Chapter 250 - In the Midst of the Fervor

The eight Demon Supremes stood in a row, watching Geom Mugeuk. Every demonic martial artist gathered there followed his movements intently.

He walked to the Blood Heaven Saber Demon first.

"Saber Demon."

"Young lord."

Geom Mugeuk's gaze was warm as he looked at the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.

"It is entirely thanks to you that I was able to become the successor, Elder."

With all the demonic martial artists watching, Geom Mugeuk loudly credited the Blood Heaven Saber Demon for his achievement.

The Saber Fiends standing behind him cheered as one and released their demonic qi. Had the Heavenly Demon not been present, they would have chanted, "Blood Heaven! Blood Heaven!"

Geom Mugeuk looked at them fondly. Thanks to these violent, rough fellows, he had completed the final stage of the Thousand-Meridian Strengthening Art, which in turn had allowed him to attain immunity to all poisons.

'Thank you, Saber Fiends!'

Anyone else would have been astonished to hear it, but he found them endearing.

Geom Mugeuk paid his respects to the Blood Heaven Saber Demon and conveyed his feelings.

"You have my respect, Elder!"

He meant it sincerely. This was the first Demon Supreme to join his side, a man who had given him everything without reservation.

"That is thanks to your own outstanding abilities, young lord. What has this old man done?"

"Please continue to guide me."

Since this was a formal occasion, they observed the proper courtesies with each other.

Of course, Geom Mugeuk was not about to leave it at that. He sent a sound transmission in his usual manner, utterly different from his current calm, subdued tone.

—Elder, let's have a drink later! Let's throw a grand celebration! Oh, and the young lord is allowed to lie on your bed without washing first, right?

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon was delighted to hear Geom Mugeuk's unchanged banter.

Yes, he knew this man would remain the same even after becoming not merely the young lord, but the Heavenly Demon. Surely that very nature was why he had grown so deeply attached to Geom Mugeuk.

—Keep fooling around and the Cult Leader will scold you. Focus!

Next, Geom Mugeuk walked to the Single Flower Sword Supreme standing beside him.

"Sword Supreme."

"Young lord."

"I hope you will continue to teach me. Thanks to you, my swordsmanship has improved a great deal."

The Single Flower Sword Supreme was inwardly taken aback. Her sparring match with Geom Mugeuk did not merit such praise. She had even lost. He was saving her face in front of her subordinates.

Sure enough, the Demon Swords' faces lit up, and they too cheered and released their demonic qi.

They tried to shout louder and release more powerful demonic qi than the Saber Fiends had before them.

Even on an occasion like this, the Saber Fiends and Demon Swords were vying with each other.

The Single Flower Sword Supreme smiled.

"Your talent for the martial arts is heaven-given, young lord. My help can have amounted to very little."

"You are far too modest. Please continue to guide me."

"I shall."

Next, he stood before the Fist Demon.

Geom Mugeuk knew the deep affection concealed behind that frightening face. And so he also knew how powerful a single, unwavering punch from this man could be.

He had been sincere when he said he wanted to bring down the cliff, but he also wanted to let the Fist Demon be the one to bring it down. He wanted to help him fulfill his dream.

"Master."

"Young lord, now that you have become someone of such importance, I believe I should stop being your master."

"Your fists taught me about life. Whatever position I rise to, you will always be my master."

It meant that he would honor him as his master even after becoming the Heavenly Demon. A pleased smile settled on the Fist Demon's frightening face.

The Iron Fists cheered as well. These were men and women who had learned fist arts alongside Geom Mugeuk.

Having grown fond of him during their training, they sincerely congratulated him on becoming young lord. Cheon Sohui stood among the Black Fists at the very front.

This time, he stood before the Soul-Seizing Demon.

Between looking after the other Demon Supremes and leaving the Cult to deal with enemies, he had found no time to attend to Cheong Seon personally, and he felt sorry about that.

"Demon Supreme."

"Young lord."

Fortunately, there was no trace of hurt in her expression. If anything, she was more warmly disposed toward him than anyone.

She knew full well that she would never have become a Demon Supreme without Geom Mugeuk. It was also through him that she had met the Wind Heaven Cult Leader, who had taught her martial arts. She therefore wanted to grow stronger as soon as possible and repay that debt.

Geom Mugeuk accorded her the same full courtesy he had shown the preceding Demon Supremes.

"Martial artists say that the Soul-Seizing Demon is the most terrifying person in the Cult. Please continue to be the Cult's most fearsome blade!"

"I will need your help, young lord!"

The ghost sorcerers released their ghost qi in unison. As it spread in every direction, the torches held by the demonic martial artists flickered as though a wind were blowing. An eerie presence hung in the air, as if ghosts might appear at any moment.

Next, he stood before the Drunken Demon.

