Chapter 158
IRL Fight (2)
In every era, there were people who went beyond remembering the past and actively worshipped it.
This was especially true when that past was not merely glorious but had left an indelible mark on history.
It was similar to the familiar refrain, “Back in my day...”
The two races that displayed this tendency most prominently were humans and elves.
Since founding their nation, the elves had never experienced a humiliating period in their history.
This stood in stark contrast to the demons, their greatest rivals, who had once run rampant only to have the tables turned on them by the Hero.
However, just as daylight could not last forever, even the brilliance of their golden age eventually began to fade.
That was why the elves who remembered that golden age became trapped in the past, constantly muttering, “Back in my day...”
—Then what about humans?
└What do you think? They’re dopamine addicts even worse than the demons.
└Humanity’s highs are absurdly high, so its history is full of all kinds of crazy events;;
—Just look at El Dorado. They strutted around with their chests puffed out for ages after subjugating the Immortal King.
└People still worship the First Hero even now.
—Isn’t that basically like digging up his corpse and desecrating it?;;
└These things normally fade with time. The First Hero is the strange exception. Nobody worships ancient rulers anymore.
Humans were a race whose lows were bottomless but whose highs were absurdly lofty.
Most of the figures who had left a significant mark on world history, such as the Immortal King, were humans.
But did anyone actually worship the Immortal King?
There were some, but only in the Gallery.
If they tried doing that in the real world, they would deserve to be punched by a random passerby.
└BloodDemonRebornAllBloodBows: Even if those mongrels swarmed him, the Blood Demon would not shed a single drop of blood.
└Looks like one of the Blood Demon’s mutts has arrived. But I think he might actually be right?
└Yeah. Honestly, the Blood Demon’s impact was greater. He practically split the martial world in half.
—The Orthodox–Blood War wiped out an entire generation of masters. There’s a reason the Heavenly Demon isn’t as famous. Lol.
—The Orthodox–Blood War happened fifty years ago. How could there still be a shortage of masters?
└If your spine breaks, can you still move your legs?
└Even the promising talents of the younger generation were wiped out. You can imagine what happened to everyone below them.
└What’s the Blood Demon? I occasionally hear about bastards from something called the Blood Cult causing trouble in the real world.
└Those are actual remnants of the Blood Cult;;
└The same Blood Cult remnants causing trouble in the real world are also running rampant in the Gallery.
└Oh.
└But isn’t the Heavenly Demon more famous these days? And just to be clear, I mean the real Heavenly Demon, not the registered user.
└That’s true, but she’s slightly lacking in impact.
└She beheaded the emperor. She defeated all the masters too.
The Blood Demon, however, was slightly different.
They might be called mere remnants, but unlike the Immortal King, he still had genuine followers.
The difference was that the Immortal King had been an undead who was “subjugated,” whereas the Blood Demon had demonstrated transcendent human strength before simply “disappearing.”
Being drawn toward an overwhelmingly powerful being and wanting to enter the safety of their domain was a natural animal instinct.
No matter how far humanity advanced, that instinct would always remain embedded at its foundation.
People simply did not act on it collectively because they could distinguish right from wrong and wanted to preserve the existing social order.
—The Demonic Cult hasn’t really done anything noteworthy lately either. The Heavenly Demon appeared in the martial world once, and that was it.
└What are they doing these days?
└They’re probably asleep right now.
└Well, it is about time to sleep. Lmao.
└This is so ridiculous. Lol.
The imperial authorities had left the matter entirely to the masters of the martial world without intervening.
Apparently, it was a long-standing tradition.
That was why the government remained quiet even when remnants of the Blood Cult—or the so-called Blood Demon Corps—caused trouble.
Thanks to this combination of factors, the Blood Demon possessed greater name recognition than the Heavenly Demon.
Furthermore, the Blood Cult’s aggressive advertising(?) had also made him infamous throughout the Gallery.
By now, it was difficult to tell whether the Blood Demon had created the meme or the meme had created the Blood Demon.
Either way, fame was still fame.
—Also, every bastard who worships the Blood Demon in real life is completely insane, so it’s better not to provoke them.
└Yeah. You avoid shit because it’s filthy, not because you’re afraid of it.
└This is the martial world. Just think of it as accidentally stepping in shit;;
└Sometimes that shit jumps on me first, though.
The peculiar culture of the Central Plains also played a significant role.
The government and the martial world did not interfere in each other’s affairs.
The authorities stayed out of the martial world—even though the Blood Demon had taken the lives of countless masters and had harmed civilians.
—So public safety there is just fucking terrible. How is that any different from a lawless wasteland?
└That’s why the average person in the Central Plains is absurdly strong. If you pick a fight with some random kid on the street, you’re fucked.
└There’s even a saying in the martial world that you should beware of the elderly, women, and children.
