Chapter 327: Subjugation (2)

The current hierarchy of Elders under the Six Great Demonic Clans' Clan Leaders was as follows:

Seventh Elder, White-Faced Demon General Jang Gil-san.

Eighth Elder, Blood Flow Spear Yang So-byeong.

Ninth Elder, King of Nine Hidden Blood Threads Wang Garak.

Tenth Elder, Gwang Rahi Yeojin.

Eleventh Elder, Yama Blade Mujin.

Twelfth Elder, Black Killing Demon Sword Hahoo Seong.

Originally, in my past life, someone else had taken the Twelfth Elder's position instead of the Black Killing Demon Sword.

It seemed that the change in history had placed a different person there.

Well, the Sword Demon had been pleased that someone truly qualified had taken the Elder’s seat.

Although they were ranked as lower Elders, their authority and influence were not to be underestimated.

If two or three of them joined forces, they would be capable of launching an all-out war against one of the Six Great Demonic Clans.

I asked Jin Gun-ak.

“What do you mean by ‘the other side’s emotions’?”

“Hm…”

Jin Gun-ak did not answer right away. He furrowed his brow slightly and stroked his chin.

As if contemplating whether this was something he should tell me.

It was rare to see Jin Gun-ak hesitate like this.

“Well, I suppose it’s fine.”

As if making up his mind, Jin Gun-ak revealed to me a hidden truth from the past.

“Yeojin was once considered the most promising candidate for the position of the Heartless Demonic Empress decades ago.”

“……What?”

“The Ye Family is an old and deeply rooted clan that existed long before the era of the Sun and Moon Divine Cult. However, their power is so insignificant that they’re the perfect match for those name-loving bastards of the Cheon Clan.”

Heartless Demonic Empress.

A title far more commonly used than Demonic Faction Lord.

It usually referred to the spouse of the Cult Leader.

“So it didn’t work out, huh.”

“Exactly. As you already know, the Cult Leader brought back the Priestess of the Blood Cult.”

Unrequited love.

There was nothing more pitiful than that.

‘Could this be… revenge?’

No, it didn’t seem to be that either.

I had a growing feeling that I would have quite a lot to ask the Cult Leader once this ordeal was over.

The day had broken.

While I was lightly circulating my Qi through my Dantian, I sensed the swelling presence of countless people beyond and opened my eyes.

“They really gathered in droves.”

What the Cheon Clan was officially revealing this time was only the Outer Hall.

Yet tens of thousands had already gathered at that Outer Hall.

Even ordinary cult members who knew nothing of martial arts had come all the way to this treacherous mountain after hearing the rumors.

“Great Young Master! Please, hurry and get ready!”

The Chief Steward rushed over, panting heavily as he shouted.

“It’s utter chaos out there! The entire mountain range is about to burst from all the people gathered just to catch a glimpse of you!”

“The entire mountain range? What nonsense…”

I let out a soft chuckle as I straightened my clothes and rose to my feet.

Leaning casually at the entrance, Jin Gun-ak grinned and spoke.

“Lead the way. Today, you are the star.”

I gave a quiet nod and began walking forward, passing between the ranks of martial artists from the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan who had formed a double line.

Hundreds of warriors followed behind me in step with my movements.

“Just saying, Brother… Are you really confident about this?”

I let out a soft laugh at Jin Yeowoon’s words and replied.

“Isn’t it a little late to be asking that?”

“Damn it. Taking on all the later-generation disciples of the Cult… What kind of monster are you?”

His voice trembled slightly.

Well, even he must have found this kind of madness impossible.

“Monster, my ass. Oh, and… as promised, keep your schedule open once this is over.”

“……Huh?”

“Because I’m going to push you hard. I’ll make sure you’re worthy of being called the true successor of the Jin Clan.”

“…….”

Was he remembering the time I had beaten him to a pulp?

Jin Yeowoon’s face turned pale, and his shoulders began to shrink.

Well, setting that aside.

The moment I and the warriors of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan stepped through the door leading to the designated Outer Hall’s sparring arena.

“Jin Yeomyung! It’s Jin Yeomyung!”

