CHAPTER 515: EPILOGUE EARTH DEMON (12)

The three trump cards that the Demon Lord possessed were as follows.

“First, the Eight Kingly Iron Demon Warriors. They are the incarnations of battle, composed of eight Peak Demon level warriors. On the battlefield, they are the first to move, those who fear no death. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say their hands are always stained with blood.”

‘Sounds somewhat familiar.’

From the moment Seol-Hwi heard the name Eight Kings, Seol-Hwi gradually recalled them from the past.

The time Seol-Hwi faced them was in a desperate situation with only one life left.

Their tall stature of about seven feet and red eyes still vividly appeared before his eyes.

If it weren’t for the help of Ah Ryeong at that time, his life would have ended that day.

“Second is Jeok Un’s Gwi-gi A peak demonic level warrior whom the Demon Lord especially cherishes. Known as a prodigy who has mastered all the martial arts of the main cult. He is said to wield sword techniques faster than lightning and scatter sword qi imbued with flames and blood.”

‘Another familiar name.’

Was it the collective training at Blood Strong Troops?

Seol-Hwi met him there, where Seol-Hwi participated at the suggestion of the Blood Master of the past.

Small frame and skinny build.

Contrary to his somewhat timid attitude, he exuded a cold and rough wild aura.

‘Who is next?’

The three trump cards of the Demon Lord that Seol-Hwi had also heard slightly from the past Man-dap scholar.

Seol-Hwi had heard about Eight Kingly Iron Demon Warriors and the Gwi-gi, but not the remaining one.

Seol-Hwi was curious about the hidden last card that even the Earth Demon’s Man-dap shcolar did not know.

Ah Ryeong lowered her voice and continued,

“The third is a person called Phantom.”

Her gaze deepened.

He was said to be an assassin secretly planted to kill the Supreme Demon Warrior under the First Disciple’s command.

And all three of these trump cards are the people whom Ah Ryeong holds the most favor for.

“We call him Phantom. It’s not a nickname or a real name but a pseudonym. They have substance and presence but are invisible… that’s what a Phantom is.”

Ah Ryeong’s red lips curved slightly. The moonlight coming through the window illuminated her face, making her look even more mysterious.

“I told you before, right? A peak demonic level warrior who kills Supreme Demons is lurking for an opportunity under the Second Disciple’s command. In other words, he plays a role like the Go Eun you mentioned today plays. He is probably deeply infiltrated somewhere under the First Disciple’s command now.”

‘Oh.’

Seol-Hwi naturally became interested in the story he hadn’t even heard from the Man-dap scholar.

The current succession battle in the Demonic Cult was a crossing of the world above water and the world below water.

They were mobilizing unknown forces to target the enemy’s vital points.

The Demon Lord had planted an assassin under the First Disciple End Demon to wait for an opportunity, and the First Disciple had planted a subordinate in him, who had emerged as a new variable. R̃𝔞ɴȪ𝖇ЕṨ

Ah Ryeong continued in a calm voice.

“We just need to target those called the three trump cards. There’s no need to necessarily bring them to our side. But at least, they must leave the Demon Lord.”

For a moment, her gaze sharpened.

“If that happens, no matter how much Yu-pae trusts him, he won’t be able to trust the Demon Lord.”

Ah Ryeong suggested another direction to persuade Yu-pae.

If direct persuasion is impossible, then make her leave the Demon Lord.

The more Yu-pae is disappointed in him, the easier it will be for him to persuade him.

It was a clever strategy befitting her.

“But how do you know such important information that even the First Disciple doesn’t know?”

This was his genuine curiosity.

Both the extensive information and the analysis of the Demon Lord.

She understood the succession battle situation much better than Seol-Hwi had thought.

“I heard it from a reliable informant.”

Ah Ryeong’s voice was soft, but the confidence within it was firm.

Seol-Hwi asked further.

“Who is he?”

“Sama Ryeong.”

“…!”

his eyes widened reflexively, and at the same time, Seol-Hwi understood the situation.

Sama Ryeong.

He is the sajae of the Heavenly Demon and a Supreme Demon Warrior under Ah Ryeong’s command.

In the past, he had directly exercised his power and clashed with him.

