Chapter 560

Take me to my father’s grave.

Even after I said it, I was stunned. I’d said it because the Heavenly Demon told me to, but—

What kind of insane nonsense was this?

My father’s grave?

Who was my father? Who was I calling father?

The question came to me honestly, but I already knew the answer.

This insane bastard.

I knew what kind of shock those words would send through Gye Mun, and where his misunderstanding would end.

Right now, the Heavenly Demon was trying to present me to Gye Mun as—

His own child?

He was clearly planning to make me his son. And apparently, he believed that would work on Gye Mun.

But.

“You loathsome wretch, how dare you...!”

It backfired. No matter how I looked at it, it had backfired. Gye Mun unleashed his killing intent as it was and crushed my entire body beneath it.

Crack-crack-crack.

Ghk!

My bones screamed harshly. Just his energy and killing intent were this hard to bear.

Ah. No matter how I looked at it, I’d touched a sore spot, hadn’t I?

I’m screwed.

What should I do? My bullshit did not seem like it was going to work.

Hurry.

Say something. I urged the Heavenly Demon, no, outright pressed him as I tried to speak.

[Calm down.]

The Heavenly Demon spoke to me in a completely indifferent tone.

At the words that followed, my eyes widened slightly. I said them exactly as he gave them to me.

“What is the problem? Is it so surprising that I am of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline?”

“You dare put such nonsense in your mouth. Would that person ever have had someone like you as a child? There is a limit even to a clever tongue. You dare use a noble figure of the Holy Cult in your mouth and make a mockery of him.”

The sword moved.

It tried to drive in and cut my throat.

But.

“Why? Because I am not a daughter?”

It stopped.

The sword froze right before it cut into my skin.

“...What?”

“I asked whether you are reacting this way because the person before your eyes is not a woman, but a man.”

“...”

Gye Mun’s eyes shook. A daughter. A woman. Those words seemed to have shaken him violently.

This.

Was he talking about Yu Yeon? The Heavenly Demon’s true bloodline was Yu Yeon. Then could Gye Mun possibly—

Does he know?

Did he know of Yu Yeon’s existence? More precisely, did he know that the Heavenly Demon’s child was not a son, but a daughter?

Was that why he was so shaken?

And the Heavenly Demon’s next words turned that guess into fact.

“You tried so desperately to save her, yet failed and left her to die. Then the one who suddenly appeared was a man, so of course you would find it strange. The Young Cult Leader, that fool, must have been the same.”

“You... what in the world are you...”

“First Elder Gye Mun. How can you be so certain the Heavenly Demon had only one child? Does it make sense to abandon your faith over one lost girl?”

Therefore.

“That is why you are handing the Holy Cult’s seat to a man who has nothing.”

“...!”

The sword no longer pressed in. Just as I began to feel it trembling continuously—

Swish. The blade slowly drew away.

“...You. What exactly are you?”

“I believe I just showed you what I am. Do you need more proof than this?”

The Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.

Hair dyed black by the influence of demonic qi.

Red eye-light, the symbol of the Heaven-Slaying Star.

A body wrapped from head to toe in symbols. The plausibility behind the words I had spoken was none other than myself.

“I will ask again. Take me to my father’s grave. More precisely—”

As if he meant to drive in the final wedge, the Heavenly Demon opened my mouth and spoke to him.

“Take me to the Divine Tree that should be underground. I have brought the key.”

“...!”

“This is not a request.”

I took one step forward. I had not released the demonic qi. Ah, this was starting to hurt. I could feel the strain on my heart.

Even so, I endured it and added one more sentence.

I had to.

“This is the command of the one who will become the Heavenly Demon of this generation. In accordance with the will of the Cult, fulfill Sky’s command.”

I spoke to Gye Mun with unwavering eyes.

*****

While the training repeated, around the time the sunset was slowly beginning to fade—

“Ugh... waaah...”

I sat down in a patch of bushes off to one side and breathed out.

“...This is insane.”

My flesh was trembling. I forcibly rubbed away the goosebumps rising on my arms.

“Haa...”

The sighs kept coming, and even they felt exhausting. Am I alive? I’m alive, right?

It was right after I faced Gye Mun and he left.

I moved over to a tree and caught my breath.

“...I really thought I was going to die.”

I survived. Amazingly, I was alive. How was I alive? Even I found myself impressive. I survived that situation?

I ran a hand over my neck. The small smear of blood was annoying. Had the blood that flowed out already dried? I really had nearly died.

I already knew it, but I was realizing it all over again.

“Mmm...”

A sound came from beside me. It was Woo Young Jin regaining consciousness after fainting. I saw his eyes open.

Gye Mun had left just like that. I hadn’t heard an answer, but perhaps the fact that I was alive was his answer.

His eyes were full of hesitation.

Was what I said true or not?

Even whether he should kill me or not—his eyes had been weighing that as well.

It must have been chaos itself. Yoo Cheongil’s successor had appeared out of nowhere, not only carrying the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts, but even spouting the shocking claim that he was of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline.

Ah, is this really allowed? It doesn’t seem like it should be.

It obviously shouldn’t have worked, yet it did. The fact that Gye Mun was hesitating was proof.

How?

How did that work? The Heavenly Demon’s words were ridiculous too. To just say it so brazenly like that.

[The one who said it was not I, but you.]

But you were the one who told me to, Heavenly Demon. And is it all right to just reveal this like that?

He was talking about making me perform the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts while knowing Gye Mun was watching.

Depending on how you looked at it, wasn’t that a betrayal of me?

