So Eungbang (3)
So-Eungbang's momentum changed abruptly.
It felt as if he had become a completely different person.
"...."
As everyone stood frozen in shock.
Cheon Muyang's face stiffened rigidly.
'This aura is....'
Because he could tell exactly what that alien aura emanating from So-Eungbang was.
'It's clear.... It's demonic energy.'
Its true nature was demonic energy.
However, although So-Eungbang had committed deeds no different from those of the unorthodox factions, he had not learned demonic arts.
"Tskt."
The fact that such a So-Eungbang possessed demonic energy meant only one thing.
'Does that mean the Demonic Cult was already trying to infiltrate the Cheon Clan from this early on?'
He had thought it was Cheon Muyang himself who had brought the Demonic Cult in later.
But in truth, long before that, the Demonic Cult had already been gnawing away at the Cheon Clan.
'And behind that....'
It was obvious.
Behind the Head of the Inspection Division, the elders must have been standing.
"Haah.... seriously...."
It was an unbroken chain of confusion.
The memories he had trusted were riddled with falsehoods.
'Even so, why does it feel like I somehow expected this?'
Despite realizing a truth he had never known, Cheon Muyang felt no panic at all.
Rather, it felt natural, as though he had already suspected it.
'Well, I should think of it as a good thing. Better this than worse.'
At that moment, So-Eungbang curled his lips into a foul smile.
He seemed to mistake Cheon Muyang's brief confusion for fear.
"You're the one who hastened your own death."
Shiiik!
So-Eungbang swung his sword.
Though the blade had been broken in half, it felt like a single strike overflowing with such speed and destructive force that the damage was imperceptible.
The naked killing intent to slay Cheon Muyang was unmistakable.
"Is that so."
Cheon Muyang felt disgusted.
Just looking at So-Eungbang's smile, drunk on demonic energy, made him want to retch.
"To throw such a tantrum with power that isn't even your own."
It was contemptible.
Who was it that had fought the Demonic Cult until the very end.
It was Mu-myeong.
Crk.
Although Mu-myeong met his end with a blade in his back, struck by Cheon Muyang in terror, he never hid his hostility toward the Demonic Cult.
The downfall of the Cheon Clan had ultimately been caused by the Demonic Cult.
"Right. They were the same as well."
Cheon Muyang remembered it clearly.
On the day Mu-myeong died, those who descended upon the Cheon Clan were bandits stationed nearby in Zhejiang.
'They possessed absurd levels of power.'
They were mere scraps of the unorthodox factions.
Normally, they would not have been worth any attention at all.
'Yet each and every one of them had martial prowess comparable to the Heavenly Dragon Sword Division.'
At the time, there was no room to analyze the reason amid the chaos.
But looking at So-Eungbang now, he felt like he finally understood.
"It's exactly... the same as back then."
The quality was different.
The demonic energy Mu-myeong had faced in the past was far denser and more sinister than So-Eungbang's.
But one thing was certain—everything was connected to the Demonic Cult.
'I'll think about it later.'
So-Eungbang came first.
"Die!"
Watching So-Eungbang's sword rush in, already within arm's reach, Cheon Muyang shook his head from side to side.
"You really are all talk."
Cheon Muyang moved only at the last moment.
But it was enough.
'I can see it.'
So-Eungbang's sword was indeed overwhelmingly powerful, but that was all.
It had surged temporarily due to demonic energy, but since it failed to harmonize with his original qi, the sword path was incomplete.
'Countless seams.'
Perhaps unused to demonic energy, distorted seams were visible throughout.
Following those seams, Cheon-gwang moved.
"...!"
The qi imbued in the two swords was on entirely different levels.
Thus, So-Eungbang believed he would simply shatter Cheon Muyang's blade.
Huuwoong!
The two swords passed by each other in midair without even colliding.
Yet from that instant, one sword lost its strength and fell limply to the ground.
"H-how...?"
Drip.
Drip, drip.
From the tip of Cheon-gwang's sword, which had pierced through So-Eungbang's heart, red blood flowed down.
