novelraw Chapter 76 : How a Shrimp Fights a Whale (2)
Chapter 76 : How a Shrimp Fights a Whale (2)
There's no reaction. He's just staring blankly.
I understand too. If a stranger suddenly appeared, opened the door of someone else's house without permission, and said he had come to pick him up, I too would have thought, 'What's with that crazy bastard?'
I was too hasty.
I politely closed the door again, knocked politely from the outside, then opened the door and entered, and said to the owner of the room.
"It's been a while, Demonic Brain."
The Demonic Brain was still silent. Although he was a man of few words, he was even more anxious today.
Come to think of it, this is no different from before.
It's a refusal without even looking.
It's not that I haven't prepared an alternative.
I came back to the Heavenly Demon Cult, risking danger, but if I go back without any gain, I will be very disappointed.
If the Demonic Brain refuses my proposal, I would first quickly hit the Demonic Brain's head to knock him out and take him with me.
If I explain the situation step by step later, the Demonic Brain I know will surely understand.
What if he doesn't understand?
As a third alternative, I'll come back to the Heavenly Demon Cult and kidnap the military strategist. Unlike the other elders, the military strategist's realm is relatively low, so it was thought that kidnapping him would not be so difficult.
What if this also fails?
Then I'll have to go to the Blood Cult and kidnap their military strategist.
What if this also fails?
Then I'll have to do it alone. Fuck.
No matter how many alternatives there are, it is true that the first one is the best.
Above all, the Demonic Brain had proved his ability before my regression.
The Demonic Brain is the smartest person I know. How smart is he? Based on before my regression, the Demonic Brain in the nursery was so smart that the military strategist recognized him and took him as a direct disciple.
After that, the Demonic Brain handled all the affairs of the Heavenly Demon Cult with the military strategist, rose to the position of deputy military strategist at the age of ten, and handled all the affairs of the Heavenly Demon Cult as the acting military strategist at the age of fifteen.
And after the Demonic Brain took over the affairs of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the Heavenly Demon Cult became a better place to live, its influence grew, and its military power, financial power, and manpower were further strengthened.
When the Demonic Brain was the military strategist, his prestige was so great that even the Imperial Palace would send New Year's greetings to the Heavenly Demon Cult every year.
The problem was that after my regression, the Demonic Brain had not shown any ability in this area. It didn't seem like he had studied much either.
Even now, looking at his dazed eyes, my faith in the Demonic Brain has diminished slightly, but for now, the only person I could trust was the Demonic Brain.
Finally, the Demonic Brain's gaze becomes clear.
The Demonic Brain looks at me accurately.
"The fact that the captain is alive and not dead means that there was a need to fake his death."
"Th-that's right."
The Demonic Brain, without me explaining who I was or what situation I was in, had accurately deduced it.
"Perhaps the target you're trying to deceive is the third force that's currently being talked about?"
"Oh, that's right!"
"I heard from the Young Lord that it's called the Chaotic Heavenly Society. It's impossible for the Young Lord to know about a force that no one knew about. It's obvious that the captain leaked it to the Young Lord. No. Is it more accurate to say it this way? The captain deliberately deceived the Young Lord. Right?"
"A-are you a ghost?"
As the Demonic Brain, who had been silent, began to speak, I suddenly became scared. Could it be that he had looked into my heart? Is he a master of mind reading?
"The Young Lord knows that the captain is dead. But the fact that you came to me, not the Young Lord, means that there is still a need to fake your death to the Young Lord. And at this point, I am more necessary to the captain than the Young Lord."
A slightly raised corner of the mouth.
Confident pupils.
Round cheeks!
I can see it. The appearance of that annoying Demonic Brain from before my regression!
No! No! My good Demonic Brain can't be the same as that brat!
"Tell me everything the captain knows."
"Y-yes."
Although I hadn't made a proposal, the Demonic Brain was quite cooperative.
I quickly closed the door, sat down in the room, and talked about what I had been through.
The incident with Yang So-pyeong, the Young Lord of the Sura Cult and the owner of the Six Yang Divine Meridian.
The incident with the first elder of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
The matter of the sheep mask.
The incident of meeting the Sword Emperor in the Orthodox Faction.
The incident of meeting the Rakshasa Divine Maiden, the disciple of the Heavenly Emperor.
The incident that happened in the Gansu Province battle.
And even the incident of meeting the Divine Monk and Yak-seon.
The Demonic Brain, who had heard all my words, said.
"You don't really know anything. Is that it?"
"Th-that's right."
"The Chaotic Heavenly Society is also just something the captain made up?"
"Th-that's right. But it's not a lie."
"Yeah, I believe you. But by the way."
"Yeah?"
