An Unheeded Warning
Creeeak.
Clunk.
Footsteps echoed across the floor.
"…You're early."
As the massive doors swung open and someone stepped inside, Gulak — Pope of the Demon God Cult on the Belhart side — furrowed his brow and sneered at the newcomer.
This was a scheduled meeting with Asmoden, the Pope on Earth's side.
And the man was already an hour late.
"Oh. You were already here."
Bang!
"You show up an hour late, and the first thing out of your mouth is, 'You were already here'?!"
At Asmoden's words, Gulak finally slammed his fist down on the chair, seething.
He was a Pope too.
Different world or not — he was the Pope of Belhart, a realm far vaster than Earth.
Didn't that warrant a little courtesy?
If you were late, the first thing you did was apologize. What was this?
You were already here?
"I see the Earth-side Pope has no manners to speak of."
"I show courtesy to the Demon God alone. Everyone else is simply another child of the Demon God — equal. That includes you, does it not?"
Grit.
Asmoden delivered the line with a blank face, and Gulak ground his teeth.
Once the Demon God was invoked like that, he had nothing left to say.
Damn it… that absolute bastard.
Staring at Asmoden's utterly serene expression, Gulak cursed Do-ha under his breath.
Not long ago, he had leaked information about the Earth-side cult's movements into the path of that man's activities.
I wanted to see that damn face crumple…
Instead, the Absolute One had abruptly stopped searching and started moving in the exact opposite direction of everything Gulak had predicted.
He had even completely overturned the Blood Cult — the very faction Gulak had gone to such lengths to ally with.
Haa… Baek Do-ha, Asmoden… both of them have a real talent for pissing people off.
Gulak unclenched his trembling fist and drew a long, steadying breath.
"I hear… the Absolute One has caused you considerable damage."
"You talk about it like it's someone else's problem."
"Hardly."
Asmoden let out a short, dry laugh, and a vein bulged on Gulak's forehead.
He could say whatever he wanted — he was clearly mocking him.
"Are you laughing at me?"
"No. I'm just a little incredulous, that's all."
"Incredulous?"
"Wouldn't you be? Taking this much damage over a single human."
What kind of place was the Blood Cult?
A force of tremendous martial power.
When Gulak had crossed into Belhart and met the Blood Demon, he had been genuinely shaken.
He had wondered whether the being standing before him could even be called human.
The Blood Cult itself had been an overwhelming military asset.
And yet that same Blood Cult had been toyed with by a single man.
The Blood Demon was dead. The Blood Cult had moved its entire force over nothing more than a single sword.
"Keh-heh-heh-heh."
"?"
Gulak suddenly burst out laughing, and Asmoden tilted his head.
Had the man finally lost his mind?
"Listen, Asmoden. Do you… have any idea what kind of person Baek Do-ha is?"
"I know well enough. The Demon God's nemesis, the Absolute One of Belhart — and a Cheon-oe-cheon operating on Earth."
"That's it?"
"I don't need to know anything beyond that."
"Ah. I see."
"…"
Gulak nodded with a smile still on his lips, and this time it was Asmoden who frowned.
What was with that grating tone and that smile from the start?
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I'll be honest — I don't like you. But since we serve the same god, I'll offer you one piece of advice."
"?"
"If your assessment of Baek Do-ha is only that much… you will lose. You won't escape death."
Gulak was from Belhart. He knew exactly what kind of existence Baek Do-ha was.
The Demon God's nemesis?
Belhart's Absolute One?
A Cheon-oe-cheon?
He was not a being that could be summed up in such meager terms.
Gulak himself hated Baek Do-ha and wanted him dead.
And he feared him.
But separate from all of that, he acknowledged the sheer fact of Baek Do-ha's existence.
One look at how Heaven, the Demon Realm, the Seon-gye — beings who transcended humanity — all remained so keenly aware of him made it obvious enough.
