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**

I have no memory of the first time I saw him.

After all, he was just an unremarkable low-ranking warrior who didn’t even register on my radar.

Even when his name popped up among the spies sent to the Demon Cult, I had no interest at all.

I thought of him as merely a nameless pawn, one I could throw away at any moment.

When he returned alive to the Martial Alliance, I didn’t pay much attention either.

I figured a nameless warrior had just gotten lucky and happened to survive.

…But then.

“Since when…?”

The warrior I thought was useless had unraveled the corruption within Cheongsung.

The warrior I thought was useless had uncovered the wrongdoings of the family guild.

The warrior I thought was useless had eradicated the shadows of Shaolin.

The warrior I thought was useless had saved the lives within Huashan.

His achievements came flooding in. They piled up one after another…

Just when I thought that his ridiculous progress would finally come to an end at the Cheonryong Association, he returned once more.

…Ah.

I hadn’t really paid much attention even to that. Instead, I thought of how I could use him while treating him like trash that I could dispose of at any time.

But what is this?

Martial Alliance Leader Namgung Hyuk unleashed his full power.

The clash of internal energies. The intangible pressure crashing down.

Yet he faces it head-on. He counters the force falling from the heavens, defiantly holding his ground in his territory.

…No.

It’s overwhelming.

I’m not just being defended against; I’m being consumed…!

“…Have you been hiding your strength…?”

The earth trembles under his pressure. The unleashed internal energy is enough to pierce through heaven and earth.

But to be receiving it head-on?

The existence that was once called the ‘Blood Lord’ was now a true master.

To have crushed the head of the Jegeal Family wasn’t just an unfounded rumor, was it…!

—BAM!!!!

Suddenly, the restrained energy blared loudly and burst outward. The swirling air mixed in, shaking the surroundings.

In an instant, the internal energy was retracted. The Martial Alliance Leader caught his breath from the recent aftermath.

He had stepped back a couple of paces due to the shock…

But his opponent hadn’t moved an inch from that spot.

I had only seen something like this once. Facing ‘that guy’.

Yet ‘that guy’ was not human. He was beyond that. He was celestial. A being from beyond the sky, making any comparison with the person before me impossible.

This feeling of overwhelming presence, this feeling of powerlessness… it must be an illusion. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense.

A warrior so young, absurdly young…

Passed by me?

The talent that was said to be bestowed by heaven was…

“Who are you…! Who on earth are you?!”

“Leader.”

He raises his head to meet my gaze. Though the distance is considerable, the intensity of his stare feels as if it’s piercing through my very being.

His eyes are deep. Very deep. Eyes that seem to hold the essence of crimson blood.

When our eyes meet, it feels like I could be naturally pulled in by his gaze.

“I don’t know much about you, Leader.”

“…….”

“I don’t know what you’ve done nor what you’ve committed up to now.”

“…….”

“Everything you’ve done to me and everything that happened to me… I can bury all of it as past events, including being sent as a support warrior by the Cheonryong Association.”

On the sword.

At the tip of the handle.

His hand rests there, like a warning that he could draw it at any moment.

“But I will take this opportunity to say just one thing.”

“…What?”

“I will not join the Martial Alliance. I won’t lend you any power from this place.”

“How arrogant…!”

“If you wish to call me arrogant, you can do so. I will accept any name you give me. However…”

His lips move.

The weight of his slowly spoken words is strangely heavy. It feels like a heavy slab falling from the sky despite him just speaking.

It’s not about internal energy; it’s about spirit.

Each word from him feels like it resonates with sincerity…

Shaking heaven and earth.

With overwhelming weight.

“You must not take my words lightly from now on.”

A warning.

A clear threat.

Nevertheless, all I could do was grit my teeth. When was the last time I instinctively feared drawing my sword?

The Martial Alliance Leader Namgung Hyuk clenched his teeth.

The former Martial Alliance Inspector, Jeok-un, spoke calmly.

“Do not touch the Former Society.”

“This kid…!”

“Don’t impose the rules of the martial world on those who have not drawn their swords.”

“You damn coward…!”

“Matters of the martial world should stay as such. If you attempt to impose beyond that…”

A heavy gaze.

A hand placed on the sword’s tip.

Even without a fierce aura, I felt…

The weight of ‘blood’.

“I will find you in the name of the Blood Lord.”

“You punk with no experience!”

“Or you can draw that sword you’re holding. Right here and now.”

“YOU MONSTER!!!!”

He raised his voice from his core. But he couldn’t fully draw the tightly held sword.

The half-drawn sword came to a halt. The reason it stopped was due to the gaze fixed upon him…

And perhaps the fear of the unknown.

A defeat here would completely tarnish his honor as the Martial Alliance Leader. The rumors circulating in society were already precarious, and if things got worse…

The new Martial Alliance.

Those who held on to such ridiculous names would swarm like bees seeking to devour him.

