The Parasite of Kunlun
"Couldn't it be the same in other regions?"
"It isn't."
He had already reached that conclusion through Canteas. He had originally planned to piece it together from Dokgo Man's report, but their movements had followed his predictions so precisely that he had known the truth before the report even arrived. That was why he was already here.
"Could it be… the Beggars' Sect?"
Dokgo Man spoke carefully. Was it possible his own sect had taken the demons' hand?
"Seo Man-so is not the kind of man who would ally with demons."
"You trust our Sect Leader, then?"
Dokgo Man's face lit with something close to awe. That this monstrous man would place his faith in the Sect Leader so readily—
"I don't trust Seo Man-so as a person."
"Pardon? Then…"
"I trust his nature."
Believing in Seo Man-so the man was difficult. Believing in his nature was not. Specifically, the nature that wanted money above all else.
Seo Man-so calculates fast.
Weighing everything together, even if partnering with demons looked profitable in the short term, it would inevitably turn poisonous later—and Seo Man-so would know that. Which meant the odds of him taking their hand were effectively zero.
Of course, someone else might. Wasn't there always someone slow with money? Didn't every sect leader think that way?
Seo Man-so was cut from different cloth. His fixation on money bordered on obsession; he calculated and chased profit with single-minded intensity. Had he been on Earth, he was the type who would have taken a small company and grown it into a global conglomerate. A man like that would understand exactly how large the risk of dealing with demons truly was.
Of course, as a human being, he still isn't someone you'd trust.
As already said—he was a money devil. If he ever judged that the long-term gains outweighed everything else, he would sell himself to the demons without a second thought.
Dokgo Man shifted, gazing down at the village below the cliff.
"What will you do now?"
They stood on Kunlun Mountain. The sect Baek Do-ha believed had turned traitor was the Kunlun Sect itself.
"If you move against the Kunlun Sect, the Immortals will be furious."
The Kunlun Sect served the Immortals. The Immortals did not manage the sect directly, but Kunlun's existence burnished their own prestige. Touch it, and the Immortals would be enraged. Even the demons had never laid hands on Kunlun directly—provoke them, and angry Immortals might enter the fight, and that was a headache no one wanted.
"You think I care about that?"
Baek Do-ha snorted and launched himself off the cliff.
"Ah… right. Of course you don't."
Watching his back, Dokgo Man found himself nodding before he realized it. He had not known Baek Do-ha long, but one thing had become absolutely clear: the man was a genuine lunatic.
"Ugh. I'm going home."
Dokgo Man shook his head. He had done everything asked of him. Getting mixed up in this fight would only mean a death that was anything but peaceful.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Damn it… an Absolute Being appearing now, of all times…
Seated in a chair, biting his nails, Yeon So-bong—Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sect—wore a face twisted with anxiety.
"What the hell is Furcas doing… He said he watched Baek Do-ha die with his own eyes…"
Yeon So-bong muttered under his breath. Formations sealed the room; no sound would escape.
"Is that why Furcas has gone silent…?"
Contact with Furcas had been cut for some time, leaving him starved of news. And then, of all moments, the Absolute Being had returned. Had that demon bastard sensed Baek Do-ha's arrival and gone into hiding?
"Huu. Calm down. Baek Do-ha still doesn't know… He… he can't know yet, right?"
Yeon So-bong's leg bounced as he exhaled. Among all the sect leaders, he alone had never truly experienced Baek Do-ha. He had held the Kunlun seat for barely twenty years. Before that he had been a mere elder, with no private dealings that might have revealed the man's character. He had watched Baek Do-ha's exploits on the battlefield, but never close enough to understand him. All he knew was that the man was dangerous—someone to be handled with extreme care.
"But given time, he'll figure it out. He's relentless like that…"
Before that happened, every possible measure had to be in place.
Rustle. Flutter.
Decision made, Yeon So-bong swept the papers on his desk into order. He had been fabricating evidence since the moment he returned from the Martial Alliance.
"My apologies, Elder Hwang."
He smiled down at the forged documents. Every scrap of proof had been rewritten to point to one conclusion: that all of this had been Elder Hwang Hu-pyeong's unilateral doing. Yeon So-bong would still lose the sect leadership for failing to notice—but he would survive.
"Heh. Lucky for me Elder Hwang took power from Furcas. Makes it easy to dump everything on him."
Hwang Hu-pyeong was his own confidant, and had received power from Furcas. That made the framing effortless. The man truly did carry demonic energy; when the investigation began, they would find the demonic qi in his body without fail.
"That's why I never took Furcas's power myself. Very wise of me."
Yeon So-bong congratulated himself. Demonic power would have made him stronger, yes—but it could just as easily become a noose. Better to use the demon itself without accepting its gifts.
Creak.
He carried the forged evidence toward the vault. He would keep it safe and produce it the moment Baek Do-ha came calling.
"Of course he'll still suspect me, but he won't dare kill me. He knows that if he does, the Immortals will be furious."
He had his insurance. Absolute Being or not, without Seon-gye's permission, the man could not touch him.
Creak. Thud.
