Trait Hoarder-Chapter 273

Heavenly Demon Cult – Part 4

I met the Blood King almost immediately.

His mana was sealed.

Looking just like a big, burly uncle, the Blood King strode up to me.

“Hey! Long time no see!”

“It’s good to see you again.”

At first, the Blood King was all smiles.

But something must’ve hit him—his expression suddenly cracked.

With wide eyes, he scanned me from head to toe, then let out a groan.

“Huh… Is this real? Weren’t you Level 6 the last time I saw you? When did you hit Level 8?”

Even with his mana sealed, his insight was still sharp.

I smiled faintly.

“Things worked out that way.”

The Great Elder chimed in from the side.

“He is now known as the Blade of the East. Not the Black Tiger Swordmaster you once knew.”

“Ha! I’d heard he became a Sword Star, but the Blade of the East? That’s almost on par with our Master’s title!”

“I leveled up quickly and received a title far beyond what I deserve.”

“If you reached Level 8 in less than two years, then ‘Blade of the East’ is more than fair! Heck, it took me and Senior Brother decades to reach Level 8! Even our Master was probably slower than you!”

“Blood King!”

Guess the Great Elder didn’t like the comparison to the Heavenly Demon.

He barked a warning.

“What? It’s true, isn’t it? Our Master may be the greatest martial artist in all of history, but when it comes to growth speed, this Warrior Kim—no, the Blade of the East—has him beat.”

“If the Divine Commander or the Demon Lady hear you, they’ll explode. Please, choose your words more carefully.”

“Hmph, those tightwads… Anyway, those Swordmasters behind you—weren’t they your disciples?”

The Blood King turned his gaze to my students.

“They are. They’ve grown a lot, haven’t they?”

“Hahaha. ‘A lot’ doesn’t cover it. They weren’t even close to this last time. They’ve already become Swordmasters?”

“We greet the Blood King.”

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Hello!”

“It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Impressive. The Blade of the East is a superb teacher. I doubt any of them will stop here. At this rate, they might even surpass me.”

His expression was complicated.

The same Blood King who once boasted about taking me in as his disciple…

Now, he was the one being surpassed.

All four of my disciples were already Level 7.

It had to sting.

While he’d been standing still, I—and my students—had climbed all the way up and were right at his heels.

“You were always busy, weren’t you, Blood King? You had a lot on your plate as President of the Protector Alliance.”

“That’s just an excuse. I was lazy. I realized a lot after what happened. I used to spar with Senior Brother and we’d be about even—fifty-fifty. But this time, I lost too easily. Even Junior Sister overpowered me with less effort than I expected. I thought I was training hard, but I wasn’t even close.”

Well… was that really the reason?

Senior Brother—the Divine Commander—had inherited the Heavenly Demon Arts.

Junior Sister—the Demon Lady—must’ve received something from the Old Father.

It’d be weirder if they didn’t overpower the Blood King.

The Blood King looked at me, eyes gleaming.

“Anyway, Blade of the East. I heard you cleared the Three Heavenly Demon Gates? Tell me about it. Did you perhaps master the Heavenly Demon Arts? Have you been acknowledged as the Third Heavenly Demon?”

“I did clear the Three Gates, but I haven’t mastered the Heavenly Demon Arts.”

“Nonsense! You can’t clear the Three Gates without them. That’s like saying you mastered the martial arts but aren’t a martial artist—complete nonsense.”

So they have the same saying in this world too?

I thought for a moment, then raised my hand.

A flash of blood-red light unfolded.

[Blood Killing Palm]

I continued, showing off several other techniques in quick succession.

Mostly fist techniques. A few footwork styles.

Didn’t feel right to brandish weapons inside the Hall of Repentance.

A parade of martial arts unfolded before them.

The Blood King’s eyes shook like an earthquake.

The Great Elder looked the same.

He’d seen me do this before, but it still hadn’t sunk in for him.

“That’s… that’s…”

“I can mimic and copy martial arts I see for the first time. That’s how I got through. Though, even with that, I wasn’t able to copy the Heavenly Demon Arts.”

“Huh… then, could you copy my Blood Heaven Demon Fist too?”

“It should be possible.”

“Huh? Then show me.”

The Blood King demonstrated his martial art on the spot.

His mana was sealed, so he only showed the form—but that was enough.

Honestly, I didn’t even need the demonstration.

I struck with red aura a few times.

The Blood King dropped to the ground.

“What… what is this…”

He couldn’t speak for a while.

His face rippled with shock and confusion.

Same for the Great Elder.

His jaw hung open—almost to the point of unhinging.

“Hahahaha…”

The Blood King finally regained his senses and let out a weak laugh.

“The world really isn’t fair. As if being the Heavenly Demon’s Vessel wasn’t enough—you’ve got instant-copying abilities too… Even our Master wasn’t like this.”

