When all the warriors left, there was only silence in the room.
Seol-Hwi knew that this was when the real battle started.
This was a person who was known to be the strongest of the eight warlords. His status in the main sect was so great that the Heavenly Demon’s disciples were not able to persuade him.
“Then convince me. Why should I have to come under the Fourth Disciple, why should I go under him and not the other disciples?”
Seol-Hwi felt the attitude of Gu Dae-yeom, who put force behind his words. It meant convincing him would be difficult.
He had an extremely defensive stance.
It was even more difficult to convince the other party if they were determined to fight against it. There was nothing more difficult than such a person.
“Then… how would you like to try this?”
So, Seol-Hwi led the opponent’s thoughts to another place. Taking the initiative was part of the very basics when one wanted to persuade someone.
He had to move at his own flow, not be the one taking a defensive stance.
“First, elder, please explain why you don’t want to cooperate with the Fourth Disciple and why… how about replacing it with something I ask?”
“You want to answer a question with a question?”
Gu Dae-yeom smiled.
He had not interacted with Seol-Hwi for long, but he realized the conversation with him was always like this. The more he talked about something, the more his curiosity rose.
There was no need to follow the words. But it had been a long time since he had seen a guy who riled him up to this extent.
Because of that, he wanted to try talking a little more.
“Well, that sounds fun too.”
Drip.
Gu Dae-yeom filled the glass in front of him with alcohol.
Pour!
Then, after inhaling it in one go, he continued.
“First of all, the Fourth Disciple has less power than other disciples.”
Tak
The sound of putting down the glass on the stone could be clearly heard.
“Do not underestimate the power of one. Even in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, they say that ten hands cannot win over one hand. In the end, they fall at the right time.”
“Surely.”
Seol-Hwi nodded.
“If it is just a matter of power, it will gradually add up. Because the Fourth Disciple is loyal. He will stand out even more because of the stubbornness of the other disciples.”
Instead, he added something.
It was to attack the point of the opponent.
“Huh, even if it is placed as said, the problem remains. Can you catch a great tiger by collecting 100,000 rats? Under the command of the Fourth Disciple, where is a Supreme Demon warrior?”
“That is true. The Fourth Disciple didn’t have the time to settle down. If it was a little in the past, things would have been different.”
Seol-Hwi nodded. When the other person said that there was no talent, he let go of it saying there was lack of time.
“Ha, do you think life and death cares about a fair start? Our sect’s path is the path of victory. There is no time and the competition wouldn’t be a fair one. if you want to argue about such things you might as well stay with a justice faction sect.”
Of course, the Black Demon Warlord didn’t accept it, and he continued,
“That isn’t all. The Fourth Disciple doesn’t have a vision in sight. That is the perfect place to go to if one wants to be ruined.”
“You seem to have a different opinion from me. Can you elaborate a bit more?”
“The struggle for the successor of the main sect isn’t one to be overcome by power. He has no experience in betrayal or devious plans. In addition there is no one who can give him military guidance, and no subordinates who experienced such fights. It means that there is no one who can make the right decision if the situation is headed for a ruin or something unexpected happens.”
Gu Dae-yeom continued without hesitation. Seeing such a thing, Seol-Hwi knew he was someone who had deeply thought about the power struggle in the sect multiple times.
“How to use the power. Who can be placed in the right situation? Has he ever made a proper plan for the future? This is an achievement too. The Fourth Disciple had no results of anything. On the other hand, what about the other disciples?”
Gulp
He poured himself a drink and gulped it down at once.
“The First Disciple has already beheaded an elder of the Wudang Sect when he was in Kangho. Everyone in the sect knows about the Second Disciple’s wickedness. And the Third Disciple? There is no one who doesn’t know that the Silver Demon Hall looks after her and most elders are on her side. Then Fourth Disciple? Isn’t he just holding onto his fate and waiting for the moment to die?”
“…”
Seol-Hwi didn’t deny it.
So far, while the other disciples had done all things, what did the Earth Demon do to show them?
It was just to write books in the basement of his library and quietly bring in subordinates. If the era and the background supported it, he would have been well known for those things, but in the Demonic Sect one would consider that as a weakness and indecisiveness.
Violence was a skill. And those who did not have it were those which could not be taught to learn it.
“Surely. You can say that.”
When Seol-Hwi nodded, Gu Dae-yeom frowned.
This guy, what is this?
Even though he clearly knew that his lord was the Earth Demon, Gu Dae-yeom spoke poorly about the man in front of Seol-Hwi.
Still, he did not seem to care. At the place of negotiation, no matter how skilled one was, enduring such things needed a lot more training.
And if he looked at the other person, then Seol-Hwi was just in his late twenties. Gu Dae-yeom had no way of knowing that Seol-Hwi had gone through several lives.
“Is there anything more?”
“…Um?”
“Aside from the ones you mentioned, are there any additional flaws? What the Warlord pointed out is not wrong, but that is something I already know of.”
“Huh, hmmm.”
Gu Dae-yeom touched his chin. Normally one would kick their chair in anger or stay silent in embarrassment, but not this person.
So
Did he already expect these kinds of remarks?
It was a bit sad that he could not shake the mind of his opponent.
“Well. There is no end to it, but that is about it for now.”
