Chapter 133 - Not Everyone Feels the Way I Do

The atmosphere changed in an instant with the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s arrival.

Seo Daeryong, Jang Ho, and Yeo Bin rose and respectfully cupped their fists.

“We greet the Demon Supreme.”

I poured the Blood Heaven Saber Demon a drink.

“How did you know to come here?”

“I was passing by and stopped in.”

As if that were true. He must have been keeping an eye on my movements and come here upon hearing that I was drinking with the Drunken Demon.

He had come for my sake, worried that the Drunken Demon might manipulate me. His recent dedication to his martial training was probably part of the same concern.

After drinking the liquor I had poured him, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon addressed Seo Daeryong, Jang Ho, and Yeo Bin.

“Wait outside for a while.”

Who would dare refuse an order from him? The three bowed politely and went outside.

Now only the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, the Drunken Demon, and I remained.

The Drunken Demon greeted him first.

“It’s been a long time, Senior.”

Despite his amiable smile, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon regarded him with displeasure.

“I’ll dispense with the pleasantries and get straight to the point. Back off.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean stay away from the Second Young Master.”

“All I’ve done is drink with him.”

“That’s what I’m telling you not to do.”

“You’re telling the Drunken Demon not to drink?”

“Drink with someone else.”

The Drunken Demon smiled and drank. The Blood Heaven Saber Demon continued to watch him coldly. He wasn’t close to any of the other Demon Supremes, so naturally he had no affection for the Drunken Demon, whom he considered devious.

“Now, calm down and let me pour you a drink.”

The Drunken Demon filled his cup. Even in the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s presence, he wasn’t the least bit intimidated.

“I respect you, Senior, but don’t you think you’re overstepping the bounds?”

“I didn’t think someone who’s always drunk had any bounds to live by.”

“I live by the way of drinking. Please don’t hate me so much, Senior.”

He smiled good-naturedly, but the Blood Heaven Saber Demon had come here with his mind made up.

“Keep your distance from the Second Young Master. Then I’ll have no reason to meddle in your life.”

The Drunken Demon picked up his cup, rose, and moved to the seat farthest from me.

“Will this much distance do?”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s expression hardened.

“Do you think I’m joking?”

“No. You were being so serious that I decided to make a little joke. My apologies.”

Then the Drunken Demon looked at me, his eyes asking whether I had anything to say at this point. I remained silent.

His gaze returned to the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.

“You never used to be like this, Senior. Were you always someone who could become so invested in another person?”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon gave a derisive snort.

“Aren’t you the one who has no interest in other people?”

“Me?”

“Wasn’t your own drunken pleasure the only thing that mattered to you?”

“That’s true. I am a selfish bastard.”

The Drunken Demon drank and set his cup down, more loudly than before.

At some point, the air around us had grown cold. The pressure spilling naturally from them reflected their moods.

“Stop drinking and use that mouth to answer me. Say you won’t meet the Second Young Master again.”

But the Drunken Demon drank again. His expression beyond the cup was stern. After seeing him do nothing but laugh and chatter, that serious face felt unfamiliar.

“No.”

At his refusal, demonic qi surged from the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s body. At the same time, demonic qi poured from the Drunken Demon as well. As their qi mingled, a presence unlike anything I had felt in my life engulfed us.

“Are you doing this because you trust the unwritten rule that Demon Supremes must never fight one another?”

“Are you saying you’ll break that rule?”

“Is there any reason I can’t?”

“Fine by me. I’ve always preferred breaking things. Surely you don’t think I’m afraid of that rule being broken?”

“I wonder if you’ll be so composed when it’s your liquor bottle that breaks.”

Their demonic qi grew denser. Even as it continued to thicken, I made no attempt to stop them. I simply watched, protecting myself with the Heavenly Demon’s Body-Protection Art.

“Very well. Then let me at least ask why. Why are you trying to stop me?”

“Because you’ll be an obstacle on the Second Young Master’s path.”

“Not because I’ll be an obstacle to you?”

The corners of the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s mouth curled into a cold smile. His imposing presence was no weaker than that of the younger Drunken Demon, but the problem was that the Drunken Demon knew his weaknesses all too well.

“I had a drink with Senior Sword Supreme a few days ago.”

At the mention of the Single Flower Sword Supreme, irritation surged across the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s face.

