Chapter 189: Three Calamities (4)

Heavenly Demon.

“…….”

The child’s life was riddled with death.

Even her first memory was nothing but a field of corpses.

The air reeked of fish.

The Heavenly Demon had believed that until she was around ten…

Caw, caw.

A crow cried out ominously.

To her, even that was like a lullaby.

It was just like any other day, rummaging through the corpses.

A shadow cast over her head from a sudden presence.

“Child.”

It was a woman.

It had been ages since she’d seen a living person, but instinctively, the Heavenly Demon sensed the woman was a beauty.

Delicate features.

A smooth silhouette bathed in a halo of light.

The woman, as if beauty itself personified, was gazing down at her.

The woman stayed like that for a moment before crouching down.

She matched the child’s eye level and asked,

“…What is your name?”

The Heavenly Demon averted her gaze and rubbed her hands on her legs.

Scavenging corpses was daily life for her.

Yet for some reason, today—or rather, in front of this woman—it felt embarrassing.

The woman, with the sunset crowning her head like a halo, waited patiently with a gentle gaze.

It felt like a command, yet also a kind stare.

After hesitating, the Heavenly Demon bit her lip.

“B-Beop… seo.”

Even looking back now, she had no idea why she’d answered so obediently.

The child still wonders about it.

That gaze that drew out the truth.

The woman possessed that unprecedented power.

“I… don’t have a name.”

“I see.”

The woman extended her arm.

The child flinched involuntarily.

Normally, she would have slapped away such a touch and gone straight for the throat.

Thump.

Her crown warmed.

Peeking up, she saw slender wrists.

“You’ve had it rough, child.”

“……!”

The child’s mouth fell open.

Such a touch was a first in her life.

“Hic.”

The child hurriedly pulled away.

Clutching her head with both hands, she glared at the woman.

The woman raised her hands and tilted her head innocently.

“Was it hurt?”

“N-No… not that.”

The child chewed her lower lip.

Just who the hell was this woman?

This place was notoriously lawless even in the jianghu, where mountains of corpses and seas of blood were the default scenery. It was where the jianghu’s dead gathered. Even black path folks clicked their tongues at it.

The living who came were usually there to dump bodies—and they were the worst scum among rogues.

They preyed without regard for age.

The Heavenly Demon, wandering amid the crows, was perfect prey.

Every time, she was targeted.

But those fools soon became part of the corpse mound.

The child survived.

In the abyss of the jianghu, no less.

That’s why she was strong.

Not from survival lessons.

Innate.

The child was a prodigy.

Killing. Slaughter. Taking life.

Cold as ice whispers.

“Child.”

Instead of approaching, the woman hugged her knees right there.

“…Why?”

The Heavenly Demon raised her eyes warily.

“Have you eaten?”

That was all she asked.

“Eaten…?”

Steaming rice?

Never tried it. If lucky, she’d find raw grains on a corpse and crunch them raw.

Sweet.

A few grains of raw rice.

That became her standard for sweetness.

Gurgle.

The Heavenly Demon’s cheeks flushed red.

“Not yet, huh.”

The woman smiled softly.

“Let’s go eat.”

With that, she turned away.

The child stood dumbfounded, watching her receding back.

‘Don’t follow.’

Bells rang in her head.

Can’t trust humans.

Humans are beasts without fur.

This woman too wore beauty as a mask, reeking of a killer. No one else might notice, but she couldn’t fool herself.

‘…But…’

If she didn’t follow now, she’d lose her forever.

Thump thump.

Yeah. This was anxiety.

Food was just an excuse.

The woman was giving her a chance.

Escape the gutter from this day—or maintain the status quo.

Splash.

Splash, splash.

The woman dwindled to a dot.

Never once looking back.

“…….”

After a moment’s thought, the child resolved.

Crunch.

She stepped forward.

For the first time, the child walked with her back turned.

That was the Magic Tower Master’s—no, the Demonic Path’s first emergence.

* * *

Ten years passed since then.

To cut to the conclusion, the woman was the Divine Cult’s Leader.

She commanded demonic heads who shouted for demonic supremacy.

Demonic adepts who devoured human sacrifices like snacks trembled before her.

One glance.

Demonic adepts hanged themselves, unable to bear the pressure.

She who had been oh-so-careful at their first meeting, lest she break.

The woman rarely spoke to the demonic adepts.

Silent.

Propped on her throne, she commanded the cult with mere chin gestures.

The woman was absolute.

Violence without words.

However.

“Child, let’s eat.”

With the Heavenly Demon, she disarmed completely.

“The Divine Cult is invincible. Ten thousand demons submit.”

“Enough, enough. So stuffy.”

She waved it off half-heartedly as usual.

“Child.”

“…….”

The Heavenly Demon silently served rice.

The lounging woman curved her eyes gently.

“What’s wrong?”

“My name isn’t ‘child’.”

