The Seventeenth Assassin’s steps slowed.
The Faceless One was following her, knowing nothing.
She wanted to spare this Faceless One, if no one else.
But she could not.
Her mute point was sealed, so she could not tell him, and if she truly did, she would lose her own life.
Her entire life had been spent contemplating only how to kill someone.
So, to have the feeling of wanting to save someone was truly unfamiliar.
No, it was the first time.
Just then, the Faceless One pushed her back from behind.
Lost in her thoughts, her pace had become too slow.
The Seventeenth Assassin turned to look back.
They had been together the entire carriage ride, but this was the first time their eyes met.
He had been looking outside the whole time.
The Seventeenth Assassin turned back and started walking again.
They entered the guest hall.
Stepping inside, the Seventeenth Assassin flinched in surprise.
A Faceless One was standing behind the open door.
And by the window was another Faceless One.
He was leaning against the wall, observing the inside of the guest hall, and the Seventeenth Assassin knew at once that he was no ordinary Faceless One.
The presence he exuded was different from the others.
That presence naturally brought a name to mind.
‘Evil Heart Laughing Demon!’
Was it because of the pure white mask? The moment she saw the Evil Heart Laughing Demon, a massive, pure white wolf came to mind.
A lone wolf, standing in a snowy field amidst falling snow.
Finally, she saw her comrades properly.
They were all staring this way with rigid expressions.
Now she understood.
The Third Assassin and the nineteen other assassins of the Cult of Beauties had all been subdued.
How could she not have considered that they might have been subdued?
Just then, the Evil Heart Laughing Demon asked her.
“Are you alright?”
Just as the Seventeenth Assassin briefly mistook the question for being directed at her, someone answered from behind.
“Yes, I am fine.”
The Seventeenth Assassin spun around in surprise.
She saw that the Faceless One who had rescued her had answered with a respectful clasped fist salute.
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon had been asking him, whose martial robes were soaked in blood from his many injuries, if he was alright.
Seeing this, the Seventeenth Assassin was surprised once more.
‘He wasn’t mute!’
Until now, she had thought the Faceless Ones were incapable of speech.
That they were men whose tongues had been cut out, stripped of even their emotions.
He even exchanged a nod with the Faceless One who was originally in the guest hall.
Surprisingly, they smiled at each other.
‘What, they can smile too?’
The Faceless One led the Seventeenth Assassin to a chair and sat her down.
Seated there, the Seventeenth Assassin finally realized her predicament.
The predicament of being captured by the terrifying Evil Heart Laughing Demon of the Demon Sect and his Faceless Ones.
Her gaze turned to her senior and junior assassins.
Since they couldn't speak anyway, they quietly exchanged glances.
It was then that she saw it.
A single line of blood drawn across everyone's neck.
‘Could it be?’
The Seventeenth Assassin could tell.
They were wounds inflicted by a single person.
‘They were struck down by the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.’
The Evil Heart Laughing Demon she knew was someone who didn't fit the image of saving people at all, rumored to be the cruelest among the Demon Sovereigns.
‘Why on earth isn't he killing us?’
In the meantime, more carriages arrived one after another.
Subdued assassins alighted from them as well.
All the assassins of the Cult of Beauties mobilized this time were being brought in captive.
The Faceless Ones seated the captured assassins in the empty chairs.
The more assassins were brought in, the greater their surprise at the number of their captured comrades.
Were we such a powerless organization?
These were women who had been confident they could kill any man in the world if they put their minds to it.
But their beauty did not work on these masked men.
It was blocked by those masks.
As if they had met their natural enemy.
Eventually, all the Faceless Ones who had gone out returned, having subdued all the assassins.
Looking at the captives, the Third Assassin knew.
‘Everyone except the First and Second Assassins has been captured.’
It was a relief they weren't killed immediately, but she didn't harbor the naive thought that the Demon Sect would let them live.
Since they had targeted them, Cha Iran, the First Assassin, and the Second Assassin could also be in danger.
She worried that they might be used as hostages to manipulate Cha Iran.