"Why are you excluding the Young Lord? According to the captain's words, the person who would be most helpful in the current situation is the Young Lord. For now, we can fill the most necessary military power."
The Demonic Brain's words were right.
My junior sister is the owner of the Heavenly Dragon Saintly Bones, and she is the person with the most outstanding martial talent among the people I know.
Although one more person has been added now.
Still, I thought my junior sister was more outstanding.
That's why.
"They are strong. And they have been acting secretly behind the scenes of the martial world without anyone knowing."
My junior sister was the only sword that could reach them.
She needed to become stronger, more harshly, and more quickly.
"Although it's not real, the Young Lord thinks of me as family. And the Young Lord has a strong longing for family. I used that to plant a feeling of revenge in the Young Lord. In the hope that the Young Lord will become stronger in the future."
"Then you still have no intention of letting the Young Lord know that the captain is alive?"
"That's right. Because the Young Lord has to become stronger."
"Well, it's not without problems, but the direction is not bad. I understand the captain's words. And I also understand the current situation."
The Demonic Brain continued.
"Now! The things we need to solve first are to prevent the Divine Monk's death and to predict their next move. The captain came to me because he was curious about that. Right?"
"Exactly!"
"From what the captain has found out, they are eliminating people who will interfere with their work in the future. Right?"
"Amazing!"
"And the captain is also included in that."
"That's right! By any chance, do you know the reason?"
"Hmm... the captain is outstanding, but why? If there is, it means there is something hidden in the captain, but why?"
"Let's talk about this later. I'm getting a little discouraged hearing 'why?' all the time."
"Alright. Let's solve the immediate problem first. If we do that, we'll naturally find out about the captain's matter. Originally, when you lay things out, they're all intertwined. The Divine Monk's matter is related to the Namgung family, so there's nothing I can do right now. I belong to the Heavenly Demon Cult, and the Heavenly Demon Cult is currently sealed off from the outside. So I can't take action on things that happen outside the Heavenly Demon Cult."
"Then?"
If it ends here, it's not the Demonic Brain, but the Brainless.
"And there's no way to know their next move. After the Gansu Province battle, they are thoroughly hiding their identities. The only information revealed at present is that there is a person wearing a sheep mask among them."
The information is limited.
There's not much we can do.
In this frustrating situation, I had finally come to the Demonic Brain. But hearing about the current situation again from the Demonic Brain's mouth, there was nothing I could do from a third party's perspective.
Even if the Demonic Brain were brainless, I would have nothing to say.
At least at my level.
"The Chaotic Heavenly Society may have destroyed the Diancang Sect to create a situation like this."
"A situation?"
"You've probably heard of the calm before the storm. I think that's exactly the situation we're in now."
The weather is calm before a storm comes.
As if it were holding its breath, knowing that a huge storm is coming.
"The time when the storm comes will be when the Heavenly Demon Cult ends its seclusion. Because the Heavenly Demon Cult, after lifting its seclusion, will focus on its first move. And the Orthodox Faction will also move accordingly."
The first move of the Heavenly Demon Cult could be predicted without thinking too deeply.
Because the first move after lifting a seclusion is usually to show off that its power is still intact.
"The Orthodox Faction will be the first sacrifice. Knowing that, the Orthodox Faction will also form the Martial Alliance."
Although it may be an over-interpretation for now, if this situation escalates, it would be the second Righteous-Demonic War.
"Looking at the flowing situation and the overall circumstances, even if we don't know who they are, we can roughly know what they want."
There is a saying that you should look at the forest, not the trees.
Hearing the Demonic Brain's words, I could also see it to some extent.
The Heavenly Demon Cult, the Orthodox Faction.
And the Righteous-Demonic War.
A war inflicts great damage on both the winning and losing sides.
It could be money, military power, or people.
It could be all three: money, military power, and people.
This is largely...
"It leads to the weakening of the force."
Even if you win, you suffer damage, and if you lose, you suffer more damage.
"If it were me, I would reveal myself when both the Orthodox Faction and the Heavenly Demon Cult are at their weakest. Because that's the optimal time. And I would swallow them up in one go."
The final situation they want.
"Unification of the world."
"That's right. What they want is the unification of the world."
Then I have to stop that from now on... the scale was too big.
"On the other hand, the captain is strong as an individual, but weak compared to the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Orthodox Faction."
That's right. I'm alone, and they're a group. That's why I came to the Demonic Brain to make up for that.
"Captain. We have to fight not only the Chaotic Heavenly Society. We also have to stop the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Orthodox Faction."
Then it would be for the best... but that's...
"Is it possible?"
Thinking about it again, it was impossible.
One is hiding behind the scenes and plotting all sorts of schemes as he pleases, one is incredibly strong, and one is incredibly stubborn.