└How are ordinary people supposed to survive?
└They either build connections or strengthen themselves.
└For reference, inns are destroyed by fighting masters practically every day. Lmao.
—That’s why the emperor reduced taxes for inns. That was genuinely a good policy.
—You mean the emperor who got clapped by the Heavenly Demon?
└Yeah, and the next emperor immediately abolished it. Lol.
└Fuck, why are all the emperors of the Central Plains completely useless? The previous emperor even banned the Gallery.
└The country is simply showing signs of collapse.
Still, it was not as though the imperial authorities did absolutely nothing.
A fight between martial artists might be one thing, but the Blood Cult was an organization that harmed civilians.
Since ancient times, when popular support shifted from the government to a particular faction, the country would inevitably fracture.
For that reason, the authorities protected public sentiment in their own way by offering generous compensation and reducing taxes.
Most importantly, the Central Plains covered an enormous territory.
Unless an incident was serious enough to overthrow the entire nation, there was no way the government could respond to every single event.
The Blood Cult had only attempted to drown the martial world in blood. It had never planned to conquer the imperial government.
For this variety of complicated reasons, the authorities quietly swept matters under the rug even when Blood Cult remnants committed atrocities in the real world.
└So what’s the conclusion? Wi Hochang is alive!!
└Wi!
└Ho!
└Chang!
└If he underwent Feathered Ascension, should that even count as being alive? Besides, his successors are gorillas. Lmao.
└The Blood Demon watches over us from the heavens!
└Worship him! Wi Hochang!
└This is driving me insane. Lol.
└They’re causing even more trouble now that they’ve heard he underwent Feathered Ascension;;
└If he really did undergo Feathered Ascension, then I guess we can’t complain about people worshipping him.
└Just please don’t cause trouble in the real world.
Whether sincerely or as part of a meme, the Blood Demon Wi Hochang was worshipped by many.
Plenty of people disliked this atmosphere, but one person was more displeased than anyone else.
“I don’t like this.”
That person was the Heavenly Demon, Yu Sowol.
Whenever stories about Wi Hochang circulated through the Gallery, she could not conceal her displeasure.
She was already thoroughly familiar with the Blood Demon’s reputation.
He was a great demon who had piled corpses into mountains and turned blood into rivers.
He had left an enormous mark on the history of the martial world, and his followers remained active to this day.
Yu Sowol did not like that.
She, too, had left a tremendous mark not only on the martial world but upon the entire Central Plains.
When she first entered the martial world, she defeated every renowned master who stood before her. She had even gone on to behead the emperor.
However, people dismissed the former achievement by claiming that the aftermath of the Orthodox–Blood War had left her with nothing but third-rate opponents.
As for the latter, the imperial family had suppressed and distorted the news.
What did any of her boasting in the Gallery matter if no one worshipped her in the real world?
This Lady is not entirely blameless, though.
Then was Yu Sowol completely without fault?
No, that could not be said.
One of the many problems was her registered username.
She had boldly created an account under the name “Heavenly Demon.”
Then she had used that account to spout all manner of martial-boomer nonsense, so naturally, the prestige of the name had faded somewhat.
The decisive problem was that she had done practically nothing since first emerging into the martial world. The remnants of the Blood Cult, meanwhile, had remained consistently active.
The Demonic Brain, Wi Seorak, had advised her to be patient, insisting that the time had not yet come, but...
Now that things have come to this, it seems this Lady has no choice but to go in person.
Since her opponent had challenged her to an “IRL fight,” she could no longer avoid confronting him personally.
If she backed down now, the honor of the registered user Heavenly Demon—not the real Heavenly Demon—would fall to the ground.
The honor of the registered user Heavenly Demon was also tied to the pride of Yu Sowol as a human being. Retreat was therefore out of the question.
Yu Sowol immediately summoned Wi Seorak.
“This Lady shall be away for a short while.”
Upon hearing that, Wi Seorak struggled to keep his expression under control. The area beneath his eyes kept twitching.
He looked as though he might clutch the back of his neck and collapse at any moment.
For now, he pretended not to know anything and asked why.
After all, this was far from the first time Yu Sowol had caused such an incident.
“...Heavens above. May I ask your reason?”
“It is a personal matter.”
You’re going to fight someone you met online, you immature woman.
Wi Seorak barely managed to swallow the words rising to his throat.
Things had seemed peaceful lately, but she was finally about to cause another disaster.
As a Gallery user himself, he knew perfectly well what was happening.
But what good did knowing do?
An unstoppable calamity was already upon him.
Wi Seorak racked his brain, wondering how he could persuade Yu Sowol to tell him the truth.
First, this matter must remain completely secret.
Even if a location had been chosen, there was no guarantee that the opponent would actually appear.
