As he climbed the stairs, he saw Heavenly Demon Geom Woojin ahead.
Jin Pae-cheon felt his heart pound for the first time in a long while.
‘How long has it been since I felt this excitement?’
Geom Woojin had risen from his seat and was waiting for him.
Demon and Righteous, Righteous and Demon.
The leaders of the two factions, who had fought endlessly for ages.
The two men stared at each other in silence.
It was their first reunion in over a decade.
Normally, they would have exchanged greetings with proper etiquette, but they said nothing.
No greetings came from their mouths.
The first words from Jin Pae-cheon broke the silence.
“That look in your eyes hasn't changed.”
Seeing Geom Woojin again like this, Jin Pae-cheon finally realized.
He realized just how much he hated this man.
Just how much he detested the Demon Sect.
The Geom Woojin in his imagination had been an idealized version.
A wave of immense hostility washed over him, so great it was a wonder where so much hatred had been hiding.
The self-control he had cultivated over many years of meeting countless people crumbled in an instant upon seeing Geom Woojin's cold and haughty gaze.
This man's gaze was the same.
His ambition to swallow the Martial World was also the same.
Jin Pae-cheon's heart grew cold.
This time, Geom Woojin spoke calmly.
“You haven't changed either.”
The word 'you' was grating, and the words 'haven't changed' were also grating.
He could have interpreted it in a positive light, as 'you haven't aged a day,' but he did not.
Jin Pae-cheon realized anew.
He, with his tyrannical nature, had been enduring a great deal lately.
As he harbored such feelings, the air around them naturally began to grow cold.
The taut tension was not just flowing between the two of them.
It was the same on the first floor.
A tense battle of wills was underway between the masters of the Righteous Path and the Demon Sovereigns.
Geom Mugeuk stood before the lined-up Demon Sovereigns.
Jin Ha-gun stood before the lined-up masters of the Righteous Path.
Next to them was Jo Chun-bae, who hadn't managed to make it to the kitchen yet.
While watching the Martial Alliance Leader go up to the second floor, the battle of wills had begun on the first floor before he could enter the kitchen.
No one was moving and it was silent; he didn't have the courage to move alone and enter the kitchen.
What was fortunate was that no one was emitting an aura that would directly affect a person's body.
They were, quite literally, just having a staring contest.
Gazes that could pierce an opponent's heart and sever their neck were being exchanged.
Someone could have uttered a word that would become the seed of a fight, but fortunately, no one had opened their mouth yet.
Jin Ha-ryeong saw it.
Even in this hair-trigger situation, Geom Mugeuk was utterly at ease.
—Aren't you going to stop them?
—How am I supposed to stop these people?
Indeed, considering the caliber of the people who had come this time, it was absurd to believe that someone like Geom Mugeuk could stop them no matter what.
Because each and every one of them was a master capable of becoming the hegemon of a region.
—It will be fine.
I don't think your grandfather would have brought anyone reckless or foolish enough to start a fight in a place like this.
Jin Ha-ryeong glanced at the masters standing beside her.
She knew all of them, but not intimately.
Yes, her grandfather would have made sure to keep them in line.
If anything, I'm more worried about what's happening up there.
Her gaze turned to the second floor again.
Still, no conversation could be heard.
Are they conversing via telepathic message? Even so, shouldn't there at least be the usual pleasantries like 'Welcome,' 'Have you been well,' 'Thank you for coming'? 'How is the Alliance these days,' 'Is the Sect running well?' No matter how displeased you are with the other person, shouldn't you at least exchange these basic greetings?
The second floor was quiet, and the first floor was quiet.
A tension that felt like it could explode at any moment filled the air.
It was at that very moment.
Jo Chun-bae, who was looking up at the second floor, felt a chill run down his spine.
When he turned around, he saw that the gazes of everyone inside were fixed on the entrance.
A man was standing there.
He was a man dressed in neat black martial robes.
He casually swept his gaze over the masters of the Demon Sect and the Righteous Path.
His eyes were small, but his gaze was intense.
That one glance was all it took.
The man's presence absorbed all the taut tension in the hall.
Right behind the man stood a young man with a frighteningly hideous face, and behind him, nine martial artists were lined up.
Using the Eight Demon Sovereigns as a baseline, the Martial Alliance had brought one person fewer, while the Unorthodox Alliance had brought one person more.
