[Chapter 33]
"Can you digest it if I put it in your mouth?"
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon provocatively asked.
"I'll chew thoroughly and swallow."
"Look here, Second Young Master. There's a natural order to things."
"Isn't it natural to have snacks while drinking?"
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon pressed his fingers against both his temples as if he had a sudden headache. Then he erupted in anger and suddenly stood up.
"I can't stand this any longer. I've waited for three days, and now you come up with these absurd conditions?"
He pulled out the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber that was embedded in the ground.
"I'll take that head of yours to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion!"
Swaaaack!
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon swung the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber. He wasn't truly intending to kill me, but it was a furious, aggressive attack.
Kaaang!
I blocked it with the Black Demon Sword, and a sharp metallic sound rang out.
"Not bad! Not bad at all!"
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon exclaimed in admiration. It seemed he hadn't expected me to block such a powerful attack so easily.
"Indeed, taking that precious head of yours won't be easy, will it?"
He swung the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber again. This time, the attack was faster and stronger than before.
Once again, I deflected the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber, which sliced through the air vertically, with my Black Demon Sword.
Kaaaang!
The sound was even louder than the previous attack.
Although the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber was known as the weapon destroyer, it couldn't damage the Black Demon Sword. I felt a sense of ease in my mind.
―Should we snap it off since he keeps acting up? A broken weapon destroyer! It would make a great story for tomorrow morning, wouldn't it?
It was a thought that crossed my mind as I joked with my sword. Maybe because of this mindset, I felt a strong desire to use the Wind God's Four Steps.
Could The Blood Heaven Blade Demon really withstand my Underworld King Step?
This was the temptation born out of my fighting spirit. When facing a strong enemy, supreme martial arts like the Wind God's Four Steps respond. Fight. And win.
'No! Not yet.'
Time was on my side, so there was no reason to engage in a risky fight with insufficient internal energy.
Before the third attack came, I pretended my wrist hurt and leaped back. Of course, that didn't mean I completely backed down from my intention.
"Give me the Demonic Army."
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon sheathed his sword and asked.
"Who exactly are you asking to be placed in the position of the Demonic Army Commander? Surely not yourself?"
"Of course not."
"Then who?"
"Make Jangho, the third division leader, the Demonic Army Commander."
"Jangho?"
If Jangho became the Demonic Army Commander, I could turn the Demonic Army into an allied organization. If that happened, my position within the cult would become immensely stronger than before.
It would not only be beneficial to me, but having a martial artist like Jangho as the Demonic Army Commander would also greatly benefit the main cult.
"Putting Jangho in the position of the Demonic Army Commander is not an easy task for me either."
He was telling the truth.
If the Demonic Army were to choose a leader internally, Jangho would be a strong candidate. However, for an elite organization like the Demonic Army, the leader was usually chosen from outside. The Heavenly Demon Pavilion and the Eight Demon Supremes both struggled to place their people in such positions.
"Young Master! If you're too greedy, you'll burst your belly."
"Isn't the path we must take one where we have to devour everything until our bellies burst?"
"We?"
"It was you who suggested that we consume everything with madness. It was also you who proposed we join hands. How could the path of madmen be ordinary?"
"Madmen!"
"Isn't it? How else could you, sir, have joined hands with me if you weren't mad?"
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon glared at me with blazing eyes.
I didn't know where his ultimate ambition lay. He had died before revealing it to the world.
Surprisingly, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon was the first among the Eight Demon Supremes to die. This meticulous and cunning demon, of all people.
"Hmph! You speak as if you've already become the Heavenly Demon."
"Isn't it you who fueled my ambition? What exactly do you plan to do with me? Are you just using flashy words to exploit a young man, like you do with all your disciples?"
At my words, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon shouted angrily, seemingly hit where it hurt.
"Your greed has overturned the table!"
Bang.
He kicked over the table, spilling the drinks, and then flew off in a huff.
Watching him disappear into the distance, I smiled faintly. It was the first time the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's composure had been broken.
He wouldn't be able to reject my proposal. After all, he knew better than anyone that I had seven more tables, not just his.
* * *
I immersed myself in martial arts training at my personal training ground.
Since my regression, I always felt the same way while training. The undying vigor of youth was truly wonderful. It wasn't a matter of the quantity of internal energy. My body felt light and energetic even without making an effort.
The universal truth that one only appreciates what one loses applied most strongly to this youth.
Indeed, I hadn't realized at the time how precious these moments were. I would later come to miss these times dearly.
Martial arts? Money? Power? The fact that youth is sacrificed to attain these things was laughable and sad. Even after regressing, I had no choice but to run after them again.
Yet, I was making mistakes knowingly. Understanding the value of youth better than anyone, I trained with utmost care and dedication, taking each step cautiously.
I moved among imaginary enemies with the Wind God's Four Steps.
At first, there were only three or four enemies, but as I continued training, the number of enemies increased. Five became seven, and seven became ten.
Initially, the enemies stood like scarecrows, but now, in my imagination, they moved, talked, and even cursed at me. The level of their martial arts increased with each training session. The intensity of my training was determined by the extent of my martial arts imagination.
If I dedicated seventy percent of my training to the Wind God's Four Steps, the remaining time was spent honing the Qi training and the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Technique that my father had taught me.
After a bout of training, I lay down on the training ground floor to catch my breath. My whole body was drenched in sweat, but there was no better feeling than the moment after finishing a training session.
