Disciple Of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 21

The Three Kings’ Disciple (22)

021

Lee Rowoon was enveloped in a blood-colored mist.

Kang Han-cheol, Kang Eun-ha, Han Do-baek, and even the First Elder, who had belatedly arrived from the Blood Demon Hall, were all staring blankly at Lee Rowoon’s back.

They had witnessed it firsthand, yet they couldn’t comprehend what had just transpired.

Who was Blood Soo-baek?

He was the first in generations to master the Blood Demon Art and reach its pinnacle.

He was the future of the Blood Cult, arguably its strongest member.

Yet, Blood Soo-baek had been defeated without putting up any real resistance.

“…”

Moreover, his final words.

‘Oh, Blood Demon.’

He had even acknowledged Lee Rowoon, smiling as he fell.

“…Am I dreaming?” Kang Han-cheol muttered to himself.

He had brought Lee Rowoon to the Blood King’s Castle, but he had never anticipated this outcome.

“Miss, no, Divine Maiden.”

He knew that the current Blood Cult was doomed.

The Blood Cult elders believed that everything would be resolved once Blood Soo-baek completed the Blood Demon God.

‘My current power is above Two Hands-!’

That was why they could say such things.

They were ignorant and stagnant, unable to accept the changing world.

Two Hands? [A martial arts level]

Kang Han-cheol doubted Blood Soo-baek could even reach that level, even if he completed the Blood Demon God.

That was why he had sided with Lee Rowoon.

Kang Eun-ha’s choice was a factor, but Kang Han-cheol’s own will was also involved.

‘The current Blood Cult must change.’

Even if it was clear that Lee Rowoon and they would lose, he hoped their sacrifice would awaken the Blood Cult.

If the Divine Maiden’s choice was right…

‘I did think there might be a miracle.’

But that was beyond a miracle.

Something that humans couldn’t achieve, a divine feat.

Kang Han-cheol looked at Lee Rowoon.

“So that’s what it was.”

A miracle.

“He is the true Blood Demon. Left Guardian,” Kang Eun-ha said, her face stern as she looked at Lee Rowoon’s back.

She was not her usual, gentle self.

“The Blood Demon is…”

“I know,” Kang Han-cheol said, suppressing his overwhelming emotions.

“The god of the Blood Cult.”

A god capable of miracles.

Step.

Lee Rowoon, who had been still, took a step forward.

Step.

Kang Han-cheol and Kang Eun-ha followed behind him.

Step.

Han Do-baek, who had been lying on the ground, struggled to his feet and followed.

Step.

The First Elder, the Blood Sword Squad members, and the Blood Sword Captain followed behind them.

Thud.

Lee Rowoon stopped.

It was the top of the staircase leading to the Blood Demon Hall.

“…”

A suffocating silence hung below the staircase.

The Black Sword Squad, the Dark Blood Squad, the Blood Sword Squad that had been fighting them, and all the martial artists and Blood Cult members in the Blood Demon Palace.

All the Blood Cult members in the Blood King’s Castle had gathered below the staircase.

“Tsk,” Lee Rowoon clicked his tongue as he looked at them.

They were people who had nothing to do with him.

In fact, the people of the Silver World were more like enemies to Lee Rowoon, who had been a resident of Earth.

‘They’re pitiful.’

But the voice of his master, the Martial King, kept echoing in his head.

At first, he had thought he would have no connection with these people.

His masters had tried to prevent further destruction by containing the chaos within themselves and killing or sealing him.

But his masters’ thoughts had changed without him knowing.

‘Live.’

His masters had sacrificed themselves to give him another chance.

A chance he didn’t even need.

Just as he had learned about his masters over a hundred years, his masters had also learned about him.

So it must have been from then.

‘When you return, take care of those pitiful ones.’

That was why they had talked about giving him even more of their power.

Even entrusting a pet dog would have been more sincere than that.

But they probably didn’t want to burden him.

And they probably wanted him to handle it on his own.

These were them.

They were one of the pillars left behind by his master, the Martial King.

They were pathetic and ruined, but…

“Blood Demon, long live! Blood Demon, we bow!”

“Blood Demon, long live!”

“Blood Demon, we bow!”

Those who were wailing and prostrating themselves were what his master had left behind.

For thousands of years, they had waited while his master had been gone.

‘They’re pitiful.’

So he couldn’t just stand by and watch.

They had been broken and burned out after waiting for too long.

Just like he had done at the corpse disposal site of the Mount Hua Guild, they were all burned-out ashes.