The Drunken Demon looked at Geom Mugeuk with a flushed face.

"Drunken Demon."

"Young lord."

"Learning about drink and the martial world from you has helped me greatly. I hope I can continue to count on you."

At the same time, Geom Mugeuk sent a sound transmission.

—I want to call you Brother.

—And I want to call you little brother.

—Shall we just do it?

—Don't you dare. That would put me firmly on the Cult Leader's bad side.

In contrast to their playful exchange of sound transmissions, the Drunken Demon spoke calmly and solemnly.

"Come whenever you wish. There is always wine ready for you, young lord. Now, I drink this to celebrate your appointment."

As the Drunken Demon drank from the wine at his waist, the drinkers behind him all drank together. The drunken qi they exuded mingled with the demonic qi and ghost qi, swirling through the surroundings. The excitement continued to mount.

The Demonic Buddha was next.

Of all the Demon Supremes present today, he was the one toward whom Geom Mugeuk felt most apologetic.

"Congratulations, young lord."

He was composed. He was not foolish enough to blame Geom Mugeuk for the First Young Master's failure to become young lord.

"Thank you."

"The Cult's future rests on you, young lord. I hope you will never forget that."

"I will keep it firmly in mind."

The Demonic Buddha's gaze passed over Geom Mugeuk's shoulder to Geom Muyang in the distance. His concern for Geom Muyang was palpable.

"We monks will pray for your future, young lord."

At his words, the mad monks began chanting prayers in unison, wishing Geom Mugeuk well.

Geom Mugeuk knew that the Demonic Buddha, at least, would be praying for Geom Muyang.

'Please keep protecting my brother to the very end, Demonic Buddha.'

That was how Geom Mugeuk truly felt.

This time, Geom Mugeuk stood before the Poison King. Seeing him put his heart at ease and brought a smile to his face. Somewhere along the way, the Poison King had become someone whose presence gave him such pleasure.

"Poison King."

"Young lord."

"Thanks to your teachings in the Thousand-Poison Forest, the danger of assassination by poison has been greatly reduced for me. Thank you."

"You have always had a constitution resistant to poison. As long as you remember what I told you, poison will never kill you."

A sound transmission went straight to the Poison King.

—Thanks to you spending that day playing with me, I've become young lord.

—If you're grateful, let's make another wager on finding poisonous herbs.

Geom Mugeuk affected a deeper voice, but...

—I am the young lord. I'm a different person from that herb-gathering Second Young Master.

—And come do some cleaning for me.

Naturally, it had no effect on the Poison King.

The Poison King's eyes shone clearly as he looked at Geom Mugeuk.

'With this, you must have taken another step toward the person you have to face.'

At last, Geom Mugeuk stood before the final Demon Supreme.

The Wicked Laughing Demon wore a brilliantly multicolored mask.

"Laughing Demon."

"Young lord."

The two gazed at each other without a word. The look in the Wicked Laughing Demon's eyes behind the mask alone revealed how happy he was.

Geom Mugeuk thought it an extraordinary blessing to have met someone he could trust so deeply in this life.

"That is a splendid mask."

"It is the mask I wear to celebrations. It is perfectly suited to today's occasion."

The Wicked Laughing Demon's eyes smiled through the eyeholes.

Geom Mugeuk no longer needed to examine the true meaning of his smile. At least with him, what he saw was all there was.

"I look forward to the day we go out to fight again."

"I will be waiting for it as well."

Having finished speaking, the Wicked Laughing Demon laughed loudly. The Faceless Wanderers behind him all joined in. It was an uncanny laugh—their own way of congratulating Geom Mugeuk on becoming young lord.

The Faceless Wanderers' laughter spread through the gathering, the ghost sorcerers' ghost qi swirled in every direction, and the sound of Buddhist chanting rang out amid fierce demonic qi.

They were not the only people Geom Mugeuk acknowledged.

His gaze turned from the Eight Demons' demonic martial artists to the martial artists of Heavenly Demon Hall.

In the distance, he could see Demon Army commander Jang Ho. These men, who served directly under the Heavenly Demon, would be the first to throw themselves into the fray if anything happened.

He respectfully cupped his fist toward Jang Ho. The Demon Army's cheers added to the fervor.

He also cupped his fist toward the investigators and enforcement martial artists of Yellow Springs Pavilion, expressing his gratitude. They too congratulated him with loud cheers. Seo Daeryong stood among the investigators, beaming.

—Congratulations, Pavilion Master! No, young lord!

—I'm counting on my right-hand man alone!

—Please put some trust in your other body parts too!

Smiling happily, Geom Mugeuk paid his respects to the heads of the other organizations with courteous cupped-fist salutes. The cheering reached its peak.

