Side Story 46. Red Eyes (4)

Jeok-yeom.
That impressive word, meaning ‘red flame,’ was a name he had used since his time in the Demon Cult.

Now he introduced it to the Crimson Fighting Fiends as his title.
Jeok-yeom had been born with a reddish air around his head, and his appearance was vicious.
The saber arts he used were fierce, as if flames were blazing, so it was regarded as quite a fitting title.

But the truth was different.
Jeok-yeom had once worked at a pleasure house in the Demon Cult’s main headquarters in Xinjiang.
When he was young and living in the Central Plains, he had beaten his master to death in a drunken fit.
After wandering like that, he became a martial artist and killed even more people.
Whether it was good fortune or bad, he was taught demonic arts.
Eventually, he drifted all the way into the Demon Cult in Xinjiang.
But true Demon Cult martial artists were terrifying beyond measure.
After ending up as a cook at the pleasure house, he changed his name to Jeok-yeom.
He had named himself that because he worked before bright red flames.

Cooking did not suit his temperament very well, but it was manageable.
He thought he would go on living that way.
The Demon Cult fell into internal conflict, and the previous Cult Leader, the Sun Moon Divine Demon, died.
Even when the Heavenly Demon returned, his life didn’t change.

But one day.
He encountered something called the Guihon Jade.
It was not that he had beaten a yokai to death or stolen someone else’s treasure.

On an ordinary day, a Demon Cult martial artist with rather strong martial arts brought in the corpse of a beast, saying it was a wild boar he had caught.
No matter how one looked at it, it was not an ordinary wild boar, because there was a horn growing from the middle of its head.

The Demon Cult martial artist demanded that he make a dish with it.
When Jeok-yeom answered that it would be difficult because the meat stank, the martial artist beat him and threatened him.
If he did not bring back a proper dish, he would tear him apart alive.
The martial artist was certainly the sort of man who could tear a person apart alive, so Jeok-yeom trembled as he butchered the boar.
While cutting open its belly and removing its entrails,
he discovered a brilliant violet gemstone inside.

He didn’t know why he swallowed that suspicious thing.
It felt as if his body had told him to. Or perhaps the gemstone had tempted him.

And then Jeok-yeom beat the Demon Cult martial artist, who had been far stronger than him, to death.
Power overflowed from his entire body.
He tore apart the martial artist’s friends when they came for revenge as well.
Then enemies beyond Jeok-yeom’s ability to handle began pursuing him.
Jeok-yeom hid his identity and escaped the Demon Cult.
He wandered the Central Plains once more.
It was then that he learned that what he had eaten was a Guihon Jade, a yokai’s inner core.
He did not know how the inner core of a yokai killed in Hangzhou had ended up all the way in Xinjiang.

Then he met the Crimson Fighting Fiends.
The Crimson Fighting Fiends were extraordinary people.
And their leader was… truly like a god.
All the Crimson Fighting Fiends, Jeok-yeom included, revered him.
This time, Jeok-yeom had entered the competition after receiving a direct order from him.
He had received a ‘reward’ for that alone, and if he completed the task successfully, an even greater reward awaited him.

Then he would have to produce even greater results.

Tuk.

Jeok-yeom held the carp by the mouth and removed the hook.

“I, I thank you for helping with the fishing.”

The contestant Son Baek-gu, looking at him, expressed his gratitude that way.
He was afraid that Jeok-yeom might take his carp.
But he could not raise his voice and instead groveled to keep him in a good mood.
That sight reminded Jeok-yeom of his former self, and he felt disgust and murderous intent.

“Good that you know how to be grateful. I’ll be taking the carp.”
“What kind of nonsense is that…!”

What kind of nonsense?
Even Jeok-yeom could tell that pigs or chickens wouldn’t be enough to win the judges’ hearts.
In truth, even Jeok-yeom himself found it strange that he had made it to the second main round, but until he received the ‘order,’ he had to advance as far as he could.

“It’s not like your fishing rod is broken. You can just catch another one.”

Jeok-yeom said with a smile.
As expected, Son Baek-gu shut his mouth tight.
He must have been furious, but he couldn’t even dare show that anger.
Jeok-yeom laughed and turned away.
He had obtained an ingredient easily, so he could cook with this.
Then something happened that Jeok-yeom had not expected.

“Give it baaack!”

Son Baek-gu charged at Jeok-yeom.
Even if Jeok-yeom had not been trained in martial arts, Son Baek-gu was nothing more than a potbellied middle-aged man.
He swung his fists wildly as he threw himself at Jeok-yeom.

