CHAPTER 101: THE SUPREMACY ARC, PART 4

Before these events.

One year ago. Morning.

The sun had just risen over the horizon. That was the day I joined Umbra.

Mujin, as he claimed, had finally mastered the blood of the Serpent. I saw him taming it in the valley. That could only mean one thing — Mujin could now summon the Serpent from anywhere.

"The year of silence will be put to good use," Mujin told me as we stood atop the building. "We’ll stick to the plan. A rebellion will erupt among the humans. Then I’ll summon the Serpent and send it upon the entire city. No one will expect it."

He’ll summon the Serpent... unleash it upon the city...

Could the power of Astaroth truly be capable of something like that?

Though Quetzalcoatl didn’t fight, he somehow continued to evolve. He had grown feathers. His face had become reptilian... but Mujin never explained why.

Demons can’t evolve without feeding. And even dozens of Stalkers a year — compared to the mass of the Serpent — were just drops in the ocean.

Mujin is hiding something. And I think I know what it is.

...

The Serpent is capable of consuming demons.

Even at birth, it exhibited such behavior. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

...But that doesn’t mean people are safe. I’m more than certain the Serpent doesn’t care about what it eats. It’ll devour everything just to evolve faster. That’s the essence of Mujin’s plan.

But there’s a problem...

At this rate of evolution, the Serpent will be powerful enough to destroy the world within a year — and no one will be able to stop it.

There’s no reason for Mujin to wait. So why hasn’t he unleashed it yet? What is he waiting for?

"Mujin," I called out.

Careful. Don’t give away that I plan to betray them. Too much curiosity leads to suspicion.

"The Serpent Demon is already strong enough. You can control its blood. You can summon it. Then why don’t we attack now?"

His green eyes turned slowly and sharply toward me. A chill ran down my spine — but I didn’t flinch.

"Recently," he replied, "I heard Astaroth’s voice within me. He said we must gather as many of his heirs as possible while they’re still alive. The Serpent is powerful, and his might can reach out to our poor scattered brothers."

If he’s hearing Astaroth’s voice... then does that mean my father lost the battle? That he died?

"...So we’re supposed to convert Park Jisun to our side? That hunter will tear everything apart before we even manage to talk to him."

"We won’t be asking him to join," Mujin replied. "We’ll capture him. And that will be the end of it. The scent of Astaroth’s heirs is as unique as yours. It allowed us to track the others. We’ll gather them all."

I hesitated.

"Are these heirs really that important to us?"

"Don’t rush, Kihyun. We need to preserve as many strong brethren as we can. Don’t worry — the plan will go smoothly. I’ll summon the Serpent Demon into the city, and we’ll end this war. A new era of demons will begin."

That was his entire plan. But I could feel he was hiding something. He wasn’t telling me everything.

And that wasn’t like Mujin — he used to seize every opportunity without hesitation. But now... something was holding him back. And it definitely wasn’t the Demon King’s heirs.

Fine. I’ll uncover the truth myself.

I turned and left the rooftop. On my way down, my eyes met Altair’s.

Altair walked over to Mujin. The green-eyed man was gazing into the distance, wind and dawnlight shining on him.

"Mujin. I know you always tell me this, but... I don’t trust Kihyun. He changed his view on humans far too quickly."

"Don’t worry, Altair. In the face of truth, anyone can change their path. Kihyun’s old world was shattered. And even if there’s still humanity in him — he can’t stop us. He doesn’t even realize what his blood is hiding. That works in our favor."

"...Still, it’s too risky to keep him with us."

"Why? Are you suggesting we kill him? Astaroth himself agreed to spare him."

Altair adjusted his white cloak. Steam puffed from his mask with every breath.

"I checked on Seojun. He’s not in contact with Kihyun. Seems like neither of them knows about the Familial Memories."

"Good news," Mujin smiled. "Your tracking skills are impressive. Altair... do you feel it too? The scent of victory. Soon, we’ll finally fulfill our dream."

The Reaper didn’t care. He was just glad to fight alongside his old friend.

Beneath the earth — in the ruins of an abandoned subway line — that was where I lived and trained.

Day and night, kneeling in silence, I sought peace. I felt the blood flowing through my veins, guiding its movement. With my hands open, I shaped a sword from pure thought.

I intended to forge my own Kenketsu. Not the one from the Taurus Demon.

From my palms, blood surged and gathered into a long shape. But in the end, it always returned to the form of the Godslayer Swordspear.

I canceled the technique and took a deep breath to try again.

Then suddenly, the silence was shattered by a demonic voice beside me.

"Still can’t forge your own Kenketsu?"

It was the Taurus Demon, a figure born from my own thoughts. Only I could see him.

He grinned wide. His mocking tone disturbed my peace.

"Come on, talk to me. You always pretended I wasn’t here."

I said nothing. My eyes remained closed. My mind clear. Blood circulation...

"How arrogant. Forcing a Duke

to beg just to speak with you."

I repeated the technique again. Blood from the palms. The shape stretched.

"Talk to me!" the Duke whirled around me annoyingly. "I’m lonely! Kihyun! You hear me? Don’t pretend I don’t exist!"

He acted like a child on purpose — just to piss me off.

Eventually, I lost focus, and the technique collapsed.

How long do you plan to buzz in my ear?

"Oh, you spoke," the Duke laughed. "Since you joined those fools, I haven’t heard your thoughts once. How did you block me out?"

I didn’t block you. I stopped thinking inwardly, so you wouldn’t hear anything. No matter who you are, I’ll never trust a demon. You could betray me.

The demon fell silent, then smirked.

"Well, well. Boy, didn’t I tell you I hate demons as much as you do?"

That doesn’t change anything. The last time you broke free, you almost got all my friends killed.

"Funny. You call them ’friends’? Don’t make me laugh. Those B-rank weaklings aren’t your friends."

How convenient for you. Just tell me — what is Mujin hiding from me?

"So you want my help?"

His arrogant, mocking voice infuriated me.

"Boy, haven’t you figured it out? The tale of my twin brother’s betrayal, the search across dimensions... Don’t you think the Dukes and Astaroth are doing way more than necessary for a bunch of outcasts?"

Yes. Their behavior is strange. Why would they fear outcast Dukes as if they could challenge the Demon King?

So you and your brother... there’s something in you they fear. That’s why they’re afraid of me too. They need my cooperation.

What are you hiding inside?

The Taurus Demon sat across from me. His horrifying, monstrous form loomed before me.

"Mujin’s biggest mistake is that he doesn’t realize whether you and I actually get along. There’s little truth in his words — and he pisses me off."

What do you know? Tell me everything — while there’s still time to change the fate of this world.

"...Astaroth. He rules all demons. But he can’t command me."