[How laughable.]

The Heavenly Demon’s voice rang out.

The emotion inside it was violently intense. Whether it was rage or contempt, it made no difference. Either way, it was packed full of negativity.

[Something without the qualification dares speak of that position. How could that possibly be anything but filthy?]

No qualification.

At those words, I looked at the Young Cult Leader. The slanted gleam of red in his eyes. The mark of the Heaven-Slaying Star, the sign said to be identical to the Heavenly Demon’s symbol. And behind him, those Demonic Cultists brimming with vicious presence. Even just looking at them, the Young Cult Leader’s position seemed solid enough.

No qualification, huh.

I recalled what the Heavenly Demon had told me before. He had said the qualification to become the Sky was not something like the Heaven-Slaying Star.

What the Heavenly Demon considers important is—

Nothing other than divine sight.

Or Ghost Eyes.

Eyes that could see what could not be seen. He had said that was the truly important part.

So that’s why...

He’d told me to go to the Heavenly Demon’s Holy Cult and inherit the seat?

That really is insane.

I was the Hero of the orthodox faction. The inheritor of Yoo Cheongil, the Sword Saint, the symbol of peace. On top of that, I’d become the representative figure of the younger generation of the orthodox faction. And now he was telling me to become the Heavenly Demon? It was absurd.

[Why is it absurd?]

“...”

I shut my mouth at the Heavenly Demon’s words.

Can this man read my thoughts too? Now everyone was doing it. It was embarrassing as hell.

[I am not reading them. I am merely sensing them.]

That’s basically the same thing.

[Answer me. Why do you think it cannot be done?]

I literally just explained why.

Everything involving Yoo Cheongil for one. But more than that—

Because I have absolutely no intention of becoming the Heavenly Demon.

Why the hell would I climb into a position that dangerous, one that looked villainous to absolutely anyone who saw it?

[Ha ha.]

The Heavenly Demon laughed.

Had something I said been that funny?

[If that is your reason... then it does not matter.]

What?

[Do as you like. In the end, the axis of fate will turn that way regardless.]

“...”

This man really had a talent for saying things in the most irritating way possible.

My ass.

What axis? If that kind of thing really was my axis, I’d get away from it no matter what it took.

No matter what.

***** 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The Young Cult Leader and Divine Spear moved.

Their destination was the negotiation hall that had already been prepared. Inside, neat dishes of food had been laid out, tea had been served, and attendants stood waiting with nervous expressions.

“You’ve prepared all this in a rather welcoming spirit.”

At the Young Cult Leader’s words, Divine Spear answered by sitting down instead of speaking. Thousand-Mile Divine Eye sat on his left, and to the right—

Me, apparently.

Divine Spear’s gaze turned to me.

Seeing that, I sat down carefully.

“We’re grateful that you agreed to this negotiation. It cannot have been an easy decision.”

At the Young Cult Leader’s words, Thousand-Mile Divine Eye’s face hardened. He made no effort at all to hide how much he disliked this.

“What is it you wish to say?”

Divine Spear asked.

Straight to the point.

The Young Cult Leader smiled at that.

“How refreshing. I like that sort of thing myself, so—since you have, I’ll speak plainly as well.”

The Young Cult Leader took something from his robes.

A letter.

“The Demonic Cult I am to lead wishes to eliminate unnecessary conflict with the orthodox faction and live in peace. Therefore—”

Bang.

A harsh sound rang out.

It came from Thousand-Mile Divine Eye.

He had slammed a hand down on the table.

“What a disgusting thing to say.”

At that reaction, the air turned ice-cold.

“You dare put those words in your mouth? It seems you’ve forgotten what you yourself have done.”

The appearance of the Demonic Cult and the Sky-Crushing Palace. Because of them, Henan had been thrown into chaos, and Divine Spear, the Alliance Leader, had been left with a mortal wound that had nearly killed him.

