Chapter 11: I Quit Being the Young Cult Leader
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. A colossal force in the martial world, led by the Yong Demon Clan—the foremost demonic household—alongside the Eight Subordinate Clans, Four Palaces, Seven Demon Squads, and Nine Killer Valleys. The Heavenly Demon rules over all these demons as the proxy of the Heavenly God and the absolute sovereign of the mortal realm. Generations of Heavenly Demons have transcended human limits, and the Crimson Heavenly Demon, Yong Mugeuk, was no exception.
The old man's lips issued a command.
"Silence, all of you."
The air trembled with a sharp buzz. Merely perceiving the human voice left their eardrums numb and their breaths stifled. Silence fell as naturally as breathing.
"……."
"……."
The old man strode forward from amid the hush, and the grains of soil on the ground vibrated like dancers in his wake. It wasn't even midsummer, yet heat haze shimmered fiercely behind him.
[The leaking demonic energy is seizing and boiling the wind. Yong Mugeuk has reached the ripe stage of the Heavenly Demon Realm. Heh heh heh heh!]
Bongmareung burst into delighted laughter at the sight of Yong Mugeuk, but I couldn't utter a word. I was genuinely curious.
In the world... is that even human?
When I came to my senses, everyone was prostrated flat on the ground. I hastily dropped to my knees as well.
A woman emerged behind Yong Mugeuk and spoke.
"Your Excellency, why not grant the cultists a chance to show their respects?"
It was the Blood Flame Witch, one of the Three Great Protectors alongside Blade King Cheoksan.
Yong Mugeuk slowly nodded, and belated cries erupted.
"Heavenly Demon, eternal reign! Myriad Demons, boundless fortune!"
"Demonic path conquers all! Heavenly Demon, invincible!"
Among them, Yong Jinseok, standing closest, bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"We behold the great proxy of the Heavenly God! Endless glory to the Sovereign of the World!"
"Endless glory to the Sovereign of the World!"
"……."
Even amid the praises for himself, Yong Mugeuk remained silent, his lips sealed as he methodically scanned the demons. His gaze pierced all things like a transcendent force; I swallowed dryly under its weight.
Then Yong Mugeuk spoke.
"Vice Cult Leader and Young Cult Leader, stay. The rest of you, leave. From now on, I shall rule directly."
He never repeated himself. The elders rose at once, departing without a single word of protest. Yong Changheon followed suit.
Well, even the real Yong Baekheon was a meek lamb before Yong Mugeuk.
In this situation, if Yong Changheon so much as opened his mouth, he'd be throwing his life away.
Now only four remained: me, Yong Jinseok, Yong Mugeuk, and the Blood Flame Witch.
"Shall I withdraw as well?"
"No. Stay and tear apart anyone who dares peek without mercy."
"Understood!"
I had to stay sharp. One slip here, and I'd become a star in the clear sky or a heap of fertilizer in some underground tomb before I could blink.
But after staring at me for a long while, Yong Mugeuk's unexpected words tumbled out.
"How are your injuries?"
"……Pardon?"
"I asked if your body has recovered."
I hadn't expected such gentle words. Tension nearly melted away, but I masked my surprise by bowing deeply.
"Thanks to your concern, I have fully recovered. I'm sorry for worrying you, Grandfather."
I answered with utmost sincerity. Unexpectedly, Yong Mugeuk let out a smirk.
"Grandfather, eh? You haven't called me that lately. Hm, it's been so long it sounds endearing."
"……!"
Recently, Yong Baekheon had used utmost honorifics with Yong Mugeuk, it seemed. I quickly added,
"After surviving a brush with death, I see the world anew."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. To behold your countenance once more feels like the mercy of the Heavenly God."
I repurposed the line I'd fed the Blue Eagle Unit Leader earlier. Fortunately, Yong Mugeuk nodded approvingly.
"Indeed. It must be the Heavenly God's mercy. After all, human life hangs by heaven's thread."
I'm safe.
The old man's gaze shifted elsewhere—to Yong Jinseok, standing like a stone statue beside me, fists clenched tight.
"Vice Cult Leader."
"……Yes, Grand Cult Leader."
He drew the line from the start. To me, he'd spoken as grandfather and asked after my health, but to Yong Jinseok, as Vice Cult Leader, with a ruthless glare. His voice dripped menace.
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
"Th-that is……!"
"Confess it all here. Or I'll execute you on the spot."
A direct threat: confess or die. The Yong Mugeuk I knew was more than capable of it. Yong Jinseok knew it too.
The middle-aged man's cheeks trembled pitifully.
"I schemed to strip Baekheon of his Young Cult Leader position and give it to Changheon. I recruited Great Elder Gu Manbong the Jade-Faced Lech to incite the elders. When that failed, I forced the hierarchy battle."
He confessed his crimes plainly. I secretly hoped,
Is Yong Jinseok finally getting his punishment?
But my expectations shattered completely. The Crimson Heavenly Demon shook his head impassively.
"If I meant to punish you for that, I wouldn't have entrusted you with the Law Enforcement Hall. Vice Cult Leader Yong Jinseok, you tried to cross the final 'line' at the end. Confess that part yourself!"
What? Yong Jinseok tried to cross some final line?
What line? It spilled from Yong Jinseok's own mouth.
"I intended to expose before the elders that Baekheon used the forbidden spell, the Age-Suppression Art. It was the Yong Demon Clan's shame and the cult's weakness, something that absolutely had to be buried……."
Ah, so that's what he was planning to use.
I sighed inwardly. The Age-Suppression Art prevented aging, developed to prolong the rapid martial learning of children—but its side effects were so severe it was banned by the Heavenly Demon's decree. Yet Yong Baekheon had used it without hesitation.
