Chapter 451: A New Sky (2)

When the stern and ruthless demeanor from our first meeting was peeled away, was this the kind of face he would show?

From Murder Demon’s appearance, I noticed a striking resemblance to someone.

‘…Is it hereditary?’

Seeing Jin Gun-ak sighing heavily beside me and muttering complaints under his breath, it seemed this wasn’t the first time.

Anyway, while Murder Demon had inevitably soured the mood in the hall—

At that moment, someone cautiously spoke up.

“Supreme One, though the whereabouts of the traitors Gwang Rahi Yeo Jin and Nine Yin Blood Claw Wang Garak are still unknown, might it not be fitting to substitute their heads as the reward?”

“…….”

I closed my mouth for a moment at those words.

Ordinarily, it would’ve been a decent alternative and the right thing to approve.

But knowing that Wang Garak and Yeo Jin were double agents, I could not allow that.

“They are dead.”

“……!”

“I personally confirmed their deaths. There is no need to concern yourselves further.”

What I meant was, even if they were alive, I would not tolerate anyone laying hands on them.

To those looking disappointed, I tossed out a single line.

“There are still many remnants of the Heaven-Defying Society outside.”

“Mmm!”

The dying flames of ambition were reignited.

“Even aside from remnants, there are plenty of chances to make achievements. I look forward to your deeds.”

“Y-Yes, Supreme One!”

Fourth Elder position now stood vacant.

But everyone present here boasted power and influence so great that even the slimmest margin felt like too much.

A fierce competition of loyalty would surely follow.

‘The more wildly they compete, the safer our Cult Members will be.’

I continued to settle urgent matters.

“The Clan Leader of the Black Gold Clan, Thunder Commander Sa Myeongnin, showed unfiltered loyalty to our Cult.”

Truthfully, what feelings she had when she tried to save Cheon Yura didn’t matter.

She was already dead, and dressing a dead person as a hero was easy work.

“Thus, I praise the unyielding loyalty of Thunder Commander and announce that I shall elevate Sa Biyeon—whom she designated in life as her successor—to the next Clan Leader of the Sa Clan.”

There were no objections.

Had there been an issue with legitimacy, murmurs would have followed—but with Sa Biyeon, not even a whisper rose.

Sa Biyeon respectfully bowed at the waist.

“As the Sa Clan’s Clan Leader and the Supreme One’s secretary, I pledge unwavering loyalty.”

Just then, Sword Demon suddenly raised one arm.

“Since the matter of the Six Great Clan has come up, I wish to make a declaration here.”

“I grant you permission to speak.”

At my words, Sword Demon nodded and glanced around the room before dropping a bombshell.

“I, Sword Demon Ma Seonghwan, will hand down the position of Clan Leader to Young Clan Head Ma Chulsoo and return to life as a wanderer.”

“……!!”

“W-What?!”

Jin Gun-ak glared wide-eyed at Sword Demon, and both Murder Demon and Pa Seolyeong gave surprised looks.

“It will be a perfectly timed generational shift. Of course, given the timing, I won’t retire like a coward.”

“Then?”

“To my knowledge, the seat of Guardian is currently vacant…”

“This lunatic?”

Many looked at Sword Demon as if he’d lost his mind.

The Clan Leader of the Six Great Clan—especially at a time when the Blood Dragon Demon Clan was at its peak—volunteering to enter the Guardian Hall was unprecedented.

“Murder Demon once followed the former Cult Leader in his youth. So, it’s not entirely without precedent. More importantly…”

With burning zeal in his eyes, Sword Demon looked at me and said,

“This isn’t just any Cult Leader. If I can guard the Heavenly Demon, there’s no greater honor for a Cult Member.”

“…….”

Despite his words, his yearning to cross swords with me and grow stronger was clearly felt.

“Hmmm…”

Sword Demon joining the Guardian Hall.

Honestly, there was no downside. His reputation was Sword Demon’s and the Ma Clan’s to bear.

