CLS-Chapter 111

Chapter 111

“Demonic Cult, you said?”

“Yeah, Demonic Cult.”

Guangqushen picked his nose as he answered.

“Wait. If it’s the Demonic Cult, then…”

“Right, that Demonic Cult.”

“The timeline doesn’t match up.”

Being a historian, he seemed sensitive to historical matters.

“Didn’t the Demonic Cult appear a bit later?”

“That’s right.”

Guangqushen readily agreed with the historian’s words.

“According to what you know. No, according to what people in the world know, the Demonic Cult’s resurgence began much later than that.”

“Then you’re saying Gwanghui Mujeon encountered the Demonic Cult from before that time?”

“Did you mishear what I said?”

Guangqushen frowned as if explaining was bothersome.

“Wei Yan-ho, that bastard got entangled with the Demonic Cult long ago.”

“Ah, so Gwanghui Mujeon was defeating the Demonic Cult from early on.”

“…Defeating?”

Guangqushen’s face twisted subtly. The historian couldn’t help but tense up, recognizing the mixture of countless emotions in that expression.

From the stories he’d heard so far, he had roughly figured out what kind of person this Wei Yan-ho character was.

“Then, then?”

“Eh, well, that’s quite a delicate way to put it. So as I’ve said many times! Many times before.”

“Yes.”

“When Wei Yan-ho gets involved, things get strange. Very strange.”

“…”

“Even this time was like that. Wei Yan-ho was just walking along the road, and the Demonic Cult got dragged into it.”

“I see.”

“In a way… well, saying this is a bit strange, but facts are facts. I’m just saying this, so…”

As Guangqushen began rambling, the historian could roughly predict what would follow. Considering what he’d heard so far, the upcoming words were obvious.

“Perhaps the Demonic Cult’s rise to power might have been because of that bastard…”

As expected.

“I can roughly guess how it started and ended, but I have no idea about the middle process. What on earth happened?”

“Listen, then.”

Guangqushen began his explanation.

The truth was, Wei Yan-ho was a guy who’d lost all sense of fear, but back then, the Demonic Cult was more terrifying than tigers or smallpox.

You wouldn’t understand now.

But back then, the Demonic Cult was like that.

When I was young, if babies kept crying, they’d say the Demonic Cult would take them away, so I’d get scared and cry under straw mats.

Even now, when people think of the Demonic Cult, they think of murder-crazed lunatics and keep their distance, but back then people thought the Demonic Cult weren’t even human.

Do you know how many people died during the previous Demonic Cult uprising?

Ah, you would know.

You said you were a historian, right? Yeah, then you’d know.

In a situation where the aftereffects of such war hadn’t even faded, if the name Demonic Cult came up, normally people would be scared.

But well…

Fear was never that guy’s characteristic anyway…

Eh, well…

Anyway, that person was like that.

Like what, you ask?

***

Wooooong.

The sword held in its master’s hand after so long let out a sound as if pleased.

‘Sword cry?’

Gwak Hwan, Third Hall Master of the Demonic Cult’s Sanbi Hall, couldn’t believe what his ears were hearing.

Sword cry?

Was the sound coming from that young man’s sword really a sword cry?

‘That can’t be.’

A sword cry was something that manifested when those trained to the extreme reached the realm of unity between person and sword.

That was putting it nicely.

Realistically speaking, a sword cry was when abundant true energy was compressed and compressed again, surging up into the sword, causing even steel blades to twist and scream, unable to withstand it.

But such a youngster had reached that realm?

‘Nonsense!’

Even Sword Demon Soa Myeong (소아명), who achieved the fastest advancement in Demonic Cult history, only produced a sword cry when he reached the age of thirty.

But the young man before his eyes didn’t look like he’d passed twenty.

‘Ten years faster than Soa Myeong?’

That was impossible.

If that were true, then Gwak Hwan was looking at the greatest sword genius in history.

But that wasn’t all.

“Ah damn, why is this acting up again!”

Wei Yan-ho swung his sword up and down irritably.

“Is it because I haven’t used a sword in a while? If Master saw this, another stone fist would come flying. They say people rot if they don’t use their bodies. Tsk.”

Wei Yan-ho grumbled and swished his sword around.

“Mm, that’s better now.”

It seemed like since he’d held a real sword for the first time in months, his true energy wasn’t flowing as smoothly as before.

“Master said I’d die if I don’t grow, but at this rate aren’t I going to die?”

Wei Yan-ho shuddered.

He thought he’d been gaining insights all this time, but when he actually held a sword, it felt like he’d regressed compared to when he was in the cave.

According to his master, if he failed to grow, he’d be devoured by the internal core. At this rate, the outcome was practically decided.

“Ugh…”

Wei Yan-ho shuddered.

‘Damn master!’

Reflecting on his laziness up until now, Wei Yan-ho raised his sword again.

Still, it was something he’d held for five years without letting go, so the weight felt in his fingertips seemed to calm his mind.

“You claim to be the son of Jeongheop Sword?”

He could guess what they meant by asking, but there was no need to answer.

Just by revealing his identity, their conversation was decided to be conducted with swords, not words.

Wei Yan-ho’s sword began to tremble slowly.

“…You’ve talked enough.”

Understanding Wei Yan-ho’s intent, Gwak Hwan also drew his blade.

