The peaceful garden moment was shattered when a group of Blood Flame Sect disciples rounded the corner, apparently searching for someone. They stopped dead when they spotted Jin Ho, their expressions immediately shifting to something between relief and genuine excitement.
"There he is!" Blood Iron called out, leading a group of about eight disciples. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"
Jin Ho blinked in confusion. "Looking for me? Why? Is there some kind of emergency?"
"Emergency?" Blood Steel laughed. "No, we just wanted to properly thank you for what you did during the dimensional crisis. You saved all our lives, and we never got the chance to—"
"Big Brother!" Blood Flame interrupted enthusiastically, dropping to one knee in a formal cultivation sect salute. "Please accept our gratitude!"
The rest of the group immediately followed suit, dropping to their knees in perfect unison. "Big Brother! Thank you for protecting us!"
Jin Ho nearly choked on his own saliva. "Big... what now?"
"Big Brother!" they repeated in chorus, apparently thinking he hadn't heard them clearly. "You led us through the dimensional crisis! You're our Big Brother now!"
Blood Wolf was trying very hard not to laugh. Hwa-rin looked like she was watching an interesting scientific experiment. Jin Ho looked like he wanted to disappear into the ground.
"I... you don't need to call me that," Jin Ho managed weakly. "Really. Just Jin Ho is fine."
"Absolutely not!" Blood Iron declared with conviction. "You're our commander! Our leader! Our Big Brother! It would be disrespectful to use your personal name!"
『Oh, this is magnificent!』 Thunder Lightning King was practically vibrating with excitement. 『Jin Ho, do you realize what's happening here? This is demon lord-level treatment! They're formally acknowledging you as their superior!』
『Indeed,』 Blood Heaven Great Emperor added with aristocratic satisfaction. 『In cultivation society, being called "Big Brother" by an entire group is a mark of tremendous respect. You've officially earned their loyalty beyond mere alliance obligations.』
"But I'm not actually your sect leader," Jin Ho protested. "You guys have your own hierarchy and—"
"Big Brother," Blood Steel interrupted respectfully but firmly, "with respect, you saved our entire sect during the dimensional crisis. You personally led the fusion technique that repelled the Void Overlord. You've earned the right to our loyalty."
"Plus," Blood Flame added with a grin, "you're strong enough to kick all our asses if we disrespected you. That's basically the traditional requirement for Big Brother status."
The Formal Declaration
"Actually," Blood Iron continued, pulling out what appeared to be an official-looking scroll, "we brought something for you."
He unrolled the document with ceremonial care. "By unanimous agreement of all Blood Flame Sect disciples present during the dimensional crisis, we formally request that Jin Ho accept the title of 'Honorary Big Brother' of the Blood Flame Sect, with all the respect and authority that title entails."
"You... wrote up official paperwork?" Jin Ho stared at the scroll in disbelief.
"Blood Scribe helped," Blood Steel admitted. "He said if we were going to do this, we should do it properly."
The scroll was indeed elaborate, written in formal cultivation sect language and bearing the signatures of what looked like every single Blood Flame Sect disciple who'd participated in the dimensional battle.
"We know you're not officially our sect leader," Blood Iron explained. "But you're our battle leader, our Big Brother, and the person we'd follow into any fight. That's worth making official."
Hwa-rin finally spoke up. "This is actually quite significant," she said, studying the scroll with analytical interest. "In cultivation society, honorary brotherhood relationships are binding spiritual contracts. They're accepting you as family, not just as an ally."
"Family?" Jin Ho repeated, feeling oddly touched despite his embarrassment.
"Family," Blood Flame confirmed with a warm smile. "You fought for us. You protected us. You treated our lives as more important than your own safety. That's what family does."
