I gazed at my reflection in the bronze mirror and slowly took off my clothes.
I stripped down until only my undergarments remained.
My body was sleek, with no excess fat, honed by martial arts training.
I unwound all the Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread from the hilt of the Black Demon Sword and carefully wrapped it around my vital points—my heart, my neck, and my energy core.
Then, I put on the Ghost Guard Robe that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had given me.
Seo Daeryong sat on the edge of the bed, silently watching me prepare for the decisive battle.
It wouldn't be right to miss a chance for a joke at a time like this, so I teased Seo Daeryong.
"Aren't you going to say, 'I'll go and fight with you'?"
"I am not. The greatest adventure of my life is already over. Winning the Young Dragon Tournament! I'm going to milk that for the rest of my life, boasting about it forever. No more danger in my life."
I said to him as I put on a light, comfortable set of martial robes.
"You'll change your mind when your level of mastery increases! You'll throw yourself into life-and-death situations. You'll find exhilaration there and seek out even greater dangers."
"Don't make such strange prophecies!"
Seo Daeryong stuck his head out the window, looked up at the sky, and said.
"Pretend you didn't hear that! No, no, no. My adventure is over. I already have enough stories to tell my grandchildren while they sit on my lap."
Since he was reacting so earnestly, I couldn't help but tease him.
"Please be careful."
"A mysterious organization is only dangerous when it’s a mystery. Once it's exposed like this, it becomes rather insignificant. Don't worry."
"No matter what you say, I'm not following you."
"It's not working, huh."
I knew.
I knew just how worried Seo Daeryong was about me right now.
How much he wanted to fight alongside me.
The burning passion in his eyes was telling me this.
To wait for him.
Until he becomes stronger.
*
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society and Jo I-baek sat facing each other in the manor's pavilion.
"Have you been well?"
"Thanks to you, I have been."
Jo I-baek had met the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society several times.
The leader didn't act like a man shrouded in mystery.
He would visit if he needed something, and he would summon him like this if he wanted to meet.
The martial skill of the Heavenly Fate Society's leader was far superior to his own.
But aside from his martial arts, the impression he gave was surprisingly 'ordinary.'
It wasn't a fitting description for the head of a shadowy organization, but he was certainly ordinary.
His face was the kind you would expect to see eating at the table next to you in a tavern, and his attire was plain.
His speech and actions were also ordinary.
Because a man who should have been extraordinary was so ordinary, he felt all the more remarkable.
He was the kind of person who could hide as a mastermind precisely because he was so ordinary.
"Why did you ask to see me today?"
"A problem has arisen."
"Please, speak."
"The Martial Alliance has discovered that my son joined our society."
Jo I-baek stared at the leader and asked further.
"When was my son inducted?"
It was a situation where he should have been angry, but Jo I-baek asked calmly.
"Your son was also inducted?"
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society reacted as if he had no idea.
"I was not aware."
It was so natural that it seemed he truly didn't know, but Jo I-baek didn't believe him.
Having recruited him, the Master of the True Dragon Manor, he was unaware that he had also recruited his heir? If the organization was that sloppy, it would be wise to leave as soon as possible.
Jo I-baek didn't bother to press the obvious feigned ignorance.
He wasn't here to have an emotional spat with the leader.
Today was the day he had to walk the most dangerous and important tightrope of his life.
"My son is currently imprisoned in the Thunder Prison. I came to see you, Leader, to ask if you could find a way."
"They couldn't have thrown him in the Thunder Prison just for being associated with our society."
"He's been accused of attempting to kidnap the Alliance Leader's granddaughter after falling into their scheme."
"Good heavens! That's just the kind of thing those shameless Martial Alliance bastards would do."
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Is there any way to resolve this?"
"Don't you have a close relationship with the Martial Alliance Leader, Lord Jo?"
"Doesn't the Alliance Leader dote on his granddaughter? I don't think this matter can be resolved with friendship alone."
"I understand. I will consider what to do."
"Thank you."
Just then, a gate opened in the distance.
If Jo I-baek had to pick the most nerve-wracking moment of his life, it would be this one.
He had naturally expected the Martial Alliance Leader, but the person who entered was a young man.
'The Alliance Leader didn't come?'
Since the Alliance Leader hadn't come, he obviously hadn't brought his son either.
'Why?'
He wanted the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society so badly, so why?
'What kind of trick is he trying to pull?'
Of course, he himself was planning to pull a trick.
