Rebirth of the Heavenly Demon

It was a clean corridor with walls, floor, and ceiling painted stark white. It was so white that staring at it for too long might make one feel strange.

“No need to be nervous.”

“Yes.”

Number Seven responded dryly to Number One’s words. She was usually far from being nervous, but honestly, she was a bit tense right now.

This was her first time here since being raised by the organization. It was also the first time she would see the leader above Number One.

She didn’t know where this place was. She had taken the pill Number One gave her before coming and lost consciousness. When she regained her senses, she was at the end of this corridor.

It was a clear act of distrust towards her, but she wasn’t offended.

If this was offensive, how should she feel about being forcibly taken as a child with no memories and raised against her will? There was no need to feel bad about this trivial matter, she thought.

At the end of the corridor was another white door.

As the two stood in front of it, the door opened as if it had been waiting for them.

Number One and Number Seven stepped inside. The moment she entered, Number Seven was shocked.

It was a truly vast space. It was a space that showed exactly what it meant to overwhelm with sheer scale.

The well-decorated room was filled with bookshelves full of books and expensive ornaments neatly displayed.

The carpet on the floor was so expensive that she could tell just by stepping on it once that she had never walked on anything like it before.

At the end of the carpet, far away, was a desk. Without exaggeration, the room was so large that she couldn’t see the face of the man sitting there clearly.

She thought they would walk along the carpet, but Number One stopped in front of the door at the end.

The man at the desk spoke. Despite the distance, his voice came through clearly.

“So the Sword Emperor was killed by this so-called Nameless Great Master?”

It was a low yet deep voice of a middle-aged man. Whether due to the inner energy in his voice or the atmosphere of the place, Number Seven felt intimidated by that voice. At the same time, she felt displeased. If you call someone, you should let them come closer to talk.

“That’s correct.”

In response to Number One’s answer, the middle-aged man now addressed Number Seven.

“Number Seven.”

He called her as if he had seen her many times before, but Number Seven was seeing him for the first time today.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you pursue him?”

“I judged that although Strange Phantom and Drunken Gentleman are excellent assassins, there was a high possibility they would be figured out by him.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“Yes.”

Even though he was too far away to see his face, she felt his gaze pierce her.

Number Seven tried her best to remain calm. Thanks to the prior conversation about Strange Phantom and Drunken Gentleman possibly loving him, she didn’t waver.

If she hadn’t gone through that process, she would have thought of the Nameless Great Master at this moment and wondered if she had personal feelings for him.

Then that man or Number One standing beside her might have sensed her wavering. After all, the man called Nameless Great Master had certainly stirred her emotions.

Fortunately, she had plenty of time to think about this aspect in advance, so she could answer now without any hesitation.

If she had saved Strange Phantom and Drunken Gentleman that day, it would have meant they saved her from danger.

“The Sword Emperor couldn’t have been defeated by martial arts alone. Was he perhaps poisoned?”

Number One answered the man’s question.

“The body was completely burned, so confirmation was impossible. We also couldn’t find any traces of a fight at the scene.”

“He wouldn’t have lost in a normal fight.”

“I think so too. In any case, what’s certain is that the man called Nameless Great Master intentionally approached us.”

“Interesting. Then what happened to the Demon Spirit Person?”

“He’s currently been summoned to the Martial Righteous Alliance along with Ma Cheolgun.”

A moment of silence passed. As if he were as important as that silence, the man spoke carefully.

“So that person moved first.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Although she didn’t know who ‘that person’ was, Number Seven could understand one thing. That there was someone else above this person whose face she couldn’t even see.

“Even if we don’t search for him, he will definitely appear before us again.”

The man remained silent at Number One’s words. She could feel that the man was displeased. It was a silence filled with rebuke, asking if they should wait until he appears again.

“You may leave.”

“Yes.”

The two came back outside.

As they walked down the corridor, Number Seven said nothing.

At the end of the corridor, Number One held out a pill. It was the same pill she had taken before coming here.

“Aren’t you curious about anything?”

Of course, she was curious about many things. But she didn’t want to ask. At least not at this moment when he was holding out this pill.

