Heavenly Demon Cult: Rise of Cheonma

***

Chapter 4: Fist Demon Master

"You want to go, huh?"

It was an explosion of energy. Sound Demon Master, Yeo Gongsun, began gathering her internal energy while enveloping herself with a shield. She'd earnestly pleaded for the energy to be withdrawn, but instead, it only intensified. He was now disrespecting the masters of the Five Great Demon Cults.

"Sound Demon Master?"

Demonic Mind, watching Yeo Gongsun clear her throat, realized that a conflict might erupt between the Leaders if left unchecked. That was something that absolutely must not happen.

"Your Holiness! I was wrong! I should have stopped the Fist Demon Master; it's all my fault!"

Demonic Mind intervened amid the exploding energy directed at the masters. Then, all of the Leader's energy began pouring towards Demonic Mind. It was impossible to bear the terrifying energy of the Leader alone. Right at the moment when his life was at risk...

Swoosh!

The gushing energy vanished as if it had been washed away.

"To be able to retract such immense energy just like that..."

With the murmuring of Ak Seomun, the Sword Demon Master, Demonic Mind looked at the Leader and thought,

'He can control energy so freely…'

This was a warning. It was a warning that if anything like what the Fist Demon Master had done happened again, even the masters of the Five Great Demon Cults would have to worry about their lives.

Demonic Mind observed the group of masters subtly. Yeo Gongsun, who'd been ready to confront the Leader, sat down with a face full of frustration, and the other masters finally sighed in relief. The Heavenly Demon Cult was a collection of the Five Great Demon Cults, divided into five.

The Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult governed the vast Hundred Thousand Mountain Range, and right beneath them were the Five Great Demon Cults. In the martial world, they were synonymous with evil. It was only natural that they did not meekly follow the Leader's words. What's more, since it hadn't been long since the Leader took power, the scrutiny seemed even more intense.

'His Holiness at least needs to have a good relationship with the masters of the Five Great Demon Cults to fend off the pressure from the Council of Elders…'

It seemed that harmony would be impossible in a situation like this.

"Thank you for withdrawing your energy."

With Demonic Mind's words of gratitude, the Leader opened his mouth with an indifferent expression.

"What's the next agenda?"

With the Leader's question, Demonic Mind gathered himself and spoke.

"...The Head of the Council of Elders has raised an issue."

"What kind of issue?"

"Regarding the advance into the Central Plains."

This time, it was the Sword Demon Master, Ak Seomun, who spoke up.

"Advancing into the Central Plains?"

The Central Plains.

The location of the Heavenly Demon Cult, Xingang, was virtually a remote area situated far from the Central Plains. Therefore, their followers were filled with a desire to live in the fertile land of the Central Plains. The Leaders of the four cults looked at the Leader with eyes full of yearning.

"Dismissed."

However, the Leader's declaration was firm.

"Why?"

Just a moment ago, Yeo Gongsun had tasted the Leader's immense energy, so she asked politely this time.

"We're not ready yet."

"We are ready!"

"With such inadequate skills?"

"…"

The other four masters could not refute the Leader's words. It was a fact that their martial prowess was weaker than that of the Leader.

"But even the Council of Elders…"

"Those old men hanging around at the back talk too much. The martial world has many hidden masters. If the Central Plains fall into danger, those reclusive masters will start to appear one by one. Advancing into the Central Plains would be good, but I don't want our cult members to get hurt."

"…Holiness."

Everyone adopted a solemn expression at the Leader's words.

"The Council of Elders will not stay put."

"Isn't that why you're here, to keep them in check?"

The Council of Elders — a group full of former masters of the overall Heavenly Demon Cult. They didn't want to step back and wished to control the Heavenly Demon Cult from behind. Until now, mediation was well-managed under the former Leader's rule, but the current Leader had overthrown him, causing their relationship to become precarious.

"Then when exactly can we advance into the Central Plains?"

