Chapter 51 : Intimidation
Chapter 51: Intimidation
After the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult said, ‘If you have time to loiter here, would you like to train with me instead?’ and the Thirteen Bloods fled like startled grasshoppers, the Vice Cult Leader’s residence once again became quiet.
Because of that, the Poison Demon did not suffer the misfortune of being blocked by the Thirteen Bloods like the Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords had.
Having met the Vice Cult Leader so easily, the Poison Demon felt unable to sit or stand at ease.
“D-Did you call for me?”
“Yes. I was curious when you intended to resume the test, so I asked you to come.”
“C-Can I go?”
“Do Iron Demon and the Profound Demon still require treatment?”
“They do need it, but not to the extent that I must personally remain.”
“Then go. Are you perhaps thinking of refusing even that?”
At the Vice Cult Leader’s voice, which grew so cold that the surrounding air seemed to chill instantly, the Poison Demon jumped in alarm.
“N-No! How could I dare say something so outrageous! That is not the case. I wished to go as well, but I lacked the Vice Cult Leader’s permission… I will prepare at once and return.”
“Do so.”
At Yul Han’s permission, the Poison Demon bowed so deeply it looked as if his back might break, then turned around.
As he did, Yul Han’s voice, as though something had just occurred to him, stopped the Poison Demon’s steps.
“Ah, right. On your way, pass this along to Iron Demon and the Profound Demon. If they’re not dead, they are to resume training. Tell them that their whining will only be tolerated until today.”
“T-Then… would it be possible to grant them just one or two more days…?”
At the Poison Demon’s cautious words, Yul Han asked,
“When I asked the physician in the Fifth Elder’s Chamber, he said there was some internal injury remaining but nothing that would seriously hinder movement. Is that not correct?”
“T-That is correct.”
“Then convey it as it is. If being injured is no excuse to avoid fighting, then training should be no different. Lacking ability, disobeying the words of the strong, and on top of that being lazy with training… is there really any reason for them to stay alive?”
At the Vice Cult Leader’s cold rebuke, the Poison Demon broke into a cold sweat and lowered his head.
“I-I will deliver the message, Vice Cult Leader.”
“Good. And Fifth Elder.”
“Yes, Vice Cult Leader.”
At the Poison Demon’s answer, brimming with discipline, Yul Han continued,
“Let’s do this properly. Don’t fail like them.”
“I-I will do my utmost, Vice Cult Leader.”
“Will ‘utmost’ be enough? You survived by deceiving me, and yet I am disappointed.”
The moment the Vice Cult Leader’s icy voice reached him, the back of the Poison Demon’s neck went cold, as though a sharp blade had been laid against his throat.
In the Bright Cult, surviving after making a fool of the strong was impossible.
Recalling that too late, the Poison Demon bent so deeply that it seemed his forehead might touch the ground.
“I-I will devote my life and give everything I have.”
“Good. I expect the results to match.”
At Yul Han’s words, the Poison Demon bowed deeply once more, then backed out without even daring to straighten his waist.
Hurrying away, he bitterly repented the complacency he had felt after being relieved by the Vice Cult Leader’s gentle words and by the protection from the Cult Leader’s blade.
If he delayed…
He felt he might truly die.
Watching the Poison Demon retreat in a fluster through the window, Yul Han’s expression hardened.
Yes. He had intimidated him.
He had deliberately focused a portion of the killing intent of Extreme Slaughter on the Poison Demon’s neck.
The effect was exactly as seen.
In the Bright Cult, methods like that were faster than talking about justice, chivalry, or even honor.
But it was not the method Yul Han desired.
If one only sought what was fast, he himself would eventually step into the very center of the demonic path.
Even so, he could not yet abandon this method entirely.
So…
‘Do not waver. Do not be tempted.’
Having steeled himself, Yul Han left his residence.
When his mind was troubled, moving the body was the best remedy. He intended to train.
On his way to the training grounds, Yul Han noticed a group of martial artists herding a number of children.
The problem was that they were not members of the Guardian Division who had not learned martial arts.
Those herding the children were clearly martial artists reeking with demonic energy.
–Please come here for a moment.
At the Vice Cult Leader’s mental voice transmission, one of the martial artists flinched, looked around, then spotted Yul Han and rushed over like the wind.
Thud.
“Training Hall Fifth Unit Commander, Pa-so. I pay my respects to the Vice Cult Leader.”