“And now you say peace? I’m already restraining myself from tearing your tongue out, and you dare speak of peace? Absurd.”

“My, you do seem quite angry. Then allow me to apologize first for what happened then.”

“You—!”

“Our side had its circumstances as well... though not as compensation, perhaps...”

His red eyes flashed.

“Would you be willing to overlook it if we were to sell you information on the Sky-Crushing Palace?”

“You lunatic—!”

Thousand-Mile Divine Eye finally reached the verge of exploding, unable to contain himself any longer, but—

“Let him speak.”

“Alliance Leader!”

Divine Spear cut in.

At that, Thousand-Mile Divine Eye glared at Divine Spear, but Divine Spear’s gaze was firm.

“This negotiation is already full of problems as it is. How can you possibly—!”

“Sit.”

“...!”

Divine Spear spoke with calm eyes, and Thousand-Mile Divine Eye ground his teeth before sitting back down.

For the moment, he was yielding to Divine Spear.

“Go on.”

“Ah, then I’ll continue.”

I looked at him with a slight tilt of my head.

That smiling expression was irritating. No, more than that—offensive.

“The reason the Sky-Crushing Palace approached the Demonic Cult was because they needed something from us.”

“Needed something?”

“Yes. Something they needed.”

“And what was that?”

“The former Heavenly Demon. My father’s corpse.”

“...What?”

Huh?

I froze at the words that followed.

What did he just say?

Whose corpse?

The Heavenly Demon’s corpse?

My eyes widened.

Without thinking, I looked at the Divine Sword.

The Heavenly Demon showed no particular reaction.

“...The Cult Leader’s corpse still existed?”

“It did. We had been preserving it.”

Thousand-Mile Divine Eye’s expression twisted.

“That is impossible. The Cult Leader’s corpse was—”

“Lost by the Sword Saint’s hand. I know that is how it is understood in the orthodox faction.”

“Understood that way?”

“I do not know the details behind it, but my father’s corpse had been preserved within the Demonic Cult. And in immaculate condition, no less.”

Immaculate.

The words he used to describe the Heavenly Demon—his so-called father—were unsettling. It sounded like he was describing some object.

“That makes no sense.”

This was different from what Yoo Cheongil had said.

At that statement, the room stirred.

Is he telling the truth?

I asked the Heavenly Demon quietly.

[Who knows.]

And once again the Heavenly Demon gave one of those maddeningly vague answers. Birds of a feather, apparently. How were all these people like this?

“...So the Sky-Crushing Palace wanted the Heavenly Demon’s corpse?”

“Yes.”

“And you handed it over?”

“Ahahaha... We did not hand it over easily. After all, it wasn’t something we could simply give away.”

“So not easily means you did hand it over in the end?”

I cut in.

At that, all eyes turned toward me.

The Young Cult Leader’s gaze did too.

“That’s right. We handed it over, but only with difficulty.”

“...And what did you receive in return?”

“Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.”

“What?”

Clunk.

At the same time I spoke, the Divine Sword moved at my waist.

“We received from the Sky-Crushing Palace the divine arts the Demonic Cult had lost.”

“...”

Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.

A famous martial art.

The divine arts said to have been used by the former Heavenly Demon.

The # Nоvеlight # one said to overturn heaven and earth.

Its power had been so overwhelming that anyone who saw it would have a lifelong terror burned into them.

And that—

Not only had it been lost—

the Sky-Crushing Palace had given it to them?

Ridiculous.

Why would the Sky-Crushing Palace have that?

The very idea that they possessed it was bizarre. And on top of that, they traded Heavenly Demon Divine Arts for the Heavenly Demon’s corpse?

What are they planning to do with the corpse?

Something about the reason they took the Heavenly Demon’s corpse sent a chill through me.

This catches.

Now that I knew the Sky-Crushing Palace was tied to those heretics, all kinds of thoughts flashed through my mind. They took the corpse. The ones who took it were heretics. Thinking it through like that—

...These bastards.