Seol-Hwi knew he acted passively, but it seemed he definitely supplied key information.

If he helped like this, they would have a tremendous advantage in intelligence.

Seol-Hwi understood why it was called reliable information.

‘Ah Ryeong also had someone she trusted.’

She was not in a position to directly exercise power, but she understood the overall situation thoroughly.

If Ah Ryeong had bigger ambitions, she might have overtaken the Demon Lord and secured a better position.

Perhaps her personality held her back when bold action was needed.

‘Anyway, the important thing now is…’

“Where is this Phantom?”

Since Eight Kingly Iron Demon Warriors and the Gwi-gi are already revealed entities, meeting them wouldn’t be difficult.

But Seol-Hwi asked because the secretly hidden Phantom’s whereabouts were unknown.

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

When Seol-Hwi looked at her with a baffled expression, Ah Ryeong gave a sly smile.

Her laughter gently broke the silence in the room.

“It’s true. I don’t know. But there is someone who knows where he is.”

“Who is he?”

“Elder Dok Yeo-woon. You’ve heard of him, right?”

“…!”

Seol-Hwi nodded.

He was someone who had been hidden by chance in the past but was bound to be encountered at least once in this life.

Great Elder Dok Yeo-woon.

An Extreme Demon Warrior ranked within the top six in the sect, the highest-ranking elder among all elders.

Moreover, he is highly respected among the council of elders.

Seol-Hwi heard that Dok Yeo-woon was a person who did not spare admonitions to the Demon Lord and was a backer behind the scenes.

“He is a gloomy old man, but one fortunate thing is that his ideal is the same as yours.”

“What ideal?”

“He does not wish for war within the Demonic Cult. He hopes the succession battle ends with minimal fighting.”

According to Ah Ryeong, there are more people than expected who do not wish for war.

That old man Dok Yeo-woon was one of them.

“What kind of personality does he have?”

Seol-Hwi felt Seol-Hwi needed prior information to persuade him.

Of course, Seol-Hwi had heard from the Man-dap scholar, but Seol-Hwi needed to verify if that information was correct.

“What do you think?”

“…?”

“Think about it. Someone who controls the Demon Lord sahyung and pursues their own interests.”

‘He would be more cunning and profound.’

He understands and controls the Demon Lord’s dangerous tendencies and further uses them for his own benefit.

“He must be quite a gambler. He probably has about nine tails inside him. Those who are cunning and wise are rare even in the main cult.”

“Hmm.”

“Can you persuade such an old man to find out the Ghost’s location?”

Doubt filled Ah Ryeong’s voice.

None of the three trump cards would be easy, but especially finding the Phantom was nearly impossible.

Seol-Hwi calmly replied to her words.

“If he is a monster like the cunning of a nine-tailed fox… then I am like a thousand-year-old turtle.”

“…?”

“No matter how excellent the nine-tailed fox’s tricks and illusions are, they are nothing but bubbles before the wisdom of a turtle that has lived a thousand years.”

Ah Ryeong showed a slightly surprised expression at those words, and Seol-Hwi continued speaking to her.

“Please tell me where he is. I will try to persuade him.”

“As expected, our disciple is reliable.”

She smiled again.

It was a smile that seemed to mean she had chosen her person well.

----------------------------------------

Seol-Hwi said goodbye to Ah Ryeong and left the Centre Courtyard alone.

The night of the Demonic Cult bathed everything in blue moonlight,

Walking through the faintly shining lights, Seol-Hwi slowly organized the conversation Seol-Hwi had with Ah Ryeong in his mind.

‘Judging by the timing, Sama Ryeong probably intervened because of Jang Dal.’

Recalling past memories, the lineup of Ah Ryeong’s Supreme Demon Warriors changed depending on the timing or his choices.

There were times when it was Sama Ryeong and Ban Yong, and times when Wang Mo-ryeong and Ma Yang-cheon were present.

None of it was a coincidence.

Probably the intervention of a master like Sama Ryeong happened according to Jang Dal’s plan in certain situations.

- Ability? Skilled warrior? Nonsense like a hungry ghost. Just a body that can’t die.

- That balance, that adjustment. Because of that damn Cult Leader’s order, this old man who can’t even die was dragged out.

