Chapter 87 - Blood Rains from the Sky

The younger of the two men stepped forward first and saluted with his fist cupped in his palm.

“My name is So Tae, from Shaanxi. I have long held the Divine Cult in great admiration, and a chance connection with the Demon Supreme has given me this opportunity to meet you all. This gentleman is my master.”

The old man followed with his own greeting.

“I am Jong Mak, from Shaanxi. It is a pleasure to meet the many heroes of the Divine Cult.”

No master and disciple named So Tae and Jong Mak lived in Shaanxi. They never had, and they never would.

Their true identities were the men known as the Twin Fiends of Yunnan.

They were masters of disguise. Concealing their ages was child's play to them. They sometimes appeared thin, sometimes fat, and disguised themselves as merchants, monks, and even women.

In fact, the young-looking bastard who had introduced himself first was the First Fiend, and he was older than the Second Fiend, who was disguised as that old man.

They impersonated all manner of people to deceive others, committing countless atrocities along the way. They plundered merchants' fortunes and tormented strangers before killing them simply because they disliked their looks.

Their lust was insatiable: whenever a beautiful woman caught their eye, they invariably raped her. These vicious men murdered anyone who tried to stop them or talk them out of it.

The Orthodox Martial Alliance had declared them enemies of the entire martial world, but never managed to capture them.

With their formidable martial prowess and mastery of disguise, they were far from easy to catch.

They lived out their natural lifespans. For a time, a saying became popular:

Heaven isn't indifferent. It's already dead.

These men were the reason people said it.

And most importantly, these bastards had ruined my life, too.

The First Fiend, disguised as a young man, stepped forward.

“It would be an honor to my family if the Second Young Master, whom I have always admired, would teach me a move or two.”

What is meant to happen will happen.

The same thing had happened around this time in my life before regression.

I had been a true idiot back then. The king of idiots. A fucking moron.

Why on earth had I accepted the duel?

Of course, I had fought him under different circumstances, not here.

They had accompanied the Demonic Buddha then, too. He introduced the Twin Fiends of Yunnan at a banquet attended by the Cult's demonic martial artists, then set the mood so that I couldn't refuse.

He exploited my psychology perfectly. Rather than urging me to teach the man a move or two, he scolded the First Fiend.

["How dare you challenge someone so distinguished to a duel? This is not your place. If anything goes wrong and the Second Young Master gets hurt, you will not escape with your life."]

He had said the same thing then that he was saying now.

If you want someone to overturn a drinking table, saying, “Would that coward dare?” works better than telling him, “Be a man and overturn it.” At twenty, I had cared desperately about what others thought of me, and I fell for that shallow provocation.

Besides, I had lost my match in the New Demon Tournament after being dosed with energy-dispersing poison, and I was burning with the desire to salvage my reputation by any means possible.

I proved firsthand that the lower your self-esteem sinks, the more readily you fall for provocation.

The result was brutal.

I had complacently assumed I couldn't possibly lose to someone my own age. But we weren't the same age.

My arm was broken, my ribs cracked, and my face so badly bruised that I couldn't go outside for some time.

The physical injuries weren't the problem. Losing to someone my own age shattered my pride, and I was tormented by self-loathing for having fallen for his provocation so easily.

Not only Father, but the Cult's demonic martial artists were disappointed in me. An outsider had beaten the shit out of me and utterly humiliated me. My authority and dignity had hit rock bottom.

The Twin Fiends of Yunnan fled that very day, so we never even discovered their identities at the time.

And now those very bastards had appeared before me again. Imagine how excited I had been when they followed the Demonic Buddha into my room.

“Of course. We can't let this precious body get hurt. These rising young experts are terrifying nowadays.”

That was all it took to bow out. The more confident someone is in their ability, the more easily they can take things in stride like this. Not that I intended to do so today.

“Still, with him asking so earnestly, wouldn't it be rude to refuse?”

I wondered whether my brother knew what sort of men these associates of the Demonic Buddha were. Brother, it's a problem if you know, and a problem if you don't.

“Thank you for accepting my challenge. You truly live up to your illustrious reputation, Second Young Master.”

“You've been dusting my face with gold this whole time, but have you actually heard anything about my reputation? Name just one thing you know I've done recently.”

The First Fiend looked flustered, apparently not expecting such a direct question.

“I'm not very bright, so I don't remember well. I've had no education, and my manners are lacking, too. I hope you will understand, Second Young Master.”

