18.The Demotion of the Third Seat, and the First Step Toward the Truth

The scent of blood that once dominated the Demonic Cult's arena was beginning to fade.

After the duel, everyone expected Lee So-eun to kill Kang Yoon-heuk.

In the Demonic Cult, defeat meant death.

However—

She lowered her sword.

And in a calm voice, she declared:

"Kang Yoon-heuk, I will not kill you."

At that moment—

The Demonic Cult's warriors erupted in chaos.

"What?!"

"She's sparing him?"

"Is she defying the laws of the Cult?"

Murmurs of confusion spread, but her decision was firm.

"However, you will lose your position."

She looked directly at Kang Yoon-heuk and declared:

"From this moment, you are demoted to the Fourth Seat."

At her words, the Cult fell into an even greater uproar.

Kang Yoon-heuk stared at her in silence.

At first, he seemed taken aback.

But then—

He let out a soft chuckle.

"…Hah. Interesting."

He accepted his defeat without hesitation.

And rather than anger or regret, he seemed strangely amused.

"If I am still alive… then that means there's still a role for me to play."

He chuckled softly and rose to his feet.

Then, with a calm voice, he spoke:

"I'll be watching how your methods unfold."

With that, he turned and walked away.

The warriors of the Demonic Cult were still in shock.

But Lee So-eun said nothing.

Because her mind was already elsewhere.

She now had the authority to access the Cult's internal records.

'I can finally uncover the truth of the past…'

For years, she had known only one thing—

That her father, a former Third Seat, had been ruthlessly killed.

But she had never known the full story.

Who was truly behind his death?

Now, she had the power to find out.

"I must uncover the truth."

But she also knew—

The truth is often a secret someone desperately wants to keep hidden.

By walking this path, she would inevitably make new enemies.

So, she had to become even stronger.

And most importantly—

She had to find out who was truly responsible for her father's murder.

The Hidden Truth, and a Moment of Silence

Deep within the heart of the Demonic Cult, lay an archive of ancient records.

This vault contained centuries of history, war strategies, internal conflicts—

And the secrets that had been buried away.

As a newly appointed Third Seat, Lee So-eun now had full access to these records.

For days, she scoured the ancient texts, searching for any clue regarding her father's fate.

And then—

She found it.

Her father's death was not caused by the Third Seats.

It was ordered by the Cult's Leader.

But it had not been a simple execution.

The Cult Leader had planned this for years.

"The strong must rule the Demonic Cult."

That was what he had always claimed.

But his true goal was not simply to rule.

He had spent years eliminating any potential threats.

And among those threats, her father had been the most dangerous.

Her father had been one of the greatest martial artists in the Cult's history.

Even the Cult Leader himself had been wary of him.

But there was only one way to eliminate someone that powerful—

Betrayal from within.

'Should I expose this now?'

She hesitated.

If she revealed everything now, the Cult Leader would have her killed immediately.

He was too strong, and she was not ready to face him.

'If I expose this now, I will not survive.'

She needed time.

She closed the records and made her decision.

"Now is not the time."

But—

She would not bury the truth forever.

She would wait and prepare.

She needed power.

Because only when she stood at the very top could she reveal the truth.

And when that day came—

She would settle the score with the Cult Leader.

The Cult Leader's Ambition and Lee So-eun's Resolve

Within the grand hall of the Demonic Cult's headquarters—

The Cult Leader stood before an assembly of warriors, his voice calm yet commanding.

"The martial world will no longer be divided into righteous and demonic."

"From this moment forward, only the strongest shall rule."

His words ignited the fire in his followers.

The Demonic Cult was about to launch a full-scale operation.

The Leader gathered his most trusted officers and gave them precise instructions:

Sow division among the righteous sects.

Recruit and manipulate the unaligned forces.

Orchestrate attacks on neutral villages and frame the righteous sects for them.

His goal was not war.

His goal was to make the martial world destroy itself.

"A true war is not fought with swords."

"Victory comes when your enemies destroy themselves."

After the meeting—

Lee So-eun and the other Third Seats gathered before him.

"Lee So-eun."

The Leader's gaze pierced through her.

"Do your part."

She bowed respectfully.

"As you command, Cult Leader."

But—

Inside, her determination burned.

'This man must be eliminated.'

Not for revenge.

Not even to destroy the Demonic Cult.

But to reshape it.

The Cult's philosophy had always been survival of the strongest.

If that was true—

Then the strongest should rule.

And that ruler would be her.

But not yet.

The Cult Leader was too strong.

And he had too many loyal followers.

She had to wait for the right moment.

The moment he showed weakness.

The Cult Leader's Success and Lee So-eun's Plan

Across the martial world, chaos spread.

The Cult Leader's strategy was working perfectly.

The righteous sects turned on each other, paranoid that spies were among them.

The unaligned factions were tempted by power and began cooperating with the Cult.

Neutral villages were attacked, and the righteous sects were blamed for it.

The martial world was now fractured.

Exactly as the Cult Leader had planned.

"The moment they begin to fear each other, they can no longer stand united."

Lee So-eun stood by his side, acting as his trusted enforcer.

She followed every command.

She never questioned him.

And this made her his most trusted subordinate.

But—

He knew.

"Lee So-eun… you are different from the others."

"You do not truly serve me."

Yet—

"Even so, I acknowledge your competence."**

The Cult Leader trusted no one.

But right now, he saw her as the most useful person at his side.

And that was exactly what she wanted.

She had made up her mind.

"I must drag him onto the battlefield."

If he thought himself invincible,

She had to force the righteous sects and unaligned factions to unite against him.

Only then—

Would his end come.

With a calm smile, she turned to the Cult Leader and spoke:

"Cult Leader."

"It is time for you to personally take the battlefield."

The Cult Leader's lips curved into a smirk.

"Oh? And why do you think that?"

Lee So-eun's eyes gleamed.

"Because the martial world is already in chaos."

"It is time to claim your throne."

And in that moment—

Her final plan was set in motion.