A small sound of thunder was heard from the clear sky.
The person who opened her eyes wide while looking at her extended fist was Cheon So-hee.
"Did you happen to hear that?"
When the Fist Demon standing in front of her nodded, Cheon So-hee shouted with emotion.
"Master! This disciple has done it!"
Finally, the sound of thunder had burst forth from her fist.
Following Geom Mugeuk, she had become the Fist Demon’s second disciple and was selected as the next Fist Demon.
Since that day, she had steadily trained in the Thunder Asura Fist learned from the Fist Demon, and today, for the first time, she produced the sound of thunder.
Knowing better than anyone how much effort Cheon So-hee had put in, the Fist Demon smiled.
It was a precious smile from him, one that was rarely seen.
"This is just the beginning."
"Yes, Master."
She felt like she could fly with joy.
She knew there was a lot of talk and whispering about her behind her back.
Unavoidable envy and jealousy.
She especially knew that concerns were being raised about the fact that a woman had been designated as the next Fist Demon.
After all, that scary face, the large physique, and above all, that huge fist were the symbols of the current Fist Demon.
So she understood.
Instead, she would show them clearly.
She would show them what the next Fist Demon could destroy with this small fist.
She would prove it with her skill.
At that moment, someone spoke from behind.
"Congratulations, Junior Sister."
When she turned around in surprise, Geom Mugeuk was entering the training grounds.
"Senior Brother! You have returned!"
Having been deeply immersed in training lately, she hadn't even known that Geom Mugeuk had returned.
Geom Mugeuk, who answered her with a smile, bowed politely to the Fist Demon.
"Disciple has returned from the trip to the Northern Sea."
"You did well to return."
The Fist Demon welcomed him with his unchanging appearance.
His scary face was the same, and his muscular body was shining even more.
"Those guys were plotting in the Ice Palace as well. In the end, they all got drunk and collapsed, though."
"I heard. That the Drunken Demon went through some trouble."
It seemed he had conversed with Father about the situation in the Northern Sea.
Master, do you know what Father is thinking?
Long ago in his youth, if Father had spoken of his dream to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon with a flushed face, would he not have told the Fist Demon about it now?
After exchanging greetings with the Fist Demon, he checked on Cheon So-hee.
"To think you already produced the sound of thunder. That is amazing."
"It is thanks to Master guiding me well."
"I will buy you a congratulatory drink sooner or later."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
Cheon So-hee was extremely polite to Geom Mugeuk.
He was her Senior Brother, but also the precious person who would become the next Heavenly Demon.
But there was a bigger reason.
It was thanks to Geom Mugeuk that she became the next Fist Demon.
Her destiny had changed during the Late Night Training Session she had with him.
Geom Mugeuk, who was walking away, turned back to her.
"Junior Sister, you will become a truly cool Fist Demon."
In Cheon So-hee's heart right now, she did not call Geom Mugeuk her Senior Brother.
She did not call him Young Cult Master either.
'Cult Master, when that time comes, I will serve you with all my loyalty.'
The place I came to with the Fist Demon was in front of a cliff within the Eastern Fist Hall.
To collapse this cliff with a single strike was the Fist Demon’s dream.
How much had that dream grown?
I stood side by side with the Fist Demon and looked up at the cliff.
The cliff was still overwhelming.
And the cliff resembled the Fist Demon who was looking up at it.
Can he really collapse this cliff?
Can I really persuade this Fist Demon?
After looking up for a long time, I started with a story to soften his heart.
"Lee Ahn has left to perform a mission."
"I know."
"How?"
"She sent me a dispatch."
It seems she is definitely taking care of her father.
"Then you must have heard the news that she found her family in the Northern Sea."
The Fist Demon silently nodded.
Instead of asking if he was surprised by the news, I said this.
"The Ice Palace Master was very surprised by Lee Ahn's identity. Because the niece he found had become Master's adopted daughter."
The one surprised should be that side, not this side.
I said it that way to elevate the Fist Demon higher than the Ice Palace Master.
"Did you perhaps write a reply?"
Then, surprisingly, the Fist Demon nodded.
Even adding the word 'Naturally.'
I imagined the Fist Demon holding a brush that would look incredibly small in that huge hand, writing a reply.
Since he isn't someone who usually writes letters, wouldn't he have struggled with what to say?
Still, in that moment, he must have been a father worrying about and missing his daughter.
"I heard that if you hadn't gone to the Northern Sea this time, Ahn-i would have been in danger."
"I would like to say she would have handled it well even without me, but she probably would have been in danger."
The Fist Demon’s eyes softened slightly.
Right now, I wasn't just a disciple and the Young Cult Master, but a disciple and Young Cult Master who had saved his daughter from a crisis.
This is the opportunity.
"Master. May I ask you a question that might be difficult to answer?"
