Chapter: 440
Woodduck.
Kkaaaaaaah-!
It was the time when the sun set and the moon made its appearance. In the pitch-black darkness, where not a single light shone, a harsh scream echoed.
Bam-!
It was the sound of a leg breaking.
One of the demons fell to the ground, rolling.
The guy clutched his leg and screamed. It was clear that this was not a normal situation.
There was someone watching the process with their back to the moonlight.
“….”
On top of a tall building, Muk-kwon was sitting there, watching the unfolding situation.
Below, the demons were fighting fiercely.
It wasn’t surprising. Those with low levels or who had just become demons often couldn’t control their madness and ended up fighting.
Even aside from that, most of those who had become demons were either from dismal backgrounds or not exactly upstanding citizens to begin with.
They couldn’t hold back their rage and fought like that.
Of course, most of the time, they ended up dead.
But it was fine, since the lord didn’t care anyway.
However.
Kuaaaah…!! Stop it!
Stop what you’re doing, you punk.
The current situation was a bit strange.
Muk-kwon observed the chaos with calm eyes.
Hmm…
He checked the demons lying on the floor screaming.
Those guys from the Ghost Swordsmen’s side.
He had heard that they brought in some guys from the Sword Demon faction to keep watch and take care of odd jobs around here.
He’d heard that those demons were particularly troublesome, but to see them acting like this from day one was surprising.
If they were originally from the Black Flame Corps, they wouldn’t have been causing such nuisances.
Even if it was out of fear of Daejoo.
Unless they wanted to slowly burn to death from their toes up, they wouldn’t have been doing something so pointless.
Muk-kwon frowned at the situation.
He would normally have stepped in to stop this chaos.
…What is that?
What should he call this?
Muk-kwon was left momentarily speechless as he witnessed the scene unfolding.
No matter how low-ranking, this exceeded a certain level.
They must have been drafted into the Black Flame Corps since they were watching over the ripe peak.
Those guys…
’You’re treating me like a toy.’
The newbie who had just arrived today was effortlessly beating up three of them.
“I know who I am!?”
Kwaaaaak!
“…”
It might seem like a petty brawl fueled by all sorts of emotions, but the occasional gestures were nothing short of astonishing.
I have perfect control over my magic.
The newbie brought in by the vice-captain had power far superior to what Muk-kwon had expected.
…I think I understand why the lord asked me to keep an eye on things.
He vaguely realized why his master had ordered him to watch over the newcomer.
Surely, he had seen something remarkable in that figure.
If it were Daejoo, it would definitely be that way.
In the meantime, he had a slight curiosity.
“Jump out? Jump out now? Aren’t you coming here? If you get caught, you’re really going to die, I swear!”
Heeeeek!
“You made eye contact! Come here!”
S… save me!
“…”
Somehow, he felt a familiar vibe coming from that newbie.
Krrrrrrr…
One man, unable to bear the pain, foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness.
When it felt like it might really lead to death, Muk-kwon gradually formed an intention to intervene.
It was the opposite of what I expected, but I guess it doesn’t matter now.
Just when Muk-kwon was about to step in to put an end to the violence.
“…What are you doing…?”
A voice calling out to him came from behind.
Immediately, Muk-kwon knelt halfway down.
There was only one person who could say such a thing without feeling anything.
Without looking, Muk-kwon addressed the owner of the voice.
“…I meet the lord of the company.”
Ttukbuk.
As he bowed his head in respect, light footsteps could be heard moving beside him.
Where the moon’s light shone.
The Demon Sword Master approached, stood there, and looked down.
Two were crawling on the floor, while one was being held by a young man and was being beaten like a rat.
“…”
The Demon Sword Master silently watched the scene.
Only that one young man.
“…Muk-kwon….”
“Yes, my lord.”
Muk-kwon answered the call of the Demon Sword Master.
His head still wasn’t raised.
Muk-kwon knew she disliked making eye contact with anyone other than Dae-ju.
“…You are….”
“Yes.”
“…”
Muk-kwon quietly awaited the words the Demon Sword Master might say next, but there were no further questions.