At the very least, you should have explained it beforehand.

If we were going to stage something, then we should have planned it. But he just pushed things ahead like that? I almost got screwed.

When I complained because I felt wronged, the Heavenly Demon chuckled.

[If I had told you, would you have listened?]

I wouldn’t have.

Why was he asking something so obvious? Of course I wouldn’t have. Why would I add that kind of risk? Was that why the Heavenly Demon hadn’t told me?

Is he a thug?

That just meant he hadn’t told me because he was afraid I wouldn’t listen. In reality, I really wouldn’t have.

I ground my teeth.

Then are you saying it was right to say that to Gye Mun? To that elder?

[That was my judgment as the more beneficial choice.]

Beneficial.

I laughed when I heard that.

Beneficial to whom? Me? Or—

You?

At that question, the Heavenly Demon said nothing. Damn old bastard. That was answer enough. It meant there was a high chance the benefit was not mine, but his.

[It will not be only a loss for you either.]

That is a rather self-serving excuse.

Not just rather. It was simply self-serving.

Still, for a man called the Heavenly Demon—

Damn it.

It was my fault for trusting him then and letting my guard down. Anyway, that was how everything in the world worked.

Whenever something happened to me, it was because I was an idiot.

Recognizing that was important.

He was a Demonic Cult bastard to begin with.

Whether it was Yoo Cheongil or the Heavenly Demon, in the end, they were people who moved for their own purposes.

It was not a matter of trusting them or not. It was merely the result of the choice I had made then.

[Calling me a Demonic Cult bastard is rather harsh.]

Be quiet. I’m being polite enough by not cursing you out.

I clicked my tongue briefly. The deed was already done, so I had to think about how to respond.

What do I do?

How would Gye Mun act now? Depending on how the First Elder came out, this could turn into a serious disaster—or not.

No. It was already a serious disaster. There was no version where it wasn’t.

Damn it.

The Heavenly Demon’s son?

Damn it all. Of all things, I had ended up impersonating the Heavenly Demon’s son. And to the First Elder of the Holy Cult, no less.

How far was my life going to drift for it to end up like this?

I was just pissed off.

“...Where... is this...?”

Woo Young Jin regained consciousness. He sprang upright.

“...Th-the elder?”

“...He left.”

“Left? H-he left? Where?”

“How should I know?”

I also disliked the fact that this guy had been sleeping like the dead and only just woken up. Ah, right now it felt like I hated the entire world.

“...He entertained us roughly, then left because he got bored. You should have stayed awake a little longer.”

“...Are you seriously saying that? That was my best.”

“If that was your best, try harder next time.”

“...You bastard...”

I ignored Woo Young Jin as he grew irritated. Tch! I clicked my tongue shortly. For now, Gye Mun was Gye Mun, and I had things to do.

Where am I supposed to find the instructor now?

The idea of the First Elder acting like an instructor had become meaningless. It was obvious that man would not appear again.

At least, he would appear after sorting out his thoughts. And then—

That means whether I live or die will be decided then.

Wonderful. It felt as though my name had been written in red ink on a death list.

“...Get up. We need to go find the instructor. Are you just going to sit here until this ends?”

“...Ah... uh...”

I forced Woo Young Jin to his feet. It seemed he had no intention of just staying still either.

We searched the surroundings.

We had to find the instructor and finish the training. That was what I was thinking when—

RUMBLE—!!!

“Hm?”

“Huh?”

A rough impact rang out. I could even feel energy.

It was the sound of fighting. I turned my head. It was not that far.

The moment we saw it, Woo Young Jin and I moved at the same time. If there was fighting, that meant an instructor was there.

“Let’s go.”

We headed straight for it. It did not take long to reach our destination. As expected, people were fighting. There was also someone who looked like an instructor, but—

“What the hell?”

The situation was strange. I checked it and frowned. The instructor had a somewhat flustered expression. And in front of him—

“...Tang Cheonil?”

Poison Dragon Tang Cheonil was kneeling there, collapsed.

Drip.

Blood flowed from his mouth. He was swaying as though he had already lost consciousness.

Then—

Smack!

“...”

Tang Cheonil’s cheek snapped to the side. From the impact, he staggered as if he would fall at any moment.

Grip. He did not fall. Someone was holding Tang Cheonil’s hair and keeping him fixed in place.

That bastard was—

“...Heavenly Sword.”

Heavenly Sword.

A genius of the Holy Cult and one of the men called a Heavenly Demon candidate. That bastard was holding Tang Cheonil in place, and Tang Cheonil’s condition was already a complete mess.

“Ah. And who do we have here?”

Heavenly Sword smiled when he saw me appear.

“Our orthodox-faction leader has arrived.”

“...”

“Did you perhaps come to save your subordinate? If so, you are a little late.”

As he said that, he let Tang Cheonil go. Tang Cheonil collapsed limply to the ground.

Drip, drip. The blood flowing from his mouth spilled across the stone floor.

“You should have come a little earlier. Then you would have seen something more entertain—”

Heavenly Sword could not finish speaking.

Crunch. Boom!

“Guh.”

His body was shoved backward. Craaash—!!! He was flung far away and rolled across the ground.

My kick had sent his body flying.

“Ah, perfect.”

I had been close to my limit anyway, so this worked out nicely.

Standing beside Tang Cheonil, I spoke to the bastard I had just sent flying as if I felt refreshed.

“I needed someone to take my anger out on anyway.”

This situation was just right.

“You. Let me beat you for a while.”

It was an excellent opportunity.