Book 2: Chapter 471
After the Great Fusion.
Almost everyone was caught up in the great chaos. It was a chaos that wasn’t easily settled.
Encountering different worlds, different intelligent beings, and different civilisations. They hadn’t even had the time to be curious or interested in those things. The Great Fusion had occurred suddenly and unannounced.
Panic, shock, and agitation mixed together, further fueling the flames of fear started by the chaos.
—The Heavenly Demon Cult(天魔敎).
Commonly referred to as the Demonic Cult, it was one of the fastest groups to put that fear to rest.
“Because of the Supreme One.”
The Demonic Cult’s second most elite unit, the Slaughter Regiment’s Captain, Danli Pung, recalled the figure of that being who had reached godhood.
It had already been decades since he’d gotten to know him and pledge his allegiance to him. Nevertheless, whenever he recalled the martial prowess he had displayed with his hand, his heart pounded, and cold sweat covered his forehead.
He was filled with excitement as if he was meeting him for the first time, but more than that, he felt joy. And at the same time, he felt overwhelming fame.
That’s why it didn’t matter where they were.
It wouldn’t matter even if hell had been among the several worlds that had fused.
Because as long as the Supreme One was around, the cult members would never have to feel fear.
In other words, the reason the Demonic Cult was able to adapt faster than anyone else in this world that had gone mad, was because of the existence of a single being.
“Ahaha. How exciting.”
After conquering the Murim and putting the world beneath their feet, they gained the awe of all martial artists.
Then, the Supreme One basically lived in seclusion because there was no longer anyone who could challenge him.
When the Supreme One, who had been suffering from deep lethargy, came to this world, he said one thing. Beings from other worlds. Then, he burst out into a pleasant laugh as beings with extraordinary strength could be found in every direction.
And even among them, the Supreme One still reigned supreme. His unrivalled might hadn’t been shaken in the slightest.
The cult members’ adoration only grew more and more intense. Their faith was so strong that even if God himself were to appear to receive their religious belief, he wouldn’t even be able to obtain a handful.
—That’s why he found it hard to believe.
“Kuk.”
“Urk.”
“…”
That he had become numb with fear.
To be precise, he didn’t expect to feel it outside of when he was in the presence of the Supreme One or witnessing his martial prowess.
But he found it hard to believe the current scene.
Four Regiment Captains had been killed at the same time. They didn’t even get the chance to scream or show off their martial arts.
‘Uh…’
He felt coldness rising from his fingertips.
Before he’d even realised, Danli Pung had taken a step back.
‘How…?’
The Captains who had collapsed in pools of blood.
Their levels weren’t much different from his own.
The beings known as the Captains. Those who had the toughest and most violent members of the Demonic Cult under their command. With a few exceptions, they were all ranked in the top ten when it came to strength.
And yet, they’d died like flies.
Danli Pung still couldn’t believe their deaths.
The middle aged man who had calmly turned the entire area into a sea of blood. His power far surpassed the scope of Danli Pung’s understanding.
“Th-, the Supreme One…”
He had to call the Supreme One.
Just as he had this thought.
“I, I have to call the Supreme One.”
“Stop, you fool.”
He heard a cold voice. Danli Pung shuddered involuntarily.
Then he was delighted to see the man who had appeared from behind.
“Vice Cult Leader!”
A man with a ferocious appearance and a large cut across his face.
He was the second in command of the Demonic Cult, the Cowardly Demon(怯魔), Kwak Yang-gun. (TL: Cowardly? Not a title I’d like to have I think)
“Don’t you already know, Captain Danli? The Supreme One doesn’t like to move around when the sun is still up. If you bother him for nothing, you will die.”
“…! B-, but, that man…”
Kwak Yang-gun turned to look at the intruder, Yang In-hyun.
“I don’t think I’ve encountered such a skilled master even after the Great Fusion. Kuku. It seems I can finally stretch my legs after a long time.”
As soon as Kwak Yang-gun let out a grim laugh, Danli Pung’s heart sank.
