Chapter 237: I Didn’t Want to Do This Either

Deeper inside the basement storeroom was another secret passage concealed by spellcraft. Black Swallow turned to the hunchbacked old man.

“Black Shop owner. Please lead the way.”

“Follow me.”

Kim followed the old man and Black Swallow inside. The narrow passage gradually widened until the Heavenly Demon Cult’s hidden base finally came into view.

The atmosphere is a lot like The Dark Den.

There was one obvious difference, however. The place was saturated with demonic qi so dense it was almost suffocating.

Most of the people in sight practiced Demonic Void Arts.

“......”

“......”

Everyone regarded the unfamiliar visitor with a mixture of wariness and curiosity. But once they saw the hunchbacked old man and Black Swallow accompanying him, several clicked their tongues in disappointment.

“A new believer always attracts attention. Some of them would dearly love to taste the heart of a fresh lamb, so watch yourself.”

The hunchbacked old man had grown considerably friendlier.

As Kim listened to his explanation, he met the eyes of the demonic martial artists practically drooling as they stared at him and smiled.

“I’m rather fond of putting holes through hearts myself. I like the atmosphere here more than I expected.”

“Indeed... You are precisely the sort of talent the Heavenly Demon would favor.”

The impressed old man cackled and continued ahead.

Black Swallow, meanwhile, walked beside Yang Seonu while studying him with an odd look.

“Elder Yang. You seem much rougher around the edges than I remember.”

“I lost the reputation and fortune I spent a lifetime building and became a fugitive. My apologies if you were expecting refined conversation.”

“......”

Having neatly shut Black Swallow up, Kim openly looked around the Cult’s hidden base.

For a formally initiated believer, furtively sneaking glances would have looked far stranger.

Every last one of them is at least first-rate, and there are more than ten pinnacle experts. If they resort to their Demonic Void Arts, their instantaneous combat strength could easily jump several times over.

But the true powerhouses here were the hunchbacked old man, who had mastered some formidable fusion of spellcraft and Demonic Void Arts, and Black Swallow beside him.

They’re both supreme masters.

In other words, a bomb capable of wiping out an ordinary major sect had been planted right in the middle of New York.

How many places like this were hidden around the world?

Kim forced the fine hairs threatening to rise along his skin back down and followed the two men deeper into the base.

“Wait.”

The hunchbacked old man suddenly stopped.

He straightened his clothes and spoke solemnly.

“Believers, compose yourselves.”

Then he resumed walking, with Black Swallow and Kim following behind.

What is this? Is there some kind of spell ahead?

Kim had felt the density of the qi around them abruptly change.

Following Black Swallow’s gaze, he raised his head.

And the moment he did—

“......!”

His eyes widened slightly.

A mural covered the entire ceiling.

“Ah......”

A dazed murmur escaped him.

The hunchbacked old man’s reverent voice sounded beside his ear.

“Worship the Heavenly Demon.”

A universe rippling with mysterious light spread across the ceiling before him.

And at its center writhed the silhouette of something enormous, as though it were descending toward the mortal world.

Beneath that overwhelming figure stood an altar bristling with dozens of different weapons.

The Heavenly Demon.

The god of the Heavenly Demon Cult, destined to cleanse this irrational world and create a paradise where the strong were revered.

THUMP!

Kim’s heart hammered violently.

It was nothing more than an image painted on a ceiling, yet he still felt as though the being depicted there was crushing him beneath its presence.

Had he not remembered why he had come here at that exact moment, he might have drawn his sword against the mural itself.

THUD.

“Heavenly Demon!”

With a shout, the hunchbacked old man dropped onto both knees and prostrated himself.

Eyes closed, he began muttering an incomprehensible prayer under his breath.

Black Swallow, on the other hand, went down on one knee and bowed his head with the formality of a retainer before his lord.

His low voice carried through the chamber.

“May the Heavenly Demon return. May all demons bow.”

Watching the two men worship the Heavenly Demon in their own ways, Kim slowly lowered himself onto one knee as well.

“......”