Mad bastard.
A martial arts fanatic through and through. He'd broken the taboo, endured the backlash, and handed his vice leader a lethal weakness in the process.
Bongmareung clicked his tongue.
[Tsk tsk tsk. Using such a spell hampers external martial training. That's why the vice leader suspected you and raised such a fuss. No wonder he was so confident…….]
The situation twisted strangely. Yong Mugeuk stared at me with the wrinkled face of an ordinary village farmer, but his eyes blazed like torches with terrifying intensity.
"Young Cult Leader."
"Yes, Grand Cult Leader."
Now the barrage turned to me. One misstep, and my head would roll.
"Answer my questions truthfully. Otherwise, execution."
"Yes."
"Are you still using the Age-Suppression Art?"
A loaded question. I spun my brain into overdrive. Earlier, the Crimson Heavenly Demon had swiftly intervened to silence the vice leader—as if he already knew his grandson used it.
[Tch! As if the Grand Cult Leader wouldn't know what the vice leader does?]
Bongmareung was right. I had to tread carefully. Fortunately—or unfortunately—I wasn't Yong Baekheon, so I could say this:
"I used it briefly for martial research, but not anymore. That's how I broke Changheon's sword. The shattered Azure Pine over there is proof."
Yong Mugeuk clamped his mouth shut. The absolute ruler of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult eyed me strangely for a long moment. Finally, the verdict fell.
"Young Cult Leader, you wielded great treason selfishly, duped many, lost a vital cult treasure, and caused needless deaths. But I won't punish you for it. The vice leader already disciplined you and paid the price."
[Hmm, the explosion incident passed smoothly, at least.]
Yeah, seems so.
The real problem came next. Yong Mugeuk's eyes flashed menacingly.
"However, your use of a forbidden spell—banned by my decree through the cult laws—was nearly exposed to the elders. Even briefly, it's a clear crime. Defying my command and nearly damaging the body you dedicated to the cult as Young Cult Leader—a grave sin!"
I strained to meet the Heavenly Demon's gaze. His endless eyes seemed to bore through me.
"As your grandfather, I've endured long enough. I can no longer overlook your conduct. Isn't it time you set an example for the cultists as Young Cult Leader?"
"……."
"Enter the Punishment Cave. I command you to secluded training there for seven years. Then you'll clearly understand how a Young Cult Leader must conduct himself."
This was insane. I nearly laughed in disbelief. Having subbed for Yong Baekheon a few times, I knew the Punishment Cave well: a pitch-black cavern without a sliver of sunlight.
And spend seven years there? Eating nothing but dried rations? What did I do wrong? Yong Baekheon shat the bed—why am I the one falling in?
No way. Do or die. I gritted my teeth and spat out what I'd been mulling over.
"I quit being the Young Cult Leader."
A frigid silence descended like ice water.
* * *
Has this punk finally lost his mind?
Yong Jinseok glanced sideways in shock. But his nephew's face remained calmly composed. Instead, the Heavenly Demon's expression twisted.
"What? Quit? You think the Young Cult Leader position is some tavern errand boy's shift? How dare you say such a thing before me!"
Kwaaaaa!
Yong Mugeuk's eyes bulged, unleashing a storm. Blackened embers swirled anew in the dark woods, turning the arena hellish.
Yet Yong Baekheon didn't flinch.
"I don't take the position lightly. Quite the opposite."
"Then you're quitting because you value it so highly? Spare me your absurd sophistry!"
"With respect, it's no sophistry."
Incredibly, Jang Hosam withstood the Heavenly Demon's pressure. He laid out what he'd prepared in his mind.
"Grandfather, I wish to reclaim the Young Cult Leader's throne with true qualifications. I want to repent my failings and earn the cultists' recognition. Stepping down is only temporary."
"To earn recognition from the cultists?"
Yong Mugeuk's momentum eased slightly. Yong Jinseok seized the opening.
"Father, it's nonsense! Baekheon's words are just a ploy to shirk responsibility and flee!"
But Yong Jinseok was struck dumb. A command had fallen.
"Vice Cult Leader, relinquish your position and return as a lay disciple."
"Pardon? What do you—"
"At the hierarchy battle's end, Changheon used internal energy. Think I didn't see?"
"……!"
Yong Mugeuk spoke truth. In the hierarchy battle, it was Yong Changheon who'd used internal energy first. Unaware himself, it had briefly endangered Jang Hosam. Yong Jinseok bore responsibility.
"I won't say it twice. Jinseok, step down entirely and reflect."
The old man's impassive face signaled no reversal. Yong Jinseok finally squeezed his eyes shut.
Yong Mugeuk's gaze returned to Jang Hosam.
"Answer carefully from now on, Baekheon."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"You mean to temporarily yield the seat and reclaim it later?"
"Yes. I have committed many errors. Now, I seek to gain the qualifications befitting a Young Cult Leader."
"Good. I commend your intent to atone by yielding the seat you hold dear and challenge for it again."
"Thank you for understanding."
"However!"
A new emotion flickered on the old man's face for the first time: doubt and worry toward his cherished grandson.
"To return, you must amass achievements even elders and cultists can't deny. An unparalleled feat, beyond question."
"……."
"How do you plan to achieve that? Have you something in mind?"
At Yong Mugeuk's question, Jang Hosam nodded slowly. He'd had this answer ready from the start. Now it was time to voice it.
"Grandfather, do you know of the Great Tournament?"
"The Great Tournament? That Central Plains martial event?"
"Yes, that's it."
The Great Tournament. An unprecedented contest every seven years where black and white martial world's young prodigies mingled. It was Jang Hosam's sole path to safely escape the Hundred Thousand Mountains with the demons' blessing.