I looked up at the thick line that had risen in the sky.
‘Wow.’
The thing shining with a scarlet light was incredibly vivid.
Furthermore, I could see the once-clear sky gradually being swallowed by dark storm clouds.
At a single glance, it was unmistakably foreign—clearly no natural phenomenon.
‘And here I thought, just how grand of an event would unfold.’
It was a sight far more spectacular than expected.
A melody and energy filled the empty air.
Since no one could call this normal, the sheer scale of it was overwhelming.
They said they had prepared for a very long time—well, that much was obvious.
‘Hmm.’
Six lines slowly began to connect.
As if completing a certain passage, they slowly began to link with one another.
In that process, the once-clear sky was also gradually darkening.
Rooooaaaar--!!!
The tremors reached not only the dueling stage but all four directions.
“W-what the hell is going on?!”
“Kyaaack!”
Screams erupted from all around due to the sudden vibrations.
People moved frantically, as if in a state of utter panic.
Amidst it all, I saw members of the Alliance emerging to assess the situation.
Confirming this, my gaze rose.
Toward the crimson barrier that had begun to envelop the main hall.
Saaaah--!!
Energy surging from below was wrapping around the main hall.
It was a somewhat semi-transparent crimson barrier.
‘Is that the thing Pilduma spoke of?’
I recalled hearing about it back when we were laying plans.
A power mentioned as having the capacity to gather experts in Henan and bind them in place.
They said if given time, it could be made properly—so it seemed that was the thing.
‘What principle does it work on?’
What principle did it operate on? Curiosity stirred within me, but unfortunately, now was not the time.
Crack--!!!
In an instant, I felt an immense internal energy and checked the main hall.
‘Oho.’
It was the sight of the Plum Blossom Immortal, the Sword Immortal, and the Sword Emperor simultaneously unleashing slashes at the barrier.
Their internal energies resonated, and heavy sword beams erupted, but they failed to tear the barrier and dissipated.
‘Look at that.’
The effect was clear.
Above all, it clearly showed what capabilities that thing possessed.
‘It’s not blocking them—it’s absorbing, isn’t it?’
Clearly, the barrier had absorbed the energy of the slashes.
And then its color grew even more vivid.
Did it devour energy to remake itself stronger?
‘Hmm.’
If one had to classify it, it was on the formation side.
The fact that it devoured energy was certainly helpful.
‘Binding them in place is more than possible.’
If it couldn’t block them completely, it would take some time to dispel.
Of course, even so.
‘I should be able to hold them for about half a shichen.’
It was purely speculation, but I judged that it would surely hold for at least that long.
‘Ah, I’m curious, though.’
What principle truly allowed it to generate such power?
If I could just figure it out, it would clearly be a useful ability going forward….
‘Tch.’
It was simply a shame that I couldn’t go check.
Roooaaar-!!
The vibrations grew stronger, and the spectators in the stands, perhaps sensing the danger, also began to move urgently.
“R-run!”
“Yeonshin! Yeonshin, where are you--!!”
“Shit! Move!”
“Uwaaaaah.”
With the crowd surging all at once, pandemonium erupted in an instant.
Screams flew everywhere.
Curses and wails filled the surroundings.
Because the situation was so abrupt, people couldn’t come to their senses, and as a result, order collapsed entirely.
Moreover.
“C-calm down! For now…!”
“M-move! I said move--!!”
Even though the Alliance’s martial artists tried to somehow regain control, it was insufficient to quell the confusion.
They wouldn’t have known such a thing would happen, nor would they have established protocols for it.
Thanks to that.
A deep chaos had arrived.
It was exactly the situation I had wanted.
After surveying this, I turned my head.
‘Well then, shall I start moving?’
Things here would slowly collapse, so it was time for me to do what I had to do.
And as I shifted my gaze thinking thus.
Swoosh.
I saw someone supporting the unconscious Blade King.
Among those fleeing, there was only one person who would come and take care of the Blade King.
‘Peng Wujin.’
Peng Wujin, the young family head of the Peng family.
He was supporting his father.
And with a remarkably expressionless face at that.
Then his eyes met mine.
As always, Peng Wujin smiled upon seeing me, but I couldn’t smile back at him.
No matter how you looked at it, this was a man who had beaten his own father into such a state, yet smiled on while looking at a child.
And so, just when I was at a loss for words.
“Things have become quite troublesome.”
Rather, Peng Wujin was the one who spoke to me.
-Kyaaack-!!
-Please, move aside…!!
A calm tone ill-suited for the chaotic situation.
“I had expected that before long, I would face the Young Master. Hmm. This is quite regrettable.”
“Is that what matters right now…?”
His words were so absurd that I found myself talking back without realizing.
Could that really be the issue in this mess?
Ah… could this be.