But unlike them, he did not bow his head.

He stared directly up at the silhouette of the Heavenly Demon that seemed ready to draw him in like a black hole, slowly steadying his breath as it threatened to quicken.

A short while later, Black Swallow raised his head and stood.

“What did you think of your first audience with the Heavenly Demon?”

The hunchbacked old man also seemed curious. He slowly rose from his prostration and looked back.

I want to fight it.

Kim concealed his true thoughts and gave them the sort of answer they wanted to hear.

“...Awe-inspiring. I don’t think words can express anything beyond that.”

Black Swallow nodded as though the answer were only natural, while the hunchbacked old man smiled with satisfaction.

Soon afterward, they passed the Heavenly Demon’s altar and entered a room where they could speak privately.

The old man who had guided them there turned to Black Swallow.

“I shall withdraw. Call me when the initiation ceremony is complete.”

...Initiation ceremony?

Just as Kim was about to ask what that meant, the hunchbacked old man blew a long stream of smoke from his pipe.

Whoosh—

Then his presence vanished along with him.

“Take a seat. You must be tired. I’ll pour you some warm tea.”

Black Swallow sat first and gestured for Kim to do the same.

As he casually poured him a cup, he asked how Yang Seonu had managed to escape Korea, almost as if making small talk.

“...With the Blood Tiger Gang’s help, I barely managed to secure passage on a ship leaving the country. It turned out to be a trap.”

Kim fabricated a plausible story from Yang Seonu’s perspective.

His eyes filled with chilling killing intent as though merely remembering it made him grind his teeth.

“The captain dropped me off on some deserted island. The Sword Demon and Kim Muhyuk were waiting for me there.”

“The Sword Demon is a peerless master. How did you...?”

Instead of answering the obvious question—how had he escaped?—Kim pulled up his shirt and showed him the scars covering his body.

“Kim Muhyuk kept me trapped on that island. He used me like a sparring dummy until he got bored enough to kill me. With the Sword Demon helping him, he could afford to do it. These are the scars that bastard left on me over three days.”

“......”

Most of the wounds from Kim’s fight to the death with Yang Seonu had healed, leaving only small scars behind.

But an expert on Black Swallow’s level could tell from those alone just how dangerous the battle had been.

“Fortunately, a torrential storm hit on the fourth day. I landed a good strike on Kim Muhyuk while his guard was down, then jumped off a cliff while the Sword Demon was distracted.”

“...Heaven must have been watching over you.”

Yang Seonu had plunged into the sea, stubbornly swimming on until, after endless hardship, he finally reached Japan.

Given a supreme master’s tenacious vitality and sheer determination, it was not an impossible story.

“After that, things were actually easier. I obtained a false identity through Japan’s underworld and made my way to America.”

Having finished his story, Yang Seonu seemed parched. He gulped down the tea Black Swallow had poured for him as though it were water.

“Is Kim Muhyuk really here?”

“He is.”

CRACK!

The teacup shattered in Yang Seonu’s hand.

Unrestrained killing intent surged in his eyes.

“Where is he?”

“Elder Yang—no, Believer Yang Seonu. Everything I tell you from this point onward is confidential.”

Black Swallow’s hatred toward Blue Wolves and Kim Muhyuk was every bit as deep as Yang Seonu’s.

As the man once responsible for the Heavenly Demon Cult’s proselytization efforts in Korea, he had watched Kim Muhyuk ruin every important plan he had put in motion.

Now that Black Swallow had been ordered to kill him, Yang Seonu’s assistance would make the job considerably easier.

Not only was Yang a supreme master, he was excellent bait for drawing Kim Muhyuk out.

“Kim Muhyuk is currently at World Martial Alliance headquarters. He came there with the Sword Demon, Choi Geon.”

Yang Seonu flinched at the words Sword Demon.

From Black Swallow’s perspective, it was the most natural reaction in the world.

“Will you serve as bait to lure Kim Muhyuk into a trap?”

“...And who will stop the Sword Demon?”