Finally, Geom Mugeuk sought out one person. Someone who could not be hidden, no matter how large the crowd. His eyes met Yi An's as she stood among the demonic martial artists.

—You look even prettier today.

—Since all the demonic martial artists are gathering, I thought I'd try to charm someone young and handsome if I spotted one.

—All the fellows here put together wouldn't measure up.

—Don't say that. I'm nobody special.

—No, not to you. They wouldn't measure up to me.

She laughed. She loved that Geom Mugeuk had not changed even after becoming young lord.

—Congratulations, young lord.

—It's thanks to you protecting me.

She would never dream that this moment truly existed because she had thrown herself into harm's way for him.

Receiving everyone's congratulations, Geom Mugeuk climbed onto the dais. There were still people he needed to thank.

This time, he went to greet Chief Strategist Sima Myeong.

"Strategist."

"Congratulations, young lord."

Sima Myeong had watched Geom Mugeuk's rise to this position more closely than anyone. His exceptional abilities gave him some cause for concern. His unpredictability also made him uneasy. Even now, he had never imagined he would say something like this.

"Now that I've become young lord, please teach me Go without Father knowing."

Sima Myeong smiled at his words.

"That would be difficult."

"You don't want me to win, Strategist!"

"I merely wish for peace in the Cult. As long as it does not involve Go, Heaven-Reaching Pavilion will always help you, young lord."

After that pleasant exchange with Sima Myeong, Geom Mugeuk went to Geom Muyang, who stood alone.

Surely he was the most uncomfortable person here. Everything before his eyes could have been his. How keenly must he feel the loss?

"Brother, I'm counting on you alone."

Had they been alone, he would have shouted, You lunatic, stop it! But he could not do that now.

"Take good care of the Cult."

Geom Mugeuk suddenly pulled Geom Muyang into a tight embrace.

—Are you insane?

—You're the insane one, Brother. You gave up this wonderful position to me.

—Let go, you lunatic!

Cheers erupted at the sight of them together. He had kept his promise to settle the succession struggle without bloodshed.

Finally, Geom Mugeuk stood before his father.

"Father."

Geom Ujin led him forward.

As the two stood side by side, cheers erupted.

Merely standing beside him lent Geom Mugeuk tremendous authority. He was the young lord unequivocally acknowledged by the Heavenly Demon.

And so, amid cheers that seemed as though they would last forever, the late-night announcement of the successor came to an end.

* * *

Geom Muyang was walking alone.

The Cult grounds were bustling everywhere, the atmosphere truly festive.

He wished he could put on an amiable face and let himself be swept along, but it was not easy.

His part ended here. The supporting character embraced by the protagonist onstage.

He was walking slowly, looking at the ground, when someone called from behind.

"Muyang."

He turned to find his father.

"... Father."

Geom Ujin spoke to him gently.

"Let's have a meal together."

At those words, emotion surged up inside Geom Muyang. Before he could compose himself, his vision blurred. He clenched his teeth and forced himself to hold it in. On a day like this, he did not want his father to see him cry.

"I was hungry, as it happens."

"Come. The cooks will still be awake tonight. Let's ask them to make something you like."

They walked side by side toward Heavenly Demon Hall.

Walking with his father like this brought the past to Geom Muyang's mind.

All those days spent trying to impress him.

He had done his utmost to fulfill his role as the eldest son. He wanted to impress his father. He wanted his praise, wanted his acknowledgment.

The surest way to achieve that was to become the successor. He had thought that if he failed, he would be cast aside in misery...

"Do you wish things had turned out differently?"

"No. If anything, I feel relieved."

Now Geom Ujin, too, was looking not at his eldest son, but at his son. To Geom Muyang, Geom Ujin was not the Cult Leader, but his father.

Geom Ujin offered no words of consolation.

Yet his father's simple invitation to share a meal comforted Geom Muyang more than any consolation could have. He was profoundly grateful.

Geom Ujin walked ahead, and Geom Muyang followed a few steps behind.

The moonlight softly illuminated the path before the father and son as they walked in silence.

* * *

From a distant rooftop, I watched Father and my brother walking together.

I had originally intended to have a drink with my brother.

But when I saw Father looking after him, I stepped back. We could drink another time, but a meal with Father on a day like this would be something my brother would never forget.

Perhaps, because I had returned to the past, my brother had become the child Father worried over most.

I was grateful to Father for looking after him. A father was a father, after all.

I leaped through the air and landed atop the tallest spire within the Cult grounds.

Standing there with my arms crossed, I surveyed the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon. The whole Cult was bustling with festivity. It had been a long time since the atmosphere had been so joyful and exciting.

In the midst of that fervor, I thought about the work ahead of me. My heart was calm, and I was confident I could handle what lay ahead.

I stood alone at the summit like that until the excitement subsided and dawn broke.