“Waaahhhh!!!”

My entire field of vision filled with a sea of people.

And then came a roar that shook the heavens and the earth.

“……!!”

“……!!!”

The Chief Steward hadn’t been lying.

It really wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to say the entire mountain range was filled.

Even beyond the range of my perception, the crowds stretched endlessly.

I could feel even the fearless warriors of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan shrinking under the sheer pressure.

I gave a slight nod toward Jin Gun-ak, whose expression had visibly stiffened.

“Well then, I’ll be back.”

“Y-yeah.”

I slowly approached Ilro, who stood alone in the center of the arena.

Even as I walked, I scanned the surroundings to check who had come.

‘There she is.’

Seated at the highest seat among the honored guests was Cheon Yura.

I gave her a slight wink with my right eye.

I saw the corners of her mouth lift slightly in response.

It seemed she was pleased that I had dressed up properly for once.

That was a relief.

‘Watch closely. After this competition, I’ll be the one sitting by your side.’

I then turned my gaze to those seated around Cheon Yura.

“So many have come.”

I repeated the same words I had said earlier.

Saber Demon, Sword Demon, Golden Demon… It seemed that all the lower Elders had attended except for Yama Blade.

Among them, my eyes met those of Gwang Rahi Yeojin, who had appeared yesterday.

“…….”

“…….”

It was only for a brief moment, but I felt as though I had caught a glimpse of sorrow flickering in her eyes.

But that was all.

I turned my gaze away from the honored seats and approached Ilro, who stood smiling warmly.

“So, are you prepared?”

“I’ve been prepared since long ago.”

“Hoho, is that so? Good. The audience must be getting restless, so let’s begin quickly.”

Ilro spread his Yukhap Jeonseong wide, signaling the start of this tournament.

The cheers from the cult members were so loud they nearly drowned out the Yukhap Jeonseong itself….

“Let me make this clear beforehand! Other than the rule of one-on-one combat, there are no restrictions whatsoever! If you value your life, retreating might be a wise choice!”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

“Blood! We want to see blood!”

…As expected of the Demonic Cult.

Rather than calming the crowd, Ilro’s announcement only fueled their bloodlust even further.

No, it actually seemed like this was the reaction he had been aiming for.

Ilro spread his arms wide, clearly satisfied with the crowd’s response.

“Then, let the Demonic Faction Lord’s Tournament begin! The first challenger, step forward!”

The first challenger.

In tournaments like this, it was always more advantageous to step forward later.

Naturally, people would think my stamina would eventually wear down as time passed.

However, being the first was different.

Whether they won or lost, the first challenger would make a name for themselves within the Cult simply through the symbolism of going first.

“…….”

“…….”

I lazily looked over the dozens of later-generation disciples lined up before me.

All of them were eager to challenge me, their skill levels ranging from Second Rate Martial Artists to Peak Master Level.

An intense silent standoff quickly unfolded in the stillness.

Only one among them would get to challenge me.

I watched the later-generation disciples with great interest.

‘Could I actually get to see them fight each other?’

As absurd as it was, that would make for an entertaining development.

And it really seemed likely unless someone stepped up to mediate.

At that moment, a martial artist who seemed to have reached Peak Master Level near the age of thirty growled threateningly.

“Those without the skills, back off.”

“…What?”

“Especially you, those who can’t even manifest Sword qi. How dare you have the guts to stand here? Get lost. Now.”

He unleashed killing intent toward the other competitors.

“Ugh!”

“Kugh!”

Almost instantly, more than ten lower-level later-generation disciples broke into cold sweat and began to step back.

However, more than half still remained in the arena.

Among them, there were three at Peak Master Level.

Those three began to exchange glances, coming to a silent agreement.

“Tch, you think we’ll go down without a fight?!”

The First Rate Martial Artists quickly realized what was happening and drew their swords, spreading out.

“Hmph! You lot can’t even coordinate properly. You don’t scare me.”

And he wasn’t wrong.

If they could form a proper formation, they might have posed a threat.