Although he was just the second in command of the Demonic Cult, Kwak Yang-gun was one of the strongest beings in the world, capable of withstanding the Cult Leader’s sword for more than 100 seconds. In fact, there was no one who doubted that, had he not been born in the same era as the Cult Leader, he would have taken the position of Leader.
Moreover, this man, on his own, had managed to wipe out one of the Murim’s leading powers*. (*:This could be an individual or an entire group, so it’s not quite clear.)
When Kwak Yang-gun stepped forward, Yang In-hyun stopped walking.
Unlike Yang In-hyun, who remained expressionless, Kwak Yang-gun smiled and said.
“You. You’re from the Flower Mountain Sect*.” (*: Reminder Flower Mountain=Mount Hua)
“…”
“Were you trying to hide it? You probably were. You were obviously trying to avoid using your sword as much as possible. Your intentions are as clear as day. You probably tried to hide your swordsmanship as much as possible before reaching the Supreme One. How arrogant.”
Kwak Yang-gun’s smile became cold.
“Where do you think this is?”
“No one answered when I asked.”
Yang In-hyun spoke indifferently.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly.
“Will you answer me?”
“Kuku, Crazy bastard.”
Crunch.
A horrifying sound could be heard from Kwak Yang-gun’s finger joints. Then he took a stance.
“Draw your sword, intruder.”
Yang In-hyun paused at those words.
“Do you intend to use only martial arts in front of the Cowardly Demon Kwak Yang-gun? My body is hungry for a fight against a strong being like you, so don’t make this boring.”
“…”
“What I’m saying is use your best from the begin-”
Yang In-hyun drew his sword.
“-ing?”
Tuk.
And in that instant, Kwak Yang-gun felt a strange sensation before his vision spun rapidly. It was strange. He couldn’t move his body, almost as if he’d been paralysed.
‘Huh?’
His eyes were the only thing that could move. Kwak Yang-gun looked below him. There, he saw the figure of a headless man standing there.
It was his body.
Why was it like that? What was he currently experie-
His thoughts ended there.
Bang!
Kwak Yang-gun’s face exploded midair. His blood poured down like rain.
“Take me. To the one on the roof.”
Yang In-hyun’s gaze turned to Danli Pung, who was cowering in a corner.
“Or should I go on my own?”
* * *
“This is my private study.”
It was a small room.
With a desk, a chair, and a few books.
Even though he was just acting as a proxy, it could not be seen as the private study of the person playing the role of King.
Nevertheless, Jiudad had a comfortable expression.
“I like this place. Of course, it’s a bit bland, but it’s the only place in the castle where I can be free. Even if it’s limited freedom.”
After saying that, he walked over to the desk and took something out of a drawer.
“Nng?”
Pale let out a curious sound. Considering that it was something she was probably seeing for the first time, this reaction was natural. In truth, it wasn’t something that Lukas was very familiar with either.
What Jiudad had pulled out was a greyish-white laptop. Which he then manipulated masterfully as if he was already familiar with Earth’s modern culture.
“…”
The sight of someone from his home universe using a laptop was very strange for Lukas. A series of senseless scenes, like Iris drying her hair with a blowdryer, Kasajin running on a treadmill, Schweiser making a call on a cellphone, and Lucid driving a car, flashed through his mind.
Meanwhile, Jiudad moved a wireless mouse and played a video file.
“Please excuse the poor video quality. In truth, it’s a miracle that I was able to secure this video record in the first place.”
Then, the video started.
Crackle-
With a harsh sound, a blurry image appeared on the screen.
There were clouds of smoke everywhere, and the sounds of explosions mixed with the noise.
And screams as well.
Huge battleships covered the sky, from which countless small fighter jets poured out, indiscriminately attacking those on the ground.
And those responding… were the Knights of Luanoble.
“You must have seen it, the Aerial Fortress, Diark. It is one of the tactical weapons of the Great Galactic Alliance, and as you can see, they had a hostile relationship with Luanoble.”
[Shoot… down… Don’t… back down…!]
The scene displayed was one of a Knight, who appeared to be the commander, shouting desperately. But, from the start, it was a bad match up.
The Knights’ swords could not reach the battleships which hung several hundred metres in the air, nor could they reach the fighter jets that flew at lower altitudes.