The Demon Emperors' Reactions
『This is incredible!』 Thunder Lightning King was practically bouncing inside Jin Ho's consciousness. 『Do you understand what you've achieved here? You've gone from weakest disciple to commanding the loyalty of an entire sect! This is exactly the kind of recognition a true demon lord deserves!』
『Hmm,』 Blood Heaven Great Emperor's voice carried his trademark aristocratic reserve, but there was an undercurrent of genuine pride. 『I suppose... if you must accept such tribute... it's not entirely inappropriate. After all, one with imperial demon blood should naturally inspire loyalty in lesser cultivators.』
Jin Ho could practically feel Thunder Lightning King rolling his eyes. 『There he goes again with the "imperial blood" nonsense.』
『It's not nonsense!』 Blood Heaven Great Emperor retorted with dignity. 『It's basic hierarchical awareness! Though I admit, Jin Ho has... adequately demonstrated leadership qualities.』
『"Adequately?"』 Thunder Lightning King laughed. 『The kid just earned the genuine loyalty of hardened warriors! That's not "adequate," that's exceptional!』
『Well,』 Blood Heaven Great Emperor's voice softened slightly, 『perhaps "exceptionally adequate" would be more accurate.』
Jin Ho had to suppress a smile at their banter. Even when expressing pride in his achievements, the Blood Heaven Great Emperor couldn't quite bring himself to be straightforward about it.
The Acceptance
"So," Blood Iron prompted gently, "will you accept our formal request, Big Brother?"
Jin Ho looked around at the expectant faces, then at Blood Wolf's encouraging nod, then at Hwa-rin's subtle expression of approval. These people had fought beside him, trusted him with their lives, and now wanted to make that trust official.
"I..." he started, then stopped. "You realize this means I'll feel responsible for all of you, right? Not just during battles, but in general. If you're calling me Big Brother, that means your problems become my problems."
"We're counting on it," Blood Steel said with a grin. "That's exactly why we want you as our Big Brother."
"And you understand that I'll probably make mistakes? That I'm still learning how to be a leader?"
"We'll learn together," Blood Flame replied. "That's what family does."
Jin Ho took a deep breath, then reached for the scroll. "Alright. I accept your formal request." He paused, looking at each of them in turn. "But I have one condition."
"Anything, Big Brother!"
"If I'm accepting responsibility for you as family, then you're accepting responsibility for me too. That means if I'm doing something stupid, you tell me. If I need help, you help me. If I need someone to tell me I'm being an idiot, you tell me I'm being an idiot. Deal?"
The Blood Flame Sect disciples exchanged glances, then broke into wide grins.
"Deal, Big Brother!" they chorused.
As Jin Ho signed the scroll with the special blood-ink used for spiritual contracts, he felt something shift inside him. Not in his cultivation or his power level, but in his sense of identity. These people weren't just allies anymore—they were his responsibility, his family, his to protect.
『Now this,』 Thunder Lightning King declared with satisfaction, 『is how a real leader is born.』
『Indeed,』 Blood Heaven Great Emperor agreed, and for once, there was no reservation in his voice. 『You have grown into someone worthy of such loyalty, Jin Ho. Don't disappoint them.』
"I won't," Jin Ho said quietly, and he meant it.
The Celebration Continues
"So, Big Brother," Blood Iron said with a mischievous grin, "now that you're officially our family, we should probably introduce you to some of the other sects' disciples. There are a few people who've been asking about you."
"Asking about me how?" Jin Ho asked suspiciously.
"Well," Blood Steel said innocently, "there may have been some discussions about whether other sects might want to request similar honorary brotherhood arrangements..."
Jin Ho's eyes widened in horror. "How many people are we talking about?"
"Just a few," Blood Flame said cheerfully. "Maybe twenty or thirty disciples from Thunder Palace who fought beside us. And possibly some Ice Soul Palace members who were impressed by the fusion technique. Oh, and definitely some of the independent cultivators who—"
"Please tell me you're joking," Jin Ho begged.
Hwa-rin was definitely smiling now, though she was trying to hide it. "I believe the term is 'popular,'" she observed clinically. "You appear to have developed a reputation as someone worth following."
"I just wanted to protect people," Jin Ho muttered.
"And that," Blood Wolf said with a knowing smile, "is exactly why they want to follow you."
『Welcome to leadership, Jin Ho,』 both demon emperors said simultaneously, and despite their different personalities, both sounded genuinely proud.
As they headed back toward the main festival, surrounded by his newly official "little brothers" from Blood Flame Sect, Jin Ho couldn't help but feel that his life had just become significantly more complicated.
But also, somehow, significantly more meaningful.