It was a move prepared for the event that the Alliance Leader might not release his son even after dealing with the Heavenly Fate Society's leader, or might even try to imprison him as well.
He had prepared a master to actually kidnap Jin Ha-ryeong.
But he hadn't anticipated this scenario.
Neither the Alliance Leader nor his son had come.
How should he react?
Jo I-baek's gaze turned to the young man walking toward them.
Given his high status, the Alliance Leader might send other masters instead of coming himself.
But to send just one young master like that?
'Could it be? Is this young man a master on par with the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society?'
That couldn't be right.
He must have come to deliver a message from the Alliance Leader.
As Geom Mugeuk walked over, no one stopped him.
Neither the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society nor Jo I-baek had given any orders.
When Geom Mugeuk joined them at the table where they were sitting, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society asked Jo I-baek.
"Who is this young hero?"
The leader, seeing Geom Mugeuk walk toward them so calmly and confidently, had naturally assumed he was one of Jo I-baek's subordinates.
Jo I-baek feigned ignorance and asked.
"Was he not someone you brought, Leader?"
Geom Mugeuk spoke calmly.
"I am the one sent by the Martial Alliance Leader."
For a moment, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society was startled.
The air around them changed.
Geom Mugeuk could feel those who had been hiding in the vicinity busily repositioning themselves.
"Since a valuable guest has arrived, I shall take my leave. Please, continue your discussion."
Just as the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society naturally offered his greetings and was about to rise from his seat.
"Sit down, leader of the Heavenly Fate Society."
"!"
The leader stared at Geom Mugeuk for a moment before sitting back down.
"You knew I was here."
The leader's gaze turned to Jo I-baek.
Jo I-baek subtly shook his head, feigning ignorance.
The leader asked.
"For what reason did the Alliance Leader send you, young hero?"
"Lord Jo here made a deal. To trade his son for you."
Jo I-baek was flustered, not expecting him to say it so openly.
On the other hand, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society didn't get angry with Jo I-baek, as if he had expected it.
Jo I-baek vehemently denied it.
"Don't believe him. This is a ploy by the Alliance Leader to drive a wedge between us."
Until he knew why the Alliance Leader had sent this young man instead, Jo I-baek had to deny it stubbornly.
Of course, with Geom Mugeuk present, it was not an easy choice.
"Don't blame Lord Jo too much. It must have been a difficult decision, with his child involved."
"I understand."
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society nodded.
Jo I-baek denied it to the end.
"Don't be fooled. Don't fall for their tricks."
Jo I-baek had no choice but to misunderstand.
He thought the Martial Alliance Leader was trying to eliminate him through the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society.
Because of this, Jo I-baek was furious.
'So that's how you're going to play this?'
Jo I-baek sent a telepathic message to his subordinate hidden nearby.
-Tell them to proceed with Jin Ha-ryeong.
Right now!
-Yes, sir.
He judged that he could only survive if he got his hands on Jin Ha-ryeong as quickly as possible.
But he did not know.
The reason the Martial Alliance Leader did not come here was because he had accepted Geom Mugeuk's advice to protect Jin Ha-ryeong.
Geom Mugeuk asked the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society.
"I have good news and bad news for you. Which do you want to hear first?"
"I like to start things off on a pleasant note, so let's hear the good news first."
"I came alone."
"You really came alone?"
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society was astonished.
He had thought that masters from the Martial Alliance would be positioned outside.
"Then what's the bad news?"
"I came alone."
When Geom Mugeuk repeated what he had said before, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society looked puzzled.
"Why is that bad news? Didn't you just say it was good news?"
"It's bad news as well. Because there is no one here to stop me."
He was speaking with an audacity that went beyond mere confidence, but the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society actually seemed pleased.
"It's not easy to find such spirited young men these days. Isn't that right, Lord Jo?"
"That's right. Not only the newcomers, but even the experienced veterans are all busy looking out for themselves."
As he agreed, a doubt arose in his mind.
'Is he really a master capable of killing the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society? Is that why he's saying such things?'
Should he side with the Martial Alliance Leader now? With the merit of handing over the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society, he felt he could somehow manage the aftermath.
As if reading his conflict, Geom Mugeuk said to Jo I-baek.
"Lord Jo, I think it's time you made it clear which side you're on."
Jo I-baek was truly conflicted.
But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't imagine this young man being able to kill the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society.
If the Martial Alliance Leader were here, it might be a different story, but the person close by now was the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society.
