Chapter 80

The entrance to the Strategist’s Office was shattered so badly its original shape was unrecognizable.

The massive doors and walls had been blown into pieces and scattered in every direction, and the Strategist’s Office’s warriors lay strewn about, groaning.

At the center of it all stood Heuk Jin-pung.

Like a fiend consumed by the desire to destroy, the stench of blood and raw killing intent poured off his entire body.

“You gnats dared to try to block my path!”

Heuk Jin-pung roared in fury.

To an absolute master at the Extreme Demon level like him, the defenses of the Strategist’s Office were no more than paper.

‘Gal So-ye, I’ll make you pay dearly for trying to mess with me.’

Gal So-ye had probably not imagined even for a moment that he would storm the Strategist’s Office.

Even if she had, she would not have expected him to move this boldly.

What kind of expression would she make if he actually closed his hand around her throat?

Would she be afraid, or would she look bored and tired like she always did?

He would be able to find out soon enough.

Because he was heading straight for her office.

But then.

“How about you stop there?”

A sudden voice brought Heuk Jin-pung to a halt.

When he turned his head, a man was walking toward him from a distance.

He wore golden robes tinged orange, had a squat, mole-like body, and on his back was a greatsword as large as he was.

It was Son Wi-tak, Clan Head of the Destructive Sword Son Clan.

A mocking smile was fixed on his pockmarked face.

“What brings you to the Strategist’s Office? Are you planning to assassinate the Grand Strategist?”

“…Nothing says I cannot. And you, why are you sticking your face in at the Strategist’s Office? Don’t tell me the Grand Strategist summoned you.”

“If not, do you think I’m here for a stroll?”

Heuk Jin-pung’s brow twitched.

He realized he was dancing in the palm of Gal So-ye’s hand.

The Destructive Sword Son Clan was second only to the Seven Demon Houses in influence.

They were like jackals, always waiting for one of the Seven Demon Houses to slip.

For Son Wi-tak to appear before him meant he was actively looking to drag the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan down.

“Grrrk.”

Heuk Jin-pung ground his teeth.

He growled at Son Wi-tak.

“Seems like you smelled the rotten meat Gal So-ye threw you and came running, but an imugi¹ like you will never become a true dragon!”

“You’re probably the only one who still thinks the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan is a dragon. Hehe.”

In the fifty years Heuk Jin-pung had lived, his world was made only of dazzling glory.

But that glory was a mirage that could disappear at any time.

Not wanting to admit that, Heuk Jin-pung cursed Baek Su-gyeong.

‘If only that bastard had never appeared!’

Heuk Jin-pung’s killing intent shot toward Son Wi-tak.

“Do not stand in my way. If you do, I will scatter your corpse like your brother’s!”

“Hmph. I’m sure that boy is watching me from the Nine Heavens right now, begging me to destroy you and the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan!”

“The one who will be destroyed is you!”

Heuk Jin-pung drew the Soul-Cutting Whip.

Son Wi-tak likewise drew the Destruction Greatsword and answered coldly.

“History repeats itself. Just as the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan took root atop the Destructive Blaze Seo Clan’s lands in the past, now it is time for the Destructive Sword Son Clan to trample the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan and stand upon it. No one can stop the flow of this era.”

With those words, the two Extreme Demon realm masters clashed violently.

The fierce shockwaves spread hundreds of meters away.

---

Kwaang! Kwagwagwang!

A thunderous roar rang out, as if the entire Strategist’s Office building might blow away.

Staring out the window toward the source of the noise, I asked.

“So you are saying the Destructive Sword Son Clan Head is holding him off?”

“Yes.”

“What about the others?”

“There are none.”

Gal So-ye answered offhandedly without lifting her eyes from the stack of documents.

I frowned.

‘Something about this is off.’

If it was Gal So-ye, she might very well have predicted that Heuk Jin-pung would come to the Strategist’s Office.

She could have set Son Wi-tak as a countermeasure against him.

But that was all?

What kind of scheme was this?

–If the orthodox factions have the Namgung Clan’s Sovereign King Sword Form, the Demon Cult has the Destructive Sword Son Clan’s Destruction Sword Art.

That saying always came up whenever people talked about the strongest hard sword styles.

That was how high the Destruction Sword Art’s standing was, but the opponent was who he was.

Over ten years ago, a battle had broken out over one region between the Demon Cult and the Heretical Alliance.

At that time, it had been Heuk Jin-pung who killed two of the Heretical Alliance’s three great Peak Lords, who were Absolute masters.

Son Wi-tak was also a proud master at the Extreme Demon realm, but he couldn’t help being inferior to Heuk Jin-pung.

‘Gal So-ye must know Son Wi-tak alone isn’t enough. Yet she still called me to the Strategist’s Office, which means…’

I quietly watched Gal So-ye.

Then she glanced at me and said something out of the blue.

“Seventh Young Lord, do you wish for me to die?”

“Huh? Where did that come from?”

“You keep staring holes in me. I feel like I might die of embarrassment.”