Her gaze turned to the carriages parked outside.
There was only one thing to hope for now.
Whether he received a report that a broken carriage had arrived at the Divine Flower Sect's guest hall, or that a fight had broken out among women in the guest hall, her hope was for the Divine Flower Sect Master to come here himself with his masters.
No matter how powerful the Evil Heart Laughing Demon was, he wouldn't dare to touch the Divine Flower Sect Master just two days before the contest.
She hoped he would come and create a variable.
But no matter how long she waited, the Divine Flower Sect Master did not come.
In the Divine Flower Sect Master’s hall, three men were sitting and drinking.
The man in the center was the Divine Flower Sect Master, An Cheong-gwang, and the other two were the Flame Serpent Sword and the Iron Cold Blade.
The two masters who had helped An Cheong-gwang build the Divine Flower Sect to what it was today.
“Only two days left.”
Cha Iran had relayed her plan to kill the Unorthodox Alliance Leader on the final stage.
The original plan was to kill him at a celebratory banquet a few days later, but with the Unorthodox Alliance Leader arriving early, the plan had been moved up.
“Don’t forget the promise you made to us.”
An Cheong-gwang nodded at the Flame Serpent Sword’s words.
“Have I ever broken a promise I made to you?”
He had, many times.
He might not remember, or he might be pretending not to.
And there was a greater reason than just getting a confirmation of the promise.
They knew well that An Cheong-gwang's ambition, the more it was fulfilled, the more it burned like another flame.
With such a person, you had to get what was yours for certain when you could.
Because he would surely not remember again.
What An Cheong-gwang had promised the two was immense wealth and power.
If the plan to kill the Unorthodox Alliance Leader and frame the Black Heaven Sect for the assassination succeeded, the Black Heaven Sect would face annihilation at the hands of Bi Sa-in, the next Unorthodox Alliance Leader.
When that happened, the Divine Flower Sect would rise to become the foremost sect in Anhui, and they would be able to absorb all the power the Black Heaven Sect had held.
If that came to pass, becoming the number one sect of the Unorthodox Path would not be just a distant dream.
“Come, let’s have a drink.”
The three men raised their glasses.
Just as the glasses clinked with a cheerful sound.
Creeak.
The door opened, and someone entered.
The three men, upon identifying the person who entered, shot up from their seats in surprise.
Surprisingly, the person who had entered was the Unorthodox Alliance Leader, Baek Ja-gang.
If the Unorthodox Alliance Leader had come, the martial artists guarding outside should have announced him, but the lack of any notice until his arrival meant he had come secretly.
Something felt ominous, but An Cheong-gwang rushed forward with a bright expression to greet him.
“Welcome, Alliance Leader.”
An Cheong-gwang said with a respectful clasped fist salute.
“What brings you here without any notice?”
Baek Ja-gang silently stared at his face, then asked abruptly.
“Why did you do it?”
“!”
In that moment, An Cheong-gwang’s heart sank.
Could the Alliance Leader have found out everything and come here?
Not only him, but a chill ran down the spines of the Flame Serpent Sword and the Iron Cold Blade standing behind him.
“What do you mean, sir?”
A heavy silence fell for a moment.
Whatever was going on, An Cheong-gwang did not avoid Baek Ja-gang’s gaze, his own eyes conveying his innocence.
Baek Ja-gang’s small eyes formed a smile.
“If there’s a drinking party, you should have invited me too.”
Only then did An Cheong-gwang inwardly sigh in relief.
“I did not wish to impose on such a distinguished person. My apologies, Alliance Leader.”
The Flame Serpent Sword and the Iron Cold Blade, standing behind, bowed with a respectful clasped fist salute.
“We greet the Alliance Leader.”
Baek Ja-gang looked at them.
Then, he repeated the same words he had said to An Cheong-gwang.
“Why did you two do it?”
When he asked the same question again, the Flame Serpent Sword and the Iron Cold Blade were inwardly flustered.
Having committed a crime, they felt a pang of guilt, but the Flame Serpent Sword smiled and asked.
