Chapter 306: Return (2)
His body, now transformed into that of a boy, had become so small that it did not even reach my neck.
However, precisely because of that, the Cult Leader was now even more terrifying.
“‘Father-in-law’, you say.”
Swish!
The Cult Leader slowly stood up from his seat.
“Seems you've gotten quite arrogant since I last saw you.”
…Gulp!
The pressure weighing down on my entire body surged explosively.
I had recklessly spoken without thinking, but as expected, his reputation was well deserved.
‘So this is the true Heavenly Demon…’
I immediately wanted to fall to my knees and shout my apologies.
However, I couldn’t afford to lose in spirit.
This was the moment of reckoning.
I had to confront the worst and most fearsome opponent standing between me and Cheon Yura.
In that moment, the Cult Leader suddenly clicked his tongue as he looked behind me.
“Hmm, so you’ve only just noticed, have you.”
“Indeed.”
Bang!
Just then, the doors of the audience chamber burst open, and a black shadow darted out.
That shadow was none other than the Left Guardian, Mujung.
“Who dares step foot in the Sacred Ground, intruder!”
Perhaps blinded by rage, the Left Guardian unleashed his killing technique without even recognizing me properly.
Dark Mixed Spider Web
Killing Flash
Papapapat!
In an instant, dozens of throwing knives spread out like spiderwebs, drawing white lines as they began to encircle the area.
I let out a small murmur of admiration at their precision and power.
‘It’s no less than the killing techniques of the Killing Demon.’
Indeed, the killing technique unleashed by the Left Guardian now was no lesser than the Illusion Demon Formation of the Killing Demon I had faced before.
However.
No matter how impressive it was, compared to the single strike from Senior Brother So Jeong that I had once experienced, this was nothing more than a child’s play.
Swish swish!
Well, if I stood still like this, I’d soon end up skewered like ‘Jin Yeomyung Kebab’.
‘Let’s see what the Left Guardian is really made of.’
I accelerated my thoughts.
This was one of the abilities gained upon reaching the Transcendent Demon Realm.
The power to artificially control one’s perception of time, partially defying the laws of the world.
Immediately, the daggers of Mujung, which had been like flashes of light, began to noticeably slow down in my perception.
And then…
Thwack!
Boom!
The Left Guardian’s body crashed into the ground, a fist driven into his abdomen.
“Kuh-heok!”
A single blow.
The legendary assassin who was said to have taken a thousand lives in a single day had been neutralized with just one strike.
“Hooh?”
The Cult Leader tilted his head slightly, as if surprised, having observed all of the Left Guardian’s movements up to the moment he was driven into the floor.
“You’re beyond just stepping into the Transcendent Demon Realm. You’ve already grasped some sense of the next stage, haven’t you?”
“…?!”
Mujung, who was coughing up blood, widened his eyes at the Cult Leader’s words.
He still seemed unable to comprehend how he had been subdued.
I nodded bitterly.
“I’ve been through quite a lot in the meantime.”
“Kgh…!”
As the Left Guardian, pinned to the floor, tried to prepare a counterattack—
The Cult Leader intervened to stop him.
“That’s enough, Left Guardian. Even the Sword Demon couldn’t defeat this young man now.”
“…!”
Though I couldn’t see his expression with his face entirely covered except for his eyes, the way his body instantly froze revealed just how shocked he was.
“Hmm…”
The Cult Leader stroked his smooth chin—though it didn’t really suit his youthful appearance—and approached me.
“When we first met, you were a mere fledgling hovering around the level of a First-Rate Martial Artist. You’ve grown impressively.”
“……”
“With your current strength, you could easily overturn the very foundation of our Cult if you so desired.”
I slightly frowned at the Cult Leader’s words.
‘Is he… wary of me?’
I soon dismissed that assumption.
‘No, that’s not it.’
This wasn’t caution. It felt more like a test.
I shrugged my shoulders and replied.