The crisp fist-and-palm salute and the clear announcement of rank and name were fitting for a unit commander of the Training Hall, which trained martial artists.
Yul Han asked him,
“Where are these children from?”
“They were handed over by the Guardian Division.”
“The Guardian Division… Where are you taking them?”
At the Vice Cult Leader’s question, which seemed colder than before, Pa-so answered quickly,
“To the Training Hall’s basic training facility, Vice Cult Leader.”
“Why…?”
“They will be used as some of this year’s trainee martial artists.”
At Pa-so’s reply, Yul Han’s eyebrow twitched.
“Whose order is this?”
“It was the order of the Guardian of the Faith.”
After the Guardian Division was mentioned, Yul Han had already suspected as much, but he asked to confirm.
“Where did these children come from?”
“Vice Cult Leader, you… my apologies. They are children released from the Dream Faction.”
At Pa-so’s hastily corrected answer, prompted by the Vice Cult Leader’s frighteningly distorted gaze, Yul Han asked,
“There seem to be fewer than I would expect if they are those children.”
“The children living in Xinjiang and the Cheonghae Region were returned to their parents.”
“Then these children are…?”
“They are children living within the territory of the Hundred Paths.”
At Pa-so’s answer, Yul Han roughly grasped the situation and spoke with a stiff expression.
“The children will be protected at the Training Hall until I give further orders. Not trained—protected.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Since Pa-so was not in a position to add commentary about not understanding the order, his acknowledgment was immediate.
Another order followed from Yul Han.
“The Thirteen Bloods—no, Yul… where was it that upheld the rules?”
“The Discipline Court, Vice Cult Leader.”
Yul Han nodded at Pa-so’s prompt reply.
“Tell the head of the Discipline Court to wait for me at my residence.”
Leaving those words behind, the Vice Cult Leader turned away coldly. Pa-so, watching his retreating figure with a flustered gaze, hurried to move.
Judging from the Vice Cult Leader’s expression, lingering would not end well.
The Qimen Armored Demon, Pyeongchi, ran so fast that his eyebrows fluttered. It was because Pa-so, who had delivered the summons, said that the Vice Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult did not seem to be in a good mood.
Thus arriving in haste, Pyeongchi, Head of the Discipline Court, came face to face with the Vice Cult Leader.
Thud.
The book the Vice Cult Leader audibly closed after placing it before him was the Heavenly Demon Scripture, containing the doctrines of the Bright Cult.
Come to think of it, beside it lay the Cult Rules, which recorded the laws of the Bright Cult.
As Pyeongchi’s gaze was drawn to those two volumes, Yul Han called out to him.
“Head of the Discipline Court.”
“Yes. Vice Cult Leader.”
By rank, the Head of the Discipline Court was also at the elder level. That was why he was commonly called the Tenth Elder.
However, he was an elder who could not attend the Council of Elders. The Discipline Court was a direct organ under the Cult Leader, overseeing the discipline of all believers, including the Council of Elders itself.
Thanks to that, he had remained outside the recent events behind the curtain. To that Head of the Discipline Court, Yul Han asked,
“What should be done about the Guardian of the Faith who obstructed missionary work?”
“The Guardian of the Faith obstructed missionary work?”
“You didn’t know?”
At the Vice Cult Leader’s question, which settled coldly, Pyeongchi’s expression stiffened in alarm.
“M-My apologies, Vice Cult Leader. This subordinate was remiss… If you inform me, I will hasten to ascertain the truth.”
“Tsk. Did you not hear that the children taken from the Dream Faction were sent to the Training Hall?”
“I did hear that, but…”
“And yet you left it alone?”
At Yul Han’s clearly displeased question, Pyeongchi was flustered.
To be honest, he could not understand why that matter was a problem at all. Unable to answer and fidgeting, he heard Yul Han speak.
“The Guardian of the Faith returned the children from Xinjiang and the Cheonghae Region to their parents.”
“Yes. I heard the same.”
“But the children from other regions were not returned to their parents and were instead sent to the Training Hall.”
“Th-That is so.”
Unsure how to respond, Pyeongchi gave an awkward reply. Yul Han then asked,
“If this becomes known, what kind of rumors do you think will spread in regions other than Xinjiang and the Cheonghae Region?”