“If this is about the Peng family head’s revenge….”
“That is meaningless. The family head lost because he deserved to lose. I hold no particular ill will toward you, Young Master.”
“…”
A firm denial came even before I finished speaking.
How could there be none?
That doubt arose, but in Peng Wujin’s words, I truly couldn’t sense even a speck of emotion.
That made it all the more chilling.
How could he be so emotionless?
Peng Zhou did not exist in Peng Wujin’s eyes.
He was truly looking only at me.
Even in this damned situation.
‘He lost because he deserved to lose.’
As he spoke, the moment Peng Wujin glanced briefly at Peng Zhou.
For that brief instant, emotion flickered across his face.
An emotion terribly dark.
And sharper than anything else.
‘Hmm.’
Thus, though that emotion briefly grated on me, I didn’t hold onto it.
I didn’t care.
The Peng family’s affairs were not my jurisdiction.
Besides, Peng Wujin likely wasn’t concerned with such matters right now, as he simply continued with different words to me.
“Thus, as it is a shame… I hope you will be sure to keep your promise.”
“Ah, yes… Well… I shall try.”
The moment I spat out the words with a sour expression.
“Young Master-!”
Someone landed swiftly from the air toward me.
It was Tang Xiaolie.
“Are you alright…?”
She approached urgently with an extremely worried expression.
“Right now, something has happened…! You must move outside first.”
The strange phenomenon in the sky.
It seemed Tang Xiaolie had also realized it was no trivial matter.
“Hm.”
What should I say?
I pondered for a moment but kept my mouth shut for now.
Then Peng Wujin cut in between us.
“Then, I shall take my leave first.”
Peng Wujin, supporting Peng Zhou, put strength into his legs.
Given the situation, the Peng family’s martial artists couldn’t reach them either, so it seemed his goal was to vacate the area first.
Just as he was about to step away, Peng Wujin spoke while looking at Tang Xiaolie.
“Xiaolie, too. Let us meet again.”
At those words, Tang Xiaolie’s expression changed slightly.
My next opponents were supposed to be these two, but anyone could see that the duel was water under the bridge given the situation.
“Ah… yes.”
Tang Xiaolie nodded.
Having confirmed this, Peng Wujin lightly leaped away.
“Young Master, we must hurry too…!”
With both of them gone, Tang Xiaolie urged hurriedly.
Meanwhile, my gaze was fixed on the main hall.
-Save the Alliance Lord-!
-Sect Leader--!!
-Damn it. Call the formation master quickly!
-What is the Wind Dragon Squad doing--!!
Not only Alliance personnel, but people wearing all manner of clothes were pounding on the main hall’s barrier.
They were all outstanding martial artists of the Orthodox Faction.
They had all crowded at the barrier to rescue their sect leaders, family heads, or trade union heads.
Even the Martial Alliance’s people had gathered to rescue the Sword Immortal.
-Uwaaack-!
A disaster-like event had erupted, yet people weren’t receiving proper guidance.
Those called the Orthodox Faction were busy rescuing their superiors and trade heads.
Taking that into my eyes, I recalled.
Was that truly chivalry?
Was that the value of the Orthodox Faction that had taken root over centuries?
Could that unsightly state of being unable to endure even such a small crack truly be called justice?
I didn’t know.
Having lived without knowing chivalry or justice, I couldn’t pass judgment, but one thing was clear.
‘If that is what justice or chivalry is.’
It didn’t seem very necessary.
******************
“It’s the end…. The end….”
“O, God--!”
“Mommy….”
The path through the streets of Henan alongside Tang Xiaolie gradually began to fill with wailing.
Rooooaaaar---!!!
“Uwaaack-!”
“Dear…!!”
The vibrations were still violent, and the sky lost its blue hue, filling entirely with dark storm clouds.
The situation had changed in less than half a shichen.
The streets that had been filled with fervor for the martial arts tournament had been ruined in an instant.
They were crushed by fear, terrified of the unknown calamity.
Seeing such people, I moved my feet quickly.
“First, we should return to the residence, shouldn’t we?”
Tang Xiaolie asked me while walking.
Return to the residence. By doing so, we would have to move with the group.
It was a valid statement from Tang Xiaolie.
“Go on ahead.”
“Huh?”
That wasn’t what I was thinking.
How could I go back? Having set the stage, that was something I couldn’t do.
“Go and take care of the kids. I have something to do.”
“Young Master, what do you mean… in this situation?”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
I smiled faintly and pushed Tang Xiaolie’s back.
“Nothing will happen.”
“…”
At my firm words, Tang Xiaolie’s expression changed subtly.
Did she notice something? Or did she have something to say but nodded in agreement? I couldn’t tell.
However.
“…I understand.”
Tang Xiaolie nodded at my words.
“…You won’t be late, right? If you are… I’ll really come looking for you.”