Currently, the three Guardians protecting Yura had all been gravely wounded and barely rescued.

The Left and Right Guardians—Wang Cheongeol and Cheon Jin-sang—were in relatively better shape, but the issue lay with the Great Guardian Mujeong, who had lost an arm and was virtually retired.

If Sword Demon replaced Mujeong’s position, no more perfect substitute could be imagined.

“I approve. I’ll give you one month.”

“Understood, Supreme One.”

Jin Gun-ak still looked at Sword Demon as if he couldn’t comprehend it, but it was a done deal and could not be overturned.

“…….”

“…….”

Thus, all matters concerning the Six Great Clan—no, the newly reorganized Seven Great Demonic Clans—were settled.

Many watched me closely, gauging my next move.

Though the urgent matters seemed resolved—

In truth, the most important matter still remained.

“I shall now deliver judgment upon the Cheon Clan.”

“……!!”

Each of my decisions, to the Cheon Clan, was nothing short of a challenge to their thousand-year authority and a declaration of war.

The first Cult Leader not born of the Cheon Clan.

The first Heavenly Demon not born of the Cheon Clan.

To put it bluntly, I now had the power to annihilate the Cheon Clan and restructure the foundation of the Divine Cult from the ground up.

However—

“The handling of the Cheon Clan will be postponed, and they shall be placed under sealed confinement for the time being.”

Some showed surprised expressions at the unexpectedly mild decision.

“And once the legitimate heir of the Cheon Clan, Cult Leader Cheon Yura, returns, I will entrust her with the judgment of the Cheon Clan’s fate.”

At present, the Cheon Clan was effectively annihilated.

No—technically, they still retained considerable strength, but nothing that stood out compared to the Ma Clan or Pa Clan.

The decisive factor in their downfall was that the Seven Elders and over a dozen Peak Master Level experts who had supported the clan had all died in the recent upheaval.

“Will they… accept this decision?”

“And if they do not?”

I smirked and asked back at the elder who had voiced objection.

“A-hem! That was a careless remark.”

As it stood, unless the Cheon Clan wanted to perish by my hand, they had no choice but to follow.

“Even if not for that reason, the Cheon Clan now finds itself in a position where it must rebuild its leadership from scratch. They may even welcome the time this buys them.”

“Indeed…”

“You speak true, Supreme One.”

I rose from my seat.

“The urgent matters have been handled for now, but there are still many Cult Members suffering outside. Mobilize the entire force of our Cult and purge all non-humans across the entirety of Sipmandae Mountain within seven days and nights.”

“Understood!”

“After that, we will reconvene to discuss the restructuring of our Cult’s power. Dismissed. Return to your duties.”

Though I said ‘duties’, everyone here now had only one task.

Hunting.

With ominous qi radiating from them, the Demonic Practitioners stepped outside, determined to earn merit—and I, too, began moving to finish the remaining tasks.

“Sword Demon.”

“Your command.”

“Could you recover the body of Great Elder Cheon Yeongha?”

“……!”

Sword Demon looked mildly surprised.

“With help from the Hwan Clan, you should be able to track back the route that the Four Atrocities Gunggi took.”

“…I shall carry out your will.”

“Murder Demon.”

“Yes.”

“There is a manor in the outskirts of the Cheon Clan’s territory where the Heavenly Brain Clan once resided. Search the area and check for any survivors.”

Murder Demon lifted the corner of his mouth in a faint grin.

“Understood.”

If the Cheon Clan refused the search, it would result in a spectacularly bloody festival.

After all, Murder Demon bore the Heavenly Demon’s Seal on his back.

“And… King of Asura.”

“A-hem! Your command.”

Jin Gun-ak cleared his throat repeatedly and averted his eyes from mine.

Sword Demon and Murder Demon glanced between me and the King of Asura, curiosity in their eyes.

With a wry smile, I spoke.

“Father, you shall come with me. It seems Gu Chil has not returned, meaning the matter remains unresolved.”

“Haha! Of course!”