Baek Ja-gang, a thorough realist, was not the type to bring fewer people for the sake of pride; he would sooner bring more.
Jo Chun-bae could feel it.
They, too, possessed a presence similar to the Martial Alliance masters who had entered earlier.
Whether they were looking at the Demon Sovereigns or the masters of the Martial Alliance, there was no sign of them being intimidated.
Jo Chun-bae's gaze returned to the man in the black martial robes.
Judging by his attire alone, he looked like a mere martial artist, but his presence overwhelmed everyone standing behind him.
It was a moment when his simple black robes devoured all the splendid clothes.
Geom Mugeuk shouted loudly.
“The Unorthodox Alliance Leader has arrived!”
At the words 'Unorthodox Alliance Leader,' Jo Chun-bae let out a groan-like scream, “Euh-heuk!” and quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
He had wondered if there could be any more surprises today, and there were.
“You've had a long journey.”
Baek Ja-gang looked at Geom Mugeuk for a moment.
That Geom Mugeuk was half the reason he had come here.
He was as curious about how Geom Woojin had raised such a son as he was about whether he had truly abandoned his ambition to unify the Martial World.
And this matter went beyond winning or losing at raising a child; it was related to the future of the Unorthodox Alliance.
The young man before him had not yet been harvested.
He couldn't even guess what form he would take when he was.
Baek Ja-gang walked briskly toward the stairs leading to the second floor.
The Fist Demon tried to guide him, but he once again declined.
As he was about to go up to the second floor, Baek Ja-gang stopped in front of Jo Chun-bae, who was standing with his head bowed near the stairs.
‘Don't come over here! Please just go upstairs!’
Jo Chun-bae was having an incredible experience.
After the Heavenly Demon and the Martial Alliance Leader, it was now the moment he stood before the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.
“Are you the owner of this establishment?”
At the deep, resonant voice, Jo Chun-bae lifted his head.
The voice was truly pleasant to hear.
“Yes, I am.”
As he answered with a trembling voice, Baek Ja-gang’s gaze shifted from him to Geom Mugeuk.
“The Young Cult Master has spoken highly of you.”
Knowing that Baek Ja-gang had said that out of consideration for him, Geom Mugeuk smiled at him.
Baek Ja-gang also smiled with his eyes slightly as he went up to the second floor.
It seemed you really had to see people often.
The more he looked at those small eyes, the more he thought they were cool.
Geom Mugeuk approached the dazed Jo Chun-bae.
“That's right. Today's meeting is the first three-party meeting of this era between the Cult Master, the Martial Alliance Leader, and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.”
It was the moment Jo Chun-bae finally learned the true nature of today's meeting.
It was also the moment the occupant of the final chair was decided.
‘A meeting of the Demon, Righteous, and Unorthodox factions? That meeting was being held in my tavern? The Cult Master, the Martial Alliance Leader, and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader are going to sit in my tavern's chairs? In our chairs!’
With a bright face, he lifted his head, only to be startled and bow his head again.
Everyone on the first floor was looking this way.
People he would never have made eye contact with in his entire life were staring at him, a mere tavern owner.
A sudden fear washed over him, and his whole body trembled.
“I believe this is a more splendid place than any other venue befitting a three-party meeting.”
Hearing Geom Mugeuk's calm voice and seeing his gentle gaze, the trembling subsided.
‘That’s right, if it weren't for the Young Cult Master, I would already be dead.
What is there to be afraid of?’
Geom Mugeuk had said he had boasted about him to both the Martial Alliance Leader and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.
Jo Chun-bae found his strength.
“I will do my best with the cooking.”
Jo Chun-bae walked confidently toward the kitchen.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk's loud voice came from behind.
“For today, the tavern owner is the king of all taverns in this world!”
For a moment, Jo Chun-bae's legs gave out, and he staggered, nearly collapsing.
At Geom Mugeuk's words, Jin Ha-ryeong laughed out loud.
She had been caught off guard, and the laughter burst out.
An old master of the Martial Alliance standing beside her turned to look, and Jin Ha-ryeong quickly suppressed her laughter.
‘That Young Cult Master is truly a madman. And I, who came all this way just to see that madman, am a madwoman.’
