The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 321

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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 321
‘Mincheol.’
Crunch, crunch.
Baek Manager, who had been smoking while tearing apart the Demon’s neck, called out to me.
‘What is it.’
A blunt tone escaped my lips naturally. Fragments of spiritual essence scattered through the air from my clenched fists.
‘Living like that… doesn’t it exhaust you?’
Baek Manager narrowed his eyes, observing me amid the devastated space.
‘Take it easy. At this rate, you’ll be the first to die.’
Inside the ruined building, I finished the work and brushed myself off.
The newly tailored suit had long since become a complete mess.
‘If this could be resolved by taking it easy, I would have done so long ago.’
‘Disgusting bastard… That’s why those Heretics call you a mad dog.’
‘They simply lack discernment. Where else could you find such a gentlemanly person.’
‘You’re insane.’
Baek Manager burst into laughter looking at me.
‘The one who extracted all of a Heretic’s teeth and performed a ritual has no right to say that, does he?’
‘It was merely a necessary means.’
‘Bullshit.’
Tap, tap.
He flicked the cigarette to the ground.
–KYAAAAAAAA–!!!
As the ember extinguished, the Demons in the space shrieked.
‘No matter how many times I hear it, it’s unbearable… truly a sound I despise.’
While Baek Manager frowned at the horrific screams,
‘…’
I simply stared at them with an expressionless face.
‘Ease the tension in your eyes. What good is anger toward things already dead.’
Baek Manager reproached me, but no matter what he said, the intensity in my gaze would not fade.
‘Does it matter whether they’re dead or alive?’
He had taught me not to dwell on meaning in what had already ended.
‘Punishment they could not receive in life must be delivered even in death.’
I could not accept anything else, but not this.
‘Tsk.’
Baek Manager clicked his tongue at my words.
‘There’s no reason for you to be the one delivering that judgment.’
Even if punishment were to be given, it was not my place.
Neither I nor he—the living, not the dead, held the right to judge the dead.
It was something Baek Manager had said a hundred times, a thousand times.
‘Still, someone must do it.’
Someone had to do it.
That’s what I believed back then.
Not just the Heretics.
If a criminal escaped punishment and died without facing justice,
then someone had to make them pay that debt, didn’t they?
‘There is no Deity in this world.’
No Deity exists to judge sin. If none would, then I would do it myself.
That was my foolish conviction at the time.
‘Ha.’
Baek Manager always responded to such words with the same refrain.
‘Born with eyes like that, yet you claim not to believe in a Deity? That makes no sense.’
Kekeke.
Baek Manager laughed as he spoke.
‘Stop it. If you keep acting so resolute, one day you’ll face punishment yourself.’
Punishment for not believing in a Deity?
It wasn’t even amusing.
‘If that’s the punishment I’m to receive, then bring it on.’
My life was already a punishment in itself.
I would accept whatever came my way without hesitation.
And so I laughed bitterly amidst the ruins.
Convinced and swearing that no such Deity existed.

* * *
‘That damned bastard.’
I clenched my fists and hardened my gaze.
I could see a Man Weeping in the Corner, grieving alone in his anguish.
It was that martial official who had ambushed me in Hyeon.
His soul.
Had become a Demon, lingering in that place.
The primary cause was resentment. When one’s energy trembled so violently, resentment was typically the root cause of such lingering grudges.
An unjust death.
-My son… my son…
When one leaves behind what should never have been abandoned.
Or.
-I wanted to live… I wanted to live… I did nothing wrong…
When one desperately, madly desired to live.
Such complex emotions, unleashed through death, corrupting the soul in that moment.
They transform into malice, staining the spirit.
That is how a Demon is born.
‘A Demon.’
That man had already become a Demon.
-Hhhuuuh… Gghhhghghgh…
I watched him suppress his cries. He had only recently transformed into a Demon.
[Ahaeyah.]
Yoo Cheon-gil called to me.
[Kill your emotions. It’s beginning to show.]
He warned me. Hearing that, I steadied myself.
Showing meant my energy—my aura was beginning to tremble in sync with my emotions.
[Take a deep breath. If it leaks, you’ll be discovered.]
Shhhhh.
I adjusted my breathing to match his words.
[Why are you so angry?]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke as if he couldn’t comprehend it.
‘Why am I angry?’
I couldn’t understand his question.
‘Does he not see?’
Someone who should not have been killed was slain.
A life carelessly taken for selfish desire, unfolding right before my eyes.
How could I not be furious?
‘Is this how things are in the Central Plains?’
Or am I simply too sensitive?
It didn’t sit right with me.
‘If Baek Manager had seen this, he would’ve thrown a fit again.’
Stop meddling in other people’s affairs.
Their lives belong to them, and I have no place inserting myself into their business.
All I need to do is focus on my own work.
He’d drilled that into my head until his lips wore thin.
‘Damn it all.’
As always, habits are not easily broken.
And here I am, proving that point.
‘What do I do?’
My insides churn. I’ve lived a life entangled with the dead.
I harbored no fondness for those who treated the living so carelessly.
‘That’s why.’
I’d tried to live without meddling, seeing nothing and pretending blindness.
‘My dad is—!’
But I’d already witnessed something I couldn’t unsee.
‘What now?’
I turned my gaze toward Yoo Cheon-gil.
[Hmm?]
Our eyes met. I questioned him silently with mine.
‘What should I do?’
Was I seeking an answer? Or was I seeking his understanding?
I sent Yoo Cheon-gil an unreadable look. I thought he would already know what lay in my heart.
[Ha.]
As expected, Yoo Cheon-gil let out a hollow laugh at the sight of me.
[You stubborn bastard. What are you asking for? Your eyes already show you’ve made up your mind.]
“….”
[Do as you wish. I know you won’t listen even if I tell you not to.]
Click.
I turned my body around.
He was right.
‘After all.’
I had no intention of listening to anyone. It was the same in my past life.
I didn’t listen to my benefactor’s words, nor to my grandmother’s.
‘I should just do what I want.’
I’ll act on impulse alone.
That’s what the mad dog Kim Min-cheol did.
And Wol-hyeop Bangseong-yeon would be no different.

