Chapter 185
Chapter 185
Silence fell.
Some wore expressions that could not believe the war had ended, while others remained silent because they had already realized it was over.
However, no matter how one thought about it, the result was the same.
The death of the Heavenly Demon.
The death of the Heavenly Demon signified the end of the war, and the victory of the Alliance meant the decline of the Demonic Cult.
‘Decline?’
No—decline was far too weak a word. Having suffered too great a shock, Youngho looked into the eyes of the Demon Brain, whose mind had gone blank.
Their gazes met, yet the Demon Brain did not react at all. His intellect was so sharp that he had accepted reality instantly, yet paradoxically his brilliant mind rejected that very reality.
And Youngho, though in a critically grave state to the point that he could barely maintain his balance, infused Qi into his sword and swung it toward the Demon Brain.
Swish!
The Sword Qi that Youngho unleashed surged like a bolt of lightning and severed the Demon Brain’s neck. For someone who had mocked the world and inflicted such humiliation upon the Alliance, it was an almost pitiful end.
Yet the members of the Alliance realized it the moment they saw the Demon Brain’s head fall to the ground.
They had won.
And a religion whose god had died could never wield power as it once had.
Having killed the Demon Brain, Youngho spoke in an emotionless voice.
“Though the war is our victory, there are still things left to do.”
The soldiers of the Alliance fixed their attention on Youngho’s voice without taking their eyes off the cultists of the Demonic Cult.
“The Demonic Cult will fall today. Their lifespan is annoyingly persistent, so perhaps it will be impossible to completely wipe them out….”
Feeling the fearful gazes of the Demonic Cultists who looked at him as though he were a monster, Youngho continued.
“But at the very least, we should make sure they can’t cause trouble for the next three hundred years.”
“UAAAAAAAH!!!”
The moment Youngho’s declaration ended, the soldiers of the Alliance released the fury they had drawn up from their Dantian.
Senior Brothers had died. Friends had died. Some had survived alone thanks to the sacrifices of their comrades, while others had suffered injuries that placed them on the brink of death.
But they all took the same action.
They killed the Demonic Cultists.
The term Demonic Practitioner was only used when acknowledging the opponent as a martial artist of the Demonic Cult.
The soldiers of the Alliance did not see the cultists as martial artists. They saw them as a horde of fanatics—and slaughtered them.
Half of the Demonic Cultists, shocked by the loss of their god, accepted death without resistance. The other half fled desperately.
Ordinarily, the Orthodox Sect would never have raised their swords against enemies who had lost the will to fight. But the madness of war and the anger of losing those dear to them had robbed them of reason.
They massacred the Demonic Cultists.
As the cultists fled, Myeongnyang and Zhuge Lianhua tried to organize a pursuit force to chase them to the end.
At that moment, Muyeon spoke to them.
“I believe we can stop now.”
“Deputy Commander. They are people who deserve death.”
Zhuge Lianhua’s voice came out sharply.
This war had also taken away those dear to her.
And now she was being told to stop?
Seeing that Zhuge Lianhua’s eyes were bloodshot red, Muyeon calmly stated his opinion.
“Even if we do this, the Demonic Cult will not disappear from history. If we truly wished to erase the Demonic Cult entirely, we would have to head to Cheonsan.”
“Then we should go there right now!”
“If that decision is made, the number of Alliance soldiers who die will equal the number of Demonic Cultists we kill.”
“…….”
“There are too many soldiers here who can still be saved. More precisely, soldiers who will die if we do not save them now.”
At Muyeon’s calm tone, Zhuge Lianhua bit her lip.
It was frustrating, but there was nothing wrong with what he said.
There was no longer any reason to incur more sacrifice. Even if they paid a greater price than this, they would not be able to erase the Demonic Cult.
Then there was only one thing left to do.
Zhuge Lianhua decided to follow Muyeon’s judgment.
The soldiers of the Unorthodox Alliance immediately obeyed the orders of Muyeon and Myeongnyang, but on the side of the Murim Alliance, Zhuge Lianhua had to calm and console the soldiers who had been consumed by rage and grief.
Though it took some time, the three eventually succeeded in calming the soldiers of the Alliance.
Watching Muyeon and Myeongnyang, who had grown splendidly, Youngho felt pleased.
Muyeon had voiced his claim, and Myeongnyang had accepted it.
Even though the decision had not been his own, Myeongnyang followed without complaint, and Youngho felt respect in that attitude.