There's just no answer to this.
"Currently, we are between three whales: the Heavenly Demon Cult, the Orthodox Faction, and the Chaotic Heavenly Society. And those whales are fighting among themselves. Do you know what a shrimp has to do to not get its back broken in a fight between such whales?"
"Does the shrimp have to grow as big as a whale?"
"Even so, a shrimp is just a big shrimp. Its shell will be broken with one body slam from a whale, and it will die."
"I don't know."
"The answer is very simple."
If it's simple, he should just say the answer, why did he ask me? The Demonic Brain now and the Demonic Brain before my regression overlapped for a moment.
What was certain was that the Demonic Brain before my regression would have said this.
-You don't even know that? Are you an idiot? No, you're an idiot, so you don't know. How can you live with such a head? Ah! Is it possible because you're an idiot? It must be hard to be an idiot.
The me who had saved the Demonic Brain back then, come to think of it, I might have been a really good person.
"We just have to call a whale. Then, our backs won't be broken, and we can fight comfortably. Because the whales will be fighting among themselves."
"There has to be a whale!"
I finally found something to refute.
This is why bookworms who are cooped up in a small room are no good.
A man has to go out and shovel in the hot sun to establish his identity!
"There is. A whale that lives in Hainan."
Although Hainan is the sea, what whale lives there!
Or are you suggesting we catch a killer whale?
"A person who is not on the side of the Heavenly Demon Cult, not on the side of the Orthodox Faction, and has the power to keep both the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Orthodox Faction in check."
Hearing these words, one person came to mind.
Even before my regression, that person had been cooped up in Hainan and had never come out.
Although she was known as a person of the Righteous-Demonic Faction, her actions were closer to the Orthodox Faction.
However, when I had heard news of her, it was after she had died a lonely death.
"The Sword Empress, Ma Hae-ryeong."
The most outstanding woman among those who had learned martial arts.
Although nothing was known for sure about the Sword Empress's martial prowess, based on the revealed circumstances, it was estimated that she had at least surpassed the Transformation Realm.
She would surely be able to swim freely in the sea where the two whales were fighting without getting her shell broken.
The problem is, the Sword Empress had never left Hainan in her entire life.
She had been in Hainan during the Righteous-Demonic War, and she had been in Hainan when the Heavenly Demon Cult had intimidated the Orthodox Faction. And she had also met her death in Hainan.
"How do we make the Sword Empress our ally? She's famous for never leaving Hainan."
"Captain, do you know why the Sword Empress is cooped up in Hainan?"
"If I knew that, I would have gone to find the Sword Empress right away."
"The name Sword Empress is passed down in the Sword Pavilion from generation to generation."
"That's right. The Sword Empress is a long tradition of the Sword Pavilion."
"That's right. And as far as I know, the current Sword Empress has no successor. To be precise, she had one, but she died."
Wait, there's no next Sword Empress?
"Historically, it is written that the Sword Empress, after inheriting her title, would freely roam the martial world. Then the reason why the current Sword Empress is cooped up in Hainan and not coming out is obvious, isn't it?"
"She's either raising a successor or still looking for one."
"That's right. And if it's the latter..."
"We recruit the Sword Empress on the condition that we find her a successor."
"And we have a very excellent candidate for the Sword Empress. Her title is also similar."
"The Sword Demoness, Murong Seryeong."
A talent that the Sword Empress would drool over if she saw her.
"So this is what I have to do. Leave the affairs of the Heavenly Demon Cult to me. I'll do something about the Sword Demoness. The captain will have to do what the captain has to do, right?"
The thing I have to do at this point.
To return to the Orthodox Faction and prevent the Divine Monk's death.
And to prevent the Orthodox Faction from moving according to their intentions.
"Demonic Brain."
"Is there something else you want to say?"
"You're really smart!"
Grin.
The Demonic Brain showed a refreshing smile for the first time in a long time.
"Let's do it."
"Alright! Let's do it!"
Yoo Jae-ha heard these words as 'Let's work together to stop the Chaotic Heavenly Society's scheme, protect the peace of the martial world, and finally head towards a honey-sucking future.'
But the Demonic Brain's words had a slightly different meaning.
'It doesn't seem bad for a first move.'
The image of the end, after stopping the Chaotic Heavenly Society's scheme and protecting the peace of the martial world, was being drawn.
The Demonic Brain closed and opened his eyes.
The flames that had filled all directions were no longer visible. Only a lot of work to be done was visible.
And at the end of it, the captain was sitting.
With the honey pot he had always talked about in his hand.
The Demonic Brain once again made a promise to himself.
'Unification of the world.'
Let's do it!
It was still unknown whose dream would come true.
(End of Chapter)