If the matter did not remain secret, spectators would undoubtedly gather. And if Yu Sowol ended up standing there all alone...
If she continued waiting there by herself for an opponent who might never arrive...
The mere thought of how people would treat her afterward was horrifying.
Therefore, Yu Sowol needed to handle the matter personally and in the utmost secrecy.
But this is strange. She usually ignores such things. Is it because the opponent belongs to the Blood Cult?
The Heavenly Demon had received plenty of challenges to IRL fights.
Her habit of posting whatever she wanted without caring what others thought had irritated many people.
As far as he knew, she had merely snorted and ignored every previous challenge.
This time, however, her reaction was different. It seemed to be because her opponent had a registered account and was suspected of being an actual remnant of the Blood Demon’s forces.
With that thought, Wi Seorak spoke respectfully.
“Even if it is a personal matter, we are those who serve the Heavens. The will of the Heavens is our will, and only while the Heavens remain above us can the subjects below continue to live.”
If you move, we have no choice but to move with you. So please tell us your intentions.
Yu Sowol understood his meaning and ceased being stubborn.
In truth, she also had concerns of her own.
If this Lady goes personally, they might discover that we are the same person.
That was her greatest concern.
Her registered identity might be exposed.
To prevent that, she intended to choose a sparsely populated location, but there was no telling what would happen.
After all, her opponent was the one choosing the meeting place. Yu Sowol knew little about the local geography.
In conclusion, it might be better not to go.
Yu Sowol nodded and spoke.
“Even though he has sullied the name of the Heavenly Demon?”
She referred to herself as “the Heavenly Demon” instead of “this Lady.”
If she used her usual form of address, it would practically confirm that she was the registered user Heavenly Demon.
At first glance, it sounded as though she intended to punish an impostor—but Wi Seorak knew better.
He was already fully aware that she was the registered user known as Heavenly Demon.
That’s it!
Still, it did not matter.
Getting her to admit the truth was enough.
Wi Seorak inwardly cheered before speaking respectfully.
“No matter how violently vermin struggle, they remain nothing more than vermin. Showing mercy is also a virtue.”
“Would you have this Lady remain still when a bug has flown into her ear?”
The Blood Demon Corps really got under her skin.
Wi Seorak understood immediately.
Yu Sowol was already displeased that the Blood Demon enjoyed greater recognition(?) than the Heavenly Demon.
Furthermore, the Blood Cult was naturally poised to gain even more influence.
After all, Grylls had revealed both the Blood Demon’s fate and his supposed Feathered Ascension.
Yu Sowol must have intended to turn that situation to her advantage.
Wi Seorak finally understood her plan.
But we don’t even know whether her opponent is genuine.
The Heavenly Demon was undoubtedly the real Heavenly Demon.
But was the other person genuine too?
More than half the information circulating through the Gallery was false, and posts from registered users were no exception.
The Gallery was a place where everything had to be taken with a grain of salt.
What, then, should they do?
As Wi Seorak considered the question—
“Hmm. What an amusing fellow.”
“Pardon?”
“Access the Gallery.”
While he was lost in thought, Yu Sowol gave him an order.
Wi Seorak was briefly puzzled, but he quickly realized that something must have happened in the Gallery.
He hurriedly accessed it and looked through the posts.
[Heavenly Demon, Behold.]
Recommendations poured in, propelling the post into the trending section almost instantly.
Wi Seorak opened it without delay.
Title: Heavenly Demon, Behold
BloodDemonRebornAllBloodBows
(Photo of a map showing somewhere in the middle of a major city)
I have chosen the location where our martial duel shall take place.
Your severed head shall serve as the signal announcing the Blood Cult’s return.
—Heavenly Demon: What an arrogant wretch. This Lady shall engrave her might upon your very bones.
└BloodDemonRebornAllBloodBows: I eagerly await the day I bathe my body in your blood.
└Damn. Just imagining this duel makes my heart swell. Lmao.
└Look at the way these martial-boomer bastards talk. Lmfao.
—Doesn’t this count as prohibited socializing?
└IRL fights are exempt from the rule against socializing. People genuinely fight each other surprisingly often. Lol.
“What an amusing fellow. The same goes for that person impersonating this Lady.”
“...”
You posted that comment yourself. How can you be so shameless?
Wi Seorak stared blankly at the utterly brazen Yu Sowol.
Then an idea flashed through his mind, and his expression abruptly changed.
No. Wait. Wouldn’t this actually be better?
Wi Seorak immediately shared his idea with Yu Sowol.
“That is quite...”
After hearing his proposal, Yu Sowol—
“This Lady likes it.”
—curved her lips into a pleased smile.
***
Meanwhile, at the same time, Grylls was reading the trending post.
“Ah, I’m jealous. I want to see it too.”
He was deeply disappointed that he would not be able to witness such an awe-inspiring duel.