The Heavenly Demon Who Reigns

'I'm going to die...!'

That was the first thought that came to Cheon Seong's mind as he looked at the sword approaching him.

A fear he had never experienced before in his life.

Among the many kinds of fear, the fear of death could be said to be by far the most overwhelming.

"..."

In the end, Cheon Seong closed his eyes.

He couldn't even think of moving his legs to dodge.

Since it was a fear he was experiencing for the first time, he just closed his eyes according to his instinct and ignored the reality in front of him.

Thump-.

At that moment, a familiar sound was heard in Cheon Seong's ear.

A clear metallic sound. Hearing that sound, Cheon Seong cautiously opened his two eyes that he had closed.

"...?"

When he opened his eyes, another person was standing there.

Where had the person who had given him the fear of death until just now gone?

The person who was now standing in front of Cheon Seong's eyes was the appearance of the brother he had originally known.

'Was I... mistaken?'

Yes, Cheon Myeong could not break his Mad Dragon Demon Blade Slash. And that too, so easily.

Cheon Seong thought so and tried to deny reality, but.

The heavy feeling that was still remaining at his fingertips immediately made him erase that thought.

What had just happened was by no means his own illusion.

The Mad Dragon Demon Blade Slash, which he had put his heart and soul into, had been broken so easily by Cheon Myeong's one move, and if Cheon Myeong had not sheathed his sword and had swung it as it was, he would have really died.

Cheon Seong had no choice but to admit that fact for now.

'Why does that guy have that much strength...'

Just because he had admitted the fact did not mean that he could understand the fact.

Why did Cheon Myeong have that much strength?

And that too, the fact that he had enough strength to overwhelm him, Cheon Seong could not understand.

Swish-.

With a face full of questions, Cheon Seong lowered the sword he was holding.

And as if to solve the question he was feeling now, he opened his mouth towards Cheon Myeong, who was looking at him.

"Do..."

Clack-.

The moment he opened his mouth, as the sound of the door suddenly opening was heard, Cheon Seong swallowed his words.

And at the same time, his gaze went to the entrance.

The person who had opened the door and had shown his face was Su Yeongseong.

"Oh my... a guest has arrived."

Su Yeongseong said that and glanced at the side where Cheon Myeong was.

Looking at his gaze, it seemed that he knew Cheon Myeong's face, but Cheon Myeong did not know Su Yeongseong's face.

'Who is he?'

To think that another person would come into this training ground.

It was a good thing that he had noticed someone approaching during the duel, but if he had been a little late, he would have shown his skills to a stranger.

'It's not Hwang Dongyeong.'

Since he had headed here without hesitation, he had surely thought that it was Cheon Seong's escort, Hwang Dongyeong.

Or did Cheon Seong have another escort besides Hwang Dongyeong?

But still, since he was the leader's son, it was not strange for him to have more escorts.

'But still, he seems to care quite a bit since he's his blood relative. I only have Soyeon Sang as an escort.'

Of course, he had no particular complaints about that.

Because Soyeon Sang was really doing his best as an escort.

Even if he had many escorts, he would hate it more because it would feel like he was being watched.

It was just that he felt that Cheon Jin was paying quite a lot of attention to Cheon Seong, unlike him. That was all.

"Hello."

"...?"

At that moment, Su Yeongseong smiled at Cheon Myeong and spoke to him first.

"This is the first time we've met in person."

"..."

"My name is Su Yeongseong."

Only then did Cheon Myeong know Su Yeongseong's identity.

The last disciple of Cheon Jin, whom he had not yet met.

It seemed that Cheon Myeong had not expected to meet Su Yeongseong in this way, and he was quite surprised inwardly.

'Is that guy Su Yeongseong?'

As he learned his identity, Cheon Myeong's gaze at Su Yeongseong also had a quite different atmosphere from before.

The Five Great Demonic Families were in a hostile relationship with Cheon Myeong. And that too, the guys who had come as Cheon Jin's disciples were very likely to clash directly with Cheon Myeong someday.

Knowing the enemy could be said to be the most basic of tactics.

Cheon Myeong was first grasping Su Yeongseong's first impression as seen on the outside.

"Su Yeongseong, why did you suddenly come here?"

At that moment, Cheon Seong asked Su Yeongseong.

Then, Su Yeongseong looked at Cheon Seong as if he were puzzled and said.

"Have you perhaps forgotten?"

"...?"

"Isn't today the day we promised to have a duel?"

"Ah..."

A low exclamation.

Come to think of it, he had forgotten for a moment because of Cheon Myeong.

Cheon Seong had promised to have a duel with Su Yeongseong here at this time.

Of course, it was just Su Yeongseong helping for Cheon Seong's training... but since his attention was elsewhere, he was barely able to remember after hearing him talk.

"Looking at you, you must have forgotten."

"..."

"But..."

At that moment, Su Yeongseong looked at Cheon Myeong and Cheon Seong alternately and opened his mouth.

"...If it's not rude, may I ask what you two were doing until just now?"

At a glance, it seemed like a trivial question.

Since Cheon Seong also thought so, he was about to answer Su Yeongseong's question without realizing it, but before that, Cheon Myeong suddenly cut into the conversation.

"We were just talking."

As Cheon Myeong said that, Cheon Seong swallowed his words.

Why was Cheon Myeong lying?

Although that thought came to him for a moment, Cheon Seong was able to know the reason right away.

'Does he want to keep it a secret?'

