Bi Sa-in entered the long corridor.
Along the path leading to the Alliance Leader’s Hall, iron wolves stood on both sides, poised as if ready to pounce at any moment.
Whenever he passed through this corridor, he felt a unique, suffocating evil energy.
Perhaps that was why?
He often thought that the old tale might be true—that if an intruder entered, these iron wolves would move, biting the opponent’s neck until their body was torn to shreds.
Passing through the corridor and opening a large door, he saw a man standing at the end of the Alliance Leader’s Hall with his back turned.
His stature was ordinary.
Neither thin nor fat, his back looked like one you could see anywhere on the streets.
But Bi Sa-in knew.
This was the back of a man who could not be found anywhere else in this martial world.
The Unorthodox Alliance Leader, Baek Ja-gang.
The Greatest Master of the Unorthodox Faction and the absolute ruler of the Unorthodox Faction.
Bi Sa-in was Baek Ja-gang’s disciple.
Baek Ja-gang did not have any blood relatives.
The reason was that having family would make his heart weak.
In other words, it also meant that he would not let his heart grow weak.
Bi Sa-in walked nervously to the bottom of the stairs.
As always, standing before the Alliance Leader made his heart shrink and tense up.
“It looks like it will rain.”
Baek Ja-gang’s voice echoed through the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
He had a deep, resonant voice.
“It will be the first rain of the winter, I suppose.”
Normally, Bi Sa-in would have given a stiff greeting, reporting that he had returned safely.
But today, he responded to the Alliance Leader’s words.
He didn’t want to admit it, but it was Geom Mugeuk’s influence.
He had accepted his advice to see people for who they really were, and had resolved to see the Alliance Leader differently now.
A different reaction brought another different reaction.
“Come up.”
Bi Sa-in climbed the stairs and walked to where the Unorthodox Alliance Leader stood.
This was the first time he had been called to stand here, overlooking the main headquarters.
Only after standing side by side with him did he finally offer a polite greeting.
“I have returned, Alliance Leader.”
Baek Ja-gang slowly turned his head to look at Bi Sa-in.
His eyes were as small as buttonholes.
Truly small, as if they were just dots.
Bi Sa-in sometimes wondered.
He thought that those eyes might one day open wide.
That he must be hiding them.
His eyes were that small.
So it was not easy to read his emotions by looking at his eyes, but conversely, the Alliance Leader was a man who could see through to his opponent’s inmost thoughts with those small eyes.
“You’ve taken care of the Black Snake Division?”
But his voice was better than anyone’s.
Every time Bi Sa-in heard it, he thought he wanted a voice like that.
“Yes, I have eliminated the Black Snake Division Lord and some of the key members.”
“The reason?”
What should he say? If he answered honestly, he would have to say this: because the Black Snake Division kidnapped children and committed evil deeds.
But that was not the correct answer.
Bi Sa-in thought he didn’t know the Unorthodox Alliance Leader well, but he knew at least that much was not the right answer.
Bi Sa-in gave the answer he thought was correct.
“The man was arrogant.”
The small eyes that were barely visible disappeared as Baek Ja-gang laughed loudly.
His eyes were small, but his mouth was unusually large.
So when he guffawed, it made one think, ‘He’s really laughing hard.’
Even if the Alliance Leader knew why he had dealt with them, this was the way to answer.
This was the kind of person his master was.
“Since it has come to this, I plan to gradually absorb the Black Snake Division while monitoring public opinion.”
Baek Ja-gang wore a satisfied expression.
He was a man who would do anything to make the Unorthodox Alliance stronger.
And at the root of that reason was the Demon Sect.
“That man, Geom Woojin, will surely start a war to unify the martial world. We must prepare for that day.”
He was convinced that the Heavenly Demon of this era would start a war.
“If he starts a war, he will strike us first.”
“Why us, and not the Martial Alliance?”
“Because the Martial Alliance will not get involved in that fight.”
The reaction Baek Ja-gang expected from the Martial Alliance was this:
“They will never intervene, hoping that we and the Demon Sect will fight each other to ruin. Even if they had a mind to help, would they join hands with us?”
The decision to help the Unorthodox Faction would be met with opposition from countless Righteous Path elders, and it was a matter that the Martial Alliance Leader would find difficult to push through, even if he wanted to.
“Even knowing that when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold, they will never help us. Even if all their teeth are pulled out later, they are the kind of people who will mumble about righteousness while smacking their gums.”
Hate was hate.
Baek Ja-gang’s judgment was cold.
