Chapter 389: Declaration of War (5)

There wasn’t even time to dodge.

It was a perfect ambush.

The combined collision of Fifth Elder and Sixth Elder’s new forms with Cheon Jumyeong swept me away in its aftermath.

Kururung! Kurururung!

With a thunderous crash, the ground collapsed and the outer hall’s wall crumbled down.

“Keuaaagh!”

The two Elders caught in the wave vanished inward with a single scream.

“F-Fifth Elder!”

“Sixth Elder!”

Their subordinates hurriedly tried to intervene, but they were vastly outnumbered.

They had to do everything they could just to avoid being caught in the aftermath themselves.

‘They’re not dead.’

I clicked my tongue as I sensed their faint life force from within.

They too must have accepted the power of the Heaven-Defying Society, just like the other Seven Elders.

But—

‘With injuries severe enough to need at least several months of recuperation, and after being hit by the Heaven-Slaying Qi on top of that, it’ll be hard for them to even move for a while.’

With this, the only one left in the Council of Seven Elders who could check Cheon Jumyeong was the youngest.

I glanced toward that Elder standing far in the distance.

‘If that bastard had gotten swept up in it too, it would’ve been perfect… but this much is good enough.’

After exchanging a few more moves with Cheon Jumyeong, I took a slight step back.

Then I raised my hand and withdrew the Heavenly Demon’s Dominance.

Tsssss!

The black demonic energy that had engulfed the world slowly spiraled back into my hand.

“…Magnificent.”

Cheon Jumyeong, who had witnessed the scene from the closest distance, murmured quietly.

Even I had to admit, it was dreamlike—so surreal it felt like a god was reclaiming the world they had created.

While everyone else stood mesmerized by the sight, Cheon Jumyeong spoke to me.

“For a while, just as you intended, the Cheon Clan won’t be able to interfere with you.”

“That’s right.”

“But the flip side of that is—whatever you and the Cult Leader try to push forward, the power of the Cheon Clan won’t be involved.”

The Cheon Clan’s influence accounted for nearly thirty percent of the total strength of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Still, I answered with a scoff.

“If the Cheon Clan had been of any help to Yura in the first place, do you think I’d ever have accepted your proposal?”

“Kuhk kuhk! True enough.”

Whether he meant it or not, Cheon Jumyeong brushed off my scoff with a light laugh.

He looked down toward the base of the wall.

Then clicked his tongue quietly.

“Tch! Cleaning this up is going to be a real nuisance.”

“I did kill more than expected, but this was the only way to diminish the Cheon Clan’s influence.”

“A mountain of corpses, a sea of blood… I never thought I’d witness such a hellscape in my life…”

For someone like Cheon Jumyeong to say something like that—it meant what I had done today would leave a bold mark in the history of the Cult.

“Go back. I’ll take care of cleaning up the situation…”

“Wait.”

Then, from behind me, Yura’s voice called out.

“……”

Cheon Yura’s sudden intrusion made Cheon Jumyeong’s expression stiffen slightly.

“Heavenly Thunder Corps Leader, Cheon Jumyeong.”

“I’m the Clan Leader of the Cheon Clan now, Cult Leader.”

Why was it?

I felt like Cheon Jumyeong was hurriedly putting on a mask.

With a slightly subdued expression, Cheon Yura asked him,

“I already heard your plan from Jin Yeomyung.”

“……”

“To be honest, I’ve been thinking ever since I heard that. What justification does someone I always believed to be an enemy have to go this far for me?”

“……”

Facing the silent Cheon Jumyeong, Cheon Yura continued, unusually hesitant.

“Could it be that you still… my mother…”

“That’s enough.”

Cheon Jumyeong coldly cut her off.

At some point, his face had twisted grimly.

“Doesn’t matter who told you… Hoo! Right, it was probably that dead bastard of a former Cult Leader.”

