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Creeeaaak—!!

Boom—!!

Like a thunderous explosion, the bets burst forth.

Dozens of years worth of energy were contained within. The sword intent created by that energy repeatedly struck against the barrier.

Bang—! Bang bang—! Creeeaaak—!!

The fierce attacks erupted.

Countless bursts of light flashed as though they were determined to tear apart the barrier.

Swoosh—!

But no matter how ferociously the powerful energy raged, the barrier remained steadfast.

“Damn it—!”

The martial artist wielding his sword spat out curses as he swung his weapon.

Despite having already consumed more than half of his bets, the situation remained utterly unclear.

He had to take heavy breaths as he glanced to his side.

‘…Even the Seven Iron Body Techniques can’t break that…!!’

Hwasan’s Plum Blossom Master.

Wudang’s Sword Master.

Even the Sword Sovereign of the Martial Alliance.

Amongst the so-called top-tier martial masters of the Central Plains, there were three present.

Despite their combined efforts, it was futile to slice through that barrier.

“What the hell is happening outside?!”

“…Um, w-we need to do something!”

The clan leaders behind him urged, their faces pale with fear.

It seemed they were aware of how bizarre this situation had become.

What on earth could be happening?

“…Hmm.”

The Plum Blossom Master, who was scattering scarlet sword intent, furrowed his brows and stroked his beard.

Then he turned to the Sword Sovereign beside him.

“This doesn’t seem like a mere barrier, does it?”

“…No.”

The Sword Sovereign nodded, agreeing with him.

The powerful attacks unleashed multiple times were not lacking in skill either.

Given such overwhelming force, even the Three Eminent Beings wouldn’t be able to stop it.

Yet, despite taking all those hits, the barrier showed no signs of wavering—if anything, it seemed to grow even stronger.

At this point, anyone with a brain would realize it.

“It’s a formation, or perhaps a barrier realm.”

“In other words, it cannot be solved with brute strength. Woo Bong, can you see anything?”

While the Plum Blossom Master had been focusing on the barrier, the old man and head of the Beggar Clan, Woo Bongchwigae, was asked a question.

“I can see it… but just that.”

“Looks like you didn’t figure anything out. Quite useless.”

“…”

Woo Bongchwigae let out a muffled sound in response to the Plum Blossom Master’s jab.

While it was indeed true, he also felt unfairly targeted.

“This old man… What do you expect me to know about formations?”

“Considering you’re just standing there, I thought you might know something. But it seems not.”

“I’m not involved in this, you know… Ah, right! What’s the Wind Dragon Great Lord doing?”

In charge of matters on this front was the abstract Wind Dragon Great Lord, Bi Mapah.

If she were here, she could help, so the Sword Master urgently inquired.

The Sword Master responded with a distorted expression.

“Now that a situation has arisen, she should arrive shortly.”

While giving that answer, the Sword Master scanned the surroundings.

—UAAAAAH—!

—I have to get out…! Get out, I say! Move aside!!

Beyond the barrier, a chaotic scene unfolded.

Those lost in confusion were creating a mess.

The renowned Martial Arts Tournament, famed for its grandeur, was now in ruins.

Watching this, the Sword Master clenched his fist.

Crack.

A harsh noise emanated from his tightly clenched fist.

His emotions were in turmoil.

‘What the hell is going on?’

Something unprecedented was happening.

How did it come to this?

‘Is it an ambush? Where and how?’

Was some fool attacking Hanam?

With all forces gathered here, they should have avoided an ambush at this time.

Even more troubling was—

‘How did they even show up?’

What method did they use to strike so suddenly?

‘The Wind Dragon Great Lord must have been monitoring the formations continuously…’

Even surrounded by their full force, there were still risks lurking.

Thus, there should have been patrols in place, along with formations laid out to prevent ambushes.

Even if they breached those defenses, they should have still detected their presence.

Could it be?

‘Did the Wind Dragon Great Lord betray us?’

That was a suspicion laced with some validity.

The Wind Dragon Great Lord oversaw the formations of the Martial Alliance.

If she did betray them, then everything happening now would indeed make sense.

Especially since there had been reports of unusual behavior from her lately, this became even more plausible.

‘…No way. Is that why she’s not showing up?’

The reason she hadn’t appeared even when things had escalated could quite possibly be her betrayal.

‘Nod.’

Emotions welled in the Sword Master’s eyes.

As the chaos erupted, why did all of this happen right now?

Especially when he himself was the Great Lord.

Intense feelings bubbled to the surface.

