The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 317

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Heavenly Supreme Has Died – Episode 317
스으으으으—!!
As the energy grew denser, Taema’s head turned.
“What is this?”
Beyond confusion, intrigue bloomed within me.
“What is this reaction?”
What settled low was killing intent, and within it dwelled murderous aura.
At the strange form Gwima emanated, Taema’s lips curved into a smile.
“Interesting, isn’t it? Want to go a round?”
Where did such a difference come from? The words I had just spoken concerned Wol-hyeop.
“Why is our Gwima reacting like this?”
Krrrrgh.
A harsh sound echoed from Taema’s body.
I could see muscles gradually swelling.
“What nerve of mine did I strike? I’m curious.”
Taema flicked his fingers. In that instant.
Kuang–!!
A thunderous crash erupted from behind, and a colossal greatsword wrapped around his hand.
A size that would not yield even to Taema’s massive frame. As that weighty presence took hold, killing intent burst forth from Taema’s body as well.
Kuguguguguung–!
A presence that could shake the entire space.
Gwima also set down the fan he had been holding.
“Is Wol-hyeop the problem? What is he that makes you come out like this?”
“…”
Gwima’s eyes narrowed.
It was a mistake.
I had reacted emotionally without realizing it.
Gwima tried to restore his expression.
Such a violent reaction to the name Wol-hyeop. This fellow Taema appeared crude and ignorant, yet his mind was sharp.
So what were my options? Fortunately, the answer came swiftly.
“Do not touch Wol-hyeop.”
“Then what’s the reason?”
“He is the Young Master’s prey.”
“…”
At the mention of the Young Master, Taema’s expression shifted. A look of sudden realization crossed his face.
“Taema, you must have heard as well? That the Young Master has taken notice of Wol-hyeop.”
The Young Master had designated Wol-hyeop as his rival. He had even issued word that none were to touch Wol-hyeop until he himself stepped forward.
For Taema, who backed the Young Master, this was something he could not ignore.
However.
“Why are you the one concerned about this?”
The problem here was this.
Gwima was not part of the Young Master faction that supported the Young Master.
“You’ve always shown displeasure with him, and now you’re going to support him?”
“People change as they live, don’t they?”
“I doubt that very much.”
A sneer played across Taema’s face.
“That’s precisely why you can’t do it—why you’re stuck here doing menial work despite your power. You, who were once called the Scholar of the Demonic Cult across the realm. Isn’t that right?”
“….”
The fact that I had not supported the Young Master was the reason I was here.
Gwima knew this well.
Yet Gwima did not concern himself greatly with it. There was no need to.
Suspicion flickered in Taema’s eyes.
“What are you plotting?”
“Plotting? Nothing.”
Gwima laughed at those words.
“I merely do as the Little Heaven commands.”
“Ha. The Little Heaven? That’s laughable. Since when have you respected the Young Master so?”
“I have never failed to respect him.”
“Don’t lie. You opposed him most fiercely when he ascended. The entire Demonic Cult knows you remain unchanged.”
“Yet now, I speak with sincerity.”
“And you expect me to believe that now?”
“Then are you saying I’ve committed betrayal?”
At Gwima’s words, Taema’s brow furrowed.
“It wouldn’t be strange—especially not from you.”
“Those are harsh words.”
“Then prove it.”
“Prove it?”
At the word “proof,” Gwima’s demeanor shifted.
“How would you have me do so?”
“There is only one way to prove yourself as a member of the Demonic Cult.”
Sssss.
Taema bared his yellowed teeth as he spoke.
“Declare before the Celestial Demon. Declare that you support the Young Master. Can you truly do that?”
Taema spoke as though it were absolutely impossible. In the Demonic Cult, even the mention of the Celestial Demon was itself a shackle, a karmic burden.
There was no way Gwima could do such a thing….
“Before the great Celestial Demon, I declare.”
At Gwima’s words without hesitation, Taema’s eyes widened.
“I swear to the Celestial Demon that I have never betrayed the Demonic Cult, and I declare that I support the Little Heaven and shall build a new Demonic Cult together.”
“…Hah.”
“Is this sufficient?”
I gaze at Gwima with the same scrutiny that Taema directs toward him.
‘The seal hasn’t manifested.’
If there were a problem, it should have resisted vehemently, yet it remained silent. How could this be? Is it genuine?
‘Truly.’
Is he supporting the Young Master?
‘Then, was the matter at the inn truly a mistake?’
And regarding Wol-hyeop—was that anger genuinely for the Young Master’s sake?
It troubles me. Taema’s instincts continue to demand suspicion.
“Unexpected.”
Taema suppressed that suspicion himself. There was no other choice.
“I never thought you would emerge thus.”
I witnessed with my own eyes what was declared alongside the Celestial Demon.
For a Marin, such a thing should be impossible, so whether I believed it or not, I had no choice but to accept it.
“Do you believe now?”
“…Hmm….”
Thud.
Taema sent the sword he held to his back, then turned away.
“I’ll finish the matter of Hwasan quickly. Sochul Daeju was nearby. I managed to shake him off, but you must sense as well that the situation has become awkward.”
“Of course. We must end this swiftly.”
“I’ve gathered all the flowers. Let us move forward. I shall handle Sochul Daeju.”
“My. You intend to help?”
“It is what the Young Master desires, so it must be done.”
Taema spoke as he moved forward.
“We shall meet again soon.”
Taema leaves those words behind and vanishes.
“…Sigh.”
Only after his presence completely faded did Gwima exhale softly.
‘This has become troublesome.’
Ordinarily it would have been nothing, but now it has become difficult.