“Then can I speak now?”
Gu Dae-yeom pushed himself to the chair, and he looked at Seol-Hwi’s response.
“Why should someone like the Warlord follow the Earth Demon?”
Perhaps a bit offended, Gu Dae-yeom crossed his arms.
“Tell me.”
Pour
When permission was given, Seol-Hwi poured a drink into his own glass. And like that he drank it and then continued talking.
“First of all, I admit the power he holds is weakest among the disciples. However, his strength may be weak but the number of absolute warriors he has isn’t few.”
“What do you mean?”
“This. You don’t seem to have heard the details yet. There are two warriors who have been recruited by our side. One is Ack Bi, the former ice arts warrior who announced his stepping down and the other is Cho Ah-ran, the Blood Hand Palm’s famous lady.”
“What… was that?”
The Warlord looked shocked.
Ack Bi and Cho Ah-ran—
The most unexpected people were all of a sudden mentioned here, elders who had been in seclusion for so long. The Black Demon Warlord just happened to know the two of them. The two did not retire a long time back, so he still knew them from back then.
“Yes, and there is one more. Cheon Miryo… I don’t even have to tell you about that person.”
Thud!
Gu Dae-yeom got up.
“…You. Do you know what this place is? Say anything false and your head will be cut off right here and now!”
“Why would I lie about it? Please confirm it for yourself.”
From Seol-Hwi’s point of view, he could see the Warlord was puzzled.
“Can you swear it on the Fourth Disciple?”
“I can.”
If one thought about it, the opponent was an envoy of the Fourth Disciple. It would only be natural that he would attempt to get the warlord on their side by lying, but things would get difficult when those lies were revealed later.
“It cannot…”
Even knowing that, it felt a bit suspicious.
Cheon Miryo—
Among the warriors in seclusion, no, even at the sect, she was one who was so skilled that there was no suitable warrior who could oppose her.
And to think the Fourth Disciple could bring her in.
“If these people on the front lines are going to be them, our strength isn’t weak.”
“Hmm.”
Two Supreme Demon warriors, and Cheon Miryo herself.
The Warlord was now seeing the Earth Demon in a different light.
Unexpected circumstances.
If it was an all our war where all sides fight, it still was not enough to compare with the First and Second Disciple. However, on the battlefield, it was still difficult for a large force to handle a small elite force.
If the top level warriors made up their minds and moved to ambush a larger force, the situation would turn into a messy fight. No matter how strong the forces of the First and Second Disciple’s forces are.
Was there a warrior in the other factions who could beat Cheon Miryo?
The Warlord didn’t like this. From what he heard Cheon Miryo was one of the members who was considered to be comparable to the sect leader and to have broken past the wall of Profound Demon.
“Also, the Warlord said that there is no soldier in our camp to lead the fight. No one has that skill. But things can be taught differently, and isn’t it rather good for the elder?”
“…Where are you going with this?”
“If the Warlord with such skills comes to our side, it would mean you would provide what we lack.”
“Ha, this guy?”
The eyes of the Warlord changed.
“Keep talking.”
He sat down and with an expression saying he was interested as he waited for the response.
“The First, Second, and even Third Disciple. The other factions have many people to be used as tacticians. The people next to the Warlord are competent and skilled enough to fight on their own merits. However, we are different.”
“If I put myself there, you mean I can be the sole founding contributor?”
“Exactly that. If you have pointed out the things our lord lacks, you can provide them too, and with the Earth Demon’s nature, he will never forget what the Black Demon Warlord has done for his sake.”
“…”
At Seol-Hwi’s words, the Black Demon Warlord tried to speak but closed his mouth.
“Ha, you. You have the mouth of a scammer.”
“I will take that as a compliment.”
The compliment thing was accurate. Seol-Hwi’s words were sweet to anyone. They seemed like bait but also like honey which could not be left alone.
“And I have one final thing. That is the most important thing.”
“…What is it?”
Was there anything else to offer? Gu Dae-yeom was curious.
Usually, if the conditions were too good it would get suspicious.
In particular the proposals for those selling things that were in the future, like the Fourth Disciple.
However—
“The founding thing I told you a while back. That isn’t going to be a rabbit hunt turning into the dog being killed.”
“…!”
After a rabbit hunt, the dog is boiled. It is an old story made by a famous genius. And that was also why Gu Dae-yeom never sided with a disciple.
No matter how hard he worked, the disciples would purge the man when he was no longer useful.
“But we are those who will not let that happen. Because…”
Seol-Hwi had touched on what he was worried about, and he was speaking while looking directly at him.
“Because if the Earth Demon passes away someday, the Black Demon Warlord will be the Sect Leader.”
“…!”
And naturally the eyes of Gu Dae-yeom widened in shock. Because this was something he never thought of.
“You must know. The end of a person born under Heavenly Killing Star is death. This fight, the Earth Demon’s rise to the position, will not be the end. And claiming victory will already be tough enough.”
Right.
This was the Earth Demon’s intention to fight.
The focus was to win. Him becoming the Sect Leader had not even crossed his mind.
Could it be because this was unexpected? He had unknown emotions swirling in.
Gu Dae-yeom looked like that for a long time.
“That is the Fourth Disciple’s thoughts?”
He asked in a different tone.