On the other hand, those who had only heard rumors about Geom Mugeuk glared at him, thinking, ‘What on earth is he doing?’ Are you making fun of us?
—Be wary of that man, the tavern owner.
They even exchanged such telepathic messages.
They misunderstood, thinking Jo Chun-bae might be a hidden card prepared by the Demon Sect.
Bi Sa-in, Jin Ha-gun, and Jin Ha-ryeong knew.
That tavern owner was an exceptionally ordinary person.
And that Geom Mugeuk’s demonic path lay in protecting this ordinary person.
No matter how many people were in this small tavern, he would never let that table be broken.
—You really pulled this off.
Geom Mugeuk replied to Jin Ha-gun's telepathic message.
—We pulled it off.
Though I admit, I didn't expect them to hate each other this much.
It was true, it was no different from enemies meeting for the first time in ten years.
—Do you think you can work things out?
—I'll have to try.
Now, the staring contest on the first floor had become a three-way battle instead of two.
With their respective successors at the front, they stood in lines, glaring at one another.
The masters of the Righteous Path disliked the practitioners of the Unorthodox Faction just as much as they disliked demonic practitioners.
Great Righteous Hero Im Sang-gon now glared at a master from the Unorthodox Faction.
There was someone he particularly disliked.
Thunderstrike Blade, Cheonmang.
He was a master who had recently made a name for himself in the Unorthodox Faction, and several masters of the Righteous Path had died fighting him.
He had wanted to meet him someday, and now he was seeing him here.
As the Great Righteous Hero glared, Thunderstrike Blade responded.
He did not turn away, but met his gaze.
The eyes of the two men, who had been cursing each other with their looks, gradually heated up.
It seemed if they were left alone, they would charge at each other without a second thought.
Just then, someone placed a hand on Thunderstrike Blade’s shoulder.
When Thunderstrike Blade turned, Gwae-ak, one of the Seven Great Masters of the Unorthodox Alliance, shook his head slightly, telling him to stop.
It was Gwae-ak, who was acquainted with Thunderstrike Blade.
Only by being stopped so openly could he have a reason to back down, and indeed, Thunderstrike Blade averted his gaze.
Bi Sa-in looked at Gwae-ak with a gaze that said, 'Well done.'
The situation on the second floor was not much different.
When Baek Ja-gang came up to the second floor, Geom Woojin and Jin Pae-cheon rose from their seats to greet him.
It was the moment the three men finally gathered in one place.
Demon, Righteous, Unorthodox.
The first meeting of their era.
Baek Ja-gang could tell.
The heavy energy flowing here was enough to guess the atmosphere.
Yes, we are not on such terms as to smile at each other.
If not for the special variable named Geom Mugeuk, they might have never seen each other until they died.
Or perhaps, they would have seen each other on the day they died.
Knowing it wasn't an atmosphere for greetings, Baek Ja-gang sat in the remaining seat.
As Baek Ja-gang sat, Geom Woojin and Jin Pae-cheon also sat down.
Greetings were once again omitted.
Baek Ja-gang looked at Geom Woojin first.
The Geom Woojin he saw after a long time had a different feel from the last time he had seen him.
‘You're getting old, too.’
However, that gaze of his, which seemed to look down on people, was the same as before.
This time, Baek Ja-gang looked at Jin Pae-cheon.
He was looking out the window, avoiding the gazes of the other two.
If Jin Pae-cheon, who hated Geom Woojin, was here, would he like Baek Ja-gang?
Baek Ja-gang could tell.
‘He's already quite heated.’
It was probably because of that look in Geom Woojin's eyes.
Even he felt this unpleasant, so how much worse must that proud and stubborn old man feel?
‘Is this meeting even possible?’
And then, a single doubt arose in Baek Ja-gang's mind.
‘This man raised a son like that?’
This cold and taciturn man raised that talkative and bright son? He wanted to ask right away.
‘How on earth did you raise that son of yours?’
Even with the three of them gathered, it was quiet.
Someone needed to take the lead and start a conversation, but none of them had any intention of doing so.
The silence on the second floor heightened the tension on the first.
At this rate, if someone on the second floor uttered the words.
Wipe them all out!
The moment that single phrase was spoken, this place would become a sea of blood.
And the one to resolve this heavy atmosphere was Geom Mugeuk.
