[Chapter 47]
Shortly after, Neunghyu entered the room.
"Master, I came running as soon as you called."
Our gazes turned toward his waist. As expected, there was no fan, which soul conjurers usually carry.
"Where is your fan?"
"I lost it yesterday."
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme then threw the fan he was holding at him.
"It's mine. Where did you find this?"
He didn't dare ask the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme, so he questioned me instead.
"Several corpses were discovered yesterday, and this was found among them."
Hearing my answer, Neunghyu flinched. It was a different kind of surprise than the usual shock of having one's belongings found at a crime scene.
And Neunghyu, too, did not ask where the bodies were found or what the cause of death was.
'Ah, so Neunghyu was the one in charge of disposing of the bodies!'
It was the moment I confirmed that the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme had been using his soul conjuring technique.
"Given the circumstances, you'll have to come with me for investigation."
Neunghyu did not fear me. He looked at the one person he was truly afraid of, seeking his judgment.
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme silently stared at him, and it was clear he was sending a telepathic message in his unique way.
Soon, Neunghyu spoke to me.
"Understood, let's go."
He did not protest his innocence or resist and was calmly taken into custody.
I bowed politely to the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.
"Thank you for your cooperation. I'll see you next time."
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme nodded silently. His expression was utterly serene, giving no hint of his thoughts.
* * *
As soon as we returned, I ordered an investigation on Neunghyu.
The special investigators took turns questioning him, but he only repeated that he had lost his fan and said nothing else.
"He's not going to talk easily."
At Seo Daeryong's words, I nodded. I could tell just by looking at his eyes. His loyalty and fear toward the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme were too strong for any persuasion or interrogation to work.
"We don't have evidence that he committed the murders, so we can't hold him for long."
"He's just a pawn anyway. If we want to capture someone, it has to be the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme."
Reading the determination in my eyes, Seo Daeryong spoke worriedly.
"Be careful. Your opponent is the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme."
"Do you remember what I told you all when I first took this position? Even if my father were wrong, I would go to arrest him."
"Yes."
"Then it's he who should be careful. Go and tell him to be cautious."
"I wish I had the courage to do so."
That day, someone unexpected came to visit me in my office.
Seo Daeryong, entering with a surprised face, even stuttered.
"Th-the Cult Leader is here."
I was equally shocked. I never dreamed my father would come here.
"Please, show him in."
Seo Daeryong went out, and soon after, my father entered the office.
"Father? What brings you here?"
"I was passing by and decided to stop in."
No way. He had come to tell me something.
"We have both tea and alcohol."
"What alcohol in broad daylight? Let's have some tea."
I personally prepared and served the tea. Meanwhile, my father stood by the window behind my desk, looking out.
"Please have some tea."
Still gazing out the window, he spoke.
"You must not touch the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme yet."
I knew it. He had come here to tell me this.
He knew that I had gone to Western Illusion Formation and brought Neunghyu back in custody. He also knew that with the discovery of the bodies, especially the childrens, I would not leave the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme alone.
"Why not?"
"Because your martial arts are not strong enough to kill him."
"I'll strike him down when he's off guard. If necessary, I'll stab him in the back to kill him."
"Getting behind him will be harder than killing him."
"Is the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme really that strong?"
"He is both the weakest and the strongest."
I understood what he meant.
If I could surpass his soul conjuring technique—if I could master martial arts that were immune to his sorcery or reach a level of mastery where his sorcery didn't work—then he would be the easiest opponent. Without his sorcery, his martial arts were nothing special.
In this sense, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme would be the weakest among the Demon Supremes to my father. His sorcery would have no effect on him.
"Will you help me surpass him?"
"It's impossible in a short time."
"As you've seen, I learn quickly, don't I?"
"That won't be enough. There are two ways to block the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme's sorcery. The first is to master the Nine Calamities Demon Art. Depending on the talent of the practitioner, the degree of resistance varies, but if you reach the fifth level, his sorcery won't affect you."
"I don't want to hear the second method. Help me block it with the first method."
When I asked my father again to make me his successor, he pretended not to hear and continued to explain the second method.
"Or you could master the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Technique. Since both are impossible for now, I am telling you to stand down."
At that moment, a solution came to mind. There was one method I knew of because I had regressed.
'Father, there is actually a third method.'
It's a hundred times easier than the first and second methods.
But the real issue lay elsewhere.
"Is the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme truly an indispensable asset to the Divine Cult?"
My father must have sensed the murderous intent in my calm question.
"Among the Eight Demon Supremes, the orthodox sects find the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme the most troublesome."
He was indirectly saying that the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was necessary.
"Even though he is extracting living hearts for his grand technique? Did you know about this?"
My father shook his head.
"I only learned about it recently."
I wondered how my father would handle this.
Even he wouldn't be fond of someone who extracts hearts from living people, let alone civilians under his protection.
However, as the leader of the cult, he couldn't easily get rid of someone who would be the strongest force against the Martial Alliance. This wasn't something my father should handle; it was my problem to solve.
"You told me to inform you before killing a Demon Supreme, didn't you?"
This was the promise my father had made me swear when he allowed me to pass on the Soaring Sword Art to Lee Ahn.
"I'm informing you now. I will kill the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme Yasuo. He will be the first of the Eight Demon Supremes to die."