Jin Gun-ak’s face immediately brightened and he clung to me.

“Tch!”

“Tsk!”

The two who had been hoping for something clicked their tongues in disappointment.

Contrary to expectations that the battle had not ended, the clash between the Underworld King Unit and the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad had already concluded in the Underworld King Unit’s favor.

There was only one reason Gu Chil had not returned.

“How is her condition?”

I was speaking not to Gu Chil, but about the woman in his arms.

After the battle with the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad, Gu Chil had headed north to the location discovered by So Soryu.

There, he had slain a spider beast in humanoid form that guarded the place, and unlike Cheon Yura, he had managed to rescue Myeong-oh, who was still alive.

Gu Chil replied in a gloomy voice.

“It’s not good. Honestly, it’s a miracle she’s still alive.”

I lightly flicked my fingers toward Myeong-oh.

“Myeong-oh, can you hear me?”

“…….”

However, Myeong-oh, lying in Gu Chil’s arms, did not respond.

‘She seems conscious…’

Myeong-oh’s body was covered with traces of brutal torture and bloodletting.

Even if her consciousness remained, it was clear her body had been pushed past the point of endurance, to the extent it no longer obeyed her will.

‘I recall they called Myeong-oh a completed product.’

That she was able to survive after being used as a test subject was likely thanks to her incredible vitality.

“It’s not too late. I’ll use all of the Cult’s resources to save her.”

“Thank you, Young Master…”

“Call me Cult Leader now. Take her to the Demon Doctor and tell him to save her—even if it means pouring every last spiritual medicine into her.”

“Y-Yes? Wait, what did you just say!?”

Ignoring Gu Chil’s stunned gasp and gaping mouth, I turned to So Soryu and asked,

“What’s the damage?”

“Not as bad as expected. Thirty dead, and about the same number wounded.”

Thirty deaths.

A heavy toll, but considering the opponent was the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad, it was practically a miracle.

“What became of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad?”

“Roughly half survived.”

“Half, huh…”

So Soryu, uncharacteristically, let out a sigh.

“If you hadn’t taken the enemy leader’s head early on, we wouldn’t have saved even that much. As you can see…”

So Soryu rolled her eyes and gestured around.

Following her gaze, I saw the ground littered with corpses of awakened bodies.

“Most of them weren’t killed by us—they self-destructed.”

“Mass-produced awakened types…”

As with the case of Song Yangja from the Azure Star Sect, without natural aptitude, once transformed into an awakened body, one could never return to being human again.

I had expected as much, but it turned out most of the Demonic Ghost Execution Squad had undergone this awakened body treatment.

Letting out a slight sigh myself, I said,

“The surviving Demonic Ghost Execution Squad members will be reassigned to the Underworld King Unit after reconditioning.”

“…….”

“There’s still much to be done.”

“Ugh, I hate that…”

So Soryu scowled and grumbled.

Even after hearing the word ‘Cult Leader’, her audacity remained—something I had to give her credit for. But letting her rest wasn’t an option.

“There’s one task I need you to handle separately.”

“…What is it?”

“A full generational shift is underway within the Six Great Demonic Clans.”

Sword Demon had retired, and younger Clan Leaders had taken over the Ma Clan and Hwan Clan.

Who knew what Saber Demon, currently dispatched outside, would think—but truthfully, he might soon hand over the Clan Leader position to Pa Yeongyeong and step down as well.

‘That leaves the Jin Clan and the So Clan…’

Honestly, Jin Yeowoon was far from having the caliber of a Clan Leader.

But that was something time could eventually resolve.

The real problem lay with the So Clan, which still hadn’t found its Young Clan Head.

“You’ll have to train that So Cheon kid.”

Instructor of the House of Slaughter.

Even if her personality was questionable, her success in nurturing the Underworld King Unit made So Soryu’s talent as a mentor undeniable.

That same ability could surely shine in shaping an heir as well.

“…Hoooh?”

So Soryu’s eyes began to fill with interest.

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