Respect and faith toward the lord whom Myeongnyang himself had chosen.
If that were not the case, Muyeon’s opinion would not merely have been rejected—it would have been fortunate if it had not been ignored entirely.
Though there had been conflict, it was ultimately an act meant to reach mutual understanding.
After all, asking questions and seeking answers was not wrong—it was the correct thing to do.
As he briefly sank into such thoughts with a melancholic gaze, Hyeon-gang approached Youngho and spoke.
“Young Master. You should receive treatment.”
“Yeah. Just give me some emergency treatment for now.”
“What about surgery? The other soldiers will be undergoing surgery here anyway. There’s a risk of infection because of the corpses, but it’s still better than dying. We’ve set up a temporary operating area, so please move there.”
At Hyeon-gang’s words, which sounded almost naïve, Youngho chuckled.
“It’s fine. You’re tired too.”
“If you keep this up, something will happen.”
“I know. But everything isn’t over yet.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
The moment Hyeon-gang finished speaking, hundreds of soldiers began walking toward Youngho.
They were disciples brought by the sects of Shaolin, Mount Hua Sect, the Sichuan Tang Family, the Hebei Peng Clan, and the Zhuge Clan.
Hye-gak looked at Youngho and smiled kindly.
Seeing him act as though he had forgotten all the humiliation he had suffered from Youngho until now, Youngho twisted his lips.
“What’s the matter, suddenly bringing your disciples here?”
“Of course, we simply came to offer congratulations.”
Youngho’s casual speech was so consistent that even Muyeon, who was on the same side, found it irritating today.
Even so, Hye-gak did not lose his smile.
Seeing Hye-gak smile despite hearing his tone, Youngho felt, for the first time, that the man truly looked like the Abbot of Shaolin, the one who governed the towering authority of Shaolin.
It was almost the first time Hye-gak had worn such a relaxed expression.
Whether he knew Youngho’s thoughts or not, Hye-gak carefully examined Youngho’s wounds—wounds that suggested he had fought a far more desperate battle than anyone could imagine.
“The benefactor’s injuries appear very severe.”
“They would be. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone in the Orthodox Sect capable of assisting me.”
“….”
For a brief instant, Hye-gak’s eyebrow twitched.
It was such a faint movement that only Youngho noticed it.
But instinct was different.
Before anyone realized it, Myeongnyang and Muyeon had stepped in front of Hyeon-gang and Youngho, staring at Hye-gak with cold eyes.
Hye-gak said nothing and looked at Youngho for a moment.
Seeing him drag out the moment, Youngho frowned.
“Before congratulating me, shouldn’t you take care of the other soldiers first? My personal physician is competent, so I’ll be just fine.”
“Sword Exalted.”
At that moment, hostility that could hardly be believed to come from a Buddhist monk emerged from Hye-gak’s mouth.
It was not Killing Intent, but a voice and gaze filled with vicious malice and hostility.
Those nearby were startled.
“After seeing the battle between the Heavenly Demon and the Sword Exalted, I realized something. If another being who transcends humanity exists in this world, the same tragedy will occur again someday.”
“That’s fortunate. There won’t be another existence like the Heavenly Demon.”
“Is there not still one left?”
“What do you mean?”
“There is still someone who uses a peculiar technique called Hardened Force Manifestation and possesses monstrous divine might beyond that of a human.”
“That’s true. The one who killed the Heavenly Demon and can use Hardened Force Manifestation—me—still remains.”
Hearing their conversation, Killing Intent began to gather in the eyes of Myeongnyang and Muyeon.
Hyeon-gang, unable to accept the situation, tightly shut his eyes.
He felt his hands trembling.
Was it this rotten…?
Hye-gak’s words themselves were not painful.
After all, that man’s words did not represent the will of the entire Murim Alliance.
Surely this was another unilateral act.
But what was even more painful was the fact that martial artists from the Tang Clan were standing there.
Every time his eyes met someone he knew from the Tang Clan, they all turned their heads away.
Because there was no excuse.
You know it too…!
You know this is wrong. You know this is something the Orthodox Sect should never do…
There were many words he wanted to say, but only a faint breath escaped his lips.
Shameful.
That he had inherited the blood of the Tang Clan.
Humiliating.
That he had once considered those people family.
Because he had examined Youngho’s body, Hyeon-gang knew.
If Youngho fought now, he would inevitably die.