“No, I’m not.”

She answered briefly and swallowed the pill right away.

The world spun, then quickly darkened.

***

The entrance exam for the Small Sword Squad was the same as before.

The first round was basic forms, and the second was an interview. Since they could gauge one’s skill just by looking at the basic forms, there was no need for a sparring test.

Out of the five hundred martial artists who gathered, eighty were selected. They were chosen with half consideration for skill and half for character.

For the final interview, Gwan Hwi and some Sword Squad members were included. This was to establish their authority.

That’s how eighty additional Sword Squad members were selected.

When the eighty were confirmed, Song Hwa-rin came to greet them. She came to the main house on her own without me asking.

Her presence here had great significance in confirming the collaboration with the Song family. Of course, the Sword Squad members were more captivated by her beauty than these political issues, and they looked at me with envious eyes.

After finishing her greeting and coming in, I expressed my gratitude to her.

“Thanks for coming.”

“It’s nothing. But having a hundred members is amazing.”

A hundred was by no means a small number. Not just the number, but the aura of the existing Sword Squad members was sharp, and there were quite a few among the newly selected who were no less impressive, so it looked formidable.

“We still have a long way to go. We need to make them truly formidable in skill.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

She was stimulated by this sight. Of course, it was undoubtedly a positive stimulus. She had mentioned several times that she needed to work harder.

It wasn’t just her.

Sword Squad Leader Seo Jung and the existing Sword Squad members all came out to see the Small Sword Squad recruitment.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Seo Jung congratulated me sincerely. I could feel it. He too was stimulated by the Small Sword Squad growing and developing. What always develops people is stimulus. Since organizations are also led by people, the existing Sword Squad will also strive for further development.

With the existing twenty Sword Squad members and eighty more added, the Small Sword Squad has now been born as a Sword Squad of one hundred members.

Still, its name remained the Small Sword Squad. Here, ‘Small’ wasn’t just about the small number, but a name born out of respect for the existing Sword Squad.

The hundred members were divided into five teams from the first to the fifth.

Four of the existing Sword Squad members were assigned to each team, and the most skilled among them was chosen as the team leader.

Gwan Hwi was appointed as the leader of the Small Sword Squad.

Having led twenty members before, Gwan Hwi was very nervous about becoming the leader of a hundred.

“I’m not confident. I’m still too young.”

His face looked like he wanted to run away right then and there.

“You’re not that young. You’re just youthful. Many people will want a young and capable Sword Squad leader.”

After easing his burden about age like that, I brought up the topic of confidence. The real problem now was this confidence.

“Do you think you’ll gain more confidence as you get older?”

“Won’t I?”

“Not at all. As you age, confidence decreases. When you’re older, you rely on experience. What looks like confidence is probably just proficiency. So you, being young, should have confidence. Consider this moment as the time in your life when you can exert the greatest confidence.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Still, his voice lacked strength.

I could guess the reason.

Someone with outstanding skills had joined this time. A person named Yong Tae[1], who was quite well-known in this Shandong region. He had been resting from the frontlines due to personal circumstances and now joined our Small Sword Squad.

He had a good personality and reputation, and his skills were good too, so it seemed to be bothering Gwan Hwi. There were even talks that he should be made the leader. It was a kind of inferiority complex.

“Hwi.”

“Yes.”

“Why do you think I appointed you as the leader?”

Gwan Hwi couldn’t answer.

“I don’t know.”

“Because you’re handsome? Because you have a good personality? Because you’re young?”

Startled by those words, Gwan Hwi shook his head vigorously.

“No! I’m not handsome, and I don’t have a good personality!”

“Then is it because you’re strong? Because you’ve worked harder than anyone else?”

“I, I… I don’t know.”

“Then let me tell you.”

Gwan Hwi showed the most nervous expression since meeting me.

“It’s because I like you.”

Gwan Hwi was shocked. He hadn’t expected to hear such words.

“There are Sword Squad members who are more handsome than you, those with better personalities, those with superior skills, and although there haven’t been any yet, there might be those who work harder. But I like you the most.”