“Indeed. In the long history of our Cult, only one person ever had that kind of ability.”

“That’s right. Only the First Heavenly Demon… wait!”

The Blood King suddenly jumped to his feet.

“Great Elder. How long did it take the Blade of the East to clear the Three Gates? Less than a day, wasn’t it?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then this…”

The Blood King’s voice trembled.

“Could it be… the First Heavenly Demon has returned?”

…What is he even talking about?

There’s no such reincarnation legend in the Cult, is there?

The Great Elder gave a dry laugh.

“Haha. Did you hear that rumor from somewhere strange? The First Heavenly Demon himself stated that while one might ascend to godhood, he would never reincarnate to save the world. As his direct disciple, you should know better. He was the one who slew the Evil God and the Demon King, and championed human supremacy. Clearly, you haven’t studied enough.”

“Ehh, don’t give me that scholarly talk. That’s for the bookworms under Senior Brother to worry about, not martial artists like us.”

“The Blade of the East is impressive, yes, but still incomparable to the First Heavenly Demon. That man pacified the East, slew the Black Dragon in the West, purged the Demon King in the North, and defeated the Evil God in the South.”

“What good is dredging up ancient history? There are no Demon Kings or Evil Gods in today’s world. It’s the human era now—just as the First Heavenly Demon prophesied.”

I found myself absentmindedly brushing the sleeve on my left arm.

The Black Dragon in the West. The Demon King in the North.

It was all tied to Red.

But that wouldn’t matter until Episode 4, Awakening of the Evil Dragon.

No need to dwell on it now.

I looked straight at the Blood King.

“In fact, I came to see you for a reason.”

“Ah, of course. You want to become our Master’s disciple, right? Haha! Took you long enough. Let’s go see Senior Brother first. The moment he lays eyes on you and realizes you’re the Heavenly Demon’s Vessel, he’ll rush to take you up the mountain.”

“That’s not it.”

“No?”

“Well…”

I quickly explained what had happened in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

The Blood King’s face, which had started out blank, began to stiffen.

His expression froze, turning ice cold. Veins bulged across his arms.

“Is it true, Blade of the East? That Junior Sister ambushed our Master and offered his heart to the Old Father?”

“That part isn’t certain. The only thing we know for sure is that the black dome in Gwangju was created using the Heavenly Demon Arts. Everything else is speculation. We have to investigate.”

Bang!

The Blood King slammed the side table next to him.

Even with his mana sealed, Level 8 was still Level 8.

The table split in two with a loud crack.

“They manifested the Heavenly Demon Arts as a large-scale barrier? There are only three ways that could happen! One, our Master willingly joined hands with the Old Father. Two, just as you suspect, someone used his heart. Or three, they’re using a relic like the Heavenly Demon Sword! But there’s no way our Master would cooperate with the Old Father, and no one’s found the Heavenly Demon Sword in over a thousand years! That leaves only one option. Am I wrong, Great Elder?”

“But surely the Demon Lady wouldn’t ambush the Heavenly Demon. That’s impossible. I mean, who could even ambush the Heavenly Demon?”

It was the same conclusion I’d come to back in Gwangju.

“My guess is… the Heavenly Demon already transcended and left this world.”

“Already ascended?”

“Yes. For reasons unknown, he seems to have left his body behind. And didn’t you yourself say it was possible?”

“Hmm. But those who ascend usually vaporize their physical body and mana…”

“Just because others did doesn’t mean the Heavenly Demon had to follow suit. He rewrote history, didn’t he?”

I’d already broken every Superhuman record in existence.

Especially for the fastest level-up.

Who held it before?

Of course—the Heavenly Demon.

He reached Level 9 in his twenties, led humanity to victory in both World Wars, and played a major role in preventing a third.

The title of greatest martial artist in ancient and modern history wasn’t just for show.

The Blood King and the Great Elder locked eyes.

The kind of stare you give just before a duel.

“Great Elder. I must enter the Heavenly Demon’s Chamber.”

“Have you forgotten? You lost the duel. As punishment, you were confined to the Hall of Repentance. Do you intend to break the oath you swore on the names of the Two Heavenly Demons?”

“But the Heavenly Demon may be in danger now! I’m not even asking to leave the Cult grounds—I’m not running off to Germany or the States! I just want to check on our Master and introduce his soon-to-be final disciple! What, are you trying to make me into an unfilial disciple now?”

“Hahaha…”

The Great Elder chuckled weakly.

But really, the moment he brought me to the Blood King, his mind was already made up.

If he truly intended to stop this, he wouldn’t have brought me here at all.

He would’ve contacted the Divine Commander, or summoned the Demon Lady to shut this down.

