Chapter 214: We Are the Hounds of Hell

TL: FoodieMonster007

For a moment, I could not say anything. It was a silence of surprise and joy. His words meant he had lost the bet.

"Watch out! You'll step on the ants!"

I flinched, nearly stepping on an ant.

I could not understand why he was letting me win. Was it because of the relationship we had built? Was it because of the Evil Alliance's True Venom Sage, whom he disliked? Was it because of that boy who lost his family? Or maybe it was because of those poison ants marching in a line.

In any case, the reason did not matter.

"The Poison King!"

I threw my arms around the Poison King and hugged him with all my might.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

The Poison King suddenly dangled a poison pouch from his waist next to my face.

"Do you want to die? Are you going to let go?"

"……"

I scrambled back.

The Poison King stood up.

"Let's go. Let's go bark, and then go to the Cult Leader."

He meant to act on it immediately.

"The Poison King, I'll bark in your place."

"……"

"You've given your permission so readily, so I should repay you. Haven't I only been learning from you until now, the Poison King?"

"You'll really bark for me?"

"……"

At my sincere reply, the Poison King smiled.

"Aren't you smiling a little too brightly?"

"I've gone from a dog to a human, of course I should be happy."

"Let's go."

We had to move before he changed his mind. We headed straight for the grand training grounds.

"Please wait here at a distance. I'll go and give a good, hearty bark."

As I was about to head to the training grounds, the Poison King stopped me.

"You stay here. I'm the one who's going to bark. I'm not a man who breaks his promises."

"Will you be alright?"

"Will you be alright? You're someone who could become the Heavenly Demon."

"Didn't you say you wouldn't support me even if you died?"

"I won't."

My gaze and the Poison King's locked in mid-air. His face still looked so young, but his eyes were deep. He would not support me, but he had the maturity to worry about what would happen if I became the Heavenly Demon. This was the true nature of the man called the Poison King.

"I'll bark. You stay here."

The same the Poison King who hated even stepping outside the Thousand Poisons Forest started walking toward the training grounds.

Watching him, I added a new principle to my life.

Never rashly judge anyone's world.

I resolved to look people in the eye, say what needed to be said without delay, and never judge anyone rashly. I was adding principles to my life, one by one.

As soon as the Poison King appeared, all eyes in the vicinity focused on him. He drew their gazes naturally, without revealing any particular qi. The presence of a Demon Supreme was beginning to make itself felt.

The cultists were shocked. The rarely seen the Poison King had appeared in the middle of the grand training grounds.

Not only did people stop in their tracks, but they also poked their heads out of building windows. A crowd began to gather around him. Among them were some who were seeing the Poison King for the first time.

At first, they approached, thinking, That's the Poison King? He's that young? Then, they would belatedly cover their noses and mouths and retreat far away.

The Poison King waited for as many people as possible to gather. He could have barked quickly when there were few people around and claimed he had kept his promise, but he did not. He too was a man among men. Just a man who hated going outside.

Hearing the news, people continued to flock to the area.

Among them was the Demonic Army General Jang Ho. It had been a while since I had seen him, and Jang Ho looked as reliable as ever. I gave him a nod, and from a distance, he respectfully bowed his head.

Having heard the news, Seo Daeryong, the Sanzu River Hall investigators, and even the execution martial artists all rushed out. Seo Daeryong sent me a telepathic message with a shocked expression.

[Director, what's going on?]

[I'm on my way to reveal the mastermind.]

[What? What do you mean?]

[You said it yourself at the brothel where the incident happened, didn't you? That you wanted to find out why something like this occurred.]

[I did.]

[I'm on my way to find out.]

[At the training grounds?]

[Yes, this is the starting point.]

Seo Daeryong wore an expression that asked what I meant, but I did not explain further.

And so, the grand training grounds became crowded with people. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the Poison King. The Poison King who conversed with snakes with a youthful face, the Poison King who fell into contemplation while looking at poisonous insects, the Poison King who drew cute pictures on his poison pouches, stood proudly without batting an eye under the gazes of so many cultists.

Everyone knew. If the Poison King decided to kill everyone present right now, if those twelve poison pouches at his waist were opened, everyone here would be annihilated.

When he judged that enough people had gathered, the Poison King raised his hand. The murmuring instantly died down.