Through the window, I saw the crimson clouds drifting by at sunset.
How wonderful would it be to travel across the Central Plains in this youthful body? The sunset I watched while gathering materials for the Great Regression Technique and the sunset I would see after becoming the Greatest of All Time by killing Hwa Moogi would be completely different…
Before the regression, I endured hardships by imagining this moment of regression. Now, I was enduring by looking forward to the future after killing Hwa Moogi.
I must not only think of today's me. The me of tomorrow, who might die miserably due to lack of training, is also me. Yes, endure it.
As I stood up again, the imaginary enemies also rose to their feet.
—
Two days later, there was fresh news.
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon had recommended Jangho, the third division leader, as a candidate for the Demonic Army Commander.
Despite his outburst and abrupt departure, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had ultimately accepted my proposal. It was a table he couldn't overturn from the beginning.
The person most surprised by this news was Jangho himself.
"What's going on?"
Just the fact that he came to ask me showed that he was smart and perceptive.
If he were an ordinary person, he would have thought this was a sudden stroke of luck. But Jangho was someone who knew that such luck didn't exist in this world.
"This is the work of the Pavilion Master, isn't it?"
"That's right. I asked the Blood Heaven Blade Demon for this favor."
"I appreciate that you think highly of me, but this is not a position I can handle."
"There's no need for modesty. The position you're being offered is the same one held by the previous Demonic Army Commander who died."
"But that's a different case."
"Just lead as you always have. I'm confident you'll be the best Demonic Army Commander in history."
He was especially the strongest martial artist among the leaders. He also had the active support of the entire third division. If the leader were chosen internally, he had more than enough qualifications.
"Second Young Master, you are overestimating me."
"Or perhaps you are underestimating yourself. Anyway, since other candidates are also being mentioned, let's wait and see."
Despite his confusion, Jangho was simultaneously happy. What else could be the dream of all the division leaders except becoming the Demonic Army Commander?
"Well, we've done our part, so let's leave the results to heaven's will."
—
Although I told Jangho to let heaven decide, it wasn't as if that indifferent sky would kindly respond. I had to keep working diligently to make things happen.
That night, I went to see my father.
At the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, my father had his own quarters, probably the largest and most luxurious residence in the world.
And now, seeing my father in an unfamiliar appearance made me blink, thinking I was seeing things.
"Is that a new protective armor?"
"No, it's my pajamas."
"..."
"..."
"Floral-patterned pajamas, huh? Not demons or evil spirits…"
"I believe in sleeping comfortably."
It was the first time I had seen my father in pajamas. The bright floral-patterned pajamas were shocking, but the fact that he showed me this look was even more surprising. He could have told me to wait and changed into other clothes.
"What brings you here at this hour?"
"This hour? It's just early evening. I didn't know you went to bed this early. Isn't this top secret? If the Martial Alliance knew, they would attack immediately. 'The Heavenly Demon goes to bed early, let's launch a midnight raid!'"
"Get to the point!"
"Yes."
I stopped with the jokes and revealed the reason for my visit.
"I want to use the Blood Heaven Blade Demon as my sword."
"You said you wanted to kill him before?"
"It seems a waste to kill him."
This news wasn't new to my father. When the Blood Heaven Blade Demon recommended Jangho, he must have already realized that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and I had joined hands.
Not just my father, but anyone interested in the cult's politics could guess. Everyone was watching closely. They wanted to see how the relationship between me and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would unfold, how my brother would react later, and how the other Demon Supremes would move in response.
My father changed the subject.
"How's the new sword?"
"I like it."
"Let me see."
I handed the Black Demon Sword, still in its sheath, to my father.
He slowly drew the sword and nodded in satisfaction.
"It has been well-tamed."
"Can you tell just by holding it?"
"You should know by holding it. Do you expect to know after being stabbed?"
He handed the Black Demon Sword back to me and said,
"The Blood Heaven Blade Demon won't be tamed so easily."
"I'm not planning to tame him. I'll use him until he breaks. For now, he's not worth keeping."
"And what if he cuts you?"
"Then I'll get cut. But there will be a difference between the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and me. An old Blood Heaven Blade Demon will be finished once he breaks, but I will become stronger the more I'm cut. I'll apply medicine, bandage myself, and keep moving forward."
"Easier said than done. But why are you reporting this to me?"
"Since I'm receiving the stipend you provide, it's natural to report to you."
My father's eyes narrowed.
"You're not asking me to accept the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's recommendation?"
As sharp as he was, he was wrong this time.
"No, it's the opposite. Absolutely do not allow it according to his will."
"Don't allow it? Why?"
"I'm planning to break the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's spirit. He is so overbearing in front of me. Sometimes, he even acts more superior than you. I'm going to crush his spirit."
"Stop with the nonsense. Tell me your true intention."
"Why do you think I'm not being sincere?"
"It's a chance to gain the Demonic Army, and you're going to give that up just to break his spirit? You're not that kind of person."
As expected, my father was astute.
"Yes, you saw through it."
"What are you aiming for?"
"I have something to gain from the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. For that to happen, this matter must not go according to his plan."
"Is it more important than the Demonic Army?"
"In some ways, yes. Oh, and I'll make the Demonic Army mine as well. I'll make everything mine."
My father turned away.
"Stop joking and leave."
Despite his words, I could feel it. He would grant my request.
As I looked at the brightly bloomed flowers on my father's back, I smirked.
"Father. At least tonight, nothing will be funnier than those pajamas."