Chapter 258

Chapter 258

The northern axis of the Great Seal. Gahyang.

“Eungryong is suspicious.”

“Mm?”

At the elder who suddenly appeared and spoke, Ilnachar, who had been examining the celestial energy, grinned crookedly and turned her gaze. The elder flinched at that sight but continued speaking.

“…He brought strange people as prisoners from Oyeon. Judging by their extraordinary presence, I suspect they’re spies.”

“Is that so?”

“We must interrogate or expel them immediately.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why…”

“If you go around stabbing people like that, there’s no such thing as trust. Right? Elder Lee.”

At Elder Lee’s words that Eungryong should be watched, Ilnachar smiled coldly and tilted her head slightly as if to show she was being quizzical. An unnatural movement like the neck-tilting of a jointed doll.

“Did you say Eungryong betrayed us?”

“That’s…”

“He just captured prisoners. There’s no proof of betrayal yet, and not even strong circumstantial evidence. In this situation, do you think it makes sense to eliminate high-quality personnel like Eungryong, in Elder’s opinion?”

“…”

“Don’t you know how important Eungryong is?”

The Great Seal isn’t just any seal. It’s a massive formation affecting the entire world, literally encompassing all of Jungwon.

To break this formation, we need as many high-level formation masters as possible. And Eungryong’s name is invariably included among those high-level formation masters.

“We can’t pull Hwansin to our side. We needed to pull in Cheonbangja Seogwang, but Cheonbangja Seogwang also burned his own body to twist the celestial energy and send people this way. Gonryunseon is reading the celestial energy and informing the search party of our every move.”

“…”

“Do you know what that means? Most of those who reached the pinnacle of magic arts have turned their backs on us. In this situation where we must destroy the great formation!”

This is a time when the hand of even one renowned magician is precious. In that situation, if Eungryong also turns his back, what then?

“Leave him be.”

“Bu, but Ilnachar. If he betrays us…”

“I said leave him be. Can’t you hear?”

At Ilnachar smiling eerily and bringing her face close, Elder Lee involuntarily stopped breathing and stepped back, trembling. The sinister energy emanating from Ilnachar’s entire body.

“You’re merely the hands and feet of me and the Cult Leader. Hands and feet just need to move as commanded. They don’t think for themselves. Don’t you understand?”

“…Kugh.”

“The only reason we use you despite your trash-like talent and ability is that one thing. Moving for the Cult. Being ready to do anything for transcendence.”

Even if told to kill parents or siblings, they can commit it for transcendence.

Blood Cult members are such beings. Those who borrow external power to break the limits the world has set for them. Isn’t that a commonality of all Blood Cult members except the Blood Cult Leader and Ilnachar?

“If you want to surpass the limits of your lowly talent, don’t have doubts. Just follow what you’re told. Understand?”

“I under… stand.”

“If you understand, then go. Don’t waste time.”

“…”

The silent Elder Lee bowed his head to the ground, then quietly left while prostrate. Confirming this, Ilnachar leaned back in the chair she’d been sitting in. Her body relaxing languidly.

‘As expected, there are far too many vermin.’

Why do people join the Blood Cult?

To break through their limits. It’s common for Blood Cult members to devote themselves to the Blood Cult to shed humanity and transform into yokai bodies to obtain salvation.

Conversely, most Blood Cult members are only those who hit their limits and despaired. Vermin who couldn’t even persistently challenge to break through their limits.

‘They’re easy to handle since they have such blatant desires. But their limits are equally clear.’

Among them, how many can truly accomplish the great cause? When the Blood Cult faces a precarious situation, how many will be martyred to overcome that hardship and adversity?

It’s a situation quite opposite to the Demonic Cult, which stands in almost perfect contrast. That side has hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of fanatics who would gladly throw themselves away if the cult faces crisis.

“There are many problems.”

Sssss!

“—What problems are there?”

At the sound she made while clicking her tongue, hearing the response, Ilnachar, who had been burying herself in the luxurious chair, wore a bewitching smile. The question that followed.

“Master. Have you arrived?”

“Indeed.”

Slowly.

Watching the red mist transform into human form, Ilnachar buried herself deeper into the chair. As if showing she had no intention of standing.

“Arrogant beyond measure even toward your master. Won’t you stand?”

“I seem to be a territorial animal, Master. If a seat will eventually be mine anyway, I want to mark it with my scent a bit more.”

“Haha. Do you mean to kill me?”

“Of course not. But I think an unfortunate accident could happen. Especially if there’s only one being who can transcend humanity.”

“Splendid.”

A handsome man who clapped as if genuinely impressed sat on the armrest of the chair and stroked Ilnachar’s hair. The man whispered soon after.

“I heard about Eungryong.”

“Did Elder Lee go all the way there?”

“No. But all conversations here reach my ears. Even the conversations Eungryong and those he brought had outside… They are indeed spies.”

“I know.”

“Why leave them be?”

“Because purging is necessary.”

The great undertaking is near.

The rabble who came looking only at the Blood Cult’s brilliance must be eliminated. After all, such vermin don’t suit the ‘standard’ they envision. They can’t even shed human skin.

“Anyway, they don’t have the level of influence to twist the celestial energy.”