In that moment, when so many people did not even dare to breathe, the Poison King let out a loud bark.

Everyone was stunned. They never imagined that the Poison King would gather people just to bark like a dog. Some even fled in shock, thinking the Poison King had gone mad and was about to release his poisons.

Right then, another shout echoed through the place.

"A tiger father has a dog son!"

The one who shouted was, of course, me. I also let out a loud bark as I walked toward the Poison King.

The Poison King looked at me, his expression asking, What are you doing?

How could I let him bark all alone?

"Let's bark together."

"No! You're…"

"It's alright."

I gave him a confident smile of self-respect. It showed that something like this could never touch my dignity as the future Heavenly Demon. This was not a matter of self-respect. It was about my friendship with the Poison King, a sign of my gratitude. I would not let him bark alone.

The second time, I barked first.

The Poison King looked at me, completely baffled, but an unconcealable smile touched his lips.

I will grow closer to the Poison King. So that later, when I reveal, 'I have Myriad Poison Immunity!' I will see joy on his face, not some other emotion. That is my goal. It is by no means an easy one. After all, the Poison King and Myriad Poison Immunity are polar opposites.

We barked together.

Since we were barking anyway, we barked long and coolly, like the howl of a wolf. Are all dogs the same? We were not some neighborhood mutts, but magnificent dogs loyal to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult! We are the hounds of hell that tear evil apart.

The onlookers murmured. They all wondered what was happening, but no one dared to laugh at us.

It was right then. Someone in the crowd who had been watching started barking along with us.

It was none other than Seo Daeryong. When Seo Daeryong barked, the Sanzu River Hall investigators barked, and the execution martial artists barked. The Poison Fangs began to bark, and Jang Ho barked too. Everyone was surprised when the Demonic Army General barked, and then the loyal Demonic Army soldiers also began to bark.

Other cultists followed suit. In an instant, the grand training grounds became a complete madhouse.

In that pandemonium, we barked together amicably five times.

This moment of barking together was far more exhilarating than watching the Poison King lose the bet.

After creating a huge ruckus, I entered the Heavenly Demon Hall with the Poison King. Before we opened the doors and entered, the Poison King took out several pills and swallowed them.

"What kind of medicine are you taking?"

His answer was unexpected.

"It's medicine to calm the mind."

I asked him, bewildered.

"You didn't take any when you were barking in front of all those people?"

"This is ten times more nerve-wracking than standing in the training grounds. Right now, I'm not going to meet the Cult Leader. I'm going to defy the Cult Leader."

Father had been certain that the Poison King would never come over to my side. For him to have been won over so easily, it was tantamount to picking a fight, going beyond mere defiance.

"Besides, the Cult Leader hates me."

"Father is a martial artist to the bone, so he tends to be harsh toward anything unorthodox, but he dislikes poison arts, not you, the Poison King. Father is often misunderstood in matters like this."

"I refuse your consolation."

"It's not consolation. Think about it. If he truly disliked you, the Poison King, would he have proposed this bet? Would you, the Poison King, allow such an important bet to be made with someone you truly hate?"

That seemed to make some sense, as the Poison King did not offer a rebuttal.

"And so what if Father dislikes you a little? You can live with being disliked a bit."

"Do that, and you'll get dragged away without a soul knowing."

"Don't worry. He might boil all the other Demon Supremes in a cauldron, but he won't boil you, the Poison King."

"Because he can't eat me due to the poison?"

"No. Because if you weren't here, the Poison King, the Murim Alliance would invade immediately."

"You don't have to suck up to me anymore. I'm going to keep my promise anyway."

"I refuse. I'm going to keep sucking up. The impression you made on me today will last forever."

"You're saying that because you know I won't survive today, aren't you?"

We stepped into the Heavenly Demon Hall and walked side by side down the path of blood toward Father. It seemed Father had already heard the news that we had barked in the grand training grounds. The atmosphere was solemn and frigid.

After paying his respects, the Poison King looked at Father and spoke politely.

"Cult Leader. Please grant the Second Young Lord's request."

Father glared fiercely at the Poison King.

"You were the one I trusted."

The Poison King wore a troubled expression.

"I apologize."

"What on earth swayed you?" Father asked with a genuinely curious expression.

The Poison King seemed to ponder his answer for a moment.

"I was moved by the Second Young Lord's mourning."

