Chapter 86:Secrets of The First Era

The battlefield had finally fallen silent.

Not because peace had returned—

—but because there was no one left alive to continue the war.

When Sue, Yu Ming, Tang Ock, Zhong Yu, Tsuru, Lei Xin, and Elizabeth arrived, they stopped in their tracks.

No one spoke.

The world before them was unrecognizable.

Entire mountain ranges had vanished as though a giant hand had wiped them from existence.

Ancient rivers had dried into cracked valleys.

Deep canyons stretched across the earth where none had existed before.

The sky itself still carried long scars left by sword qi, refusing to heal.

It looked less like the aftermath of a battle...

...and more like the aftermath of a god's wrath.

Sue whispered,

"...This can't be real."

Yu Ming slowly looked around.

"Did three people really do all of this?"

Elizabeth clenched her fists.

"...No wonder Father called this generation the beginning of a new era."

None of them could imagine how terrifying the battle had truly been.

They had only seen its remains.

The deeper they walked...

...the worse it became.

Broken banners fluttered weakly in the wind.

Shattered weapons lay scattered across the ground.

Pieces of armor were buried beneath mountains of fallen soldiers.

Blood had gathered into streams that flowed between the rocks.

The smell of iron hung heavily in the air.

Even seasoned martial artists felt their stomachs tighten.

Tsuru lowered her voice.

"...This isn't a battlefield."

"It's a graveyard."

Then—

A familiar voice echoed lazily.

"You guys are late."

Everyone instinctively looked upward.

At the center of the battlefield...

...stood a throne.

Not carved from stone.

Not forged from gold.

A throne built from broken armor, shattered weapons, and the bones of the defeated.

Sitting upon it casually...

...was Lucifer.

One leg rested over the other.

His black robes fluttered in the wind.

His crimson eyes reflected the crimson sunset behind him.

He looked less like a victor...

...and more like the god who had judged the battlefield itself.

Sue pinched the bridge of her nose.

"...Why are you sitting there?"

Lucifer shrugged.

"I thought it'd look cool."

He spread his arms dramatically.

"So?"

"How do I look?"

For several seconds...

Nobody answered.

Then Yu Ming sighed.

"...Only you would think of posing after destroying half a mountain range."

Tsuru shook her head.

"I've officially stopped trying to understand him."

Elizabeth covered her face.

"...Somehow..."

"...this is exactly what I expected."

Lucifer grinned.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Tang Ock folded her arms.

"Planning on sitting there all day?"

"No."

Lucifer stood.

Then...

Instead of jumping...

He simply slid down the mountain of corpses like a child sliding down a hill.

Everyone stared.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Even Chirin was speechless.

Lucifer landed gracefully.

"See?"

"Way faster."

Yu Ming rubbed her forehead.

"...He's hopeless."

Lucifer stretched lazily.

"Well."

"The war's over."

"Let's go home."

The journey back toward the Demonic Cult was surprisingly peaceful.

For once...

No one was chasing them.

No armies blocked their path.

Only silence accompanied their footsteps.

Tang Ock glanced behind her one last time.

Sichuan.

Her birthplace.

The Tang Clan.

Everything she had protected for years.

"I never thought I'd leave like this..."

Lucifer noticed.

"We'll come back."

She looked at him.

"What makes you so sure?"

He smiled.

"Because Sichuan belongs to the Demonic Cult now."

"It's home too."

For some reason...

Those simple words eased her heart.

She hesitated again.

"...Will the Demonic Cult even accept us?"

"We were enemies."

"We've fought them for years."

Elizabeth answered before Lucifer could.

"Most won't."

"They've lost family because of the Tang Clan."

"But..."

She smiled faintly.

"If Lucifer says you're under his protection..."

"...few would dare object."

Tang Ock laughed softly.

"So being close to you comes with privileges?"

Lucifer shrugged.

"There are plenty of things you still don't know about me."

Several hours later...

The towering gates of the Demonic Cult opened.

As expected...

Lucifer was immediately summoned to the Demonic Palace.

The others were escorted toward guest residences prepared for them.

The palace doors slowly opened.

Lucifer walked inside without ceremony.

"You know..."

"Every time I come back..."

"I somehow end up dealing with you."

The Heavenly Demon calmly poured sake into two cups.

"And every time you return..."

"...you somehow bring another woman into your little collection."

Lucifer took the cup.

"...Fair."

The Heavenly Demon chuckled.

"So."

"I'll stop teasing you."

"There is something more important."

Lucifer took a sip.

"I'm listening."

"Have you ever heard of..."