Several Knights who were near the Master rank were able to shoot down a few fighter jets with their swords, but it was only a handful of them. Moreover, the opponent also had a numerical advantage, so it wasn’t possible to change the situation even after destroying several of the fighter jets.
“This is war.”
“That’s right.”
A horrendous form of war. The one sided abuse didn’t stop. And the only reason the abuses didn’t become a massacre was thanks to the Knights’ desperate struggle.
But that didn’t last long either.
Humans were not machines. After singing their swords for that long, they would naturally become exhausted. In fact, the movements of the Knights were visibly slowing down.
It was at that moment.
Hundreds of fighter jets exploded at the same time. Most viewers looking from this perspective wouldn’t have expected this explosion, but Lukas was different.
‘One strike.’
A single action performed by a single being.
Even Lukas couldn’t hide his admiration for that amazing feat.
“The quality is really terrible.”
Pale, who had been looking around for something to eat, had also become interested in the video. She whined as if she was disappointed by the low quality of the video.
Jiudad responded with an expression as if he was being blamed for nothing.
“I told you. It wouldn’t be very good.”
“Uah, it’s frustrating.”
Lukas’ thoughts were similar to Pale. Because it was a video, it was difficult for him to gauge the other’s skill level. And even now, as the battle reached its most violent part, the video quality seemed to become even worse, to the point that they could no longer clearly see the scene of the battle.
“Is that the one? The Heavenly Demon that you mentioned.”
“That’s right.”
The Heavenly Demon wasn’t exactly a reinforcement for Luanoble.
Technique’s that flowed from his hand, no, the martial arts, carried a very bloody scent. With every strike, at least dozens of fighter jets were shot down, and the Knights near them also collapsed in pools of blood.
Not long after, he looked up at the sky.
Fwoosh!
Black rigid ki shot up towards the sky like a dark cloud, piercing through one of the battleships.
Chuuk-
And the battleship split in half. Kaboom, when this super large battleship that covered the sky exploded, the surroundings became bright as if it was the middle of the day.
Thousands of unmanned drones stopped working like puppets that had gotten their strings cut. From the sky, sparks, bits of machinery, and strange looking alien creatures fell like rain.
“…”
At this unbelievable sight, the Knight’s became speechless. Some even dropped the swords they were holding.
“Oho.”
A glimmer appeared in Pale’s eyes.
“For something like this to be on the outside…”
She didn’t continue but Lukas understood what she was saying. Because he had a similar sentiment.
Then, just before the video ended.
Lukas caught sight of someone standing among the corpses, machine fragments, and debris from the fallen battleship. He couldn’t see their face very well, but he did notice their unusually long hair that seemed to wrap around their body like a robe.
However, the impression they gave off was like a phantom.
“I’ll tell you now, this is only a portion of his power. There were several powerful people who came to show off their strength after the Great Galactic Alliance, but no one was able to stand against the Heavenly Demon.”
“…”
“Why do you think I’m showing you this video?”
Jiudad said with a calm gaze.
“It’s because I don’t want you to fight him. Fights between powerful beings have a major impact on their surroundings… And I’m certain that you are also very powerful.”
“…”
“I do not want my people to become victims of your fight, The people of Luanoble are suffering enough already.”
Lukas spoke quietly.
“So that’s why the factions are divided. In Luanoble, there are those who follow the Heavenly Demon. That’s why you can’t impose sanctions on their excessive behaviour.”
“…”
Jiudad’s silence was an affirmation.
Lukas had roughly grasped the situation.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to make an offer that Jiudad wouldn’t be able to refuse…
Click-
The next video began to play automatically.
Lukas, who was about to speak, stopped. His eyes were affixed to the video as if they were nailed.
“…who is this?”
“Mm? Ah. Now that I think about it, you were interested in this guy.”
In the video, a man with dark blonde hair smiled as he waved to the public.
Jiudad muttered indifferently.
“That’s the Great Mage, Lukas Trowman.”
(TL: Does Danli Pung survive or die? Random poll on a random character with a random reward. Could end up being nothing, but hey, who knows?)