Chapter 201: The East (3)

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The Blade Demon, Han Yulim.

He was one of the Elders of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon and a master of demonic arts known throughout the Central Plains.

His life had never been ordinary from the very beginning.

Born upon a stream of blood flowing on the battlefield, Han Yulim wandered the warzones all his life, as if possessed by a demon.

As a child, he survived by scavenging corpses and stealing valuables, and once he became an adult, he lived as a vagabond, killing people for a living.

Then, he became entangled in a botched commission and faced death, but through an unexpected opportunity, he acquired a new martial art.

“This is the Asura Blood-Heaven Sword Art, the very technique that earned me the title of Blade Demon and made me an Elder of the Cult.”

“Asura Blood-Heaven Sword Art.”

“It seemed like a sword art unknown to the world. Even after I became an Elder of the Cult and inquired about it, no one had ever heard of it.”

Inside the Madeira Trading House building.

The Blade Demon, seated in front of Carl, continued speaking with unwavering courtesy.

After their brief fight and learning each other’s identities, the two had sorted out their hierarchical positions.

Even though he had fallen into another world, as long as he continued walking the path of the Demon Human, Han Yulim considered himself a member of the demonic lineage.

For Demon Humans, the Heavenly Demon and the descendants who mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art were akin to heaven itself.

Thus, he had no hesitation in serving Carl and found it natural.

‘……In truth, His Eminence hadn’t even fought seriously.’

Although he himself hadn’t gone all out either, the disparity in power between them had been unmistakably clear.

Even if he had brought with him the peak of his prowess from his prime in the Central Plains, it would still have been difficult to surpass His Eminence.

“As Your Eminence may know, Elders of the Cult are assigned various trivial tasks. Some are handled internally, others externally. I left the Sacred Stronghold to head toward Henan in order to deal with external matters.”

Carl nodded.

While listening to the Blade Demon, he realized that the man must have lived hundreds of years before his own time.

If they had been contemporaries or the Blade Demon a later figure, he would certainly have known the name of the Greatest Assassin of the Central Plains, Mu-ak.

“The problem occurred there. Your Eminence, do you happen to know where the main base of Black Spot was?”

“The main base of Black Spot was always located in the largest inn across the street from the Martial Alliance building.”

“As expected, Your Eminence is well-informed. That was indeed the place.”

“What do you mean by ‘was’?”

“I got caught up in all this before confirming it myself. To explain the whole situation……”

The Blade Demon took a long, cool sip of the tea placed before him, as if his throat was parched.

Then he scratched his cheek awkwardly with a wry smile.

“Apologies. This is the first time I’ve spoken so much since coming here, so I’m not used to it.”

“I understand. Please, continue.”

Carl nodded.

After all, he was more curious about how the Blade Demon had crossed over from the Central Plains to Artenia.

‘I……’

Carl often wondered why such things had begun happening ever since he awoke in this body.

But no matter how much he thought about it, the only significant factor had been the Explosive Bloodburst triggered from his heart.

Even that wasn’t some spell or curse, but simply a self-destruct type Hidden Poison Needle.

Thus, he hoped to find some hint in the Blade Demon’s story.

“One of the organizations under my management was Black Spot. They were a bunch of rats, constantly moving their base and hiding in smoke screens. Even when assigned tasks, they kept dodging and stalling. So to set things straight, I personally entered the martial world.”

Black Spot, simply put, was a fixer organization that handled dirty work.

Wandering swordsmen in the shadows, high-level experts who left no trace, experiments, assassinations, and so on……

They were spread like a web across the Central Plains. Not quite as influential as the leading orthodox or unorthodox sects, but still a considerable force.

“At the time, the Cult was preparing for a grand campaign.”

“Conquest of the Central Plains?”

“Yes. To do that, we needed someone to stir the pot from within. Black Spot was perfectly suited for that role.”

A web-like organization, widespread, with a nature suited for use and discard.

To the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, there was no better blade.

“But they kept trying to break away from the Cult’s influence, so I crushed several of Black Spot’s major branches to restore order. A message, showing what happens when they defy orders.”

It was a thoroughly Cult-like move.

The Blade Demon, deeply entrenched in the belief of survival of the fittest, showed no trace of guilt over it.

“……Was it a trap?”

“Your insight is sharp, as always.”

The Blade Demon curled his lips into a smile and nodded.

“Still, rats are only threatening when they gather. I planned to break them completely and show the overwhelming difference in power. When the old masters from the previous generation came at me together, I was pushed back a bit, but dealing with those decrepit elders wasn’t too difficult. I cut one in half with a single strike and entered the room where Black Spot’s true leader was……”

“What happened then?”

Carl leaned in, focusing on the Blade Demon’s story.

This was the most important climax.

The Blade Demon furrowed his brows slightly and spoke hesitantly, as if trying to recall the moment.

“This part… even I don’t remember clearly… so I can’t be completely certain.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“All around me, it was entirely mirrors.”

“Mirrors?”

“Yes. Something inside was glittering on the walls and ceiling, so I thought it might be a trap set with Hidden Poison Needles, but the moment I entered, the lights turned on. They were definitely mirrors.”

When he entered the place where Black Spot’s leader resided, the ceiling, walls, and even the floor were all made of mirrors.