He probably never imagined receiving such a question from me.
"Do you like Father? Or do you like me?"
The Fist Demon looked at me with an absurd expression.
"Is it too difficult?"
"No, I was surprised because it is too easy a question."
The Fist Demon looked up at the cliff again, and I looked at the Fist Demon.
Can I really find out Father's will from him, who possesses loyalty higher and harder than this cliff?
If I have the Evil Heart Laughing Demon, Father has the Fist Demon.
If only I could make the Fist Demon my ally, it would be much easier to stop Father's dream of unifying the Martial World.
But collapsing this cliff in front of my eyes feels more difficult than collapsing that huge cliff.
"Father has become strange."
"The Cult Master?"
"He met separately with the Evil Heart Laughing Demon, and even drank heavily with the Drunken Demon."
Whether he was feigning ignorance or really thought so, the Fist Demon asked me bluntly.
"What is strange about the Demon Cult Master meeting a Demon Sovereign?"
"It wouldn't be strange if it were something he did every time."
The Fist Demon’s gaze, which had been directed at the cliff, turned to me.
"What is it that you want to say?"
"I want to know Father's plan."
"If you are curious, ask the Cult Master yourself directly."
That was a poor plan.
Father decided to drink with the Drunken Demon in front of me as if to show off.
He must also know that the fact he met the Evil Heart Laughing Demon separately would reach my ears.
Even when I stood on the stage after regressing for the first time, Father knew I had been hit by the energy-dispersing poison.
Yet, he did not intervene and only watched.
To see how I would overcome it.
It is the same now.
Father is watching me.
This is like playing Go.
I made this move.
Now what move will you make?
I intend to show Father.
That more than half of the Demon Sovereigns oppose the war.
Even if that isn't the reason Father took care of the Evil Heart Laughing Demon and the Drunken Demon this time, it doesn't matter.
As long as Father harbors the ambition of unifying the Martial World, it was something I had to go through at least once someday.
"If he were someone who would tell me just because I asked, I wouldn't even be worrying. You know well what kind of person Father is, don't you?"
The Fist Demon did not deny that point.
"To be honest, as soon as I returned, I went on alert. Why is he suddenly managing the Demon Sovereigns when he didn't before? Has he perhaps started moving for the unification of the Martial World?"
Although the phrase 'unifying the Martial World' was mentioned, the Fist Demon did not waver at all.
"Do you know this? You are also strange right now, Master. You are too calm. As if you already know everything. Please tell me what you know, Master."
The Fist Demon’s lips were heavy.
To open those heavy lips, I honestly revealed my situation.
"Just in case my prediction is right, I am in the process of making the Demon Sovereigns my allies. I have met three so far; one is on my side, one is on Father's side, and one has not decided yet."
What the Fist Demon focused on was the one vote that hadn't decided yet.
"Who is the Demon Sovereign that hasn't decided?"
"It is the Blade Demon Elder."
The Fist Demon made a surprised expression for a moment, then soon nodded as if he understood.
"The Blade Demon truly cherishes you. For someone with his personality to be unable to make a decision."
That is correct.
If it's this, it's this; if it's that, it's that.
Being neither here nor there is something the Blood Heaven Blade Demon cannot stand by his nature.
But the Blood Heaven Blade Demon is conflicted.
Enduring the gaze of being spineless, solely for my sake.
"Master is naturally on my side, right? Indeed. If you don't take your disciple's side, whose side would you take?"
"There are two disciples, but only one Cult Master."
"I am a disciple and also the Young Cult Master."
"Later, So-hee will take your side."
I know I cannot turn his heart with just a few words.
So I asked directly.
Because the Fist Demon was not someone who liked beating around the bush.
"If Father starts a war, will you accept that order?"
The Fist Demon’s eyes shone intensely.
"If it is the Cult Master's order, of course I must accept it."
I stared at that scary face and said.
"That is why you, Master, must oppose it."
"What do you mean?"
"Because Father will not be able to ignore your words, Master."
I know this is a burdensome statement for the Fist Demon.
It was akin to forcing my will upon him, who lives as a Demon Sovereign.
But like the Evil Heart Laughing Demon said, I am shouting towards the Demon Sovereigns.
To join my Demonic Path.
Yes, I believe.
That my attack will split into eight and strike true.
"War simply cannot happen, Master."
The Fist Demon stared at me quietly, then began to take off his upper garment.
"Let us train for the first time in a while."
"Are you planning to wage that war with me?"
Despite my joke, the Fist Demon did not stop his hands from removing his clothes.
The Fist Demon’s upper body was revealed.
The Fist Demon’s body was perfect no matter when I saw it.
The large, thick muscles forged by arduous training did not look dull at all.
His body was shining like a diamond.
One sword scar dividing the Fist Demon’s chest.
