## Chapter 1529 – 1529. The Ascension Of The Radiant Demon
New administrators sent by the Heavenly Demon Cult appeared in Soyong City. I handed over the administrative authority to them and returned to the Heavenly Demon Cult.
After that, I moved busily. Perhaps it was due to the long peace. The inside of the Heavenly Demon Cult was more rotten than I had thought. Parts that needed to be cut away were cut away, and parts that could be saved were saved. The Heavenly Demon Cult was moving busily.
The good thing was that the Murim Alliance was also focusing on internal reorganization. The inside of the Murim Alliance was more serious than that of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Unlike the Heavenly Demon Cult, which was a single organization, the Murim Alliance was a coalition of orthodox sects centered around the Nine Great Sects. It was inevitable that the internal situation would be complicated.
Three years passed like that.
During that time, there were several minor battles between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Murim Alliance. They were just battles at the level of jabs to gauge each other’s skills.
However, these minor battles accumulated, and the hatred and anger towards each other began to exceed the limit. Three years ago, even those who cried out for peace were now calling for war as their hatred grew.
I was at the headquarters of the Annihilation Squad. The atmosphere of the Annihilation Squad was ominous. The Annihilation Squad was one of the top combat units within the Heavenly Demon Cult. Naturally, they received a lot of information.
“The Beggar Sect. Those damn beggars are searching for spies of the cult with their eyes wide open. They say they beat them to death like dogs if they find them.”
“The Ghost Iron Squad annihilated three combat units of the Kunlun Sect. Even the Ghost Iron Squad, which is inferior to us, is fighting on the front lines… When are we going to be deployed?”
“Have you guys heard about the Mount Hua Sect? Those arrogant flower boys publicly criticized us. Monsters wearing human skin? Parasites eating away at the world? The evil of the Jianghu that should not be left alone? They spouted all sorts of nonsense.”
“That’s not all. The Plum Blossom Swordsmen raided a branch of the cult and massacred all the cult members.”
“Is that why the higher-ups are so pissed off right now? That’s a bit strange. If the higher-ups got pissed off over something like that, they would have gone crazy a long time ago.”
“I heard that one of the members of the Four Demon Lords’ Families was among those massacred.”
The Four Demon Lords’ Families.
The four families that can be said to be the beginning of the Heavenly Demon Cult. The Four Demon Lords’ Families were the disciples of the first Heavenly Demon, and they revered the first Heavenly Demon and established the Heavenly Demon Cult.
In the Heavenly Demon Cult, members of the Four Demon Lords’ Families were considered nobles.
“Did noble blood die at the hands of the Murim Alliance? The higher-ups have every right to be pissed off.”
“Shouldn’t we retaliate? What was it, the Manjo Escort Agency? They say it’s a huge escort agency that supports the Murim Alliance. If we attack them and plunder their supplies, we could inflict great damage on the Murim Alliance, right?”
“The Murim Alliance isn’t a bunch of idiots, they’ll try to protect the Manjo Escort Agency with all their might. The risk is too great. It’s better to safely eliminate the small sects belonging to the Murim Alliance one by one.”
The Annihilation Squad, who were talking among themselves about how to deal with the Murim Alliance, turned their gaze to me.
“What do you think, maknae? What should we do with the Murim Alliance?”
It had been several years since I joined the Annihilation Squad, but I was still the maknae. It was because the number of personnel was not filled. There were no talents worthy of joining the Annihilation Squad.
“Why don’t we just wipe out the Murim Alliance’s territory with thunderclap bombs? We can suck the life force out of the surviving civilians with the Star-Sucking Technique. Selling humans to monsters is also an option.”
The members of the Annihilation Squad were impressed by my words.
“The maknae is young, so his mind is sharp. That’s a fresh idea.”
“Is that the spirit of youth…? I had that too back in my day.”
“Maknae. Your opinion is good, but it’s not realistic. It’s difficult to obtain a large number of thunderclap bombs, and even if we had them, we shouldn’t use them. If we use a large number of thunderclap bombs, the Imperial Court will step in. Selling civilians to monsters is the same. It will only give the Imperial Court a reason to intervene.”
