Chapter 612: Did You See That?

“This is tasty. One more.”

“......” Sagon furrowed his brow and clutched the mooncakes in his lap, glaring resolutely at the Third Apostle, who was casually reaching for his fourth helping.

I’m not giving you any more, he said with his eyes. Although he did not voice it aloud, he was sure his intention could not have been clearer.

The Third Apostle narrowed his eyes. Licking the crumbs from his fingers, he growled, “Can’t you spare one? Are our decades of trusting each other with our lives worth so little to you?”

“......”

“So just give me one more.”

The Third Apostle held out his hand with a perfectly serious expression.

Sagon snorted and popped a mooncake into his own mouth.

“You cheap bastard...” The Third Apostle scowled at his old friend, but the look that made Blood Cultists tremble had no effect on him. He shot up from his seat like a man about to draw his weapon. “Fine. I’ll go buy some myself. Where do they sell these?”

“......”

As Sagon began signing the location, the Second Apostle exploited his one momentary lapse in concentration, snatching the mooncakes out of his lap with a lightning-fast grappling technique.

“I thought I told you both not to do anything conspicuous,” she giggled triumphantly.

“...!”

Sagon stared at her in shock, while the Third Apostle sneered.

Just then, the First Apostle arrived and took his seat. A sound-blocking barrier went up around them the moment he sat down.

The Third Apostle immediately started ranting, as though he had been waiting all day for this exact moment. “Listen to this, Number One. Number Four is hoarding snacks. After making us eat those tasteless meatbuns for three days, he finally brings something edible, and...”

“The Cult has stopped sending us daily reports.”

Every expression at the table hardened.

Over the past few days, they had felt as if they had returned to a childhood none of them had ever actually lived. The sights, the crowds, and the sheer variety of experiences had been a welcome change. They enjoyed mingling with strangers, wandering the city, watching the Heavenly Martial Festival, and playing pranks on each other. All of it let them forget reality for a while.

The First Apostle’s news brought them back to reality in an instant.

“Did the Murim Alliance catch on?” the Second Apostle asked emotionlessly, setting her half-eaten mooncake on the ground.

The Third Apostle’s face was similarly devoid of any expression.

“......” Sagon studied his old friends, feeling heavy-hearted. He waved his hands, but the other Apostles ignored him.

“It’s not the Murim Alliance. Our Cult is the problem. Either there’s an internal conflict, or someone has rebelled. Actually, it could easily be both.”

The First Apostle delivered this information with a placid face, as though he were discussing someone else’s affairs.

“We’ll have to go back,” the Third Apostle said, the scent of blood seeming to radiate from him.

This would not be the first rebellion they had faced. Several had broken out within the Blood Cult over the past few decades, and they had crushed each attempt with overwhelming force. In particular, the Third Apostle had cut down more apostates and enemies than anyone else.

The Third Apostle gritted his teeth. “Those bastards are like beasts that don’t even recognize their master. To think they’d try this after we’d only been gone for a few days...”

“If it’s a rebellion, then the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Clans must be behind it. They’ve grown old and greedy,” the Second Apostle added, an icy aura radiating from her. “That old brute Ju Ilcheon must be leading it.”

Out of consideration for their surroundings, she did not release her aura, but her will alone was enough to sharpen the winter wind.

The First Apostle slowly shook his head. “No, we are not returning to the Cult.”

“...Why?”

Instead of answering, the First Apostle looked toward the Azure Dragon Academy, where students were preparing for the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament.

The competitors were warming up while their instructors sparred lightly with them, offering advice and correcting their stances. Baek Suryong was coaching Hyonwon Kang and Wiji Cheon simultaneously, dual-wielding with his blade and sword.

The First Apostle’s vision blurred, and the scene overlapped with a familiar one from decades ago.

“...The Cult is no longer important.”

“What?”

“What do you mean, the Cult isn’t important?”

The three Apostles were stunned by the words of the man who had devoted his life to rebuilding the Blood Cult more fiercely than anyone else alive.

“Wait for me.”

They had spent decades biding their time and making preparations because of that single phrase. Rebuilding the fallen Blood Cult and welcoming the Supreme Lord, who would one day return, was their sole purpose.

And now the First Apostle was saying the Cult no longer mattered?

Seeing the disbelief in their eyes, the First Apostle smirked. His smile was entirely contrived, a superficial imitation of someone else’s mischievous grin. “Do you remember our master’s final moments? If the Azure Dragon Hero is truly his reincarnation...” He met each of his old friends’ eyes in turn, and his smile warped into something ghastly. “Then he has mastered not only our martial arts but also the Heaven-Defying Divine Art.”

“...!”

“...!”

Shock flooded the Apostles’ eyes.

They should have anticipated this. At first, they had dismissed Sagon’s absurd story outright, so the thought never occurred to them. Later, they were too stunned by the sight of students using their martial arts to consider it.

...Or perhaps they had simply wanted to ignore it.

Their former instructor was the man who knew more about the Blood Cult than anyone else alive. He taught the Apostles every technique they knew.

Most importantly, he was a peerless master who had learned the Heaven-Defying Divine Art.

The implications were too significant to be a coincidence.

The Second and Third Apostles stared at Baek Suryong, half-dazed. The look in their eyes had changed entirely.

“Don’t tell me...”

“Do you seriously think that man is...”

The First Apostle grinned, revealing his white teeth. He had found a way to untangle the entire web of debts and hatred with one move. “Yes, the Azure Dragon Hero is...” He paused. His heart still burned, yet his mind was colder and more rational than ever. Exhaling a plume of white breath, he continued, “He is a being who could become our Supreme Lord.”

The First Apostle rose to his feet. On his way out, he offered one last remark, “I will seek an opportunity to make contact with the Azure Dragon Hero.”

“Number One!” Sagon shouted, blocking his path. He stared at his old friend with a desperate expression. He didn’t have many opportunities to speak aloud left, but he didn’t hesitate to do so.

The First Apostle faced him coolly. “Enough. The time for games is over, Number Four.”

“......”

Ultimately, Sagon couldn’t stop his old friend from storming past him.

The preliminaries for the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament commenced. Over the course of three days, sixty-four students would compete for the title of the world’s greatest prodigy. Each of the Five Great Academies would be represented by twelve students, not including the four finalists from last year’s tournament.

“ROOOOAR!”