He had to find a way to resolve this.

No matter what, even if just for his sake.

As he thought this, the Sword Master strained to come up with a solution when—

“The whole situation resembles a mouse trapped in a jar.”

A voice rang out from the void.

At that moment, everyone inside looked up.

They all turned their gazes toward the direction of the voice.

“It really suits the situation.”

Swoosh.

A scarlet line began to connect against the backdrop of filled dark clouds and sky.

Below it,

An old man dressed in a black robe gradually descended.

He possessed a well-balanced physique for an elder, and gripped a heavy weapon in one hand.

The old man floating in the void looked at those gathered beyond the barrier and raised the corner of his mouth in a smile.

“So, how does it feel to be trapped like frogs in a well? I am actually quite curious.”

“…”

At that, everyone realized that the one responsible for this whole situation was that old man.

“…Who… are you?!”

“How dare you treat us this way, not knowing who we are! Let us go at once—!”

Just as the clan leaders who had gathered raised their voices toward the culprit, Plum Blossom Leaves shot out and covered their mouths.

This was the work of the Plum Blossom Master.

It was a judgment call that provoking the enemy seemed too dangerous.

Right after gagging their voices, the Plum Blossom Master turned to the old man and calmly spoke.

“I am Dohwa, the 16th Sect Leader of the Hwasan Sect.”

“Ah, Plum Blossom Master. I know you well. It is an honor to meet such a great figure.”

“You don’t seem like someone I am acquainted with… May I ask your name?”

“Heh heh heh…”

At the Plum Blossom Master’s words, the old man chuckled.

“An introduction… an introduction sounds lovely… I need to let you know who did this to you!”

He let out a dry, raspy voice.

“Though I’ve long forgotten my name, I have never forgotten my essence. So allow me to introduce myself.”

His eyes filled with resentment and anger.

With that gaze, the old man looked beyond the barrier and stated.

“I am the descendant of the Jiegal Clan, who you falsely accused and cast aside.”

At the old man’s introduction, those gathered inside the barrier reacted strongly.

“…What?!”

“Jiegal…?!”

“If it’s Jiegal, then that can’t be…”

The Jiegal Clan.

Once belonging to the Righteous Faction, it was among the five great clans that stood as a pillar of the righteous sect, but they fell after their attempts to seek dark powers were discovered.

Could that old man be a survivor from that Jiegal Clan?

“What do you think? The feeling of those who thought they erased and blamed us seeing that we’re alive and have drawn swords against their necks?”

“N-nonsense! What do you mean by false accusations?”

“The Jiegal Clan explicitly…!”

Dark powers. More precisely, they were accused of coveting the power of the Blood Demon that incited the Blood Calamity in the past.

Did he just say that was a false accusation?

As everyone wore puzzled expressions, the old man continued.

“True, it’s an event long past. And for the sake of the righteous faction, it had to be buried… I’m sure they erased it without leaving any records.”

The old man’s face was now twisted, displeased by their reactions.

“But we who fell into hell remember.”

Gu gu gu gung—!!!

The tremors began to increase in intensity.

“Even if you forgot us, abandoned us, we still remember. How could we forget? How can you expect us to forget such painful memories?!!”

With a roar that seemed to split the air, the bets wrapped around them burst.

WHOOSH–!!

—AAAAAAHHH—!

—UAAAH—!!!

This affected even those still trapped in the Martial Alliance.

The old man’s fury was immense.

Facing this, the Wudang Sword Master took a step forward and spoke to him.

“So, you were the one who caused this?”

The Sword Master’s words caught the old man’s attention.

“Sword Master, you are the leader of the rotten Martial Alliance. The most incompetent and useless lord of all.”

The insult made the Sword Master’s brow twitch. However, now was not the time to argue about that.

“I don’t know about the Jiegal Clan. However, as you say it was a false accusation and you wish to take revenge, do you believe your actions are truly valid revenge?”

No matter what evil the faction might have committed in the past,

Was it right for them to take vengeance upon the current generation?

It might sound reasonable, but—

“Are you suggesting we forgive? If that were the case, I wouldn’t have come out in the first place.”

His words did not penetrate the old man.

“…This place is not only filled with people from the Martial Alliance, but there are also civilians not involved with that incident. If you wish to take revenge, wouldn’t it be better to…!”

“I understand. Indeed, change requires sacrifices.”

“…What do you mean? You won’t harm the innocents?”

“Haha.”

As the Sword Master spoke with rising anger, the old man burst into laughter.

