Chapter 33: Is That a New Protective Armor?

TL: FoodieMonster007

"If I put it in your mouth, could you even digest it?" the Blood Heaven Blade Demon asked provocatively.

"I'll chew it up and swallow."

"Look here, Second Young Lord. There's a natural order to things in this world."

"Isn't drinking alcohol with a side dish part of that natural order?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon pressed his fingers firmly between his eyebrows as if a headache was forming. His anger erupted, and he shot to his feet.

"I can't stand this anymore. I've waited three days, and you give me this ridiculous condition?"

He yanked the Heaven Destroying Dao from the ground.

"I'll take that head of yours to the Heavenly Demon Hall!"

SWOOOOSH!

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon swung the Heaven Destroying Dao. It was not a genuine attempt to kill me, but an irritable attack filled with pure rage.

"……"

I parried with the Black Demon Sword, creating a sharp metallic sound.

"Not bad! Not bad at all!" the Blood Heaven Blade Demon exclaimed. He seemed surprised that I had so easily blocked an attack imbued with considerable power.

"Right, taking that precious head of yours won't be easy, will it?" The Blood Heaven Blade Demon swung the Heaven Destroying Dao again. The attack was faster and stronger than the last.

The Heaven Destroying Dao tore vertically through the air. I struck it away again with the Black Demon Sword.

CLAAAANG!

A sound louder than before erupted.

The Heaven Destroying Dao had earned the name 'Weapon Destroyer', but it could not damage the Black Demon Sword. I could afford to remain calm.

He keeps acting up. Should we just snap it in half? The destroyed Weapon Destroyer! Wouldn't that be a great rumor for tomorrow morning?

I was only joking with my sword, but the thought sparked something. An intense desire to use the Four Strides of the Wind God surged within me.

Could the Blood Heaven Blade Demon truly block the Hell Step I would unleash?

My fighting spirit created this temptation. A supreme martial art like the Four Strides of the Wind God reacts to a strong opponent. It tells me to fight. To win.

Not yet! Not now.

Time was on my side. There was no reason to risk a dangerous fight with my insufficient inner arts.

Before he could launch a third attack, I feigned a sore wrist and leaped back. Of course, this did not mean I was backing down on my demands.

"Give me the Demonic Army."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon withdrew his dao. "Who exactly are you asking me to put in the Demonic Army General's seat? Don't tell me it's you?"

"Of course not."

"Then who?"

"Please appoint the Third Captain, Jang Ho."

"Jang Ho?"

If Jang Ho became the Demonic Army General, I could make the Demonic Army an organization friendly to me. My position within the Cult would become incomparably stronger.

It would not only help me, but having a martial artist like Jang Ho as the Demonic Army General would also be a great boon to our Cult.

"Appointing Jang Ho as the Demonic Army General isn't an easy task, even for me."

His words were true. If a Captain were chosen from within the Demonic Army, Jang Ho would be a strong candidate, but for an elite organization like the Demonic Army, the leader was usually chosen from the outside. The Heavenly Demon Hall and the Eight Demon Supremes would engage in a war of nerves, each trying to install their own person.

"Second Young Lord! If you're too greedy, your stomach will burst."

"Isn't the path we walk one where we must devour everything until our stomachs burst?"

"We?"

"You're the one who said we should devour everything with madness, Elder. You're also the one who suggested we join hands. Would the path of madmen be an ordinary one?"

"Madmen!"

"Am I wrong? Anyone else might be different, but how could you, Elder, join hands with me unless you were mad?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon glared at me, his eyes blazing.

I did not know where his ambitions were ultimately aimed. He died before he could reveal them to the world.

Surprisingly, the first of the Eight Demon Supremes to die was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. That meticulous and cunning Blade Demon.

"Hmph! You sound as if you've already become the Heavenly Demon."

"Aren't you the one who put these ideas in my head, Elder? What exactly are you trying to do with me? Are you just planning to use a young man with your slick words? Like your Elder disciples?"

My words seemed to hit a nerve. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon roared.

"Your greed has overturned the drinking table!"

"……"

He actually kicked over the table, then flew away in a flash.

I watched him disappear into the distance and let out a faint smile. It was the first time the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's composure had been broken.

He would not be able to refuse my proposal. He knew better than anyone that besides his drinking table, I had seven others.

I immersed myself in martial arts training in my personal training ground.

I always felt this while training after my regression. I truly loved this tireless youth. It was not a matter of having a lot or a little inner arts. Even without trying hard, my body felt light and energetic.

The immutable truth that you only realize something's value after you lose it must apply most strongly to youth.

Yes, back then, I did not know. I did not know how precious the passing time was, or how much I would later long for this moment.

Martial arts? Money? Power? It is both ridiculous and sad that you sacrifice youth to obtain them, yet even after regressing, my reality is that I have no choice but to keep running.

Still, it is a mistake I make with full awareness. Because I know its value better than anyone, I trained with all my might, taking each step with care.

I moved through a crowd of imaginary enemies using the Four Strides of the Wind God.

At first, there were three or four enemies. As I continued to train, their numbers grew. Five became seven, and seven became ten.

At first, the enemies stood still like scarecrows. Now, the enemies in my imagination moved, conversed, and even cursed at me. As I trained, their martial arts also improved. My martial arts imagination determined the level of my training.

I dedicated seventy percent of my training to the Four Strides of the Wind God. I spent the rest of the time honing the qi training my father taught me and the Heavenly Demon Defense Art.

After a round of training, I lay on the floor of the training ground to catch my breath. I had sweated so much my whole body was drenched, but no feeling was better than this moment after finishing my training.