“……”

“Anyway, I can guess what you’re thinking, but let me be clear—it’s not like that.”

“Not like that… is it.”

“It’s true that I made a certain promise with her, but that promise and my current plans are completely unrelated.”

Was that really the truth?

“I’m just tying up all the loose ends in my own way. The fact that you gain a bit of benefit is incidental.”

I was sure I wasn’t imagining it—his tone was clearly more forceful than usual.

“So don’t get the wrong idea. And before anyone eavesdropping hears this conversation, shut up and go back.”

“Is that so.”

Cheon Yura gave a calm nod.

“I understand. If that is what you wish… I won’t ask any further.”

“……”

“Let’s go back, Jin Yeomyung.”

“…Yeah.”

I watched her turning back with a slightly heavy heart.

Surely, if it were her usual self, she would have pestered me endlessly about the Heavenly Demon’s Dominance on the way back.

But until we rejoined with the group of the Saber Demon and Jin Gun-ak, she didn’t say a word to me.

She merely stayed deep in thought.

A mountain path not far from where the incident had taken place.

A woman with an expressionless face was staring at the pillar of darkness rising far up into the sky.

Behind her, a young man appeared.

“So this is where you were.”

“……”

The woman didn’t respond, but the young man grinned and started chatting as if humming.

“That look of yours is a fresh change. Until now, you’ve only shown your male form, haven’t you?”

The woman let out a short laugh and replied.

“You managed to find me, huh.”

The young man shrugged.

“Of course. I’m your contractor right now.”

“……”

“But you don’t look well. Something wrong? You were so pleased before, saying everything was going smoothly.”

It was an insolent tone considering the woman’s status, but unexpectedly, she didn’t seem to mind the way he spoke.

She hesitated slightly before answering.

“My other half rejected my will.”

“…?”

“The problem is… I don’t know why.”

To prepare for the chance of getting caught in a divine sorcery-level spell, she had erased her memories and replaced her ego with that of her previous self.

That previous self, left behind in that state, had no connection to this era, and was someone who cursed the Heavenly Demon Cult more than anyone else.

‘Even if she had fallen to a mental technique, there wouldn’t have been any information to give away.’

“My other half still hasn’t revealed the reason.”

That was the biggest problem.

She couldn’t understand what the reason for hiding the truth could be.

Even if the ego was different, at the core they were the same being.

Not being able to trust oneself—was a surprisingly serious issue.

“Can’t you just wipe that half’s ego clean?”

At the young man’s suggestion, the woman instantly emanated a chilling killing intent.

“…You speak far too lightly.”

“Yikes, my apologies.”

As the young man shrugged again playfully, the woman’s eyes drew a cold arc.

“Wouldn’t it be fine to wipe your own useless ego clean as well? Did you really think I wouldn’t know you’ve harbored other thoughts ever since the Illyeong days?”

“……”

This time, the young man fell silent.

“Suppressing your own power to escape my control might’ve been a clever move, but don’t forget—it’s a trivial matter to discard a bug that hasn’t even reached the Transformation Realm.”

“…I’ll remember it well in my heart.”

The young man, Han Mubaek, ground his teeth inwardly, suppressing his frustration.

The reason he still couldn’t escape the Society was because of the mutual contract he had been forced into with the woman standing before him.

Satisfied with the look on Han Mubaek’s face, the woman turned her gaze once more to the black pillar ahead.

“Still… things have truly become dangerous now.”

The Heavenly Demon’s Dominance.

She had seen through the nature of that darkness more clearly than anyone.

But precisely because of that, she also knew—it wasn’t complete yet.

Han Mubaek, too, gathered his emotions and agreed with her words.

“I agree. To think a mere human would exhibit such divine status…”

The woman lifted her chin and looked to the sky.

That sky was now even redder than before.

“And that’s exactly why… it reminds me it’s not too late yet.”

A killing intent rose in the woman’s eyes.