His face was filled with questions, but unfortunately, he would never hear the answers.
Thud!
His body collapsed forward.
Death was inevitable, but the manner of it was horrific.
"Uuuaaagh!"
The demonic energy lodged within So-Eungbang's body began to writhe violently.
The reversing demonic energy started to drain even the little life force he had left.
Soon after, So-Eungbang's body began to wither away.
"U-uaaaargh!"
Crunch!
Crk-crunch!
His body twisted.
Devoid of even a trace of moisture, the dried-out flesh crumbled like sand.
Watching this, Cheon Muyang clicked his tongue.
"You crossed a line you should never have crossed. You'll have to pay the price."
"S-save me...!"
"It's already too late."
Even if Hua Tuo himself were to come, he wouldn't be able to save him.
Because of the reversing demonic energy, So-Eungbang met the worst possible death, leaving not even a corpse behind.
"Tskt."
Cheon Muyang was once again reminded of just how cruel the price of demonic energy was.
'And what about you?'
Glance.
Cheon Muyang turned his gaze toward Cheon Ahaeng nearby.
"H-how could this...!"
As expected, Cheon Ahaeng was also flustered.
Seeing his completely unprepared reaction, Cheon Muyang shook his head.
"Shocked?"
Snort.
Cheon Muyang sneered.
"The end of unpermitted power is always obvious."
"...."
Cheon Ahaeng stood there, mouth agape, still in utter disbelief.
The warriors of So-Eungbang were the same—frozen stiff, unable to move.
It was as if they had completely lost the will to fight.
"All of you, throw down your weapons. Of course, if you want to kill yourselves, I won't stop you. Want me to give you some time?"
"...."
Silence followed.
A few of them stared blankly at their own weapons.
But Cheon Muyang was certain.
People like this cherished their own lives to an absurd degree.
"No one?"
Just as expected.
Not a single person chose suicide.
Seeing this, Cheon Muyang walked over to Cheon Ahaeng, who was still out of his mind.
"I'll make you pay for your sins as well."
Twitch!
Cheon Ahaeng tried to say something, but without waiting for him—
Cheon Muyang swung Cheon-gwang wildly in all directions.
"Hk!"
Along with Cheon Ahaeng's cry of shock—
Kwa-ga-gang!
So-Eungbang's office was utterly demolished.
Documents scattered through the air.
Amid them, Cheon Muyang spotted something that So-Eungbang had clearly paid attention to.
"Gotcha."
Snatching it up and tucking it into his clothes, Cheon Muyang saw the residents of Soheung outside the collapsed wall.
They were all staring at the scene with eyes wide open.
"Hey, you there. Everyone, get outside."
"...!"
Having lost all will to resist, they had no choice but to obey Cheon Muyang's command.
"Guide me to So-Eungbang's warehouse."
It wasn't far.
Cheon Muyang spoke to the flustered warehouse keeper.
"Go to the main gate right now and bring all the gathered residents of Soheung here."
"Y-yes, yes sir!"
Several people jolted and ran toward the main gate.
"I'll uncover everything you bastards have been stuffing your faces with all this time."
Grin.
Cheon Muyang looked at the residents of Soheung making their way over.
"But first, I promised myself I'd properly show them what a butcher really is."
Hwoong!
By now, Cheon-gwang's blade—completely clean, with even So-Eungbang's blood dispersed—faintly shimmered with a bluish hue.
Kwaaaang!
With a thunderous roar—
The doors of So-Eungbang's warehouse were blown apart.
Cheon Muyang stepped inside.
"Whew."
Inside were countless spoils that So-Eungbang must have extorted over the years.
"You really did a number on them."
How long they had been exploiting people—
Cheon Muyang couldn't even imagine it.
Still clicking his tongue, he looked around the warehouse interior.
"Huh?"
Something caught his eye.
A small glass vial.
But the pure white liquid inside was enough to make even Cheon Muyang gasp.
"Gongcheong Stone Oil ?"
Gongcheong Stone Oil was a legendary elixir.
After all, the energy of nature was divided into yin and yang.