"What are you talking about? I have never once betrayed the Leader."
"May I take that as your official statement?"
The words carried the implication that he wouldn't be spared even if it meant execution.
Jo I-baek was engulfed in conflict.
Since he couldn't predict why the Martial Alliance Leader was acting this way, the decision was not easy.
Just then, the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society said with a smile.
"I shall resolve our Lord Jo's dilemma."
The moment he finished speaking, figures began to appear from all directions.
The very first person to appear was enough to sway Jo I-baek's heart.
The man with a short, straight blade at his waist was the Demon-Slaying Blade, Gu Ryeong.
He was a supreme master who was once called one of the three great masters of the blade in the Righteous Path.
The leader of the Heavenly Fate Society and the Demon-Slaying Blade.
These two alone would have been enough to tip the scales, but there were others.
A monk appeared, holding a large iron staff and wearing monastic robes.
He was the Invincible Monk, Yora-ri, who had been active as a supreme master in Tibet.
As if these two were not enough to face, a hunchbacked old man with a peculiar appearance made his entrance.
The worn-out green pouch hanging from his waist revealed his identity.
He was the Poison Elder, Gok Chu, who had built a legacy with poison.
It was said that not even a single blade of grass could survive where he walked, forever turning the land into a place of death.
He was so skilled with poisons that anyone who knew of him feared him.
However, it wasn't these three masters who completely changed the atmosphere.
Masked men appeared from all directions.
Like ants pouring out of an anthill, countless masked men, whose origins were unknown, revealed themselves.
They filled the surroundings.
From below the wall to on top of it, in the courtyard, and on the roofs.
Their numbers seemed to be at least a hundred.
And they weren't just there to fill the ranks.
The look in their eyes above the masks and their aura were fierce and sharp.
Jo I-baek realized for the first time.
That the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society traveled with such formidable masters.
'Truly incredible.
Even if one wanted to capture the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society, it would be impossible.'
Any further hesitation was meaningless.
At a signal from Jo I-baek, four men appeared.
They were dressed in martial robes, each adorned with the emblem of a plum blossom, an orchid, a chrysanthemum, or bamboo—they were Jo I-baek's trusted subordinates, the Four Gentlemen.
"We will take care of that young brat."
If he was to be forgiven for this incident, he had to earn it decisively.
His own men had to step up and eliminate this man.
Jo I-baek spoke frankly to the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society.
"As man to man, how about we forget our past transgressions? This whole thing started because you brought my son into this without my knowledge, didn't it? Let's just forget it."
"Very well. As they say, the ground hardens after it rains."
The two men looked at each other and laughed.
Then, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
"After they kill me, he will kill you. He wouldn't keep a traitor alive."
"You little brat! Stop trying to sow discord."
Once Jo I-baek made up his mind, he didn't look back.
"You will never leave this place alive. Not even your Alliance Leader would survive."
"Honestly, I was worried. That you might take my side."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I had already decided to kill you as well. If you had sided with me, wouldn't I feel sorry when I killed you?"
"How can you say such things even in this situation? You truly are an audacious bastard."
Jo I-baek gave an order to the Four Gentlemen.
"Kill him."
The Four Gentlemen stepped out into the open space.
Geom Mugeuk also slowly walked forward and stood before them.
He was completely surrounded by over a hundred masked masters, with the supreme masters—the Demon-Slaying Blade, the Invincible Monk, and the Poison Elder—the Master of the True Dragon Manor, and the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society all watching.
Geom Mugeuk stared at the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society within that massive group and spoke calmly.
"For the crime of impersonating the Evil Heart Laughing Demon to plunder the lives and wealth of the martial world, and for plotting to overthrow the Martial Alliance through a marriage with the Alliance Leader's granddaughter, I hereby sentence the leader of the Heavenly Fate Society, the Master of the True Dragon Manor, and all others present to summary execution on this spot."
A moment of silence fell.
But soon, someone couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter, and from there, the ridicule spread to everyone.
No one in this place was tense or afraid.
Yes, he might be a master.
He must have confidence in his skills to say such things.
But their own forces were strong enough to march on the Martial Alliance right now without it being strange.
So they all just enjoyed the audacity of a young brat who couldn't tell heaven from earth.
Just as the murmurs and laughter grew louder, as if to silence everyone.
Wuuuuuuuuh!
With a deep hum that seemed to rise from an abyss, the Black Demon Sword began to cry out on its own.