Shhk.
Shhk.
—Kraaaack!
A spine-chilling sound spreads along with a death cry.
The ground was covered with severed flesh, and blood pooled over it.
I prayed for the disaster to pass me by, but reality does not heed the wind.
It merely strikes indifferently.
“L-live, save me…”
Shhk!
The fleeing man’s head was severed as well.
Blood spattered fiercely in all directions, yet not a single trace remained on the culprit’s clothes.
It was a bizarre sight, as if the drops of blood were avoiding him.
A man hiding behind the wall, watching this, grabbed his trembling shoulders and ran in the opposite direction.
His legs, paralyzed with fear, refused to obey easily, but he had to move by force.
‘I have to hurry and inform the main palace…!’
That a monster has appeared.
That the plans must be revised.
‘How did he find out?’
The man could not understand.
He had heard about the Shaanxi branch’s collapse several months ago.
It was because those foolish Yahyeol Sect members had acted against the Palace Lord’s will.
They had acted recklessly, digging everywhere, and simply got what they deserved.
Moreover, hadn’t they even lost the important flower?
Those bastards. The man thought so, recalling the Yahyeol Sect members at the time.
That place and this place were different.
They hadn’t kidnapped any martial artists, and since Shaolin and the Martial Alliance were nearby, they had moved even more secretly, leaving no traces.
Even the Nakgeom of the world.
…a place that even the Shaolin Abbot, said to read the celestial signs, could not detect.
‘Then just how…!’
Then just what is that monster?
How on earth did it find out and launch a surprise attack?
And alone, at that.
Crack.
The man clenched his teeth at the same time he put strength into his legs.
The face of the branch leader who had just been beheaded came to mind.
He had seen with his own eyes a martial artist who had reached the peak of mastery crumble with a single swing.
‘Did it… did it even hold a sword?’
He couldn’t remember.
Everything was hazy due to the thickly settled fear.
He just ran.
The only thought in the man’s head was that he had to inform the Palace Lord quickly.
‘Just a little more…!’
The exit was not far now.
If he could just get past there, he would be safe…
Shhk.
Thud…! Roll, roll….
The man’s head, running for the exit, fell off with a thud, and his body was flung to the ground.
The last survivor remaining in the branch died so futilely.
Step, step….
Inside the branch where only silence had lingered, calm footsteps echoed unusually loud.
Even after slaughtering dozens of martial artists, the culprit’s body was clean, not a single scratch remaining.
Corpses that seemed to have been cruelly sliced by a blade were strewn across the floor, but the one who created this situation held no sword in hand.
“I’m sorry.”
A fragile voice echoed through the cave in the hollow atmosphere.
Who was the apology for?
The one who remained alone simply continued muttering to herself.
“Borrowing a body without permission. Making your hands do even this kind of thing.”
The one she spoke to could not hear these words.
Because she had hoped not to see this, that one was now being forced to sleep.
“…I’m truly sorry, but I’ll ask just a little more of you.”
She couldn’t stay long anyway.
Being able to use this child’s body—this was almost the last time.
The more this happened, the more she knew that time would come sooner.
Even so, she had to do it.
She couldn’t make a late atonement.
The karma of the past that she could not bear would be inherited by this child.
Then at least. Even just a little.
She wanted to clear even one stone from the path he would walk.
She wondered what would change now, but she still had to do it.
She had to do at least this.
Because that was why she was here. The girl escaped the darkness and once more melted into the light, unnoticed.
Her steps were fast. Faster than anyone.
“Seol-a!”
The streets of Henan remained bright even as night fell with the passage of time.
People were still numerous, and Hong Wa could feel relief amidst the bustling crowd.
“Where did you go!”
Hong Wa quickly ran over and hugged Wi Seol-a.
“Unnie was worried…!”
“Euiing… I’m sorry…”
“If you keep worrying Unnie like this… I won’t help you next time.”
“Hing…”
“Even if it’s for Grandfather Wei’s matters…”
“I’m sorry. Unnie… I won’t do it again next time. I got lost.”
At Wi Seol-a’s tearful expression, Hong Wa tried to say something more but couldn’t, letting out a deep sigh.
“…Did you finish all the errands?”
“No!”
“What?”
“But! I don’t need to do the rest!”
“…No, it’s fine. As long as you did what you needed. Let’s hurry. Your brother Muyeon is sweating bullets worrying in this winter…”
Led by Hong Wa’s hand, Wi Seol-a’s gaze turned toward the Martial Alliance fortress visible very far away.
She had not lied.
The words that she didn’t need to do the rest. Because it wasn’t something that needed to be done right now.
‘After he obtains everything from this matter.’
After you have obtained all that you wish to obtain.
That was something that could be done afterward.
Jang Seonyeon rose in Wi Seol-a’s coldly settled eyes.