“How ridiculous, lord.”

“What is ridiculous?”

“How funny it is that you act like that’s a problem. Since when did you. No, since when did you all care about that?”

“…What do you mean—?!”

“Look.”

Cutting the Sword Master off, the old man gestured widely.

As he passed over those who had fallen into chaos, he directed his gaze toward the crowd gathered around the barrier.

“Given how this situation has unfolded, where is the consideration and justice you speak of?”

—GET OUT OF THE WAY—!! GET OUT OF THE WAY, I SAY!!

—GRAAAAAH!!!

—RUN—!!

Had the old man’s overwhelming presence influenced them? The cries of desperation filled the already chaotic atmosphere.

And amidst that,

—Protect the Great Lord—!

—Break the barrier—! We must rescue the Clan Leader—!!

—Ambush—! An ambush is in progress…!!

—Deputy Lord—! Let’s hurry and assist in battle…!

—Right now, the Great Lord is over there! Send others and let’s deal with this barrier first! Damn it! What is the Wind Dragon Great Lord doing?!

Pointing out the disarray of martial artists, the old man kept laughing. Was this how the so-called righteous martial artists looked while trying to protect civilians?

Nothing seemed to be going right.

Strangely, the martial artists down below seemed unaware of the old man’s presence.

“Is this what you call rules and justice? Is this what you hid while preserving your decaying roots?”

“This is the world you’ve struggled to maintain while barely keeping your ground.”

“Thus, do not merely call this a revenge against you.”

The old man continued to glare at the Sword Master as he spoke.

“This is a punishment we are delivering to you.”

GU GU GU GUNG—!!!

The tremors intensified, now growling between the dark clouds.

In that moment, the old man cast down a sentence upon the barrier as if to proclaim judgment.

The gathered were left in shock and fury.

‘Yes.’

Seeing that, the old man felt a sense of ecstasy.

‘That’s it.’

That was the expression he had built over a lifetime.

And it was an expression he craved to force upon them.

‘How does it feel?’

What is it like to feel nothing but despair, unable to do anything?

How does it feel to fully experience the emotions we have felt?

It was exhilarating.

Indeed, it felt great.

‘There’s not much time left.’

The calamity was about to unfold in no time.

Without knowing its weakness, that barrier could never be broken by sheer strength.

To break it through force would require an absolutely overwhelming force.

Even with strong individuals gathered here, such strength remained insufficient.

‘So, just stay trapped in that jar and enjoy the hellscape.’

And be swept away by the typhoon he had unleashed.

As the old man reveled in that thought, suddenly—

Wooong.

“…!”

The old man quickly turned his body.

At that moment—

Zwoooom—!!!

An astonishingly powerful energy brushed past where he had been standing.

KUAHRRRAAA—!!!

An explosive blast resonated in the air.

It was a sudden ambush.

Who was it?

The old man looked on in confusion, trying to identify who had attacked him, and then noticed—

“Are you the mastermind behind this ambush?”

A hulking figure with a deep voice came into view.

It was a middle-aged man dressed in yellow robes.

“I am Huangbo Yeolwi, the Leader of the Huangbo Clan.”

“…”

What?

The old man was startled.

He was not only attacked, but this figure was staring directly at him too.

This was an impossible situation.

It wasn’t just that—

‘Clearly, the sorcery was activated properly. How could…?’

How could that person see him? He was baffled.

But—

“From now on.”

This was no time to ponder such questions.

“I, the Tiger Fist Techniques’ Huangbo Yeolwi, shall eradicate evil in the name of the Righteous Faction!”

With that declaration, Huangbo Yeolwi leaped toward the old man.

Reacting quickly, the old man swung his heavy weapon.

Hunnnnng—!!

The clashing energies erupted with a wave of force.

KUAHRRRAAAA—!!!

—AAAHHHHH! What the hell is this—!!

—S-save me—!!!

With screams ringing out, as the old man endured the blow, he narrowed his eyes.

Was it merely an illusion?

Huangbo Yeolwi, the one who introduced himself, seemed to glow with a hint of purple in his eyes.

Kuuung—!! Thud thud—!!!

The relentless impact shook the ceiling.

It seemed like the plan had begun.

KUAHRRRRAAA—!!!

The impact was so intense that even from a relatively distant spot, the sound was audible.

Was it a mistake to command them to create as much chaos as possible?

It seemed like they were perhaps going a bit too far…

‘It should be fine, right?’

It was rather a good situation, so he decided not to overthink it and instead moved forward.