The fact that Cheon Myeong had recovered this much strength after the Qi Deviation would be almost non-existent in the main headquarters.

Hadn't Cheon Seong himself not known that fact at all until just now?

That meant that Cheon Myeong was now intentionally hiding his strength... whatever the reason, if he were to tell Su Yeongseong that he had had a duel with Cheon Seong just now, that fact could be indirectly revealed.

"..."

His gaze, which was directed at Cheon Seong.

Feeling that gaze, Cheon Seong nodded his head without a word.

"Yes... my brother came to me while I was training, so I stopped for a moment and was talking."

There were still too many questions about Cheon Myeong.

Until he could solve those questions, Cheon Seong decided to play along with Cheon Myeong's tune for now.

"Is that so... then I must have been a disturbance."

"..."

"What should I do? Should I come back a little later, or should I just go back for today?"

As Su Yeongseong asked, Cheon Seong thought for a moment.

Although training was important, it would be a priority to solve the questions about Cheon Myeong now.

Thinking so, Cheon Seong thought that it would be better to send Su Yeongseong back for now and to talk to Cheon Myeong a little more.

"Oh..."

"It's okay."

The moment Cheon Seong was about to tell him to go back for today, Cheon Myeong suddenly cut him off.

"My business is over, so I'll be going back now."

His business is over?

He still had many things he wanted to ask Cheon Myeong.

But before he could even say that, Cheon Myeong was already far away.

Flap-.

At some point, Baekjo, which had returned to Cheon Myeong's shoulder.

Cheon Myeong passed by Su Yeongseong with a leisurely stride and left the training ground.

Thump-.

The door closed.

However, the gazes of the two people in the training ground were still directed at the closed door.

In the end, Su Yeongseong withdrew his gaze first and approached the side where Cheon Seong was.

"Young Master."

"..."

Until Su Yeongseong approached and spoke to him, Cheon Seong's gaze was still directed at the door where Cheon Myeong had left.

Only then did he turn his gaze and look at the side where Su Yeongseong was.

Su Yeongseong asked Cheon Seong, who still had a dazed feeling.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh...?"

"What did you talk about with Young Master Cheon Myeong? Looking at your expression, it seems that you had a quite serious conversation."

"...It's nothing. We just talked about useless things."

Even though he said that, Cheon Seong's gaze was constantly glancing at the door where Cheon Myeong had left.

"...Is that so."

Saying that, Su Yeongseong drew his sword.

It seemed that he had no intention of asking any more about Cheon Myeong.

"Shall we start right away?"

He didn't have to say what they were going to start.

Only then did Cheon Seong's gaze become fixed on Su Yeongseong.

Cheon Seong held his sword with both hands without a word and took a stance.

'What on earth happened to my brother? If not, then...'

The afterimage of Cheon Myeong, which was still strongly engraved in Cheon Seong's head.

Although his two hands were holding the sword, it seemed that Cheon Seong would not be able to concentrate fully on this duel.

* * *

Cheon Myeong left the training ground and was returning to the Little Heaven Pavilion.

A look of disappointment on his face.

Although he had not expressed it there, since a disturbance had cut in during his duel with Cheon Seong, a little disappointment remained.

'If I had been there a little longer, I could have given him a proper lesson.'

Of course, he had no intention of striking Cheon Seong's head with his sword in that spot.

He is his only younger brother, so would he kill him?

It was just that he was a little disappointed that he had not been able to give Cheon Seong a loving punishment.

'Well... is it rather a good thing that I didn't hit him in that spot?'

If the punishment had started in earnest, it would not have ended with just a nosebleed.

If traces of being beaten were left all over his face, no matter how much, he would not have believed the excuse that they had just been talking.

Thinking so, it could be said that it was a good thing that Su Yeongseong had entered the training ground just before the punishment.

'Su Yeongseong...'

The last person he had confirmed among Cheon Jin's disciples.

Since he had a rather gentle impression and he had not talked to him for very long, he could not yet accurately grasp what kind of guy he was.

However, one thing that bothered Cheon Myeong's mind.

'A guy who smiles like that is likely to be a dangerous guy.'

A guy who always had a smile on his face was very likely to be a dangerous guy, in Cheon Myeong's experience.

Because it was quite difficult to grasp the inner thoughts of a guy who was smiling in any situation.

Although the time he had encountered Su Yeongseong in the training ground could be said to be a moment, he could still tell that the guy was habitually wearing a smile to hide his inner thoughts.

'And although I don't know the relationship between him and Cheon Seong accurately yet, I felt that the relationship between the two was close.'

At least, it was a world of difference from when he dealt with him.

Because it felt as if those two saw each other quite often on a regular basis.

'Su Yeongseong and Cheon Seong...'

Is it his own illusion that he feels something suspicious?

Although he didn't know what their relationship was exactly yet, he couldn't help but feel suspicious for now.

"I hope Seong-i didn't say anything unnecessary to that guy."

Looking at him earlier, it seemed that he had grasped his intention and was keeping what had happened in the training ground a secret... but since he was a rather unreliable younger brother, he was a little anxious.

But still, would he trust a guy from the Five Great Demonic Families more than him, who was related by blood?

For now, he had no choice but to believe that Cheon Seong would not say anything unnecessary to Su Yeongseong.

However, if it was revealed that Cheon Seong had said something foolish to Su Yeongseong...

"...Then as his older brother, I'll have to give him a proper lesson."

Cheon Myeong muttered with a cold face, cracking his fingers.

(End of Chapter)