He would not kill that bastard this time.
Or rather, he probably couldn’t.
So it was something she had to do herself.
The karma and burdens he should have borne in his previous life would also be taken and scattered by her.
‘An apology. He probably couldn’t say that either.’
Words she had always wanted to say someday.
If only the opportunity would come to her.
If only she could meet him one more time.
Words she had wanted to say while looking into his two eyes, but…
‘You know you shouldn’t even dare wish for such a chance.’
She blew into the cold air, carrying her regrets in her breath.
He would not wish for this kind of meeting.
Nor would this child.
She was merely a trace left behind by lingering attachment.
So she must not desire anything more.
Wi Seol-a turned her gaze back to Hong Wa.
Her hand was cold from waiting so long, and her reddened ears caught the eye.
The only thing she could do was convey a little warmth filled with apology.
“Hm?”
Feeling something strange, Hong Wa turned her gaze toward Wi Seol-a.
“Seol-a.”
“Huh?”
“Uh… did you do something?”
“Huh…? What do you mean?”
Wi Seol-a asked with sparkling eyes, and Hong Wa tilted her head slightly before looking ahead again.
The winter evening passed quietly, as if nothing had happened.
The new bracket came out during the day, and some time had passed.
Enough time for those who had fought to rest and eat.
While they were passing the time, Dang Soyeol, who had come from the medical quarters, spoke.
“Young Master Gu… I’m sorry I couldn’t go cheer for your match during the day.”
“It doesn’t matter. Don’t make that kind of face.”
She spoke bluntly, and Dang Soyeol’s shoulders flinched slightly.
He had been reacting like that every time he heard casual speech since earlier.
‘Why is he like that?’
She had even told him to speak casually, yet he himself wasn’t doing so.
She had said he could speak casually, but he had refused, saying it felt like cheating somehow.
What kind of cheating…?
He was truly an incomprehensible person.
She had been continuing to eat dumplings, thinking she should at least fill her stomach.
Besides Dang Soyeol and Namgung Bia, there was one more guest who had found the tent.
These dumplings were also brought by that guest.
The guest spoke as if dumbfounded.
“…I thought it was just a coincidence, but you really have a woman clinging to you, huh?”
“Why are you picking a fight the moment you arrive again?”
“I’m complimenting you, you fool.”
A slightly mischievous-looking girl with short, dark black hair.
It was Paeng Ahi, who had blocked for me at the banquet the day before yesterday.
“Anyway, I came to see the sights, and your manner of speaking…”
“Exactly. Why did you even come?”
“I told you. I came to see.”
When Paeng Ahi had suddenly come to the tent with food, it had been truly bewildering.
Because she had truly come out of nowhere.
And with dumplings, at that.
“You said you weren’t even participating in the matches.”
“Casual speech again.”
“—I used honorifics.”
“…Th-that’s not it, just don’t.”
She said with an even more scornful expression.
He told me to do it, so why is he getting angry again?
“I was only going to come for the banquet this time. The head of the family would obviously scold me if I didn’t go. My older brother said he was going for business, so I just followed.”
Given the head of the Peng family’s personality, that seemed likely.
A man with a huge bear-like build and a fiery temper came to mind.
‘It’s quite peculiar that kids like that came from that uncle’s face and personality.’
You could tell just by looking at his face.
Peng Woojin and Paeng Ahi were handsome and beautiful, but that gentleman was quite far from that.
‘In my opinion, their mother must have been devastatingly beautiful.’
Besides, since Paeng Ahi was the child of a concubine, both wives must have been pretty.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“No, nothing. So what did you come for?”
“I didn’t come to see you. I came to see my friend.”
“Friend?”
Paeng Ahi’s gaze turned toward Dang Soyeol.
At that, Dang Soyeol coughed while eating.
As if she had been waiting, Paeng Ahi also opened her mouth.
“Good for you. Really.”
…Kheuk… keum….
Did the two know each other?
Paeng Ahi spoke, looking at Dang Soyeol.
“Is the food going down?”
“…That’s…”
“You lost your first match?”
“Good for you! So confident, yet there you are.”
Dang Soyeol covered his face with his green hair as if he had nothing to say.
He looked like he wanted to hide in a mouse hole.
Paeng Ahi sighed as she looked at him and asked.
“…Are you okay?”
“Yeah… I’m not hurt.”
“You look it.”
“ ”
“I’m kidding. Your opponent must have been strong.”
Dang Soyeol’s face crumpled at Paeng Ahi’s words.
Even so, he kept sneakily eating dumplings.
“…Were you very hungry?”
“…Yeah, porridge doesn’t taste very good.”
“I thought as much, so I bought some.”
“Thank you…”
Dang Soyeol made an expression as deflated as if he had been rained on.