“If by some chance a war breaks out between the Demon Sect and the Martial Alliance, we must help the Martial Alliance. The Demon Sect will surely try to monopolize the martial world. The same will be true when you become the Alliance Leader.”
That was how dangerously Baek Ja-gang regarded the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, and Geom Woojin.
The strength of the Alliance Leader, Bi Sa-in thought, lay in not indulging in useless pride.
The Alliance Leader never overestimated the strength of the Unorthodox Alliance.
Rather, he proceeded with everything under the premise that they were a step below the Demon Sect and the Martial Alliance.
Bi Sa-in believed that the strength of the current Unorthodox Alliance stemmed from the Alliance Leader’s thorough grasp of reality.
“I will keep that in mind.”
You do not have to worry about when I become the Alliance Leader.
A war will not happen in our generation.
The problem is this era.
He knew that, apart from his grasp of reality, Baek Ja-gang also dreamed of unifying the martial world.
He had never spoken of it, but he could tell by feeling.
That with those small eyes, he wanted to look down not just on the Unorthodox Alliance, but on the entire martial world.
That he was enduring and enduring for that one decisive blow.
“There is something I would like to ask.”
The method Bi Sa-in chose to handle this matter was a direct confrontation.
“Is there a secret organization being raised in our Alliance that I am unaware of?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I have discovered that the Black Snake Division supplied kidnapped children to our Alliance through the Flowing Sword Sect. If it is not an organization sanctioned by the Alliance, I believe someone is raising a private force.”
It was a major issue, if a major issue it was, but Baek Ja-gang showed no particular reaction.
He simply stared at Bi Sa-in without a word.
“If that is the case, this matter cannot be simply overlooked.”
Bi Sa-in did not avoid the intense evil energy flowing from the Alliance Leader’s small eyes.
There’s no need to be afraid.
He is the Alliance Leader and I am his successor.
He received his gaze, which he would not have dared to look at before, as calmly as possible.
“You’ve changed recently.”
Bi Sa-in did not hide his change.
There were only two people in the world he was not confident he could hide his heart from.
The Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect and the Alliance Leader before him.
“On this trip, I met the Young Cult Master and the Demon Slaying Branch Master. They too were growing with each passing day. If I am not to lose, I too must make an effort.”
Was he satisfied with his confident demeanor? A large smile formed on the Alliance Leader’s large mouth.
Baek Ja-gang’s gaze turned back to the window.
He looked at the gathering dark clouds and finally answered the first question.
“I never gave permission for such an organization.”
Swaaaaaaaah!
Geom Mugeuk and Pyo Gi-gwang hid in the bushes, watching the pouring rain.
They were taking a short break after running frantically to escape the assassins.
“Your skills are more outstanding than I thought.”
“Didn’t I tell you? That I would protect you.”
He had thought his confidence was off the charts, but it seemed it wasn’t just confidence.
“I am the person who protects the Young Alliance Leader. I will not be easily taken down by assassins.”
At the word ‘assassin,’ what Geom Mugeuk had said earlier came to Pyo Gi-gwang’s mind again.
—What kind of alliance in the world sends contract killers after a subordinate they’ve given a task to? Where exactly is there room for loyalty in this messy situation?
Sensing Pyo Gi-gwang’s heart wavering, Geom Mugeuk did not miss this moment.
“Did he warn you that he would kill you if you didn’t keep the secret?”
Pyo Gi-gwang slowly shook his head.
This was the point that upset him the most.
He was being treated like dog droppings on the side of the road.
“Forgive my impertinence, but I can guess why he chose you, Division Lord.”
“Why is that?”
“A normal person would jump up and get angry, but you are accepting this attempt to silence you as a matter of course, are you not? He knew. How a person in deep despair would react in such a situation.”
What if he had chosen him for that reason?
Pyo Gi-gwang’s face flushed.
It was a matter of great pride.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk motioned with a ‘shh’ and thrust his sword into the dense grass behind Pyo Gi-gwang.
With a single scream, a body fell forward.
“An entire assassination organization has come. It must be because they found out that you met with the Young Alliance Leader. No matter how many men the Young Alliance Leader assigned to guard you, it shows their determination to eliminate you at all costs.”
In other words, it meant they were that desperate.
The reason he didn’t act himself was surely to avoid exposing his identity.
No matter how much they tortured this assassination organization, no trace of him would be found.
“Even though a whole organization has been mobilized, they haven’t been able to kill me, who is being protected by you alone.”
“That seems to be the case. Let’s go, we need to move.”
The two of them started running down the mountain path again.
Other assassins attacked them.
