AR Chapter 31

My cup of alcohol, on its way to my mouth, stopped abruptly in mid-air.

Become his water? Surely not?

“What do you mean?”

“I’m asking you to become my person.”

I hadn’t expected Saber Demon to come out like this. He was widely known as a supporter of his brother. But now he’s abandoning his brother and choosing me? Truly, this was the most unexpected moment since I’d met Blood Heavens Saber Demon.

“Young master.”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to become a Heavenly Demon?”

“I do.”

I answered without hesitation.

“Then drink that alcohol. I’ll be your backing.”

“But, don’t you support your brother?”

“That was my choice before I knew you were such a crazy bastard.”

“First a dragon, now a crazy bastard. I’m quite busy, aren’t I?”

You’re the crazy one.

I had killed his brother, turned his disciple into a cripple, and imprisoned his subordinate. Yet this old man was offering to be my backing. This old man would sell anything for his ambition.

“I killed your brother.”

“Once you leave your parents’ embrace, everyone’s a stranger. You think I feel gut-wrenching pain because my blood kin died? Don’t make me laugh. For humans, the thorn stuck under their own fingernail hurts more.”

This old man, every word he’s spitting out now is sincere.

“I hadn’t officially joined hands with the First Young Master anyway… and even if I had, hearts can always change.”

“Gaining you would be like gaining an army of thousands. But…”

“What are you hesitating about?”

“I’m not sure if I can trust you. Just as you’re abandoning your brother now, you might abandon me too.”

“If the situation calls for it, of course I’ll abandon you. Do you think I’m doing this because I trust you? I’ve never trusted anyone in my life.”

“Then why did you choose me?”

“I thought I could bet my fate on your madness that pushes forward so fearlessly.”

“So you chose me because I’m crazy, after all.”

“Use that madness to devour everything.”

If I had been a young man of this age, I might have completely believed Blood Heavens Saber Demon’s words, elated by the feeling of being chosen.

But I know well the underhanded tactics old men use when exploiting young people.

Do you want to become a Heavenly Demon?

That’s what he asked earlier. It’s a question that makes you think you could become a Heavenly Demon if you just took his hand.

The question he’s throwing now has the same ulterior motive.

“If you become a Heavenly Demon, what kind of Heavenly Demon would you be?”

“At least in the main cult under my rule, the Supreme Demon won’t be able to pressure the Underworld Pavilion Master externally.”

“Hahaha. Indeed, my eyes were accurate.”

That snake-like attitude of never showing his true feelings, no matter how disgusted he is.

All of these are the old man’s high-level tactics to sway my decision at this moment.

For now, I politely declined. In the push and pull of human relationships, if you get pulled when someone pulls, you become an unattractive prey.

“I appreciate your high regard for me, but now seems to be the time for me to do my assigned duties. What would my father think? Wouldn’t he say I’m playing politics instead of doing the important task I was given?”

“You hide behind the Cult Leader. Is that really a wise choice?”

“What do you mean?”

“Underworld Pavilion Master? What if you do that job well? What if the Cult Leader keeps you in the Underworld Pavilion Master position? Do you plan to rot as Underworld Pavilion Master for life? That job is just a process now. The path you should choose is always one. It’s the crossroads of whether to become the successor or not. The moment you get confused about that, you’ll lose your way and wander in the deceptively beautiful forest called Underworld Pavilion.”

He finished his persuasion by bringing up my father.

“Rather, the Cult Leader will take notice of you joining hands with me. Just the fact that I chose you will make you grow in stature and catch everyone’s eye.”

But there’s one thing Blood Heavens Saber Demon is overlooking.

The will to establish discipline in the cult. This isn’t just my will, but my father’s intention is also embedded in it.

“Give me time to think. I’ll drink this alcohol when I make my decision.”

I put down the cup of alcohol I was holding.

Despite my postponing the decision, Blood Heavens Saber Demon smiled with satisfaction.

“That’s right. Of course you should. You shouldn’t drink just because someone tells you to, like an idiot.”

Blood Heavens Saber Demon stood up and drew the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber that was stuck behind him.

With the same momentum as when he drew the sword from the ground, he swung it towards me.

I didn’t dodge but blocked the incoming attack by drawing my Dark Demonic Sword.

Clang!

A explosive sound mixed with metal rang out. Over the crossed sword and blade, Blood Heavens Saber Demon said,

“I’ll hear your answer tomorrow.”

“I’ll give you my answer in five days.”

The tense battle of wills as we glared at each other was brief.

“I’ll see you in three days.”

Without waiting for a reply, Blood Heavens Saber Demon shot up into the sky and disappeared beyond the wall. It was a swift and impressive movement technique without any unnecessary motion.

After sheathing my Dark Demonic Sword, I rotated my wrist.

“Shitty old geezer, it hurts like hell.”

It wasn’t his best attack, but the internal energy in the incoming blade was no joke, making my wrist throb.

‘This old man. He secretly enjoys inflicting pain on others.’

He’s making it known that his martial arts are superior. You could think of it as just an old man’s pride or bad taste, but I believe there’s a clear intention behind Blood Heavens Saber Demon’s actions like this.

Blood Heavens Saber Demon pokes at your side to leave bruises, or like today, he gives pain that makes your arm ache for days.