“What do you mean, sir?”
Then, as if it were a joke again, Baek Ja-gang said with a smile.
“You should have greeted me first when you arrived.”
“We thought you were busy, so we were planning to greet you at the banquet. Our apologies.”
After the greetings, the four men sat around the circular table again.
An Cheong-gwang poured Baek Ja-gang a drink.
“Alliance Leader, please have a drink first.”
After accepting the drink, Baek Ja-gang poured drinks for the other three.
As he poured the first cup for the Iron Cold Blade, who was sitting on his right, he asked him.
“Didn’t I ask why you did it?”
The three men flinched again.
They thought the question had been answered and passed off as a joke earlier, but he was demanding an answer again.
“I don’t understand what you mean…”
Before his words could finish, the sound of a single gust of wind was heard.
Shwiiik!
Slice!
It was the sound of a wind that would carry his reply to a place where it could never be heard.
Thud.
The Iron Cold Blade’s head fell onto the table, rolled, and stopped next to a wine bottle.
“Damn it!”
Uttering a single curse, the Flame Serpent Sword kicked his chair over and retreated backward, while An Cheong-gwang remained seated, his eyes wide.
He never imagined the Alliance Leader would cut down the Iron Cold Blade without any warning like this.
And with a single stroke.
Click.
Baek Ja-gang returned the sword he had thrust into the air back into its sheath.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he said.
“It seems I’ve grown more short-tempered lately. My limit has become two times. If I ask twice and they don’t answer, I find I can’t bear it.”
Baek Ja-gang looked at the Flame Serpent Sword, who had retreated far back, and picked up the wine bottle.
It was a gesture for him to come and receive a drink.
The Flame Serpent Sword knew.
Baek Ja-gang had come knowing everything.
There was no way he would have done something like this otherwise.
‘If I take that drink, I die.’
The fear of death washed over him.
He had lived his life traversing the martial world of Anhui, never fearing anything, but now, faced with his imminent death, his whole body trembled.
The Flame Serpent Sword looked at An Cheong-gwang.
An Cheong-gwang sat there without a word.
What brilliant plan could he possibly have in this situation? He was probably wracking his brain for a way to escape this predicament.
The Flame Serpent Sword slowly walked over and sat down.
He was ready to draw his sword at any moment.
Even in death, he would not die so futilely.
He received a drink from the Unorthodox Alliance Leader on the blood-soaked table.
Was it because he thought it might be his last drink?
The wine, which had been sweet until moments ago, tasted bitter.
“The wine tastes good.”
Baek Ja-gang asked again.
“Why did you do it?”
It was the second time he was asked.
He had to answer.
He answered honestly.
“With money and power, was there any reason not to?”
Baek Ja-gang nodded as if he understood that much.
“You knew it was me?”
“No, sir, I did not know that.”
The moment he answered, goosebumps rose on Baek Ja-gang’s skin.
Baek Ja-gang looked at him silently, then said calmly.
“Pour me a drink, and then you may go.”
The Flame Serpent Sword’s eyes widened.
He’s letting me live? It was hard to believe, but for now, he had to get out of here.
Whatever lay outside of hell, how could it be worse than hell itself?
The Flame Serpent Sword poured Baek Ja-gang a drink.
Trickle.
At that very moment!
Shwiiik!
Plunge.
Baek Ja-gang’s sword, which had cut through the air in an instant, was piercing the Flame Serpent Sword’s heart.
His blood trickled down the blade, while the wine from the bottle continued to fill Baek Ja-gang’s cup.
Trickle.
After drinking all the wine poured by the dead man, Baek Ja-gang pulled the sword from his heart.
Thud.
The Flame Serpent Sword’s corpse fell backward.
An Cheong-gwang knew.
The words “then you may go” did not mean he could leave this place.
It was a command to leave this world.
Baek Ja-gang did not waste time.
He did not try to sound out his opponent.
He asked only what needed to be asked.
“Why did you do it?”
It was the second question directed at him.
He could no longer delay or read the room.