“I thought as much. Challenging me to a duel the moment we meet shows you never had any manners to begin with. And I've been wondering why this dumbass is doing this when he knows nothing about my temperament or my abilities, so you certainly don't seem very bright, either. At least you know yourself. That's something.”

Both fiends' expressions hardened at my mockery. I could feel them struggling to suppress malice they couldn't conceal.

“If I'm lacking in brains, let's at least enjoy a physical bout, Second Young Master.”

“Let's.”

We went outside and faced each other in the courtyard. Everyone who had been with us followed.

“You use fists and palms?”

“I do.”

“I use swordsmanship, so take care not to lose those hands to my blade.”

“You should be careful yourself, Second Young Master. You may have to hold that sword in your left hand from now on.”

As he fixed me with an intense stare to build tension, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon spoke up.

“I'll be leaving first. At my age, I get sleepy early in the evening.”

He seemed entirely uninterested in the duel's outcome, and apparently had no desire to linger where the First Young Master and I were together.

The Single Flower Sword Supreme followed his lead.

“I'll be leaving as well. My skin gets dry and dull if I don't get enough sleep.”

As the two bade us farewell, Geom Muyang addressed them respectfully.

“Have a safe journey back. I'll come pay you each a visit later.”

The Demonic Buddha asked the question my brother wanted to ask.

“You don't seem concerned about the Second Young Master.”

Without so much as a glance at me, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon tossed out a reply and walked away.

“Concerned, my ass.”

The Single Flower Sword Supreme walked after him. At least in this moment, they were of one mind.

They knew perfectly well it was best to avoid any gossip about their presence at a fight like this. More importantly, they weren't the slightest bit worried about me.

Surprisingly, Jang Ho followed them.

“I have business to attend to, so I'll take my leave as well.”

When the perceptive bear made to leave, the nine-tailed fox followed suit.

“I'll be going, too.”

I spoke to Yi An.

“Yi An, you're leaving, too?”

“Yes. I need to go train.”

“Never mind the others—you should at least stay and pretend to worry. You've changed!”

“Of course I've changed. Someone beside me kept going on and on about how I needed to change.”

As she walked away, she turned back to Seo Daeryong.

“Aren't you coming?”

“I'm going to stay and watch. I think it'll help with my training.”

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon, already some distance away, shouted at him.

“You won't learn a damn thing watching this. Go get some fucking sleep.”

With his master saying that, he couldn't stay. Seo Daeryong grinned at me.

“Well, you heard him. What sharp ears he has.”

Once even Seo Daeryong had left, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader moved to go as well.

“If everyone else leaves and I stay, won't I look like I have too much time on my hands?”

And so they all left, each with a parting remark.

“You're all so cruel!”

No one turned back at my hollow cry.

I understood. Their reasons for leaving might differ, but their actions conveyed respect for me. They were showing my brother:

This is how much we trust the Second Young Master.

By leaving, they had demonstrated their loyalty to me in what could, in its own way, be called a sophisticated fashion.

Only Go Wol, who lived with me, remained.

“You truly are my loyal retainer.”

“I was just about to say I'd like to go inside and sleep first, too. I don't enjoy watching fights.”

“No. At least one person has to watch.”

“Then please finish quickly.”

“I will.”

The others watched this exchange with expressions of astonishment and disbelief.

Feeling utterly disregarded, the Twin Fiends of Yunnan openly displayed their displeasure. Even Geom Muyang, who rarely showed his emotions, couldn't entirely hide his surprise at the situation.

The First Fiend stepped forward.

“The spectators leaving has dampened the excitement, but my fists haven't lost any strength. Let's have our bout.”

He was anxious to begin, afraid the duel might be canceled.

Fear not, villain.

“Let's. I've waited a long time for this fight.”

Longer than you could possibly imagine.

I had accepted the duel partly for revenge, but more than that, to punish them for their atrocities.

They, too, were among those I had spoken of as absolute evil.

Some are called absolute evil because they are overwhelmingly powerful. Others earn that name through cunning and wickedness, like these men.

Masters of disguise who become all but impossible to catch once they disappear into hiding. Men who consider others' lives no more valuable than flies, yet treasure their own so dearly that they will do anything to survive.

Men who consequently live in comfort until they die of old age—these, too, are absolute evil.

Heaven must not have liked that popular saying about being dead, judging by how it had sent them to me.

“Now, I won't go easy on you just because you're the Second Young Master. Be careful!”

The First Fiend showed no mercy from his opening move. No matter how things unfolded, their mission was to beat me up and disappear.