“That people point fingers at us and call us devil spawn is nothing new, so it wouldn’t really—”
Mid-sentence, Pyeongchi realized that the source of the rapidly chilling air in the room was the Vice Cult Leader. His words hurriedly changed.
“…People’s opinion of us will worsen, Vice Cult Leader.”
From the fact that his answer changed and the surrounding temperature returned to normal, Pyeongchi realized he had given the correct response. Then Yul Han’s voice followed.
“Correct. The evaluation will be bad. Do you think missionary work can proceed properly in such a place?”
At those words, Pyeongchi clearly grasped what the Vice Cult Leader wanted. There was no reason to hesitate in answering.
“Not a chance. To the Bright Cult that seized their children… missionary work would never succeed. Vice Cult Leader.”
“That is exactly my point. Then what crime is it to make missionary work impossible in that way?”
“Obstruction of missionary work! That is correct, Vice Cult Leader.”
At Pyeongchi’s answer, Yul Han spoke coldly.
“Then we must uncover why it was done and establish the crime.”
“I will immediately seize him, tear living flesh, and even break bones if necessary to learn why it was done. Vice Cult Leader.”
“You should. Extract a confession!”
At the Vice Cult Leader’s coldly sunken voice and gaze, Pyeongchi hastily bent at the waist.
“By your command!”
Dragged in roughly by the experts of the Discipline Court and bound in place, the Guardian of the Faith had no idea why he had been arrested.
In that state, the Doctrinal Officers of the Guardian Division who had been seized along with him were hung upside down.
The only one the Vice Cult Leader had ordered to be handled gently was the Guardian of the Faith.
Immediately, beatings began on the upside-down Doctrinal Officers of the Guardian Division, with demands to ‘confess why you obstructed missionary work.’
“W-What are you talking about? We did nothing of the sort!”
At the Doctrinal Officers’ scream-like protests, Pyeongchi’s shout rang out.
“You haven’t been beaten enough yet. Don’t go easy until they confess the truth!”
Soon the experts of the Discipline Court swung their clubs, and loud impacts and desperate screams echoed.
Rumors spread through the cult in an instant.
That the Vice Cult Leader had laid hands even on the Guardian Division. As martial artists began saying it was going too far, the reason the Guardian of the Faith and the Guardian Division’s Doctrinal Officers had been taken to the Discipline Court became known.
“Obstruction of missionary work?”
“Yes. Obstruction of missionary work.”
At Wood Fire Blood’s reply, Iron Shatter Blood tilted his head.
“Why? What did they do that missionary officers are being charged with obstructing missionary work?”
“Well, that is…”
After Wood Fire Blood explained what he had heard from the Discipline Court, Iron Shatter Blood tilted his head again.
“It sounds like it might be, but also like it isn’t. Isn’t it ambiguous? Taking children and sending them to the Training Hall is something we’ve done every thirty years.”
“But this time was different. Some were sent back.”
“Discrimination… is that it?”
“Right. If you feel discriminated against, you’d be in a foul mood too.”
“Is that so?”
Many people shared Iron Shatter Blood’s confusion.
It was hard to say the Guardian Division’s actions were clearly wrong, given what the Bright Cult had done in the past.
At the same time, it was also hard to deny the Vice Cult Leader’s and the Discipline Court’s claim that it was wrong.
Most Bright Cult martial artists agreed that being discriminated against felt vile, and that no one would feel good if their own child were taken away.
Despite the confusion, the overall atmosphere favored the Vice Cult Leader and the Discipline Court’s handling of the matter.
There was a reason the Bright Cult’s martial artists so readily accepted it despite the issue being somewhat murky.
That reason came from Iron Shatter Blood’s mouth.
“Honestly, those Guardian Division bastards needed to be strung up at least once. Even during the Maekbaek War thirty years ago, they wagged their tongues and caused that disaster, and even now they haven’t learned their lesson—information leaks happen again and again. Because of that, our kids are still paying in blood. They dug their own grave.”
Indeed, even after thirty years, the wound to their pride from the defeat in the Maekbaek War remained vivid among the Bright Cult’s martial artists.
Moreover, dissatisfaction simmered over the fact that such information leaks were still being repeated.
Perhaps because of that, contrary to earlier expectations that touching the Guardian of the Faith would cause a major upheaval, the Bright Cult remained quiet.
Even so, it was unavoidable that attention focused on the Discipline Court where the Guardian of the Faith had been taken.
And it was into that Discipline Court that Yul Han was now entering.