“I wanted to devour the martial world of Anhui, and then all of the Unorthodox Faction. The dream you had, Alliance Leader, I had it too.”
An Cheong-gwang stood up and walked toward the Grand Advisor's seat behind him, recounting the day Cha Iran had visited.
Although he got up and moved, Baek Ja-gang just listened.
“If I hadn't accepted their proposal, they would have gone to the Black Heaven Sect. The one framed would have been our Divine Flower Sect.”
He spoke as if he were wronged, but it had no effect on Baek Ja-gang.
“That would not have happened. The Lord of the Black Heaven Sect is a man loyal to me. They wouldn't have even approached him in the first place.”
His trust in the Black Heaven Sect Master and his contempt for An Cheong-gwang flowed out simultaneously.
“Temptation always chooses the easier path.”
An Cheong-gwang, now seated in the Grand Advisor's seat, frowned and then screamed as if in a last-ditch effort.
“You are too arrogant.”
The moment An Cheong-gwang manipulated the armrest of the Grand Advisor's seat.
Srrrng.
The walls around where Baek Ja-gang was sitting rotated, revealing hundreds of small holes.
The ceiling opened, and hundreds more holes appeared there as well.
It was a mechanism he had prepared for such an emergency.
A mechanism he had secretly built over a very long time, at great expense.
Baek Ja-gang recognized this mechanism.
“The Ten Thousand Needle Gate of Annihilation. A very fine mechanism, isn't it? Did you know? One of our alliance's technicians made this.”
Though annoyed by his composure, An Cheong-gwang trusted this mechanism.
He trusted the money and time invested in it.
“Stop acting so composed! Even you won't escape unscathed.”
He had never intended to use this mechanism on Baek Ja-gang.
He had planned to use it if Cha Iran betrayed him.
“Damn it!”
Even if the Unorthodox Alliance Leader died here and he escaped through the secret passage behind the Grand Advisor's seat, he would have to spend the rest of his life on the run, hiding his identity and face.
“You shouldn't have died here.”
The Black Heaven Sect was supposed to be the one to kill him.
“How could you not even wait two days and shatter my dream like this!”
Despite hundreds of hidden weapon holes aimed at him, Baek Ja-gang remained completely unfazed.
“If you had used the money for this mechanism to grow the Divine Flower Sect, you might have achieved your dream. You just chose the easy way out.”
In that moment, An Cheong-gwang couldn't hold back and activated the mechanism.
Click!
But the mechanism did not activate.
Click, click!
No matter how many times he pressed the device, only a metallic sound was heard; the mechanism did not attack.
Baek Ja-gang stood up and said leisurely.
“Knowing full well what is in your heart, do you think my guards would have let me come in here just like that?”
His guards had already infiltrated the walls and roof beforehand and disabled the mechanism.
“Damn it!”
An Cheong-gwang shot up.
Should he flee through the secret passage? Or should he launch an attack?
In the state of indecision, in that fleeting gap, there was a flash of light.
Shuuuung!
Puaaak!
The blue Sword Qi, flying like light, pierced through his chest.
He could not fly up; he simply slumped back into the Grand Advisor's seat.
Thump.
He looked down at the gaping hole in his chest and coughed up a torrent of blood.
It was all too futile.
The choice to take Cha Iran’s hand had taken less than a moment.
That decision had changed everything.
Life is long, but a decision is always made in an instant.
What if he had refused back then?
As Baek Ja-gang turned and walked away, he said.
“You can dream your dream in your next life.”
Just then, An Cheong-gwang’s words came from behind.
“…That woman said this.”
Baek Ja-gang stopped and looked back at that final moment.
Words he never expected came pouring out of An Cheong-gwang's mouth along with blood.
“She said that the martial world will not be destroyed only if you die.”
With those last words, An Cheong-gwang’s head drooped.
For the first time since entering the room, Baek Ja-gang’s small eyes became sharp points of light.
He hadn’t gotten goosebumps when he heard those words.
Which meant she had really said that.
The martial world will be destroyed if I live?