The vault was a historian's dream and a conspiracy theorist's nightmare. Shelves lined every wall, packed with documents, scrolls, and correspondence that spanned decades. The sheer volume of material was overwhelming, but Blood Flower's trained eye immediately began organizing the chaos.
"Look at this systematic organization," Blood Flower said with reluctant admiration as he examined the filing system. "Jin Noeumu may have been evil, but he was incredibly thorough. Everything is categorized by date, correspondent, and subject matter."
Jin Ho moved toward the nearest wall, where hundreds of letters were pinned in chronological order. The earliest ones were yellowed with age, dating back nearly sixty years. His blood ran cold as he recognized the seal on many of them—the Shadow Society's distinctive mark.
"Start with the oldest correspondence," Blood Wolf suggested practically. "We need to understand how deep this conspiracy goes."
Blood Flower carefully removed one of the earliest letters, handling it with the reverence of someone who understood historical significance. He unfolded it with practiced care and began reading aloud:
"'My dear Jin Noeumu, the Supreme Demon God Restoration Project proceeds according to our initial timeline. The fragments have been successfully scattered, and we have identified potential vessels for future collection. Your cooperation in this matter will be most generously rewarded.' Signed... Eum Mugeuk, First Year of the Shadow Calendar."
The weight of that revelation settled over them like a suffocating blanket.
"Sixty years," Jin Ho said quietly. "They've been planning this for sixty years."
『Those manipulative bastards,』 the Blood Heaven Great Emperor snarled with aristocratic fury. 『We've been dancing to their tune from the very beginning.』
『I want to crush them all!』 the Thunder Lightning King declared with violent enthusiasm. 『This is even better than I hoped—stronger enemies everywhere!』
Blood Flower continued examining the correspondence, his expression growing increasingly grim with each document he read. "It gets worse. Look at this letter from twenty years ago."
He held up another document, this one in better condition. "'The Noe Jin Un cultivation project shows promising results. The boy's natural lightning affinity combined with his emotional stability makes him an ideal vessel. We should be able to extract the fragment within the next decade.' This is signed by both Eum Mugeuk and... Jin Noeumu."
Jin Ho felt sick to his stomach. "They've been planning to use Noe Jin Un as a vessel for twenty years?"
"It appears so," Blood Flower confirmed grimly. "But there's more. Look at this section—it mentions a three-party contract."
He moved to a different section of the wall where more recent correspondence was displayed. These letters were in pristine condition, some appearing to be only months old.
"Here," Blood Flower said, pointing to a formal document with multiple seals. "A contract between Jin Noeumu, Eum Mugeuk, and... Seol Hwa Rin."
The contract was written in formal language, but its contents were crystal clear:
Supreme Demon God Restoration Contract - Final Phase
Party 1: Eum Mugeuk, Shadow Society MasterParty 2: Jin Noeumu, Thunder Palace Sect Leader
Party 3: Seol Hwa Rin, Ice Soul Palace Acting Leader
Objectives:
Complete extraction of all four Supreme Demon God fragments Elimination of secondary fragment vessels to prevent interference Controlled convergence at predetermined location Equal division of resultant power among contracting parties
Timeline: Final convergence to occur within ten days of Noe Jin Un's elimination.
Additional Terms: Jin Ho to be eliminated immediately following fragment extraction to prevent potential resistance.
"They planned to kill me all along," Jin Ho said, his voice hollow with shock. "Even after using me to collect the fragments."
Blood Wolf clenched his fists. "These people have no honor whatsoever."
"There's more," Blood Flower said, his voice tight with anger as he examined another section. "Look at this list—'Secondary Fragment Vessels to be Eliminated.'"
The list contained dozens of names, most of which Jin Ho didn't recognize. But several stood out with horrifying clarity:
Master Chen of the Eastern Monastery (Fragment Resonance: 15%) Young Lady Liu of the Western Trading Company (Fragment Resonance: 8%) The Blacksmith's Apprentice, Iron Village (Fragment Resonance: 12%) Various Thunder Palace disciples (Fragment Resonance: 5-10%)
"They're planning to kill innocent people," Jin Ho realized with growing horror. "People who just happen to have some trace connection to the fragments."