Jeok-yeom was dumbfounded, and furious.
His foot moved like lightning.

Thwack!

The tip of his foot struck Son Baek-gu squarely in the solar plexus.
Son Baek-gu splashed into the pond.
It wasn’t deep, so after splashing a few times, he immediately got back up, but,

“Uweeegh! Keogh, cough!”

he vomited heavily and writhed in pain.

“What a pathetic little shit.”

Jeok-yeom sneered, and Son Baek-gu eventually shed tears.
The judges had said they would not interfere with events inside the woodland estate.
Jeok-yeom took the carp and walked away.

“…Now I’ve seen everything.”

Jeok-yeom let out another dry laugh.
Even the little brat who had been watching was blocking Jeok-yeom’s path.

“Brat. Don’t block an elder’s path. Move aside.”

Jeok-yeom spoke with feigned dignity.
But Cheongho completely ignored Jeok-yeom’s warning.

“Put that down and get lost. Otherwise, you’ll be punished.”
“…?”

Jeok-yeom doubted his own ears.
This time, even a dry laugh did not come out.

“You little brat, do you want to die?”

Whoosh, anger flared inside Jeok-yeom’s chest.
They say that if one learns demonic arts, one’s nature grows violent.
And once one becomes a Crimson Fighting Fiend, that violence reaches its peak.
He barely suppressed the murderous intent boiling inside him and the reddening of his eyes.

“Move. If you don’t want to die.”

Saying that, Jeok-yeom took one step forward.
At that moment, Cheongho’s figure blurred.

Pabababak!

A rapid series of drumlike impacts rang out.
Son Baek-gu, who was coughing behind them, could not even tell what had happened.
It only looked as if Cheongho had slipped through Jeok-yeom’s guard.

Tuk.

The carp flew through the air and fell to the ground.
A bright red scratch had appeared on Jeok-yeom’s wrist.
He turned his head with eyes that seemed to burn.

“So, you’ve got some skill too, is that it?”

To be honest, he had not seen it clearly.
Since eating the Guihon Jade, he had rarely encountered anyone this strong.
Cheongho had brushed past Jeok-yeom.
He looked toward his shoulder.
His clothes had been torn in a long line.
At the moment of collision, Jeok-yeom had not simply let himself be hit either.
Cheongho bared his teeth.
The fangs showing faintly were especially sharp.
Jeok-yeom stared at Cheongho with blazing eyes.

Each had confirmed the other’s skill.
Both held murderous intent in their hearts, so now it should have been time to fight a life-or-death duel.

“…Fine, just you wait.”

But the first to lower his fighting spirit was, surprisingly, Jeok-yeom.
Given his temper, he would have lunged at him immediately, but he couldn’t tear Cheongho apart here.
Jeok-yeom had a mission he had been given. Until he accomplished it, he could not cross the line.

Jeok-yeom left the carp behind and turned away.
Cheongho did not chase him.

He pushed through the brush and moved on.
As he walked, his belly itched as though a swarm of ants had overrun it.
It was because of the murderous intent he had not released.

At that moment, a voice reached Jeok-yeom’s ear.
A low exclamation, as if echoing inside his head.

“Ohh.”

It had to be a superior technique compared to voice transmission.
Jeok-yeom snapped his head up.

“How interesting.”
“W-were you watching?”

Jeok-yeom asked in a whisper.
This was undoubtedly the king’s august voice.
The King of the Crimson Fighting Fiends was watching him.

Words echoed inside his head once more.
Jeok-yeom trembled with a shiver.

“Truly, truly you want me to do that?”

The king had given him an order.

“…If that is what you command.”

Then something was transmitted to him.
Power conveyed across space and distance.
The Guihon Jade inside Jeok-yeom’s body seemed to vibrate and resonate.

Overwhelming power surged through his body, and streams of red light poured from his eyes.
Jeok-yeom’s mind was dyed with madness.

“Thank you, thank you!”

Son Baek-gu thanked Cheongho over and over.
Until just a moment ago, he had been irritated at him for disturbing his fishing, but after getting the carp back, his attitude changed completely.
Cheongho lightly waved his hand.

“It was nothing.”
“You really are a righteous young man, rare to see these days. I’ll be praying that you pass.”

Was it because of a sense of justice?
It didn’t seem so.
Yi-gang would have done this.
That was what he thought, probably.

“Is your shoulder all right?”
“It’s fine.”