Paeng Ahi looked at him, then shifted her gaze to me.
“He may have a nasty temperament, but he’s a good kid.”
“Ah, Ahi!”
I made a strange expression at Paeng Ahi’s words.
“Nasty temperament? He’s never been rude?”
“What?”
At my words, Paeng Ahi made a strange expression instead.
But in reality, Dang Soyeol had never shown such an attitude to me or my companions.
Far from being rude, he had seemed to be trying to take care of us.
Hearing that, Paeng Ahi looked at Dang Soyeol with a shocked face and spoke.
“You… your pretense is no joke, huh?”
“Ah, no! What pretense!”
“You impudent brat… The whole world knows what your personality is like.”
Dang Soyeol glared as if he were wronged, but Paeng Ahi did not drop her expression.
Watching that, I could tell.
That the two were very close.
“Soyeol, I always thought your taste was really strange, but I didn’t know it would turn out like this.”
“…What did I do.”
“What’s the point of saying. Of all people…”
Paeng Ahi looked me up and down from above.
I feel quite annoyed…?
“You be careful too.”
“About what…?”
“Be careful when you sleep at night. If a gift comes from the Tang clan, don’t eat it if possible. The head of the family there has Soyeol…”
“Hey!”
Unable to bear it, Dang Soyeol shouted with force.
Perhaps because of that, Namgung Bia, who had been sleeping in the back, sat up slightly.
“Oh my, you startled me!”
Seeing that, Paeng Ahi jumped in surprise, as if she hadn’t known Namgung Bia was there.
It was literally a mess.
“Wh-why is she here again?”
“She’s sleepy.”
The person who had to go up on the martial arts stage right after me was lying around sleeping, saying she was sleepy.
‘Is it because her opponent is who he is?’
For reference, Namgung Bia’s opponent was Gu Jeolyeop.
Thanks to that, Gu Jeolyeop was likely sitting crouched somewhere looking miserable.
“But why is she in your tent… Ah.”
She seemed to realize mid-sentence that Namgung Bia and I were engaged.
Of course, that couldn’t be the whole reason she was lying around here.
“Still… shouldn’t she not be here?”
The reason she was glancing around was probably because my opponent was Namgung Cheonjun.
Namgung Bia herself didn’t seem to care, but from my standpoint, it was a bit different.
I had even subtly asked Namgung Bia if she shouldn’t go because of other people’s gazes.
Hearing that, Namgung Bia frowned her eyebrows sharply! and lay back down to sleep.
As if expressing with her whole body that she didn’t like it.
Paeng Ahi looked at the silent Namgung Bia and continued speaking as if trying to ease the atmosphere.
“W-well, since your relationship is what it is… it must be a bit awkward to cheer for either side, right?”
“…I won’t cheer.”
Namgung Bia answered quietly to Paeng Ahi’s words.
“…There’s no need for that.”
It was, in a way, firm and cold words.
Paeng Ahi also shut her mouth tight for a moment.
Unlike her, I could understand.
It might be misunderstood due to that lacking vocabulary, but in my view, it meant, ‘He’ll do well even without going out of his way to do that.’
“Anyway…”
The problem was that she spoke like that, omitting context. She didn’t seem to have any intention of fixing it.
Only now did it become irrelevant to me, but.
In the slightly awkward atmosphere, a servant delivered a message through the tent door crack.
“Young master, it’s time…”
“Ah, I’m coming out now.”
Thinking it was about time to go out anyway, I stopped eating and circulated my internal energy.
Heat rose slightly, and my body, which had loosened over time, tensed again.
It meant I was in the perfect state to move.
The place I was guided to showed a clear difference from where the matches had been held before.
First, it was much wider.
It looked much sturdier. They seemed to have used good materials so it wouldn’t be broken during the matches.
It certainly didn’t seem like it would break easily. Easily, that is.
I slowly ascended the martial arts stage.
Then I heard murmuring sounds from the surroundings. To think the audience was this full even in this cold weather.
Why do people like watching fights so much, anyway?
“He’s just a kid? That kid made it to the top eight?”
“How did he get there? Did he have good bracket luck?”
“I heard even Wudang’s junior disciple lost to that kid…”
“Wudang, of all places? No way, it must be a false rumor.”
Those gathered as if to watch included not only the junior disciples who had come for the banquet but others as well.
Probably the merchant guilds of Henan that support the Alliance, or people like that.
Because the Friendly Martial Arts Tournament isn’t shown to civilians.
“Shanxi Gu family…? If it’s the Shanxi Gu family, aren’t they one of the three families of Hohyeop?”
“Oh… They had someone left in Hohyeop?”
“But why hasn’t he been known until now… Could he be a collateral branch?”
“You there! How could a collateral branch make it that far? If he’s a child of Hohyeop, he would also be the younger brother of the Sword Peak. Hohyeop simply has exceptional luck with children.”