At his unexpected words, both Father and I were surprised.

"Many people died in this incident. I was moved by the Second Young Lord's mourning for those unknown individuals."

I had not known the Poison King was thinking such things. He had acted as if he was not paying attention, but he had heard everything and was thinking deeply about it.

"I believe you can tell what kind of person someone is by seeing how they mourn for others."

The same the Poison King who had been trembling before the door spoke eloquently and confidently in front of Father.

Father's gaze turned to me.

"Are you happy?"

"I feel like I could fly. With the Demon Supremes supporting me together, I've achieved something for the first time. This will be a day I'll never forget for the rest of my life."

I conveyed my joy honestly. In truth, this was all thanks to Father. Thanks to his sharp rebuke.

How open is your world?

With that one phrase, I had realized that the Poison King's world was not a closed one, and in reality, it was not. If he were someone who truly lived in a closed world, he would not have barked in the training grounds, nor would he be standing in this place right now. I had simply been looking at him with a closed perspective.

It's thanks to you, Father.

However, I did not say those words here and now. This was a moment when I had to give Father a chance to be angry.

I believe it. I believe that at least half of Father's heart had been hoping for me to win. I chose to believe that.

As always, Father kept his promise.

"Fine. I grant your request."

I performed a deep bow on the spot.

"Thank you, Father."

I know this wasn't an easy decision for Father either. That's why I have to handle this matter well.

"If you've made such a request, it must be because you're confident you can handle it without leaving any evidence that we were involved, right?"

"Yes, I will do my best."

"Your best isn't enough. You must handle it without leaving any sign that we were the ones who killed them."

To deal with the Evil Alliance's second-in-command, Yayul Han, and his four limbs, without them knowing it was our doing. This too was a near-impossible mission, but I answered energetically.

"Yes! I will do so."

To receive this permission, all the Demon Supremes had stepped forward, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had even risked his life, and the Poison King had barked in the training grounds.

Then I have to pull it off, perfectly.

Father had already returned to his usual self. He was not the type to look back once he made a decision. He did not hold grudges.

"Who will you go with?"

"I will go with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon."

"The two of you might not be enough. With three, I can rest assured."

Just as the Poison King made a horrified face, Father's gaze turned to him.

"You will accompany him and help."

"I can't! Cult Leader!" the Poison King jumped, horrified.

"You can't?"

At Father's low question, the Poison King quickly replied.

"No. I can."

Father's expression seemed to say, You thought you'd get away with that so easily? Have a taste of this. I stand corrected. Father does hold grudges.

Father rose from his seat.

"The Poison King, listen."

As Father revealed the qi of the Heavenly Demon, the Poison King bowed his waist to show respect.

"Yes, Cult Leader."

"From this moment on, I permit the use of the Twelve Absolute Poisons."

"I accept your solemn command."

The Poison King's primary poison, the Twelve Absolute Poisons, could only be used with Father's permission. That was a testament to how terrifying the Poison King's poisons were.

After respectfully bidding farewell to Father, the Poison King and I left the Heavenly Demon Hall.

"You said you were nervous, but you spoke even better than I did."

"That was all the medicine's effect."

The Poison King let out a sigh so deep it seemed the ground would collapse. The man who hated even leaving the Thousand Poisons Forest was now being sent out to the Central Plains.

"It's dangerous outside the Thousand Poisons Forest!"

"Actually, you're the most dangerous one here, the Poison King."

The Poison King glared at me, his eyes screaming, This is all your fault.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it would turn out like this either."

"I'm not going. I refuse."

"Alright. I'll go with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon. You can hide well in the Thousand Poisons Forest."

"If I did that, I'd really get dragged away."

The Poison King threw a tantrum at nothing in particular.

"When I go out, I'm going to kill everyone. I'll stop by every village and annihilate them all. You don't think I can do it?"

He really, really did not want to go out.

"It seems you were worried about me, considering our opponent. I can tell, since you're sending out our Cult's greatest hidden weapon."

"That's not enough to console me, not at all!"

With slumped shoulders, the Poison King walked toward the Thousand Poisons Forest.

I shouted after him.

"We'll be leaving as soon as possible, so please get ready, and thank you so much for today!"

At that, the Poison King walked away, barking. He was a very angry dog.

Smiling at his retreating back, I turned my steps toward the Valley of Evil.