Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1743 – Invisible (3)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
A sophisticated and vividly carved wooden idol sat in the center of the dark tent. Its form resembled a demon more than a god, and a suffering beast more than a demon.
Whenever the surrounding candles flickered, the long shadow cast by the idol swayed greatly along the tent walls. The sight was eerie, as if a beast was struggling to escape from the darkness.
The strange space was filled with a chanting that sounded like a song. Thanks to multiple voices sticking together thickly, the atmosphere was eerily gloomy.
In the midst of it all, a man slowly approached the statue.
While incessantly chanting strange verses, he extended a strangely shaped ritual vessel held in his hands. The large circular ritual vessel with countless beasts intertwined seemed like a shape embodying the word for 'sacrifice'.
The ritual vessel slowly tilted above the idol. A unique and bizarre ritual that couldn't be found anywhere else unfolded.
The chanting that had been close to mumbling began to transform into true song.
"Aaaaaaaaah!"
It was infinitely devout yet endlessly sinister. A unique and bizarre ritual, unlike anything found anywhere else, unfolded.
The hand of the Blood Cult Leader, presiding over all of this from the center, moved with utmost caution. It might seem like a simple act of pouring blood over the idol, but a strict procedure governed all of this. A powerful will to not allow even the slightest error lingered in his fingertips.
Flutter.
And at that moment, a gust of wind caused the tent to flutter once. At the same time, the Blood Cult Leader’s eyes holding the ritual vessel narrowed slightly.
“Aaaaahhhhh!”
The squeezed-out singing reached its climax, and the streams of blood flowing from the vessel finally dwindled.
Having poured out every last drop, the Blood Cult Leader carefully withdrew his hands. After finishing the ritual with reverent motions, he knelt before the idol and presented his open palms.
Finally completed all procedures, Blood Cult Leader carefully retreated backward.
Though elaborate, it was ultimately nothing more than a wooden idol. It didn't feel particularly old, nor did it show any special features.
But the Blood Cult Leader devoted his entire spirit to that statue until the end, as if the god he served truly dwelled within it.
Finally fully retreated, the Blood Cult Leader turned his head. His eyes that had been infinitely reverent suddenly began to glisten red.
Step.
He took a step. His steps headed toward a corner of the tent where a follower had been devoutly performing the ritual.
Realizing the Blood Cult Leader was approaching him, the follower's face turned ashen.
"C- Cult Leader-nim...?"
"Do you know what the Blood Sacrifice (혈제(血祭)) is?"
An eerie red gleam emanated from the Blood Cult Leader's eyes.
Sweat began to pour like rain from the follower's entire body. Blood sacrifice was one of the cult's most important rituals. As a follower, there was no way he wouldn't know its meaning.
Thus, the meaning behind this question was also crystal clear.
“It is a place where those who are wretchedly driven out and deemed unworthy can at least prove their devotion.”
"F- Forgive! Forgive me..."
Kwadeuk!
The Blood Cult Leader's long fingers grabbed the follower's neck. His fingertips pierced through the flesh.
"Keu... Keureureuek..."
“And yet, this sacred place is occupied by a mindless fool whose devotion was broken by a mere sound of the wind.”
Though no particular emotion showed in his voice, as a Blood Cult follower, he couldn't help but know how great the rage seething within was.
Tudududeuk!
The flowing blood fell from his toes to the floor with a patter. The follower struggled instinctively to pry away the hand gripping his throat, but the Cult Leader remained as indifferent as a man looking at a bug beneath his feet.
Udeudeuk.
Finally, the Blood Cult Leader's fingers crushed the follower’s neck bones. The follower’s head snapped to the side, his tongue lolling out as his body went limp.
Thud.
Tossing aside the lifeless body, a terrifying gleam leaked from the Blood Cult Leader’s eyes.
"Clean this up."
"Yes!"
"Leave not a single drop of this filthy blood here."
"Understood."
The Blood Cult Leader glared at those prostrated, then turned his head. The divine idol half-soaked in blood was visible.
After staring at the idol for a long time, he turned and exited the tent. Before he had taken more than a few steps, a person quickly caught up.
“Cult Leader-nim.”
The Blood Cult Leader glanced sideways.