Thud.

He walked through the dark and murky space.

The presence of others was hardly felt there.

Given that this should have been a place with little presence to begin with, it now felt especially barren, perhaps due to the incident that had commenced.

If not, then—

‘The people who were here must have vanished.’

These spaces might have been filled with people earlier.

But now they were likely driven away by outside forces.

As he continued to think this way and moved onward, he arrived before a door.

Though there were several doors beyond this one,

This was the place I was looking for, so I didn’t need to proceed any further.

Without hesitation, I ripped the door open.

Creeeaaak.

The metal door splintered like dried wood and—

Boom—!

The sight beyond the shattered door came into view.

Frowning slightly at what I saw.

Drip.

Drip…!

Not only was there an unpleasant sound, but the acrid smell wafted through my nostrils.

Blood scent. The stench of blood overpowered everything.

As I stepped forward, the wet floor welcomed me.

It wasn’t water. The ground was flooded with blood.

But that wasn’t all.

In various places lay torn and wrecked corpses.

Some had their faces smashed, as if they had been struck by a heavy object, while others were either ripped in half or otherwise dismembered.

The number of butchered bodies exceeded ten.

I clicked my tongue at the brutal sight.

“What a bloody mess.”

I muttered in extreme disgust, when I suddenly sensed a presence ahead.

In the very center of that pool of humanity…

Someone knelt with one knee on the ground.

With dark green hair.

Dressed in prisoner clothes signifying a guilty person, his arms and legs shackled with chains, but it seemed too insufficient to contain the man.

Tap.

I felt something snag at my feet.

Looking down, I saw it was a human head.

It appeared to have been ripped off by hand.

Now that I thought about it, that face looked strangely familiar. Just as I recognized it—

“It’s the head of First Dragon Great Lord.”

A voice from the front informed me.

“Right. That was him.”

I finally understood.

My curiosity was satisfied.

Feeling disinterested, I walked past the severed head toward the man.

I didn’t feel any further interest in it.

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine.”

As though to prove his words, the man got up.

Trembling, he gradually started to rise, towering above me like a mountain.

With every glance, I noticed his massive size.

His skin was riddled with scars. Most looked like signs of age, while several appeared newly acquired.

It seemed some of them were probably inflicted during recent tortures.

“It looks like the ligaments in your arms and legs are severed. Are you really okay?”

“I have regenerated.”

“Then that’s good.”

Though I already knew, I asked anyway.

If he hadn’t regenerated, there was no way he could have made this mess around here.

Satisfied with my understanding, I took out clothes from my pocket and threw them to him.

He caught the garment and immediately unfolded it.

Flap—!

A black martial robe.

It was similar in design to what the Pildu Ma wore.

Seeing that, the man’s face broke into a wide grin.

It seemed he understood what that meant.

He didn’t even wait for me to tell him to wear it, immediately donning it as if he were elated.

It felt like I hadn’t seen that guy smile in years. Ugh, how grotesque.

“When you get out, there’s a guy in yellow robes who has your weapons, so go find them yourself.”

“Yes.”

“And… no, wait. It seems like this is a pointless discussion.”

His eyes were glassy, almost vacant.

There was no use in saying more, as clearly, his sole desire was to fulfill one last command.

The words I should say were only—

“Go out and rampage.”

Boom—!!

As soon as I finished saying this, he charged past me, crashing through the wall.

Creeeaaak. Urrggh—!!

From a distance, I heard the sounds of destruction echoing.

I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.

‘…Is he really okay?’

I had given him a few orders previously that he shouldn’t carry out.

But looking at his state, it was hard to believe he would comply.

While I would have liked to follow him and ensure he didn’t go overboard—

‘There are plenty of things I have to do here too.’

Tap.

Ignoring him for now, I pressed onward.

In the spot where he’d been lying before, there was now an empty space.

“I found it.”

In that location, I discovered the individual I had been searching for.

I spotted a figure, lowered my body, and locked eyes with them.

“…Ugh… guh…”

The old woman appeared to have broken arms, and her legs seemed similarly injured, so she looked quite terrible.

It was none other than the Wind Dragon Great Lord, Bi Mapah.

“Good to see you. I was wondering where you were and ended up finding you here. I looked for you for quite a while.”

“…Ugh… ugh…”

She trembled as if paralyzed by fear.

Observing her pitiful condition, I spoke.

“To be brief, I’d like to ask you for a favor.”

Of course.

“Will you help me?”

I had no intention of offering a choice to refuse.

 

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