It did ache slightly.
The world really was vast. In that brief instant, his shoulder had nearly been torn open.
For some reason, that man had given off an ominous smell.
Cheongho’s sixth sense told him so.
I should tell Jin Li-yeon and Baek Sang-ye about what happened today, Cheongho thought.

“I should go coo…”
“Wait!”

When Cheongho sprang to his feet, Son Baek-gu was startled.

“Run that way.”
“What? Uh… ah!”

Son Baek-gu started to ask why, then immediately turned around and began running in a panic.
He had seen it.
Jeok-yeom was coming back.
Sprinting at full speed with ferocious momentum.
His two eyes were emitting red light like a goblin’s.

Cheongho instinctively sensed danger.
It would have been nice to have a weapon, but he did not, so there was no helping it.
His thighs swelled.

Tat!

Cheongho ran to meet Jeok-yeom with even greater speed than before.
And then,

Teeeong!

Cheongho’s body spun around and was sent flying.
From that single collision, he understood.
With his current strength, he could not handle that opponent alone.
The Crimson Fighting Fiend Jin Li-yeon had spoken of had appeared.

Splash, splash.

Baek Sang-ye washed her hands by the stream with a refreshed expression.
Behind her lay the bear meat, already neatly butchered.
The black bear had likely intended to eat both the pig and Baek Sang-ye, but it was the one that had been hunted instead.

“Ah, that was tiring.”

At first, Baek Sang-ye had not even been able to kill a pig, but she was fine with taking down a black bear that attacked her.
Of course, the butchering and preparation had been terribly difficult, but… somehow, she had finished it all.
Now she only had to take the prepared meat and start cooking.

Baek Sang-ye was feeling proud.
But her joy was soon shattered.

Kwaaang!

Someone ‘flew’ in and rolled across the ground.
Unfortunately, it was right where she had piled up the bear meat.
The person who fell may have been spared the impact thanks to it, but the meat was crushed, covered in dirt, and turned into a complete mess.

“What are you doing!”

Baek Sang-ye screamed and grabbed Cheongho by the collar.
Then she was startled to realize that the one who had flown in was none other than her Senior Brother.

“Senior Brother, why do you look…”
“A weapon, give me a knife!”

Without even waiting for Baek Sang-ye’s answer, Cheongho rolled free and grabbed the knife.
It was the knife used to butcher the bear.
Seeing that, the quick-witted Baek Sang-ye understood right away.

Cheongho sprang back in the direction from which he had been sent flying.
This time, he had a knife in hand.
He exchanged fierce blows with Jeok-yeom, who burst out from the brush.

Cha-cha-cha-chang!

Saber Qi and Sword Qi seemed to tangle together.
Jeok-yeom had a knife large enough to use as a weapon, while Cheongho’s knife was shorter than that.
Baek Sang-ye shouted in shock.

“Crimson Fighting Fiend!”

Jeok-yeom’s eyes shone crimson.
The Crimson Fighting Fiend Jin Li-yeon had warned them about had been right beside them.
How had Cheongho ended up fighting that Crimson Fighting Fiend, and why was that Crimson Fighting Fiend giving off such insane fighting spirit?
It was an incomprehensible situation, but Baek Sang-ye moved first.

“You rat-like bastard!”

Jeok-yeom screamed.
Cheongho deftly dodged Jeok-yeom’s blade this way and that.
He couldn’t avoid a few scratches, but he nearly overcame the difference in blade length.
With that small knife, he somehow deflected Jeok-yeom’s blade when it could not be avoided.

“Kyaaak!”

With a beast-like scream, Saber Qi surged from Jeok-yeom’s blade.

Chang-gang!

Perhaps because of the difference in their weapons and internal energy, Cheongho’s knife broke apart.
A smile rose on Jeok-yeom’s lips.
As ordered by the king, he intended to tear Cheongho to death.

“Move!”

Baek Sang-ye’s shout.
Cheongho turned and dashed away without the slightest hesitation.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Just as Jeok-yeom was about to stab Cheongho in his fully exposed back,

Thwack!

Jeok-yeom was sent flying.
What had struck him was a tree.
Baek Sang-ye, lacking a weapon, had pulled up a small tree and swung it.
It was monstrous strength.

“Senior Brother, are you all right?”

Even at Baek Sang-ye’s question, Cheongho did not answer.
He hadn’t lowered his guard yet.

“Krrrgh.”

Jeok-yeom, who had been knocked flat, rose.
His neck was bent strangely, but he calmly placed both hands on it.

Crack.

The sight of him setting his own dislocated neck bones was truly inhuman.
True to the name Crimson Fighting Fiend, he was like a ghostly fiend.