I could see the red-tinged sunset clouds drifting past the window.

How wonderful would it be to travel the Central Plains in this young body? The sunset I watched while gathering materials for the great art and the sunset I'll see after killing Hwa Mugi and becoming the world's number one will be completely different…

Before my regression, I endured all that hardship by imagining this very moment. Now, I endure by looking forward to the future after I kill Hwa Mugi.

I can't just think about the me of today. The me of tomorrow who dies miserably at an opponent's hands from insufficient training is also me. Yes, I must endure.

As I got up again, my imaginary enemies also rose to their feet.

Two days later, new information arrived.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon had recommended the Third Captain, Jang Ho, as a candidate for Demonic Army General.

Although the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had disappeared in a fit of rage, he had ultimately accepted my will. It was a drinking table he could not overturn in the first place.

The person most surprised by this news was Jang Ho himself.

"What on earth is going on?"

The very fact that he came to find me and ask showed he was intelligent and perceptive.

An ordinary person would have considered this a sudden stroke of luck. Jang Ho, however, was a man who understood that such luck does not exist in the world.

"This is your doing, isn't it, Second Young Lord?"

"That's right. I asked the Blood Heaven Blade Demon."

"I'm grateful that you think so highly of me, but this isn't a position I can handle."

"There's no need to be humble. The Demonic Army General who died by my hand also held that position."

"That's a different case."

"Just lead them like you lead the Third Company. Then I'm certain you'll become the greatest Demonic Army General in history."

He was the strongest martial artist among the Captains. He also had the active support of the Third Company's martial artists. If the choice were made from within, he was more than qualified.

"You're overestimating me, Second Young Lord."

"It could also be that you're underestimating yourself. In any case, other candidates are being mentioned, so let's wait and see."

Amidst his confusion, Jang Ho was also delighted. What else was the dream of the Demonic Army Captains?

"Now, we've done all we can, so let's leave the results to the will of heaven."

I told Jang Ho to do his best and leave the rest to fate, but I doubted that indifferent heaven would respond so kindly. I had to move diligently and make things happen myself.

That night, I went to see my father.

Father had separate quarters in the Heavenly Demon Hall. They were probably the largest and most magnificent in the world.

Seeing my father's unfamiliar appearance, I blinked as if I were seeing a ghost.

"Is that a new protective armor?"

"No, these are my pajamas."

"……"

"……"

"They're floral-patterned pajamas. Not demons or evil spirits…"

"I believe in sleeping comfortably."

It was the first time I had ever seen my father in pajamas. The bright floral pajamas were shocking enough, but it was even more surprising that he showed himself to me like this. He could have told me to wait and change his clothes.

"What brings you here so late at night?"

"Late at night? It's still early evening. I didn't know you went to bed so early. Isn't this top-secret? If the Murim Alliance found out, they'd attack immediately. 'The Heavenly Demon sleeps early, let's launch a surprise attack in the middle of the night!'"

"Just get to the point!"

"……"

I stopped my banter and revealed the reason for my visit.

"I intend to use the Blood Heaven Blade Demon as my sword."

"Didn't you say you were going to kill him?"

"It would be a waste to kill him."

This would not be new information to my father. When the Blood Heaven Blade Demon recommended Jang Ho, he must have already realized that we had joined hands.

Not just my father, but anyone interested in the Cult's internal politics could have guessed. Everyone was watching to see how my relationship with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would unfold. They watched to see how my brother would react, and how the other Demon Supremes would each make their move.

Father changed the subject.

"How is the new sword?"

"I like it."

"Let me see."

I presented the Black Demon Sword, scabbard and all, to my father.

Father slowly drew the Black Demon Sword and nodded in satisfaction.

"You've tamed it well."

"You can tell just by holding it?"

"I should know by holding it. Am I supposed to find out after getting stabbed?"

Father returned the Black Demon Sword.

"The Blood Heaven Blade Demon won't be tamed this easily."

"I have no intention of taming him. I'll use him until he breaks and then discard him. As of now, he has no collection value."

"What if you're the one who gets cut?"

"Then I'll get cut, but there will be a difference between me and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. The old Blood Heaven Blade Demon will be finished if he breaks once, but the more I'm cut, the stronger I'll become. I'll apply medicine, wrap it in bandages, and keep moving forward."

"Easier said than done, but why are you reporting this to me?"

"I'm receiving a stipend from you now, Father. It's only natural that I report to you."

Father's eyes narrowed.

"You didn't come to ask me to accept the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's recommendation?"

He was a truly perceptive man, but this time, he was wrong.

"No, it's the opposite. Please, do not grant his wish under any circumstances."

"You're telling me not to grant it? Why?"

"I'm going to break the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's spirit this time. He's so arrogant in front of me. Sometimes, he acts more high and mighty than you, Father. I plan to break that spirit of his."

"Stop with the nonsense. Tell me your real intentions."

"Why do you think I'm not being sincere?"

"This is a chance to gain the Demonic Army, and you'd give it up just to break the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's spirit? You're not that kind of child, are you?"

As expected of my sharp-witted father.

"Yes, you saw right through me."

"What are you after?"

"There's something I need to get from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. For that to happen, this matter cannot go his way."

"Is it more important than the Demonic Army?"

"In some ways, yes. Oh, and I'll make the Demonic Army mine too. I'll make it all mine."

Father stared at me for a moment, then turned away.

"Stop being ridiculous and go."

His words said that, but I could feel it.

Father would grant my request.

I chuckled, looking at the flowers blooming on my father's back.

Father. At least for tonight, there's nothing more ridiculous than those pajamas.