Taema has moved. It was expected, but this variable creates a problem.
‘…Little Heaven.’
My new heaven. I sense he will face difficulty.
‘I handled the oath well.’
The command to swear by the Celestial Demon.
Had even a shred of falsehood been present, my body would have rejected it.
For the Celestial Demon is both heaven and life itself to a Marin.
But it did not.
Gwima spoke no lie.
‘I swear by the Celestial Demon.’
I have never betrayed the Demonic Sect.
‘I shall live a life for this smaller heaven of mine.’
My new heaven.
I had declared I would live for it, and there was no falsehood in those words.
Therefore.
“Taema.”
If he too became an obstacle, I would have to kill him.
For the sake of my heaven.

* * *
Another incident erupted at an inn.
A massacre had unfolded at the very place where an investigation was about to commence.
The fact that the perpetrator had not been captured was the subject of much discussion.
“The perpetrator was discovered, but it seems Sochul Daeju let him slip away. Does that make any sense?”
“The renowned Sochul Daeju….”
“Is that true?”
Seongheon, listening to the conversation, asked Sochul Daeju directly.
“My apologies.”
Sochul Daeju answered with a furrowed brow. His frustration was evident in his eyes.
“Could you explain what happened?”
Seongheon asked calmly, and upon hearing his words, Sochul Daeju glanced toward me.
I nodded slightly, and Sochul Daeju immediately began his explanation.
“The suspected perpetrator fled immediately, and I gave chase. However, at a certain point, I lost his trail.”
“Was the distance great?”
“Not particularly far. Yet he vanished before my eyes without leaving a trace.”
“…Is such a thing even possible?”
“Unless the Amje himself had appeared. How could anyone vanish right before a Daeju’s eyes?”
The Amje—the pinnacle of assassins.
Even though he had not appeared, everyone present found it bewildering that the perpetrator had vanished before Sochul Daeju’s very eyes.
And this was precisely what puzzled Sochul Daeju the most.
“Moreover, to slaughter everyone inside….”
“There must have been something inside that could not be revealed.”
“So he killed everyone to conceal it?”
“Such is the way of wicked sects… their cruelty knows no bounds.”
“…Mm.”
Seongheon exhaled softly. Exhaustion was plainly visible on his face.
‘His condition seems to be worsening?’
With each passing day, Seongheon’s condition appeared to deteriorate.
Originally, he seemed to be enduring it well.
‘I could see him making an effort to hide it. But now even that seems beyond him.’
His vitality was visibly wavering. At this rate, his condition was truly dangerous.
I shifted my gaze slightly toward Maehua Daeju, who stood beside him.
Though his expression remained impassive, the energy rippling behind his back suggested something was amiss.
What had been still was now trembling visibly.
‘That man.’
He’d sensed the strangeness in Seongheon. That’s why he reacted that way.
“I hear all those at the inn have perished.”
“Yes, there were no survivors.”
The investigation was ongoing, but that was all. There was no telling what might emerge from it.
‘It’s meaningless to me anyway.’
I already knew who the true culprit was. The fact that even Sochul Daeju had let him slip away marked him as clearly problematic.
‘Even when I observed him directly, it was the same.’
The aura emanating from that man was malevolent energy comparable to Gwima’s.
It meant he was absolutely not an ordinary martial artist of Patcheon Gung.
‘That Old Man Yoo would gather such a man…’
It struck me as peculiar that Yoo Cheon-gil, who knew Gwima, was unaware of this giant man.
“Wol-hyeop.”
At that moment, Seongheon called to me.
“Ah, yes.”
“Do you have something in mind?”
Beyond the inn’s investigation, there were indeed thoughts I’d formed.
“I do.”
At my words, several of the Elders’ eyes brightened.
“Those already in the province likely sensed the abnormality and have relocated. They probably won’t undertake any action for some time.”
“And then?”
“There’s little point in investigating further. Given that such a massacre occurred in the province itself—not elsewhere—it also means they have no intention of hiding.”
“….”
As I continued, Seongheon’s expression grew peculiar. The Elders who grasped my meaning wore similar looks.
“In other words, they need not hide, suggesting their preparations are complete. Regardless of their objective, it means Hwasan is not functioning as a deterrent.”
“What do you—!”
“They’re disregarding Hwasan right now!”
“Silence!”
The Elders who had begun to rise fell silent once more.
“It means Patcheon Gung may assault this place.”
“Yes. They couldn’t act with such boldness otherwise.”
A massacre in the province where Hwasan stood. The first was said to be a suppression operation. The second was cutting loose ends.
Yet they didn’t care if they were discovered?
‘What else could this be but looking down on Hwasan?’
They no longer—or perhaps never had—concerned themselves with Hwasan at all.
“Hani.”
If that were the case.
“We should strike first.”
It was the right call to move before they could act.
“I will scout out their main headquarters. For everything else, I merely require your permission.”
“….”
At those words, Seongheon’s eyes narrowed.
It was no different from proposing war.
Just as Seongheon was about to respond.
“That is….”
An unexpected turn of events unfolded.
“…Kugh!”
“Jang Moonin…?”
Seongheon suddenly clutched at his chest.
“Cough!”
Splatter!
He spewed blood violently. Seongheon collapsed onto the table, and the Elders who witnessed it sprang to their feet, rushing toward him.
‘This is….’
My expression twisted.
Seongheon had fallen. Upon seeing this, I immediately examined Maehua Daeju.
I saw it.
‘That man…?’
Maehua Daeju wore the faintest of smiles, as though he had been waiting for this very moment.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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