“No, please spare me!”
Words pleading for his life came pouring out of the Black Snake Division Lord’s mouth.
The youngest of the Young Alliance Leader's guards had turned Black Hound into a mangled mess before cutting off his head.
In the process, Black Hound couldn't even swing his sword properly once.
So how could he even think of resisting?
Furthermore, the evil energy emanating from Bi Sa-in’s body was terrifyingly constricting the Black Snake Division Lord.
As a martial artist of the Unorthodox Faction, the Black Snake Division Lord had encountered evil energy many times, but the evil energy now was stronger than any he had ever felt.
The scent of blood was thick in the enraged Bi Sa-in’s evil energy.
“Then does that mean your subordinates acted on their own?”
Driven into a corner, the Black Snake Division Lord dragged an innocent person into it.
“What in the world is going on?”
The person the Black Snake Division Lord shouted at was Song Chung.
He was dragging him into this situation?
Knowing full well that his relationship with Black Hound was so bad?
It was absurd, but it wasn’t a situation where he could blame the Black Snake Division Lord.
“It is something I was not aware of. Black Hound is an uneducated and lowly man. It seems he went around committing wicked deeds behind the Division Lord’s back.”
There was no one around who didn't know of his evil deeds, but if he said he was always like that, the blame would fall on him for not stopping him.
Bi Sa-in sent a telepathic message to Geom Mugeuk.
—The information written here, how accurate is it?
It was information from Silver Moon, so its reliability was beyond question.
—It’s information sent by the person I trust and cherish the most.
You can consider it to be on the same level as the information from our Main Sect's Heaven-Reaching Pavilion.
After confirming the reliability of the information, Bi Sa-in asked Song Chung.
“What is your name?”
“It is Song Chung.”
Bi Sa-in flipped through the paper he was holding and found the information on Song Chung.
Song Chung’s heart began to pound.
His life and death would be decided by what was written there.
That paper was truly the god of death’s Book of Life and Death.
Fortunately, a sword did not come flying at him.
It seemed the evil deeds written on the paper were not enough to warrant death.
In the meantime, the Black Snake Division Lord, having caught his breath, prostrated himself on the spot and pledged.
“There will be no more kidnapping of children. I will also properly manage the excessive evil deeds of my subordinates.”
Instead of answering, Bi Sa-in walked toward where Black Hound’s corpse lay.
It seemed like he was going to see the body, but he wasn't.
Bi Sa-in drew his sword and stained the tip with blood.
Then, he drew three lines in blood on the paper he was holding.
Bi Sa-in handed the paper to the Black Snake Division Lord.
Blood lines were drawn through the names of three people.
They were the ones whose evil deeds were severe even within the Black Snake Division.
He hadn’t said a single word, but the Black Snake Division Lord understood what Bi Sa-in was trying to convey.
“Black Night, come here for a moment and look at this.”
He called Black Night, who had been standing silently until then, over to him.
The moment Black Night walked over and looked at what was written on the paper.
Swoosh!
The Black Snake Division Lord’s sword was drawn in a surprise attack, slashing at his chest.
However, as if he had already noticed, Black Night dodged the attack.
“I knew you would.”
“Don’t blame me! It’s because your evil deeds are deep.”
The two men engaged in a bloody battle.
Suddenly, the two strongest men in the Black Snake Division were fighting to the death, leaving the Black Snake Division martial artists stunned and unsure of what to do.
“Kill Black Night!”
“Kill the Division Lord! He’s trying to kill us all!”
“That’s a lie! Join forces and kill Black Night! That’s an order.”
In an instant, it became pandemonium.
Heuk-sam, who had subtly moved back, launched himself to escape the place.
He knew well that in a situation like this, fleeing was the best course of action.
However, the First Wolf of the Unorthodox Path, under Bi Sa-in's command, was already blocking his way.
Not daring to think of breaking through, Heuk-sam retreated.
Having seen Black Hound die without being able to lift a finger, no one would draw their sword against the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path today.
The other members of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path also completely surrounded the area, making it impossible to escape.
Bi Sa-in watched their fight silently with his arms crossed.
Black Night was inferior to the Black Snake Division Lord in martial arts, but his rage from being betrayed made him fight like a madman.
It was a fight to the death, and Sword Qi flew wildly.
Geom Mugeuk and Jin Ha-gun were watching the fight from outside the encirclement of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path.
Swoosh.
Jin Ha-gun pulled on Geom Mugeuk's sleeve, drawing him closer.
A stray strand of Sword Qi that flew from afar grazed past the spot where Geom Mugeuk had been standing.
“You saved my life!”
“Saved you, my foot. You would have dodged it ten times over.”
“Branch Master Jin.”
“Why are you lowering your voice?”
“I sincerely hope you become the successor.”