Just when he was wondering what was happening, Muk-kwon raised his head slightly.
“…No. Nothing….”
After saying that, the Demon Sword Master disappeared again.
In this strange situation, Muk-kwon was somewhat flustered but didn’t show it.
“Huh? Hey. Come on. Breathe! Breathe! Oh, I’m done for.”
Muk-kwon raised himself at the sound of the voice from below. Oops, it seemed something had occurred while he hesitated for a moment.
He moved down urgently.
Meanwhile, the Demon Sword Master stood there, quietly recalling the events of the previous night.
While she was wandering the streets.
The Demon Sword Master had spread out all her senses.
After all, she didn’t trust others.
No matter how much he talked about the cult leader, the Demon Sword Master didn’t trust humans.
Especially not young men of that age.
The aura of the Demon Sword could be sensed throughout the vast forest if she wished it.
It meant she didn’t miss even the smallest sound.
That’s why.
I still like the moon.
She couldn’t help but hear the young man’s voice as he blinked at the full moon.
…
The Demon Sword Master recalled the voice she had heard that time as she slowly began to walk.
The sadness, longing, and an indescribable sorrow contained in that voice still lingered in her mind.
But more importantly…
I have to go see him.
For the Demon Sword Master, it was more important to go see Daeju.
A day passed, and day broke.
Perhaps due to the romantic and friendly(?) fight at night, the place was quiet, allowing for a comfortable sleep.
Was it because he nearly killed one of them during it? The way the demons were looking at him felt slightly off.
If Muk-kwon hadn’t intervened, it might have been a bit dangerous.
He had exploded from the frustration that had built up over the past few days and struggled to control himself.
He had hit out of anger, causing the guy to lose his mind.
Even if he woke up, he wouldn’t be able to walk for a while.
What can I do?
In all honesty, that was about it.
He had also lost his temper quite a bit.
If it were the old him, he would have felt better if he had taken out one of them right then and there.
I probably wouldn’t have minded if I had killed him…
That was likely the case.
This was something he realized while striking those guys yesterday.
It seemed those guys weren’t from the Black Flame Corps after all.
Going by the feel, they seemed to be underlings of the Sword Demon. You could tell just by fighting them.
These guys clearly used swords, and their fingertips were crawling with murderous intent.
Those bastards always acted like that.
Perhaps it was because the lord was a guy obsessed with slaughter and madness; most of his underlings felt similar.
There was a reason he beat up the Sword Demon’s followers mindlessly.
Honestly, it was just because I didn’t like them…
This was merely a fleeting memory, so he decided to brush it off…
He rolled his eyes and looked around.
Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall from last night, yet the demons standing in a line showed no signs of movement.
It was due to the extreme tension.
Why are they so terrified?
He could only look at them with a puzzled expression.
Then suddenly, he glanced down at the clothes he was wearing and let out a heavy sigh.
… I never thought I’d wear this again.
The black martial arts uniform also known as the cult uniform.
It was a uniform marked with the symbol of belonging to the Black Flame Corps. Who would have thought that he would wear something like this again?
I can only sigh.
Every time he woke up, he hoped he had returned to his original time.
If this situation persisted for three days, he should have been prepared to give up.
It had been like this when he regressed as well.
It took about three days to accept reality.
Damn it.
…To return, I have to do something in the end.
What he needed to do first was to understand what that “something” truly was.
Nothing substantial had come to mind thus far.
I should find a chance to gather some information.
It was sad to think he had to roll around here too, but he had no choice.
If it had come to this point, it would be faster to realize it and look for another way.
Squeak.
He straightened at the sound of the door opening.
Kuuuung.
As soon as the door opened, a heavy presence filled the Great Hall in an instant.
He felt like he would collapse if he relaxed.
Ah… is that why?
When he felt that sensation, he understood why the beings inside reacted that way.
They were so nervous that they thought they would lose themselves if they didn’t stay alert.
That lunatic.
He couldn’t help but curse the owner of that presence.
That damned bastard probably didn’t even realize he was unleashing such an aura.
If he had so much magical power, he should at least try to control it.
Thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the Great Hall.
At the same moment, his past self appeared.