Only three elders existed in the cult, and this was the Third Elder. His complexion looked dark and heavy.
“While it is worth celebrating that the Blood Sacrifice was performed after such a long wait, surely you realize this could become a problem.”
The Blood Cult Leader's eyes sank.
"You mean the sacrifice?"
"You know it."
Paedgun Jang Ilso forbade any harm to the common people. As they had to fight in enemy territory, there was no need to go out of their way to alienate the public sentiment.
Though it was a truly trivial reason, regardless, such an order had clearly been issued in the name of Paegun.
The problem was that the blood used for the Blood Sacrifice could only be obtained from the hearts of virgin boys and girls.
“However, I could not simply refrain from the ritual.”
“This matter…”
The Blood Cult Leader suddenly turned his head and glared at the Third Elder.
"Then are you saying we shouldn't have even offered sacrifice to our God who was already deprived of their rightful place?"
“God would have understood. For He is merciful.”
“It is men who take advantage of that mercy.”
“Cult Leader-nim.”
"There's no need to say more. What’s done can’t be undone.”
The Third Elder sighed heavily. The Cult Leader's words weren't wrong. Perhaps if it could have been stopped before it happened, but what could be done about something already done?
The Third Elder struggled to shake off his heavy heart and said.
“You must keep an eye on the movements of Evil Tyrant Alliance.”
The corners of the Blood Cult Leader's eyes twitched.
"Don't forget. This is our only chance to step on Jungwon's white soil again. If Evil Tyrant Alliance fails to achieve victory this time, we'll have to remain silent again for a long, long time."
"If the Sa Paeryeon fails to win?"
“…Cult leader?”
“It wouldn't be because of the alliance, but simply because we lacked the strength. Or perhaps... we lacked the courage?”
“Cult Leader! What on earth are you saying?”
"I'll go ahead."
The Blood Cult Leader cut off his gaze and took a step forward. But the boiling anger in his chest made him spit out one more sentence.
"And remember. Whether what we gain is victory or defeat, the result won't change."
“What does that mean, Cult Leader-nim?”
The Blood Cult Leader stepped forward again without replying.
‘Those old fools...’
Strength gathered in his grip.
Those who claimed to be armed with devotion turned their backs on the white soil and fled because they lacked the courage to face the Calamity (재앙(災殃)). Because of that, their God lost His rightful place and was denied even the treatment He deserved.
Even calling it a blood sacrifice was nothing more than feeding enough salt water to keep a withered, twisted patient from dying. And now they said they must tremble and flee even from that?
The Blood Cult had once traversed the world. Yet now, it felt as if not even its remnants remained.
His heart sank heavily.
He was surging with rage, but on some level, he understood. He understood why the Third Elder was forced to speak such words.
'Where did it all go wrong?'
When they first joined hands with the Evil Tyrant Alliance, the Cult’s plan was different.
Evil Tyrant Alliance would completely swallow Gangnam and confront Heavenly Comrade Alliance centered around the Yangtze River. Then the Cult would gain their territory as compensation for helping Evil Tyrant Alliance.
If that plan had been carried out properly... by now, the Cult would have fulfilled its long-standing desire to enter Jungwon. Because coexistence was possible with them who lived differently from the Righteous.
‘Jang Ilso….’
Things began to go wrong when Alliance Leader Jang Ilso crossed the Yangtze River and advanced to Gangbuk.
Once someone gets their hands on something, they desperately try to keep it. That's normal. But Jang Ilso was different. Like a starving ghost, he threw away what he had and coveted the enemy’s land.
As a result, 'coexistence' was now impossible. If they lost this war, Evil Path (사도(邪道)) of Jungwon would be wiped out, and the Cult would have to endure another long period of hardship. Unless they can face the entire Righteous Sects alone.
Though they never wished for it... the Cult’s fate has become intertwined with Evil Tyrant Alliance.
'Did he know it would come to this from the beginning? Or perhaps...'
Jang Ilso's eerily smiling face flickered through the Blood Cult Leader's mind.
Right, he must have known. None of this could be a coincidence. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the entire cult had been played by Jang Ilso's hand. It was only natural that the elders were so wary of Jang Ilso.
'But...'
- Choose.
The Blood Cult Leader laughed quietly.