Seol-Hwi vividly recalled his first meeting with Sama Ryeong.

His faded eyes and resigned voice. He was not originally an active personality. It was the same when they first met.

‘Maybe in this life, he has a somewhat different stance…’

If Seol-Hwi use him properly, Seol-Hwi might gain unexpected benefits.

As his thoughts tangled, Seol-Hwi suddenly understood Ah Ryeong’s position.

‘From the start, she must have been in a situation where she couldn’t do anything on her own.’

No matter how Seol-Hwi looked at it, there seemed to be no way for Ah Ryeong to win this succession battle.

Even if she gained one or two more Supreme Demon Warriors on her side depending on the situation, the overall situation wouldn’t favor her.

In that sense, his role could grow bigger, which had its own meaning.

‘In this life, persuading Dok Yeo-woon will be the key.’

Walking while thinking about this and that, Seol-Hwi had already left Ah Ryeong’s territory.

Since Seol-Hwi was on the way to the sect headquarters, Seol-Hwi considered going to meet that old man.

But Seol-Hwi soon gave up the thought.

Seeing the moonlight in the night sky growing darker, it was quite late.

Visiting the Great Elder ranked sixth in the Cult at this hour was definitely not a good choice.

‘I’ll go meet him early tomorrow morning.’

Then, suddenly feeling a gaze, Seol-Hwi slowly stopped walking.

Looking around, Seol-Hwi sensed no presence, but his long experience warned him of danger.

Standing alone in this place, Seol-Hwi raised his voice loud enough to be heard around.

“Looks like End Demon is really angry about tonight’s matter?”

As soon as Seol-Hwi finished speaking, the surrounding silence was broken. It was like the darkness was being cut through by presences.

Between the empty buildings on both sides, black shadows began to appear one by one.

Weapons shining coldly under the moonlight.

And on the road ahead, someone was slowly approaching with clear hostility.

“I heard a lowly loach without roots is muddying the waters of the main Cult…”

“Seeing him in person, he looks even less impressive. Isn’t that right, Captain?”

“…”

As the moonlight dyed the martial world night silver, three figures slowly revealed themselves. his gaze deepened as Seol-Hwi looked at them.

‘Their attire…’

The man standing in the center had his eyes closed and wore unusual clothing.

He had the appearance of a scholar.

Not only that, on his right was a burly man carrying a huge greatsword on his shoulder, and on his left stood a sharp-looking man with a black eyepatch over one eye and a sword at his waist.

But what truly irritated him was not them.

“You’ve gathered quite a lot.”

Shadows appeared above and below the buildings, left and right.

Blades reflected in the moonlight shone coldly.

Their numbers exceeded a hundred. This was not just a single unit but an entire corps of the main sect mobilized.

“Was it really necessary to gather so many to kill me?”

Seol-Hwi asked with curiosity.

If they feared his Heavenly Killing Star, sending just one Supreme Demon Warrior would suffice.

There was no need for such a large number.

“Even a tiger does its best when catching a rabbit.”

The man in scholar’s clothing still had his eyes closed as he spoke. Confidence seeped from his voice.

“That’s not it.”

Seol-Hwi chuckled lightly and then turned his gaze to the sky.

At that moment.

Papapapapat.

As if waiting, about a dozen warriors appeared around him. They seemed to have fallen from the air, surrounding him simultaneously and forming a defensive formation.

They were his frontline bodyguards.

“They must want to spare their Supreme Demon Warriors.”

Seol-Hwi continued calmly.

“Anyone who clashes with me inevitably dies. So they gathered like this to kill me with minimal sacrifice and minimal damage.”

Looking around, there was no master among them who had reached Supreme Demon level.

The three figures before him, especially the one who looked like a scholar, seemed to be masters between Peak demon and Supreme Demon level warriors, but definitely not highest of Supreme Demon.

Seol-Hwi clearly felt End Demon’s desire to kill him without sacrificing a Supreme Demon Warrior.

“Am I wrong?”

“…”

They did not answer his words. Their silence seemed to acknowledge what Seol-Hwi said.

As silence flowed under the moonlight while they faced each other, the man with the eyepatch suddenly shouted, tearing the air.

“Kill!”

He answered with action instead.