Right now he was fine because he was not moving, but if he moved even a little, he would die before long.
It was certainty.
Please endure, Young Master…!
Hyeon-gang prayed desperately to a god he had never believed existed in his entire life.
Youngho, looking at Hye-gak, whose gentle smile had vanished, said,
“So what are you planning to do? Do you think three hundred soldiers are enough to kill me?”
“Normally, it would not be possible.”
“Abbot!”
Hearing the confirmation that Youngho would be killed, Zhuge Lianhua tried to approach Hye-gak, but a martial artist of the Zhuge Clan standing beside her blocked her path.
“…Move.”
“I cannot.”
“My father has fainted and isn’t here, and my brother died in the war. That means I am the acting Clan Head. So at the very least, the Zhuge Clan should withdraw from here right now.”
Zhuge Heukung, who had served as Zhuge Lianhua’s bodyguard since childhood, bit his lip painfully.
“…It was the final order of Zhuge Manchong.”
“…What?”
Zhuge Manchong was her only brother.
And this order… was her brother’s final command—even after death, unable to let go of his lingering attachment?
She could not believe it.
Yet the presence of the Zhuge Clan’s martial artist here forced her to believe.
Her breathing quickened. Her fingertips began trembling.
“N-No.”
The mind that had endured desperately even on the battlefield began to collapse.
“No…!”
Zhuge Heukung pressed firmly on Zhuge Lianhua’s acupoint.
“Please forgive me.”
Her body immediately went limp.
Catching her, Zhuge Heukung cast a complicated gaze toward Youngho before leaving.
Watching the scene, Youngho said in a flat voice,
“So it was a unilateral decision after all. Did you speak with the Alliance Leader?”
“The Alliance Leader is somewhat too rigid.”
“In a situation like this, shouldn’t a Buddhist monk be even more rigid?”
“There are things one must endure for the sake of the greater righteousness.”
“Then instead of arguing with your mouth, why don’t we just start fighting?”
“There is no need to move first when I can kill you without dirtying my hands.”
Hye-gak’s gaze shifted to Youngho’s side, where blood was still pouring out.
Seeing that, Youngho smiled faintly.
“Hyeon-gang, hand me a bandage.”
“That won’t stop the bleeding—!”
“I know. Just give it to me.”
The problem was not only the wounds.
The Demonic Energy left behind by the Heavenly Demon was still spreading throughout Youngho’s body.
The place where it had gathered the most was, unfortunately, the torn flesh of his thigh and side.
Ignoring Hyeon-gang’s anxious eyes as he handed over the bandage, Youngho bit down on it.
Then he gathered Internal Energy into his hand and placed it on the wound on his thigh.
Sssss—!!
“What—!”
“That madman!”
Everyone stared in shock.
Youngho was cauterizing his wound with the Flame Venerable Art, stopping the bleeding while simultaneously purifying the Demonic Energy inside with his Internal Energy.
At the absurd sight, everyone’s eyes widened.
Spitting out the bandage he had bitten to endure the pain, Youngho smiled.
“Well, now you’ll have to dirty your hands.”
Just as Youngho was about to cauterize his side as well—
“Right now, are you the Young Master? Or the Commander? Judging by the situation, it doesn’t seem like you’re the Commander anymore.”
A voice came from behind him.
Hearing the familiar voice, Youngho let out a sigh of relief.
“What took you so long?”
Turning around, Youngho saw Nam A-pyeong, standing proudly with a greedy grin.
“You know the situation better than I do. But more importantly… your body looks like it’s been turned into rags. If you can’t even sense my presence, how badly are you injured?”
“Pretty badly. So how many did you bring?”
“Why don’t you ask Horyeung about that?”
The moment he finished speaking, Horyeung appeared before Youngho and knelt on one knee.
“My lord. I have brought the soldiers you ordered.”
Satisfied, Youngho looked at Hye-gak and said,
“Excellent. You just saved my life.”
Before anyone realized it, the hundreds of soldiers brought by Horyeung had surrounded those Hye-gak had brought.
Understanding everything, Hye-gak’s face turned pale.
Youngho let out a deep scoff and said,
“Let me ask you again.”
Rumble—!!
A savage Killing Intent that seemed capable of devouring the world began to pour out from Youngho’s entire body.
Though weakened from his injuries, Youngho’s wild nature pressed down upon those he now recognized as enemies.
“Do you really think that’s enough to kill me?”