But just as he had ignited the embers of revenge, they were barely surviving by burning the embers of their wait for the Blood Demon.

‘I have to show them.’

Giving them a little reward for their wait was the least he could do as his master’s disciple.

Swoosh-!

The blood droplets emanating from Lee Rowoon’s body spread out, creating an even thicker mist.

‘H-he’s the Blood Demon God!’

He remembered Kang Eun-ha’s voice when she had seen Blood Soo-baek using Reverse Blood.

They had waited so long for the completion of the Blood Demon, but Lee Rowoon didn’t know anything about it.

But he found the answer in Kang Eun-ha’s reaction.

‘True Blood.’

The final stage of the Blood Demon Divine Art.

What happened when one reached the end and used the Blood Demon Divine Art with all their power.

Trickle.

Blood tears flowed from both of Lee Rowoon’s eyes.

“B-Blood Demon, long live!”

The blood tears flowed down his body and arms, which had been torn in the battle with Blood Soo-baek, as if drawing patterns.

“B-Blood Demon…”

The mist grew even thicker.

It seemed to be taking a certain shape.

“Blood Demon, we boooow!”

Blood Asura. [A powerful demon]

The crimson demon was the identity of the Blood Demon God that the Blood Cult members had waited for so long.

* * *

“Blood Demon, long live! Blood Demon, we bow!”

The surviving First Elder and Left Guardians were trembling as they prostrated themselves.

It wasn’t fear.

It was emotions like awe and reverence.

“I told you not to do that,” Lee Rowoon said irritably, and Kang Han-cheol trembled even more violently.

“W-we cannot do that! In the presence of the true Blood Demon God, we must lower our bodies…”

“Ha. I’m the Blood Demon, I tell you.”

“That is why…”

“Are you the Blood Demon?”

“…”

Lee Rowoon stepped forward, clearly annoyed.

“Isn’t this a religion? The Blood Demon is a god, right?”

“That is indeed the case.”

“Then is it okay to disobey a god’s words?”

Twitch.

As if the thought had never crossed their minds, Kang Han-cheol and even the First Elder, who had been radiating a heavy aura, visibly trembled.

“However, the law…”

“What law?”

“It is the teachings that the Blood Demon God instructed the Blood Cult members to uphold.”

Kang Eun-ha, the Divine Maiden, was the only one who stood and approached Lee Rowoon.

“Therefore, it is a rule that must be kept above all else and takes precedence over everything else.”

“Is that so?” Lee Rowoon said, looking at Kang Eun-ha with amusement.

“I’m the Blood Demon God, though?”

“…That…”

“Then my words are the law, right?”

“Y-yes… Yes, that is correct.”

Lee Rowoon spoke again.

“Get up.”

Thump!

Fortunately, this time, all those who had been prostrating themselves stood up.

They had realized that continuing to insist after Lee Rowoon had mentioned the law would be a transgression.

“The useless matters can wait. This is…”

Lee Rowoon stood before the fallen Blood Soo-baek.

The man whose blood and internal energy had been completely drained by the Blood Demon Absorption.

Just as he had said he would save him, Lee Rowoon had done so.

The slight rise and fall of his chest was proof of that, but…

“Tsk.”

Blood Soo-baek was no longer alive in any meaningful sense.

‘To think it would come to this.’

While fighting with the Blood Demon Absorption, a part of his soul had seeped into him.

Originally, the Blood Demon Art didn’t have such a function, but the Blood Demon Divine Art, especially the one that the Martial King had re-established, had the property of absorbing even souls depending on the situation.

That was why the soul that had seeped in had seen what it shouldn’t have seen.

Lee Rowoon’s deepest abyss, the chaos that resided within it.

“Too bad. I was going to look for the Cheon family guys too.”

“Ch-Cheon family, you mean…”

They wouldn’t have known.

“Hey, isn’t he the youngest son of the Blood Cult Leader?”

“…That can’t be…!”

Lee Rowoon brought his index finger to Blood Soo-baek’s forehead.

Crack! Crack!

At that moment, a gruesome, eerie sound echoed from Blood Soo-baek’s entire body.

His bones were twisting.

His skin was expanding and contracting repeatedly.

“This is…!”

Kang Han-cheol, who had considerable experience, couldn’t fail to recognize what it was.

“Facial Transformation Technique!” [A martial art that allows one to change their appearance]

In other words, it was a disguise.

It was similar to the human skin mask that Kang Eun-ha had worn when they first met.