Since the opponent’s level was not properly gauged, that fact only added to his fear. If he were forced to kill the opponent out of desperation…

What would the repercussions be?

How could he handle the many gazes of the crowd who had seen him walk in here?

It felt like being caught in a net. Not drawing his sword would mean publicly revealing that he had been overwhelmed.

Drawing the sword was also a problem.

Not drawing it was a problem too.

“…You…!”

In the first place.

If he had certainty.

If he truly believed he could win. If it were any other day.

He could have made him kneel under the pretense of teaching him a lesson. He could have drawn his sword with no hesitation and buried all trivial reasons within it.

He couldn’t do things as he used to.

For some reason, the thought that he might lose to him kept creeping in.

“My master once said.”

“…What?!”

“If you’re going to draw your sword, draw it all the way. Otherwise…”

Jeok-un turned away.

As if the conversation had ended.

“Don’t you dare take any action from the start.”

He walked away. His faction followed suit.

One-sided notification. He entered the heart of the Martial Alliance, spit out his words…

And simply left.

But I couldn’t catch him. Amidst the myriad of thoughts, I couldn’t take any action until he vanished from sight.

“…Leader. You held on well…”

—KABOOM!!!

The wall he struck cracked. The overflowing internal energy reduced the building to dust, completely obliterating it.

The collapsing statue sent debris flying everywhere, whipping up a dust storm.

The winds roared. The Martial Alliance Leader stood silently for a while.

“…Military Officer.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Send the prepared people.”

The Martial Alliance Leader glared with torn pride.

“Make sure that he cannot leave here alive.”

. . .

“Did you see the Martial Alliance Leader flinch?! Master?!”

“Wow! That’s what I’m talking about! You’re amazing! It’s so cool to see that wicked old man’s tongue getting bitten back!”

Gwangyang and Narin burst into animation as they clung to me. But I couldn’t fully engage in their conversation.

“Su-ryeon, did you see that?”

“That wasn’t the look of someone who’s been subdued. This is about the Leader’s pride. The rumors flowing from his mouth will spread rapidly, and before news spreads that the Sword Lord is below the Blood Lord…”

Su-ryeon nodded.

“The Leader’s people will act. Of course, not in the light. In the shadows. Just by your disappearance alone, they’ll gain much more than they lose.”

“I think so too.”

Such a sly character. He didn’t want to get his hands dirty himself, sending me—the potential threat—to the Cheonryong Association.

But now, the situation has escalated to a point where he simply couldn’t endure without taking direct action, so he’d likely send someone my way.

He might even come himself. The important part is that all of this would probably happen quickly.

Rumors would soon engulf rumors.

Before the news of the Leader’s aura being pressured by the Blood Lord could spread, my demise would accelerate quickly enough to swallow all those rumors.

“Tonight or tomorrow. That seems to be the most likely time. The sooner, the better for them. They’d want to handle it while they are in their territory.”

“Jeok-un is indeed thinking and moving. What about our preparations?”

“Just me…”

Su-ryeon stared intently at me.

I changed my words.

“Could you help me?”

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”

I left the Martial Alliance and had a meal. I didn’t indulge in alcohol. I wasn’t the type to enjoy it that much to begin with, and the only reason I’d drunk in the past was because I was with someone I was fond of.

After finishing my meal, I tidied myself up. After bathing, I cooled myself off in the refreshing air and changed into neat clothing.

Now I donned the protective garment that felt almost like a second skin. Then I lightly instructed Han Hye-bin.

“The Jinju Family should change their lodging.”

“…What?”

“Someone will come tonight. It seems there will be a battle, so it’s best if you keep your distance.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Narin. Gwangyang. Keep watch over the Jinju Family members.”

Narin and Gwangyang exchanged glances. With a sigh, they eventually shook their heads.

“The other side has sufficient protection. Master.”

“It sounds like the Martial Alliance Leader is sending people, but unlike before, he won’t be sending just one.”

I tried to refuse.

But seeing how naturally they wanted to stand beside me made it hard to voice my disapproval.

“…If it feels dangerous, retreat.”

“Yes! Master! Of course, I won’t back down!”

“I’ll die together if necessary!”

They were relentless.

But I couldn’t say that to them.

I nodded. While I was contemplating the deployment of Su-ryeon and Sapa, Narin suddenly grumbled from the side.

“Such a honey trap.”

I turned my head at that voice. I saw Han Hye-bin and Gwangyang hesitating and talking at a distance.

Tender gazes. Han Hye-bin held Gwangyang’s sleeve. It seemed she was saying something…

And then she suddenly dropped her gaze, looking shy.

Gwangyang grinned, his smile stretching almost from ear to ear.

Narin frowned at them.

“Are you trying to go ahead of me…? You really want to die…”

“They look good together. Narin. Did you not have any news from before…?”

“Master, if you’re asking knowing full well, I’m really going to be upset, okay?”

“……?”

What in the world is that supposed to mean?

 

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