I heard before how he got that scar.
It is a scar from the days he fought in the underground fighting ring before jumping into the Main Sect.
A scar caused by refusing the threats of the dark factions who were rigging matches.
Although he was ashamed of that scar left by guys he could now defeat with a single finger, I told him that scar was cool.
Because it was a scar created by valuable courage in his youth, standing tall even in the face of death.
When I first saw it, that feeling was everything, but seeing it again today, that scar looked like a symbol that spoke about the person called the Fist Demon.
I am a person who does not fear death.
I also threw off my upper garment and stepped forward.
"Ah! When will I ever become like your body, Master?"
"If you could swap, would you swap with my body?"
Rumble.
The Fist Demon’s tightly clenched fist cried low.
"I will confess in advance. Lately, I neglected my fist technique training while focusing on the Nine Calamities Demon Art."
I felt sorry to the Fist Demon because it was pushed back in priority for training every time.
But he understood my circumstances well.
"No need to rush. Master the Nine Calamities Demon Art thoroughly first; it is enough to learn this later."
I thought he would suggest having a bout, but the Fist Demon gave a teaching just like usual.
We stood side by side and began to unfold the Thunder Asura Fist.
Burying the argument regarding the war, we immersed ourselves in training.
Kwa-rurung!
The Fist Demon’s fist began to tear the empty air.
I began to execute the forms with movements identical to the Fist Demon’s.
When we unfolded the First Fist Form, Black Cloud Asura, the Fist Demon’s thunder sound and my thunder sound burst out simultaneously.
The Second Fist Form, Thunder Asura, tore through the air with fists so fast they were invisible, and the Heavenly Thunder Asura struck down heavily.
The Iron Leg Asura was magnificent, and the Diamond Asura was solid.
We were truly performing identical movements, like a body and its shadow.
However, the martial intent contained in the movements was completely different.
If the Fist Demon was the deep ocean, I was merely a river yet.
With the final sixth form, the Yama Thunder Asura where the King Yama strikes down with lightning, one round of training ended.
We concentrated so much that sweat poured down our bodies like rain.
Training like this, shirtless with the Fist Demon, was hotter than any other training.
"The power contained in your fist has changed."
He noticed that my inner energy had increased even though I used the same strength as before.
Now it is not easy to notice the changes in my level as I display perfect Return to Simplicity, but it seems the power contained in this fist cannot be hidden from him no matter how much I try to hide it.
"As a reward for this recent matter, the Ice Palace Master granted me the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal."
The Fist Demon looked at me with a surprised face.
He also knows.
What must precede consuming the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal.
"I was lucky enough to be able to consume the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng as well."
The Fist Demon’s expression was asking this.
How could one consume the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and obtain the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal with just luck?
"Can you generate cold energy from your inner energy?"
Since the energy of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng had melted into all my meridians and organs.
"Yes, I can."
"Then try unfolding the Thunder Asura Fist with as much cold energy as possible."
I unfolded the Thunder Asura Fist alone again.
I put cold energy into my inner energy as the Fist Demon instructed.
It felt completely different from before.
Even with the same inner energy, the power was stronger.
"Originally, the Thunder Asura Fist is a fist technique made to shine even more when possessed of extreme cold inner energy. I think the fact that you, who became my disciple, obtained the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal means you have a deep connection with the Thunder Asura Fist as well. So do not treat it lightly and make sure to achieve Great Mastery."
"I will keep it in mind, Master."
The Fist Demon passed on enlightenment regarding the Thunder Asura Fist again.
It was a teaching different from the one he gave in the snowy mountain before.
Content omitted back then because it wasn't needed, and new realizations he gained in the meantime.
The Fist Demon taught truly unsparingly.
A person who becomes a true teacher when he is a teacher, and a true father when he is a father—the Fist Demon is this kind of person.
This Fist Demon is Father's Demon Sovereign.
When the Fist Demon’s teaching ended, I promptly bowed to him.
"Master gives me such great teachings, yet this disciple was committing rudeness to Master."
The Fist Demon raised me up.
That day from long ago flashed through his blunt eyes.
"You know how I met the Cult Master, right?"
When he was about to die at the hands of the dark faction bastards in the underground fighting ring, Father saved him.
The Fist Demon followed Father to the Main Sect and entered the Eastern Fist Hall.
He said Father came to find him again when he became the Black Fist there.
What Father said back then was this.
—I will become the Heavenly Demon, so you become my Fist Demon.
On that day, the Fist Demon became Father's person.
"I am a body that died long ago. Living now is a bonus life granted by the Cult Master."
The Fist Demon’s gaze toward me deepened.
"I respect your Demonic Path."
Sincerity was contained in those intense eyes.
However, that respect could not change his heart toward Father.
"But I will follow the Cult Master's Demonic Path."