“Mm.”

“No matter what they do, they can’t stop the destruction of the Great Seal. It’s not like we haven’t prepared countermeasures at all.”

Causing internal chaos. Trying to stop the plan that way?

It’s laughable. The flow of celestial energy doesn’t twist that easily. Only a very select few—only those few born with destinies unthinkable for humans—can touch the flow of celestial energy.

“The important thing isn’t that. Did the errand you went on go well?”

“Need it be said?”

“Then that’s enough.”

Even if Eungryong betrayed them, even if they make enemies of most of the Sipcheon and Chilryun, it doesn’t matter. Only one thing is important.

“They can’t protect the Great Seal.”

The Great Seal will be destroyed.

No matter what they do.

***

Meanwhile, at that time. Eungryong’s quarters.

“Let’s kill Ilnachar.”

“…?”

At Eungryong’s sudden words, Baek Risan, who had been drinking cold water for once, rolled her eyes. Eungryong’s expression was endlessly serious.

“…Suddenly kill Ilnachar?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s the core of this Blood Cult.”

“Not the Cult Leader?”

“It’s Ilnachar. The Cult Leader can actually be called the nominal head.”

The Blood Cult’s strongest martial artist is the Cult Leader. And the fact that the Cult Leader is actually handling various matters itself can’t be denied. The Blood Cult Leader is certainly handling various matters befitting a leader.

However, when considering the direction the Blood Cult moves or its strategies, most originate from Ilnachar’s mind. If we can just eliminate that bizarre, wicked, and sinister Ilnachar, we can greatly block the Blood Cult’s movements.

“If we’re causing chaos to stop the Blood Cult’s movements, assassinating Ilnachar is the surest method.”

“…Well, that should be fine. When should we assassinate?”

“About that, actually, it’s not an easy matter.”

“Well, sure… But isn’t it okay? Anyway, there’s one Chilryun-level master here, and two people corresponding to the Hundred Great Masters.”

Songbyeok Jinin. And Dokgo Cheon.

She says she’s not much help, but this party even includes Nakcheon, whom even Songbyeok Jinin evaluated as unfathomable. The Blood Cult may have recruited two Chilryun from the Demonic Cult, but those two don’t move attached to Ilnachar, so the probability of assassination failing due to insufficient strength is low.

“Can’t we just push in during some chaotic situation and slice!?”

“That’s not the problem.”

Since Baek Risan spoke from that perspective, Eungryong slowly shook his head.

“Setting aside concerns about the martial force the Blood Cult possesses, assassinating Ilnachar isn’t easy. As you know, assassination is meaningless unless you completely finish the target… Ilnachar rarely operates as her true body.”

“Rarely operates as her true body…? What does that mean?”

“Oh my, this might be somewhat unfamiliar to you as a martial artist, Miss.”

Eungryong smiled bitterly, looked around briefly, then found a chopstick container and brought it over, picking up one chopstick.

“Now, let’s say this is the original chopstick.”

“Okay.”

“The other chopsticks are made modeled after this original chopstick. If you look closely, they’re slightly different. The wood’s unique grain, or the subtle differences in finely carved parts… Such differences exist. But people don’t specifically distinguish and call these two different things, do they?”

“Well, no.”

“Ilnachar is the same way.”

“…?”

What kind of talk is this now?

As Baek Risan tilted her head at the incomprehensible words, Eungryong, realizing further explanation was needed, continued.

“Among the Blood Cult’s magic arts, there’s a technique that can replicate oneself.”

“Like a clone technique?”

“You could… call it a clone technique, but it’s not exactly the same. Those replicas don’t all move simultaneously. The caster can only move one entity at a time, including the true body. The rest perform extremely simple commands or fall into a light sleep state… Think of it as such a technique.”

“Mm.”

Baek Risan nodded as if understanding to some degree, while Eungryong continued explaining with a serious expression.

“What’s important is this technique’s purpose. This technique was originally created to overcome illness, but nowadays it’s used for other purposes.”

“Other purposes?”

“Precisely situations like now. When the caster faces danger, they switch bodies to evade crisis.”

Killing Ilnachar isn’t difficult.

However, if the killed Ilnachar is a replica, the situation becomes problematic. No matter how many replicas you kill, it’s meaningless. If Ilnachar returns to the true body and mobilizes the Blood Cult’s full force to kill them, would there be any way to respond?

“There are limits to operating replicas, so for a few days each month, she’ll probably move around in the original body… but we have no means of distinguishing them. If we mistakenly kill a replica.”

“…It’s over at that moment.”

“Yes.”

Our identities will be exposed but we’ll gain nothing.

‘This is troublesome.’

If we must bear the risk, then we should, but the probability is far too slim to bet on. Then what should we do?

“…Ah. Isn’t there some way?”

This kind of thinking work isn’t her specialty. It would be nice if there were a slightly better method.

While frowning with such thoughts, Nakcheon, who had been watching Baek Risan, quietly spoke. And the voice that flowed out.

—There is.

“Huh? What?”

—You’re looking for a way to distinguish the original, aren’t you?

A method to distinguish between Ilnachar’s replica and original. A way to ensure the assassination’s success.

—I have it. That method.