Chapter 19: This Summer

TL: FoodieMonster007

Lee Ahn nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard I had killed the Demonic Army General. She didn't care how I had managed it.

"What in the world possessed you to do something so dangerous?" she demanded.

Her anger was obvious when she called my action a 'stunt'. She probably didn't even realize she had said it.

"His younger brother is dead. Do you think Elder Blood Heaven Blade Demon will just let this go?"

"That's why you need to train hard, so he can't lay a finger on me."

"I couldn't stop him even if I did seclusion training for thirty years!"

"Then you'll win. He'll have died of old age by then."

Lee Ahn sighed at my carefree response.

"Ever since you changed, Second Young Lord… my life has become twice as difficult."

"Haha. Good, you'll lose some weight."

"Second Young Lord!"

Lee Ahn wasn't the only one. The entire academy was in an uproar.

The impact of this news was far greater than when I killed his disciple. I felt the change on my way to the Heavenly Demon Hall after my father summoned me. The gazes directed at me were different.

Many had expected my brother to be the successor, but that was beginning to change.

People were ecstatic when I won the duel. My wish for a hunt became the talk of the academy. They were astonished by my courage when I killed the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's disciple, and now, I had killed the Demonic Army General.

According to Lee Ahn, I was all anyone talked about. My popularity skyrocketed overnight because everyone despised the Demonic Army and the trouble their haughty members caused.

Some martial artists even approached to greet me.

Of course, no one directly said things like 'That was amazing' or 'Well done'. They feared the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's retribution.

They approached silently, offered a clasped-hands greeting, and gave me a respectful look. I felt their support in those gazes. These were the people who hoped I would become the successor.

I accepted every one of their greetings as I made my way to the Heavenly Demon Hall.

Father, Head Strategist Sama Myeong, and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, Gu Cheonpa, waited for me in the Heavenly Demon Hall.

I paid my respects to my father and Sama Myeong first, then greeted the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

"It's been a while, Elder."

"Have you been well, Second Young Lord."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was calm, considering his brother had just died. His uniquely eccentric aura from his last visit was gone. He would not dare show such a presence before my father.

"What exactly happened?"

"I've written everything in the report."

"I want to hear it from you directly, Second Young Lord."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon calmly spoke his mind, even in my father's presence. Neither my father nor Sama Myeong interfered. They seemed to regard it as his right.

"The investigation revealed your brother's grave crimes. He tried to kill me during the arrest. My apologies, Elder."

"It's fine. If my brother committed a crime, he deserved punishment. What I don't understand, however, is this. Pathetic as he was, my brother wasn't foolish enough to attack the Second Young Lord after his crimes were so clearly exposed."

He implied his brother would have surrendered peacefully to ask for his help later. I had prevented that.

"I don't know why he did it. Perhaps he couldn't bear the thought of being captured by someone so young."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stared at me for a moment before speaking again.

"I saw the body before I came here. A single stab, was it?"

"……"

I did not elaborate on the fight.

In a difficult situation, the more you talk, the more you risk making a mistake. It's best to leave things to his imagination for now.

He could not press me for details with my father watching. It did not matter if someone was stabbed in the back or the foot. The Cult believed that the one who died was simply the weaker fool.

"Your martial arts are far more impressive than I thought, Second Young Lord."

"I suppose my status as the Cult Leader's son helped. He was agitated, so the Demonic Army General couldn't have used his full power against me."

"I suppose so."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon smiled softly and thanked me.

"Thank you for your honesty. It puts my mind at ease."

"Don't mention it."

His disciple and now his brother were dead. His rage must have been at its peak. We were now mortal enemies, yet the Blood Heaven Blade Demon showed no anger. It was a testament to his emotional control.

Before leaving, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked at my father. The first time he visited me, he had twice threatened to bring my head to my father. That showed his confidence in their relationship.

If so, shouldn't the Blood Heaven Blade Demon be saying something like, 'Cult Leader, how could you do this to me? You should have called me first to handle my brother's arrest. I'm truly disappointed!'

But the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's gaze held no disappointment. Father's expression was also unchanged as he looked back.

"You must prepare for the funeral. Go and rest."

"Thank you for your consideration, Cult Leader."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon bowed respectfully and turned. He walked across the red carpet without a single glance at me.

After he departed, Sama Myeong broke the silence.

"You have done well. The evidence you gathered was conclusive, Second Young Lord, so we closed the case without issue. Are you injured?"

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern."

Sama Myeong must have had many questions about this unexpected result, but he did not ask. He likely considered it a matter between my father and me, since my father had assigned me the investigation.

"The Cult Leader has bestowed a reward upon you, Second Young Lord, for your great service."

A demonic practitioner from the Heavenly Demon Hall brought over a long wooden box. His cautious steps hinted at its important contents.

I opened the elegantly engraved lid and found a single sword inside.

I was stunned. It was the Black Demon Sword, the most precious sword in the cult, second only to the Heavenly Demon Sword.

"The Cult Leader has bestowed the Black Demon Sword upon you, Second Young Lord."

A bright smile spread across my face. I was too overjoyed to hide it, so I made a playful remark.