This pain instills an unconscious fear in the opponent. And this physical violence plays a quite positive role in manipulating the other person to his will.

The more I experience it, the more I feel he’s not an easy old man to deal with. At the same time, I understand why father makes me dance with swords.

There wasn’t just one being like Blood Heavens Saber Demon, but eight. If these guys were united under the name of Eight Demon Supremes, even father would find it difficult to deal with them. They might gossip, backbite, and fight among themselves, but when it comes to facing Heavenly Demon, they become of one mind.

Moreover, they are the main force of the cult. If we get rid of them because we don’t like them, the Martial Righteous Alliance or Four Evils Alliance would invade immediately.

‘You like that I’m crazy? That’s something you say when you don’t know how crazy I can be.’

Before entering my quarters, I briefly stopped by Lee Ahn’s personal training ground.

Lee Ahn was so focused on her training that she didn’t even notice I had come. As I had told her, she was in the middle of basic physical training.

Even though she was gasping for breath as if she might pass out, Lee Ahn endured and devoted herself to training.

‘Why you, you ask?’

Because you become a stubborn fool at my command. You weren’t originally a stubborn fool, but you willingly become this person for me.

After watching her train for a moment, I returned to my room.

I brought some alcohol and sat by the window to relax.

Thinking of Hwa Mu-gi, I shouldn’t rest for even a moment, but I won’t just rush forward looking only ahead. If I lose the leisure to look around, I’ll surely miss something.

So, using the bright full moon as a side dish, I had a few drinks for the first time in a while.

I thought about father, about Blood Heavens Saber Demon, and about the other Supreme Demons. I also thought about my life after killing Hwa Mu-gi.

***

Even the next day, Yang Tae’s spirit wasn’t broken.

“Hmph! Underworld Pavilion Master, you messed with the wrong person. Don’t you know that touching me is the same as touching the entire Southern Blade Sect?”

He threatened like this, putting Blood Heavens Saber Demon at the forefront, and then,

“If you just release me, we can forget this ever happened. I’ll personally speak to the Supreme Demon about their anger and make sure no harm comes to you.”

He also tried to persuade like this.

He had never experienced such a desperate situation in his life. According to the records, his life had been smooth sailing, starting as a Demonic Blade, becoming a Ten Demonic Blade, and then a Hundred Demonic Blade. He had never struggled, and no one had ever challenged his life.

So he didn’t know how to behave in this situation. Instead of sincerely apologizing and asking for forgiveness, he only tried to persuade and threaten in the way he had lived his life until now.

Unlike yesterday, I calmly addressed Yang Tae.

“Warrior Yang. Please sit down. Today, Southern Blade Sect officially announced their regret about this incident.”

At this, Yang Tae jumped with joy.

“Didn’t I tell you? I said the Supreme Demon would never abandon me. Now, release me.”

Thinking he would soon be released, Yang Tae’s expression softened.

“Let’s forget about the past.”

To his attitude, as if he was going to forgive me, I calmly asked,

“Do you know why I’m treating you politely now?”

“Well, isn’t it to end things on good terms?”

“No. It’s because this is the last day I’ll see you.”

“That’s what I’m saying, isn’t it? Once I leave, we won’t see each other again.”

Yang Tae’s face was full of joy. It’s time to find the real expression that face should wear.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Southern Blade Sect didn’t express regret to us, but to you. They expressed regret to you for tarnishing Southern Blade Sect’s honor.”

“…What?”

“And they officially apologized for a Southern Blade Sect warrior causing such an unsavory incident. They apologized to the victim and promised compensation. They also said they would ensure this never happens again.”

“What… nonsense is this? Southern Blade Sect has never officially apologized for such things before. No matter what incident occurred.”

Yang Tae’s voice was trembling.

“You should be honored. For making such a Southern Blade Sect change.”

“Stop lying!”

“Well then, I hope you enjoy your time in the Internal Prison.”

I stood up. Belatedly, Yang Tae started shouting and causing a disturbance. I told them to leave him be. This tantrum would be his last anyway.

Instead, he should take responsibility for his actions, which showed not a single moment of sincere reflection until the very end.

I instructed Seo Daeryong, who was waiting outside the door.

“Contact the Internal Prison and send him to the toughest place.”

“Yes.”

Even the comfortable areas of our cult’s Internal Prison are hell. The saying that it’s better to be executed than to go to the Internal Prison isn’t just empty words. With that personality, he won’t be able to endure the Internal Prison. The same goes for his son.

I didn’t sympathize with them.

If I hadn’t intervened, they would have lived comfortably for the rest of their lives, while the victim, Gwak Su’s family, would have lived a miserable life. There were probably other Gwak Sus I didn’t know about before, and there would have been more Gwak Sus in the future.

The investigator Jonghwa, who was threatened, would have had his future life completely ruined too.

So I have no sympathy or regret.

“What on earth happened?”

“What?”

“Why did Southern Blade Sect issue an apology statement? This has never happened before.”

“Go and ask them. Why they did it.”

“If I could, I would have. In the current atmosphere, if I went to Southern Blade Sect, I probably wouldn’t be able to walk out.”

“No. Now is precisely the time when you could dance in Southern Blade Sect’s training ground and still walk out safely.”

Leaving behind Seo Daeryong, who couldn’t understand, I strode down the corridor and added,

“For the next two days, at least.”