“I won’t be late. It won’t take very long.”
“I understand.”
With those words, Tang Xiaolie quickened her pace and ran toward the residence.
I watched that small back and then came to a halt.
And for a moment, I looked to the side.
-Wuwaaaah… Mommy…
I saw a child wailing in fear.
Someone who appeared to be the mother embraced and comforted such a child.
Everyone was frozen in terror.
Some floundered about not knowing what to do; others couldn’t even hold their bodies up from fear.
These were things I had often seen when starting wars in my previous life.
The expressions back then and the air back then.
The scenes of that time, which I had no wish to experience again, bore an uncanny resemblance to now.
If there was a difference.
‘This time, I’m the one who created this mess.’
That fact gnawed at my insides.
What did it matter if those bugs died?
Perhaps because something had changed within me through that shedding, all sorts of filthy thoughts crept up within me.
A nauseating feeling brushed past me simultaneously.
I wanted to stop right that instant.
Swallowing the surging nausea, I turned my head.
I put strength into my feet.
I won’t make excuses that it was necessary.
What excuse is needed here?
I simply have to bear it.
As I steeled myself and steadied my breath.
-Hear me, dogs of the Martial Alliance.
Suddenly, a voice began to echo throughout the middle of the street.
I raised my head.
Then I saw someone floating in the air.
It wasn’t one person.
Dozens.
Dozens of people were floating in the air.
-The day of revolution has come.
An old, dry voice spread in all directions.
The energy contained in the reverberation was incredibly dense and profound.
“What… what is going on?”
“What? Who are these people?”
“What the hell is this…!!”
With the appearance of these bizarre figures, the pandemonium grew even stronger.
Their appearance immediately confirmed that this unknown environment was definitively artificial, not natural.
By nature, things committed by humans were far more terrifying.
-We have come to punish the Alliance’s sins.
-The Martial Alliance covered up its own foulness, forgot the past, and failed to correct its misguided history.
An old man spat out a story held back as if venting his deep resentment.
The meaning in his voice was so clear that one could understand it from that alone.
-It was a life covered in brutal oppression and curses.
-The illusion created by the Martial Alliance, which claimed to uphold justice, made us this way.
-Thus, this is the punishment decreed by ‘us’ who endured and withstood that time.
-The filthy Alliance.
-shall long bear the arduous karma of the Zhuge family.
The old man who had spoken gestured with his hand.
At that moment.
Rooooaaaar---!!!!
The vibrations grew even fiercer, and the people in the air—excluding the old man—poured down to the ground.
-Kyaaaaa--!!
-S-save me--!!
The screams grew louder.
Even with things like this, the Alliance’s people did not appear.
A few could be seen, but what use were a mere handful?
‘What the hell are the higher-ups doing?’
The ones bound in the main hall were probably not even half of those I had accounted for.
Then what were the other half doing?
It would actually be better if they didn’t come out, but it was strange that they hadn’t appeared even with things reaching this state.
‘If I don’t know, I should go check.’
Checking the situation, I lightly leaped.
A brutal situation was predicted behind me, but I turned my back without hesitation.
I had a purpose as well.
-Stop right there-!!
Because I had separately prepared something on this side.
Those who had begun their assault.
Seeing them, energy spread from here and there.
-Combat units, prepare for the attack and protect the civilians-!!
Fierce roars dominated the surroundings.
At the same time, several people rushed toward the dark-robed figures.
Martial artists’ shouts rang out as if repelling the assault.
Those who saw this shouted with brightened eyes.
-Th-the Huangfu Clan!
-It’s the Huangfu Clan!
Martial artists in yellow clothes appeared in large numbers.
Some stopped in the surrounding streets and began waving their hands.
-Everyone, please calm down! From now on, the Huangfu Clan will protect you!
-Please follow the guidance swiftly--!!
-Listen, Sword Division! From this moment, civilian safety is the highest priority! Protect them with your lives, upholding the Orthodox Faction’s beliefs-!!
-Chung--!!
Perhaps because the great families had appeared united.
A faint sense of relief flashed across many people’s expressions.
Confirming this, I raised the corners of my mouth.
As planned.
The prepared chess pieces were beginning to move one by one.
There were no problems yet.
However, what mattered started now.
From now on.
‘Discard what must be discarded. Secure what must be secured.’
Within the disaster and riot I myself had prepared, it was now time to reap what I needed to obtain.
Kung--!! Crack--!!
Before long, explosion sounds were heard.
Ignoring them, I leaped.
At the same time, I reached into my bosom and pulled something out.
A familiar cracked mask.
As I put it on my face, I poured strength into my heart.
Thump-!
Demonic energy flooded through my meridians.
Only now.
It was finally time for the Heavenly Demon to descend upon the chaos below.