“Why so sudden?”
“It just occurred to me that I would like that. I’m telling you while it’s on my mind.”
Although he said it playfully, one could feel he was speaking his true feelings.
“How could that be up to my will?”
His grandfather and the Alliance Leader, Jin Pae-cheon, was a man who would mercilessly oust even his own grandson from the line of succession if he made a mistake.
“Why do you want me to be the successor?”
Because I’m easy to deal with? He had anticipated such an answer might come.
“Because I think you’d do a good job.”
Jin Ha-gun looked at Geom Mugeuk.
“Whether friend or foe, they must be competent. Only then is it fun to play with them and worth fighting against.”
This time, Geom Mugeuk pulled him to his side.
Swoooosh.
Another stray strand of Sword Qi flew by, this time passing through the spot where Jin Ha-gun had been standing.
“I saved your life! Don’t you ever forget it!”
Hearing that banter, Jin Ha-gun wondered.
How would his relationship with this person end? Could they truly become friends?
In the meantime, the fight ended.
One person was standing, and the other lay as a corpse.
There was no upset.
The winner, as expected by his skill, was the Black Snake Division Lord.
Black Night had fought many battles, but he had only won the ones he was supposed to.
Slaughter unrelated to skill was of no help in saving his own life.
That wasn't the end of it.
Since there were three names marked on the paper, the Black Snake Division Lord launched surprise attacks and killed Ilsam and Ilpal.
They, being less skilled than Black Night, could not withstand the Division Lord's surprise attack.
“It is all finished.”
To the Black Snake Division Lord’s report, Bi Sa-in said.
“Now, four of the five most wicked people in the Black Snake Division are dead.”
“Five people? There were only three names with lines drawn through them.”
Even including Black Hound, that was four.
Wondering if he had missed one, the Black Snake Division Lord picked up the paper again.
It was at that very moment.
Swoooosh.
Thwack.
Bi Sa-in’s sword sliced through the Black Snake Division Lord’s neck.
The paper the Black Snake Division Lord was holding was also cut, and coincidentally, the part with his name was severed.
A red line was visible underneath.
The line, which looked as if it had been drawn, was the line cut into the Black Snake Division Lord’s neck.
Pshuuuuuu!
The next moment, blood spewed from that line, and the Black Snake Division Lord collapsed.
Bi Sa-in did not forgive him.
The evil deeds he committed to establish the Black Snake Division were bad enough, but his greatest sin was allowing the evil deeds of subordinates like Black Hound and Black Night to go unchecked.
The remaining martial artists of the Black Snake Division trembled in fear.
They thought they would surely be annihilated.
But Bi Sa-in did not kill them.
“From now on, do nothing and stay put. Wait until our people arrive. Don't even breathe until then!”
The Black Snake Division knelt in unison and shouted.
“Thank you for sparing our lives.”
Having survived death, they left the place.
From this moment on, new tidings would spread throughout the Unorthodox Faction Martial World.
News that the Young Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance had personally stepped in to deliver a blow against excessive evil deeds.
There would be those who oppose, and those who welcome it.
One thing was certain: whether the evaluation was positive or negative, it would be different from yesterday's.
Bi Sa-in had taken another step into a different world.
Bi Sa-in walked over to Geom Mugeuk and Jin Ha-gun.
“You probably wanted to kill them all, but this was the best I could do.”
“Wanted to kill them all? You thought of me as a murderer? Let's go look at the Bronze Mirror together. We'll see who has a face closer to a murderer's.”
“It’s people who look as normal as you who tend to commit frightening acts.”
“It’s frustrating, but I have to admit it.”
After a round of such banter, the playfulness disappeared from Bi Sa-in’s face.
The words he had been hesitating to say came out.
“This is our Unorthodox Path.”
He wasn't saying it with pride, but with shame.
At least for today, he felt a deep sense of self-loathing.
Jin Ha-gun was about to say that just as there are bad people in the Righteous Path, there are good people in the Unorthodox Faction.
But before he could, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
“It was like trash.”
Bi Sa-in did not get angry.
In fact, hearing it said so openly made him feel more at ease.
Seeing that, Jin Ha-gun thought that the words he was about to say would have been entirely unhelpful comfort.
How does Geom Mugeuk know people's hearts so well? And he's younger than me, to boot.
“Still, you have no need to be depressed. Because it’s not your Unorthodox Path.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your Unorthodox Path isn’t over there, it’s right here, isn’t it?”
Wondering what he meant, Geom Mugeuk looked at the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path.
“Aren't these people your Unorthodox Path? Those over there aren’t your direct subordinates yet, are they? You’re not even the Alliance Leader yet, for goodness sake.”
Jin Ha-gun thought to himself.
‘Well done.’