How much had the Demonic Buddha paid them? Coming all the way into the Cult to fight me must have earned them a considerable sum.

I dodged the incoming fist and caught his wrist with ease.

He was horrified. He had never imagined his wrist would be caught on his very first move.

He tried to wrench free, but his trapped hand wouldn't budge. Then, just as his eyes widened in disbelief, my sword flashed from its sheath like lightning.

SHICK!

In a single move, I severed his hand at the wrist.

“Urgh!”

He let out a short scream and instinctively tried to staunch the bleeding.

SWISH! SHICK!

Without a moment's hesitation, I severed his other hand as well.

“Aaaaaaagh!”

Screaming in agony, he flailed his severed wrists, spraying blood like a fountain.

Blood rained down around us. I didn't dodge it, and neither did my brother.

Amid the pattering blood, we simply stared at each other.

Just then, the Second Fiend attacked me from behind. He presumably intended to subdue me before treating the First Fiend. I started to turn and block him, but when I saw my brother draw his sword, I stayed where I was.

SHHHHING!

A fierce blast of sword qi shot past my face in an instant, but I kept looking at my brother without so much as blinking.

The sword qi that grazed past me cleaved the Second Fiend, charging from behind, in two.

In an instant, the courtyard became a sea of blood.

I asked the Demonic Buddha,

“What exactly were you expecting?”

There was much contained in that question. My brother had been far away, but you had heard and seen everything about me.

Did you think the Twin Fiends of Yunnan could beat and humiliate me? Did you think I'd fall victim to them as I had in the past and end up shut away in my room?

I peeled the mask from the face of the First Fiend, who had collapsed unconscious.

RIIIIP.

A middle-aged man's face emerged beneath it.

“Who are you?”

I deliberately sought to reveal his identity so I could see my brother's reaction.

The First Fiend merely glared at me resentfully, saying nothing.

“I'll cut off your feet, too.”

When I raised my sword to cut through his ankles, he shouted,

“... We're the Twin Fiends of Yunnan.”

SPLAT!

At that moment, the First Fiend's head burst apart. A golden glow gathered around the flowing blood, then vanished. The Demonic Buddha had killed him.

Golden light rippled in the Demonic Buddha's eyes, and an immense force pressed down on his surroundings. This was not the man who had merely traded insults with the Wind Heaven Cult Leader. Radiating an intensity fiercer than anyone's, he spoke coldly.

“You asked what I was expecting? I wanted to show your brother reality clearly. This man, who cuts down the Twin Fiends of Yunnan in a single move, is your rival. I wanted him to see you cut those bastards down with the Black Demon Sword—the sword the cult leader did not give him. This is the reality you face now.”

He wasn't speaking to me. He was speaking to my brother.

This Demonic Buddha! He was unquestionably an evil man, but his concern for my brother, at least, was genuine.

My gaze turned to Geom Muyang. Like me, he was drenched in blood, and it was running down his face.

He asked me calmly,

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, thanks to you.”

“I'm glad to see how much your martial arts have improved. It's good for the Cult, too.”

“My martial arts have improved, but your acting has gotten better, Brother.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don't just bring anyone along with you, do you?”

“If you're asking whether I knew those men were the Twin Fiends of Yunnan, I didn't. I'll see you tomorrow morning when I pay my respects to Father.”

With that, my brother and the Demonic Buddha left as well. I had to give my brother credit for maintaining his composure even in this situation. I could see why the Blood Heaven Saber Demon had supported him in the past. It was understandable.

I walked toward the bodies of the Twin Fiends of Yunnan, sprawled on the ground. I had killed them so readily because I didn't want to give their deaths any meaning. Even allowing men like these a single last word was a waste. Even the cold rice served in prison was wasted on them. Killing them like bugs and forgetting their very existence was the best punishment.

Searching the two bodies, I found banknotes. Each had one worth a hundred thousand taels.

“Keep this in mind. Two hundred thousand taels will buy you a beating for the Second Young Master of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon.”

Go Wol smiled faintly at my joke. I handed him the banknotes.

“Put this toward your work. Or do you consider it dirty money because it came from these men's pockets?”

“Money has no name tag. Its worth is determined by how it is used at any given moment.”

Go Wol never made me regret my choice. It was precisely because he was this kind of strategist that I had gone to such lengths to bring him over.

“I'll dispose of the bodies. Go inside and clean off the blood first.”

I looked up at the sky and spoke as if to myself.

“My brother returns, and already blood rains from the heavens.”