So? Did Someone Force You to Become the Heavenly Demon?

By ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍the time Il-mok arrived at the northern border fortresses, he was greeted by shocking news.

"What ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍do you mean my Sixth Brother went north?”

"That... ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍it seems the Khan of the Mierqi demanded a hostage be sent to prove the alliance."

"Even ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍so, how could you let my Sixth Brother go to such a dangerous place himself?"

"We ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍tried to stop him, but the Deputy Master's resolve was so firm there was nothing we could do."

"Please, ‍​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍kill us for our incompetence!"

Il-mok pressed the heel of his palm against his forehead as he heard the report.

He could easily guess why his Sixth Brother had insisted on going himself.

‘Damn it. If only we'd gotten here a little sooner.’

If word had reached them that the Southern Military Command had been crushed, there would've been no reason for his Sixth Brother to volunteer himself as a hostage.

But this wasn't the time for regret.

"So, when exactly did my Sixth Brother head north?"

Since they'd only just received the news upon arriving, it couldn't have been that long ago.

Confirming his suspicions, the man giving the report answered quickly.

"He left about half a day ago, sir!"

Il-mok exhaled a sharp breath of relief at that. Half a day meant there was a very good chance the nomads hadn't reached the main camp yet.

"How many men rode out to take him hostage?"

"About a thousand, sir."

"Then get me the ten fastest horses you can find around here. We'll move with a minimal group and rescue Sixth Brother."

The warrior giving the report flinched in alarm.

"Left Guardian! Ten people are far too few!"

"Moving with a larger group would actually be more dangerous. Not only would we be too slow, but if those bastards realize they're being chased, they will immediately put a blade to my brother’s throat. Going in with fewer people is more likely to catch them off guard!"

Looking into Il-mok's eyes, the warrior swallowed his protests.

Just like Jong-ri Chu, trying to talk the Left Guardian out of his decisions was completely impossible.

"We'll follow the Left Guardian's wishes."

The man hurried off to carry out Il-mok's orders.

"Miss Jin, pick out the five most skilled among those who came with us."

"Right away, Left Guardian."

Jin Hayeon immediately turned on her heel to gather her squad. Barely fifteen minutes later, ten elite fighters spurred their horses and bolted out of the fortress gates.

The rescue team consisted of Il-mok, his four maids, and five Heavenly Demon Divine Cult warriors.

"Miss Jeong! Keep your eyes peeled for tracks! If a thousand cavalry moved through here, there's bound to be traces left behind!"

"U-Understood!"

Jeong Hyeon used the Ghost Spirit Divine Bow as she rode, tracking the marks left behind by the thousand nomadic warriors.

***

Somewhere in the northern steppe, over a thousand heavily armed warriors rode in formation.

Mingled in the center of their formation were three men exuding a distinctly out-of-place atmosphere.

They are none other than Jong-ri Chu, Ohalak, and James.

"You guys really didn't need to drag yourselves into this."

Jong-ri Chu said with an awkward laugh, and Ohalak answered with a face full of resolve.

"How could we let the Deputy Master go to such a dangerous place alone? My tribe and I owe our very lives to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. I would rather die than turn my back on that grace."

Ohalak truly had made peace with the possibility of death.

Even if he died, the tribe he'd come from would continue to thrive under the protection of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. That was enough for Ohalak.

But James felt a little differently.

‘If that's how it was going to be, you could've told me sooner!’

James wanted to burst into tears.

Unlike Ohalak, James had no family or relatives who'd taken refuge with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

He was just a poor guy who had been captured and sold into slavery by the Muslim merchants as a slave!

His only goal in life was to keep his own skin intact.

And now, that very same skin was about to get flayed off his bones.

He didn't really know how it happened. He'd just gotten swept up in the moment and blurted out that he'd come along too. But with every mile they rode, his sanity slowly trickled back.

'If I raise my hand and say I want to go home now... they won't just turn me around, they'll chop my head off, won't they?'

The thought crossed his mind that he might soon become one of Jong-ri Chu's invisible ghost friends.

To be fair, Jong-ri Chu himself would probably end up the same way.

While James was spiraling into a pit of despair, a sudden wave of commotion snapped him back to reality.

Scanning his surroundings, James cautiously opened his mouth.

"Deputy Master, it seems like someone's approaching."

"I heard it too."