Pyo Gi-gwang had no idea, but they were not running away.
Geom Mugeuk was intentionally seeking out the assassins and eliminating them.
Trained only to kill their opponents, they knew no fear.
But no amount of courage could overcome a difference in skill as vast as heaven and earth.
No ambush was effective.
Geom Mugeuk’s methods of dealing with the assassins were so ordinary that, to Pyo Gi-gwang’s eyes, the assassins’ skills seemed not that high.
He swung so lightly, why couldn’t they dodge it? An assassin allowed such a simple kick and got his jaw dislocated?
But the terrifying force when they attacked him always brought forth this cry.
‘This time, I’m really dead!’
The words he might have shouted in his heart countless times burst out again.
Puuk!
A sword protruded right before Pyo Gi-gwang’s eyes.
Blood dripped from its tip.
The sword did not belong to the assassin.
It was Geom Mugeuk’s sword, having pierced through the back of his head.
It looked as if he had hastily thrown the sword to kill him, but it was a move that displayed a throwing dagger skill superior to any other technique.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“It seems all the assassins have been dealt with now.”
Pyo Gi-gwang was startled.
Run when told to run, duck when told to duck, pulled when pulled, and falling when pushed.
Just like that, the fight was over.
It’s over? Does that mean I survived?
With a look of disbelief, Pyo Gi-gwang stared at Geom Mugeuk.
Swaaaaaaaah!
Geom Mugeuk was washing the blood off his face and body in the falling rain.
Suddenly, his appearance felt unfamiliar.
It was not the image of the youngest martial artist who had excitedly chimed in and listened to his words.
The sight of him calmly washing off the blood felt like that of a true martial artist who had been through all sorts of trials, cutting his way through mountains of blades and forests of swords.
Was that why? For some reason, he looked lonely.
“Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
Where do we go now?
But Geom Mugeuk knew exactly where to go.
“To him. We have to go and confront him. Ask him why he handled things this way. If he wanted to finish it, he should have come and finished it himself, why send assassins? We have to ask why he looks down on me so much.”
Geom Mugeuk was saying the words Pyo Gi-gwang wanted to say.
“I believe this matter was not authorized by the Alliance.”
Pyo Gi-gwang flinched for a moment but shook his head.
“That can’t be.”
As the time was right, Geom Mugeuk delivered the decisive words he had been saving.
“If it were a matter authorized by the Unorthodox Alliance Leader, he would never have sent contract killers. I heard it once before. The people the Unorthodox Alliance Leader dislikes the most are contract killers.”
“!”
In that moment, a memory from the past surfaced for Pyo Gi-gwang.
During his time as the Black Dragon Division Lord, he had had a conversation with his subordinates about this.
The Alliance Leader truly despised assassins, so in the current Unorthodox Alliance, those with an assassin background never succeeded.
He had even said those words himself.
A chill ran down Pyo Gi-gwang’s spine.
It was something he had forgotten.
Getting injured, stepping down from the division, living like a ruined man.
In the midst of all that, he had forgotten everything.
‘If that person was carrying out the Alliance Leader’s will, he would not have used assassins, would he?’
This powerful doubt naturally brought back a past conversation with that person.
—Is this an operation that the Alliance Leader is also aware of?
—Of course.
That is also the reason why the secret must be kept at all costs.
At the time, he naturally thought the Alliance Leader knew.
That’s why this person stepped forward.
That’s why he thought the Young Alliance Leader should not be involved either.
It was a secret operation that even the Young Alliance Leader was not informed of.
Why had he never doubted it?
He knew the answer to the question that arose in his heart.
He just wanted to escape that situation.
He wanted to escape and boast to those who had ignored him, ‘I’m doing something this great, you morons!’ That was all he wanted.
“If this was done without the Alliance Leader’s knowledge, then this is treason.”
Pyo Gi-gwang’s heart sank.
If that was true, it meant the man had dragged him into treason.
Pyo Gi-gwang was utterly confused.
“Let’s find out what the truth is together.”
Just yesterday, Pyo Gi-gwang had thought that he alone knew the truth.
He was a man who would not listen to any words.
But now, he was asking this.
“Can we do it?”
“You were prepared for death anyway, weren’t you?”
Yes, that’s right.
How many times today had he thought, ‘I’m dying now,’ and closed his eyes.
He would just close them one more time.
Pyo Gi-gwang looked at Geom Mugeuk and nodded.
The situation had now changed.
“From now on, we are not the fish. Let’s become the fishermen and cast a net together. Then let’s hear what that fish, who has been pretending to be a fisherman all this time, has to say.”