Published at 7th of June 2026 8:21 pm

Chapter 439

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

What kind of insane nonsense is this? My mind went blank at the words of the Heavenly Demon.

What did that high person just say?

"... Did I hear that wrong?"

I must have misheard. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense.

Right?

"What do you mean, 'why isn't your blood mixed'? Isn't that obvious?"

Heavenly Demon's blood mixed in me? How could that be possible?

'I'm a child of the Bang Family.'

That much I couldn't deny.

No matter how strange my father was.

'You can see it in the genetics.'

I resembled him.

My father's features were clearly in me, and this distinct handsomeness definitely came from that man.

So then.

'Could it be from my mother's side?'

But that didn't mean anything either.

Heavenly Insight.

In other words, I already knew I was part of the Jaegal family.

No matter how I looked at it, there was no connection to the Heavenly Demon.

As expected.

'The real bloodline of the Heavenly Demon would be...'

It would surely be Yu Yun, who was probably training right now.

This high person knew all that, so it was strange that he'd put it that way.

"... What do you mean by that?"

『What do I mean?』

"You're saying I might have your bloodline?"

『To be precise, it may not be this seat's blood. Didn't I say that already?』

There was a brief silence before the Heavenly Demon spoke again.

『It's the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon. It doesn't necessarily mean it's this seat's direct bloodline.』

"That sounds even stranger."

The Heavenly Demon's bloodline?

How would that exist in the Bang Family?

『The Divine Sword and the Divine Arts are things that have a will inside them. You should know that. There's not just emptiness inside the sword.』

"..."

I didn't deny that.

I'd known when I touched the Divine Sword.

This wasn't just a sword.

It was something that had been changed through a long history and records.

It had become an item some called a sacred object.

So then.

『This seat could also be contained within it.』

As the Heavenly Demon himself said, it might have become possible for his spirit form to be contained in the sword.

I knew that.

"... So, are you saying the reason I can wield the Divine Sword is not entirely because of your will?"

『That might be the case.』

"What is with that vague answer?"

This was quite an important issue.

『At the very least, it means something like that exists among your qualifications. So, there could be something inside you too.』

"..."

『In fact, haven't you also harbored uncertainty?』

"Uncertainty about what?"

『Uncertainty regarding your own family.』

"..."

『The Bang Family, wasn't it?』

Liaodong Bang Family. The place where I was born and raised.

I had to agree with the Heavenly Demon's words asking if I carried uncertainty about it.

Yes.

I was curious about my own family.

'No matter how I think about it.'

It wasn't a normal place. Yu Chun-gil had his suspicions, and as time went on, my family just got stranger.

The relationship between Shadow Sovereign and my older brother was odd too.

'Father was always a strange man.'

That much was true. Still, the whole family was just weird.

'Anyway.'

The durability of the Bands attached inside me was another reason, and at some point, I'd have to visit my house.

The timing seemed right, and there were things I needed to find out.

'Of course, as for the Heavenly Demon's matters... is there really a need to think about that?'

No matter how many times I think about it, that can't be the case.

The Bang Family having ties to the Demonic Cult?

'That would be impossible.'

Yet, I couldn't help but worry as I spoke.

'Impossible... right...?'

No, it couldn't be.

'... Had that wretched man done something again?'

I'd heard my mother was from the Jaegal family, but you never know.

'With whatever wild impulse struck, my father could have gotten tangled up with someone from the Demonic Cult somehow.'

If it was anyone else, maybe not—but my father, it wouldn't be surprising at all.

It wasn't so much suspicion as it was faith in that man.

Faith that he could've caused trouble again.

"..."

I was really messed up, in a lot of ways.

"Haa."

I let out a sigh and lay down on the bed. I'd already wrapped the sword in a cloth and put it away.

"... But then, doesn't this mean I can't recklessly draw the Divine Sword in front of those guys?"

I'd get into serious trouble if I accidentally caught someone's eye with it. As I voiced this out,

『Don't worry. Precautions have already been taken.』

"... Precautions?"

What kind of counter-measure?

I looked at him in puzzlement.

What was there to be done?

『Heh heh heh.』

Even when I asked, the Heavenly Demon didn't answer.

I stared, dumbfounded, but he really seemed unconcerned.

So the night passed.

* * *

Early morning. The first thing I did at daybreak was go find the Tyrant King.

The Tyrant King, Muk Yeok-Sung, greeted me with signs of fatigue.

"You've come."

"Yes, but... why do you look like that?"

"What do you think?"

Tsk.

The Tyrant King clicked his tongue briefly.

"It's because of you."

"Me? What did I do?"

Had I gotten involved in something with the Tyrant King recently?

I hadn't.

I'd been busy for days with matters regarding the Demonic Cult, so I hadn't had anything to do with the Tyrant King.

"What did I do..."

"It's not so much what you did, but the fact that things got troublesome because of the alliance leader candidate issue."

"How could that be troublesome?"

"It is. Why wouldn't it be?"

The Tyrant King looked at me with an expression that seemed to ask, "Don't you get it?"

"To say you'd stand as an alliance leader candidate ultimately means we have to see how fit you are for the role. Thanks to that, the old relics of the Alliance have started getting bothersome. It's unavoidable."