* * *
Half a day had passed since Seongheon collapsed. He remained unconscious, and Hwasan continued to seethe with turmoil.
In the midst of it all, word came that Maehua Daeju had finally extracted information from one of Patcheon Gung’s people—the location of their headquarters.
He spoke with eyes burning with fury.
“I cannot forgive them. By whatever means necessary, I must uproot them entirely. This will be our final opportunity.”
I sharpened my blade. The fighting spirit emanating from me spread throughout all of Hwasan.
“Not only did they dare set foot in Seomseo, but they have harmed the Sect Leader himself. I will strike them down, even if it costs me my life.”
The Elders spoke as they watched Maehua Daeju burn with intensity.
“…But Daeju. Do you truly intend to depart today?”
“It is dangerous. No matter how strong you are, the Sect Leader remains unconscious.”
“That is precisely why I must act now.”
Maehua Daeju’s face twisted as he spoke.
“With the Sect Leader incapacitated, we cannot know what schemes they are plotting. This is the moment when we must strike first. We have only just obtained this intelligence—we cannot simply let it slip away.”
“…A surprise attack is well and good, but the numbers seem far too few.”
“Indeed. No matter how you look at it, launching a raid with fewer than ten people…”
The total count came to eight.
Those whom Maehua Daeju had mentioned were precisely that.
“When the enemy is unaware, that is when we must strike. A larger force would only be easier to detect. That is why I have assembled only the elite.”
“…Are you truly confident in this?”
“I am.”
Maehua Daeju spoke, his eyes gleaming with quiet resolve.
“I ask only that my elder brothers place their trust in me. I will achieve vengeance for Hwasan and our Sect Leader.”
The Elders fell silent. Maehua Daeju’s gaze remained unwavering.
I simply watched from behind.
Quietly, I observed not only Maehua Daeju but also two of the Elders before us.
‘These old men subtly sway the atmosphere.’
Two of them bore the unmistakable aura of Patcheon Gung.
What intrigued me was this:
‘Do all three know?’
Whether these three were aware of each other’s true allegiance—that was what quietly gnawed at my curiosity.
The meeting ended quickly.
In truth, there was nothing more to discuss.
‘The outcome was already decided.’
We had located their position and possessed the strength to act. If we could not predict their moves, then striking first was the logical choice.
And the one who had volunteered to lead this assault was none other than Hwasan’s second-in-command, Maehua Daeju.
“Wol-hyeop.”
As I stepped outside, Maehua Daeju approached me.
“I apologize that circumstances have unfolded so suddenly.”
“Not at all.”
“Are you in good condition? If you are not feeling well, it would be acceptable to remain here at Hwasan.”
He spoke with an apologetic expression. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.
‘Words without conviction.’
If I didn’t go, there would be no other choice, yet he spoke as if it were absurd.
“No, sir. If I promised to help, I must see it through to the end. Besides, I have a debt of my own to repay.”
The words were directed at Gwima. At that, Maehua Daeju nodded.
“…I understand. Then I ask for your assistance. I also ask for your aid, Daeju.”
“Understood.”
Sochul Daeju nodded.
“Then we shall meet at the designated location in half a double-hour.”
Maehua Daeju, who had brought up the matter, vanished from sight.
“….”
Watching him disappear, my eyes turned cold.
‘One double-hour from now.’
I mentally etched the time into memory and moved forward.
[…child of Bangseong-yeon.]
Seongheon’s spirit spoke to me.
‘I know.’
I moved without responding. I understood what he desired.
It was also something I had been concerned about.
“You cannot enter here…. Oh.”
Upon arriving at the building, a Hwasan Disciple ahead moved to block me, but upon recognizing who I was, he quickly stepped aside.
“May I enter?”
“…Please, do enter.”
“I shall excuse myself.”
I stepped inside. As I entered the building, all eyes fixed upon me. Hwasan Disciples stood guard throughout.
One might wonder why so many people occupied such a small space.
But it was possible precisely because the person here was none other than Seongheon.
The Disciples, seeing me, cleared the way. Few were permitted to see Seongheon, yet I was among them.
“I shall enter for a moment.”
I announced my presence carefully and opened the door.
Needless to say, I had not come to see Seongheon.
He already existed as a spirit behind me—why would I need to see him in person?
The figure I had come to see was not Seongheon.
“…Are you alright?”
“….”
It was the figure sitting before Seongheon, who lay motionless as if dead.
I had come to see Yoo Yeon, the woman who remained perfectly still, unmoving.
I had not seen her since Seongheon collapsed, and it was also what Seongheon had continued to ask of me.
Thus I had sought her out deliberately.
“Hey.”
There was still no response.
I called out to her again.
“Are you alright…?”
“….”
Only then did Yoo Yeon, who had been sitting quietly, slowly turn to look at me.
“…!”
Our eyes met, and my body trembled.
There was no emotion in Yoo Yeon’s eyes—only cold, vacant pupils.
Faced with those eyes devoid of all feeling, I found myself involuntarily stiffening.

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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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