“Whether I overturn it or not doesn’t really matter to me.”
“What?”
“If Yura wishes for it, then I will. If not, then I won’t.”
The corner of the Cult Leader’s mouth curled up faintly.
“So you’re saying that Yura is the scabbard, and you are the sword?”
“There’s a chance it could be the other way around. But at least, as long as Yura sits on the throne, I have no intention of recklessly disrupting the existing order.”
“And if Yura is no longer on the throne?”
“Then that would mean ‘something’ has happened, and I might have to act more selfishly.”
“……”
It was a rather meaningful conversation.
If it was the Cult Leader, he would surely understand what I truly meant.
After a brief silence, he nodded.
“Indeed. As you are now, it’s more beneficial to keep you by Yura’s side than to dispose of you.”
“I never once believed the great Cult Leader would break his promise.”
“Fufufu…”
The Cult Leader turned and sat on the lone Taesaui prepared inside.
Though it wasn’t part of any formal ceremony, and only a single seat had been set up,
The moment he sat down, the atmosphere shifted as if I were standing in the very heart of a labyrinthine imperial palace.
Seated, the Cult Leader made me an unexpected offer.
“Why not participate in the upcoming war?”
“…….”
“If your strength is added, wouldn’t it be possible to unify the Central Plains with even fewer sacrifices?”
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
He knew perfectly well why I had gone to the trouble of sneaking into this place, yet he said such things.
“That’s not the kind of world Yura wants.”
Unifying the Central Plains wasn’t everything.
A demonic domination achieved through force would undoubtedly provoke enormous backlash, and Yura and I would have to spend our entire lives cleaning up that mess.
“But what if everyone else desires such a world?”
Clench!
I raised my fist and let out a crooked grin.
“If they don’t want to die, they’ll have to follow.”
Maybe that wasn’t true in the past, but now… now I had the strength to back it up.
A world stained with blood under the demonic dominion?
If they wanted it, I could dye the Ten Thousand Mountain crimson with their blood.
Of course, if things actually came to that, it would be a catastrophe. I would have to engage in vigorous political maneuvering to prevent it.
Seeing my bold display, the Cult Leader burst into hearty laughter.
“Kuhuhu! Yes, someone like you now has the right to say that.”
He relaxed his posture and continued speaking.
“Did you come here, after all, to request that I order the retreat?”
“Please don’t feign ignorance when you already know.”
At my indifferent response, the Left Guardian once again radiated killing intent.
“You insolent…!”
As he prepared to strike again, the Cult Leader stopped him.
“That’s enough. Even if the future son-in-law acts a little rudely, a generous father-in-law should overlook it.”
“……!!”
Both the Left Guardian and I opened our eyes wide.
‘……Father-in-law!’
I had thought I would have to suffer much longer before being acknowledged, but the Cult Leader had accepted my relationship with Yura much more easily than expected!
‘Wait, does that mean… the Cult Leader doesn’t have much time left…?’
That thought halted my mind for a moment.
“Ordering the retreat isn’t difficult. But the aftermath will be quite intense.”
“I’m prepared for that.”
Regaining my composure, I nodded in response.
“Preparation alone won’t be enough. The demonic clans and Pa Clan you’ve turned to your side will also protest, and the Cheon Clan might even try to kill you.”
It was practically certain that the entire Heavenly Demon Cult might turn against me.
The Cult had already consumed a massive amount of resources in preparation for this war.
Many followers, including the Six Great Demonic Clans, had marched to the battlefield with great anticipation.
If I were to turn the army back now…
The material and immaterial damages the Cult would suffer would be incalculable.
It would be thrown into uncontrollable chaos for a while.
Still, my resolve remained firm.
“Please bear some of the followers’ resentment, Cult Leader. In the meantime, I will do everything I can to stabilize the Cult.”
“Hoohoo, resentment…”
The Cult Leader let out a bitter smile, seeming to understand my words.