『Monsters,』 the Blood Heaven Great Emperor said with cold fury. 『This goes beyond simple evil into pure malice.』
Blood Flower continued reading, his scholarly composure cracking as the full scope of the conspiracy became clear. "According to this timeline, Seol Hwa Rin was supposed to arrive at Thunder Palace tomorrow—day three of their schedule."
"Tomorrow?" Blood Protector looked alarmed. "That doesn't give us much time to prepare."
"Wait," Jin Ho said, noticing something else. "Look at that correspondence between Eum Mugeuk and Seol Hwa Rin. What does it say about Noe Jin Un?"
Blood Flower located the relevant letters and began reading with obvious distaste. "'The Noe Jin Un variable has become problematic. His emotional purity makes fragment extraction difficult, and his influence on Jin Ho creates unpredictable loyalty factors. Recommendation: eliminate during controlled scenario to maximize Jin Ho's emotional vulnerability.'"
The response from Seol Hwa Rin was even more chilling: "'Agreed. Noe Jin Un's naive personality has always been irritating. His death will serve multiple purposes—fragment extraction, Jin Ho manipulation, and personal satisfaction. I look forward to seeing his face when he realizes the truth.'"
Jin Ho felt a rage building inside him that dwarfed anything he had felt even toward Jin Noeumu. "She wanted Noe Jin Un dead not just for the plan, but because she enjoyed the idea of hurting him."
『Now THAT deserves punishment,』 both demons said simultaneously, their mental voices harmonizing in shared outrage.
"There's one more thing," Blood Flower said reluctantly. "A detailed analysis of your psychological profile. Apparently, they've been studying your personality for years to predict exactly how you'd react to various scenarios."
He held up a thick document filled with observations and predictions:
Subject: Jin Ho (Vessel for dual fragments)Psychological Assessment: High loyalty, strong emotional attachments, predictable revenge motivation. Subject will prioritize friend's welfare over personal safety. Recommend using grief and guilt as primary manipulation vectors.
Predicted Response to Noe Jin Un's death: Immediate revenge quest, enhanced training motivation, increased fragment integration. Subject will seek power specifically to avenge friend, making him ideal for our purposes.
Contingency Plans: If subject becomes uncooperative, threaten remaining friends or innocent civilians. Subject's protective instincts will override self-preservation.
"They've been playing us like a game," Blood Wolf said with disgust. "Every choice we thought we were making freely was actually guided by their manipulation."
Jin Ho stared at the walls covered with evidence of the conspiracy that had shaped his entire life. The revenge he had thought was his own decision, the friends he had trusted, the path he had chosen—all of it had been orchestrated by people who saw him as nothing more than a useful tool.
"But there's something they didn't account for," he said slowly, his voice growing stronger with each word.
"What's that?" Blood Protector asked.
Jin Ho looked around at his companions—the Blood Flame Sect members who had stood by him despite having no obligation to do so, and felt the presence of the two demons who had genuinely grown to care about him despite their initial selfish motivations.
"They planned for me to be alone and desperate. They didn't expect me to have real allies, people who chose to help me not because they were manipulated into it, but because they wanted to."
『Exactly!』 the Thunder Lightning King declared with fierce satisfaction. 『Their whole plan depends on you being isolated and controllable!』
『And they clearly don't understand the genuine bonds that have formed between us,』 the Blood Heaven Great Emperor added with aristocratic pride. 『That will be their downfall.』
"So what do we do?" Blood Wolf asked. "We know they're coming tomorrow, and we know they plan to kill us all regardless of whether we cooperate."
Jin Ho looked one more time at the evidence of the conspiracy that had controlled his life, then turned toward the exit with newfound determination.
"We're going to give them exactly what they don't expect," he said with a smile that was both warm and dangerous. "We're going to fight back not as individual victims, but as a unified force they never saw coming."
As they prepared to leave the vault with its devastating revelations, Jin Ho felt the final pieces of his transformation falling into place. The age of revenge was truly over, but the age of protection—of standing between predators and the innocent people they sought to destroy—was just beginning.