In the previous timeline, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme had lived the longest among the Demon Supremes. Now, he would face the opposite fate.
"This is not about killing someone in a fit of anger. It's worse than a madman going around killing people randomly. It's about systematically and regularly killing civilians with a clear mind and hiding all proof of his implication. If he had some grand purpose, it might be barely understandable. But he's doing this just to become a bit stronger, and he uses horrible methods to attain it. This is not a human, Father. You have your position with the Eight Demon Supremes, so leave this to me. You gave me the sword, so let me wield it to the end."
I didn't know how much my father would empathize with my words. While I wanted to walk the same path as him, I had to think differently about this matter.
Just like on a long journey, sometimes you have to part ways with your companions and meet again later.
My father stared at me in silence for a long time, then left the room after saying something completely unexpected.
"If you are capable enough… then you will fill the gap he leaves, so it won't be a big problem."
"!"
He had given me permission to kill him. It was advice to proceed if I was strong enough, coupled with the pressure to fill the void left behind.
A smile crept across my lips. Since he had already left, I gave my thanks silently.
'Thank you, Father.'
Indeed, my father was my father. Yes, this wasn't a journey where we would part ways. My father and I were still walking the same path.
It was unlikely, but if I ever became a father in this lifetime… I would want to give my son the same exhilarating feeling that my father had just given me.
Of course, I would still live alone in this life so it's something impossible in the first place.( EN: I wouldn't be so sure if I were you~~ ^^)
* * *
"Please, please spare me. I have children. If I die, my children…"
The man quietly looked into the eyes of the pleading woman.
The woman, terrified, stared at the man.
The gaze of this ordinarily looking man was utterly terrifying due to his utter absence of life, emotions, or even soul.
But thinking of her children gave her courage. She was raising them alone. Without her, her young children would not survive the winter and would die.
"Please let me go. I'll do whatever you want. Just let me go. Please! Spare me."
Tears flowed from the woman's eyes.
Then, she saw the man's dead pupils turn black. In the darkness, she saw the images of her children.
For a moment, she smiled brightly in relief, but soon her face contorted in pain.
The children were suffering from hunger, beaten by other beggars, and dragged away by a madman to endure torment.
"No! Please! No!"
The man's eyes were merciless. As if to extract all her sorrow, he replayed the final moments of her children.
The children collapsed on the cold winter streets, breathing their last. The words "Mom, I'm hungry" slipped from their mouths.
"Aaah! No!"
When her sorrow and despair reached their peak, her heart was wrenched from her.
Her heart was beating in the man's hand.
Her blood became tears of anguish, scattering everywhere, as she grieved more for not being able to see her children than for losing her life.
Her breath ceased, and the inner power of the ordinarily looking man increased ever so slightly.
* * *
The next day, I took Neunghyu, who had been in the investigation room, and went to the Western Illusion Formation.
I decided to use the third method to kill the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.
However, for that, I needed approximately two months. This was because I had to arrive somewhere by a fixed date. Until then, I needed to buy time, no matter what. Just two months.
This time, I only brought Seo Daeryong. He was scared and refused to go, but I still dragged him along. He needed various experiences since he would become the future leader of the Underworld Pavilion.
The black rims of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme's eyes, who greeted us, were eerily large.
"Neunghyu has been acquitted. We couldn't find any evidence that he killed them."
"Then you should only release Neunghyu. Why have you come?"
"I have something to tell you."
"Speak."
"Please clear the area."
I sent Seo Daeryong outside. What I was about to say was crucial enough that the opponent might react with murderous intent, which would be very dangerous for him.
When we were alone, I spoke to him.
"I know that you are practicing the Heart and Soul Reaping Technique."
"What is the Heart and Soul Reaping Technique? It's the first time I've heard of it."
He lied without a change in his expression. Having reached the position of Demon Supreme by manipulating people's hearts, he showed no emotional disturbance.
"Stop practicing the technique."
"Second Young Master, what on earth are you talking about?"
His voice echoed noisily from all directions.
"If you refuse my proposal, you will die."
When the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme laughed mockingly, my words echoed as if ridiculing me.
—If you refuse, you will die, if you refuse, you will die…
The word "die" was heard in the voices of several people I knew.
Calming my mind with the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Technique, I spoke firmly.
"I am not the one who will kill you."
—I am not, I am not…
Again, my words echoed in the voices of several people, mocking me.
"I will persuade my father."
The echo ceased abruptly at the mention of my father.
A deep and heavy silence descended upon the room.
The only person he feared.
For the time being, only my father could restrain him.
"Every morning, I will visit him and ask him. Please kill the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme. The next day, I will ask him again. Those who remove the hearts of the living only tarnish the prestige of our cult. I will ask him again the next day. I will tell him I will give up being the successor if he kills you. Day after day, I will persuade him with all sorts of reasons. And one day, after you make a big mistake towards my father, he might decide to kill you."
As soon as I finished speaking, the black pupils of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme shrank to the size of a dot. It was a bizarre sight as if his pupils were being sucked somewhere, leaving only a dot. At the same time, a powerful eerie aura emanated from his body.
Kihehehehehe.
The sound of a ghost echoed, and the surroundings darkened and brightened.
Before I knew it, everything around us had completely changed.