Chapter 16. Jing Ke Attempts to Assassinate the King of Qin (4)
“So, that fellow accepted a mission to eliminate the remnants of the Black and White faction?”
“Yes, Cult Leader. He went into the desert with the Deputy Leader of the Black Blood Unit to capture Jang Gal.”
At the Left Envoy's report, the Cult Leader nodded without changing his expression.
“That bastard must truly want to become this Cult Leader's Prince Consort. To take a mission targeting a Demon Lord from the very beginning.”
“It was by your order that such a mission was assigned to the Black Blood Unit, but honestly, I wonder if there was any need to do so.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you not give Bi Anso that opportunity? An opportunity to make his name known in a short period of time.”
Eliminating the remnants of the rebel army was originally the responsibility of the Military Strategy Department, led by the Left Envoy.
It was not the sort of mission that should normally be given to the Black Blood Unit.
“Assigning him to the Black Blood Unit was already enough of an opportunity.”
“Are you sulking because I did not tell you about Bi Anso's background?”
“How could I dare sulk at the Cult Leader? I merely wish to prevent some man we hardly know from becoming the Prince Consort of our Cult.”
“You are sulking. Calm that temper of yours. You are getting old now.”
The Cult Leader gave a small laugh and casually placed the Left Envoy's report on the table.
“It is true that I ordered that mission placed in the Black Blood Unit because of Bi Anso.”
“However, it was not because I wanted to give him an opportunity.”
“Killing a mere Demon Lord could never give him enough honor to be worthy of the position of Prince Consort.”
“Then why did you do it?”
“It is a test of sorts.”
“I wanted to see how capable he truly is.”
After the death of the Black and White Demon Venerable, his surviving followers scattered and hid throughout the Great Desert.
Jang Gal was one of them.
Of course, the Left Envoy and the Military Strategy Department had been desperately searching for those remnants.
Yet in truth, most of them had escaped.
“It would be easy to assume that the reason most of the Black and White faction escaped was simply because the Left Envoy was incompetent.”
“However, I do not remember appointing an incompetent man as Left Envoy.”
“Your grace is overwhelming, and I am ashamed.”
“There is only one reason so many traitors managed to escape even while the Left Envoy I trust was hunting them with everything he had.”
There was a traitor within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult who had secretly assisted the rebels.
That was the Heavenly Demon's conclusion.
“Jang Gal was one of the Black and White Demon Venerable's closest subordinates.”
“Naturally, that hidden traitor should also be helping Jang Gal.”
“Then when you said you were testing Bi Anso's ability...”
“Simply cutting off Jang Gal's head is easy.”
“Finding clues that lead to the hidden traitor is difficult.”
“...”
“Are you not curious?”
“Will Bi Anso simply bring back Jang Gal's head, or will he also discover clues about the traitor?”
The Left Envoy let out a dry laugh.
“Are you not expecting too much from him?”
“He may be killed by Jang Gal instead.”
“That will not happen.”
“How can you be so certain?”
Instead of answering, the Cult Leader quietly recalled an old memory.
“I took another disciple.”
“Again? Then would that not make him your twelfth?”
“Correct.”
“You said the eleventh would be the last. The mouth of the man called the greatest of the Unorthodox Path seems rather light.”
“Kahahaha! The talent of this one is quite useful.”
The Cult Leader had been surprised at the time.
That man was praising someone else's talent.
It had been enough to make him doubt his own ears.
“What is the name of your youngest disciple?”
“Dog Shit.”
“...What?”
“He was an orphan who did not even know who his parents were. People in the slums called him Dog Shit.”
“So I am thinking about giving him a proper name myself, but I have no idea what sort of name would suit him.”
“Kukuk. A boy called Dog Shit who managed to impress the greatest man of the Unorthodox Path.”
“Even I would like to see his face someday.”
“If you ever meet him, you should stay alert.”
“His talent with the chain-sickle is even greater than mine.”
Whenever that man came to visit the Cult Leader, he always carried poisoned alcohol filled with deadly venom.
Once a year, sharing that poisonous drink while speaking with him had been one of the Heavenly Demon's few pleasures.
“Left Envoy. Do you have alcohol?”
“I do not keep alcohol in my office.”
“Then poison?”
“I always carry poison.”
“Give me some.”
“Yes.”
The Left Envoy pulled a small bottle of deadly poison from his robes.
The Cult Leader used Object Manipulation through Empty Space to pull the bottle toward himself, then smelled it.
“Silkworm Poison.”
“That bastard particularly loved this poison.”
The Cult Leader raised the poison bottle as though offering a cup to someone.
Baekro.
I will personally see whether your words were empty boasting or not.
“Your talent with the chain-sickle is greater than this Master's.”
Master had never been one to speak empty words.
He always said exactly what he felt, plainly and without decoration.
Even if one of his disciples possessed outstanding talent for their age, he would show disappointment if they failed to meet his standards.
He was never the sort to offer meaningless praise just to encourage someone.
“Surround them and form the sword formation!”
“There are only two enemies! Do not panic, kill them!”
That very Master had said that my ability with the chain-sickle was greater than his.
That was why confidence rose inside me whenever I held this weapon.
No matter who stood before me, I felt as though I could kill them.
Fifth Technique of the Sickle of No Homeland, Bloodstorm Chaotic Wheel.
It was a technique that repeatedly swung the chain-sickle and cut down every enemy surrounding the user.
Whenever the sharp sickle raged like a storm, enemies collapsed and red blood sprayed through the air.
The droplets of blood were swept into the wind created by the spinning chain-sickle.
A literal storm of blood appeared.
“What is happening?!”
Perhaps he sensed the disturbance.
Jang Gal rushed out of his tent wearing sleeping clothes.
It seemed he had become drunk and fallen asleep long ago.
“Jang Gal! I’ll rip off that filthy head of yours and throw it into a pigsty!”
The Deputy Leader charged at him.
Jang Gal's subordinates tried to block her, but each swing of her broad saber only created more butchered corpses.
“How dare you, damned bitch!”
Even a rotten fish still had bones.
Jang Gal immediately circulated his internal energy, drove out the alcohol from his body, and swung a massive iron club toward the Deputy Leader.
Both of them seemed naturally gifted with tremendous physical strength.
The impact when saber and club collided made the air tremble strongly enough that I could feel it from where I stood.
The Deputy Leader's martial arts were better than I had expected.
But Jang Gal was also a man who had once held the position of Demon Lord within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
At first, he seemed to be pushed back because of his surprise.