What kind of insane stunt are they trying to pull now?

At least in my previous life, I didn’t think they’d ever done anything using a corpse.

“The Heavenly Demon Divine Arts came from the Sky-Crushing Palace? And you handed over the corpse in exchange?”

“Yes. It was Heavenly Demon Divine Arts, after all. The single most necessary thing for ascending to the position of Cult Leader.”

[Ha ha.]

At the Young Cult Leader’s words, the Heavenly Demon laughed.

[The single most necessary thing? That trash understands nothing.]

...

Trash. For the man’s supposed successor, that was a pretty loaded choice of words.

[Do not call him my successor. I have never had such a thing. Received the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts? Absurd.]

Why? If it had been lost, then couldn’t someone else have found it?

[Yes, it was lost. Which means it ended in my generation because no one else could use it. Then what, precisely, is the thing that bastard claims to have received?]

Ah.

Now that he said it, that was true.

If it was lost, then what exactly had the Sky-Crushing Palace given him?

[And more than that, the divine arts are not something that wretch could ever use. One must be able to “see” in order to use them.]

...You mean—

Was the requirement for using the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts possession of Ghost Eyes?

Not the Heaven-Slaying Star or anything like that?

[How many times must I repeat myself? Something as laughable as the Heaven-Slaying Star means nothing.]

...Hmm.

I narrowed my eyes as I listened.

Then—

“So. Let’s say you really did receive that martial art. Even so, how do you intend to explain away the part where your people attacked Henan?”

“There is not much to explain there. It is true that we received the Sky-Crushing Palace’s cooperation, and it is true that we had a desire for revenge.”

“What did you say...?”

“I offer my apology.”

At the Young Cult Leader’s words, Thousand-Mile Divine Eye’s face folded into deeper and deeper lines. At this rate, his face was going to split open.

“An apology...? Do you have any idea how many died because of the evil your people committed?”

“I apologize for that as well.”

“You—!”

With a shout, Thousand-Mile Divine Eye rose to his feet.

“Do you know how many died in the war your people started?”

“That was done by the former Cult Leader, but if you wish, I will apologize for that as well.”

Bang!!

“I’ve heard enough.”

Thousand-Mile Divine Eye’s eyes flashed sharply.

“Alliance Leader. Having seen his attitude with your own eyes, do you still believe this negotiation can continue?”

“...”

Divine Spear gave no answer.

No—maybe he did.

The muscles in his back were moving, little by little.

“At the very least, I cannot permit it.”

“My, my...”

At those words, the Young Cult Leader sighed.

“It happened long ago already. It seems even an apology cannot resolve it.”

The Young Cult Leader’s red eyes flashed.

I scratched my cheek.

The truth was, it wasn’t just Divine Spear and Thousand-Mile Divine Eye.

Ah, I’m about at my limit too.

Watching this. Pretending everything was fine.

I was at the limit now.

My heart was cold.

It always was.

I had to think rationally.

That too had always been true.

But still—

Do I really have to live like this?

Even now?

For one blank moment, the thought I always had rose again.

If it were Yoo Cheongil—

If it were the old man, what would he have done here?

The thought flashed past, and then—

What would he do?

In the middle of the silence, I heard the old man’s phantom voice.

He’d swing first and think later.

“...”

“Well then... in addition to an apology, there is a proposal I wish to make to the Murim Alliance—”

My body moved.

“Hey.”

“Do you—have?”

The Young Cult Leader’s eyes widened as he looked at me.

Our eyes didn’t stay locked for long.

Crack!

I vaulted over the table and drove my knee straight into the Young Cult Leader’s face.

“Ghk!”

Blood burst out, and his head snapped back.

Watching him reel, I spoke.

“You really know how to get yourself hit. Damn irritating.”

Shing!!

At once, the Demonic Cult side drew their weapons in rapid succession.