There was probably no more disorienting sight, but Carl listened to the Blade Demon with a thoroughly serious expression.

“What happened next?”

“From this point on, my mind wasn’t completely clear. The moment I looked at the mirror, my head began spinning.”

The Blade Demon had swung his blade wildly.

He had instantly realized that his opponent was using sorcery to disrupt his mind.

By the time he had smashed all the mirrors in the room, he realized it was already too late.

“Blood started seeping out of the shattered mirrors. It began to fill the room, so I immediately turned and fled. Thinking back, it was the worst decision I could’ve made.”

Carl nodded.

Sorcery and illusions were things that existed in the martial world as well.

Especially if such a formation was deployed in a fixed location like an office, it meant a formation technique had been added.

He had caused a ruckus without thinking of the aftermath, so getting caught in it wasn’t strange at all.

“I felt like my consciousness was being sucked somewhere, and when I came to, I was in this body.”

The Blade Demon Han Yulim looked down at his own hand.

Far younger and with taut skin, unlike his original age.

He would have needed more time to regain his original martial prowess, but he was confident he had grown strong enough to have no equal in this kind of back alley.

‘……Except for His Eminence.’

Just how powerful was His Eminence, truly?

As curiosity rose from deep within, Carl asked the Blade Demon,

“What about the family of that body?”

“An orphan. When I came to, I was being sold by a slave trader. That slave branding tattoo made it quite difficult to escape.”

“A slave brand?”

“Yes.”

The Blade Demon reached out and pulled open the front of his shirt.

Just above his chest, the skin was a distinctly different color from the rest.

“I cut the skin off entirely. At first, the rejection was intense, but once I forced it by slicing off the flesh, it worked just as I’d hoped.”

To think he had cut his own skin off to remove a slave brand.

Could that really even be resolved just by removing the skin?

‘He’s as tough as you’d expect from an Elder of the Cult.’

Just as Carl gave a faint bitter smile, the Blade Demon chuckled and continued.

“After that, well, I kept to the shadows and was working within this organization when I met His Eminence.”

“I shall also clarify something.”

Carl raised his hand and drew upon the demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

“I am Wiji-cheon, Young Master of the Cult.”

Wiji-cheon, Young Master of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.

It was a name taken from someone who had actually existed.

A genius known as the Demon Dragon, said to be the most exceptional of all the Cult’s Young Masters.

Among the commissions Carl had once received, one had been the assassination of the Demon Dragon—but since not just himself but the entire Killing Veil and the assassin world would have been wiped out, he naturally declined it.

“I too, Blade Demon, experienced something similar. I picked up a palm-sized mirror from the Cult’s secret archives……”

“So we are the same, then.”

The Blade Demon nodded with a solemn expression.

He didn’t doubt for a moment that Carl’s story had truly happened to him.

“I woke up at around five years old. That’s why I built this organization—to create the Cult once again here.”

“Ah……!”

The Blade Demon gasped in admiration.

While in the shadows, he had heard the name NOX many times.

A new force that had appeared earlier this year, stirring the calm underworld of the capital.

He had wondered what their purpose was, and now it turned out it had been to found a new Cult of the Heavenly Demon.

Thud!

Filled with immense loyalty and pride for the Cult, the Blade Demon shot to his feet and knelt, pressing his forehead to the floor in a deep bow.

“Truly, Your Eminence—no, Heavenly Demon. To think the Cult of the Heavenly Demon exists even here…!”

The Cult and the Heavenly Demon he had once sworn allegiance to had vanished.

Because of that, the Blade Demon had lost his will for life, acting out of inertia while desperately searching for a way to return to the Central Plains.

The appearance of a new Heavenly Demon and the re-establishment of the Cult brought him indescribable joy.

“Will the Cult Leader return to the Central Plains……?”

“Of course. I shall go there, confront the Heavenly Demon of that land, and once more shake the Central Plains with my majesty.”

Of course, it was a complete lie.

Carl thoroughly acted the part of Wiji-cheon, saying only what the Blade Demon wanted to hear.

“Ahh, ahhh!”

The Blade Demon, overwhelmed with emotion, clenched his fists.

“This subordinate is moved. If you would but grant me permission, I, the Blade Demon Han Yulim, shall burn my body at the frontlines to lay the foundation for the Cult.”

Just imagining the symbols and buildings of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon rising here in the otherworld of Artenia sent a thrill through his whole body.

If that happened, could he reclaim his former position as an Elder of the Cult?

‘NOX is the cornerstone for that. Madeira is the stepping stone!’

Strength, wealth, and power.

One needed all three to rebuild the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.

“How meticulous this all is……”

The Blade Demon trembled with awe.

Watching him quietly, Carl gave a bitter smile internally.

‘I don’t know what he’s imagining, but his imagination sure is vivid.’

Regardless, to Carl, it was no different than having a useful blade in his hand.

If he had been an Elder of the Cult, that meant he was knowledgeable and at least somewhat wise.

He could use him for a while, squeeze out whatever benefit he could, then dispose of him.

“Let’s work well together. Until the Cult’s name resounds through this land.”

And so, Carl—still playing the part of Wiji-cheon—extended his hand to the Blade Demon with a confident, spirited smile.

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