"You would do well to revise your evaluation of Baek Do-ha."
"Anyone listening would think you were one of his fans."
"I simply recognize him as a rival."
"A rival, is it… For all that, he doesn't seem to have accomplished much of note on Earth."
True, he had interfered any number of times on Earth and ruined several of the cult's planned operations.
But that alone was hardly grounds for praise.
No — if you measured pure damage done, New Age, the syndicate fighting the cult, was a far more serious threat to watch.
New Age had gone quiet of late, but purely in terms of the harm inflicted, that organization was far more dangerous and far more irritating than Baek Do-ha.
"Well… do as you like. I've said my piece."
Gulak shrugged.
No matter what more he said here, the man wouldn't listen.
Keep talking and he'd only start accusing him of taking Baek Do-ha's side.
If he dies, all the better for me anyway.
So go on — keep dismissing Baek Do-ha. Keep underestimating him.
That day would surely come when it cost him his life.
"So… did you call me here just to sing Baek Do-ha's praises?"
"Hardly."
Snap.
Gulak flicked his fingers, and someone stepped out of the darkness.
"A Cardinal who crossed into the Demon Realm, gained power, and returned. In your Earth terms, think of it as studying abroad."
"A pleasure to meet you, Lord Asmoden. My name is Germa."
Only his mouth was visible beneath the hood. Germa smiled, bare white teeth showing.
"I heard you were the one who requested him from the Demon Realm."
Because Belhart was the world one could cross into directly from the Demon Realm, he had been staying with this side's cult for a time.
"Welcome."
Seeing Germa, Asmoden smiled.
Germa possessed exactly the abilities he wanted.
"I have high expectations of you."
"I will not disappoint you."
"Though… what power does he actually hold?"
Whether he had always been one of Asmoden's confidants, or whether the Demon Realm had instructed him to stay silent — the Cardinal had never spoken of his own power to Gulak.
"Do I really need to tell you even that?"
"…"
At Asmoden's words, a vein stood out on Gulak's forehead.
It wasn't a particularly clever provocation, but it struck Gulak's nerves dead-on.
And no wonder — Germa's behavior had been grating on him for some time.
Different world or not, Gulak was still a Pope, and Germa had been consistently uncooperative.
Asked what his ability was, he wouldn't say. Asked why he had gone to the Demon Realm, he wouldn't say.
Gulak had already felt he was being slighted — and now Asmoden was acting like this, and the anger finally boiled over.
"…"
Scrape.
In the end, Gulak let out a long sigh and rose sharply from his seat.
If he stayed here even a moment longer, he was going to attack Asmoden.
"We're leaving."
Creeeak.
Boom.
The massive doors opened and Gulak strode out, the cult members around him falling in behind.
Watching them go, Asmoden let out a short, scornful laugh.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. For a Pope to be such a petty man."
Having already read Gulak's mind, Asmoden clicked his tongue.
Was Germa's silence about his ability really that galling?
To lose control of his expression over a single remark.
Narrow-minded didn't begin to cover it.
"That one is clearly not cut out to be a Pope."
Asmoden rose from his seat and looked at Germa, who was still smiling quietly.
He held the exact same smile he had worn from the first moment — like a doll.
"We should be going as well. You have a great deal of work ahead of you."
"I look forward to it."
As Asmoden walked toward the entrance, Germa followed, still smiling.
Whooosh!
Thud.
"Hoo… let's call it here for today."
Sweating, breathing hard, Baek Chul rested a hand on Do-ha's shoulder and shook his head.
He sparred with him like this for hours every day. His stamina had improved, and still it left him exhausted.
"You worked hard again today, Grandfather."
"Do-ha."
"?"
"Tell me honestly. How strong am I right now, and how is my training progressing? Selenia always just says it's good… that child only ever has positive things to say, so I can't get an objective judgment."
"Your training is going well, and you're strong."
