Chapter 343: A New Era (4)
After Jin Yeomyung and Cheon Yura entered the residence.
Murder Demon and Mujeong, who had been guarding the entrance, both loosened their stances without hesitation.
Then, they both slowly slumped down against the wall.
If the assassins of the House of Slaughter or the Guardian Lions, who held deep respect for them, had witnessed the two letting their guards down so easily, they would have doubted their own eyes.
But in a way, it was only natural.
After all, the two of them had not gathered here today to act as bodyguards.
Mujeong spoke to the Crimson-Faced Demon Fighter, who still stood blocking the entrance like an immovable mountain.
“Grand Protector, why don’t you sit down as well?”
“I’ll pass. I intend to remain here until the Cult Leader comes back out.”
At that stubborn reply, Mujeong clicked his tongue.
“Click, click! You really are hopelessly rigid. Well, shall we continue our conversation like this then?”
And so, their odd conversation resumed with Right Guardian seated between them.
“Why did you stir up trouble earlier, acting so unlike yourself?”
“……”
“The man I know knows how to strike deals, but he’s not the kind to show mercy. No matter how bad things are, surely the great House of Slaughter isn’t lacking in talent. Wouldn’t it have been enough to quietly nurture someone for a decade or so?”
Even if it wasn’t the fifty-year seclusion that Murder Demon had mentioned to Jin Yeomyung, it was still possible to produce a worthy successor with steady effort over the next ten years.
Despite the House of Slaughter’s spirit being damaged by the schemes of the former Sal Lord, Jeok Rua, their overall power remained intact.
Given enough time, they could certainly rise again.
However.
“…The problem is time.”
“What?”
“There was one last piece of advice from my lord.”
Murder Demon began recounting an incident that had happened not long ago.
“He said the time would come when the strength of the House of Slaughter would be needed. That I must choose a successor before then and reopen the gates of the House of Slaughter.”
“……”
“And you, Senior. Weren’t you planning to retire after our lord ascended?”
Murder Demon knew Mujeong’s motivations all too well.
However, lately, Murder Demon had noticed a change in Mujeong’s mindset.
Mujeong let out a faint chuckle.
“That damned brat offered me the position of Great Guardian.”
“Great Guardian, huh…”
It was indeed an enticing position.
The seat of Great Guardian had remained vacant throughout the reign of the previous Cult Leader.
But as far as Murder Demon knew, Mujeong was not someone who could be tempted by mere power.
“You haven’t suddenly grown greedy for power, have you?”
“What do you take me for? I have ambitions too.”
“Click, click! Enough with the nonsense.”
Murder Demon let out a rare laugh.
“So, what’s the real reason?”
He pulled out a bottle of liquor from his robe and tossed it to Mujeong.
Receiving the bottle, Mujeong popped the cork and let out a soft breath through his nose.
“Hmph… Honestly, the position of Great Guardian doesn’t really appeal to me.”
“Of course not. If you had truly wanted it, our lord would have handed it over to you long ago.”
Cheon Taejong was not one to be stingy with his subordinates.
It was just that, from his perspective, it was better to leave the position vacant, and Mujeong had respected that judgment.
“But then, that brat said something in the end that really struck me.”
“What did he say?”
“He asked if I didn’t want to serve two Heavenly Demons in my lifetime.”
“……!”
Murder Demon’s eyebrows twitched slightly at those words.
Mujeong clicked his tongue softly.
“Not much of a reaction… Did you already know?”
“……”
Murder Demon’s face twisted slightly.
“I had a match with them a few years ago. When the Young Cult Leader and that brat from the Jin Clan unleashed their combined qi against me, my Phantom Illusion Demonic Formation was shattered.”
“Oh, really?”
“At that time, the Young Cult Leader had clearly reached the Extreme Demon Realm. It was only the beginning, but even that was quite surprising.”
Murder Demon pulled out another bottle, opened it, and continued.
“I figured they’d reach their peak eventually, but they’re moving far faster than I expected.”
“Isn’t that what it means to possess the Divine Demonic Physique?”
Mujeong quietly muttered as he gazed at the starry sky.
“I do want to see it. No matter how inhuman their origins may be, to serve two Heavenly Demons in one era… For someone like me, a martial artist who lives in the shadows, there could be no greater honor.”
“You’re being unusually sentimental, Senior.”
Mujeong shook his head with a faint smile.
“Just for today, I feel like being that way.”
At those words, Murder Demon let out a laugh and extended the arm holding his bottle.
Mujeong likewise stretched out his arm.
The two bottles clinked softly together.
“To our lord, who ascends to the heavens.”
“Cheers.”
Clink!
The two drank deeply, reminiscing about the lord they would never meet again.
Or at least, they tried to drink.
That was until Wang Cheongeol suddenly squatted down between them, his eyes half-open.
“What the hell, big guy.”
Despite the incredulous looks from the two, Wang Cheongeol shamelessly extended his hand toward Murder Demon.
“If it’s alcohol, that’s another story. Give me a bottle too.”
“Well, it would’ve been stranger if the Booze Demon sat quietly in front of liquor.”
Grumbling, Murder Demon pulled out his last bottle and tossed it over.
The Crimson-Faced Demon Fighter, Wang Cheongeol.
Not many remembered it now, but the “Crimson-Faced” in his title had once been known as “Booze-Faced.”
Though he never showed it outwardly while serving the Young Cult Leader, those who knew him were aware that he was one of the heaviest drinkers in the Heavenly Demon Cult.
“Alright, then once more.”
“Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
The three clinked their bottles once again and drank deeply.
In truth, none of them had come here as bodyguards.