"...Daxia?"

Lucifer blinked.

"No."

The Sword Demon sighed.

"I expected as much."

Lucifer shrugged.

"I don't usually study dead people."

"History is history."

The Heavenly Demon slowly walked toward the enormous window overlooking the Demonic Cult.

"...What if history isn't dead?"

Lucifer's expression sharpened.

"Daxia..."

"...was the first leader of what would later become the Murim Alliance."

"The founder?"

"Yes."

Lucifer frowned.

"So?"

"I assume she's buried somewhere."

The Heavenly Demon slowly shook his head.

"I never said she died."

Silence.

Lucifer slowly placed his cup down.

"...Now you've got my attention."

The Heavenly Demon began telling a story few people in the world still knew.

Long before the Murim Alliance...

Long before the Demonic Cult...

There had been a single empire.

A golden age where martial arts, alchemy, formations, and cultivation had reached heights that modern Murim could scarcely imagine.

The empire's emperor had two heirs.

His eldest daughter—

Daxia.

And his younger son—

Chunma.

Chirin suddenly spoke.

"...The first Heavenly Demon."

Lucifer looked down at his sword.

"You know him?"

"I've been around much longer than you."

The Heavenly Demon smiled.

"Apparently your sword has a better education."

Lucifer rolled his eyes.

"Keep talking."

"Daxia possessed overwhelming talent."

"She was compassionate."

"Wise."

"Beloved by the people."

She was declared the next ruler.

Chunma...

Was not.

Unable to accept defeat...

He sought forbidden power.

What followed was a civil war that shattered the empire.

The emperor died.

Chunma was exiled.

Later...

Chunma founded the Demonic Cult.

Daxia created the Murim Alliance.

Their conflict continued long after the empire disappeared.

Until...

One day...

Both vanished.

Without explanation.

Neither side ever discovered what truly happened.

Lucifer leaned back.

"So..."

"We're fighting because of siblings?"

The Heavenly Demon laughed.

"In a way."

"But there's another secret."

"They never had children."

Lucifer blinked.

"...Seriously?"

"They dedicated their lives entirely to their ideals."

Chirin sighed.

"That's what you focused on?"

The Heavenly Demon continued.

"The leaders of both factions inherited only their teachings."

"Not their blood."

"If this truth became public..."

"The foundations of both organizations would shake."

"The Murim Alliance wishes to erase every trace."

"We preserve it only among the Cult Leaders and their successors."

Lucifer scratched his cheek.

"...Well."

"I'm definitely not becoming your successor."

The Heavenly Demon snorted.

"I wasn't planning to ask."

"You'd rather fight than govern."

"...That's unfair."

"It's accurate."

The room fell silent.

Finally...

The Heavenly Demon looked directly into Lucifer's eyes.

"I have a mission."

"Investigate Daxia's final whereabouts."

"And report only to me."

"No one else."

Lucifer finished the last drop of sake.

"A secret mission."

"I like those."

He stood.

"Got it."

As he walked toward the exit...

The Sword Demon quietly spoke.

"You trust him too much."

The Heavenly Demon watched the closing door.

"Perhaps."

"...Or perhaps I've simply learned to trust the right person."

Lucifer eventually returned home.

He pushed open the door—

—and froze.

His bed...

...was occupied.

Sue sat calmly in the middle.

Tang Ock smiled gently.

Yu Ming crossed her arms.

Elizabeth stood awkwardly near the wall.

Tsuru, Lei Xin, and Zhong Yu were all somehow inside as well.

Lucifer stared.

"...That's my bed."

Sue smiled.

"Not anymore."

Yu Ming nodded.

"We've reached an agreement."

Tang Ock added,

"If we're going to stay together..."

"We should stop competing."

Elizabeth folded her arms, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"...And don't play favorites."

Lucifer looked from one face to another.

Then sighed dramatically.

"...You all planned this while I was gone?"

Everyone smiled.

"...Yes."

He chuckled.

"You know..."

"For the strongest people in Murim..."

"...you're all surprisingly terrifying."

Laughter filled the room.

Lucifer quietly closed the door behind him.

Then...

Without warning...

He picked up Chirin and tossed the complaining sword outside.

"Oi!"

"You traitor!"

The door shut.

The sword landed with a loud clang.

Chirin stared at the closed door for a long moment before sighing toward the moon.

"...Looks like I'm sleeping outside again."

The lights inside the room remained warm as laughter drifted through the windows.

For one rare evening...

The Devil wasn't standing on a battlefield.

He was simply surrounded by the people who had chosen to stand beside him.

End of Chapter