Jong-ri Chu nodded and turned, scanning the area with a puzzled expression. But because they were surrounded by over a thousand warriors, they could not immediately tell who was approaching.

"Who goes there?!"

The shout of a nomadic warrior at the southern edge of the formation echoed all the way to Jong-ri Chu. A moment later, a reply rang out from beyond the wall of nomad warriors.

"We've come to escort the Deputy Master! He is the Sixth Brother of the Cult Leader himself! How could we possibly let him travel with only two measly servants?!"

That voice was incredibly familiar.

'Why is our youngest brother here?'

His immediate assumption was that his madness was acting up again. But the reactions from Ohalak and James that followed told Jong-ri Chu it wasn't a side effect this time.

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

"So it really is contagious."

"What nonsense are you two muttering? Did you hear that voice too?"

"!!!"

While the three of them stared at each other in shock, the nomadic warriors looked over the group claiming to be maids and attendants with troubled expressions.

A few of the warriors exchanged glances and nodded at each other.

Their faces were dripping with lust.

There were only ten of them, but four of them were women. And two of those women were stunning enough to be called the kind of beauty that could topple a kingdom.

"Hehehe. As expected of the Cult Leader's brother."

"Pretty generous treatment. Hehe."

Of course, they couldn't touch those women right now.

Jong-ri Chu was a hostage for the sake of the alliance, and laying a hand on his maids would cause no end of trouble.

But the future was long. Once he was locked up in their camp, plenty of 'accidents' could happen.

Namguru was no different. His eyes lit up at the woman's beauty, and the same filthy thoughts crossed his mind.

But as the one leading the warriors, he needed to be a little more careful.

"If they're here to attend Deputy Master, send only the women over!"

Just in case, he decided to accept only the four women out of the ten who'd arrived.

‘'Hehehe. I can just offer one of those wenches to the Khan.'

He held onto the hope that if he offered up one of the two especially beautiful ones to the Khan, he might get to keep the other for himself.

The moment Namguru barked his orders, Il-mok shot a voice transmission to Jin Hayeon.

—Once you make contact with Sixth Brother, send the signal.

—Understood.

With Jin Hayeon taking the lead, the women rode their horses toward the nomadic warriors.

The nomadic warriors opened a path for them, their lust-filled eyes openly raking over the women's faces and bodies as they passed.

Unfazed by those disgusting stares, the women rode past the nomadic warriors and approached Jong-ri Chu.

"Wh-what brings you all the way out here?" Jong-ri Chu asked with a flustered expression.

—The Right Guardian and the Missionary Hall Master have successfully wiped out the Southern Military Command and are returning to Shaanxi. There's no longer any need to worry about what the Mierqi scums think.

Right after explaining the situation to Jong-ri Chu through the voice transmission—

Thwack!

Jin Hayeon struck out without warning, her hand slamming into the heart of a nearby nomadic warrior who'd been eyeing her hips with lecherous intent.

"Gah..."

The Mierqi warrior let out a choked cry before his heart froze solid and he dropped dead on the spot.

Everyone froze at the sudden turn of events.

"Miss Jeong."

Before she even finished the name, Jeong Hyeon drew back her bowstring and let her arrow fly.

Fwiiiiit!

It was a whistling arrow.

The instant the whistling arrow's cry rang out, Il-mok drew his Ascension Sword and charged the army of a thousand men. The five elite Divine Cult guards waiting beside him drew their blades and charged forward to cover his flanks.

Slash!

Il-mok cut down the nearest Mierqi warrior's neck, clicking his tongue as if he found it an annoyance.

‘One blast of the World-Destroying Primordial Jade Palm and this would all be over.’

But with Jong-ri Chu and the others mixed in among the enemy, he couldn't use it carelessly.

No matter how strong Jin Hayeon was, taking a direct hit from that technique would result in a massacre.

Swallowing his frustration, Il-mok kept swinging his sword without pause.

The Ascension Sword, which had absorbed so much power it could practically be classified as a Divine Sword, was wreathed in gray Sword Force.

Not a single person managed to block even one of his strikes.

Slash!

Whenever an opponent swung their scimitar at him, Il-mok would simply cut straight through both the weapon and the warrior's body.

And every time he split a warrior's body open, the Ascension Sword instantly drank the enemy's blood and converted it into Blood Qi for Il-mok to absorb.

While Il-mok and the five warriors tore through the Mierqi fighters—

"Get them!"

