The Heavenly Demon Is Just Stuck In My Head

After enjoying lunch with the toad and returning to my room to rest, I sat down to circulate my Qi.

I didn’t think they would barge into my quarters in broad daylight.

The baron must have thought the same, which was why he stalled for time, claiming it would take a while to prepare the money.

In other words, I still had plenty of free time until evening.

And I was bored.

I couldn’t go outside and swing my sword to train.

What kind of idiot would reveal his hand right in the middle of enemy territory?

Wherever I went, watchful eyes followed, so I couldn’t even stroll around in peace.

Which meant I had no choice but to hole up inside my room…

But repeating a full cycle of Qi circulation for martial arts training wasn’t an option either.

Heavenly Demon had once warned me that if someone disturbed me mid-cycle, my meridians could twist, causing Qi deviation.

So I limited myself to simply gathering Qi from my surroundings and storing it in my dantian.

But unlike the forest, the Qi here was thin and stale, making the practice unsatisfying.

Arms crossed, deep in thought, I finally called for him.

“Master.”

[What is it?]

“Can you use something like a Clone Technique?”

[Clone Technique?]

“Yeah. You make another me to confuse the enemy.”

[It’s a petty trick, but of course I can. There is nothing I cannot do.]

He spoke with such certainty that it didn’t even sound arrogant anymore.

“Really? Then teach me. I’ve got plenty of time.”

[There are many kinds of Clone Techniques. Afterimages, Daoist illusions, assassins’ shadow clones, and…]

Heavenly Demon, it seemed, was just as bored. He explained with unusual enthusiasm.

“I don’t know the details. Just pick one that’s simple enough for me to learn before nightfall. Doesn’t have to be perfect. It’ll be dark anyway, so no one will notice the flaws.”

[In that case, Illusion Clone Technique should do.]

I trained with Heavenly Demon until nightfall, learning the Illusion Clone.

Because I learned it in a rush, the result wasn’t perfect—the illusion looked awkward below the neck, and the duration was short. But it was good enough.

After all, I could just hide the rest under a blanket.

Watching me practice diligently, Heavenly Demon suddenly asked,

[Why do you suddenly want to learn a Clone Technique?]

“No reason.”

I grinned.

“Just thought it would be fun.”

“Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!”

The severed head on the bed laughed madly.

“Th-that thing!”

Several knights, along with Baron Barankia himself, had already collapsed to the floor, their legs giving out.

The baron, trembling, pointed a quaking finger at the head cackling on the blanket.

“Make it stop! Shut it up! Shut that thing up!”

“Haaap!”

Kail swung his sword down on the laughing head.

Crack!

The laughter ended abruptly as the head split open.

But in its place lay a pillow, cut cleanly in two.

“What in the world…”

Everyone in the room froze stiff.

Then a voice drifted from above.

“A fine night, isn’t it?”

“What!?”

Before they could even look up, a streak of starlight fell into the pitch-dark room.

Boom!

“My lord!”

Kail quickly pulled the baron out of the room.

“Are you all right?”

“Th-that… what was that?”

Baron Barankia stammered in terror.

“Was that… black magic?”

But Kail knew this was no time for questions.

“I don’t know! We must get you to safety!”

He grabbed his lord’s arm, hauling him to his feet, and stole a quick glance back at the room.

It was filled with unnatural darkness, where the clash of steel echoed sharply.

Not the kind of darkness born simply from the absence of light—this darkness writhed, alive and ominous.

“My lord, quickly!”

Kail all but dragged the baron down the corridor at a run.

“Anyone! Guards!”

A rush of footsteps came from ahead, a squad of soldiers arriving in panic.

“What’s happening?”

“Black magic… cursed black magic!”

“What? Black magic!?”

Kail shoved the still-shaken baron into the soldiers’ hands.

“Jacob! Matthew!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Get the lord to safety!”

“Yes, sir!”

Then, turning to another soldier, Kail barked,

“Allen! Fetch my armor—”

Crash!

A deafening roar from the room cut him off.

“Damn it!”

He realized there was no time for armor.

He cursed himself for thinking a drunken prisoner could be handled without it.

Facing the soldiers, he shouted,

“The rest of you, hold this corridor with me! Draw your swords!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers lined up, blocking the hallway with tense faces, swords gleaming in their hands.

Kail asked,

“Where are the others?”

“On their way!”

Kail quickly formulated a plan.

They couldn’t stop that thing—not with these numbers.

All they could do was stall until reinforcements arrived.

Just as he steeled his resolve, a soldier asked nervously,

“Sir Kail, what exactly happened in there?”

Kail answered bluntly,

“I don’t know.”

“…Sir?”

The soldiers stared at his back in shock.

He hadn’t lied. He truly didn’t know what had happened in that room.

He had seen the man’s head severed, laughing madly, then vanish, replaced by a pillow.

And then, a streak of starlight crashing down from the ceiling.

There wasn’t much else he could do in that confusion.

All he managed was to follow the baron’s voice through the swirling darkness and pull him out.

Nothing more.

Kail couldn’t make sense of what had just happened.

Everything defied reason.

But one thing was clear.

The enemy was no ordinary man.

