CLS-Chapter 533

Chapter 533:

Living in this world, you inevitably encounter countless absurd people. Humans are all called humans, but they’re not all the same kind of human. Anyone who has lived in the world a little would agree with this.

Everyone tries to move within the bounds of common sense. But problems arise because each person has different standards of what common sense is.

The old man—that is, Ma-no—had also met countless people.

Due to the nature of where he lived and the characteristics of those he had to meet, he was someone who had immunity to unique individuals.

What kind of place is the Demonic Cult? Isn’t the Demonic Cult a place where people who would be called crazy in the outside world are treated as decent young men?

Ma-no had lived his entire life in such a Demonic Cult. Ordinary people doing strange things wouldn’t even catch his eye.

But right now, Ma-no couldn’t calm his excitement.

‘Just where did that bastard spring from?’

Ma-no had always believed that when picking the most bizarre person in the world, whoever it was would certainly be from the Demonic Cult. But now he had to admit his conviction was wrong.

The Demonic Cult had many lunatics, but even the greatest lunatic couldn’t follow in the footsteps of that lunatic.

It wasn’t simply because he was causing trouble. That sluggish face, those smirking lips, and every casual hand gesture was turning the observer’s anger upside down.

“Do you think you can survive after doing this!”

Ma-no shouted with all the rage and dignity he could muster.

But it had no effect whatsoever.

“Gee, old man. You’ve got quite the voice.”

“……What?”

“Must be because of your age—you’re very considerate too. But that’s not something you need to worry about, old man. We’ll handle it ourselves, so go and mind your own business.”

Wei Yan-ho waved his hand dismissively as if annoyed.

“Huh?”

Ma-no stupidly turned his head.

‘What am I hearing right now?’

It wouldn’t be an appropriate response, but you couldn’t blame Ma-no. All conversations proceed based on assumptions about what kind of reaction the other party will show.

When an answer comes back that’s too far from the expected response, anyone would be flustered.

“That… uh, um…”

Ma-no blinked his eyes.

Despite his name Ma-no, his face looked utterly innocent right now.

‘How pitiful…’

Wei Jeong-han sent a sympathetic gaze toward Ma-no. It would be impossible for him to sympathize with a Demonic Cult member, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but pity Ma-no.

How absurd must it be?

Even if Wei Jeong-han had been in that position, he wouldn’t have been able to continue speaking. His sympathy for Ma-no was overriding his hostility toward the Demonic Cult.

“This…”

Ma-no, having regained his senses, ground his teeth again.

“You’re Wei Yan-ho, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes widened.

“You know me?”

“No matter how many strange bastards there are in the world, could there be another insolent brat like you besides Wei Yan-ho?”

“Indeed.”

“Kuh, quite accurate.”

Jang-il was practically ready to applaud.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t strange that Demonic Cult members knew about Wei Yan-ho. To Demonic Cult members too, Wei Yan-ho was a threatening existence. Not just his martial prowess, but especially the fact that you never knew where he might pop up was threatening.

Anyone in a position to discuss invading the Central Plains couldn’t be unaware of Wei Yan-ho’s existence. Though he didn’t know if that old man held such a position.

“Hul, my name has already spread this far.”

Seeing Wei Yan-ho blushing slightly, Ma-no’s face contorted.

He knew he should stay calm, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. Well, that’s why he was called Ma-du. If reason came before instinct, he wouldn’t be called Ma-du.

“I don’t know what nerve brought you here, but you must know you can never return alive, right?”

“Is that so?”

“I’ll make you pay dearly for defiling our headquarters with those dirty earthen feet.”

“Eh, if someone didn’t know, that could happen.”

Listening to the conversation between Wei Yan-ho and Ma-no, Wei Jeong-han shook his head.

‘Can you call that a conversation?’

How could you call it a conversation when each person only says what they want to say? To be precise, it wasn’t even that both were only saying what they wanted.

Wei Yan-ho was attempting conversation, but the old man was thoroughly ignoring Wei Yan-ho’s words. Well, it wasn’t incomprehensible.

Wei Jeong-han quietly observed Ma-no.

‘I haven’t seen this face before…’

Though not as much as Yeom Mong-man, Wei Jeong-han also knew fairly well about the Demonic Cult’s personnel. The war had been long, so he had seen countless Demonic Cult members, and among those claiming to hold high positions in the Demonic Cult, none had escaped his notice.

Yet this old man was definitely someone he was seeing for the first time.

Considering his bearing and age, he couldn’t be an ordinary person, yet he was someone completely unfamiliar. This meant one of two things: either the old man’s abilities weren’t outstanding enough to appear in past wars, or if not that…

‘Is he someone who handles internal affairs?’

In any sect, there are usually those who handle internal affairs instead of the family head or sect leader who must handle many external matters. The so-called chief stewards.

If this old man was such a figure?

Wei Jeong-han furrowed his brow. Someone with such a position wouldn’t be easy to deal with.

‘What should we do?’

It could be called the appearance of an unexpected formidable enemy. Though he was putting on a brave front, Wei Jeong-han’s mind was extremely complicated right now.

Should they quickly deal with the old man and continue searching, or…

The pondering was his, but the conclusion wasn’t his.

“Eutcha.“

Wei Yan-ho set down the bundle he was carrying and cracked his neck left and right.

“We’re not really in a relationship to settle with words anyway, right, old man?”

Ma-no’s face turned toward Wei Yan-ho.

‘This bastard.’

