Chapter 331: Cheon Jumun (3)
In truth, I didn’t know in detail what course of action he had taken in his previous life.
However, there were a few facts I did know.
One of them was that he had harbored immense resentment toward Gu Chil, though at the very least, it hadn’t been of his own will.
Another was that he had genuinely served Cult Leader Cheon Taejong with all his heart.
Together with Left Guardian Mujeong, he had been one of those whose whereabouts had become unknown after the Cult Leader disappeared in his previous life.
“You are….”
Just as I was about to say something.
“You bastard! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Kwaang!
Jin Gun-ak, who had been seated at the upper seat, exploded in a fit of rage and stormed forward like a cannonball, landing between me and Cheon Jumun.
“Demonic Ghost Execution Squad Leader! Are you really trying to break the rules and disrupt the festival?!”
“Rules?”
Tilting his head briefly, Cheon Jumun responded with a question.
“What rules are you talking about?”
“Bastard! Don’t play word games with me!”
Despite Jin Gun-ak’s fury, Cheon Jumun remained calm.
“Whatever rules you’re talking about, there is only one person who can impose rules on me. That is none other than the Cult Leader.”
“W-what?”
With not the slightest change in his expression, the man holding the sword declared,
“If you’re talking about rules set by the Cheon Clan, those mean nothing to me. Like I said just now, the only one who can move me is the Cult Leader.”
“……”
At those words, Jin Gun-ak’s overwhelming presence noticeably shrank.
No, to be precise, it would be more accurate to say he became intimidated.
“Cult Leader…? Are you saying that your appearance at this very moment is truly the Cult Leader’s will?”
“Do I really need to repeat myself? Step aside, King of Asura. I won’t warn you a second time.”
“W-what?!”
In an instant, red qi began to radiate from Jin Gun-ak’s entire body.
If he had stepped aside quietly, he wouldn’t have earned the moniker ‘Asura’ in the first place.
Seeing Jin Gun-ak’s rising aura, Cheon Jumun’s expression subtly changed.
However, it wasn’t an expression of anger.
“You’re forcing unnecessary bloodshed.”
Annoyance.
Even as he faced Jin Gun-ak’s terrifying aura, there wasn’t the slightest hint of tension on his face—only a trace of annoyance.
At that moment, Ilro approached with a strange smile.
“That’s enough, King of Asura. Surely you know there’s nothing to gain by pushing this any further. This matter…”
Before Ilro could finish his sentence—
“Ilro! Are you telling me the leader of the Seven Elders has set such a despicable trap?!”
Jin Gun-ak roared so loudly that everyone around could hear.
“A t-trap?”
“What are you talking about?”
The atmosphere, which had quieted with the appearance of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad, quickly turned chaotic again.
Ilro let out a hollow laugh at the scene.
“Ha! You’re really like a bear disguised as a fox. Even in a situation like this, you’re playing tricks to sway public opinion.”
“Shut up. Compared to the schemes you’ve pulled, this is nothing more than petty trickery.”
Jin Gun-ak raised one hand.
At his signal, warriors of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, who had been waiting outside, began to rush into the venue all at once.
But then—
“No, you can’t.”
“Hohoho, where do you think you’re going, you bunch of muscle-heads?”
As if they had prepared in advance, dozens of elders from the Cheon Clan sprang out to block the path of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan warriors.
Immediately, the atmosphere turned vicious, and murderous intent began to fill the air.
Saber Demon, watching the situation unfold, scratched his head with a sigh.
“Ugh! What the hell is this mess? Don’t tell me they actually plan to start a war here?”
Indeed, Cheon Jumun’s appearance had been an utterly unexpected variable, but Jin Gun-ak’s response to it was nothing short of reckless.
“Even that muscle-bound pig should know that if he fights here, it’ll cost him his life.”
“That would be true… if we weren’t getting involved.”
“Getting involved? With just a few guards, it’s not going to work. Sure, they could run away if that’s all there is to it. Assuming those guys haven’t made any other preparations.”
