?
“I will kill you one day. Mark my words.”
“Do it once the contract’s gone.”
Do-ha shrugged.
Because of the contract, Baal could not inflict any harm on him whatsoever—physical, material, or mental.
Grind.
In the end Baal ground his teeth.
Of all the beings in existence, he had to end up dancing in the palm of a man more demonic than any demon.
“Got any information for me?”
“Ugh…… A contract’s a contract.”
Baal exhaled a heavy sigh.
He hated the Demon Kings himself, after all.
“Do you know of Furcas?”
“Yeah. I know him.”
Furcas, ranked fiftieth among demons and holding the title of Viscount.
His raw power was weak, but he was infamous for being cunning and cruel.
“Do you know which Demon King he serves?”
“Who?”
“Mammon.”
Mammon, sixth among the Demon Kings and the lord of greed.
Furcas was one of Mammon’s closest retainers.
Very few demons knew that fact.
“Find Furcas and you’ll likely learn Mammon’s movements. As for his location…… I can’t guarantee anything.”
“The fact that you’re bringing him up means he’s already out in the Intermediate Realm.”
“Correct.”
When Baek Do-ha had fought the Demon God, every demon had retreated—yet a handful had stayed behind in the Intermediate Realm and gone into hiding.
Furcas was one of them.
“Where is he?”
“The Eastern Continent. In the Murim.”
“The Murim?”
Do-ha’s brow furrowed at Baal’s answer.
He’d expected the Western or Northern Continent. This was completely off his radar.
“Don’t tell me he’s helping the Demonic Cult or the Blood Cult?”
“No.”
“Whew. That’s a relief.”
“He’s joined hands with one of the Nine Great Sects and One Guild.”
“……”
Do-ha’s teeth clenched hard.
What did he just say……?
One of the Nine Great Sects?
Was that even possible?
“……You—that claim……”
“Because of the contract, I can no longer lie to you. You already know that.”
“……”
“Even so, you ask again because you can’t believe it. But it is the truth.”
“Haa……”
Do-ha scratched his head and sighed.
It wasn’t as if he was on friendly terms with every single one of the Nine Great Sects and One Guild.
A few of them outright disliked him.
Even so, the idea that one of them had allied with a demon was a genuine shock.
“I can already hear Je-u stressing out from here.”
He would have to head to the Martial Alliance first.
Martial Alliance reception hall.
Inside sat Martial Alliance Leader Namgung Je-u along with several other figures.
“So regarding this support request……”
“That will be difficult, Alliance Leader.”
Wudang Sect Leader Jang Gyeong looked straight at Je-u.
“The Murim itself is already in turmoil. And now you want us to send support to the Western Continent?”
“Sect Leader Jang Gyeong is correct. The Western Continent already has Dimerof, does it not?”
Emei Sect Leader Maeng Hwi stepped in to back Jang Gyeong.
The uneasy atmosphere that had settled after the dragon’s death had only just begun to calm. They could not afford to stir chaos again.
Moreover, ever since exchanges with Earth had begun, enormous crowds had poured into the Eastern Continent.
Incidents large and small kept erupting in the process, and responsibility for managing them fell entirely on the local sects.
And in the middle of all that, they were supposed to send support?
“I agree that the Demon God Cult must be eradicated. But the timing is simply wrong.”
“Exactly. Do you have any idea how much damage we’re taking because of the people from Earth? All because of the Alliance Leader’s decision.”
Kongtong Sect Leader Bang Geuk chimed in right after Maeng Hwi.
In truth, several of the sect leaders present had originally opposed any exchange with Earth.
“If you keep making these unilateral decisions, the Emei Sect will withdraw from the Nine Great Sects and One Guild.”
“Sect Leader! You shouldn’t say such things so lightly——”
At that moment—
Bang!
“Then get the hell out, you son of a bitch.”
Do-ha, who had been listening in silence, finally lost his patience. He kicked the reception hall door open and strode inside.
“H-huh?!!”
The instant Do-ha appeared, every person in the room shot to their feet in pure shock.
The Absolute Being who was supposed to be dead was standing there perfectly alive.
Only a handful who already knew he had survived showed no reaction.
Alliance Leader Namgung Je-u, of course, simply covered his forehead at the sight of Do-ha.
“The Emei Sect of all people, threatening to quit the Nine Great Sects right in front of the Alliance Leader. Wow…… the Murim really is running backwards.”
Step. Step.
“Ah…… Absolute One……”
“Shut it.”
Slap!
Crash!
Maeng Hwi, struck across the face, tumbled across the floor.
He had instantly raised his energy to protect himself, yet Do-ha’s power still punched straight through.
“Wh-what is the meaning of this?!”
Seeing that, Kongtong Sect Leader Bang Geuk shouted at Do-ha.
No matter that he was the Absolute Being and the former emperor—this was the Murim.
Everyone here was a sect leader representing an entire school.
How could he treat them so roughly?
“No matter how great you may be——”
“Hey. You shut your mouth too.”
Thud!
Do-ha kicked the chattering Bang Geuk square in the jaw.
“I leave for a little while and look at the state of the Murim. Running just fine, huh?”
“……”
“……”
“……”
No one dared open their mouth after that.
“I sit here quietly listening and all I hear is pure bullshit. What? The atmosphere got tense after the dragon died? Hey—I was the one who cleaned that mess up. You lot didn’t want to deal with it so you dumped it on Alliance Leader Je-u, and now you’re spouting nonsense?”
The one most shaken by those words was the Kunlun Sect Leader.
He had wondered why the immortals had gone silent—now he knew it was because of Absolute Being Baek Do-ha.
“And damage from the people of Earth? Are you fucking kidding me? Ever since the Earth people started coming, your regional income has jumped at least tenfold. That’s why you’re living so damn luxuriously.”
A tenfold jump in regional income normally only happened during major festivals or large-scale sect events.
Even then, the preparation costs usually left almost nothing in the coffers once the day was over.
But now?
Thanks to the people from Earth, the money was rolling in while they sat on their asses.
“And the most ridiculous line of all.”
Swoosh.
Do-ha swept a razor-sharp gaze across the gathered sect leaders.
“Now’s not the time to wipe out the Demon God Cult? Did a dragon breathe on your heads or something? Are your brains completely gone? Everything you enjoy right now will vanish because of the Demon God, and you’re saying the timing is wrong? Then when is the right time? After your families, friends, and brothers have their arms and legs ripped off by demons?”
The torrent of words left every mouth sealed shut.
Only his friend Je-u stepped forward to restrain him.
“Do-ha. That’s enough.”
“I was planning to keep my head down and live quietly, but looking at you lot I can see that won’t work. From now on, any sect that gets on my nerves gets wiped out that same day. You know my personality, right?”
“?!!”
Shadows of dread crept across the sect leaders’ faces.
If he truly lost his temper, it wouldn’t just be a sect that vanished—an entire region could be erased.
“If my words piss you off or rub you the wrong way, say so. I’ll drop a Meteor on each of your sects.”
“Hey, hey…… please……”
Je-u pushed Do-ha with a thoroughly awkward expression.
When did this bastard get this strong?!
“Je-u treats you nicely so you little shits start climbing all over him. Just wait. I’ll make you remember the old days.”
With that final spit of venom at the sect leaders, Do-ha left the reception hall with Je-u.
And with the exception of Shaolin Temple’s Abbot Great Master Bongma and Zhuge Family Head Zhuge Myeong, every remaining person in the room wore the expression of someone who knew they were completely screwed—and sighed.