The Imperial Court.
It was the most powerful force on this continent.
The Heavenly Demon Cult and the Murim Alliance were nothing compared to the Imperial Court. Regardless of Murim or whatever, the one who held the hegemony of this continent was the Emperor, no matter what anyone said.
“As long as the Imperial Court exists, it is impossible to erase the Murim Alliance from this world. Perhaps the Imperial Court will step in and mediate before either side is annihilated. Our cult must inflict as much damage as possible on the Murim Alliance before the Imperial Court intervenes. So that they cannot build up their strength for the next few decades… no, even hundreds of years.”
All the members of the Annihilation Squad fell silent. Their atmosphere had calmed down since the word Imperial Court came up.
As a member of the Heavenly Demon Cult, I didn’t like the Imperial Court. However, I couldn’t fully express that feeling and thought. The Imperial Court was the master of this world right now.
“It’s the commander’s order! Everyone, gather at the training grounds!”
Squad Leader Oh Bong of the 6th Squad appeared and shouted. The members of the Annihilation Squad all rose from their seats and headed to the training grounds.
The Annihilation Squad gathered at the training grounds.
Not everyone was there. Because it was a busy time, about 30% of the Annihilation Squad was missing. Still, it had been almost three years since this many people had gathered. The members of the Annihilation Squad, including me, sensed that this was not a normal event.
The Annihilation Squad Leader slowly walked over. He was as solemn and serious as usual.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been given an annihilation mission.”
The members of the Annihilation Squad tensed up and listened to the Annihilation Squad Leader’s words. An annihilation mission. It was a mission to annihilate a sect. To gather this many people for an annihilation mission? It meant that the target of annihilation was not ordinary.
“Everyone here will participate in the mission. The target of annihilation is the Mount Hua Sect.”
“Oh, oh!”
“The Mount Hua Sect! The time has come to annihilate those trash!”
The members of the Annihilation Squad were excited. There were no fearful people here. The Annihilation Squad was a place where those who were known to be rough and cruel even within the Heavenly Demon Cult gathered.
“When do we leave for the Mount Hua Sect?”
“We leave tonight. Pack the minimum amount of supplies. We’ll resupply in the cities we pass through. Outside the Heavenly Demon Cult’s territory, we’ll resupply through plunder. As you know without me having to say it, the mission is naturally confidential. Don’t even tell your family.”
The members of the Annihilation Squad looked at each other. And they let out jokes filled with mischief.
“Who among us has a family?”
The members of the Annihilation Squad chuckled. Those who had families were the same. Most of the Annihilation Squad had no family. They were treated as particularly crazy even within the Heavenly Demon Cult, so it was not easy to create a new family.
“Stop talking nonsense and start preparing to leave. Anyone who is even a little late will be crushed by my hands.”
The Annihilation Squad Leader turned his body. The members of the Annihilation Squad also dispersed. They gathered in groups of three or five and chatted.
In fact, there was nothing to prepare. The members of the Annihilation Squad all had spatial storage. They just had to sweep clothes and food into it.
For the same reason, I also had free time. I looked at the 4th Squad. At the center of the 4th Squad, where women were gathered, Yeon Ye-ha was standing. Even among the women of the 4th Squad, her appearance was shining like a crane among chickens.
“……”
“……”
Our eyes met.
We didn’t say anything. There were no members of the Annihilation Squad who were looking at us. No one knew the relationship between me and Yeon Ye-ha. We were colleagues, but even rumors didn’t spread. The Sword Demon, the daughter of the Third Elder, Yeon Ye-ha, and the swordsman from the countryside, Yeom Gu-seok. It was a relationship that didn’t suit anyone.
‘Yesterday, I was taken, so is it my turn to take her today?’
But unfortunately, I couldn’t. Yeon Ye-ha continued to move with the 4th Squad, and at night, all the members of the Annihilation Squad would leave the Heavenly Demon Cult. There was no time for the two of us to be alone.