“She’s doing well. Still beautiful, still dignified. We talked about the last Gathering of the Eight Demons, among other things. Oh, she didn’t say a single word about you.”

Fire blazed in the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s eyes. The situation was so precarious that he looked ready to swing his Heaven-Destroying Great Saber at any moment.

The Drunken Demon’s unique weapon was the gourd-shaped liquor bottle hanging at his waist. Known to withstand even the edge of a treasured sword, the bottle was called Blood Tears. I didn’t know why he had given it that name, but one thing was certain: when its stopper came out, someone would weep tears of blood.

Even before my regression, I had never seen either the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber or Blood Tears in action. What would happen if these two clashed?

Even in this explosive situation, the Drunken Demon continued to provoke him.

“You told me to back off? Aren’t you the one who should step aside, Senior? As long as you’re with the Second Young Master, the Sword Supreme won’t help him. But with me, she would gladly offer her help. What do you think? Do you consider yourself better than the two of us combined?”

Once the Sword Supreme was brought into it, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon had no rebuttal. The Single Flower Sword Supreme was his weakness.

Besides, the Demon Supremes were all roughly comparable in ability. It wasn’t easy to boast that he could do the work of two.

I was the one who answered.

“He is.”

The Drunken Demon and the Blood Heaven Saber Demon turned to me.

“The Blood Heaven Saber Demon is better than the two of you combined.”

I met the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s gaze. Gratitude and deep emotion flickered through those small, sharp eyes.

The Drunken Demon smiled and drank the liquor before him.

“Could you say that with the Sword Supreme here?”

“Yes.”

“Could you say it with the Wicked Laughing Demon here?”

He knew about the deep emotional bond I had formed with the Wicked Laughing Demon. As expected, his information came quickly, and he understood the situation better than anyone.

“I could.”

“You’re bluffing because they aren’t here.”

The Drunken Demon snorted, rose, and went to the window. He called out to Yeo Bin, who was waiting across the street.

“Go and bring the Single Flower Sword Supreme and the Wicked Laughing Demon.”

“Yes.”

Yeo Bin leaped away and vanished in an instant.

The Drunken Demon returned to his seat.

“Must I go this far? I even offered to call you my brother. Aren’t you being a little too harsh?”

“I appreciate your good opinion of me, but I don’t call someone my brother after drinking with them only twice. If that’s what you want, get in line. Your turn hasn’t come yet, Drunken Demon.”

Perhaps the Drunken Demon and I would become much closer than we were now. Perhaps he would be a great help in the undertaking ahead.

Even so, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon came first.

I had tirelessly knocked on the door to his heart, and he had willingly opened it to me.

No matter how dazzlingly the Drunken Demon tried to charm me, no matter how flattering his words, none of it could compare to my gratitude toward the man who had struggled to open that heavy door, rusted and seized shut after being closed for so long.

Then the Blood Heaven Saber Demon sent me a sound transmission.

—“When the Sword Supreme arrives, tell her she’s more important.”

—“No.”

—“I’ll still be on your side if you say it.”

That cantankerous old man who used to poke me in the ribs and talk about misfortune had come this far. A man who would be nothing without his pride was willing to give it up for me.

—“I know you will.”

—“Then why refuse?”

—“I don’t want you to be belittled in front of other people.”

—“All right. I understand how you feel now, so do as I say. The greater cause matters more than personal feelings. You know that, don’t you?”

How could I put anyone else first when he was like this?

—“That’s precisely why I can’t.”

—“Why?”

—“The Single Flower Sword Supreme would realize I was lying. You know how perceptive she is. Even for the sake of the greater cause, it’s better to be honest.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon had no answer to that.

The Drunken Demon’s mention of the Single Flower Sword Supreme had made this gathering deeply uncomfortable for him.

He must have wanted to storm out several times already, but he stayed for me. He would be thinking that he had to settle this matter somehow.

The Single Flower Sword Supreme arrived first.

Perhaps she had already asked Yeo Bin who was here, because she betrayed no emotion at the sight of the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.

“Welcome, Senior.”

“Second Young Master, why are you drinking with people who’ll do you no good in life?”

The Drunken Demon laughed at her joke.

“My friend, that’s a hurtful thing to say.”

By calling her his friend, he was showing off their closeness. The Single Flower Sword Supreme had merely described him as easygoing, but the Drunken Demon called her a friend.

It was another reminder that the Demon Supremes didn’t tell me everything when they described one another.