But some part of him doubted. And another part… was ready to believe.

He closed his eyes tight, then opened them again.

“The fact that you were confined to the new Hall of Repentance, and not the original one, tells you exactly what the Divine Commander and the Demon Lady were thinking. Very well. You’ve been cooped up in this little house for months. I’ll grant you permission for a short walk, using the authority entrusted to me.”

“Hahaha! As expected of the Great Elder. You understand me so well!”

“But I can’t allow you too much time. You have thirty minutes. No more. You must return to the Hall of Repentance within that time.”

“That’s plenty! So long as the heavens don’t split—no, as long as the sky doesn’t collapse, I’ll come back on time!”

As long as the sky doesn’t collapse.

In other words, if the Heavenly Demon isn’t dead.

The Blood King stood up.

“Blade of the East! Let’s go! I can’t use my movement techniques right now, so we’ll need to run hard if we want to make it back in time!”

“Shall I carry you?”

“Hey now! You trying to make me the laughingstock of the whole world? Me, getting carried on your back? The moment the Protector Alliance execs hear about that, they’ll be calling to mock me for weeks!”

Still, the Blood King was the Blood King.

No mana, no inner energy—and he ran like the wind.

Usain Bolt?

He was several times faster.

He kept up a sprint that easily outpaced Bolt.

Even with his mana sealed, his physical capabilities hadn’t diminished.

“Huh?”

“That’s the Blood King!”

“Wasn’t he supposed to be in the Hall of Repentance?”

“Looks like he got released!”

“Then why is he running like that?”

“Yeah, looks like someone with less than ten years of inner energy!”

The cultists quickly figured it out.

“The Blood King escaped!”

“Oh my god, he broke out?”

“Inform the Divine Commander immediately!”

“Stop him! Stop him!”

“Are you all just gonna watch?!”

Some pulled out smartphones, others blocked our path.

The Blood King’s eyebrow twitched hard—but he didn’t strike anyone down.

We stopped calmly in front of them.

Among them, a Level 7 cultist—looked like a combat unit commander—shouted sharply.

“Blood King! What is the meaning of this? You swore on the names of both Heavenly Demons!”

“I haven’t broken any oath.”

“You agreed to three years of penance!”

“That’s right. And I’m still in penance. You can see it for yourself, Commander Dilmurat—I haven’t lifted the seal on my mana core.”

“…I can see that, but…”

“Great Elder, say something. Tell them I’m out on a walk with your permission.”

The Great Elder, hands clasped behind his back, stepped forward.

“The Blood King is indeed on a walk. He was feeling stifled, so I gave him thirty minutes.”

“Ahem! A walk, is it? Then why are you running like this?”

“After being confined for months, of course his body’s stiff. Would you want to stroll leisurely after being cooped up that long?”

“…Fair enough. But why this direction, of all places? This road leads to the Heavenly Demon’s Chamber.”

“You wouldn’t know this, but back in the day, the Divine Commander, Demon Lady, and Blood King all used to train their lower bodies by running laps between the Cult’s main grounds and the Heavenly Demon’s Chamber. Probably feeling nostalgic.”

“Hmm…”

The cultist looked conflicted, eyes darting between the Great Elder and the Blood King.

Eventually, he stepped aside.

“Phew… Understood. I’ll inform the others. But you must return in thirty minutes!”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t dare break an oath sworn on our great Heavenly Demon Ancestor and our Master. I’ll be back before the time’s up.”

“Then please, proceed.”

“Thanks!”

The cultists parted.

The Blood King took off again.

No one else tried to stop us, but his expression darkened.

“This is taking too long.”

“At this pace, we’ll make it. We just need to confirm the state of the Heavenly Demon’s Chamber. If all’s well, we’ll get back within the time limit.”

“That’s not the problem. Senior Brother is.”

Senior Brother?

The Divine Commander?

Wasn’t he supposed to be in Hong Kong?

Just as the Blood King was President of the Protector Alliance, the Divine Commander was Leader of the Chinese Martial Alliance.

Since the Martial Alliance was based in Hong Kong, he practically lived there.

To get from Hong Kong to Mt. Tian would take serious time.

Thirty minutes wouldn’t even come close.

But right in front of the Heavenly Demon’s Chamber—something I hadn’t foreseen happened.

“Junior Brother. What’s the rush?”

A man blocked our way.

He looked young.

The only sign of age was a touch of gray in his hair.

His firm, youthful face could pass for early twenties.

Tall and slender, he wore a white robe adorned with a striking white dragon pattern.

The moment the Blood King saw him, he let out a strained breath.

“Senior Brother…”

That’s right.

The Heavenly Demon’s First Disciple and personal protégé.

Successor of the Heavenly Demon Arts.

The Divine Commander now stood in our way.