Gwan Hwi’s face was a mix of intense emotion and gratitude.

“That’s why you’re the leader of my Sword Squad.”

I wasn’t lying for his sake. I’m not a fatalist, but sometimes I feel destiny. It’s like that when I see this Small Sword Squad and Gwan Hwi. When I look at him, I have a feeling that he will lead this Small Sword Squad better than anyone else.

And above all, I like him.

“Now do you understand why you can have confidence?”

“Yes! I understand!”

Gwan Hwi answered energetically with a bright expression.

From the next day, the Small Sword Squad began full-fledged training.

After two months of special training, I plan to deploy them straight into actual combat.

With more passion and diligence than usual, Gwan Hwi gained the recognition of the newly joined martial artists in less than a few days. The talks about making Yong Tae the leader quickly subsided.

Inspired by Gwan Hwi’s efforts, the four existing Sword Squad members assigned to each team also set a good example. Although four out of twenty is just one-fifth, it was enough to create the team’s atmosphere.

Conflicts could arise at any time. I advised Gwan Hwi and the team leaders not to fear such conflicts.

I told them that conflicts are natural and when they occur, don’t avoid them but resolve them. In the process of resolution, relationships will become stronger and the organization will become more powerful.

Even if conflicts intensify and the organization splits because of it, I told them not to worry. That moment might be angry, difficult, and scary, but in the end, they will overcome and get through it all.

Finally, I told them this:

“After going through all this process, we will become the best Sword Squad in the Central Plains.”

Gwan Hwi and the team leaders probably had a sleepless night that day.

***

Finally, Su made contact.

Su, whom I met at the contact point, was slightly flushed. The long investigation had yielded results.

“I’ve looked into the Namhyeon Escort Agency.”

It was a careful investigation. Usually, investigating a single escort agency is a matter quickly dealt with. But because I emphasized the danger of this task several times, Su investigated the Namhyeon Escort Agency in the most careful way he could.

“The Namhyeon Escort Agency is based in Zhejiang[2] Province. They started with just one escort leader and four escorts, but in just three years, they’ve grown into a mid-sized agency with five escort leaders and seventy escorts.”

It wasn’t common for an escort agency to grow this much in just three years.

“How was this possible?”

“After analyzing their past escort missions, I was able to discover one fact.”

“What is it?”

“A specific entity has been funneling jobs to them. They hid this fact by using various proxies, but it was from one place.”

“Where is it?”

Then a surprising name was mentioned.

“It’s Seong Wangbo[3], the leader of the Continental Merchant Guild who hosted the Golden Grand Banquet this time.”

I was shocked. Seong Wangbo, who leads the Continental Merchant Guild[대륙상단]][, was one of the top three richest men in the Central Plains. That’s why he also serves as the president of the Central Plains Merchants Association. He was also the host of the recent Golden Grand Banquet.

“You’re saying he’s involved?”

Could he possibly be the mastermind behind this?

He was such a big shot that such thoughts crossed my mind.

“Are you going to approach Seong Wangbo?”

After pondering for a moment, I said,

“We have to. But not now.”

“Pardon?”

“There’s no need to investigate him now. Don’t provoke them and focus on growing the Three-Eyed Pavilion for the time being.”

“I understand your command.”

Now I seemed to know for sure about them. Their influence was enormous and intricately woven into this martial world. It means we can’t eradicate them by eliminating one or rushing in hastily.

And they are strong. If a master of similar skill to the Sword Emperor had appeared right after I fought him, I would have died.

This is not the time to anxiously pace back and forth. Now is the time to truly become strong.

I plan to train quietly until this winter. I’ll start moving from next spring.

By then, the Taeseong Merchant Guild will be established, the Three-Eyed Pavilion will have spread throughout the Central Plains, and the Small Sword Squad and Dark Panther Squad will have grown further.

Crucially, by this winter, my inner energy will be able to fill this armor. It means I’ll be able to use the fifth form of the Soul-Reaping Asura Sword Arts.

Looking at the size of these monsters, now is the time I need the fifth form.