An even greater chaos was breaking out at the center of the Mierqi ranks.

The Mierqi warriors frantically rushed toward Jong-ri Chu to use him as a hostage. However, their weapons could not reach him.

Thwack!

Because the women they'd let through out of lust were now blocking their path.

Jin Hayeon swept her bare hands through the air, freezing the air around her with the White Hand Demonic Art.

"It's a witch!"

"Kill her! Bring that crazy bitch down!"

Her graceful and ethereal movement perfectly complemented her breathtaking face, making her look like a dancer performing on a stage.

But the results were nothing like a graceful dance.

Wherever her hands passed, a chilling cold swept through the air, and the warriors caught nearby froze solid and died on the spot.

The warriors who'd tried to avoid Jin Hayeon's terrifying martial arts by charging from the rear and the sides didn't fare much better.

Crack.

Hyeokryeon Seon-ah and Ju Seo-yeon easily pierced the warriors' heads and hearts with their claws and short spear respectively.

Of course, the two women's skills were nowhere near Jin Hayeon's level yet.

Thwack!

But with Jeong Hyeon backing them up from the center, even killing Hyeokryeon Seon-ah and Ju Seo-yeon proved to be no easy task.

Some of the Mierqi warriors decided to avoid the women entirely and charge straight for Jong-ri Chu instead, and a few of them actually managed to get close to him.

But taking Jong-ri Chu hostage was impossible.

Slash.

He was, after all, one of the four disciples of the previous Heavenly Demon.

He might have been the slowest to develop among them, but he was still a disciple of the previous Heavenly Demon.

Though Transcendence is still far off for him, killing warriors barely at the Peak Realm is still manageable for Jong-ri Chu.

"Huhuhuehehehehe."

At some point, Jong-ri Chu had started dancing through the warriors with his sword while letting out an unsettling laugh.

The Mad Soul Sword Art.

A high-level Demonic Art known for its visual and auditory hallucinations.

True to its name, it was a style that made the swordsman dance as if a mad ghost possessed him.

Living up to that name, Jong-ri Chu's movements were utterly bizarre.

"HAAAAAH!"

Even as a Mierqi warrior charged straight at him with a battle cry, Jong-ri Chu's gaze was fixed on the empty air beside the man, and his sword was moving toward that same empty air.

But just before the Mierqi warrior's scimitar could reach Jong-ri Chu's body, Jong-ri Chu's body twisted sharply, and his sword curved through a bizarre arc to the side to slice through the Mierqi warrior's neck.

Slash!

Even when warriors managed to slip past the women and target Jong-ri Chu directly, subduing him wasn't easy.

Clang!

And on the rare occasion that someone as skilled as Jong-ri Chu actually managed to close in—

Thwack!

Jeong Hyeon's short arrow would find its way into that warrior's vital point.

"Uwahahaha! Thank you, Mohammed!"

Already half out of his mind from using the Mad Soul Sword Art, Jong-ri Chu mistook Jeong Hyeon's arrow as the help of someone else.

Help from a friend that nobody else could see.

With Jin Hayeon, Hyeokryeon Seon-ah, Ju Seo-yeon, and Jong-ri Chu, as well as Jeong Hyeon supporting them from the center, the Mierqi warriors simply couldn't bring them down.

"Hiiik!"

Ohalak and James had somehow ended up under their protection. Those two were huddled together and turtled down with pale faces.

It had been years since they'd joined the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

They'd picked up some Demonic Arts of their own in that time, but it seemed the heavens believed in balance. Whatever talent they had for languages, they had none for martial arts. Or perhaps it was just because they had spent the last few years babysitting Jong-ri Chu through his crazy hallucinations, giving them the perfect excuse to slack off on their training.

Either way, the two cowards huddled as tightly as they could into the center of the formation.

"Hiiiik!"

Jeong Hyeon who was busy sniping her targets suddenly felt someone's skin brush against her and let out a shriek.

"G-get away from me!"

"P-please spare us!"

"I-I'm scared!"

Startled by the sudden touch, the arrow loosened from her bowstring.

It instantly punched a clean hole right through the forehead of a nomad who was busy trading blows with Hyeokryeon Seon-ah.

Seeing the dead body, Ohalak and James who were busy clinging to Jeong Hyeon suddenly felt a chill down their spines.

'Y-You are the scary one.'

But neither of them could bring themselves to say out loud.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!