“Before Jin Yeomyung and Cheon Yura reach the qualifying threshold, that man must be killed.”

Han Mubaek looked dumbfounded.

“Do you really think that’s possible now? Through this incident, the Grand Duke has proven there’s no one in the world who can match him.”

To be honest, not even gathering the Ten Heavenly Lords as a group would be enough now.

There might be a sliver of hope if the Second Heavenly Lord stepped forward—but he had practically turned his back on the Heaven-Defying Society already.

When they had failed in Akyang, interfered with by the Venerable Buddha and the Second Heavenly Demon, they had essentially thrown away their last chance.

“Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if that person has reached a level nearly equal to the previous Cult Leader.”

“No, absolutely not to that extent.”

The woman lightly shook her head.

If it were the previous Cult Leader, there wouldn’t have been any need to stage such a grand scene.

“And besides, the opponent doesn’t necessarily have to be human.”

“Pardon… what do you mean?”

“Just recently… Gunggi has awakened from his slumber.”

Flinch.

Han Mubaek’s shoulders twitched slightly.

The Four Horrors, Gunggi.

He was one of Heavenly Evil’s most powerful subordinates, a divine entity who had slaughtered all kinds of divine beasts even during the Mythic Era.

“He’s fallen back asleep again, but since he’s already awakened once, reviving him again should be easy as long as we prepare the right offering.”

“An offering… can that really be done so easily?”

Han Mubaek showed clear skepticism.

Even when they sacrificed over a dozen Awakened Bodies and a special cursed object as an offering, the time Gunggi was able to remain active barely reached a single hour.

In other words, even if the Heaven-Defying Society used every Awakened Body in their possession, Gunggi’s active time wouldn’t exceed one shijin.

“If quality doesn’t suffice, then we’ll make up for it with quantity.”

“……!”

“I believed we could bypass him. That if we simply completed the Bongseon Blood Heaven Ritual by drenching the East, West, South, and North of the Demonic Cult in blood, it would be easy to take over Cheon Yura’s body.”

Crack.

“But that… was a fatal misjudgment on my part. I should never have dismissed the words of Cheon Taejong…”

The plan had already started to go awry from the northern operation.

The Evil Refining Sect, who had been cooperating with the Heaven-Defying Society, was essentially annihilated.

And the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, who had started to build ties with them through that sect, were now hesitant to move due to its downfall.

Moreover, in the southern region of the Cult, the Evil Overlords of Heaven, who were supposed to flood the land with blood, were blocked by that naked thunderbolt called the Black Lotus Union.

Every one of those incidents, directly or indirectly, had the interference of that bastard Jin Yeomyung.

“I’ll change my approach.”

The Grand Heavenly Lord, Han Seon, glared at the darkness of the Heavenly Demon’s Dominance with blood-red pupils.

“I will no longer just drench the East, West, South, and North of the Cult—I will drench the entire world in blood. And within that chaos, I will kill him for sure, this time.”

“Will that be alright? If you move so hastily…”

“Even if the heavenly timing is slightly off, there’s no helping it.”

The Grand Heavenly Lord acknowledged it plainly.

“That man is an enemy worthy of it.”

Now wasn’t the time for hesitant thinking that involved taking losses.

They needed to mobilize every available force.

Because that man had grown into an enemy worthy of that effort.

The Grand Heavenly Lord turned, not to Han Mubaek, but somewhere else.

“Cheon Juchun, integrate the Orthodox Alliance into the Murim Alliance.”

-■■.

A thought wave response came from far away.

“And prepare for the Great War of Righteous and Demonic.”

Although the Grand Heavenly Lord had long since severed emotions like attachment and resentment, he still retained a lingering sentiment toward the group known as the Heavenly Demon Cult.

He had hoped to preserve at least its form until the end, if possible…

But now, even that feeling was a luxury he could no longer afford.

That was why he decided.

“I will bring forward the destruction of the Demonic Cult by over ten years.”

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