In a grave voice, Kail ordered,

“Do not lower your guard. The enemy wields strange magic.”

“Yes, sir!”

A sharp throb shot through his side.

“Kh…!”

Kail finally registered the pain. It came from when the man had descended from the ceiling in that streak of light.

He had thought he’d dodged instinctively—but not completely.

“Are you all right, sir?”

“It’s nothing. He’ll come out of that room soon. Focus!”

“Yes, sir!”

Everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on the front.

Before long, the clashing of blades ceased.

A suffocating silence blanketed the corridor, seeping outward from the room.

“…Gulp.”

Someone swallowed audibly.

Cold sweat trickled down spines.

Then, from within the silent chamber, a dark, acrid mist began to slither out like smoke.

And through that haze, a man stepped forward, drenched in blood.

“Ugh!”

The soldiers gasped at once.

The man, shrouded in darkness, emerged from the room and turned toward them.

His burning crimson eyes pierced through the shadows.

“Ah, Sir Kail.”

He grinned.

From the edge of his sword, black mists seeped like living shadows, while a chilling smile curled his lips.

Kail felt the blood in his veins run cold.

They had thought they’d penned in a wild horse, only to realize they’d locked a monster inside their keep.

Ashuban spoke casually.

“Our Sir Kail. I was wondering where you’d gone.”

Kail forced a calm reply.

“So, you do wield black magic.”

Ashuban tilted his head with a smirk.

“This isn’t black magic.”

“That cursed darkness—if not black magic, then what?”

“Martial arts.”

“…Martial arts?”

Ashuban stroked the blade, speaking with boyish excitement.

“It’s wonderful. Feels like magic, but it isn’t. A martial art that looks like sorcery. Cool, isn’t it? The name is… what was it again? Master, remind me—ah, right. Night Sky Star Moon Art. I knew it, just slipped my mind for a second. Happens, you know?”

“…”

Kail and the soldiers stared blankly as Ashuban muttered to himself.

The tips of their swords trembled in unison.

Kail demanded,

“What of the knights inside?”

Ashuban grinned wider.

“Why ask? Whose blood do you think this is?”

Kail clenched his teeth until his jaw creaked.

Ashuban chuckled and asked,

“So, where’s our dear baron? I had questions for him.”

“You lunatic. Do you mean to kill him?”

Ashuban shrugged.

“Well, depends on his answer.”

“Do you even understand what it means to slay a noble?” Kail roared.

“You cannot be ignorant of what such an act means in the Kingdom of Blake!”

Ashuban widened his eyes in mock curiosity.

“Oh? And what does it mean?”

“To kill a noble,” Kail declared, “is to cross the point of no return. You’ll be hunted—not only declared wanted, but a colossal bounty will be placed on your head. Every man, woman, and child in this kingdom will know your name!”

Ashuban listened in silence.

Encouraged, Kail pressed on.

“The entire kingdom will chase you. Knights and wandering blades, bounty hunters, mercenaries, bloodthirsty killers, rogue mages—and every fiend hiding in the kingdom’s shadows will come crawling out for your head!”

“…Oh, really?”

But instead of fear, Ashuban’s crimson eyes lit up with delight.

“That sounds magnificent.”

The unexpected response stunned Kail. His sword wavered, dropping a little before he caught himself and lifted it again, fixing his glare on the smiling man.

“I may die here. But hear me—if you kill the baron, you will never know a peaceful death either.”

“A curse, then?”

“Call it what you will. Now go. This is your final warning. Take that cursed dagger and leave this place!”

“What the hell?” Ashuban muttered, incredulous.

“You lot plotted to kill me first, and now you paint me as the villain? Hah? That’s filthy.”

Kail said nothing, eyes locked on him.

The sound of footsteps echoed from behind. Reinforcements were drawing near.

Ashuban’s eyes glimmered.

“Sir Kail, let me ask you one thing.”

“What is it.”

“Why such loyalty to that toad of a baron? A man so utterly worthless? Anyone could see it over a single meal.”

Kail’s lips twisted into a smirk.

“Fool. Do you know what honor is? This is my chivalry.”

The grin faded from Ashuban’s face.

“…So, you too live by your own code.”

“What nonsense are you spouting.”

The black mist still poured from his blade, coiling upward until it reached the soldiers’ knees.

At that moment, the reinforcements arrived.

“Sir Kail! What’s going on!?”

Ashuban calmly raised his sword.

“A pity.”

There was no time for explanations.

Kail shouted,

“He’s coming!”

Ashuban kicked off the ground, surging forward.

Kail grit his teeth and lifted his blade, faint aura wrapping around it.

He followed Ashuban’s movement, grip tight on the hilt, ready to strike.

‘Where? From which angle?’

But he couldn’t see the enemy’s sword tip.

Whoosh—

The tide of darkness swirling at their feet suddenly rose like a wave, crashing down upon them.

‘No—!’

The soldiers’ vision drowned in pitch blackness, like a night sky swallowing them whole.

Panic set in, screams filled the corridor.

“Uwaaaah! What is this!?”

“I can’t see!”

And amidst the chaos, Kail realized—

He wasn’t the only one stalling for time.

From above, a streak of starlight split the night sky and came crashing down upon them.

(End of Chapter)