As such, it was only natural for things to lean toward one side or the other.
'Even Great Restoration Pills, Purple Essence Pills, or Taechung Pills can't be said to achieve perfect harmony....'
Those pills were, in the end, nothing more than mixtures of natural elixirs adjusted to suit a particular sect's nature.
But Gongcheong Stone Oil alone achieved perfect balance, leaning toward neither side.
"With this amount...."
It would be enough to completely dissolve all the heavy medicinal energies still lingering within Cheon Muyang.
Slip.
Almost unconsciously, Cheon Muyang tucked the vial of Gongcheong Stone Oil into his clothes.
"Ahem."
Then he spoke to the So-Eungbang warriors standing blankly behind him.
His tone was needlessly curt.
"What are you doing?"
Flinch!
The So-Eungbang warriors, who didn't even dare think of opposing Cheon Muyang, all flinched.
"Aren't you going to carry all this stuff out?"
"Pardon?"
"Carry it. Everything here."
"...!"
Under Cheon Muyang's icy gaze, they silently began hauling the offerings outside and piling them up.
"Hey now, neatly! Stack it properly!"
With Cheon Muyang barking orders like a supervisor, the offerings of So-Eungbang piled up like a small mountain.
"You there. Bring paper and a brush."
"Ah, y-yes!"
When the man returned with paper and brush, Cheon Muyang spoke.
"From now on, we record everything precisely."
"P-pardon? R-record what...?"
Ignoring the question of the man holding the brush, Cheon Muyang addressed everyone gathered here.
"Alright, one by one, step forward. Tell this man how much you've been exploited by So-Eungbang until now, and take that amount from here."
"...!"
What kind of statement was that?
Everyone, without exception, was stunned.
"Of course, this doesn't mean we're settling everything with this alone. The Cheon Clan will conduct a thorough investigation and provide additional compensation later. But for now, this will do."
"Waaaaaaaah!"
Cheers erupted.
Some people even broke down in tears.
The long years of exploitation had ended, declared by the butcher of the Cheon Clan himself.
"...."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
The first person called stepped forward, repeatedly expressing gratitude as he took goods from So-Eungbang's warehouse.
After being exploited for so many years, it might have been absurd to think that what was stored in this warehouse alone could fully compensate them.
"Tskt."
Still, watching the residents this happy, Cheon Muyang found himself smiling for no reason.
'It's not just because of the Gongcheong Stone Oil.'
As Cheon Muyang smiled faintly, he noticed the child who had guided him here.
"Want to come over here?"
"Hehehe. Yes!"
"Where's Gaeddongi's house?"
"Over there!"
Where the child pointed, he saw Gaeddongi's home, its occupants wearing bright smiles.
"You're smiling?"
"Yes! It's thanks to you, big brother!"
Cheon Muyang gently patted the child's head.
"That's good."
"Big brother, you're strong, right?"
"Yeah."
"How can I become strong like you?"
With a soft smile, Cheon Muyang answered the child whose eyes were shining.
"If you want to know the answer, come to the Cheon Clan. I'll give you power. After that, finding the answer will be up to you."
"Really?"
"Yes. But you'd better not challenge it with half-hearted resolve. It'll be brutally hard."
"It's okay. I really want to become strong like you."
Cheon Muyang smiled.
He thought of a gift he could give this nameless child.
"Alright. I'm in a good mood. Watch closely—I'll only show you once."
"Yes!"
Cheon Muyang gripped Cheon-gwang.
Then he shot up toward the sky and came crashing down as if to cleave the earth itself.
Hwaaaaak!
Heaven Severing .
He cut the sky.
The child's eyes widened to their limits.
"See you later."
Leaving the child behind, Cheon Muyang departed, taking all of So-Eungbang's warriors with him.
"Y-young lord, th-this seems to be some kind of misunderstanding.... I think it would be better to resolve this through d-dialogue...."
Among them was the Head of the Inspection Division, Cheon Ahaeng.
"What misunderstanding?"
"Y-young lord?"
"You're already finished."