I returned to the scene of the explosion, scouring the area for any trace of the creature that had once been Cho Mak-Saeng.
“Holy shit…”
There was nothing left of the boy but a grueso amalgam of flesh, bone, and blood.
So this is what Soul Alteration does to a person.
As if implanting demonic arts into children’s minds and gradually turning them into mindless ghouls wasn’t bad enough, these people were even programd to explode when they died. It was a cruel strategy that could even bring down a martial arts master if they were caught unawares.
“Elder Lee, how do you control the Soulless?”
“Kukuku, are you curious?” The Demonic Strategist welcos you.
I longed to wipe that grin off his face, but now was not the ti to reveal my murderous intent. Struggling to keep a poker face, I asked innocuously, “Wouldn’t it be too risky if we couldn’t control them? They’ll rampage indiscriminately as soon as they turn into ghouls.”
“Fear not. Our Lord rules over all demons, so even the Soulless will kneel and worship Him.”
Our Lord… So the Blood Demon has a ans to suppress the Soulless? Even then… Hoping for more information, I pressed, “But he can’t always be present, and in a conflict, the frontline commanders will need a ans to control the ghouls…”
“Aren’t you unusually chatty today? Why are you asking so many unnecessary questions? Are you planning to sell my secrets to the Murim Alliance?”
“Of course not.” I averted my gaze.
“Kukuku, I was only kidding, but curiosity killed the cat. Your only concern should be completing the Four Demons.”
“I know.”
“Co, help identify the gifted children. I’ll personally teach so of them as an experint.”
A chill ran down my spine. Of all the horrifying encounters I had encountered in my previous life, this conversation with the Demonic Strategist about Soul Alteration was undoubtedly one of the most harrowing.
“Demonic Strategist, are you really still alive, or are the remnants of the Blood Cult just carrying on your legacy and stirring up this ss?”
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Gritting my teeth, I tried to erase the mory of Cho Mak-Saeng’s tortured, tear-stained face from my mind, but I failed. Still, I felt no guilt for killing him. The boy was a scoundrel through and through. Even if he hadn’t undergone Soul Alteration, there was a good chance that he would still have gone down the path of a serial killer, leaving a trail of shattered innocent lives in his wake.
But was his evil innate? Or did he suffer so kind of brain damage when his head was cut open and tampered with?
“Kihihihi! Kill , or I’ll kill them all. The bastards who looked down on just because I’m an orphan…!”
Had his life taken a different turn, he might have lived a mundane, unremarkable existence.
“…Although it’s useless to dwell on what-ifs now.”
I set to work cleaning up Cho Mak-Saeng’s remains as best I could. I even collected the tattered shreds of clothing and burned them, erasing any evidence that the constables could use to identify him. By the ti the first rays of dawn began to streak the sky, the job was done.
Although I had worn a black outfit to hide the bloodstains, there was nothing I could do about the tallic stench of blood.
“Hoo… I’ll have to change as soon as I get ho,” I sighed, taking my ti walking ho to collect my jumbled thoughts.
The mysterious man who gave Cheong Cheon the Blood Rain Demonic Art and Wiji Cheon the counterfeit Unlimited Sword, the massacre at the Hyonwon estate, and now Soul Alteration… All these reek of an organization working behind the scenes, likely for decades, concealing their existence even as they amass power.
Only a fool would fail to recognize the looming threat.
Why aren′t you reading this at ?
“Fuck, I’m going crazy…”
I knew more about the machinations of the Blood Cult than anyone else. More than the Murim Alliance, who were still chasing shadows, more than even the descendants of the Blood Cult like the Wiji Clan. Ard with this knowledge, I instantly recognized Cheong Cheon’s demonic art, saw through Wiji Yeol’s facade at the Freelancer’s Bazaar, identified the masterminds behind the Hyonwon Clan massacre, and searched for traces of Soul Alteration on Cho Mak-Saeng.
Much to my frustration, however, none of this was information I could share with others.
Still, of all the things the Blood Cult had done lately, Soul Alteration was by far the most absurd.
Where did the Blood Cult get the financial resources and highly skilled personnel to carry out Soul Alteration? These things are difficult enough to obtain individually, but both at the sa ti? Only the most prestigious sects, such as the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Clans, can afford such luxuries…
“Cough! I really don’t know, I don’t know anything! B-Blood Cult? I’m an orphan… Cough! Martial arts, I learned them at the orphanage, then… Cough! From the Namgoong Clan…”
Wait, the Namgoong Clan? Was it really just a coincidence that Cho Mak-Saeng grew up in an orphanage sponsored by the Namgoong Clan? …No, that seems too far-fetched. With the greatest swordsn in the Five Great Clans, the Namgoong Clan is a formidable force that rivals the Nine Sects One Gang. Infiltrating them unnoticed is impossible. Still, just to make sure… I should go visit that orphanage soti.
I made a ntal note to take a vacation soti in the future. If I left now, my sudden departure would raise eyebrows, particularly those of Namgoong Su, as I had to help facilitate the Azure Dragon Academy entrance exams. Most importantly, my current martial arts skills were nowhere near enough to face the Blood Cult.
I’m no righteous hero, I just want to eradicate the Blood Cult. It’s okay if I take my ti, I reassured myself.
“Demonic Strategist, if you still draw breath… This ti, I’ll finish you off once and for all.”
I squeezed the hilt of my sword.
Fortunately, the brisk air of dawn tempered my fervent resolve.
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