Anger surged, but he couldn’t act rashly. Ma-no had also heard enough rumors about Wei Yan-ho. Not just one or two things had reached his ears.

He had heard plenty about his absurd behavior, his laziness that could be called the greatest in history, and his impudence in running away from home with no sign of returning.

But more than that, what he had heard was Wei Yan-ho’s martial prowess.

‘Bishop level.’

Those words were sufficient.

The Mad Blood Demon who had directly crossed hands with Wei Yan-ho and returned had evaluated Wei Yan-ho’s martial prowess as bishop level.

That statement contained several meanings.

The arrogance that Wei Yan-ho displayed already possessed bishop-level abilities, but since Mad Blood Demon himself was much stronger than ordinary bishops, he could sufficiently subdue Wei Yan-ho.

And the wariness about how much stronger Wei Yan-ho, who was already evaluated as bishop level, would become as time passed.

If someone else had said such things, he would have thought there was exaggeration mixed in—a statement to elevate his own achievements. But Mad Blood Demon couldn’t be such a person.

He doesn’t do things like elevating others to elevate himself. Because he’s someone who extremely hates others being elevated more than himself being elevated.

He who treats even other bishops like weak trash had no reason to elevate Wei Yan-ho. Regarding evaluations of ability, he could completely trust Mad Blood Demon.

That’s why Ma-no was hesitating.

It wasn’t that he feared fighting Wei Yan-ho and losing. There was no one else here who could stop Wei Yan-ho. If he rashly rushed at Wei Yan-ho and happened to lose, that damn bastard would roam this place like his own home.

The countless Demonic Cult treasures already stuffed in Wei Yan-ho’s bundle proved that fact.

The moment Wei Yan-ho showed himself, a message had already been sent to headquarters, so countermeasures would be arranged before long. But if Wei Yan-ho devoured the treasures and flew away before the countermeasures arrived?

‘That would be the end of it.’

Ma-no decided to stay calm.

He too was a Demonic Cult member, so in terms of personality, he was second to none. Isn’t that what demonic arts are originally? Demonic arts turn normal people into those with anger management disorders. Ma-no had also learned demonic arts and couldn’t easily suppress his emotions.

But right now those emotions were being suppressed.

There’s no better specific remedy for anger management disorders than Wei Yan-ho. You can only get angry when you can predict the other party’s reaction.

“No, let’s try having a conversation first.”

“What conversation would I have with a Demonic Cult member?”

“Isn’t a Demonic Cult member still a person? Let’s have a conversation first!”

“Eh, I have nothing to say though.”

“Why don’t you have anything to say, why!”

Watching Ma-no desperately clinging to and pleading with Wei Yan-ho, Wei Jeong-han turned his head to look at the distant sky spread beyond the window.

‘This isn’t the Demonic Cult I know…’

The Demonic Cult Wei Jeong-han remembered was a place where heartless and tearless demons gathered. Anyone who had faced them on the front lines even once would agree with Wei Jeong-han’s assessment.

No matter how much war is a place where people kill each other and human affection has no room to intervene, Demonic Cult members were unrivaled in their cruelty.

That old man must also be a Demonic Cult member. Moreover, if he’s something like the Demonic Cult’s chief steward, his cruelty would also be extraordinary. That person with such extraordinary cruelty was now struggling with Wei Yan-ho like a grandfather dealing with his grandson.

Rather than feeling satisfaction, an inexplicable sadness washed over him.

“Geez, old man, you talk a lot.”

Wei Yan-ho approached the old man while cracking his neck left and right.

“I’m not one to enjoy abusing elderly people either, but the situation is a bit, you know, so please understand.”

“Put some spit on your lips first.”

“Conscienceless bastard.”

The criticism came from his own allies.

Wei Yan-ho was an expert at abusing elderly people. How many old people had suffered at his hands? If the elderly people who had been victimized by Wei Yan-ho heard what he was saying now, they would have spat blood and hurled curses.

“This, this bastard.”

Ma-no’s face turned red.

Though he knew rationally that he should somehow buy time right now, his body wouldn’t cooperate. Well, that’s why he was called Ma-du. If reason had come before instinct, he wouldn’t have been called Ma-du.

“Must I truly tear you apart before you come to your senses!”

“That’s a strange old man. How can you come to your senses when you’re dead?”

“This…”

Wei Yan-ho chuckled and drew his sword.

“Well, since conversation is useless in this situation, let’s just proceed quickly. Euracchat!“

Wei Yan-ho swung his sword without hesitation.

Wei Jeong-han and Jang-il also drew up all their internal energy. Though Wei Yan-ho would sufficiently handle the old man, they couldn’t assume the enemy was only the old man. Once Wei Yan-ho made the first attack…

Kwaakwaakwaakwaakwaakwaakwaa!

The first attack…

The hands of Wei Jeong-han and Jang-il, which had been tensed and raised with gathered strength, dropped powerlessly.

Then they stared blankly at the scene unfolding before their eyes.

“Hul…”

A massive light erupted from the drawn sword and instantly swept over the old man. Not satisfied with that, the light charged forward violently. The light that destroyed buildings and surged forward swept along the central road of the fortress like a wave, and finally exploded the main gate of the fortress.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

Wei Jeong-han and Jang-il, who had been watching that incredible scene, turned their heads to look at Wei Yan-ho.

There stood Wei Yan-ho with his mouth hanging wide open.

“Wh-what is this?”

You shouldn’t be doing that, you! You bastard!