Chapter 167: Discovered (2)

Chapter 167: Discovered (2)

Kang Jin-Ho slowly gripped Azuremourne and Crimson Destiny before picking them up.

Vrrrrr...

The two swords resonated and howled as if they were competing against each other. Especially Crimson Destiny; it continued to howl at the joy of returning to its owner after centuries of being apart. However, Kang Jin-Ho was more intrigued by Azuremourne's presence here. He could still vividly recall the exact moment when he yanked this sword out of the stab wound on his side.

'...Azure Demon.'

Kang Jin-Ho had killed him back then. However, that didn't diminish the significance of the relationship he had with the one who had betrayed him.

“Whatever your reasons were... You have done something you shouldn't have, my lord. And that... is the reason why you'll die today.”

Azure Demon left those words behind. He said that Kang Jin-Ho had done something he shouldn't have done. Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head.

'That's in the past.'

Reminiscing about the past could be an enjoyable pastime, but getting too obsessed with the old memories wasn’t advisable. What he was doing right now was merely a ritual—a ritual to confirm that his premonition would become a reality and that his future would be filled with battles.

Shu-ru-ru-rung...

Kang Jin-Ho carefully sheathed Azuremourne, and Crimson Destiny inside their respective scabbards found next to them. He then tied both weapons to his hips. The weighty additions to his sides seemed to fill his heart with satisfaction.

“It's been a while, you two.”

Vrrrr...

It felt like both Azuremourne and Crimson Destiny were trying to answer him. That was what Kang Jin-Ho wanted to believe, even though a sword wouldn't have a functioning ego.

Besides the two swords and their scabbards, nothing else of note was placed on the altar. Kang Jin-Ho scanned the altar room one more time before turning around to leave. A little further from this location led to the secret area of the Cave of the Heavenly Demon that only the demon cult's leader could access. Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho's attainment in Records of Asura hadn't reached perfection just yet, and he couldn't enter it—for now.

However, the secret area should still retain its former glory from centuries ago since no one else could have accessed it after Kang Jin-Ho's passing. The line of inheritance for the Records of Asura had gotten severed with his death, after all.

'In that case, it's fine.'

The past was past while he was living in the present. There was no need to go out of his way to form a connecting point between those two eras. These two swords alone were enough. Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly turned around and left the cave.

***

“Gimme a break...” Jo Gyu-Min quietly muttered. It felt like his heart was shrinking with every passing second.

'Mister Jin-Ho, why did you have to leave me alone with that old man...!'

Couldn't Kang Jin-Ho be more considerate toward Jo Gyu-Min's feelings when he left behind the Jaegyeong group's elite secretary alone in the woods with a crazed-looking man? Jo Gyu-Min was scared of being left behind, so he tried to chase after Kang Jin-Ho and enter the cave as well... Only for the old man's scary glare to frighten him into sitting absolutely still on the ground.

'Aigoo... My poor life...'

Why did it feel like something wet and sparkling was pooling near Jo Gyu-Min's eyes? How did he—a young elite among elites on the road to success in a top Korean conglomerate—end up in this state?

The old idiom said something about only hardships waiting for those who dared to leave home. After recalling that idiom, Jo Gyu-Min swore to himself never to leave Korea—forever. He continued to wait nervously and stared at the cave's entrance.

“...Ah!” Jo Gyu-Min's expression brightened considerably when Kang Jin-Ho finally emerged from the cave. He hurriedly got up. “Mister Jin-Ho!”

Kang Jin-Ho greeted Jo Gyu-Min hurriedly running up to him with a cool nod from his head.

Jo Gyu-Min looked at the young man. “Seems like you've found what you were looking for?”

Kang Jin-Ho had never revealed what his objective for coming here was, but judging from two lengthy somethings attached to his hips, he seemed to have found them.

“Yes, I've found it.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded again. He didn't come here to find these two swords. His aim had always been to personally confirm if the traces of the demon cult could still be found even now. And he had done just that through the existence of Azuremourne, Crimson Destiny, and the crazed-looking old man.

“Oh,?my liege.” The old man prostrated on the ground again.