In response to Saber Demon’s grumbling, Sword Demon answered with a sulky expression.
“Nothing you’re imagining is going to happen.”
When Sword Demon shook his head, Sa Myeongnin tilted her head and asked,
“Why are you so sure?”
“Because none other than Cheon Jumun is here.”
His gaze was already fixed on Cheon Jumun.
“That man is the Cult Leader’s sword. No matter how much Ilro schemes, that man wouldn’t move without the Cult Leader’s permission.”
Saber Demon furrowed his brows.
“Ugh! Don’t tell me… is it really what I’m thinking?”
“Perhaps.”
“This is way too much. Ending the festival with that muscle-bound fool? Is the Cult Leader not even considering the possibility that this could go wrong?”
“Too much?”
Sword Demon let out a snort at Saber Demon’s remark.
“It might actually not be enough.”
“W-what?!”
Saber Demon looked utterly shocked.
Sword Demon wasn’t known for making empty boasts, yet he claimed that even the Number One of the Cheon Clan felt this was insufficient?
“He’s hiding something deeper in his pocket, waiting to be exposed to the very end.”
Sword Demon knew.
That brat from the Jin Clan, who had returned after supposedly disappearing for a short time as if he had traveled through time, had come back as a monster.
He had not gone all out when they had fought.
“Clan Leader. Please stop.”
In the middle of the tense standoff, I stepped forward in front of Jin Gun-ak.
“We must not go against the Cult Leader’s will here.”
Flinch!
“In any case, that man’s target is me. And…”
I smiled confidently and stared straight at Cheon Jumun.
“This time, I can win.”
“…Huh?”
Jin Gun-ak was visibly shocked when he saw the smile on my face.
Seeing him act like that for the first time, I honestly felt a little flustered myself.
After hesitating for a while, Jin Gun-ak spoke.
“That bastard doesn’t know the meaning of holding back. This won’t be like when you fought Sword Demon.”
Of course, Sword Demon also knew no restraint, but compared to Cheon Jumun standing before me, he had actually been rather flexible.
But it didn’t matter.
Sword Demon hadn’t exactly gone easy on me back then, and I hadn’t used my full strength either.
I thumped my chest to reassure Jin Gun-ak.
“Trust me and just watch.”
“……”
Jin Gun-ak stared intently at me for a long moment before frowning and roughly scratching his head.
“Damn it, I can’t tell if I’ve gone mad or if the world has.”
He finally approached and gave me a firm slap on the back.
“Don’t die. I’d hate to have to bring your head to the Cult Leader.”
If any other expert at the Extreme Demon Realm level had said that, I’d have taken it as mere bravado.
But Jin Gun-ak alone had the right to say those words.
And so, Jin Gun-ak and the warriors of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan stepped back.
“…Are they really going to fight?”
“R-really?”
As the crowds, including those from the Cheon Clan and the Six Great Demonic Clans, whispered in shock—
“You have quite the spirit.”
Cheon Jumun praised me.
“I never imagined the Cult Leader would give me such a delightful surprise.”
There was a gleam in his eye.
“You consider this a gift?”
“Yes, at least I think so.”
Although I had plenty of complaints that this was nothing like being spoon-fed like Heavenly Researcher, but rather being forced to crawl through hell.
“May I ask you one thing?”
I threw the question with low expectations, knowing his personality.
Surprisingly, he gave a positive response.
“Very well, just one.”
“……!”
Just the fact that he agreed was a rare thing in itself.
I revealed the doubt I had carried for a long time.
“Why was the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad purged? Why did those who had even been poisoned with Loneliness have to die?”
His answer was simple.
“There was a traitor.”
“……!”
I had considered several possibilities, but as expected, he gave the most likely answer.
“The identity of the traitor wasn’t completely clear, but thanks to Jumyeong’s help, I had enough certainty.”