The figure swirled through the hall wearing a dark robe, purple eyes scanning the surroundings.
Just looking at it sent shivers down his spine.
He felt so embarrassed he thought he might go mad.
I think I would prefer to die from my own blunders instead of facing this humiliation.
No matter how he looked at it, it was simply like that.
He had every bit of flair. Seriously, why was he acting like that?
Behind him followed six others, including the Demon Sword Master and Muk-kwon.
They were the elite of the Black Flame Corps.
Boom boom-!
As soon as that bastard appeared, everyone knelt simultaneously.
Instinctively, he too knelt down, worried about missing out.
“I see you, my lord!”
The call echoed through the vast high room.
Despite the loud shouts, the Great Lord continued walking silently.
In the meantime…
Why is that bastard looking at me?
He caught a glimpse of the demon’s gaze passing over him for a moment.
There were only two kinds of cases in which he would look at someone like that during this time.
Either someone he was concerned about.
Or someone he was going to kill shortly afterward.
It had to be one of those two… As he looked, the way he was being observed seemed to suggest…
Both.
It was clear he was both a concern and a target for death. No need to even think about it.
It seemed he was clearly marked.
Desperately, he ignored the gaze and stuck his head down.
Creak.
The demon who averted his gaze from him ascended to the throne and settled onto it with a satisfying clatter.
“… A report has come in.”
Then immediately cut to the chase. The guy really didn’t waste any time.
“The Heavenly Lord has been reported to be wandering around the area.”
There was indeed a Heavenly Being near the Sichuan lands.
At this, the demeanor of the demons shifted.
What that meant was that the fragile standoff maintained until now might soon escalate to war once again.
His mind raced as he processed the words.
The Heavenly Lord is in the Sichuan area.
He had heard this directly from the Demon Sword Master in the past.
When he got a report from her about this…
Huh… no way.
His eyes widened at the thought that flashed through his mind.
He knew that the Heavenly Lord was touring the Four Heavenly lands.
The reason he had come here was straightforward: to deliberately attract the attention of the demons by flaunting his presence, ignoring the Heavenly Demon’s warning against the Three Lords’ interference.
So this is the moment.
As he pieced together the situation, he finally began to realize.
At last, he felt he understood what timeframe they were in.
He looked to the Great Lord and contemplated.
The reason the Heavenly Lord was drawing attention was none other than…
…to send that old man away.
The Heavenly Lord aimed to monopolize everyone’s attention.
The ultimate goal was to exploit that distraction and send someone in.
Here, that old man’s identity was…
The Defeated.
Yes, the one they were referring to was the Defeated.
It was a strategy to send him to the lands of Sichuan.
This meant that the Defeated was on the verge of appearing in Sichuan and stirring chaos.
If his memory served, the Defeated would invade shortly after seven days and nights of receiving the report.
Damn it.
Why did it have to be this time?
He had no choice but to widen his eyes and conceal the throbbing headache.
Was it a problem concerning the appearance of the Defeated? No.
The reason he was perturbed was for a different matter entirely.
He clenched his lips, gazing at the Great Lord.
You already knew.
He was aware that the Heavenly Lord was in this vicinity even before the Demon Sword Master reported to him.
He also knew that the Defeated would show up too.
And yet, that fool pretended not to notice anything.
If his predictions were correct, he was about to say the following right away.
“I don’t know.”
…An order has come down from our school.
“An order has come down from our school.”
He tightly closed his eyes at the words that rang so true.
“I’m saying we must show our intentions to the Heavenly Being who ignored the teachings of the Lord.”
With a seemingly indifferent expression, he looked at the trembling demons with his purple eyes.
The demons, crushed under his gaze, shivered and gulped.
“We shall commence from now on.”
Whether he was aware of it or not, that damned bastard continued spouting his own agenda.
“The hunt for the Defeated begins.”
“Yes-!”
The demons shouted in response to their Lord’s command.
Amidst that, he had to scowl with furrowed brows and bite down on his lips.
As expected.
No matter how much he deliberated, the conclusion was the same.
Struggling from memories he couldn’t escape.
In that sense, this world truly felt like hell for him.
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