"…"
The answer came so simply that Baek Chul scratched his forehead.
It was almost exactly what Selenia always said.
"I mean it. That's the plain truth."
Seeing his grandfather's reaction, Do-ha laughed.
It wasn't that Selenia was being overly positive.
His training results really were good, and the depth of his power had changed.
In raw strength alone, he could probably take down a baron-class demon without much trouble.
"But there is something you're lacking."
"Speak freely."
"Real combat experience."
As he'd said — pure power was enough to beat a baron-class demon.
But real combat experience was far too thin.
If Do-ha held back and sparred him casually in his current state, his grandfather would lose a hundred times out of a hundred.
"Real combat… I go into Gates fairly often. Is that still not enough?"
"Your experience fighting monsters has grown a lot, I'm sure. But you lack experience in human combat. Especially enduring an opponent's killing-intent-laced attacks — that will be hard for you."
"Killing intent…"
Baek Chul nodded at Do-ha's words.
Do-ha, Canteas, Selenia — all of them held back when they sparred with him.
"Then can you show me?"
"Nngh…"
At his grandfather's request, Do-ha scratched his head.
Other people — or even non-people — showing killing intent to them was no difficulty at all.
But his grandfather was the one exception.
Releasing killing intent wasn't the same as simply radiating aura.
You had to genuinely intend to kill before it could take form — and how was he supposed to hold that kind of intent toward his own grandfather?
"This might actually be harder for me than for you."
"Will it be difficult?"
"I'll try."
For his grandfather's sake, Do-ha nodded.
No choice. For a little while, I'll have to think of Grandfather as an enemy.
Shiiing.
Do-ha drew Un-jeop-bi-jang and closed his eyes.
In that instant—
A cold, killing chill began to pour outward in every direction, sharp as frost.
"Ugh…!"
Baek Chul shifted into a stance and stepped back.
Even this was Do-ha holding back. The killing intent he unleashed against actual enemies was dozens of times more vicious than what filled the air now.
"Here I come. I won't point out your openings the way I do in sparring. You'll have to feel them yourself."
Crack.
Do-ha gripped his sword, unfolded Noeryeongsinbo, and shot forward.
Whoosh!
"?!!"
Clang!
In the blink of an eye the distance closed. Baek Chul compressed the wind in a desperate rush and knocked Do-ha's blade upward.
Whirl.
Thok.
As Baek Chul's arm lifted, Do-ha spun and tapped the pommel of his sword lightly against his grandfather's solar plexus.
In a real fight, that single strike would have ruptured his internal organs.
Whoooosh!
Rustle.
Baek Chul fired a massive gale straight ahead — and Do-ha used the wind itself, turning it against him to move.
Then—
Tap-tap-tap.
He reset his grip and drove in fast from a blind angle.
"Not a chance!"
Baek Chul spun hard and thrust a hand toward Do-ha.
But the moment their eyes met, his hand faltered.
A cold wave washed over him.
I'm going to die…
Whoooosh—!
Thud.
Do-ha thrust Un-jeop-bi-jang and stopped the blade just short of Baek Chul's throat.
"Hah… hah…"
Thud.
"I'm sorry."
"No… thank you, my boy."
Baek Chul sank where he stood and wiped the cold sweat from his face.
The instant their eyes had met at the end, the killing intent had flooded through his entire body.
"Combat that uses killing intent like that is very different from sparring. Even though the exchange we just had was the same kind of back-and-forth we've always done."
"It is."
"In a real fight, you have to fight while enduring that vicious killing intent."
On a battlefield, that killing intent hung over the entire field of war.
People called it the madness of war, didn't they?
That was exactly it — the killing intent pouring off every soldier, saturating the battlefield.
"Let's head inside."
Do-ha took his grandfather's hand.
"This… thanks to my grandson, this old man is learning a great deal."
Baek Chul rose with Do-ha's help, laughed heartily, and clapped him on the shoulder.