“Stop drinking so much.”

“Your sword training and my drinking are the same thing.”

“Then you should drink alone. I train alone, after all.”

“But drinking with the Second Young Master is so much fun.”

“I’ll grant you that. But why call me here when I’m neither much of a drinker nor much fun?”

The Drunken Demon looked at the Blood Heaven Saber Demon as he answered.

“Senior Saber Demon is trying to put a junior in his place. And you’ve got him firmly under your thumb, haven’t you?”

I would have expected him to press me to choose in front of the Sword Supreme, but he didn’t.

He was clever, and he understood me well. He knew that doing so would only hurt my feelings and gain him nothing.

He also knew that this much alone would make the Blood Heaven Saber Demon speak up first. Particularly where the Single Flower Sword Supreme was concerned, his reactions became even more rigid.

“I told the Drunken Demon to stay away from the Second Young Master.”

The Single Flower Sword Supreme responded coldly.

“By what authority?”

“I have no authority. It’s simply my instinct that he won’t be any help to the Second Young Master.”

“I’ve already established how terrible your instincts are.”

“You don’t know a thing about me.”

“I don’t want to.”

For a time, seeing each other frequently had softened their hostility somewhat. Perhaps because the Drunken Demon was here, they were once again snapping at each other.

The Drunken Demon pressed the Blood Heaven Saber Demon’s weakness again.

“Very well. Let’s suppose the Second Young Master chooses you, and the Sword Supreme and I withdraw. Are you close to the remaining Wicked Laughing Demon, then?”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon couldn’t answer. He wasn’t close to anyone.

I didn’t intervene. I knew all too well that a clumsy attempt to take his side at a time like this would only fuel his anger.

The Drunken Demon was striking precisely at his weakness. But I couldn’t blame him entirely. The Blood Heaven Saber Demon was the one who had barged into this gathering.

The Drunken Demon addressed me with liquor-clouded eyes.

“Now you’ll hate me. I’ve cornered Senior Saber Demon, whom you’re so fond of. Try to understand. All I’ve done is show you reality.”

“I won’t hate you.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because I have no intention of letting either you or Senior Sword Supreme go. I’ll make all of you my people.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon glared at me. But with his feelings in turmoil, he couldn’t stop me. He had been backed into a position where he would have to do the work of three men alone.

“You can look at me like that, but it won’t change anything. I’m taking all of them with me.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon shook his head.

“You cling to the illusion that if people try hard enough, they can all become friends and live in harmony. Perhaps you can. You certainly have a capacity for acceptance beyond your years. But eventually, you’ll learn too. Not everyone feels the way you do.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon looked at the Drunken Demon and the Sword Supreme, then turned toward the window. At some point, the white-masked Wicked Laughing Demon had arrived. He was floating outside the open window, arms folded, watching what was happening inside.

“They may pretend to get along for your sake, but behind your back they’ll fight, hate one another, and raise hell. Amid all that turmoil, someone will get hurt, nurture their hatred, and betray you at a crucial moment. And they’ll cite the hurt they suffered as their reason.”

The other Demon Supremes looked at me as though they agreed.

“That may happen.”

“Then why?”

“If you’re asking why we must walk this path together, I’ll answer.”

Looking at the four Demon Supremes, I released my qi presence. Until now, I had never truly shown it to them.

But now I showed them exactly what my qi presence was like. It pushed theirs back and took command of the space around us.

I wasn’t displaying strength. I imbued my qi presence with all the majesty I could muster.

I looked at them and spoke quietly.

“Because I am to be your Heavenly Demon.”

They all started in surprise. They could never have imagined I would say something like that.

“This is the decision of the man who will become your Heavenly Demon. Accept whomever I bring in. As long as you don’t kill one another, fight, hate, or betray as you please. But there is one condition!”

Looking at the four Demon Supremes, I declared,

“Do it within my fold.”

Silence lingered for a moment.

They were watching me. Drunken eyes watched me, and gentle eyes watched me. Small, sharp eyes watched me, as did the eyes behind the mask.

I wanted them to follow my wishes. I hoped someone would speak up first with a word of agreement.

Then the Demon Supremes spoke at once.

“Don’t think so.”

“No.”

“I refuse.”

“Not happening.”

In that moment, they were of one mind.

I couldn’t help letting out a laugh. Good grief, these adorable, infuriating Demon Supremes of mine!