Even a man like Jang Ilso couldn’t have predicted this. This was a literal natural disaster. Foreseeing a thunderbolt striking from a clear sky was beyond human capability. The Blood Cult Leader was the same. He could only wail and groan.
A choice...
Either perish right now, or become a dog and survive briefly for just a moment.
Could choosing between those two really be called a 'choice'? The result would be the same either way.
The Blood Cult Leader's eyes flashed again.
'If there's no path, I'll have to make one.'
And until that opportunity comes, he has no choice but to play the dog. That would be the maximum devotion he could offer to the God who had been robbed of His place.
The Blood Cult Leader's eyes gleamed with madness.
Of course, this situation was hardly pleasant. His accumulated rage was bound to find an outlet somewhere. Perhaps the act of taking a disciple’s life under the pretext of 'losing faith' was merely the result of searching for a place to vent the fury surging to his head.
“Cult Leader-nim.”
Just then, one follower whose entire body was covered in dark red blood robes quickly approached him.
“Has Paegun made a move?”
At the thought of Jang Ilso, the Cult Leader's gaze sank instantly.
There was no need to fear. Especially now that it was certain he couldn't change the Cult's fate.
But even knowing that, he was afraid. It was Jang Ilso’s madness that had driven the Blood Cult into its present predicament. A boundless madness that couldn’t be found even among those who practiced demonic arts.
The cult was already groaning, swept up in that madness.
“No.”
"Then?"
"It's about Heavenly Comrade Alliance..."
The follower quickly explained what he had heard. Having heard it all, the Blood Cult Leader's eyes reddened slightly more.
"That person..."
"Yes."
“What a coincidence.”
The Blood Cult Leader stared blankly down at his own hands.
The blood of seventeen virgin boys and girls was used in the ritual, and even the followers’ blood was smeared there.
“It seems His hunger remains unabated.”
"...Yes?"
"The best sacrifice is the blood of an enemy of the Cult (교적(敎敵)). The heart of one who insulted the Cult should, at least for a moment, soothe the hunger of the One who lost His place.”
The blood-stained finger of the Blood Cult Leader twitched slightly.
“You intend to go personally?”
“It’ll be just right for entertainment.”
“But Paegun…”
Though he trailed off, the concern was that if the Blood Cult Leader moved, it would amount to disobeying the Paegun's order to hold their position.
The Blood Cult Leader frowned.
"Only one can give me commands."
"I’ve overstepped."
The face of the Blood Cult Leader, covered in bandages, contorted slightly.
The Cult does not forgive its enemies. It will follow them to the ends of the world and tear out their hearts.
The reason this was possible was one. If there were tens of millions of people in the world, those tens of millions of blood scents (혈향(血香)) were all different. If they set their minds to it, they couldn't fail to find such a mere brat.
And this... also aligns with another duty he must uphold.
The Blood Cult Leader turned his head without blinking. In the distance, he saw the largest and most magnificent tent standing alone.
It was the luxurious tent that only the lord of Evil Tyrant Alliance could use. Looking at it, the corner of the Cult Leader’s mouth twitched.
“Gather the follower.”
The follower's eyes widened greatly. It was unusual enough for the Blood Cult Leader to go himself, but if the followers moved together, the matter would become even larger.
“Did you not hear me?”
“N- No, I heard you. I will gather them immediately.”
The follower vanished quickly. The Blood Cult Leader narrowed his eyes.
- Do what you desire. As you will.
A laugh like a dry cough leaked out unpleasantly.
What he desires...
As if he even knew what he wished for?
But the amusing thing was that the Blood Cult Leader clearly understood what those vague words meant.
"Rather, I'm grateful."
Since he was being pushed like this, there was no choice but to perform a blade dance.
Soon, everyone would know.
Both those enjoying false peace and those rampaging backed by hollow prestige would all feel it.
The wrath of one deprived of His rightful place. The existence of the one who once dyed the world red. And… the deep-seated resentment of those who have protected that will.
Was it Baek Cheon?
“It begins with… the cult enemy's blood."
The Blood Cult Leader's eyes revealed between bandages spat out dark red light. It was the ominous and gloomy madness of one with nothing to lose.
| Note
Ritual Vessel. Something similar to this.
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