“You have a real talent for unfunny jokes.”

“If you tuned your taste to match, you would feel differently.”

“Unfortunately my taste only reacts to jokes that are actually funny.”

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!

Even as I traded this pointless banter with Gal So-ye, the sounds of impact outside grew louder and louder.

Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, silence fell.

A heartbeat later, a shadow appeared without a sound.

“The Son Clan Head has been defeated. Thanks to his clan members rushing in, he did not lose his life, but it seems he will have to recuperate for at least half a year.”

“And the Heuk Clan Head?”

“His entire body is covered in sword wounds, and he has suffered deep internal injuries.”

“That is a decent result. It seems the Son Clan Head did his best.”

As I listened to those words, I understood.

As expected, Gal So-ye had foreseen the outcome.

Looking at her, I asked.

“You have something you want to tell me, right?”

A strange light flickered in Gal So-ye’s eyes.

“You noticed?”

“In such a situation, there is no way I wouldn’t.“

“That is not so. There are not many as clever as you, Seventh Young Lord.”

I didn’t know what her goal was.

But Gal So-ye wanted to pit me against Heuk Jin-pung.

“Please explain the situation in detail, Grand Strategist.”

Gal So-ye set the brush she was holding down on its rest.

“The Destructive Sword Son Clan Head’s role was to drain the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan Head’s strength. It makes for a cleaner picture if you are the one to finish him.”

“And that picture is for whose sake?”

“For both you and me, Seventh Young Lord.”

“I don’t particularly agree. Did you maybe want to test me?”

Nothing else would explain it.

Gal So-ye calmly asked back.

“What would be the point of testing you now, Seventh Young Lord. You have already proven yourself several times.”

“You want to see it for yourself. On the board you set up.”

“…So you have insight as well as cleverness.”

A faint smile touched Gal So-ye’s lips.

“You are right. I wanted to test you. Because of the ‘request’ I mentioned yesterday.”

“And what request is that supposed to be?”

“It is still a secret. But as I said yesterday, it will be an opportunity you will not want to miss. Though before that, we need to finish off the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan Head.”

With that, Gal So-ye whispered like a tempting devil.

“You, who defeated Heuk Jin-pung, who defeated Son Wi-tak. Does that not sound splendid? Every cultist will sing your praises.”

“That might happen, sure. But that isn’t quite enough to stake my life on.”

“You heard the report just now. He is gravely injured. Even so, you are not confident?”

“No matter what injuries he has, an Extreme Demon realm master is still an Extreme Demon realm master.”

You only had to look at the Blood Water Goong Clan Head, whose limbs had been bound while he suffered heavy internal injuries.

He had only been at the late Transcendent stage, and he had still been that terrifying. Heuk Jin-pung, who was at the Extreme Demon realm, would be several times worse.

“You have to accept risk to gain something. You yourself spread rumors on purpose to heighten your standing.”

“That is true, but I had my rea—”

“If you are the one who personally defeats Heuk Jin-pung, then the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan’s downfall will be seen as your doing. But if you retreat at the decisive moment, the cultists will think I planned everything and you merely acted as my hands and feet. You will be demoted from protagonist to simple errand boy. Are you fine with that?”

“Mmm.”

She was not called Grand Strategist for nothing.

Her tongue slithered like a snake.

‘That would definitely be a problem for me…’

Considering all the uproars I would be causing in the future, it was better to bank some goodwill now.

But that didn’t mean I wanted to flail around on a board of her making.

I deliberately gave a sly smile.

“The fact you are trying this hard to persuade me means you really need me, huh?”

“I wonder.”

“No point putting on a blank face now. I’m afraid this is not something I can do for free.”

Gal So-ye’s eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean, for free. I just laid out all the gains you will receive.”

“That is just payment for the matter I started. For the ‘test’ that comes from the ‘request’ you have ‘commissioned’ as Grand Strategist, I need separate compensation.”

I put extra weight on every important word.

“Did you forget that I was the one helping you in the first place?”

“…As expected, you’re not easy to deal with. So you are willing to give it a try?”

“That depends on your answer.”

“Very well. What payment do you want?”

I wagged my index finger.

“Secret.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a secret for me too, for now. I will tell you when the time comes.”

“Ah, I see.”

Gal So-ye nodded, looking like she had just taken a hit.

I rose from my seat.

“Then I’ll take it that we have an agreement and be on my way.”

“Where to?”

“To the Ten Thousand Demon Hall.”

Gal So-ye’s eyes rounded.

“Did you not just say you were going to fight the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan?”

“I have preparations to make first.”

When I had hovered at death’s door because of the Blood Water Goong Clan Head, I had gained a small realization.

It was the first hint of a sublime technique that could neutralize a high-realm master in a single attempt.

The theory was complete, but one piece needed to execute it was still missing.

I could use this incident as an excuse to get the Heavenly Demon’s help.

“Tell Heuk Jin-pung I will be waiting at the Ten Thousand Demon Hall.”

“You are not planning to hide behind the Lord’s back, I hope?”