But in the Silver World, the Facial Transformation Technique had a completely different meaning.

It was a type of martial art that allowed one to become a completely different person.

“That’s impossible! If he had used the Facial Transformation Technique, there’s no way we wouldn’t have noticed! Especially since the previous Blood Cult Leader didn’t even notice any signs…”

Kang Han-cheol was right.

The martial artist’s Facial Transformation Technique required internal energy.

Unless it was a Facial Transformation Technique used by someone who had reached the Mystic Realm or the Transcendental Demon Realm, most Facial Transformation Techniques would be noticeable to a master.

The strange sense of incongruity felt on the skin, and the peculiar sense of incongruity felt in the joints because they deviated from the original skeleton.

Blood Soo-baek had been using the Facial Transformation Technique since he was young, and he hadn’t been caught until now.

That was impossible, as Kang Han-cheol had said.

“It’s possible.”

Except for one thing.

“There’s a martial art that allows you to change your body as you please.”

“…!”

Their eyes widened as if they had realized something.

“Heavenly Demon…”

“Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Or is your side also Heavenly Demon Art?”

Even at Lee Rowoon’s words, they were so shocked that they just stared blankly with their mouths shut.

“Well, let’s talk about that later.”

Lee Rowoon looked at the Divine Maiden, Kang Eun-ha.

“The Myriad Blood Pond. Is it still there? If the Blood Arts are still being passed down, it can’t be gone.”

“Y-yes, it is,” Kang Eun-ha said, belatedly regaining her senses.

* * *

Blood Demon Palace, Blood Demon Hall.

There was a passage leading underground in the place where only the Blood Demon could reside.

An endless staircase leading underground, with luminous pearls embedded in the walls.

These luminous pearls, which were said to be more valuable than gold of the same size, were still not sold by the Blood Cult, which was on the verge of collapse, because this place was so important to the Blood Cult…

‘That can’t be.’

The reason why they hadn’t sold the luminous pearls was simple.

‘Because they’re not worth anything.’

The fact that luminous pearls were worth the same as gold of the same size was only true in the Silver World.

The destruction of the world and the invasion.

In the Silver World, torches and luminous pearls were the only things that could provide light, but that was no longer the case.

Even if one thought about it simply, a magic lamp could be bought for only a few hundred thousand won [Korean currency].

Anyway, Lee Rowoon was descending the stairs with Kang Eun-ha.

Still, there was something different.

‘Full of energy.’

The space was filled with high-purity energy.

Of course, from the perspective of the righteous sects, it would be a sticky and unpleasant demonic energy, but for the Blood Cult members, just being here would make them feel like their whole bodies were being purified.

“We’ve arrived,” Kang Eun-ha said, and Lee Rowoon nodded.

A wide cave.

There was a pond inside.

One might ask what was so special about a pond inside a cave.

But what if that pond…

Splash.

Was a pond made entirely of blood?

Blood rots.

But thanks to the advantage of being in a cave and the special secret techniques passed down in the Blood Cult, this place would always keep the pond fresh.

“This is the Myriad Blood Pond.”

A pond said to have been created by gathering the blood of ten thousand people.

But in reality, it was a place where even more blood had gathered.

“Blood Cult members receive the blessing of the Blood Demon at birth. Also, they are taught the Blood Arts from the time they start walking. The blood gathered in the Myriad Blood Pond is…”

“It’s the blood of all the Blood Cult members in the Blood King’s Castle, right?”

“That is correct.”

The blood of all Blood Cult members.

“Originally, it is the rule that the Blood Cult Leader who has officially ascended to the throne comes here to receive a blessing, but the Blood Demon… no, the Blood Demon God is qualified.”

Originally, when one became the Blood Cult Leader, they would come here, sprinkle their blood, and announce that they had become the Blood Cult Leader.

It was a ritual that the Blood Cult had because it had the color of a religion.

But that ritual didn’t bring anything.

Even if the Blood Cult Leader, no, the Blood Demon’s blood was sprinkled on the Myriad Blood Pond, nothing would change.

“Divine Maiden.”

Lee Rowoon turned to Kang Eun-ha and smiled.

“Do you know why the Blood Demon is called the god of the Blood Cult members?”

“That is…”

She could recite the scriptures of the Blood Cult by heart.

But what Lee Rowoon was talking about now was not that.

“Didn’t you say it earlier? That he controls the Blood Arts…”

“You still don’t know what that means.”

Lee Rowoon slowly approached the Myriad Blood Pond and said with a smile.