“Master.”
Everyone's gaze focused on Geom Mugeuk.
The Demon Sovereigns who knew him all thought the same thing.
Alright, now that the Young Cult Master has stepped up, this atmosphere will change and the meeting will finally begin in earnest.
They were all just glad they weren't the one being singled out.
‘What kind of mischief is that boy up to?’
The Fist Demon was anxious inside, but he replied in a low, heavy voice.
“What is it?”
“About the Young Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance over there.”
This time, Bi Sa-in flinched.
Why me? He had a bad feeling.
‘Please don't say anything unnecessary!’
Geom Mugeuk's question shattered Bi Sa-in's desperate wish.
“That face, isn't that the type of face you prefer, Master?”
It was a question that bewildered them both.
Of course, since the hall was silent, Geom Mugeuk's words were heard not only by the three on the second floor but also by Jo Chun-bae in the kitchen.
Everyone's gaze focused on the Fist Demon.
He was being asked to evaluate the face of the Unorthodox Alliance's Young Alliance Leader at a three-party meeting?
A thunderous sound might have erupted from the Fist Demon's fist, but the thunder only roared in his mind.
The thunder roared with these words.
‘We'll talk after this.’
He couldn't scold the Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect in this place, and ignoring him could be a discourtesy to Bi Sa-in.
“I like manly-looking faces. Yes, that's right. It's a face I like.”
These were words the Fist Demon would never have said normally.
But the Fist Demon knew.
Geom Mugeuk had begun to step forward for the sake of this precarious and dangerous meeting.
So he stepped up for his disciple.
If someone else had said it, Bi Sa-in might have been offended.
Is this bastard mocking me?
But these were the words of the Fist Demon, whose imposing appearance could take on everyone gathered here.
“Thank you for your kind assessment.”
Bi Sa-in cupped his fist and expressed his gratitude.
It would have been nice if it ended there, but.
“What do you think of my Master's face?”
Bi Sa-in was taken aback.
He had never imagined he would be asked about the Fist Demon's face.
—Why me? Why not tease Branch Master Jin over there!
—Because teasing you is more fun.
In the past, he would have reflexively blurted out, ‘He is very handsome,’ or ‘He looks even more manly.’
But things were different now.
Bi Sa-in first looked at the Fist Demon.
Setting aside his preconceptions, he gazed at the Fist Demon calmly.
“Of all the people I have met in the Martial World, you have the most frightening face.”
He said it honestly, but politely.
Perhaps because his attitude wasn't offensive, the Fist Demon took it as a gentle joke.
“Fortunately, this face is quite helpful in my line of work.”
The masters of the Righteous and Unorthodox Factions present found it quite surprising.
He was very different from the Fist Demon they had heard about in rumors.
In any case, the conversation started with a ridiculous question, but in the end, it softened the explosive atmosphere on the first floor.
And he even added a finishing quip.
Geom Mugeuk said to Bi Sa-in.
“To be honest, I also like faces like our Young Alliance Leader's.”
Then Bi Sa-in asked.
“If you could trade faces with me, would you?”
“……”
This conversation alone was enough to show the relationship between the two.
They did not hide their friendship in front of the masters here.
Just then, Geom Woojin's voice was heard from the second floor.
“Mugeuk, come up.”
Then, as if in competition, Jin Pae-cheon said.
“Ha-gun, come up.”
Baek Ja-gang didn't just stay silent either.
“Sa-in, come up.”
And so, the three of them went up to the second floor.
The three on the second floor knew.
A meeting with just them would not be easy.
They hated each other far too much.
How could they speak when they didn't even want to look at each other?
The three successors stood beside their respective Cult Master and Alliance Leaders.
Just then, Geom Woojin said.
“Muyang, you come up as well.”
Geom Muyang was surprised, not expecting to be called as well, and went up to the second floor.
Geom Muyang stood on the opposite side of Geom Mugeuk, like a spreading wing.
So you have two sons, is that it? How amusing.
Jin Pae-cheon, a doting grandfather, couldn't hold back.
“Ha-ryeong, come up.”
Jin Ha-ryeong came up and stood on the opposite side of Jin Ha-gun.
Jin Pae-cheon wore a proud expression.
Baek Ja-gang stared at the two of them with a look of disbelief.
‘Are you serious?’