‘It can’t be helped. It’s a waste to waste time… I should go meet Cheon Yu-un.’
I secretly met with Cheon Yu-un. If he, a member of the Hellfire Squad, and I, a member of the Annihilation Squad, met openly, it was clear that only bad rumors would spread.
“I heard that the Annihilation Squad is going to attack the Mount Hua Sect.”
“It’s confidential, but you know about it. Does the Hellfire Squad know everything?”
“Even so, it’s a mission to attack one of the Nine Great Sects, the Mount Hua Sect. There’s no way even the Hellfire Squad would know.”
“That means you found out the information in another way.”
I stroked my chin. I knew it, but Cheon Yu-un was a capable guy.
“How is the matter with the Mookji Alliance going?”
Cheon Yu-un asked. He was more concerned about the Mookji Alliance than the Mount Hua Sect.
“Last time, the Rakshasa Woman was gentle with me. I faced the Rakshasa Woman. Her hair was yellow and her eyes were red.”
“That woman is not human. And she’s not a good woman either. You know the Reverse Demon Art, right? The demonic art that turns humans who eat human flesh into monsters. The Rakshasa Woman is the one who created and spread that terrible demonic art.”
“Wasn’t it thanks to the Reverse Demon Art that the Mookji Alliance was able to grow so quickly?”
“That’s right. But the problem is that I can’t completely control the Mookji Alliance. The Rakshasa Woman is crazy. She’s a woman who will do anything for her own purpose.”
“What is the Rakshasa Woman’s purpose?”
“I don’t know. However, I’m sure that her purpose is not light.”
I quietly fell into thought. The Rakshasa Woman also needed the power of the Mookji Alliance. She was trying to kill Cheon Yu-un in order to completely take control of the Mookji Alliance.
‘I knew that Cheon Yu-un’s death itself was not the goal. Would she answer if I asked the Rakshasa Woman?’
I didn’t think she would answer.
“Yeom Gu-seok. What instructions did you receive from the Rakshasa Woman?”
The question I had been waiting for came. I answered at a tempo that was neither too fast nor too slow.
“The Heavenly Demon Divine Art. The Rakshasa Woman wants to know the location where the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is sleeping.”
“The Heavenly Demon Mausoleum, you mean. Why does the Rakshasa Woman want the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?”
“I don’t know either. Perhaps she became interested in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art while creating the Reverse Demon Art?”
“That might be the case. But the Rakshasa Woman is not of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline. She should know that if she enters the Heavenly Demon Mausoleum, she will only die without obtaining the Heavenly Demon Divine Art…”
Cheon Yu-un narrowed his brow. It seemed that his head was very complicated because of the Rakshasa Woman who wanted unexpected information.
“What are you going to do? If the Rakshasa Woman enters the Heavenly Demon Mausoleum, she will die, so isn’t that a good thing?”
“That would be the case if she entered directly. The Rakshasa Woman might be planning to create a new Heavenly Demon using the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon. She’s trying to push me out by using that guy. It’s better to watch quietly for now.”
I suppressed the urge to urge him to speak immediately and asked.
“The Heavenly Demon Divine Art. I’ve heard a lot about it, but I don’t know exactly what kind of martial art it is. Can you tell me?”
“Everyone who is worth knowing knows about it, so it’s not difficult to tell you.”
Cheon Yu-un raised his right hand. Black demonic energy gathered in his fist.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
It was similar to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art I had, but it was different.
“The power to subdue all demons. The power to rule all demons. The power to break the sky. An arrogant and absolute power. That is the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”
“……”
I pretended to be overwhelmed by the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Looking at his Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I could roughly tell what kind of power this Heavenly Demon Divine Art had.
Power.
It was just a type of martial art that pursued overwhelming power.
‘I like it.’
I wanted to have this Heavenly Demon Divine Art as soon as possible.
“I heard that there is also a swordsmanship called the Heavenly Demon Ten Swords.”
“There is. But I can’t show it here. Above all, I haven’t mastered all of the Heavenly Demon Ten Swords either.”
“That’s a shame.”