“Get ready.”

He had no intention of underestimating his opponent just because he was young.

What meaning did age have against a master who could produce sword cries?

“If you’re not careful, we’ll all die here. Give your all as if facing a life-or-death enemy.”

“Yes!”

Gwak Hwan’s eyes narrowed.

If the opponent was truly such a master, even if they all rushed him together, victory would be distant. Gwak Hwan wasn’t naive enough to lack such situational judgment.

What he believed in was just one thing.

‘Lack of experience.’

Considering his age, no matter how high his realm, he was sure to lack real combat experience.

If they rushed him while a few sacrificed themselves…

While Wei Yan-ho and Gwak Hwan were thinking different thoughts, the most bewildered person was undoubtedly Seo Mun Da-yeon (서문다연).

“…What kind of situation is this?”

The person she’d picked up from a tree suddenly drew his sword and began threatening the Demonic Cult members. And those Demonic Cult members were watching the guy she’d picked up from the tree with tense, wary faces.

‘I thought he was an idiot…’

When he was kicking away his own lifeline, she thought he was an idiot, but now she saw he was a master.

Seo Mun Da-yeon knew better than anyone what she should do in this situation.

Seo Mun Da-yeon stepped slightly away from Wei Yan-ho and crouched down in that spot.

‘Let’s not interfere.’

She wasn’t a woman without tact. Rather, she was someone who wouldn’t lose to anyone when it came to reading situations.

Though she was curious about who Wei Yan-ho was and why he’d been sleeping here, right now the best she could do was just keep her mouth shut and not interfere from the corner.

If she couldn’t help, at least she shouldn’t hinder.

At that moment, Wei Yan-ho began to move.

“Gasp.”

Gwak Hwan, who had intended to charge first, panicked and let out a sound.

Wei Yan-ho’s sword began emitting pure white light.

It was so bright it was almost blinding.

Illuminating the dark night brilliantly, Wei Yan-ho’s sword began to move while emitting white light.

“Ah…”

Gwak Hwan momentarily lost his mind at the scene unfolding before his eyes.

‘What is that?’

He could understand a sword emitting light. But that light moved too gracefully.

Soft, so natural, and so fast.

Spot!

Kwaaaaang!

What brought Gwak Hwan back to his senses was the sound of sword energy passing by followed by a tremendous explosion.

“What the?”

But the one who was flustered was actually Wei Yan-ho.

“Huh? Why is it like this?”

Wei Yan-ho looked at his sword with wide eyes.

“This shouldn’t happen?”

He’d just lightly swung it once. If such a sword strike caused that kind of explosion, the cave where he’d been training would have left no trace.

Wei Yan-ho brought his hand around his solar plexus.

“…It’s decreased.”

His master’s internal core inside his belly had clearly shrunk. Each time he gained insight, internal power was being absorbed into his body bit by bit.

Getting stronger was good, but…

“Then Master’s words were right, weren’t they?”

Wei Yan-ho shuddered again.

Master had said he’d grow stronger if he gained insights, but would wither and die like a mummy if he didn’t, having his internal power drained by the internal core… Even if he didn’t know about the latter, the former had been proven.

Then didn’t that mean the latter was also likely to be true?

“L-let’s think positively for now.”

Wei Yan-ho wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at Gwak Hwan.

If he’d swung his sword thoughtlessly, he would have seen something awful. What would have happened if a person had been hit by that sword energy?

Wei Yan-ho reduced the true energy flowing through his sword and raised it again.

“Ah, that was a mistake. Going again.”

“What?”

Gwak Hwan seemed to demand some explanation, but Wei Yan-ho hadn’t forgotten his father’s instruction.

“When you meet Demonic Cult bastards, just shut up and beat them.”

“Of course.”

Wei Yan-ho, being an obedient good son, faithfully followed his father’s words. Whether this would earn him recognition as an obedient good son was a separate matter.

Paaat! Paaat!

The sound of sword energy cutting through the air was heard too clearly.

The sword energy emitting light seemed like it would be slow to anyone watching, but in reality it was truly fast as light.

“Kueok!”

“Keuak!”

One sword energy, one brief scream.

It didn’t take long at all for half of the dozen or so Demonic Cult members surrounding Wei Yan-ho to be subdued.

“This is…”

Gwak Hwan trembled as he watched the scene.

‘This is impossible.’

He knew he was strong.

There was no reason for a master who could produce sword cries to be weak. He would naturally be strong.

But the Wei Yan-ho he was seeing now wasn’t just strong. Even if he were a Jeongmu Alliance elder-level master, he wouldn’t be able to subdue them this easily.

“Keuuu.”

Moreover, seeing that those who had fallen were still groaning, hadn’t he controlled himself not to kill them in the process?

Gwak Hwan’s eyes became bloodshot.

“Get up.”

“Keuu.”

“Get up.”

The fallen Demonic Cult members writhed and got up.

Watching this scene, Wei Yan-ho exclaimed.

“They get up even after I cut their tendons?”

“It seems you haven’t heard about the Demonic Cult from your father.”

“Ah, never mind.”

Wei Yan-ho cut off Gwak Hwan’s words.

“Then I’ll just cut off their legs instead of tendons. I don’t want to hear obvious self-praise.”

Wei Yan-ho began moving his sword again.