"I'll go out and check the situation first… Hngh?!"
He had just finished stowing the documents and turned from the vault when he saw the head sitting on his desk—and nearly choked.
"Th-this… what is… Elder Hwang Hu-pyeong?!"
It was Elder Hwang Hu-pyeong's severed head.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Blood ran from the cut neck. Yeon So-bong slowly turned his gaze toward the corner of the room. A presence he had not felt a moment ago was suddenly there.
"Ba… Baek…"
"Shh."
It was Baek Do-ha.
Step. Step.
"How long have you been standing th—"
"That's not the important part."
As Baek Do-ha closed the distance, Yeon So-bong found himself retreating without meaning to. He knew this man's power. He had seen it on the battlefield as a boy.
"You have a choice."
"…"
"Option one: tell me everything and die clean, without pain. Option two: endure torture beyond anything you can imagine, confess everything, and then die."
Killing intent poured from Baek Do-ha's eyes. Death was certain either way. Only the path to it differed.
"A little advice—pick the first one from the start. Once the torture begins, you'll talk eventually anyway. So go easy. Go clean."
"I-is there a way I could live?"
Baek Do-ha had already killed Hwang Hu-pyeong and come here. That meant he already knew everything. How he had uncovered it so fast was a mystery—but pretending ignorance was useless now. Better to search for some other opening.
"A way to live? As if something like that exists, you piece of shit vermin."
Baek Do-ha's brow furrowed. He had been trying to keep this civil, and this idiot was spouting nonsense?
"A bastard who sold out the Nine Great Sects and One Guild to the demons is asking me how to stay alive? Fine, let's say you're allowed to ask. Did you actually think I'd fall for it and spare you?"
"Th-the first one! I'll die clean, without pain!"
As Baek Do-ha drew closer, terror finally cracked Yeon So-bong open and the words tumbled out. He had only asked a question—and the situation had twisted against him.
"Too late. You're not getting a clean send-off."
"If you kill me, the Immortals will not sit idle!"
"Wow. Threats, in this situation?"
Wuum!
CRACK!
Crunch.
"Ghk!"
A single punch shattered Yeon So-bong's ribs. He collapsed, gasping empty air. He had wrapped himself in sword aura for protection—against Baek Do-ha, it meant nothing.
"I'll choose for you. You're getting option two."
He had offered the fast road to avoid wasting time, and this was the thanks he got? A way to live? The Immortals won't sit still? It was so absurd he couldn't even get properly angry.
"You think I give a damn about Immortals?"
"Ghhk…"
"And one more thing—you clearly don't know me very well. When the Immortals find out I'm angry, they stop intervening."
Baek Do-ha seized the trembling Yeon So-bong by the nape of the neck.
Great Heal
Blip-blip.
Whoosh!
CRACK!
Crunch!
"AAAAARGH!"
The instant the healing took hold, a fist smashed through bone again. Yeon So-bong's scream tore free.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
"Uuuugh…"
With his face caved in, Yeon So-bong could barely even moan. He twitched on the floor.
Zwaaang.
Great Heal
Blip-blip.
"P-please…"
Healed once more, Yeon So-bong crawled across the floor, begging. He poured every scrap of power he had into protecting his body. It did nothing. Whatever Baek Do-ha was doing, he could not even shake free of the man's grip.
"And let me tell you one more thing."
Baek Do-ha planted a foot on the crawling man's back and drew up his power.
"Those two options I offered? They weren't for you."
"…What do you mean—"
In that instant—
Gurgle!
"GAAHK!"
Part of Yeon So-bong's body melted, writhing like slime.
Splash!
"They were for him."
The melted flesh coalesced, reshaping itself into Furcas. Baek Do-ha looked down at the demon.
"How is this…"
Half his face gone, Yeon So-bong stared at Furcas in blank shock. Why was that thing crawling out of his own body?
"Furcas is a parasite by nature. The one you've been meeting all this time was just a clone."
"…"
Furcas ran a hand over his own body, glaring at Baek Do-ha. Because he had been nesting inside Yeon So-bong, every scrap of the man's agony had transferred straight through to him.
"Hey, parasite. Long time no see."
"…Baek Do-ha. You interfere with me again."
Furcas's brow knotted. He had been a hair's breadth from seizing the Kunlun Sect and using it as a bridge into Kunlun itself—into Seon-gye. And then, out of nowhere, the Absolute Being had returned.
"Because of you, my plan to cross into Seon-gye has fallen apart."
"A demon with big dreams. Crossing into Seon-gye—really."
Sssssss.
Baek Do-ha began to draw up his power.
"So. Have you thought about the options I gave you?"
"?"
"Option one: tell me everything and die clean, without pain. Option two: endure torture beyond anything you can imagine, confess everything, and then die. Pick one."
"What am I even supposed to tell you? I'm already standing right in front of—"
"Not you. Mammon's location."
"…"
At Baek Do-ha's words, Furcas's expression froze solid.
Every choice offered until now had been for Furcas. And "tell me everything" had meant one thing only: the whereabouts of Mammon.