With the Saber Demon Master, Damchun Hahu's question, the Leader spoke up.

"You should know that better than anyone."

With the Leader's words, the masters of the four cults couldn't respond. After all, this meant that they were not advancing because they were weak.

"If there are no more matters to discuss, let's end today's meeting here. Oh, and Demonic Mind, come to the Temple of the Leader later."

With those words, the Leader stood up from his seat. This was an action indicating that no more questions would be entertained.

"Understood, Your Holiness. I'll wrap up here and visit you shortly."

"Alright."

The Leader said as such and then left, and only then did the tension in the conference room dissolve.

"Damn it... How long must we follow the words of that youngster?"

"Sound Demon Master, don't be too disheartened. The Leader also intends to move into the Central Plains. He just believes it's not the right time yet."

Demonic Mind could not fully grasp the Leader's intentions, but recently, he could clearly feel that the Leader was testing others. He was someone who'd risen to the position of Leader alone. He must surely have had some form of intention behind these actions. That made it all the more difficult for Demonic Mind.

'It might be easier if he were like the Fist Demon Master, who charges in plainly and brutishly.'

Damchun Hahu spoke up as Demonic Mind got lost in his thoughts.

"And when exactly will that time come?"

In response to his words, Demonic Mind smiled as if saying not to worry and calmed him down.

"I'll ask him. To understand what he wants."

As the brains of the Heavenly Demon Cult, he needed to understand the Leader's intentions.

"Whew, alright. I'll trust you, Demonic Mind."

"Thank you."

"Then I'll see you at the Demon Dragon Academy tomorrow."

Demonic Mind observed the masters of the four demon cults as they left the conference room one by one.

***

"I almost got screwed over."

My heart was still pounding.

My energy went rampant to the point where I thought a fight might break out. But then, all of a sudden, all of the energy retracted like a switch being turned off. Feeling all the energy gathered in my center, I was incredibly thankful and began acting as Cheonma again, acting with the utmost composure. It seemed as if things would go smoothly, but I was dumbfounded when the masters requested to advance into the Central Plains.

If we were to advance into the Central Plains, I, as the head of the Heavenly Demon Cult, would undoubtedly be at the forefront of the battle. Even though I was Cheonma, how could I, who knew nothing about martial arts, go into combat? That would be like boarding a bullet train to the afterlife.

"But the Council of Elders…"

Even as the Leader, I could not control the Heavenly Demon Cult at will. Just as there were hidden masters in the Central Plains' martial world, there was the Council of Elders in the Demonic Cult. The Council of Elders was somewhat like a retirees' union. Having aged and become unable to step forward themselves, they wished to wield influence in the Demonic Cult's politics from behind using honorary positions.

'They were well-managed under the former Leader's command, but...'

As the son of the former Leader, I could not manage them as I pleased.

'Damn it, the problems are piling up.'

Would I be able to survive?

If the followers of the Heavenly Demon Cult discovered that I couldn't use martial arts properly, I would not be able to survive. The most pressing issue was to learn such abilities. No, the important thing was to be able to use the abilities that the heavenly demon had already mastered.

'I can now release the internal energy inside my body.'

Retracting it was still a little difficult, but releasing it was possible. Of course, it was just a matter of emitting energy, so it was nothing but a bluff. I was an idiot who didn't know the first thing about martial arts.

'Where should I learn those martial arts?'

As Cheonma, I couldn't just ask someone to teach me martial arts.

"Wait a minute."

However, thinking about it now, there was no reason it shouldn't work. I was Cheonma, after all. With a single word, I held the supreme power to summon anyone within the group Heavenly Demon Cult.

'I might be able to do it if I observe and mimic even some basic martial arts.'

Imitating others was my specialty. As an actor, I had to imitate various kinds of characters for my roles. Perhaps because of that, I was confident in my ability to mimic.

'I've already issued a warrant through Demonic Mind for Pung Seomun, who could become a threat in the future.'