“As if he would offer his back if I tried to hide behind it.”

“True. He is not that kind of person.”

“I’m leaving.”

I left through the Strategist’s Office’s back gate and headed straight for the Ten Thousand Demon Hall.

“Master! I’m here!”

For some reason, the Heavenly Demon was sitting in the Taishi armchair.

He had his eyes closed, lost deep in thought, so much so he did not even notice I had arrived.

“Master, I’m here.”

“…What is it?”

Only then did the Heavenly Demon open his eyes.

Unlike his usual self, his face seemed marked by fatigue and trouble.

“Is something wrong?”

“The one with a problem is not me, but you.”

“So you have received the reports, I see. Hehe.”

“Did you run here out of fear of Heuk Jin-pung?”

The Heavenly Demon gave a small shake of his head, as if it were pathetic.

He seemed to think I had scurried to my teacher’s side the moment things got dangerous.

“Hey now. What do you take me for?”

I was, after all, a man among men who would bow to no one.

If I had even my previous life’s martial achievements, the Heuk Clan would have long since been wiped out.

“I’m going to have a match with Heuk Jin-pung.”

The Heavenly Demon’s gaze finally returned to its usual state.

“Do you have a plan?”

“I do. It goes like this—”

After listening to my detailed explanation, the Heavenly Demon let out a small sigh.

“You never have a normal idea, do you.”

Ever since I had taken the Ice-Spirit Cold-Soul Grass, Perfect Demonic Qi and Chaotic Demonic Qi had coexisted in my dantian.

The two maintained a balance without intruding into each other’s territory.

At that time, I had forcibly broken that balance to generate a massive gravitational pull.

This idea took things one step further.

“You want to emit that gravitational force outside your body and create a terrifying explosive force. Even the tiniest mistake, and your whole body will be blown to pieces.”

“That’s why I came to you, Master. Because you can come up with a solution.”

“You must think I am omnipotent.”

“To me, you are a god, Master.”

That was not a joke.

This was the Heavenly Demon who had piled endless mountains of corpses across the entire Murim.

How could any being that was not a god do that?

“…”

The Heavenly Demon fell deep into thought again.

He was probably searching for a method.

At that moment, a voice boomed from outside loud enough to shake the Ten Thousand Demon Hall.

“Baek Su-gyeong!”

It was Heuk Jin-pung.

I clicked my tongue.

‘He really has lost it.’

If Heuk Jin-pung’s judgment was normal, he would never have shown up at the Ten Thousand Demon Hall, no matter how I lured him here.

Yet on top of that, he was shouting?

A typical hot-blooded Heuk Clan man, digging his own grave with his bare hands.

“Baek Su-gyeong, come out!”

“Baek Su-gyeong! Will you keep running away!”

“Baek Su-gyeoong!”

Heuk Jin-pung kept shouting again and again.

When there was no response, he changed his target of attack.

“My Lord! Once this matter ends, you may do whatever you wish with my life! But I cannot forgive Baek Su-gyeong! He cut off the arm of my son, who is also your disciple, trampled the honor of the Hundred-Succession Heuk Clan, and with sly whispers moved the Grand Strategist to shake the Cult’s deeply rooted order! I beg you, let me face Baek Su-gyeong here so that we may end all grudges in this place!”

The plea was so heartfelt I almost shed tears.

“Yaawn.”

Because I yawned.

The Heavenly Demon, who had remained silent until then, spoke.

“You are facing the wrong direction. What you should seek is not an explosion.”

“Huh?”

“You cannot withstand the gravitational force you intend to create. When water is about to overflow, you must open a sluice.”

“Huh?”

“That’s all.”

“…Huh?”

That’s all? What was?

Surely he didn’t mean the solution?

“I honestly didn’t understand a single thing you just said. Could you explain it in simpler terms?”

The Heavenly Demon closed his eyes slowly.

“Hello? Master?”

“Baek Su-gyeooong!”

Ah, he’s so noisy.

I let out a sigh.

“You’re not going to explain it anyway, are you?”

“A fortress you did not build with your own hands collapses easily.”

Sure. Of course.

It was exactly what the Heavenly Demon would say.

“I figured as much. I’ll go out.”

I turned without hesitation.

Beside me, Im Yeon stamped her feet in worry.

“Su-gyeong.”

Just as I stepped into the doorway, the Heavenly Demon stopped me.

“What is it?”

“End it within ten exchanges.”

“No matter how messed up Heuk Jin-pung is right now, I don’t think ten exchanges is possible.”

“It is fine. You will die, though.”

“Why not go all the way and tell me to end it in one exchange instead?”

“End it in one exchange.”

“No, I didn’t mean that literally. Ugh. Anyway, I’m going.”

The corners of the Heavenly Demon’s eyes twitched faintly.

It was a look I had grown used to since my regression.

I let out a small laugh and stepped out of the Ten Thousand Demon Hall.

‘Ten exchanges, huh.’

For some reason, it felt doable.

Because it felt like I was just on the verge of grasping something, my head tingling with it.