Yes, this was exactly the kind of comfort Bi Sa-in needed right now.
One had to be able to say it was like trash.
One had to be able to say he wasn't even the Alliance Leader.
To do that, all the things Geom Mugeuk had done for Bi Sa-in up until now had to precede it.
Visiting tirelessly, bantering tirelessly, and being considerate tirelessly.
That's how the word ‘trash’ could become a jewel embedded in Bi Sa-in’s heart.
“Branch Master Jin, you should say something too.”
Look at him, taking care of me even in this situation.
“I’m not yet ready to say the word ‘trash’.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled at Jin Ha-gun.
“This is why you have to become the Alliance Leader. You have to be an interesting person for our lives as leaders to be enjoyable.”
“This is the first time in my life I've been called interesting.”
A faint smile appeared on Bi Sa-in’s lips as he listened to their conversation.
When he was with Geom Mugeuk, he would find himself smiling like this without realizing it.
Geom Mugeuk said to Bi Sa-in.
“You handled things well today. I would not have been able to make such a wise choice.”
Bi Sa-in knew.
It was only possible because of Geom Mugeuk's concession.
Thanks to him, he was able to maintain his authority in front of his subordinates.
And then came the decisive words.
“I like your Unorthodox Path.”
Although he didn't show it on the outside, Bi Sa-in was deeply moved.
It was a statement more pleasing than a hundred compliments.
Geom Mugeuk asked Jin Ha-gun.
“What do you think?”
“I’m not one to say I like someone to their face as easily as you do.”
Jin Ha-gun looked at the corpses strewn in the distance and said.
“But I do think that at least the Black Snake Division matter was handled very well today.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said.
“You see why he talks for so long, don't you?”
The three of them smiled together.
Geom Mugeuk returned the box containing the Sun Moon Sword to Bi Sa-in.
“Here, take this.”
Then, Bi Sa-in said something unexpected.
“This is your gift.”
“A gift?”
“A commemorative gift for joining as the youngest of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path.”
Everyone here knew well how valuable the Sun Moon Sword was.
It was a treasured sword that couldn’t be easily obtained no matter how much money one had, so they could also tell how grateful Bi Sa-in was to Geom Mugeuk.
“You’ll regret giving it away tonight and won't be able to sleep.”
“That might be true.”
“Are you still okay with it?”
Bi Sa-in nodded.
“Have I ever told you this? Not because you gave me a gift, but your face is handsome. The Fist Demon Master, the Demon Army Lord, and you. The three commanders who are grotesque and frightening, but the more I look, the more handsome you are.”
“You’re just saying that because I gave you a gift.”
Geom Mugeuk hugged the box with the Sun Moon Sword and was overjoyed.
He was so happy that it made one think the gift was well-given.
“I can’t just stand here after receiving such a precious gift. From now on, boast about it. That the Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect was once the youngest of your Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path. Spread the rumor as much as you like.”
The Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path had already experienced Geom Mugeuk and knew him well enough to take his banter as just that.
“If such a rumor spreads, won't you be kicked out of your position as Young Cult Master?”
To Bi Sa-in’s concern, Geom Mugeuk replied.
“Then I’ll come find you, so take me in. Let’s hang out for the rest of our lives.”
Shaking off the absurd thought that he really wished that would happen, Bi Sa-in said to his subordinates.
“You've heard how troublesome it will get, so everyone, make sure not to spread the rumor.”
“Yes!”
A thunderous response was heard.
Bi Sa-in said to the two men.
“I intend to return to the Main Alliance.”
The time had come to root out those who were secretly maneuvering within the Unorthodox Alliance.
Geom Mugeuk followed up.
“I’ll go too.”
This matter was not just a problem for the Unorthodox Alliance, so Bi Sa-in nodded.
If the enemies were plotting against the entire Martial World, it would be foolish to let pride get in the way of accepting help.
“I will gratefully accept your help.”
Now, only Jin Ha-gun’s decision remained.
“I will return to the Martial Alliance now.”
In fact, just coming this far dressed as one of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path was already pushing it.
Besides, he couldn't take the Demon Slaying Branch to the Unorthodox Alliance headquarters.
Bi Sa-in expressed his gratitude to Jin Ha-gun.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Be more careful of that person than the enemy.”
“I appreciate the advice.”
Geom Mugeuk, who was listening, said.
“At least pretend to whisper!”
And so, Jin Ha-gun left that place.
The martial artists of the Demon Slaying Branch, who had been hiding far away, revealed themselves and greeted Jin Ha-gun.
Before leaving, Jin Ha-gun stood on the ridge with his subordinates and watched the carriage speeding towards the distant Unorthodox Alliance.
The setting sun, carrying Jin Ha-gun’s wish to go with them, painted the world red and began to swiftly chase after the departing carriage.