He was clearly trying to conceal it, but Yang Seonu’s fingertips trembled with fear.

Black Swallow suppressed a sneer and answered confidently.

“The Cult will separate the two and keep the Sword Demon occupied. This isn’t Korea. Something like that won’t be difficult here. The problem is getting Kim Muhyuk to come out.”

Yang Seonu appeared to think for a moment before a crafty gleam entered his eyes.

“Then I have one condition. Could I meet one of the higher-ups in the Cult you serve?”

Already trying to make connections at the top?

Black Swallow smirked at the naked ambition in Yang Seonu’s eyes.

“Very well. If everything goes smoothly, I’ll introduce you to one of the Masters.”

“A Master...?”

Black Swallow gave the newly initiated Yang Seonu a detailed explanation of something he would naturally be curious about.

“The Heavenly Demon Cult is led by our exalted Cult Leader, with five Masters beneath him. The elders support the Masters, and those responsible for proselytization, like myself, also serve under them.”

It was Kim’s first glimpse of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s actual hierarchy.

“The Cult also maintains bases all over the world. You were fortunate to come to New York. The Master stationed here...”

Black Swallow spoke of the conviction he had formed after meeting Master Han in person.

“...is the man closest to becoming the next Cult Leader.”

“I would very much like to meet him. Would it be impossible to see him today?”

Black Swallow clicked his tongue at Yang Seonu’s obvious impatience.

“Believer Yang Seonu. You seem to have been under one misunderstanding this entire time.”

Black Swallow abruptly removed his mask.

Beneath it was the true face of Black Swallow—a sharp-featured, middle-aged Asian man.

“Why are you suddenly taking off your mask...?”

Contempt and mockery filled Black Swallow’s expression as he looked at the bewildered Yang Seonu.

“This was never a request. It was an order from your superior.”

“......”

“We will now conduct the final initiation ceremony.”

With Yang Seonu staring silently at him, Black Swallow took a wooden box from inside his clothes and opened it.

A black insect roughly the size of a thumb writhed inside.

“It’s a venomous parasite. Swallow it.”

Once Yang Seonu swallowed it, he would become a puppet with no choice but to obey Black Swallow’s commands.

“...Is there another option?”

Yang Seonu let out a long sigh.

Black Swallow gave him a cold smile and pushed the wooden box toward him.

“You may swallow it willingly, or you may have it forced down your throat. Choose whichever you prefer.”

Yang Seonu remained silent for a moment.

Then he picked the parasite out of the box between two fingers.

And crushed it.

“...What do you think you’re doing?”

Black Swallow glared at him irritably.

Yang Seonu merely looked regretful.

“I didn’t want to do this either. I was hoping to meet a few more people higher up first... Well, I still learned plenty today. I suppose I’ll have to be satisfied with that.”

“Yang Seonu!”

Black Swallow shot to his feet, drew his sword, and leveled it at Yang Seonu’s throat.

But the man merely looked up at him with indifferent eyes.

“Two supreme masters, more than ten pinnacle experts, and dozens of first-rate experts. That’s an impressive force, no question. If I’d come here alone, even escaping would have been difficult. But like I said earlier...”

CLANG!

He knocked Black Swallow’s sword aside and rose.

Yang Seonu’s face began to distort.

Slowly, it transformed back into Kim Muhyuk’s.

“...who’s going to stop the Sword Demon?”

“...K-Kim Muhyuk?”

At the same moment—

Sssssssssss.

Pitch-black darkness began creeping upward from below like a rising tide.

The Devil’s Walk Through the Dark Night.

The Sword Demon’s Transcendence-Level Ultimate Technique was swallowing the Heavenly Demon Cult’s hidden base.

“How...? How? How?!”

Terror-stricken, Black Swallow staggered backward.

He was trying to reach the door and flee.

Roll—

But before he could, the door opened on its own.

A severed head rolled into the room.

“Kehehe. Where are you rushing off to like a dog about to piss itself?”

The hunchbacked old man’s face was frozen in terror, as though he had come face-to-face with something monstrous.