“Hoo… Then it’s even more of a pity.”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter how outstanding, his opponent is his opponent, so this is probably as far as he goes. That’s what I mean by pity.”
The man watching answered, looking at the young man ascending the opposite side of the stage.
“Even if the child has outstanding talent, he won’t be a match for that one.”
A white-haired young man with sculpture-like looks ascended the stage.
A blue martial arts robe with golden embroidery.
The chilly energy felt little by little and his disciplined movements made many exclaim in admiration.
The young man was the most famous sword family in the Central Plains.
The center of the Orthodox Four Great Families of the Central Plains.
The Thunder Dragon of the Great Nangong Family, Nangong Cheonjun.
His eyes gleamed on the martial arts stage.
The blade slowly drawn from its scabbard shone under the moonlight.
It was a sword provided by the Martial Alliance, but the wielder was so handsome that it exuded an air like a famous blade.
While preparing, Nangong Cheonjun suddenly looked at me and spoke.
Foolish bastard.
The reason his quietly spoken voice could be heard clearly here was because his words were imbued with inner energy.
The referee hadn’t come up yet.
Nangong Cheonjun was speaking, imbuing his voice with inner energy so the audience couldn’t hear, as if whispering.
“Making it this far is worthy of praise, but you are a fool with an exceptionally dull head.”
“Brother-in-law. Your manners talking to your brother-in-law are too lacking.”
“You…!”
At the bluntly spat words, Nangong Cheonjun flared up for a moment.
As expected, he seemed to hate the sound of “brother-in-law” very much.
He started the fight, so why is he losing his temper?
If he hates it, I should do it more.
Nangong Cheonjun, who seemed to be trying hard to calm down, spoke again.
“Didn’t I tell you? If you don’t want to suffer, forfeit before meeting me.”
“My nose isn’t that big. It’s smaller than my brother-in-law’s, you know?”
“…Your tongue is still nimble, and it seems you still don’t know your place.”
His posture holding the sword changed little by little.
He prepared his movements to be able to move at any time.
But even that didn’t look particularly serious.
Why are these so-called famous family bastards all so careless?
With the successor acting like that, they’d better be prepared for their family’s destruction in the future.
Not knowing what I was thinking, Nangong Cheonjun simply continued speaking.
“Do you truly think you defeated me in Sichuan?”
“What now? You mean when my brother-in-law got thrashed by me and crawled on the floor?”
“…If I could have used my inner energy, beheading you would have been an easy task.”
At Nangong Cheonjun’s words, I almost clicked my tongue without realizing.
What should I do with that bastard?
“Brother-in-law, do you know this?”
“This bastard keeps…”
“If the old man I know heard what you’re saying, he would have cursed you out.”
The old man might have said he’d tear his ass apart.
“A martial artist who can’t do anything without inner energy? With that mindset, you should just tell the tavern waiter to be the young master of the Nangong family. He’d do better than you.”
“You brat…!”
He was about to shout something with veins bulging in his neck, but the referee was ascending the stage.
Unlike the previous stage, even the referee was different.
It seemed a strong martial artist who could intervene at any time was acting as the referee.
The murmuring sounds looking at me and Nangong Cheonjun quieted with the referee’s appearance.
Since they were about to see an anticipated match, everyone must be concentrating.
“Top-eight match, Nangong Cheonjun of the Nangong family versus.”
At the referee’s call, Nangong Cheonjun enveloped the tip of his sword with energy.
There were no formalities such as showing respect to each other.
Rather, that’s fine by me.
‘Oh…’
I could tell by the tingling sensation brushing past my cheek.
Nangong Cheonjun’s sword clearly harbored Thunder Energy right now.
It seemed he hadn’t been merely playing around.
“Gu Yangcheon of the Shanxi Gu family.”
His face brimming with the confidence that he could cut me down at any time was more something I could acknowledge rather than dislike.
Nangong Cheonjun was definitely a genius, after all.
It’s just that too many people stood before him.
Honestly, that arrogance didn’t particularly matter.
If he wants to live knowing how great he is, what do I care?
I just wished he wouldn’t keep tapping at me so annoyingly.
Also, it would have been nice if he had properly fixed that gaze that glanced at Namgung Bia from time to time.
I’m narrow-minded yet generous.
I was a mad dog in my previous life, but now I could endure to some degree.
This matter too, definitely.
If Nangong Cheonjun had hidden that dark desire in his eyes.
It was something I wouldn’t have bothered getting worked up over.
If failing to do so is Nangong Cheonjun’s sin, then it is a sin.
“Begin.”
The referee’s voice rang out.
At the same time.
—Gu Yeom Tae Ah-rang.
The massive flame extending from the fist
devoured half of the martial arts stage.