Considering the timing, Pung Seomun likely hadn't yet mastered the abilities of the Martial God. In that case, catching Pung Seomun would be a piece of cake for Demonic Mind. Until then, I had to find a way to protect my safety.

'It'd be perfect if there were someone who could demonstrate martial arts and also serve as a guard at my command. Is there anyone like that?'

"Ah, there is."

The first person that came to mind was Cheoljoong Dam, a third ranking member of the Heavenly Demon Cult, whom I'd already brutally defeated once.

'I could probably convince that guy with just a few words...'

Cheoljoong Dam would think that I was stronger than him due to our recent fight. Therefore, he likely wouldn't act rashly.

"The Fist Demon Master's punches... were scary."

Clack. I stood up from my seat. There was a saying that you should always strike while the iron was still hot. As such, it was best to act as soon as a thought came to mind. I decided to go out and look for the Fist Demon Master, Cheoljoong Dam. Though I wasn't familiar with the layout of the Demonic Cult, I could roughly guess where he might be.

***

In the meantime, Cheoljoong Dam had been receiving some basic treatment from the Demon Doctor and entered the conference room.

"Ahaha, His Holiness was unharmed…"

Upon entering the conference room with hearty laughter, Cheoljoong Dam realized no one was there and felt awkward.

"The meeting must've ended already."

It was a shame; he had hoped to explain the Leader's strength to the others. Having to stay within the Demonic Cult due to the academy's graduation ceremony, Cheoljoong felt extremely bored.

"Hmm, perhaps I should go to the training grounds."

If there was anyone there to train with, it wouldn't be a bad idea for them to do so together.

"Though Demonic Mind did say to rest as much as possible…"

He felt restless if he didn't train even for a day. This was because he had trained every day of his life so far. Heading to the training grounds, Cheoljoong opened the door, curious about who might be there.

"Haha! Followers of the Demonic Cult who revere martial strength! I have arri…ved?"

Entering the training grounds boldly, the Fist Demon Master was surprised to see a man standing in the middle of the training ground.

"I knew you'd come here."

"Your Holiness?"

This was because the Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, Yuwon Dan, was greeting him.

"Fist Demon Master, do you have some time to talk?"

The Leader was smiling warmly. Seeing that smile, Cheoljoong felt goosebumps rising.

"Ta-talk about what…"

"I have something to discuss about your fists."

Hearing the word "fists", his eyes sparkled.

"My fists?"

"Yes, can you show me the punch you demonstrated towards me this morning once more?"

"You mean… get beaten by you again?"

"…Don't try to punch me, but demonstrate it in the air."

With his hands behind his back, the Leader was seriously discussing martial arts abilities with him.

'To demonstrate my martial arts ability?' So suddenly?'

He abruptly remembered the punch the Leader had demonstrated in the morning. The Leader's fierce punch had pierced through his own. After receiving that punch, the Fist Demon Master, having never known that the Leader was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, realized there indeed was a reason why he'd become the Leader at such a young age.

'If the Leader, whose martial arts abilities have reached the heavens, wants to see my punch again…?'

That meant he was willing to evaluate Cheoljoong's martial prowess.

'This reminds me of the old days.'

There was once a time when the former Leader, now confined in the Dan family, which was the Cheonma lineage, had given him guidance in a similar manner. As the Fist Demon Master was among the Five Great Demon Cults, he served the new Leader unconditionally as he was the son of the former one.

It was always said that the student surpassed their teacher in the end, so... a son who'd surpassed his father? Cheoljoong, looking at the Leader who felt like his own nephew, readied his fists with a serious expression.

'If it's His Holiness …. perhaps he can offer something that'll help me break through the wall that's been blocking me.'

Swish. The Fist Demon Master, Cheoljoong Dam, immediately pulled off his shirt and shouted.

"Yes! Understood! I'll show you my fists once more!"

Cheoljoong didn't realize that his Leader, Yuwon Dan, was observing every detail of his stance and the way he clenched his fists with keen interest.