"... Hm."

Getting pestered, huh.

'That never happened to me.'

Even though I was nominated as a candidate, I'd never really gotten any interference or been told anything.

'Ah.'

I suddenly realized something.

'This...'

Was it because they never really intended to make me a genuine candidate? Or,

'Maybe the higher-ups in the Alliance thought my chances were so slim they didn't bother to care.'

Or perhaps,

'Heavenly Insight and Divine Spear may have been blocking it.'

Of these, the second seemed most likely.

'Even if I made the list, my chance of truly becoming alliance leader was as close to zero as could be.'

So, there was no reason for the higher-ups to step in.

'But then I went and got the Tyrant King involved...'

Which must have prompted them to start taking action now.

"I'm sorry."

If you put it that way, it really was my fault. I nodded, accepting it.

"So long as you know. So, did things work out well?"

"... It's hard to say they worked out well. More or less?"

"Heh heh... The world really has changed."

The Tyrant King chuckled low and took a sip of the tea in front of him.

"The Demonic Cult entering the Murim Alliance openly, forging an agreement... Yu Chun-gil. If that man could see this, he'd laugh himself silly."

Was it sarcasm, ridicule, or just regret?

The feelings in the Tyrant King's words were a complex mix.

"Does it bother you?"

"Not particularly."

He shook his head at my question.

As someone on the Heaven Beyond Heaven level, who had gained merit in war as the Tyrant King, I wondered if the Demonic Cult matters weighed on him.

But for some reason, he was firm.

"It's not in my hands anymore. That was true as soon as the war ended. I don't like them, but I don't care."

"... Is that possible?"

Their crimes were unspeakable.

I found it strange that the Tyrant King, who had fought an entire war against them, felt so little.

Then—

"Sword Saint's successor."

The Tyrant King fixed me with a solemn gaze.

"Yes."

"What do you think is the difference between the Demonic Cult and the Alliance?"

"... Excuse me?"

The difference between Demonic Cult and Alliance?

"Well. There are too many differences."

Aren't they different in every possible way?

The list goes on and on.

That's why I couldn't quite understand the Tyrant King's question.

Perhaps sensing my feelings, the Tyrant King spoke.

"If you look at a tree, they seem different, but look at the forest and there's not such a big difference. If you want to talk about differences... yes."

A negative emotion flickered in the Tyrant King's eyes.

"Maybe just, who's more honest? That's what it comes down to."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Whether you talk about sin, or beliefs... there isn't that big a difference between the Demonic Cult and the Alliance. Do you think the so-called orthodox factions are clean because they're just?"

"..."

I couldn't answer.

Inside, I thought that couldn't be true.

But that was a perspective I'd gained from experiencing so many things in my previous life.

'For the people of the Central Plains...'

The orthodox faction was the ultimate good.

While the Demonic Cult and the unorthodox faction were absolute evil.

Yet these words from the Tyrant King, an expert of the orthodox faction, were—

"I don't think so."

—breaking all those assumptions.

"There is no such thing as perfectly blank paper. In the end, it all gets stained and dirty. The Alliance is no different."

"Senior, what you're saying is... somewhat dangerous, isn't it?"

"Hahaha. Dangerous?"

The Tyrant King laughed.

"If we're going to split hairs about that, then I've become dirty myself."

"... Tyrant King..."

"Anyway, that's the point."

Tap tap tap.

The Tyrant King regained his smile and tapped the table.

"Don't see the orthodox faction and the Demonic Cult as too different. And don't trust the orthodox faction too much. Nothing will hurt you as badly as that."

"..."

I gave a small nod at advice that felt like a warning. Though I didn't feel like I had to worry.

'I've...'

Never trusted the Alliance to begin with.

* * *

I left the Tyrant King's mansion.

Before I left, he'd also mentioned that, when all this was over, I'd have to go to the Muk family for an appointment.

Mainly because of the Band tied around my arm, I had to go.

The problem was—

'I need to stop by the Bang Family first.'

I'd have to drop by Liaodong to deal with what was going on inside my body.

I decided to discuss that with the Tyrant King again later.

Technically, Muk family is first by appointment order.

'But right now, there are Alliance matters.'

There were various things that needed my attention—the latest caused by the Young cult leader showing up—and today, I intended to look into one of them.

"Phew."

I let out a sigh and headed somewhere—a stable.

The horses stared at me.

I ignored their rather burdensome gazes and walked on.

I was looking for the Sword Emperor.

I figured he'd be here.

"What is it?"

"..."

I flinched.

The voice came right from behind me.

I hadn't noticed him approach.

When I carefully turned, there he was—the Sword Emperor.

"It's not a training day."

I nodded at his words.

It wasn't a training day.

"Yes, that's right. I just needed to speak with you, Sword Emperor."

"What do you need?"

The Sword Emperor looked at me with eyes full of uncertainty, so I asked as calmly as I could.

"Sword Emperor."

"Speak."

"I'm just wondering..."

And then,

"Do you know anything about the Shadow Sovereign...?"

"... Shadow Sovereign?"

I immediately regretted it. The moment I asked about the Shadow Sovereign,

"Why do you ask that?"

Murderous intent began to fill the Sword Emperor's eyes.

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