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. “Arise.”

“Yes, my liege.”

“Now, speak. Why were you waiting for me in this place?”

“Your will is my command, my liege.” The old man unhesitantly nodded.

***

“My liege? It's one hundred and fifty.”

“Mm???” Kang Jin-Ho's head slowly tilted to the side.

‘Okay, so, if he's been waiting for 150 years, then, uh...’

“...What is your age?”

“I'll soon be one hundred and eighty, my liege.”

Kang Jin-Ho politely brought his hands together. “R-really? I had no idea, sir.”

It was now Chang Min's turn to tilt his head at Kang Jin-Ho's weird reaction. “Is there something wrong, my liege?”

“N-no, sir...” Kang Jin-Ho muttered as cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

'If only Chang Min were around the same age as Hwang Jeong-Hu, I wouldn't have minded acting rudely, but...'

If all the years Kang Jin-Ho had lived during his three lives were tallied, the total would easily shoot past a century, so he could have acted a bit more arrogantly, but... One hundred and eighty years old? Now that was a number he couldn't look down on.

“A-are you really 180 years old, sir?”

“My liege, the name of this nation was still Qing when I was born.”

“Ah. Ahahaha... Aha... ha...” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled awkwardly, having failed to regain his former dignity.

“All those years waiting for the arrival of the Demon Emperor's descendant have been painful and arduous, my liege. But I am grateful for this opportunity to fulfill our family's wish before old age claims my life.” Chang Min's wrinkled face grew increasingly wetter from his thick teardrops. The outpouring of such intense emotions made Kang Jin-Ho feel guilty inside for some reason.

As Azure Demon's descendant, Chang Min's station was far, far lower. The problem Kang Jin-Ho had with this situation was Chang Min's age. Since the descendant was so much older than Azure Demon, Kang Jin-Ho found himself unable to overcome the disharmony making a mockery of his common sense.

Kang Jin-Ho quickly gathered himself. “I understand. In any case, you're free now, sir.”

“...Am I really free, my liege?”

“Yes.”

“But Lord Demon Emperor, I...! If my duty is no more, I no longer have a reason to continue living, my liege. However, I'm still a descendant of the demon cult. Please grant me the honor of following and serving the inheritor of Demon Emperor's will!” Chang Min earnestly cried out.

Kang Jin-Ho groaned under his breath. Obviously, he was happy about encountering a surviving descendant from his old demon cult. However, staying with an old man like Chang Min might... Rather than Chang Min serving Kang Jin-Ho, it might end up the other way around, with Kang Jin-Ho taking care of a very, very old man!

“For now, let's discuss that at another time...” Kang Jin-Ho muttered.

“Forgive me, but I don't follow, my liege.”

Kang Jin-Ho didn't explain himself, instead choosing to raise the hilts of Azuremourne and Crimson Destiny into the air.

Vrrrrrr-!

The two swords suddenly started to vibrate. Chang Min's reverential expression suddenly changed at this sight, and he deeply scowled. “...Who dares?!”

It seemed that he had finally sensed the presence of intruders.

Kang Jin-Ho fixed the swords to his hips. “They must be searching for me, so I should go and say hello. Please wait here.”

“But, my liege! Allow me to deal with them!”

“...Didn't I tell you to wait here?”

Chang Min sensed the subtle shift in Kang Jin-Ho's tone and hurriedly prostrated on the floor again. “Your will is my command, my liege!”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly stared at Chang Min before leisurely stepping outside the hut.

The sun was setting to welcome the incoming night. Kang Jin-Ho closed his eyes.

'I am still not a fan of the nights, huh...'

The night sky here was the same as in Zhongyuan. The ocean of stars sparkling in the dark only served as a reminder of all those painful moments.

However, a grin still crept up on Kang Jin-Ho's lips after sensing his hidden dark side slowly rousing up from its forced slumber.

“You picked the wrong timing.”

At the very least, his opponents should have known this. They should have known that trying to fight him in the darkness was akin to fighting off a shark underwater while completely exposed and unarmed.

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely strolled into the forest now blanketed by the darkness of the night.