“Very well. I don’t have much time left, but if it’s for the Cult’s restoration, I’ll gladly let you use what remains of me.”
“C-Cult Leader! What do you mean by that?!”
The Left Guardian shouted in shock, but there was no reversing the Cult Leader’s decision.
“As soon as Yura returns, I’ll begin preparing the transfer of authority. And…”
A faint emotion shimmered in the Cult Leader’s eyes.
“When Yura succeeds me as Cult Leader, you two must come here together.”
For some reason…
The voice of the always-confident Cult Leader felt… somewhat weakened.
“There’s one last thing I have to give you.”
I respectfully bowed my head.
“…I understand.”
Right there, the Cult Leader drafted the order to retreat and pressed the Heavenly Demon Seal upon it, handing it to me.
“Go on.”
The Cult Leader issued the order to leave, looking strangely tired.
Having achieved my goal, I gave a slight bow and turned to leave.
At that moment.
“Ah, wait.”
The Cult Leader stopped me.
“…….”
I understood why he stopped me.
When I turned slightly, the Cult Leader’s figure had already receded into the shadows.
Perhaps he didn’t want me to see his expression.
Then, the Cult Leader asked me,
“How… did Yujeong go?”
His tone carried no emotional highs or lows.
And yet, the turmoil hidden within it felt so obvious.
Coming from that towering figure whose inner thoughts had always been unreadable until now.
“In the end… she went without regret, as a human.”
I answered with nothing but the plain, unembellished truth.
“……I see.”
“Yes.”
“…….”
After a brief silence, the Cult Leader waved his hand.
“Alright. Go on now.”
Once again, I gave a respectful bow and stepped outside the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.
And then.
“Thank you.”
A whisper so faint it felt like a breeze brushing my ear reached me.
I deliberately ignored that voice.
I received the written order for retreat from the Cult Leader.
Twenty Guardian Lions of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, including the Left Guardian, followed me under the pretense of guarding me.
‘I wanted to stop by my family’s house for a moment, but it seems there’s no time.’
I had to quickly gather those who were still waiting outside the Ten Thousand Mountain and lead them to the battlefield.
“You bastard, what the hell happened to you all this time?”
At that moment, the Left Guardian, who had followed me out, interrogated me with a sharp voice.
“A lot has happened.”
“Do you think you can brush it off with just ‘a lot has happened’?”
The Left Guardian showed no doubt about the Cult Leader’s claim that I had reached the Transcendent Demon Realm.
It seemed he couldn’t understand how such a thing was possible.
“Well, I suppose that’s fair. But that doesn’t mean I have the time to explain it all.”
“What?”
“Because right now, I have to stop the war.”
If I ran at full speed from here to Xi’an, I figured I could make it in about three days.
By now, the battlefield must have already reached the boiling point, right on the verge of collision.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but I can’t answer them right now. However, there is one thing I hope you understand—everything I do, I do for Yura. Just that one thing.”
The Left Guardian immediately grasped the deeper meaning behind my words.
“Not for the will of the Heavenly Demon Cult… but for the Young Cult Leader?”
“If Yura ascends to the position of Heavenly Demon, then her will would naturally become the Cult’s will.”
I was certain this would strike a chord with him.
He was the kind of man who pledged loyalty not to the Cult as an organization, but to Cheon Taejong as an individual.
Sure enough—
“Hmph! I do like that, at least.”
The Left Guardian showed faint signs of satisfaction.
I turned to face him directly.
“As you already know, the Cult Leader doesn’t have many days left on this earth.”
“…….”
The Left Guardian’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Have you ever thought about what comes next, Left Guardian?”
“I have not.”
He answered without hesitation.
“However, that doesn’t mean I plan to follow him into death. That man is shedding his mortal shell and ascending, not simply dying of old age.”
His face hardened slightly.
“…What are you trying to say?”
“Lend me your strength.”
I threw out a tempting bait.
“We need someone trustworthy to fill the vacant position of Great Guardian.”
“……!”