But with mismatched Qi, weapons, and techniques, they were nothing more than a disorganized mob to those Peak Masters.

“Hohoho, I was wondering, but things are getting entertaining.”

Three against eleven.

Just as I was getting curious about how things would turn out from the very start—

“Huh?”

Ilro blinked as he noticed a middle-aged man approaching the sparring stage.

“Blood Flow Spear. What brings you here? Why aren’t you watching from the honored seats?”

The Eighth Elder, Blood Flow Spear Yang So-byeong.

The ruggedly handsome man smirked as he answered.

“Haha, I’m merely here as an observer.”

“An observer?”

“I just wanted to watch the performance of my recently accepted disciple up close.”

“Your disciple?”

Murmur, murmur!

A disciple of an Elder was never a trivial matter.

It meant the disciple was an elite candidate who could one day carry a pillar of the Cult’s future power!

Of course, not all disciples were guaranteed to be exceptional, but no Elder would put forward someone unqualified for an event like this.

Step. Step.

A young man with a cocky aura walked down the path Yang So-byeong had come from.

Grinning.

I couldn’t help but smirk as I recognized the opponent.

It looked like I was about to leave a strong impression on the audience gathered here from the very first day.

The young man walked right into the middle of the gathered contestants and sneered.

“Get lost, all of you.”

“…What did you say?”

“This is a long-awaited rematch. I won’t let a bunch of nobodies get in my way.”

“You bastard, you’ve got a death wish…!”

The Peak Masters, enraged, lunged at the young man with their swords.

But before their swords could reach him, the young man’s spear flashed, slashing across their wrists with dazzling speed.

“Arghhh!”

“Guh!”

With a single strike, the tendons in their wrists were severed, and their swords clattered helplessly to the ground.

“…Huh?”

“Impressive.”

Those with sharp eyes immediately noticed just how advanced that single strike had been.

Saber Demon stroked his chin with a curious expression.

“Was it about a year ago? I heard Elder Yang took in a descendant of the Ak Clan who defected to the Cult. That must be him.”

“That’s right. I heard he’s something called a Heavenly Martial Physique or whatever.”

“Cluck, cluck, cluck! That junior of yours doesn’t seem likely to lose… but with things starting off like this, the Cheon Clan must be fuming.”

The young man, who had just disabled three Peak Masters in an instant, slowly began walking toward me.

None of the others standing behind him dared to stop him.

“It’s been a while, bastard.”

“It has. Should I call you Baek Cheon-ho… or should I call you Ak Cheon-ho now?”

“Yeah. I’ve thrown away that cursed Baek surname.”

Naturally, the title of Adopted Son of Baek Mun-jeol, the Absolute Sword was now nothing more than a shackle for him.

“Is the work of reviving your clan going well?”

I had promised to help him restore his clan, and I had also promised to provide the necessary support.

The first of such support had been to introduce him to Blood Flow Spear Yang So-byeong, a master of the Extreme Demon Realm with a spear.

Surprisingly, Ak Cheon-ho shook his head.

“I plan to rebuild the clan after I gain more strength.”

“Is that so?”

Click.

Ak Cheon-ho aimed the tip of his spear at me.

“I know very well that I’m not yet strong enough to reach you. However… I still want to check how much closer I’ve come.”

“Hm…”

I controlled my expression to hide the slight awkwardness I felt.

Back when we fought, I had been at the Extreme Demon Realm.

But now, my level was on a whole different scale compared to back then.

‘It seems I’ve made considerable progress even within the Peak Master Level.’

Ak Cheon-ho was clearly no longer bound by the limits of a later-generation disciple.

Considering his once reckless nature, it would have been normal for his growth to have slowed down by now.

It seemed that meeting Blood Flow Spear had helped him shed some of that mindset.

“Alright.”

I felt a little sorry for saying this to someone I hadn’t seen in a long time.

But I went ahead with what I had planned from the start.

“Come on, take your best shot.”

“…?”

I stood still with my arms spread wide, as if declaring I would not resist.

“I won’t move my legs, so go ahead and stab me as you please.”

“…What?”

His face twisted into a scowl.

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