“Right, right.”

The woman patted her legs and called her by name.

“Biyeon.”

“You named me, yet you forget…?”

“Sorry. Been busy with cult affairs lately.”

“…….”

“Mad?”

Poke, poke.

“You’re mad!”

“I-I’m not mad!”

“Aww, you cutie!”

She grabbed her cheeks and stretched them like marshmallows.

Any follower seeing this would faint.

Thus, you isolated Biyeon from the cult’s center.

Only a few knew of her existence—elders who needed to know of the Heavenly Demon’s secret outings.

The elders eyed Biyeon with clear displeasure.

Naturally, the cult revolved strictly around the Heavenly Demon.

The evil sects went without saying, and even the righteous alliance’s leader was more figurehead than powerbroker, with clans constantly jockeying.

In the jianghu, only the cult ran on one-person rule.

In hindsight, unlike other forces, the cult alone ascended to megacorp status among the orthodox, demonic, and evil precisely because of this.

Orders from the Heavenly Demon, and all obeyed.

Anyway.

The elders swallowed their complaints under her pressure.

Their worry for you manifested as increasingly sharp glares at Biyeon.

Yet.

The elders merely scowled at Biyeon. They never confronted her.

‘Weird.’

The cult’s symbol was power logic.

Disliked brat? After Heavenly Demon’s backhand, beat her soundly.

Of course, elders wouldn’t dirty their hands—send underlings.

You’d know but overlook it by executing them.

The elders wouldn’t just take it from the Heavenly Demon.

They asserted presence through such subtle power plays.

“L-Let gooo! Let gooo!”

“Yes! Fight back, that’s fun, kiddo!”

“Jeez! I’ll tell the elders!”

“Pfft! You know even a mob of them can’t touch me, right?!”

“Then why put those incompetents in elder seats?!”

“Organizations need rotten tumors to function.”

“Why?!”

“Builds antibodies. Too clean? Dies from a scratch. Weakens immunity.”

Clean? Immunity?

“Don’t use City slang. I just learned the mother tongue.”

“This is City lingo fi—never mind. Point is, leave some rot. Got it, Biyeon?”

“Tell Little Heavenly Demon that, not me.”

“Heh. Lips say one thing, pout another.”

“When did I?!”

Biyeon’s isolated shed. Their bickering lasted all night.

Days piled into months.

Months stacked into seasons.

“Biyeon, let’s eat.”

Winter.

“Biyeon, food.”

Another winter.

“Yeon, rice.”

Yet another winter.

“Bi. Food.”

Even as snow receded from knees to shins.

The Heavenly Demon trudged through snow, leaving long tracks to the shed. Two bowls in hand.

Around then.

Taller Biyeon took to climbing ridge trees, overlooking the cult.

The Heavenly Demon hadn’t taught her demonic arts, and learning from occasional elders was hopeless.

So Biyeon passed time watching demonic adepts train from branches.

Appropriately jianghu: all swordplay.

To Biyeon’s eyes, though…

Lacked edge in the blades.

‘That’s not how it’s done.’

Sunset, adepts returned to barracks.

Then Biyeon descended, mimicking their sword paths.

No sword, so she swung imaginary ones.

Oddly.

One slash, two, three.

Leaves sliced, fluttering down.

Mind Sword.

Biyeon mastered it unconsciously.

Unaware of the concept, no surprise to her.

Whoosh, whoosh!

“That’s enough for today.”

Wiping sweat, Biyeon surveyed.

Dense woods now chunked stumps.

Three days to clear a few fields.

Fearing notice, she rotated spots, continuing solo training.

That day was ordinary.

Dusk.

The Heavenly Demon arrived with meals as always.

“Let’s eat.”

“Always food, food, food!”

Biyeon was prickly that day.

Why?

Little progress?

Not quite.

“Scared me. Puberty? They say raising daughters just benefits others. So sad, Biyeon. Grow slower?”

“I’m not your daughter!”

“Oh, son then? Boyish enough.”

“Seriously—!”

Biyeon exploded.

Glared at lounging Heavenly Demon, jerked chin outside.

“Come out.”

“Oho. Grown up? Spar?”

…Wanted to.

“Something to show. Get up.”

“Show? Parent’s Day?”

Biyeon stormed out.

Stood resolute in yard; Heavenly Demon sauntered after.

Biyeon faced her.

Clenched fists like gripping eggs—conversation over.

Shhh.

Dry leaves swirled.

Air shifted.

Heavenly Demon’s eyes soured.

But.

Ring.

Sword hum from Biyeon’s hands. Heavenly Demon’s face changed.

“Mind… Sword…?”

“This Mind Sword?”

Biyeon preened, swung loosely.

Then wrists caught mid-air.

Woman closed in instantly, gripped tight.

“Hey.”

Heavenly Demon’s eyes flashed yellow.

“Wanna die?”

Biyeon felt fear for the first time.