"If you were going to give me a sword, it should have been the noble White Flower Sword. That one suits my disposition."

Father replied with a look that said, 'Not a chance'.

"The sword that suits you is the Black Demon Sword."

"You don't know your son at all. Sword, what do you think?"

I slowly drew the Black Demon Sword.

A cold chill radiated from the blade and filled the hall. I had not infused it with any qi. The energy came from the sword itself.

The moment I drew it, I knew. This was my sword. It suited me perfectly.

"Isn't this reward too extravagant?"

Sama Myeong answered my humble question on my father's behalf.

"It is not. The matter of the Demonic Army General was one of the most troublesome issues in our Cult."

"So you just dumped that headache on me."

"Though we didn't expect you to handle it so cleanly, Second Young Lord."

Sama Myeong asked my father, his voice full of admiration.

"Did you expect this outcome, Cult Leader?"

Father shook his head.

"I was just hoping he wouldn't get himself killed."

I knew that wasn't true.

He sent me because he trusted me. He knew I had mastered the Soaring Sky Sword Art and consumed the Demonic Essence Pill in the Little Heaven Cave. He must have believed I wouldn't be easily defeated. Of course, he probably didn't predict the Demonic Army General's death.

And I knew why my father gave me the sword. It was his way of telling the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, 'I acknowledge his achievement. Do not touch my son over this matter.'

It was a silent warning. The sharp-witted Blood Heaven Blade Demon would not have missed its meaning.

"Thank you, Father."

I presented the sword and offered my formal thanks before leaving the Heavenly Demon Hall.

Someone called out to me on my way back to my quarters.

"Second Young Lord. The sun is pleasant. Why not rest a moment before you go?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon sat in an open area before the flower garden.

Of course. There was no way this old man would leave so easily.

I walked over slowly and sat across from him. His gaze fell to the Black Demon Sword at my waist. I could practically feel him grinding his teeth. His grudge must run deep, but he would not dare try anything.

"It seems this summer will be especially hot."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon roared before I could finish my sentence.

"You wet-behind-the-ears little bastard! How dare you ambush and kill my brother? Today, I'll tear you limb from limb and scatter your remains on my brother's grave."

Demonic qi erupted from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and swept through the area. The flowers in the garden withered instantly. Where did he hide such power in that gaunt body?

I drew upon my inner arts to resist his demonic qi and tried my best to remain composed.

The next moment, the demonic qi vanished as if it had never existed. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon grinned.

"That's what I should have said, isn't it?"

He tried to poke me in the ribs again with the pommel of the Heaven Destroying Dao.

This time, however, I blocked the incoming pommel with my palm and shouted back.

"You damn old fool who's clearly aged out his ass! Who the hell do you and yours think you are, undermining the discipline of our Cult for your own greed? If you dare stand up for that corrupt piece of trash you call a brother, I'll snap every bone in your scrawny body like a dry reed!"

I added with my own grin.

"That's what I would have said, isn't it?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stared, dumbfounded, then burst out laughing.

"Gwahahahaha!"

His booming laughter was so loud that distant cultist guards turned to look our way.

Then the Blood Heaven Blade Demon abruptly stopped. His face became impassive, as if he had never laughed. His mood swings were truly mercurial.

"Still, couldn't you have shown him some mercy for my sake?"

"I would have handled it more leniently if I could have. I planned to end it with him simply stepping down from his post. However, he had crossed the line long ago. No, it was as if he didn't even know a line existed."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon nodded. It was his own brother's business. How could he not have known? It was not as if he was uninterested in the cult's internal politics.

"You knew about the corruption within the Demonic Army, didn't you?"

"I knew."

"Why did you let it continue?"

"He wouldn't listen to me, and well, I'm not exactly a saint myself."

I was surprised by his honesty regarding his brother.

I have to be careful at times like this.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon was clearly an emotional man, and he knew how to use those emotions to his advantage.

"When I heard my brother was dead, I was honestly relieved. I thought, 'Now that bastard won't get in my way anymore'."

"I understand that feeling."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's small, narrow eyes widened, as if asking, Really? How could you possibly understand?

"It would be the same as hearing that my own brother had died. I'd be relieved that I wouldn't have to deal with him myself."

Our gazes locked. I saw fire rekindle in his eyes.

What did he see in my eyes? What do you see in me?

I could not tell what the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was thinking.

He might still be plotting to kill me, the man who murdered his brother, regardless of the relief he claimed to feel. Or perhaps he had truly let bygones be bygones.

I had no regrets.

If I can't survive a fight against you, one of the Eight Demon Supremes, then I'm not strong enough. I'll just be killed by Hwa Mugi anyway. I must overcome all of you and press forward. That's the only way I'll survive.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon looked up at the sky and finally responded to my initial greeting.

"Yes, it will be a hot year."

He complained that it was already hot and began to fan himself with the broad side of the Heaven Destroying Dao.

One thing was certain. The sun would not be the only reason for the heat between us this summer.

I shaded my eyes with my hand and looked up at the sky with him.

"Fortunately, the heat doesn't bother me."