They had gathered on their own, simply to witness the final moments of the lord they had served.
And there was something Mujeong hadn’t told the other two.
His lord had told him that the Heavenly Demon he served might not be just two in this era—
—but three.
That alone was enough to completely hold Mujeong back from leaving.
Rumble…!
Soon, tremors began shaking the entire residence.
It must have been one of the succession rites Cheon Taejong had mentioned in advance.
“How noisy.”
“Click, click! I wonder if our new lord will be able to escape the shadow of the previous one?”
“The Cult Leader possesses more than enough qualities to make that possible.”
At first, the three of us thought little of it.
But as the vibrations grew so intense they seemed to shake the entirety of Mysterious Elegance Peak, our expressions began to change.
“…He really never lets things end quietly.”
“Looks like we better move out of the way.”
No sooner had those words left his mouth—
Boom!
A massive surge of golden energy exploded from the residence, utterly destroying it.
Rumble…!
That golden light brightly illuminated the area surrounding Ten Thousand Mountain for nearly ten seconds.
The brilliance made Mujeong and Murder Demon squint slightly.
And not long after that—
Right in the center of the wrecked residence, Jin Yeomyung and Cheon Yura sat back-to-back, completely battered and gasping for breath.
Mujeong muttered quietly.
“…What a fierce first night.”
It hadn’t even been that long since they had entered, yet the two of them looked like they had survived a life-or-death battle.
But those of us who had reached the Extreme Demon Realm could faintly sense it.
Both the Cult Leader and the Demonic Faction Lord had a faint spiritual energy swirling over their entire bodies.
The three of us silently bowed our heads toward the two who were now opening the era anew.
***
I had nearly died.
No, if it weren’t for the experience I had gained while refining the Resonance Qi with Eldest Senior Brother and Senior Sister Ma, Yura and I would have died together here today.
We hadn’t even managed to leave a single scratch on the Cult Leader.
In the end, the only thing that barely managed to counter the Cult Leader’s final strike was the Bright Night Sword that Yura and I had unleashed together.
However, the Cult Leader seemed to consider that alone sufficient and ended the trial without pressing us any further.
And just before fully ascending, he had left us each something different.
Even after receiving it, I couldn’t quite grasp its true nature.
But the Cult Leader had left us with the words that what he gave would surely be of help to each other.
“May you go in peace, Father….”
At Cheon Yura’s words, I closed my eyes.
Cheon Yura, the 29th Cult Leader of the Great Heavenly Demon Cult, had officially ascended to the throne.
She publicly announced the previous Cult Leader’s ascension and declared three days of mourning.
Afterward, the very first thing she did as Cult Leader was personally lead a massive organizational reshuffle within the Cult.
It was customary for those holding key positions to retire whenever a new Cult Leader took the throne, and naturally, many eager candidates would appear to fill those vacancies.
If undeserving people were granted important positions, there was no telling when the organization might collapse.
‘In that sense, Yura could be considered fortunate.’
I reviewed the personnel reports with my ego fully inflated.
“This one’s no good… Ah, Jeon Roeguisu… This guy, I can entrust him with it.”
Although some had already been nominated by the previous leaders, the scale of change was so extensive that detailed coordination within the Heavenly Demon Pavilion was unavoidable.
This was especially true for the Heavenly Thunder Corps, whose structure was undergoing a complete overhaul.
The elder retainers of the Cheon Clan who had been enjoying their idle days within the Heavenly Thunder Corps had suddenly announced their retirement now that Cheon Yura had become the Cult Leader.
They would either transfer to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion or disappear into the annals of history entirely.
And in their absence…
‘Cheon Jumyeong, I won’t let you turn the Heavenly Thunder Corps into your personal force.’
The Heavenly Thunder Corps was already filling itself with pre-selected personnel along with the leadership change.
If I left them unchecked, the Corps would soon become an independent force beyond the Pavilion’s control.
But there were several ways to restrain the Heavenly Thunder Corps.
One of them was none other than—
‘Han Mubaek…’
Assistant to the Heavenly Thunder Corps Leader.
And the man who had brazenly declared himself a double agent.
At the very least, if he cooperated as he claimed, he would be useful for monitoring the Corps’ current movements.
Of course, if you asked me whether I could fully trust him, the answer would be an absolute no.
‘No matter what merit he earns, I’ll kill him with my own hands someday.’
But before that, there was something I had to take care of first.
‘Damn it, the Five Great Halls Meeting is coming up soon, and I’m running out of time.’
The Five Great Halls Meeting held in the Heavenly Demon Pavilion involved even more participants than the Elder Hall Meeting.
The last time such a meeting had been held was when the previous Cult Leader declared war.
Merely participating in that meeting was enough to be recognized as part of the ruling elite of the Cult.
And in that meeting, Yura and I were about to make our official debut as leaders.
As I was struggling through the mountain of paperwork for the reorganization—
“Click, click, click! Have you been well, Demonic Faction Lord?”
Heavenly Researcher, Lord of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, had come to visit me.
Ever since the Cult Leader’s ascension, he had been secretly sneaking in through sorcery, as if afraid of something.
However, this time he wasn’t alone.
Beside him stood a young man, who looked just a few years younger than me, as though he had just stepped out of boyhood.
‘Who’s that?’
His face seemed oddly familiar.
I was sure it was the first time I had seen him, but where had I seen him before?
“Greetings, Demonic Faction Lord.”
Clack!
The young man gave me a respectful yet modest bow and introduced himself.
“My name is Hwan Jeong, newly appointed Clan Leader of the Heavenly Illusion Clan.”