With a voice full of conviction, Cheon Jumun said,
“The Demonic Ghost Execution Squad exists solely for the Cult Leader. They must be flawless. If even the slightest crack appears, it’s better to destroy them all and rebuild from scratch.”
“Did you catch the traitor?”
“That’s a second question, but I’ll answer it anyway. I don’t know.”
“……”
His shameless response left me momentarily speechless.
Well, if they had burned the whole house down, whether or not they caught the flea wouldn’t have mattered.
“Huu…!”
I let out a deep sigh as I looked up at the sky.
‘From the organization’s perspective, it was certainly a rational choice. A group operating in the shadows would find it nearly impossible to root out a traitor. But because of that, Gu Chil and Myeong-oh’s lives were dragged into hell.’
I made up my mind.
“Looks like…”
I drew the Ten Heavenly Record Immortal Sword and aimed it at him.
“…it’s my duty as their master to land a proper blow on you.”
“Is that so?”
As expected, Cheon Jumun responded calmly.
He spoke to the white-haired man waiting behind him.
“Jeolyeong.”
“Yes, Squad Leader.”
“Expand the sparring stage to a radius of two hundred jang.”
“……!”
The current sparring stage had a radius of fifty jang.
Ordering it to be expanded fourfold basically meant driving out all the spectators packed around.
“Understood.”
It would have been impossible with just the few members of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad, but even so, Jeolyeong nodded.
At that moment, Ilro hurriedly stepped in.
“Ha! If we leave this as is, there’ll be a bloodbath. Let me give you a hand.”
As soon as Ilro raised his hand, the elite warriors of the Cheon Clan who had been on standby moved forward, using qi to push back the spectators on the outskirts.
“Uwaaah!”
“D-don’t push!”
The warriors of the Cheon Clan shouted stern warnings at those being forced back.
“Let this be your warning! We are being as humane as possible, but if anyone dares to resist, they will not leave here alive!”
Fortunately, the seats near the sparring stage had been reserved for important guests, including the leaders of the Six Great Demonic Clans.
Though they grumbled a little, they obediently began moving toward the outer edges.
“……”
“……”
Only after such a massive commotion did the area near the sparring stage finally fall silent.
“Shall we begin, then?”
“Gladly.”
I slowly drew the other sword hanging at my waist.
It was the Ttrue Star Sword, now nothing more than solid scrap metal after losing its function.
“What are you doing?”
I wasn’t taking a dual-sword stance; I was merely spreading my arms wide with the blades pointing left and right.
No wonder Cheon Jumun frowned.
I gave him a sly grin.
“Well, even though it’s useless now, it’s still durable enough that it seemed a waste to throw away.”
“If you’re just going to run your mouth, go first.”
Massive qi began to surge from his entire body.
Clicking my tongue, I fully roused my internal energy and Sword Intent.
“Such impatience.”
I wrapped the energy of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art around the blade of the Ttrue Star Sword in my left hand.
“……!”
He must have recognized it instantly.
As Cheon Jumun’s eyes widened—
‘Too soon to be surprised.’
Pure black qi flowed over the blade of the Ten Heavenly Record Immortal Sword in my right hand as well.
The reason the Cult Leader had sent Cheon Jumun to me.
It was to let me announce my rise as the Demonic Faction Lord through this duel with him.
And to push me to step forward and lead the Cult in earnest.
‘If that’s the expectation, I should finish this with something worthy of it.’
After today—
I would stand by Cheon Yura’s side.
And at the very forefront of the Cult.
Left Sword: Heaven-Slaying Qi
Right Sword: Ten Heavenly Record Qi
“……!!”
“A humble greeting to the famous Death King Enforcer.”
Cheon Jumun tried to make a move, swinging his sword like lightning.
But before anyone could even fully register his action, my Heavenly Demonic Resonance Technique activated, swallowing up the space and cutting off all visibility.
Kwaaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaaang!
The energy of the Resonance Technique expanded like a hemispherical wave, consuming the empty sparring ground.